Radical Together - A Book Review

David Platt's previous book Radical is a book that, since reading it, I find myself recommending to just about every Christian I share casual conversation with. It was challenging and edifying which made it all the more exciting when I saw Radical Together was coming out. In all honesty I was slightly nervous this Radical thing would become the next Every Man's Battle with 100 different versions and would end up being over done and be the new "fad". Considering the author, I don't see that happening and after reading Radical Together it looks like I have nothing to worry about. This book is a perfect follow up to Radical and will hopefully open a lot of eyes to how we are called to live radically not just individually, but as a church that strives to impact the world in service to Jesus Christ.

The book is broken down into six chapters that follow six ideas proposed by the author:

1. One of the worst enemies of Christians can be good things in the church
2. The gospel that saves us from work saves us to work.
3. The Word does the work.
4. Building the right church depends on using all the wrong people.
5. We are living - and longing - for the end of the world.
6. We are selfless followers of a self centered God

Each chapter follows a similar style as Radical. There are personal stories from the author, church members, as well as letters from people that changed their lifestyle after reading the first book. None of these stories are included to make Radical seem like the answer to our problems but rather as a testimony to God's grace in changing lives to better serve His purposes. These stories usually act a springboard to help us see his points more clearly.

So why read this book? Is it more of the same? Yes and no. The stories are similar to the first book, and the tone is the same, but the focus is different. Everything written in Radical Together is aimed at the local and universal church. The individual application is present but the goal is to drive the Christian community to a more biblical understanding of what it means to work together for the sake of the gospel. What should our vision be? Should we have a vision? Should we spend our efforts locally or think globally? All of these questions are answered in a helpful way that is persuasive and challenging. As a church leader I found some of the points the author made to be so challenging that I actually rebelled against them in my mind and in my heart. It was a struggle thinking through what was in this book and what my life and our life as a church would look like if we lived this way. The world would look very different, that's for sure.

As I read the book I really didn't find too much about it that was negative. If there was anything I was bothered by it was my own heart and unwillingness to want to pursue what the Bible clearly teaches in regards to living as a church.

Buy this book and read through it slowly and carefully. Take notes and ask yourself the questions the author is asking. I bet you will not come away the same person. Highly recommended for anyone from Pastors to churchgoers. Also, there are discussion questions in the back of the book that could be used in various group settings.

Read the 1st Chapter here.
Buy the book here.

(I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.)

5 Ways to Make Your Kids Hate Church

By way of Challies.com, originally from the Resurgence.

Read it here.

Radical - A Book Review

A few days ago I was talking to a friend about how much the American Dream was pounded into my mind as a child and teenager. It impacted how I was educated in school and gave me a reason to do the hard work necessary in achieving said dream. It may be helpful to define what the American Dream actually is by way of the originator of the idea, James Adams. He said this in 1931:

"...life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement...

It sounds good, but it is almost directly opposed to biblical Christianity.

This brings us to the the new book Radical by David Platt. David is a pastor of The Church at Brook Hills in Birmingham, Alabama which has roughly 4,000 members. The book is interesting because the author is a mega church pastor, but he is not writing a book about how to be "radical" in gaining new members. He is not throwing out "radical" pastoral ideas. Here is David's reason for writing this book:

"I am on a journey. But I am convinced it is not just a journey for pastors...I am convinced that we as Christ followers in American churches have embraced values and ideas that are not only unbiblical but that actually contradict the gospel we claim to believe.(p.3)

This book is a pastor's careful attempt at revealing some of the errors in the American Church and reclaiming the church as was laid out in Scripture.

If I were to recommend this book to a certain group of people that I think would be affected the most, it would easily be Christians in the United States. I am not saying it wouldn't be helpful to the universal church, but as I mentioned above, this is really focused on issues here in America and how our desire to have the perfect family, job, etc has actually blinded us to the reality of the gospel. It also asks difficult questions for those of us who would align ourselves with Christ but are really not doing much to build His kingdom. However, the author doesn't ask us to be "radical" by doing new things and being relevant, but by being faithful in the way the church started 2,000 years ago based on Jesus' teaching to "Go and make disciples..."

