Dr. D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones is one of my favorite preachers. His sermons have been transcribed into books for decades. He preached so many sermons during his life that new books bearing his name have steadily appeared since his death in 1981. Now it will be easier to listen to the Doctor. The Martyn Lloyd-Jones Recordings Trust is making available their weekly broadcast, Living Grace, on Oneplace.com. With a free registration you can download an mp3 of their half-hour radio program featuring the preaching of MLJ. You can also subscribe to the podcast of the program. Right now they have only one selection available. But since this is a weekly radio broadcast, I’m hoping they’ll update frequently.
I downloaded and listened to this program, the first part of a sermon called “Peace with God.” The registration was easy, the download was fast (assuming you have a fast connection), and the sound quality was excellent. The preaching, of course, was excellent, too. I smiled about 3 minutes into the message when Lloyd-Jones said his first “well, now then.” According to the biography by Iain Murray one of MLJ’s favorite expressions in the pulpit was “very well then” or some variation. He would even say it when preaching to Welsh congregations. He would be preaching along in Welsh, come to some good point, then say (in English), “Very well then,” and go on preaching in Welsh. It brought back very pleasant memories of reading that biography (Vol. 1; Vol. 2).
Since this is a radio program, there is a brief introduction, followed by about 25 minutes of the Doctor’s preaching, and then a short closing message from the Trust. I appreciate the description of their ministry (from the Oneplace.com website):
Living Grace is the Radio ministry of the Martyn Lloyd-Jones Recordings Trust. Our work and vision is to enable people everywhere to understand clearly the Scriptures and to come to a saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. We do this through the preaching of the late Dr Martyn Lloyd-Jones by radio, literature, audio recordings, and conferences. It is our desire to encourage the return of regular, systematic teaching of the Scriptures in our generation.
I gladly add my amen to their desire!
While downloading Lloyd-Jones, check out the website for the MLJ Recordings Trust (original UK site and North American site). Very well then; happy listening!
With the approach of Reformation Day (October 31) I thought it timely to mention some resources to counter a serious challenge to the Protestant Reformers’ way of looking at Paul’ epistles, specifically, the way of viewing Paul’s doctrine of Justification by Faith Alone. This new way of viewing Justification is referred to as the New Perspective on Paul (NPP). It can be called New Perspectives since more than just one new view is promoted. The NPP is not a monolith; however, there are certain features common among writers advocating a fresh reading of Paul.
According to NPP writers
If you have any familiarity with classical music, you can think of the NPP as variations on a theme. Many writers have different takes on reading Paul, but they all seem agreed that the Reformation view of Justification by Faith should be discarded. Since this doctrine was the centerpiece of the Reformation, the call for abandonment has serious implications. Were the Reformers wrong? Did they cause an unnecessary division in the Church? What should Protestants today think of the Ecumenical Movement? (It actually helps clarify the issues a little since the current pope recently drew a line in the sand with his declaration that Protestant churches are not true churches.) And what should we do with the command to “preach the gospel to every creature”? In light of the NPP’s claims, what should our message be?
I’ve been listening to some informative lectures by D.A. Carson on my mp3 player this week. He is very helpful in understanding the New Perspective. Andy Naselli provides links to many
Jason recently provided a couple of posts on the NPP which I recommend you check out. They can be found here and here. He points out many good resources, some of which
I’d like to recommend a book published last year by Banner of Truth—The Gospel of Free Acceptance in Christ: An Assessment of the Reformation and New Perspectives on Paul by Cornelis P. Venema. This book gives a good overview of the different perspectives on Paul and the issues at stake without being overly technical. I read this book earlier this year as a newcomer to the NPP, and it helped me gain a better understanding of the academic changes and challenges of the last 30 years. Venema also wrote Getting the Gospel Right, a smaller book that treats the same subject on a more popular level. I haven’t read this one yet, but it should prove useful in helping church members understand what’s going on in Pauline studies. Click on the link and read Westminster Bookstore’s brief review of this book.
As we observe the 490th anniversary of the nailing of Luther’s 95 theses, we need to remember that what was at stake nearly 500 years ago is still at stake today: the Gospel.
I've greatly enjoyed my Sansa Digital Player and am finding tons of good audio on the internet. For me this isn't a replacement for books. Perish the thought! I'm a "hands-on" kind of person and love to have a book in hand, and a pencil to mark it up. I try to fill up free time by listening to good music, sermons and lectures.NOTE: please do not take my mentioning of Barth and providing links to audio of his lecture that I am simpathetic with his theology. I'm listening to these and offer these links to you for educational purposes. This is why I'm also providing Dr Van Til's very helpful critique of Barth's theology.
(NOTE: The rest of Van Til's lectures on Philosophy and Apologetics, which includes these two lectures, can be found here along with lots of other good audio.)
Well, I don't use an iPod; they're too pricey. Rather, I use a Sansa Express and I've really liked the way that it works. If you don't have one already I would recommend the Sansa product line.
