Humbly Hope

Jonathan Parnell post:  Do You Know This Confidence?

John Newton:

When we are deeply conscious of our defects in duty. If we compare our best performances with the demands of the law, the majesty of God, and the unspeakable obligations we are under; if we consider our innumerable sins of omission, and that the little we can do is polluted and defiled by the mixture of evil thoughts, and the working of selfish principles, aims, and motives, which though we disapprove, we are unable to suppress; we have great reason to confess, "To us belong shame and confusion of face."

But we are relieved by the thought, that Jesus, the High Priest, bears the iniquity of our holy things, perfumes our prayers with the incense of his mediation, and washes our tears in his own blood.

This inspires a confidence, that though we are unworthy of the least of his mercies, we may humbly hope for a share in the greatest blessings he bestows, because we are heard and accepted, not on the account of our own prayers and services, but in the beloved Son of God, who maketh intercession for us.

"The Intercession of Christ," Sermon 47, The Works of John Newton, vol. 4, 1820 (Carlisle, PA: Banner of Truth Trust, 2007), 531, paragraphing mine.

Arminian Criticisms of Calvinism

Excerpts from Book Review | Against Calvinism by Roger E. Olson | Review by Thomas S. Kidd

Arminian theologian Roger Olson represents both a small and also a very large theological tribe. The large group comprises American evangelicals and mainliners for whom common-sense Arminianism is the default theological position. These Christians think it is obvious that a loving God would never send people to hell without giving them a fair shot at salvation (if indeed God sends anyone to hell at all). The smaller group, today at least, comrprises principled Arminians, defenders of the theological tradition of Jacobus Arminius, John Wesley, and Charles Finney. 

The principled Arminians seem beleaguered when set in contrast to the vibrancy of the “new Calvinism,” Olson’s primary opponent in his book Against Calvinism. In recent decades, American Calvinism has sharpened its influence and intellectual coherence through a host of conservative Presbyterian seminaries and The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, and through remarkably effective popularizers, including John MacArthur, R. C. Sproul, Albert Mohler, John Piper, and Tim Keller. New Calvinists are particularly adept at using the tools of the internet and social media (led not least by the work of The Gospel Coalition) to spread their message. The impression that these Calvinists are making on college students and seminarians is not likely to pass quickly.

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Overall, Olson’s Against Calvinism lays out Arminian criticisms of Calvinism in a cogent manner that will prove useful to even the most thoroughgoing Calvinists. It is worth reading both by people newly energized in their faith by Calvinism, and by those who may have doubts about Calvinist tenets. These are flush times for American Calvinism, but new Calvinists need to remember that there is a formidable Arminian tradition that has to be answered, not just disparaged or dismissed. 

Give Him Thanks Humbly

Ray Ortlund post:  Up down, down up

Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low.  Isaiah 40:4

Everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.  Luke 14:11; 18:14

God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble. . . . Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.  James 4:6, 10

It’s all through the Bible – God bringing low the proud and self-justifying but honoring and raising up the meek.  This being so, wherever we are at any given moment, we can expect God to flip us.  If we are high, and okay with that, he will bring us low.  If we are low, and okay with that, he will bring us high.

The only way to face the future is to stay low and surrendered to him with no strings attached, eager to be “fully pleasing to him” (Colossians 1:10).  The One who is high and lifted up dwells in the high and holy place (where we cannot go), and he also dwells with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit (where we can go) (Isaiah 57:15).

The best way – not the only way, but the best way – to steward the historically significant blessing God is giving in our time – this delightful nexus of TGC/T4G/SGM/A29/etc – is to bow down before the Lord, give him thanks humbly, confess our sins honestly, listen to one another carefully, monitor our own hearts constantly for that impulse toward self-exaltation and bring it crashing down immediately in self-rebuke.

The Lord will do all he has promised.

A Good Time?

Weekly Words with Dr. Larry Crabb

"The problem sincere Christians have with God often comes down to a wrong understanding of what this life is meant to provide.  We naturally and wrongly assume we're here to experience something God has never promised.  More than perhaps ever before in history, we assume we are here for one fundamental reason: to have a good time--if not good circumstances, then at least good feelings.  We long to feel alive, to sense passion and romance and freedom.  We want the good time of enjoying godly kids, of making a difference in people's lives, of involvement with close friends, of experiencing God's peace.  So we invent 'biblical' strategies for seeing to it that our dreams come true.  We call them models of godly parenting and disciplines of spiritual living and principles of financial stewardship--all designed to give us a legitimately good time.  What's wrong with that?"

Shattered Dreams, Page 31

Questions for Reflection:
What stirs in you the most as you read this?
What "biblical" strategies have you used to ensure your dreams come true?

Get a Pulse

Mark Batterson post:  Catalyst Reflections

This is my 11th straight Catalyst and yesterday ranks as one of the best days I can remember.  So many takeaways!  I’ll highlight one thought from one session.  I love the way Jim Collins, author of Good to Great, juxtaposed two words: empirical creativity.  It’s the best of the right-brain and best of the left-brain.  He said, “The great challenge is marrying creativity and discipline so the creativity is amplified.”  So true.  I have a mantra: I’d rather have one God idea than a thousand good ideas.  And that God idea is the essence of creativity.  It is God conceiving something in your mind, in your spirit. But you still have to do your homework.  You still have to count the costs.

Over the years, one of the ways we’ve gathered “empirical data” is with a survey.  It helps us “get a pulse” on the congregation when we’re considering options.  The key to spirit-led leadership is keeping one ear tuned to the Holy Spirit and the other ear tuned to the people you are leading.

One of the metaphors that Collins used was firing bullets instead of firing canons.  Too often we use all of our gun powder firing canons when we could have fired a few bullets to figure our where to aim.  Then fire the canon.  We’re going to be firing some bullets at NCC in 2012.

Without Reservation or Hesitation

Scotty Smith:  A Prayer for Loving Jesus as He Desires to Be Loved

The word of the Lord came to me, saying, “Go and proclaim in the hearing of Jerusalem, Thus says the Lord, ‘I remember the devotion of your youth, your love as a bride, how you followed me in the wilderness, in a land not sown.’” Jer. 2:1-2

Lord Jesus, that you are jealous for our love is as humbling as it is astonishing. What greater compliment could you possibly pay us? To know you actually miss our affection both thrills and convicts me. That you ever made me a part of your bride in the first place continues to move me to cry out, “I believe—help my unbelief!”

When I slow down enough to remember; when I allow myself enough quiet to reflect; when I rid myself of defensiveness and excuse making, of course I have to agree with you. There was a time, early in your relationship with me in the gospel, when I loved you with the passion, delight, and devotion of a young bride. Without reservation or hesitation, wherever you led me, even through the desert and barren places, I went with joy, because you were my oasis, nourishment, and utter satisfaction.

But in time, I began to depend on other things and other people to supplement the joy of belonging to you. You weren’t quite enough for my foolish, demanding, longing heart. I thought my earthly spouse, the approval of people, more stuff, or ministry success were also necessary to fill me up. And though it grieves me to say it, these “good-things-turned-idols” still wage war for the primary affection of my heart, sometimes with clear success.

Jesus, I confess and repent. It would be one thing if you were a harsh, disengaged, demanding bridegroom. But you love us as no one else could ever love us. You lived and died to make us your beloved bride forever. You have robed us in the bridal gown of your own righteousness. You care for our hearts and carry our burdens. You never stop praying for us and advocating for us before our Father. You enjoy us, delight in us, and rejoice over us with loud singing.

Indeed, Lord Jesus, restore to me the joy of your salvation, and the love I had for you at first. I have no power to change me, but you have all power. I love you now only because your first loved me. I would love you more in light of the day I will love you fully. So very Amen I pray, in your all-sufficient name.

