Irenaeus was born somewhere around AD 130 and grew up in Smyrna in Asia Minor, where the then bishop, Polycarp, became his mentor and passed on his memories of the apostle John and others.
Articles by Michael Reeves
33 results found
Why You Can’t Have Justification without Sanctification
Justification should not be abstracted from the person of Christ.
Why the Reformation Isn't Over
We need to be constantly searching in God's word to see how further reformation needs to work itself out in our lives.
Why Pastors Must Be More than Professionals
The knowledge of God that the fear of the Lord brings is not a sterile knowledge. Those who fear God come to know him in such a way that they actually become holy, faithful, loving, and merciful, like him.
It is the devil’s work to promote a fear of God that makes people afraid of God such that they want to flee from God.
What Makes Charles Spurgeon Relevant Today?
Spurgeon's ministry was marked by his constant looking to Christ for his salvation.
What Difference Does God Make on Monday Mornings?
God does his sustaining work through the actions of human beings.
This Day In History: The Death of Charles Spurgeon
It was January 31, 1892, and after twenty-four years of ill health, the ‘Prince of Preachers’ went to be with the Lord, aged just fifty-seven.
The Recipe for Good Pastoral Theology
Spurgeon was an avid student of Scripture, but is not often thought of as a theologian.
The One and Only Way to Enjoy Evangelizing
If we fear that God’s love for us is reluctant or that his approval rests on our performance, we won’t feel any real affection for him, our service will be grudging, and the world will likely see through us.
The Hidden Cancer in Our Churches
What is the most urgent need of the church today? Better leadership? Better training? Healthier giving? Orthodoxy? Moral integrity?
The Fear of God Is the Antidote to Our Anxiety
Fear is probably the strongest human emotion. But it baffles us. When we come to the Bible, the picture seems equally confusing: is fear a good thing or bad?
The Dangerous Ways We Add to Scripture
The pages of church history are littered with heretics who boasted of their devotion to Scripture yet failed to spot how their biblical language concealed unbiblical thinking.
Spurgeon’s Secret to a Fruitful Ministry
Fruitful ministry is less about self and more about Christ.
One Thing You Might Not Know about Charles Spurgeon
Spurgeon possessed an ability to use humor from the pulpit and in his life as a weapon.
Justification: The Heart of the Reformation
The issue at the heart of the Reformation was without a doubt the question of justification.
What the Reformers saw, especially through the message of justification by faith alone, was the revelation of an exuberantly happy God who glories in sharing his happiness.
Is the Reformation Yesterday’s News?
The Reformation still matters because the debates between Catholics and Protestants have not gone away.
Is Evangelicalism Today Truly Evangelical?
If evangelicalism is to have a future worthy of the name, we who would be people of the gospel must cultivate an integrity to the gospel, and on more than paper.
If the Good News Is So Good, Why Aren’t People Flocking to It?
Perhaps the most perplexing response we encounter in evangelism is not so much anger but apathy. This reaction may frustrate the evangelist, but it should provoke our compassion.
How to Grow in the Fear of the Lord
Since the fear of God is a matter of the heart’s deepest inclinations, how you think you can cultivate it will depend on how you think our hearts work.
How to Fight Chronological Snobbery
C. S. Lewis saw and wrote about a suffocating enslavement to the beautiful myth of progress.
How God Changes Hearts for His Glory
As Spurgeon saw it, the new birth of a Christian has to be a work of pure divine grace: the sinful human heart is impotent, unwilling, and wholly unworthy.
How Biblical Doctrine Makes Us Beautiful
The Reformation was intimately tied to beauty, goodness, and human flourishing because the Reformers were seeing—through Scripture—God’s glory shine.
Fearing God Is a Matter of the Heart
The fear of God is not a state of mind you can guarantee with five easy steps. It is not something that can be acquired with simple self-effort.
Do We Secretly Resent Evangelism?
Every Christian knows we’re meant to share the gospel and look for opportunities to witness to Christ, yet almost all of us find it a genuine struggle, if not a gloomy discouragement.
Does Evangelicalism Have a History?
If evangelicalism really is “mere Christianity,” how could it be anything but the oldest orthodoxy of the apostles?
Did You Know That Charles Spurgeon Struggled with Depression?
It comes as a surprise to some that Charles Spurgeon had a lifelong battle with depression. It shouldn’t be a surprise, of course: being full of life in a fallen world must mean distress, and Spurgeon’s life was indeed full of physical and mental pain.
Delight in God Must Be the Fuel for Mission
The foundation of all our mission is our knowledge and enjoyment of God. Our delight in God is the main fuel for mission.
Can Evangelicalism Be Defined?
Can evangelicalism be defined, or is it so flimsy and malleable that it constantly succumbs to its context, shapeshifting according to when and where it is?