At 9 chapters, this books is short but is filled to the brim with useful material. The stories David shares concerning letters he has received from church members or conversations he has had with church leaders in third world countries are heart-wrenching, encouraging, and even shocking. I would share some of my favorites but there are just too many to write in this already too long review. Needless to say, this book is full of moving quotes that you will most likely meditate on for minutes, hours, or even days.

So is it worth it to buy this and read it? Yes. Absolutely yes. In fact, I thought many times while reading, "I need to get this book into people's hands!" The things written in this book, again, are not new. I have heard them before, but that is not a bad thing. This book will take you from church critique to self critique and ultimately, to wanting to lose yourself for the sake of Christ. I have much to think about, and I am thankful that I read this book.

Read the first chapter for free here.

Grab your copy here.

(I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review. Thanks WaterBrook!)

Faith Without Works

Church or Club?

ESV Study Bible - Buy It Today!

Here it is! The day all you ESV fanatics have been waiting for! The ESV Study Bible is now available to purchase on Westminster Bookstore, and will be shipped on Monday, October 13th! If you are planning on buying anything ESV oriented Westminster Bookstore is the place to go. All ESV Bibles (even the new study Bible) are 40% off. This isn't just a one time deal either. The ESV Bibles are ALWAYS 40% off. This is an incredible deal especially considering the amount of work that went into making these new study Bibles. If you would like to purchase the new ESV Study Bible click on the Bible you would like from the list below.

The ESV Study Bible (Hardcover) by ESV, English Standard Version $49.99 $28.49	The ESV Study Bible (TruTone, Natural Brown) by ESV, English Standard Version $74.99 $44.99	The ESV Study Bible (TruTone, Classic Black) by ESV, English Standard Version $74.99 $44.99	The ESV Study Bible (Bonded Leather, Black) by ESV, English Standard Version $74.99 $44.99
The ESV Study Bible (Bonded Leather, Burgundy) by ESV, English Standard Version $74.99 $44.99	The ESV Study Bible (Genuine Leather, Black) by English Standard Version $94.99 $56.99	The ESV Study Bible (Genuine Leather, Burgundy) by English Standard Version $94.99 $56.99	The ESV Study Bible (Premium Calfskin Leather, Black) by English Standard Version $239.99 $143.99

The Sin of Introspection

About six months ago, my pastors and fellow leaders confronted me on some sin areas that were in my life. It was very difficult to hear, and even though I have grown in the area I was originally confronted in, pride, I have taken on a whole new issue that has just about worn me down to the point of exhaustion.

When people are confronted by others in the area of perceived sins, it is very easy for the person on the receiving end to do a few different things.

1. They become angry and accusatory
2. They accept the communicated issue, but do not agree and continue in sin
3. They accept the communicated issue, and as a result become repentant towards God and desirous for grace and restoration.

There are more responses, but it seems like these are the most prominent. I thought that I was doing #3. In reality, I had created a sort of hybrid. I wanted to be humble, and I wanted to be at peace before Christ, and yet I felt angry and frustrated. The underlying problem was that I became so focused on defeating pride that I drowned myself in my own introspection.

When all a person can see is themselves, Jesus becomes almost impossible to see and almost more impossible to hear truth from. At least, that is where I have been over the last few months. In my mind all I wanted was to follow Christ and enjoy Him alone, and yet the fear of man and the sin of introspection began to drown out truth and bog me down to a breaking point. I became so consumed with over-analytical thoughts that I began to feel like I couldn't say anything worth saying and couldn't do anything worth doing. In other words, I not only thought too deeply about my thoughts and actions, but I also analyzed every result that could come from those thoughts or spoken words.

O how terrible is the sin of introspection. It steals joy and hides all truth. Thankfully, through the kindness and steadfastness of my wife as well as much prayer and reading through scripture, I began to see the hope that lies only in the Savior. I also ran across a message by David Powlison which was no doubt a balm to my weary soul. I highly suggest that you listen to it. Powlison is a very gifted counselor and I highly recommend any and all of his materials. If you have ever struggled with introspection, or you know of someone who does, I believe this may be of immense benefit.

