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

Beware of Blessings

James 1:17 says, "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change."  One implication of this (that every gift is from our heavenly Father) is that we ought to give Him thanks for the countless blessings we experience in a given day.

This implication is made explicit in 1 Timothy 4:4-5, "For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, for it is made holy by the word of God and prayer."

Yes, receive the blessings of God (spouse, children, clean water, blooming flowers, chocolate brownies...) with grateful hearts. 

But beware of blessings too.  Specifically, beware of measuring God's goodness and love by those earthly gifts He sends down from above.  The way of thinking goes something like this: You've got a strong marriage? Isn't God good!  You've gotten a promotion at work? Isn't God good!  You're pregnant?  Isn't God good!

And that's all true; it's right.  Indeed, they are expressions of God's goodness.  But in the midst of celebrating these blessings, we must train our eyes to see God's goodness beyond the temporal blessings that He showers on us so liberally, and here's why:

When you say to yourself over and over, "Train your eye on these earthly blessings, and gauge God's goodness by what you see," you'll be  ignoring the fact that life will not always be the accumulation of good things.  And then, when hardship comes, you will look out and have no evidence of God's goodness.  

So praise God today for your blessings.  But beware that you don't use them as the sole barometer of God's goodness.  Training your eye on earthly blessings alone will never produce in a man this sort of heart:

    Though the fig tree should not blossom,
        nor fruit be on the vines,
    the produce of the olive fail
        and the fields yield no food,
    the flock be cut off from the fold
        and there be no herd in the stalls,
    yet I will rejoice in the LORD;
        I will take joy in the God of my salvation.
(Habakkuk 3:17-18 ESV)

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.

Not So Long Ago

A great post from Ray Ortlund; he posted this video, with the following statement:

So, what ideas that we value today will look this dumb in another fifty years?  The only escape from the prison of our cultural moment is the eternal truth of God.

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.

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.
     

Wonder Demands Humility

Thomas Dubay: "Wonder at reality demands the humility to sit at the foot of a dandelion.  The proud are so full of themselves that there is little room to marvel at anything else."

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. 

Three Views on the Lord's Supper

Specifically in view in these three posts is, how frequently should we take the Lord's Supper?  This is a question I have given some thought to, but probably not enough. 

I'd love to know what you readers think with regard to this question.  Leave a comment and let me know...

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!

Like Water to a Plant

A wise, humbling, challenging word to husbands:

Words of encouragement to a wife are like water to a plant.

And again:

What a ministry husbands have in encouraging their wives! It is nurturing to the heart of a woman, compelling her forward in service to her family and community. For mothers of young children who are not yet capable of expressing appreciation, the husband's opportunity is not only to encourage his wife, but also to teach his children thankfulness and respect toward their mother. Through your words of blessing, you have an opportunity to minister to your wife in a way that no one else can.

Read the whole thing here.

Pondering Good Grief, Part 2

Yesterday I said I would post the portion of Ben Witherington's article in Christianity Today that I would like to interact with over the course of a few blog posts. Here it is:

Was This God's Will?

From the day Christy died, I was determined to be open to whatever positive thing there might be to glean from this seeming tragedy. I clung to the promise of Romans 8:28, that "God works all things together for good for those who love him."

The first point immediately confirmed in my heart was theological: God did not do this to my child. God is not the author of evil. God does not terminate sweet lives with a pulmonary embolism. Pulmonary embolisms are a result of the bent nature of this world. As Ann kept repeating, "God is not the problem; he is the solution."

One primary reason I am not a Calvinist is that I do not believe in God's detailed control of all events. Why? First, because I find it impossible to believe that I am more merciful or compassionate than God. Second, because the biblical portrait shows that God is pure light and holy love. In him there is no darkness, nothing other than light and love. And third, the words, "The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away," from the lips of Job (1:21), are not good theology. According to Job 1, it was not God but the Devil who took away Job's children, health, and wealth. God allowed it to happen, but when Job said these words, as the rest of the story shows, he was not yet enlightened about the true nature of the source of his calamity and God's actual will for his life. God's will for him was for good and not for harm.

The beginning of "good grief" starts with the premise of a good God. Otherwise, all bets are off. If God is almighty and malevolent, then there is no solace to be found in him. If God is the author of sin, evil, suffering, the Fall, and death, then the Bible makes no sense when it tells us that God tempts no one, that God's will is that none should perish but have everlasting life, and that death is the very enemy of God and humankind that Jesus, who is life, came to abolish and destroy.

Jesus said, "I came that they may have life and have it abundantly" (John 10:10). If there are promises I cling to as I weep for our Christy, it is this promise, not the sorry solace and cold comfort of, "God did this but we do not know why." No! A thousand times, no. God and his will are aligned with what is good and true and beautiful and loving and holy.

Days later, as I stood before the casket and stared at our "Christy girl," as we called her, I was so thankful that the God of the Resurrection had a better plan for her. Her lifeless body was so cold, so empty. The phrase, "It's all God's will," is cold comfort. I believe in a God whose "Yes!" to life is louder than death's "No!" Death is not God's will. On the contrary, God is in the trenches with us, fighting the very same evils we fight in this world—disease, suffering, sorrow, sin, and death itself. He cries with us.

Jesus

From my days working at a Christian bookstore in State College, PA (circa 2002), I've always loved this picture of Jesus. There are many days in which I feel like this man; it is wonderfully precious that when I can't pick myself up or fight the fight of faith, that Jesus upholds me with His victorious right hand.

If you were to caption this picture with a Bible verse, which one would you pick?

Pondering Good Grief, Part 1

Around a year ago I read Adrian Warnock's book Raised with Christ: How the Resurrection Changes Everything. This past Holy Week I picked up the book again to review a chapter as I prepared my heart for Easter Sunday. Inside the front cover, I had scribbled this statement:

Is God only worthy of my worship when He conforms to my expectations for how He should act? If I don't have a God who can contradict my wisdom/intentions, then I'm worshiping a figment of my imagination.

As I re-read that note inside the book, I recalled the circumstances in which I had written it: about a week or two prior, my mom had experienced a catastrophic infection that ravaged her body and has left her in a semi-vegetative condition, confined to a bed in a nursing home, for the past 13 months. With that little statement tucked inside a book on the resurrection, I was preaching to myself.

The same week that I re-read my reflection, I read Ben Witherington's article in the most recent issue of Christianity titled, What Good Grief Looks Like When a Daughter Dies. His daughter, Christy, died suddenly of a pulmonary embolism at the age of 32. In the article, Witherington writes of how he walked the way of grace in the midst of his grief.

I'm going to take a few blog posts to interact in particular with one portion of the article, which disturbed me personally because of its view of God and His role in this tragedy. From what I can gather in the article, it seems as though Witherington would disagree with the note I wrote to myself last April, or at least what that note was assuming. For my own reflection and grappling, I am going to interact with Witherington a little bit, since I have tasted at least a measure of this grief in seeing what has happened to my mom over the past year.

But this post is getting long enough. Tomorrow I'll post the portion of the article that I feel compelled to interact with.

Romans for Dummies

The people at Desiring God have put together a summary of the book of Romans, condensing all the great material in that awesome letter to just 45 tweets. Check it out here.