What is the Gospel? by Greg Gilbert

What is the Gospel? by Greg Gilbert looks like a great book. Can't wait to get it! Here is what the author says about the purpose for writing the book.



I'll write more after I've read it! In the meantime, this post talks about the basics of the Gospel in a very similar outline to what Gilbert uses in his book: God, man, Christ, and a response.

God is the Gospel Review - Pt 5

The conclusion contains some fantastic hymns with great lyrics that point to this truth that God is the Gospel. I will put a bow on this week of posts by quoting three of those hymns:

Be Thou My Vision
Be Thou my Vision, O Lord of my heart;
Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art;
Thou my best Thought, by day or by night,
Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light.

Be Thou my Wisdom, and Thou my true Word;
I ever with Thee and Thou with me, Lord;
Thou my great Father, I Thy true son;
Thou in me dwelling, and I with Thee one.

Be Thou my battle Shield, Sword for the fight;
Be Thou my Dignity, Thou my Delight;
Thou my soul’s Shelter, Thou my high Tower:
Raise Thou me heavenward, O Power of my power.

Riches I heed not, nor man’s empty praise,
Thou mine Inheritance, now and always:
Thou and Thou only, first in my heart,
High King of Heaven, my Treasure Thou art.

High King of Heaven, my victory won,
May I reach Heaven’s joys, O bright Heaven’s Sun!
Heart of my own heart, whatever befall,
Still be my Vision, O Ruler of all.

Fairest Lord Jesus
Fairest Lord Jesus, Ruler of all nature,
O Thou of God and man the Son,
Thee will I cherish, Thee will I honor,
Thou, my soul’s glory, joy and crown.

Fair are the meadows, fairer still the woodlands,
Robed in the blooming garb of spring;
Jesus is fairer, Jesus is purer,
Who makes the woeful heart to sing.

Fair is the sunshine, fairer still the moonlight,
And all the twinkling starry host;
Jesus shines brighter, Jesus shines purer
Than all the angels heaven can boast.

All fairest beauty, heavenly and earthly,
Wondrously, Jesus, is found in Thee;
None can be nearer, fairer or dearer,
Than Thou, my Savior, art to me.

Beautiful Savior! Lord of all the nations!
Son of God and Son of Man!
Glory and honor, praise, adoration,
Now and forever more be Thine.

I Will Glory in My Redeemer
I will glory in my Redeemer
Whose priceless blood has ransomed me
Mine was the sin that drove the bitter nails
And hung Him on that judgment tree

I will glory in my Redeemer
Who crushed the power of sin and death
My only Savior before the holy Judge
The Lamb Who is my righteousness
The Lamb Who is my righteousness

I will glory in my Redeemer
My life He bought, my love He owns
I have no longings for another
I’m satisfied in Him alone

I will glory in my Redeemer
His faithfulness my standing place
Though foes are mighty and rush upon me
My feet are firm, held by His grace
My feet are firm, held by His grace

I will glory in my Redeemer
Who carries me on eagles’ wings
He crowns my life with loving-kindness
His triumph song I’ll ever sing

I will glory in my Redeemer
Who waits for me at gates of gold
And when He calls me it will be paradise
His face forever to behold
His face forever to behold

God is the Gospel Review - Pt 4

Piper begins Chapter 11 with these words:

The best news of the Christian gospel is that the supremely glorious Creator of the universe has acted in Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection to remove every obstacle between us and himself so that we may find everlasting joy in seeing and savoring his infinite beauty. The saving love of God is his doing whatever must be done, at great cost to himself, and for the least deserving, so that he might enthrall them with what will make them supremely happy forever, namely himself. Therefore, the gospel of God and the love of God are expressed finally and fully in God’s gift of himself for our everlasting pleasure. “In your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore” (Ps 16:11)

In typical Piper fashion, he shocks us awake one last time with this cutting paragraph, which will be my final quote. If this doesn’t completely turn you off to the book, perhaps it will cause you to read it to see where he goes with this:

The God-centered love of God is foreign to fallen human beings, especially those hwo, like most of us, have been saturated for decades with doctrines of self-esteem. We have absorbed a definition of love that makes us the center. That is, we feel loved when someone makes much of us. Thus, the natural, human definition of love is making much of someone. The main reason this feels like love is that it feels so good to be made much of. The problem is that this feels good on wholly natural grounds. There is nothing spiritual about it. No change in us is needed at all to experience this kind of “love.” This love is wholly natural. It operates on the principles that are already present in our fallen, sinful, and spiritually dead souls. We love the praise of man. It feels good. Praise is to the ego what sex is to the body. It just doesn’t get any better—as long as we are spiritually dead.

The ground of natural love is finally me, not God. If you make much of me, I feel loved, because I am the final ground of my happiness. God is not in that place. He should be, but he is not. That is what it means to be unconverted and natural. The deepest foundation of my happiness is me (p 149)

Piper then goes on to talk about how unconverted people can ‘get religion’. There are plenty of churches that nurture this type of self-love, and even those that preach the truth twist the message in their heads to hear what they want to hear.

So it is possible even to see God as “in a sort, lovely” when we are not even genuine Christians. If he can be seen as a servant of our self-love, then we can see him as lovely. If he will make much of us, then we will be willing, up to a point, to make much of him. … The issue is: Where does the foundation of our joy lie? I s it ourselves or is it God? (p 150-151)

God is the Gospel Review - Pt 3

This entire section was such a blessing and I found it very difficult to ‘pull out’ a quote because the entire section is quote-worthy.

The creation of the material world, including our bodies with all five senses, was God’s idea. He did not do it mainly as a temptation to idolatry, but mainly as a display of his glory. “The heavens declare the glory of God” (Psalm 19:1). That is the purpose of a million species of animals and plants, and a million galaxies. “Everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving” (1 Tim. 4:4). Yes, if the thanksgiving is rooted in the sight of the glory of the Giver who is more to be admired than all his gifts, and supremely to be enjoyed in all his gifts (p 138).

It was also very special because by God’s providence, our family rented the Disney DVD Earth during the week I read this section, and as we watched this documentary (secular yet strangely missing all of the ‘millions of years ago’ allusions to evolution), we were enraptured by the majestic and spectacular images of God’s handiwork in creation. We were truly glorying in Christ for giving us such a planet to enjoy!

