August 2014 – jtcochran.com

Monthly Archives: August 2014

Five New Testament Theologies

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 New Testament Theology.

1. A Theology of the New Testament by George Eldon Ladd

2. New Testament Theology: Many Witnesses, One Gospel by I Howard Marshall

3. New Testament Theology: Magnifying God in Christ by Thomas R Schreiner

4. A New Testament Biblical Theology: The Unfolding of the Old Testament in the New by G K Beale

5. New Testament Theology by Donald Guthrie

More Driscoll, Wife’s Role As Helper, Feminism & “Equality”, Blog/Tweet Tips from C S Lewis.

Morgan Lee. Nine Current Mars Hill Pastors Tell Mark Driscoll to Step Down From All Ministry. (Christianity Today)

Nine of Mars Hill Church’s 65 pastors, including the lead pastor of one of its 15 campuses, have called for Mark Driscoll to step down not for six weeks but for a full year, and for church elders to play a more prominent role in restoring the health of the Seattle megachurch.

“It is time to take responsibility for our church, regardless of how much our current bylaws prevent us from exercising that authority,” they wrote in a 4,000-word letter (full text at bottom). “It grieves us that the only voice that has never been heard in all of this is the voice of the current elders.”

Letters to a Young Calvinist by James K A Smith

Charles Duhigg. The Power of Habit. Reviewed by Tim Challies.

Jen Thorn. 4 Ways to Live Out Your Role As Helper. (Time-Warp Wife)

One of the reasons many wives struggle in their marriages is because they refuse to embrace the role God has given them as helper to their husband. The word “helper” ruffles their feather and their pride demands a higher position, a more noble title. But such desires sabotage marriage and prevent us from fulfilling our calling.

Andrew Wilson. Feminism and “Equality”. (Think Theology)

One of my roles in life at the moment, as I see it, is to introduce people to the incisive, challenging and refreshingly biblical thought of my friend Alastair Roberts , with whom I podcast at Mere Fidelity . Unusually for a writer, he does much of his best work in dialogue with others during the comments sections of other people’s blogs, as anyone who reads the discussion below Monday’s post will have seen, and he is particularly helpful on issues relating to gender. Here, as another example, is a quite superb critique of some forms of feminism, posted in a response to the claim that complementarians should all be feminists and in favour of “equality” (which, as Alastair points out, is such a popular Shibboleth mainly because it is such an empty concept).

Nathan Bingham. 3 Tips from C S Lewis on Blogging and Tweeting.

You might be wondering where C.S. Lewis wrote on blogging and tweeting.

As far as I know Lewis didn’t write anything specifically on these two subjects, but he did write on writing . When I read these tips online recently, I was impressed by their relevance for blog posts and tweets.

These tips originally came from a letter Lewis wrote to an American girl named Joan, and can be found today published in the book C. S. Lewis’ Letters to Children .

Job 6:14 “He who withholds kindness from a friend forsakes the fear of the Almighty.”

“Kindness is a grace that all can understand.” J C Ryle

Godly Parenting Isn’t Really Godly If It Lacks Affection (ChristianityDOTcom Article)

I’ve got three kids: a five-year-old girl, three-year-old boy, and a one-year-old girl. They are in the sweet spot of life where they crave attention and affection. First thing in the morning or as soon as that front door opens at five o’clock in the afternoon, they flock to me. These moments give me delight and joy, and I know to make the most of them.

I served as a youth pastor for a number of years. During that time I heard a common refrain from teens: “I’m not sure my parents like me anymore or ever did.”

Upon exploring these doubts with students, I discovered that many felt like their parents chased after idols of career, comfort, and cash. Some had divorced parents and felt like those parent fought over who had to take the kids that week rather than who got to take them. These students were filled with pain because they never were filled with affection. Some chased after affection in the wrong places. Others were clearly heading off to the same chase after the same idols of their parents.

Now, giving your kids plentiful affection is no guarantee for their healthy, productive, or carefree life. Neither should that be the aim; that’s actually short changing them of something far better. Heaping affection has a much richer aim. That aim is to prepare them for God’s love.

When we smother our kids with the comforting blanket of love and affection, their hearts are being prepared for receiving God’s love and affection. We’re tilling the soil of their heart to prepare for the implanted Word of God. That’s the chief aim in our affection – to give them the gospel. So here are four ways to fill up your child with affection that leads them to the gospel.

READ THE REST OF THIS ARTICLE AT CHRISTIANITY.COM…

Wrong Kind of Christian, Staying Weak, My Husbands Persecution, Blessing of Rebuke.

Tish Harrison Warren. The Wrong Kind of Christian. (Christianity Today)

I though I was an acceptable kind of evangelical.

I’m not a fundamentalist. My friends and I enjoy art, alcohol, and cultural engagement. We avoid spiritual clichés and buzzwords. We value authenticity, study, racial reconciliation, and social and environmental justice.

Being a Christian made me somewhat weird in my urban, progressive context, but despite some clear differences, I held a lot in common with unbelieving friends. We could disagree about truth, spirituality, and morality, and remain on the best of terms. The failures of the church often made me more uncomfortable than those in the broader culture.

Family Driven Faith by Voddie Baucham Jr. $2.99

Candida Moss. The Myth of Persecution. Reviewed by Michael A G Haykin.

Mark Altrogge. Why Does God Let Me Stay So Weak?

The apostle Paul knew about weakness. And he didn’t like weakness in himself – at least not initially. Paul had some kind of “thorn given him in the flesh, a messenger of Satan” that harassed him. Some believe the “thorn” was Jewish persecution; many believe it was a physical ailment or disease that affected his eyesight. They believe this since he dictated his letters, and he said it was because of a “bodily ailment” he had originally preached the gospel to the Galatians (GA 4.13). He also said the Galatians would have plucked out their eyes and given them to him (4:15). Also when he was rebuked for calling the high priest a “white-washed wall” Paul said he didn’t know he was the high priest. Yet Paul was a Pharisee who would certainly have recognized the high priest if he could see him.

Naghmeh Abedini. What I’ve Learned Through My Husbands Persecution. (True Woman)

It was only when, in 2012, Iranian authorities arrested my husband , Pastor Saeed Abedini, and put him in the worst Iranian prisons, where he was tortured for his faith, that I was awakened to the ways of my flesh.

For twenty-five years, my flesh had been throwing a tantrum cloaked in seasons of deep despair and anxious thoughts that made me always pity myself. It was during the tantrum that my eyes were finally opened to the sin that I lived in every single day of my life.

David Mathis. Embrace the Blessing of Rebuke. (DG)

One of the most loving things anyone can do for you is tell you when you’re wrong.

Call it correction, reproof, or rebuke — Paul uses all three terms in just four verses in 2 Timothy 3:16–4:2 — but don’t miss what makes it distinctively Christian, and a gift to our souls: It is a great act of love . The kind of rebuke that the Scriptures commend is the kind intended to stop us from continuing on a destructive path.

Titus 3:7 “So that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.”

“God does not justify us because we are worthy, but justifying make us worthy.” Thomas Watson

The Childhood Race, Keg Stands, Urge to Pray, Labor Day.

Jen Pollock Michel. When Childhood Has Become a Race. (Christianity Today)

I n a July article for The New Republic , William Deresiewicz admonished parents to abandon Ivy League ambitions for their children. Having spent 24 years at Columbia and Yale, he surmises that students at our most elite universities have lost their sense of purpose.

These high-achieving students may be “winners in the race we have made of childhood.” They may have mastered “a double major, a sport, a musical instrument, a couple of foreign languages, service work in distant corners of the globe, [and] a few hobbies thrown in for good measure.” But if they are great at what they’re doing, they have no idea why they’re doing it.

Am I Called? by Dave Harvey $0.99

Jeremy Writebol. everPresent. Reviewed by Aaron Armstrong.

Kevin DeYoung. Christ Did Not Die for You to Do Keg Stands.

With most major college getting whipped into a full frenzy, I thought it would be worthwhile to dust off a few thoughts about binge drinking on our nation’s campuses. Most students won’t have to look hard for opportunities to drink over the next days and weeks (and months and semesters). They may have to go somewhere off campus to party, but the party scene comes recruiting right to them. Some students arrive at college looking to make their Party U dreams come true. Others just find themselves all alone and eager to fit in and make friends. The sad reality is that choices made in the first weeks (or even days) of college can set a trajectory that’s hard to break.

Erik Raymond. Never Resist the Urge to Pray.

As people we know that it is often wise to resist various urges that we have. We can keep ourselves out of trouble by resisting the urge to say something when we are offended. We can prevent various health issues by resisting urges to overeat or (routinely) eat unhealthy foods. We can steer clear from financial debt by resisting the urge to buy something on impulse. We can almost develop a reflex of resistance in this fallen world. This can be good for us (and others).

However, there is one urge that you should never resist. This area is prayer. I believe it was Martyn Lloyd-Jones whom I first read who said, “Never resist any urge to pray.” That is great advice without much need for explanation. But let me point out a couple of reasons why.

Nick Batzig. Labor Day: Your Need for Both Work and Rest. (Christianity.com)

As we come to celebrate another Labor Day, it may be beneficial for us to step back for a moment and consider what Scripture has to say about the rhythm of work and rest— i.e. the cyclical configuration by which all the events of our lives occur. Learning the theology of work and rest is one of the greatest challenges of our own day. Many of us have adopted faulty views of work, and therefore have faulty views of rest. We are commanded to do all the work that needs to be accomplished every week in the six days that follow, and lead up to, the glorious day of rest. Then we are commanded to rest. This rhythm of work and rest is both a creational and a new-creational ( i.e. redemptive) ordinance. The suffix to the 4 th commandment in Exodus 20:11 and Deuteronomy 5:15 teaches us this. God commanded His people to rest one day in seven because He rested from the work of creation and because He redeemed them from the hand of their enemies. In short, we need to learn to work hard at learning to work as unto the Lord and we need to learn to work hard at learning to cease from our labors, by resting in the finish work of Christ.

Romans 8:1 “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”

“The stream of grace and righteousness is deeper and broader than the stream of guilt.” Matthew Henry

Banner of Truth Releases E-Books

Visit Banner of Truth’s website today and you’ll be surprised to find an advertisement on their homepage carousel for e-books.

That’s right. You’re now able to read old books (and some new) in a beautiful new format. This isn’t some cheap streamlined poorly navigable product that Banner has produced. They are thoughtfully converting these classics for your enjoyment. I’ve been beta testing this product for about a month now.

I’m almost half-way through Owen’s Indwelling Sin in Believers, and I am very pleased with this e-book. The cover is just like the cover from Banner’s original edition, which for some reason is super important to me. The table of contents is navigable. The typeset is beautiful. All the normal functions that you want in a Kindle e-book are available. It’s just like you have a digital version of the print book, but now you can harness the amazing potential of Kindle’s search function. If you’ve been on the fence about getting Puritan works in e-book format due to poor e-book options, the barrier is now removed.

Banner has made the following ten titles available in EPUB or MOBI format at this time.

1. Acceptable Sacrifice by John Bunyan

2. Christ’s Glorious Achievements by C H Spurgeon

3. Discovering God’s Will by Sinclair Ferguson

4. Indwelling Sin in Believers by John Owen

5. Peter Eyewitness of His Majesty by Edward Donnelly

6. Silent Witnesses by Garry Williams

7. The Christian’s Great Enemy by John Brown

8. The Faith Shaped Life by Ian Hamilton

9. The Valley of Vision by Arthur Bennett !!!

10. When Christians Suffer by Thomas Case

And if you want both the print and e-book, you can bundle the two for a reasonable price. There is also a price break for purchasing digital versions of Banner books. Not only that, but Banner, over time, will be making many, many, many more titles available in e-book format.

Click here to visit the Banner of Truth e-book store .

The Christology of 1 Timothy (Christward Collective Guest Post)

When we introduce the subject of Christology, most minds immediately gravitate to such texts as Isaiah 53, John 1:1-14, Colossians 1:14-23, and Philippians 2:1-11; but, would you have thought of 1 Timothy as being a significant Christological work? When most think of this letter, they think of the role of church leadership or women. Rarely does the magisterial role of Christ come to mind. But let’s consider three valuable Christological confessions from 1 Timothy and see how they not only shape our understanding of Christ but also our understanding of this letter.

The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life. To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.

In this first Christological confession we discover the pre-existence of Christ. He is the King of the ages and immortal one. He rules over all time periods and death has no power over Him. He has always existed in rule and always will exist as ruler.

