August 29, 2010
God, the Gospel, and Glenn Beck
Russell Moore provides an excellent corrective to the disturbing trend of Christians undiscerningly jumping on the bandwagon of Beck's recent God-and-country "revival." An excerpt:
Beck isn’t the problem. He’s an entrepreneur, he’s brilliant, and, hats off to him, he knows his market. Latter-day Saints have every right to speak, with full religious liberty, in the public square. I’m quite willing to work with Mormons on various issues, as citizens working for the common good. What concerns me here is not what this says about Beck or the “Tea Party” or any other entertainment or political figure. What concerns me is about what this says about the Christian churches in the United States.Do read the whole thing.It’s taken us a long time to get here, in this plummet from Francis Schaeffer to Glenn Beck. In order to be this gullible, American Christians have had to endure years of vacuous talk about undefined “revival” and “turning America back to God” that was less about anything uniquely Christian than about, at best, a generically theistic civil religion and, at worst, some partisan political movement.........Too often, and for too long, American “Christianity” has been a political agenda in search of a gospel useful enough to accommodate it. There is a liberation theology of the Left, and there is also a liberation theology of the Right, and both are at heart mammon worship. The liberation theology of the Left often wants a Barabbas, to fight off the oppressors as though our ultimate problem were the reign of Rome and not the reign of death. The liberation theology of the Right wants a golden calf, to represent religion and to remind us of all the economic security we had in Egypt. Both want a Caesar or a Pharaoh, not a Messiah.
Photo credit: The Atlantic
August 28, 2010
The Value of Brevity
Adriel Ifland, Executive Assistant to the President of Acts 29 (Scott Thomas), lists 6 common reasons for lack of brevity in communication (or correspondence), and one caveat. His point is well made.
August 18, 2010
Ideological Indoctrination On College Campuses
With the next academic year about to kick-off, Dr. Mohler has a timely word on a pair of disturbing articles which make plain the ideological indoctrination that happens on many secular college and university campuses, particularly, as Dr. Mohler notes, "in elite institutions and within the liberal arts faculties."
Mohler writes:
Even as most professors see themselves as stewards of the teaching profession and fellow learners with their students, others see their role in very different terms — as agents of ideological indoctrination. All teaching involves ideology and intellectual commitments. There is no position of authentic objectivity. Every teacher, as well as every student, comes into the classroom with certain intellectual commitments. Some professors set as their aim the indoctrination of students into their own worldview, and many of these worldviews are both noxious and deeply troubling. A professor who acts as such an agent of indoctrination abuses the stewardship of teaching and the professorial calling, but this abuse is more widespread and dangerous than many students and their parents understand.Read the whole thing.For Christian parents and students, this should be a matter of deep concern and active awareness. The secularization of most educational institutions is an accomplished fact. Indeed, many college and university campuses are deeply antagonistic to Christian truth claims and the beliefs held by millions of students and their families. Furthermore, the leftist bent of most faculty is well-documented, especially in elite institutions and within the liberal arts faculties. On many campuses, a significant number of faculty members are representatives of what has been called the “adversary culture.” They see their role as political and ideological, and they define their teaching role in these terms. Their agenda is nothing less than to separate students from their Christian beliefs and their intellectual and moral commitments.
August 14, 2010
What one thing would you change about seminary?
Collin Hansen of The Gospel Coalition poses this question to Albert Mohler, D.A. Carson, Jeff Louie, and Richard Pratt.
August 05, 2010
Why the Proposition 8 Decision Matters
Yesterday, Judge Vaughn R Walker struck down Proposition 8, which the CA voters had passed in 2008. In an article carried by Christianity Today, Dr. Albert Mohler gives some perspective as to why it's a big deal, even if this decision is later overturned, and even if this ruling was anticipated (which it was):
The importance of the decision handed down yesterday by U. S. District Judge Vaughn R. Walker in California's Proposition 8 trial will be difficult to exaggerate. Proponents of same-sex marriage immediately declared a major victory—and for good reason. The editorial board of The New York Times declared the verdict "an instant landmark in American legal history," and so it is, even if later reversed upon appeal.Read the whole thing.Judge Walker's decision is sweeping and comprehensive, basically affirming every argument and claim put forth by those demanding that California's Proposition 8 be declared unconstitutional. That proposition, affirmed by a clear majority of California voters, amended the state's constitution to define marriage as the union of a man and a woman. In one brazen act of judicial energy, California's voters were told that they had no right to define marriage, and thousands of years of human wisdom were discarded as irrational.
To Every Tribe Ministries - Interview with David Sitton - Part 4
David Sitton is the President of To Every Tribe, a ministry which has been planting churches among unreached people groups of Papua New Guinea and Mexico for many years now. The ministry is led by a distinguished board of directors and three executive officers. As it happens, they are seeking to hire a Director for their Center for Pioneer Church Planting.
To Every Tribe is hosting a conference this October 22-23 entitled Reckless Abandon: For Jesus and The Nations. In light of this conference, and as a means of spreading the word about To Every Tribe, I'll be posting a four part interview with David Sitton. Part 3 was posted last week, Part 2 the week before that, and Part 1 the previous week. Here's Part 4 (and the final installment):
There is a lot of buzz in the news lately about Mexico and the escalating drug lord violence? What’s going on in Mexico? Has Mexico gotten more dangerous in recent months in the areas where To Every Tribe is working?
David: I’m passing this question off to A.J. Gibson (To Every Tribe’s Mexico Field Director and Assistant Director of The Center for Pioneer Church Planting). A.J. has spent much of his life in Mexico as an MK and as a missionary himself.
AJ: Up until the last few months, most of the drug-related violence has kept to the west of where To Every Tribe works in the extreme north-eastern corner of Mexico. But a recent turf war between two major drug cartels has brought the war closer to home. The Gulf Cartel, based in Matamoros, Mexico, just a few miles from the To Every Tribe headquarters in south Texas, has controlled the drug trafficking routes along the Mexican gulf coast for over a decade. But in recent months, the Zetas, a mercenary army made up of former elite military commandos has begun to encroach upon the Gulf Cartel’s territory. As the war between the Gulf Cartel and the Zetas has escalated, the battle has drawn nearer to the Gulf Cartel’s home city of Matamoros—the city that we at To Every Tribe pass through every time we enter Mexico. Shootouts between the Mexican military and the cartels as well as between members of the two cartels have made this area increasingly dangerous and unstable. Road blockades, kidnappings, and execution-style murders have become increasingly common. In the last month there have been several major shootouts along the highway that we travel to access the villages where we’re church planting. Just two weeks ago an ambush was set up by the Zetas for the Gulf cartel at an intersection that we pass through on a regular basis. The result was a major gun and grenade battle just a few miles from a small fishing village where we do much of our work. When I passed through two days after the battle, I could see clear evidence of the fight—a pickup riddled with bullet holes.
At this point we haven’t decreased our activity in northern Mexico, primarily because the cartels haven’t primarily been targeting civilians. But things have certainly become much more dangerous and we’ve been forced to take more careful precautions as we travel and work south of the border. Unfortunately the violence in Mexico is not limited to the drug wars, nor is it limited to northern Mexico. Local and regional gangs and criminal organizations involved in all kinds of extortion-related crime have run rampant throughout all of Mexico for decades—even centuries. And it seems that the increased activity of the drug cartels has served to embolden these other smaller gangs and organizations. Kidnappings, assassinations, robbery, police corruption, and many other kinds of violent criminal activity is a normal part of life for almost the whole country. When my family and I lived in Monterrey, Mexico, we had several close friends and many friends-of-friends who were victims of kidnappings and robberies. This kind of violence will always be a threat for missionaries in Mexico. And it’s not limited to northern Mexico. A couple of months ago international news organizations reported an ambush and assault on a caravan of human rights observers on a major highway in the state of Oaxaca, just a few miles south of where To Every Tribe bases its southern Mexico church planting operations. The caravan of journalists and activists was headed to a nearby village that had been held hostage and terrorized by a local crime organization. That organization made sure the rescuers never reached the village.