Rest for Your Souls

Excerpts from Tullian Tchividjian post:  Grace Without Buts And Brakes

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The truth, whether we admit it or not, is that grace scares us to death. It scares us primarily because it wrestles control and manageability out of our hands–introducing chaos and freedom. And so we find creative ways to qualify it. We speak and live with a “yes grace, but” tone. We’re afraid to simply let it be as drastically unsafe, unconditional, uncontrollable, unpredictable, and undomesticated as it truly is.

That’s one reason why I am rejoicing over my friend Dane Ortlund’s new book Defiant Grace. Dane has written a book on grace with no “buts and brakes.” He’s a fearless writer and scholar who rightly acknowledges the unsettling, messy, counter-intuitive nature of amazing grace–”beyond price and yet totally free.” In the introduction he writes:

For the grace that comes to us in Jesus Christ is not measured. This grace refuses to allow itself to be tethered to our innate sense of fairness, reciprocity, and balancing of the scales. It is defiant…However much we may laud grace with our lips, our hearts are so thoroughly law-marinated that the Christian life must be, at core, one of continually bathing our hearts and minds in gospel grace. We are addicted to law. Conforming our lives to a moral framework, playing by the rules, meeting a minimum standard—this feels normal. And it is how we naturally medicate that deep sense of inadequacy within. The real question is not how to avoid becoming a Pharisee; the question is how to recover from being the Pharisee we already, from the womb, are.

Law feels safe. Grace feels risky. Rule-keeping breeds a sense of manageability; grace feels like moral vertigo. After all, if all that we are is by grace, there is no limit to what God can ask of us. But if some corner of our virtue is due to personal contribution, there is a ceiling on what God can ask of us. He can bring us only so far. He can only ask so much.

Such is not the call of Christ. The Jesus of the Gospels defies our domesticated, play-by-the-rules morality. It was the most extravagant sinners of Jesus’ day who received his most compassionate welcome; it was the most scrupulous law-abiders who received his most searing denunciation. The point is not that we should therefore take up sin. The point is that we should lay down the silly insistence on leveraging our sense of self-worth with an ongoing moral record. Better a life of sin with penitence than a life of obedience without it.

It is time to enjoy grace anew. Not the decaffeinated grace that pats us on the hand, ignores our deepest rebellions, and doesn’t change us, but the high-octane grace that takes our conscience by the scruff of the neck and breathes new life into us with a pardon so scandalous that we cannot help but be changed. It’s time to blow aside the hazy cloud of condemnation that hangs over us throughout the day with the strong wind of gospel grace. “You are not under law but under grace” (Rom 6:14). Jesus is real, grace is defiant, life is short, risk is good. For many of us the time has come to abandon once and for all our play-it-safe, toe-dabbling Christianity and dive in. It is time, as Robert Farrar Capon put it, to get drunk on grace. Two hundred-proof, defiant grace.

Pure gold, huh? I think so.

So, as you listen to people talk about grace here’s a good litmus test: listen for the “but.” You won’t hear it in Dane’s book. You won’t feel the tapping of the brakes and you won’t see a list of qualifications. What you’ll encounter is “grace unmeasured, vast and free.” It’ll frighten you and free you at the same time. After all, that’s what grace does.

As I’ve said before: whether it’s a sermon, a book, a blog post, or a tweet-if the lasting impression you get causes you to focus more on what you must do than on what Christ has done, the gospel of grace has not been communicated and the communicator (albeit, unwittingly) is no better than the Pharisees who were charged by Jesus with “tying up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and laying them on people’s shoulders” (Matthew 23:4). Beware of preaching that, in the words of Herman Bavinck, “acknowledges that we are justified by the righteousness of Christ but then seems to think that we are then sanctified by a holiness we ourselves have acquired.” It is through the preaching of grace that Jesus summons sinners (both Christians and non-Christians) and says, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Matthew 11:28-29). The difference between “religion” and the gospel of grace is that religion gives burdens by announcing that Jesus plus something equals everything while the gospel of grace absorbs burdens announcing that Jesus plus nothing equals everything.

Thanks, Dane, for reminding us of this without flinching!

Deliver Us Good Lord

By Thy Mercy (Jesus, Lord of Life and Glory) | High Street Hymns

Jesus, Lord of life and glory,
Bend from Heav’n Thy gracious ear;
While our waiting souls adore Thee,
Friend of helpless sinners, hear:
By Thy mercy, O deliver us, good Lord.

From the depth of nature’s blindness,
From the hardening power of sin,
From all malice and unkindness,
From the pride that lurks within:
By Thy mercy, O deliver us, good Lord, good Lord.

When the world around is smiling,
In the time of wealth and ease,
Earthly joys our hearts beguiling,
In the day of health and peace,
By Thy mercy, O deliver us, good Lord, good Lord.

In the solemn hour of dying,
In the awful judgment day,
May our souls, on Thee relying,
Find Thee still our Rock and Stay:
By Thy mercy, O deliver us, good Lord, good Lord.

 

Gospel-Hope

Scotty Smith:  A Prayer of Hope When Hoping Isn’t Easy

     Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. 2 Cor. 4:16-18

     Heavenly Father, the gospel makes all the difference in the world, period. What but the gospel of your grace could possibly explain Paul’s attitude of faith and hope reflected in these few verses? He experienced crazy-making, danger and betrayals, from both outside and inside the Body of Christ. He was flogged five times by the Jews, beaten with rods, stoned, thrice shipwrecked, floated boat-less in the ocean 36 hours; he went sleepless and foodless, was cold and naked… among other loses and crosses. (2 Cor. 11:23-33). And yet—and supernaturally yet, he didn’t lose heart and he didn’t kill hope. Nothing but the truth and power of the gospel can explain this.
     No pity-parties or numbing binges; no throwing in the towel or throwing of temper tantrums; no excuse making or excusing himself from life; no angry blaming or cynical shaming. Rather, Paul modeled for us the way of the cross, the way of the gospel, the ways of your heart. Please cultivate the same attitude of hope in our lives, Father. Though most of us will only experience a small percentage of the disappointments and suffering Paul experienced, nonetheless, we need the transforming power of gospel-hope in our lives.
     When we are tempted to lose heart, harden our hearts, numb our hearts or indulge our hearts, help us to see Jesus clearly—the author and perfecter of our faith. Help us to see the glories of the new heaven and the new earth, and not just the brokenness of the first heaven and earth. May a vision of unseen eternal realities transcend and transform our vision of temporal heart-wreckers and heart-breakers. May the endless triumph of heaven be more real to us than the momentary troubles of today.
     Help us, like Paul, to be honest about the ways we are outwardly “wasting away,” for you’re not asking us to pretend or deny the reality of our weakness. But also, help us to be convinced about the inward renewal that you effecting in our lives, day by day. You will bring to completion the good work you have begun in us and all around us. How we praise you for this great assurance.
     Gracious Father, as you renew and deepen our hope, help us to live as conduits of hope. Every gift and grace you give us is meant to be shared with others, every one of them. So very Amen we pray in Jesus’ name, with fresh humility and eternal gratitude.

More Gospel

Excerpts from Tullian Tchividjian post:  Law Without Gospel Leads To Licentiousness

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He wrote:

Over the last couple of years, we have really been struggling with the preaching in our church as it has been very law laden and borders on moralistic. After listening, I feel condemned with no power to overcome my lack of ability to obey the law. Over the last several months, I have found myself very spiritually depressed, to the point where I had no desire to even attend church.

We don’t have an evening service so we started listening to sermons as a family on Sunday evenings on the Internet. (We have 4 children, with another due on Monday!). We have listened to part of your “Pictures of Grace” sermons on your church website over the past few weeks. Additionally, we have been reading your blog. I just want to thank you for your commitment, and faithfulness to the gospel of grace. Since reading your blog and listening to your sermons, it is like a fresh ocean breeze blowing through my face. You rightly put the focus on the finished, completed work of Christ, and point us away from ourselves. I have found myself gradually crawling out of my spiritual depression and wanting to do the things God has called me to do. This isn’t a result of more law in my life, but more gospel.

