The power that frees us from holding grudges

Satan aims to make the cross of Christ look weak and foolish. Notice Ephesians 4:32–5:2. “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. Therefore be imitators of God as beloved children. And walk in love as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us.” The power that frees us from holding grudges is that in the cross of Christ God satisfied his grudge against us and dropped it. So Paul says, forgive as God in Christ forgave you. When we hold a grudge, we cancel out the cross. We act as though God did a foolish thing on the cross, since he dropped his infinite grudge against us, but we are going to hold on to our little grudge against so and so. And thus Satan brings the cross of Christ into contempt.

(The quote above is from a Dec. 16, 1984, sermon titled "Satan Seeks a Gap Called Grudge" by John Piper. © Desiring God. Website: desiringGod.org)

God Enjoyed

Here's a prayer titled "God Enjoyed" from "Valley of Vision: A collection of Puritan Prayers & Devotions" edited by Arthur Bennett (pages 18-19):

THOU INCOMPREHENSIBLE
BUT PRAYER-HEARING GOD,

Known, but beyond knowledge,
revealed, but unrevealed,
my wants and welfare draw me to thee,
for thou hast never said, 'Seek ye me in vain'.

To thee I come in my difficulties, necessities,
distresses;
possess me with thyself,
with a spirit of grace and supplication,
with a prayerful attitude of mind,
with access into warmth of fellowship,
so that in the ordinary concerns of life
my thoughts and desires may rise to thee,
and in habitual devotion I may find a resource
that will soothe my sorrows,
sanctify my successes,
and qualify me in all ways for dealings
with my fellow men.

I bless thee that thou has made me capable
of knowing thee, the author of all being,
of resembling thee, the perfection of all excellency,
of enjoying thee, the source of all happiness.

O God, attend me in every part of my arduous
and trying pilgrimage;
I need the same counsel, defence, comfort
I found at my beginning.

Let my religion be more obvious to my conscience,
more perceptible to those around.
While Jesus is representing me in heaven,
may I reflect him on earth,
While he pleads my cause, may I show forth
his praise.

Continue the gentleness of thy goodness
towards me,
And whether I wake or sleep, let thy presence
go with me,
thy blessing attend me.

Thou hast led me on and I have found thy
promises true,
I have been sorrowful, but thou hast been my help,
fearful, but thou hast delivered me,
despairing, but thou hast lifted me up.

Thy vows are ever upon me,
And I praise thee, O God.

3 aspects of true faith: notitia, assensus, and fiducia

Michael Patton discusses "three separate yet vitally connected aspects" of saving faith (notitia, assensus, and fiducia) in a recent post at the Parchment and Pen Blog.


Patton has and continues to do all the world, and especially the Church, a great service through Reclaiming the Mind Ministries. If you haven't checked out The Theology Program, I highly encourage you to do so.

Seeking the glory of God and seeking the salvation of the lost are not two distinct goals

I don’t want us to make the mistake ... of separating the desire for people’s salvation and the desire that God be glorified. Think for a moment: What happens when a person who is lost becomes saved? Objectively, they pass from death to eternal life, from condemnation to justification, from alienation to reconciliation with God. Subjectively, they cease to rely on themselves or good works or idols and rely on God’s mercy. They cease to glory in themselves and begin to glory in the cross of Christ and the grace of God. When salvation comes to the lost a new heart is given which glorifies God by trusting in him and enjoying him and obeying him. Do you see what this means? Seeking the glory of God and seeking the salvation of the lost are not two distinct goals. The salvation of the lost is the new creation of persons who glorify God for his mercy. If you love people, you will want for them more than anything else the maximum eternal joy of knowing God as Savior in Jesus Christ. And if you love God, you will want nothing more than that his glory be known and enjoyed and magnified by the salvation of as many people as possible. It is the genius and beauty and wonder of God’s redemption that the pursuit of the lost and the pursuit of God’s glory are one pursuit.

(The quote above is from a Jan. 22, 1984, sermon titled "Tell How Much the Lord Has Done for You!" by John Piper. © Desiring God. Website: desiringGod.org)

Summarizing a sermon in one sentence

“I have a conviction that no sermon is ready for preaching, not ready for writing out, until we can express its theme in a short, pregnant sentence as clear as a crystal. I find the getting of that sentence is the hardest, the most exacting, and the most fruitful labour in my study. To compel oneself to fashion that sentence, to dismiss every word that is vague, ragged, ambiguous, to think oneself through to a form of words which defines the theme with scrupulous exactness—this is surely one of the most vital and essential factors in the making of a sermon: and I do not think any sermon ought to be preached or even written, until that sentence has emerged, clear and lucid as a cloudless moon.” — J. H. Jowett, The Preacher: His Life and Work (Harper & Bros, 1912), p. 133.

(HT: Miscellanies)

Tribute to Ralph Winter

Ralph D. Winter died on May 20, 2009. Here is a 16-minute video from the U.S. Center for World Mission telling the story of his life and ministry.

Also see "John Piper’s Personal Tribute to the Late Ralph Winter."

(HT: Desiring God Blog)

A Monergism Books Reader's Guide for the Christian Life

"A Monergism Books Reader's Guide for the Christian Life" is now available in HTML, making it simple to review and purchase each book at the Monergism Books Web site.

Do you have any of the books listed on the Reader's Guide?

My three daughters (ages 17, 15 and 12) chose to read the following books this summer, a few of which aren't on the Reader's Guide:

• Basic Christianity by John Stott
• Bible Overview by Steve Levy
• Christian Beliefs by Wayne Grudem
• God's Big Picture by Vaughan Roberts
• Truth for All Time by John Calvin
• Just Do Something by Kevin DeYoung
• Do Hard Things by Alex and Brett Harris (not on the Reader's Guide)
• Don't Waste Your Life by John Piper (not on the Reader's Guide)
• Five Things Every Christian Needs to Grow by R.C. Sproul (not on the Reader's Guide)

What books do I plan to read this summer?

• A Gospel Primer for Christians by Milton Vincent (not on the Reader's Guide)
• Difficult Doctrine of the Love of God by D. A. Carson
• Finally Alive by John Piper
• From Age to Age: The Unfolding of Biblical Eschatology by Keith Mathison (not on the Reader's Guide)
• Gilead by Marilynne Robinson (not on the Reader's Guide)
• Jesus Storybook Bible by Sally Lloyd-Jones (with my first son)
• Reason for God by Tim Keller
• This Momentary Marriage by John Piper (with my wife) (not on the Reader's Guide)

Note: We should never fall in love with our plans -- even reading plans -- but hopefully trust God as he unfolds his plan.