So how do we react to all of this? Well, we certainly don’t stop our mission. We take precautions (like avoiding travel at night and keeping away from known centers of violence), but at the end of the day we continue to make disciples of Mexico’s unreached people groups while leaving our safety in the hands of God. Jesus promised, “I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” That’s our great comfort.
David: Exactly! We will never “not go” into a place for Christ simply because of the danger. Like the apostle Paul, I “consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me – the task of testifying to the gospel of God’s grace” (Acts 20:24).
Thanks again, for spending some time with us. It’s been fun talking to you again, Alex.
August 04, 2010
Redeeming the Realities of Marriage
In his penetrating book What Did You Expect?: Redeeming the Realities of Marriage, Paul Tripp writes:
Think of the sturdiness of your allegiance to your own kingdom purposes. Let me help you see what I mean. Think about how little of your anger over the last month had anything whatsoever to do with the kingdom of God. Your anger seldom comes out of a zeal for the plans, purposes, values and calling of the kingdom of God. When you are hurt, angry, or disappointed with your husband or wife, it is not because he or she has broken the laws of God's kingdom, and it really concerns you. No, you are most often angry because your spouse has broken the laws of your kingdom. Your spouse is in the way of what you want, and that makes you mad, and it mobilizes you to do or say something that will rein your spouse back into service of your wants, needs, and feelings.View additional sample material.But God's grace is intended to explode that. His grace purposes to expose and free you from your bondage to you. His grace is meant to bring you to the end of yourself so that you will finally begin to place your identity, your meaning and purpose, and your inner sense of well-being in him. So he places you in a comprehensive relationship with another flawed person, and he places that relationship right in the middle of a very broken world. To add to this, he designs circumstances for you that you would have never designed for yourself. All this is meant to bring you to the end of yourself, because that is where true righteousness begins. He wants you to give up. He wants you to abandon your dream. He wants you to face the futility of trying to manipulate the other person into your service. He knows there is no life to be found in these things.
Some Endorsements:
"What I've come to expect from Paul Tripp is consistently deep, transparent, biblical, wise, practical, gospel-driven counsel. Rather than muddying the water with self-focused strategies designed to meet our ever-multiplying needs, Paul, as the seasoned soul-physician he is, correctly diagnoses our problems and provides the cure—humble faith in Jesus Christ. I wasn't disappointed. You won't be either."
- Elyse M. Fitzpatrick, author, Because He Loves Me and Comforts from the Cross
"Paul Tripp issues a challenge for couples to roll up their sleeves, get to work, and do what it takes to build a God-honoring relationship. He presents six commitments for couples to make, and contained within each is insightful, practical, and effective advice on how to construct a loving, growing, grace-soaked marriage."
- Mary A. Kassian, Professor of Women's Studies, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary; author, Girls Gone Wise in a World Gone Wild
July 31, 2010
Layoffs Hit Focus on the Family
Mark Barna of the Colorado Springs Gazette reports:
Layoffs hit Focus on the Family Friday, but no public announcement was made about how many employees are losing their jobs and from what departments.Read the whole thing.“Today is family time,” Focus spokesman Gary Schneeberger said. “We’ll have more to say publicly about our reduction in force on Monday.”
Throughout the day, Focus held department meetings to inform those affected by the layoffs, which have been rumored for days.
Since 2002, Focus’ work force has been reduced from 1,400 to 860. Over the past two years, Focus cut 295 jobs. Friday’s layoffs are the first for the ministry since September 2009, when it laid off 75 workers.
Focus on the Family has been a tremendous blessing over the years to many people in many ways. These are tough times, and it's easy from some to criticize the various budgetary decisions of a large ministry, particularly at a time of transition in leadership. But it's a tendency we would do well to resist. Rather, let's pray both for the families affected and for the leadership that remains. God's vision for husbands, wives, children, and the family are under assault in our day as much as ever. May this important ministry remain strong for many years to come.
July 30, 2010
Anne Rice leaves "Christianity"
It is somewhat fashionable these days to claim to follow Jesus but not want to be associated with Christianity (in any organized sense). It's basically a "me and Jesus" thing. That seems to be the route that famous vampire novelist Anne Rice may be taking. This Wednesday she posted on Facebook:
Today I quit being a Christian. I'm out. I remain committed to Christ as always but not to being "Christian" or to being part of Christianity. It's simply impossible for me to "belong" to this quarrelsome, hostile, disputatious, and deservedly infamous group. For ten years, I've tried. I've failed. I'm an outsider. My conscience will allow nothing else.....I quit being a Christian. I'm out. In the name of Christ, I refuse to be anti-gay. I refuse to be anti-feminist. I refuse to be anti-artificial birth control. I refuse to be anti-Democrat. I refuse to be anti-secular humanism. I refuse to be anti-science. I refuse to be anti-life. In the name of ...Christ, I quit Christianity and being Christian. Amen.But perhaps in an attempt to avoid misunderstanding, the next day she added:
My faith in Christ is central to my life. My conversion from a pessimistic atheist lost in a world I didn't understand, to an optimistic believer in a universe created and sustained by a loving God is crucial to me. But following Christ does not mean following His followers. Christ is infinitely more important than Christianity and always will be, no matter what Christianity is, has been, or might become.Her current status is far better than pessimistic atheism, but I'm not sure how "following Christ does not mean following His followers." Would that include not following the Apostles? While no Christian would claim the perfection of Christ, the New Testament records Paul's instruction that we should imitate him as he (imperfectly) imitates Christ (I Cor. 11:1), and that we should submit to elders in a local church, who themselves also have accountability (cf. Heb. 13:7). In salvation we are not only united to Christ but are adopted into His imperfect family of saints being refashioned into the image of God (cf. Eph. 4:1-16). I don't know much about her, but I hope that Ms. Rice is receiving biblical instruction and is part of some Christian faith community. Perhaps she could press through this phase into full-orbed, biblical Christianity, which embraces both Christ and His imperfect, but progressively sanctified bride.
July 28, 2010
To Every Tribe Ministries - Interview with David Sitton - Part 3
David Sitton is the President of To Every Tribe, a ministry which has been planting churches among unreached people groups of Papua New Guinea and Mexico for many years now. The ministry is led by a distinguished board of directors and three executive officers. As it happens, they are seeking to hire a Director for their Center for Pioneer Church Planting.
To Every Tribe is hosting a conference this October 22-23 entitled Reckless Abandon: For Jesus and The Nations. In light of this conference, and as a means of spreading the word about To Every Tribe, I'll be posting a three or four part interview with David Sitton. Part 2 was posted last week (and Part 1 the previous week). Here's Part 3:
Are there any new developments at To Every Tribe that you’d like to share with us?
The big thing for us is seeing the gospel advance into previously unreached areas. I like to talk about the “advance” of the gospel. Advance denotes movement, action, intentionality and progress; setting targets for the gospel and then going after them for Christ. To do that well requires teams of well trained church planting missionaries. And that’s what we’re attempting to produce, with God’s help, in our Center For Pioneer Church Planting (CPCP). Beginning in September, we are transitioning into a two-year training program, 40% of which is focused upon on-the-job training situations in Papua New Guinea (PNG) and Mexico. For example, we’ve discovered a whole new region in the Black Water swamp lands of PNG where the evangelical gospel is virtually unknown. Plans are being made to get the gospel established into that area as quickly as possible. We also have a reconnaissance research team, right now, in the remote parts of Oaxaca (Mexico) gathering data in order to determine the most strategic place to launch a church planting team. These are the things that excite me the most.
You’re hosting a Mission Conference with the title Reckless Abandon: For Jesus and the Nations. Why that title?
I got the Reckless Abandon title from Ed McCully, who was one of the Ecuador 5 that were martyred in Ecuador in 1956. Here's his quote:
"I have just one desire now; to live a life of reckless abandon for Christ and I’m putting all of my strength and energy into it. Maybe the Lord will send me some place where the name of Christ is unknown."
