Plan to Read the Bible in 2013

As Christians, we desire to hear the words of our God. We want to read his words in the Bible in order to see him more clearly, follow him more nearly, and love him more dearly. The problem is, in a world of distractions and short attention spans, we often fail to read consistently for lack of planning. Maybe you do fine without a plan, but I bet most of us do not. So, I encourage you to get a Bible reading plan to help you fulfill your desire of being in God's word this year.  Check out the GCOT website for links to some Bible reading plans .

Where Was God in All the Goodness of 2012?

Great article by John Piper. A good way to end 2012, reflecting on God's goodness.

As this year ends, the question I am asking is: Where was God when so many good things happened this past year?

How can God be a God of justice, yet allow so much good to happen to people who dishonor him by disbelieving in him, or giving lip service to his existence, or paying no more attention to him than the carpet in their den, or rejecting the kingship of his Son, or scorning his word, or preferring a hundred pleasures before him?

How can God be righteous and do so much good to us who are so unrighteous?
Where was God in 2012?

• Where was God when nine million planes landed safely in the United States?
• Where was God when the world revolved around the sun so accurately that it achieved the Winter solstice perfectly at 5:12 AM December 21 and headed back toward Spring?
• Where was God when the President was not shot at a thousand public appearances?
• Where was God when American farms produced ten million bushels of corn, and 2.8 million bushels of soybeans — enough food to sell $100 billions worth to other nations?
• Where was God when no terrorist plot brought down a single American building or plane or industry?
• Where was God when the sun maintained its heat and its gravitational pull precisely enough that we were not incinerated or frozen?
• Where was God when three hundred million Americans drank water in homes and restaurants without getting sick?
• Where was God when no new plague swept away a third of our race?
• Where was God when Americans drove three trillion accident free miles?
• Where was God when over three million healthy babies were born in America?

He goes on to look at Scripture to find out why God has been so good to us and others even though, in his righteousness, he should not have been. 

The Wonder of The Incarnation

That man should be made in God’s image is a wonder,
but that God should be made in man’s image is a greater wonder.
That the Ancient of Days would be born.
That He who thunders in the heavens should cry in the cradle?

—Thomas Watson

Are You Quick to Defend Yourself?

Do you find that when you face criticism your reflex is to go into defense mode? You become your own defense attorney and your friend, spouse, etc. is the prosecutor?  Or maybe you find your knee jerk reaction to your sin, failure, or weakness is to make excuses.

I came across this great quote on how the gospel, rightly understood, reveals how silly all our attempts to justify our sins, mistakes and failures are.

The person who defends self when God gave Himself to save us from His wrath doesn't understand grace. The man who offers excuses for his sin when God offered His Son to pay for it has no real apprehension of the gospel. The individual who diminishes the offense of his sin before others also treats the cross like a poignant gesture of a well-meaning God. The man who won't admit the truth about his life can't truly enjoy the benefits of Christ's...

But, we can come clean. What Jesus has done for us on the cross relieves us of the need to defend self....We no longer have to offer excuses because Jesus has dealt with all our failures. There are no real excuses anyway. We don't have to dodge the severity of our sin because He forgave it. To acknowledge this draws more attention to His grace than it does to our sin...

Once you get here, you'll know true freedom. You won't be imprisoned by the need to defend, or to be though well of by men.

You will allow people to speak into your life without qualifying every word they say. You'll be open to criticism without being defensive. You'll accept help and admit defeat. Insecurities- which are our nervous efforts to keep the truth about us away from other people- meet their match in Jesus, who knew the truth and died for us anyway.

(Byron Yawn, What Every Man Wishes His Father Had Told Him, pg. 114).

Freed to honestly assess our sins, failures, and weakness and to trust in God's grace. Freed to genuinely repent and not just wallow in self-pity.  Freed to respond to criticism like George Whitefield did when he received a stinging letter of personal attacks from someone. In response, Whitefield wrote the malicious attacker back with these words, "Thank you sir for your criticism. If you knew about me what I know about me, you would have written a longer letter" (Yawn, pg. 111). That is a person who understands the grace of God and believes it.

If you, like me, struggle in this area, I strongly encourage you to read the article "The Cross and Criticism" by Alfred Priori.

The Massacre in Connecticut

Friday brought the horrific tragedy in which 20 children and 6 adults were killed in Connecticut. Most of those children were ages 5-6. How should we come to grips with such indescribable evil? How should we think about this tragedy and talk to others about it? Let me recommend a few resources to help you:

Al Mohler's article Rachel's Weeping for Her Children- The Massacre in Connecticut (you can also listen to a special edition of his podcast about this tragedy here).  In his article he says:

• We Affirm the Sinfulness of Sin, and the Full Reality of Human Evil
• We Affirm the Cross of Christ as the Only Adequate Remedy for Evil
• We Acknowledge the Necessity of Justice, Knowing that Perfect Justice Awaits the Day of the Lord
• We Grieve with Those Who Grieve

Russel Moore's Article School Shootings and Spiritual Warfare 

John Piper's Article How Does Jesus Come to Newtown?

Denny Burk's Article Speaking of "Evil" in Connecticut

Royal Baby or Royal Fetus?

In a great, short article entitled "Why aren't we calling it the 'royal fetus'?", Denny Burke discusses Kate Middleton's royal baby. He notes that no one is referring the her child as a fetus. He goes on to show how our language in regards to a "wanted" pregnancy verses an "unwanted" one reveals the tragic logic of abortion rights. Below is an excerpt

Most people have not pondered the fact that their language about the unborn is shaped less by the personhood of the unborn than by whether or not the baby is wanted. Is there any other class of people whose personhood depends solely on whether or not they are wanted?

Our language often reveals fundamental truths about the way we view the world. In this case, the way we speak of the unborn reveals whether or not we view them as a part of the human community with an unalienable right to life. Obviously, the world has agreed to call Kate Middleton’s unborn child a “baby.” Why wouldn’t we do the same for every other unborn child? Could it be that such terminology would imply a moral monstrosity that we are unwilling to face?

Reflecting on the Greatest Miracle

The month of December brings a great opportunity to devote focused attention towards what I think is the most amazing miracle ever: The Incarnation. The second person of the Trinity taking on human flesh. God the Son, God whom even the highest heavens cannot contain (2 Chronicles 2:6) became flesh.  In Jesus Christ, we have the fullness of deity dwelling bodily (Col. 2:9). 

Such a wondrous act of condescension by our God is worthy of some deep reflection on our part.  My suggestion for you is to spend the 25 days of December up until Christmas reflecting on this great and glorious mystery by doing some advent reading (yes I know this post is a little late as we are already 4 days in).  Below are two suggested resources.

Come Though Long Expected Jesus: Experiencing the Peace and Promise of Christmas edited by Nancy Guthrie.  This book contains daily excerpts from great pastors and theologians on Christmas (people like John Piper, Tim Keller, J.C. Ryle, Martyn Lloyd Jones, RC Sproul, St. Augustine, and many more).  Beth and I have used this one and loved it.

Good News of Great Joy by John Piper. I have not read this one (it just came out) but it is made of up sermon excerpts from John Piper on Christmas and is a free e-book.

Battling Materialism at Christmas

Christmas is a great time to give and receive gifts. More importantly, it is a time in the calendar to reflect on the great doctrine of the incarnation.  As strange as it may sound, it is also a dangerous time for the soul.

