June 2014 – jtcochran.com

Monthly Archives: June 2014

Crucifixion by Martin Hengel

Martin Hengel has written the definitive work on the crucifixion, entitled fittingly, Crucifixion . This short, 100 page, book lays the context of crucifixion in the Grecco-Roman world next to the biblical text, both validating the Scriptures presentation of this pivotal point in Christology and accentuating our understanding of crucifixion in light of backgrounds study.

This excerpt from chapter three, Docetism as a way of removing the ‘folly’ of the cross, validates a Pauline historical and actual, not merely spiritual, understanding of crucifixion:

Separated from the particular death of Jesus on the cross, the Pauline ‘word of the cross’ would become vague and incomprehensible speculation. At least as far as Paul is concerned, we must challenge the assertion made in the most recent investigation of the subject that ‘there is no direct route from the historical cross to the theological talk of the “cross”‘. The one thing which made Paul’s preaching the offensive ‘word of the cross’ was the fact that in it the apostle interpreted the death of Jesus of Nazareth, i.e. of a specific man, on the cross, as the death of the incarnate Son of God and Kyrios, proclaiming this event as the eschatological event of salvation for all men. Even the apostle’s own suffering is exclusively to be understood in terms of this historically unique event (Rom. 6:10: apethanen ephapats ). The shame and contempt which the apostle had to endure is illuminated and explained by the fact of the shameful death of Jesus on the cross. It cannot be detached from this and be interpreted independently…For Paul, therefore, the word has certainly not faded to the point of becoming a mere ‘theological cipher’. Any assertion to this effect merely demonstrates the tenuous link of contemporary exegesis with reality and its insipid and unhistorical character. In other words, the utter offensiveness of the ‘instrument for the execution of Jesus’ is still to be found in the preaching of Paul. (20-21)

The Evangelistic Zeal of George Whitfield by Steven Lawson

This review first appeared at Lifeway’s Pastors Today Web Blog .

Steven J Lawson. The Evangelistic Zeal of George Whitefield. Sanford, FL: Reformation Trust, 2013. 156 pp. $16.00.

Little will stir the soul of a pastor and challenge him to press forward in ministry more than a good biography. Biographies often aim to champion the character and legacy of a person. The Evangelistic Zeal of George Whitefield (here forward Evangelistic Zeal ), does much more. This book from Reformation Trust is part of the A Long Line of Godly Men Profile series. Series Editor, Dr. Steven J. Lawson, both a professor and pastor, expertly weds biography, theological formation, and pastoral exhortation into a single package.

As a biography, Evangelistic Zeal provides a comprehensive look at George Whitefield’s life and itinerant preaching ministry. Whitefield is widely considered the one who blew to flame the match that Jonathan Edwards set to the Great Awakening. His fervor for the gospel and his enduring fortitude for travel permitted Whitefield to preach 18,000 sermons, over the course of a thirty-four year ministry, crossing to America seven times for preaching tours.

Regarding Whitefield, Lawson confesses, “I have been captivated by his unmatched zeal in proclaiming the gospel message to the ends of the earth” (xvi). Whitefield is characterized for his ardent devotion to Christ, uncompromising preaching of the gospel, and his Spirit filled passion for the lost. All of which drove him to boldly preach his convictions worldwide in the face of hostility, assassination attempts, and the threat of dangerous sea travel. This gospel he preached in churches, street corners, and fields. And he preached it to every people regardless of class or color. Reading Evangelistic Zeal will provide much greater detail about this captivating man than I am able to offer in this brief paragraph.

Evangelistic Zeal is not just biography; it is an exercise in theological formation as well. Lawson delivers a distillation of Whitefield’s most cherished views of doctrine. He particularly highlights Whitefield’s position – a position that brought great tension between Whitefield and his longtime friend John Wesley – on the doctrines of grace (chapter four). This chapter helps us see how Whitefield’s view of God’s sovereignty was not just a distinguishing mark of his doctrine but a stimulus for his fervor in the pulpit.

Benefit for Pastoral Ministry

One of the chief purposes of Evangelistic Zeal is to exhort pastors to reproduce the zeal of George Whitefield. Lawson writes: “May the sovereign Head of the church, who possesses all authority in heaven and earth, give to His church such Spirit-endowed messengers.” This is the greatest benefit of Evangelistic Zeal .

Pastor, as you hear about Whitefield’s pious devotional life, animated preaching, confidence in the gospel message, and enthusiasm for seeing lost souls come to Christ, you too will feel fire rekindled in your soul for the ministry. It will flame to new heights.

This book is primarily for you and your heart. If you haven’t read a biography recently, start here. It will be sweet for your soul. You can share it with your church family. You can share it with men who sense an internal call to ministry. Indeed, it will fan into flame gospel zeal for these people. But you need this book most, pastor.

And if you’ve never read a sermon from George Whitefield, Crossway has published a one-volume collection of his sermons worthy of purchase. I encourage you to get a copy of The Sermons of George Whitefield , edited by Lee Gatiss, as a companion to the Evangelistic Zeal of George Whitefield .

Essential Recommended Helpful Pass It By

The Evangelistic Zeal of George Whitefield sparks vigor for the work of gospel ministry.

Albert Mohler. Biblical Theology and the Sexuality Crisis.

Western society is currently experiencing what can only be described as a moral revolution. Our society’s moral code and collective ethical evaluation on a particular issue has undergone not small adjustments but a complete reversal. That which was once condemned is now celebrated, and the refusal to celebrate is now condemned.

Evangelical Theology by Michael Bird $7.99

Edited by John Harvey and Herbert Bateman. Interpreting the General Epistles. Reviewed by Craig Hurst.

Greg Gibson. Preparing Yourself for the Second Shift. (CBMW)

There was a point in my life when the evening hours were solely used up in whatever I wanted to do with them…The difference, though, is that I am no longer afforded that freedom (1 Cor. 13:11), and if you’re like me at all, then the final part of my day—the second shift, or the 5:30pm-and-on-part-of-the-day—is absolutely the hardest.

Kevin Halloran. 250+ Free Seminary Resources.

The internet is revolutionizing every industry known to man. More resources and opportunities are available to everyone in the world like we could even imagine just a mere twenty years ago. Theological education is no different, and if anything presents students an amazing opportunity for students, pastors, and lay Christian leaders to bolster their faith.

Below is a smattering of every great seminary resource I could find.

Karen Swallow Prior. The Hidden Blessings of Infertility. (CT)

There’s a certain narrative that dominates most stories of infertility. Their sense of overwhelming anguish and loss, regardless of outcome, contrasts so drastically from my own experience that sometimes I have to remind myself that I, too, have a story of infertility.

Isaiah 5:20 “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!”

“Two sorts of peace are more to be dreaded than all the troubles in the world — peace with sin, and peace in sin.” Joseph Alleine

So…It’s the Summer Before Seminary: 4 Things to Do

Ah! Seminary! What memorable days!

If the Lord has led you to seminary, right now you’re starting to feel antsy and excited. At least I did. You may be twiddling your thumbs, just waiting to get there. If you are, then I have some suggestions for you. There is a lot that you can do in preparation for your seminary days.

If you’re planning to return to school and pursue theological studies, here are four things to do this Summer.

1. Get Familiar with Scholasticism Now

Guess what? Seminary life is a unique sub-culture in Christianity. It is wonderful how you can get a Westminster, Southern, and Dallas guy together and they can laugh about the same things and contend over various trendy issues, fully tracking with one another, when everyone else in the room is entirely lost.

Now, I’m not talking about theological language. You’re probably pretty familiar with some of that. I’m not even talking about names of great scholars, important works that have recently been written, or matters of dialogue (such as “The New Perspective on Paul”). No, what I mean is digging deep into the niche of scholasticism and understanding the contexts.

You’ll want to put everything in context. It’s just like playing NFL Fantasy Football. You want to know the teams, depth charts, and play books. But in this case it’s seminaries, faculty, and journals.

Why? Because you will be interacting in a whole new world and playing a whole new game. All of which is built on presuppositions and contexts. Thus, you need to know all the other “systems”. You’ll want to know the particular theological flavor of each context and how to diplomatically interact with that system and people from that system with propriety as a gentleman or lady.

For instance, if you are a reformed minded individual, you must realize that there is a difference between reading the 9Marks journal or Themelios and reading from the Society of Biblical Literature.

You won’t just be able to pick your favorite sources of reading any more. You will have to wade through a much wider system of study. This does not mean that you don’t have to still enjoy your favorites or that you will not maintain your convictions. But you will be exposed to a wider spectrum of viewpoints in your studies. This is to inform, not necessarily reform you.

In addition, you need to get familiar with bibliographic database systems like ATLA , BILDI , BiBIL , RIM , OCLC WorldCat among other resources for tracking down journal articles, monographs, and other important works for your studies. And go ahead and subscribe to JETS and SBL . And become familiar with the Review of Biblical Literature . If your seminary has its own journal, then you will get to receive it for free while you attend the school. Or at least you ought to. And take huge advantage of the body of free literature available from Christian Classics Ethereal Library .

Finally, you need to love formatting. Paper writing has a particular style system to it. Get ahead by purchasing Turabian and becoming familiar with it. But, of course, contact your school to verify that this is the formatting your school follows first.

You will drink from a fire hydrant of reading. If you have access to your syllabi, go ahead and purchase your reading or check it out from the seminary library now — granted that you have access to it now. If you don’t, try to attain access. Float your profs an e-mail and ask if you can get a list of textbooks so that you can get ahead on reading. They will be impressed.

If you are not able to attain this information, but you know what courses you registered for than you can try to check out a couple resources related to the field of study to peruse. That way you at least are familiar with what you will be reading.

My friend Kevin Halloran recently wrote an exceptionally helpful article giving you access to 250 resources. Some of it is free audio content from various American conservative seminaries and the rest is suggested textbook reading. You should check out his article and keep it saved for future reference. You might find it very helpful when you’re working on a research paper or project.

3. Get Familiar with the Campus and Interact with Future Profs Now

My wife and I have watched every season of Gilmore Girls. One of my favorite seasons is when Rory Gilmore started attending Yale. She had a hard time finding her classes, being on time, figuring out where everything is, and most especially developing that reading/study spot that no one else could take. You know what I mean. Your place where you get productive work done.

Finding your way around a new school just takes time. But if you have the luxury to troll around your seminary campus now, you’ll be at a great advantage. Go ahead and get familiar with your new environs, if at all possible. Visit the different buildings. Find out where people fellowship and where they study. Discover where the best places are to get inexpensive food nearby. And find that reading spot now. There’s nothing worse than getting in a new context and not being able to find your study spot.

Also, try to arrange to meet a couple of your professors now. Offer to buy them lunch or take them to coffee. When you meet them, find out more than what they’ve written and researched. If fact, learn that ahead of time, so they realize that you’re very interested in them. You should be able to view their CV or a least a list of their research and published works on their bio page on the seminary website. But go deeper. Learn about their life, family, interests and where they worship. Have fun and make a new friend. Then it will be less intimidating on syllabus day!

4. Connect with Students Now

Social media is a wonderful phenomenon. And you shouldn’t be surprised if you already have a friend or two heading towards the seminary of your choice. Try to network ahead of time and get to know one or two people before you hit campus on day one. I didn’t do this, but I wish I did. I am glad that I lived in the dorm and moved in the week beforehand. That gave me a week to connect with new friends and sort out all our theology ahead of time. ; )

Use Skype or FaceTime. These are great resources. You can chat with someone and really get to know them before you meet in person. If you’ll be in a dorm, perhaps you can meet your suite-mate ahead of time. That’d be great. These are the people that you’ll be studying with for the next couple of years. Getting a jump start never hurts!

Seminary is wonderful and daunting. Make the most of it by making the most of this brief season of preparation. You’ll be ahead of the rest when you walk into that first classroom!

Joseph Sunde. The Disease of Self-Chosen Sacrifice. (Acton)

In our efforts to serve others and do good in the world, we humans have a remarkable tendency to fall short, no matter how carefully constructed or well intended our plans and designs may be.

Manhood Restored by Eric Mason $2.99

Jen Pollock Michel. Teach Us to Want. Reviewed by Bethany Jenkins.

Aimee Byrd. Where is the Line? (Ref21)

I’m sure we’ve all seen our share of images on the internet that we wish we wouldn’t have. I have viewed countless overly-sexualized images of children that have left me sad. And so I was a bit confused when I read this article about how Instagram removed a photo from blogger mom, Courtney Adamo’s account because it was deemed inappropriate. Surprised and somewhat annoyed, she read Instagram’s guidelines, and could not see where she violated any policies. So Adomo reposted the picture of her 18-month-old girl pulling up her dress to get a better look at her bellybutton. Instagram reacted by shutting down her account, which has over 40,000 followers.

R C Sproul. Sin is Cosmic Treason. (Ligonier)

“ The sinfulness of sin” sounds like a vacuous redundancy that adds no information to the subject under discussion. However, the necessity of speaking of the sinfulness of sin has been thrust upon us by a culture and even a church that has diminished the significance of sin itself. Sin is communicated in our day in terms of making mistakes or of making poor choices.

Nick Batzig. Are Some Parts of Scripture Greater Than Others? (Christward Collective)

Sometimes in the name of zeal for biblical fidelity we can inadvertently correct others where no correction is needed. I’ve had the infelicitous experience of being corrected, on numerous occasions, for something for which I ought not to have been corrected. I have also been the culprit of such uncharitable action. I have, at times, made assertions about certain portions of Scripture ( e.g. certain chapters in Genesis, Romans, Galatians and Hebrews) being greater than others. In response, I have been on the receiving end of well-meaning Christians firing something back along the lines of, “Every portion of Scripture is important. We shouldn’t say that one part is greater than another.” So the question is, “It right or wrong for us to speak of some portions of Scripture as being greater, or more important, than others?”

Ephesians 4:24 “And to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.”

“What is holiness except Christlikeness?” John R W Stott

Trevin Wax. The Kindness That Will Kill Your Church.

We’ve all heard stories of churches filled with backbiting and gossip, the plotting deacons who rule the church or the abusive pastor who manipulates the congregation.

Some of you haven’t only heard these stories; you’ve lived them. You know firsthand what it is like to see the fruit of the Spirit traded for the rotten works of the flesh. Nothing will damage a church like falsehood, hate, and divisiveness.