The concept that Christ “came into the world” echoes John’s similar language. I. Howard Marshall comments in the ICC, The Pastoral Epistles , “In John the language indicates pre-existence, i.e. that an existing divine being came from outside into this world, rather than that somebody simply says ‘I was born’. In the PE the context is the author’s epiphany Christology within which pre-existence is a likely implication” (398).

Why did God the Son exit His sphere and enter ours? One reason (and a crucial one in God’s redemptive plan!) is that the Son appeared in the first advent “to save sinners.” Paul’s confession that he was personally the foremost of sinners (1 Tim. 1:15) should be our confession when we think of what it cost God the Son to redeem us.

READ THE REST OF THIS ARTICLE AT CHRISTWARD COLLECTIVE…

Poor Great Britian, Obama’s Mythical 21st Century, Close Church’s Back Door, Cure for Beauty.

Joe Carter. Great Britain Poorer Than Every US State. (ACTON)

At the height of power, circa 1922, the British Empire was the largest empire in history, covering one-fifth of the world’s population and almost a quarter of the earth’s total land area. Yet almost one hundred years later, Great Britain is not so great, having lost much of its previous economic and political dominance. In fact, if Great Britain were to join the United States, it’d be poorer than any of the other 50 states — including our poorest state, Mississippi.

Unfriend Yourself: Three Days to Detox, Discern, and Decide About Social Media by Kyle Tennant $2.99

Simon Chan. Grassroots Asian Theology. Reviewed by Richard J Mouw

Trevin Wax. President Obama’s Mythical 21st Century.

The president’s comment about the future may be powerful rhetoric, but it is not reality. If history shows us anything, it is that “the future” has often belonged to those who are passionate enough about their cause to destroy anything in their way in order to build something different.

Thom Rainer. 5 Incredible Steps to Close the Back Door In Your Church.

If you want to close the back door in your church, read these five incredible steps.

By “closing the back door,” I am referring to assimilating or keeping those who have already become a part of the church. The sad reality is that many churches have less than one-half of their members show up at any one point. They are “walking out the back door.”

James Hoskins. A Cure for Beauty. (CaPC)

I have a poignant memory early in my music career when I thought I was getting close to achieving that goal. Back in 2000, my band got a gig as the opener for a more well-known indie outfit called The Poster Children . As we were setting up to play, I heard some other musicians talking near the side of the stage and looking out at someone in the crowd. Tracy Bonham was in town on tour, and her bassist (who also happened to be in The Rentals ) was apparently a Poster Children fan. So they had come to the show; at least that’s what I heard (I never actually saw them). I remember playing with special abandon that night, getting lost in our songs and feeling a part of something bigger. I remember thinking, “It’s going to happen—it is happening.” But it didn’t happen, whatever “it” was.

Romans 3;20 “For by work of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.”

“If justification depends on works it would be unobtainable.” Sinclair Ferguson

From the Preface of How (Not) to be Secular by James K A Smith

On the one hand, this is a book about a book — a small field guide to a much larger scholarly tome. It is both an homage and a portal to Charles Taylor’s monumental Secular Age, a book that offers a genealogy of the secular and an archaeology of our angst. This is a commentary on a book that provides a commentary on postmodern culture.

On the other hand, this is also meant to be a kind of how-to manual — guidance on how (not) to live in a secular age. It is ultimately an adventure in self-understanding, a way to get our bearings in a “secular age” — whoever “we” might be: believers or skeptics, devout or doubting. Whether we’re proclaiming the faith to the secularized or we’re puzzled that there continue to be people of faith in this day and age, Charles Taylor has a story meant to help us locate where we are, and what’s at stake. That existential aspect of Taylor’s project is admittedly buried in a lot of history and footnotes and long digressions. So I’m trying to distill and highlight this aspect of his argument precisely because I think it matters — and matters especially for those believers who are trying to not only remain faithful in a secular age but also bear witness to the divine for a secular age.

I am an unabashed and unapologetic advocate for the importance and originality of Taylor’s project. I think A Secular Age is an insightful and incisive account of our globalized, cosmopolitan, pluralist present. Anyone who apprehends the sweep and force of Taylor’s argument will get a sense that he’s been reading our postmodern mail. His account of our “cross-pressured” situation — suspended between the malaise of immanence and the memory of transcendence — names and explains vague rumblings in the background of our experience for which we lack words.

A Theology for the Church edited by Daniel Akin

This review first appeared at Lifeway’s Pastors Today web-blog.

Daniel L. Akin. A Theology for the Church: Revised Edition. Nashville: B&H Academic, 2014. 770 pp. $54.99.

Every solid systematic theology organizes core doctrines of the Christian faith into helpful categories. Each category engages pertinent Scriptures exegetically and canonically, judiciously retrieves Church tradition, methodically synthesizes exegesis and tradition into theological constructs, and employs contextual engagement in the spirit of the men of Issachar: “men who understood the times” (1 Chron. 12:32).

Though most systematic theologies do those four tasks, few are organized by those tasks. A Theology for the Church refreshingly does this. This systematic theology consists of eight conventional sections: Revelation, God, Humanity, Christ, Holy Spirit, Salvation, Church, and Last Things. There are fourteen chapters altogether, and each chapter has four sections: What Does the Bible Say?, What Has the Church Believed?, How Does It All Fit Together?, and How Does This Doctrine Impact the Church Today?.

Daniel Akin, president of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, is the general editor of this project. Contributors include Russell Moore, David Dockery, Timothy George, Mark Dever, and Al Mohler among others. In the preface, the editorial committee writes, “Each participant in this project is a confessional theologian and churchman. They are evangelical and baptistic in their commitments, and they believe, as do I, that the task of theology must be recovered in the church if it is to have vitality and health in the twenty-first century” (viii).

This revision of A Theology for the Church includes two entirely new chapters, chapter one on an introduction to the task of theology by Bruce Riley Ashford and Keith Whitfield and chapter five on creation and providence by Chad Owen Brand. In addition, chapter three on special revelation by David S. Dockery and chapter seven on human nature by John S. Hammett underwent substantial revisions.

Benefit for Pastoral Ministry

Al Mohler reminds us in the closing chapter of A Theology for the Church :

“In reality there is no dimension of the pastor’s calling that is not deeply, inherently, and inescapably theological. The pastor will encounter no problem in counseling that is not specifically theological in character.” (724)

Thus, every pastor, at all times in ministry, should read a systematic theology. Reading a systematic theology at a crawl is better than not reading one at all. In reading one, Pastors find doctrinal truth to be experiential truth fittingly applicable to everyday church members, the spiritually interested, and reprobates. For this reason, A Theology for the Church keeps in mind this pastoral audience.

As the introductory paragraph presents, the undergirding priority of a stellar systematic theology is exegetical engagement of Scripture. This is where A Theology for the Church shines. Akin’s chapter on the person of Christ showcases this.

For thirty pages Akin canonically covers the Old and New Testament understanding of the person of Christ. Key Old Testament passages from Genesis, Psalms, Isaiah, and others are addressed. Likewise, essential Christological texts like John 1, Philippians 2, Colossians 1, and Hebrew 1 receive extensive treatment. Finally, Akin synthetically treats the life of Christ with careful scrutiny.

A Theology for the Church also judiciously retrieves church tradition. As scholars interact with past tomes of systematic theology, they highlight contributions while honestly addressing shortcomings.

For instance, in chapter one’s introduction to the task of theology, the contributors praise Augustine for how “his theology can be viewed as the pinnacle of theological reflection in the patristic period” (19). Meanwhile, they gently critique Augustine’s theological method in footnote thirty-six, “As we noted, Augustine struggled to contextualize faithfully, as he sometimes drew from pagan philosophy in inappropriate and unhelpful manners” (20).

Now don’t let that critical footnote confuse you. It’s not that Augustine contextualized, but he did so deficiently. Contributors to A Theology for the Church synthesize exegesis and tradition into a theological method that harnesses philosophy, reason and cultural engagement.

Hammet’s chapter seven on human nature provides a pristine example of this. He synthesizes biblical study and historical tradition into helpful conclusions, arguing that humans are creatures (315) with personhood (316) and complex constitutions (317). They are specially created (320) with two unique but distinct gender roles (321) that multiply (322), enrich one another (323), and are called (325) to do work for the glory of God (326) but to rest as well (327). Along the way Hammet engages hot button issues like the historicity of Adam (316), Feminism (311-12), and views of the Sabbath (327).

As you can see, it is a noble challenge to produce a single-volume systematic theology, let alone for a team of contributors to effectually achieve this result by offering continuity of approach, structure, and engagement. I believe that A Theology for the Church is one of the finer systematic theologies to undertake and triumph at this sizable task.

After spending a couple months with my copy, I testify to A Theology for the Church’s scholarly caliber and scriptural fidelity. This study succeeds at making doctrine nourishing to the soul.

Essential Recommended Helpful Pass It By

A Theology for the Church connects pastors to doctrine that commits them to the local church.

Driscoll Update, Keller Interview, Evangelicalism’s Social Ethics, John the Baptist and Platform, Paper Provides Reading Retention.

An Update from Pastor Mark. HT Justin Taylor.

Risky Gospel: Abandon Fear and Build Something Awesome by Owen Strachan $0.99

Michael Graves. The Inspiration and Interpretation of Scripture. Reviewed by Joshua Torrey.

Interview with Tim Keller. (RELEVANT)

T his week we talk to one of our favorite theologians, authors and pastors, Tim Keller .

Anthony Bradley. Ideological Tribalism: How Evangelicals Go About Social Ethics. (ACTON)

Evangelicals generally develop perspectives on justice down tribal ideological and political lines because they normatively do not source the Christian social thought tradition when constructing perspectives on justice. It turns out, that I was simply being critiqued by a card-carrying, bona fide political progressive who is be also Christian. In this light, I was not surprised by the content of the critique. I do not hold the same presuppositions about creation, the implications of the fall, natural law, human dignity, the role of the state, the authority of Scripture and so on, as progressives do so naturally progressives are going to see calls to personal moral virtue and challenges to the patriarchy, soft bigotry, and historic tendency for coercive government to make things worse off for those on margins through the welfare state as “speaking comfort to power and castigating the most vulnerable.”

The exchange provides a clear example of how evangelicals, ignorant of the Christian social thought tradition, go about the business of addressing social issues. It goes something like this…

Tim Brister. On Platforms, Self-Promotion, and Pleasure Complete.

So there you have it. The man who Jesus said was without comparison (Jesus excluded of course). His life did not end with him on a throne but in prison. He did not have a crown on his head but ended with his head on platter. How could it really be true what Jesus said about John the Baptist? Is there really none greater?

Of course, those who have read the Bible know the rest of the story. But this is instructive to us in the age of self-promotion and platform-building, is it not? The paradox of greatness according to Jesus runs on a totally different set of tracks than the world of raw, selfish ambition. What can we learn from the life of John the Baptist, since, after all, he did it better than anyone else?

Alison Flood. Readers Absorb Less on Kindles than on Paper, Study Finds. (The Guardian) HT Scot McKnight

A new study which found that readers using a Kindle were “significantly” worse than paperback readers at recalling when events occurred in a mystery story is part of major new Europe-wide research looking at the impact of digitisation on the reading experience.

The study, presented in Italy at a conference last month and set to be published as a paper, gave 50 readers the same short story by Elizabeth George to read. Half read the 28-page story on a Kindle, and half in a paperback, with readers then tested on aspects of the story including objects, characters and settings.

Romans 3:24 “And are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.”

“Justification by faith is the hinge upon which all true religion turns.” John Calvin

Time to Listen, Publishing Sermons?, Community Group Multiplication, Death of a Seminarian.

Leonce Crump. It’s Time to Listen: Will White Evangelicals Ever Acknowledge Systemic Injustice (Part 1).

“I’m sorry for being white!” His comment glowed from the computer screen with such weight that for a moment it was as if it was etched there permanently. What, you may wonder, was the context of this comment? It was written on the Facebook wall of one of my congregants. It was written by her father in response to her trying to explain why Ferguson has been so painful for so many in the African American community. I was truly in disbelief. He was once a Southern Baptist pastor.

Rhythms of Grace by Mike Cosper $0.99

The ESV Reader’s Bible. Reviewed by Coleman Ford.

Jake Meador. Should Sermons Be Published. (Mere O)

Today we live in a world where pastors of churches large and small post their sermons online almost immediately. Many live-stream and some churches even offer sophisticated viewing experiences allowing viewers to provide feedback. What’s more, the advent of smart phones and social media has made Sunday sermons an interactive experience. Social media on Sunday is filled with comments and quotes drawn from the church service. Christian conferences are chronicled live on Twitter with special hash tags, Instagram pictures, and commentary.