--Ed McCully (in a letter to Jim Elliot, September 22,1950)
It’s our conviction that most of the easy-to-reach places have already been harvested. The ones that remain unengaged are hard to get to, and oftentimes hostile. It requires a certain missionary mentality for a man to take his family into these dangerous places. It requires a reckless abandon that comes out of deep conviction that Jesus and the gospel are worth it. Whatever the hardship or suffering, Jesus is always worth it. If there is a line, over which, Jesus is no longer worth the sacrifice, that line points directly at the thing that we value more than Christ; whatever it is we value more than Christ is an idol in our lives.
I noticed that the speakers have worked in Romania and Ethiopia, whereas To Every tribe has historically focused on Papua New Guinea and Mexico. Tell us a little bit about why you chose Josef Tson and Getaneh Getaneh.
Josef Tson lept nearly to the top of my “greatly admired” list when I read about his response to a Romanian prison guard that gave him a choice to either deny Christ and be released, or be killed by firing squad. Josef said, “Sir, let me explain to you the situation. Your greatest weapon is killing; but my greatest weapon is dying. I see no good reason to renounce Christ now. If you kill me, I go to heaven and my sermons will spread around Romania all the faster because people will know that I died for my faith. If you release me, I will go on preaching. Do with me as you wish!” And they released him! I want Josef Tson at our Reckless Abandon conference!
Getaneh Getaneh is from Ethiopia and has been tortured more than I can imagine for his faith in Christ. Getaneh has an incredible testimony and is one of the strong voices within Voice of the Martyrs that speaks on behalf of the “suffering church” around the world. I look forward to hearing about his exploits for the gospel in the midst of severe suffering.
Are there any particular themes you’ve asked Josef and Getaneh to address?
Once they heard about the “Reckless Abandon” theme, Dr. Tson and Getaneh Getaneh both accepted our invitation immediately. I know they will speak powerfully to the subject. I will be sitting with everyone else in the conference eager to hear whatever these brothers want to challenge us with. In my sessions, I expect to develop what I believe is the biblical rationale for encouraging extreme risk for the gospel. The outline will be something like this: Risk is always determined by the value of the mission; the gospel is so valuable that no risk is unreasonable; life laid down for Jesus is eternal gain. If I live, I win. If I die, I win bigger (Phil. 1:22-24).
(To Be Continued......)
Finding Conservative Evangelical Leaders (Under 40)
A few weeks ago Marvin Olasky wrote that "many evangelicals of college age and slightly beyond...frequently cannot think of a single conservative evangelical whom they admire." Consequently, a new World magazine contest has been announced for:
Nominating a person. Your mission, should you choose to accept it: By July 31 send June McGraw a name and one-paragraph description of an articulate conservative evangelical under the age of 40 who already has a record of accomplishment and seems likely to accomplish more.Who to nominate?We're looking for people with attractive personalities who are committed to political decentralization, free markets, and Bible-based cultural norms. We'll research your nominees and interview some. The particular field is less important than the person. Since the proclamation of propositional truths does not engage some younger evangelicals, our goal is to offer narratives of exciting lives, profiling in words and film the most impressive. Please help us find them.
July 27, 2010
Andrew Peterson - Counting Stars
Dancing in the Minefields is a beautiful song from Andrew Peterson's new album (which releases today) called Counting Stars
And here's a short video about his most recent album:
HT: JT
Orlando Sentinel Story on Sproul's Influence on "New Calvinists"
Pretty good story by the Orlando Sentinel on R.C. Sproul's ministry and recent activities (new church facility, founding a Bible College) as they relate to the rising popularity of Calvinism among young evangelicals.
HT: Chris Larson
July 26, 2010
Interview - Jim Newheiser - You Never Stop Being a Parent
Last week I reviewed the latest book from Jim Newheiser & Elyse Fitzpatrick, You Never Stop Being a Parent: Thriving in Relationship With Your Adult Children. These two also co-authored When Good Kids Make Bad Choices.
I'm grateful that Pastor Jim was kind enough to answer a few questions for us about their most recent book.
Pastor Jim, thank you very much for being available. There's a lot of discussion in the secular media about "helicopter parents". Among Christians, is there a real trend to "over-parenting" in our day?
I want to preface my responses by stating our conviction that the Word of God is our sole authority which we believe to be fully sufficient to teach us how to live in a way that pleases God in all areas of life - including how to relate to our adult kids. These answers are brief. These topics are much more fully developed, with Scriptural exposition, in the book.
One of the most significant problems I have seen among Christian parents is the unwillingness to let go of their kids as they become adults. There is no more sure way to provoke a young adult to anger than to treat him as a child. In the book we seek to establish that the Bible teaches that a young person comes of age at which time he or she is primarily responsible for his or her own life decisions (even if the parents don't like the decisions being made). On the other hand, if the child is still living under the parents' roof or dependent upon parental finances, then the parents have the right to have reasonable expectations as a condition for the child continuing to receive support.
Many young adults want full adult privileges and freedoms, while still expecting their parents to provide for their material needs. Once a child is an adult the relationship is by mutual agreement. The child living at home can always choose to leave if he doesn't like his parents' rules. The parents likewise are free to force the child to move out if he or she refuses to live according to expectations. On the other hand, if the child who is living in the home is meeting basic expectations, the parent should offer encouragement and avoid micromanaging the child.
What are "reasonable goals" for a parent to seek for their kids?
Parents seek to prepare their children to live as responsible godly adults. Our greatest desire is to see them converted and serving the Lord. Beyond that we long to see them grow in wisdom in the various areas addressed by the book of Proverbs -- wisdom in friendship, in speech, in acquiring a skill and working hard, in financial matters, in moral purity, etc. When adult children are living at home they should be there with a clearly defined purpose, rather than aimlessly wasting their time (as many young adults are prone to do). Valid reasons for remaining home could include completing one's education, establishing a trade or a business, working and saving money for a future marriage or home, etc.
Parents may be forced to distinguish between their ideals for their kids and the minimum expectations they must meet if they are to remain in the home. Adult children living in the home should be working hard (as many hours a week as the parents have to work to provide the house) at either a job and/or their education.
When (by what age) should a parent aim to "launch" their kids into adulthood (to use the metaphor of arrows, Ps. 127:4)? 18? 22? Does it depend?
In Numbers 32:11 the Lord stated that none of the men twenty and above, who followed the unbelieving ten spies rather than Joshua and Caleb, would enter the promised land. This implies that by the age of twenty they were considered adults who were responsible for their own choices and that they should have chosen differently than their parents. So twenty seems like a good starting place. The legal age of adulthood in our culture is eighteen which is probably close enough. There may be cases in which a child is living as an independent adult at a younger age while others are not ready until later. Once a child is "of age" (a legal adult in our culture) the continuation of parental oversight is by mutual consent. The child can choose to leave, even if he is not ready. The parent also is free to send the child out of the home if he is not willing to live according to family rules and expectations.
Is a college student a child or an adult (assuming the typical age, 18-22)? Should a Christian student honor his parents' wishes in the selection of a major? And what if his parents are non-Christians with ungodly motivations?
I have seen parents who have been over-controlling in their childrens' education. Sometimes these parents are seeking to live out their frustrated ambitions through their kids. Some parents may place too much pressure on their children to choose a major which leads to worldly wealth, while the child may believe a different field of study would better equip him to serve the Lord. Because the child is going to live with the consequences of his educational decisions for the rest of his life, I think the decision should be primarily his. On the other hand, a wise child will seek and seriously consider the counsel of his parents. Also, the parents aren't obligated to finance a choice with which they strongly disagree. My advice to them, however, would be to respect their child's budding adulthood.
How should parents and children handle disagreements in the selection of spouse?
While I believe that the ideal courtship situation will include much wise input from parents on both sides, I am convinced that the final choice of whether to marry and whom to marry rests with the child. I Cor. 7:39 says that a widow may marry whom she will -- not whom her father or brother wills. A father may give his daughter a promise ring when she is twelve and have her commit to not ever date or court a young man without her father's permission, but when she is twenty one she may not believe that she is bound by that commitment. If parents have a wonderful and loving relationship with their young adult they will have a lot of influence on his or her choice of a spouse. If the relationship is bad, they will have little or no influence, no matter what amount of control they believe they should have. We have written an entire chapter on this subject in the book.
