Happy Reformation Day!

A few quotes from Luther and Calvin for Reformation Day:

God preordained, for his own glory and the display of His attributes of mercy and justice, a part of the human race, without any merit of their own, to eternal salvation, and another part, in just punishment of their sin, to eternal damnation. John Calvin

Every one of us is, even from his mother's womb, a master craftsman of idols. John Calvin

I have no other name than sinner; sinner is my name, sinner is my surname-Luther

A dog barks when his master is attacked. I would be a coward if I saw that God's truth is attacked and yet would remain silent. - Calvin

A dungeon with Christ is a throne, and a throne without Christ a hell-Luther

You must submit to supreme suffering in order to discover the completion of joy. John Calvin

Cursed be that unity for which the Word of God is put at stake-Luther

There is not one blade of grass, there is no color in this world that is not intended to make us rejoice. John Calvin

I am so busy at this present time I cannot do with less than four hours each day in the presence of God-Luther

There is no worse screen to block out the Spirit than confidence in our own intelligence. John Calvin

There is not a word in the Bible, which is extra crucem, which can be understood without reference to the cross-Luther

No man is excluded from calling upon God, the gate of salvation is set open unto all men: neither is there any other thing which keeps us back from entering in, except our own unbelief. John Calvin

A Christian is never in a state of completion but always in a process of becoming-Luther

However many blessings we expect from God, His infinite liberality will always exceed all our wishes and our thoughts. John Calvin

The true Christian church is the work of the Word communicated by every available means-Luther

I consider looseness with words no less of a defect than looseness of the bowels. John Calvin

Faith is not an achievement, it is a gift. Yet it comes only through the hearing & study of the Word-Luther

God tolerates even our stammering, and pardons our ignorance whenever something inadvertently escapes us - as, indeed, without this mercy there would be no freedom to pray. John Calvin

It is impossible that Scripture should contradict itself; it only appears so to senseless & obstinate hypocrites-Luther

Man's mind is like a store of idolatry and superstition; so much so that if a man believes his own mind it is certain that he will forsake God and forge some idol in his own brain. John Calvin

The Bible alone is the key to my belief system Only the Bible has ultimate authority. It is the foundation. - Luther

Knowledge of the sciences is so much smoke apart from the heavenly science of Christ. John Calvin

Most necessary is it that we know the truth of gospel well teach it to others, and beat it into their heads continually. - Luther

For there is no one so great or mighty that he can avoid the misery that will rise up against him when he resists and strives against God. John Calvin

Daddy's Testimony

Today would have been my father's 58th birthday. Here is his personal testimony of God's grace in his life regarding salvation. It was read during the funeral. I transcribed this from my father's hand written copy.

I went to church as a child. My mom was very active in church, and we went to church. As a teenager I would find excuses not to go. My mom would still get me there fairly often. As a college student I went on occasion. I was blessed to have a mom who never stopped praying for me to be saved would ask and confront me about my salvation.

After I got married, I decided it was time to get back in church. I joined Calvary Baptist Church in West Point, MS in 1975 by baptism, and from then until 1993, I attended church on a regular basis. We took our kids to church and taught them to honor God and worship him. They were also sent to Christian school. I was a good church member. I tithed, prayed, even taught a 5th grade Sunday school class. I was very good at playing church. (I was a classic hypocrite).

But on the inside, I always doubted whether I was saved. I could always look back at what I had done. I went forward in a church service and told the pastor I wanted to be saved and joined the church and was baptized. I could always convince myself I was OK because of what I had done. All of the doubting I realized later was the Holy Spirit working on me and drawing me.

In October 1993 during our fall revival with Bailey Smith, God through the preaching of the His Word and by the power of the Holy Spirit convicted me of how sinful and wretched I truly was. I felt totally lost and without hope. God revealed Himself to me in a way that I never knew was possible. I had only one hope, and that was that God by His mercy and grace and Him alone and nothing I could do or had done in the past could save me, only Him. I was totally aware of my sin and at His mercy. God had totally broken my flesh. All I could do was plead, “Dear Jesus, save me and forgive me as unworthy as I am; my only hope is in You!” I know that at that moment, God through His Spirit and by the completed work of Jesus, He saved me. I was born again and became a new creature with a new heart.

