Matthew 1:21 likely shows knowledge of the meaning of the Hebrew form of Jesus’ name (יְהוֹשֻׁעַ, “Joshua,” “he [Yahweh] saves”), and perhaps the author reflects a reverence for Jesus’ name as theophoric. In Justin Martyr we even have the direct claim that “the name of God Himself, which, He says, was not revealed to Abraham or to Jacob, was Jesus” (Dial. 75). I am strongly inclined to think that Justin here echoes a Christian exegetical tradition that goes back much earlier.

Jesus’ name clearly functioned with such divine significance, for example, in the early Christian ritual/devotional practice of appealing to/invoking him. Indeed, the biblical (OT) formula for worship given to God (to “call upon the name of the Lord”) was appropriated to refer to this practice of invoking Jesus’ name (e.g., Acts 2:21; Rom. 10:9-13). To cite important settings for this practice, we have reference indicating that Jesus’ name was invoked in the initiation ritual of baptism (e.g., Acts 2:38) and in exorcism (Larry W. Hurtado, The Earliest Christian Artifacts: Manuscripts and Christian Origins, 117-118).

[W]hen we look to the second century, we are reminded afresh that early Christians, regardless of the exterior pressures and challenges, were always keen to keep the focus on one simple thing: worshipping Jesus. Despite all the ‘noise’ of the second century, it should not be missed that the day-to-day life of Christians was very basic. More than anything, they were committed to gathering together, to hearing the Scriptures, to taking the Lord’s Supper, to administering baptism. Of all the things that made Christians unique, ultimately it was their worship that set them apart. Unlike their pagan counterparts, Christians worshipped only the one true God. And unlike their Jewish contemporaries, they worshipped the man Jesus alongside Yahweh. It was their distinctive worship that made Christians seem scandalous and superstitious. And it was this, above all, that Christians were committed to doing (Michael J. Kruger, Christianity at the Crossroads: How the Second Century Shaped the Future of the Church, 231).

This book is intended primarily for students of the Greek Bible. . . . in terms of practical usefulness for textual criticism, the present volume aims to acquaint the beginner in palaeography with the habits of scribes and the difficulties they faced in copying manuscripts. Such information will enable one to understand and appreciate the reasons for the emergence of variant readings in manuscripts of the Greek Bible (Bruce M. Metzger, Manuscripts of the Greek Bible: An Introduction to Palaeography, v).

The Incarnation is the first article of the Mystery of Godliness. The New Testament opens with it, and the apprehension of it by each member of the Church must of necessity be prior to his right conception of every other truth of God. The Atonement wrought out by the Son of God, His everlasting Priesthood, His Headship over the Church, and His future judgment, all depend upon the truth of His Holy Incarnation. His Incarnation is the only foundation which can bear such a superstructure. . . . No other thing which God has made known to us has any place in His Word to be compared to that which He has assigned to the Incarnation of His Dear Son, as including, of course, its immediate issues in our Reconciliation through His Death, and Justification through His Resurrection. It is immeasurably more prominent than the revelation of a Future State or of Original Sin. It takes precedence of all enunciations of the general goodness of God, or of the holiness of God, or of His justice, or of His mercy. All appeals to us to follow the example of Christ’s humility and self-denial assume the truth of His Incarnation, and would fall to the ground without it (M. F. Sadler, Emmanuel, or, The Incarnation of the Son of God the Foundation of Immutable Truth, 1-3).

Learning the reasons for Christ’s advent will help us more deeply celebrate His birth, allow us to see more clearly how it is connected with the rest of His ministry, and help us understand its importance for our lives (Joel R. Beeke and William Boekestein, Why Christ Came, vii).

Solomon doesn’t just show us how ugly sin is to scare us off. He also shows us how winsome wisdom is. Wisdom captivates, fascinates, intrigues, attracts, allures, and enthralls until we are drawn, not just willingly but irresistibly, to her magnetic charms. Yes, we need to dissuade from sin, but the biggest dissuader is the beauty of divine wisdom” (David Murray, The Christian Ministry, Loc. 1642).

Once we come to Christ, the Wisdom of God, and see Him as the One who alone kept this book, and who gives us His Proverbs-Righteousness, we can see the Proverbs not so much as a condemning AK-47 but as a detailed manual to help us figure out how to live in multiple areas of life. How merciful of God to give us not just incarnate Wisdom, but such practical every day wisdom to help us live in grateful obedience to the God who made us wise unto salvation” (David Murray, The Christian Ministry, Loc. 1635).

Joy usually doesn’t just land on our lap as a blank check. No, we have to work for it, we have to pursue it, and we have to use the means God has provided. Happiness is hard work. Part of that work is re-believing the Gospel, re-savoring the Gospel” (David Murray, The Christian Ministry, Loc. 2016).

Recently, in an essay in Church Life Journal, Scott Beauchamp wrote about what he called the new epidemic of kinlessness. The first demographic transition had whittled the dense kinship network of the clan down to the nuclear family; the second was destroying even that. Many people now live in a world with no close kin, or only a few. It is, as he describes it, an epidemic of loneliness. [Source]

Wherever possible, students should spend a minimum of five years trying to hold down a job and even progress in a career before studying for the ministry. I know there are exceptions to this rule, but they are very rare. It would root out a lot of doomed candidates and it would tell us a huge amount about whether they have the EQ [“emotional intelligence”] for the ministry. As a bonus, the work experience would also be worth any number of seminary classes in terms of preparation for the ministry. I have to admit, though, every time a young man has told me that he’s called to the ministry and I’ve recommended that he go away and work for five years before Seminary, not one has taken my advice. Thus far, the results speak for themselves (David Murray, The Christian Ministry, Loc. 360).