What's your view of parents leaving an inheritance for their kids? What are the dangers? The benefits? What kind of circumstantial factors should be considered? Should inheritance (if any) always be (on principle) equally divided among the children?
Proverbs commends giving an inheritance to our kids (Prov. 13:22), but also warns that inheritances can be squandered (Prov. 20:21). Often the best way we can help our adult kids is to give them some of their inheritance while we are still alive (and when they most need our help). For example, helping them with their education which will lead to a well paying job could be a great inheritance. Some parents help their kids buy their first home. I do not believe that money needs to be doled out with absolute equality. One child may be very well off financially, while another may be suffering from severe health problems or disabilities, and another may be working as a foreign missionary. Or one child may be a substance abusing gambler who would quickly squander any inheritance. We also warn that financial matters are dangerous. If you do choose to treat your children differently, it is important to explain what you are doing and why to the children who receive less.
Thanks again, Pastor Jim.
July 22, 2010
Busyness and Fruitfulness are different
A great series of posts by C.J. Mahaney on the fact that:
1. Busyness does not mean I am diligent.
2. Busyness does not mean I am faithful.
3. Busyness does not mean I am fruitful.
Part 1: Are You Busy?
Part 2: Confessions of a Busy Procrastinator
Part 3: The Procrastinator Within
Part 4: Just Do It
In posts 2 & 3, Mahaney unpacks an article by Walter Henegar from the Fall 2001 issue of the Journal of Biblical Counseling entitled "Putting Off Procrastination.”
In the 4th post, there's this fantastic quote:
No unwelcome tasks become any the less unwelcome by putting them off till tomorrow. It is only when they are behind us and done, that we begin to find that there is a sweetness to be tasted afterwards, and that the remembrance of unwelcome duties unhesitatingly done is welcome and pleasant. Accomplished, they are full of blessing, and there is a smile on their faces as they leave us. Undone, they stand threatening and disturbing our tranquility, and hindering our communion with God. If there be lying before you any bit of work from which you shrink, go straight up to it, and do it at once. The only way to get rid of it is to do it.That just might go above my computer.-Alexander MacLaren (1826–1910), Scottish preacher
July 21, 2010
John Piper's Advice For Those Starting College
As part of my research for the book I'm writing, I re-listened to a 30-minute message that John Piper gave to those who completed a one-year gap program (post-high school, pre-college). These students were (for the most part) on their way to traditional, four-year colleges and universities. The principles Piper laid out are helpful, I think, for any college or college-bound student. The main thing that jumps out in a day in which students increasingly want to acquire "practical" skills ("When am I going to use this stuff in the real world?") is the advice that it's OK if you don't yet know what you want to do with your life. Seek mainly to become a certain kind of person.
To Every Tribe Ministries - Interview with David Sitton - Part 2
David Sitton is the President of To Every Tribe, a ministry which has been planting churches among unreached people groups of Papua New Guinea and Mexico for many years now. The ministry is led by a distinguished board of directors and three executive officers. As it happens, they are seeking to hire a Director for their Center for Pioneer Church Planting.
To Every Tribe is hosting a conference this October 22-23 entitled Reckless Abandon: For Jesus and The Nations. In light of this conference, and as a means of spreading the word about To Every Tribe, I'll be posting a three or four part interview with David Sitton. Part 1 was posted last week. Here's part 2:
David - Thanks for your willingness to talk a bit more.
It’s great that so many read our first interview and some cared enough to respond. I’m glad we can do a Part 2.
For an opening statement, I’d like to reply to Justin Long at The Network for Strategic Missions and his observation (as a comment on your blog) that my definitions of unreached and unevangelized, according to many missiologists are inverted. That’s mostly true. However, Donald McGavran, one of the foremost missiologists of the last 100 years, defined unreached much the same way I do. “Socially isolated away from gospel witness” is one way he put it. But the important point is that I suspect most of our differences are largely in the semantics.
I would still argue that the natural progression for the gospel among unreached people groups is this: They are first unreached, meaning, there is no knowledge or access to the gospel within their culture. Then, as they hear the gospel, some are converted, leaders are trained and a small church is established. At this point, I consider them to be reached, meaning, that Christ and the gospel are now known, embraced (church planted) and accessible in their culture.
But there is still a remaining need for evangelization to be completed among them. This is the third phase, which I like to call reaching. This simply means that the needed evangelization is completed through the efforts of their own national believers (church) and with their own local resources.
At this point is when the pioneer church planter should move on to other unreached people groups. So the process is Unreached – Reached – Reaching.
Many missiologists see the process as Unevangelized – Unreached – Christian.
Here’s the reason I especially don’t like that third category (Christian) very much. It has largely lost its meaning for me because too many statisticians include anyone that claims to be Christian into that category. For example, it is often said that Papua New Guinea is 97.28% Christian. That is complete nonsense to anyone that has spent any amount of time in PNG. When the Christian category stretches its arms so wide as to surround and include Catholics, far-fringe syncretistic cargo cults and sometimes even the Mormons, it completely confuses the true situation of the urgent need for mission in the remote and still unreached places.
Romans 15:17-24 has greatly affected the way I think about the remaining task of mission. Paul explains that he is leaving the region from “Jerusalem all the way around to Illyricum (modern day Albania)” because his aim is to preach the gospel, not where Christ is already named. Paul justifies his departure by quoting Isaiah 52:15 – so that “Those who have never been told of him will see, and those who have never heard will understand.”
Paul says “there is no more place for me to work in these regions”, and so, he turns his attention to Spain which Paul considered to be an “uttermost” region where Christ was still not known.
How could Paul say there was “no more work for him in these regions?” Certainly there were lost people all over that huge swath of territory that still needed to be evangelized. But for the pioneer church planter, Paul’s
job in the region was finished, and he turned his attention to less reached places.
Paul wasn’t saying by his departure that there was no more need for evangelization. He was saying that this territory was now sufficiently reached so that the remaining work of evangelism could be completed by the local believers in the churches he had established.
This is what I understand from Romans 15:
Unreached Peoples are places where Christ has not been named; where people have never been told of him; where there are those who have never heard of him.
Reached (but not completely evangelized) Peoples are places where Christ is already named; the people have been told of him; they have heard of him; Churches are planted; and the remaining need to evangelize the unsaved, within that now reached region, falls to the local believers.
Reaching Peoples are those that, with their own national manpower and local resources, are completing the job of evangelization and missionary mobilization (and sending) themselves.
And the church planting missionary moves on to other unreached places where Christ is still unknown (unreached) to repeat the process.
I want to say clearly, again, much of the difference, I think, among missiologists comes from our having slightly differing definitions. But we all agree on the distressing spiritual condition of the remaining unreached peoples of the world.
I hope that’s not overly tedious, but I wanted to explain why I have come to use these words and definitions.
I was wondering if we could tackle a couple of exegetical questions. How do you understand Matthew 24:14 ("And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.") in light of the widespread belief in the imminent return of Christ?
I believe the Lord wants every generation of believers to live under the expectation on an imminent return of Christ. Paul himself, I think, was looking for the return of Jesus in his lifetime (I Thess. 4-5) and even encouraged believers to live in a way that would “speed” its coming (2 Peter 3:12).
As for Matthew 24:14, I take it at its literal face value. It means exactly what it says. When every one of the 17,000 ethnicities (people groups) in the world has the gospel established among them, then Christ will return. The Lord will not have an incomplete crop! Heaven will be gloriously populated with the elect from “every nation, tribe and language group” (Rev. 5:9; 7:9).