The love of riches and material things can (and if left unchecked will) lead us away from God (1 Tim. 6:10, Matt. 6:19-24). And in our wealthy culture, our flesh constantly faces the temptation towards loving things too much (materialism). Advertisements are flying fast and furious like shrapnel.  These advertisements generally work by tempting us to make our desires into needs. And needs quickly become things my heart demands and focuses on and thinks I can't live without.

The solution isn't to go hide in a cave or to mute all the commercials (though the latter isn't a bad idea).  I think the solution is to be more focused on God and His kingdom. We should center our thinking and conversations and desires around God and his rule in our lives and the world. As we see God as our ultimate treasure our hearts are free to enjoy good gifts without turning them into objects of need and worship (Matt. 6:31-33).

During war, you would do well to be alert and ready to fight. The same is true spiritually. In an effort to prepare your soul for this battle, I encourage you to listen to this short (4 minute) clip of John Piper answering the question "What is the danger in being a middle-class, comfortable Christian?".

Thoughts on The Election

Dr. Russel Moore has some good thoughts on the recent election and how we as Christians should respond. Here is an excerpt.

Christians, above all people, should pray for and show respect for our President and all of our elected officials. After all, unlike those who see politics as ultimate, we recognize that our political structures are important, but temporal, before an inbreaking kingdom of Christ. We don’t then need to be fomented into the kind of faux outrage that passes for much of contemporary political discourse. And, unlike those who see history as impersonal or capricious, we see behind everything a God who is sovereign over his universe.

So let’s pray for President Obama. Let’s not give ourselves to terms of disrespect, or every crazy conspiracy theory that floats across the Internet.

That doesn’t mean slavish obedience. In a democratic republic, the President and the Congress govern by the consent of the governed. We appeal to our elected officials, and lobby them for the common good, expressing disagreement when we must. But we do this, as Paul does before Felix and Agrippa, with respect and honor, even as he seeks to persuade them of the need for religious liberty and as he preaches “righteousness and self-control and the coming judgment” (Acts 24:25).

"A Prayer for America on Election Day"

Dr. Al Mohler has some great insights on how we can pray for our nation on this election day at his blog.  Below are the ten things he mentions

First, we should pray that God will bless America with leaders better than we deserve.  Democratic systems inevitably reflect the electorate’s decisions, and these decisions reveal underlying worldviews.  And, truth be told, all we can expect from democracy is the government we deserve.  We must pray for a government and for leaders better than we deserve.  May God grant us mercy as he reigns and rules over all things, including this election.

Second, we should pray that Americans will be motivated to fulfill the responsibilities of citizenship, yet also that we will be stripped of an unhealthy and idolatrous confidence in the power of government to save us.  God has given us the gift of rulers and governments in order to restrain evil, uphold righteousness, and provide for civil order.  No human ruler can save.  No government official or office holder can heal the human heart, solve the sin problem, or accomplish final justice.  These powers belong to God and God alone.

Third, we must pray that Americans will vote by conscience, not merely on the basis of celebrity or emotion.  Christian citizens must vote to uphold righteousness and contend for righteous and just laws.  But, at the same time, we must repent of moralism and the tacit assumption that better laws would produce better people.

Fourth, we must pray that Americans will vote to defend the least among us — and especially those who have no vote.  This starts, but does not end, with concern for the unborn and for the recovery of respect for the dignity and sanctity of every single human life at every stage of development, from conception until natural death.

Fifth, we should pray that God will prick the conscience of the nation on issues of morality, righteousness, and respect for marriage as the central institution of human civilization.  So much ground appears to have been lost on these issues.  We need to pray that much ground can be regained. Marriage itself is on the ballot this year, both in the presidential election and in specific measures in four states. There is much work to be done, and so much is at stake.

Sixth, we should pray that God will protect these candidates and their families.  They have been through an arduous ordeal and now face the deadline of the vote.  They are physically exhausted and now face the judgment of the people.  They are public figures, but they are also flesh and blood human beings, who are fathers, mothers, sisters, brothers, sons, and daughters.  Their families have withstood much.  We should pray for their marriages and their children.  May God protect them.

Seventh, we should pray that the election is conducted with honor, civility, respect, and justice.  We must pray that we do not face another round of litigation after an election.  This brings democracy into disrepute.  May there be a clear winner, not a contested result.

Eighth, we must pray that Americans will be prepared to accept the results of the election with respect and kindness.  This will be no time for rancor, condemnations, and conspiracy theories.  Instead, we must pray that God will settle the hearts of the people.  May Christians be ready to respond with prayer, respect for office, and a gentle spirit.  Others will be watching.

Ninth, we should pray that this election would lead to even greater opportunities to preach the Gospel, and that the freedom of the church will be respected, honored, and protected.

Tenth, we must pray for the church, praying that the church of the Lord Jesus Christ would be strengthened in the truth, grounded in the faith, and empowered for witness and ministry.  May the church, the sign of the coming kingdom, be faithful to declare the Gospel — knowing that this is the only message that will save.

Sermons on Christianity and Politics

This Sunday, pastor Rod preached a sermon on Christianity and politics. If you  missed it you should check it out at www.gcot.org (it should be up later this week).

If you were here, I encourage you to follow it up with this sermon by Mark Dever (Pastor of Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington DC) on Mark 12:13-17 called "Jesus Paid Taxes." It is a great lesson on the Christian understanding of politics.

How Should We Think of Abortion in Cases of Rape, Incest, and The Safety of a Mother?

Al Mohler has a thoughtful article on "the Mourdock moment" in which he discuss the controversial comments made by US Senate candidate Richard Mourdock in regards to abortion. The whole article is worth a read and points out how the media twists things and how we must be careful to communicate the pro-life position in a way that is forthright but also well explained.

Near the end of the article, Dr. Mohler address the common exceptions many pro-life candidates argue for. It is a brief and helpful treatment of the topic and one which we should all think through.

The three exceptions most often proposed call for abortion to be allowed only in cases of rape, incest, or to save the life of the mother. These are the exceptions currently affirmed by Mitt Romney in his presidential campaign. What should we think of these? 

First, when speaking of saving the life of the mother, we should be clear that the abortion of her unborn child cannot be the intentional result. There can be no active intention to kill the baby. This does not mean that a mother might, in very rare and always tragic circumstances, require a medical procedure or treatment to save her life that would, as a secondary effect, terminate the life of her unborn child. This is clearly established in moral theory, and we must be thankful that such cases are very rare. 

Next, when speaking of cases involving rape and incest, we must affirm the sinful tragedy of such acts and sympathize without reservation with the victims. We must then make the argument that the unborn child that has resulted from such a heinous act should not be added to the list of victims. That child possesses no less dignity than a child conceived in any other context. 

How should we think of these questions in light of our current cultural and political context? We must contend for the full dignity and humanity of every single human life at every point of development and life from conception until natural death, and we cannot rest from this cause so long as the threat to the dignity and sanctity of any life remains. 

In the meantime, we are informed by the fact that, as the Gallup organization affirmed just months ago, the vast majority of Americans are willing to support increased restrictions on abortion so long as those exceptions are allowed. We should gladly accept and eagerly support such laws and the candidates who support them, knowing that such a law would save the life of over a million unborn children in the nation each year. 

