Adam Stahr serves as an intern with 2 Pillars Church in Lincoln, and recently posted an excellent video from Tim Keller and article on his site.  We want you to watch the video, so just click here!

This post is written by Erik Raymond, a pastor of Omaha Bible Church.  To comment visit the original post here.

I recently had a terrific conversation with a fellow pastor. We talked about how much we appreciate the accessibility of so many great bible teachers today. There seems to be a larger number of helpful books, blogs, podcasts, and videos available than ever before.

For this we remain thankful.

Well, sort of.

One of the things that has disturbed me in the last few years is the way in which the public debate so galvanizes us against one another. For example: Pastor so and so (let’s just call him John) who is highly successful with a substantial following takes a public shot at another pastor (let’s just call him Mark), who also is highly successful with a substantial following. (whether the first or second pastor were right is not the point at this point)

What is the result?

Well, a fairly awkward climate for discussion among the less visible pastors and lay people.

This is real life for me. I like John MacArthur. I have ever since I first laid eyes on The Gospel According to Jesus. In so many ways I want to emulate his pastoral & preaching ministry. At the same time I like Mark Driscoll. I have ever since I read Radical Reformission. I am thankful to God for Driscoll’s personal devotion to Christ, love for his flock and desire to reach those outside of Christ. You may recall that last year there were a series of blog posts that lit up the blogosphere, twittersphere and any other reformed sphere out there. This resulted in a lot of defending and accusing by a lot of different people (again, who is ‘right’ is beyond my scope here, it is the result that I’m after). The tension got so thick that I remember getting the stink eye from folks because I would speak favorably about either Driscoll or MacArthur. It got old. It is frustrating.

The weight of the issue/problem really came to light sometime last year for me. On a few occassions (either verbally or in writing) I would note that one of these guys made a great point or preached a particularly helpful sermon. The responses were often, “You know that guy is dangerous.” Or, “You know that guy is a…whatever.”

I would often attempt to defend the individual point and then have to give several qualifications letting people know that I am in fact aware of all the prevailing issues, while apologizing for all of their life shortcomings except their iPod playlists.

It gets exhausting.

The reason I am pointing to them is because they are exalting Christ. However, all of the little clones are running around trying to blow up the other guy all the time. And if you are taking ‘his’ side then maybe you are to be implicated in his shortcomings. (Believe me, I got the unpublished blog comments & emails to prove it)

Here is the issue: I was just wanting to point to Christ. That’s it. That was the point. However, all of the ground forces for the respective militia parties were grabbing their shoulder-launched missiles to take you out for suggesting something of value coming from such a source. And this is when it hit me: they can’t see the value of what is being said about the Savior because their Savior is in front of him. If you cannot find value in what one guy is saying when it truly exalts Jesus then you probably have an idolatry problem.  I think this is what Paul was getting at with those wing-nuts in Corinth:

For it has been reported to me by Chloe’s people that there is quarreling among you, my brothers. 12 What I mean is that each one of you says, “I follow Paul,” or “I follow Apollos,” or “I follow Cephas,” or “I follow Christ.” 13 Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? (1 Cor. 1.11-13)

Paul goes on to remind them that their idenity is bound up not in men but in the God-man:

And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, 31 so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.” (1 Cor. 1.30-31)

This would be really helpful for us to remember today. In an age where we can get instant updates from all of our respective ‘heros’ we should remember that they are men. And their value is in their giftedness in leading us to love and serve Christ. We as idol-craving people can quickly make the jump from leader-to hero-to savior.

The issue goes beyond and deeper than John MacArthur and Mark Driscoll, it really does. It is with us. It is with the followers. We have issues. This is why I am now committed more than ever to not being all about defending everybody. And with that, I am not all about qualifying everyone. After all, not everyone can be D.A. Carson, right? (just kidding).

But seriously, it does cause us to step back, take another swig of the 1 Corinthians reality and labor to be more dutiful in prayer for the leaders God has blessed and our own hearts as well. We don’t have to get a Johnny Mac tat or wear a tie with Driscoll’s grill on it. Let our lives be about the gospel; the promotion and defense of Jesus.

This post comes from Jon Wymer, leading York Evangelical Free Church.  To comment on this post, visit the original.

This post is written by Kendal Haug, serving with Coram Deo in Omaha.  To comment visit the post over at the CD website.

This is the second post in a series highlighting some of the songs we sing together on Sunday mornings. As I reminded us last time, when we gather as a church and sing, we are seeking to drive the truths of the Gospel down into our hearts and minds that it might overflow into a life of worship. Our singing has Gospel implications, and so it matters.