Do I live in expectancy of an imminent return of Jesus Christ? I do. Jesus is coming soon. And it’s certainly a lot nearer now than when we first believed (Romans 13:11-12). However, humanly speaking, I know there are thousands of places around the world where the peoples are still desperately unreached and groping around like blind men in the strongholds of hostile spiritual darkness. So from that stand point, I don’t expect Christ to return tonight. But here’s the thing for me; Jesus said three times in Revelation 22 “Surely I am coming soon”; the last prayer of the bible is the church saying in response – “Amen, come Lord Jesus.” So when I pray – “Come, Lord Jesus”, I’m praying that the gospel would speedily go to the ends of the earth; I’m praying for the rapid success of the gospel among unreached peoples; I’m praying for the elect to be quickly drawn in. And when the Lord has gathered in the last portions of his purchased Bride from among the earths peoples, the Lord will split the skies and come for her. And the Lord could make that happen in an instant if he so chooses.
Editorial Note (from Alex Chediak): For a helpful treatment on the issue of the return of Christ (When? How? Could it happen at any moment?) see Wayne Grudem's Systematic Theology (also on Amazon
How do you understand Colossians 1:24 ("Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church")? Specifically, how does our suffering relate to the extending of Christ's kingdom?
I tip my hat to John Piper in helping me understand this one. His message a few years ago entitled “Doing Mission when Dying is Gain” is a must listen.
There are two questions that scream out of the Colossians 1:24 text.
Question 1: What is lacking in Christ’s afflictions?
Answer: Absolutely nothing is lacking in its accomplishment of salvation for his people. Salvation is full and free and completely purchased and secured by Christ through his death and resurrection.
Question 2: If there is nothing lacking in the accomplishment of Christ’s afflictions to acquire salvation for his people, then what is lacking (because the verse clearly says that Paul was filling up the lack)? And how can we provide what is lacking?
Answer: The lack in Christ’s afflictions is not in its accomplishment, but in its, personal, specific application to the nations.
Josef T’son has said – “The nations will be won by his (Christ’s) cross and through our crosses.”
I understand that to mean that it’s the cross of Christ that accomplished salvation – But it’s our cross; that is, it’s our joyful enduring of hardship, suffering and martyrdom (maybe) that proves the truth of the cross to hostile nations.
It’s a difficult dynamic to understand at first. But the Ecuador 5 is a great example of how this works. The cross of Christ was proven to be the power of God for salvation for the Auca tribe. The truth of the gospel was confirmed through 5 human crosses when they were slaughtered by the Auca spears.
When a missionary speaks the gospel in love, then meets violent death in joy for this gospel, a miracle sometimes occurs. The eyes of unbelievers are opened. God enables them to understand the significance of the death of Christ, as demonstrated by the missionaries they just killed – And many of them eventually believe in Christ. This is the consistent testimony from the stoning of Stephen to this present day explosion of gospel advance in the most heavily persecuted areas of the world. Persecution and suffering is not a set-back to mission; it’s an incentive for more aggressive gospel witnessing.
I believe that suffering, hardship, persecution and missionary martyrdom is a divine strategy that God intentionally uses - To advance the fame of his name to all nations. Persecutions always advance the gospel more quickly.
Not to belabor the point, but isn’t it interesting that God has a predetermined number of martyrs (Rev 6:11-14) that he has appointed for the ingathering of his predetermined number of lost sheep (John 6:35-40; 44 and John 10:15)?
We talked about "panta ta ethne" (to all the nations - ethnicities) a bit last time. One of the facts that impressed me when I took the Perspectives on the World Christian Movement course was that the last 50 years seem to have brought us much closer to the goal. Can you comment on that?
We are, of course, closer to the goal. But the remaining part of the task is the hardest part. We often say at To Every Tribe that the easy-to-reach places have already been reached. The remaining unreached peoples are (often) geographically remote, culturally and linguistically confusing and oftentimes physically hostile to those carrying the gospel.
When could we finish the task? It could happen quickly if a few thousand martyr missionaries would rise up to go; a few thousand financial martyrs would rise up to sacrificially support them and a few thousand Moravian-like prayer martyrs would rise up to intercede for them. This is the kind of revival I’m praying and believing for. The problem is not essentially a manpower or money shortage. The shortage is in the number of missionaries who are willing to “fall into the earth and die” for the greater harvest (John 12:23-25). A lot of seed needs to be buried in order to reap the remaining crop.
Mark Noll
The missionary task is not an American effort; and these days, missionaries from the West are among the least effective in the remaining rough and tough places of the world. Pioneer church planting is grueling work and it will not be accomplished over the long haul by soft, fearful, risk-avoiding missionaries. I praise God that he is raising up fully abandoned, martyr witnesses from 2nd and 3rd world peoples; and we want to work with them.
The effect of this cross-cultural work force will only have a positive effect on To Every Tribe. We want to learn how to maximize multi-cultural church planting teams with our brothers from other countries. We want to be on the aggressive front-line of helping them to organize and mobilize for the nations. In our own Center For Pioneer Church Planting, I see near-future multi-cultural partnerships and church planting teams consisting of American, Canadian, Australian, Mexican and Papua New Guinean believers. Part of our vision is to establish missionary training bases in PNG and Mexico in order to launch these church planting teams in the fastest, most contextually relevant and cost effective ways that we can.
Thanks again for your time and your important work.
Thank you, brother, for your interest in our ministry. I pray God’s best blessings on your family and your good work for the gospel. Let’s reconvene for a third conversation sometime.
(To Be Continued.......)
July 20, 2010
You Never Stop Being A Parent - Jim Newheiser & Elyse Fitzpatrick
There are numerous good books on Christian parenting, aimed primarily at young children or even the teen years in particular. But Jim Newheiser and Elyse Fitzpatrick have done the church a great service by writing a book on parenting adult children. This theme is particularly important in our day with the twixter and adultolescence phenomena in full swing.
Newheiser and Fitzpatrick give wise, biblical, nuanced counsel on how parents can and should carefully and lovingly release their children, like arrows, as they enter the adult years (Ps. 127:4). While many parents seek an unhealthy degree of control over their adult children, other parents neglect restraining their ungodly children and ultimately aid and abet their descent into sin, as we see with Eli, who honored his sons above God (I Sam. 2:29-30).
In contrast, Christian parents should ground their training in the gospel, seeking to impart and model biblical principles, and asking the Holy Spirit to make them "stick". We simply cannot control our adult children; we must trust God when we're scared about the course of their lives, and as we see them, in some cases, suffer the consequences for their poor choices. Often parents unhelpfully prevent their children from reaping the consequences of their actions and "hitting bottom" as it were). Yet the prodigal son did not come to his senses until he was eating the pig slop. This book doesn't shy away from the hard cases; no, many gut-wrenching examples are delineated in detail, and the book's principles are applied to these cases in a wonderfully practical way.
Parents should:
1. Teach their children the love of God in Christ Jesus
2. Teach their children to fear God and live for His glory
3. Show their children how to put others ahead of themselves
4. Help their children learn how to communicate with wisdom and humility
5. Teach your children God's design for sex and marriage
6. Teach your children to choose their friends carefully
7. Let their children practice making choices of adulthood
8. Teach their children the true value of hard work and money
If children wish to move back into the home of their parents, or remain in that home as adults, they must agree to abide by the rules of that home, whether they are Christians or not. In some cases, the authors suggest a contract with the adult child that requires some form of productivity on her part (furthering her education, working a job, volunteering). Its one thing for a responsible, productive 20 year old to be living with his parents, but it is something very different for a 30 year old to move back home because of problems with debt or drugs. The latter should be granted less trust and more structured accountability (he needs to re-earn trust). In the last few chapters, the authors tackle the thorny topics of money and marriage. Should a parent give his children an inheritance? If so, should it be equal for all children? What if Mom and Dad disapprove of a son or daughter's choice for a spouse? Again, the authors offer carefully balanced wisdom, avoiding either extreme.
I'll hopefully have an interview with Pastor Newheiser to post soon. In the meantime, I highly recommend this excellent book for all parents of adult children, and for pastors who counsel both parents and/or adult children.
A couple endorsements:
Perfect timing. Just as the questions from parents with adult children start streaming in, we have solid, biblical material to put in their hands. And the book is packed. No sooner did I think, “But what about . . .” before the next illustration set me off on a wise course. Thank you.
