John Owen was a scholar, pastor, dissenter, and faithful follower of Christ in a tumultuous time. He gave himself to the study of Scripture out of an abiding love for the glory of God amongst the people of Christ. John Owen's works have greatly influenced Western Christendom in the centuries that have passed, and his concern for the true church shines powerfully forth from his writings. The aim of the book is to examine John Owen's view of the biblical role of a pastor with regards to the ministry of preaching the word of God in the life of a local church. The goal is to understand and evaluate John Owen's thought, from Holy Scripture, with regards to pastoral preaching. This book seeks to unearth from John Owen's writings the various aspects that affect pastoral preaching, his understanding of a True Gospel Church, preaching as the priority for a pastor, and what exactly constituted faithful biblical preaching. Furthermore, this book will seek to make conclusions concerning John Owen's view of pastoral preaching and its faithfulness to Scripture.

John Owen on the Christian Life expounds Owen's teaching on the fundamental themes. It also stands on its own as a study in pastoral theology.

In five sections and thirty-nine chapters, Sinclair B Ferguson writes on pastor-teachers whose life and work have left an indelible mark on his own life, and then leads us in a series of chapters on the teaching of John Calvin, John Owen and the seventeenth century Puritans. This is followed by studies of Scripture, the ministry of the Spirit, the nature of Biblical Theology, the work of Christ, adoption, the nature of the Christian life and other important doctrines. The final section discusses various aspects of preaching, including preaching Christ from the Old Testament, the importance of theology, reaching the heart, and concludes with a decalogue for preachers. All this, as the epilogue makes clear, is set within the context and goal of doxology.

Christians know that God loves them, but can easily feel that he is perpetually disappointed and frustrated, maybe even close to giving up on them. As a result, they focus a lot—and rightly so—on what Jesus has done to appease God’s wrath for sin. But how does Jesus Christ actually feel about his people amid all their sins and failures? This book draws us to Matthew 11, where Jesus describes himself as “gentle and lowly in heart,” longing for his people to find rest in him. The gospel flows from God’s deepest heart for his people, a heart of tender love for the sinful and suffering. These chapters take readers into the depths of Christ’s very heart for sinners, diving deep into Bible passages that speak of who Christ is and encouraging readers with the affections of Christ for his people. His longing heart for sinners comforts and sustains readers in their up-and-down lives.

John Piper pleads with fellow pastors to abandon the professionalization of the pastorate and pursue the prophetic call of the Bible for radical ministry.