Can we be satisfied with such a law? Of course not, and we cannot be disingenuous in our public statements. But we can eagerly support a law that would save the vast majority of unborn children now threatened by abortion, even as we seek to convince our fellow Americans that this is not enough. 

We must argue for the dignity, humanity, and right to life of every unborn child, regardless of the context of its conception, but we must argue well and make our arguments carefully....

Politics and Abortion

Amy Hall, writing at Stand to Reason blog, gives her take on how she wishes a pro-life candidate would respond to the question of how his religious views influence his take on abortion. I think she is on to something.

Saying that life begins at conception isn’t a controversial statement. It’s a question of science. Ask any embryologist and he can tell you that what’s growing in the mother’s womb is a whole, living, human boy or girl at his or her earliest stage of development, with his or her own unique DNA that will remain the same through all stages of development, from conception to death.

What’s controversial is that I think every human being is valuable simply because he or she is a member of the valuable human race. I don’t think human beings have to earn their rights by having certain characteristics like the “correct” race, or gender, or size, or ability, or age.
In other words, it’s the fact that I think we ought to be upholding universal human rights that’s the controversial position.

Now as a Christian, I do believe it’s my duty to protect the natural rights of human beings—to protect universal human rights—because human beings are the kind of being that’s valuable. But one doesn’t have to be a Christian to agree with universal human rights. There are many people of other religions, or no religion, who also want to uphold universal human rights.

The idea that we’re all created equal and equally possess unalienable rights regardless of our differences (race, size, age, ability, etc.) is a founding principle of this nation. Sadly, in the past, we allowed the government to define some human beings out of the human family by requiring they have certain preferred characteristics (like white skin) in order to qualify for protection.

Our failures in the past to hold our government accountable to our professed principle of unalienable rights for every human being led to serious human rights violations. I don’t want to repeat that same mistake. Instead, I would like to hold us to that founding principle.

You asked for a personal answer, and I agree that there are many emotions involved on all sides of this question. But I don’t want to confuse the issue by giving the impression that this is a matter of personal preference. Regulating subjective preferences is not the role of government, so answering as if the abortion issue were merely personal wouldn’t clarify what’s at stake. The issue of human rights is a public issue, and the protection of the lives of human beings is an area of public life that requires the government’s involvement.

Naturalism

“If we think we came into existence simply by accidental process, then we may feel accountable to no one. Yet such freedom is lonely. It is purposeless. And it is false. It is the freedom that ignores evidence of design in the world, that rejects the idea that people are special to God, and that clones human beings only to grow spare parts with them and then discard them. This is what we call naturalism. Naturalism is the philosophy that says, since God did not make us, we are only as special as we want to think of ourselves as being. So we kill babies in the womb and old people in nursing homes for our own convenience” (Mark Dever, The Message of the Old Testament: Promises Made, pg. 69).

Dual Citizenship and Our Political Involvement

As Christians, we are citizens of heaven first and foremost. Yet, we are also citizens of whatever earthly location the Lord has sovereignly placed us. So, what does this mean for our political involvement?  Justin Taylor has some helpful thoughts at his blog here.  He says,

We are dual citizens, responsible and active members of both God’s spiritual kingdom and earthly kingdom. And if we seek to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, and strength—and to love our neighbor as ourselves—then we should care to some degree about politics and elections and the role of government in our land.

He goes on to say that some of us care too much about politics. Taylor says, "We all are tempted to idolatry and we all need to be warned against it. 'Some trust in chariots and some in horses [and some in political candidates], but we trust in the name of the LORD our God' (Ps. 20:7)."

But some of us care too little. We should care about voting and the direction of our earthly nation because as Christians everything we do (including voting) is to be done to the glory of God. Also, we are to care about the good of our neighbor. "If you have to choose between evangelism and politics, choose evangelism. Saving an eternal soul is more important than fixing a temporal need. But most of the time, we don’t have to choose."

His summary is helpful. "There are more important things in life than politics. It’s easy to become an idolatry. But it’s also easy to be too apathetic."  

So, let's be praying for the upcoming election and let's be thinking about how our heavenly citizenship should impact the way we exercise our role as a citizen of our country.

Joyful Grief: Thoughts on Losing My Grandpa

This past week we made the ten hour drive to Lake Charles, LA for my grandpa's funeral. He is a Christian, and he made his calling and election clear by his life of faithful service to the Savior. Here a few thoughts about death and my grandpa.

1. We live in a fallen world. It sounds obvious, but unless we realize that fact we will be surprised by the trials and difficulties we face. Or, on the other hand, we will assume death is normal. It is an event that happens all around us, but it is not normal. It is a part of life in a fallen, sin-cursed world, but it is not how it was originally made nor is it how it will one day be. Death is an enemy.
2. The sting of death has been removed by Jesus Christ. In Jesus perfect life, substitutionary death, and glorious resurrection, death has been swallowed up in victory for those who are in Him. There is no second death, eternal death, for those in Christ. Only those who are in Jesus, by faith in his work on their behalf, have such hope. Only those who have been born again will not face death twice. My grandpa was a godly man, but what secured his eternal destiny, and in fact made him a godly man, was that he recognized he was a sinner and trusted in Jesus. I am thankful for his legacy of faith in Jesus Christ. I pray God will give me grace to finish the race well too.
3. My grandpa is with the Lord at this moment.  He trusted in Jesus alone for the forgiveness of his sins and the hope of eternal life. Now he sees that this hope was not in vain. He is absent from the body but present with the Lord. I am so happy for him even as I am sad to not have him here pretending to give me "wet-willies" (they were always dry-willies) and speaking with a Cajun accent.
4. Even though he is with the Lord, he awaits his glorified body. As wonderful as this intermediary state is for him, there is still a grand finale coming when the Lord will raise up our bodies. We will not live as disembodied spirits forever. We will be physically raised, and our resurrected bodies will not be subject to the decay and cancer that ravaged my grandpa.
5. To paraphrase Paul Tripp, "Christians should be the saddest and most joyful people on earth." We are the saddest because we not only experience the pain and destruction of living in a broken world but because we know how glorious it was originally made. The naturalist just assumes this "normal." We know it is not. Even though we have deep sorrow, we are also the most joyful people on earth because we know the Redeemer. We know the One who has come to remove sin and reverse the curse. We have a hope that cannot be shaken. Nothing will separate us from the love of Christ. Therefore, we do not grieve as those who have no hope. 

That is the nature of my grief. A sad, hope-filled, joyful grief.

A Wise Way to Stand up for Your Moral Convictions

Here are some good thoughts by Greg Koukl to keep in mind when standing up for your Christian convictions.

If you’re placed in a situation where you suspect your convictions will be labeled intolerant, bigoted, narrow-minded, and judgmental, turn the tables.  When someone asks for your personal views about a moral issue—homosexuality, for example—preface your remarks with a question.

You say:  “You know, this is actually a very personal question you’re asking, and I’d be glad to answer.  But before I do, I want to know if you consider yourself a tolerant person or an intolerant person.  Is it safe to give my opinion, or are you going to judge me for my point of view?  Do you respect diverse ideas, or do you condemn others for convictions that differ from yours?”  Let them answer.  If they say they’re tolerant (which they probably will), then when you give your point of view it’s going to be very difficult for them to call you intolerant or judgmental without looking guilty, too.

