The Heidelberg Diet (Week 3)

Questions: From where do you know your sins and misery?

Answer: From the law of God.

Rom 3: 20; 7:7-25.

Piper on How His Pastoral Ministry Has Shaped his Pulpit Ministry

I am not sure where the Lord is leading Jess and I in the ministry. We both have a desire for the proclamation of the Gospel to be expressed overseas through the local church. My pastor asked me if I had any desires for the pastorate of which I said no but am open. I’ve preached twice in my life and both were bad experiences but I do not doubt that the Lord used those times to speak some. I did feel that I preached with sincerity in my heart and would say I was eager to see lives changed and joys increased by my message but at the same time I felt incredibly ill-equipped to handle the word of God. Of course nerves played a huge role as well. I am still open to the Lord’s calling to preach in the position of a pastor.

I have just finished listening to a recording of John Piper at the Resurgence Conference called How My Pastoral Ministry Shapes My Pulpit Ministry. He gave 16 convictions that shape how he preaches and 16 examples on how his pastoral ministry shapes his preaching. I am grateful for men such as John Piper who have helped shape my thoughts about what “preaching” entails. To listen to the sermon click here.

16 Foundational Convictions that Shape How I Preach

1. God predestined us and created us for the praise of the glory of his grace.

2. No one by nature wants to live for the praise of the glory of God’s grace.

3. Therefore every person is accountable to God and guilty with no excuse and is under his just and holy wrath.

4. The final expression of that wrath is an eternal hell of torment cut off from the presence of God and all that is good.

5. The plight of all men on the way to that punishment is that they are spiritually dead and blind and morally unable to see Christ as true and beautiful.

6. People are rescued from this deadness and this destiny of destruction by the death and resurrection of Christ in their place.

7. This atonement is applied to specific people in the new birth through the preaching of the word of God in the power of the Holy Spirit.

8. Preaching the Word of God continues in the life of the believer and the life of the church as a God-designed means (along with other means) of bringing about the reason for our creation—the praise of the glory God’s grace.

9. Preaching is more than teaching; it is the rising of the preacher’s heart to exult over the exposition of truth. It is both exposition of biblical texts and exultation over the reality in those texts.

10. This form of speech—preaching—is designed by God to correspond to his aim in creation and redemption to be glorified by his creatures, namely, his aim to be known and enjoyed.

11. Therefore preaching is worship, it does not follow worship.

12. Therefore preaching corresponds to the design of God to be worshiped in spirit and truth.

13. Therefore preaching is always more but never less than the exposition of Scripture.

14. People are changed into God-glorifying lovers of Christ by seeing Jesus Christ in the fullness of his biblical beauty through Spirit-anointed expository exultation.

15. The glories of God in Jesus Christ are not meant to be the foundation that we stand on while preaching about other things. They are meant to be the main thing we preach about and to which all other things are leading.

16. In preaching I am jealous to show my people the very words in the Bible in which I see the glories of God and the path of Christ-exalting joy.

The Flaws of the Seeker Approach

Christianity Today has just posted an article on Willow Creek’s Reveal. Willow Creek has put together a study to see how effective their respective ministries were in helping people grow spiritually.

Below is an excerpt from CT:

In Reveal, talk about the church is framed as if it were merely a distribution point for spiritual goods and services. For example, the study says that the dissatisfied, more than any other segment, have a much higher level of expectation “for what the church can and should deliver.” Furthermore, the dissatisfied say that when it comes to engendering personal spiritual growth, “the church is letting me down.”

The study’s answer suggests a disturbingly low view of the church: It concludes that the dissatisfied need to realize that “much of the responsibility for their spiritual growth belongs to them” (emphasis in the original). And “We [at Willow] have to let people know early on in their journey that they need to look beyond the church to grow” (emphasis added).
But according to the apostle Paul, the church is where each one is given a gift “so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ” (Eph. 4:12–13).

For Paul, solid spiritual growth cannot be found “beyond the church,” but only in its midst. The study rightly says, “Our people need to learn to feed themselves through personal spiritual practices.” Unfortunately, the study fails to hint that these spiritual disciplines are intrinsically grounded in the ongoing life of the church. This implicit dualism (between private and corporate spiritual growth) suggests something different from Paul’s view that it is in the body of Christ that we are joined together to “grow up into him who is the Head” (Eph. 4:15).

Jonathan Leeman has posted some of his thoughts on the study at 9 Marks. Click here for his conclusion.

