Gospel-Driven Sanctification

In our church, we talk a lot about the gospel being crucial not only to our justification (how we are brought into right standing with God), but also our sanctification (the progressive work of being made more like Jesus in our practice).  In this video, Don Carson puts a little flesh and blood on that reality:

Forgiveness & Reconciliation

My friend Jason Tyrell preached an excellent message yesterday morning from Luke 6 on loving our enemies.  Those who want to think through in more depth on how to love our enemies, and how to see relationships heal that have been fractured, may be helped by this article from Tim Keller.

The gospel is vividly on display when sinners learn how to love one another in the midst of hurt and misunderstanding.  So articles like this are beneficial in learning how to adorn the doctrine of God our Savior (Titus 2:10).

The Gospel of Paul & the Gospel of the Kingdom

Not sure if anyone else will have the time and/or desire to read this, but I hope to read this essay by Simon Gathercole, and am posting it here so I'll know where to find it when I have time to dig into it.

The Contraconditional Love of God

I'm going to go out on a limb and suggest that there probably aren't many people unable to sleep at night until the question I posed the other day about the conditional/unconditional love of God gets resolved.  But let me suggest a solution that comes from David Powlison, in his book Seeing with New Eyes:

Saying “God’s love is unconditional love” is a bit like saying “The sun’s light at high noon is a flashlight in a blackout.”
Come again?
A dim bulb sustains certain analogies to the sun.
Unconditional love does sustain certain analogies to God’s love.
But why not start with the blazing sun rather than the flashlight?
When you look closely, God’s love is very different from “unconditional positive regard,” the seedbed of contemporary notions of unconditional love.
God does not accept me just as I am;
He loves me despite how I am;
He loves me just as Jesus is;
He loves me enough to devote my life to renewing me in the image of Jesus.
This love is much, much, much better than unconditional! Perhaps we could call it “contraconditional” love.
Contrary to the conditions for knowing God’s blessing, He has blessed me because His Son fulfilled the conditions.
Contrary to my due, He loves me.
And now I can begin to change, not to earn love but because of love.
. . . You need something better than unconditional love.
You need the crown of thorns.
You need the touch of life to the dead son of the widow of Nain.
You need the promise to the repentant thief.
You need to know, “I will never leave you or forsake you.”
You need forgiveness.
You need a Vinedresser, a Shepherd, a Father, a Savior.
You need to become like the one who loves you.
You need the better love of Jesus.

To dig a little deeper, check out this blog post by Justin Taylor.

The Explicit Gospel Video

Here's the video from the Explicit Gospel tour that I went to a couple of weeks ago.  This wasn't the evening in Philly, but I am assuming the content of the message is pretty much the same:

GCM Collective

Yesterday I went to a gathering in Philadelphia for something called a GCM (Gospel, Community, Mission) collective.  It's basically a cluster of pastors and church leaders from a particular region that have some similar convictions on how gospel, community and mission shape the life of the Church.  The goals are mutual encouragement, equipping, and multiplication. 

Since I don't have many relationships with other like-minded pastors in the area, I thought it was worth exploring, and I was encouraged by our time together.  Our plan is to meet on a bi-monthly basis. 

You can read more about GCM here; below are some distinctives that unite those involved with GCM:

GCM Collective Distinctives

GOSPEL COMMUNITIES LIVING ON MISSION IS THE PRIMARY ORGANIZING STRUCTURE OF THE CHURCH

The gospel is central to everything
 The gospel is not simply the means by which we are converted–it is the good news of redemption through Jesus Christ that reconciles us to God and adopts us into his family. It transforms our hearts, shapes our ethics, pastors our souls and changes our behavior. It creates the Christian community and defines its purpose. The gospel is the word we speak to bring unbelievers to faith and to bring believers to maturity. The Christian community is created by the gospel for the gospel. 

Community is the primary apologetic of the gospel
Because the Christian community is created by the gospel it is the place where the gospel can be seen and understood. The reign of God is a reign of life, justice, peace, blessing and freedom. But the good news that God is king is not heard as good news by a world that has chosen self-rule. The people of God therefore are to so live under the reign of God that the world sees that God is good and his reign is good news. We explain and commend the gospel through our lives and especially through our life together in Christian community.