This response capitalizes on the fact that there’s no morally neutral ground.  Everybody has a point of view they think is right and everybody judges at some point or another.  The Christian gets pigeon-holed as the judgmental one, but everyone else is judging, too.  It’s an inescapable consequence of believing in any kind of morality.

"The Gospel of Jesus Wife:" What are we to think?

Perhaps you have heard in the news about this new "gospel" about Jesus having a wife. I put gospel in quotes because it is actually a fragment (about 13 partial lines of Coptic text). It is estimated that it (if genuine) was composed between the 4th and 7th Century AD. 

If you don't really know much about it, you can find a summary of what it is and says here. I found a comment by scholar Dr. Darrell L. Bock a helpful summary of what this "discovery" means:  

It is one speck of a fringe text in a sea of texts that say Jesus was single. It, if authentic, is the exception, to the rule of texts we have on Jesus. Thus, in the end, even if it says what people are suggesting, it tells us only about a fourth century group's views, not anything about Jesus.1

1. http://blogs.bible.org/bock/darrell_l._bock/quick_thoughts_on_the_new_jesus_wife_text

"Christian Values Cannot Save Anyone"

Here is a great article by Al Mohler on the all too common idea in our culture that Christian values are the most important thing. The whole thing is worth reading, but here is an excerpt:

Christian values are the problem. Hell will be filled with people who were avidly committed to Christian values. Christian values cannot save anyone and never will. The gospel of Jesus Christ is not a Christian value, and a comfortability with Christian values can blind sinners to their need for the gospel.

He is not saying a person's values don't matter (read the article and you'll see that). The point is that Jesus didn't come to save those who thought they were good. In fact, those who think they are pretty good (ie. have Christian values) are the least likely to think they need a savior.

Parents who raise their children with nothing more than Christian values should not be surprised when their children abandon those values. If the child or young person does not have a firm commitment to Christ and to the truth of the Christian faith, values will have no binding authority, and we should not expect that they would. Most of our neighbors have some commitment to Christian values, but what they desperately need is salvation from their sins. This does not come by Christian values, no matter how fervently held. Salvation comes only by the gospel of Jesus Christ.

A good reminder for us all. Are we committed simply to our morals or are we committed to Christ (who does in fact transform our values)?

Why the Pro-Life Position Should be the Default Position

A good video with Peter Kreeft on why the pro-life position should be the default position for a person unless he or she knows for sure that what is being aborted isn't human life.

A Caution to Young, Culture-Embracing Evangelicals

"Church and the College Years"

Don't just go to church. Don't just join a church. Begin serving actively in a local church during your college years. Far too many young adults church "hop" during their college years. They become church consumers. Gathering nuggets of wisdom from various sermons and preachers. Getting a spiritual fix from vibrant singing, prayer, and fellowship here and there. Never giving and participating substantially in the life and ministry of a local body of believers.

Friends, the local church needs you during your college years. They will benefit from having you there, plugged in, and committed. It will be good for your heart and soul as well.

This is an excerpt from Jon Neilson's article "Church and the College Years". If you have questions like "Why do I need to be a part of a church" or if you often think "I love Jesus just not the church" then read the first section of the article.  The second half builds on that theological foundation and is an appeal to college students to: 1. Go to church, 2. Join a church, 3. Serve in a church.

The Emptiness of Elite Athletes Apart from Christ

During the Olympics, I saw a brief interview with US diver David Boudia. He said something about God's goodness and sovereignty and it caught my attention. So, I began an investigation...I looked him up on twitter.  So, I am not much of a detective, but there I saw several tweets about his Christian faith that were encouraging.

Today, I read an article in the Baptist press about him which was also encouraging, "Olympic diver Boudia's empty life undergoes 'radical change'".  In it, his testimony of how he came to Christ is laid out. His diving coach at Perdue was the one who helped lead him to the Lord.  Boudia told his coach, Adam Soldati, that he was feeling hopeless. Soldati commented that the hopelessness he saw in Boudia was common among elite athletes.

They're grabbing onto and they're holding onto their sport to ultimately define them, to give them a sense of identity," Soldati said. "God has put that in us to run after and to seek satisfaction, but ultimately that's going to be found in His son Jesus, period.

How true that is. And this isn't just true for elite athletes I'd argue. Elite athletes may sense it more acutely (as well as elite CEO's, political movers and shakers, and academic elites).  These individuals, if they do not know Christ, have tasted the best the world has to offer (or are seeking it with all their might) and realize it is empty. The success doesn't provide the promised goods. The reason it is empty isn't because good things are bad. It is because seeking identity, purpose, and to worship good things is idolatry and not what we were made for. We were made to delight in God (Ps. 16).

Every human being searches for something to define him or her. But, the Bible tells us our identity is to be found in the one whose image we were made in- God.  The image has been defaced by our sinfulness, but those who are in Christ are being recreated into the image of Jesus Christ. That is a message all of us need to hear.  I am thankful for that reminder from the testimony of David Boudia and Adam Soldati.

"Challenges to God's Providence"

Here is the last article by Dr. Moore on God's providence.  Here is an excerpt.

The major challenge to the Christian notion of providence though doesn’t come from a pipe-smoking heretic in a faculty lounge somewhere. The most dangerous sub-Christian theology of providence I can find is my own. It doesn’t show up in typed out discourses like this one. It shows up when I worry about the future–as though God does not have my future planned for me. It shows up when I’m anxious about how to pay for college educations or how to avoid my family’s genetic predisposition to heart disease or whether my church is going to do well next year. My fretfulness or my mistrust or my manipulation reveals a heart that doesn’t truly believe that God knows–or can do–what is best for me. These also reveal a heart that doesn’t yet fully get the goal of divine providence–conformity to Christ Jesus.

I hope this has been an immensely practical study of theology for you.  All theology has practical application for our lives.

Here are the others if you missed them
"Musings on God's Providence"
"The Goal of God's Providence"
"The Extent of God's Providence"
"The Mystery of God's Providence"

"The Mystery of God's Providence"

Article four of the five part series on God's providence by Dr. Moore is here. Here is an excerpt.

Human beings are not puppets made of meat. Joseph’s brothers don’t think they are saving the world by initiating God’s plan to rescue Israel through Joseph’s sojourn in Egypt. They think they’re disposing of an irritant. God turns these actions against them though–and even their evil is turned around for the good.

Here are the first three if you missed them
"Musings on God's Providence"
"The Goal of God's Providence"
"The Extent of God's Providence" 

"The Extent of God's Providence"

Here is the third article from Dr. Moore on God's providence.   Here is an excerpt

Some of us think that God rules providentially over the broad parameters, the “big things,” but not over the incidental details of history or of our lives. But, as I’ve noted before, so much of history–and our lives–is itself detail driven. The Bible tells us God raises up and tears down nations and rulers–the kinds of spectacular things we read about in our history books and hear about it in real time on CNN. But Jesus also tells us that a bird doesn’t hit a window and break its neck apart from the Father’s care.