The danger of false assurances

Galatians is God’s reminder ... that we are in constant danger of false assurances. Satan is continuously at work tempting us to think and feel that because we use God-talk, and come to church, and pray at meal times, and avoid gross sins, we are, therefore, under God’s blessing. But the book of Galatians concerns a group of people (called Judaizers) who do all those things and are under God’s curse. None of us should sit easily under the scrutiny of this book. Divine blessing and divine curse are the issue. And the continental divide between the two is not between church people and non-church people, nor is it between those who call Jesus “Lord” and those who don’t. It is between those, on the one hand, who have been crucified with Christ and now in poverty live in continuing reliance on the living Christ, and those, on the other hand, who have never really died to self-reliance and whose religious activity, though “moral” and intense, is all an exercise in self-reformation. The one group glories only in the cross of Christ by which they died to all but God. But the other group extols the powers and potentials of the self and diminishes the grace of God (2:21) and the cross of Christ (5:11). The one group of church members enjoys the blessing of God promised to Abraham and his descendants; the other group of church members is under a divine curse.

(The quote above is from a April 10, 1983, sermon titled "Christ Redeemed Us from the Curse of the Law" by John Piper. © Desiring God. Website: desiringGod.org)

Basic Christian Doctrine

Faith Bible Church in Springfield, Illinois, has several resources available at its Web site worth reviewing. Of special note is the page titled "Basic Christian Doctrine." Curt Daniel is the pastor at FBC.

(HT: Between Two Worlds)

Attitude

"The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life.

"Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company… a church … a home.

"The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past … we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude … I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it.

"And so it is with you… we are in charge of our attitudes.”

-Chuck Swindoll

(HT: Parchment and Pen)

Divine Mercies

Here's a prayer titled "Divine Mercies" from "Valley of Vision: A collection of Puritan Prayers & Devotions" edited by Arthur Bennett (pages 16-17):

THOU ETERNAL GOD,

Thine is surpassing greatness, unspeakable
goodness, super-abundant grace;
I can as soon count the sands of ocean's 'lip'
as number thy favours towards me;
I know but a part, but that part exceeds all praise.

I thank thee for personal mercies,
a measure of health, preservation of body,
comforts of house and home, sufficiency of good
and clothing,
continuance of mental powers,
my family, their mutual help and support,
the delights of domestic harmony and peace,
the seats now filled that might have been vacant,
my country, church, Bible, faith.

But, O, how I mourn my sin, ingratitude, vileness,
the days that add to my guilt,
the scenes that witness my offending tongue;

All things in heaven, earth, around, within, without,
condemn me --
the sun which sees my misdeeds,
the darkness which is light to thee,
the cruel accuser who justly charges me,
the good angels who have been provoked to leave
me,
thy countenance which scans my secret sins,
thy righteous law, thy holy Word,
my sin-soiled conscience, my private and
public life,
my neighbours, myself --
all write dark things against me.

I deny them not, frame no excuse, but confess,
'Father, I have sinned';
Yet still I live, and fly repenting to thy outstretched
arms;
thou wilt not cast me off, for Jesus brings me near,
thou wilt not condemn me, for he died in
my stead,
thou wilt not mark my mountains of sin,
for he levelled all,
and his beauty covers my deformities.

O my God, I bid farewell to sin by clinging
to his cross,
hiding in his wounds, and sheltering in his side.

The truth about 'Angels and Demons'

Westminster Theological Seminary sponsored The Truth About Angels and Demons Web site in response to the movie "Angels and Demons," which is based on Dan Brown's popular novel.

The Web site looks like a good place to point people to who have questions about issues brought up in Brown's novels.

Here's a disclaimer for the DaVinci Code and Angels & Demons Web sites:

Westminster Theological Seminary's web site, TheTruthAboutAngelsAndDemons.com joins Westminster’s already well recognized web site TheTruthAboutDaVinci.com. Both seek to present a balanced assessment of Dan Brown’s narratives, the historical data, and the philosophy set forth in his best-selling novels and movies. These are not “boycott” sites, which tell people to avoid the movies or books, or "rebuttal" sites whose only purpose is to oppose fact with fact. Our aim is to follow the injunction of the apostle Peter, who instructed the church to be prepared to "make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you... yet with gentleness and respect" (1 Peter 3:15-16).

While appreciating Brown’s engaging narratives, and recognizing any author's right to present a good yarn, we are concerned because the mix of fact and fiction in his books and films are leading many readers to question the Bible's message and its impact on history. Using the best resources we can find, both human and written, we want to set the record straight and commend the historic Christian faith to the sincere inquirer.

Every resource we draw from, including news stories and articles, has merits we deem worthy of inclusion on our sites and in our materials. They include Westminster's own faculty, who bring the Reformed theological perspective of the Seminary to bear upon the issues raised in Angels and Demons and in the Da Vinci Code. They also include persons and resources from outside our immediate community who may not agree with all aspects of our Reformed position, but whose integrity and wisdom eminently qualify them to contribute to this project, and contribute to healthy dialogue.

So Westminster Theological Seminary is pleased to welcome you to our discussions of and engagement with these fascinating and important issues. Thanks for visiting. If you would like to know more about Westminster, please visit our web site at http://www.wts.edu/.

Sincerely,
Dr. Peter A. Lillback, President

(HT: Desiring God Blog)

What is the wisdom of the world?

I suggest this definition of the “wisdom of the world”: it is the use of the human mind to achieve and maintain a ground for boasting before God and man. Now it begins to become really clear why merely human wisdom regards the cross of Christ as foolishness. The death of Christ on the cross is such a radical indictment of the hideousness of our sinfulness that human wisdom has to mount all its biggest guns to destroy the cross, lest it lose its ground for boasting.

(The quote above is from a July 13, 1980, sermon titled "The Wisdom of Men and the Power of God" by John Piper. © Desiring God. Website: desiringGod.org)

The Divine Will

Here's a prayer titled "The Divine Will" from "Valley of Vision: A collection of Puritan Prayers & Devotions" edited by Arthur Bennett (pages 14-15):

O LORD,

I hang on thee; I see, believe, live,
when thy will, not mine, is done;
I can plead nothing in myself
in regard to any worthiness and grace,
in regard of thy providence and promises,
but only thy good pleasure.

If thy mercy make me poor and vile, blessed be thou!
Prayers arising from my needs are preparations for
future mercies;
Help me to honour thee by believing before I feel,
for great is the sin if I make feeling a
cause of faith.

Show me what sins hide thee from me
and eclipse thy love;
Help me to humble myself for past evils,
to be resolved to walk with more care,
For if I do not walk holily before thee,
how can I be assured of my salvation?

It is the meek and humble who are shown
thy covenant,
know thy will, are pardoned and healed,
who by faith depend and rest upon grace,
who are sanctified and quickened,
who evidence thy love.

Help me to pray in faith and so find thy will,
by leaning hard on thy rich free mercy,
by believing thou wilt give what thou hast
promised;
Strengthen me to pray until prayer be granted;

Teach me to believe that all degrees of mercy arise
from several degrees of prayer,
that when faith is begun it is imperfect and
must grow,
as chapped ground opens wider and wider
until rain comes.