Grace is not dependent on anything, and if it is, then it wouldn’t be grace! Pastors are so concerned about somehow preaching “too much grace” (as if that is possible) as they wrongly believe that type of preaching leads to antinomianism or licentiousness. But, I can testify that the opposite is actually true. I believe preaching only the law, and giving little to no gospel, actually leads to antinomianism. When mainly law is preached,  in my opinion, that leads to the realization that I can’t follow it, so I might as well quit trying. When the remedy to the law (gospel) is not presented, the hearer is left without any power to perform good works. Only the gospel gives the power to obey. I know what to do; I need the power to do it.

The ironic thing about legalism is that it not only doesn’t make people work harder, it makes them give up. Moralism doesn’t produce morality; rather, it produces immorality. We make a big mistake when we conclude that the law is THE answer to licentiousness. In fact, the law alone stirs up licentiousness. People get worse, not better, when you lay down the law.

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So, the law serves us by showing us how to love God and others. But we fail to do this every day. And when we fail, it is the gospel which brings comfort by reminding us that God’s infinite approval of us doesn’t depend on our keeping of the law but on Christ’s keeping of the law for us. And guess what? This makes me want to obey him more, not less! As Spurgeon wrote, “When I thought God was hard, I found it easy to sin; but when I found God so kind, so good, so overflowing with compassion, I smote upon my breast to think that I could ever have rebelled against One who loved me so, and sought my good.”

Indeed, it is “the kindness of the Lord that leads to repentance” (Romans 2:4).

Great Eminence of Spirit

Miscellanies post:  Counting Others More Significant

Jeremiah Burroughs (c. 1600–1646) was an outstanding Puritan preacher and writer. He wrote the following in his book Excellency of a Gracious Spirit, a quote that made its way inside a very good new biography on the man by Phillip Simpson, A Life of Gospel Peace (RHB, 2011):

Rejoice in the good of others, though it eclipses your light, though it makes your parts, your abilities, and your excellencies dimmer in the eyes of others. Were it not for the eminence of some above you, your parts perhaps would shine more brightly and be of high esteem. Yet to rejoice in this from the heart, to bless God from the soul for His gifts and graces in others, that His name may be glorified more by others than I can glorify it myself; to be able to truly say, ‘Though I can do little, yet blessed be God there are some who can do more for God than I, and in this I do and will rejoice’—this is indeed to be able to do much more than others. This shows a great eminence of spirit.

Beliefs of Biblical Christianity

Ed Stetzer post:  Mormonism, Cults, and Christianity

The news is abuzz with the question of Mormonism, cults, and Christianity.

A cult is often understood as a religious group with strange beliefs out of the cultural mainstream (which many today increasingly consider biblical Christianity). Since "cult" is difficult to define, scholars tend not to use it.

However, the question of what beliefs characterize Christianity is not a new debate, and is one we should not shy away from if words and definitions matter.

Many people are shocked at the idea that some pastors believe Mormons are not Christians-- "judgementalism" is decried and "intolerance" proclaimed. Yet, as that may be new news to some, the view that Mormons are not Christians is historic and very widely held view.

In 2007, LDS spokesman Michael Otterson provided a forthright article in the On Faith section of the Washington Post / Newsweek. He explains,

The question, "Are Mormons Christian?" is a good starting point for this discussion. When some conservative Protestants say Mormons aren't Christian, it is deeply offensive to Latter-day Saints. Yet when Latter-day Saints assert their Christianity, some of those same Christians bitterly resent it. Why? Because both sides are using the same terms to describe different things...
When someone says Mormons aren't Christian... he or she usually means that Mormons don't embrace the traditional interpretation of the Bible that includes the Trinity. "Our Jesus" is somehow different from "their Jesus." Further, they mean that some Mormon teachings are so far outside Christian orthodoxy of past centuries that they constitute almost a new religion.

Otterson is correct here. For evangelicals and others, "Christian" is more than a self-identified label. It is hard for people in tolerant America to hear, "I know you SAY you are a Christian, but you are not."

Yet, basic to evangelicalism (and historic Protestantism) is that some people are Christians, some people are not, and not all people who think that they are Christians actually are.

"Christianity" is not based on what you say about yourself or your beliefs. "Christianity" must be connected to how your beliefs agree with the beliefs of biblical Christianity.

With Mormonism becoming a major topic of discussion, about a year ago LifeWay Research decided to ask Protestant pastors their view. According to our random sample, most pastors feel strongly Mormons are not Christians. After several reporters asked if we had some data, I decided to release it.
You can download the full report here: Protestant Pastor Views of Mormonism.

The survey polled 1,000 American Protestant pastors asking them to respond to the statement, "I personally consider Mormons (Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints) to be Christians." It's a forthright question some will find offensive, but it will be an increasingly important question.

Three-quarters of Protestant pastors (75%) disagree with the statement, "I personally consider Mormons... to be Christians," including 60 percent who strongly disagree and 15 percent who somewhat disagree. Just 11 percent somewhat agree, 6 percent strongly agree and 9 percent do not know.

In other words, the view that "Mormons are not Christians" is the widely and strongly held view among Protestant pastors. That does not meant they do not respect Mormons as persons, share their values on family, and have much in common. Yet, they simply view Mormonism as a distinct religion outside of basic teachings of Christianity. Many of these pastors may know Mormons consider themselves Christians, but Protestant pastors overwhelmingly do not consider them such.

I know this is an unpleasant question to many, and one that some will use as a hammer on evangelicals, but let me encourage a different view.

The fundamental issue is: how divergent can your views be and still be a part of a faith group (in contrast to forming a new one). Can you believe, for instance, that Muhammad is not the prophet and still call yourself a Muslim? The vast majority of Muslims would say you cannot. For Christians, calling yourself a Christian while not believing that God has always existed as the triune Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is as inconceivable.

This is not simply a conservative evangelical Christian view. Methodists have said "the LDS Church is not a part of the historic, apostolic tradition of the Christian faith." Even Roman Catholics (hardly conservative Protestants) don't recognize LDS baptism.

As I said before, a cult is difficult to define. But Christianity has been defined a certain way for centuries. There is no reason to be shocked that devout Christians consider those with a different view of Christ as non-Christians. In the current cultural climate it may be uncomfortable, but it is anything but shocking.

No End to Gospel Exploration

Justin Taylor post:  Is the Gospel Influencing Your Daily Life?

From Tim Keller’s foreword to J.D. Greear’s new book Gospel: Recovering the Power that Made Christianity Revolutionary :

The angels never get tired of looking into the gospel. This means there is no end to gospel exploration. There are depths in the gospel that are always there to be discovered and applied, not only to our ministry and daily Christian life, but above all, to the worship of the God of the gospel with renewed vision and humility.

The underlying conviction in my preaching, pastoring, and writing is that the gospel—this eternally fascinating message craved by the angels—can change a heart, a community, and the world when it is recovered and applied.

It is one thing to understand the gospel but is quite another to experience the gospel in such a way that it fundamentally changes us and becomes the source of our identity and security.

It is one thing to grasp the essence of the gospel but it quite another to think out its implications for all of life. We all struggle to explore the mysteries of the gospel on a regular basis, but we should strive to immerse ourselves in it and allow its message to influence our life daily.

A key part of the book is J.D.’s “gospel prayer”:

1. In Christ, there is nothing I can do that would make You love me more, and nothing I have done that makes You love me less.
2. Your presence and approval are all I need for everlasting joy.
3. As You have been to me so I will be to others.
4. As I pray, I’ll measure Your compassion by the cross and Your power by the resurrection.

For more on the book, see this discussion with Trevin Wax.

Yes Bias

Steven Furtick post:  A 30 Day ‘Yes’ Experiment

A while back a friend of mine told me about a guy named, Sasha Dichter, that he had seen on a TED video. I want to introduce him to you today because I think he could radically change your life over the next 30 days.