While I may have grown towards humility in some respects, it is clear that I cannot rid myself of pride by mere introspection alone, but by mainly trusting in Christ and constantly and consistently applying His grace in my life. What a Counselor we have in Jesus!

You can download David Powlison's message here from Sovereign Grace Ministries.

Voddie Baucham on CNN: Sarah Palin & Women's Roles

What began as a simple discussion about Sarah Palin quickly became an impassioned discussion about the roles of women and the truth of the gospel.

Voddie Baucham = Titus 1:9

Where Are Our Hopes and Dreams?

I can't help but wonder if children growing up today will hold on to this thought...



I sure hope so. You don't see too many adults walking around hoping and dreaming anymore. In such a jaded world it makes sense that most of us wouldn't feel this way. But then again, anything is possible with Christ. (Phil. 4:13)

A world without Christ is a world where nothing is possible.

Thank God for a perfect and sustaining Savior!

A Prayer of John Calvin - Commentary on the Book of Jonah

I was reading through Calvin's commentary on Jonah and came across this prayer. I hope it blesses you.

Grant, Almighty God, that as thou sees us implicated in so many errors, that we often fall through want of thought, and as thou also sees that the violent emotions of our flesh wholly blind whatever reason and judgment there is in us, — O grant, that we may learn to give up ourselves altogether to obey thee, and so honor thy wisdom as never to contend with thee, though all things may happen contrary to our wishes, but patiently to wait for such an issue as it may please thee to grant; and may we never be disturbed by any of the hindrances which Satan may throw in our way, but ever go on towards the mark which thou hast set before us, and never turn aside from thee, until, having gone through all dangers and overcome all impediments, we shall at length reach that blessed rest, which has been obtained for us by the blood of thy Son. Amen.

The Truth Project

My church will be going through the Truth Project in the Fall, and I think it will be a very beneficial time for every person involved. For those of you who have never heard of the Truth Project before, here is a short introduction from their site:

In a recent study, the Barna Research Group revealed a stunning statistic that continues to reverberate throughout the evangelical world. Only 9 percent of professing Christians have a biblical worldview.1

Because of this, today's believers live very similarly to non-believers. A personal sense of significance is rarely experienced, we spend our money and time on things that fail to satisfy and we begin to wonder what life's ultimate purpose really is. We are, in short, losing our bearings as a people and a nation.

To counter this slide within the body of Christ, we are launching one of the most ambitious and powerful projects in the history of our ministry—Focus on the Family's The Truth Project.

The Truth Project is a DVD-based small group curriculum comprised of 12 one-hour lessons taught by Dr. Del Tackett. This home study is the starting point for looking at life from a biblical perspective. Each lesson discusses in great detail the relevance and importance of living the Christian worldview in daily life.

The leaders of our church spent the previous Spring going through each of the videos, and I must admit that I was very impressed. The production is top-notch, the speaking by Dr. Tackett is inspiring, and most importantly, the Truth is presented. This isn't just what Del Tackett believes to be true, or what Focus on the Family believes to be true. This is biblical truth through and through.

Who would benefit from this series?

• Pastors (especially if you struggle with how to present a biblical world-view to your church, or if you are unable to teach through these topics yourself due to time constraints)
• Small group leaders (3 months worth of solid material with a great opportunity for discussion)
• College students (Great tool for sparking conversation on campus about truth, but more importantly, the Gospel)
• Parents (Sit down with your children and watch these videos.  The time you spend helping your children to have a biblical world-view, the more equipped they will be in 10-20 years when who knows what people will say about truth then!)
• Anyone (While Focus on the Family has made it a point not to use this series for evangelism, it can't hurt to show this to your unbelieving friends and family.  It is very well done and could very well lead to someone's salvation)

Hop on over to The Truth Project site.  Whether you need it or not, it's worth your time to at least check it out.  

Here is the promotional video for your viewing pleasure:

Signing Bibles: The Apex of Christian Celebrity?

I've only seen this in person a few times, and I am just not sure what to think of it. In fact, I am really rather confused by the whole idea of it. I know that the "Celebrity Culture" exists across the Christian landscape and that it has only become more rampant since the Internet has grown.

