Piper Ministering to Women

Two messages from John Piper:

http://vimeo.com/45282216#
http://www.desiringgod.org/resource-library/conference-messages/the-ultimate-meaning-of-true-womanhood

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).

New Books on Church Membership & Discipline

I am finding a great deal of wisdom, and a fresh vision for the importance of the local church in these two new books by Jonathan Leeman: Church Membership: How the World Knows Who Represents Jesus and Church Discipline: How the Church Protects the Name of Jesus. Sometimes I tend towards thinking that the 9Marks crew emphasizes the institutional church a bit too much, to the neglect of the organic church. But in this case I find their emphasis to be very beneficial and biblical.  

Here are a couple of endorsements for the membership book:

“Church leaders across many denominations will find this little book filled with practical ideas and good arguments that will help us cure Christians in our culture today of their allergy to church membership, pastoral authority, life accountability, and any limits to their personal freedom.”
- Timothy Keller, Senior Pastor, Redeemer Presbyterian Church, New York City

“We live in an age where people relate to and make decisions about church much like they do with a restaurant. We desperately need to be awakened from our consumeristic slumber. This book is the wake-up call that is needed to turn church consumers into gospel participants.”
- -Darrin Patrick, Lead Pastor, The Journey, St. Louis, MO; author, For the City and Church Planter

The Freedom of Self-Forgetfulness

Ministry is a lot more painful than I would have imagined as a young, excited believer in Christ.  Sometimes you pour your heart and soul into people, and then they say or do things that are extremely hurtful.  I've tasted some measure of this, though my hardships are infinitely small compared to what many endure. 

 Over the past year, one of passages of Scripture that God has used to help me in this regard has been 1 Corinthians 4:1-5,

    This is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found faithful. But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you or by any human court. In fact, I do not even judge myself. For I am not aware of anything against myself, but I am not thereby acquitted. It is the Lord who judges me. Therefore do not pronounce judgment before the time, before the Lord comes, who will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart. Then each one will receive his commendation from God.



Recently, 10 Publishing released a new little book from Tim Keller called The Freedom of Self-Forgetfulness, based on a sermon Keller preached on that passage.  Here's a quote I especially enjoyed:

The only Person whose opinion counts looks at me and finds me more valuable than all the jewels in the earth.  How can we worry about being snubbed now?  How can we worry about being ignored now?  How can we care that much about what we look like in the mirror?

Like Paul, we can say, 'I don't care what you think.  I don't even care what I think.  I only care about what the Lord thinks.' And he has said, 'There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,' and, 'You are my beloved child in whom I am well pleased.' Live out of that.  

It is a daily battle, but I am laboring to expend grace-driven effort to live out of this gospel reality each and every day.  It's the only way to survive in ministry...or in any walk of life, for that matter.
     

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. 

The Explicit Gospel Tour

Earlier this week, I had the privilege of going over with Michelle to Epiphany Church in Philadelphia for The Explicit Gospel Tour. That is the name of a new book by Matt Chandler, who preached from Colossians 1, while Shane and Shane led worship. You can check out the "trailer" for the book:



After the event I was fortunate enough -- through an especially sweet bit of providence -- to talk with Matt for a few minutes. I had wanted to thank him especially for this message which I had watched a couple of years ago, and has been an ongoing source of encouragement over the last year, which has been a challenging one for me.

I was able to share with Matt why that message had been so helpful for me, and also to thank him for his example of courage in the midst of his suffering from an aggressive form of brain cancer. He took a few minutes to pray for Michelle and me, for which I was very grateful. All in all, the evening was a great blessing, and I am enjoying the book for which the tour was named.

I have an extra copy of his new book, The Explicit Gospel, which I'd like to give away to the first person to leave a comment on this post. Giveaways in the past have never been a big draw on this blog, but let me know if you want a copy!

Eyes Wide Open

This morning on his blog, Tim Challies recommended the book Eyes Wide Open: Enjoying God in Everything, by Steve DeWitt. In his review, Challies writes:

The place to begin when considering the topic is with a question like this one: Why do I enjoy _________ so much? You can fill in that blank with a kind of food or a form of art or even with a beautiful landscape. Why do you enjoy that thing so much? What draws you to it? What does it do in you and for you?

DeWitt wants to help you appreciate those things even more than you do now, and in order to do that, you need to understand beauty and joy and wonder from a biblical perspective. You need to know why God made this world as wondrously beautiful as he did. The author’s reflections on this topic, more than anything else in the book, have resounded in my mind and heart:

Beauty was created by God for a purpose: to give us the experience of wonder. And wonder, in turn, is intended to lead us to the ultimate human expression and privilege: worship. Beauty is both a gift and a map. It is a gift to be enjoyed and a map to be followed back to the source of the beauty with praise and thanksgiving.

This is a subject that I've give some thought to over the past few years, at times on this blog. And I've been told on occasion that this whole idea of teaching people to enjoy the world all around them is unnecessary and dangerous, because it will promote worldliness, and people already do a fine job of loving the stuff of this world too much. The thought is that books like this one just promote and give justification for the idolatries of people's hearts.