Here are the first two if you missed them
"Musings on God's Providence"
"The Goal of God's Providence"

"The Goal of God's Providence"

As I said yesterday, I will be posting links to several articles by Dr. Russell Moore on the subject of God's providence. Here is the second one in the series (the first one is here in case you missed it). Here is an excerpt (I hope you'll read the whole thing)

All of human history is staging ground for the revealing of Christ–whether it’s the caravan of travelers that stumble across Joseph in a pit or the rise of the Roman Empire. In the same way, all the events of your life are pulling you toward conformity with Christ, for life in his Kingdom.

"Musings on God's Providence"

God's providence is a doctrine that is so full of practical application.  I know of no better doctrine to meditate on when you are tempted to be anxious or worried about present situations or the future.

Over the next several days I will be linking to several articles in a series on the doctrine of providence written by Dr. Russell Moore. I hope you will take the time to read them.

The first one is "Musings on God's Providence".  Here is an excerpt to whet your appetite

If your grandfather hadn’t noticed that girl at the picnic, or if he’d been too shy to say anything about it, you wouldn’t exist. All of us can think of similar “what if” situations. If Franklin Roosevelt’s mother had had a migraine headache the night he was conceived, we might all be speaking German right now. Who knows? History moves along by the seemingly small and insignificant decisions of billions of people, and by the seemingly random forces of nature.

Christians have a unique perspective on the unfolding of history–whether on the broad, cosmic level or on the small, personal level of our own stories. We believe that God is king, and that he governs the flow of events around us.

"Legalism or Obedience?"

This summer we have been spending some time discussing our pursuit of godliness.  As we think about obedience, there is always the danger that we will be accused of being legalistic (or that we might actually confuse godliness with legalism).  I found this article by Fred Zaspel to be helpful.  Here are a few excerpts:

....find a Christian who is careful to obey God in everything, and we won’t have to look far to find another Christian to call him a legalist. What do we make of this?
 
It’s a word we all hate, but exactly what is legalism? Legalism is that attempt to establish or maintain a right standing with God by means of our own efforts....

...Still more broadly the term is also used of those Christians who insist on extra-biblical standards of behavior and judge godliness accordingly. 

...But we must be careful not to confuse legalism with obedience. Obedience is not legalism. Obedience is obedience. God commands us to obey his Word, and when pressed with those commands we must not cry foul — “legalism!”  No, disobedience is sin, and obedience is not legalism.

On the contrary, any violation of God’s commands is sin, and there are no exceptions allowed. No custom, no family tradition, no “We’ve always done that!” will cover it. Scripture insists that violation of God’s law is sin.

Simply put, we needn’t fear that we may obey our Lord too much. Jesus said that if we love him, we will obey him.

Happily, God has promised in the New Covenant to give us a heart to obey him. And every true Christian has found that obedience to God is not a burdensome thing. This is the work of his Spirit within us to bring us to obey him — not legalistically but faithfully.

 

Thoughts on "Chic-Fil-A Day"

I thought this was a good article to help us think Christianly about Chic-Fil-A Day and the culture wars associated with it.

In the article, the author neither advocates taking part nor avoiding Chic-Fil-A Day (started by Mike Huckabee to show support for embattled Chic-Fil-A leaders).  He does do a good job showing that whether we eat (chicken sandwich) or drink (lemonade) we are to keep our focus on the main thing: the gospel of Jesus and the glory of God.

Fact Check on the Chic Fil A 'Incident'

We should expect to be misunderstood by the culture around us. And, unfortunately, we should also come to expect being misrepresented.  And that has been clear in the recent Chic Fil A "incident".    Here is a helpful article by Denny Burk providing a short fact check on what the mainstream media has been saying about Chic Fil A. 

Also, you may be interested in this article by Denny Burk on "Chic Fil A, Contraceptives, and Religious Liberty". 

Update
Here is another good article, this one by Dr. Mohler, on the issue about Chic Fil A and religious liberty.

Why Don't We Evangelize?

I have just begun to read "The Gospel and Personal Evangelism" by Mark Dever (pastor at Capitol Hill Baptist Church) as I plan for ways we can be sharing the gospel in the Fall.  The book is an encouraging read so far. But, it is also a convicting read. In one chapter, Pastor Dever lovingly calls us to examine why we don't evangelize (even as he humbly admits he often fails to evangelize). 

For me, I know that I often fear being an annoyance to the person I might be thinking about sharing with.  So, I often talk myself out of "bothering" them and remain silent.  Dever hits the nail on the head when says,

"Maybe we are too polite to be faithful to God in this area. Maybe we are more concerned about people's response than God's glory" (25).

Another reason I fail to share is that I fear people instead of loving them. Dever again astutely deals with this when he says,

"We share the gospel because we love people. And we don't share the gospel because we don't love people. Instead, we wrongly fear them. We don't want to cause awkwardness. We want their respect, and after all, we figure, if we try to share the gospel with them, we'll look foolish! And so we are quiet" (27).

Finally, I do not reflect often enough on how amazing God's love and goodness is and how the gospel puts that on display. The result is that,

"...instead of gossiping about God's goodness and the gospel, we engage in a conspiracy of silence. We reveal ourselves as being cold to God's glory. If we would be more faithful in evangelism, we should fuel the flame of love toward God within us..." (28-29).

I hope this encourages you to examine the reasons you may fail to share the gospel as often as you should (my assumption is most of us fail in this, but praise God if you are one who does not).  What are some reasons you fail to share the gospel?  What truth from God's Word speaks to those reasons? (Feel free to share in the comments section if you'd like).

Let's be praying for opportunities to share the gospel. Be praying for this upcoming Fall, that God would give us friends we could share the gospel with at work, school, or just around town.  And let's ask him to convert these friends to new life in Christ- for their joy and God's glory.  And let's expect that he has the power to do both.

"The Dark Night in Denver- Groping for Answers"

The tragedy in Denver has left the nation stunned. As Christians, we must always think Christianly and be prepared to answer the questions such a tragedy raises. I highly recommend reading this article by Albert Mohler.  Dr. Mohler reminds us of the biblical truth about the reality of evil, the grace of moral restraint, and the ultimate answer to evil found at the cross. 

So, as we pray for God to graciously comfort the grieving and strengthen the faithful believers and churches in Denver to show love to their community, may we also think biblically about the situation.

A Glimpse into the How the Internet Works

A glimpse into how the internet works.  I was fascinated.

"Proven Weapons in the Fight for Holiness"

Keeping with the theme of the summer, "Grow in Godliness," I suggest you read this article by John Piper on "Proven Weapons in the Fight for Holiness."  Specifically, he is discussing the Word of God. Below is an excerpt. 

When Paul says to put to death the deeds of the body “by the Spirit” (Romans 8:13), I take him to mean that we should use the one weapon in the Spirit’s armor that is used to kill. Namely, the sword. Which is the word of God (Ephesians 6:17). 

So when the body is about to be led into a sinful action by some fear or craving, we are to take the sword of the Spirit and kill that fear and that craving. In my experience that means mainly severing the root of sin’s promise by the power of a superior promise. 

So, for example, when I begin to crave some illicit sexual pleasure, the sword-swing that has often severed the root of this promised pleasure is: “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God” (Matthew 5:8). I recall the pleasures I have tasted of seeing God more clearly from an undefiled conscience; and I recall the brevity and superficiality and oppressive aftertaste of sin’s pleasures, and with that, God has killed the conquering power of sin. 

It is a beautiful thing to be the instrument of God’s word-wielding power to kill sin. 