For further interest see: Willow Creek Repents?

(HT: JT)

Keller Interviewed on Reason for God

Pastor Mike Sharrett of Redeemer Presbyterian Church of Lynchburg, VA just purchased 30 copies of Tim Keller’s new book titled The Reason For God. I haven’t been able to purchase my copy yet but am looking forward to the read. They will be out on the book table this Sunday. If you attend Redeemer feel free to stop by the book table and pick up your copy.

Also, Anthony Sacramone of First Things interviews Keller on his new book. Click here to read the interview.

(HT: Justin Taylor)

This book was mainly written with skeptics in mind. If you have never read the book or are interested I have linked a couple of review below by Tim Challies.

Below is an excerpt from Westminster’s Bookstore about the book:

Although a vocal minority continues to attack the Christian faith, for most Americans, faith is a large part of their lives: 86 percent of Americans refer to themselves as religious, and 75 percent of all Americans consider themselves Christians. So how should they respond to these passionate, learned, and persuasive books that promote science and secularism over religion and faith? For years, Tim Keller has compiled a list of the most frequently voiced “doubts” skeptics bring to his Manhattan church. And in The Reason for God, he single-handedly dismantles each of them. Written with atheists, agnostics, and skeptics in mind, Keller also provides an intelligent platform on which true believers can stand their ground when bombarded by the backlash. The Reason for God challenges such ideology at its core and points to the true path and purpose of Christianity.

Why is there suffering in the world? How could a loving God send people to Hell? Why isn’t Christianity more inclusive? Shouldn’t the Christian God be a god of love? How can one religion be “right” and the rest “wrong”? Why have so many wars been fought in the name of God? These are just a few of the questions even ardent believers wrestle with today. In this book, Tim Keller uses literature, philosophy, real-life conversations and reasoning, and even pop culture to explain how faith in a Christian God is a soundly rational belief, held by thoughtful people of intellectual integrity with a deep compassion for those who truly want to know the truth.

Survey by Pew Forum on Religion: "U.S. Religious Landscape in Flux"

Pew Forum on Religion recently released an interesting study on Americans and the switching from religious affiliation to another. I ran into this article through MSNBC. I am always a little leary when it comes to statistics although I must admit this is an interesting study….

Below is an excerpt:

“The study released Monday by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life is unusual for its sheer scope, relying on interviews with more than 35,000 adults to document a diverse and dynamic U.S. religious population.

While much of the study confirms earlier findings — mainline Protestant churches are in decline, non-denominational churches are gaining and the ranks of the unaffiliated are growing — it also provides a deeper look behind those trends, and of smaller religious groups.”

Another excerpt:

“The U.S. Religious Landscape Survey estimates the United States is 78 percent Christian and about to lose its status as a majority Protestant nation, at 51 percent and slipping.

More than one-quarter of American adults have left the faith of their childhood for another religion or no religion at all, the survey found. Factoring in moves from one stream or denomination of Protestantism to another, the number rises to 44 percent.

One in four adults ages 18 to 29 claim no affiliation with a religious institution.”

Al Mohler comments on this study:

“Evangelical Christians and churches should look at this report closely. There is a wealth of data here that helps to define the mission field we face in America. There are danger signs. Here are several points of concern:

• Our evangelism is not keeping pace with growth in the population. Evangelical churches are growing, but falling behind in the task of reaching Americans with the Gospel.
• We are losing many young people and many of those who switch from evangelical identity switch to “nothing in particular.”
• Evangelicals are accustomed to being part of a Protestant majority, but that majoritarian posture is about to be taken away (and already has been in some communities).

All this reminds us of the complexity of our context and the immensity of our challenge. We cannot look at this data with mere interest. These numbers represent real people who desperately need to hear the Gospel — and to see authentic Christianity made visible. ”

Criticism at It’s Best (Some Helpful Thoughts)

Pastor Mike Sharrett recently preached a sermon entitled “The Beauty of Well Placed Words” preaching from Proverbs 25:11.

“A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in a setting of silver.”