All the enticements to God that are not God are precious and precarious. They can lead us to God or lure us to themselves. They may be food or marriage or church or miracles. All of these blessings bring love letters from God. But unless we stress continually that God himself is the gospel, people will fall in love with the mailman—whether his name is forgiveness of sins or eternal life or heaven or ministry or miracles or family or food (p 143).

Piper then exposits Habakkuk 3:17-18 and Psalm 63:1-3 and Psalm 73:24-26 to illustrate this God-centered focus. He includes my favorite Augustine quote, “He loves Thee too little who loves anything together with Thee which he loves not for Thy sake (p 144)”. Finally, he brings in Jesus and Paul.

Jesus put it like this: “Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me” (Matt. 10:37). Jesus must be the supreme treasure of our lives, if we are true disciples of Jesus. Jesus died for us and rose again to make it possible for us to see him and savor him above all things with everlasting joy. This is the great good the gospel is meant to accomplish.

Therefore those who are permeated most deeply by the gospel speak like the apostle Paul: “Whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord” (Phil 3:7-8).

Piper ends the section with an amazing Jonathan Edwards quote (imagine Piper quoting Edwards?!?):

The redeemed have all their objective good in God. God himself is the great good which they are brought to the possession and enjoyment of by redemption. He is the highest good, and the sum of all that good which Christ purchased. God is the inheritance of the saints; he is the portion of their souls. God is the wealth and treasure, their food, their life, their dwelling place, their ornament and diadem, and their everlasting honor and glory. They have none in heaven but God; he is the great good which the redeemed are received to at death, and which they ar to rise to at the end of the world. The Lord God, he is the light of the heavenly Jerusalem; and is the ‘river of water of life’ that runs, and the tree of life that grows, ‘in the midst of the paradise of God’. The glorious excellencies and beauty of God will be what will forever entertain the minds of the saints, and the love of God will be their everlasting feast. The redeemed will indeed enjoy other things; they will enjoy the angels, and will enjoy one another: but that which they shall enjoy in the angels, or each other, or in anything else whatsoever, that will yield them delight and happiness, will be what will be seen of God in them (p 145).

God is the Gospel Review - Pt 2

As we continue to look at Piper’s God is the Gospel, here is a quote from Chapter 3. Has anyone ever asked you if you would be happy in Heaven if Christ was not there? It is a good question.

Christ did not die to forgive sinners who go on treasuring anything above seeing and savoring God. And people who would be happy in heaven if Christ were not there, will not be there. The gospel is not a way to get people to heaven; it is a way to get people to God. It’s a way of overcoming every obstacle to everlasting joy in God. If we don’t want God above all things, we have not been converted by the gospel. (p 47)

If we are not captured by [God’s] personality and character, displayed in his saving work, then all our declarations of thanksgiving are like the gratitude of a wife to a husband for the money she gets from him to use in her affair with another man. … Perhaps you have heard people say how thankful we should be for the death of Christ because it shows how much value God puts on us. In other words, they are thankful for the cross as an echo of our worth. What is the foundation for this gratitude?

Jonathan Edwards calls it the gratitude of hypocrites. Why? Because “they first rejoice, and are elevated with the fact that they are made much of by God; and then on that ground [God] seems in a sort, lovely to them … They are pleased in the highest degree, in hearing how much God and Christ make of them. So that their joy is rally a joy in themselves, and not in God.” It is a shocking thing to learn that one of today’s most common descriptions of the cross—namely, how much of our value it celebrates—may well be a description of natural self-love with no spiritual value. (p. 137)

God is the Gospel Review - Pt 1

I picked up God is the Gospel for a couple of reasons. First, I was preparing for a formal opportunity to share the Gospel so I wanted to be clear on the message. I also want to internalize the truth of the Gospel so that I can communicate it going forward.

So grabbing Piper’s book, I quickly read the first chapter and was eager to dive into chapter two which looked as though it would provide a definition of what the Gospel was exactly. Here are the elements of the Gospel spelled out in this chapter.

• There is a living God (Acts 14:15)
• He Sovereignly reigns (i.e. ‘Your God reigns’ in Isa 52:7, Mark 1:14)
• The King of the Universe (the Lord), the Messiah (Christ), has come to be a Savior (Acts 8:12, Luke 2:10-11, Rom 1:1-3)
• Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures (Mark 10:45, Jer 31:34, 1 Cor 15:1-3).
• Jesus is Risen from the dead (2 Tim 2:8, 1 Cor 15:17)
• The Gospel includes the promise of the Holy Spirit (Luke 3:16, 18; John 14:17-18).
• The Gospel includes the promise of Salvation (Eph 1:13, Rom 1:16).
• It includes the kind blessings that were purchased by the cross (Matt 4:23, Luke 4:18) partially now and completely in the age to come.
• It includes peace with God (Rom 5:10; 2 Cor 5:18), and each other (Eph 2:14-18)
• Eternal life (2 Tim 2:10)
• Blessings of all nations (Gal 3:8,16; Eph 3:6)
• The Gospel is good news of grace not human merit (Acts 20:24; Rom 11:5-6; Eph 1:4,6)
• Jesus’ death makes God just in providing this grace (2 Cor 8:9, Heb 2:9, Rom 3:25-26)
• Every blessing to redeemed believers flows to us by that grace (Rom 8:32)

Piper then explains the point of the book, namely that none of these elements define the Gospel completely, not even when you take them altogether. So what is the essence of the Gospel? Let us peak ahead to the last chapter:

The point of this book is that the Christian gospel is not merely that Jesus died and rose again; and not merely that these events appease God’s wrath, forgive sin, and justify sinners; and not merely that this redemption gets us out of hell and into heaven; but that they bring us to the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ as our supreme, all-satisfying, and everlasting treasure. “Christ … suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God” (1 Pet 3:18).

Now if that seems a little deep, or hard to comprehend, good. Read the book and be taught by this gifted teacher. I came away with a deeper passion for Christ and a better understanding of the Gospel.

