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Article Roundup: Helpful Reads

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What Happened to Peter After Acts 12?: A Brief Biography of Peter’s Life After the Bible Stops Following Him by Wyatt Graham

I appreciate short biographical sketches, so I’m grateful Wyatt Graham provides one on the Apostle Peter. “The Apostle Peter plays a central role in the Gospel books and Acts until Acts 12. From that point on, Peter takes a backseat role in the story of the New Testament. So what happened to Peter at the end of his story? In this brief article, I fill in the picture of Peter’s life after Acts 12 to help complete the portrait of this apostle’s life.”

Life Will Not Get Easier by Stephen Witmer

This is a helpful reminder: life will not get easier, so we should learn how to endure hardship to the glory of God. Stephen Witmer helps us here. “There’s a lie we all want to believe — even against all available evidence. It trades on our God-given capacity for hope. It tempts even those with impeccable theology. It lures us in and then leaves us in the lurch. It goes like this: ‘Life will get easier if I just make it past this current challenge.'”

It’s OK to be a Christian Conservative by Andrew Walker

There’s no reason to feel ashamed of being a politically conservative Christian. “It is really OK to be a politically conservative Christian and not be embarrassed about it. Just own it. Maybe, after all, I am just a second-generation card-carrying member of the Religious Right. Many of us need a permission slip to say this out loud because, for a very long time, we were told this fusion of faith and politics was “idolatrous” at worst and, at best, unattractive to those we were trying to see come to faith.”

The Clarity of Scripture by Mark D. Thompson

Our wise Heavenly Father has provided us with a book that can be read, studied, and understood. Praise the Lord! “Our confession of the clarity of Scripture reflects our confidence that God is good and wise and powerful. He wants us to understand what he has to say to us, he knows how to say it in a way that we can understand, and he is able to overcome every barrier to our understanding.”

Don’t Scratch that Itch: I know It’s Tempting by Brittany Allen

I really enjoyed this short article by Brittany Allen. “What is your itch? I know for me it’s spending money I don’t have, addiction to my phone, and often having a grumpy disposition (Kinda like Bilbo). I don’t know what your flavor of sin is, but I’m pleading with myself and with you…Don’t scratch the itch.”

Article Roundup: Helpful Reads

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Be Faithful Over Little: A Different Vision for a Life That Counts by Chase Krug

While some Christians may be called to martyrdom, most are called to live an ordinary yet faithful Christian life, which is truly extraordinary! “I wanted to change the world. My nagging fear wasn’t that I’d commit adultery or leave the faith but that I’d live a largely forgettable, quiet, “meh” life for Christ. While eternal life by grace through faith in Jesus felt like winning, a pedestrian contribution to Christ’s kingdom felt like losing. Thankfully, God used the parable of the talents (Matt. 25:14–30) to shatter and reconstruct my understanding of good and faithful service to Christ.”

“What Do You Want Me to Do for You?””: Clarity in Prayer by Andy Davis

Andy Davis uses the story of Jesus’ interaction with Blind Bartimaeus to argue in favor of specificity in prayer. “When you come to King Jesus to pray, as you enter the throne room of grace and kneel before your gracious and generous king, picture him looking at you kindly and saying, “What do you want me to do for you?” Then be very clear what you want and speak it to him by faith. And watch what he alone can do!”

Is Your God Too Small? by Paul David Tripp

The God of Scripture is supreme, glorious, and majestic. There is none like Him. Oh, that God would grant us wisdom and knowledge to better grasp who He is, as revealed in sacred writ! “I’m persuaded that much of our fear, anxiety, discouragement, and hopelessness is the result of bad theology. At its core, what is the Bible all about? The existence, character, and plan of God. Every other aspect of Scripture flows out of the reality of who God is. A bad or weak theology of God will lead to weakness in other areas of theology, and spiritual weaknesses in daily living.”

A Heart for Adoption by Dan Cruver

May the Lord use Dan Cruver’s exploration of the Father’s adoption of rebellious sinners to kindle our passion for caring for orphans. “One of the gifts that a heart aflame with the adoptive love of our triune God has is an increasing openness to those who are fatherless in this sin-cursed, sin-spoiled world. Because of the rebellion of our first parents, Adam and Eve, we find ourselves in a world that idolizes the strong and powerful, but marginalizes the weak and powerless. Because of what God has done for us through adoption, our Father eventually and inevitably awakens in us a heart for orphaned children.”

Is Your Christianity Too Quiet by Greg Morse

Since we often limit our Christian faith to church buildings and homes, Greg Morse writes a challenging and convicting article that will not leave you unscathed. “Though the heavens cannot contain him, though earth is his footstool, do we — his grasshoppers leaping upon his lawn — try to cage the living God in church buildings and around dinner tables?”