- Ed Welch, Director of Counseling, Christian Counseling and Educational Foundation
"I never speak on the topic of raising children without facing the inevitable questions about how to respond to adult children who are struggling with the transition between childhood and adulthood. You Never Stop Being a Parent answers the most frequently asked questions with biblical clarity, wisdom, and insight. This book will help parents to think with clarity about the many issues raised by interacting with adult children. The answers it gives are not only clear and practical, but richly gospel-centered and filled with hope. This is a book I will buy in bulk and recommend to many.
- Tedd Tripp, Pastor, Conference Speaker, Author of Shepherding a Child’s Heart
July 16, 2010
Don't Waste Your Life Sentence
The Louisiana State Penitentiary in Angola, LA is home to about 5000 inmates. Not only is it our nation's largest prison, it has historically been one of the most brutal and violent. With 90% of its men slated to die within its confines, and without the possibility of parole, hopelessness ran high, as did murder and suicide.
But that was before Warden Burl Cain was installed. Cain has brought the gospel of Jesus Christ and its hope to the inmates, and violence has sharply decreased. As John Piper describes:
There is a local extension of New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary in the prison and about 140 prisoners are enrolled. There are six churches in the prison and they train their own pastors. They send trained “missionaries” to other prisons to plant churches. They do this without using any tax money. But O the money—and lives—it saves!Piper goes on to share how he was able to minister to a man on death row (a man who has since received the death penalty) and to preach to the prisoners last November.
The Desiring God team has made a film about the inmates, their experience, John's visit, and the hope of Christ that permeates their prison. It is available now for pre-order for only $10. Here's the trailer:
July 14, 2010
Manute Bol, 1962-2010
Mindy Belz of World Magazine has a good summary of how Manute Bol, a Christian from South Sudan, lived and died for his country. An excerpt:
...Bol himself had 250 members of his own extended family killed at the hands of Khartoum's Islamic government during the war. (His father named him Manute, meaning "special blessing."). Remarkable also for a 7-foot-7 NBA star drafted by the Washington Bullets in 1985 and later traded to the Golden State Warriors, 76ers, and Miami Heat. He played 10 seasons as the tallest center in the NBA, earning an estimated $6 million that most who know him say was spent on helping Sudanese. "God guided me to America and gave me a good job," he notably said, "but he also gave me a heart so I would look back."Read the whole thing.
(Photo: Sudan Sunrise)
To Every Tribe Ministries - Interview with David Sitton - Part 1
David Sitton is the President of To Every Tribe, a ministry which has been planting churches among unreached people groups of Papua New Guinea and Mexico for many years now. The ministry is led by a distinguished board of directors and three executive officers. As it happens, they are seeking to hire a Director for their Center for Pioneer Church Planting.
To Every Tribe is hosting a conference this October 22-23 entitled Reckless Abandon: For Jesus and The Nations. In light of this conference, and as a means of spreading the word about To Every Tribe, I'll be posting a three or four part interview with David Sitton over the next 30 days or so. Here's part 1:
David, can you please tell us a little bit about your background. How did you come to know the Lord?
I appreciate you taking the time for this interview for your blog/website.
I grew up in Corpus Christi, Texas and was quite the wild hare hellion in my junior high and high school days – That would be about the years of 1973-76. I was gladly dominated by the adrenaline-laced life of drugs, girls and the South Texas surfing sub-culture.
But there was always a super-charged spiritual drive within me that was in competition with the excitement of wild living. I remember those days as being a miserably conflicted young man.
The short story for salvation is that the Lord drew me in through the consistent testimony of one of my girlfriends; her whole family actually. It wasn’t the immediate click of a gospel light switch though. For me, it was more like one of those mood lamps where you turn the knob and the light gets slowly brighter; I was drawn in to Christ over the process of some months.
How were you called into missions work, and among what people did you serve?
I’ve got to say that I cringe at the idea of a missionary “call”. Too many believers hide behind the mirage of an expected miraculous, mystical “calling” that never seems to be dramatic enough. There is nothing in the New Testament anything like our Western view of a “missionary call.”
The biblical reality is that 99% of the cross-cultural workers in the book of Acts got there one way: Persecution! And most of the remaining 1% went because the Apostle Paul challenged them to go. And that’s how it happened for me.
The Lord got me for unreached peoples through a missionary. He looked me straight in the eye, quoted a text and asked me a question. Romans 15:20-21 was the text – “I make it my ambition to preach the gospel, not where Christ has already been named, lest I build on someone else’s foundation, but as it is written ‘Those who have never been told of him will see, and those who have never heard will understand.” And here’s the question – “There are lots of unreached tribes in Papua New Guinea. Some of them are cannibalistic and hostile headhunting tribes; they are completely unreached by the gospel. Come with me brother – Let’s go get some of them for Jesus.” I was 19 years old. But from that moment, my life was re-directed and set upon a course for the unreached regions. And that was 32 years ago.
With the emphasis that men like Ralph Winter put on the concept of "panta ta ethne", has pioneering mission work (work among unreached peoples) become more common today?
Ralph Winter almost single-handedly put the concept of “unreached peoples” into the missionary consciousness. Until the early 1970’s, the church had focused upon “geo-political countries” as the target for missionary outreach. Winter popularized “panta ta ethne” which is the Greek phrase out of Matthew 28:19 “to all the nations (ethnicities)” as the biblical target for the gospel. The intent of the death of Christ was to secure salvation for the elect people of God within each and every ethnic and linguistic people group; more than 24,000 of them worldwide.
So, yes, this concept is very much understood today in the missionary community, but not so much in the churches.
My understanding, and I could be mistaken, is that the majority of new missionaries still tend to go to reached cultures, as opposed to unreached ones. But I'm wondering if this trend is changing.
Thanks for the set-up for something I really want to say clearly. There’s an important difference between unevangelized and unreached peoples.
Unevangelized people are unconverted individuals in places where there are established churches. Unreached peoples are those that live in regions where there are no churches and no access to the evangelical gospel in their culture.
And to answer your question about the present trend; 96% of the missionary work force is still laboring in unevangelized, but not truly unreached regions. Here it is again – 9 out of 10 Christian missionaries that go cross-cultural are still going to reached places!
Here’s still another way to say it – Something like 90% of all “ministers” worldwide are concentrating on only 2% of the world’s population! We are massively overly evangelizing places where the gospel is already well planted! I believe that we need a substantial strategic redeployment of the missionary workforce to the areas where there is still no access to the evangelical gospel.
You represent a ministry called To Every Tribe. What is your unique emphasis or focus? How are you similar (or different) from groups like Frontiers or Pioneers? Do you partner with any other groups?
Our emphasis is upon the strictly unreached people groups of Papua New Guinea and Mexico along with a growing presence among Muslim immigrants here in the United States.
We have many friends among FRONTIERS and PIONEERS and we highly value their work for the gospel in hard places. And we are interested in gospel partnerships as those opportunities arise.
To Every Tribe though is unique in an interesting blend of its distinctives:
1. We are committed to the least reached people groups.
2. We are a pioneer church planting ministry.
3. We come from a reformed, non-cessationist theological perspective.
4. We are a missionary training institution as well as a sending agency.
You have established the Center For Pioneer Church Planting in south Texas. Can you talk a little about the strategic role of church planting as opposed to other forms of mission ministry (e.g., medical missions, engineering missions)?
Everything is a tool. Medicine and dental clinics and clean water systems and feeding the hungry and all of that is important work. And its gospel work when used as means to actively demonstrate the love and compassion of Christ and to gain a hearing for the gospel in sometimes hostile environments. But the preaching of Christ is the emphasis. Establishing new believers into vibrant, reproducing fellowships is the goal. Everything else is a tool that helps us get the name of Christ and salvation to the most interior places.
Do you think it is preferable for these other forms of missions to be done in cooperation with a church planting team, say, among an unreached people group?