As someone who delights and strives to increase in his theological education there is a tendency (which we are mostly unaware of) to quickly find and point out errors and suspicions in others worldviews or theological frameworks. This post has helped me hold my tongue and reevaluate my heart when tempted. This is an older post from Mark Dever concerning criticism. Click here for the whole thing:

1. Directly, not indirectly.

2. Seriously, not humorously.

3. As if it’s important, not casually.

4. Privately, not publicly.

5. Out of love for them, not to express your feeling or frustration.

Ascol Interviewed by Prime Time America on the Resurgence of Calvinism in the SBC

Tom Ascol of Founders Minsitries has recently been interviewed concerning the continuing growth among reformed theology within the Southern Baptist Convention. Alscol gives his thoughts on why all the interest in this “resurgence” is good. (The interview is towards the last 30 minutes) Read it here.

Below is an excerpt:

All of the interest in this subject is good for a variety of reasons. First, it is evidence that a doctrinal renewal is taking place within the SBC. That has been obvious to some of us for years, but it has been harder to convince others. Some simply haven’t been too observant, but others, I think, just don’t want to face up to the reality of what it taking place, largely out of fear that is based on misunderstanding or at least incomplete understanding. If I believed some of the popular caricatures about Calvinism and Calvinists then I, too, would be afraid of a so-called “Calvinistic resurgence.” I should also add that if some of the worst examples of those who call themselves Calvinists are representative of the resurgence, then I would also be fearful of it. But the caricatures are simply that and the radical extremists may make a lot of noise but are very small in number and do not represent the movement.

November 2, 2007: The Proposal

I’m sorry it’s taken me so long to post these pictures. The angelic being in the photos below is my fiance. The Wedding is scheduled for July 5, 2008 at Sweet Briar College in Virginia. Please pray for us as we prepare for this covenant of marriage.

The pictures below were taken off duty by my good friend and bestman Adam Barnes. He is an international renown photographer whose love for photography started off by taking photos of the local neighborhood squirrels and rabbits as a little child. I’m kidding… If you are interested in his work you should check him out: http://www.adambarnesphoto.com/

Resurgence Conference is Offering Live Video Feed (2/25 – 2/27)

I don’t know how much of this I will be able to watch but praise God for technology! The Resurgence conference this year will have live conference video feed available. This year’s conference is titled Text & Context centering on biblical faithfulness to the scriptural text and proclaiming it contextually to today’s culture.

Below is an excerpt from the site:

Understanding the text of Scripture and the context in which we live are essential in preaching the gospel today. This is true whether you are a preaching pastor or a Christian that wants to reach your co-worker/neighbor. Joining us for the Resurgence Conference will be Dr. John Piper, author and pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis, MN; Mark Driscoll, author and pastor of Mars Hill Church in Seattle, WA; Matt Chandler from The Village Church in Dallas, TX; as well as Jim Gilmore author and business consultant with expertise on studying the culture and trends of today.

(HT: Desiring God)

Biblical Ecclesiology on the Run??

David Wells comments on Barna’s findings concerning the alternatives to conventional church experiences in America. Below are some alarming stats:

• worship at home (89%)
• active in house church (75%)
• watching religious TV (69%)
• radio broadcast (68%)
• special ministry event (68%)
• and participating in a marketplace ministry (54%)

Excerpt:

Assume for the moment that Barna’s numbers are correct and that they really do identify a prevailing mood. This mood will be in our churches. How are we going to respond to it? It seems to me that this has become a central question and we need to be careful that we are not caught fiddling while Rome—the reality of the Church—gets burned down. The problem, though, is that the consequences in our churches of increasingly vapid biblical teaching, personality-centered pastoring, invasive individualism, contempt for the past, and an egregiously non-theological kind of evangelicalism have now been accumulating for years. And this makes for easy-pluckings by anyone who seems to have a better idea or who offers more for less.

Dever on Subjective Guidance: Discerning the Will of God

Mark Dever of 9 Marks Ministries has written a helpful post on “the bondage of guidance” in our Christian walk. Decision making can sometimes lead someone debilitated and paralyzed without the clear cut leading of the Spirit. This hits home with every believer from where one should work to who you should date. You will typically hear someone make his or her decision saying something to the effect of “I just don’t have a peace about it”. I typically stay away from cliché’s like this but there is some measure of truth to this statement. Discerning and making decisions with peace and wisdom are usually made easier with prayer, counsel, the study of Scripture, and meditation on Scripture. Unfortunately most people throw this statement around and use this statement based on the immediate emotions one feels. Granted there are times that even with prayer, counsel, and so on we can still find ourselves unable to make decisions not merely for fear of displeasing the Lord but simply because the signs are not pointing a certain way to make God glorifying choices. Everything seems grey! You’d think it would be simple either God’s wants me to do this or God does not.