I Boast No More is a hymn written by Isaac Watts, who is widely considered the Father of English Hymnody, as he is credited with roughly 750 hymns. The chorus and melody that we sing and have become familiar with at Coram Deo were once again written and composed by Sandra McCracken. The verses of this hymn, taken almost right out of Phil. 3:7-9, speak quite beautifully of the righteousness we have in Christ alone. This righteousness is not due to any merit of ourselves, rather it is a gift of grace from God so that no one may boast (Eph. 2:8-9). The truth of the verses drive the response/resolve of the chorus.

Righteousness is a fundamental attribute of God which speaks of His perfection; He is right, just, and good in ALL His ways (Ps. 145:17). And because God is righteous, He also requires righteousness, which is set forth by His righteous law. This is God’s standard for all people. This is God’s standard for us.

Of course we do not meet this standard: “As it is written: ‘There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.’ (Rom. 3:10-12)” We stand condemned before a holy God; we are under His righteous judgment and wrath. This should produce in us fear and trembling. If it does not, maybe we have not truly experienced the character and nature of God. Before God, even our best acts are like filthy rags…

The best obedience of my hands
Dares not appear before Thy throne;

But here is the beauty of the Gospel: In Jesus, the righteous demands of God’s law are answered. The Gospel reveals to us the righteousness of God in a whole new way (Rom. 1:17) — not only is righteousness God’s standard, it is also His provision for us through Christ. This is called passive righteousness. God justifies us while we are still sinners, through faith in what Jesus has accomplished on the cross…

But faith can answer Thy demands,
By pleading what my Lord has done.

In the Gospel, not only do we receive forgiveness, we also receive the perfect righteousness of Christ so that we are acceptable before God. The cry of this hymn is that “we find all comfort in Jesus’ wounds and have no need to seek or invent any other means to reconcile ourselves with God than this one and only sacrifice, which renders believers perfect (righteous) forever.” We quit the vain things we turn to for hope, our self-righteous duties/acts, our constant striving for our own pride and glory. No more do we boast in those things, we have died to our former selves. May our lips sing and hearts boast only in Jesus Christ, and Him crucified!

And since you have made it to the end of the post, I will let you in on a little insider information: I Boast No More will be included on our soon-to-be released Coram Deo worship album.

This post is written by Phil Awtry from Highland Park Evangelical Free Church in Columbus.  You can comment on this over at the original post on Phil’s blog.

Working on a lesson about healthy church members being Biblical evangelists, I posed a question: “How does a Biblical understanding of the gospel and a Biblical understanding of conversion impact our understanding of evangelism?” The last two lessons in this series have been addressing just these two themes – a Biblical understanding of the gospel of Christ, and a Biblical understanding of conversion. So just how do these two foundational building blocks of gospel ministry affect the way we understand our mission as ambassadors for Christ (2 Corinthians 5:20)?

What is evangelism? It’s the heralding of the message of reconciliation of lost sinners to a holy and righteous God through faith in a perfectly substitutionary sacrificed Son and expressed in a life of obedience to Him. That in a nutshell is the evangel, the good news, the gospel of Jesus Christ. That, and only that, and all of that, is the propositional truth that must be communicated. There are many methods, approaches, tactics and strategies for doing so, but all of those methods must include a clear communication of these core gospel truths or they are not evangelism. This is why so-called lifestyle evangelism or “witnessing with our lives” may be helpful, but is not evangelism. Sharing our testimonies of God’s grace in our lives through Christ is a good and right thing to do, but it’s not evangelism. A Biblical understanding of the gospel requires that those objective gospel truths be clearly communicated. A Biblical understanding of the gospel, then, impacts the content of our evangelism. It defines the message to be proclaimed.

So what then about conversion? How does a Biblical understanding of conversion impact how we do evangelism? When we understand that conversion, in Scriptural terms, is far more than what we often strive for today, it transforms our view of what the objective of our evangelism is. Praying to “accept Jesus into your heart”, signing a card, walking an aisle, “making a decision”, are all too often viewed as the sign of successful evangelism. But none of these popular ideas and terms are even close to being found in the Scriptures. They tend to put our focus on closing the deal and getting a name on a card or a profession of faith. But the Biblical model of conversion is far, far more demanding. A profession of faith without a corresponding confession of life is in fact a dead profession, according to James chapter 2. The Scriptures constantly use terms of repentance (metanoia) and conversion (strepho) when referring to coming to saving belief in Christ. Not just profession with the mouth, but confession with the life through surrender to Him as Lord (Romans 10:9-10). So then, a Biblical understanding of conversion impacts the objective of our evangelism. We seek to see God make converted disciples, not simply gain professions of faith.

Does this Biblical informing of the content and objective of evangelism match what’s seen in much of postmodern American evangelicalism? Sadly, no it does not. A widespread superficial understanding and communication of the gospel, combined with a decision-focused objective in conversion, is producing generations of professed Christians who at best have a tenuous hold on eternity, and at worst (and more likely) are still in their sin and given false assurance of salvation.