Article Roundup: Helpful Reads

philipmcduffie Leave a comment

I’m the pastor of FBC Jackson in Jackson, Alabama. Each week, I post “Article Roundup: Helpful Reads,” sharing articles that I believe will benefit the saints who make up FBC Jackson and followers of Christ everywhere. Happy reading!

Dumb Will Do: Why Satan Doesn’t Need Heresy by Tim Challies

This is really good. Oftentimes, Satan’s assault on the church is subtle. “It struck me that day and has struck me often ever since that to harm a church, Satan does not need to make the worship services heretical. He does not need to replace truth with damnable error. He just needs to make the worship services dumb. He just needs to make them trite and vapid. He just needs to make them unserious. And eventually, the church will diminish in strength and decline in power and lose the presence of the Holy Spirit.”

Sin Makes You Stupid by Kevin DeYoung

Sin is irrational. It dehumanizes us. In other words, it makes us less like humans and more like beasts. “Sin doesn’t work by the rules of rationality. There is no rational calculation that can explain why men would throw away a lifetime of ministry faithfulness for a few moments of fleeting pleasure. The lusts of the heart do not submit to cold-hard facts. No one sets out on a sexual liaison because he weighed out the pros and cons of such behavior. Satan masquerades as an angel of light. He is a master at deceiving his servants, and sometimes we are masters at deceiving ourselves. You can count on it as an irrefutable law of fallen human nature: sin makes you stupid.”

Six Habits of Successful Bible Study by Jon Nielson

This will be advantageous for both beginners and seasoned readers of the Bible. “Developing these habits will help keep you on track in your study—paying attention to the text, avoiding rabbit trails, and doing everything you can to get the main point and the central application as God intended it. Let’s look at these habits.”

Male and Female Created He Them by Albert Mohler

Dr. Mohler commends Donald Trump for demonstrating courage and moral clarity through his recent executive order that prohibits biological men from participating in women’s sports. “President Trump knows that his orders will likely end up in court, and he seems to relish the possibility. He could have bought off his base with a policy that just pushed a bit against the activism. Let’s be honest. A more traditional Republican would have offered lip service and lit a candle. President Trump’s executive orders, thanks be to God, represent a blowtorch directed at the false gender ideologies.”

Ten Takeaways from the Life and Ministry of Jim Shaddix by David Platt

Dr. Shaddix was my preaching professor at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. He was an exemplary Christian man in the home, church, and academy. In this article, one of the men who knew Dr. Shaddix best, David Platt, reflects on his life. “I’m really looking forward to the day when I hug Jim again. On that day, I’ll join with many others praising God for eternity because we had the privilege of being one of Jim Shaddix’s children in ministry.”

Article Roundup: Helpful Reads

philipmcduffie Leave a comment

I’m the pastor of FBC Jackson in Jackson, Alabama. Each week, I post “Article Roundup: Helpful Reads,” sharing articles that I believe will benefit the saints who make up FBC Jackson and followers of Christ everywhere. Happy reading!

The Roots of Roe Still Grow: Pro-Life Challenges in the New Administration by Scot Klusendorf

President Trump is back in office. That said, there are still significant challenges facing the pro-life cause. Scot Klusendorf believes we should be aware of them, and I agree. “Instead of waiting for more favorable political winds, Christian leaders can equip rank-and-file pro-lifers to dig in for a decades-long fight of refuting misconceptions and arguing persuasively for their views. . . . Instead of hyping pro-life advocates with a false sense of victory, we need to get to work arming them with persuasive arguments that can compete in the marketplace of ideas. That must happen no matter who occupies the White House.”

15 Ways to Fight Lust with the Sword of the Spirit by Kevin DeYoung

We live in a hyper-sexualized culture; nevertheless, the Bible, the sword of the Spirit, gives us everything we need to fight lust! “The seventh commandment doesn’t just forbid adultery and pornography. It forbids every action, look, conversation, thought, or desire that incites lust and uncleanness.So how in the world, in this world we live in, and with our sex-saturated hearts, can we obey the seventh commandment? Let me suggest fifteen passages of Scripture that can help us fight lust and the temptation to sexual immorality.”

Books about the Challenges of Parenting by Tim Challies

Are you looking for books to help you parent your children in the midst of this present evil age? Challies lists a handful of them. “Every generation of parents faces challenges as they raise their children in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. While some challenges are the same from age to age, others are unique to a particular time and context. Perhaps the greatest challenge of our day relates to new notions of gender, sexuality, and identity. Today’s parents need to equip themselves to understand these issues and train their children in them. Thankfully, we have many excellent resources available to us. Though I haven’t read them all, I have read quite a few. Here are some of the ones I most often recommend.”