Dever’s post comes helpful here as he points out that there is a subjective sense of leading that God has freely granted us to make choices. I pretty much pasted the whole post. It is brief and to the point. Below is the excerpt:

I do believe that God’s Spirit will sometimes lead us subjectively. So, for instance, I am choosing to spend my life here on Capitol Hill because my wife & I sensed in 1993 that that is what God wanted us to do. However, I realized then (and now) that I could be wrong about that supposition. Scripture is NEVER wrong. I was free in 1993 to stay in England, or teach at a seminary, either of which would have been delightful opportunities. I understand that I was free to make those choices. But I chose, consulting Scripture, friends, wisdom, and my own subjective sense of the Lord’s will, to come to DC. And even if I were wrong about that, I had (and have) that freedom in Christ to act in a way that is not sin. And I understand my pastoring here not to be sin. So I am free. Regardless of the sense of leading I had.

Most decisions I’ve made in my Christian life, I’ve made with no such sense of subjective leading. Maybe some would say that this is a mark of my spiritual immaturity. I understand this to be the way a redeemed child of God normally lives in this fallen world before the fullness of the Kingdom comes, Christ returns, and immediate, constant, unbroken fellowship with God is re-established.

(HT: JT)

Evangelical Churches and Mercy Ministries in Your Community

JD Grear gives some thoughts on why or why not churches serve their local community. Grear makes the point that the primary responsibility of the church is not building the kingdom now but is to preach the Gospel of Christ and to lead others to a saving faith is Jesus. Here are four reasons:

1: We are extending the kingdom of God on earth (Jesus left us to build his kingdom on earth).

2: Because we love our neighbor (A ministry of reconciliation and not restoration).

3: The church should only be concerned with preaching the Gospel.

4: It is a “sign” of the Gospel.

Here is an excerpt: We want our cities to be like Samaria in Acts 8, who “rejoiced” because of the preaching and healing ministry of Philip. We want our communities to be like Tabitha’s community in Acts 9 who wept at her death because of all the kind deeds she had done in their midst. We believe that the beauty of Jesus’ kingdom is so compelling that our community will look at us and say, “Wow. We don’t believe what they believe, but thank God they’re here!”

(HT: Resurgence)

Billy Graham Back at Home

MSNBC:

ASHEVILLE, N.C. – Evangelist Billy Graham returned to his mountainside home Tuesday to continue his recovery from surgery to update a shunt that controls excess fluid on his brain, officials said.

Graham, who underwent the elective surgery last Wednesday, is recovering well, and his physicians are pleased with his progress, said Mission Hospitals spokeswoman Merrell Gregory.

Atonement on NBC’s hit show E.R.

A provocative clip from NBC’s hit show E.R.

(HT: Justin Taylor)

A Horror Flick and John 8: "You will die in your sin"

This past Saturday a good friend of mine and bestman at my wedding invited me and some guys to his place for a guys night out. While flipping through some of the channels on TV we landed on the movie Final Destination 3 for about 10 minutes before changing the channel again. Sounds like a movie set in a subway station or something. The movie is actually your typical teen horror flick of which I do not recommend any. The movie begins with a girl and her friends on rollercoaster but just before the ride starts she has a terrible premonition that the rollercoaster is going to malfunction during the ride where by everyone dies (my worst nightmare at Six Flags). Seeing this ahead of time her and her friends escape and cheat death. The premise of the movie: you cannot cheat death no matter what you try to do. You don’t need to watch the rest of the movie to figure out what happens next. Those who have escaped die one by one. The culprit is not a serial killer or a virus but death as an entity to itself seeking to take lives.

As frightening as this may be this worldview is not far off from what many individuals have today. Although there may not be many people who believe death to be a conscious entity on a quest to take lives and granted that people may not be deliberately finding extreme ways to cheat death there are certainly those who do fear death and take measures to avoid it. Concerning the “after life” most are quite apathetic to what happens after their physical death. The world typically lives in view of an earthly death where by life merely ceases physically. We would all have to admit that the physical death is a scary thing to imagine for everyone. To put it lightly one reason it is scary is that there are many ways for life to physically cease. Our imagination has the potential to think of numerous ways that this could happen (i.e. cancer, drowning, car accident). As a side note I do want to mention that believers in Jesus Christ are fearful of how they leave this earth but even more so should revel in the fact that they were once objects of wrath but are now vessels of mercy and citizens of heaven (Eph 2:3; Rom 9:22; Col 3:6-7;1 Tim 2:16; 1 Thes 5:9; Rom 9:23; Eph 2:4-5; Tit 3:5; Phil 3:20). One aspect of a paradigm to the Christian life is living and seeing life in view of eternity.