So shall I wait thy will, pray for it to be done,
and by thy grace become fully obedient.

Rachel Barkley's book list

Rachel Barkley's book list:

“After the Bible, these books have had the most influence on my spiritual development. At various points in my life, each was the ‘right book at the right time’ and I have read many several times over. I list them for you in the hope that God might use the wisdom contained in them to draw you closer to Him, as He has done with me.”

Christian Living and Theology

• The Cross Centered Life: Keeping the Gospel The Main Thing - C.J. Mahaney
• The Discipline of Grace: God’s Role and Our Role in the Pursuit of Holiness - Gerald Bridges
• Don’t Waste Your Life - John Piper
• Feminine Appeal - Nancy Leigh Demoss and Carolyn Mahaney
• Hard to Believe: The High Cost and Infinite Value of Following Jesus - John MacArthur
• The Hidden Smile of God: The Fruit of Affliction in the Lives of John Bunyan, William Cowper, and David Brainerd (The Swans Are Not Silent) - John Piper
• The Holiness of God - R.C. Sproul
• Humility: True Greatness - C.J. Mahaney
• Knowing God - J.I. Packer
• The Pursuit of God - A.W. Tozer
• Pilgrims Progress - John Bunyan
• Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life - Donald Whitney
• When I Don’t Desire God: How to Fight For Joy - John Piper
• When People Are Big and God Is Small - Edward Welch
• Why We’re Not Emergent: By Two Guys Who Should Be - Kevin DeYoung and Ted Kluck

Marriage and Parenting

• The Jesus Storybook Bible: Every Story Whispers His Name - Sally Lloyd-Jones
• The Peacemaker: A Biblical Guide to Resolving Personal Conflict - Ken Sande
• Sacred Parenting: How Raising Children Shapes Our Souls- Gary Thomas
• Shepherding a Child’s Heart - Ted Tripp
• When Sinners Say “I Do”: Discovering the Power of the Gospel for Marriage - Dave Harvey

Devotional

• For the Love of God: A Daily Companion for Discovering the Riches of God’s Word - D.A. Carson
• Valley of Vision: A collection of Puritan Prayers & Devotions - A.G. Bennett

Death is not dying

I recently learned about a video of Rachel Barkley, a wife and mother of two, speaking "about her life and impending death to a group of ladies in Vancouver." I haven't seen it yet but plan to watch it with my wife.

Some comments from others:

It is a compelling case for the gospel and the sufficiency of God's grace in His Son, Jesus Christ. ... Watch the video. Then encourage others to do so, as well. And pray for Rachel and her husband Neil, and their children, Quinn and Kate. (Founders Ministries Blog)

(She) delivered one of the most God-centered, gospel-soaked, honest, moving, and beautiful messages I have heard. I don’t know that Rachel has read John’s article, Don’t Waste Your Cancer, but she is a beautiful example of every point John made. (Desiring God Blog)

Rachael in her own words from the presentation: In His providence, God has used the tough things in my life to draw me closer to Him; to show me His great love and to teach me many things. I have learned that I am not perfect and I have the scars to prove it- thirteen of them, and they serve as the physical reminder of a spiritual reality that I can never be perfect on my own. I need a Savior. I have learned that the greatest evidence of God’s love is seen when I stand at the foot of the cross. He took my shame upon Himself and rescued me. I have learned that being a Christian is not just hope for the future, although it is most definitely that. It is the joy of knowing and trusting in a God who is loving and faithful no matter what the circumstances. (A Purposed Composition)

(HT: Founders Ministries Blog)

Update: Rachel Barkey (nee Sawer) went home to her Lord on July 2, 2009 at 37 years of age. Rachel is survived by her husband Neil and her children Quinn and Kate, parents Ben and Cathy Sawer, brother David (Johanna) Sawer and sister Andrea Sawer. (Source: Death is Not Dying)

Clayton's Story

Life is like a vapor. While some vapors dissipate more quickly than others, they sometimes leave a more lasting impact.

The 6-minute video about Clayton Mcdonald (April 26, 1990 -- March 16, 2009) is worth the time it will take to watch.

For more about Clayton, visit the Clayton Story Web site

(HT: Justin Taylor)

The real you has to meet the real God

"The only way to come to God is by taking off any spiritual mask. The real you has to meet the real God. He is a person. Your heart could be, and often is, askew. That’s okay. You have to begin with what is real. Jesus didn’t come for the righteous. He came for sinners. All of us qualify. The very things we try to get rid of—our weariness, our distractedness, our messiness—are what get us in the front door! That’s how the gospel works. That’s how prayer works.
In bringing your real self to Jesus, you give him the opportunity to work on the real you, and you will slowly change. The kingdom comes when Jesus becomes king of your life. But is has to be your life. You can’t create a kingdom that doesn’t exist, where you try to be better than you really are. Jesus calls that hypocrisy—putting on a mask to cover the real you. So instead of being paralyzed by who you are, begin with who you are. That’s how the gospel works. God begins with you.” — Paul Miller, A Praying Life (Colorado Springs, CO: NavPress 2009), 33-34

The legacy of Edmund Clowney and the preaching of the gospel from all of scripture

New book: Heralds of the King: Christ-Centered Sermons in the Tradition of Edmund P. Clowney.

Sermons and other messages by Edmund Clowney: Edmund P. Clowney Legacy Corporation, free audio archives at WTS, and at RTS on iTunes.

(HT: Between Two Worlds)

Prayer and the gospel

“One of the most basic things that the gospel does is change prayer from mere petition to fellowship and the praise of his glory. Galatians 4:6-7 teaches us that when we believe the gospel, we not only become God’s children legally, but we receive the Spirit in order to experience our sonship. The Spirit leads us to call out passionately to God as our tender and loving Father. The Spirit calls out ‘Abba’ (4:7). In the very next verse Paul refers to this experience as “knowing God” (4:8). We do not just know and believe that God is holy and loving, but we actually experience contact with his holiness and his love in personal communion with him.” - Timothy Keller

(HT: Of First Importance)

10 questions Lisa Robinson always asks when reading the Bible

Lisa Robinson asks the following 10 questions when reading the Bible:

1. Am I considering the context?
2. Am I conducting connection fallacies?
3. Am I blowing up meaning?
4. Am I considering the correlation?
5. Is my flesh in the way?
6. Am I bringing my presuppositions into the reading of the text?
7. Am I reading my theological assumptions into the text?
8. Am I considering alternate theological positions?
9. Am I being dismissive of the text?
10. Am I prayerfully allowing the text to leap in my heart and change my life?

Read her amplifying comments for each question at the Parchment and Pen blog.

Gospel Motivation & Real Change

“All change comes from deepening your understanding of the salvation of Christ and living out of the changes that understanding creates in your heart. Faith in the gospel re-structures our motivations, our self-understanding, our identity, and our view of the world. Behavioral compliance to rules without heart-change will be superficial and fleeting.” - Timothy Keller, The Prodigal God (new York, NY: Dutton, 2008), 121.