Since then there has never been any doubt about my salvation, and there has not been any question as to how my salvation was purchased. It was only by His blood, by His grace, and through the faith that He gave me that I am saved. He did it all; I did nothing. There are times when I feel totally unworthy, because I am, But God! saved me for himself, not by coincidence or my choice, but by His sovereignty and His power.

I have a different heart toward the things of God, because I have a different heart changed by Him. Amen.

David Plunk

And here is a Spurgeon quote used by Tex, one of my father's coworkers, when he spoke at the funeral:

What! weep! weep! for heads that are crowned with coronals of heaven? Weep, weep for hands that grasp the harps of gold? What, weep for eyes that see the Redeemer? What, weep for hearts that are washed from sin, and are throbbing with eternal bliss! What, weep for men that are in the Saviour's bosom?-No, weep for yourselves, that you are here. Weep that the mandate has not come which bids you to die. Weep that you must tarry. But weep not for them. I see them turning back on you with loving wonder, and they exclaim, "Why weepest thou?" What, weep for poverty that it is clothed in riches? What, weep for sickness, that it hath inherited eternal health? What, weep for shame, that it is glorified; and weep for sinful mortality, that it hath become immaculate? Oh, weep not, but rejoice.

Please pray for me and my family

Please pray for me and my family. Sunday evening, my father, David Plunk, 57, had a major heart attack. Monday afternoon, he went home to be with the Lord. I have travelled back to the States. All of this has been really sudden and hard. But God has been so good and gracious to us in all of this. God’s providence is wonderful. Though we grieve, we do not grieve as those who have no hope. And in our grieving, there is celebration.

The visitation/funeral will be Thursday evening at Grace Life Church, Muscle Shoals, AL.

Thank you.

Celebrating the Incarnation

John 1:1-18

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. 8 He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light. 9 The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. 11 He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. 12 But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, 13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only begotten Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. 15 (John bore witness about him, and cried out, "This was he of whom I said, 'He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.'") 16 And from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. 17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.

A Psalm of Thankgiving

Psalm 75

To the choirmaster: to Do Not Destroy. 

A Psalm of Asaph. A Song.

1 We give thanks to you, O God;

we give thanks, for your name is near.

We recount your wondrous deeds.

2 “At the set time that I appoint

I will judge with equity.

3 When the earth totters, and all its inhabitants,

it is I who keep steady its pillars. Selah

4 I say to the boastful, ‘Do not boast,’

and to the wicked, ‘Do not lift up your horn;

5 do not lift up your horn on high,

or speak with haughty neck.’”

6 For not from the east or from the west

and not from the wilderness comes lifting up,

7 but it is God who executes judgment,

putting down one and lifting up another.

8 For in the hand of the Lord there is a cup

with foaming wine, well mixed,

and he pours out from it,

and all the wicked of the earth

shall drain it down to the dregs.

9 But I will declare it forever;

I will sing praises to the God of Jacob.

10 All the horns of the wicked I will cut off,

but the horns of the Righteous One shall be lifted up.

Piper on Bible translations

Piper explains in passing why he uses a Bible translation with all the words (like the ESV and NASB) instead of the NIV or TNIV:




I concur.

Great God of Wonders

Great God of Wonders
by Samuel Davies

Great God of wonders!
All Thy ways Are matchless,
Godlike and divine;
But the fair glories of Thy grace
More Godlike and unrivaled shine.

Who's a pardoning God like Thee?
Who has grace so rich and free?
Who's a pardoning God like Thee?
Great God of Wonders

Crimes of such horror to forgive
Such guilty, daring worms to spare
This is Thine grand prerogative
And none shall in the honor share!

Who's a pardoning God like Thee?
Who has grace so rich and free?
Who's a pardoning God like Thee?
Great God of Wonders

In wonder lost, in trembling joy,
We take the pardon of our God:
Pardon for crimes of deepest dye,
A pardon bought with Jesus' blood.

Who's a pardoning God like Thee?
Who has grace so rich and free?
Who's a pardoning God like Thee?
Great God of Wonders

O may this strange,
this matchless grace,
This Godlike miracle of love,
Fill the wide earth with grateful praise,
And all the angelic chorus above.