As Thabiti Anyabwile states in his excellent little book, What is a Healthy Church Member?, “Apart from a Biblical understanding of conversion and evangelism, a church member will be most unhelpful in completing the churches mission of making disciples.” God, save us from being unhelpful to your work in building Your church and Your kingdom. Give us a solid reliance on the understandings of the gospel of Christ and the nature of true conversion that You reveal to us in Your word. And give us unwavering confidence in Your power to save Your elect by Your gospel. “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes…” – Romans 1:16.

This post is from Chad Knudson, assistant pastor of an Evangelical Free congregation in Fremont.  Visit this article on his blog!

About two months ago I preached on James 1:19-27 (you can listen to the sermon here).  James 1:19-27 is probably the most well-known passage in the whole book, especially verses nineteen and twenty.  Most often believers understand James 1:19-20 to say that in our day-to-day relationships with people we should be quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger.  In other words, listen carefully, consider how you speak to others, and be self-controlled.

While the Bible has a lot to say about our personal interactions with others (especially with our tongues), I don’t think this is what James has in mind.  Remember James is writing to Jewish Christians who are facing persecution for their faith in Christ.  The context of chapter one is how the church is to deal with trials.

James 1:2-4: Have joy in trials for God is making you complete.

James 1:5-8: If you lack wisdom in trials, ask God for it and he will give it freely.

James 1:9-11: Understand the nature of trials.  Trials can come to all people.

James 1:12-15: Do not find fault with God in trials.

James 1:16-18: God is good and his goodness is demonstrated in our salvation.

I believe that 1:19-20 is a continuation of what James has been talking about in chapter one.  In our trials we must be quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger.  In our trials we are to be quick to hear the gospel.  We are to remember God’s love for us in Jesus Christ.  We must be quick to hear (or remember) what God’s word says about our relationship to him in the midst of trials.  A loving God brings trials into my life to conform me to the image of his Son (cf., Rom 8:29; Col 3:10; Heb 12:3-11).  Likewise, we must be slow to speak.  What do we often say in our trials?  God is mad at me, he has forsaken me, and he has turned his back on me.  We speak out of our frustration, rather than remembering that a merciful God does all things for our benefit.  Finally, we must be slow to anger.  When we fail to remember the gospel in our trials we are tempted to become angry, bitter, and resent God.  When we face trials we must not become angry with God, but with a teachable heart learn what God has for us.  It is certainly biblical to have a righteous anger toward injustice, but when we suffer because of injustice we should never assign evil to God.  In the midst of our trials we must live out the truth of who God has already made us (1:18) and we must live in the good of the gospel, which reminds us of God’s love, mercy, and grace.

Asaph was faced with the temptation to speak without knowledge in the face of his trials.  He wrote in Psalm 73:12-17:

Behold, these are the wicked; always at ease, they increase in riches. All in vain have I kept my heart clean and washed my hands in innocence. For all the day long I have been stricken and rebuked every morning. If I had said, “I will speak thus,” I would have betrayed the generation of your children. But when I thought how to understand this, it seemed to me a wearisome task, until I went into the sanctuary of God; then I discerned their end.

Asaph realized that he was in no position to be angry with God, but in his presence remembered God’s justice, mercy, and love.  As we face trials in our lives we must remember the gospel.  We must recall the truth of God’s love found in the gospel.  We must not speak falsehoods about God in our trials, but recite gospel truths.  Moreover, we must not become angry with God when we face trials of various kinds, but understand that our loving Father deals with us as sons so that we might share in his holiness.

I appreciate what Tim Lane and Paul Tripp have to say about trials.

Trials do not cause us to be what we have not been; rather, they reveal what we have been all along.  The harvest the trial produces is the result of the roots already in our hearts. (How People Change, p. 102)

Will we remember the gospel in our trials or will we forget it?  What will be revealed to be in our hearts in the midst of trials?

This post is from Chris White who leans toward amillenialism but has been considering premillenialism, visit the post on his blog. Expect an original article from Chris on this topic soon.