While I think there is a needed caution there, I think the logic is misguided. If people are not taught to enjoy beauty in a godly way, they will mimic the world's way, and that is suicide. So I am glad that there are books like this one, and I think they are of value to those who desire to bring glory to God in all of life, which is what we're commanded to in Scripture (1 Corinthians 10:31).

If anyone chooses to read it, let me know what you think. If you want to buy it in Kindle format, it’s just $6.99. If you want to buy it in printed format, the only way to do so is to buy it 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:

Matt Chandler talks about suffering

Love the glory and grace of God that I see through this man (RSS readers, you may need to click through to the Redemption Groanings site to view the video):

Why God Makes Much of Us

John Piper preaching on why God makes much of us (if you'd prefer, watch it here).

The Conspiracy

I finished reading Stephen Altrogge's new book on contentment over the weekend, and I highly recommend. Here's the premise of the book:

"Greener Grass Conspiracy" Trailer - Stephen Altrogge from Crossway on Vimeo.

There's a ton of wisdom in Stephen's little book. If I could live in these realities 24/7, I'd be an amazingly immovable person.

A Shelter in the Storm

Over the past month I've posted a few meditations from Paul's Tripp's book Whiter than Snow, a book of 52 meditations on Psalm 51.

I enjoyed that book so much that I picked up a copy of Tripp's other similar book of meditations on Psalm 27, titled A Shelter in the Time of Storm. Here's a book trailer:



I'm almost halfway through the book, and I'm also finding this one encouraging, penetrating and insightful. Highly recommended!

New Keller Book

Tim Keller talks about his forthcoming book, King's Cross, due out next month:

Introduction to Books & Resources by Timothy Keller from Redeemer City to City on Vimeo.

Violent Grace

In addition to my daily readings from Scripture, I've been enjoying Paul Tripp's devotional book, Whiter than Snow. It is a collection of 52 short meditations on Psalm 51. Here's a quote from the chapter I read this morning, titled Violent Grace. It's a reflection on Psalm 51:9, "Let the bones that you have broken rejoice":

God's grace isn't always comfortable because He isn't primarily working on our comfort; He's working on our character. With violent grace He will crush us because He loves us and is committed to our restoration, deliverance and refinement. And that is something worth celebrating.

Get more info on the book, and read the first four meditations, here.

Getting to the Heart of Parenting

Westminster Books is running a great sale this week (runs through 1/18) on Paul Tripp's DVD, Getting to the Heart of Parenting. For this week only, the DVD series (ten 25-minute sessions) is only $14.99, 75% off the regular price.

Michelle and I have watched these and found them to be edifying and challenging.

Spread the Joy

While supplies last through December 16th, you can get 48 copies of John Piper's Seeing & Savoring Jesus Christ for just $68 (or whatever you can afford).

Why not take a risk and buy some as Christmas for unbelieving family members and friends and attach a note telling them why Jesus is a treasure infinitely greater than anything else you'll find under a Christmas tree?

Of course, it might be wise to get them another "real" gift as well, to let them know that you think about them and care for them as they are, and don't simply regard them as your personal conversion project. What do you think?

Anyway, click here for more details about the special.

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).

Busy Christians

"How are you doing?"

It seems like one of the most common answers to that question is: busy. Busyness seems to be a paralyzing illness in our society, and especially in the church.

A few years ago Tim Chester (whose book You Can Change I have recommended many times on this blog) wrote a book called The Busy Christian's Guide to Busyness.

In it, he says that one of the important ways to deal with our busyness is to identify the desires of our hearts that make us try to do more than God expects of us. Here are some examples, along with the accompanying truths of God that can liberate us from the tyrannies of our sinful desires:

• I’m busy busy because I need to prove myself-The liberating rest of God
• I’m busy because of other people’s expectations-The liberating fear of God
• I’m busy because otherwise things get out of control-The liberating rule of God
• I’m busy because I prefer being under pressure-The liberating refuge of God
• I’m busy because I need the money-The liberating joy of God
• I’m busy because I want to make the most of my life-The liberating hope of God

If you find that you're always telling people about how busy you are, this might be a good book to check out.

Think!

Several months ago I learned that John Piper would be writing a book on the importance of the life of the mind in loving and worshiping God, and since then I've eagerly awaited that book's release. I first heard Piper speak on this issue around seven years ago, and his emphasis on the head and the heart engaging in true worship has been a great passion of mine.

Last week, the book came out: Think -- The Life of the Mind and the Love of God is available for 45% off the cover price this week at Westminster books. Here's a synopsis of the book from the back cover:

We often pit thinking and feeling against each other, especially when it comes to the Christian experience. Glorifying God with our minds and hearts, however, is not either-or, but both-and. Focusing on the life of the mind will help you to know God better, love Him more, and care for the world. This book will help you think about thinking, and about how the heart and mind glorify God together.

Throughout the week I'll be posting some quotes from the book.

A Free Dose of Humility

A few months back I read Josh Harris' book Dug Down Deep. Recently I saw that one of the chapters from that book is available to read online for free. The chapter, titled Humble Orthodoxy is well worth your time. You can read it here.

I long to be known as a man who embraces a humble orthodoxy, and am eager to see those I have the privilege of serving be known for the same. Do yourself a favor and read this excellent chapter...and be sure to apply the material!