Who's a pardoning God like Thee?
Who has grace so rich and free?
Who's a pardoning God like Thee?
Great God of Wonders

Taking all of the Bible seriously

Over at the Desiring God Blog, Piper has written a short article about how the different kinds of literature contained in Scripture reveal to us the different ways God chose to speak to the world. Thus,to be balanced we should not overemphasize any particular type of literature to the marginalization of another as is the habit of some.

You can read it here: The Bible Frees Us From Being Swayed by Overstatements

Some people (especially those of us who are Reformed and excited about theology— I'm both of these) overemphasize the exposition of doctrinally dense letters like Romans or Galatians while marginalizing other forms of literature in the Bible. "They may be nice for light, devotional reading, but I what the 'meat of the Word.'" But they need to hear from God in the Proverbs and the many stories of the Bible.

Others (especially with the push for Bible-storying on the mission field—I'm an international missionary), however, overemphasize story and marginalize the doctrinally dense epistles. "The stories just speak to me so much better than that heavy doctrine stuff. Leave that for the ivory towers. I want the life experiences." They need to hear God speak through Hebrews and Zechariah. We need to realize that the oral-learners of a jungle tribe need to hear God speak through Romans.

God has spoken to us in story and in doctrine letters (and let's not forget poetry, prophecy, gospel literature, geneologies, apocalyptic literature, proverbs, Leviticus, parables, etc.). We need all of it. But there is a danger—and a tendency for some—in marginalizing some forms while overemphasizing others.

If we take Scripture seriously, if we truly belief that it is sufficient, then we will not fall prey to such tendencies. We will take all of the Bible for what it is—the Word of God. And, therefore, we will not push any portion aside as irrelevant.

———

On a similar note, I recommend Dominion and Dynasty: A Theology of the Hebrew Bible by Stephen G. Dempster. In it, Dempster argues that, despite its undoubted literary diversity, the Old Testament possesses a remarkable structural and conceptual unity. He demonstrates how the placement of narrative (story) and non-narrative (commentary on the story) work together. Though this book is limited to the Old Testament in its scope, the principle he has lain out apply to the New Testament as well, in my opinion.

Calvin's 500th Birthday!

Today is the 500th birthday of Reformer John Calvin. In honor of this occasion, I want to recommend this biography by John Piper on the legacy of this God-centered, gospel preacher. You can read it online for free here: John Calvin and His Passion for the Majesty of God.

Also, check out What To Serve For Calvin’s Birthday Bash over at The Sacred Sandwich.

Let us also keep in mind that that "Calvinism" is much more than the five points commonly associated with it. Calvinism is all about the glory of God in all things. It teaches that God is sovereign, not only in salvation, but everywhere. It is an all-encompassing worldview that sees God as the Sovereign Creator and King of the universe and that all of history is nothing more than the outworking of an all-wise God who does everything for His own glory and for the good of His people, the church.

As Jim Packer has said, Calvinism "is the theology of the Bible viewed from the perspective of the Bible—the God-centered outlook which sees the Creator as the source, and means, and end, of everything that is, both in nature and in grace." It is the locating of all of life as centered upon God alone. Thus, the glory of the Triune God is the ground and goal of everything. And, true religion entails the dependence on God through Christ for all things.

Here are a few quotes:

“The essential meaning of Calvin’s life and preaching is that he recovered and embodied a passion for the absolute reality and majesty of God. Such is the aim and burden of this book as well.”

"John Calvin would approve that we begin with God rather than with him. Nothing mattered more to Calvin than the supremacy of God over all things. Focus your attention, then, on God’s self-identification in Exodus 3:14–15. Here we will see the sun in the solar system of John Calvin’s thought and life."