Pat Aldridge. Community Group Multiplication (pt. 1) – 3 Reasons Why It’s Necessary.

The Christian life is most fully experienced with community. God doesn’t call us to follow Him by ourselves. There is great value in getting together regularly with a small group of people for encouragement and strengthening. But what happens when that group gets so large that it can’t effectively reach the needs of the entire group? It’s time to multiply. While acknowledging that this is hard to practice; it’s a necessity if our desire is to grow and continue to fulfill the great commission. Change can be good. Here are 3 reasons community group multiplication is necessary.

Joe Novenson. Three Deaths Every Seminarian Must Face. (TGC)

I wish there had been a sign hanging at the gate of Westminster Seminary when I entered in the mid-1970s: “Welcome! Come and die!” Dr. Van Til, Dr. Clowney, and others tried to tell me. I just did not have ears to hear.

Psalm 9:7 “But the Lord sits enthroned forever; he has established his throne for justice.”

“Justice always makes mercy dumb when sin has made the sinner deaf.” Thomas Brooks

Five Old Testament Theologies

Here are 5 books that will launch you into studies on Old Testament Theology.

1. An Old Testament Theology by Bruce K Waltke

2. Everlasting Dominion by Eugene H Merrill

3. Covenant and Creation: An Old Testament Covenant Theology by William J Dumbrell

4. Old Testament Theology in a Canonical Context by Brevard S Childs

5. Old Testament Theology by John Kessler

“aha” moments, Church Discipline, Suffering & Truth, You Don’t Have a Porn Problem.

Peter Enns. “aha” moments: a pastor tells his story.

No one was bringing a specific accusation against this guy, and up until this time only one woman had a weird feeling. We kept 1 Timothy 5:19 in clear view.

Over time, as her feelings and paranoia increased (to the point that she came to believe she might even be dealing with mental illness), things began to change and the elder-in-question’s behavior became very strange and erratic. In a tumultuous series of events it came out that the man had been molesting my daughter for several years.

Oh-no. Actually, far, far worse than that.

Bloodlines by John Piper .99

Dane Ortlund. Edwards on the Christian Life. Reviewed by Nathan Finn. (TGC)

Craig Blomberg. 5 Misunderstandings about Church Discipline.

Growing up in a mainline Protestant church, I had no idea there was anything such as church discipline in the modern world. Matthew 18:15-17 was never discussed, much less implemented, even when church leaders gratuitously divorced their spouses after beginning affairs with other individuals.

In the evangelical churches I have participated in during my adult life, there has always been a policy regarding church discipline, attempting to be true to the teaching of Jesus in this text. But a number of exegetical observations are often overlooked.

Whitney Woollard. Suffering Nails Truth to the Heart. (GCD)

It was the night before Easter Sunday (arguably the best day of the year) and I was planning to prepare my heart to celebrate the Lord’s resurrection the following day. Instead, I ended up lying in a hospital bed hooked to an IV receiving the usual cocktail the doctors give me for migraines. In the past, that would have been the opportune moment to hit play on my usual “woe is me” self-talk. But during those long hours in the emergency room, as I came in and out from the tranquilizing effects of the medications, something rather astounding happened—I began to preach the gospel to myself. The following three gospel truths particularly ministered to me that night and have become regular tracks that I play over and over as I learn to preach the gospel amidst my suffering.

David Murray. You Don’t Have a Porn Problem.

I’m sick and tired of hearing so many single and married men, even professing Christian men, talk so easily, casually, and nonchalantly about their “porn problem” or their “struggles with pornography.”

Porn use has become so common and “normal” that there’s not an ounce of stigma left in it. In fact, “confessing” your latest “fall” has become a fast-track to guaranteed sympathy, an arm round the shoulder, “Hey, none of us are perfect,” “Well, maybe we should think about tightening up accountability here and there…”

What happened to the “Yuk!” factor?

Psalm 37:5 “Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act.”

“Christianity is the total commitment of all I know of me to all I know of Jesus Christ.” William Temple

Evangelicalism, Ministry TO Men, The Past, Masturbation.

Thabiti Anyabwile. Is it “Goodbye Evangelicalism” or “We Evangelicals Join You in Your Suffering”?

I’m not talking about the “evangelicalism” of progressive Christians who seem to rarely preach and emphasize the biblical gospel while championing every cause, the “evangelicalism” that has no evangel. I’m talking about the “evangelicalism” of “Bible-believing Christians,” of “gospel-centered people,” of “conservative” movements that pride themselves on not being “those liberals.” I’m not talking about your local church or my local church as much as I’m talking about the movement as a whole, at its highest levels. I’m talking about the “movement evangelicalism” that I run in. That evangelicalism is dead.

Sowing and Reaping (Colportage Library) by D L Moody $0.99

Chute, Morgan, and Peterson. Why We Belong. Reviewed by Matt Felton.

Eric Geiger. 4 Essentials in Ministry to Men.

Not every healthy church has a formalized “men’s ministry,” but every healthy church ministers to men. Ministry to men must be a priority and a passion, not merely a program. If a formalized “men’s ministry” works best in a specific context, then the leaders should implement it, but it is possible to minister well to men without a formalized “men’s ministry.” Ministry to men is essential and must not be limited to a “men’s ministry”; in other words, ministry to men should trump a “men’s ministry.”

Nathan Finn. Christians, We Need the Past.

Unfortunately, not everyone would agree that knowledge of the past is valuable (or at least interesting). I have taught history courses for almost a decade to thousands of undergraduate students, seminary students, and research doctoral students. More than a few have informed me that they are not really that “in” to history—even Christian history. A few have even nodded off in class—doubtless a reflection of their lack of sleep rather than my abilities as a teacher! Truth be told, I can remember a season in my life when history seemed less-than-appealing. Though that changed my junior year of high school in an advanced placement United States History course taught by Coach Joe Haluski. At best, many people have a utilitarian view of history; they care to the degree they find history useful for the stuff that really matters in life. Almost everyone can quote at least a paraphrase of George Santayana’s famous quip, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”[3]

Mark Jones. Masturbation: The Unforgivable Sin? (Reformation 21)

The incarnation makes union and communion with God possible. The Son himself desires loving fellowship with his bride. Where would we be if Christ adopted his own “masturbatory isolationism”? The intimacy we shall experience in heaven will never be fleshless, but it will also never be in isolation.

John 14:15 “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.”

“God never repents of his electing love.” Thomas Watson

Five Articles about Going to Seminary (Servants of Grace Guest Contributions)

A couple of years ago I wrote a four part series on my own blog about going to seminary. Bearing in mind the fresh start to a new year, my friends at Servants of Grace offered to rerun that series on their blog last week in order to help incoming seminary students. In addition, I contributed a new article that ran yesterday at Servants of Grace on what to do after seminary is over.

Below are the links to the four articles rerun at Servants of Grace, along with an excerpt from the new article about what to do after seminary is over.

• Dear Seminarian: Advice to Those Entering Seminary Part One.
• Dear Seminarian: Advice to Those Entering Seminary Part Two.
• Dear Seminarian: Advice to Those Entering Seminary Part Three.
• Dear Seminarian: Advice to Those Entering Seminary Part Four.

So you finished seminary…finally. Right? That’s the way you feel. You just set aside grueling years of rigorous study for your future ministry. You’ll look back upon those years with an incredible sense of gratitude and relief. But don’t check your brain at the doorway into your ministry vocation and don’t be a stranger to your Alma Mata. Here are a few things to consider post-seminary.

Never stop studying. That is a key component to the makeup of a called minister of the gospel. I’m reading Charles Bridges, The Christian Ministry this week. In part one Bridges discusses the preparation for ministry. From the get go he puts the importance of general study as a priority of every minister, and rightly so. Pastors should devote time to the study of Scriptures and to the applying of that study into the lives of their people. I love Charles Bridge’s extensive quotation of Quensel at the end of this section:

“Not to read or study at all is to tempt God: to do nothing but study, is to forget the Ministry: to study, only to glory in one’s knowledge, is a shameful vanity: to study, in search of the means to flatter sinners, a deplorable prevarication: but to store one’s mind with the knowledge proper to the saints by study and by prayer, and to diffuse the knowledge in solid instructions and practical exhortations, — this is to be a prudent, zealous, and laborious Minister” (50)

As Quensel says, there is a right motive and order to a pastor’s studies. But he must continue to study. His flock relies on him weekly to provide spiritual food in the pulpit. This does not come through winging it. I’m afraid too many pastors do so by relying on podcasts and other means to “entertain” their congregation.

Please, recent seminary graduates: I plead with you – keep studying! Read classic literature. Culturally exegete contemporary culture. Read important popular level Christian works. Dabble in the reading of old dead dudes. Maintain your understanding of the Old and New Testament’s original languages, moreover, expand your knowledge of them.

You might be surprised to discover that your seminary so believes in the importance of your continued studies that they will provide free resources for you. I graduated from Dallas Seminary and every graduate from there has free access to all of DTS’s online course videos and access to ATLA, which is a major database of academic journals. These two resources have proven to be extremely valuable to my ongoing edification. I bet your seminary has free resources at your disposal too.

The people you shepherd, your family, and yourself will all profit from this exercise of continuing your studies.

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

Mistreating Creation, Lewis & Marketing, Undefined Relationships, Mentors.

Justin Holcomb. Why It’s Wrong for Christians to Mistreat Creation. (Christianity.com)

One reason Christians have been particularly weak in dealing with ecological issues and the deterioration of the natural environment is a misunderstanding of what it means to “have dominion” over creation.

Dominion does not mean destruction, but responsibility. It is important to avoid flawed convictions about the right and power of humankind in relation to the rest of the natural world. Francis Schaeffer elaborates …

Confronting Kingdom Challenges edited by Samuel T Logan Jr. $1.99

Steve Turner. Pop Cultured. Reviewed by Graham Shearer.

Gavin Ortlund. On C. S. Lewis, Humility, and Marketing.

I find something beautiful about the fact that C.S. Lewis was humble to the point of non-marketability. He consistently protests his unworthiness to a degree that his publishers probably would not be comfortable with—all the while writing classics!

Colleen Chao. Navigating the Undefined Relationship. (True Woman)

It’s the agony and the ecstasy, isn’t it? An amazing godly man shows interest in you, and you want to know if this is “the one.” Like, now. Fear looms on the horizon and the emotional stakes are high. You want to do the right thing; you long to honor the Lord, but what does that look like in this undefined relationship? How do you risk the chance at love while guarding your heart from unnecessary anguish?

Griffen Gullege. Four Features of a Healthy Mentoring Relationship. (Pastors Today)

With youth comes a certain amount of arrogance and a certain amount of pride. As Pastor Matt Chandler has often said, sometimes life just had to beat that out of you. At the end of the day, there are a lot of young seminarians and young pastors—commonly lumped together as “millennials”—that will choose to find landmines by stepping on them.

Many of us, however, would prefer to skip a few explosions. And most older pastors recognize they would have had a healthier start in ministry if they only had a mentor.

Lamentation 3:22 “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end.”

“God soon turns from his wrath but he never turns from his love.” C H Spurgeon

John Owen on Indwelling Sin in Believers

Every person is born with sin dwelling within them. But believers have power over this sin in ways that the non-converted do not have power. Here’s an introduction to what John Owen says about indwelling sin:

This is the way indwelling sin works in believers. It is a law in them, but not to them. Its rule is broken, its strength weakened and impaired, its root mortified, but it is still a law of great force and efficacy. Where it is least felt, it is most powerful. Unregenerate men, with respect to spiritual and moral duties, live by nothing but this law.

God in giving the Holy Spirit has given believers power, power that inclines them to a good that they were not able to do before conversion. That good is not just an occasional strike of good fortune. The good that is produced in believers as a result of their conversion is a good of an habitual nature. Owen goes on:

The wills of believers, notwithstanding this law of sin found in them, are habitually inclined to good. They ‘would do good’. The law in them is not a law to them, as it is to unbelievers. They are not wholly exposed to its power or its commands. Grace has the sovereignty in their souls, and gives them a will to what is good.

The gap between believers and non-believers is an impassable chasm. The best of an unbeliever cannot even come close to touching the very worst of the believer. This is because the Holy Spirit give believers a power against sin that non-believers cannot have, for they are under the binds of another power that has their enslavement. Owen concludes:

At their worst, this distinguishes them from unbelievers at their best. The will in unbelievers is under the power of the law of sin.