Meanness should never be associated with a believer in Christ; nor should spite and vitriol ever find a foothold in our fellowship.

But there is another way a church can be destroyed. And this type of destruction is more insidious because it is more difficult to detect.

I’m talking about the church where everyone is kind to one another, but no one really loves.

Make, Mature, Multiply edited by Brandon Smith $3.99

Jeremy Writebol. everPresent. Reviewed by Aaron Armstrong.

Barnabas Piper. When You Preach on Sex You Don’t Preach to the Pure.

We don’t live in a puritan world with Victorian social mores. It seems, though, that many pastors have yet to come to grips with this. You grew up in a context of strong Bible teaching and enforced morality. You were taught that sex before marriage was wrong. You were taught to believe that sex was an unthinkable act until that ecstatic wedding night, a sin fraught with guilt and shame. So was I. I didn’t listen.

Gloria Furman. Motherhood Was Created by and for the Son of Man.

Recently I was doing some reading and chatting with friends on Facebook when my heart was bowled over with the diversity of our experiences. A couple of expectant parents uploaded a video of them slicing into a cake dyed pink inside to announce they were having a girl; a new mom wrote about her frustra­tion with a teething baby’s cries and asked for advice; a single woman said that she had just met with some of the teen girls in our youth group; a former co-worker posted a photograph of her infant with oxygen tubes in his nose and pleaded, Please continue to pray. We are still waiting for his transplant. Not out of the woods yet ; a photo of my nephew popped up of him wearing his football uniform; an update appeared linking to a video of pro-life protest­ers being harassed on a college campus.

Wesley Hill. The Dead White Poet You Need In Your Life. (CT)

“I blame George Herbert for me be­coming a Christian,” Miranda Threlfall-Holmes, an Anglican priest, wrote recently for The Guardian . Reading Herbert left Threlfall-Holmes

with the sense that I was standing on a cliff, staring out to sea, hearing marvelous tales of lands beyond the horizon and wondering if they were, after all, just fairy tales or whether the intensity with which the tales were told was evidence that the teller had indeed seen a barely imagined kingdom.

I know exactly what she means. I can’t claim such a dramatic encounter, but I do blame the great 17th-century English priest and poet for deepening my journey in Christ and leading me into a liturgical church.

Hebrews 12:14 “Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord.”

“Holiness is the visible side of salvation.” C H Spurgeon

10 Quotes from Evangelism by Mack Stiles

I reviewed this book some time ago here , but now I’d like to share some of my favorite insights offered. So here are 10 quotes from this book:

1. “There is much room for humility when it comes to evangelism. We need to acknowledge that God is sovereign and can do as he wills to bring people to himself. There is no formula that dictates how God must work in evangelism” (23).

2. “If you do not know how to teach the gospel, you may not truly understand it. And if you do not understand it you may not be a true Christian” (30-31).

3. “But since I believe in the church as the engine of evangelism, we need to develop cultures of evangelism in our local churches, too. We want whole churches that speak of Jesus” (42).

4. “To be compelled by love to share the gospel individually is a beautiful thing, but when it happens in community, it’s joyfully glorious” (48).

5. “Jesus says the love we have for one another in the church is a statement that we are truly converted…Love confirms our discipleship. Unity confirms Christ’s deity’ (63).

6. “The Christian faith has no category for believers who are not members of a local congregation. Church is not, and has never been, optional for the believer” (70).

7. “Church must treat the gospel as a way of life. Gospel centrality is crucial to a culture of evangelism” (88).

8. “There will always be people in our churches who look like believers, which is why it’s so important that we keep sharing the gospel. They tend to be the very ones who push back about how boring and repetitive it is to talk about the gospel” (92).

9. “It’s my sense that boldness is the most needed element for evangelism for the Christian community” (106).

10. “I have found that those who come from a background where many hate the cross tend to love it all the more” (106).

Five Books on the Doctrines of Grace

Finding the best books to read on a subject of theology can be a challenge. This series provides suggested resources for topics of Theology. Each title is linked to Amazon, if available. If you have another title to suggest for this area of study, please comment. I’m always happy to add another work to my library.

Here are 5 books that will launch you into studies on the doctrines of grace.

1. Five Points by John Piper

2. What’s So Great About the Doctrines of Grace? by Richard D Phillips

3. Killing Calvinism: How to Destroy a Perfectly Good Theology from the Inside by Greg Dutcher

4. PROOF: Finding Freedom through the Intoxicating Joy of Irresistible Grace by Daniel Montgomery and Timothy Paul Jones

5. The Reformed Doctrine of Predestination by Loraine Boettner

Mark Altrogge. 4 of the Best Pieces of Marital Advice I’ve Ever Heard.

I’ve been doing a good bit of premarital counseling lately, and I’ve married quite a few folks over the years. There’s lots of great advice in the Bible and other books, but here are 4 pieces of advice that have really helped me throughout my marriage. I’m still trying to apply them, and I’d encourage you to as well, whether you’re getting married in 2 weeks or celebrating your 20th anniversary.

To Live Is Christ to Die Is Gain by Matt Chandler $3.49

Ray Ortlund. The Gospel. Reviewed by David Steele.

Marc Cortez. 6 Reasons Pastors Need Learning Communities.

M ost pastors understand the importance of learning continually. There’s just so much you have to know to be an effective pastor, and the rapid pace of change in the modern world has only made that more difficult. So the pastors I’ve known all push themselves to keep learning and growing. Excellent.

The problem is with their approach.

Steve Timmis. 3 Questions to Ask When Choosing a Church. (TGC)

I hope you’ll put on your thinking caps and practice a little patience as I try to connect the world of my doctoral studies with the world of our contemporary blog disputes.

For the four of five of you who are left, I want to introduce you to John Witherspoon’s Essay on the Connection Between the Doctrine of Justification by the Imputed Righteousness of Christ, and Holiness of Life .

Colossians 1:27 “To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.”

“We in Christ = justification; Christ in us = sanctification.” Martin Luther

An Interview with Jon Nielson about Youth Ministry and His Book, Bible Study

Many pastors have the privilege to serve the church as both shepherds and writers. One such person is Jon Nielson.

Nielson is the College Pastor at College Church Wheaton. He is also the author of Bible Study: A Student’s Guide . Recently, Jon and I talked about both youth ministry and his book, Bible Study . He kindly agreed for me to share insights from that conversation with you.

If you’re interested in purchasing Bible Study by Jon Nielson for yourself, a youth pastor, or a youth, you may find this resource at Amazon and The Westminster Bookstore .

How have you seen youth ministry change over the last 5 years?

In the last 5 years, I’ve seen the lives of students become even more busy (if that is even possible!). I think that youth ministry faces the challenge of continuing to teach students – and their parents – about the centrality of the gospel, and, therefore, the place of service and ministry in the context of the local church. In the midst of busy lives, it becomes harder and harder for people to “fit” church in, and this sadly reflects a misunderstanding of the centrality of the church in God’s plan for this world.

What do you think will be the future place of youth ministry in the church?

I think there can be a great place for youth ministry in the church moving forward. I, personally, would like to see it become even more thoughtfully woven together with the overall life and ministry of local church congregations. There are many churches who are beginning to think carefully and creatively about how to better accomplish this!

What are the distinct challenges between jr. high, high school, and college ministry?

In Junior High ministry, we are seeking to help students understand the true gospel of Jesus Christ – many times, as distinct from simply a message of morality (“be good kids!”). We are also seeking to introduce them to the basic storyline of the Bible, and help them to begin finding their place in the community of the local church.

High School ministry is when we begin to call students to truly embrace and live out faith in Jesus Christ – in service and involvement in the local church, and also in bold witness to the gospel in the context of their school communities, sports teams, and friend groups.

College Ministry becomes, then, the final and most intense phase of training and discipleship – centered around God’s Word – as young adults prepare to launch out into life “on their own” for the glory of Jesus Christ and the good of his church worldwide.

What advice do you have for Youth Pastors managing the tension between being a committed husband and father and being involved in student’s lives?

If you aren’t pastoring your family well, then you are failing as a man of God and a minister of the gospel. Your wife and kids get priority. With that being said, those who shirk the call of “spending themselves” for the sake of the gospel are simply not working hard enough. My grandfather always said that he was 100% a pastor to his people and 100% a father to his kids and husband to his wife. There should be no difficulty with that math, in my book. Give yourself to your family, and give yourself to your people.

What inspired the book Bible Study?

Years in youth ministry, spent trying to help students open up the Bible and study it more effectively on their own. It was really the fruit of figuring out what helped students understand and apply God’s Word. It came, really, from the conviction that God’s Word does the work in ministry, by the power of his Holy Spirit. The best thing we can do in youth ministry is help students read, study, understand, and apply the Bible.

How will students find Bible Study useful?

Hopefully, it will help them understand some basic truths about what the Bible is, and then what the Bible is meant to do in the lives of God’s people. Then, hopefully it will give them some practical instruction as to how they can actually go about studying it in small groups and on their own.

How can youth ministries utilize this resource? What is the best application for this resource?

I guess I hope they read it! Then, I would think that they could give some careful thought to how they might order and organize their small groups around intentional, careful – and hopefully engaging – study of the Bible. I really don’t think there’s anything better God’s people can be doing than hearing God’s Word taught, studying it on their own, and then speaking its truth boldly to their friends. We’re people of the Word; we need to know it well. Then we can know God better, and make the gospel of his Son more clearly known to the world around us.

Ed Stetzer. Meriam Yehya Ibrahim and The Right to Convert. (CT)

You’ve surely heard of Meriam Yehya Ibrahim, a 27-year-old Sudanese woman who was sentenced to death for committing apostasy by marrying a Christian man.

Ibrahim, who says she has never been a Muslim , was recognized by the government as a Muslim because she was born to a Muslim father , and children must adopt the religion of their fathers by Sudanese law. Thus, when Ibrahim married a Christian man, she committed a crime in the eyes of the government by, in their view, converting from Islam to Christianity.

Thankfully, this morning, this human rights horror story has ended with the freedom of Ibrahim.

The Next Story by Tim Challies $3.99

Marcus Peter Johnson. One With Christ. Reviewed by Chris Bruno.

Thom Rainer. Why Church Guests Return. (Pastors Today)

There are a variety of reasons why a person visits a specific church. For many people, it is because someone personally invited them. Others may end up at a particular church because of the location. Still others may choose a place of worship based on the size of the congregation or certain ministries that are offered. Once inside the doors however, what is it that keeps them coming back for more?

Tim Challies. Why Making Decisions Is So Hard.

Making decisions is one of the most difficult things we do. If it is that hard to choose between the mint chocolate chip and the rocky road, how much more do we agonize over this church or that church, this school or that school, this job or that job, this person or that person? We pray, we sweat, we weep, we read, we toss, we turn.

Why this fear? Why this agony? Why these sleepless nights? It is the uncertainty of it, I’m sure. It is the uncertainty of where our choices may lead.

Ron Edmondson. 5 Things I learned in Church Planting. (Faith Village)

I’ve planted two churches . In each plant, God overwhelmed us continually with what He did among us. I feel humbled and blessed to be a part of such healthy environments God uses to reach people with the Good News of Jesus Christ.

I have learned a few things in the process. Some of these were new insights and some were things I had confirmed, but all are things I would suggest other church planters consider.

1 Thessalonians 4:7 “For God has not called us for impurity, but in holiness.”

“Holiness is not an experience you have; holiness is keeping the law of God.” D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones

Stephen R Holmes on The Quest for the Trinity

Stephen Holmes sets an ambitious thesis in his book The Quest for the Trinity: The Doctrine of God in Scripture, History and Modernity . Essentially he says that the renaissance in trinitarian doctrine take place today does not retrieve the doctrine as it was originally presented by the patristics. There are fundamentally differences in principles of hermeneutics between modern scholarship and patristic scholarship that serve as drivers for the dislocation of this doctrine.

Here’s what Homes says in his introduction:

In the twentieth century, there arose a sense that the doctrine has been neglected or lost, and stood in need of recovery. Many brilliant works have been published in the name of that recovery, but I argue here that, methodologically and materially, they are generally thoroughgoing departures from the older tradition, rather than revivals of it.

This book begins by looking at more recent attempts to retrieve the doctrine of the trinity from scholars such as Barth, Rahner, and Zizioulas. Then it looks at the original patristics with “one eye to the Bible.” If this study interests you, I encourage you to check it out for a fair price at Amazon.

Proof by Daniel Montgomery and Timothy Paul Jones

Daniel Montgomery and Timothy Paul Jones. PROOF: Finding Freedom through the Intoxicating Joy of Irresistible Grace . Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2014. 221pp. $16.99.

We need rescue from gods of our making. They are called the divine butler and cosmic therapist gods: two gods that the world twists the one true God of grace into. What’s worse, we have a zombie problem: us. We are zombies. We’re functionally dead people needing new life. And only the God of grace can give it.

If this is confusing, then you just need to read PROOF . Daniel Montgomery, founding pastor of Sojourn Community Church, and Timothy Paul Jones, professor of leadership at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary offer a creative, culturally engaging, theologically stout study of the doctrines of grace that will leave your heart warmed, informed, and reformed.

So what is PROOF ? The title is an acronym to help us grip God’s intoxicating grace. The authors say that rightly understanding this acronymwill lead us to stand and stagger before God: “The message of grace frees every believer to stand before God without fear…It also points to proof that causes you to stagger at the sheer strength of God’s love.”

Each letter in the acronym illuminates an aspect of salvation. P lanned Grace explains God’s plan from eternity past (Chapter 2). R esurrecting Grace explains humanity’s condition after the fall (Chapter 3). O utrageous Grace explains God’s choice and God’s work (Chapter 4). O vercoming Grace explains humanity’s transformation in response to God’s work (Chapter 5). And F orever Grace explains God’s guarantee for our future salvation (Chapter 6).

PROOF is a great resource for guiding people through the doctrine of salvation. In studying the doctrines of grace readers will encounter a scripturally driven exposition of Paul’s letter to the Ephesians. Readers will be drawn into riveting narratives of church history: including sketches of historical figures, events, councils, and statements regarding the doctrine of salvation.

PROOF is intensely accessible for any Christian and, yet, the endnotes permit you to dive deep into academic reverie. The scholarship of this book deserves high praise. The authors sufficiently endnote, credit, and reference numerous works. It’s evident that PROOF is the product of careful study and research. And kudos to Montgomery and Jones for correcting some of Church history’s urban mythology popularized in pulpits today. You’ll have to read PROOF to find out which myths are debunked.

