-1.svg "The Masters Seminary Blog")
Here are the top 10 articles you read, clicked, and shared in 2022.
10. "An Appeal for Silence and Solitude" by Taylor Berghuis
Routine silence and solitude afford tremendous aid for the Christian striving to maintain an eternal mindset in this world (Col. 3:2). It is a time for us to withdraw and be exclusively concentrated on the Lord. Many utilize the time to read Scripture, pray, memorize verses, or journal their thoughts. This practice is necessary not just to refresh our souls, for it simultaneously sharpens us to live faithfully in this world as we avail ourselves of the means of the grace God has granted us. The day and age in which we live demands purposeful silence and solitude.
9. "A Theology of Sin and Sovereignty: How Sin Never Disrupts God's Sovereign Decree" by Patrick Slyman
The hymnwriter was right, “though the wrong seems oft so strong, God is the ruler yet.” Sin is the necessary underside of the beautiful tapestry God is weaving. Like strings that have no rhyme or reason, thread that has no pattern or plan; when the expert weaver finally finishes His masterpiece and flips over His tapestry—all the chaos makes sense. And it is perfect, beautiful, and good.
Yes, sin is real, but it is ruled—ruled by our good and caring God, who is weaving every injustice, wicked scheme, and sinful hurt into His designed masterpiece for His people.
8. "Evangelizing to Blind Eyes, Deaf Ears, and Hardened Hearts" by Patrick Slyman
We have something greater than Sheol-shattering power. We have Christ’s Gospel and Christ’s Spirit—which together do what not even the most stunning miracle could do: expose sinners’ spiritual need (John 6:35), open deaf ears to hear the Savior’s call (John 6:44), and replace a dead heart of sin with a living heart filled with repentance and faith (John 6:63).
7. "4 Features of an Exemplary Church" by Isaías Muñoz
The church in Thessalonica was by no means perfect, but their example serves as a template for the contemporary church to model as to the priorities and qualities that should be reflected in faithful, Christ-honoring ministry. They were a church devoted to living out what they believed, depending upon God’s means of grace and growth in the church, proclaiming the truth of the gospel as revealed in Christ, and awaiting the Lord’s return by remaining ready and fruitful.
6. "Conversion: The Experience of Salvation" by John MacArthur
Many elements of the doctrine of salvation are non-experiential—you don't feel them when they occur. For example, you don't experience justification because it's a transaction which happens on the divine level. You don't experience regeneration, redemption, the imputation of righteousness, or adoption. There's nothing that happens to you that tells you when these things occur. But there is one reality in salvation we do experience, and that is conversion.
5. "The Cult of Victimhood" by Rodney Andersen
Having the victim mindset is one of the empty deceptions that can overtake Christians– it aligns with our fleshly desire toward selfishness and justifying our own sin. Don’t be taken captive by this way of thinking. Instead, trust the Lord and maintain your focus on Christ and the good news of the gospel. Rejoice that you have been saved, you are being sanctified, you serve the Judge of the universe who will make all things right in the end, and pray with compassion for those who sin against you.
4. "How to Spot Character in Your Next Pastor" by Corey Williams
God’s truth is timeless. First Timothy 3 and Titus 1 show us exactly what a godly spiritual leader looks like. It’s up to us to implement those standards in our hiring processes and it’s up to us, as the church, to prioritize these standards in the churches we attend and the leader’s we admire. Only when the culture becomes one of character over competence will we reject leaders with resume virtues and promote leaders with the eulogy virtues that should define all believers.
3. "The Ministry of Music Ministry" by Matt Ng
If there’s anything to be learned from the resurgence of the worship wars, it’s that music in the church can be an attraction or distraction far more controversial than necessary. Amidst the battles worth fighting, we must keep our feet firmly planted in the local church ministry of music ministry. If we carefully chose and discipled godly, gifted leaders who consistently picked beautiful, truth-filled tunes, arranged them in engaging ways, and partnered with a ministry team of musicians to whom excellence is a humble, Godward pursuit, we might be more successful in our pursuit of true, Colossians 3 worship.
2. "Obsessed with Sanctification: William Wilberforce" by John MacArthur
In Ephesians 4:1, the apostle Paul exhorts the Ephesian church to “walk worthy of the calling with which you have been called.” This verse is a call to sanctification—a command to live in such a way that your lifestyle is marked by obedience that matches your identity in Jesus Christ. This pursuit of sanctification, which is a high and holy calling, should be the dominating obsession of your life. With every moment of your life, God has called you to strive to be a holy instrument in His hands.
1. "Why I Fight: Part 1" by John MacArthur
I am a defender of the truth, and the church is the pillar and support of the truth. In the end, the truth is what I live for. I never want to misrepresent the truth. But once I understand the Word of God, the thought doesn’t enter my mind of what others may think. My assumption is that the saints will embrace the truth, and the lost will reject it. Our Lord taught pure truth and was crucified at the hand of the crowds. The world is hostile to the truth, which is the reason there is a battle.