The Christian Ministry by Charles Bridges

Charles Bridges. The Christian Ministry: with An Inquiry into the Causes of its Inefficiency . Carlisle, PA: Banner of Truth, 1830. 390 pp. $32.00.

Look at your shelf. What do you see? Is it mostly books published in the last 10 or 20 years? How often do Early Church, Medievalist, Reformation and Puritan writers refresh you? If not at all or rarely, then I plead for you to start reading these writers.

Why not start with a 19 th century evangelical like Charles Bridges? Charles Bridges relied heavily on forbearers as he wrote The Christian Ministry . He gleaned from his contemporaries of course, but he also turned to erudite men like Baxter, Henry, Doddridge, and Edwards.

It’s likely that reading current popular theology will be your mainstay in ministry. This is how to engage today’s conversations. But much learning comes from reading forerunners. The Christian Ministry is a launching pad for this kind of reading because it is directed to pastors about pastoral ministry.

In this work Bridges lays out the facets of Christian ministry in five rigorous parts. Part one looks at the origin, dignity, necessity, trials, comforts, qualifications, and preparation of Christian ministry. Part two focuses on ministry success and the obstacles to this success. Part three exposes characteristics of ministers that block ministry efficiency. Part four focuses on elements of sermon preparation. Part five concludes with how to approach and treat people in various spiritual conditions.

Each part of The Christian Ministry by Charles Bridges edifies pastors and contributes in significant ways to their spiritual and practical preparation.

I found part one’s keen advice on the qualifications and preparation for ministry to be profitable. I appreciated Bridges’ quote of John Newton, “None but he who made the world can make a Minister of the gospel” (24). That God sets apart Christian ministers is a comforting reminder. God prepares you for the work. You will study, pray, and learn to love and shepherd others, but God divinely affirms this call.

Part two involves a rarely seen but remarkably honest discussion on local hindrances to ministerial success. Such hindrances include the hard soil of people who do not receive the Word, the presence of heresy in a community, barriers caused by the nature of a city versus the nature of a country parish, and other such hindrances.

Bridges advises faithfulness, meekness, and patience as countermeasures to these hindrances. But, above all, he reminds pastors: “‘He that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand,’ appoints unto each its place in the spiritual firmament, as shall be most suited for the honour of his name, for the purpose of his will, and for the edification of his Church” (89). In other words, God’s sovereign hand is upon ever minister and his calling to a specific place. Trusting and persevering in that calling is critical.

Part three really pricks hearts. If our character were a pond, then Bridges stirs up all the sediment that settled at the bottom. In spite of our attempts to conceal the dirt, Bridges shows us how dirty we are.

For instance, if you are selfish with your time, like me, then you might find this convicting. “Think not of appropriating any time to yourself, if you can by a different application of it preserve only one soul from perdition” (131). And when he broaches the subject of covetousness, Bridges adroitly says, “On the other hand, there is no more fatal hindrance to the Ministry, none that makes our person and labours more contemptible in the eyes of the world than this idolatrous principle. It counteracts the grand design of our office, which is to draw men from earth to heaven” (143). Bridges makes many more direct callouts of sin as he helps pastors kill that which threatens both their character and ministry.

Part four’s discussion on sermon preparation is the finest homiletical help I’ve studied for affecting the heart and sharpening doctrinal precision. Special attention should be given to sections three and four on preaching the law and preaching the gospel respectively. So few understand how to rightly apply the law in their preaching. Bridges convincingly gives pastors both a motive and a method for using the law to move listeners into misery over sin, which cultivates the heart to receive the seed of the gospel.

Part five concludes with admonishing pastors to not just speak to their flock but to visit them as well. In other words, though much ministry takes place in the pulpit, an equal weight if not the lion’s share of ministry happens in personal one-on-one interaction.

Thus, referring to the pastors relationship with his congregants, Bridges says: “We must acquaint ourselves with their situation, habits, character, state of heart, peculiar wants, and difficulties, that we may ‘give to each of them a portion in due season’” (344). This part guides pastors in approaching certain heart conditions and shepherding those hearts towards effectual change.

Let me warn you that The Christian Ministry is no lightweight read. It’s more common today for popular Christian works to lack the theological prowess and academic rigor characteristic of the past. You’ll find Bridges to be a different breed from a different time. A working knowledge of Latin, though not necessary, proves advantageous with reading this book. Don’t let that intimidate you. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and I think you will too!

The Christian Ministry instills a deep affection for your calling and imprints zeal to animate God’s people towards holiness.

Sin & Cynicism, Dating Culture, Church for Exiles, R2K.

Jonathan Parnell. The Sin in Our Cynicism. (DG)

Maybe it’s not explicitly on your radar, but you’re sure to have felt its force. Cynicism is that sneering bitterness toward all things true and deep. It’s the subtle contempt trying to contaminate the cheeriest of moments — that slow, thick smoke of pessimism toxifying the oxygen in the lungs of our hope, suffocating any glad-hearted embrace that God did something meaningful in our lives and strangling our childlike faith to opt for “another angle” on why things happen the way they do.

A Model of Christian Maturity: An Exposition of 2 Corinthians 10-13 by D A Carson $2.51

Jared Wilson. The Wonder-Working God. Reviewed by Arliss Ardou.

Greg Gibson. Changing the Dating Culture. (GCD)

Let’s get right to it on this topic. The way young people date today pretty much reflects how married people relate to each other. Young people spend lots of time together alone; they awaken desire prematurely; they mess around, often times ending in intercourse; and they are just as affectionate as a husband and wife should be within the sacred confines of marriage. Most of the time, the only thing that separates a dating relationship from a marriage relationship is the ring that is parked on the left hand. Vodie Baucham says, as stated above, that dating as it is currently done is “glorified divorce practice.” So, it’s not hidden—I am a huge enemy toward the way we currently practice dating.

Carl Trueman. A Church for Exiles. (First Things)

W e live in a time of exile. At least those of us do who hold to traditional Christian beliefs. The strident rhetoric of scientism has made belief in the supernatural look ridiculous. The Pill, no-fault divorce, and now gay marriage have made traditional sexual ethics look outmoded at best and hateful at worst. The Western public square is no longer a place where Christians feel they belong with any degree of comfort.

For Christians in the United States, this is particularly disorienting. In Europe, Christianity was pushed to the margins over a couple of centuries—the tide of faith retreated “with tremulous cadence slow.” In America, the process seems to be happening much more rapidly.

Doug Wilson. The R2K Crucifix Problem.

Carl Trueman recently wrote A Church for Exiles for First Things , which you may read here . If you would like, a good response from Joel McDurmon can be found here . But my response to Carl will be a tad shorter than Joel’s — just enough to register a few basic concerns.

1 Thessalonians 5:9 “For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

“God is far more willing to save sinners than sinners are to be saved.” J C Ryle

Jonathan Edwards Center at Yale University

For a long time now, I have had affections for Jonathan Edward’s works. For the last ten years I’ve had the Hendrickson two volume set of his works on my shelf, and I regularly consult my digital version in my Accordance library. I try to read a couple of his works a year. In the Fall I read, The End for Which God Created the World, and this Spring I read A Humble Attempt .

Recently I discovered that the definitive edition of Jonathan Edward’s writings is the Yale Edition which constitutes seventy-three volumes. This edition contains his entire Miscellanies, the Black Bible, Notes on Scripture, his Sermons, and his incomplete manuscript of the History of Redemption. This edition is available in print at most theologically accommodating University libraries. I happen to be close to one such library, so I always have access to the print version, granted no one has checked out one of the volumes when I need it.

Nonetheless, The Jonathan Edwards Center at Yale University makes it easy for anyone to have instant access to the entire corpus of Edward’s writings. You can visit http://edwards.yale.edu to access the entire Yale Edition online. This digital version of the Yale Edition has many functions. I encourage you to explore this website and take full advantage of all that it offers.

One of the features I appreciate most is that The Jonathan Edwards Center at Yale University has also developed an iOS app for both the iPhone and the iPad. These apps are currently free and well worth adding to your device. You can find those apps here in the iTunes store .

I hope you find this information helpful. I know it has revolutionized my studies on the most influential churchman of early Colonial evangelicalism.

Free Press Free Society, The Psalms, Persuasive Preaching, Ferguson.

Dylan Pahman. Freedom of the Press and the Free Society. (ACTON)

In a time when US journalism too often feels dominated by infotainment on television and blog/opinion pseudo-news in print and on the internet, it is sad to see instances of real journalism, seeking to act as a check on corruption in the public sphere, being suppressed by that very corruption. But such has been the case, recently, in Ferguson, MO.

What Is the Mission of the Church? by Kevin DeYoung and Greg Gilbert $1.99

Myron B Penner. The End of Apologetics. Reviewed by Nate Claiborne.

Ryan Huguley. Why the Psalms are Like the App Store.

I have an app addiction. Anytime I come across an interesting app, I have to download it. Sure, I tend to only use said app for roughly 13 seconds before burying it in a folder somewhere deep within the recesses of my phone, but that’s beside the point. The genius of the “app explosion” is that there is an app for virtually everything you can imagine – money management, tracking calories, reading blogs, tracking tasks – you name it, and “there’s an app for that”.

Eric McKiddie. The Importance of Persuasive Preaching.

One of the preacher’s jobs is to persuade people away from worldly ways of thinking toward a biblical worldview. We are called to convince people that what the Bible says is true, that the implications of its truthfulness ought to matter to them, and that when its truthfulness is embraced it affects how they live every moment of their life. Since growing in holiness is a lifelong process, we need to call even the most mature Christian away from opinions that are out of accord with Scripture.

Trevin Wax. Ferguson is Ripping the Bandages off our Racial Wounds.

The policy successes of the Civil Rights movement have given rise to the narrative that the worst of our racial and ethnic prejudices are behind us. Unfortunately, politics and policies show only one side of the story.

The truth is, we are still a country divided.

Psalm 85:7 “Show us your steadfast love, O Lord, and grant us your salvation.”

“The only ground of God’s love is his love.” Thomas Brooks

Charles Bridges on The Frame of Our Mind in the Pulpit

This section on special prayer from Part IV of The Christian Ministry: with An Inquiry into the Causes of its Inefficiency by Charles Bridges is especially striking:

The frame of our own minds in the pulpit is another matter for distinct supplication — that we may “speak as the oracles of God” — that “a door of utterance may be opened unto us” — that we may have a special message to our people — that our hearts may be tenderly affected by their state — that our preaching may flow from love to their souls, and from hearts powerfully excited by zeal for our Master’s glory — that we may be assisted to deliver our sermons in a suitable frame; preserved from the influence of the fear of man, and with a simple, earnest dependence on the Divine blessing — and that the Lord may preach our sermons to our own hearts, both in the study, and in the moment of delivering them. (214)

South Korean Church, Preach Gospel to Self, Life Plans, Christians & Depression.

Candida Moss. 5 Reasons South Korea Could be the Church of Future. (CNN)

When Pope Francis arrives in South Korea on Wednesday for a five-day visit, he’ll get a look at just the kind of church he’s been trying to create worldwide.

The trip, planned to coincide with Asia Youth Day, marks the first time a pope has visited the country since 1989, and is part of a new papal focus on globalization in general and on Asia in particular.

Come Let Us Reason: New Essays in Christian Apologetics edited by William Lane Craig and Paul Copan

Justin Holcomb. Know the Heretics. Reviewed by Mathew Sims.

Nicholas Batzig. Preach the Gospel to Yourself? (Reformed Forum)

10 or so years ago, it was exceedingly common to hear people in the broader Reformed and Evangelical circles saying things like, “You’ve got to learn to preach the Gospel to yourself!” Usually it came in the context of one friend counseling another during a period of struggle with sin, or during a period of painful trial. Occasionally you would hear the phrase surface in pulpits as well. But then there was pushback from certain theologically conservative corners. I remember hearing a well known biblical counsellor emphatically say that the idea of “preaching the Gospel to yourself” is nowhere to be found in Scripture. Others rightly suggested that it all depends on what you mean by “the Gospel.” If, by the Gospel, you mean merely justification so that it’s ok that you continue in sinful practices because you’ve been justified, then this is terribly wrongheaded. So, are we to “preach the Gospel to ourselves,” or is that idea foreign to the biblical teaching on sanctification and the Christian life?

Stephen Altrogge. When God Messes with Your Life Plan. (DG)

Now don’t get me wrong: I’m all for planning. Without plans, little of enduring value gets accomplished. Those who fail to plan, often find themselves binge watching on Netflix.

