Tim Challies has a good post on How (And How Not) To Use Facebook For Ministry. Check it out.
Christian life
Archived Posts from this Category
September 2, 2010
September 2, 2010
Hurricane Earl or 9Marks eJournal on Hell
Posted by 1031toglory under Bible, Christian life, Church, Doctrine, Gospel, Pastors, ResourceLeave a Comment
So if you’re going to cozy up in your home bracing for Hurricane Earl, let me recommend that you check out the latest 9Marks eJournal on the difficult and sobering doctrine of Hell. It looks at it from a number of different angles (pastorally, theologically, exegetically). Below are some of the contents that you’d find in the eJournal, Hell: Remembering the Awful Reality.
9Marks eJournal – Sept/Oct
Pastoral Perspectives on Hell
Mark Dever, Pastoral Fearmongering, Manipulation, and Hell
Our culture sneers at fear, as if there really is nothing to fear but fear itself. Yet Jesus told people to fear hell, and pastors today should do the same.
Kevin DeYoung, There’s Something Worse than Death
The doctrine of hell is ballast for our ministries, which will help us sail straight toward our most urgent task: proclaiming the gospel.
Sinclair Ferguson, What Then Shall We Preach on Hell?
Hell is an awful and overwhelming reality. Yet where Scripture speaks, pastors must not be silent. Here’s some practical help for this demanding calling.
Hell in Biblical and Theological Perspective
Greg Gilbert, Why Hell Is Integral to the Gospel
Some think that by minimizing or ignoring hell, they are making God more glorious and more loving. Far from it! The horror of what we have been saved from only intensifies the glory and wonder of our salvation.
Andrew David Naselli, Hellfire and Brimstone: Interpreting the New Testament’s Descriptions of Hell
The New Testament graphically and horrifically describes hell, which raises a thorny question: how should we interpret those dreadful images?
James M. Hamilton Jr., How Does Hell Glorify God?
Hell glorifies God by vindicating his holiness and faithfulness to his word, demonstrating his infinite worth, and magnifying his mercy and love toward the redeemed.
Gavin Ortlund, An Annotated Bibliography on Hell
This article contains brief reviews of seven key books on hell.
August 25, 2010
Have you asked the question to yourself today?
Posted by 1031toglory under Christian lifeLeave a Comment
“He said to him the third time, ‘Simon, son of John, do you love me?’” John 21:17
From TableTalk magazine Joel Belz writes,
All of us need to keep hearing Jesus asking His penetrating question. Especially those of us who have been blessed to grow up and spend most of our lives in a secure setting of sound theology, sound doctrine, sound preaching, sound teaching, and sound worldview need to hear Jesus asking us: “Apart from all that, do you love Me?”
I’ve spent my whole life in publishing and educational enterprises committed to developing and propagating the truth that, as Abraham Kuyper observed, every square inch of reality belongs to the Lord our God. For almost seventy years now, that has been a robust and invigorating basis for living life to the fullest.
But it also has the potential to prompt me to avoid Jesus’s great question. For I must report to you that it is altogether possible to be consumed with such “truthfulness” for a lifetime and still walk on the margins of that more personal love for Jesus that He intends His children to have. It is not just possible, but common, to have a God-centered worldview and still not be personally absorbed with the God who is at the focus of that view.
Read the whole thing here.
“In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” 1 John 4:10
August 9, 2010
Reflections on God’s Glory and Fighting Sin
Posted by 1031toglory under Christian lifeLeave a Comment
When the glory of God is the treasure of our lives…
…we will not lay up treasures on earth, but spend them for the spread of his glory.
…we will not covet, but overflow with generosity.
…we will not crave the praise of men, but forget ourselves in praising God.
…we will not be mastered by sinful, sensual pleasures, but cut the root of its deceitful promise by the power of a superior and more satisfying promise.
…we will not nurse a wounded ego, wallow in self-pity, cherish a grudge or seek revenge in our thoughts, but will hand over our cause to God and bless those who hate us.
