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.

Ten Questions for Benefitting from a Conference

As Christians, we tend to like conferences. In fact, it would seem that to many of us, a conference is something you attend in order to rekindle or strengthen devotion to Christ. Sometimes when I've talked to people about conferences (and I have probably said similar things myself) they often put more stock in conferences than they do their weekly meeting at their local church. Almost as if Christ and His truth is more exciting and impactful when we are going to an annual event rather than at our run of the mill Sunday meeting. In my opinion, this is unfortunate, but I think that conferences do serve a very helpful role for both the universal church and our local churches and we shouldn't neglect participating in them when we are able.

This leads me to the core of this post which is basically a copy of Thabiti Anyabwile's blog post with the same name. Here is his post:

Don Whitney is the master of asking probing questions of our spiritual lives. In the conference program at the Ocean City Bible Conference there is a short article from Don listing 10 questions to ask to benefit from a conference. I’ll be thinking on these over the next couple days:

1. What’s the single most important truth I have learned at this conference?

2. What’s the most important thing in my life that will be different or I will attempt to change as a result of attending this conference?

3. What’s the next step I should take to incorporate this change into my life?

4. What’s the single most important resource I should acquire at or after this conference?

5. When will I begin to read/listen to/utilize this resource?

6. Who is one person at this conference with whom I should discuss this conference?

7. Who is one person after this conference with whom I should discuss something from the conference?

8. Who is the one person at this conference I most need to encourage?

9. Who is someone who has helped to organize or serve at this conference who deserves a word of gratitude and would be encouraged to know of the impact of this conference in my life?

10. What’s one thing I should pray about for myself and for others as a result of this conference?

For those of us in my home church in Greeley, this would be a good list to print out and tuck in your Bible. With Faithwalkers coming up in a few months as well as various other conferences that are both in and outside of our group of churches, this list could prove invaluable. In fact, these questions would be great to ask (with slight modification) after each Sunday morning meeting either by yourself or with friends or family.

Our Poor & Gospel Cooperation

Helpful post from 9 Marks. Some good points to absorb and pursue.

Our Poor & Gospel Cooperation

God's Church

I ran across this video this morning from Sojourn and was very moved by it. One thing I admire about churches like Mars Hill and Sojourn is that they reach out to people with severe problems. Honestly, these are people that I would not normally talk to or spend time with, but it seems that more often than not, these types of people are the people that Christ is calling out to and saving in powerful ways.

Maybe reading about Jesus teaching and drawing tax collectors to Himself doesn't resound with us, but replace "tax collector" with "drug addict" or "porn addict" and then maybe it will resound more. Christ is building His church, and it probably won't be full of people just like you. It may be full of people whom without Christ, you would never talk to or associate with. I love videos like this and think every church should try to do something similar to encourage and lift up the body with the works of God in the lives of His people.

Stories Of Change from Sojourn Community Church on Vimeo.

Disciple Making - The Trellis and the Vine

Just caught wind of this through Westminster Books newsletter. I haven't picked up a copy, but I trust Mark Dever's endorsement and will surely read it myself. If your church, like mine, is looking for a biblical way of making disciples this might just be of help to you. Check out Mark Dever's short explanation of the book below.




You can currently get the book for $10 at WTS Books.

Church or Club?

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:

Rob Bell's Church Welcomes Female Pastors

Get the story here.

It is a long post, but definitely worth the read.

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...

Willow Creek Overhaul

This was taken from an article on the site Our of Ur:

Today, Greg Hawkins, executive pastor at Willow, recapped the study and then shared some changes that the church is now making in response to the research. He said they’re making the biggest changes to the church in over 30 years. For three decades Willow has been focused on making the church appealing to seekers. But the research shows that it’s the mature believers that drive everything in the church—including evangelism.

Hawkins says, “We used to think you can’t upset a seeker. But while focusing on that we’ve really upset the Christ-centered people.” He spoke about the high levels of dissatisfaction mature believer have with churches. Drawing from the 200 churches and the 57,000 people that have taken the survey, he said that most people are leaving the church because they’re not being challenged enough.

Because it’s the mature Christians who drive evangelism in the church Hawkins says, “Our strategy to reach seekers is now about focusing on the mature believers. This is a huge shift for Willow.”


One major implementation of this shift will occur in June when Willow ends their mid-week worship services that had been geared toward believers. Instead the church will morph these mid-week events into classes for people at different stages of growth. There will be theological and bible classes full of “hard-hitting stuff.” Hawkins said most people are very enthusiastic about the change.