Sasha does more to change the world in a week than many of us will in a lifetime.  Through his post directing the innovative non-profit Acumen fund, Dichter has investors all over the world pouring resources into parts of India, Pakistan and East Africa where the average income is less than $4 per day. They have a goal to make 100 million in investments, touching 50 million lives.

That’s amazing. But it isn’t the part of Sasha’s story that fires me up.

See, Sasha has spent much of his life saying ‘no’ to people, professionally and personally.  When you direct a large operation looking for maximum impact, saying ‘no’ goes with the territory. But after a while, it started getting to him. It seemed to clash with the generous nature his company was built on.

One night, everything changed. Just after boarding a train to go home, a man approached him saying he needed money. Sasha met him with the standard autoresponse ‘no’ he had become so efficient at providing. Only, it was the last ‘no’ he would say for the next 30 days. He went home, and before cooler heads could prevail, went public on his blog about his intentions.

A 30 Day Generosity Experiment. For 30 days, he would give money to anyone who asked of him.

Whether that was his spare change, or millions of dollars of resources that his firm controls.

He knew everybody wouldn’t think this was a great idea.  He knew people would say giving to a guy on the train wasn’t the smartest way to give—that he should give to a homeless shelter instead.  But Dichter realized his generosity experiment was about him.  If he really wanted to see broken places and people in the world healed, he had to start by being more open himself, being willing to take risks. He was “tired of hiding behind what was smart instead of doing what was right.”

The experiment changed his life. Sasha now has a ‘yes’ bias to his calling that gives purpose to every encounter. He is trying to live life as a ‘yes man’ in response to the issues that grip his heart.

The vast majority of us aren’t about to venture into microfinance in the next 30 days. But we could learn a lot from the spirit of Sasha’s experiment. It could be life changing to make a commitment to God: God, for the next 30 days, if I see a need, emotional, physical, spiritual, financial, I’ll do my small part toward meeting it. I’ll start saying ‘yes’ to every prompting I feel from your Spirit within my sphere of influence instead of saying ‘no.’

A 30 Day ‘Yes’ Experiment.

How much difference do you think it would make in the world if you had that kind of availability to God? That kind of intentionality towards others?

I’ll answer that for you: it would make a huge difference. Consistent obedience, a heart that’s open to give God back everything he’s placed in your hands, is enough to change everything.

Make the commitment. 30 days. If you see a need, do as much as can to meet it. If you hear from God, say ‘yes.’ I can’t promise you’re going to end up changing 50 million lives. But I can promise you’ll change the lives of the people God wants you to.

And you’ll be changed in the process.

Delightful Tone

Ray Ortlund post:  Tenderhearted

Be . . . tenderhearted.  Ephesians 4:32

It seems inescapable that this word describes a certain emotional tone, a softness of disposition, a heart that feels for others.  Years ago, in a book I have by now forgotten, I read that an English gentleman is defined as “one who would not willingly cause pain.”  And, I would add, one who is eager to relieve it. 
That’s tenderhearted.

The opposite is “bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander . . ., with all malice” (Ephesians 4:31).  That is the world – unforgiven and unforgiving.

In our tough-guy, in-your-face world of today, manly Christian tenderheartedness stands out.  It looks like Jesus.  As Spurgeon noted in his sermon on the passage, the one time Jesus told us about his heart, he described himself as “gentle and lowly” right to the core (Matthew 11:29).  And we all revere him as the clearest revelation of God.

A tenderhearted social environment goes beyond letter-of-the-law compliance with minimal biblical requirements.  It goes all the way, where the grace of the gospel sets a new tone.  It makes our churches radiant with divine beauty, more delightful to members, more convincing to outsiders.

Rescue

Excerpt from Justin Buzzard post:  Steve, Silicon Valley, and Jesus

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Steve accomplished a staggering amount in 56 years. In my opinion, my life and your life is better because of a man named Steve. And now, Steve is dead. The man who improved our life has lost his life.

What I like to think is that in his last days Steve placed his faith in Jesus. It’s entirely possible. I know that Steve was coming into regular contact with Christians and hearing the gospel at Apple. Only God knows where Steve sits today.

Jesus lived on earth for just 33 years in a place far less sexy than Silicon Valley. He never invented anything, yet he changed the world. He died a far more brutal death than Steve. Jesus didn’t merely die, he was killed. Two thousand years later, Jesus is everywhere—all around the world people are still talking about, worshiping, loving, and following Jesus. We will be talking about Steve for a long time, but as the decades roll by those conversations will fade. And Apple won’t live forever.

Steve gave 56 years of his life to improve our life.

Jesus gave 33 years of his life to save our life.

That’s the big difference between Steve and Jesus. Steve came to improve. Jesus came to save. One man thought that improvement is what we need most. The other man thought that saving—rescue—is what we need most.

The gospel of Silicon Valley is improvement. I live and minister in a place that is improving lives here and around the world. I dream of impacting this region that’s impacting the world with a different gospel. Steve is great. But we don’t need Steve, we need Jesus. I’m thankful for the man that improved our life. But we need to know the man who lost his life to save our life.

Ultimate Reason Is Jesus Himself

What's Best Next post:  The Point of the Story of Mary and Martha

Have you ever noticed that the story of Mary and Martha (Luke 10:38-42) comes right after the parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37)?

There is a purpose in that — the authors of the gospels arranged their material very carefully, with thought and intention.

The connection between the two is not hard to see. The story of Mary and Martha is intended, in part, to correct a possible misunderstanding of the parable of the Good Samaritan.

The parable of the Good Samaritan tells us how we are to be as Christians — we are to show mercy to others whenever the opportunity is before us, and indeed we are to seek out opportunities to do good and serve. We are to “go and do likewise” (Luke 10:37), just as the Samaritan did. This is what it means to “love your neighbor as yourself” (v. 27).

But we could mis-apply that by allowing true service to transform into mere busyness. This is what we see with Mary and Martha. Mary “sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his teaching” (v. 39). Martha, on the other hand, “was distracted with much serving” (v. 40). When Martha asked Jesus to rebuke Mary and help her serve, Jesus said “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her” (vv. 41-42).

The lesson: Do indeed be radical in doing good, just like the Good Samaritan (v. 37). But don’t take this to mean that you should be scrambling around frantically, over-committing yourself and becoming over busy. We ought to sacrifice and endure hardship. But don’t let your service to others distract you from the ultimate reason for your service, which is Jesus himself.

Serve, but don’t be frantic. Sacrifice and go out of your way, but don’t neglect devoted time to worship and prayer and reading the Bible. The point of seeing these things together here in Luke 10 is that there is enough time for both. Don’t let your service turn into frenetic anxiety.

And here’s one other thought: We also see here that God values — indeed, requires — both action and thought. Radical action for good is illustrated in the Good Samaritan. And deep consideration of the teaching of Jesus is modeled in the story of Mary and Martha. Don’t play doing and thinking off against one another. Do both. There is time for both and, ironically, each serves the other.

Free Us

Scotty Smith:  A Prayer for Greater Freedom by Jesus

Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face. Jesus said to them, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go.” John 11:43-44

Dear Lord Jesus, as surely as you raised a dead Lazarus by calling his name, so too, you raised us from spiritual death when you called us by the gospel. We were dead in our sins and trespasses, but you spoke and raised us to eternal life! For the sovereign grace and the resurrection power of the gospel, we praise you today. Indeed, salvation is of the Lord!

Yet as surely as Lazarus needed to be freed from his grave clothes, so do we. The smell and signs of death still haunt us and stalk us, but you have come to set prisoners like us free. This is our great hope and steadfast joy. Well before the Day of consummate freedom, liberate us more fully, for your glory and by your grace. Break our chains; thaw our hearts; lubricate our whole being with the WD40 of the gospel.