This week I seek to entice you to pick up Piper’s book by giving some of the juiciest quotes each day. Enjoy!

Today's Gospel: Authentic or Synthetic by Walter Chantry

When you measure impact 'per word', Today's Gospel is one of the best books I’ve ever read. Other books are better, even on this topic (i.e. the Gospel According to Jesus?) But Walter Chantry’s little book (93 pages) attacks its enemy with the fatal precision of a God-guided missile from David’s slingshot (1 Samuel 17:45-50). Slumping to the ground is the stunned villain, the false gospel of America. In the name of organizational unity and unbiblical tradition, the evangelical church has created a monster, a man-centered gospel unable to truly change lives.

Chantry employs the best weapon of all, Scripture. The 'stone' that kills the giant is a masterful exposition of the Rich Young Man passage in Mark 10:17-31. Many other passages could have been looked at, and certainly other Scripture is brought in. But this book focuses on the evangelism of the Master in this instructive encounter, to show us how we fail to present the Gospel the way Jesus did.

In the introduction, Chantry spells out the gravity of the problem. He says American churches as a whole, are marketing a ‘product’ that is not the true Gospel and does not lead to changed lives.

By selling another gospel to our generation, Satan has been employing many sincere men in preaching a dethroned Christ The glories of the Savior are being hidden even from His servants because preachers will not give careful attention to the Gospel of God’s Word alone. Products of modern evangelism are often sad examples of Christianity. They make a profession of faith, and then continue to live like the world. ‘Decisions for Christ’ mean very little. Only a small proportion of those who ‘make decisions’ evidence the grace of God in a transformed life. When the excitement of the latest campaign has subsided, when the choir sings no more thrilling choruses, when large crowds no longer gather, when the emotional hope in the evangelist’s ‘invitation’ has moved to another city, what do we have that is real and lasting? … There has been a great deal of noise and dramatic excitement, but God has not come down with His frightful power and converting grace. (p 13)

Chantry attributes this lack of power to the use of an erroneous message in evangelism.

“On the shallow ground of man’s logic, large numbers have been led to assume they have a right to everlasting life and have been given an assurance which does not belong to them. Evangelicals are swelling the ranks of the deluded with a perverted Gospel. Many who have ‘made decisions’ in modern churches and been told in the inquiry rooms that their sins have been forgiven, will be surprised as Tetzel’s customers to hear ‘I never knew you; depart from me’ [Matthew 7:23]. (p 15)”

Wow, comparing American evangelism to the errors of Rome in the days of Martin Luther!? That is pretty significant, no? But it is a good analogy because there are so many practices which have become traditional rituals and have almost universal acceptance. Yet these are not found in Scripture (i.e. the ‘sinner’s prayer’, the ‘invitation’, and 25 repetitions of ‘Just As I Am’ at the end of every evangelistic service.)

Chantry shows us through Jesus' encounter with the young ruler the essential elements that well-meaning believers are leaving out of the Gospel message to unbelievers. We need to be talking about the character of God (chapter 1), and we need to be talking about the Law of God (chapter 2). Lost today is the idea of repentance (chapter 3) that we see in other places in Mark’s Gospel (Mark 1:15; 6:12) and the rest of the Bible. Repentance needs to be reclaimed in a proper understanding of salvation. Finally, Chantry shows how repentance and faith (chapter 4) are the ‘siamese twins’ of the Gospel (p 57), both essential. A biblical view of assurance (chapter 5) is set against the ‘easy-believism’ of our day. Finally, this evangelistic message is shown to have success only in the power that comes from God (chapter 6), as we come full circle to the opening observation that today’s Gospel is powerlessness despite prodigious effort and campaigns.

This book speaks with prophetic clarity to a very real and dangerous threat to the church. Personally, I was saved out of this false gospel three years ago. As a young boy, I was given a false assurance of salvation based on a number of outward steps and a ‘decision’ that I made. For thirty years I was a self-deceived sinner headed for hell, if not for God’s mercy (Eph 2:3b-10). I have no doubt that many people have been challenged by this book to stop holding on to a ‘decision’ they made for Christ as evidence of salvation. Or a prayer that they prayed, or walking an aisle and having some emotional experience. Instead we ought to examine ourselves to see if we are in the faith (2 Cor 13:5). In addition, I have no doubt that many sincere Christians, through this book and the light of Scripture, have seen the errors in their evangelism and will seek to tell others the real Gospel. The Gospel that exalts God, not man. The glorious Good News of Jesus Christ, that is made available for broken sinners who-after seeing God in all His holy splendor-will be 'undone' (Isa 6:5) and begin to see themselves for the rotten sinners we all are (Rom 3:23), and run to Him in broken repentance and God-given faith in the Son of God.

I will close with one of the most eye-opening sections of the book. Chantry is teaching about the young ruler and his encounter with our Lord Jesus Christ. The rich young man runs up to Christ and kneels saying, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life? (Mk 10:17b)” Listen to Chantry:

Here is an outstanding fellow begging to know how he can get to Heaven! This is the evangelist’s dream! Wouldn’t you open your Bible and ask him essential questions? ‘Do you believe that you are a sinner? Do you believe that Christ died for sinners? Will you accept Jess as your personal Savior? Pray this prayer after me ….’ He would answer in the affirmative to each question with very little instruction. Just show him the usual verses. This rich man was ripe for our evangelism. Our inquiry rooms would have elicited his ‘decision’ in a few moments, and given him assurance of eternal life besides. He would be added to the statistic sheet and his conversion reported across the world. Such a celebrity might even merit a personal write-up in the big evangelical magazines!

Aren’t you a little disappointed to see Jesus handling this tender soul so roughly? How could our Lord use such obviously poor tactics with a sinner? He began with a rebuke [Mk 10:18], went on to talk about the Ten Commandments (of all things!) [Mk 10:19-20] demanded immense sacrifice as a condition of having eternal life [Mk 10:21b], and allowed the ‘fish’ to get away [Mk 10:22]! Didn’t He know how to lead a soul to Himself? If you are surprised, surely you are the one who doesn’t understand evangelism. (p 19-20)

Don't Waste Your Life ... on the job!