Having promises at hand that suit the temptation of the hour is one key to successful warfare against sin. But there are times when we don’t have a perfectly suited word from God in our minds. And there is no time to look through the Bible for a tailor-made promise.So we all need to have a small arsenal of general promises ready to use whenever fear or craving threaten to lead us astray.

Keep reading to find some of his "proven weapons" (verses) which he fights sin with.  Keep fighting by his grace.

Al Mohler on Picking a College

If the college you visit has a bookstore filled with t-shirts rather than books, find another college. —Al Mohler

How is Your Summer? Don't Waste It!

Summer is in full bloom, but it will soon be gone. I am not trying to be a killjoy. I am not trying to be "that annoying kid" who always whined about the end of summer that was coming instead of enjoying the remaining days.  The reason I bring it up is to remind you of my challenge to you this summer. Do you remember?

The challenge was to make diligent effort to grow, by God's grace, in godliness (Christ-likeness).  If you participated in the book club/discipleship group, I encourage you to review the book (How Can I Change?) and use the principles to grow in a specific area of your life.  Don't be vague and general. We don't change in nebulous clouds of vagueness. God calls us and empowers us to change in specific attitudes and actions.  If you weren't able to participate in our discipleship group, I encourage you to read the book on your own (you can get a digital version free here).

Also, you may benefit from re-reading my blog series from the beginning of the summer on godliness.  You can find it by searching "Grow in Godliness This Summer" in the search bar.

I pray that through your Spirit empowered work God would give you genuine, perceptible, growth in godliness this summer.  Don't waste your remaining summer.  It is a gift to be enjoyed for God's glory and your spiritual good.

A FAQ on the Differences Between Mormonism & Biblical Christianity

As Christians, we are people of the book- the Bible. We invest time studying and delight in God's Word.  It is also good to know something of the false.  What I mean is that it is good to know a little something about other worldviews or religions that you might encounter which are in opposition to the truth. There is a danger here though. We are not to invest more time in this pursuit than we do in seeking to know God's truth.

Here is a helpful FAQ on the differences between Mormonism and Biblical Christianity.  I hope this helps you better understand the truth ultimately.  And I hope it helps you better witness to your Mormon friends.

Does the Old Testament Condone Polygamy?

Here is a great article by Lionel Windsor on the issue often raised in the marriage debates of our day, "Doesn't the Old Testament condone polygamy?  So, why appeal to it to defend marriage as a union between one man and one woman?"  I think this is a timely article to read given our culture's confusion in this area, and it fits with what we have been learning as we study 1-2 Samuel and see polygamy there.

Below is a great excerpt from the article.

Why did this interviewer think the Old Testament condones polygamy? Clearly he’s expressing a common point of view. Where has it come from? I reckon it stems from the fact that a lot of people in our world don’t really know what the Bible is about. A large number of people (maybe as a result of ineffectual communication by Christian teachers) think the Bible–and especially the Old Testament–is just a list of moral commandments, along with some stories to give us examples of how to be good. So when they do get around to reading the Old Testament, they read it with this moralistic framework in mind. And they find quite a few stories where the lead character is a polygamist. Furthermore, they don’t find any explicit commands that say “Thou shalt not commit polygamy”. So, since they are assuming that the Old Testament is just a book of moral commandments and morality tales, they conclude that the Bible says polygamy is OK.

The problem, of course, is that the Bible–even the Old Testament–is not really a book of commandments and morality tales. The Bible does of course contain commandments, and lots of narratives. But hardly any of the narratives are about morally upright heroes who keep God’s commandments. Most of the narratives are about God’s actions and plans to save immoral human beings. Most of the human characters in Bible stories (even some of the most faithful ones) are morally dubious at best; in fact, many of their activities are downright sordid. You’re not supposed to read these stories as direct examples for your own life; you’re meant to read them to understand God’s actions in the midst of a tragic human history.

It is true that the stories will also teach us something about God’s moral order. But we don’t usually discover this moral order simply by reading the stories as if they were straightforward examples to emulate today. Like many good stories, the Bible’s stories can communicate deep moral truths without needing to resort to explicit commandments. Indeed, stories are often more morally powerful when there is no explicit moralising. Think of a movie like Schindler’s List, a powerful story telling us about one of the darkest moments in Western history. Now imagine, at the end of the movie, as you’ve been hit with the human horror of the holocaust, just before the credits, a commandment comes up on the screen: “The director would like to point out (in case you missed it) that you should not be racist.” Not only would this be unnecessary, it would destroy the power of the story.

Marks of a Healthy Church: Biblical Leadership

What is it?

The Bible teaches that each local church should be led by a plurality of godly, qualified men called elders.

Where is it in the Bible?

Paul lays out the qualifications for elders in 1 Timothy 3:1-7 and Titus 1:5-9. Passages that evidence a plurality of elders in one local church include Acts 14:23, Acts 20:17, 1 Timothy 4:14, 1 Timothy 5:17, and James 5:14.

Why is it important?

God gifts churches with elders to

• feed God’s sheep God’s word (Jn. 21:15-17),
• guide the sheep (1 Tim. 4:16; 1 Pet. 5:3, Heb. 13:7),
• and protect the sheep from attackers (Acts 20:27-29; 2 Tim. 4:3-4; Tit. 1:9),
• while protecting both themselves and the church through the wisdom of their plurality (Prov. 11:14; 24:6).

The bottom line? Biblical church leadership is important because without it, God’s people are like sheep without shepherds.

http://www.9marks.org/what-are-the-9marks/leadership

Marks of a Healthy Church: Discipleship

What is it?

Scripture teaches that a live Christian is a growing Christian (2 Pet. 1:8-10). Scripture also teaches that we grow not only by instruction, but by imitation (1 Cor. 4:16; 11:1). Therefore churches should exhort their members to both grow in holiness and help others do the same.

Where is it in the Bible?

• Peter exhorted his readers to grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (2 Pet. 3:18)
• Paul exhorted the Ephesians to grow by speaking the truth in love to one another (Eph. 4:15).
• Many passages in Scripture instruct us to imitate godly leaders (Phil. 4:9; Heb. 13:7).

The point is that, according to Scripture, all Christians should grow in Christ, imitate other godly Christians, and encourage others in their growth in Christlikeness.

Why is it important?

1. Promoting biblical discipleship and growth is important because none of us are finished products. Until we die, all Christians will struggle against sin, and we need all the help we can get in this fight.
2. If a church neglects discipleship and growth, or teaches a skewed, unbiblical version of it, it will discourage genuine Christians and wrongly assure false Christians. On the other hand, if a church fosters a culture of Christian discipleship and growth, it will multiply believers’ efforts to grow in holiness.
3. A church that is not growing in the faith will ultimately yield an unhealthy witness to the world.

http://www.9marks.org/what-are-the-9marks/discipleship

Marks of a Healthy Church: Church Discipline

What is it?

• In the broadest sense, church discipline is everything the church does to help its members pursue holiness and fight sin. Preaching, teaching, prayer, corporate worship, accountability relationships, and godly oversight by pastors and elders are all forms of discipline.
• In a narrower sense, church discipline is the act of correcting sin in the life of the body, including the possible final step of excluding a professing Christian from membership in the church and participation in the Lord’s Supper because of serious unrepentant sin (see Matt. 18:15-20, 1 Cor. 5:1-13).