August 7, 2010
Desperate Need of God – Praying the 6 “D’s”
Posted by 1031toglory under Christian life, PrayerLeave a Comment
Jon Bloom from the Desiring God blog writes a helpful article for your discipline of prayer. It focuses on a desparate need for a deep satisfaction in God. He calls it praying the 6 “D’s”…
Whatever it takes, Lord, give me…
Delight in you as the greatest treasure of my heart.
Delight in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart. (Psalm 37:4)Desire to know you, be with you, and seek your kingdom above all else.
Delight in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart. (Psalm 37:4)Discernment that comes from a renewed mind that I might know your will.
But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil. (Hebrews 5:14)Desperation because when I stop feeling my need for you I tend to wander.
Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I keep your word. (Psalm 119:67)Discipline to plan for what I discern as your will.
Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. (Ephesians 5:15-16)Diligence to do your will with all my heart.
You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. (Deuteronomy 6:5)
June 4, 2010
One reason (of many) why I’m NOT a fan of The Shack
Posted by 1031toglory under Books, Christian life, cultureLeave a Comment
Mike Pohlman, from the Gospel Coalition blog has found an interesting quote from slate.com. In it’s entirety, he writes…
From Nathan Heller’s Slate.com article, “Why We Love The Shack” (June 3, 2010):
“When every publisher turned down the book in its current form, [William] Young and some
friends founded their own firm, Windblown Media, to fill what they considered “a big hole” in publishing: Although there were “religious” books and “secular” books, they thought, there were no titles in the middle ground, no “spiritual” novels that cast God as a path to happiness without serving up dogma. The Shack is just that book, and its success proves not how much this country loves religion but how far from mainstream faith the nation’s aspirations have shifted (emphasis added).”
O, for The Courage to Be Protestant in our day.
April 22, 2010
DeYoung on Earth Day and Thinking like a Christian
Posted by 1031toglory under Christian life, culture, Current EventsLeave a Comment
Kevin DeYoung has a great post helping Christians to think about Earth Day in a distinctly Christian way. Here is his three points:
- We must distinguish between theological principles and prudential judgments.
- People matter most.
- People are producers, not just polluters.
Read the whole thing.
March 24, 2010
Counterfeit Gospels that can take over in the Christian life
Posted by 1031toglory under Christian life, Gospel[2] Comments
Do you think that a mature Christian outgrows the gospel? If you say ‘yes’, you might have fallen into one of the categories below. Tullian Tchividjian posts an excellent summary of a section in Paul Tripp’s book called How People Change. Here it is below…
In one of his books (co-authored with Tim Lane), How People Change, he identifies seven counterfeit gospels—-”religious” ways we try and “justify” or “save” ourselves apart from the gospel of grace. I found these unbelievably helpful. Which one (or two, or three) of these do you tend to gravitate towards?
Formalism. “I participate in the regular meetings and ministries of the church, so I feel like my life is under control. I’m always in church, but it really has little impact on my heart or on how I live. I may become judgmental and impatient with those who do not have the same commitment as I do.”
Legalism. “I live by the rules—rules I create for myself and rules I create for others. I feel good if I can keep my own rules, and I become arrogant and full of contempt when others don’t meet the standards I set for them. There is no joy in my life because there is no grace to be celebrated.”
Mysticism. “I am engaged in the incessant pursuit of an emotional experience with God. I live for the moments when I feel close to him, and I often struggle with discouragement when I don’t feel that way. I may change churches often, too, looking for one that will give me what I’m looking for.”
Activism. “I recognize the missional nature of Christianity and am passionately involved in fixing this broken world. But at the end of the day, my life is more of a defense of what’s right than a joyful pursuit of Christ.”
Biblicism. “I know my Bible inside and out, but I do not let it master me. I have reduced the gospel to a mastery of biblical content and theology, so I am intolerant and critical of those with lesser knowledge.”
