Posts by Micah Colbert
The Ministry of Writing: A Historical Example and a Word of Encouragement
Richard Baxter was one of the most voluminous writers in English history. He authored between 141-200 books during his lifetime. As one of his biographers notes, “The influence of is books is incalculable: from the early 1650’s they enjoyed greater sales than those of any other English writer.”1 Although The Reformed Pastor might be his…
Read MoreThe Blessing of Diligence
“Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might, for there is no work or thought or knowledge or wisdom in Sheol, to which you are going” ~ Ecc. 9:10 God’s Word has a lot to say about diligence. Recently, I took some time to consider what the Proverbs teach us about this…
Read More“Take Heed to the Flock”: Baxter and the Necessity of Pastoral Care
Richard Baxter (1615-1691) was one of the most influential pastors in church history. For nearly two decades, he labored as a Noncomformist pastor in the small town of Kidderminster. His gospel ministry there not only transformed the town, but changed the entire landscape of pastoral ministry in England as well. Known for his evangelistic zeal…
Read MoreA Few Thoughts on Reading
In his classic work, “How to Read a Book,” Mortimer Adler writes, “In the case of good books, the point is not to see how many of them you can get through, but how many can get through to you.” In order for good books “to get through to you,” consider some of the following……
Read MoreWhatever Happened to Repentance?
Can I Keep My Sin and Go to Heaven? A while back, I was witnessing to a group of college-age guys. They were familiarity with Christianity, but they didn’t know the gospel. As I spoke of sin and judgment, one of the guys began squirming nervously. I could tell that he was troubled by what…
Read More“The Most Important Christian Duty”: George Muller’s Counsel for Christian Living
Known for his life of faith, power in prayer, and service to orphans, George Muller (1805-1898) was a man whose depth with Christ stands in stark contrast to the shallowness that pervades our Christian landscape. Recently, I took the opportunity to read Muller’s autobiography again. If you’ve never read it, I would highly recommend that…
Read MoreThe Glory of Godliness
An Abandoned Pursuit When was the last time you heard someone talk about godliness? Frequently, I hear Christians talk about being more faithful, loving, or active in church. But I can’t remember the last time I heard someone say, “ I want to be more godly.” Why is there so little interest in godliness? Perhaps…
Read MoreCultivating A Culture of Evangelism
The Inevitability of Culture Every church has a “culture,” or way of doing things, based upon shared convictions, ideas, and values. Some churches do what they do because that’s what they’ve always done. Others do what they do because that’s what popular or “successful’ churches are doing. The mindset and practices that shape a church…
Read MoreA Few Thoughts on Daily Devotions
I was ten years old when I first started having daily devotions. A godly Sunday School teacher challenged me to read the Bible and pray at least five minutes every day. “I can do that,” I thought, so I accepted her challenge. Little did I know at that time how transformative the practice of daily…
Read MoreWhat the Holy Spirit Does When We Believe the Gospel
Having the Spirit’s ministry within us is even greater than having Jesus’ physical presence among us (see John 16:7). That might sound hard to believe, but once you’ve understood the manifold ministries of the Spirit, you will see why Christ’s words are true. In today’s post, we will discover the Spirit’s primary purpose in all…
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