Lord Jesus, free us to love you more openly, joyfully and passionately. You have lavished your love on us. You sing and rejoice over us with much delight, great Bridegroom to beloved bride. How dare we offer you a measured response of polite gratitude? Have we confused reverence with rigor mortis?

Free us to love the gospel of the kingdom and the kingdom of your gospel. Help us realize that we have only seen one leaf in the great forest of gospel riches. Free us from our little fiefdoms of self-absorbing preoccupation. Free us to invest and work, weep and dance in the advancing of your kingdom. Free us to see the glow and smell the aroma of the new heaven and new earth. Free us to know that none of our labors in you are in vain.

Free us from the many expressions of living for people’s approval. As long as we give people power to either make us or break us, we cannot love them well. Free us to forgive those who fail us; to bless those who curse us; to pray for those who shame us. Free us from needing to be needed and noticed.

Free us from trying the be the 4^th member of the Trinity in the lives of others.

Free us to linger longer and laugh louder. Free us to age grace-fully, not regret-fully. Free us to grieve well, suffer patiently and live expectantly. Free us to pray more than we pout; to gospel more than we gossip; and run to you more than we run away. Free us to enjoy good meals with friends and share our bread with strangers. So very Amen we pray in Jesus’ name, with humble anticipation.

Gospel Truths

Collin Hansen post:  Theological Imperialism and the Black Community

It's an increasingly common experience: a young African American learns to love Reformed theology because he believes the Bible teaches God's sovereignty in all of life, including salvation. He's frustrated that his historically African American church didn't help him understand the beauty of this teaching about God's unshakeable love for his Son and the elect. He grows in a gospel-centered understanding of the Bible and finds great joy in telling others about Jesus' death and resurrection for sinners. Yet his exuberance to teach the Scriptures and correct errors provokes friends and family to accuse him of theological imperialism. They charge him with abandoning the church of his people and adopting the theology of slaveholders.

Lecrae, Trip Lee, and Eric Mason have all felt the sting of this critique. "I'm in search of truth," Lecrae responds, "and I'm going to get it wherever I can find it." Fellow hip-hop artist Trip Lee doesn't wave the Reformed banner. He directs critics to the Scriptures and invites them to see the truth for themselves. Pastor Eric Mason of Epiphany Fellowship in Philadelphia cautions young men not to discount everything they learned growing up but to recognize that even when black preachers used different terminology they sometimes taught the same gospel truths.

Watch to see more of how these three men address the disconnect between historically black churches and gospel-centered theology.

Life's Change Agent

Ed Stetzer post: Remarkable Thoughts on Death from Steve Jobs

Steve Jobs died a few hours ago.

His impact is hard to overstate-- his genius and inventions are ubiquitous. Earlier today, I blogged on tech tools I use-- and Steve Jobs impacts my life every day. Steve Jobs literally changed the world.
Yet, he was more than an inventor. He was also a public figure-- and few people have lived in the public eye like Steve. For that matter, few people have, well, slowly declined in public view.

Watching his health over the last few years reminds us of our own mortality-- and Steve thought that death was a good thing for all of us to consider.

Steve Jobs faced death and, unlike some public figures, he spoke of it. Here is what Steve said in 2005 at the Stanford commencement address:

Remembering that I'll be dead soon is the most important tool I've ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything -- all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure - these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.
About a year ago I was diagnosed with cancer. I had a scan at 7:30 in the morning, and it clearly showed a tumor on my pancreas. I didn't even know what a pancreas was. The doctors told me this was almost certainly a type of cancer that is incurable, and that I should expect to live no longer than three to six months. My doctor advised me to go home and get my affairs in order, which is doctor's code for prepare to die. It means to try to tell your kids everything you thought you'd have the next 10 years to tell them in just a few months. It means to make sure everything is buttoned up so that it will be as easy as possible for your family. It means to say your goodbyes.

I lived with that diagnosis all day. Later that evening I had a biopsy, where they stuck an endoscope down my throat, through my stomach and into my intestines, put a needle into my pancreas and got a few cells from the tumor. I was sedated, but my wife, who was there, told me that when they viewed the cells under a microscope the doctors started crying because it turned out to be a very rare form of pancreatic cancer that is curable with surgery. I had the surgery and I'm fine now.

This was the closest I've been to facing death, and I hope it's the closest I get for a few more decades. Having lived through it, I can now say this to you with a bit more certainty than when death was a useful but purely intellectual concept:

No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don't want to die to get there. And yet death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it. And that is as it should be, because Death is very likely the single best invention of Life. It is Life's change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new. Right now the new is you, but someday not too long from now, you will gradually become the old and be cleared away. Sorry to be so dramatic, but it is quite true.

Worthwhile words.

It is a biblical thing to see life a fleeting (Psalm 89:47).

I do not know Steve's spiritual condition, but I do know that each of us must live in the light of eternity. Steve died today. I could be tomorrow. May I live my life in light of that reality-- that life is fleeting AND that eternal life is a gift to all that have been made new in Christ.

"You don't even know what tomorrow will bring--what your life will be! For you are a bit of smoke that appears for a little while, then vanishes" (James 4:14, HCSB).

Indeed.

Small Start Today

Steven Furtick post:  Think Big, Start Small

A couple of years ago I read Malcolm Gladwell’s classic, The Tipping Point, and came across something that sociologists call “the broken window theory.”

It has been one of the most powerful and helpful tools for helping me understand why so many Christians get stuck and live the sad existence of miserable mediocrity and comfortable complacency. And for how to get out of it.

“The broken window theory” says that if want to reduce crime in a neighborhood, one of the first and most effective things you can do is to fix the broken windows. Literally.  If there’s a section of town that’s run down and violent crime, murders, and drug deals are on the upswing, sociologists have proven that by just fixing the broken windows on that block, those bigger issues are affected and crime is diminished.

That seems preposterous to me.  You’ve got this big problem and you’re going to go waste your time doing something as simple as fixing a broken window? That’s like rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic as it heads toward the iceberg isn’t it?

But it works. Apparently it has to do with sending a signal that anarchy is no longer the rule of the day and that crime is no longer the status quo.

So what is at the heart of the “broken window theory?” If you boil it down, you essentially have two parts: 1) A big goal: reduce crime. 2) A small start: fix windows. But it’s the small start that makes the big goal possible.

From my experience, this is very true to form as far as what I’ve seen in people’s lives that don’t seem to have any traction and aren’t going anywhere. The problem isn’t just that they don’t think big enough. It’s also that they don’t start small enough. As a result, they usually give up quickly, because their initial steps or too difficult. Or they never get started at all, because their initial steps are too daunting.

A big dream without a small start is nothing but a daydream. God initiates the biggest changes in our lives through the little things.

You can’t have Apostle Paul’s walk with God overnight. Big dream.
But you can start praying two minutes a day starting tomorrow. Small start.

You can’t entirely mend a broken relationship overnight. Big dream.
But you can have a conversation and open the door, write the letter, make the call, say I’m sorry. Small start.

If your kid is far from God, you can’t bring him back overnight. Big dream.
But you could start praying for him every day. Small start.

Don’t get me wrong, I want you to keep believing, praying, and dreaming big. God does too – it’s in His very nature. But I also want you to see those big prayers and dreams realized. And that happens when you start small.

What small start can you initiate today that will get you on the path to accomplishing your big dream tomorrow?

New Outlook

Ray Ortlund post:  The unBeatitudes

Congratulations to the entitled, for they grab what they want.
Congratulations to the carefree, for they shall be comfortable.
Congratulations to the pushy, for they shall win.
Congratulations to the greedy, for they shall climb the food chain.
Congratulations to the vengeful, for they shall be feared.
Congratulations to those who don’t get caught, for they shall look good.
Congratulations to the argumentative, for they shall get in the last word.
Congratulations to the popular, for this world lies at their feet.

The gospel is more than handy tips for improving our lives this week.  It is a new outlook on everything, illuminated by God’s promise of a glorious future renewing the entire creation through the death and resurrection of Jesus.