Therapism. “I talk a lot about the hurting people in our congregation, and how Christ is the only answer for their hurt. Yet even without realizing it, I have made Christ more Therapist than Savior. I view hurt as a greater problem than sin—and I subtly shift my greatest need from my moral failure to my unmet needs.”
Social-ism. “The deep fellowship and friendships I find at church have become their own idol. The body of Christ has replaced Christ himself, and the gospel is reduced to a network of fulfilling Christian relationships.”
February 18, 2010
The Rise and Fade of Olympic Glory
Posted by 1031toglory under Christian life, culture, Current Events, GospelLeave a Comment
Like most of you, I enjoy watching the Olympics. I also enjoy the unique rays of light it sheds on the larger meaning of life. For instance, Chris Tomlinson writes at the Gospel Coalition blog quoting Lindsey’s Vonn’s amazing gold medal win.
“I’ve given up everything for this. It means everything to me. It’s why I work hard. I got what I came here to do. I got a gold medal; I have what I want.”
Tears have a funny way of releasing things. Lindsey Vonn’s tears were no different. As she stood at the bottom of the mountain at Whistler, Olympic Gold as her prize, the Women’s Downhill Champion’s tears shone brightly in the sun.
But he writes,
Here’s a truth we all know, and one Lindsey either knows already or will soon discover: Olympic glory fades. So does the glory from being a successful preacher, or pastor, or writer, or musician, or businessman, or businesswoman, or student. We all strive for perishable wreaths at different times in our lives. And we strive for them in vain.
He concludes,
Our prize is a place with a Person, and this Person will “wipe away every tear from their eyes … neither shall there be crying … for the former things have passed away” (Rev 21:4). It is in that day that we will wear our imperishable crowns of righteousness, because of Him and for His sake. And in that day we will be satisfied by our greatest joy: Jesus.
Congratulations to you, Lindsey. Your achievement is inspiring and well-deserved. And as the glory of your triumph begins to fade, may you find (or continue to find) Jesus as your imperishable wreath. And may we all see your inspiring example as a reflection of the higher call we have on our lives. May we run the race with single-mindedness, exercising self-control, disciplining our bodies for the sake of the gospel, and persevering through suffering, all so that we might obtain the prize we seek: eternity in the presence of the One whose glory never fades.
Read the whole thing here.
February 16, 2010
What’s Wrong with “Twilight”?
Posted by 1031toglory under Christian life, culture, Family, VideoLeave a Comment
What’s wrong with “Twilight”? Pastor Doug Wilson (you may remember him from the Collision movie – a debate between him and Christopher Hitchens) gives an answer.
Ask Doug – What is Wrong With Twilight? from Daniel Foucachon on Vimeo.
February 10, 2010
The Great Dig of 2010 (or otherwise known as the the Blizzard of 2010)
Posted by 1031toglory under Christian life, Current EventsLeave a Comment
Of course, it never snows in southern Delaware. It blizzards. The 2 feet of snow that plummeted Sussex County is taking quite a toll on people here. Thanks be to God, kind neighbors of our development helped us and others out with the driveways. Nothing like a good ‘ol tractor to do the job! But, many others have been hit hard with downed trees and no electric. A couple of us went out yesterday to help those within our church, especially those that are widowed without help. But honestly speaking, as we were driving, it was quite overwhelming seeing all the help that people need. Well, it’s Tuesday night, and we’re ready for round 2 of the Great Dig of 2010. Of course, some may be wondering, “God, what are you doing? Why all this snow?” The answer: I don’t know. Of course, I do know that God is not a tame God. His majestic power AND wisdom is greater than we can ever know. But, one thing I do know is that he wants us to love our neighbor. And I was able to meet neighbors this week that I would have never met or been able to help before! So if it takes a blizzard… then let us love our neighbor for the glory of God in Jesus’ name… and go grab a shovel.
