Recommended Listening List
We thank God for these folks and pray you come to love them as well. _________________________________________________________________________________
2 Timothy 2:15.
Recommended Listening from Joseph
josephpittano@yahoo.com
“Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth,” josephpittano@yahoo.com
2 Timothy 2:15.
Some paragraphs below endorse ministries as whole or individual Christians and not particular messages. Sermonindex.net will most often be referred to throughout as a great mp3 resource library, but sermonaudio.com is another fantastic site full of awesome stuff. Many of the ministries below have made their entire online media libraries available to us completely free. Happy listening!
1. Ray Comfort – livingwaters.com, wayofthemaster.com. Three messages in particular: “Hell’s Best Kept Secret,” “True and False Conversion,” and “Axe of the Apostles.” The first two of these messages are free and available through various forms like video, print and audio but the last is a recommended series for purchase. Ray’s teaching gets at the heart of the knowledge of the Gospel like no other teacher I’ve ever heard. His evangelical expositions tie together the Testaments in a seamless evangelistic reality. This is the Gospel to every generation. Ray has teamed up with Kirk Cameron (the former teenage TV star) to begin The Way of The Master Ministries. Kirk has been marvelously converted and has become one of the most heartfelt ministers I have had the privilege of hearing preach. Both Ray and Kirk are splendid evangelists worth your time to hear. On their websites, of which there are too many to list, you can listen and watch scores of other excellent messages related to evangelism. 180 Movie is an absolute must see! It’s also available on YouTube.
2. Ravi Zacharias – rzim.org. Ravi is a superb apologist. Roughly half of the book of Acts is an apologetic discourse defending either apostleship or the veracity of faith in Christ. Ravi is a lover of the Gospel engaged in a similar labor. He is well respected even among his opponents for his scholarship, brilliance and gentlemanly discourse. He is frequently heard at large philosophically driven venues and debates around the world as one of the most captivating minds in Christian apologetics today. His doctrinal work was in the philosophy of religion. Ravi was born and raised in New Delhi, India as a Hindu and was later converted to Jesus Christ. I urge you to bask in “The Uniqueness of Christ in History," and “The Uniqueness of Christ among World Religions,” both of which are lessons of more than one part. I also invite you to hear "Jesus as They Saw Him.” You can find these as well as hundreds of other messages available from Ravi by going the broadcast radio sections of his website. He has several weekly radio broadcasts called Let My People Think or Just Thinking. Listen to this man for some brilliant insights into the wonderful truths that must affect our minds as much as they affect our hearts.
3. John Piper – desiringGod.org. John is a pastor. He has loved the Bible over his church week in and week out for decades. He is surely one of the biggest brains and hearts behind the pulpit today, and has caused me no little grief in his teaching. He is a lover of Christian history and doctrine contending to preserve the precise declarations and creeds of Christianity against those who would attempt to pull out its foundations. He has written over thirty books on Christian living and doctrine and gives his gifts to us all in speaking, writing and poetry. His website is a huge collection of works and he also has hundreds of sermons available on sermonindex.net. Go, listen and learn; get out of the twenty-first century for a bit I beg you. On Sermon Index under audio sermons you’ll find a number of John’s superb biographies detailing the lives, faith and works of some of the greatest saints of old. Listen to these biographies. There is much preaching and historical data throughout that make them extraordinarily interesting. Listen and honor God for His great saints like Brainerd, Calvin, Luther, Spurgeon, Edwards, Augustine, Owen, and Bunyan just to name a few. These bios are recorded at Piper’s yearly pastor’s conference and make up an ongoing series of messages entitled "Men of Whom the World Was Not Worthy" which title is, of course, borrowed from Hebrews eleven. Shut the shop down, make ready for reflection, curl up on the couch with your Bible and listen about the lives and events of Christian men outside of your generation. It will bless you! I also commend to you the "Desiring God” series of messages that get to the Bible centered task of setting God and God alone at the center of all things.
