Beeke, Joel R., and Paul M. Smalley, Reformed Systematic Theology Vol. 2: Man and Christ. Wheaton:...
Reformed Baptist Theology
Covenant Theology and The Fulfillment of the Promises of God (book reviews)
We at Things Above Us unashamedly hold to the doctrines of grace while also seeking to graciously...
Assurance of Salvation, or the Lack Thereof
The Problem I saw a heartbreaking post in a Facebook group. It went like this: Do any of you worry...
Encouraging the Church After the Violence in Washington DC
The following is what I told my church on January 10, 2021. Click here for the audio. Our commitment at CBC is verse by verse and expositional preaching. By exegeting scripture and applying its wisdom every week, we think the saints are most edified and prepared to...
Tweets I Didn’t Send
ICYMI, I have been avoiding Twitter™ since mid-July. As part of a church plant (yay!) my priorities have changed (a quote on that in the body of this post). So the social media world has missed my "words of wisdom" as of late. But my avoidance of...
Book Review: A Call to Pure Worship
Pastor Meadows created something I really needed in this explanation of the Regulative Principle of Worship: clarity, conciseness, and a direct explanation of the doctrine.
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. 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...
Bulls on Your Altar
How does sacrificing bulls on God’s altar teach us about right sacrifices to God?
After establishing the right relationship with God through His cleansing power, we see that God WILL delight in right sacrifices and that bulls will be offered on God’s altar. It isn’t that God is completely displeased with sacrifices and offerings (religion). It is that sacrifices and offerings (religion) are only acceptable to God through faith in His Son, Jesus Christ. Once we know Jesus we are made holy so that we may offer sacrifices to God in Spirit and in Truth (Romans 12:1; 1 Peter 2:5; Matthew 5:23-24).
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...
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!
A Jolly Missionary Report
I made a new friend recently as the result of reading about his faithfulness through a trial. I found myself praising the Lord so much while reading his letter that I wanted to share it with you. My wife and I signed up to begin supporting this mission monthly, and I...
Ep. 013 | Kofi Interview — TAU Roundtable
Tune in as we get to know the writers of Things Above Us. Up first is our token Brit, Kofi Adu-Boahen. See all posts in this series [loop type="post" taxonomy="tag" value="interviews" format="clean" orderby=date...
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...
Envy: Beastmode Gone Wrong
Beast mode refers to a state of performing something, especially difficult activities, with extreme power, skill, or determination (dictionary.com). For sports enthusiasts, this is most commonly understood when Marshawn Lynch famously has torn through opposing...
No One Understands Like Jesus
The idea that a shared experience is necessary for someone to be truly able to help another person is a pretty commonly held belief. It seems to be a truism that someone who has "been there" is able to empathize with an affliction you are suffering in a way others may...
You Have Dealt Well with Your Servant (Psalm 119:65-72)
This week's pSaturday Psalm comes from Psalm 119:65-72. Psalm 119 is a wonderful psalm that is really a "love poem," so to speak, about God's word! It is the longest chapter in the Bible — composed of 22 8 verse stanzas where the first letter of each line in a stanza...
Quick Thoughts on Greetings
Why does the Holy Spirit tell us to greet one another throughout the New Testament? I believe that the Lord wants us to greet one another, and, like all Christian virtue, we are apt to forget his command or disobey it, as long as we are on this side of glory. I'll let...
Review: Lemuel Haynes, The Black Puritan
Christian biographies are some of the most enjoyable books to read, in my opinion. I love to hear how God saved a man (or woman), and what good work the Lord did in that person's life, and through that person. The biography of Lemuel Haynes, by Pastor Luke Walker...
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...
From Death to Life – Book Update
(Photo Credit: Stephen J. Melniszyn) I've had several people asking me about where I am on my current book project, so I thought I'd have a place where I could point folks to give them the latest on how things are progressing. I'm pretty new to this book...
An Evil and Adulterous Generation
The Argument Matthew 16:4 "An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah." So he left them and...
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...