On the seeker end of the spectrum, Willow is also changing how they produce their weekend services. For years the value people appreciated most about the seeker-oriented weekend services was anonymity. This is what all their research showed. People didn’t want to be identified, approached, confronted, or asked to do anything. But those days are over.

“Anonymity is not the driving value for seeker services anymore,” says Hawkins. “We’ve taken anonymity and shot it in the head. It’s dead. Gone.” In the past Willow believed that seekers didn’t want large doses of the Bible or deep worship music. They didn’t want to be challenged. Now their seeker-sensitive services are loaded with worship music, prayer, Scripture readings, and more challenging teaching from the Bible.

Willow has been wrestling with the research from REVEAL since 2004. Hawkins said, “We’ve tried incremental changes for four years, but now we know we have to overhaul our whole strategy.” Small steps are no longer the method; Willow is revamping everything. “It would be malpractice for us to not do something with what we’re learning.”

In the larger REVEAL survey taken by 200 churches, people were asked what they want most from their church. Three of the top four responses were:
1. Help me understand the Bible in greater depth
2. Help me develop a closer personal relationship with Christ
3. Challenge me to grow and take the next step in my faith

Read the rest here.

Still, I can't help but notice that it is still all about what the people want. What happens when they want something else? I'm just thankful that the flavor of the month for them is scripture and theology. I say that tongue-in-cheek. Hopefully, once they see the fruit from this, they'll never go back.

Proclaim: An Evangelism Resource for Your Church

Want to share your faith but don't know how? Proclaim is a small-group course designed to help everyday Christians like you grow in sharing the good news of Jesus Christ. Through seven sessions, you'll discover how to communicate the gospel more clearly and how to trust God more fully in evangelism.

Session Titles
The Unstoppable Gospel
Gifted for Evangelism
Becoming a Friend of Sinners
Breaking the Sound Barrier
Proclaim the Bad News
Proclaim the Good News
Putting the Go in Gospel

The Proclaim course was developed by Covenant Fellowship Church in Glen Mills, Pennsylvania, to help you grow in sharing your faith. To learn more, visit www.ProclaimCourse.com.

Sovereign Grace Ministries is offering a Small Group Study Kit on their site as well.

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.

Twelve Days of Luther - Day 6

Indulgences spread through Germany. While many rejoice in being redeemed through a quick monetary exchange, Luther becomes frustrated and angered. His flock was being deceived. In an effort to uncover the heresy within the papacy and the use of indulgences, Luther writes his 95 Theses and nails them to the Wittenberg Castle door. Little did he know that this work of his would be mass produced and distributed throughout Europe.

As I watched this video, I couldn't help but notice a similarity between indulgences and modern day evangelism. Indulgences provided a quick fix and an easy assurance of redemption. Through successful advertising, many considered themselves free and no longer in need of confession. Does this sound familiar?

The popular evangelism of our day is to come up with catchy ways to share the gospel, or to create the most efficient gospel presentation so that the person on receiving end of that presentation has the best possible chance to be saved. We tell someone, "Say this prayer and you will be free!", or "Sign this card and your sins will be forgiven you!". Doesn't this sound like a quick fix? I am convinced that if someone genuinely repents and believes that they are redeemed, and that this comes by the Spirit of God as a gift given by Christ. I suppose that what I am trying to say is that no amount of advertising, marketing, or fancy techniques will save a person's soul. I'm not even sure that they can persuade a person to repent and believe. Only Christ can regenerate a heart, and only Christ calls and draws His elect. No man can ever improve or add to what Christ does in working out salvation, and yet it seems that we try so hard to have a perfect delivery or well thought out sales pitch.

As a concluding point: Use tracts, use the cross diagram, memorize specific verses, teach outreach in your church, but by all means do not think that any of these things in and of themselves save a person's soul. They can help us to give a 'clear' presentation, but all we can do is plant a seed, water it, and expect that if Christ is at work in that person the seed will grow. The most amazing testimony of Christ is your own joy in the grace and mercy that he has shown you. People are advertised to every day, they don't want to hear us sell Jesus. Herald the true gospel my friends and trust the unwavering faithfulness of Christ!