Nationally, many Evangelicals consider Rick Warren to be "America's Pastor". In fact, considering his global influence some even refer to him as the Pope of Evangelicalism. While I think that is a ridiculous idea, many Christians treat him as the end-all be-all of Christian leadership. How did he get to this point? He sold a few influential books, most notably the Purpose Driven Church & Purpose Driven Life, grew a massive church, and probably most important was the use of The Purpose Driven Life in the kidnapping of Ashley Smith a few years ago. He is a perfect example of a Christian Celebrity. Evangelical pastors want to be him, and many Evangelicals want to follow him. The question is, are they following his love for Jesus, or his celebrity?

It seems that we have brought this on ourselves. Has John Piper become the Michael Crichton or Tom Clancy of the Christian world? Do we buy his books because his name is on it, or because we expect to be shown the wonders of God and the joy of following Jesus? It would seem that Dr. Piper intends the second, but I wonder sometimes if we really buy the books he writes for that reason. Maybe it's a little of both. I can definitely see that in myself a little, and I recognize the danger of it.

Why is it dangerous? The only celebrity in Christianity is God. He is the only one who deserves to be famous. I fawn over certain authors as much as the next person, and I would like to think that it is all because of what they write, but I would be dishonest in saying so. How many of us have gone to conferences and have purchased a book because we recognize the author but in the meantime we pass over many diligent and helpful saints who are not as well known? I have. How many of us have gone to conferences for the speakers and just convince ourselves that we like the theme of the conference as well? I have done that too. However, even with my own motive issues, those books and conferences have proven invaluable. The question I suppose I need to always ask myself is, "Am I buying this book or going to this conference because I want to bring more glory to God?" There can be many motives that seem good, but blot out that "Glory Motive". Where do your motives lie when a new book comes out, or when your denomination holds a conference? Is it because of the celebrity factor or because you want to glorify Christ?

So this brings me to the point about signing Bibles. I have seen men I respect do this and it just seems strange. A recent story about J.I. Packer sums it up well:

"After I had my my book signed, many more pressed him. He signed books as he answered questions. The insight he provided into the Puritans in those few minutes still have a lasting impact on me. During the conversation, a young man (my age) approached Packer with a newly purchased ESV Bible (of which Packer was a general editor). Excitedly, he asked Packer to sign it and handed it to him. For a few moments Packer held the Bible in his hands, and quietly returned it to the young man. He said, "Son, this is God's book. If you want it signed you will need to ask him." - Josh Gelatt (Ephemeros blog)

It seems to me that J.I. Packer has the right idea. Something about asking a preacher you admire to sign your Bible just reeks of the Celebrity Culture. Granted, as some of you know I had my picture taken with some of the speakers at T4G. Honestly, most of my reasoning was because I wanted to get my picture taken with someone I greatly respected. I wanted to have that memory. And seriously, if C.H. Spurgeon were walking around and you had a camera, you know you would want your picture taken too. Regardless, even in my desire to have that memory, I think that I promoted the Celebrity Culture in Christianity.

All in all, I'm not sure I agree with signing Bibles, but at the same time it isn't a deal breaker for me. With all of the writing of books and great conferences out there the Celebrity Culture is inevitable. I see it nationally, and I even see it in the group of churches I belong to. Oddly enough, many of the old dead guys that we all love to read so much never gained fame or prominence until hundreds of years after they died. Maybe it should still be that way.

So what do you think? Should church leaders sign Bibles or not?

***DISCLAIMER: I must say that I believe many of our national leaders to be pursuing the gospel first with no thought to their own fame or celebrity, but it would appear that some toss their weight around more than others...

Mark Driscoll's "A Book You'll Actually Read"

Looks like Mark Driscoll has written a few more books, and each one is only 96 pages long! Click here to watch an overview video.

This series is available for pre-order and will be released on June 30th, 2008. They've made it possible to embed the introduction videos, so here they are for your viewing pleasure.

Also, if you want to have some fun, play all the videos at the same time (after watching each one first). I just did this and it made me laugh. Four Mark Driscoll's talking at the same time may just be someone's worst nightmare. If that's you, my apologies...