But the reality is, there are many times when God intentionally messes up my life plan. And that’s a really good thing.

Kevin DeYoung. When Christians Suffer from Depression.

Even the most gifted, most intelligent, most capable Christians can suffer from depression. Here’s how the Presbyterian minister and president of Princeton, Ashbel Green (1762-1848) described his bouts of melancholy in his autobiography…

Proverbs 25:15 “With patience a ruler may be persuaded, and a soft tongue will break a bone.”

“Where there is no patience, there is not even a spark of faith.” John Calvin

Five Books on Biblical Preaching

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

1. The Art of Prophesying by William Perkins

2. Biblical Preaching: The Development and Delivery of Expository Messages by Haddon W Robinson

3. Christ-Centered Preaching: Redeeming the Expository Sermon by Bryan Chapell

4. Folly, Grace, and Power: The Mysterious Act of Preaching by John Koessler

5. Expositional Preaching: How We Speak God’s Word Today (9Marks: Building Healthy Churches) by David Helm

Seemingly Impossible Existence, Writers Striving for Popularity?, Pastoral Epistles, Bad News, Public School Outreach.

Alan Noble. When Existence Becomes Seemingly Impossible. (CaPC)

The easiest thing in the world is to live… most of the time. It doesn’t take much from us at all. Just wake up. Wake up and your life will take care of the rest. Eat. Email. Work. School. Shopping. Kids. Exercise. Bible. Netflix. Hygiene. Bed. It’s not just that you live an active life symbolized by a full calendar — it’s that every single second between each appointment, chore, or activity is just as packed as that calendar. Between waking up and eating breakfast you’ve written two emails and checked Facebook and Twitter, or read the news, or written out an impossible to-do list, or just sat with your coffee anxiously deciding which deadline to postpone this week. For most of us, life is like that every single day, non-stop. We’re pulled downstream by the 21st century’s electronic buzz and hum.

Taking God At His Word by Kevin DeYoung

Don Whitney. Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life. Reviewed by Tim Challies.

Dan Darling, Justin Taylor, Collin Hansen. Should Christian Writers Strive for Popularity. (ERLC)

David Schrock. Why Non-Pastors Should Read the Pastoral Epistles.

From this little synopsis, one might get the impression that the Pastoral Epistles are strictly for pastors, or at least for those working in the ministry. One might conclude they only have tangential relevance for the stay-at-home mom or the factory worker. However, such a conclusion would be premature, for the Pastoral Epistles have great application for all Christians. What follows are five reasons why every Christian should read them, study them, and apply them.

Candice Watters. How to Talk to Your Kids about Bad News. (CBMW)

It’s rare to forget about Twitter, to leave emails unopened, and to not know what’s going on beyond the bounds of a hotel swimming pool, but last week we managed a family vacation so full of mountain hikes, sightseeing, lounging at the swimming pool, and visits with old friends, that except for photography apps and uploads to Instagram, I forgot about checking my phone. The stack of last week’s Wall Street Journals that greeted our return from nine days away jerked me back to reality: rest is not the norm in this broken world.

The headlines out of Iraq about religious persecution and genocide, the death of an unarmed teenager, the discovery yesterday of the suicide of a famous actor, these are but a few of the disturbing headlines in the most recent newspapers. In addition to getting myself back in touch with the needs all around me, I know we need to talk to our kids about what’s going on in the world. But how?

Timothy Denney and Matthew Denney. 3 Opportunities for Gospel Outreach in Public Schools. (TGC)

In the whirlwind of today’s culture, it is easy to focus on mounting threats to religious freedom, which may lead us to believe that doors of opportunity are closing fast. While many of these issues need to be engaged, freedoms still abound that often go untapped by Christians, especially in the realm of public schools.

This article is not about what most Christians would like the law to be; it is about what the law already is and what we should do about it. Almost 90 percent of American youth—from countless races and backgrounds—attend public schools, where they find little natural exposure to the gospel. The need is great, and the call of the Great Commission compels us to go and reach this important population ( Matt. 28:15 ). This is especially important given many doors of opportunity currently available to reach public school students.

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.”

“God can pick sense out of a confused prayer.” Richard Sibbes

And “That Guy” Enters Your Life

“That Guy” is such a popular phrase these days and it’s a term many of us have used — mostly in the context of not wanting to be “That Guy.” What do I mean by “That Guy”? Who is “That Guy”? For the sake of this article I sum him up in four fitting words: Male Hermione Granger Syndrome — the confounded know it all student in the Gryffindor House of the now classic young reader series, Harry Potter. If you wish, you may shorten this summation to MHGS, which should not be confused with any food allergies or other debilitating life circumstance.

Wanna learn more about identifying “That Guy”? He will have a special presence in three places. Here are those places and how “That Guy” will function in those places.

Here’s what “That Guy” looks like in your church.

When he comes for the first Sunday, he will immediately introduce himself to you, the pastor, after your service. He will kindly push back on a few matters from your sermon which need clarifying. He will likely grill you on a few areas of doctrine, particularly the doctrines of grace. He will then set up a meeting with you, which is really going to be a string of meetings that you will have over time.

He will be an avid participant in any learning environment, especially one where he may eventually have the opportunity to lead or teach at some capacity. He will bust out with all the theological lingo he can muster and, at this time, will use make trendy references to such men as Eric Metaxas, Deitrich Boenhoeffer, C S Lewis, Hans Urs Von Balthasar, and Karl Barth. He ought to get bonus points for mentioning them all! If he’s Southern Baptist he will likely name drop Al Mohler or Gregory Thornbury, but only the later if “That Guy” happens to be a hipster. If he’s Presbyterian then his go to will be Timothy Keller, quickly followed by Miroslav Volf, because that’s who Keller quotes.

Occasionally he’ll dominate conversations or discussion to the point where the discussion will be nothing like the direction it was originally intended to go. That’s okay because usually these discussions are lively. They stir many emotions in the participants. People will be more passionate about matters which waned in their life before. This is a very good thing and a benefit of “That Guy.” He will typically have extensive knowledge on almost every area of study and in whatever area of study he lacks he deftly avoids the subject or diverts the conversation back to an area of his mastery. All of it is a ploy to spread the propaganda that he is “That Guy” who knows stuff.

Now “That Guy” is not always a social media phenom. But sometimes he is. And boy oh boy will he shine on social media. He’s “That Guy” that walks into every twitter conversation and does one of two things: tweet blast the conversation with his line of reasoning or “I’ve got a link about that…”, which is always good for a few extra views on the old blog. Typically he’ll have a book recommendation on just about every subject. He’s not just the “ideas man” but he’s the “answer man.” He’ll have an answer or a thought on every conversation and he won’t help but give that answer.

But you won’t just find “That Guy” in your church or on social media, he’ll show up at conferences too. He’s “That Guy” in the crowd of “Those Guys” all waiting to meet “That Speaker” after he speaks to tell him the mind blowing revelation contrived while listening to that speaker. It’s a cocktail of that-ness.

Between sessions, on the sidewalks, or in dining room booths throughout the conference he is “That Guy” that is excitedly gesturing and talking about a mightily disputed doctrine as if he has the resolution for world peace in his hands. He’s basically the N T Wright who is astounded that no one in the world has ever recognized the glaringly obvious discovery that he has just made.

Why Am I A “That Guy” Expert

Good question. I’m glad you asked. I have an answer for you.

Yep. I’m not sure whether to identify myself as a recovering “That Guy”, an adjusted “That Guy”, or just a tired “That Guy”. But I’m probably one or all of those three. Either way I have had my fare share of the MHGS. And boy did I have a bad case.

I mourn so much about the angst I carried around as a “That Guy” in my early twenties. I’m not even quite sure when I adjusted. Honestly, I’m sure of moments when I’ve relapsed. Often times, now in my early thirties, I find myself recoiling when I see “That Guy” trolling around. Why? Well, when you put one “That Guy” in a room with another “That Guy” you either have a sweet symphony or WWIII. It all depends on if you can get the two to agree. And even the most adjusted “That Guy” has the tendency to relapse when he gets too near another. The syndrome is a contagion.

How To Respond To “That Guy”

No doubt “That Guy” is either seminary bound, in seminary, or just leaving seminary. And if you happen to be the pastor, you will want to take him home and train him. That’s right. There’s a part of you that will think, “Ahh, that guy’s cute!” And I mean that in the amused puppy sort of way. You, the pastor, will grow immediately fond of “That Guy.” Why? Because he is a guy just after your own heart. You recall when you had that same level of intensity. You’ll find it a little refreshing, because, after all, it has been some time since you had that kind of intensity around you.

Or maybe you happen to be the lucky lady destined to receive “That Guy’s” affection. O, how I pray for you. I pray that you are sweet, gentle, kind, and a somewhat sassy gal, because “That Guy” needs to be sassed.

Or finally, you’re just a normal old person wandering the wide world and you’ve encountered the not so rare “That Guy” in the wild.

If you’re any of those three, then listen up to some real brief tips.

1. Encourage “That Guy”. What he really longs for is affirmation. Give it to him.

2. Appreciate “That Guy”. He’s offering you all his answers because he sincerely wants to help and contribute. Look for ways to be grateful.

3. Empower “That Guy”. This is tricky. Too much power is bad for “That Guy”. But he needs to be utilized, or he’ll shrivel up and die. Give him a role and a place to serve and lead.

4. Listen to “That Guy”. We all want to be listened too. He more so than anyone. Lend him your ear and give him a hard stop time. He needs to know there are always boundaries.

5. Pray for “That Guy”. He’s likely to be a leader that will make vast contributions to the Church. Pray that the Lord will protect him from the hubris to which he gravitates. Pray that he will be protected from evil. Pray that he would do much to magnify God’s glory, not his own.

I hope you find this whimsical character sketch to be helpful. These tips, though brief, will go a long way in loving “That Guy”. And “That Guys” really needs your love; it’s likely he did not receive the healthy dose of it that he needed elsewhere.

Lifeway Pulls Driscoll, Character is King, John Own & Prayer, The Lord’s Supper.

Ruth Moon. Lifeway Stops Selling Mark Driscoll’s Books at 180 Christian Stores. (CT)

[Updated with past Tyndale defense of Driscoll and Publishers Weekly report]

LifeWay Christian Resources, which bills itself as “one of the world’s largest providers of Christian products and services,” has pulled Mark Driscoll’s books from its website and more than 180 stores nationwide.

The action by the publishing arm of America’s largest Protestant denomination, the nearly 16-million-member Southern Baptist Convention (SBC), comes one day after Matt Chandler’s Acts 29 church planting network removed membership from Mars Hill churches and their popular pastor . Driscoll has authored 15 books and amassed a following of 13,000 weekly worshipers at 15 locations in five states.

The Finished Work of Christ: The Truth of Romans 1-8 by Francis Schaeffer $1.99

Jonathan Dodson. Raised?: Finding Jesus By Doubting the Resurrection. Reviewed by David Young. (TGC)

Tim Challies. Character Is King.

Gallons of virtual ink have been spilled over the weekend as people have discussed the latest news in the ongoing saga of Mark Driscoll and Mars Hill Church: both he and his church have been removed from Acts 29, the church-planting network he helped establish. This is only the latest incident in a long, steep, and very public decline. The news has been reported in Christian outlets, all over the local Seattle media, and as far afield as Huffington Post , TIME , and the Washington Post .

Brian Hedges. John Owen on the Work of the Spirit in Prayer. (Servants of Grace)

In the double interests of going deeper in some of my favorite theologians and trying to strengthen my own prayer life, I’ve recently been reading John Owen’s The Work of the Holy Spirit in Prayer. This 116 page treatise is actually the seventh out of nine “books” in Owen’s magnum opus Pneumatologia: A Discourse Concerning the Holy Spirit.

Because it is situated within the larger framework of Owen’s pneumatology, it has a fairly narrow focus as far as prayer is concerned.

Joe Thorn. The Lord’s Supper: For Sinners.

This week I’ll be posting some thoughts on the Lord’s Supper as an encouragement our Redeemer Fellowship family and anyone else wanting to think with us through the issues.

The Lord’s Supper, or communion, is a sacred tradition given to us by Jesus Christ. During the Passover meal with his disciples he blessed us with an ordinance that, through the elements of bread and wine, the gospel is preached, our faith is encouraged, and and the church is united as brothers and sisters.

2 Thessalonians 3:1 “Finally, brothers, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may speed ahead and be honored, as happened among you.”