(HT: Of First Importance)

The difference between the essence of the natural man and essence of faith in Christ

Faith in Christ is foolishness to the natural man because the essence of the natural man is his love of self-determination and the sense of power and pride that come from it, while the essence of faith in Christ is to say, “God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of Christ.”

(The quote above is from a May 20, 1984, sermon titled "How the Spirit Helps Us Understand" by John Piper. © Desiring God. Website: desiringGod.org)

The Mover

Here's a prayer titled "The Mover" from "Valley of Vision: A collection of Puritan Prayers & Devotions" edited by Arthur Bennett (pages 12-13):

O SUPREME MOVING CAUSE,

May I always be subordinate to thee,
be dependent upon thee,
be found in the path where thou dost walk,
and where thy Spirit moves,
take heed of estrangement from thee,
of becoming insensible to thy love.

Thou dost not move men like stones,
but dost endue them with life,
not to enable them to move without thee,
but in submission to thee, the first mover.

O Lord, I am astonished at the difference
between my receivings and my deservings,
between the state I am now in and my past
gracelessness,
between the heaven I am bound for and
the hell I merit.

Who made me to differ, but thee?
for I was no more ready to receive Christ
than were others;
I could not have begun to love thee hadst thou not
first loved me,
or been willing unless thou hadst first made me so.

O that such a crown should fit the head of such
a sinner!
such high advancement be for an unfruitful
person!
such joys for so vile a rebel!
Infinite wisdom cast the design of salvation
into the mould of purchase and freedom;

Let wrath deserved be written on the door of hell,
But the free gift of grace on the gate of heaven.
I know that my sufferings are the result of my
sinning,
but in heaven both shall cease;

Grant me to attain this haven and be done
with sailing,
and may the gales of thy mercy blow me safely
into harbour.

Let thy love draw me nearer to thyself,
wean me from sin, mortify me to this world,
and make me ready for my departure hence.
Secure me by thy grace as I sail across this
stormy sea.

'Is Christianity Good For The World?': Collision teaser

Below is a 13-minute teaser for the documentary "Collision," which is a film that "follows renowned author and anti-theist Christopher Hitchens and Pastor Douglas Wilson as they debate the topic: 'Is Christianity Good For The World?'" (Level 4).

The movie is related to the book "Is Christianity Good for the World?" The book is based on a six-part online debate between Hitchens and Wilson and is available at ChristianityToday.com. I read the online debate a couple of years ago but haven't read the book yet. I'm looking forward to the film.

(HT: BLOG and MABLOG)

God over the little moments

Tony Reinke shared the following quote from Paul David Tripp's DVD series What Did You Expect? Redeeming the Realities of Marriage:

You and I don’t do many significant things in our lives. We only make 3-4 major decisions. Most of us will not be written up in history books. Sorry, it’s true. For most of us, several decades after we die, the people we leave behind will struggle to remember the events of our lives. You live in the utterly mundane. You live in little moments. And if God doesn't rule your little moments He doesn't rule you because that is where you live. I think one of the big problems we make in our marriages is when we name little moments as “little moments” and say they are not important. If the character of a life is not set by four or five big moments but is set by 10,000 little moments, every little moment of your life is important. That’s where your life is formed and that’s where your relationships are built and formed. We cannot back away from the little moments because that happens to be where we live. And our God is a God of the little moments. He enters those little moments with his truth and wisdom and grace. [session 1, 7:50-9:30]

Top 5 commentaries on the book of 1 Peter

Keith Mathison at the Ligonier Ministries blog:

1. Edmund Clowney -- The Message of 1 Peter (The Bible Speaks Today, 1988).

2. Karen Jobes -- 1 Peter (Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament, 2005). Those needing in-depth exegetical analysis will not want to pass up the BECNT volume on 1 Peter by Jobes. It is a good companion to the work mentioned above by Clowney. If you have a limited budget, pick up the volumes by Clowney and Jobes, and they will serve you well.

3. Thomas Schreiner -- 1, 2 Peter, Jude (New American Commentary, 2003).

4. Peter Davids -- The First Epistle of Peter (New International Commentary on the New Testament, 1990).

5. Wayne Grudem -- 1 Peter (Tyndale New Testament Commentaries, 1988).

How would you present the gospel on Twitter?

The winning results posted on the 9 Marks blog ...

DougKAduBoahen:

2Co 5:21 ESV For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. #9M

GarrettWishall:

Holy God creates men, who disobey. God sends Christ, God/man. He never sins, dies n men's place, rises again. Men repent, believe =saved #9M

jimupchurch:

God made us 2 show His greatness. We rebelled & desrve His wrath but Jesus died as a sub 4 snnrs &rose again. Repnt &Blieve da good news #9m

Conviction or accusation?

Ray Ortlund: How can I tell the difference between the convicting ministry of the Holy Spirit and the accusing attacks of Satan?

See Ortlund's five discerning points here.

(HT: Between Two Worlds)

The five-word antidote to grumbling

The Sola Panel The five-word antidote to grumbling, by Tony Payne:

This story has been passed onto me second- or third- or possibly fifth-hand. Who knows how accurate the details are, or whether the words were spoken exactly in this way? But from my knowledge of the man in question, it is entirely believable. In fact, if it isn't true, it's the kind of story that would almost be necessary to invent.

An eminent and well-known English preacher was approached by a congregation member who complained about some aspect of church life. It may have been that he didn't feel welcomed, or that he was finding it hard to make friends and fit in; it could have been that he was finding the service dissatisfying or the preaching too long; it could have been that the music was not to his taste or that his family was not being catered for to his satisfaction. The details of the complaint have been lost in the telling and re-telling of the story.

The preacher listened to the complaint, paused, and then replied with five words that cut straight to the heart of not only the man's problem, but the problem with all grumbling and complaining in church. He simply said, “It's not about you, stupid!” and walked off.
It was a stunningly rude response—the kind that this preacher seemed uniquely capable of getting away with in his very English way. But doesn't it exactly express what is wrong with grumbling and complaining in church?

It really is the height of idiocy to think that church is about me and my needs and my family and my satisfaction. It completely overturns the teaching of the Bible—that church is about God and Christ and loving other people. In fact, if we wanted to summarize Paul's rebuke to the dysfunctional Corinthian church in 1 Corinthians 11-14, a pretty reasonable slogan would be “It's not about you, stupid!”

So the next time you're feeling grumpy about church, and are complaining that this or that aspect leaves you cold, remind yourself of the five-word answer to grumbling. And if you're really game, when someone starts grumbling to you about how they don't like the music or how they're sick of the preacher's jokes, just give them a slightly incredulous look, shake your head, and say, “It's not about you, stupid!”

The cross of Christ is a great stumbling block for the proud

John Piper: The cross of Christ is a great stumbling block for people who do not have the grace to humble themselves before God and man.