So what can be terrifying than death coming after you? I’ve mentioned above that we can all agree that physically dying is scary and is not something that I look forward to but pressing the question even further past the physical to the spiritual what is even scarier is the spiritual death that is spoken of in the Bible (Rom 6:23; 1 John 5:16). The book of Revelation refers to it as the “second death” (Rev 21:8).

When I was in Southeast Asia doing some mission work I once had this horrible nightmare where I consciously and intentionally denied Christ even after all that He had clearly revealed to me through Scripture. I immediately woke up in a cold sweat in great sorrow yet thankful that it was only a dream. Not knowing whether or not this was a reflection of the current state of my heart I spent the next week in deep repentance and self examination. Again this was only a dream but even frightening than denying Christ is the consequence of that denial. Eternal separation from the joy of being with Jesus Christ. This is not hard to fathom as Christians we have times of drought where the presence of God is hardly felt or even numb to the Spirit. This freezing of all sensitivity to God some have even termed the Dark Night of the Soul. Even for those who have not placed their faith in Christ can understand this reality. There is common grace being poured constantly every second of every day where goodness is experienced and enjoyed through God’s provision of food, water, healthy bodies, relationships, and so on regardless of their acknowledgement towards God (Matt 5:45).

It is one issue to be lonely, single, away from family and friends for this is temporary and it is another issue to be eternally separated from the infinitely increasing joy of experiencing and being with Christ. To help us further understand this no one who has ever lived fully comprehends and understands the heinousness of sin in the hearts of man (Jer 17:9). No one ever has except for the person of Jesus Christ on the cross as he bore the fullness of sin, exhausting the wrath of God that was due us (Heb 9:26, 28; 13:12).

In John chapter 8 Jesus who was talking to the Pharisees stated in verse 21 that they would die in their “sin” and where He is going they would not be able to go. A few verses later in verse 24 He stated that they would die in their “sins” if the Pharisees did not believe who He claimed Himself to be. Do you remember? Jesus has just claimed himself to be the light of the world and he is now telling the Pharisees that where he is going he cannot come and even as they seek they will not find Him. What Jesus is referring to here is that after he leaves they will still go on looking for a messiah not acknowledging Jesus as so. As a result they would die in their sin. I take this to mean the sin of unbelief. Leon Morris writes on verse 21:

“His death is set in contrast to theirs. They will die in their sin, and this will prevent them from going where he goes. Dying in sin is not further defined. It is an Old Testament expression, but there, as here, it is not explained (Prov. 24:9, LXX; Ezek. 3:18; 18:18). It points to a horror that is all the more terrible for being unexplained. To die with one’s sin unrepented and unatoned is the supreme disaster (Amplified renders, “[under the curse of] your sin”).

How desperately corroded man’s heart is to ignore the most obvious being in the universe! In verse 24 there is a conditional clause that “unless you believe” who he claims Himself to be that is the light of the world (v.12) and of the Father (v. 16) “you will die in your sins”. From this we can assume that to believe in Jesus is to have the “light of life” (v.12). Jesus then goes on to expound on this that “the truth will set you free” in verses 31-38.

There is no greater horror than to hear from the mouth of Jesus that “you will die in your sin”. Opposite of that there is nothing more beautiful, pleasing, or confirming than to hear Jesus say, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free (vv. 31-32).”

So what have I learned from 10 minutes of watching a horror flick and reading John 8:

· My sin is great.
· The magnificent love of Christ is greater.
· Christ claims are still true today and will forever be.
· No one has ever understood or experienced the great wickedness of sin like Christ has.
· There is a second death infinitely more horrific than any physical death.
· I must believe in Jesus Christ to be saved (The Gospel).
· The truth of Christ and all that he is for me will set anyone free from the bondage of sin if they just believe and follow Christ.
· I must take the commands of Christ seriously.
· There is no fear of death now that I have been saved (1 Cor 15:55; Rom 8:1) through Jesus.
· Christ is for my good and for my joy.
· Horror flicks are cheesy and are not as scary as they seem in comparison to what the Bible says.

The Heidelberg Diet (Week 2)

Question 2. What do you need to know in order to live and die in the joy of this comfort?