These tools should be carefully used so that they do not become the main thing. One of the big problems in mission is in creating dependency among those we are trying to reach. There is a way to plant indigenous churches so they are not dependent upon American manpower and money-power from the West. And these are the most healthy and happy churches.
Speaking of church planting, what do you do with the fact that nearly 2/3 of the missionary labor force is female?
We actively recruit women and joyfully send them as a part of our church planting teams!
Are there certain areas in which women are particularly suited to serve?
There are many things that only women can and should do! By the way – I counted one time 36 people in the New Testament that were named by name as being co-workers with the Apostle Paul. And almost half of them were women! The list of things women can do is far longer than the “can’t do” list.
Are there areas in which they should not serve?
The Scriptures are clear about male leadership in the church. Women should not serve as elder/overseers in the local church. And they should not lead the way in the teaching and preaching of the Word (though that doesn’t mean absolute silence either as 1 Corinthian 14 gives guidelines for how women should pray and prophesy in the assembly of believers).
But here is a question I get a lot. Can women plant churches? Again, we believe that men should lead church planting teams.
But here’s a question for you? Do you know who planted the church among the Auca Indians in Ecuador? Rachel Saint did. That wasn’t the plan. The men were leading the way in that gospel effort among the Auca’s – But the Ecuador 5 were slaughtered by the Auca warriors! Rachel Saint and Elisabeth Elliot went back in and eventually got the gospel established among that hostile tribe that had killed their brother and husband! So absolutely, women can plant churches as they have repeatedly done all through church and mission history. But our emphasis is still upon male leadership of church planting teams.
At the Bethlehem Pastors conference in 2006, you openly invited men to join you, and sensed that God was calling 10% of those in attendance to join you in pioneer missions work. Is that right? Can we get an update on that?
That whole period of time leading up to the Bethlehem Pastors Conference was an anointed time almost unprecedented in my entire life. In the weeks leading up to the conference, the Lord strongly impressed upon me the number of 140. I had been told that there would be 1,400 pastors in attendance – And that’s where the “tithe” came from.
Our staff and students were actively praying and fasting for the 3 weeks leading up to the conference that God would release 140 pastors into the worldwide harvest. And the Lord is doing it.
In the weeks and months following the conference more than 200 people contacted me. Some of these are presently on our staff and have gone through our missionary training and are en route for unreached places!
I have received e-mails, letters and phone calls by numerous people that have told me they resigned their pastorates, sold their homes and are now working among unreached peoples around the world (with other agencies). One especially touching testimony happened the following year when I was again at the Bethlehem Conference as a registrant. A man came up to me, introduced himself to me and burst into tears. He said, “I heard you speak last year. I had my daughter listen to the tape. And she is now living among an unreached Muslim people group in the Middle East.”
It was a miraculous day where the Lord mobilized a large number for the unreached regions. And I suspect there were missionary martyrs that were gloriously raised up for the gospel that day. Only in heaven will the complete testimony be known.
What are your hopes for the next 10 years?
Let’s make it 5 years. Anything I say about the possibilities a decade down the road will seriously undershoot what the Lord is about to do. But we do have a 5 year plan. Here’s the way I wrote it out in a purpose statement: My hope is that the Lord will use To Every Tribe to train and launch church planting teams to at least 25 more unreached people groups within the next five years. 25 church planting teams represent about 80-90 missionary families and singles.
I’m asking for missionary martyrs to step up and get prepared for the frontline hostile places; and I’m asking for those that don’t go to step up as financial martyrs to sacrificially send them!
David, thank you so much for your time.
Brother, thank you so much. Let’s do this again.
(To Be Continued.......)
July 13, 2010
D.A. Carson's New "The God Who Is There": 65% Off
D.A. Carson has recently published a book called The God Who Is There: Finding Your Place in God's Story. Right now, Monergism is selling the book for $6 - that's 65% off: This price lasts until Friday, July 16th, 3 PM. If you spend $25, you get free shipping.
Check out the Contents, Preface, and Chapter 1.
The publisher's description:
It can no longer be assumed that most people--or even most Christians--have a basic understanding of the Bible. Many don't know the difference between the Old and New Testament, and even the more well-known biblical figures are often misunderstood. It is getting harder to talk about Jesus accurately and compellingly because listeners have no proper context with which to understand God's story of redemption.Some of the endorsements:In this basic introduction to faith, D. A. Carson takes seekers, new Christians, and small groups through the big story of Scripture. He helps readers to know what they believe and why they believe it.
"Don Carson's The God Who Is There is a unique and important volume in many ways. It is neither a traditional systematic theology nor a Bible survey. It unpacks the whole Biblical storyline through the lens of God's character and actions. As a ministry tool, it can be used for evangelism, since it so thoroughly lays out the doctrine of God, as Paul does on Mars Hill in Acts 17. And yet it also does what the catechisms of the Reformation churches did: give Christians a grounding in basic biblical beliefs and behavior. By all means, get this book!"
--Tim Keller, pastor, Redeemer Presbyterian Church, New York City
"This is a much-needed book. D. A. Carson is one of the few biblical scholars who are gifted to write simply and in a way that captivates. We live in a time when people quickly reject or accept the Bible without even knowing its contents. Carson does a masterful job of explaining the Scriptures so that a person who has never even opened the Bible can understand it. At the same time, those who grew up under its teaching will find valuable and obvious truths that will lead them to greater worship and appreciation of the God we serve."
--Francis Chan, pastor, Cornerstone Community Church, Simi Valley, CA; author of Crazy Love
Here are the chapter titles of the 240-page book:
1. The God Who Made Everything
2. The God Who Does Not Wipe Out Rebels
3. The God Who Writes His Own Agreements
4. The God Who Legislates
5. The God Who Reigns
6. The God Who Is Unfathomably Wise
7. The God Who Becomes a Human Being
8. The God Who Grants New Birth
9. The God Who Loves
10. The God Who Dies—and Lives Again
11. The God Who Declares the Guilty Just
12. The God Who Gathers and Transforms His People
13. The God Who Is Very Angry
14. The God Who Triumphs
HT: Brent Parker
John Piper: 30 Years Pastoring Bethlehem
On the occasion of the 30th anniversary of John Piper's pastoral leadership at Bethlehem Baptist Church, Jon Bloom writes the back-story on how John went from being a pre-med student to being a pastor:
Through his sophomore year in college becoming a preacher was out of the question. John loved God and he loved the Bible. But he was absolutely terrified of public speaking. As a student at Wheaton College he settled for C’s in classes that required speeches as part of the grade. So he was preparing for a career in medicine.If you're not familiar with the story, check it out.But God had other plans. During the summer term of 1966, the chaplain at Wheaton asked John to pray during chapel. John completely shocked himself by accepting. He vowed to God that if God helped him through this, he would never again refuse an invitation to speak for him out of fear. God answered.
July 12, 2010
2011 Gospel Coalition Conference
This looks to be a truly one-of-a-kind conference on some very important themes:
HT: JT
Desiring God Together: Job Referrals
In ministry? Looking for work? Resonate (to some degree) with the theology/vision of Desiring God? Then this is a pretty neat blog, whose self-description reads:
Bethlehem Baptist Church and Desiring God Ministries occasionally receive requests from churches and organizations asking for assistance in finding applicants who in some respect reflect the doctrinal commitments of Bethlehem Baptist and Desiring God. Those requests are posted below.HT: Gary
July 10, 2010
Wired for Intimacy
The pervasiveness of pornography in our culture is obvious and widely discussed. Pornography is primarily marketed to and consumed by men. But why? How does it work? And how can men find freedom? Dr. William Struthers, Associate Professor of Psychology at Wheaton College, has written a very interesting and informative book on how pornography hijacks the male brain and (more importantly) how the very impulses (the drive for intimacy) which propel men toward pornography can lead them out of depravity and into holiness.