Here is a look at the table of contents:

Foreword by Gerald Bray
Chapter 1: God Is Who He Is
Chapter 2: A Passion for the Glory of God in Christ
Chapter 3: Mastered by the Majesty and Word of God
Chapter 4: Ministry Made by the Majesty of the Word
Chapter 5: Marriage to Idelette
Chapter 6: Constant Trials
Chapter 7: Constancy in Expounding the Word of God
Appendix: Calvin’s Barbaric World: The Case of Michael Servetus

Here are a few quotes from the forward:

"Fundamental to that theology was the Word of God, the Old and New Testaments that together make up the Bible. Here the variety and inner coherence of God and his plan for his creatures was displayed to the full. Systematic theology was an exposition of that coherence, and in his sermons Calvin applied that understanding to the practical needs of the church. Everything hung together because there was only one God and one eternal mind at work, undergirding it all. It is this knowledge that gave Calvin’s work its strength, and it was this that struck fear into the hearts of his enemies."

"The hearts of people, including many church people, are cold and led astray by an array of false gods. . . In this world, Calvin’s voice needs to be heard again. God will not be mocked, and in the end we shall discover that he is our Sovereign Lord. What will he say to you on the day of judgment?"

A thoughtful, Gospel-centered response to a sticky ethical situation

The past few weeks, Russell Moore has posted and answered a sticky ethical question which he posed to a group of seminary students in a Christian ethics class. Though the situation was fabricated by the "evil genius" of Dr. Moore for the class final exam, the possibility of pastors and churches facing a scenario like the one he poses is certainly real. Furthermore, his response is gospel-centered, and thus, has practical implications for situations completely different which every growing church faces all the time as sinners come to faith in Christ—but then again, maybe more "normal" situations are not that different from this sticky situation after all. Read the question here, and the five-part answer here: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, and Part 5.

Dr. Moore's Resolution Proposal for the 2009 SBC

Russell Moore, father to four children (two of whom were adopted from a Russian orphanage), author of Adopted For Life, and the Dean of the School of Theology and Senior Vice-President for Academic Administration at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, has submitted a resolution proposal for the SBC this year on adoption and orphan care. I hope that the committee will decide that this proposal be voted on at the convention. It is a important yet often ignored issue which faces the church and genuine Christianity as we have been adopted as sons by God the Father, and that, as James says, pure and undefiled religion in the sight of God includes reaching out to the widows and orphans in their distress.

On Adoption and Orphan Care

WHEREAS, in the gospel we have received the “Spirit of adoption” whereby we are no longer spiritual orphans but are now beloved children of God and joint heirs with Christ(John 14:18; Rom. 8:12-25; Gal. 3:27-4:9; Eph. 1:5); and

WHEREAS, the God we now know as our Father reveals himself as a “father of the fatherless” (Ps. 68:5) who grants mercy to orphans (Deut. 10:18; Hos. 14:3); and

WHEREAS, our Lord Jesus welcomes the little ones (Luke 18:15-17), pleads for the lives of the innocent (Ps. 72:12-14), and shows us that we will be held accountable for our response to “the least of these my brethren” (Matt. 25:40); and

WHEREAS, the Scripture defines “pure and undefiled religion” as “to visit orphans and widows in their trouble” (Jas. 1:27); and

WHEREAS, the satanic powers have warred against infants and children from Pharaoh to Moloch to Herod and, now, through the horrors of a divorce culture, an abortion industry, and the global plagues of disease, starvation, and warfare; and

WHEREAS, Southern Baptists have articulated an unequivocal commitment to the sanctity of all human life, born and unborn; and

WHEREAS, a denomination of churches defined by the Great Commission must be concerned for the evangelism of children—including those who have no parents; and

WHEREAS, upward of 150 million orphans now languish without families in orphanages, group homes, and placement systems in North America and around the world; and

WHEREAS, our Father loves all of these children, and a great multitude of them will never otherwise hear the gospel of Jesus Christ; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, that the messengers to the Southern Baptist Convention meeting in Louisville, Kentucky, June 23-24, 2009, express our commitment as a denomination of churches to join our Father in seeking mercy for orphans; and be it further

RESOLVED, that we call on each Southern Baptist family to pray for guidance as to whether God is calling them to adopt or foster a child or children; and be it further

RESOLVED, that we encourage our pastors and church leaders to preach and teach on God’s concern for orphans; and be it further

RESOLVED, that we commend churches and ministries that are equipping families to provide financial and other resources to those called to adopt, through grants, matching funds, or loans; and be it further

RESOLVED, that we ask our International Mission Board and North American Mission Board to prioritize the evangelism of and ministry to orphans around the world, and to seek out ways to energize Southern Baptists behind this mission; and be it further