But God is not the only one making us promises.  The world has its own version of events, its own eschatology, its own promises of reward.  We must choose.  And either way, we will be living by faith.

But have you ever met one person who believed this world’s unBeatitudes and came to the end a satisfied, radiant, wise person?  Even one?

Mercy

Kevin DeYoung post:  Thinking Through Your Church’s Mercy Ministry

It is not imperative that every church have an official “mercy ministry” program. It is essential, however, that every congregation be involved in mercy ministry. Several years ago, while sitting down with leaders in our church who had a vision for helping hurting people, I laid out some of my thoughts on mercy ministry. I started with a few foundational truths and then outlined several methodological missteps.

Six Theological Foundations for Mercy Ministry

1. The rich are to be generous.  1 Timothy 6:17-18 “As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share.”

2. We are not to get rich at the expense of the poor, nor are we to take advantage of the weak.  Amos 8:12 “For I know how many are your transgressions and how great are your sins—you who afflict the righteous, who take a bribe, and turn aside the needy in the gate.”

3. True religion consist in personal holiness and helping the helpless.  James 1:27 “Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.”

4. Christians have a special obligation to care for the needy brothers and sisters in their midst.  1 John 3:17 “But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him?“

5. Christians should have a positive impact on their communities.  Matthew 5:14-15 “You are the light of the world.  A city on a hill cannot be hidden.  Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl.  Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.”

6. Christians are compassionate. Luke 10:33-34 “But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion. He went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him.”

How to Get Mercy Ministry Off-Track in Fifteen Easy Steps


1. Participate just to assuage guilty feelings for being rich or white or suburban or whatever.

2. Feel superior to those who aren’t as involved as you are.

3. Pursue too many good ideas at the same time.

4. Love the “poor,” but not poor people.

5. Turn everything back into a discussion about politics.

6. Forget to pray.

7. Make evangelism and discipleship an afterthought (or worse, a never-thought).

8. Read books, complain, talk about stuff and never do anything.

9. Launch into a ministry program or ministry model that isn’t sustainable.

10. Rally the troops with guilt and shame.

11. Idolize the poor.

12. Demonize the poor.

13. Do everything for the people you are trying to help.

14. Believe that every problem can be solved by simple charity.

15. Be blind to your own poverty and need for mercy.

Criticism

Tim Keller post:  Gospel Polemics: 2

In reading what a number of respected Christian authors have said over the years about polemics and theological controversy, I have distilled a few “rules.” These rules, I believe, will help us neither avoid polemics nor engage in them in a spiritually destructive way. Almost every rule is mentioned in some ways by multiple authors, but when a writer has put a principle in a particularly strong or apt way, I’ve put his name on the rule.

1. Carson’s Rule – You don’t have to follow Matthew 18 before publishing polemics.

Don Carson wrote an Editorial on Abusing Matthew 18 in which he addresses the often-made argument that a Christian should not publicly write criticism of other Christians’ theological views without going to them first, privately, citing Matthew 18. But Carson points out that this passage is talking about two people in the same church, or at least in the same ecclesiastical connection, since if the two parties disagree the whole matter can be taken to “the church,” meaning the congregation and its leaders. Also, the sin described in Matthew 18 is still “relatively private, noticed by one or two believers, yet serious enough to be brought to the attention of the church if the offender refuses to turn away from it.” But public teaching that contradicts sound doctrine is in a whole different category. Carson points to Titus 1:9 that says that the godly elder must “encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it.” In short, if someone is publicly presenting theological views that are opposed to sound doctrine, and you are not in the same ecclesiastical body with this person (that is, there is no body of elders over you both, as when, for example, both of you are ministers in the same denomination,) then you may indeed publicly oppose those without going privately to the author of them. Carson does add a qualifier, but that comes under the next rule.

2. Murray’s Rule – You must take full responsibility for even unwitting misrepresentation of someone’s views.

Don Carson says that if you have strong concerns about Mr A’s views, and you are considering publishing a critique, it may be wise to go to Mr A first, but “not out of obedience to Matthew 18, which really does not pertain, but to determine just what the views of the [other person] really are.” This fits with some startling strong words by Westminster Seminary theologian John Murray. In his book Principles of Conduct he argues that “all falsehood, error, misapprehension, every deviation from what is true in thought, feeling, word, or action is the result of sin… Quite apart from sin there would have been ignorance and lack of full understanding on the part of all created rational beings. But limited knowledge is one thing, falsehood in understanding or representation is another.” (p.132) In other words, to misrepresent reality to others is always wrong. He grants, of course, that there is a great difference between a deliberate lie and unintentionally passing on erroneous information. But, he goes on: “we think very superficially and naïvely if we suppose that no wrong is entailed in purveying misrepresentation of fact. Even when persons are, as we say, the innocent victims of misinformation, we are not to suppose that they are relieved of all wrong. What we need to appreciate is that the representation is false…a misrepresentation of God’s truth.” He concludes:

“This consideration that all falsehood, as a deviation from truth, is per se wrong should arouse us to the gravity of our situation in relation to the prevalence of falsehood and to our responsibility in guarding, maintaining, and promoting truth.” (p.132)

This is very sobering. In our internet age we are very quick to dash off a response because we think Mr A promotes X. And when someone points out that Mr A didn’t mean X because over here he said Y, we simply apologize, or maybe we don’t even do that. John Murray’s principle means that polemics must never be “dashed off.” Great care should be taken to be sure you really know what Mr A believes and promotes before you publish. This leads to a related rule from Archibald Alexander.

3. Alexander’s Rule – Never attribute an opinion to your opponent that he himself does not own.

Archibald Alexander urged his students to be fair and temperate when they pursued theological controversy. They were to “strive for truth, not victory” and they were to “know when to put a stop to controversy. It is a great evil in keeping it up” unnecessarily. He also urged them to not go public with criticism unless the error was very dangerous and important. Like Lloyd-Jones and (as we will see) John Calvin, Alexander taught that the ultimate purpose of controversy was to persuade and win over people in error. Therefore we must “avoid whatever is apt to create prejudice in opponents or auditors.” In other words, we must not argue in such a way that it hardens opponents in their views. (See David Calhoun, Princeton Seminary, vol I, p.92.)

Perhaps Alexander’s most interesting rule however, was this. “Attribute to an antagonist no opinion he does not own, though it be a necessary consequence.” (Calhoun, p.92). In other words, even if you believe that Mr A’s belief X could or will lead others who hold that position to belief Y, do not accuse Mr A of holding to belief Y himself, if he disowns it. You may consider him inconsistent, but it is one thing to say that and another thing to tar him with belief Y by implying or insisting that he actually holds it when he does not. A similar move happens when you imply or argue that, if Mr A quotes a particular author favorably at any point, then Mr A must hold to all the views that the author holds at other points. If you, through guilt-by-association, hint or insist that Mr A must hold other beliefs of that particular author, then you are violating Alexander’s Rule and, indeed, Murray’s Rule. You are misrepresenting your opponent.

More to come in my next post.

Because-Therefore

Excerpt from Tullian Tchividjian post:  The End Of Control Is The Beginning Of Freedom

I’ve posted these explosive words from Gerhard Forde before, but they’re worth posting again because he so aptly puts his finger on why we so naturally react the way we do when the gospel of God’s unconditional grace is considered:

The gospel of justification by faith is such a shocker, such an explosion, because it is an absolutely unconditional promise. It is not an “if-then” kind of statement, but a “because-therefore” pronouncement: because Jesus died and rose, your sins are forgiven and you are righteous in the sight of God! It bursts in upon our little world all shut up and barricaded behind our accustomed conditional thinking as some strange comet from goodness-knows-where, something we can’t really seem to wrap our minds around, the logic of which appears closed to us. How can it be entirely unconditional? Isn’t it terribly dangerous? How can anyone say flat out, “You are righteous for Jesus’ sake? Is there not some price to be paid, some-thing (however minuscule) to be done? After all, there can’t be such thing as a free lunch, can there?”