Answer: First, how great my sins and misery are; second, how I am delivered from all my sins and misery; third, how I am to be thankful to God for such deliverance.

1 Rom 3:9, 10; 1 Jn 1:10. 2 Jn 17:3; Acts 4:12; 10:43. 3 Mt 5:16; Rom 6:13; Eph 5:8-10; 1 Pet 2:9, 10.

The Washington Post on Eric Redmond: "Southern Baptists Diversifying to Survive"

The Washington Post has recently given Eric Redmond some face time on the subject of race and ethnic diversity with denominations. Eric Redmond currently serves on the Trustee Board of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and the Executive Board of the National African American Fellowship of the Southern Baptist Convention. He is also Pastor of Hillcrest Baptist Church in Temple Hills, MD. Below is an excerpt from the article:

Faced with a crisis of aging and departing members, the nation’s largest non-Catholic Christian bodies — Southern Baptists, United Methodists, Lutherans and Presbyterians — are reaching out to minorities in ways they never have before.

Yet, while local churches often remain predominately black or white, the outreach does result in a more diverse national organization.

By establishing churches in minority communities, changing worship practices, electing minorities to leadership positions and purging racism from their language and attitudes, the faiths are seeking to draw in communities of color as a way to boost stagnating or falling membership. The consequences of ignoring those communities, they warn, are dire.

For those of you interested Eric Redmond also has a blog titled A Man from Issachar.

(HT: Ed Stetzer)

Dwell Conference on Urban Church Planting

Oh how much I am craving to attend this conference. For those of you who can go you are in for a treat! Space is limited to 350 participants so hurry:

Tuesday, April 29 – Wednesday, April 30, 2008 9:00 am – 5:00 pm each day

Redeemer in New York City will be co-hosting and partnering with Acts 29 Network in a premiere church planting event to create a world-class training for urban church planters. It will be a great honor to have some of the most influential church planting leaders as speakers at this event: Tim Keller, Mark Driscoll, Ed Stetzer, CJ Mahaney, and Darrin Patrick.

Special Report by Forbes: America’s Most Sinful Cities

Check out the interactive map that Forbes put out on America’s Most Sinful City. Where does your city line up?

“They say geography is destiny, but perhaps it is damnation as well.

We have unveiled the American city that has fallen the farthest from grace in each of the seven deadly sins ( lust, gluttony, avarice, sloth, wrath, envy and pride). For each sin we stretched our imagination to find a workable proxy–murder rates for wrath, per capita billionaires for avarice–then culled the available data sources to rank the cities. Some of the results were surprising: Salt Lake City as America’s Vainest City. Some were not: Detroit as America’s Most Murderous.

To view them on our interactive map, simply click on a cardinal sin, and the 10 worst (or best, depending on your point of view) cities for that particular vice will be displayed.”

(HT: Tall Skinny Kiwi)

John A. Broadus writings found on EBay

John Broadus was the 2nd president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. The seller found his letters on accident when she bought some glassware at an auction. Why doesn’t stuff like this ever happen to me?? Below is an excerpt from the Baptist Press:

Southern acquired the new materials when Don Whitney, associate professor of biblical spirituality, saw them for sale on eBay, an Internet site where people buy and sell items. Whitney notified Gregory A. Wills, professor of church history and director of Southern Seminary’s Center for the Study of the Southern Baptist Convention, of his find.”When I looked at the photo of the letters, I saw that it was indeed Broadus’ handwriting, and I grew excited about the possibility of acquiring these for the seminary that Broadus gave his life to establish,” Wills said.R. Albert Mohler Jr., Southern Seminary’s president, said the addition of the papers serves as a reminder of the depth of the Broadus legacy.”This really is an historical achievement for us,” Mohler said. “It is restoring a part of Dr. Broadus’ legacy through the institution he served and helped to found. It means a great deal to us to have these materials. Just looking at them, touching them, reviewing them, reminds us of the greatness of this man and the length of his legacy.”

Acts 29 Boot Camp (Chicago) mp3s

Last month the ACTS 29 Network had their boot camp in Chicago. For those of you who have never heard of ACTS 29 it is a church planting ministry committed to planting churches that plant other churches to put it simply. Their hope is to plant 1,000 churches within the next 20 years. Below is the list of seminars they had. Jess and I hope to plant some churches in the Northwest if the Lord is pleased so I am going to look forward to listening to these.