PROOF is designed not only to educate but also to retain and sustain your intoxication of grace. The end of every chapter includes a study guide with a catechetical instruction, a scripture to memorize, a song to sing, and a summary of that doctrine of grace. PROOF is filled with handy charts and callouts for quotes, clarifications on technical parlance, or brief chapter addendums.

PROOF will refresh pastors on their understanding of grace and salvation. It will be a resource to give those who are wrestling through this doctrine. Small groups and discipleship groups wanting to explore this aspect of theology will find PROOF to be a noteworthy curriculum.

Reading PROOF will free you to rejoice and trust in God’s intoxicating, irresistible, and planned work of Grace.

Daniel Burke. Presbyterians Vote to Allow Same-Sex Marriage. (CNN)

The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) voted Thursday to allow pastors to marry same-sex couples in states where it is legal.

The church also voted, by an overwhelming majority, to change the language about marriage in the church constitution to “two persons” from a “man and a woman,” according to More Light Presbyterians , a group that supports gay rights.

To take effect, that change would need to be approved by a majority of 172 local presbyteries, which have a year to vote, the church said in a statement.

Praying Backwards by Bryan Chapell $2.99

Jeremy Treat. The Crucified King. Reviewed by Bobby Jamieson. (TGC)

Ted Kluck. My Taste of Academic Persecution. (TGC)

Let me first explain why I hesitate to even use the word academic in reference to myself, and also the word persecution in reference to what I’m about to write. First, I write stories for a living, and I occasionally teach others to write stories, and I have an advanced degree focused on the writing of stories. Because this is so much fun for me, I hesitate to use the word academic, which connotes, if not tweed sport jackets and committee meetings, then definitely white lab coats and microscopes.

I hesitate to use the word persecution because there are Christians facing severe persecution in nightmarish situations around the world—kidnappings, beatings, imprisonment, and worse. I put what I’m about to write in a different and much less intense category. That said, it’s still a category.

Tony Reinke. 12 Questions to Ask Before You Watch ‘Game of Thrones’. (DG)

“Pastor John, do you believe there is a difference between film nudity versus pornography? I know many Christians who are against porn, but they have no issue watching movies or TV shows that show graphic nudity.” A young woman named Emily recently emailed this question to the Ask Pastor John inbox.

A day later, Adam emailed to ask: “Pastor John, what would you say to a Christian who watches the cable TV show Game of Thrones ?” This is a television series rated TV-MA, and has become rather infamous for its explicit nudity and sex scenes, and for graphic scenes of rape and sexual violence against women. Game of Thrones is now the most popular series in HBO history, with an average audience of more than 18 million viewers.

What follows is a slightly edited transcript of John Piper’s response in today’s episode of Ask Pastor John .

Cody Dolinsek. Blindness and the Church: Image, Reality, and Appropriate Behavior. (Ref21)

Two realities have played a large role in shaping my identity: my blindness and my Christian faith. I have at times struggled with just how these two things about me coalesce.

Romans 8:26 “Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.”

“A holy life is the life of God.” William Gurnall

World Cup Games: The Closest to True Worship Some Will Get

I grew up in a soccer family. The first ball I ever saw had black octagons all over it; my first shorts: Umbros. I panted after my first pair of indoor shoes: Brazilian Select Lottos. My Fall and Spring seasons filled with evenings doing drills and scrimmages. My Summers were consumed by soccer camps. My weekends dominated by matches and tournaments. And it would be no surprise if you found me walking around with a Soccer Pal rehearsing juggling techniques. My identity as a youth was entirely wrapped in soccer.

So when the World Cup came to America in 1994, to say I was ecstatic is an understatement. And when my Dad brought home tickets for one exhibition game and two games from the group stage, the sensation was surreal. I remember laying in bed the night before the USA vs. Mexico exhibition match, caressing that precious ticket which gave me full access to the Cotton Bowl and the spectacle taking place within.

Have you ever been to a World Cup Game? It is one thing to see one on TV. It is quite another to be at in person. It is honestly the closest experience to heavenly worship I’ve had. I say this with a caveat. Soccer falls dreadfully short for good reasons.

Every Tribe, Every Tongue in Community

Soccer draws an international and, therefore, truly multicultural audience. In fact, it is irrefutable that Soccer is the most celebrated sport in the world. According to a recent Washington Post article , in 2014 110 million people watched the Super Bowl and in 2010 910 million people viewed the World Cup final. There is simply no comparison.

As I recall that exhibition game I attended in 1994, it was a lot like visiting Disney World. I heard at least a dozen spoken languages. Standing in the stadium I looked upon a sea of people and a spectrum of skin color. People from across the globe and from every culture came to watch Mexico and the USA play on the pitch.

Though it is true that many people come to these games to watch a particular team, far more people are simply present to watch the sport. Whether it is your team or the opponent that scores, you will not help but feel impressed by the power and finesse necessary to make those few goals reality. The euphoric nature of the event will cause you to both be awed and also feel this strange union with everyone around you. There is a kindred spirit among these people.

This is similar to what we will see in heaven. In heaven people from every tribe, tongue and nation gather together to seek the Lord, fellowship, and worship. Revelation 7:9 says, “After this I looked and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands.” When you’re standing in the midst of 25-50,000 people sweating, singing, and shouting you realize that you are part of something special. You are in the midst of a unique community.

Unfortunately, this is very different from heavenly worship as well. In this arena people gather to celebrate the creature. They go to be wowed by the skills, and grace of professional athletes that devote their lives to being the best at getting a ball in one goal and keeping a ball out of another. God made these creatures — all of them in the stadium and the field — with incredible skills. And those skills are meant for an eternal purpose.

Praise, Entreaty, Devotion

Remarkable to a world cup game is the sounds that fill the stadium. Thousands upon thousands sing, chant, and shout over a common interest. Have you heard these songs or chants? I have. If I close my eyes, I can still imagine the sounds and songs I heard those many years ago at the Cotton Bowl. One goes like this, “Ole, ole, ole, o-ole, o-ole!” Another goes, “U-S-A. U-S-A.”

The first chant though spanish in origin, is a chant sung world-wide by teams representing many nations and languages. It’s actually a universal chant, essentially meaning, “We are the best.” The second chant expresses deep devotion and loyalty, not just to a nation but to a mission of conquest. Essentially, the second chant alludes that my team will be victorious when it is all said and done.

Now these song and chants are not exactly, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God almighty!” ( Rev. 4:8 ) But it comes real close. They both echo this idea of deep devotion, pride, and enthusiasm. They both remind us of purpose and mission. These echoes tell us that we are here for something greater and beyond ourselves.

Unfortunately, both fall short because they channel the praise in the wrong direction. They miss the mark of the target to the creator. God created us to worship him, to direct our ongoing praise to him, to send our entreaty’s for favor to him. The songs and chants you hear echoing and shaking stadiums all over the world right now during the 2014 World Cup are really cries and longing for something more than praising a game. They are the unaware songs searching for someone more worthy to receive praise, someone like the only holy one, the Lord God Almighty, Jesus Christ.

There is one thing that a soccer match lacks that heaven uniquely offers. Soccer reaches every people group. It unites people in community. It stimulates worship of a sort.

Like a penalty kick that glances off the pole and shoots into the stadium — when only a quarter of an inch down would produce a win — soccer narrowly misses the mark.

In spite of these elements, Soccer is temporal. There will be that moment, that 90th minute mark, including whatever stoppages in play, where the official will blow his Fox40 Classic and the event will cease. The teams will go home; the people will disburse.

All that euphoria and elation I felt during the USA vs. Mexico exhibition match came to a droll conclusion. I pilgrimaged with my family back home, just like a child might do after visiting the Jerusalem Temple for a feast. The experience is but a shadow and a glimpse of what things might look like in a future time.

In heaven the people will never disburse. The celebration will go on and on forever in a perpetual display of praise and community. The reason why is because there is a creator worthy of enduring praise. There will be no stoppage in play; there will be no death. Our creator is far better than his creature because he endured. A red card had no hold over him. He returned to the game and finished the match.

Psalm 145:13 : “Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures throughout all generations.”

Albert Mohler. Baptist Polity and the Integrity of the Southern Baptist Convention.

The Southern Baptist Convention meeting last week in Baltimore was, in itself, a lesson in Baptist polity. The organizational structure of the Convention is directly drawn from Baptist principles, and those principles have been adapted to meet the new challenges faced by every generation.

Hipster Christianity: When Church and Cool Collide Brett McCracken .99

Timothy Keller. Encounters with Jesus. Reviewed by Barnabas Piper.

Tim Challies. Pornolescence.

It is going to take time—decades at least—before we are able to accurately tally the cost of our cultural addiction to pornography. But as Christians we know what it means to tamper with God’s clear and unambiguous design for sexuality: The cost will be high. It must be high.

Matt Smethurst. What God Values More than Heart Motives.

As deeply as God cares about our motives, however, there’s something he cares about even deeper.

Jason Helopoulos. Our Shepherd Knows Our Needs.

God knows what His people need in the midst of their afflictions. Whether it is tiredness, ignorance, hunger or the greater afflictions of death, sin, satan, and hell. And that knowledge is not bare knowledge. It is not knowledge that leads Him to act and provide in the person of His Son. As Paul says in 2 Corinthians 1:3-4, He comforts us in “all our affliction.” “All”–there is nothing outside of His knowledge or care. He is in the person of His Son, the good Shepherd, who knows, cares, and provides for His sheep.

1 Peter 1:16 “Since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”

“What health is to the heart, that holiness is to the soul.” John Flavel

20 Quotes from The Conviction to Lead by Albert Mohler

I reviewed this book some time ago he re , but now I’d like to share some of my favorite insights offered. So here are 10 quotes from this book:

1. “Wherever Christian leaders serve, in the church or in the secular world, their leadership should be driven by distinctively Christian conviction.”

2. “The leadership that really matter is all about conviction. The leader is rightly concerned with everything from strategy and vision to team building, motivation, and delegation, but at the center of the true leader’s heart and mind you will find convictions that drive and determine everything else.”

3. “Christian leaders must develop and operate out of an additional intelligence — convictional intelligence. Leaders without emotional intelligence cannot lead effectively because they cannot connect with the people they are trying to lead. Leaders lacking ethical intelligence will lead their people into a catastrophe. but leaders without convictional leadership will fail to lead faithfully, and that is a disaster for Christian leaders.”

4. “Leadership that matters grows out of the leader’s own belief that the story is true, that it matters, and that it must both expand and continue. The story must be believed with conviction, and stewarded with conviction.”

5. “Every Christian has the responsibility to develop a worldview that is authentically Christian, but leaders face that duty in a way that is even more urgent. We have to be faithful in the discipleship of the mind before we can expect faithfulness and maturity in those we lead.”

6. “The most faithful and effective pastors are those who are driven by deep and energizing convictions.”

7. “The Christian leader leans into truth, knowing that the truth always matters and that nothing less than the truth will do.”

8. “The leader who wants to effect long-term, lasting, determinative change in an organization has to be its lead teacher, changing minds in order to transform the organization.”

9. “Character is indispensable to credibility, and credibility is essential to leadership.”

10. “A good leader stands out when character is matched by competence and the central virtue of knowing what to do.”

11. “The best leaders know that the road to great effectiveness is paved with intentional communications, and the very best leaders are always learning how to be even more effective as communicators.”

12. “Reading is not merely an exchange of information and ideas. It is a conversation between the author and the reader.”

13. “But faithful leaders understand that while they will influence the organization with their personality, they must never allow personality to be the defining mark of leadership.”

14. “Effective leaders give intensive personal attention to the budget because that’s where the real convictions of the organization show up.”

15. “Let’s be honest — if you are truly unable or unwilling to stand up in front of people and speak with conviction, you are not called to the role of leadership.”

16. “A steward is someone who manages and leads what is not his own, and he leads knowing that he will give an account to the Lord as the owner and ruler of all.”

17. “Indecisiveness is one of history’s greatest leadership killers.”

18. “Leaders know that telling the truth can be costly and, for that matter, downright awkward. Nevertheless, not telling the truth is a certain recipe for calamity and embarrassment.”

19. “As a rule, interesting people engage in interesting conversation, but that rule is often broken by people who are lazy communicators.”

20. “Leaders who want to make a difference, and to make that difference last, must write. You can write this down — leaders are writers.”

Bradley R E Wright. Your Faith Might Cost You Your Next Job. (CT)

My colleague Michael Wallace and I conducted a large-scale field study to test for religious discrimination in one area of public life: the job application process. We found that not only is religious discrimination alive and well, it is so strong that simply adding one word to a résumé—a reference to a particular religion—reduced employer callbacks by almost 40 percent.

Disciplines of a Godly Man by R Kent Hughes $2.99

Larry Eskridge. God’s Forever Family. Reviewed by Ray Ortlund.

Jeremy Walker. Thoughts on Visiting. (Ref21)

Some time ago I read a letter from a pastor who had spent time in hospital. He was surprised at how ill-equipped the saints who came to visit him seemed to be in ministering to his soul as he lay in the hospital bed. More recently, I was asked by a brother in a church which is currently without a pastor how he might more effectively serve some who are sick and struggling by visiting them to encourage and assist them. My advice was very simple, but it might help others, and I offer it here in that hope.

David Murray. Daddy, Does God Want to Save Me.

Did you hesitate? Even for a second? Then you have a warped Calvinism. And there’s lots of it around.

When our son or daughter asks that question we must be able to look them in the eye and say with all the certainty we can muster and all the passion we can summon, “Yes, my son (daughter), God wants to save you.”

Bryan Barley. 10 Practical Tips for Living on Mission in Your Community.

Charles Spurgeon said, “Every Christian is either a missionary or an impostor.” Thankfully, with the rise of the missional movement, more Christians have accepted this call to live on mission in whatever community God has placed them. But, how do we engage the sphere of influence God has entrusted us with most effectively? Here are ten practical ways to live on mission in your community:

Titus 2:11 “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people.”