“Pure prayers have pure blessings.” Thomas Goodwin

Harry O Maier on the Appearing of Christ

In Picturing Paul in Empire: Imperial Image, Text and Persuasion in Colossians, Ephesians, and the Pastoral Epistles, Harry Maier produces compelling evidence for the Christological parallels between the “appearing” of Christ in the Pastoral Epistles and imperial cult language of that time period. Here’s how he concludes his argument:

These parallels leave little doubt that the author of the Pastorals drew on imperial language to communicate Christological ideas and that when listeners heard the coming of Jesus represented as an epiphaneia he could rely on them to make those associations. The second way the Pastorals use epiphaneia to place their audience in an imperial situation is by associating Jesus’ parousia with imperial advents (1 Tim. 6:14-15; Tit. 2:13, and perhaps 2 Tim. 4:8). Strictly speaking, epiphaneia — the manifestation of divinity — is conceptually distinct from notions related to imperial notions of parousia/adventua. But in imperial usage, epiphaneia and parousia belong to the repertoire of civic vocabulary that describes the arrival of an emperor.

God in the Whirlwind by David Wells

This review first appeared at Lifeway’s Pastors Today web blog.

David F. Wells. God in the Whirlwind: How the Holy-love of God Reorients Our World . Wheaton: Crossway, 2013. 272 pp. $24.99.

There is certainly confusion in postmodern culture on how we relate to God and how He relates to us. The tumultuous climate of postmodern culture demands that we parse this relationship properly.

David Wells has devoted himself to this task. As a historical and systematic theology professor at Gordon-Conwell, Wells has written extensively on postmodernism and is an expert on the relationship of Christianity to culture. Wells offers God in the Whirlwind as the sixth volume in his stout theological engagement with postmodern culture.

This volume, rather than focusing on reading culture, puts greater weight on remedying culture’s misunderstanding of God’s character, which, according to Wells, has created a cultural storm. Wells says in the preface, “This volume reflects on what we have so often lost in our work of framing Christ-and-Culture. It is the holy-love of God.”

Thus , God in the Whirlwind supplies a biblical theology of God’s holy-love. What’s that? Scripted out, one might say, “God’s-holiness-and-God’s-love-in-their-union-with-each-other.” Fundamentally, the sum of God’s character is His love and holiness; the two are inseparable.

In this excellent study you will not just rediscover a vision for God by tracing the story of the gospel in relation to God’s character of holy-love, but you will see how He loves, how He’s holy, and how that interrelationship portrays His glory at the cross. It is a holy-love that comes from without and reaches down from above. The whole gospel narrative of our fallenness and need for restoration is developed through this lens, and then drives our walk with God, our worship, and our service.

God in the Whirlwind is not a tedious read nor is it challenging to connect to ministry. Throughout this book, you will discover how theology and ministry interrelate with cultural context. This is where Wells excels. In order to demonstrate this, I want to zero in on two examples that present a portrait of the wider work. Through these examples, you will discover the fortitude of Well’s study, which endures the assault of today’s culture and the siege of time as well.

First, let’s look at chapter four. Wells explains God’s love in this chapter. He helps us fathom that it comes from above and descends to us.

This is contrary to the postmodern perspective. This perspective says that love is found within. It becomes an experiential therapeutic benefit rather than self disclosed revelation. Instead of being undone by inner wretchedness and need for love from above, we become inordinately confident in our ability to ascend towards God. We make ourselves acceptable rather than God accepting us. Wells says, “In the one, the self grasps what it wants. The other knows that it can grasp nothing and must, instead be grasped by the divine agape-love.”

Postmodern culture’s influence on the Church dictates that many, though grasping the biblical elements of the former view, find the latter view more appealing. Wells, with this instance and many others, explains that misappropriating truth from postmodern culture deceives us into embracing bankrupt thinking.

Second, let’s look at chapter six. Imbedded in God in the Whirlwind is an emphasis on objectivity. This stands out in chapter six’s discussion on the cross.

Wells doesn’t sheepishly withdraw from postmodern subjectivism, trading it for the warm blanket of objective modernity. Rather, he aggressively cross-examines subjectivism to see if it stands defensible.

Look at how Wells concludes his chapter six discussion on the cross:

“The God who was with us in our history is the God who is for us throughout eternity. Needless to say, what I have been describing collides head-on with the way postmoderns tend to see things. For them and, indeed, for some in evangelical churches, there is no objective reality that we can know.”

He goes on to say that postmoderns look for truth from within where it will not be found. Wells argues convincingly that truth only comes from without and is revealed in the person of Christ. He contrasts this to postmodern culture’s predisposition of finding truth within self. In doing so he pinpoints a major problem with the Church embracing subjective postmodernism.

“Spiritual reality, people believe, is accessed from within themselves, intuitively. That being the case, the biblical redemptive history, this disclosure of God outside of ourselves, in a distant place and a faraway time, strikes many as simply too remote. They cannot relate to it. Besides, it is redundant. They have far more confidence in their innate powers than in their ability to access the meaning of this ancient history.”

The problem becomes apparent. Atonement is no longer necessary. Throw out your Bible, and throw out God’s redemptive story. Fully embracing subjective postmodernism makes the two passing fancies. Spirituality then is practiced without ever knowing “the depth of divine love next to which human loves pale by comparison.”

As you can see, Wells aggressively engages postmodernism in God in the Whirlwind . In the process he equips pastors to effectively communicate a biblical theology that will be both robust and effectual for reaching the deceived, misguided, and lost vagabonds navigating postmodern culture.

David Wells puts postmodernism to the test in God in the Whirlwind and helps us realign our spirituality with God’s self-disclosed holy-love in Jesus Christ.

Ann Coulter, #HowToDad, Iraqi Christians, Driscoll, How do women do it all?.

Matt Perman. How Should We Respond to Ann Coulter’s Article on the Ebola Doctor. (TGC)

In response to Ann Coulter’s article on the ebola doctor, “ Ebola doc’s condition downgraded to idiotic ,” one person on Facebook said “If you remain a fan of Ann Coulter after reading this, you are as pathetic as she is.”

I understand his strong reaction, and disagree very much with her article, but the fact that she was willing to state her views so clearly serves one vital purpose: it forces us to think hard about what the Scriptures teach and helps us refine our understanding of the truth.

Comeback Churches by Ed Stetzer and Mike Dodson $2.99

Larry Eskridge. God’s Forever Family. Reviewed by Jonathan Baer. (9 Marks)

New Peanut Butter Cheerios presents: #HowToDad.

You’re gonna love this video, especially if you are a Dad.

Megan Hill, Gloria Furman, and Aimee Byrd. How Do Women Do It All? (ERLC)

Editor’s Note: Today, we have the privilege of hearing from three busy wives and moms–with other ministries and responsibilities outside of their homes–who have banded together to answer the oft-asked question, “How do you do it all?”

Kirsten Powers. Is Anyone Answering Iraqi Christians’ Cries for Help? (FaithVillage)

Since capturing the country’s second largest city of Mosul in early June, the Islamic State, formerly known as ISIS, has ordered Christians to convert to Islam, pay taxes levied on non-Muslims, or die. The extremist Sunni group is also persecuting and murdering Turkmen and Shabaks, both Muslim religious minorities…

Ruth Moon. Acts 29 Removes Mars Hill, Asks Mark Driscoll to Step Down and Seek Help. (CT)

Hoping that “the name of Christ will not continue to be dishonored,” the Acts 29 church planting network founded by Mark Driscoll has removed the Seattle pastor and his Mars Hill megachurch from membership.

“It is our conviction that the nature of the accusations against Mark, most of which have been confirmed by him, make it untenable and unhelpful to keep Mark and Mars Hill in our network,” said Acts 29 in an online statement signed by Matt Chandler and other board members of the network of 500 churches.

Acts 29 came to the drastic decision “with deep sorrow,” according to the statement. “In taking this action, our prayer is that it will encourage the leadership of Mars Hill to respond in a distinctive and godly manner so that the name of Christ will not continue to be dishonored.”

Mars Hill is no longer listed on the Acts 29 church directory page for Washington state. Acts 29 declined to comment further to CT.

Exodus 19:5 “No therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all the peoples, for all the earth is mine.”

“History is a story written by the finger of God.” C S Lewis

When Your Plate Is Too Full Or Not Full Enough

Most of us encounter one of these two scenarios every day. It’s rare to find the sweet spot of productivity. Either our plate is too full or is not full enough. It doesn’t matter if you are a professional in corporate offices, a team member on a factory line, a teacher, medical professional, stay at home family member or self-employed. You have days where you fall on either side of the two extremes. You have projects and those projects either go to quick or never seem to finish. What do you do?

When your plate is too full, it’s hard to focus. You see time slipping away and you know you can’t get it back. That deadline seems to be creeping up on you faster than you think. Or that project that you budgeted two hours for turns into a six hour project. Everything else has to slide back. A project you thought you would get to today has to be pushed back to tomorrow. You get frustrated. Your mind doesn’t seem to focus on the task. You’re not getting anywhere.

You’ve been there, right? You know this feeling. It’s annoying. Your head is throbbing. Your coffee cup is empty. Your e-mail keeps piling up. How should you respond to having your plate too full?

One of the best things to do in this situation is to try to work on something else. Start another project. See if that gets any traction. Sometimes in the middle of this new task a neuron will suddenly fire and you’ll have all the puzzle pieces click into place on the other project. That happens so often to me.

Another idea is to take a break. Get up and go for a walk. Visit with a co-worker. Call your home and check in with your family. Grab an early lunch. Listen to a song on your playlist. Sit quietly for five minutes and pray about the situation. All of these idea will help bring you to ease.

Sometimes we never think of the obvious solution. Help comes when we ask for it. Maybe your visit with your coworker is to ask for advice. Or maybe you need to go to your boss and admit that you don’t have it altogether. That’s hard! Most of us wouldn’t want to go to our employer for help because then that makes us look like we are incapable. But they are in that role for a reason. He or she could be your biggest help to pull you through your plate too full situation.

Then there is the exact opposite problem. You find yourself in such a sweet rhythm that you knock all your projects out early. You don’t have anything on your plate. But you’re a productive person. So this frustrates you. You don’t want to let your time fritter away without having anything to show for it. How do you respond when your plate is not full enough?

Maybe you need to go back to a project you finished and see if you can improve it. Or try evaluating another project that you have already completed. Is it optimized? Are you satisfied with how that project turned out? If not, nows the time to put more time into that project.

2. Have a List of New Projects Ready

This requires forward thinking. Sometimes we think of ideas for great new projects, but then we never write them down. It may not be that you don’t have more work to do, you just haven’t figured out what that new work should be. If you regularly make a list of projects that you could do, then you’ll be ready to tackle those projects when your plate empties.

3. Look For Someone to Help

Surely someone around you is looking for help on one of their projects. Check in with everyone else around you to see if they need assistance. Regularly make it aware to those you work with that you are more than happy to help them. If people know that you are willing, they will be more likely to take you up on any offer you make to help.

What do you do when your plate isn’t full or is too full? What other tips would you add to this list?

Solomon’s Temple Replica, Legalism and Grace, Ann Coulter, Qaraqosh.

Billionaire Pastor in Brazil Unveils $300 Million Replica of Solomon’s Temple.

Last week, the billionaire founder and leader of the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God in Sao Paulo, Brazil, introduced his gigantic church building project to the world. Over the last four years, Edir Macedo has funded and overseen a grandiose replica of the Temple of Solomon, which stands nearly twice as high as the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro and takes up an entire city block.

The God I Don’t Understand: Reflections on Tough Questions of Faith by Christopher J H Wright $3.79

Joseph Bottum. An Anxious Age. Reviewed by Matt McCullough. (TGC)

Trillia Newbell. The Prodigal, the Legalist, and Grace for All. (True Woman)

A few years ago, a friend approached me about an observation she had about how I had acted. I was confused by her correction because it didn’t seem like I had actually sinned. Perhaps I was so unaware of my sinful behavior that it was what some consider a blind spot, so deeply rooted in me that I couldn’t see it?

Albert Mohler. Are Christian Missionaries Narcissistic Idiots? — A Response to Ann Coulter.

In an ominous development Wednesday night, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued its highest level alert for a response to the Ebola crisis in West Africa, even as reports came in indicating that the crisis may now not be limited to West Africa. Centers for Disease Control Chief Tom Frieden posted on Twitter: “Ops Center moved to Level 1 response given the extension to Nigeria & the potential to affect many lives.”

Kate Tracy. Islamic State Seizes Iraq’s Christian Capital: Qaraqosh.