God is Enough

Knowledge Without Wisdom = Bad News Bears

I really needed to read this today...(Thank you Desiring God blog!)

If a twelve-year-old makes A’s in school and generally makes wise choices, how would you help her apply this verse to herself?
Never be wise in your own sight. (Romans 12:16)

You might say:

1. It means that you gladly admit that all true wisdom is from God. It is his, and not finally ours.

2. It means that you recognize that any sense of superiority comes from comparing yourself only with your inferiors. But the most important person to compare yourself with is God, and he is infinitely wiser than you. Not only that, there are a lot of people in the world wiser than you.

3. It means that you feel humbled by the fact that you are a sinner deserving of God’s wrath, and that you are amazed at the grace that gives you eternal life. This humility and amazement swallows up a sense of pride.

4. It means that you do not count yourself worthy of being served, but rather “empty yourself” and become obedient and serve others, both the wise and the foolish.

5. It means that you are mainly not thinking about yourself at all but taken up with how admirable Jesus is and how wonderful his works are and how interesting and needy others are.

CJ Mahaney Interviews Sinclair Ferguson

If you haven't heard these interview clips already, you probably should stop whatever you are doing and listen to them. Ok, maybe that is going a little too far. Seriously though, if you have nothing better to do, it would NOT be a waste of your time. Here is the blurb from the Sovereign grace blog:

Over the past week we have been posting small excerpts from C.J.’s rich interview with pastor and author Dr. Sinclair Ferguson. Here is a complete index of those blog posts. Also, we’ve included the full audio recording from the two-hour interview.

Here is the link to these interviews:

Sinclair Ferguson Interview: Index and Audio

We Don't Give Jesus Enough Credit

During my devotional time last night I was struck with how much Jesus has done for us, and how little I actually praise Him for it. My reading was 1 Corinthians 1:1-17, but I will be focusing on verses 1-9.

1:1 Paul, called by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, and our brother Sosthenes,

2 To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours:

3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

4 I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus, 5 that in every way you were enriched in him in all speech and all knowledge— 6 even as the testimony about Christ was confirmed among you— 7 so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift, as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ, 8 who will sustain you to the end, guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Let's look at Paul first.

Paul, called by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus

From this statement alone it is clear that Paul's role as an apostle did not come from his own volition, but rather by the call and will of God. Paul wasn't sitting around one day wondering what his next career path would be. He was killing Christians, and would have still been killing Christians had Jesus not knocked him to the ground and blinded him on the way to Damascus. Jesus called to Paul, not the other way around. Jesus is responsible for Paul's conversion.

Now, I am going to take a broader stroke concerning the rest of us.

Jesus...

Sanctifies us (v.2)

Calls us to be saints (v.2)

Gives us grace and peace (vv.3-4)

Enriches our speech and knowledge (v.5)

Builds upon our spiritual gifts (v.7)

Sustains us to the end (v.8)

Makes us guiltless in God's sight (v.8)

Is Faithful (v.9)

Calls us into fellowship with Himself (v.9)

We...

Have fellowship together with other saints (v.2)

Call upon the name of the Lord (v.2)

Extend grace and peace to one another (v.3)

Give thanks to God, specifically the grace of God evident in fellow saints (v.4)

Testify to the grace we have received (v.6)

Wait for the final revelation of Jesus Christ (v.7)

The overall point of this is that Jesus Christ calls and sustains, and we merely respond. Without Christ doing all that is listed above, our list would not exist. The grace of Christ must be present if we are to praise Him rightly. The life of a Christian is marked by the evidence of Christ's calling, giving, and sustaining fellowship.

I cannot help but wonder if most Christians (myself included) fail to recognize just how much Jesus did and continues to do in our lives. It seems elementary really, and yet I doubt that Jesus receives the praise and thanksgiving that He so rightly deserves in working out our salvation.

I am thankful to Jesus that He felt it right to reveal these things to me during my short devotions, and I pray that I would not falter in trusting His perfect will and that I would praise Him more fully as a result.

