Holding Forth the Word of Life is a collection of essays offered to honor Tim Meadowcroft on his retirement from Laidlaw College. An international authority on Daniel, over the last twenty-five years Tim has established himself as one of New Zealand's leading biblical scholars. While specializing in Old Testament, Tim has taught and published in New Testament as well as hermeneutics and theological interpretation of Scripture. Beyond academic work he has also remained committed to the church and its voice in wider society. This collection of essays, written by leading scholars from New Zealand and beyond, covers all of these areas--Old Testament, New Testament, intertestamental texts, hermeneutics, theological interpretation of Scripture, reception history, and theological reflection on pressing issues facing society.

Holding Forth the Word of Life is a compilation of individual devotionals written to encourage, challenge, and confirm in the lives of believers, the life-changing power of the Word of God. “All scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works” (2 Timothy 3:16–17).

Believers know that when we die we enter heaven and will spend eternity there with God and the saints who have gone before us. But what actually happens in heaven? What are we going to be doing there? Won't it get boring at some point? According to Scripture, a large part of our experience of heaven will be a continual revealing of God's glory. Not just his glory in the moment, but during all of time. The mysteries of providence, the hidden movements of God throughout history, and the forgotten and unnoted works of even the most obscure of God's people will be unveiled so that we can see how wise, loving, gracious, and powerful our God is. And though we will experience perfection in heaven, we will never be omniscient, which means we will always be learning more about God's glory, inspiring us to return joyful praise and thanksgiving. If your vision of heaven has been limited to clouds and harps and angels, it's time to expand that view with the truth found in this biblically based look at the afterlife.

The subject of Philippians is the experience of Christ. Concerning the experience of Christ, each chapter of Philippians covers a major point. First, in chapter one, we have the magnification of Christ. No matter what the circumstances are in which we find ourselves, we need to express Christ in such a way that we magnify Him. In chapter two, Paul presents Christ as our pattern. In everything we do, we need a pattern, a model, an example. Even in the experience of Christ and the enjoyment of Christ, we need a pattern. This pattern is Christ Himself. Chapter three indicates that Christ should be our goal, our aim. We who love the Lord and seek Him are not aimless. Our aim is Christ Himself. He is the goal toward which we press. Finally, in chapter four, Christ is our strength. In 4:13 Paul says, “I can do all things in Him who empowers me.” Christ is not only the pattern and the goal; He is also the strength, the power, the dynamo. As the dynamo within us, he empowers us to live Him, to magnify Him, and to press on toward Him as the goal. In the four chapters of Philippians, we see Christ as the One lived out and magnified, Christ as the pattern, Christ as the goal, and Christ as our inward strength. This book on the experience of Christ covers four major points: the expression, the pattern, the goal, and the strength.

What makes for powerful preaching? Careful exegesis, logical structure, interesting illustrations, and clear speech can all help. But truly transformative preaching depends on divine power, not human skill alone. Those who would reduce preaching to simple systems or sure-fire strategies for success will find little of interest here. Instead, this book appeals to those (pastors and academics alike) who find themselves confounded by the occasional futility of their best preaching and the unexpected success of their worst. It invites readers to enter more deeply into the uncontrollable mystery that attends all efforts to speak in the name of Christ, above all on the topic of resurrection. Although the gospel always turns our attention to the crucified and risen Lord, preaching about resurrection calls us to trust that the same God who raised Jesus from death will likewise grant life to us as preachers, to our sermons, and to our hearers alike. Drawing on resources as diverse as Luther's understanding of the Christian gospel, Speech Act theory, and Bhabha's concept of "Third Space," Third Voice: Preaching Resurrection argues that the true key to effective preaching is not rhetoric, but spirituality.