Islamic State militants seized control of the “Christian capital of Iraq,” Qaraqosh, and nearby Christian villages last night. The land grab sent has sent an estimated one-fourth of Iraq’s remaining Christians fleeing .

“An exodus, a real via crucis … [Christians] are walking on foot in Iraq’s searing summer heat towards [salvation in] the Kurdish cities of Erbil, Duhok and Soulaymiyia, the sick, the elderly, infants and pregnant women among them,” a regional Christian leader told AsiaNews. “They are facing a humanitarian catastrophe and a real risk of genocide. They need food, water and shelter.”

John 15:17 “These things I command you, so that you will love one another.”

“We are as we love, not as we know.” Richard Sibbes

Three August Chicago Church Conference Events

Later this month there are three low barrier to entry Chicago church conferences that you should put on your calendar, especially if you live within reach of the city.

plantMIDWEST The Gospel and Sexuality MONDAY AUGUST 25

plantMIDWEST is a quarterly gathering of pastors for the sake of fellowship, prayer, and mutual encouragement. These events are geared for church planters to connect with one another but any established church will enjoy these one day conferences.

This is a FREE event and includes lunch !

Where: Missio Dei in Wrigleyville

Speaker: Christopher Yuan

Christopher graduated from Moody Bible Institute in 2005 and Wheaton College Graduate School in 2007 with a Masters of Arts in Biblical Exegesis and is currently pursuing a doctorate of ministry at Bethel Seminary. He now teaches at Moody while continuing his speaking ministry which has reached four continents around the world.

Christopher has spoken at both Saddleback Church and Willow Creek Community Church and at many conferences including InterVarsity’s Ubrana and the Moody Pastors’ Conference and Men’s Conference.

He is featured in the award winning documentary “HOPE: Positive: Surviving the Sentence of AIDS,” and has co-authored with his mother, Out of a Far Country: A Gay Son’s Journey to God, A Broken Mother’s Search for Hope (WaterBrook Multnomah a Division of Random House).

Old Debate, New Day: Calvinism WEDNESDAY AUGUST 27

The authors of PROOF, Daniel Montgomery and Timothy Paul Jones will be debating the authors of Young Restless and No Longer Reformed, Austin Fischer and Brian Zahnd. Mark Galli of Christianity Today will be moderating.

This is another FREE event!

Chicago Microconference THURSDAY AUGUST 28

This event is put together by the ACTS 29 Network and the Sojourn Network for pastors and planters.

It’s a day-long event featuring talks by Daniel Montgomery (Lead Pastor, Sojourn Community Church), Brad House (Executive Pastor of Ministries, Sojourn Community Church), and Robert Cheong (Pastor of Care & Counseling, Sojourn Community Church).

Registration is FREE for Sojourn Network member churches and $30 for the public .

Act Like Men, Motherhood of God?, Myths About Puritans, Reasons For No Rapture.

Ed Stetzer. Act Like Men: What It Means to Fight Like a Man. (CT)

One of the reasons many churches struggle is they’re not a friendly place for men.

Think about the worship service at your church. More than likely, there’s a lot of talk about loving each other, but not much about fighting against sin or fighting for each other. There’s holding hands when we sing, but not much locking arms as we get marching orders for the mission.

Yes, I’m stereotyping. But, that’s what I often hear from many critics of churches. Regardless of its universal application, men need to be challenged to act like men—that’s what the Bible does. We need to live out our callings as men, to be and do what God has called us to be and do.

The Gospel at Work by Traeger and Gilbert $2.99

David Helm. Expositional Preaching. Reviewed by Dave Jenkins.

Jared Wilson. Might As Well Call Jesus the “Daughter of God”. (TGC)

Okay, so the biggest problem with the quasi-evangelicals justifying their referring to God as “Mother” is not necessarily their feminist ideology or their misapplying actual biblical metaphors (like Matthew 23:37 , for instance). Those are serious problems of course, but the real trouble lies in the very area in which they claim continuity with orthodoxy — discipleship to Christ .

Coleman Ford. 5 Myths You Still Might Believe about the Puritans. (Christianity.com)

Maybe it’s the smug servant Malvolio in Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night . Perhaps it’s the extremely suspicious Boston community in Nathanial Hawthrone’s The Scarlett Letter . Or it could be the more recent TV drama named for the location of the infamous Salem witch trials of early colonial America. High school history books continue to tell tales of America’s Pharisaic progenitors and their overly concerned moralism with attempts to establish God’s pure “city on a hill.” Many of us have grown up with an understanding of Puritans as those gloomy religious folk who found joy in making sure others had none. The tale of spoilsport Puritans continues to be told, and it couldn’t be further from the truth. Here are 5 myths about Puritans which you may still believe.

Justin Taylor. 9 Reasons We Can Be Confident Christians Won’t Be Raptured Before the Tribulation.

With the new Left Behind movie trailer now online (starring Nicholas Cage), this might be a helpful time to explain why many of us do not believe the idea of Christians be “raptured” to heaven while others are “left behind” is a biblical teaching.

Here is a summary of the arguments from John Piper…

1 John 4:21 “And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother.”

“Love should be the silver thread that runs through all your conduct.” J C Ryle

Five Books on Doctrine of Scripture

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

1. Taking God At His Word by Kevin DeYoung

2. Understanding Scripture edited by Grudem, Collins, and Schreiner

3. Canon Revisited by Michael Kruger

4. The Bible and the Closet by Watson and Lee

5. Holy Scripture (Current Issues in Theology, 1) by John Webster

Gungor, Sexual Purity, Hospital Visitation, Pastoral Vulnerability.

Derek Rishmawy. Should Evangelicals Care About Gungor’s Doubts? (CaPC)

Evangelical leaders, especially pastors, need to be wise in their response to reports of doubts and skepticism by public evangelical figures. The Church ought to have a safe space in its pews for those who question, even if we have different standards for those in the pulpit — or those who play the organ.

What’s Best Next: How the Gospel Transforms the Way You Get Things Done by Matt Perman $3.79

Daniel Montgomery and Timothy Paul Jones. PROOF: Finding Freedom through the Intoxication Joy of Irresistible Grace. Reviewed by Aaron Armstrong.

Garrett Kell. Should I Tell My Spouse About Struggles with Sexual Purity? (9Marks)

Daniel leaned back with no interest in the meal before him. He’d looked at racy pictures again and the weight of conviction was inescapable. He had confessed his sin to God and to me, but should he confess it to her?

What would you tell Daniel?

David Murray. Tips for Hospital Visitation.

Recently I was re-reading Brian Croft’s great little book, Visit the Sick: Ministering God’s Grace in Times of Illness , and thought I’d put together a few of his tips with some of my own gathered over 20 years of hospital visitation with the hope that it might encourage more of this ministry among Christians. Remember this is not something just for pastors and it also enters into our assessment at the final judgment: “I was sick and you visited me” (Matt. 25:36).

Ryan Huguley. 3 Reasons Pastors Need to Be Vulnerable (and 3 Cautions). (Christianity.com)

Many pastors, this one included, have a hard time opening up and being vulnerable with those around them. The lethal cocktail of pride and insecurity, combined with the belief that people need us to be an ever-stable, always-faithful, never-failing rock, causes some pastors to suffer in silence, struggle in secret, and suffocate in isolation. This sad tendency is destructive for the church, but deadly for the pastor.

I hear a lot about growing our churches, preaching, and leadership, but little about the need for pastors to grow in their vulnerability. This is a problem. If you’re a pastor, I want to share three reasons I think you and I need to strive for healthy vulnerability with those in our lives.

Hebrews 13:1 “Let brotherly love continue.”

“Brotherly love is the badge of Christ’s disciples.” Matthew Henry

4 Reasons to Hate Sin (ChristianityDOTcom Guest Post)

Should we hate sin? Absolutely! Psalm 97:10 makes this plain: “O you who love the Lord, hate evil!” That’s simple enough. Right? But why should we hate sin?

This first reason to hate sin takes supreme precedence. God’s salvation narrative more than anything is about his glory. He is a glory hound who does not share with anyone or anything. His collective attributes give us confidence that His glory is for our good. He’s righteous, so seeking glory is His righteous pursuit. He’s holy, so seeking glory is His holy pursuit. He’s beautiful, so seeking glory is His beautiful pursuit. We must trust this because, well, He’s trustworthy!

This being the case, then our aim is to maximize God’s glory. The sinfulness of sin by design is a barrier to it, one that ultimately is overcome at the cross of Christ. Yet, until He returns and puts sin to death, we await and minimize sin’s work to foil God’s glory. We do this by seeking His glory and running from sin. The supremacy of God’s glory should evoke us to loathe sin.

Shopping for Soul, Lust Myths, Warnings About Social Media, Distractions.

Jennifer Ditlevson Haglund. Shopping for Soul. (CaPC)

We didn’t go out to eat much when I was a kid. Sometime during my family’s life in Oklahoma City, my older siblings so upset my parents by dropping the “f” bomb in a burger joint called Big Ed’s that they swore they’d never take us out again.

For several years thereafter, we looked forward to running regular errands together because we knew we weren’t going anywhere else for entertainment. We clung to the promise of adventure, never faltering in our hope of potentially shopping just long enough that we might get to pet a lobster, or that the bakery might give out some stale cookies. At minimum, we were able to tear down the aisles, ripping in-store coupons from the automatic dispensers while my parents sipped samples of Eight O’Clock Coffee and chatted with neighbors. When there was so much to get into while shopping, there was little need for pricey visits to amusement parks or summer pool passes.

Can I really trust the Bible? by Barry Cooper $5.99

Jared Wilson. The Wonder-Working God. Reviewed by Dave Jenkins. (Servants of Grace)

Jared Moore. 10 Myths About Lust. (CBMW)

If you embrace these 10 myths about lust, then you will find no remedy for your lust. Instead, you will dive into a “black hole” of sin. Embrace Truth; reject these 10 myths…

Thom Rainer. Seven Warnings for Church Leaders Who Use Social Media.

If you are a church and/or Christian leader on social media, please heed the following warnings. This information is pertinent whether you are paid or volunteer, serving in a church or some other Christian organization.

Those of you who read my blog or listen to my podcasts know I am a strong proponent of Christian leaders utilizing social media. I have seen so many good things take place on the various platforms available. I have seen the gospel clearly shared and embraced on social media.

But social media is a two-edged sword. It can be used for good or great harm. And it can harm the ministries of those in Christian leadership. So, whether your platform is a blog, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn, Google Plus, or many others, please note these seven warnings. Indeed, it is my prayer that you will heed these seven warnings.

Tim Challies. Look a Distraction.

We are distracted. We are so distracted, and so accustomed to it, that after a while we almost become distraction. We lose the ability to be still. We fear the quiet. We are intimidated by the moments where there is nothing to look at, nothing to do.

Romans 12:10 “Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing love.”

“Whatever is devoid of love is of no account in the sight of God.” John Calvin

C F D Moule on Christ and the Temple

In C F D Moule’s pivotal work, The Origin of Christology , he writes this concerning Christ and the Temple:

One might expect that, in addition to the analogy of the body, the figure of the temple would be relevant to the conception of Christ as the locus of Christian experience and the sphere in which Christian life lived…All in all, whatever we make of the details of this stately cumulus of allusive phrases, it emerges that Christ is not himself identified with the temple, as he is (at least on occasion) identified with the ‘body’. He is the foundation, he is the most vital element in the coherence of the structure, and he is also that in which the whole structure coheres – he is the locus , so to speak, of this lesser locus . But he is not himself it. (89, 92)

Visit the Sick by Brian Croft

Brian Croft. Visit the Sick: Ministering God’s Grace in Times of Illness . Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2014. 94 pp. $12.99.

In an essay on “Sickness” J. C. Ryle wrote: “The prevalence of sickness calls us to always be ready to feel with and help our fellow human beings” ( Visit the Sick , 86). Yet, few are prepared to visit the sick and do it well. Is this you? Because it certainly is me!

Brian Croft, senior pastor of Auburndale Baptist Church and founder of Practical Shepherding, offers to help with Visit the Sick , a newly revised and updated book from Zondervan’s Practical Shepherding imprint.

Visit the Sick begins with a biblical theology in chapter one. This chapter starts at creation and goes to new creation. It surveys care of the sick in the life of Israel, Christ, and the Church before proceeding to a forward look to the new creation.

Chapter two provides a step-by-step theologically precise procedure for each visit, which includes these four steps: ask leading question, reading Scripture, pray the Gospel, and trust God’s sovereign plan.