Church Planting Evangelism 01/30/08

Speaker: Mark Dever

Vision for Church Planting 01/30/08

Speaker: Scott Thomas

Kingdom-Focused Church Planting 01/29/08

Speaker: Ed Stetzer

Leading the Mission in Church Planting 01/29/08

Speaker: Darrin Patrick

Preaching the Mission Chicago 2008 01/29/08

Speaker: Mark Driscoll

Mohler Due for Surgery

I just received this press release the other day and have not been able to post this till now. Al Mohler is president of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary back in Louisville, KY where I was a student from 2004-2006. I plan to attend again to finish my M.Div starting this Summer. Please keep Dr. Mohler, his family, and Southern in prayer. Dr. Mohler has requested that he not be nominated to be president of the Southern Baptist Convention.

“Sometimes we take it for granted that we live in an age like this one, in which God has given us the blessing of medical technology,” Mohler said. “For most of human history, a tumor such as this one would have gone unnoticed until it was too late. I am thankful for modern medicine, but I am even more thankful that we live in a world in which our God hears us when we pray, a Father who listens to his children.”

The Scoop on Rob Bell’s NOOMA Videos

Greg Gilbert is currently the director of theological research for Dr. Al Mohler at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Here he gives his thoughts on the ever popular NOOMA videos.

(Part 1) (Part 2) (Part 3)

Thoughts this Valentine’s Day

Ah yes, Valentines Day (aka Singles Awareness Day) is soon to be here! I have always been intrigued by this holiday: Rose petals, romantic cards that play little tunes, wordy love letters, the colors red and pink splashed everywhere, rose selling advertisements, the chick flick wall at the local video store, the 4 aisles of Valentines gifts at Walmart. You just can’t get away from it. I walked in my fiancé’s parent’s house and as I was on my way upstairs I was surprised to be met by a trail of cut out hearts made out of construction paper leading to the kitchen where I ran into a dangling strip of heart shaped lights at the entrance of the kitchen.

Although generally skewed in its definition of love this holiday does attest to the worlds eagerness for intimacy and love. I felt it during my single days and now from an engaged point of view. The most romantic evening Jess and I have ever experienced on this side of our relationship was the night I proposed. I had three dozen roses, tea lights spread through out my apartment, Norah Jones helping me out with the music. During the proposal I mentioned a brief but concise explanation of Christ and the Church. Being careful not to over allegorize I described how much more clearer my love, appreciation, and understanding of the Gospel has been through our relationship. Since then everything has seemed to connect with Christ’s love for the Church even Valentine’s Day. Believe me I am not trying to over spiritualize Valentine’s Day as for the most part I am still fairly apathetic to the holiday itself.

Jess and I plan to spend some time together today. I am learning what it means to study and romance my “soon to be”. Although this Valentine’s Day may not be as romantic as the night I proposed we will be reading Ephesians 5:22-33 as a short reminder of Christ the true romancer. “This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church.” –Chp. 5:32

The Heidelberg Diet (Week 1)

I will begin posting each week a question from the Heidelberg Catechism. Why a catechism? One reason is that it safeguards the purity of the church and another it is a personal exercise for Christian growth to familiarize yourself with doctrine. Tom Nettles of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary gives some encouragement as to using catechisms: (Part 1 and Part 2)

Question 1. What is thy only comfort in life and death?

Answer: That I with body and soul, both in life and death, (a) am not my own, (b) but belong unto my faithful Saviour Jesus Christ; (c) who, with his precious blood, has fully satisfied for all my sins, (d) and delivered me from all the power of the devil; (e) and so preserves me (f) that without the will of my heavenly Father, not a hair can fall from my head; (g) yea, that all things must be subservient to my salvation, (h) and therefore, by his Holy Spirit, He also assures me of eternal life, (i) and makes me sincerely willing and ready, henceforth, to live unto him. (j)

PMS Prep at GirlTalk

Carolyn Mahaney and the girls at the GirlTalk blog will be posting some discussions on PMS. Us men might find these posts beneficial especially for those who are engaged or married. Ladies, this might be worth following up on:

PMS Prep

For the next few days we’re going to talk about some of the ways we can all prepare for the “dangers” of postpartum, PMS, or other physical difficulties. So no matter what time of the month it is for you, we hope you’ll join us for a little “PMS Prep.” You know it’s coming. But take heart: God’s grace is already here to help us prepare to glorify Him and serve others. Let’s consider how.