Where is it in the Bible?

• The New Testament commands corrective discipline (excluding unrepentant sinners from the fellowship of the church) in passages like Matthew 18:15-17, 1 Corinthians 5:1-13, 2 Corinthians 2:6, and 2 Thessalonians 3:6-15.
• The New Testament speaks about formative discipline (our efforts to grow in holiness together) in countless passages about pursuing holiness and building one another up in the faith, such as Ephesians 4:11-32 and Philippians 2:1-18.

Why is it important?

Think of discipline as the stake that helps the tree grow upright, the extra set of wheels on the bicycle, or the musician’s endless hours of practice. Without discipline, we won’t grow as God wants us to. With discipline, we will, by God’s grace, bear peaceful fruit of righteousness (Heb. 12:5-11).

http://www.9marks.org/what-are-the-9marks/discipline

Marks of a Healthy Church: Church Membership

What is it?

According to the Bible, church membership is a commitment every Christian should make to attend, love, serve, and submit to a local church.

Where is it in the Bible?

• Throughout Old Testament history, God made a clear distinction between his people and the world (see Lev. 13:46, Num. 5:3, Deut. 7:3).
• Christ says that entering the kingdom of God means being bound to the church “on earth” (Matt. 16:16-19; 18:17-19). Where do we see the church on earth? The local church.
• The New Testament explicitly refers to some people being inside the church and some people being outside (1 Cor. 5:12-13). This is much more than a casual association.
• The church in Corinth consisted of a definite number of believers, such that Paul could speak of a punishment inflicted by the majority (2 Cor. 2:6).
• Not only does the New Testament speak of the reality of church membership, but its dozens of “one anothers” are written to local churches, which fill out our understanding of what church membership should practically look like.

Why is it important?

Biblical church membership is important because the church presents God’s witness to himself in the world. It displays his glory. In the church’s membership, then, non-Christians should see in the lives of God’s changed people that God is holy and gracious and that his gospel is powerful for saving and transforming sinners.

http://www.9marks.org/what-are-the-9marks/membership

Marks of a Healthy Church: Evangelism

What is it?

Evangelism is simply telling non-Christians the good news about what Jesus Christ has done to save sinners. In order to biblically evangelize you must:

1. Preach the whole gospel, even the hard news about God’s wrath against our sin.
2. Call people to repent of their sins and trust in Christ.
3. Make it clear that believing in Christ is costly, but worth it.

Where is it in the Bible?

Scripture contains both teaching on evangelism (Matt. 28:19-20; Rom. 10:14-17; 1 Pet. 3:15-16) and examples of evangelistic preaching (see Acts 2:14-41, 3:12-26, 13:16-49, 17:22-31). Moreover, any time Scripture speaks of the gospel, it is teaching us what we are to share in evangelism (see, for example, Romans 1-4 and 1 Corinthians 15:1-4).

Why is it important?

• When a church has an unbiblical understanding of the gospel, they don’t evangelize, they evangelize in misleading or manipulative ways, or they share a message that’s not the gospel.
• On the other hand, a biblical understanding of evangelism clarifies our role in the mission God has given to the church: we are to preach the good news about what Christ has done and pray that God would bring people to believe it.

http://www.9marks.org/what-are-the-9marks/evangelism

Marks of a Healthy Church: Conversion

What is it?

A biblical understanding of conversion recognizes both what God does and what people do in salvation. In conversion, God

• gives life to the dead (Eph. 2:5)
• gives sight to the blind (2 Cor. 4:3-6)
• and gives the gifts of faith and repentance (Phil. 1:29; Acts 11:18).

And in conversion, people

• repent of sin (Mk. 1:15; Acts 3:19)
• and believe in Jesus (Jn. 3:16; Rom. 3:21-26).

A biblical understanding of conversion recognizes that only God can save, and that he saves individuals by enabling them to respond to the gospel message through repenting of sin and trusting in Christ.

Where is it in the Bible?

• Jesus called people to repent and believe in him (Mk. 1:15). He said that unless someone is born again he cannot enter the kingdom of heaven (Jn. 3:1-8).
• Throughout the book of Acts, the apostles call people to turn from their sin and trust in Christ (Acts 2:38, 3:19-20, 10:43, 13:38-39, 16:31, 17:30).
• Many of the epistles describe both our need to repent and believe in Christ and God’s supernatural work to accomplish this (Rom. 6:1-23; 1 Cor. 2:14-15; 2 Cor. 4:3-6; Eph. 2:1-10; 1 Thess. 1:9-10; 2 Tim. 2:25-26).

Why is it important?

A biblical understanding of conversion is important for churches because

1. It clarifies how churches should exhort non-Christians—they should call non-Christians to repent of sin and trust in Christ.
2. It reminds churches that they must rely upon God in all of their evangelistic efforts; only he can give new spiritual life.
3. It teaches churches to maintain a sharp distinction between themselves and the world.
   • Church members’ lives should be marked by the fruit of conversion,
   • Churches should admit to baptism and the Lord’s Supper only those who show evidence of conversion.

Churches should evangelize and teach about the Christian life in such a way that the radical nature of conversion is continually emphasized.

http://www.9marks.org/what-are-the-9marks/conversion

Marks of a Healthy Church: The Gospel

What is it?

The good news is that:

• The one and only God who is holy made us in his image to know him (Gen. 1:26-28).
• But we sinned and cut ourselves off from him (Gen. 3; Rom. 3:23).
• In his great love, God became a man in Jesus, lived a perfect life, and died on the cross, thus fulfilling the law himself and taking on himself the punishment for the sins of all those who would ever turn from their sin and trust in him (John 1:14; Heb. 7:26; Rom. 3:21-26, 5:12-21).
• He rose again from the dead, showing that God accepted Christ’s sacrifice and that God’s wrath against us had been exhausted (Acts 2:24, Rom. 4:25).
• He now calls us to repent of our sins and trust in Christ alone for our forgiveness (Acts 17:30, John 1:12). If we repent of our sins and trust in Christ, we are born again into a new life, an eternal life with God (John 3:16).
• He is gathering one new people to himself among all those who submit to Christ as Lord (Matt. 16:15-19; Eph. 2:11-19).

Where is it in the Bible?

Romans 1-4 contains one of the fullest expositions of the gospel in all of Scripture, and 1 Corinthians 15:1-4 contains a succinct summary of the gospel.

Why is it important?

• A biblical understanding of the gospel is important because the gospel is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes, and it is the only way for sinful people to be reconciled to a holy God.
• Not only that, but everything in a church flows from its understanding of the gospel, whether preaching, counseling, discipleship, music, evangelism, missions, and on.

http://www.9marks.org/what-are-the-9marks/the-gospel

Marks of a Healthy Church: Biblical Theology

What is it?

Biblical theology is sound doctrine; it is right thoughts about God; it is belief that accords with Scripture.

Where is it in the Bible?

1. The entire Bible teaches sound doctrine.
2. Many New Testament books, such as Paul’s epistles to the Romans and Ephesians, are stuffed to the brim with rich doctrinal teaching (see Rom. 1-11 and Eph. 1-3).
3. The authors of the New Testament frequently argue that sound doctrine is essential for healthy Christians and healthy churches (see 1 Tim. 1:5, 2 John 1-6, and Titus 2:1-10).