4. John MacArthur – gracetoyou.org. John is a pastor, a scholar and a theologian. Every sermon he preaches seems to contain twenty years of reflections, conclusions and facts. He has great clarity in his communication and truly is a blessing to the body of Christ. John has a sermon that rocked my understanding of Catholicism. I mention it and recommend it because it hits so close to home for many in America today. I’ll say no more here but strongly recommend all of you to the message called “The Pope and the Papacy.” It is one of many on the subject that he has preached. John’s messages are truly masterpieces of Christian exposition. John has a talent for saying much in little space. He is a puritan preacher if ever I’ve heard one. Go to his website, purchase his stuff. He also has messages available on Sermon Index. I recommend his two part sermon called “The Character of Scripture” as well as “The Sufficiency of Scripture.” Also see “How Can We Witness if We Don’t Know What the Gospel is?" John Macarthur has repeatedly been seen on Larry King Live and is called upon in matters of Christian concern because he has been known for his accurate dealings in the Christian faith for well over forty years.
5. Albert Mohler – albertmohler.com. Al Mohler is a very bright speaker and the ninth president of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, one of the largest seminaries on earth. He has put a lot of attention into studying the subversive influence of what we call postmodernism into the culture and especially the church. He has many fantastic mp3 messages available on his website that are available to listen to online or download. One that has been of great influence on me is his message series on the “Apostle’s Creed.” Dr. Mohler is a great contender for Christian faith and Biblical stewardship. His commitment to academics and proven care for the historic Christian faith make him a wonderful treasure to a great many Christians. I can listen to this man talk about anything and I’m drawn to majesty in that subject in remarkable ways.
6. Todd Friel – wretchedradio.com. This was originally wayofthemasterradio.com. Todd was a stand-up comedian and got saved. As I understand it he was on his way through seminary when God revealed in him that he was not a Christian. His mix of personality and brilliance makes for terrific Christian TV and talk radio. Such messages are perfect for the mp3 listener. Todd is an evangelist, a scholar and a theologian though I strongly suspect that he’d deny the latter. He hosts this daily Christian radio talk show, a television show and speaks all over the world in diverse Christian settings. He also sponsors and works hand in hand with Living Waters and Way of the Master Ministries in conferences and seminars. I love his take on the faith and his presentation of the Gospel. Todd is a refreshing breeze whenever I listen to him. He has a sermon series available for purchase called “Herman Who?” which is a teaching on Biblical hermeneutics (the art and science of interpreting scripture). I recommend anything by Mr. Friel wholeheartedly. Check out Wretched Radio and Wretched TV. Seriously, these shows are awesome and cost only a few dollars a month.
7. R.C. Sproul – ligonier.org. R.C. Sproul was a seminary professor for most of his life, but was commanded to the pastorate of late. RC, like all true shepherds, would say that his ministry is as much for the strengthening and equipping of the church as it is for taking the Gospel to the unsaved. He is a passionate man with great softness and skill as a teacher. I go to him for systematic theology. His teachings on theology and the history of the church have been staples in my understanding of the reformed faith and Biblical orthodoxy. RC really enjoys teaching and it reverberates in his voice and manner behind the pulpit. He hosts a Christian radio program called Renewing Your Mind that is available on his website in archives and I highly recommend it. With all my heart for your benefit I also highly recommend you purchase the 2007 Orlando Contending for the Truth Conference CD or mp3 set of messages. The conference includes the teachings of several of the ministers recommended here in my list. These messages are like assets – they only increase value with age so you can’t lose. RC shares two messages during the conference called "The Resurrection of Christ" and "The Task of Apologetics." These two messages alone are worth the purchase of the whole series. If you click on the series itself and scroll down you can buy the messages individually if you choose. The mp3 version of the conference series is in his store under the philosophy and apologetics link and is currently on page three of those resources. Check to be sure you have the right date. Check out all of RC’s books or sermons for solid and clear Biblical counsel. He’s also hilarious by the way.
8. Matt Chandler - thevillagechurch.net. This man is undoubtedly one of the finest pastors I've ever had the privilege of hearing. His understanding and love for the gospel is contagious and wonderful. Matt Chandler is truly a wonderful pastor, theologian and Christian speaker. I can hardly recommend anyone higher to you. There is one message in particular called “Sabbath” that had a tremendous impact on my life several years ago. “Devotion to Prayer” was also a wonderful message. Go and listen to Matt open up the gospel for you. Let him love it over you; by grace, he’s more than equipped to do so.
