The Year's Best Books for Preachers...Continued from page 2

Worthy New Testament commentaries include Hebrews (P & R Publishing) by Richard D. Phillips, Senior Minister of First Presbyterian Church of Coral Springs/Margate, Florida. Phillips sees the Book of Hebrews to be a source of great encouragement and theological conviction for today’s church. “Written by an unknown apostolic leader to a group of Jewish Christians facing persecution in the mid-first century A. D., the words of this book speak to Christians everywhere about standing firm in Jesus Christ,” Phillips asserts. “Is there a message more relevant and necessary to the times in which we live?”

Preachers will find particular encouragement from the continued publication of new volumes in “The MacArthur New Testament Commentary.” The newest volume, John 1-11 (Moody Press), represents the fruit of Pastor John MacArthur’s preaching and scholarship. MacArthur, now in his fourth decade as pastor of Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, California, has, perhaps more than any other preacher in North America, served as a model of biblical exposition for other preachers.

Similarly, preachers will welcome the publication of 2 Corinthians: Power in Weakness by R. Kent Hughes (Crossway). Hughes, Senior Pastor of College Church in Wheaton, Illinois, also serves as editor of the “Preaching the Word” series of which this volume is a part. A faithful and eloquent preacher, he brings both pastoral and biblical insight to this commentary. As Hughes explains, anyone who has seen a loved one led astray by another will appreciate Paul’s purpose in 2 Corinthians.

“This book is about the nature of the gospel and authentic ministry,” Hughes explains. “Those who really care about the gospel and the care of souls will find 2 Corinthians captivating. For those who don’t care, this is about what your heart ought to be ? and what you ought to be about!”

The expository ministry of Martyn Lloyd-Jones continues to reach published form through the efforts of a team committed to the publication of his recorded sermons. The newest volume released from this powerful expositor’s ministry is Studies in the Book of Acts, Volume 5: Triumphant Christianity (Crossway). This volume ? like all others by this preacher so famously known simply as “the doctor” ? deserves a place in every preacher’s library.

Preachers will also want to note the release of two volumes in the “Brazos Theological Commentary on the Bible” (Brazos Press). Peter Leithart of New St. Andrews College has written 1 and 2 Kings and Stanley Hauerwas of Duke University has written Matthew.

Other works in biblical studies worthy of the preacher’s attention include Hearing the Old Testament in the New Testament, edited by Stanley E. Porter (Eerdmans), Canon and Biblical Interpretation, edited by several scholars (Zondervan), The Gospel of Matthew in “The New International Greek Testament Commentary” by John Nolland (Eerdmans), Galatians by Peter Barnes (Evangelical Press), Judas and the Gospel of Jesus: Have We Missed the Truth About Christianity? by N. T. Wright (Baker Books), The Nature of New Testament Theology, edited by Christopher Rowland and Christopher Tuckett (Blackwell Publishing), Faithful Feelings: Rethinking Emotion in the New Testament by Matthew A. Elliott (Kregel), Sermons on the Beatitudes by John Calvin (Banner of Truth), and Genesis 1-4: A Linguistic, Literary, and Theological Commentary by C. John Collins (P & R Publishing).