“Anyone can devise a plan by which good people may go to heaven. Only God can devise a plan whereby sinners, who are his enemies, can go to heaven.” Lewis Sperry Chafer

4 Functions of Prayer (A Servants of Grace Guest Post)

As a youth pastor, I heard all sorts of superficial prayer requests. “Please pray for my cat” or “I just want this boy to ask me to the dance” or “I’ve got this test that I haven’t really studied for.” I don’t want to write off these prayer requests. I believe God loves to hear from every one of his children and he honors all these requests. After all, he did say, “Whatever you ask in my name…” (John 14:13-14). Another time we can discuss whether this Scripture applies to apostles or adolescent teens, for now I wish to hone in on the purpose of prayer.

You see, superficial purposes are not easily outgrown. Adult prayers can be pretty similar to adolescent prayers. Adults will pray to get something from God: money, a job, a guy or a girl. They pray to escape something: illness, impending danger or harm, or enemies. They pray to change something: That job they finally got. Or that person they finally married.

We all are prone to pray for superficial reasons. It’s because we lose track of God’s primary purposes for prayer. And I’m certainly not immune. Thankfully, God uses events in our lives to get us back on track to the primary purposes for prayer.

This happened to me. At a time when my prayer life became dry – wandering in what some call “the desert of the soul” – the Lord orchestrated events that realigned my prayer life. I got laid off. Through the process of having security ripped away and being thrust fully forward in faith, I rediscovered four purposes of prayer that had gone forgotten. These are not all the purposes of prayer; they are four significant ones. These too often get overlooked or crowded out on a daily basis by superficial purposes.

READ THE REST OF THIS POST AT THE SERVANTS OF GRACE WEB BLOG…

Here are 5 books that will launch you into studies on prayer.

1. A Praying Life: Connecting with God in a Distracting World by Paul Miller

2. A Call to United, Extraordinary Prayer: An Humble attempt… by Jonathan Edwards

3. The Hidden Life of Prayer: The life-blood of the Christian by David MacIntyre

4. A Call to Spiritual Reformation: Priorities from Paul and His Prayers by D A Carson

5. The Message of Prayer: Approaching the Throne of Grace (Bible Speaks Today) by Tim Chester

Kevin DeYoung. Five Questions for Christians Who Believe the Bible Supports Gay Marriage.

So you’ve become convinced that the Bible supports gay marriage. You’ve studied the issue, read some books, looked at the relevant Bible passages and concluded that Scripture does not prohibit same-sex intercourse so long as it takes place in the context of a loving, monogamous, lifelong covenanted relationship. You still love Jesus. You still believe the Bible. In fact, you would argue that it’s because you love Jesus and because you believe the Bible that you now embrace gay marriage as a God-sanctioned good.

As far as you are concerned, you haven’t rejected your evangelical faith. You haven’t turned your back on God. You haven’t become a moral relativist. You’ve never suggested anything goes when it comes to sexual behavior. In most things, you tend to be quite conservative. You affirm the family, and you believe in the permanence of marriage. But now you’ve simply come to the conclusion that two men or two women should be able to enter into the institution of marriage–both as a legal right and as a biblically faithful expression of one’s sexuality.

Setting aside the issue of biblical interpretation for the moment, let me ask five questions.

Life in Christ: Becoming and Being a Disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ by Jeremy Walker $0.99

Thor Ramsey. The Most Encouraging Book On Hell Ever. Reviewed by Tim Challies.

Gavin Pate. Why I Am No Longer a Church Planter. (TGC)

In the end, the church plant did not last. After thousands of dollars raised and about fifteen months of effort, it failed. I simply could not get enough traction when gathering. I was underfunded. I lacked experience. I was alone. I had heart, and I had zeal.

Heart and zeal are good. But heart and zeal alone are not enough to build a self-sustaining church. One key that I missed was confusing God’s calling with a desire to see something happen. I have a heart to see another faithful, biblical church in Arlington, Texas. That doesn’t necessarily mean that I am the man called by God to plant it.

Scott James. Psalm-Shaped Parenting. (Radical)

And that’s when the thought occurred: I’m not sure if I’ve ever specifically taught him this concept before. I’m confident that the idea of God delighting to save His people has been mentioned or implied in much of what my wife and I talk about with our kids, but I can’t recall ever intentionally highlighting it as this verse does, lifting our gaze to it as if it were a diamond in the light.

The fact that it was a Psalm that triggered this fresh conversation with my son isn’t surprising.

Kate Shellnut. How Jimmy Fallon Made Comedy Fun Again. (CT)

No one on television has more fun than Jimmy Fallon.

As the new host of The Tonight Show on NBC, Fallon has incorporated the songs, skits, and celebrity games loved by audiences of Late Night . He dances to hip-hop megamixes with Justin Timberlake. He plays charades with Sheryl Crow and Pictionary with Kristen Bell. He makes goofy faces with Jude Law and throws glasses of water at Lindsay Lohan. Starting at 11:34 every night, he has a blast.

Psalm 149:4 “For the Lord takes pleasure in his people; he adorns the humble with salvation.”

“The true secret of spiritual strength is self-distrust and deep humility.” J C Ryle

Book Notice: Make Mature Multiply Edited By Brandon Smith (A GCD Resource)

Yesterday, GCD (Gospel Centered Discipleship) released a valuable contribution to resource the Church for evangelism and discipleship. The book is Make Mature Multiply. This book is edited by Brandon Smith with a foreword from David Mathis. Altogether there are thirty-one contributors; I had the pleasure to be #31, I believe, with the 37 and final chapter of the book, “Bringing the Multiplication Mindset Home.”

You may order a digital copy from GCD for $3.99 here , and you are able to order a print copy for $9.49 from Amazon here .

Read this excerpt from David Mathis, Executive Editor at Desiring God:

There’s more to say in the pages ahead, but for now, let this summary lead us into our study: Paul’s charge in Philippians 4:8 (and Colossians 3:2 and Romans 8:5, for that matter) should not lead us to isolate ourselves from our society and our Christ-given mission to go into it and make, mature, and multiply disciples. Rather, this text should have us leaning forward into it. This verse is a summons to make all of life, and all the world, our context for disciple-making.

As you consider evangelism and discipleship in the coming chapters, let me encourage you not to limit your vision to the walls of the church and the traditional categories. There is a place for formal meetings and classrooms and seminars. I love them. I teach them. I’ve benefitted unspeakably from them.

But as we disciple the nations, we will find that it requires not just the formal transfer of the gospel, but increasingly the informal sharing of “our own selves” (1 Thess. 2:8). The world in our classroom, as it was for Jesus and Paul. Let’s consider whatever is true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, commendable, excellent, and praiseworthy in life and society; let’s make disciples out there too, and model such engagement for those who will practice the things they have “learned and received and heard and seen” in us (Phil. 4:9).

Karen Swallow Prior. #HowOldWereYou: Origins of a Heartbreaking Hashtag. (CaPC)

That’s the sense I got from the now-removed post written by an anonymous sex offender and published last week at Leadership Journal. Yet, the truth is that the impulses that led to this former youth pastor’s sexual abuse of a child under his care and authority—pride, lust, covetousness, selfishness, and the elaborate mental apparatus to rationalize it all—are, ultimately, rather banal. They are as old as humankind. The editors’ well-intentioned decision to publish the piece as a cautionary tale betrays in them and their target audience an underlying naiveté in regarding the abuser’s rationalizations as insightful and revealing enough to give him a platform for voicing them.

Let us ever be horrified at every form of abuse—but let us stop being shocked.

Transformational Discipleship by Geiger, Kelley, and Nation

Editor Brandon Smith. Make Mature Multiply. Reviewed by Pat Aldridge.

Eric McKiddie. Your Three Options When Instituting Change.

Change is hard no matter where it happens, but it seems like it can be hardest in churches. People have a vested interest in keeping things the same. Maybe they are comfortable with where the church is. Perhaps it has taken a lot of work to get there. Or maybe certain ministries suit their interests. Charting a new direction can sound as exciting as dental work.

But until Jesus comes back, change will be necessary in church.

So what should you do if your ministry needs less of a tune-up and more of an overhaul, especially if you know that folks are going to voice concerns over the changes you want to make? You have three options.

Thom Rainer. 7 Ways to Hurt Your Pastor.

If you really want to hurt your pastor, then this blogpost is for you.

This past week alone, I had conversations with dozens of pastors. These pastors love their churches and the members. They are really committed to their callings.

But they are real people who can really be hurt.

The pastors I spoke with this past week shared with me seven common themes of the things that hurt them the most. So, if you really want to hurt your pastor, follow these guidelines carefully.

Trevin Wax. Because We’re Christians Kids.

There’s a phrase I’ve heard in our home lately. It pops up whenever the kids ask why we do things differently than other people.

I noticed it first when our son asked why he and his sister aren’t allowed to say certain words his friends say.

“Why can’t we talk that way?” he asked.

“Because we’re Christians. Jesus saved us, and we want to honor Him with our lips.”

Psalm 34:2 “My soul makes its boast in the Lord; let the humble hear and be glad.”

“Humility is simply the sense of entire nothingness.” Andrew Murray

James M Hamilton Jr on Old Testament Regeneration

In Chapter 6 of God’s Indwelling Presence: The Holy Spirit in the Old and New Testament James M Hamilton Jr presents an intriguing view of what Jesus is saying about indwelling and regeneration in the gospel of John. Here Hamilton concludes his argument built on Old Testament texts indicating that Old Testament saints, though not indwelt, were regenerated by the Holy Spirit.

This would explain Isaiah’s call to his contemporaries: “Hear, that your souls may live!” (Isa 55:3). When the Spirit of God enables a person to hear the word of God and believe it, regardless of where that person is on the salvation-historical time line, he can be described as regenerate. The heart of the person is circumcised, and the ability to believe is created. The indwelling of the Holy Spirit, however, only accompanies the Spirit’s life-giving work after the glorification of Jesus. After the glorification of Jesus, regeneration and indwelling can be seen as concurrent, though they remain distinct ministries of the Spirit. The evidence presented here indicates that prior to the glorification of Jesus, believers were regenerated by the Holy Spirit but not indwelt by Him.

Is God anti-gay? by Sam Allberry

Sam Allberry. Is God anti-gay?: And other question about homosexuality, the Bible, and same-sex attraction. Purcellville, VA: The Good Book Company, 2013. 88 pp. $7.99.

The media lights up with articles about the homosexual discussion daily. People discuss it everywhere and popular TV shows leverage their medium to push forward an agenda. Everyone has an opinion on this matter; it is the issue of our time.

But how informed are we? Are we airing opinion or are we studied? And how many views are grounded in Scripture? Likewise, what is the posture? Is it winsome, gracious, and loving?

A fitting voice speaking on this issue is important. The wrong one will be inflammatory: the right one, mollifying.

Sam Allberry, associate pastor of St. Mary’s Church in Maidenhead, UK, lends a disarming mouthpiece for a biblical view on homosexuality in Is God anti-gay? . Those who disagree with Allberry’s position will do so sympathetically because Allberry struggles with same sex attraction (SSA).

In the introduction, Allberry shares: “As the long summer began and there was less going on to distract me, the truth began to bite. The words began to form in my mind: I think I’m gay. This was not a welcome development” (7-8). Allberry discovered his struggle with SSA around the time he discovered Jesus, which immediately put him at a crossroad. Which would define him: sexuality or Christianity?

Allberry clarifies this from the beginning. Sexuality does not make up identity. Referring to his SSA feelings, he says, “They are part of what I feel but are not who I am in a fundamental sense. I am more than my sexuality” (11). That’s the launching point for Allberry. Fundamentally, identity is found in Jesus, so what he says about sexuality takes precedence.

In this brief – less than 100 page book – Is God anti-Gay? presents a well-reasoned and grace-seasoned argument for what the Bible says about gender, marriage, sex, and homosexuality. Allberry looks at the tough Scriptures on this discussion: Genesis 2:23-24; 19:4-5; Leviticus 18 and 20; Romans 1:18-32; and 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 to name a few.

With careful, honest exegesis and theological acuity, Allberry explains that acting on SSA is out of alignment with God’s complementary design for marriage (chapter 1). Furthermore, homosexual sin is unnatural, a sign of God’s judgment, but thankfully, not inescapable (chapter 2).

Before you rise up in arms against Allberry, realize that “a sign of God’s judgment” does not refer to individual judgment. Homosexual sin is one among many sins for which God judge’s society, and it is a “testimony to the warped nature of sinful humanity” (33).

Allberry goes on to offer pastoral and personal insight on how someone with SSA feelings should handle those feelings (chapter 3). Allberry offers pastoral counsel for how churches should care for homosexuals (chapter 4). He concludes with how individuals should respond when non-Christian friends share their homosexuality, how to share Christ with that person, and how to be an effective witness in the world regarding this issue (chapter 5).

You’re still probably asking, “Is God anti-gay?” Be encouraged by Allberry’s closing words about the gospel: “The invitation is there for everyone. And so precious is this gift that God cannot be truly said to be “anti” anyone to whom this wonderful gift is being offered” (83).

I sat across from a student in my living room – at the time I was a youth pastor – his question still lingering in the air. “My college roommate told me he is a homosexual. What do I do?” I wish I had read Is God anti-gay? at the time.

If something similar hasn’t happened to you yet, it will. You will have someone confess to you a struggle with SSA or someone will seek counsel about another. Are you prepared?

And what about when members or newcomers inquire about your church’s position on homosexuality? What is your church’s stance? What if a practicing homosexual couple asks to become members? How will you navigate forward?

Is God anti-gay? doesn’t merely promote biblical thinking; it promotes sympathetic living. Allberry’s wisdom and unique vantage point helps pastors anticipate how someone with SSA will respond to them or their view. This book gives pastors a tactful, direct, and loving approach to shepherd those who struggle with SSA. This is a resource for every church member to read and especially you, pastor.

Is God Anti-Gay? may well be the most important read for you this year. Prioritize it.

Jonathan Parnell. Would You Tackle the Gunman? (DG)

On Thursday, June 5, shortly after 3:30 in the afternoon, inside a building on the campus of Seattle Pacific University, a student named Jon Meis pepper-sprayed a stranger and tackled him to the floor.

An unknown gunman had opened fire in the building, and in a moment of complete chaos, as the gunman reloaded a shotgun that had already killed one person and wounded two others, Jon Meis stepped up to stop him. Without doubt, as many witnesses and authorities close to the scene have said, Meis’s heroic act saved several lives.