The book is divided into two sections: How Pornography Works and Healthy Masculinity and Sexuality. Each section has four chapters. Chapter 1 addresses our culture's saturation with porn. Pornography is hard to define, and therefore hard to legally restrict. Those who produce it claim to be exercising their first amendment rights. Their materials are not harmful, they argue, since all participants are consenting adults. Moreover, they say, you can't prove that porn causes men a host of social, psychological, emotional, and spiritual problems (to say nothing of the problems for women). With the Internet comes access, affordability, and anonymity. In addition, the Internet provides opportunities for communication (chat rooms) and connecting with others (hook up sites). Chapter 2 discusses porn's corruption of intimacy. Rather than sexual intimacy between a husband and wife in a maturing healthy relationship, a man learns to focus on the physiology of sexual sensations detached from any significant relationship. This brings shame, increasing loneliness, and less libido for their wives (or girlfriends). Chapter 3 expands on these consequences. Chapter 4 goes into how a man's brain is wired and how porn use creates neural pathways in a man's brain that train his process of arousal.
The next section begins with a chapter on what it means to be made male in God's image. It interacts with the previous chapter in terms of the brain's healthy or unhealthy sexual development, but in less technical detail than chapter 4. Chapter 6 is on masculinity. Men learn masculinity from an older male figure. Dr. Struthers says the masculine voice affirms, grows as it is challenged, and defends and protects loved ones from evil. Chapter 7 discusses the male need for intimacy, and how many men, by not enjoying appropriate non-sexual intimacy with other male friends, are more susceptible to the allure of porn. Lots of great insight in this chapter on how a man can grow in tenderness and intimacy with his wife and others. Chapter 8 is on rewiring and sanctification. Here is where Dr. Struthers gives specific insight on how "neural pathways can be rewired" so that men's natural drive for intimacy can lead us toward holiness rather than depravity.
With a background and interest in science, the whole idea of the book was interesting. But even if you never were interested in science or the brain, the second half of the book would be very helpful to any man seeking greater sexual holiness. Here's an excerpt from the last chapter:
Imagine that you could be neurologically "enslaved" to purity rather than porn. Enslaved to seeing the dignity of each individual rather than their utility to you. This is the distinction between the journey toward sanctification and the journey toward depravity. As you travel farther along either road, you pick up momentum and it becomes harder to turn around. The farther down the road you travel, the less opportunity you have to deviate from the road as it narrows. The road to depravity leads into the heart of hell and yields isolation. The road toward sanctification, however, leads into the heart of God and yields freedom from temptation.What's unique about this book is the emphasis on the physical (brain chemistry) aspects of the addition to porn. But don't assume that Dr. Struthers leaves any room for men to "blame it on their brains." No, he writes, "We are still responsible for our actions...The knowledge that we get from Scripture and science should not be used to deny, justify, rationalize, minimize, normalize or celebrate the exercising of brokenness."
July 08, 2010
How to Deal with the Guilt of Sexual Failure
In doing background research for an article, I came across this outstanding message from John Piper at the 2007 Passion confession on how to deal with the guilt of sexual failure. Lots of messages deal with strategies to avoid sexual sin, but it is more rare to hear excellent teaching on how to deal with guilt after committing all kinds of sexual failure. This is a great one. Check it out for yourself or for a friend.
Reckless Abandon: For Jesus and the Nations
The upcoming 2010 Missions Conference hosted by To Every Tribe ministries is entitled Reckless Abandon: For Jesus and the Nations. The speakers will be Josef Tson (Romanian Missionary Society), Getaneh Getaneh (Voice of the Martyrs), and David Sitton (To Every Tribe).
We'll be talking a bit with David Sitton about the conference in an upcoming post.
July 07, 2010
With God On Our Side
Kevin Miller, co-writer of Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed
In my view, much of what is published on this topic is both heavily biased (for one side or the other) and/or overly vitriolic. I once asked a Christian friend whom I trust and who has traveled extensively in the Muslim world if there was any "fair and balanced" news source/blog on this topic. He was not aware of one. Part of the problem is that each side tends to question the other side's "indisputable facts", which makes the subject even more daunting for those of us who have never lived there and don't have a Ph.D. on the history of the dispute(s).
Nevertheless, as Christians, it seems we should exemplify honest and charitable dialogue, even when we disagree. With God On Our Side is a remarkably informative and redemptive documentary which, while critical of modern day Israel's treatment of Palestinians, and even more critical of a strand of Christian Zionism which offers unflinching support for the Jewish state regardless of its actions, doesn't stop there. It seeks to promote mutual understanding and reconciliation between the two quarreling peoples and also raise awareness among American Christians of the plight of Palestinian Christians. This latter aspect is what I found most encouraging. Because regardless of one's view of the nation of Israel, its history and/or its actions, we should agree that Palestinian Christians are squeezed by Muslim groups in their own country, by Israeli strictures designed (at least ostensibly) to ward off acts of terrorism, but which disadvantageously impact all Palestinians, and by a lack of support from the United States. In fact, the documentary helpfully quotes Christian Zionist leader John Hagee making that very point.
Secondly, I think even careful dispensationalists should agree that one's view of Israel's role in end-times prophecy should not make the Jewish state immune to criticism. Even in the hay day of the Davidic kingdom, Israel was not beyond receiving severe discipline from God (e.g., 2 Sam. 24). And most would agree that the first Advent of Christ signified a new era in redemptive history in which the kingdom of God is now advancing invisibly through the gospel gaining adherents from every tribe, language, people, and nation. God's kingdom is thus not within the bounds of any geopolitical nation-state. I would hope that even dispensationalists would be careful in speaking of the Jews as "God's chosen people". No Christian I know disputes the uniqueness of the Israeli race (Jacob and his posterity) in biblical history, but apart from individual faith in Christ, every Jew will face the eternal wrath of God (Acts 2:21; Acts 4:12; I Tim. 2:5). The same applies to members of every other race. Surely, as Christians, we should agree on that.
Lastly, we should remember that social justice, while a good thing, should never be elevated above the gospel -- the one gospel which both Jews and Palestinians need (and which unites with an irrevocable bond those from both ethnicities who have embraced it) -- and the one gospel whose implications would lead to peace and reconciliation.
Perhaps my favorite character in the documentary was Palestinian Christian Salim Munayer. Though I don't know him besides what's in the documentary, I was encourage by his winsome humility, grace, balance, and desire to see reconciliation and peace between the two peoples. I wish the film had included an interview with an ethnically Jewish Christian living in Israel to go alongside the commentary from Munayer. It would have likewise been good (and in line with the redemptive, peace-seeking spirit of the film) to hear the Israeli perspective (from local Jews) on some of the subject matter discussed (like the ongoing settlements and the wall of separation). But I suppose there is only so much that can fit in an 82 minute documentary.
Here's a short presentation of Munayer explaining the importance of embracing an approach that is pro-Jew and pro-Palestinian as well as the theological problems that invariably arise when we only embrace one at the expense of the other:
Theology of Reconciliation from Porter Speakman Jr on Vimeo.
And here's the official trailer:
I've heard that the July 2010 issue of Christianity Today includes a review of With God On Our Side, giving it four out of five stars. When the review becomes available, I'll link to it.
Update: In this 2004 sermon on Rom. 11:25-32, pastor John Piper (a proponent of the historic premillennial view) makes extended remarks on Israel, Palestine and the Middle East. Whether you agree with that eschatology or not, his observations and logic are well worth considering.
July 01, 2010
Walking with the Wise
Our family is enjoying the latest album from Sovereign Grace Music. This one, like several of their previous albums, is specifically for children. The themes deal directly with the struggles that children commonly have (selfishness, covering up wrong, laziness); in several songs, the lyrics combine Scripture texts with the voices of children expressing various common utterances.
The overarching message of the album (at least what I pick up on) is the importance and beauty of gaining wisdom, living obediently, and being a blessing to others. In fact, the more I listen to the songs the more I appreciate not just the theological depth of the lyrics but also how "highly tuned" the message is to where kids are at. Hard to do both well, but they really nailed it.
I highly recommend this album for the entire family. Check out samples of each of the songs or the sheet music. As with their other albums, you can buy the CD or buy the songs individually as MP3s if you prefer.
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