Now to be fair I have to allow some other views into the discussion. Throughout all my studies (which is a small amount of time for such an interesting and argued about topic) I have come to some hermeneutics that I believe has to stand and some points that are still in question. I’ll explain, when reading the Bible I believe that the Bible explains the Bible and more so the New Testament shines light onto the Old Testament. So the New helps the readers to understand what the Old was talking about. They are to be regarded as one book with the full story laid out before the reader. This hermeneutic is used by almost all Amillennium believers, but that is not the only view that needs to be looked at. The Historical Premillennium view also holds this same hermeneutic of reading the Old in light of the New. This view is also not one of the most believed views but to me holds the strongest augments out of all the Premillennium views.
In the following article we see a very basic review of the Historical Premillennium view…
Chris White
Historic Premillennialism by R. Todd Mangum, Ph.D. Assistant Professor of Theology Biblical Theological Seminary200 N. Main Street Hatfield, PA 19440
Three lines of biblical evidence seem to suggest that, when Jesus returns, He is coming to set up an earthly kingdom that is greater and more wondrous in kind than our present existence, but not as great and wondrous as the final, eternal state. That is, when Christ comes back, He will set up with His faithful ones a “reign of a thousand years” that will restore the earth to a paradise-like state, but not the full paradise of the eternal state. This observation forms the basis of the “premillennial view” of eschatology (meaning Jesus comes “before the millennium” to set up “His millennial reign”). A premillennialist eschatology is one that the early church fathers seem also to have affirmed – hence, the label “historic premillennialism.”
In terms of biblical evidence, first, several prophecies use graphic language to describe a time of supernaturally inaugurated peace, prosperity and calm, but with aging and death nevertheless still in existence. In other words, the Bible presents the future eradication of sin and death as coming in two stages: a silver “millennial” stage, followed by the final judgments and the eternal state – a premillennial return, followed by the millennial reign, then the eternal state (see 1 Cor. 15:23-24).
Twice in the book of Isaiah, conditions on earth are described as a time when “the wolf will dwell with the lamb, and the leopard will lie down with the kid, and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little boy will lead them. Also the cow and the bear will graze; their young will lie down together; and the lion will eat straw like the ox. And the nursing child will play by the hole of the cobra, and the weaned child will put his hand on the snake’s den. They will not hurt or destroy in all My holy mountain, for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea” (Isa. 11:6-9; cf. Isa. 65:25). Notice the description of incredible peacefulness, even in the animal kingdom – the curse has been suppressed, at least. But notice also that babies apparently are still being born, nursing, and being weaned; is that possible in the eternal state? Isa. 65:20 adds that, during this period, “the youth will die at the age of one hundred and the one who does not reach the age of one hundred shall be thought accursed.” Death, apparently, has less of a sting than it has now, but it’s still around. Again, it does not sound like the eternal state, but it’s certainly a state of existence far better than what we know now.
These descriptions do not lend themselves well to a merely figurative, hyperbolic or typological sort of interpretation, either. Rather, they seem like vivid details selected and presented as poignant excerpts of what will be characteristic of this future era. The overall picture portrayed is one in which paradise on earth has precipitously advanced, but traces of the curse can still be detected.
Secondly, Christ’s return is described as a cataclysmic event inaugurating a period in which He “rules with a rod of iron” (Rev. 19:15; Rev. 12:5; Rev. 2:26-27). Why would such a “rod of iron” be necessary in the eternal state, when all the enemies of God are disposed of in the Lake of Fire? Rather, as premillennialists have traditionally suggested, the Bible’s description of Christ’s post-second coming reign seems to be of a time when Christ is firmly in control, but He also still has enemies that He must persistently and vigilantly suppress in the exercise of His righteous authority. I.e., the biblical picture of the future is one in which a “silver age” of Christ’s millennial reign precedes the “golden age” of the eternal state.
Finally, Rev. 20 explicitly reveals that Christ’s second coming unfolds in two stages: in stage one, He and His saints reign over the nations “for a thousand years.” This “millennium” is a time when Satan is bound and the enemies of Christ are defeated and suppressed . . . but it is not yet the final stage. At the end of stage one, Satan is released and, for a brief time, the nations are once again deceived and rise up in one last rebellion against Christ and His saints. They are defeated, of course, but the fact that such a rebellion is even possible suggests that Christ’s second coming does not immediately usher in the eternal state in which sin, rebellion and death are completely eradicated. Rather, the second coming ushers in an intermediary “silver age,” with the final “golden age” being established only after a final, consummative battle. Only then, in Rev. 20:14 – after the battles described in Rev. 20:7-10 (cf. Ezek. 38-39) have run their final course – are “the devil, death and Hades” themselves “thrown into the lake of fire.”
Premillennialists have differed among themselves as to what other details will be fulfilled during this millennial state. Will God restore the nation of Israel to prominence, complete with a revived temple and “throne of David” from which Christ will rule? Or, are the thousand years merely the amount of time needed for the judgments of all humanity to be accomplished? Some premillennialists may even have been guilty of inappropriate dogmatism about details they have sometimes included in their apocalyptic speculations and eschatological charts.
But none of this should detract from the strong biblical evidence that underpins some basic premillennialist suppositions: (1) that Christ’s bodily return is a cataclysmic interruption (rather than a progressive, gradual sort of development); and (2) that the eternal state is preceded by an intermediate, transitional stage. These observations of biblical teaching form the heart of the premillennialist position. That biblical interpreters before Augustine were largely agreed on these points adds credibility to this interpretive approach and eschatology.