I was watching the story unfold, asking myself the same question that many of us have probably asked at some point throughout the wake of tragedies like this. Could I have stopped the shooter? If I found myself in a similar situation — and now we start imagining the scenario — if someone walked through that door armed to hurt people, which direction would I go? Would I be willing to risk my own life in an attempt to impede the attacker?

Risky Gospel by Owen Strachan $0.99

Marvin Jones. Basil of Caesarea: His Life and Impact. Reviewed by Coleman Ford.

Eugene Merrill. Jesus and Atonement in the Old Testament.

The word “atonement” occurs frequently in the Old Testament (OT) and represents a key concept of OT theology. Christians maintain that Jesus is the fulfillment of the OT, especially the human need for atonement from sins. But what is atonement, and what does Jesus have to do with it?

Joe Thorn. Wisdom I learned in Dad’s Pickup Truck. (Christianity.com)

As a boy I spent a lot of time in my dad’s truck— a mobile office/workshop that smelled of oil, metal, and Doublemint gum. He would take me with him to various jobs, and I went as his assistant. This usually meant I carried his tools and he installed water heaters or retiled bathrooms. But the truck. That’s where we talked in depth about life. I had a lot of questions and he had a lot of thoughts. In the truck was where I thought out loud with my dad and pondered his wisdom. In light of Father’s Day, I wanted to share four pieces of fatherly wisdom that he passed on to me.

Dan Darling. 5 Mistakes Parents Make. (Servants of Grace)

My wife and I are in the throes of parenting and are surrounded, in our church and among friends, with other couples in the throes of parenting. So my parenting radar is hot. I’m learning, growing and repenting every day as I ask the Lord to make me a faithful dad.

It’s often easier to learn how to be a better parent by observing and owning our mistakes. So as I’ve observed parenting (my own and others’) and tried to admit and learn from my mistakes, I’ve compiled a list of five tendencies Christian parents have. I hope it helps you think through your own parenting journey.

Psalm 25:9 “He leads the humble in what is right, and teaches the humble his way.”

“Humility is the ornament of angels and the deformity of devils.” William Jenkyn

4 P’s in Navigating Cultural Leadership: Parlance, People, Places, and Press

Exegetichism: What a great word! My friend just coined it in a recent conversation. We were talking about four p’s that exist within every insider church culture: parlance, people, places, and press.

As we talked about how he felt a little out of place not knowing all the parlance of the Church culture he has been navigating for a few years, he dropped that word, “exegetichism.” He lamented not knowing and understanding more words like that. How humorous!

He blended two technical words: exegete and catechism. Exegete is when you pull out the true meaning of something. Catechism is when you put into people understanding through the process of asking and answering questions; it’s a form of indoctrination.

Culture is goofy. And it is difficult for people to navigate culture. If leaders aren’t present to help a person navigate a new culture that person will slowly drift away from it. Though my friend was just saying that he doesn’t know or get words like “exegetichism”, he actually cleverly developed a word to describe our problem. There is often a great disconnect between what we pull out and communicate to others and what they actually absorb and understand. Part of this is because we either create noise or ignore the noise that exists and assume that people get or relate to our cultural parlance, people, places, and press.

We have to be careful educators who make no assumptions about our people’s experiences and familiarity with our church culture. Let’s look at each of these facets of our church culture briefly and seek help for using them in our culture well.

Every culture has its language. This is part of what separates it from other cultures and make it distinct. Christian culture has an extremely technical, historical, and well-developed parlance. Unfortunately, as biblical illiteracy increases and emphasis on general education continues to shift towards STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) studies, people will fall out of touch with the parlance. They won’t know what “exegesis” or “catechism” is. They won’t be familiar with “prelapsarian”, “particular atonement”, and “regeneration”.

Furthermore, there is no end to developing new language or nuancing language in a church culture. For instance, the terms “mission” and “incarnation” are used much different from how they would have been 50 years ago. And as theological constructs develop, people are becoming familiar with new problems like “open theism”.

So how do we navigate our parlance? First, I suggest that every time you use a technical term, you should imagine that someone in the room will not know the term. Get used to explaining the term. Second, if the setting is appropriate, you might ask if anyone needs you to explain the term. If no one admits that they need to, give a second chance, and reassure people that you don’t expect them to really know all these terms. Third, create a place or direct people to helpful resources for further study. If your church does not have a blog or an online resource that has some of your parlance defined, then get cracking on making that resource available.

There are people that everyone looks to in your church culture. It could be a scholar or a pastor. Have you ever entered a new culture and everyone kept name dropping people you don’t know at all? Or what about when you navigate from one church environment to another and you discover that a name that was praised in your former environment is defamed in your new one? Let me tell you. That’s awkward. And quite honestly, it’s shameful. Church leaders should be intentionally magnanimous to avert these troubles.

If you wanna help your people understand THE people, be sure to explain a little bit about who you are referencing. Give your people context. Make resources available or create connections between the people you name drop and what they are about. Did they write a book? Make the book available. Are they known for a particular event, doctrine, viewpoint or ministry focus? Connect that person to those things for your people to grip the connection. And demonstrate greater charity towards the well-known people that you may not run to for counsel or leadership.

Places are a big deal for people because memories and the past are often wrapped up in places. There is a sentimental and nostalgic relationship made with places. When I arrived in my first pastorate, I discovered that there were sacred cow places. Thus, I should not import my sacred cow places and supplant those other places at my new pastorate. Because of this, some of the camp and mission experiences that I cherished in past contexts would never be contenders in this new ministry context.

For adults it becomes conferences, colleges, and seminaries.

“Did you go to such-and-such? Oh you didn’t.” Awkward pause. And the two of you don’t know where to go from there.

Have you been there? I have.

Or how about this. The person responds with, “I would never be caught dead at such-and-such. Why would you go there?”

“Well, I went here instead.”

“Oh did you. Hmm.” And now you’ve been shoved into their neat little box.

Places are important. Educating people on the places of value and why they are valuable is critical. Then being super inclusive is also important. You want people to share the same experiences you had in that place. You want them to long to be there and go there. Magnanimity is also essential here.

We need to be charitable because people are not their places. People are in process and they develop. What they were connected to in the past is not always what they wish to be connected to in the future. That’s just the way it is some times. So we shouldn’t make too great of an assumption about a person just because of their past places.

A lot of people do not keep up with the press and social media like you do. Leaders are always more in tune; they keep their ear to the ground about the buzz. For some people the press is super important. Others, don’t really care that much. There is this tension between not creating a culture too attached to the press and then being able to address what current event is taking your culture by storm when it is necessary. Many a church has been broken by events that came out in the press about a place or a person that they cherished.

We need to listen carefully to the buzz in our church. That will help us know how to navigate the press. Not only should a leader have his ears open, sometimes he needs to have his mouth shut about the press. Your people don’t have to get the news from you first every time. Let the press do its work. Be there to offer counsel and make statements in response as it becomes necessary. Sometimes leaders blow the press out of proportion and stir up trouble where none need be.

You want to help people learn your culture and navigate it successfully. This will help you retain more people than you realize.

Likewise, you also want to keep an eye towards a healthy gap between your church and these facets of culture. Parlance changes and evolves. Language you were attached to at one point you may distance from at another. People change. If your church becomes too attached to a figure, you might find yourself managing a disparaging and depressed culture because of some trauma or tragedy that befalls that person. Or it could be worse, and you know what I mean. The same goes for places and the power of the press.

Don’t fail at exegetichizing your people well by reducing noise and bringing clarity about your parlance, people, places, and press that influence your culture.

Here’s one last word: The more we keep the main thing the main thing, the better chance we have of not letting the above cultural facets influence our culture too much. Let the God of the gospel, the Word, and the work of ministry be the primary shapers of your community.

Tim Challies. When My Fashion Accessory Told Me To Take A Hike.

This will really make you think about how you use social media with your children.

A Quest for More by Paul David Tripp FREE for 48hrs.

J Mack Stiles. Evangelism. Reviewed by Aaron Armstrong.

Justin Taylor. Should Augustine’s Name Be Pronounced *AW*-gus-teen or Aw-*GUS*-tin.

David Horner solves the age old problem for us.

Jason Helopoulos. 10 Personalities that Have No Place in Christian Marriage.

My dear bride and I have been married for sixteen years. We have learned a great deal over those years together. What was a rocky beginning has become a sweet and glorious union. There is seldom a day that goes by that I don’t thank the Lord for my wife. Our marriage isn’t perfect, because neither of us within this marriage is perfect (though she is surely closer to perfection than me). However, I can say by the grace and mercy of God that we have a good marriage. There are different lessons that we have learned over the past sixteen years. Some were more painful to learn than others and some are lessons that we will need to continually grow in. There are many who read this blog and have been married longer than us. No doubt, you have more wisdom to offer on this subject then me. I would welcome your thoughts in the comments below. As a pastor, who has counseled many couples, and as a veteran of sixteen years of marriage, I have found that these ten personalities have no place in Christian marriage.

Courtney Reissig. Why I Blogged About Our Miscarriage. (CT)

There’s a certain kind of oversharing on social media that we’re all familiar with: the mundane pictures of somebody’s lunch, the stream of selfies, the updates complaining of illnesses. Much of this can come off as uninteresting.

Another kind of oversharing has emerged, though, and it’s powerfully interesting, enough to make us uncomfortable at times. We see people taking to Facebook with emotional and intimate stories of parts of their lives, even ones we’d likely never hear about in person. They are deeply personal, bordering on what some would consider too personal for public disclosure.

Psalm 18:27 “For you save a humble people, but the haughty eyes you bring down.”

“The way to become poor in spirit is to look at God.” D Martyn Lloyd-Jones

FaithVillage Contributor Spotlight: Joey Cochran

I was interviewed by one of the sites to which I contribute. In this interview I share about church planting, blogging, reading, and obstacles I’ve overcome. If it strikes your interest, read the intro below and click through to the full interview.

This year, we’re highlighting 52 contributors in a weekly post called the FaithVillage Contributor Spotlight .

This affords you the opportunity to learn more about those whose words grace the pages of FaithVillage.com on a routine basis. In addition to learning about their blogging habits, you’ll also discover their passions and possibly find a new blogger to follow.

Joey Cochran currently serves as a church planting intern at Redeemer Fellowship in St. Charles, IL. Previously, he served as an Associate Pastor at Fellowship Bible Church in Tulsa, OK for four years. He’s a graduate of both the University of Texas at Arlington (BBA) and Dallas Seminary, with a ThM in pastoral leadership and New Testament studies. His blog at JTCochran.com covers church leadership and offers smart reviews of ministry books. FaithVillage spoke with him about blogging, church planting, and the church at large.

READ THE FULL INTERVIEW AT FAITHVILLAGE.COM…

7 Tips to Not Waste Your Witness on Vacation (ChristianityDOTcom Guest Post)

We recently returned from a sweet time of vacation. We live in Chicago, and most of our family lives in Dallas. So my wife, three small kiddos, and I took a two-day road travel, staying overnight in St. Louis both ways. Our kids spent a whole week with grandparents. We went to the Ft. Worth Zoo, Lambert’s Café (home of the throwed rolls) near Springfield Missouri, St. Louis’s City Museum and the Arch.

We had plentiful witnessing opportunities during this vacation, which was wonderful. Yet, on this trip, I was reminded of how easy it is to waste that witness. Many of us, me included, have vacationed not just from work but also from our witness. Admittedly, two years ago, our little troop felt convicted of this sentiment mid-week through a very magical vacation in Disney World. We realized that we had drifted into worldly hedonism – so easy to do in Disney World – and wasted many witnessing opportunities.

We all justify wasting our vacation witness for many reasons: exhaustion, desire to retreat, joy of pleasure, family-centeredness. Some of these are good reasons, while some are not so good. But none of them are sufficient to forsake our witness. We only have so many days to share Christ on earth and testify to his goodness. Why waste any of them selfishly? So, here are 7 tips to not waste your witness while on vacation.

READ THE REST OF THIS ARTICLE AT CHRISTIANITY.COM…

10 Quotes from The Gospel by Ray Ortlund

1. “The gospel is not law, demanding that we pay our own way. The gospel is a welcome announcement, declaring that Jesus paid it all” (15).

2. “Gospel doctrine creates a gospel culture. The doctrine of grace creates a culture of grace” (21).

3. “Our willful denial of God is the mega-offense above all our other offenses that God challenges by his massive love in Christ” (29).

4. “We didn’t ruin God’s plan; we are his plan, his eternal plan to love the undeserving, for the display of his glory alone” (42).

5. “The gospel is not the story of Christ loving a pure bride who loves him; it’s the story of his love for a whore who thinks he has nothing to offer and keeps giving herself to others” (45).

6. “The promise of the gospel is not about you going to heaven to be with Jesus alone; the promise is that all of God’s people will be with him in glorious community forever” (57).

7. “There is nothing else like the church in the world today — a new kind of community created by God that makes the gospel visible and convincing in a world that believes everything but the gospel” (68).

8. “Churches don’t make the gospel true. It is true even when the household of God behaves badly. But people can see that it is true, and doubters are converted” (69).

9. “Gospel culture is just as sacred as gospel doctrine, and it must be carefully nurtured and preserved in our churches” (90).

10. “But the one thing that the gospel never does is nothing” (96).

Michael Paulson. Colleges and Evangelicals Collide on Bias Policy. (NYTimes)

For 40 years, evangelicals at Bowdoin College have gathered periodically to study the Bible together, to pray and to worship. They are a tiny minority on the liberal arts college campus, but they have been a part of the school’s community, gathering in the chapel, the dining center, the dorms.

After this summer, the Bowdoin Christian Fellowship will no longer be recognized by the college. Already, the college has disabled the electronic key cards of the group’s longtime volunteer advisers.

Edited by Jonathan Parnell and Owen Strachan. Good: The Joy of Christian Manhood and Womanhood. FREE

Dan DeWitt. Jesus Or Nothing. Reviewed by Jonathan Hood.