January 28, 2010
Don’t Waste Your Cancer (or any illness really)
Posted by 1031toglory under Christian life, The Pilgrim's PenLeave a Comment
The following below is an excerpt from an online article by John Piper on the eve he found out he was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2006. It is titled “Don’t Waste Your Cancer”, but I believe it’s applicable to all who have an illness of any degree. This article was brought to mind in light of the number of illnesses our congregation is facing, and appeared in a Pilgrim’s Pen bulletin insert. The bulletin insert is broken into two parts, but you will find the whole thing below.
1. You will waste your cancer if you do not believe it is designed for you by God.
It will not do to say that God only uses our cancer but does not design it. What God permits, he permits for a reason. And that reason is his design. If God foresees molecular developments becoming cancer, he can stop it or not. If he does not, he has a purpose. Since he is infinitely wise, it is right to call this purpose a design. Satan is real and causes many pleasures and pains. But he is not ultimate. So when he strikes Job with boils (Job 2:7), Job attributes it ultimately to God (2:10) and the inspired writer agrees: “They . . . comforted him for all the evil that the Lord had brought upon him” (Job 42:11). If you don’t believe your cancer is designed for you by God, you will waste it.
2. You will waste your cancer if you believe it is a curse and not a gift.
“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1). “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us” (Galatians 3:13). “There is no enchantment against Jacob, no divination against Israel” (Numbers 23:23). “The Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor. No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly” (Psalm 84:11).
3. You will waste your cancer if you seek comfort from your odds rather than from God.
The design of God in your cancer is not to train you in the rationalistic, human calculation of odds. The world gets comfort from their odds. Not Christians. Some count their chariots (percentages of survival) and some count their horses (side effects of treatment), but we trust in the name of the Lord our God (Psalm 20:7). God’s design is clear from 2 Corinthians 1:9, “We felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead.” The aim of God in your cancer (among a thousand other good things) is to knock props out from under our hearts so that we rely utterly on him.
4. You will waste your cancer if you refuse to think about death.
We will all die, if Jesus postpones his return. Not to think about what it will be like to leave this life and meet God is folly. Ecclesiastes 7:2 says, “It is better to go to the house of mourning [a funeral] than to go to the house of feasting, for this is the end of all mankind, and the living will lay it to heart.” How can you lay it to heart if you won’t think about it? Psalm 90:12 says, “Teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.” Numbering your days means thinking about how few there are and that they will end. How will you get a heart of wisdom if you refuse to think about this? What a waste, if we do not think about death.
5. You will waste your cancer if you think that “beating” cancer means staying alive rather than cherishing Christ.
Satan’s and God’s designs in your cancer are not the same. Satan designs to destroy your love for Christ. God designs to deepen your love for Christ. Cancer does not win if you die. It wins if you fail to cherish Christ. God’s design is to wean you off the breast of the world and feast you on the sufficiency of Christ. It is meant to help you say and feel, “I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.” And to know that therefore, “To live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Philippians 3:8; 1:21).
6. You will waste your cancer if you spend too much time reading about cancer and not enough time reading about God.
It is not wrong to know about cancer. Ignorance is not a virtue. But the lure to know more and more and the lack of zeal to know God more and more is symptomatic of unbelief. Cancer is meant to waken us to the reality of God. It is meant to put feeling and force behind the command, “Let us know; let us press on to know the Lord” (Hosea 6:3). It is meant to waken us to the truth of Daniel 11:32, “The people who know their God shall stand firm and take action.” It is meant to make unshakable, indestructible oak trees out of us: “His delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers” (Psalm 1:2). What a waste of cancer if we read day and night about cancer and not about God.
7. You will waste your cancer if you let it drive you into solitude instead of deepen your relationships with manifest affection.