9. James White - aomin.org. James is a tremendous resource to the body of Christ. His enthusiasm and mind make him a wonderful apologist. His message “Introduction to Reformed Theology” was a huge blessing to me many years ago. I would also very much like to recommend the sermon: “Apostates and Apostasy.” There are many great Christian apologetics resources and lively debates with many opponents to the Christian faith on his website as well. Dr. White reminds us of the importance of doctrine. I would very much like to recommend him to you.
10. Alistair Begg – truthforlife.org. Alistair is a pastor. He is a lover of sound doctrine and a terrific shepherd. I recommend any teaching that may catch your interest by its title. I first heard this man preach a three part sermon series called “Why Bother with the Bible?” I thought it was a terrific dealing with why the Bible is what it is to us as Christians. Alistair brings a refreshing influence to bear on American Christianity because of his Scottish upbringing. I truly enjoy his messages and find him to be a constant source of never boring teaching in the full counsel of God’s word.
11. David Guzik – enduringword.com. David literally sprang up out of nowhere in my life. His teaching on the Old Testament was unlike any other teaching I’d ever heard. Often I just hated that his messages had to end at all. If you’ve not been well versed in a lot of Old Testament books like I and II Kings, I and II Samuel, Daniel, Isaiah, etc., let him walk you through them in the multitude of messages available on Sermon Index. It is expository preaching through most of these books. He also does a lot of great teaching on church history all the way up through the Reformation. He is an awesome preacher and one I highly recommend. I do, among all his messages, recommend one in particular called “(2nd Samuel) the Kindness of God.” It is a great teaching beginning in Second Samuel chapter nine seeking to show the depth of the kindness David exercised to the remaining members from the house of Saul. It is available on Sermon Index for free. As of the time of this letter it is on page five of his archived sermons.
12. Paul Washer – heartcrymissionary.com. Paul is a gentle giant. Spending most of his life in the mountains of central and South America as a missionary, Paul is a little different than what we normally hear here in the states. Paul’s message “A Sermon That Has Angered Many - Examine Yourself” was something very real for me. It is available on sermonindex.net. Following a man like Paul Washer in his teaching is of the type that automatically weeds out the fake. Paul is the type you are drawn to fellowship with whether he’s in the pulpit or the prison. Paul is a humble servant of his Lord and I love the man very much. His sermon “The Holiness of God” available on Sermon Index is beautiful. It is the lack of the preaching of that God that is at the heart of most silly Christian churches today.
13. Leslie Hale – lesliehale.com. I owe eternal thanks to this rather obscure pastor. His sermon outlining the book by AW Pink called "The Attributes of God" is what God used to first bring me to Himself. It was called “My Concept of God.” I heard it years ago and only have it on cassette tape now. I don’t know much about Leslie except that he is a strict Irish preacher from Belfast. I thank God for bringing this man into my life and that his teachings assisted my rescue from the corruption and wickedness of the word faith cult. I am certain that it would be nothing but an email and any gift amount to his ministry to get “My Concept of God” on tape mailed to you; it is worth it. It literally is the sermon that changed my life forever. God is majestic and holy and this sermon approaches Him and describes Him as He is. This message changed me. Just one message from someone you’ve never met can do it. I cannot but marvel at the power of God to change the heart, and that is why I have this list. He also preached a sermon on Christmas entitled something like “The Christmas Story as You’ve Never Heard it.” I had no idea the true immense power behind the Nativity Story. If you can get it, go through the trouble and get these two messages, especially the first one mentioned. On his website there are many free messages that look promising and I wholeheartedly endorse Leslie’s ministry.
14. Leonard Ravenhill – ravenhill.org. The late Leonard Ravenhill was a preacher of a different breed. He has a heavy Methodist influence in his teaching. I love Leonard’s teaching on prayer. Prayer, to him, was the highest Christian duty. He has inspired me to pray hard and seek the truth of the position of a Christian on his knees before his God. Leonard is not a theologian; by his own definition he is a preacher. I relay that because I believe he is. There was one sermon video that captured my heart and just blessed my socks off from the man. It was a video called “Judgment Seat of Christ.” I really enjoyed the video as well as many of his other sermons. This video is available, along with many other Ravenhill messages on Sermonindex.net. Look for the video, and be specific in the words in the title. Leonard to me is iconic of an age of preachers long since gone. This man would walk through England, sleep in churches to preach, and hold revivals for weeks at a time wherever the Spirit led him. He died a modest and humble saint dearly missed by many. Leonard was a true preacher and his work was heart work. I thank God for his ministry and his love for holiness and fire in Christ. I don’t know too much about Leonard and strongly suspect that we would differ on many doctrinal points, but I can make the distinction for such a clear and loving man who was known to weep in the pulpit and travail for the honor of the Gospel he was born to proclaim.