Nick Batzig. Father to Son Talks. (Christianity.com)

I am often overwhelmed with a sense of gratitude to God for placing me in a Christian home with a wise and godly father who diligently taught me the Scriptures; and, although I didn’t know the saving grace of God until I was an adult, there are certain inestimably valuable things my father taught me when I was a teenager that continue to have an impact on me today. One of these was the way in which my father challenged me to read the Proverbs. Perhaps it continues to impact me in a significant way, in part, on account of the fact that there are ten father-to-son talks in the Proverbs (1:8; 2:1; 3:1; 4:10; 5:1; 6:1; 7:1; 23:19; 24:13; and 27:11). These talks reflect something of the concern that a godly father has for his son; but—foundational to that—they reflect what God the Father desired of His eternal Son as the Redeemer, then of His is adopted sons who are united to Him by faith. It is only as we read the Proverbs in light of the perfection of the Son of God that we will be able to put them into practice in our lives and see them practiced in the lives of our children.

Marshall Segal. Dads, Date Your Daughter’s Boyfriend. (DG)

One of the most terrifying moments of a not-yet-married man’s life is meeting his girlfriend’s father.

The much-anticipated introduction is an unending fountain of humor for friends and family, but it’s more often an occasion for horror for the young man. What will dad say? What will he ask? Will he be armed? The moment is a mountain to overcome in almost any relationship, but I believe it’s a mountain we, as Christians, can capture for the good of the daughter, the suitor, and the father.

Derek Rishmawy. Pastors Aren’t Born But Formed. (TGC)

Cruising through Bruce Gordon’s masterful biography on Calvin, I’ve been struck to see that pastors aren’t born but formed. It’s easy when reading the final edition of the Institutes or the later commentaries, at such a historical remove, to forget the development and the formative influences involved in turning the proud young legal scholar into a mature churchman and theologian.

As a young pastor myself, one theme that caught my attention was the formative influence of mentors and friends. In what follows I’d like to highlight three lessons on mentorship for both younger and older pastors drawn from Calvin’s early years.

Philippians 1:6 “And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.”

“All our progress and perseverance are from God.” John Calvin

Five Books on Wealth, Materialism, and Money

Here are 5 books that will launch you into studies on wealth, materialism and money.

1. Sex and Money: Pleasures That Leave You Empty and Grace That Satisfies by Paul David Tripp

2. Money, Possessions, and Eternity by Randy Alcorn

3. Property and Riches in the Early Church: Aspects of a Social History of Early Christianity by Martin Hengel

4. Neither Poverty nor Riches: A Biblical Theology of Possessions by Craig Blomberg

5. The Danger of Prosperity by William Bates

Scotty Ward Smith. A Prayer for Seeing MUCH More of the Gospel.

Sometimes we need to be encouraged in and by prayer. Scotty Ward Smiths prayers are always encouraging for times of sweet fellowship with God. You should get his book Everyday Prayers if you don’t already have it.

The Dude’s Guide to Manhood by Darrin Patrick

Matthew Vines. God and the Gay Christian. Reviewed by Christopher Yuan (CT)

Mez McConnell. Just What Exactly Is a Scheme Anyway?

Kevin DeYoung. Think Before You Post.

… we need to think about how to post, what to post, and when to post. As Christians, we need to be more prayerful, careful, and biblical about our online presence. After more than five years of blogging—less than that with Twitter and Facebook—and having gleaned lots of wisdom from others and having made lots of mistakes myself, here are ten things to think about before you hit “publish” on your next blog post, status update, comment, or tweet.

Tim Challies. 10 Lessons from 10 Years of Public Schooling.

Last weekend I was a guest on Up for Debate on Moody Radio where we discussed whether or not Christian parents should send their children to public schools. I am not opposed to homeschooling or Christian schooling—not even a little bit—but do maintain that public schooling may also be a legitimate option for Christian families, and this is the perspective they asked me to represent. It is quite a controversial position in parts of the Christian world today.

John 3:36 “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.”

“Believing and obeying alway run side by side.” C H Spurgeon

010: Cochrans4Chicago Update

Psalm 85:8-10 “Let me hear what God the Lord will speak, for he will speak peace to his people, to his saints; but let them not turn back to folly. Surely his salvation is near to those who fear him, that glory may dwell in our land. Steadfast love and faithfulness meet; righteousness and peace kiss each other.”

It has been too long since I wrote last. I am sorry for that. The Lord has been so kind to us over the last two months. Since last I wrote, I turned 32, Kendall and I celebrated a 9th wedding anniversary, and our family had the pleasure of traveling to Texas for a brief v acation with family, where our kids got to see their great grandmother Bunny, who recently moved into an assisted living residence near my parents home in Mansfield. We also went to the Ft. Worth Zoo! This trip was a much needed break for all of us, and it was truly refreshing. Right now Kendall is super busy getting ready for double birthdays: Asher turns 3 and Adalie turns 1 this month! Chloe is always the big helper in the home. Asher runs around pretending to be a superhero, and Adalie is enjoying who new found mobility as a crawler. These are really sweet times. MINISTRY UPDATE Pray that the Lord would continue to train and equip our family for gospel ministry and give us plentiful gospel conversations to build his Church here in the Fox Valley area. I am about halfway through my internship at Redeemer Fellowship. This has been an incredible learning time for me as I serve on a team of outstanding shepherds, who encourage me in my gifting each week. Even now I am starting to prepare for the residency stage of planting. Please pray that I am accepted as a resident for 2015 with the NAMB. During the next half of the year and into the residency stage we will solidify our church planting plans. But as of right now, we are gearing towards the City of Aurora as being our target for planting. The Lord may direct otherwise as he puts people in our path that are excited about church planting in the area. We want to be faithful to pray and seek the Lord’s leading. In addition to coordinating Welcome, Offering, and Announcements and Leadership Lab for Redeemer Fellowship, I draft weekly discussion guides for Redeemer’s Community Groups. They are all sermon based. I draft the guide during the sermon, and we e-mail a PDF to all our CG leaders directly after the service. I continue to facilitate discussions for our Community Group on Thursdays, though I also try involving other men, as my plate is pretty full. We have so many gifted and capable facilitators in our group! Right now we are multiplying community groups and are training new leaders for those groups. We are launching a community group in Batavia this week and will be launching one in West Chicago very soon after. It is exciting to see this kind of growth taking place! The Lord has also provided and is providing opportunities for me to preach: I preached at Doxa Fellowship on March 23rd on Galatians 3:1-9. Our family enjoyed a sweet time of fellowship with the people there. Then on June 1st I preached at Redeemer Fellowship on Zechariah 8:20-23. You may listen to that sermon here . I am also preaching at Embassy Church (a 9Marks church plant) on July 20th and August 24. I will be preaching Haggai 1 and 2 respectively. WORK UPDATE Pray that the Lord would provide freelance employment in editing and writing that would help us recover funds and save money for the future. The Lord keeps opening doors with writing opportunities, unfortunately only one of them offers any remuneration. I enjoy writing for web-blogs and editing when I have the opportunity, so this would be an ideal way to cover some financial needs for our family. Two exciting writing opportunities happened since April: I am a contributor to a book that releases on June 16th from Gospel Centered Discipleship in partnership with Desiring God called Make, Mature and Multiply. I contributed an article called Bringing the Multiplication Mindset Home . I am also the resource reviewer for Lifeway’s Pastors Today web-blog . I contribute a book review that runs every Friday at this web-blog. You can view all these reviews here . I’m excited that the Lord is using this gifting for His purpose and glory. PARTNERING UPDATE Pray that the Lord will provide partners with both churches and individuals, so we may continue on in ministry. The Lord continues to graciously provide abundantly for us, and he has provided only exactly what we need. We’re thankful for this because it demonstrates his faithfulness. The last time I wrote, we only had about 1% of our partner need. We got to the point where we only had one month of savings left in our accounts when we received an anonymous gift from an individual for $25,000. This gift covered our funding for most of the internship year. By the time it took for all the float time to pass between NAMB receiving the gift and us receiving our first disbursement our checking account had $15 in it. We haven’t been in that situation since our first year of marriage. God has provided faithfully for us to do his work. In the coming weeks, I hope to send micro-posts of stories to share from our gospel conversations during the past couple months. God has been kind! We are still seeking partners not just for our family’s need but also for the future plans of the church plant. Here’s a brief outline of our need: 1. We will need to raise $4,000 for the month of December. 2. If accepted as a Resident with NAMB for 2015, then we will receive $3000/month from NAMB. For 2015 we only need to enlist $2000/month in partnerships. Right now if all our current partners give through 2015, then we are already at 25%.

All funding may be securely given through the North American Mission Board. Gifts may be given through Electronic Funds Transfer, or AutoPay with your Debit or Credit Card. To set up automatic giving on-line go to our NAMB Webpage, http://msc.kintera.org/cochranfamily2005 .

If you wish to mail in an Electronic Funds Transfer request, you may do so. Fill out the form below and mail it to the address for NAMB below. When you fill out the form indicate my name JOEY COCHRAN and Account 10138 on the form. EFT Request Form .

Here is a helpful document about giving online with the North American Mission Board. Q&A Sheet for Partnering with NAMB Missionaries .

If you wish to send a monthly check, you may still do so. Please be sure to memo JOEY COCHRAN ACCT 10138 on your check.

The Cochran Family [email protected]

Joey Cochran e: [email protected] t: @joeycochran w: www.jtcochran.com View-Worthy

Russell Moore. What If Your Child Is Gay? (Christianity.com)

My denomination is dealing these days with a pastor in California who reversed his position on homosexuality. The pastor said that his shift coincided with his 15 year-old son’s announcement that he is gay. This is a situation every Christian should think through, now. As I’ve said before , at stake on the issue of a Christian sexual ethic is the gospel of Jesus Christ. But what if, sitting across from you, is your child or grandchild?

The Shepherd Leader at Home by Timothy Witmer $0.99

John Green. The Fault in Our Stars. Reviewed by Tim Challies.

Trevin Wax. A Directory of Notable Southern Baptists.

Wax has put together a handy distillation of his notable Southern Baptist series with quick links. This is fascinating. Check it out!

Brian Croft. What is a clever way to start a spiritual conversation on Monday?

All Christians should be looking for ways to engage in spiritual conversation with others with hopes to talk about the gospel. Yet, many struggle to see when those doors are open or how to try and open them. Here is one easy way to engage others in a possible spiritual conversation that I was taught many years ago and has proven quite effective when asked at the right time. The only caveat is it has to get asked on Monday.

Mark Jones. A New Confessions? (Ref21)

What do you think about writing new confessions? John Owen was a big fan of writing new confessions. Ryan Kelly has an excellent chapter on this topic in the The Ashgate Research Companion to John Owen’s Theology , with conclusions that may surprise some Presbyterians!

Ephesians 2:8 “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God.”

“We must come to good works by faith, and not to faith by good works.” William Gurnall

D A Carson on the Davidic King

This quote is from D A Carson’s excellent book, Jesus the Son of God.

God is the supreme King. When a Davidide assumes the throne, he does so under God’s kingship. The reign of the Davidic king is meant to reflect God’s reign, including his passion for justice, his commitment to the covenant, his hatred of idolatry, and his concern for the oppressed. As we have seen, the peacemaker may be called the son of God because he enters into the identity of the supreme Peacemaker, God himself. Similarily, the Davidic monarch is called the son of God because he enters into the identity of the supreme Monarch, God himself.

Old Testament Commentary Survey by Tremper Longman III

The review Old Testament Commentary Survey first appeared at Lifeway’s Pastors Today web blog .

Tremper Longman III. Old Testament Commentary Survey: Fifth Edition. Grand Rapids: Baker, 2013. 176 pp. $16.99.

When it comes to Old Testament commentaries, how do you pick the right ones – ones that fit your theological nuance, your biblical community, and your personal disposition? And how will you steer a congregant to the right resource when they go to you for a suggestion?

Pastors, who regularly preach or teach, must be efficient students of the Word and wise consultants for others. Having one or two excellent commentaries on every Old Testament book will be a great aid for your ministry. But how do you pick?

Tremper Longman’s, Old Testament Commentary Survey , is the book you need to make discerning decisions about purchasing Old Testament commentaries. Whether you are searching for a one volume, a set, or an individual commentary, Longman has you covered. Each entry includes a bibliography, a paragraph evaluation, a rating scale of 1-5 stars, and a tagging for the target audience the commentary best fits (Lay, Minister, or Scholar). Longman admittedly comes from an evangelical perspective, so he warns readers that his ratings will favor that perspective.

This is the fifth edition of this resource. If you own a previous edition, you will certainly want this one. Longman has added evaluations of many new commentaries published since the 2007, fourth edition.

Though it is true that pastors run the risk of overusing and relying too heavily on commentaries for preparation, it is also true that there is great benefit to the careful and judicious supplementation that commentaries offer. Put in the right place of preparation, commentaries have great worth.

This well organized book ends up being a buyer’s guide for any pastor who must discernibly limit his purchase to what he needs and what he is equipped to handle. We all have different needs in preaching preparation. Some of us will need more exegetical help. Whereas, others will need more theological or application help. We will also prepare to study, preach, and teach in different contexts. Some of you will teach an intense Sunday school class or small group that wants to understand the biblical languages and tackle the tougher problems in the text. You’ll need a more technical commentary to aid you in this task.

Few people have inexhaustible funds to purchase commentaries, and, for many of us, Lifeway, other brick and mortar stores, or websites are alluring candy stores of commentaries. Therefore, we need to be informed of what to buy before we hit the aisle. Dave Ramsey and our wives will appreciate this!

When it comes to studies in the Old Testament, Tremper Longman’s, Old Testament Commentary Survey , will be a huge assist to your ministry. I had the fourth edition of this resource previously, which I went to frequently in both seminary and my first pastorate. I am grateful to have this fifth edition now and will be using it just as frequently.

With Tremper Longman’s, Old Testament Commentary Survey , you will save money and avoid headache as you find helps for expositional preparation.

Chuck Quarles. Apples and Oranges?: Why I Have Not Changed My Mind On Homosexuality.

On February 11, Danny Cortez preached an hour-long sermon to the congregation of the New Hope Community Church. The title of the sermon was “Why I Changed My Mind on Homosexuality.” In the sermon, Cortez argued that the clear prohibitions of homosexual conduct in the New Testament do not really apply today. He claimed that he attempted to immerse himself in ancient homoerotic literature “with a latte in hand.” In the process, he discovered that ancient homosexuality involved violence, abuse, and domination of a subordinate (boy, slave) by a superior (older man, master). By contrast, modern homosexuality is genuinely loving and does not involve such abuse. Using the New Testament to condemn homosexual conduct is wrongheaded. It is simply comparing apples to oranges.