Why is it important?

Biblical theology is essential for

1. Evangelism. The gospel is doctrine. Therefore, sound doctrine is necessary for evangelism.
2. Discipleship. Jesus prayed, “Sanctify them in the truth. Your word is truth” (Jn. 17:17). Christians grow by learning and living in light of the truth—in other words, by sound doctrine.
3. Unity. According to the New Testament, the only true unity is unity in the truth (1 Jn. 1:1-4; 2 Jn. 10-11).
4. Worship. To worship God is to declare his excellencies (1 Pet. 2:9-10) and to exalt him because of who he is (Ps. 29:2). True worship is a response to sound doctrine.

http://www.9marks.org/what-are-the-9marks/biblical-theology

Marks of a Healthy Church: Expositional Preaching

What is it?
An expositional sermon takes the main point of a passage of Scripture, makes it the main point of the sermon, and applies it to life today.

Where is it in the Bible?

• According to Scripture, God accomplishes what he wants to accomplish through speaking (see Gen. 1:3, Isa. 55:10-11, Acts 12:24). This means that if preachers want their sermons to be filled with God’s power, they must preach what God says.
• The Bible has many examples of this kind of preaching and teaching: Levitical priests taught the law (Deut. 33:10), Ezra and the Levites read from the law and gave the sense of it (Neh. 8:8), and Peter and the apostles expounded Scripture and urged their hearers to respond with repentance and faith (Acts 2:14-41, 13:16-47).
• On the other hand, God condemns those who “speak of their own imagination, not from the mouth of the Lord” (Jer. 23:16, 18, 21-22).

Why is it important?

Expositional preaching is important because God’s Word is what convicts, converts, builds up, and sanctifies God’s people (Heb. 4:12; 1 Pet. 1:23; 1 Thess. 2:13; Jn. 17:17). Preaching that makes the main point of the text the main point of the sermon makes God’s agenda rule the church, not the preacher’s.

Taken from http://www.9marks.org/what-are-the-9marks/preaching  You can also see a short video explanation by click the link.

Healthy Churches

There is no such thing as a perfect church on this fallen planet. In heaven, we will be a perfect church.  That is important to realize, but it is not where we should stop. There are churches that are healthy and others that are not so healthy (there are also some that are dead).

Why is that an important distinction to make? The church is God's plan for displaying his glory on earth. It is to be a people that exhibit his character and truth to one another and a watching world.

How do we measure to see if a church has a good bill of health? We look to the Bible, see what a healthy church looks like, and then examine the church in front of us by biblical standards. This is a good thing to do as we look at our own church, and as you look for a new church. 

So what are some biblical signs of health?  Over the next several days, I will post 9 "marks" of a healthy church.*  I pray you will find these helpful in evaluating any church you would think about becoming a member of.  Remember, no church is perfect, but a good church is one that is seeking to be biblical and moving in healthy directions.


*These 9 marks are taken from 9Marks Ministries. Doug and I had the privileged of attending their conference in Washington DC this past week.  9Marks exists to equip church leaders with a biblical vision and practical resources for displaying God’s glory to the nations through healthy churches.

A Vibrant, Bible Believing Church vs. A Squishy Church

Kevin DeYoung has a good article entitled "If We Believe the Same Thing, Why Do Our Churches Seem so Different?" Below is an excerpt of ten things that he says distinguish between what he would call a vibrant, robust Bible-believing church and one that gets the statement of faith right but feels totally different (a squishy church).  There may be other things, but these 10 seem to be good observations.  This would be a good tool to use to evaluate a church before becoming a member.

1. The mission of the church has gotten sidetracked. Recently I stumbled upon the website for a church in my denomination. Judging from the information on the site I would say this church thinks of itself as evangelical, in the loose sense of the word. Their theology seems to be of the “mere Christianity” variety. But this is their stated missional aim: “[Our] Missions are designed to connect people and their resources with opportunities to respond to human need in the name of Jesus.” A church with this mission will be very different from one that aims to make disciples of all nations or exists to spread a passion for the supremacy of God in all things for the joy of all peoples.

2. The church has become over-accommodating. I’m not thinking of all contextualization (of which there are some good kinds and some bad). I’m thinking of churches whose first instinct is to shape their methods (if not their message) to connect with a contemporary audience. And because of this dominant instinct, they avoid hard doctrines, cut themselves off from history and tradition, and lean toward pragmatism.

3. The gospel is assumed. While the right theology may be affirmed in theory, it rarely gets articulated. No one believes the wrong things, but they don’t believe much of anything. When pressed, they will quickly affirm the importance of Jesus’ death and resurrection, of penal substitution, of justification by faith alone, but their real passions are elsewhere. What really holds the church together is a shared conviction about creation care or homeschooling or soup kitchens or the local fire station.

4. There is no careful doctrinal delineation. Theology is not seen as the church’s outboard motor. It’s a nasty barnacle on the hull. You will quickly notice a difference in message and methods between the church whose operating principle is “doctrine divides” and the one that believes that doctrine leads to doxology.

5. The ministry of the word is diminished. While preaching may still be honored in theory, in many churches there is little confidence that paltry preaching is what ails the church and even less confidence that dynamic preaching is the proper prescription. No one wants to explicitly pooh-pooh preaching, teaching, or the ministry of the word, but when push comes to shove the real solutions are structural or stylistic. How often do those engaged in church revitalization begin by looking at the preaching of the word and the role the Bible plays in the practical outworking of the congregation’s ministry?

6. People are not called to repentance. It sounds so simple, and yet it is so easily forgotten. Pastors may call people to believe in Jesus or call people to serve the community, but unless they also call them repent of their sins the church’s ministry will lack real spiritual power. And this should not be done by merely encouraging people to be authentic about their brokenness. We must use strong biblical language in calling people to repent and calling them to Christ.

7. There is no example of carefully handling specific texts of Scripture. People will not trust the Bible as they should unless they see it regularly taught with detail and clarity. Churches may still espouse a high view of Scripture but without a diet of careful exposition they will not know how to study the Bible for themselves and will not be discerning when poor theology comes along.

8. There is no functioning ecclesiology. If you put two churches side by side with the same theology on paper, but one has a working ecclesiology and the other has a grab-bag of eclectic practices, you will see a startling difference. Careful shepherding, elder training, regenerate church membership, a functioning diaconate, purposeful congregational meetings–these are the things you may not know you’ve never had. But when you do, it’s a different kind of church.

9. There is an almost complete disregard for church discipline. If discipline is truly one of the three marks of the church, then many evangelical congregations are not true churches. All the best theology in the world won’t help your church or your denomination if you don’t guard against those who deny it. If we are to be faithful and eternally fruitful, we must warn against error, confront the spirit of the age, and discipline the impenitent.

10. The real problem is something other than sin and the real remedy is something other than a Savior. The best churches stay focused on the basics. And that means sin and salvation. Sadly, many churches–even if they affirm the right doctrine on paper–act and preach as if the biggest problem in the world is lack of education, or material poverty, or the declining morals in our country, or the threat of global warming. As a result we preach cultural improvement instead of Christ. We preach justice without Jesus. We lose sight that the biggest problem (though not the only problem) confronting the churchgoer every Sunday is that he is a sinner in need of a Savior.