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"

Mohler on America's Religious Landscape

This is a very enlightening read. Here is an excerpt from the article:

--------------------------------------------------------------
More than one-quarter of American adults (28%) have left the faith in which they were raised in favor of another religion -- or no religion at all. If change in affiliation from one type of Protestantism to another is included, roughly 44% of adults have either switched religious affiliation, moved from being unaffiliated with any religion to being affiliated with a particular faith, or dropped any connection to a specific religious tradition altogether.

The first wave of media reports pointed to this section of the report, while pointing to the larger issue of religious diversity and the growth of "nothing in particular" as a response. The "switching" phenomenon was a leading focus of the report summary, with Pew researchers arguing that "religious affiliation in the U.S. is both very diverse and extremely fluid."

What are we to make of this? The report is a credible and extensive review of the American religious landscape. Taken as a whole, the data point to big changes on the horizon. The loss of a Protestant majority will lead to further adjustments in the cultural worldview. Clearly, America is more of a mission field than ever before.
--------------------------------------------------------------

Read the entire article by Dr. Mohler here.

Corporate Prayer in the Local Church

Over the last month or so our church has been really trying to focus on prayer. We did 24 hours of prayer to start it all off, and have been attempting 40 Days of Prayer as well. Our pastors have been teaching on the practicalities of prayer as well as the importance of giving God absolute praise and honor for his interceding on our behalf. Right before we started this whole thing 9Marks distributed a 9Marks eJournal for January/February. Oddly enough, it focused on corporate prayer in the local church. I wanted to make this eJournal available because I greatly respect the heart of 9Marks and their mission to equip local churches for the glory of God. For instance, this is their mission statement:

We believe the local church is the focal point of God's plan for displaying his glory to the nations. Our vision is simple: Churches that reflect the character of God.

First, I have to say that I do not agree with EVERYTHING in the journal, but I was motivated and challenged by a lot of it. Some of the ideas and convictions held in this eJournal will probably bug you if you are really set in your ways, but that just means it's probably good for you.

Second, there is a lot of stuff in this eJournal so be prepared for a long read. It is basically a small pamphlet so be forewarned if you plan to read the whole thing. You may need to read a bit, and then come back to it later. You can also subscribe to the eJounral at www.9marks.com.

I hope that this gives you some new ideas! Enjoy!

Click here to read the PDF version.

Preaching and Teaching Jesus from Scripture (Pt. 5)

At last, Part 5 of Mark Driscoll's 5-part series on 'Preaching and Teaching'. We've reached the end, and I hope that it was a beneficial for you as it was for me. The title of the final message is Ten Cautions & Encouragements for Preachers.

I feel that I must remind each of you, in light of Mark's ability to speak, to please take all that you hear with a grain of salt. It can be far too easy to jump on board with someone who is well spoken without taking time to think and pray over the things that they have said. While I agree with almost all of what Mark has said, as a preacher and teacher you must personally discern what is most useful for your flock in particular. What is lacking in your church? What is strong in your church? Is the gospel being preached every Sunday in one way, shape, or form? What I gleaned most from this series was the importance of the message during Sunday worship. (And any other days where there is a teaching.) It would be a very sad thing to have a preacher/teacher who thought that, since most people apparently forget everything they've heard, that their time speaking was a waste of time, or ineffective. It may be that the very reason the teaching is ineffective is because of the low view of it in the church. Who knows? Please don't misunderstand. I am not trying to promote a high view of the preacher, but rather a high view of the spoken word of God. In any case, I hope you've enjoyed the series, and gained some tools for your 'Preacher's Toolbox'. Maybe I'll try to do similar 'Series Posts' like this in the future.

If you would like the sermon note summary for this teaching or if the video does not load properly please click here.


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Again, my thanks goes out to Mark Driscoll and the Resurgence for making these videos available to the public.

Preaching and Teaching Jesus from Scripture (Pt. 4)

We have come to Part 4 of Mark Driscoll's 5-part series on 'Preaching and Teaching'. How quickly the days fly by! The title of this message is Historical Lessons on Preaching.

If you would like the sermon note summary for this teaching or if the video does not load properly please click here.


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Again, my thanks goes out to Mark Driscoll and the Resurgence for making these videos available to the public.

Preaching and Teaching Jesus from Scripture (Pt. 3)

Here is Part 3 of Mark Driscoll's 5-part series on 'Preaching and Teaching'. The title of this message is Epistemological and Hermeneutical Implications on Preaching.

If you would like the sermon note summary for this teaching or if the video does not load properly please click here.


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Again, my thanks goes out to the Resurgence for making these videos available to the public.