Heaven by Randy Alcorn $0.99

Herbert W. Bateman IV. Interpreting the General Letters, Handbook for New Testament Exegesis. Reviewed by Charles Savelle.

David Murray. 8 Baby Steps to Christian Courage. (Christward Collective)

Christian leaders face many difficult, daunting, demanding, and, sometimes, dangerous situations – both outside the church and inside the church. That’s why the military model of leadership is used so commonly in Scripture. And yet the vast majority of us are cowards. We avoid danger. We walk away from conflict. We prefer comfort and ease to sacrifice and pain. Christians especially may have a tendency towards timidity rather than bravery. Fear comes more naturally than faith.

David E Briones. Does God Own Everything That You Possess. (Ligonier)

“ What do you have that you did not receive?” ( 1 Corinthians 4:7 ). How would you answer that question? Think about your bank statement, the recent promotion, your marriage, children, grandchildren, your athletic abilities, your spiritual gifts, even your salvation? “What do you have that you did not receive?” I see only two possible answers:

You did not receive all that you possess — or — You did receive all that you possess.

Stephen Miller. Worship in a Selfie World. (DG)

Wow. God really met with us in worship tonight. The room was just so full of his presence. One of the most intense times of worship I have ever experienced.

This caption came across my Instagram notifications a few weeks back.

I was curious to see the photo this student had taken to commemorate his experience. I never would have expected a picture of a young man standing in front of a mirror in his bathroom with a bewildered smirk on his face.

Yet there he was, a duck-faced teenager staring at his bathroom mirror, smart phone in hand. What this had to do with how much he loved worshiping Jesus was a mystery to me.

1 John 5:1 “Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of him.”

“Faith justifies the person and works justify his faith.” Elisha Coles

That One Time I Had A Speech Impediment…

I don’t tell a lot of people about this. But it’s true. When I was young, I had a speech impediment. It was really bad. I slurred my “R’s”. Every “R” sounded like a “W”. My condition was so bad I got casted as Elmer Fudd in a kindergarten play. I didn’t have to act; I just had to be…myself.

Why would I play this role? I longed for attention; I wanted to be noticed. And it was the one time my impediment got me noticed for an acceptable reason. All other times I felt deeply ashamed about it. My impediment made me stick out like a sore thumb. I was definitely different, and I didn’t know what to do about my problem.

Most people, who are ashamed about something, hide the problem. It is difficult to hide a speech impediment, unless you just become that quiet, withdrawn kid, which is how many cope. We are all coping creatures. Surely I’m not alone in my past shame.

I’m sure you and I can relate in a similar matter. We both have sin problems with which we cope. We pretend like there is none. We hide it; we push it down deep. We hope everyone else will ignore it. We learn to live with the sin problem, even though we know we aren’t living the best, most fulfilling life we could be living if that matter of sin had been dealt with.

Wrestling through my speech impediment publicly forced me to be vulnerable, get help, and slowly progress toward conquering the impediment and extinguishing the shame that accompanied it. Though my speech impediment was not a sin matter, there are a lot of parallels. Sin, especially habitual sin or vices, require a similar approach.

Being Honest About The Problem

We all suffer under the problem of sin. Sin has a strong hold over us. In order to address the problem, we must first be honest about it. The issue could be pride, covetousness, lust, or theft. The root problem might be accompanied with addictions like alcohol, comfort eating, compulsive purchasing, or pornography. Regardless of the root sin or accompanying addictions, admitting the problem is the first step.

I don’t really recall getting picked on for my impediment. I think most of my friends pitied me and knew the impediment frustrated me. Though I wasn’t mocked, my friends made me aware of my problem.

They weren’t the only ones. My loving parents made me aware too. They never concealed it or made it seem like I was just like everyone else. I’ve known parents that have done that for kids with impediments. It’s unfortunate, because real help can come.

Sometimes people who suffer from a vice, aren’t willing to admit there is a problem, even if fallout exists. They need someone to gently bring the sin problem to their attention in order for there to be real chance for change.

How do sinners with a sin problem learn of it? Yes, someone must point it out to them. But there is something more fundamental that helps: the law. The law, simply put, is God’s instruction on what righteousness is and what righteousness isn’t, based on his revealed Scripture. It is the rule by which we measure righteousness. By this rule we discover we don’t measure up; we have a problem. In spite of all the bad talk we commonly hear about the law, we must admit that the law is what helps us see our sin problem. The law exists to let us know that we need help. The best way to diagnose a problem is to lay our lives next to God’s perfect law and compare the two.

You should ask yourself: What are my sin problems? What about my life does not measure up against God’s law? What is going on that I may not be able to admit? What have others warned me about? Or is there someone, whom I love, that needs to know about a sin problem that is harming them self or others?

Once a person with a sin problem is ready to admit it, they will be ready to seek help.

In spite of my enthusiastic efforts to conquer my impediment, I could have never done it on my own. I needed a teacher to help me along the way, one to show me the right way to pronounce my “R’s”. I grew up in an outstanding school district with funding for a full-time speech therapist. That therapist saved me.

For sinners, our savior and help is Jesus. He is out teacher and physician; he is our cure. He fulfills those roles because he first fulfilled the law that we do not measure up against. His measure actually becomes the new rule. Only he can show us how to live right. At the same time, only he can cover the gap that our measure falls short.

This brings us to the gospel. What is the gospel? The gospel is that Jesus Christ died for sinners like you and I. He died to pay for our sins. His death satisfies God’s anger against sin. Every sin problem is finally addressed in the gospel. You can’t fix yourself and then come to Jesus. You have to come to Jesus, and then he can do his slow work of fixing you. You see, Christ didn’t just die; he rose again. When he rose again, he became the first to conquer death and sin. Those who place their faith in Christ and confess that He is both Lord and God, will also not taste death. They will be rescued from sin.

Now, here’s the deal. We just had the come to Jesus talk. Nothing can happen without his help. Having a relationship with Jesus Christ puts you in the best possible position. United to him by faith justifies you by God for all your sins.

But that doesn’t mean everything will immediately become okay. Being united to Christ does not mean your sin problems, vices, or addictions have been cut off. They will not separate you from God eternally, but they can be a barrier to relationship with him in this world, temporarily. Thus, two things must happen. You must live in ongoing repentance, and you must practice right living.

Weekly, I would meet with my therapist and practice saying my “R’s”. My therapist would hand me a counter. I would sit, look in a mirror, and rehearse the proper pronunciation of the word “refrigerator” every day. Most days I would do this 100-200 times slowly, clicking that counter with every rehearsal. I would practice other “R” sounds as well. The therapist would give me a set of words to work on. The two of us would work them into normal conversation for my practice. With enough practice, I stopped saying my “R’s” wrong, and I started saying them right. Fundamentally, I exercised ongoing repentance of wrong pronunciation, and I pressed the true pronunciation into my life.

This is what we must do. We must flee from, cut ourselves off from, and put to death sin. Then we must fill our lives up with righteousness. Not legalistic living that attempts to justify us, but with Jesus’s righteousness. This comes through the Scripture and prayer. It comes from delighting in Jesus and not sin.

Conquering a serious sin problem is slow going. This is commonly the case. We hear of people who go cold turkey from pornography or alcohol. That doesn’t necessarily mean that they went cold turkey from lust or dependency on something other than God. And, honestly, this is not the most common case. After meeting Jesus, there is typically a long road to eliminating whatever vice or sin has control over you. This is why having a supportive community around you and going to your teacher constantly for help is essential.

Progress with my impediment was very slow. Sometimes, I would get extremely discouraged. I’d wonder if things would ever change; if I would ever learn to get my “R’s” right. There was a time in there where I withdrew. I wouldn’t talk nearly as much with friends. I wouldn’t volunteer to speak up in class. I never stopped talking altogether; I limited myself to limit embarrassment.

Slow change ultimately occurred. After four years of therapy, my therapist confidently declared my impediment eliminated. When I graduated from 4th grade, I received a certificate from my therapist. She shared with our entire 4th grade elementary class, including all the parents present, that I, indeed, no longer demonstrated any signs of a speech impediment. I still remember how that room filled with applause. Around me were people that loved me and cared about me. I had a skilled teacher to instruct me on how to speak rightly.

Those with a serious sin problem — especially when an ongoing, prolonged pattern of sin is present — will need a community around them to encourage and love them. They will need to commit regularly to meeting with Jesus and others to discuss the problem openly. Communion in prayer with Jesus will help much. Internalizing Scripture that speaks to the matter will be an unending help. There will be times where you fall off the wagon or will simply wish to retreat from community because of shame. Persevere and stay open, honest, and vulnerable. Don’t give up.

A funny thing about a challenge like a speech impediment is that once you have had one, it is easy to relapse. I’m not talking about a full out relapse where I can’t pronounce my “R’s”. Rather, occasionally, I slip. If I’m talking too fast or am inattentive, I might slur an “R”. However, every time I do, I remind myself that I am not what I once was. I know how to be different. I have turned from that past way of life and have embraced a whole new better way of living.

That’s the way it is if we’ve eliminated a major sin issue. We will have a moment or occasional moments. We are still sinners. We still await final redemption. When we relapse, it is important that we press back into Christ and press forward in repentance. If we are not always on alert, we run the risk of not relapsing but reversion. May that never be.

Timothy C Morgan and Ted Olsen. Student Subdues Shooter After One Dead, 3 Injured at Seattle Pacific University. (CT)

Seattle police have arrested a suspect in today’s shooting at Otto Miller Hall on the campus of Seattle Pacific University . Seattle police have not identified him other than to say he’s white, about 26 years old, that he was not a student at the school, and that “ no one else is being sought in connection with the shooting.” He was armed with a shotgun and a knife, police said.

Creature of the Word by Chandler, Patterson and Geiger $2.99

Mark DeVine and Darrin Patrick. Replant. Reviewed by Matthew Hoskinson. (TGC)

Brian Croft. How Do You Teach a Child, “What is a Pastor?”

I once was asked to address a classroom filled with 4-6 year old children and try to explain to them what a pastor is and does. I accepted, not because I felt I could do this well (far from it), but the challenge of it intrigued me. How do you teach a group of 4-6 year old kids what a pastor is and does? This is something any pastor should be able to do, so pastor, how would you go about this? Below, represents my efforts to explain a pastor’s task in the form of props I brought with me to class for the kids to see, touch, and ask questions.

Bobbie Jamieson. Imagination, Church Reform, and the Art of the Impossible. (9Marks)

This might sound strange coming from a 9Marks guy, but I suspect one of the least-diagnosed pastoral blind spots is a lack of imagination.

I don’t mean that pastors need to cram their sermons full of creative stories or coax a bold vision for their church out of the murky depths of their subconscious. Instead, I mean that it’s all too easy to limit what we think is right to what we think is possible. Often, if a pastor can’t see how he can lead his people somewhere right now, he may not be inclined to consider whether God in fact points him there in his Word.

Mez McConnell. Too Posh to be Effective in Inner City Ministry? (20Schemes)

I get to travel and talk to a lot of churches about the work of 20schemes. Given the demographics of evangelical churches in the UK and the culture within which it (largely) operates, a lot of the young people that talk to me are well educated and middle class. Almost to a (wo)man their question is: ‘ Am I too posh to work in the schemes?’

Romans 3:31 “Do we then overthrow the law by this faith? By no means! On the contrary, we uphold the law.”

“The office of the law is to excite them to the study of purity and holiness, by reminding them of their duty.” John Calvin

10 Quotes from Autopsy of a Deceased Church by Thom Rainer

1. “The trauma of observing an autopsy is only beneficial if it is received as a warning to the living. This book is not about dwelling on the past, but bearing fruit in the future” (8).

2. “Growth may come rapidly, but decline is usually slow, imperceptibly slow. This slow erosion is the worst type of decline for churches” (12-13).

3. “Yes, we respect the past. At times we revere the past. But we can’t live in the past” (21).

4. “When a church ceases to have a heart and ministry for its community, it is on the path toward death” (28).

5. “When you conduct the autopsy of a church, you must follow the money. For where the money of the church goes, so goes its heart” (31).

6. “Thriving churches have the Great Commission as the centerpiece of their vision, while dying churches have forgotten the clear command of Christ” (40).

7. “A church cannot survive long-term where members are focused on their own preferences…The lifeblood of a healthy church is one that is more like the mind of Christ in the member’ attitudes” (49, 50).

8. “The pastor made the decision to adopt the attitude of the recalcitrant member” (60).

9. “When the church is engaged in meaningful prayer, it becomes both the cause and the result of greater church health” (66).

10. “A church without a gospel-centered purpose is no longer a church at all” (75).

Thabiti Anyabwile. Are Christians Prone to Over-Compensate for Cultural “Losses”?

Is the state of the culture a report card for the church?

I think I first heard Kevin DeYoung and John Piper ask and answer that question. They both concluded “no.” I think I agree with them. There is no direct relationship between the effectiveness of the church and the broader unbelieving culture.

Doxology and Theology by Matt Boswell

Ray Ortlund. The Gospel. Reviewed by Aaron Armstrong.

Eric Geiger. 7 Questions with Alex Himaya.

The following is an interview with Alex Himaya , Senior Pastor of theCHURCH.at , about his new book, Jesus Hates Religion .

David Mathis. Read, Reflect, Write (Repeat). (DG)

Even if it’s just email. Even if it’s hardly anything of significance. Even if you’d never self-identify as a “writer,” or ever consider trying to make a living at something you’re so bad at.

But if you’re literate, chances are you’re not just reading words, but writing them as well. Now, you likely aren’t a very good writer if you don’t think of yourself as one or ever give the craft any reflection, but you are a writer nonetheless. Just a bad one.

So it would do just about all of us a little bit of good — if not a lot of good — to do some minimal reflection on our sentence creation.

David Schrock. The SBC: Part Business Meeting, Part Revival, Part Circus.

A week from today Southern Baptists from all over the world will convene in Baltimore, Maryland to stir one another up to love and good deeds, discuss business, and eat lots of food—probably seafood, this year. My family I will be some of them—unless an earlier-than-expected delivery arrives.

On Sunday, I shared, through our church newsletter, what the Southern Baptist Convention is and why they should try to go to it at some point in the future. I share the same brief history with you and why (if you are a Southern Baptist) you should go to the SBC.

Psalm 141:2 “Let my prayer be counted as incense before you, and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice!