Some time ago our associate Pastor preached a fantastic sermon, (maybe one of his best), on the first verses of Romans 12. The message was passionate and memorable. At least I remembered to heed his advice to read John Piper's Don't Waste Your Life. I would encourage you to get a copy of this book or read it online.

There are a lot of quote-worthy treats in DWYL. Some day I hope to talk about his "wartime lifestyle" that he describes on page 111. This time, though, I want to quote from the discussion in Chapter 8, "Making Much of Christ From 8 to 5". Perhaps some day Christ will open the door for the Bonhams to serve as full-time missionaries. For now, though, DWYL is a welcome reminder to make much of Christ where we've been strategically placed at this present time! But how?

Therefore, the burning question for most Christians should be: How can my life count for the glory of God in my secular vocation? I am assuming from all that has been said in this book so far that the aim of life is the same, whether in a secular vocation or in a church or mission vocation. Our aim is to joyfully magnify Christ—to make him look great by all we do. Boasting only in the cross, our aim is to enjoy making much of him by the way we work. The question is, How? The Bible points to at least six answers.

I won't quote the whole chapter, but I will list these six answers:

1. We can make much of God in our secular job through the fellowship
that we enjoy with him throughout the day in all our
work.

2. We make much of Christ in our secular work by the joyful,
trusting, God-exalting design of our creativity and industry.

3. We make much of Christ in our secular work when it confirms
and enhances the portrait of Christ’s glory that people hear in the
spoken Gospel.

4. We make much of Christ in our secular work by earning
enough money to keep us from depending on others, while
focusing on the helpfulness of our work rather than financial
rewards.

5. We make much of Christ in our secular work by earning
money with the desire to use our money to make others glad in
God.

6. We make much of Christ in our secular work by treating the
web of relationships it creates as a gift of God to be loved by
sharing the Gospel and by practical deeds of help.

For me the most striking was #3. The way we serve Christ and make Him look good at our jobs "confirms and enhances the portrait of Christ’s glory that people hear in the spoken Gospel." Working hard and with integrity makes the Gospel "play better". Piper explains:

There is no point in overstating the case for the value of secular work. It is not the Gospel. By itself, it does not save anyone. In fact, with no spoken words about Jesus Christ, our secular work will not awaken wonder for the glory of Christ. That is why the New Testament modestly calls our work an adornment of the Gospel. In addressing slaves, Paul says they are “to be wellpleasing, not argumentative, not pilfering, but showing all good faith, so that in everything they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior” (Titus 2:9-10). The point here is not to endorse slavery (which Paul undermined more indirectly by calling the converted slave, Onesimus, “no longer . . . a slave but a beloved brother,” Philemon 16), but to show that the way we do our work “adorns” the doctrine of God.

In other words, our work is not the beautiful woman, but the necklace. The beautiful woman is the Gospel—“the doctrine of God our Savior.” So one crucial meaning of our secular work is that the way we do it will increase or decrease the attractiveness of the Gospel we profess before unbelievers. Of course, the great assumption is that they know we are Christians. The whole point of the text breaks down if there is nothing for our work to “adorn.” Thinking that our work will glorify God when people do not know we are Christians is like admiring an effective ad on TV that never mentions the product. People may be impressed but won’t know what to buy.

For me, this is both an admonishment to work hard at work and with the highest integrity. It also is a reminder to open my mouth in boldness for Christ! I hate those TV ads that are so good or funny but never tell you the product to buy! That's not good marketing, that's just a waste! I don't want my hard work to be for nothing! I want people to know for Whom I work so hard, to make much of Christ!

DWYL is a good little book! I admit it reads a little slow (philisophical?) at the beginning as Piper reminisces about how God got him to where he's at now. It's well worth the effort, though, and has the potential to be life-changing for many!

As we approach the end of 2008, Don't Waste Your 2009!

Book review: Share Jesus Without Fear by William Fay

I resisted reading Share Jesus Without Fear for more than a year. I was new to "reformed theology" and didn’t want some “Arminian” book to get me all confused (easily done)! But when a) I read about a tattooed neo-nazi who came to Christ in prison after hearing the SJWF presentation, ...


Steven Neil (left)

... and b) when a friend of mine who goes to a reformed Presbyterian church told me his church uses SJWF in their evangelism training (albeit a slightly modified version), and c) when I learned I would get an opportunity to present the Gospel one-on-one, multiple times, in a day-long ministry opportunity, I decided to read it and see what the Lord would have me learn from it.

I found in SJWF, a very simple method for sharing the Gospel of Christ using 5 “Share Jesus Questions” to break the ice and get into the Gospel. Then if the door is opened, there are seven “Share Jesus Scriptures”. You ask permission to share some Scriptures and have your friend read the verses aloud, each time simply asking what they think the verse is saying. If they fail to grasp it, you gently ask them to read it again. This is such a simple way to let God’s Word speak to people through His Holy Spirit!

There were times when reading this book got me excited because of its simplicity (something I need because I'm simple-minded!), but there were times when I felt somewhat sick to my stomach because it seemed to have such an “Arminian” feel to it, and seemed at times manipulative.

There are references to the use of a “sinner’s prayer” and one of the Share Jesus verses (Rev 3:20) is taken out of context, though in Fay’s defense, this is almost universally misapplied to salvation (when it is actually referring to a literal church.) FYI - here is an excellent article that explains this passage is really talking about! My friend suggested Mark 1:15 as the last verse to share instead of this one.

Another thing I don’t like about SJWF is Fay’s use of the phrase “accept Jesus into your heart”. For example see Question Five on p. 63. I read a great little book against the dangers of the Invitation System (i.e. altar calls) and it explains why this phrase is unbiblical and that John 1:12 cannot be used to support it. I’ll quote it if I can find that little book.

