The biblical doctrine of election is God’s unconditional, eternal, immutable, particular, and...
grace
2021 Resolutions
One of the reasons we make resolutions is that we are people who do better with some type of...
Matchless Grace
Grace so permeates the book of Ephesians that one might call the entire book, “Grace Abounding.”...
The Sinner’s Prayer
The following is an excerpt from my book From Death to Life: How Salvation Works The Reality In too many churches, we’ve essentially equated saying the right words to God as a third ordinance: Baptism, the Lord’s Supper, and the Sinner’s Prayer. Once this prayer is...
Ep. 029 | Brad Weber Interview — TAU Roundtable
Michael interviews Brad Weber of Theology Nights @ http://theologynights.com/ Theology Nights offers Reformed theology, articles, teaching, videos, and podcasts. In this episode, Brad gives us insight into his former life of addiction and what drives him to do what he...
Ep. 027 | Dustin Benge Interview — TAU Roundtable
Michael interviews Dr. Dustin Benge of Southern Seminary about the two sermons he gave at the 2019 Cruciform Conference concerning the cruciform gospel. Dustin preached from Titus 3 and posed 4 questions to consider: Where does a cruciform gospel start? What does a...
Ep. 026 | Michelle Lesley Interview — TAU Roundtable
Michael interviews Michelle Lesley of michellelesley.com and A Word Fitly Spoken podcast about Feminism, femininity, biblical womanhood, and Moore. Michelle is a wife, mother, and blogger. You won't want to miss this hard-hitting interview! 🙂 [content type=page...
Stubborn as a Mule
I played Donkey Basketball one time. After that experience, I can say I have firsthand understanding of what the phrase "stubborn as a mule" means (Yes, I know. A donkey and a mule are two different animals, but you get the illustration). The whole reason "donkey...
Ep. 025 | Various Interviews — TAU Roundtable
Michael interviews a few more interesting people from the Cruciform Conference. Micah Hasty of Micah Hasty Music https://twitter.com/themicahandrew Josh Hamon of https://theministryofwar.com/ Bryan Lamb of https://www.garageministries.com/ [content type=page...
Ep. 024 | Kofi Interview — TAU Roundtable
Michael interviews Kofi regarding his sermon, Hebrews 12: Cross Purchased Discipline. This discussion will edify saints as you get the benefit of the hours of study which was put in before the Cruciform Conference in Indianapolis. Also, we hear about Kofi's church's...
Ep. 022 | Getting Apostasy Right — TAU Roundtable
Michael, Tim, and George discuss the New Covenant promise of the perseverance of the saints and Tim’s article “Choked Out by Thorns.” How are we to think about folks who fall away like Joshua Harris or Marty Sampson? What assurance can a Christian have in this life that they will truly be preserved to the end?
What steps can someone take to make their calling and election sure and watch out for their brethren?
Ep. 021 | Getting the New Covenant Right — TAU Roundtable
Michael and George discuss the New Covenant. This covenant is unmixed, unbreakable and unconditional. This is the first in a series where we will define the New Covenant, discuss its implications, apply it to the Christian life, and then contrast it to errors that...
Will You go to Hell?
Hell is a real place filled with real people. It is a place of unceasing conscious torment. It is not an escape from God but a place where the wrath of our Holy God is justly endured for all eternity. It is a place where both the body and soul are constantly punished...
Psalm 119:61-64 — Companionship
The Cords of the Wicked Psalms 119:61 Though the cords of the wicked ensnare me, I do not forget your law. We have seen the psalmist proclaim the excellencies of loving God's law even in the midst of trouble (Psalm 119:23). Now we find language reminiscent of Psalm...
Ep. 020 | Heinous Sin, Better Savior — TAU Roundtable
Michael and Allen discuss a couple of recent posts on Thing Above Us: The Essence and Effects of Sin and What's Your Portion? and find that the posts are surprisingly related!
Hey, About Your Prodigal…
The Scene John (in regard to "spiritual children") said that he has no greater joy than to hear that his children walk in the truth (3 John 1:4). Inversely, how great is the despair experienced by the parents of a son or daughter who follows the wide road? I have...
Free Will, God’s Grace, and a Carrot on a Stick
For a long time, Christians have been debating the nature of man’s will (is it free?), the totality of depravity, whether or not man is “able” to come to Christ on his own, and the extent and function of God's grace. For many, God’s grace is like a carrot on a stick...
Kindly Let People Ask If Mary Knew
"Mary, Did You Know?" is a Christmas song with lyrics written by Mark Lowry and music written by Buddy Greene. It was originally recorded by Christian recording artist Michael English on his self-titled debut solo album in 1991 (English and Lowry were both members of...