(The quote above is from an Aug. 28, 1983, sermon titled "Only a New Creation Counts" by John Piper. © Desiring God. Website: desiringGod.org)

All of life is all of grace

Grace-centered quotes from Jerry Bridges' book "The Discipline of Grace":

Your worst days are never so bad that you are beyond the reach of God’s grace. And your best days are never so good that you are beyond the need of God’s grace. (p. 19)

Pharisee-type believers unconsciously think they have earned God’s blessing through their behavior.Guilt-laden believers are quite sure they have forfeited God’s blessing through their lack of discipline or their disobedience.Both have forgotten the meaning of grace because they have moved away from the gospel and have slipped into a performance relationship with God. (pp. 22-23)

(HT: Justin Taylor)

The Soul in Cyberspace: An interview with Douglas Groothuis

Tim Challies recentley interviewed Douglas Groothuis, professor of philosophy at Denver Seminary, about his 1997 book "The Soul in Cyberspace" and current technology related issues.

Below are Challies' questions. Read the entire article here for Groothuis' insightful answers.

Questions:

1. One of your concerns in The Soul in Cyberspace was cyberspace taking the place of real, face-to-face human contact. You wrote, for example, of those who sought in cyberspace “the emancipation from the drag of the body?” How have your thoughts on this matter developed in the past decade? Have new innovations lessened your concern? Have your concerns been proven at all wrong?
2. In your book you wrote, “The compulsive search for diversion is often an attempt to escape the wretchedness of life. We have great difficulty being quiet in our rooms. … Cyberspace may be the greatest temptation yet offered to humanity to lose its soul in diversion.” And this was written long before YouTube. Have things gotten any better in the intervening years? Have things gotten worse?
3. Like nearly anyone who writes on technology, you depended a great deal on the insights of Neil Postman and Marshall McLuhan. McLuhan died 29 years ago and Postman died 6 years ago (though his last book was written 10 years ago). Does either man have a successor? Who is advancing their insights to the digital age?
4. You wrote, “The digitized word does not abide forever.” Is there a way in which the digitizing of text has undermined, or stands to undermine, the immutability of the Word of God?
5. A quote from your book: “The book, that stubbornly unelectric artifact of pure typography, possesses resources conducive to the flourishing of the soul. A thoughtful reading of the printed text orients one to a world of order, meaning, and the possibility of knowing truth.” Is there a way, then, in which the printed word is inherently superior to the digital word? What do we stand to lose as we transition to the digital word?
6. You said “Ours is an age infatuated with, addicted to, and voraciously hungry for ever-increasing doses of information.” Is this hunger for information in some way dangerous to the soul?
7. “Instant access to all kinds of information may corrode a sense of coherence and meaning if the information is not put into an appropriate framework.” Postman makes the point that once we commit ourselves to technology, we feel that only technology can solve our problems. Has technology come up with an appropriate framework to understand and use information? Or do we need to look for solutions outside of technology?
8. If our sensibilities are set by the capacities of hypertext, we may begin to relinquish our grip on the very notion of authority. Has hypertext changed the way we perceive authority? Has it changed the way we read and interact with text?
9. You wrote the book before anyone had heard of social media. Yet you said, “the notion that ‘community’ can thrive in cyberspace challenges the very meaning of community and the nature of our sociality.” You found it contradictory that the technologies that have isolated us from personal contact (radio, television, computer) could bring us into a global village of intimate connection. Have the years between then and now proven your fears correct? Has cyberspace brought us some kind of community? Or has it endangered true community?
10. This seems very perceptive in light of what I see on the Net today: “The soul in cyberspace may easily habituate itself to browsing, data-surfing, and skimming in exchange for analysis, reflection, and discourse.” Is there something inherent in the digital medium that leads us to browse, to skim, to reject real analysis, reflection and discourse? Is there anything we can do about it or is this just the nature of the beast?
11. As I understand it, the ultimate purpose of your book was to try to understand how this medium of cyberspace shaped us, our families, our churches, our nations, our world. In the front of the book I jotted this, my one big takeaway from the book: “Christians are specially equipped to think rightly about technology.” Is this the case? What do Christians stand to lose if we do not understand the effects of technology in each of these areas? What do we stand to gain?

Arcing: John Piper on how he studies the Bible

Daniel Fuller taught John Piper arcing while Piper was a student at Fullerton Seminary. Piper wrote an essay in honor of Fuller on his 60th birthday anniverssary in 1985 in which he states the following:

The way Dr. Fuller taught us to break through our perplexities and penetrate to the depth and unity of biblical truth was to submit to the severe discipline of seeing. His efforts echo the maxim of Adolf Schlatter that, “Science is first to see, second to see, third to see, and again and again to see.” He taught us to slow down and devote the hours that it takes to stare at a puzzling text until we catch on to the connections and relationships and patterns that yield the author’s intention.



To help us in this task of seeing things in their complexity and unity he developed a procedure of textual analysis (called “arcing”). It simply involves seeing the parts of a text, the relationships between those parts and how those parts and relationships serve the unifying point of the text.

Desiring God blog:

The following is an edited transcript of the audio. Images taken from BibleArc.com.

Could you describe the basic idea of the Bible study method called "arcing"? Why is this method important?

Well, it was—how shall I not overstate it?—really, really important for me in the Fall of 1968 and the Spring of 1969 to learn it.

The principle is this: especially in the expository books of the New Testament and the Old Testament, where you have teaching and not so much a story (although the principles hold everywhere), paragraphs are made up of propositions. These are statements, questions, acclamations. They have a verb, they have a subject, and then other things surrounding those. That's a proposition.

Regarding the question of meaning, I'm banking on the assumption—and I would defend the assumption—that human authors inspired by God have meaning. That is, they intend to communicate something from their minds to my mind that will effect my heart for eternity. And it passes through our minds. And they've used words. And the way meaning works is that words fit together in propositions certain ways, and you get at that with sentence diagramming.

Sentence diagramming deals with how a prepositional phrase relates to a verb, or how an object relates to a verb. We all do this intuitively when we learn a language.

Arcing asks paragraphs what sentence diagramming asks propositions. That is, a paragraph is made up of different propositions (maybe 5 or 10 or 20). And the question is: How do they relate to each other?

And you write them out on a piece of paper. (That's the way I do it, anyway.) I write them out on a piece of paper or type them with a computer, a different proposition on each line.

For example:

Now there you've got four or five propositions, and the question is, "How do they work? How do they relate to each other logically?"

And the word "For" began each of those. That's true: that's Romans 1:16-18.

So you draw a line across the top and you draw these arcs. And each arc represents a proposition.

And you have symbols for all the logical connections that can exist there between the propositions ("G" stands for "Ground"), and you put them under these arcs. Then you draw a larger arc over two.

So,

And now you see how "the power of God unto salvation" relates to "I am not ashamed". I am not ashamed because power is in the gospel! And now you've seen something that you might not have seen if you hadn't asked the question, "How do the two relate?"