The whole chapter “bring to a decision” seemed manipulative, and I wanted to quit reading. Seemed more like a high-pressure sales approach. But in talking with the afore-mentioned reformed Presbyterian minister who uses SJWF in his evangelism classes, he reminded me that the Bible is full of calls for people to make decisions. “The extreme Arminians, act as if raising your hand after a prayer or responding to an alter call, ‘gets you saved’” he said. “The equally harmful ‘Calvinistic error’ is that it is somehow inappropriate to call for a decision. The Bible is replete with prophets, apostles, and our Lord Himself calling for decisions. (Repent and believe the gospel)”

Fay gives an example of D.L. Moody when he preached on April 8, 1871. The message was called “What Then Shall I Do with Jesus Who is Called the Christ?” Fay says “at the conclusion, he asked the listeners to consider the question and respond the next Sunday, when they returned. But they did not return. Fire bells rang even as they rose, and the building burned, and the congregation scattered.(p 61)” I love how the pastors at my church give an opportunity for those who have just heard the Gospel, to respond in faith! They don’t tell them to come forward during seventeen verses of “Just as I am”. But they tell them they can find forgiveness for their sins in Christ and briefly share the Gospel. Then they simply make themselves available after the service so that folks can come and talk with them.

I love Fay’s emphasis on discipleship, not just making converts. He suggests taking the new convert to church (p. 75). It’s very important for new Christians to be helped to find a good solid church in which to grow in the Lord. Fay goes so far as to call the Pastor of a local church and give him the name of the new convert. “I ask the pastor to call my friend. I don’t care who calls whom first, just as long as a call is made. But while I have the pastor on the phone, my job is to get him to promise me that either he or someone he disgnates will call my friend.”

The “Why” principle (p. 81) seemed at first a little manipulative, but it really does help to get to the heart of people’s excuses for not accepting Christ. Of course you don’t want to be obnoxious with it, but it can be very helpful.

I enjoyed how he got into a conversation about the Gospel by starting with statistics (p. 89).

“I said, ‘Art, I understand you like statistics.’

‘Yes.”

‘What is a penny doubled every day, for thirty days?’

“Art spouted off, ‘It starts at 1,2,4,8,16,32, 64,128,256, until you get $10,737,418.24.’”

“I was impressed! I said, ‘That seemed easy for you. Let me ask you another question. How many people would it take flipping a quarter before one person hits heads thirty times in a row?’”

“Art ran into the kitchen. When he came back, he said it would take billions of people flipping quarters before one person hit heads thirty times ina row. … With this probability established I was ready to make the switch. I said, ‘That is why I believe the Bible is true. If you take the thirty prophecies about the birth, the death, and the resurrection of Jesus that have come true, that’s like flipping heads thirty times in a row.’”

Fay went on to encourage Art to be thikning about the number 245, which is the conservative estimate of biblical prophecies that have come true. Art immediately asked for an appointment to talk with Fay, and later became a believer.

Fay has a section called “Ready Responses to Common Objections. I love #27, which is the objection that there are many paths to God. Fay answers it this way.

“I not, ‘You are correct; all roads lead to God. But here’s the problem: what are you going to say when you get there? For God is either going to meet you as your Savior or as your judge. For Scripture says, ‘That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father’ (Phil. 2:10-11)”

Brilliant use of God’s Word!

I love how Fay often talks like a Calvinist, especially in the section called “Closed Doors” on page 124. “Perhaps you need permission to walk away from trying to force someone to accept the gospel. After all, you don’t need to solicit a phony decision for Christ. Your only desire should be for a friend’s genuine conversion, born out of the power of the Holy Spirit.” A couple pages later he said, “Ours is a walk of faith, not by sight, but to do all we can do to be obedient and trust God for the results. (p. 126)”

I love this book and I plan to drop a note to the author to thank him for writing it. I was able to practice this method last week and had great results! I got to see God’s “miracle of salvation” happen before my eyes (thank you Rita for that phrase, BTW, I love it! This is something I’ve prayed to see for years!

There is a danger with any “method” of evangelism, that people will appear inauthentic if they are too caught up in a script, using SJWF or the Way of the Master’s approach. But for people like me, who aren’t eloquent Bible scholars, something like this works at this stage of my life. As I grow in the Lord I hope to have a more fluid and informal approach, but for now I am excited to have read and practiced the Share Jesus Without Fear method.

Wild at Heart by John Eldredge

Please take a few minutes to read Daryl Wingerd's book review of Wild at Heart, by John Eldredge.

A Critical Review of John Eldredge's Wild at Heart

Wingerd does a terrific job of warning of the 3 major (and they are major) problems of the WILDLY popular book.

The three major problems with Wild at Heart are summarized in this paragraph: "First, Eldredge mishandles Scripture badly. Second, the central theme of the book is not consistent with the teaching of the Bible. Third, Eldredge conveys a low, humanistic, and even heretical view of God."

Tim Challies also does a review of the book here:

Challies Review

Finally, "rumor has it" that several hundred copies of Wild at Heart were inadvertently released with a rejected design for the cover. Here is a closer look ...

Daily Carson

D.A. Carson has written a great book on prayer called A Call To Spiritual Reformation, in which he walks through the prayers of Paul's epistles, expositing rich lessons on prayer from the biblical text!

I typed up some of my favorite quotes from the book, and will be posting those daily for a while.

If you want an excellent, VERY thorough (10 pgs) outline of the book plus many quotes from the very quotable Carson, check out Dan Green's blog. Dan is a youth pastor in the UK, who named his dog Piper (that's right, after John)!

It is my prayer that A Call to Spiritual Reformation will encourage you in your walk with Christ, as it has in mine!

Let's get on with the first quote:

The one thing we most urgently need in Western Christendom is a deeper knowledge of God. We need to know God better. (p 15)

Let the Nations Be Glad!

Last week I finished up John Piper’s book Let the Nations Be Glad, a great book on missions!

A couple of things I have learned from this book is the scope of the Great Commission (Matt 28:18-20) in carrying the Gospel to all "peoples" and what that means exactly. Piper also makes it clear that if you’re going to be obedient to the Great Commission, you’re going to be involved in missions in one way or another, either you “go” or you you “send”!

In Part 1, Piper defines the Purpose, Power and Price of missions, which he describes as Worship, Prayer and Suffering respectively. Here is my favorite quote from this section, the first lines of the book:

“Missions is not the ultimate goal of the church. Worship is. Missions exists because worship doesn't. Worship is ultimate, not missions, because God is ultimate, not man. When this age is over, and the countless millions of the redeemed fall on their faces before the throne of God, missions will be no more. It is a temporary necessity. But worship abides forever. (p 17)"

And Piper isn't talking about worship in terms of corporate Sunday worship alone. He wrote the final chapter to clarify what he meant by worship (see page 226) More on that later.