When Epaphroditus brought the gifts to Paul sent by the Philippian church he became ill and almost died. Paul tells the Philippians, “He has been longing for you all and has been distressed because you heard that he was ill” (Philippians 2:26-27). What an amazing response! It does not say they were distressed that he was ill, but that he was distressed because they heard he was ill. That is the kind of heart God is aiming to create with cancer: a deeply affectionate, caring heart for people. Don’t waste your cancer by retreating into yourself.
8. You will waste your cancer if you grieve as those who have no hope.
Paul used this phrase in relation to those whose loved ones had died: “We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope” (1 Thessalonians 4:13). There is a grief at death. Even for the believer who dies, there is temporary loss—loss of body, and loss of loved ones here, and loss of earthly ministry. But the grief is different—it is permeated with hope. “We would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord” (2 Corinthians 5:8). Don’t waste your cancer grieving as those who don’t have this hope.
9. You will waste your cancer if you treat sin as casually as before.
Are your besetting sins as attractive as they were before you had cancer? If so you are wasting your cancer. Cancer is designed to destroy the appetite for sin. Pride, greed, lust, hatred, unforgiveness, impatience, laziness, procrastination—all these are the adversaries that cancer is meant to attack. Don’t just think of battling against cancer. Also think of battling with cancer. All these things are worse enemies than cancer. Don’t waste the power of cancer to crush these foes. Let the presence of eternity make the sins of time look as futile as they really are. “What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself?” (Luke 9:25).
10. You will waste your cancer if you fail to use it as a means of witness to the truth and glory of Christ.
Christians are never anywhere by divine accident. There are reasons for why we wind up where we do. Consider what Jesus said about painful, unplanned circumstances: “They will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors for my name’s sake. This will be your opportunity to bear witness” (Luke 21:12 -13). So it is with cancer. This will be an opportunity to bear witness. Christ is infinitely worthy. Here is a golden opportunity to show that he is worth more than life. Don’t waste it.
Remember you are not left alone. You will have the help you need. “My God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19).
January 1, 2010
Countdown to a New Year of Devotion to Christ
Posted by 1031toglory under Bible, Christian life, ResourceLeave a Comment
Happy New Year and may yours be a one of joyful devotion to Christ!!
And D.A. Carson, one of my favorite writers, has a new blog… check out their countdown clock…
Ray Ortlund has some sobering thoughts for 2010…
And, if you click here, you will find the annual Bible Reading Plan from Discipleship Journal that our church uses… God bless!
November 25, 2009
What is Gospel-Centered Ministry? 3 Parts
Posted by 1031toglory under Christian life, Church, GospelLeave a Comment
Our church just finished a sermon series on Our Purpose of the Local Church (Worship, Word, Community, Commission) and Your Purpose in the Local Church (Worshipper, Learner, Family Member, Missionary). Justin Taylor is highlighting the Gospel Coalition’s Theological Vision for Ministry and their characteristics for “gospel-centered ministry.” I felt they were appropriate to what we’ve been looking at in our church. Below are the 3 Parts that he’s posted.
Empowered corporate worship:
The gospel changes our relationship with God from one of hostility or slavish compliance to one of intimacy and joy. The core dynamic of gospel–centered ministry is therefore worship and fervent prayer.
In corporate worship God’s people receive a special life-transforming sight of the worth and beauty of God, and then give back to God suitable expressions of his worth. At the heart of corporate worship is the ministry of the Word. Preaching should be expository (explaining the text of Scripture) and Christ-centered (expounding all biblical themes as climaxing in Christ and his work of salvation). Its ultimate goal, however, is not simply to teach but to lead the hearers to worship, individual and corporate, that strengthens their inner being to do the will of God.
Evangelistic effectiveness:
Because the gospel (unlike religious moralism) produces people who do not disdain those who disagree with them, a truly gospel-centered church should be filled with members who winsomely address people’s hopes and aspirations with Christ and his saving work.
We have a vision for a church that sees conversions of rich and poor, highly educated and less educated, men and women, old and young, married and single, and all races. We hope to draw highly secular and postmodern people, as well as reaching religious and traditional people.