And when you do a paragraph that gets 5 or 10 or 20 of those, all related to make one big point, you have seen so much more than if you just breezed over the paragraph.

So arcing is important to help rethink an author's thoughts after him and open the Bible in ways that, for me, it had never opened any other way.

For more about arcing, check out BibleArc.com and the booklet "Biblical Exegesis: Discovering the Meaning of Scriptural Texts."

The Cross and the Christian

1 Corinthians 2:1–5

I wonder if you would agree with the following view of the cross of Christ: the crucifixion of Christ was a once-for-all substitution of the Son of God in my place so that I would not have to suffer but could enjoy the abundant life that he purchased for me. This is a common view today—in practice if not in theory. And it is very near the view that Paul had to contend with at Corinth.

The Cross and the Christian

The problem with this view of the cross is that it leaves out a huge fact—namely, the one Jesus stated in Luke 9:23—“If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.” When Christ died on the cross for sinners, he not only stood in my place, doing what I never could do (forgiving my sin), but he also showed me what I must do if I would save my life, namely, take up my own cross and join him on the Calvary road of death to self.

Christ died to save us from hell but not to save us from the cross. He died so that we could be glorified, but not to keep us from being crucified. “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily.” For the Christian the cross of Christ is not merely a past place of substitution. It is also a present place of daily execution.

(The excerpt above is from a Feb. 7, 1988, sermon titled "The Present Power of Christ Crucified" by John Piper. © Desiring God. Website: desiringGod.org)

A quest for more: 17 big ideas and questions

Justin Buzzard:

It's been several weeks since I finished Paul Tripp's stimulating book, A Quest For More: Living for something bigger than you. I found it helpful how Tripp stated the big idea (he calls it "the bottom line") of each chapter at the outset of each chapter and finished each chapter with a "final question."

Below are both the 17 big ideas and the 17 final questions of the 18 chapter book. ... It's worth your time to work through this list. It's worth your time to work through the whole book.

1. You were created to be part of something big. What is the big thing that you are living for right now?


2. Sin causes us to talk about more, but to settle for less. What is the "less" that tends to capture your attention?


3. Since sin has damaged everything, God calls us to be concerned about everything. Have you treated the size of God's grace as if it were no longer than the size of your personal concerns?


4. Each of our lives is shaped by the war between the kingdom of God and the kingdom of self. What earth-bound treasures and anxiety-bound needs tend to control you and your responses to life?


5. You and I are always being civilized and civilizing others into the culture of some kind of kingdom. In what ways do you try to get the people around you to follow the rules of your kingdom of self?


6. The most dangerous thing about the kingdom of self is how easily it masquerades as the kingdom of God. In your everyday life right now, where are you telling yourself that you are living for God when you are really living for yourself?


7. Sin causes all of us to shrink the size of our lives to the size of our lives. Has the energy of your life been expended in the narrow world of personal wants, needs, and concerns?


8. Big kingdom living mean living with Christ at the center of everything I think, desire, say, and do. What tend to compete with Christ for the center of your world?


9. In calling us to die, Christ is actually rescuing us from death and giving us real life. In your everyday situations and relationships, where are you finding it hard to deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow Christ?


10. At street level, big kingdom living is Jesus-focused living. What is the focus of your life's energies and intentions?


11. This side of eternity, there should be a dissatisfaction in all of us with the way things are. What are the things that make you groan?


12. God calls us to the vertically interactive lifestyle of living in moment-by-moment harmony with him. Where in your life are you tempted to write your own music rather than making harmonious music with the king?


13. Big kingdom living is all about the humility of seeking forgiveness and the grace of granting it. Do you find joy in the liberating lifestyle of seeking forgiveness?


14. Life in the kingdom of God is like waiting for the love of your life to return. Where in your life are the "other lovers" that compete with your love for Christ?


15. Jesus calls us to offer him everything so that we can be free from the things that have a hold on us. Whose kingdom are you making sacrifices for right now?


16. Life in the big kingdom is all about being good and angry. Right now, where do you live every day, whose kingdom does your anger serve?


17. True hope, the kind that will never disappoint, is never hope in a thing, but hope in a person. Where do you tend to look for daily hope?

(HT: Between Two Worlds)

Thomas Nelson offers free PDF of 'The Expanded Bible New Testament'

Off the Shelf (Wayne Hastings):

On August 11, 2009, Thomas Nelson will release a new product especially designed for our customer. Developed by a trusted team of Bible scholars The Expanded Bible New Testament, like the three titles I mentioned above, gives the reader help to reach their goal of hearing God’s message to them directly from the Scriptures.

Why is it different?

• It meets the needs of the contemporary student of the Bible by combining devotional reading and in-depth study in a completely new way. Users can now study the Bible while they read with study aids and resources placed in-line with the text of the Bible.


• It joins Bible text with traditional wordings, explanatory comments, additional wordings, literal meanings and expanded word definitions, all integrated within the text of the Scripture.


• It offers readers a unique Bible study experience by making them a part of the process and decisions made by scholars while developing a translation

The end result is a Bible that is highly readable for devotions or study purposes that includes a richer in-text explanation of the Scripture. The experience will help customers grasp all that God is saying and give them a complete meaning of words and their alternative wordings. It’s like having a robust Bible reference library at your fingertips without having to flip a page or grab another book.

You can try this exceptional new product now. Simply go to this site and download a free PDF file and enjoy the experience first-hand.

Post your thoughts on your personal blog, and share the comments in the review sections of a few online retailers and send me the link so that I can hear your thoughts about The Expanded Bible New Testament. The Thomas Nelson team will send the first 200 responders/commenters a free paperback copy of the Bible (a $19.99 value) as soon as they hit our warehouse as a thank you for your input.

(HT: Cloud of Witnesses)

Biblical productivity series available as PDF

Sovereign Grace Ministries Blog (by Tony Reinke):

Spanning more than four months on the blog, C.J.’s 17-part series on biblical productivity has finally concluded. Via email and in personal conversations many of you have requested that the series be provided as a single document to make it easier to print and read. And today we are making this entire series available as a single 36-page document. You can view and download the PDF by clicking here (0.6 MB).

For anyone interested in reading the series online, I’ve included a final series index of the original posts (see below).

Thanks for reading!

Biblical Productivity

1. Are You Busy?
2. Confessions of a Busy Procrastinator
3. The Procrastinator Within
4. Just Do It
5. In All Thy Ways
6. The Sluggard
7. Time. Redeemed.
8. Roles, Goals, Scheduling
9. Roles (Part 1)
10. Roles (Part 2)
11. Goals (Part 1)
12. Goals (Part 2)
13. Goals (Part 3)
14. Goals (Part 4)
15. Scheduling the Unexpected
16. The To-Do Lists Are Never Done
17. Self-Sufficient

Columns from Tabletalk Magazine, May 2009 | Ligonier Ministries

Although I haven't received my copy in the mail yet, I've heard that the May edition of Tabletalk is "out."