Part 2 spells out the necessity and nature of the missionary task. In chapter 4 Piper deals with the following important questions:

1. Will anyone experience eternal conscious torment under God's wrath?
2. Is the work of Christ the necessary means provided by God for eternal salvation?
3. Is it necessary for people to hear of Christ in order to be eternally saved?

The answers, of course, are yes, yes, and yes, but Piper answers them masterfully with Biblical authority! Here are some quotes from this section:

Great quote about William Carey:

“Carey was an English Baptist missionary who left for India in 1793. He never came home but persevered for forty years in the gospel ministry.

"Once he was talking with a Brahman in 1797. The Brahman was defending idol worship, and Carey cited Acts 14:16 and 17:30. God formerly 'suffered all nations to walk in their own ways,' said Carey, 'but now commandeth all men everywhere to repent.'

"'Indeed', said the native, 'I think God ought to repent for not sending the Gospel sooner to us.' Carey was not without an answer. He said:

'Suppose a kingdom had been long overrun by the enemies of its true king, and he though possessed of sufficient power to conquer them, should yet suffer them to prevail, and establish themselves as much as they could desire, would not the valour and wisdom of that king be far more conspicuous in exterminating them, than it would have been if he had opposed them at first, and prevented their entering the country? This by the diffusion of the Gospel light, the wisdom, power, and grace of God will be more conspicuous in overcoming such deep-rooted idolatries, and in destroying all that darkness and vice which have so universally prevailed in this country, than they would have been if all had not been suffered to walk in their own ways for so many ages past.'

"Carey's answer to why God allowed nations to walk in their own ways is that in doing so the final victory of God will be all the more glorious. There is a divine wisdom in the timing of God's deliverances from darkness. We should humble ourselves to see it rather than presume to know better how God should deal with a rebellious world. (p 132)”

"The story of Cornelius the Gentile centurion could lead some to believe that a man can be saved today apart from knowing the gospel and just by fearing God and doing the good that he can." Piper dispels this false teaching on pages 134-140.

Piper goes on to defend the necessity of hearing and embracing the name of Jesus, citing 4:12. He also refutes Clark Pinnock's view that salvation is imparted to those who relate to God properly through general revelation even without a faith in Christ. I'm thankful Piper took the high road and didn't sink to commenting on this creepy picture of Mr. Pinnock...

Unlike me, Piper doesn't have to make fun, but rather sticks to his strength, brilliant biblical exegesis!

"The reason this message [The Gospel, see Acts 11:14] saves is that it proclaims the name that saves--the name of Jesus. Peter said that God visited the Gentiles 'to take from them a people for his name' (Acts 15:14). It stands to reason then that the proclamation by which God takes a people for his name would be a message that hinges on the name of his Son Jesus. This is, in fact, what we saw in Peter's preaching at the house of Cornelius. The sermon comes to its climax with these words about Jesus: 'Everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name (Acts 10:43)'” (p 140)

I love this list of Scriptures describing the condition of those who are without Christ:

"All are under sin with their mouths stopped before God (Rom 3:9-19); they are in the flesh and unable to submit to God or pleas God (Rom 8:7-8); they are natural and not spiritual and therefore unable to receive the things of the Spirit (1 Cor 2:14-16); they are dead in trespasses and children of wrath (Eph 2:3-5); and they are darkened and alienated from God and hard in heart (Eph 4:17-18)." (Page 148) For more on universal depravity of mankind, check out Phil Johnson's post: "I'm Fallen, and I can't get up!"

Great quote on God's sovereignty in missions.

"It was necessary that the word of God be spoken first to you. Since you thrust it aside and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we are turning to the Gentiles. For so the Lord has commanded us, saying, "'I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.'" And when the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord, and as many as were appointed to eternal life believed. (Acts 13:46-48)" "Through Paul's preaching, God is now doing the sovereign work that he had overlooked for so long during the times of ignorance. He is bringing Gentiles to faith according to his preordained plan. He is opening their hearts to the gospel (Acts 16:14), granting them repentance (Acts 11:18) and cleansing their hearts by faith (Acts 15:9)" (Page 149)

Great argument on the necessity of hearing the Gospel for salvation.

"Eternal life, therefore, comes only to those who hear the voice of the Shepherd and follow him. 'My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life' (John 10:27-28). This hearing is through the messengers of the Shepherd. This is what Jesus means in John 14:6 when he says, 'I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.' 'Through me' does not mean that people in other religions can get to God because Jesus died for them, though they don't know about it. The 'through me' must be defined in the context of John's Gospel as believing in Jesus through the word of his disciples (John 6:35; 7:38; 11:25; 12:46: 17:20). (Page 151)"

Lest anyone accuse Evangelicals of being “intolerant”, Piper’s recognition of God’s love of ethnic diversity shines forth here: “The diversity of the nations has its creation and consummation in the will of God. Its origin was neither accidental nor evil. And its future is eternal: The diversity will never be replaced by uniformity. The evidence for this is found in Acts 17:26 and Revelation 21:3 (which Piper explains should be translated: “He will dwell with them, and they will be His peoples.”) Beginning on page 198, Piper gives four of the answers to the question of how diversity magnifies the glory of God.

Part 3 of LNBG is called "The Practical Outworking of Compassion and Worship". In Chapter 6 Piper deals with compassion towards the soul of man, with a little help from Jonathan Edwards (What's this? Piper quotes Edwards?!?) Chapter 7 was written to clarify what Piper meant by "worship" in the fist paragraph of the book.