World’s Smallest Body Builder

I love stories like this! Mad props Romeo! Below is an excerpt from FOXNews:

A tiny Indian bodybuilder who is less than 3 feet tall and deemed the world’s smallest is causing a huge stir in his hometown and gaining international recognition, according to the British press.

Aditya “Romeo” Dev of Phagwara, India, is a little person who is only 2 feet, 9 inches tall and weighs not even 20 pounds, the Daily Mail reported.

Music, Worship, and the Church

If you’ve ever wondered about music’s role in worship these days. Greg Gilbert of 9 Marks has written a couple of stimulating posts and Bob Kauflin chimes in. Check out the posts: “Against Music“, “Guest Blogger: Bob Kauflin” – A response, “Some More Thoughts on Music“

Below are some questions of reflection from Gilbert’s last post:

- Do you get bored when someone reads a longish passage of Scripture in your church? Do you start wishing they’d get on with the music?

- Do you need music playing in the background for the reading of Scripture to affect your emotions?

- Does a prayer seem too “plain” or “stark” to you if it doesn’t have music playing behind it?

- Do you feel depressed a few weeks after a worship conference because you haven’t felt close to God in a long time?

- Do you desperately look forward to the next conference you’re going to attend because you know that, finally, you’ll be able to feel close to God again?

- If you’re in a big church with great music, are you able to worship when you visit your parents’ small rural church?

- Do you ever feel worshipful in the middle of the week, at work, at school, etc. just because of thinking about God and his grace? Or does that only happen when the music’s playing?

- Do you tend to feel closer to God when you’re alone with your iPOD than you do when you’re gathered with God’s people in your church?

- Do you feel like you just can’t connect with other believers who haven’t had the same “worship experiences” that you have? Can you only connect with other believers who “know what it feels like to really worship?”

- Is your sense of spiritual well-being based more on feeling close to God, or knowing that you are close to God because of Jesus Christ?

(HT: Vitamin Z)

Rape of a Nation (A reminder to pray)

A member at RPC sent the congregation an email on this video. Mediastorm has posted a moving video on the atrocities in the Democratic Public of Congo.

“The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is home to the deadliest war in the world today. An estimated 5.4 million people have died since 1998, the largest death toll since the Second World War, according to the International Rescue Committee (IRC).

IRC reports that as many as 45,000 people die each month in the Congo. Most deaths are due to easily preventable and curable conditions, such as malaria, diarrhea, pneumonia, malnutrition, and neonatal problems and are byproducts of a collapsed healthcare system and a devastated economy.

The people living in the mining towns of eastern Congo are among the worst off. Militia groups and government forces battle on a daily basis for control of the mineral-rich areas where they can exploit gold, coltan, cassiterite and diamonds.

After successive waves of fighting and ten years of war, there are no hospitals, few roads and limited NGO and UN presence because it is too dangerous to work in many of these regions. The West’s desire for minerals and gems has contributed to a fundamental breakdown in the social structure.”

On being engaged and the unveiling of sin

“But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life.” – 1 Timothy 1:16

As an engaged man I’ve been trying to focus much of my reading and time on studying sin both in subject as well as in my own heart. As Jeremiah wrote “the heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?” Since being with Jess I have never been so aware of my sin. Not to say that my beautiful fiancé brings the worst out of me but rather to say that God has been using Jess as an instrument of mercy and change to help me see my awful heart (i.e. pride, lust, selfishness, self-righteousness, etc) . As you begin to reveal your heart to someone like in any relationship by default there’s an unveiling of both sin and holiness in your life that the other person both sees and helps you unfold. As Jess and I head towards becoming “one-flesh” this has been the most vulnerable I have been with any person as it should be.

Sin testifies to a number of things in my heart but here I just want to mention a couple. One, is God’s restraining mercy to hold back what I could be if left to myself (Genesis 6:5). Back in Washington State during high school I loved it when my mom asked me what I wanted for dinner. It didn’t matter what I asked for she could make it with the right ingredients, utensils, and temperature. What amazed me was she always seemed to have everything she needed in the kitchen. Like my mom’s kitchen my heart has all the right ingredients and with an accurate mix of circumstance and emotions I know I would be capable of some of the most horrific evil. Second, I have found that sin in my heart testifies to His infinite patience towards me (1 Timothy 1:16). There should be one reaction to this: REPENT. One of the pleasures of being engaged is that I get to experience the grace of joyful repentance with Jessica.