Because of the attractiveness of its community and the humility of its people, a gospel-centered church should find people in its midst who are exploring and trying to understand Christianity. It must welcome them in hundreds of ways. It will do little to make them “comfortable” but will do much to make its message understandable.
In addition to all this, gospel-centered churches will have a bias toward church planting as one of the most effective means of evangelism there is.
Counter-cultural community.
Because the gospel removes both fear and pride, people should get along inside the church who could never get along outside.
Because it points us to a man who died for his enemies, the gospel creates relationships of service rather than of selfishness.
Because the gospel calls us to holiness, the people of God live in loving bonds of mutual accountability and discipline.
Thus the gospel creates a human community radically different from any society around it.
Regarding sex, the church should avoid both the secular society’s idolization of sex and traditional society’s fear of it. It is a community which so loves and cares practically for its members that biblical chastity makes sense. It teaches its members to conform their bodily being to the shape of the gospel—abstinence outside of heterosexual marriage and fidelity and joy within.
Regarding the family, the church should affirm the goodness of marriage between a man and a woman, calling them to serve God by reflecting his covenant love in life–long loyalty, and by teaching his ways to their children. But it also affirms the goodness of serving Christ as singles, whether for a time or for a life. The church should surround all persons suffering from the fallenness of our human sexuality with a compassionate community and family.
Regarding money, the church’s members should engage in radical economic sharing with one another—so “there are no needy among them” (Acts 4:34). Such sharing also promotes a radically generous commitment of time, money, relationships, and living space to social justice and the needs of the poor, the oppressed, the immigrant, and the economically and physically weak.
Regarding power, it is visibly committed to power–sharing and relationship–building among races, classes, and generations that are alienated outside of the Body of Christ. The practical evidence of this is that our local churches increasingly welcome and embrace people of all races and cultures. Each church should seek to reflect the diversity of its local geographical community, both in the congregation at large and in its leadership.
November 24, 2009
The Manhattan Declaration
Posted by 1031toglory under Christian life, Important Christian Documents, Politics, ResourceLeave a Comment
If you check up on religious news and scan religious blogs you’ve probably already heard about The Manhattan Declaration.
This is what they summarize what it is…
Christians, when they have lived up to the highest ideals of their faith, have defended the weak and vulnerable and worked tirelessly to protect and strengthen vital institutions of civil society, beginning with the family.
We are Orthodox, Catholic, and evangelical Christians who have united at this hour to reaffirm fundamental truths about justice and the common good, and to call upon our fellow citizens, believers and non-believers alike, to join us in defending them. These truths are:
- the sanctity of human life
- the dignity of marriage as the conjugal union of husband and wife
- the rights of conscience and religious liberty.
Inasmuch as these truths are foundational to human dignity and the well-being of society, they are inviolable and non-negotiable. Because they are increasingly under assault from powerful forces in our culture, we are compelled today to speak out forcefully in their defense, and to commit ourselves to honoring them fully no matter what pressures are brought upon us and our institutions to abandon or compromise them. We make this commitment not as partisans of any political group but as followers of Jesus Christ, the crucified and risen Lord, who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.
You can read the whole Declaration here. It doesn’t take long to read. The Declaration was drafted by Robert George, Timothy George, and Chuck Colson. The list of original signers include prominent evangelicals like: Peter Akinola, Randy Alcorn, Leith Anderson, Kay Arthur, Joel Belz, Bryan Chapell, James Dobson, Wayne Grudem, Tim Keller, Duane Litfin, Herb Lusk, Josh McDowell, Al Mohler, Marvin Olasky, J.I. Packer, Neal Plantinga, Dennis Rainey, Ron Sider, Joni Erickson Tada, and Ravi Zacharias.
Below are a couple of links to comments on the Declaration:
Timothy George on ‘The Manhattan Declaration’
Why I Signed ‘The Manhattan Declaration’ by Al Mohler