Christ is our treasure and should be worshiped not for what we can get out of Him. Ponder this quote, asking the Holy Spirit to speak to your heart:

“Until your soul has a thirst for Christ as the bread of life and the living water, you will use Christ for what your soul thirsts after. Many people who claim to have saving faith simply use Christ to get what they really want, which is not Christ but his gifts (escape from hell, peace of mind, health of body, a better marriage, a social network, etc.). We are saved by coming to Christ not only as our deliverer but also as our treasure--coming for all that God is for us in Jesus. Test yourself: Would you want to go to heaven if Christ were not there? Is he or his gifts your treasure? (p 211)”

Here is a long quote but very true. Our delight in something is incomplete unless we can express it in praise. So, please indulge me in a rare instance of Bonham quoting Piper quoting CS Lewis:

"[Lewis] was bothered by the commands of God to praise God. They seemed in vain. But then he discovered why this is not vain but profoundly loving of God to do. Here is his all-important insight: 'The most obvious fact about praise…strangely escaped me … I had never noticed that all enjoyment spontaneously overflows into praise. … The world rings with praise--lovers praising their mistresses, readers their favorite poet, walkers praising the countryside, … My whole, more general difficulty about praise of God depended on my absurdly denying to us, as regards the supremely Valuable, what we delight to do, what indeed we can't help doing, about everything else we value. I think we delight to praise what we enjoy because praise not merely expresses but completes the enjoyment; it is its appointed consummation. It is not out of compliment that lovers keep on telling one another how beautiful they are, the delight is incomplete till it is expressed.' In other words, genuine heartfelt praise is not artificially tacked on to joy. It is the consummation of joy. Joy in some beauty or some value is not complete until it is expressed in a kind of praise. (p 224)"

Piper on worship:

"the essential, vital, indispensable, defining heart of worship is the experience of being satisfied with God in Christ. This experience magnifies his worth, and such magnifying is what worship is…Without the experience of heartfelt satisfaction in God, praises are vain. If genuine praise can flow from a heart without satisfaction in God, then the word "hypocrisy" has no meaning, and Jesus' words are pointless when he says, "This people honors me with their lips [that is, with verbal praises], but their heart [that is, their heartfelt treasuring and satisfaction] is far from me" (Matt 15:8) … [worship services and worship singing] are part of the expression of the essence of worship, but those things can happen and not be worship. Worship is not first an outward act; it is an inner spiritual treasuring of the character and the ways of God in Christ. It is a cherishing of Christ, a being satisfied with all that God is for us in Christ. When these things are missing there is no worship, no matter what forms or expressions are present. (p 226)"

Classic Piper, this quote kicks off a very rich and power-packed Conclusion:

“The ultimate goal of God in all of history is to uphold and display his glory for the enjoyment of the redeemed from every tribe and tongue and people and nation. His goal is the gladness of his people, because God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him. Delight is a higher tribute than duty. The chief end of God is to glorify God and enjoy his glory forever. Since his glory is magnified most in the God-centered passions of his joyful people, God's self-exaltation and our jubilation are one. The greatest news in all the world is that God's ultimate aim to be glorified and man's aim to be satisfied are not at odds. (p 231)”

I'm new at writing book reviews. In fact, this really isn't one. Just a collection of good quotes from this fantastic book. I can't seem to write a conclusion to this review without sounding like an 8-year-old reviewing his or her favorite book on Reading Rainbow.

I think the best thing to do is to just ask you to read Let the Nations Be Glad for yourself. ... at least the four pages I didn't quote verbatim in this post!

Random Thoughts on Tough Questions!

Ryan shared this link, a list of the most influential books in MacArthur's life. Someday I definitely want to read all these (and immortalizing the link on this blog will help) ... but only after I read ALL the Piper books I got from his $5 sale!!! Sure, I'll probably get to Truth War before I finish the Piper collection, but I'm currently reading Let the Nations Be Glad! and this quote blows me away (bold added)...

"The infinite horrors of hell are intended by God to be a vivid demonstration of the infinite value of the glory of God. The biblical assumption of the justice of hell is a clear testimony to the infiniteness of the sin of failing to glorify God. All of us have failed. All the nations have failed. Therefore, the weight of infinite guilt rests on every human head because of our failure to cherish the glory of God. The biblical vision of God, then, is that he is supremely committed, with infinite passion, to uphold and display the glory of his name. And the biblical vision of man without grace is that he suppresses this truth and by nature finds more joy in his own glory than he does in God’s. God exists to be worshiped, and man worships the work of his own hands. This twofold reality creates the critical need for missions. And the very God-centeredness of God, which creates the crisis, also creates the solution.

Here's a discussion question you are welcome to comment on. Somebody explain that! It's true, I believe it. But, wow! I had to stop reading and just stare out the window for several minutes to try to get my mind around that last sentence! I gave up.



My daughter Sophia is real smart. And I'm not. She's been asking me a lot of questions about spiritual matters of late, and quite possibly is a new believer after having repented and praying a very sincere-sounding sinner's prayer. We've been praying for Sophie but are still yet to see fruit other than the rebellious fruit we're accustomed to. Still, unregenerate or not (see Real Life Child Converts), she has been asking some great questions for a 6-year-old!

Last night was no exception: "Why was God never made?" Fifteen minutes into my rambling on and on (in pure ecstacy!) I realized she was just playing me to get to stay up late! So I put a stop to that and hugged and kissed her goodnight (again!) As I walked down the hall, she said, "I think a hand has always been. And it made God." She couldn't get her mind around God's eternality, and neither can I? But I rejoice for that! I love that God's thoughts are higher than ours and that He is infinitely holy and righteous in every way, yet has chosen to save me and restore me to fellowship with Him through the cross of Christ!

Do Paul and James Contradict Each Other?

My brother-in-law gave me Knowing Scripture for my birthday and it will come in handy as I am now leading a Bible study for the first time (great timing!) It's a great little book on why and how to study God's Word. I won't do a review (Challies does this much better than I could.) Instead I'll share a quote that has been a treat to me. This deals with something I've always wondered about, does Paul contradict James on the subject of justification in terms of works and faith? Here is Sproul from his fantastic book, Knowing Scripture ...