Community is missional and mission is communal
The Christian community is created by the gospel for the gospel. So its defining purpose is to glorify Christ by proclaiming and demonstrating the gospel to a needy world. Christian community cannot be introspective. It is always seeking to bless its neighborhood and proclaim Christ to a lost world. Because the Christian community is an apologetic of the gospel, mission should normally not be a lone activity. Wherever possible we want to do mission together and introduce unbelievers to the Christian community.

We share our lives as extended family
The church is the community created by the gospel, so Christians are not individuals who gather for meetings, but members of God’s family. Our identity is communal. We make decisions with regard to the implications for the church, and we make significant decisions in consultation with the church. We should share our lives together as a family. We spend time with one another, care for one another, exhort one another with the gospel, pray with one another and take the initiative to resolve conflict, all the time inviting unbelievers to participate in this common life. In a broken world we offer a place of belonging. Church life is family life.

All believers exercise gospel ministry
Mission should be communal. Gospel ministry is not the preserve of a professional elite or people in full-time ministry. It belongs to all God’s people. We are all given the privilege and responsibility of mission. We are all missionaries. We are not all called to be the same–our different gifts and personalities compliment one another as we share together in the exciting privilege of mission. We need one another. The role of leaders is not to do gospel ministry on behalf of others, but to prepare God’s people for gospel ministry.

Discipleship, shepherding and leadership development happens in community on mission
The Christian community is the primary, God-given context for pastoral care and leadership development. In the Christian community the gospel not only informs the head, but also transforms the heart. The gospel is not only learned, but also lived. We learn about gospel ministry by doing gospel ministry. The idols of our hearts are revealed not in a therapist’s office, nor in a classroom, but in the context of shared lives. And in the context of a shared life we daily apply the gospel to one another’s hearts and lives. 

The goal of teaching and preaching is gospel transformation that equips for ministry
Good Bible teaching and preaching should capture and recapture our affections for Christ. Our goal is not simply to have good Bible teaching, but for the Bible to shape people’s hearts and lives. We want to be doers of the word as well as hearers of the word. The frontline of gospel ministry is not a sermon when the church gathers; it is the lives and words of the people of God throughout the week. Bible teaching, when the church gathers together matters, but it matters because it prepares God’s people for frontline gospel ministry throughout the week. This is to be the goal and measure of our teaching and preaching.

The Gospel Assumed, or Explicit?

The title of Chandler's book originated in a blog post by Josh Patterson, one of the pastors at the Village Church.  It's worth reading it's entirety:

Is the gospel assumed in your relationships? Or, is the gospel explicit? I have been thinking about this distinction for a few days now. Those who live life under the banner of an assumed gospel simply navigate the waters of life with an underlying foundation that is personal and meaningful. An assumed gospel often means that a person deeply values the gospel and tries to live life according to the gospel.

 The issue with an assumed gospel is that it is often too personal and, therefore, becomes private. The person who lives under the assumption of the gospel often knows how it relates to their life, but nobody else does. Their kids never see how the gospel affects decisions, arguments, finances, etc. Their neighbors never hear of the hope within. Their co-workers are left to wonder about what makes them different. Those who live under the assumed gospel often find it awkward to bring it up and talk about the work of Christ. Why? Because they never bring it up and learn to articulate the implications of Christ's work and their life.

On the contrary, those who are explicit about the gospel in their relationships have a different effect. By living out the gospel and speaking about the gospel and working through the gospel (verbally), they are helping to connect the dots for those around them. Their kids hear how the gospel relates to the family finances or time or relationships or arguments. Their neighbors hear about the hope within. Co-workers are privy to the reality that this person is not simply a moral guy/girl, but one who is forgiven and transformed by the death and resurrection of Christ.

I want to encourage you to begin, and with some of you, continue to make the gospel explicit in your relationships. Don't waste life by living an assumed gospel; rather, flesh it out and connect the dots for yourself and those around you. Talk with your spouse about how Christ's Person and work relates to everything. Pass this on to your kids. Mention Christ. Talk about Christ. Point to Christ. Relate to Christ. Oftentimes where the gospel is assumed, it is quickly lost.

Another Book on the Gospel?

The other day I posted about my visit to Philadelphia to be a part of the Explicit Gospel Book Tour, in which Matt Chandler preached on the material from his recently published book by that title.