“Prayer is a shield to the soul, a sacrifice to God, and a scourge to Satan.” John Bunyan

Five Books on the Doctrine of Sin

Here are 5 books that will launch you into studies on the doctrine of sin.

1. The Enemy Within: Straight Talk About the Power and Defeat of Sin by Kris Lundgaard

2. Fallen: A Theology of Sin (Theology in Community) edited by Christopher Morgan & Robert Peterson

3. Not the Way It’s Supposed to Be: A Breviary of Sin by Cornelius Plantinga Jr

4. Sinfulness of Sin (Puritan Paperbacks) by Ralph Venning

5. The Doctrine Of Sin by Iain D Campbell

Union with Christ Drives Us to Extraordinary Prayer (Servants of Grace Guest Post)

Many of us are dissatisfied with our prayer life. It could be that we never really got started on one. It may be that we are not entirely convinced of its importance. Most do not pray like Martin Luther, Jonathan Edwards, or George Whitfield. We don’t give four hours a day to the discipline. If you’re dissatisfied with your prayer life, then jump in the boat with me and learn its importance, because that’s what I’m learning right now. I too am dissatisfied. And if you’re like me, we’re in good company. We’re sitting in the same boat as D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones. He confessed in Preaching and Preachers, “I approach the next matter with great diffidence, much hesitation, and a sense of utter unworthiness. I suppose we all fail at this next point more than anywhere else; that is in the matter of prayer.”

Why do we feel this overall sense of failure with our prayer life? It could be that in spite of our best efforts, we never seem to see results. Our friends or we still suffer, we are still under the same vice, that relationship does not improve, and we can’t seem to find a job or favor at the job we have.

So rather than pray, we distract ourselves with new toys or projects. We turn to other relationships for help rather than that single most important relationship with our Creator. We tell ourselves we don’t have enough time. What we need to do is keep working, take control, and find our own solution. If nothing else we insulate ourselves from all this failure.

This is a result of our fallen condition. We live in a tension where we are prone to revert back to depending upon ourselves rather than God. But if we believe the gospel, we’ll devote ourselves to the discipline of prayer, but not just any kind of prayer – extraordinary prayer.

READ THE REST OF THIS POST AT SERVANTSOFGRACE.ORG…

Justin Taylor. PROOF: An Interview with Daniel Montgomery and Timothy Paul Jones.

Daniel Montgomery (founding pastor of Sojourn Community Church) and Timothy Paul Jones (professor of leadership at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary) are the co-authors of a creative and theologically robust new book, PROOF: Finding Freedom through the Intoxicating Joy of Irresistible Grace (Zondervan, 2014).

Here’s a conversation we recent had about grace and the gospel, and whether or not they are trying to draw people toward or away from Calvinism.

Preparing Your Teens for College by Alex Chediak $2.99

James K A Smith. Who’s Afraid of Relativism. Reviewed by James N Anderson.

Scott Kellum. Six Ways to Improve Your Use of Biblical Languages. (Pastors Today)

I believe that great expositors of Scripture are good grammarians. That is, one does not have to be the second coming of A.T. Robertson to be a great expositor. The great preacher, however, will be comfortable enough in the languages to read competently both the original texts and the secondary literature discussing the text in light of the original languages. I think most would agree with me.

However, the reality is that it takes some work to keep our Greek and Hebrew fresh and growing. So for you who aspire to be great expositors I have six suggestions for improving our use of the biblical languages.

Jennifer Griffin. You Are Beautiful Enough. (CBMW)

I was 13 years old when it all started. I was a little on the awkward side, I wore a retainer and I rarely styled my hair. I often dressed in baggy t-shirts and hand-me-down jeans. I was happy, loved and accepted in my own home, but I suddenly felt out of place when I first walked through the doors of my high school.

From that point on, I went to school each day and watched the girls around me become more and more grown up in the way they spoke and behaved. They developed curvy figures, wore makeup and talked about going on dates with their boyfriends. As I observed it all, I began to believe I wasn’t good enough because I wasn’t considered pretty or popular. I wasn’t anything special.

Matthew Fretwell. 8 Tips for Better Bible Teaching. (SoG)

Every pastor who has been to seminary has taken some type of homiletics class. These classes help teach how to navigate the Scriptures and apply them with certain guidelines. The guidelines assist you in not teaching the wrong subject of the passage, or from preaching heresy. But what about those people who are teaching Bible classes and Sunday school, especially those without any formal Biblical training—how do they prepare a lesson? I’m going to give you 8 simple tips that I gleaned along the way and from seminary. Obviously, at this point, you have already chosen your passage.

Romans 10:3 “For, being ignorant of the righteousness of God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness.”

“It is not, indeed, the bare knowing the truths of the gospel saves; but the gross ignorance of them, to be sure, will damn souls.” William Gurnall

Bringing the Multiplication Mindset Home (GCD Guest Post)

Long days are draining. You need rest, but you’re not actually expecting it. You’re preparing yourself for children’s excited voices greeting you. You’re ramping up to mediate disputes between them, hopefully about who gets to hug you first. You also might greet a relieved spouse, fatigued from a long day of either being with the children or being at a long day of work.

You’d think the daily re-assimilation into home would be seamless. But it isn’t, is it? Sometimes we are not spiritually or mentally prepared for it. Sometimes we are exhausted and our guard is down against pride and selfishness, resulting in ruinous family patterns.

Knowing this, practicing a routine that prepares the heart, soul, and mind for re-assimilation into family life is essential. It is an intentional discipline not just for your spiritual formation, but also for your wife’s and your children’s. It’s a small step taken as you lead and disciple them. In turn, you and they will duplicate the mindset in all other discipleship environments: school, work, extra-curricular environments, and third places. When we approach every place with this mindset, we are better prepared disciple multipliers.

Obviously, the mindset shift into a new environment is not always successfully executed. This is the case particularly for fathers or mothers re-entering home environments after a long day of work. That’s why I picked this one to discuss. It’s easy to re-engage home with work-brain. But when we shift to home-brain, much discipleship fruit is cultivated. And so is the model for your children to duplicate as they multiply disciples in other contexts ( 2 Tim. 2:2 ).

It takes only a few minutes each day to prepare our mindset. We can do this in our car before departing from work, or as we are driving home, or sitting in the driveway. It’s a really simple and classic process: shift your mindset, read Scripture, and pray.

READ THE REST OF THIS POST AT GOSPEL CENTERED DISCIPLESHIP…

Albert Mohler. There is No ‘Third Way’ — Southern Baptists Face a Moment of Decision (and so will you).

Southern Baptists will be heading for Baltimore in just a few days, and the annual meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention is to be held in a city that has not hosted the convention since 1940. This time, Baptists attending the meeting will face an issue that would not have been imaginable just a few years ago, much less in 1940 — a congregation that affirms same-sex relationships.

The Hole in Our Holiness by Kevin DeYoung $0.99

Kevin DeYoung. Taking God at His Word. Reviewed by Stephen Wellum.

Justin Holcomb. Celebrating Redemption: Past, Present, Future. (Christianity.com)

When we celebrate the Lord’s Supper, we remember God’s work of redemption in the past, we proclaim his grace in the present, and we look forward to Jesus’ return in the future. It’s a joyful, thankful, hopeful celebration as we reflect on God’s grace to us through Jesus.

J D Greear. 7 Signs That You’re Judging Others.

When Jesus told us the harsh truth about our sin, he brought us close. He made us, even as sinners, his friends.

The antidote to judging is to remember the gospel. Here are some signs you’re judging others (because you’ve forgotten the gospel).

Trevin Wax. Southern Baptists’ Millennial Problems.

To put it in the starkest of terms, Southern Baptists have a millennial problem. These reports indicate that our churches are aging, and that we are largely ineffective in reaching teenagers and twenty-somethings.

A task force appointed to study the declining baptismal numbers recently offered five reasons for this problem. I affirm their findings and offer a few additional thoughts.

Psalm 5:2 “Give attention to the sound of my cry, my King and my God, for to you do I pray.”

“Prayer is the language of a man burdened with a sense of need.” E M Bounds

Jonathan Edwards on Extraordinary Prayer

Jonathan Edward book, An Humble Attempt to Promote Explicit Agreement and Visible Union of God’s People, in Extraordinary Prayer, for the Revival of Religion and the Advancement of Christ’s Kingdom on Earth , is an excellent read to stimulate your prayer life and to order it rightly.

The Scripture does not only abundantly manifest it to be the duty of God’s people to be much in prayer for this great mercy, but it also abounds with manifold considerations to encourage them in it, and animate them with hopes of success. There is perhaps no one thing that the Bible so much promises, in order to encourage the faith, hope, and prayers of the saints, as this; which affords to God’s people the clearest evidences that it is their duty to be much in prayer for this mercy. For, undoubtedly, that which God abundantly makes the subject of his promises, God’s people should abundantly make the subject of their prayers. It also afford them the strongest assurances that their prayers shall be successful. With what confidence may we go before God, and pray for that, of which we have so many exceeding precious and glorious promises to plead! The very first promise of God to fallen man, (Gen. 3:15) It shall bruise thy head, is to have its chief fulfillment at that day. And the whole Bible concludes with a promise of the glory of that day, and a prayer for its fulfillment. Rev. 22:20: “He that testifieth these things, saith, Surely I come quickly; Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.”

This post is sponsored by Accordance Bible Software. Learn more about Accordance here .

Recovering Redemption by Chandler and Snetzer

The review Recovering Redemption first appeared at Lifeway’s Pastors Today web blog .

Matt Chandler & Michael Snetzer. Recovering Redemption: A Gospel-Saturated Perspective on How to Change. Nashville: B&H, 2014. 224 pp. $16.99.

Recovering Redemption , an installment of The Village Church Resources imprint for B&H, walks us through gospel-shaped transformation. Matt Chandler, Lead Pastor of the Village Church, and Michael Snetzer, a Groups Pastor there, use harmonious theology and attuned counsel from life and ministry to demonstrate God’s use of the gospel to change people.

The authors compare the gospel to a song meant to change us for the better. It’s a tune sung by our Creator. We rehearse this song, but often not in step with God’s original. We borrow from the world and supply unsatisfying and soul-destructive methods – including materialism, comfort eating, alcohol, lust, and others – either to “help” change or insulate failure. But these methods do anything but help; they corrupt that redemption song.

Recovering Redemption replays this melody according to God’s sheet music, so we live changed lives in sync with the gospel. It starts with the good gone bad story of the fall (Chapter 1), followed by failed attempts at using ourselves, others, the world, and religion to fix problems only God can (Chapter 2).

Full recovery comes by Jesus Christ (Chapter 3). The consummation of this recovery is still future, so we still struggle to change, in a still shattered world (Chapter 4). We’re given hope and help through the benefits of belief: justification and adoption (Chapter 5) and responsibility through the complementary components of sanctification: mortification and vivification (Chapter 6).

Of course, real and lasting change requires diagnosing root sin problems – guilt and shame – which produce bad fruits like addiction, abuse, anger, and shattered relationships (Chapter 7). We also fight fears and anxieties by finding peace and trust in God (Chapter 8). We must embrace that gospel-grounded faith and holiness is a life-long endeavor. The world will entice; sin will desire. So we keep repenting, uprooting sin, and claiming God’s truth (Chapter 9).

Singing the song of redemption includes interacting righteously with others. This requires receiving confrontation well and living repentantly in community (Chapter 10). It also means confronting lovingly and forgiving willingly (Chapter 11). Our final aim is to pursue God’s pleasure as fuel for our hearts (Chapter 12).

All of us, every single dust-shaped, breath of life filled person, should read Recovering Redemption . So many vices, inhibitions, and obstacles to faithful and fruitful living are exposed in this book as we struggle with why we struggle. Recovering Redemption restores hope in overcoming how we’ve been hurt and the ways we hurt others.

Every pastor counsels people. And every church has some form of recovery ministry. The vehicle – depending on the severity and confidentiality of need – may be through small groups, discipleship, or pastoral counseling: whatever the case, you will need a gospel-saturated resource for this ministry. You will want a biblical guide to put in hands for equipping and encouraging grace-oriented change.

Recovering Redemption is an excellent resource for this. The Village Church thinks theologically and redemptively about helping people change; all of which guides them in a sympathetic shepherding process. In this book, that philosophy comes packaged, prepared, and ready to help your ministry.

Recovering Redemption points believers to the gospel for change that puts sin underfoot and drives us to Christ, fleet of foot.

Tullian Tchividjian. Reflections On My “Break-Up” with the Gospel Coalition.

The saddest thing about all of this is that, because of the public visibility of those involved, this conflict gained a lot of attention. The reason this grieves me so deeply is because the Bible says God wants the way Christians love one another to be a visual model of the way God loves us. He wants us, in other words, to live our lives together in such a way that we demonstrate the good news of reconciliation before the watching world. He wants us to be loving and patient and forbearing and deferential to each other.

Revive Us Again by Walter Kaiser $2.99

Mark Jones. Antinomianism. Reviewed by Coleman Ford.

Kate Tracy. Five Reasons Why Most Southern Baptist Churches Baptize Almost No Millennials. (CT)

The “ heartbreaking slide ” in Southern Baptist baptisms has now entered its seventh year. While the loss of nearly 4,600 baptisms was not as steep as last year’s drop , the continued decline (full stats below) is still enough for LifeWay Christian Resources president Thom Rainer to tell Baptist Press, “I am grieved we are clearly losing our evangelistic effectiveness.”

Andrew Wilson. Twenty-Five Bloggers in One Sentence Each.

Many people don’t have the time to read more than one or two bloggers on a regular basis. But, it turns out, you don’t really need to. Most of us say the same thing over and over again, with the incidentals tweaked according to the latest kerfuffle, as per the maxim, “if people don’t know what your passion is, you don’t have one.” So here, for the time-constrained among you, is a summary of what the major blogs I read (excluding the academic theology ones, which vary a bit more) say in virtually every post. You’ll notice that the final entry is blank – hence the provision of a comments section …

Joe Carter. Jesus Is Not a Cagefighter. (TGC)

Unfortunately, trying to find one’s place in the male pecking order based on cultural cues is an American tradition; even more unfortunate is that this custom has been adopted by the American church.

Galatians 4:6 “And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!”

“Only that prayer which comes from our heart can get to God’s heart.” C H Spurgeon