The poor are a priority to God, and must be a priority for us, too. This week we focus on this aspect of the biblical witness with the help of Peter Barnes (Revesby Presbyterian Church, NSW, Australia) and Thomas E. Peck, the nineteenth-century Southern Presbyterian minister and teacher.

Featured resources:

– Peter Barnes, 'Looking After the Poor: Biblical Principles', Banner of Truth Magazine, Issue 502 (July 2005).

– Thomas E. Peck, 'The Gospel Preached to the Poor' in The Writings of Thomas E. Peck (repr. Edinburgh: Banner of Truth, 1999), Vol. 1, pp. 25, 27–8.

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There are many pitfalls in preaching. One area which many preachers struggle with is application. And yet, in a sense, application is the whole of preaching. David Vaughn's letter to a fellow Christian leader in the December 2025 issue of the magazine addresses this very subject.

Featured resources:

– David Vaughn, 'What can we learn from John Knox?', Banner of Truth Magazine, Issue 514 (March 2006). Excerpted from A Scottish Christian Heritage.

Resources Mentioned by David Vaughn:

D. A. Carson and J. D. Woodbridge, Letters Along the Way (Wheaton: Crossway, 1993), p. 99-100. Available free as a pdf.

A. T. Pierson, The Divine Art of Preaching, (New York: The Baker and Taylor Company, 1892), pp. 24-27.

Jay Adams, Review of John Stott's Between Two Worlds in The Journal of Pastoral Practice, Christian Counseling and Educational Foundation (Vol. VIII, No. 2, 1986), p. 62.

The Works of Jonathan Edwards, (repr. Edinburgh: The Banner of Truth Trust, 1987), vol. 1, p. cxc.

Ron Taylor anecdote from an article in The Journal of Pastoral Practice, Christian Counseling and Educational Foundation (Vol. 4, No. 4, 1980), p. 109.

John Broadus, A Treatise on the Preparation and Delivery of Sermons (New York: A. C. Armstrong and Son, 1896), p. 230.

Explore the work of the Banner of Truth: www.banneroftruth.org

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This week's normal Magazine Podcast episode will be delayed. In the meantime, we are publishing Iain H. Murray's address, The Benefits and Dangers of Controversy from the Ministers' Conference in Leicester in 2012.