 I could anticipate the question: do we really need another book on the gospel?  Isn't there enough out there already that says plenty on the gospel?  As I think about this question, there are two main responses that pop into my mind:

1. The angels of heaven long to look into the deep riches of the gospel (1 Peter 1:12).  They are fascinated and wonder-filled as they glimpse it's unfathomable glories.  I'm pretty certain that angels are a good bit more holy and more knowledgeable than us mortals, yet the gospel continues to elicit their adoration.  So, in light of that, I think another book for us mortals to ponder and cherish this gospel is not over-doing it.

2. Having read many books about the gospel, and having just finished The Explicit Gospel, I believe this book makes a valuable contribution that sets it apart from other books on the gospel: the way in which Chandler addresses and works out the implications of what he calls the gospel in the air and the gospel on the ground.

 Chandler does, in my opinion, a terrific job of showing how the gospel paradigm of God, Sin, Christ, Response relates to and complements the over-arching storyline of Scripture in Creation, Fall, Redemption, Consummation.  To omit one or the other of these is to reduce the gospel in a way that fails to give God all the glory and honor He deserves.

Most people gravitate towards one or the other, and tend to be skeptical of those who gravitate more towards the opposite one.  But Chandler highlights how both are necessary and precious, and contribute to our understanding of all that God has done (and will do) in Christ.

For this reason, it may be the first book I would point people to who are looking for an answer to the question, "What is the Gospel?"  You can read some other endorsements for the book from men like David Platt, Mark Dever and Don Carson, here. 

Love Lustres at Calvary

One of my favorite prayers, from the book Valley of Vision:

My Father,

Enlarge my heart, warm my affections,

open my lips,

supply words that proclaim ‘Love lustres

at Calvary.’

There grace removes my burdens and heaps them

on thy Son,

made a transgressor, a curse, and sin for me;

There the sword of thy justice smote the man,

thy fellow;

There thy infinite attributes were magnified,

and infinite atonement was made;

There infinite punishment was due,

and infinite punishment was endured.

Christ was all anguish that I might be all joy,

cast off that I might be brought in,

trodden down as an enemy

that I might be welcomed as a friend,

surrendered to hell’s worst

that I might attain heaven’s best,

stripped that I might be clothed,

wounded that I might be healed,

athirst that I might drink,

tormented that I might be comforted,

made a shame that I might inherit glory,

entered darkness that I might have eternal light.

My Saviour wept that all tears might be wiped

from my eyes,

groaned that I might have endless song,

endured all pain that I might have unfading health,

bore a thorny crown that I might have

a glory-diadem,

bowed his head that I might uplift mine,

experienced reproach that I might receive

welcome,

closed his eyes in death that I might gaze

on unclouded brightness,

expired that I might for ever live.

O Father, who spared not thine only Son that thou

mightest spare me,

All this transfer thy love designed and

accomplished;

Help me to adore thee by lips and life.

O that my every breath might be ecstatic praise,

my every step buoyant with delight, as I see my

enemies crushed,

Satan baffled, defeated, destroyed,

sin buried in the ocean of reconciling blood,

hell’s gates closed, heaven’s portal open.

Go forth, O conquering God, and show me

the cross, mighty to subdue, comfort and save.

A few years ago, the folks at Sovereign Grace turned this into a beautiful song, called How Deep. Here's a video of the song:

Gospel Fluency

This is nearly four hours of material, but I found a wealth of wisdom here that I will probably be referring back to:

Gospel Fluency - Jeff Vanderstelt from Living Stones on Vimeo.

What is the Gospel - Jeff Vanderstelt from Living Stones on Vimeo.

Q & A Part 1- Jeff Vanderstelt from Living Stones on Vimeo.

Q & A Part 2 - Jeff Vanderstelt from Living Stones on Vimeo.

Checklist When You Sin

From Fitzpatrick and Johnson's book, Counsel from the Cross:

1. Confess our sins to God (openly and freely), while praying to God for the grace of the Holy Spirit to strive against them.

2. Thank God for our ongoing struggle with sin because, when rightly viewed, it makes us love and appreciate Jesus Christ more.

3. Strive to put off our sin and obey all the moral law in the light of God's ongoing forgiveness, love, and grace.

Do you, like me, find it much easier to practice points 1 & 3 than point 2?