15. Walter Martin – waltermartin.org. The late Walter Martin was awesome. I like this man because of his exhaustive examinations of the cults and false religions. He teaches on many false religions and is a trustworthy authority in such studies. He was a scholar and a lover of the precision of the Greek language. If you want to learn about false religions, which I hope you all do, here is one great source. He has a large and hugely influential series of messages called “The Kingdom of The Cults.” On his website you can listen to hours of teaching on false religions like the Mormons, Jehovah Witnesses, Scientologists, Christian Scientists, etc. Walter was well hated in his day as a Christian, which in his case means he was doing something right. Walter was the founder of the Christian Research Institute which is still available online.
16. Ken Ham – answersingenesis.org. Ken is a creation scientist. He, like all Christians, teaches against the foolishness of evolution. Ken has wonderful resources available in both written and media form on his website. I have listened to several audio messages of Mr. Ham’s. He has one message in particular that is just phenomenal. It’s available on Sermon Index. It’s entitled “Can We Really Trust the Bible?” I’d like to recommend this ministry as a whole because of their dealing with scientific issues. Mr. Ham also founded a state of the art creation science museum near Cincinnati, Ohio. You can search their online database regarding pretty much any question relating to creation; it’s a fantastic website. Ask them any question about science as it relates to the Bible and I’m confident that they will answer your questions as well as they have mine.
17. D. James Kennedy – coralridge.org. The late great D. James Kennedy Has many interesting messages archived and available free of charge on his website called "Truths That Transform." He shared on a lot of interesting topics and guest speakers to his programs have impacted me greatly. Pick a topic and search for it. You may find it.
18. Mark Cahill – markcahill.org. Loving a man like Mark is easy when you love the Gospel. His messages “Lukewarm No More”, “Engaging the Culture” and “It’s Not Blind Faith” are pumped full of his ideology on sharing the faith with strangers. He ministers a lot with youth in churches in America. Mark has many interesting stories of how Jesus has put him into the ears of famous people in his life and he freely shares of his failures and successes in those encounters. Mark has written several books and is involved and supportive of a great number of ministries in the country and around the world. He is without a doubt primarily an evangelist. Mark’s fire as an evangelist is, as Ephesians four says, for the equipping of the church.
19. Joseph Schimmel – goodfight.org. Mr. Schimmel has had one profound influence on my life. He produced a video called “They Sold Their Souls for Rock n Roll.” The complete version is a ten hour rockumentary on the rock and roll industry and almost every one of the bands I once idolized. I was once a huge heavy metal/hard rock fan. I had no idea back then just how wicked such music is. I was, as Corinthians says, blinded by sin to the Satanism which is so overtly present in such music. Even after I was ransomed I honestly had no idea about the music (as is probably the case with most of you.) This DVD changed my view forever. I didn’t see it until years after I stopped playing heavy metal guitar. It confirmed the evil of the music in me and showed me an extent to that evil that I would have thought did not exist. It is a great video and worth watching for anyone who names the name of Christ. If you have children do it for them if nothing else. It will impact you.
20. Mark Driscoll – marshillchurch.org. Mr. Driscoll has won me over very recently and I thank God for him. His eleven part sermon series entitled “The Peasant Princess” is a tour of the Song of Solomon. It’s an excellent teaching series on marriage, and has changed my marriage in many wonderful ways. I am forever indebted to Mr. Driscoll for his teaching. This sermon series is available online on his website, and I would recommend it for anyone married or wanting to be married one day. He also delivered a fantastic sermon during the 2008 pastor’s conference with Mr. John Piper called, "How Sharp the Edge? Christ, Controversy, and Cutting Words." What a sensational message. I would especially recommend this one to any pastor. It is also available on desiringgod.org in their resource library.
21. Eric Meyer - tampacovenantchurch.org. Eric is a great pastor doing many things for his people. He was my first true pastor. Anything available from him (or Pastor Lou Kaloger) on the website is highly recommended.