Guess Who’s Coming to Town?
This Christmas I want you to be prepared for someone who is "coming to town." And, no, I do not mean Santa Claus. It seems every Christmas a few people always appear on the scene and present situations where Christians need to respond appropriately. Four people who...
Blessed!
In Psalm 32, David recounts the joy he experiences knowing that God has forgiven his sin. Psalms 32:1-2 ESV A Maskil of David. 1Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. 2 Blessed is the man against whom the LORD counts no iniquity, and...
Isaac’s Dilemma
"I'm homosexual," Isaac told me, "and I don't think I could give up the happiness it brings me and deny who I am — for something I am not certain about." This was Isaac's response to a question I asked him. What preceded and what followed the above response is the...
Ep. 007 | Matthew 13 Parables — TAU Roundtable
In TAU Roundtable 007, the guys talk about parables from Matthew 13. What are parables? Why did Jesus use them? And how do we apply them to our lives? Then the team gives their sports hot takes.
Finding the Gospel in the NBA Finals
Start Here The NBA Finals are upon us again. For the 8th straight year Lebron James leads a team from the Eastern Conference while the Goliath of the West, the Warriors, are looking to solidify themselves as maybe the greatest team ever to play. Here at Things Above...
Watch Your Mouth! James’ Counsel for the Verbally Challenged – Part 1
I consider looseness with words no less of a defect than looseness of the bowels - John Calvin If there is one problem I have with modern Christians, it’s how we use language. I am not much for conversation - by nature, I have a knack for offending people and that...
The Urgency of Scripture Memorization
These are just a few of the excuses I’ve heard, and I don’t buy any of them. Scripture memorization being difficult for you is all the more reason you should strive to do it! And I don’t think it’s an unnecessary or legalistic yoke to place on you, as the Scripture itself is full of references which can only be rightly interpreted as requiring memorization. How do you expect to meditate on God’s Word day and night if you don’t have it in your heart? How shall a young man keep his way pure when he encounters temptation? Jesus quoted Scripture from memory in the wilderness, let him be your example.
On the Election of Infants – Part 2
Earlier, we reviewed four of the six reasonable categories (Click here to read Part 1) one can fall in concerning their belief about the election of infants. Many folks have argued whether babies go to Heaven for centuries. For the sake of ease of writing, I will use...
On the Election of Infants – Part 1
What Happens When a Baby Dies? Many folks have argued whether babies go to Heaven for centuries. Instead of putting forth an argument, per se, I want to summarize what the possible positions one can take would be, and at least try to eliminate the ones that seem...
How to Evangelize a City
How would you go about evangelizing a city? What are some strategic ideas for reaching God's elect in the town where God has placed you or your church? Photo by malcolm lightbody on Unsplash The Foundation According to Romans 10:13–17 (and the rest of the Bible), it...
Run to Him
My older son was outside playing basketball down the street. He had stopped to wave at me as I drove past him on my way home from work. I walked in the door of my house and looked around. My wife was in the kitchen putting the final touches on dinner, and my youngest...
![Pray for Their [Eternal] Lives – Comments on March for Our Lives](https://thingsabove.us/wp-content/uploads/jerry-kiesewetter-234311-unsplash-700x400.jpg)
Pray for Their [Eternal] Lives – Comments on March for Our Lives
March 24, 2018, will long be remembered as the day of the first national March for Our Lives event. My understanding is that over 1 million people participated in March for Our Lives events around the world making it one of the largest protests in history. Setting the...
Interview with Franky Collazo – Wrath and Grace
Wrath and Grace is holding a conference June 30, 2018 at Del Ray Baptist Church in Alexandria, Virginia. I sat down with Franky Collazo, who is organizing this event in order to hear from his heart what he and the team at Wrath and Grace hope to accomplish. Michael:...
2018 Arnold Classic Outreach Report
The Lord Jesus Christ blessed us with pleasant weather and friendly crowds at the 2018 Arnold Classic Outreach in Columbus, OH. The Arnold Classic is an international exposition featuring athletes from a number of different sports including, bodybuilding,...
Things Above Us?
Colossians 3:1-2 is, in essence, the theme of this blog. If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of...
Dispensing the Gospel to a Graduate
Introduction This is the first in a series of posts where I hope to provide training and encouragement to dear Christian brothers and sisters who want to dispense the gospel in various situations. [bctt tweet="For many people, giving the gospel to family and friends...
How I Became a Reformed Baptist – Part 1
The incessant beeping confused me at first. The last thing I remembered doing was cashing my check in the bank, and stopping by the Bubble© machine on the way out to waste a quarter on some gum. It was December 20, 2002. I was 16 years old, and had one of my first...