My favorite example of words with multiple meanings is the word justify. In Romans 3:28 Paul says, “For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from the works of the Law.” In James 2:24 we read, “You see that a man is justified by works, and not by faith alone.” If the word justify means the same thing in both cases, we have an irreconcilable contradiction between two biblical writers on an issue that concerns our eternal destinies. Luther called “justification by faith” the article upon which the church stands or falls. The meaning of justification and the question of how it takes place is no mere trifle. Yet Paul says it is by faith apart from works, and James says it is by works and not by faith alone. To make matters more difficult, Paul insists in Romans 4 that Abraham is justified when he believes the promise of God before he is even circumcised. He has Abraham justified in Genesis 15. James says, “Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he offered up Isaac his son on the altar?” (Jas. 2:21). James does not have Abraham justified until Genesis 22.

This question of justification is easily resolved if we examine the possible meanings of the term justify and apply them within the contexts of the respective passages. The term justify may mean (1) to restore to a state of reconciliation with God those who stand under judgment of his law or (2) to demonstrate or to vindicate.

Jesus says, for example, “Wisdom is justified of all her children” (Lk. 7:35 KJV). What does he mean? Does he mean that wisdom is restored to fellowship with God and saved from his wrath? Obviously not. The plain meaning of his words is that a wise act produces good fruit. The claim to wisdom is vindicated by the result. A wise decision is shown to be wise by its results. Jesus is speaking in practical terms, not theological terms, when he uses the word justified in this way.

How does Paul use the word in Romans 3? Here there is no dispute. Paul is clearly speaking about justification in the ultimate theological sense.

What about James? If we examine the context of James, we will see that he is dealing with a different question from Paul. James says in 2:14, “What use is it, my brethren, if a man says he has faith, but he has no works? Can that faith save him?” James is raising a question of what kind of faith is necessary for salvation. He is saying that true faith brings forth works. A faith without works he calls a dead faith, a faith that is not genuine. The point is that people can say they have faith when in fact they have no faith. The claim to faith is vindicated or justified when it is manifested by the fruit of faith, namely, works. Abraham is justified or vindicated in our sight by his fruit. In a sense, Abraham’s claim to justification is justified by his works. The Reformers understood that when they stated the formula, “Justification is by faith alone, but not by a faith that is alone.”

All About Joel

Joel Osteen’s new book comes out on Monday the 15^th, so I thought I would take a moment to give my thoughts on his first book, Your Best Life Now. Published three years ago yesterday (10/12/2004). Sorry if this is old news to some. Maybe you’re like me, though, and new to discover this Joel phenomenon!

I love to read, but I’m slow. So I’m very picky about what I spend my time reading. Having heard negative reviews for Your Best Life Now (YBLN) from trusted sources, it never got on my “book list”. Then came the enthusiastic recommendations from multiple friends over the course of a year. Finally, I decided I had to give it a read.

Having listened to the entire book on CD (a nice compromise, eh?), I have very little to add to the two exceptionally well-written reviews that I will provide links to below. I will simply list my objections to the book and suggest one way to look at it that you may not have thought of before.

First my objections to YBLN:

• Scriptural "silly putty". Joel’s irresponsible twisting of the Scripture to fit his “self-help” Christianity (can you say, “oxy-moron”?)
• Shallow view of life. i.e. God wants you to have a big house not an apartment. He wants you to get the best parking spot and be first in line at the bank and in the checkout line. Please! Joel would no doubt advise me to live in “expectancy” that God will abundantly bless my fantasy football team!
• The great "Omission". For a book that offers 7 Steps to reach the highest of human attainment, where is the life-changing Gospel of Jesus Christ?!? My greatest concern is shared in Wingerd’s review (see link below): that Osteen gives millions of people a false assurance of their standing with God, with his minimizing of sin, ommision of Jesus Christ (except as an after-thought) and failure to present the Gospel clearly (at all really!)

If you don’t see what all the fuss is about YBLN, may I suggest this: Read John Piper’s Desiring God (as I've mentioned before you can read it online) and contrast it with Osteen's superficial Christianity. While I was trudging thru YBLN, I was also reading DG, especially the chapters on Missions and Suffering. Piper’s illustrations were of missionaries who were joyfully giving their lives in service to Christ, allowing themselves to become destitute financially, brutally persecuted for their faith, even martyrd for Christ (knowing their reward was in Heaven for suffering for Christ). Osteen, meanwhile gave story after story of people living their “best life now” (including many of himself), getting promotions, making wise business deals, etc., ad nauseum! The contrast was sharp!

Here are a couple of quotes from Daryl Wingerd’s review of YBLN. I will then close with some Scripture to ponder.

“Nevertheless, here is my view in a nutshell: If you want to read a book in which discontentment is encouraged, a book that shows God to be powerless apart from your power-filled thoughts and words, a book in which sin is minimized and renamed in every conceivable way, and a supposedly Christian book that gives only trivial mention to Jesus Christ, Your Best Life Now is the book for you. But if you believe, with the Apostle Paul, that "godliness with contentment is great gain" (1 Tim. 6:6 NKJV), if you desire a deeper and more biblical understanding of God and His ways, if you desire to see Jesus Christ exalted in your life as you follow His pattern of humility and self-denial, if you believe a Christian's greatest hunger should be for righteousness (Matt. 5:6) and not for money, health, or easy living, then you would do well to look elsewhere.”

“Oh, I nearly forgot! Joel Osteen does share the "plan of salvation" with the readers of his book. The reason I nearly forgot was because it seems Osteen nearly forgot too. His "gospel presentation" as it might be loosely defined by some, spans one half of one page, and is neatly tucked on the very last page of the book— after the endnotes! It is not even given the courtesy of a page number in the table of contents. Additionally, Osteen's "gospel presentation" contains no Scripture references, no indication of who Jesus Christ is, no mention of His death on the cross or the necessity of His death in the place of guilty sinners, no teaching about the importance of Christ's sinless life, nothing about His resurrection from the dead, no reference to the grace of God, and no plea for the reader to respond by trusting in Christ's work.”

Wingerd gives a balanced and biblical review of Osteen’s book. He does mention some of the good things about the book, (namely the later chapters on giving, etc) while eloquently pointing out the dangers.

A Critical Review of YBLN

Challies speaks more to Osteen’s ministry as a whole and does a great job of expressing what I was thinking when I read the book, but couldn’t quite put my finger on!

Challies review

"For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. (2 Tim 4:3-4)"