Other recommendations (including textual):
22. Adrian Rogers - lwf.org. Pastor Rogers has gone home to be with the Lord. He has left us a great legacy of faithful and blessed messages and works.
23. Charles Spurgeon - spurgeon.org. This website is also run by someone I highly recommend, Mr. Phil Johnson. Everything by Spurgeon is worth your time. His book “Lectures to My Students” is incredible and was of particular blessing to me.
24. Jonathan Edwards. You can find tons of written material available from Edwards. Many have named him the greatest theologian in American history. Discovering his writings was of great significance to me. His book "The Life and Diary of David Brainerd" has changed the world. One essay from the man entitled “Wicked Men Useful Only in Their Destruction” was very engaging.
25. James Walker- watchman.org. His three part message “Unmasking Mormonism” is awesome. James was a very well established Mormon and provides great insight for Christians into his former faith.
26. Paris Reidhead – His message on Sermon Index called “Ten Shekels and a Shirt” may start out slow, but it packs a punch.
27. Josh McDowell - josh.org. His book series "Evidence That Demands a Verdict" is one of the single best resources for proving the accuracy of the Bible in history. His research is extensive and very well done. If you want to learn about how we know we have the Bible that was written so long ago, here's one great place to start.
28. Keith Green - lastdaysministries.org. I got a hold of Mr. Green's teaching years and years ago. I will never forget the impact that his message “What’s Wrong With the Gospel?” had on my young Christian faith. He had a great passion for the Gospel.
29. F.F. Bruce - Bruce was a great writer and historian. His book "The Canon of Scripture" is a wonderful resource for learning about the Bible's history and assembly.
30. C.S. Lewis- Despite several issues that should be raised in the theology of C.S. Lewis there is no doubt about the tremendous impact the man made in the world. He is the author, among a great many other things, of the now famous "Chronicles of Narnia" series. Lewis' books "Mere Christianity" and "The Screwtape Letters" are great reads. His essays have had great impact on me personally as well, and there is no shortage of materials available from him in your local Christian bookstore.
31. Martin Luther - Luther is arguably the most influential man in history after Jesus and the authors of sacred Scripture. He considered his book "The Bondage of the Will" to be his most important work. It is a great book and one highly recommended.
32. John Calvin - "The Institutes of the Christian Religion" was a work that earned Calvin the title "The Theologian." His systematization of truth and expository genius are a true blessing to the church in every generation. The institutes are a great resource for anyone serious about Bible study and doctrinal specificity.
33. Lee Strobel - leestrobel.com. Strobel's "Case for Faith" videos are excellent and may work as great gifts for someone that you want to give a resource to that's examining some of the truth claims of Christianity.
34. Voddie Baucham - voddiebaucham.org. Voddie, among other good things, has fantastic teachings on family, family life and parenting.
34. Voddie Baucham - voddiebaucham.org. Voddie, among other good things, has fantastic teachings on family, family life and parenting.
35. John Owen - Owen's book "The Death of Death in the Death of Christ" is a book that every Christian should read in their lifetime.
36. Vance Havner. A message called “Getting Used to the Dark” was a great listen.
36. Vance Havner. A message called “Getting Used to the Dark” was a great listen.
37. A.W. Pink - His book “The Attributes of God” absolutely changed my life forever. He was a great thinker.
38. Blueletterbible.org. Blue Letter Bible is a fantastic online resource for Greek, Hebrew, verse by verse commentaries, lexicons and a whole lot more.
39. Monergism.com. Here you can find a ton of great resources from hundreds of preachers.
40. Michael Patton - reclaimingthemind.org. Patton's "Theology Program" is a fantastic resource for learning all about Scripture, the canon, historicity, textual criticism and many things about the history of the Bible.
39. Monergism.com. Here you can find a ton of great resources from hundreds of preachers.
40. Michael Patton - reclaimingthemind.org. Patton's "Theology Program" is a fantastic resource for learning all about Scripture, the canon, historicity, textual criticism and many things about the history of the Bible.
I could recommend so many more. All of these messages and/or Christians listed above in God’s glorious and merciful ways have helped to build my faith. I thank them all for that and pray that as I submit them to you they might bless you as they have blessed me. Grace to you in Jesus name! Listen to these resources and get their truths in your bones. Contend for this faith and do not lose heart.
“For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ,”
2 Corinthians 4:6.
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