Chapters three and four include sensible tips. Tips like being mindful of time, leaving notes, making eye contact, and giving affirming touch are included in these chapters. The finer points of these tips are better fleshed out upon reading these chapters.

Chapter five closes Visit the Sick by encouraging pastors to inspire whole congregations to participate in visitation. Croft includes five ways for pastors to stimulate God’s people to love the afflicted and dying within the church.

It would be an injustice to overlook Croft’s brief but piercing biblical theology in chapter one. This chapter is not some biblical footnote or an appetizer to the main course of graceful visitations. This biblical theology is the main course that drives the premise of Visit the Sick . We should especially heed this observation from chapter one. “We must not miss the call that Jesus gives to his followers to care for those who are afflicted” (23-24). Croft goes on to point readers to the discourse in Matthew 25 on caring for other’s in Jesus name. He’s right. We mustn’t miss but rather mimic Jesus’s tenderness towards the afflicted.

I unashamedly admitted above that I feel ill prepared for visiting the sick. One of my favorite features of this book is how Croft comforts us about the uncomfortable nature of this task. He prepares us to respond to the many unknowns. How do we interact with family? What if the patient doesn’t know the Lord? What if the patient has a health issue while you’re visiting? Suppose you visit and the patient is not accessible? Visit the Sick addresses delicate scenarios in an accommodating fashion.

Visit the Sick not only prepares us for delicate scenarios, it centers on the most important one – preparing others for life after death. Croft’s pensive section on praying the gospel with patients is powerful. Listen to this exhortation: “We should never leave a hospital room, nursing home, rehabilitation center, or home of a sick person (or healthy person, for that matter) without praying the hope of God in Christ” (34). We should mind this urgent call.

The instructive appendices are also a major benefit of Visit the Sick . There you’ll find a checklist for your visit, a couple demonstrations for turning a conversation to spiritual matters, some frequently asked questions about visiting the sick, and J. C. Ryle’s abridged essay, “Sickness.” Don’t just close the book after finishing chapter five. You’ll want to closely visit the appendices for sure.

Honestly, I’m not aware of another resource that so thoroughly covers the subject of visitation quite as well as Croft does in Visit the Sick . This book should be given to every young pastor and seasoned veterans will find Visit the Sick recharging as well.

Croft’s treatment in Visit the Sick is a well-mixed cordial of practical pastoral advice and theologically rich instruction.

Gungor, Van Gogh, Fearing God, Iraqi Christian Purge.

Jeff Koch. Gungor Drifts from Biblical Orthodoxy. (WORLD)

Dove-award winning artists Michael and Lisa Gungor—whose “Dry Bones” and “Beautiful Things” became worship anthems across the country—are known for creating a supple pop-eclecticism that transcends traditional genre limitations while maintaining Christian themes. But their latest work reveals a band transcending not just musical genres but religious ones—wandering away from a biblically defined Christianity to a land twixt and tween.

The Heresy of Orthodoxy by Andreas Kostenberher and Michael Kruger

Joel Beeke and Paul Smalley. Prepared By Grace, For Grace. Reviewed by Kevin Wilkening.

Tony Reinke. The Van Gogh That Breaks My Heart. (DG)

Vincent van Gogh aspired to become a Calvinist pastor, like his dad.

He pursued ministry in the Dutch Reformed Church until he hit a roadblock by failing his academic training, and then experienced what personal failure often breeds: disillusionment. He became disenchanted with pastoral ministry and then left the church for good in 1880 at the age of 27. From that point on van Gogh redirected all his ambitions to art.

R C Sproul. What Does It Mean to Fear God? (Ligonier)

We need to make some important distinctions about the biblical meaning of “fearing” God. These distinctions can be helpful, but they can also be a little dangerous. When Luther struggled with that, he made this distinction, which has since become somewhat famous: He distinguished between what he called a servile fear and a filial fear.

Robert Nicholson. Seven (Lame) Excuses Why Christians in the West Neglect Our Brothers in the East. (Canon and Culture)

What did you do on Saturday, July 19th? Catch a movie? Visit the beach? Host a barbecue?

Whatever you did, half a world away beneath that same summer sun thousands of Iraqi Christians were being purged from the city of Mosul and told never to return on pain of death. Carrying only the clothes on their backs, they fled from homes in which they and their families had dwelt since the times of the apostles.

Philippians 4:19 “And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”

“A giving savior should have giving disciples.” J C Ryle

Testing for Water Soluble Theology

One of the greatest technological conveniences of the past decade is water soluble technology. Like sliced bread it has brought a modern convenience to the home. At first glance, you might wonder, “What is water soluble technology?” It’s those pucks you love using with your dishwasher. You pop them in mess free, and they produce shiny clean dishes. How does it work? The combination of heat and water dissolve the plastic film to distribute all of the pelts. Without the heat and water the plastic holds everything together, but once the right forces press upon this plastic shell everything comes apart.

Water soluble technology is a modern convenience. Water soluble theology is a post-modern mess. What’s water soluble theology? It’s the kind of theology that does not hold up under the fire and water of God’s revelation.

Here’s what water soluble theology sounds like:

“Well, my pastor said this…”

“You know, I’ve always thought this…”

“You know, I love what [insert celebrity pastor here] says about this…”

“Well, you know so and so was my professor and he said…”

Now, don’t get me wrong. We all say this stuff. And these sources are not altogether unreliable. I love to quote others. I share quotes from others all the time through social media and in other writings. I also have a profound trust and respect for many of today’s authors, pastors, and scholarly researchers. So, don’t hear me say that we shouldn’t ever appeal to these sources, because you’ll be able to string me up as one of the first martyrs.

Many of these sources are great to go to in order to corroborate Scripture, but they are no substitute for Scripture. They aren’t authoritative in them self, regardless of how influential the person is. Paul never spoke on his authority, he spoke based on the authority of Christ, the Word of God. If he can’t do it, no one can.

No doubt, you agree, but do you really? Is that how you practically outwork your theology? When you make a statement is it based on what Scripture said? Is that your first appeal? Or is it built off someone else’s water soluble theology that you have just adopted for convenience and mess free living?

What I am saying is that we have to be careful not to let our theology be completely held together by these sources. Because if we do, we’ll discover that our theology is water soluble. It will dissolve and make a mess. Instead of cleaning dishes it’ll make a mess of people’s hearts. Why is that? Because the content of a water soluble theology is not only held together by thin filmy plastic, but the contents is usually muck rather than detergent. Muck that messes up not just minds but hearts too, because any poor theology fleshed out becomes foolish living.

Here are two tests for water soluble theology:

1. Does it measure up against Scripture?

On the doorway of one of my professor’s office in seminary was a plain typeset sign with two words on it: “Ad fontes.” This means “back to the sources.”

This professor meant for us to not just look at today’s commentaries, but to do text work. He wanted us to pick up the primary text and dig deep into exegesis, bringing out the original meaning of the Scripture.

This is exactly what we must do to test every doctrine for water solubility. Every bit of theology needs to stand up against the test of Scripture. What does the Scripture say about what so and so said? Do the Scriptures validate this proposition? If not, then it is water soluble, and there is a lot of that out there. It sounds good, but it has a filmy coat that melts away when we put it up against the heat of the Word of God.

This means that we’re not just isolating a passage from the rest of Scripture but that we are developing a robust canonical understanding of that doctrine. We are looking at that doctrine in the context of all Scripture, seeking solidarity.

As we do this we are, in the words of Jude, “contending for the faith” ( Jude 3 ). We allow the Word of God to function as that two-edged sword from Hebrews 4:12 . It discerns the thoughts and intentions of hearts. And that’s crucial!

People always use doctrine to justify some kind of living. People say what they say in order to live how they want to live. Here’s the question: Are we living in submission to the Word of God or to liberate our desires? This is why the Scripture must be the primary test. The Scripture functions as a source to equip us for complete Godliness and good works ( 2 Tim. 3:16-17 ).

2. What has the tradition of the Church said?

Before we even get going on this test, know that this test submits every time to the first test. Always test your doctrine against Scripture first. Then you may go to this test for confirmation and corroboration. But a theology built primarily on tradition is nothing more than another form of water soluble theology. Don’t be confused by what I’m saying here.

I am opening a can of worms, but it is a worthwhile can that can be used as good bait to catch and remove bad theology from the Church’s pond. Some of you will not like that because the Church has disagreed on much, particularly in the last half a Millennia. But we can still look at many doctrines and in a charitable spirit ask, what has the Church believed everywhere, always, and by all? This concept is nothing more than the Vincentian Canon presented by St. Vincent of Lerins in 434 A.D..

Vincent said in chapter two of the Commonitory:

Moreover, in the Catholic Church itself, all possible care must be taken, that we hold that faith which has been believed everywhere, always, by all. For that is truly and in the strictest sense “Catholic,” which, as the name itself and the reason of the thing declare, comprehends all universally. This rule we shall observe if we follow universality, antiquity, consent. We shall follow universality if we confess that one faith to be true, which the whole Church throughout the world confesses; antiquity, if we in no wise depart from those interpretations which it is manifest were notoriously held by our holy ancestors and fathers; consent, in like manner, if in antiquity itself we adhere to the consentient definitions and determinations of all, or at the least of almost all priests and doctors.

This is a noble concept worthy of pursuing in a humble spirit. It’s also a lofty objective. Nonetheless, it is a worthwhile endeavor.

Minimally speaking, you have your tradition in which you doctrinally submit, if, indeed, you are in a denomination and are under submission to some form of creed and confession. If you are not, well, I suggest that you might just be at greater risk of water soluble theology than others.

Be weary of this. When your pastor or church leadership is autonomously in control of doctrine, you will always be more vulnerable to being blown by the winds of all sorts of dangerous doctrine. You run the risk of having a flimsy film over your doctrine that could melt away at any moment.

So be familiar with Church History; embrace creeds and confessions. Look to solidarity that submits to the primary and ultimate authority of Scripture, which the reformers called “norman normans non normata” or “the rule that rules and cannot be ruled.”

Childcare Debate, Ebola, Blowing Theological Conversations, Salvation About God, Preaching Ecclesiastes.

Jeffrey Collins. Mom Faces Felony Charge for Letting Girl Play in Park. (ABCnews)

Plenty of working parents can relate to the dilemma Debra Harrell faced when her 9-year-old daughter asked to play unsupervised in a park this summer. How do you find the time and money for child care when school is out?

Harrell’s answer to that question got her arrested. She spent 17 days in jail, temporarily lost custody of her girl, thought she lost her job, and still faces 10 years in prison if convicted of felony child neglect.

The decision of this 46-year-old single mother and McDonald’s shift manager has been picked apart since police were called when Regina was spotted alone in the park.

Jesus, the Only Way to God: Must You Hear the Gospel to be Saved? by John Piper $0.99 .

Barnabas Piper. The Pastor’s Kid. Reviewed by Samuel James.

Robert Cutillo. Stay or Go When Ebola Breaks Out? (TGC)

Kent Brantly is a 33-year-old family doctor from Texas who is also a husband and father of two young children. Last year, he chose with his wife to go to Liberia as a medical missionary. He currently struggles for his very life, having been infected with Ebola, a disease with a high mortality rate and no cure. He contracted it while serving the needs of patients who had fallen ill with the same virus. So fast is the course of this disease that his recovery or death may be known before this article can be read.

C Michael Patton. How to Blow Any Theological Conversation? 1 Easy Mistake.

As I’ve been reviewing books and blogs over the years, my attitude has changed. This was not an overnight change. I began to see people with integrity. I began to see intellectual honesty. I saw humility and a true desire to engage the issues. I saw people who were seeking truth more than they were seeking to justify their emotional prejudice. These people talked different than others. They handled others differently. Their swing, swagger, and argumentative gait was so cool and compelling .

Jared Wilson. How Salvation is Ultimately About God.

Salvation is for us , of course — God doesn’t need it — but it’s not mainly about us. It is mainly about God. How so?

Philip Nation. Preaching on Ecclesiastes.

On Sunday at The Fellowship , we will begin a new sermon series on Ecclesiastes. We are using “If Only…” as the title of the series. It is a fascinating process to study any book of the Bible and the Wisdom Literature holds its own unique characteristics. Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Songs are not like preaching from the teaching of the New Testament epistles of the Old Testament historical books. Instead, they are poetical, meandering, and mysterious. Here are a few things I’m keeping in mind as I study for preaching on Ecclesiastes.

Ephesians 4:30 “And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.”

“The gift of the Spirit was a fruit of the resurrection of Christ.” John Calvin