Gospel Glimpses

A couple of weeks ago I posted the Youtube clip of Nadin Khoury meeting DeSean Jackson of the Eagles on the view. Today I read this article from Rick Reilly, and especially this quote helped me to grasp why I love this story:

I keep thinking about why I cried that day. I think it's that when the biggest and fiercest and most famous of us takes time to stand up for the smallest of us, it makes me proud to be a sportswriter, proud to cover these athletes, these men.

Who could be the biggest, fiercest, most famous hero than the Creator of the universe, Jesus Christ? And who could be more small and defenseless than people like you and me?

DeSean Jackson came and stood up for this young man, and in it we see just a little picture of the Holy Son of God, Jesus Christ, standing up for us as our Advocate.

That's why that little clip on Youtube brings tears to my eyes.

Loving Someone into Lovability

The gospel method of change is that through Jesus, God counts us as good before we actually are good in practice.

In this short blog post, John Piper ponders what would happen if we were to love others as God has loved us. My guess is that as you read it, your mind will gravitate toward someone in particular.

If that happens for you, then why not ask yourself (or more importantly, ask the Lord) what you should start doing to love that person?

The Pastor and the Gospel

While on vacation, I spent some time reading through the recently-published book in honor of John Piper, For the Fame of God's Name. I didn't get through all of it, but since it's a collection of essays, I leaped around to read the ones that were most appealing to me. In the weeks to come, I hope to read the rest.

In CJ Mahaney's chapter, The Pastor and the Trinity, Mahaney adapted his talk from the 2007 Sovereign Grace Leader's conference. As I've written about before, being in attendance for that talk was a key, defining moment in my ministry. So I was eager for the refresher in this chapter. Writing on 2 Corinthians 13:14, and Paul's prayer for the grace of the Lord Jesus to be with the Corinthians, I was struck especially by this:

Paul’s example reminds me that:

• I must never assume the gospel.
• I must never assume the church I serve sufficiently understands the gospel.
• I must inform every aspect of pastoral ministry with the proclamation and celebration of the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ revealed in the gospel.
• I must never teach on any topic without explaining how it relates to the gospel.
• I must preach to reveal the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.
• I must counsel to impart the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.
• I must help those vulnerable to legalism and condemnation to experience the justifying grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.
• I must help those fighting a besetting sin to experience the sanctifying grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.
• I must help the suffering to experience the comforting grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.
• I must help the weary to experience the sustaining grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.
• I must help those who persist in disobedience to experience the convicting and cleansing grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.
  

I think I'm going to have those bullet points printed out and hung somewhere in prominent view.

The Gospel Every Day

Pastor Tullian:

Once God rescues sinners, his plan isn’t to steer them beyond the gospel, but to move them more deeply into it.

Or to put it another way:

The gospel is not only growing wider in the world but it’s also growing deeper in Christians.

Or to put it another way:

The gospel doesn’t just ignite the Christian life but it’s also the fuel that keeps Christians going and growing every day.

Or to put it the way the Apostle Paul put it (in Colossians 1:6):

"Of this (the believer's future heavenly hope) you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel, which has come to you, as indeed in the whole world it is bearing fruit and growing—as it also does among you, since the day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth."

Bottom line: make your chief ambition of every day to get your heart deeply rooted in the gospel.

The Mathematics of the Gospel

I've mentioned Tullian Tchividjian many times on the blog. Here's a good introduction to his ministry: his seminar given at Desiring God's National conference a few weeks ago called Giving Thought to Gospel Math: Why Jesus + Nothing = Everything (If viewing this in a feed reader, you may need to click through to the site to see the video).

God's Favor

Pastor Tullian:

In Christ, no amount of good work can earn God’s favor and no amount of bad work can forfeit God’s favor.

Annie's Gospel

Rich gospel implications in this clip. What is it that changes Annie's approach to life? Not being told what to do, but being told that she has a new identity.

She is not an orphan anymore. That changes everything (I realize that the rest of the plotline shows several discrepancies with the gospel storyline, but I think the clip still makes a point):



(Via Jared Wilson)

How Duty Becomes Delight

William Cowper:

To see the law by Christ fulfilled, to hear his pardoning voice;
changes a slave into a child and duty into choice.

We All Need the Gospel

Pastor Tullian:

The gospel is the good news that God rescues sinners. And since both non-Christians & Christians are sinners, we both need the gospel.