RESOLVED, that we encourage Southern Baptist churches to join with other evangelical Christians in recognizing November 8, 2009, as “Orphan Sunday,” focusing that day on our adoption in Christ and our common burden for the orphans of the world; and be it further

RESOLVED, that we hope what God is doing in creating an adoption culture in so many churches and families can point us to a gospel oneness that is defined not by “the flesh” racial, economic, or cultural sameness but by the Spirit unity and peace in Christ Jesus; and be it finally

RESOLVED, that we pray for an outpouring of God’s Spirit on Southern Baptist congregations so that our churches increasingly will announce and picture, in word and in deed, that “Jesus loves the little children, all the children of the world.”

Good Friday Is Good Indeed

Arise, My Soul Arise
by Charles Wesley

Arise, my soul, arise; shake off thy guilty fears;
The bleeding sacrifice in my behalf appears:
Before the throne my surety stands,
Before the throne my surety stands,
My name is written on His hands.

He ever lives above, for me to intercede;
His all redeeming love, His precious blood, to plead:
His blood atoned for all our race,
His blood atoned for all our race,
And sprinkles now the throne of grace.

Five bleeding wounds He bears; received on Calvary;
They pour effectual prayers; they strongly plead for me:
“Forgive him, O forgive,” they cry,
“Forgive him, O forgive,” they cry,
“Nor let that ransomed sinner die!”

The Father hears Him pray, His dear anointed One;
He cannot turn away, the presence of His Son;
His Spirit answers to the blood,
His Spirit answers to the blood,
And tells me I am born of God.