Improving Our Listening to Sermons by Simon van Bruchem

I’m thankful for this article. Simon van Bruchem offers three quick ideas on how to listen to sermons more effectively. “Sermons are not lectures; they are intended to persuade you of something. They should lead to action, not only to increased knowledge. We should always ask what to do in response to what we have heard. Maybe the right response is to cry out to God in thanks! Maybe we need to work on some aspect of our lives, or include something in our prayers for the week, or take some action to stop doing something. Whatever it is, don’t walk away and do nothing. Think of something you can do towards it, and make the time to do that thing.”

The Many Benefits of Sharing Jesus by Joe M. Allen III

We’re prone to neglect the discipline of evangelism. That said, here’s a great article listing nine benefits of sharing your faith with those who are lost and separated from God. “If we want to grow spiritually, we will include evangelism as a regular rhythm of life. Why? Because the Bible gives strong warnings about being merely a hearer of the word, not a doer (James 1:22–25; Hebrews 5:12–14). Always learning but never sharing quickly turns your life into a spiritual swamp rather than the river, the channel, the conduit of blessing that God created you to be. As a friend of mine often says, ‘Beware of letting your knowledge outpace your obedience.'”

Article Roundup: Helpful Reads

philipmcduffie Leave a comment

I’m the pastor of FBC Jackson in Jackson, Alabama. Each week, I post “Article Roundup: Helpful Reads,” sharing articles that I believe will benefit the saints who make up FBC Jackson and followers of Christ everywhere. Happy reading!

What Does ‘Love. Your Enemies’ Not Mean? by Patrick Schreiner

Patrick Schreiner uses the entire Bible to properly understand what Jesus meant—and did not mean—when he said, “Love your enemies.” “I recently preached on Jesus’s most revolutionary ethical teaching–love your enemies (Matt. 5:44). It stands as a Mount Everest among ethical instructions that both Christians and non-Christians respect. Yet, because we have a certain modern definition of love, it is easy to misunderstand Jesus’s teaching. What did Jesus actually mean by enemy love and how do we integrate it with Old Testament texts that seem to contradict it?”

Let Me Get Home Before Dark: Wisdom to Help Pastors Finish Well by Steve Bateman

Praise God for articles like this. We need more older pastors who can exhort, warn, and encourage young pastors on how to finish well. “The day I heard Havner’s sermon, I began to pray God would take me home before I brought disgrace on the gospel. Looking back on how God used those warnings in my life, I sense a responsibility to share with a new generation some practical wisdom on finishing well. Here are five warnings and encouragements.”

All My Sins Are Washed Away: The Glory of Expiation by Davy Ellison

What is the doctrine of expiation, and how important is it? How comforting is it? Davy Ellison seeks to answer these questions in this article. “But we don’t have to choose between expiation and propitiation. Both are true. Christ’s death is multifaceted. Here are three biblical images that show us the glory of expiation—the goat, the globe, and the grave.”

What Happens at the Prayer Meeting? by Jacob Crouch

May God bless us with more pastors and churches that recognize all that is happening at our weekly prayer meetings. “What happens at the prayer meeting? A thousand secret things that only the Lord knows. What a blessing to be able to gather and seek His face together. May He continue to be honored by the gathering of the saints, and may our churches grow as He pours out His grace.”

Against Executive Pastors by Aaron Stead

This is a thought-provoking article. I’m not against executive pastors, but I am certainly against hiring prayerless and doctrinally ignorant pastors to carry out administrative and organizational duties. “What people crave is theological vision, not organisational excellence. Do not misunderstand me, people will abhor a disorganised mess of a church; and in all likelihood leave disgruntled eventually. So, by all means hire someone who can keep things ticking over. But if the choice was left to me, then give me an additional pastor on the church payroll over an EP any day of the week. One who prays for me, one who prays with me, one who cares for me, and one who preaches the deep things of God to me.”

It’s Donald Trump’s World Now by Albert Mohler

I always appreciate Albert Mohler’s insights on political issues. “My hope is that President Trump redefines the Republican Party as a movement away from progressivism and toward a principled conservatism—but it will be a populist conservatism about real people and objective truth, smaller government, and freedom from leftist ideologies. We need more about the sanctity of human life, but we also need candid in-your-face truths such as President Trump’s declaration in his inaugural address that there are two and only two sexes.”

Article Roundup: Helpful Reads

philipmcduffie Leave a comment

I’m the pastor of FBC Jackson in Jackson, Alabama. Each week, I post “Article Roundup: Helpful Reads,” sharing articles that I believe will benefit the saints who make up FBC Jackson and followers of Christ everywhere. Happy reading!