You see, we really are sealed up in the prison of our conditional thinking. It is terribly difficult for us to get out, and even if someone batters down the door and shatters the bars, chances are we will stay in the prison anyway! We seem always to want to hold out for something somehow, that little bit of something, and we do it with a passion and an anxiety that betrays its true source-the Old Adam that just does not want to lose control (Justification by Faith: A Matter of Death and Life, pg. 24).

Contrary to what we conclude naturally, the gospel is not too good to be true. It is true! No strings attached. No but’s. No conditions. No need for balance. If you’re a Christian, you are right now under the completely sufficient imputed righteousness of Christ. Your pardon is full and final. In Christ, you’re forgiven. You’re clean. It is finished.

Keep Thinking and Learning

Brandon Levering post:  5 Ways Established Churches Should Think Like Plants

There are several reasons I’m excited to attend the Plant New England conference in Boston next week. Partly because of the massive need for gospel ministry in this intensely post-Christian region. Partly because of the chance to connect with some old friends and make a few new ones. But the main reason I’m excited is because I want to learn how to think more like a church planter.

I have no significant church planting experience. I helped with the launch team of a recent plant in the Chicago area for just a couple months before being called to my present role last spring. Though quite young by New England standards, the church I serve is established. It began a little more than 35 years ago when several young adults from Park Street Church caught a vision for reaching the MetroWest suburbs of Boston. And we enjoy many of the benefits common to established churches: nice facility, stable financial base, variety of ministries, and breadth of generational wisdom and participation.

But there are several key values established churches can and should glean from those just getting started.

1. Church plants clearly define their mission and keep it before them in everything they do.

When you’re starting from scratch, almost everything is intentional. The feel of the webpage, the flow of the nursery system, the types of ministries, the shape of the worship service—everything is painstakingly considered and prayed over to retain focus and clarity for staying on mission.

But the longer churches have been doing something, the harder it is to remember why they do it. It’s easy to lose focus and become cluttered and fragmented in programs and ministries. This lack of clarity and focus can lead to passionate resistance to strategic changes. We can learn from church plants about recapturing the focus of your mission and holding it clearly and consistently before the congregation.

2. Church plants feel an acute sense of urgency to engage in evangelism.

This is the simple fact of planting a church: if it doesn’t grow, it will die. And most church planters are not interested in transfer growth; they want to see conversion growth. So urgency for congregation-wide evangelism is woven into the church’s DNA from the beginning.

But the longer a church does its thing and the larger it gets, the greater the pressure to divert attention to the needs of the church itself. We need more programs for families, programs for children, programs for teens, programs for singles. We might have a program for outreach, but the idea that every member is called to be a missionary in his or her own sphere of influence has long since dissipated. Established churches need to think like church plants in regaining the urgency of life on mission.

3. Church plants tend to better understand the culture they’re engaging.

Researching the target culture is an important part of every missionary endeavor; church plants are no exception. A lot of work goes into understanding the history and spiritual climate of the area, not least identifying the prevailing cultural idols. When ministries are shaped, hospitality is a key virtue. Everything is done with awareness and love for newcomers and nonbelievers, who are often unfamiliar with church lingo and culture.

Just as established churches tend to increasingly focus inward, they also tend to become isolated from the surrounding culture. Routines that were once strategic and meaningful become rote. Elements of church life and worship that were initially shaped for the sake of mission become part of a cherished heritage that must be guarded at all costs. To even speak of engaging culture can invite an eye of suspicion. And yet God has given us his timeless truths to be proclaimed and applied in ever-changing times and places. Revitalizing our awareness of the surrounding culture and engaging people who live and breathe that cultural air (inside and outside the church) is crucial to our faithfulness in gospel mission.

4. Church plants use a wider portion of the congregation in service.

An experienced friend once commented that planting a church is like trying to build a boat from scratch . . . when you’re already in the water. It’s not just all hands on deck—you don’t even have the deck yet to lay hands on. The context of urgency and camaraderie that comes from working so closely together at those early stages often creates a more pervasive culture of service in a church plant.

Established churches tend to embody the classic 80-20 rule: 20 percent of the people do 80 percent of the work. When the focus and clarity of the mission dissipate and urgency wanes, it’s a lot easier to participate in church as a spectator rather than as a partner in gospel ministry. As established churches work on recapturing focus in mission, that focus should translate into congregation-wide service.

5. Church plants are more likely to think strategically about planting more churches.

Church plants naturally understand the importance of continually planting newer congregations. As Tim Keller suggests, planting “is one of the best ways to renew the existing churches of a city, as well as the best single way to grow the whole body of Christ in a city.” Several leading church planting networks hold out this expectation of ongoing involvement from the start.

It’s a lot harder for established churches to think about sending away some of their resources, or even some of their best people, for this kind of ministry. Few established churches have a thoughtful plan to keep this strategic investment close to their mission and vision. Passion and commitment planting new churches is more crucial to the health and vitality of established churches than many of us realize.

The point in all of this is not to foster a “grass is greener” mentality for established churches. Neither is it to romanticize church planting—any planter will testify to the vast difficulties he faces, not least the potential drift toward the very challenges discussed here. Rather, the simple exhortation is for established churches to keep learning and thinking about why we do what we do, and to recognize that some of our best tutors will be those who come behind us.

Boasting

Ray Ortlund post:  Strength-in-weakness

If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness. . . . For when I am weak, then I am strong.  2 Corinthians 11:30; 12:10

I am a pastor.  And I am weak.  I value strength, because God wired us men for strength.  And His grace imparts real strength (2 Timothy 2:1).  But for me, one of the surprises in Christ is strength-in-weakness.

In a way, I wish I could be a formidable, always successful, always smart, always witty, always energetic, always cool, always positive Super Pastor.  Then people would admire my astonishing wonderfulness, and then I could always feel good about myself.  I would love that.  It’s one thing Jesus is saving me from.

How does He save me?  He reduces me to weakness and need, and He allows me to see it for myself time after time.  Then, and only then, do I humble myself and ask Him for His grace.  Then, and only then, is He is exalted as my Super Savior.

I am weak.  I am boring.  I get cranky.  I fumble my words in interviews.  I get into ruts.  I forget people’s names.  I don’t have all the answers.  I could go on and on with my remarkable inadequacies. 
But I have come to believe that the power of Christ resting on a weak man makes more impact for Him than my fantasy Self batting a thousand ever could.  In fact, I have come to like the current arrangement.  Yes, I want to be strong in the right ways.  No one has ever accused me of being a wimp.  But my own carnal strength need no longer apply.

When the power of Christ rests on me in all my weakness, everything gets better.

Never Forget

God, who got you started in this spiritual adventure, shares with us the life of his Son and our Master Jesus. He will never give up on you. Never forget that. 

1 Cor 1:9 [Message]

Grace Is Wild

Excerpt from Tullian Tchividjian post:  The End Of Control Is The Beginning Of Freedom

There’s nothing more difficult for us to get our minds around than the unconditional grace of God; it offends our deepest sensibilities. Conditionality is much safer than unconditionality because conditionality keeps us in control, it’s formulaic-do certain things and certain things are guaranteed to happen (this is why parents and preachers have such a hard time with grace–trust me, I know. I’m both a parent and a preacher). We understand conditions. Conditionality makes sense. Unconditionality on the other hand is incomprehensible to us. We are so conditioned against unconditionality because we are told in a thousand different ways that accomplishment precedes acceptance; that achievement precedes approval.

Everything in our world demands two way love. Everything’s conditional: if you achieve only then will you receive meaning, security, respect, love and so on. But grace is otherworldly because it’s unconditional–it is one way love: “Grace is love that seeks you out when you have nothing to give in return. Grace is love coming at you that has nothing to do with you. Grace is being loved when you are unlovable” (Paul Zahl).