Ligonier Ministries: This month's theme is "The 7 Letters of Revelation" to urge readers on toward holiness. Contributors include R.C. Sproul, Mark Bates, Chris Donato, Paul Gardner, Dennis Johnson, John MacArthur, Roger Nicole, Jason Stellman, Cornelis Venema and R. Fowler White.

Some articles from the May 2009 Tabletalk Magazine:

• Coram Deo (Living Before the Face of God): "Complacent Repentance" by Burk Parsons
• Right Now Counts Forever: "The Perils Facing the Evangelical Church" by R.C. Sproul
• Pastor's Perspective: "The Letter to the Church in Laodicea" by Mark Bates
• Pro Ecclesia (For the Church): "The Lord of the Church" by John MacArthur
• Generation to Generation: "Dealing with Differences" by Roger Nicole
• Tolle Lege (Take Up and Read): "Two Kingdoms, One God" by Keith A. Mathison
• Seek Ye First: "Love Letters" by R.C. Sproul Jr.
• Truth and Consequences: "Doing Without the Church?" by Gene Edward Veith

Lord willing, I'll receive a copy soon via the U.S. Postal Service. Until then, I'm sure glad some of the articles are provided at the Ligonier Ministries Web site.

Have you received Jesus? If so, as what?

Receive Jesus as what he is.

Read, listen or watch John Piper's "God So Loved the World, Part 1" sermon on John 3:16 at Desiring God.

Piper's sermon conclusion:

Which leaves just one question: Do you live in the forgiveness and life and freedom of John 3:16? Are you free from the fear of death? Does the wonder of being loved like this shape your relationships? I’m not asking if you give lip-service to this verse. But do you live it? Is this your life? Is everything you do permeated with this verse?

May God grant you such faith. Believe this promise of John 3:16. Receive the treasure of Christ—and life.

Why people leave the church

Here's a graph that shows, according to a Pew Forum survey, why people change religions from the tradition in which they were raised as a child:

View an interactive version of the above graph here.

Read an article about the report at ThinkChristian.

Read the full report (Changes in Religious Affiliation in the U.S.) at the Pew Forum.

(HT: Vitamin Z)

Recommended Reading for Parents and Children's Ministers

Here are 5 books recommended at the Children Desiring God conference:

• Systematic Theology, Wayne Grudem
• Big Truths for Young Hearts, Bruce Ware
• Instruments in the Redeemer's Hands, Paul Tripp
• Parenting by the Book, John Rosemond
• Instructing a Child's Heart, Tedd and Margy Tripp

(HT: Desiring God)

2008 Latest Edition - Did You Know 3.0 - From Meeting in Rome this Year

So what does it all mean?

The world's greatest need is God not technological change, but may the Lord use all change for the Church's good and his glory, and may the uncertainties of this world cause all peoples to hope in the certainty of all that God promises to be for us in Jesus.

(HT: Between Two Worlds)

A Family Guide to the Bible

"A Family Guide to the Bible" by Christin Ditchfield is scheduled to be released on May 31, 2009.

Here's Crossway's description of the book:

All Christian parents want their children to gain a better understanding of God’s Word, but many of them are still searching to completely understand the Bible themselves. How can they confidently share what they believe with their families?

A Family Guide to the Bible takes readers on a fun and exciting tour through all sixty-six books of the Bible and offers parents, grandparents, and teachers a better understanding of the Scriptures so they can help the children in their lives know what is in the Bible, where to find it, and how it all fits together. As Christians become more familiar with God’s Word, they will gain greater confidence as they share what they believe with their family and friends, help answer questions concerning the Bible, and encourage others to grow deeper in their walks of faith.

Proclaiming a Cross-centered Theology

"Proclaiming a Cross-centered Theology" is scheduled for release on Oct 31, 2009. Contributors include Mark Dever, J. Ligon Duncan, R. Albert Mohler Jr., C. J. Mahaney, John Piper, R. C. Sproul, John MacArthur, and Thabiti M. Anyabwile.

Here's Crossway's description of the book:

Some of the leading voices in evangelical Christianity reaffirm the importance of preaching biblical theology for the health of our churches.

Loving, teaching, and rightly dividing the Word of God is every pastor’s privilege and responsibility. If a pastor understands what the Word says about God, man, and the curse, about Christ and his substitutionary atonement, and about the call to repentance and sacrifice, he will develop and preach a sound theology. And sound theology is, in the words of J. Ligon Duncan, essential to faithful pastoral ministry.

Proclaiming a theology that is centered on Christ’s atonement is especially critical, for by this atonement, Christians have been brought from death to life, and by it a church lives or dies. In this penetrating sequel to Preaching the Cross, John Piper, R. C. Sproul, John MacArthur, and Thabiti Anyabwile join authors Mark Dever, Ligon Duncan, C. J. Mahaney, and Albert Mohler in exploring the church’s need for faithful proclamation and calling pastors and churches to cross-centered, scripturally saturated thinking.

R.C. Sproul's exposition of Romans

R.C. Sproul's exposition of Romans is scheduled for release on Sept. 30, 2009

Here's Crossway's description of the book:

Sproul’s sermons at St. Andrew’s Chapel are the foundation of these never-before-published expositions on Paul’s epistle to the Romans.

Chrysostom had it read aloud to him once a week. Augustine, Luther, and Wesley all came to assured faith through its impact. The Reformers saw it as the God-given key to understanding the whole of Scripture.

Throughout church history the study of the book of Romans has been pivotal to understanding Christian life and doctrine. Convinced that “Paul’s fullest, grandest, most comprehensive statement of the gospel” is just as vital today, R. C. Sproul delivered nearly sixty sermons on Romans from October 2005 to April 2007 at St. Andrew’s Chapel, where he has pastored for more than a decade. These never-before-published expositions are being released in a two-volume hardcover set comprising nearly 1,000 pages of material. Sproul’s passage-by-passage expositions will not only enrich any preaching or teaching ministry but any thoughtful study of this weighty epistle.

The Power of Words and the Wonder of God

"The Power of Words and the Wonder of God" by John Piper (editor), Justin Taylor (editor), Paul David Tripp, Sinclair B. Ferguson, Mark Driscoll, Daniel Taylor, and Bob Kauflin is scheduled for released on Sept. 30, 2009.

Here's Crossway's description of the book:

John Piper, Sinclair Ferguson, Mark Driscoll, and other leaders from Desiring God’s 2008 conference examine the life-altering power of our words and their impact in sharing the gospel.

Words carry immeasurable significance: The universe was created with a word; Jesus healed and cast out demons with a word; rulers have risen and fallen by their words; Christians have worshiped through words of song, confession, and preaching. Even in our technological age, politics, education, business, and relationships center on words.