The Cry from the Cross

A few weeks ago, I stumbled across a C.J. Mahaney sermon that I had somehow missed on my iPod. I had an hour's worth of walking ahead of me, so this message fit the bill nicely. I had no idea what was in store for me as I listened, but by the time I had reached my friend's house for Saturday morning bible study, I was practically in tears. It was at that point that I realized how beneficial this message would be for my small group meeting the Thursday before Easter. Well, that day is today! I believe that Christians everywhere could benefit from this as well, so I have posted the message below in order to help all of us to recognize and be affected by the cross, and also to prepare ourselves to celebrate the resurrection of our risen Lord!

Packer on Anglican Realignment

J.I. Packer has written more book recommendations than any one else in the history of the world. Most of us would recognize him as the author of the great book, Knowing God, as well as for his immense influence on modern day evangelicalism. However, his role in the Anglican church has been somewhat of an issue for many people, especially considering the views the Anglican church has taken regarding homosexuality. Below are four video clips that involve an interview with Packer and his response to these views. Each video is a few minutes long, and they are all included in the single YouTube video below. Enjoy!

Taken from www.americananglican.org:
"St John’s Shaughnessy (in Vancouver) produced a DVD for their congregation prior to their vestry vote to join ANiC and the Southern Cone. This DVD features the Rev David Short and Dr J I Packer being interviewed by journalist Susan Marinuk. Now, it has been broken into 10 segments and posted to YouTube.posted 2/27/08"

Meet the Puritans Review

When I attended the Desiring God conference last fall I could not believe the amount of books that were in the conference bookstore. Thankfully, we arrived early enough to see the bookstore completely stocked and so we were able to walk around and take our time deciding how we wanted to liquidate our bank accounts.

After picking up all of the books that I wanted to purchase (they really need shopping carts at these conferences), I checked out and carried the 200 lbs of books I purchased to each session and then back to our hotel. The next day I went back to the bookstore to see if I had missed anything worth reading. At the end of one of the tables was a pile of large blue books. For those of us who love reading, a large book is almost always appetizing! This large book was Meet the Puritans.

I must commend Joel R. Beeke and Randall J. Pederson for the amount of effort and care that they put into this book. What a tremendous undertaking this must have been! At a mere 839 pages (plus an extensive glossary) this is a comprehensive beginner's guide for anyone interested in the lives of the Puritans. This is not a general overview of Puritan theology, piety, etc., but it is rather the individual biographies of various Puritans throughout Europe and North America. Each biography is relatively short but incredibly informative. You will not walk away with the feeling that you haven't learned anything, that's for sure! The biographies are in alphabetical order and are seperated into three sections: English Puritanism, Scottish Divines, and Dutch Further-Reformation Divines. Each biography also contains a list of modern reprints of that particular Puritan's works. This is simply a great resource. The works of the Puritans range from the purely theological to the utterly practical. You want a guide to parenting? It's in this book.

The English Puritanism portion is the bulk of the reading, while the Scottish and Dutch sections are written in as appendixes. Why they are appendixes I do not know, because for me the book didn't end until I had read every single biography as well as the final appendix containing a concluding paragraph written by none other than J.I. Packer.

As I mentioned before, the book also contains a well written glossary that, for those of us who are unfamiliar with terms such as antinomianism, neonomianism, etc., was very helpful indeed. I even found myself reading the glossary for fun, which definitely says something!

Most would recommend that a book of this size should NOT be read from front to back. I would disagree. The format is such that you really can meet a few puritans everyday and not get burned out. I started reading this book in November and finished it in February. Piece of cake. I must admit that during the Dutch section I started to feel that my Puritan high was running low, but that is to be expected with any book that contains close to 1,000 pages.

In summary, I loved this book. It was money well spent, and I would probably buy it again if something happened to my current copy. If your only view of the Puritans is your high school history class, please buy this book. The Puritans are often treated as strict, careless, hard-hearted, and anti-sex. Nothing could be further from the truth. These men loved their flock, loved the gospel, and loved their wives. Most of these guys had 8 kids! They loved Christ, and spent their lives teaching and preaching the glory of salvation. Their ability to connect theology with practice was incomparable, and it is something that many of us can learn from. These men knew God, and I am so thankful that we can reap the fruit of their devotion in books like these.

Buy This Book