Like Job’s friends, we naturally conclude that good people get good stuff and bad people get bad stuff (we preach and parent this way). The idea that bad people get good stuff is thickly counter-intuitive. It seems terribly unfair. It offends our sense of justice (we so quickly forget that the Bible is not a record of good people earning God’s blessings, but a record of bad people receiving God’s blessings because Jesus earned them for us).

Even those of us who have tasted the radical saving grace of God find it intuitively difficult not to put conditions on grace- “don’t take it too far; keep it balanced.” The truth is, however, that a “yes grace but” posture is the kind of posture that perpetuates slavery in our lives and in the church. Grace is radically unbalanced. It has no “but”: it’s unconditional, uncontrollable, unpredictable, and undomesticated. As Doug Wilson put it recently, “Grace is wild. Grace unsettles everything. Grace overflows the banks. Grace messes up your hair. Grace is not tame. In fact, unless we are making the devout nervous, we are not preaching grace as we ought.” Grace scares us to death because in every way it wrestles control out of our hands. However much we hate law, we are more afraid of grace.

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You Are God and We Are So Very Not

Scotty Smith:  A Prayer about God’s Most Repeated Command

He placed his right hand on me and said: “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.” Rev. 1:17-18

Lord Jesus, it’s stunning, liberating and timely to know the most repeated command throughout the whole Bible is “Do not be afraid.” The angels spoke these words to startled shepherds at your birth, and you repeated the command to a devastated Mary on the morning of your resurrection. Now, through the gospel, you speak the same soul-centering life-giving words to our hearts. “Do not be afraid!” It’s not about bucking up, but believing you.

Because you are the Alpha and Omega, the First and the Last, we don’t have to be afraid of anything in between those brackets. You are God, and we are so very not. You will never say “Oops” about anything you decree in world history or anything you bring into our daily lives.

Lord Jesus, you never “try” to do anything, as though there could ever be “trial and error” with you. You never have to scratch your head in confusion, or resort to some plan B or C. You are perfectly executing your sovereign will all the time, from naming the stars to numbering our hairs.

Because you are the Living One, who was dead and who is now alive forever, we don’t have to be afraid of Judgment Day or this day, for your cross was our Judgment Day and your resurrection is our assurance of complete acceptance by God. We no longer live under the weight of our guilt, for we now live in the delight of our Father. He persistently shouts to our hearts, “There is now and forevermore no condemnation for those who are in Christ!” To which we shout back, “Hallelujah! many times over!

Jesus, because you hold the keys of death and Hades, and to everything else, we don’t have to be afraid to die or live. You have robbed the grave of its victory; you have removed the sting of death; and you have defeated the devil and all the powers of darkness! We don’t have to be afraid of difficult people or devastating circumstances. We don’t have to be afraid of failing health or heart-wrenching providences. We don’t have to fear more terrorists in the world or failures on our part. Yes, yes, YES!

We know you will never leave or forsake us, and we know we are secure in the palm of your hand. Free us more fully from our fears that we might live more fully to the praise of your glorious grace. So very Amen we pray in your loving and powerful name.

Must Cling to Gospel

Excerpts from Theology for Women post:  On Quitting My Job

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I struggle like everyone else. WHAT WILL DEFINE MY LIFE?! And answering “I teach college math” when someone asks “What do you do?” has at times been a bandaid over a deeper struggle. I feel overwhelmed by the gushing river of responsibilities that is my home and ineffective at my attempts to manage it. And I so often feel GUILTY.

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It's not logical. But it is real in her heart. And for her and I, no amount of external affirmation can fill us in that place deep in our psyche that whispers, “Failure!” to us over and over again. Only Christ can meet us there, and only a full and robust understanding of the gospel upon which we regularly meditate and practically apply can meet us in this need.

*I am made in the image of God.

*I am a sinner marred by the fall who is being conformed back to the image of Christ through His sacrifice on the cross.

*God hasn't just forgiven me for my sins and failures, though He most certainly has done that! But He has also lavished on me His grace, clothing me in Christ's robe of righteousness. He sees me through Christ's sacrifice, and I never appear inadequate to Him in that robe.

*My home is now, as my teaching was then, a place to steward my gifts for the kingdom of God. I'm a steward for King Jesus. And He will equip me for every good work to which He calls me in this season.

*His approval of me is not based on my maturity or perfection, but on Christ's maturity and His perfection. And my failures teaching my students or raising my children are TRULY covered by His sacrifice.

As I resign at the community college, I'm letting go of that last little tie I had to a time in life when I excelled (or at least when I FELT like I excelled). And I'm going to firmly live in the middle of a place where I don't excel. The good thing is that it pushes me out of my comfort zone and reminds me of the basic truths to which I must cling at every stage of life—those big, robust truths encapsulated in that little word GOSPEL.

What's At The Bottom?

Josh Etter post:  Does God Make Much of Us?

Pastor John in his message at Passion 2011, Getting to the Bottom of Your Joy —

Let it be said loud and clear: John Piper does not deny and and never has denied that God makes much of us. The question is ranking—what’s at the bottom of your joy. Where does it finally rest?

Yes, those amazing truths—that God makes much of you—should thrill your soul! But why? The answer to that question makes all the difference.

If the answer is, "Because I'm at the bottom, and I love to be made much of," you're not born again. If the answer is, "Because it reveals more of God and makes me know him, treasure him, love him, be satisfied in him, more than I ever dreamed!" then you are born again.

That's the difference—what's at the bottom.

Seven Ways God Makes Much of Us

1. God makes much of us by being pleased with us and commending our lives.
2. God makes much of us by making us fellow heirs with his Son, who owns everything. (1 Corinthians 3:21–23)
3. God makes much of us by having us sit at table when he returns and serving us as though he were the slave and we the masters. (Luke 12:37)
4. God makes much of us by appointing us to carry out the judgment of angels. (1 Corinthians 6:3)
5. God makes much of us by ascribing value to us and rejoicing over us as his treasured possession. (Matthew 10:29–31)
6. God makes much of us by giving us a glorious body like Jesus' resurrection body. (Matthew 13:43; cf. Romans 8:30)
7. Most amazingly God makes much of us by granting us to sit with Christ on his throne. (Revelation 3:21)

Brought More Fully Into Christ

Ray Ortlund post:  Going to church: how, where

“The way to be gathered together is to be gathered by him and to him.  If all press to the center, they all press to one another.  If each man’s aim be personal fellowship with Christ, personal knowledge of Christ, personal trust in Christ, personal adoration of Christ, personal service to Christ, and the getting of a personal likeness to Christ, then we are all coming together.  While our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ, we also have fellowship with all the saints.  This should be the great object of all our gatherings, to be brought more fully into Christ; and all of us must meanwhile believe that Jesus is in the midst and we must come together unto him. . . .

You do well to come where you have found Christ before, and you do well to stay away from any gathering wherein you have not found Christ.  Some, as they go out of the place where they usually worship, are sadly compelled to cry, ‘They have taken away my Lord, and I know not where they have laid him.’  Do not go where Jesus is not present; and if distinctly you are obliged to say, ‘I have heard sermon after sermon almost without mention of his name; I have gone for months together, and I have not had a sweet thought of heavenly fellowship arising out of the service,’ then do not go there again.
Do not go to any church or meeting-house merely because you have been in the habit of going.  If your father used to live in Islington, but has now removed, you do not think it needful to go and call at his empty house, do you?  Go where the Lord has met with you, and where you may expect that he will meet with you again.  Sabbaths are too precious to be thrown away by sitting still to be starved.  Even a cow does not care to be tied up in an empty stall, and a horse does not run to an empty manger.  Seek the Lord Jesus, and do not rest till you find him.  We must gather into his name and get closer and closer to it, or else the Lord’s day will run to waste, and barrenness will devour our souls.”

Charles Haddon Spurgeon, “The Lord with Two or Three.”