Since the tongue is such a powerful force—for good or evil—we are wise to ask: What would homes, churches, schools, even the public square be like if we used words with Christian intentionality and eloquence? The Power of Words and the Wonder of God seeks to answer this difficult question. In these chapters, derived from Desiring God’s 2008 national conference, John Piper, Sinclair Ferguson, and Mark Driscoll team with worship pastor Bob Kauflin, counselor Paul Tripp, and literature professor Daniel Taylor to help readers harness their tongues and appropriately command their silences for the glory of God and the ministry of the gospel.

Check out the conference messages here.

Filling Up the Afflictions of Christ

"Filling Up the Afflictions of Christ: The Cost of Bringing the Gospel to the Nations in the lives of William Tyndale, Adoniram Judson, and John Paton" by John Piper is scheduled for released on Jul 31, 2009.

Here's Crossway's description of the book:

The fifth volume in Piper’s acclaimed The Swans Are Not Silent series illustrates powerful and enduring lessons through the missional sufferings of Tyndale, Judson, and Paton.

Jesus’ words in John 12 are sobering: unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it will bear little fruit. The history of Christianity’s expansion proves that God’s strategy for reaching unreached peoples with the gospel includes the sufferings of his frontline heralds—the missionaries who willingly die a thousand daily deaths to advance God’s kingdom.

Pastor John Piper’s latest addition to The Swans Are Not Silent series focuses on this flesh-and-blood reality in the lives of William Tyndale, Adoniram Judson, and John Paton. The price they paid to translate the Word of God, to pave the way for missionary mobilization around the world, and to lead the hostile to Christ was great. Yet their stories show in triplicate how the gospel advances not only through the faithful proclamation of the truth but through representing the afflictions of Christ in our sufferings.

Rick Gamache's biography picks

Sovereign Grace Fellowship senior pastor Rick Gamache’s biography picks:

• Here I Stand: A Life of Martin Luther, Roland Bainton
• The Life of John Calvin, Theodore Beza
• Augustine, Henry Chadwick
• Suzanna Wesley
• Spurgeon: A New Biography, Arnold Dallimore
• Luther and His Katie, Dolina MacCuish
• Jonathan Edwards: A Life, George Marsden
• The Autobiography of George Muller
• The Forgotten Spurgeon, Iain Murray
• The Legacy of Sovereign Joy, John Piper
• The Hidden Smile of God, John Piper
• The Roots of Endurance, John Piper
• Contending for Our All, John Piper
• Amazing Grace in the Life of William Wilberforce, John Piper
• Grace Abounding, John Bunyan
• Mrs. C.H. Spurgeon, Charles Ray
• Church History in Plain Language, Bruce Shelley
• The Hiding Place, Corrie ten Boom
• Through Gates of Splendor, Elizabeth Elliot
• The Journals of Jim Elliot
• John Paton Autobiography
• To the Golden Shore: The Life of Adoniram Judson
• Tortured for Christ, Richard Wurmbrand
• Confessions of St. Augustine
• The Life and Diary of David Brainerd, Jonathan Edwards

Some practical questions to ask when 'hearing' the Word

From Sovereign Grace Fellowship senior pastor Rick Gamache’s April 6, 2008, sermon on Hebrews 5:11-6:8 titled “Consider Jesus: The Problem, the Pathway, and the Peril” (audio timeline 25:31 to 24:50):

Earnest hearing is always asking in response to what’s preached:

• What does this mean for me today?
• What does this mean for me for how I spend my money this week?
• What does this have to do with what I look at on television and on the Internet and in a movie theater?
• What does this say about how I spend my leisure time?
• What does this have to say about how I love my wife (or husband or child or neighbor)?
• What does this have to say to me about how I honor my parents?
• What does this mean about the clothes I choose to wear as the weather gets warmer?
• What does this have to do with how I respond to people who sin against me?

It's hearing with the goal of putting into practice the word that’s heard.

What is the difference between man’s wisdom and God’s wisdom?

What then is the difference between man’s wisdom and God’s wisdom? One way to answer this question is to notice from 1 Corinthians 1:17 and 1:23 that human wisdom nullifies the meaning of the cross of Christ and God’s wisdom upholds the meaning of the cross. Paul says that if he had come preaching “in wisdom of word” (the literal translation) “the cross of Christ would ... be made void.” And he adds that “the Greeks search for [human] wisdom” and therefore regard the preaching of the cross as “foolishness.” So there is something about “human wisdom” that nullifies the cross by regarding it as foolishness, when, in fact, the cross is “the wisdom of God” (1 Corinthians 1:24).

[Piper, J. (2000). The pleasures of God: Meditations on God's delight in being God. Includes study guide: p. 343-372. (Rev. and expanded) (275). Sisters, Or.: Multnomah Publishers.]

The local church and cultural resistance

“Over the years I’ve come to believe that pastors are the most important subscribers I have [to the Mars Hill Audio Journal] because I think a local church congregation is the basic unit of cultural resistance. If we are really going to be countercultural — which I think Christians need to be to avoid worldliness — that is not just done as individuals, or as individual families, but you need a community of people, committed to one another and committed to sharing life together, to be countercultural.” –Ken Myers, in his recent interview with Mark Dever, “Christians and Culture with Ken Myers.”

(HT: Miscellanies)

May issue of the Next Webzine in 60 seconds

From the Next blog:
(by Ricky Alcantar)

The May 2009 issue of the Next Webzine is now live. Here’s what you’ll find inside:

Author Spotlight

D.A. Carson is one of the foremost biblical scholars of our day and has written or edited more books than you’ve probably read, yet at the center of his ministry is the truth of God’s Word. We love that Carson – our spotlighted author this month – is a learned scholar with the heart of a pastor.

Whether you’re new to Carson or an old fan you’ll find some interesting facts about in Justin Taylor’s introduction to the author Who Is D.A. Carson? (For example: He reads about 500 books a year, travels 100,000 miles a year, and no [one] ever calls him “D.A.”) Justin has also put together a beautiful list of Carson resources grouped helpfully around statements like: “I want to learn how Christ and culture relate,” or “I want to work through the entire Bible in a year.”

You’ll also be able to get a taste for Carson’s writing in two excerpts from his work. First, in two excerpts from For the Love of God Carson comments on two incidents in the life of Christ. Then in The Supremacy of Jesus Christ in the Mediation of God’s Love Carson walks through John 17 and explains how the glory of Christ is most clearly seen in the cross of Christ.

Articles

In People, Not Culture Pastor Mark Lauterbach weighs in on the debate about how Christians should relate to culture by suggesting that before we talk about culture, we should talk about people.

In Courageous Femininity Lydia Shanks breaks some stereotypes about what it means to be biblically feminine and encourages women to embrace all God has for them (including getting a bowling score over 100).

In Christian Artists In a Secular World Bob Kauflin helps Christians walk through the sometimes difficult issues of how to relate to secular art as artists.

And in The Cross of Christ in Pictures I share what I’ve learned about the richness of a multi-faceted gospel with the help of John Stott.

Enjoy.

(HT: JoshHarris.com)