2 Things That Matter More Than Your Preferred Style at Church by Erin Wheeler

Are you looking for a church? Out of all the churches around you, which one should you join? In this article, Erin Wheeler outlines two main priorities to consider when deciding which church you should join. “I spoke to some friends who recently moved, and they were struggling to find a new church home. Nothing they had visited fit their style, but they didn’t want to be “picky.” What advice should I give to that friend? How should they go about choosing a church family where they can worship the Lord with his people in spirit and truth even when things aren’t according to their style? The encouragement I had for them is the same I would have for anyone. Prioritize two main things in your decision-making process. Choose a church that is centered on the word and driven by love.”

Five Questions to Access Your Social Media Use by Andrew Noble

It’s always good to examine ourselves, especially regarding our use of social media. Thankfully, Andrew Noble provides us with five questions that will help us assess our social media usage. “Should Christians spend more or less time on the social internet? It depends. It depends on how you answer these questions.”

Jesus Did Condemn Homosexuality by Alan Schlemon

The Bible is clear on the topic of homosexuality. Nevertheless, it’s helpful to read articles that continue to address this hot-button issue! “You’ve heard it said, ‘Jesus never said anything about homosexuality.’ But I tell you, he did. In fact, Jesus condemned it more than once. He also castigated people who gave approval to homosexuality. To be clear, even if Jesus said nothing about homosexuality, it wouldn’t affect Christian sexual ethics. Homosexual sex would still be prohibited because Scripture teaches in both Old and New Testaments that such behavior is sin (Lev. 18:22, 20:13, Rom. 1:26–27, 1 Cor. 6:9, 1 Tim. 1:10, etc.).”

What God Meant is What God Means by Jacob Crouch

This is really important. “When reading God’s word, the question, ‘What does this mean?’ is a really good question. But I think that there is an even better, more fundamental, question to ask when reading the Bible. In order to understand what God’s word means, we first need to ask, ‘What is it that God’s word meant?’”

Article Roundup: Helpful Reads

philipmcduffie Leave a comment

I’m the pastor of First Baptist Church Jackon in Jackson, Alabama. Once a week, I share a post titled “Article Roundup: Helpful Reads,” where I compile articles that I believe are beneficial for the saints who make up FBC Jackson. I am confident that these articles can also be helpful for followers of Christ around the world. Happy reading!

Are You Your Spouse’s Biggest Cheerleader? By Bob Lepine

This article challenged me. I want to be more careful with my words and strategically use them to edify and build up my wife. Maybe this article will challenge you, too. “Your marriage should be like the “Home on the Range,” “where seldom is heard a discouraging word and the skies are not cloudy all day.” The best marriages are filled with grace that pours forth in enthusiastic encouragement for one another. That’s something worth cheering about.”

How Healthy is Your Soul? By Scott Hubbard

In this article, Scott Hubbard asks six questions that will help you diagnose your spiritual health. I should note that this article will probe the innermost parts of your soul. “The devil uses many weapons in his assault against our soul, but one of the most overlooked is simply time. We are changeable creatures in a long war, called to “resist the devil” not for a day or a week or a year but a life (James 4:7). And spiritual health yesterday does not guarantee spiritual health today. So, at the end of a new year, on the edge of another, let’s stop to take some spiritual vitals. How healthy is your soul?”

6 Ways to Find (and Protect) the Time You Need to Read Books By Tony Reinke

This isn’t a new article, but it is so beneficial that I wanted to share it again. If you want to do a better job of carving out time to read books in 2025, this is the article you need to read. “You don’t need to be a professional book reviewer to read a lot of books. And you don’t need to be brilliant either. But you do need to be purposeful and consistent. And if you can discipline yourself, you will find the time you need to read.”

Battered by Moses? Why We Still Need to Preach the Law By Jared Kenndy

I just started teaching through the Ten Commandments on Sunday evenings at FBC Jackson. This article covers some of the points I mentioned to our church family in my introduction to the Ten Commandments. “God’s law is a word of grace. But it’s a demanding word that graciously shows us that when we pursue life and salvation apart from Christ, we’ll always fail. It’s the gracious word that always batters the old sinful man and leaves him dead. And after it kills, the law is the gracious word that drives us away from ourselves to the perfect One in whom we’re given resurrection life.”

Biblical Optimism for the New Year By Randy Alcorn

A pessemistic Christian is an enigma. Christians ought to be the most optimistic and hopeful people on the planet. Our future is bright, indescribably and gloriously bright! “What we need is a perspective on our coming year that’s hopeful, yet grounded in eternal certainties. No Christian should be a pessimist. We should be realists—focused on the actuality that we serve a sovereign and gracious God. Because of the reality of Christ’s atoning sacrifice and His promises, biblical realism is, ultimately, optimism.”