My God is reconciled; His pardoning voice I hear;
He owns me for His child; I can no longer fear:
With confidence I now draw nigh,
With confidence I now draw nigh,
And “Father, Abba, Father,” cry.

~~~~~~~

And Can It Be
also by Charles Wesley

And can it be that I should gain
An interest in the Savior’s blood?
Died He for me, who caused His pain—
For me, who Him to death pursued?
Amazing love! How can it be,
That Thou, my God, shouldst die for me?
Amazing love! How can it be,
That Thou, my God, shouldst die for me?

’Tis mystery all: th’Immortal dies:
Who can explore His strange design?
In vain the firstborn seraph tries
To sound the depths of love divine.
’Tis mercy all! Let earth adore,
Let angel minds inquire no more.
’Tis mercy all! Let earth adore;
Let angel minds inquire no more.

He left His Father’s throne above
So free, so infinite His grace—
Emptied Himself of all but love,
And bled for Adam’s helpless race:
’Tis mercy all, immense and free,
For O my God, it found out me!
’Tis mercy all, immense and free,
For O my God, it found out me!

Long my imprisoned spirit lay,
Fast bound in sin and nature’s night;
Thine eye diffused a quickening ray—
I woke, the dungeon flamed with light;
My chains fell off, my heart was free,
I rose, went forth, and followed Thee.
My chains fell off, my heart was free,
I rose, went forth, and followed Thee.

Still the small inward voice I hear,
That whispers all my sins forgiven;
Still the atoning blood is near,
That quenched the wrath of hostile Heaven.
I feel the life His wounds impart;
I feel the Savior in my heart.
I feel the life His wounds impart;
I feel the Savior in my heart.

No condemnation now I dread;
Jesus, and all in Him, is mine;
Alive in Him, my living Head,
And clothed in righteousness divine,
Bold I approach th’eternal throne,
And claim the crown, through Christ my own.
Bold I approach th’eternal throne,
And claim the crown, through Christ my own.

Voddie Baucham Clarifies What He Means by His Church Being 'A Familiy of Families'

Voddie Baucham has posted two blogs clarifying his often misrepresented and misinterpreted family-integrated church model of his church being a family of familes:
Is the church A Family of Families?
Is the church A Family of Families? 2

The Music of the TCC

Tom Clay of Grace Life Church has listed the songs sung at the TCC on his blog Doxology: A Truth-Driven Look at Church Music:

True Church Conference Music Part One
True Church Conference Music Part Two

David Miller on YouTube

Video of Session 5 of the TCC is available at youtube!

True Church Conference 2009: SESSION 5 (David Miller) # 1
True Church Conference 2009: SESSION 5 (David Miller) # 2
True Church Conference 2009: SESSION 5 (David Miller) # 3
True Church Conference 2009: SESSION 5 (David Miller) # 4

True Church Conference 2009

TRUE CHURCH CONFERENCE

Striving not to build great churches

but true churches… for the glory of God!

This year the True Church Conference was about the wonderful grace of repentance, a doctrine for which we should be deeply grateful! Receiving grace to turn from darkness, condemnation, and despair to find light, justification, and hope is truly a wondrously good thing! The focus of the TCC was the passionate preaching of this great doctrine of Scripture that is being neglected in today's church far too much.

Well, the True Church Conference is now over. Let us hope and pray that the truths proclaimed will be lived out by the people and churches. I was unable to attend this year because I am living in Costa Rica. However, I eagerly await a package in the mail of the conference. Three sermons of the conference have been made available at http://www.sermonaudio.com/. Moreover, the sermon preached Sunday concluding the confernce is available, as any recent Sunday message of Grace Life Church of the Shoals, online in our service archive. I have also included the sermons by Conrad Mbewe preached on Sunday at Grace Life prior to the conference but which are not a part of the confernce itself. You have just got to love this "Spurgeon of Africa." Enjoy!

Conrad Mbewe Seek the Lord (Psalm 2) (preached Sunday morning at Grace Life prior to confernce)
Conrad Mbewe - God's Grace to Cracked Pots (2 Cor 9:1-7) (preached Sunday evening at Grace Life prior to confernce)
Conrad Mbewe - The Radical Depravity of Man (Rom 3:9-16)
David Miller - The Repentance of Nineveh (Jonah)
Jeff Noblit - Counseling Seekers for Repentance
Jeff Noblit The Glory of God and Repentance (Psalm 130)


John Chisham from the The Down Grade Blog was at the True Church Conference. Here is what he has posted:
Live Blogging the True Church Conference: The Wonderful Grace of Repentance
The Wonderful Grace of Repentance: Grace Wrought Repentance Jeff Noblit
The Wonderful Grace of Repentance: Brokenness is appropriate response to sin Voddie Baucham

To order CDs or DVDs of the conference go here.

For the glory of His name & the furtherance of His kingdom,

Kenan

Merry Christmas!

Isaiah 9:2, 6

The people who walked in darkness
have seen a great light;
Those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness,
on them has light shined. . .
For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given;
And the government shall be upon his shoulder,
And his name shall be called:
Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

I hope all of you had a wonderful Christmas! As we celebrate Jesus' birth let us not forget his death and resurrection. Let us not forget that there are many people in the world who are still grope around in darkness. May we all this Christmas season and throughout the new year faithfully share the good news of the Child who was born, who is indeed Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. For it is this Son who was given that bore the wrath of God on the cross for all who believe, rose again the third day, ascended into heaven, and is coming again to judge the living and the dead. As we faithfully proclaim the gospel and as God opens the eyes of the blind, may those who walk in darkness see a great light!

Merry Christmas!

Timmy on Missional Prayer Continued

Timmy Brister has written further blogs on missional prayer:

Missional Prayer: Jesus

Missional Prayer: Early Church

Missional Prayer: Paul

Missional Prayer: Concluding Thoughts

Timmy Brister on Missional Prayer

Timmy Brister has written an interesting blog post on missional prayer. I encourage you to read it. Here are a couple of excerpts:

When we as a church began a two- month season of praying about the new church planting initiative, I chose to preach a series on the prayers of Paul as a means to instruct and encourage our members to pray about the kind of things we find Paul, the greatest church planter, praying for. Here was a man who had been abandoned in Asia, beaten several times with whips, shipwrecked, left homeless, stoned, and a host of other incredible things we have never experienced. If ever there was a person to ask for prayer about himself or physical needs, it was him. Could you imagine Paul praying to the Ephesians, “Please pray for my back. I was just beaten in Lystra the other day before coming here.” Or to the Corinthians, “My eyes are going bad. Could you pray that I may see better?” Who knows, Paul may have indeed made these requests, but it is no small thing that nowhere do we find such prayers being offered. He was crucified with Christ. He didn’t want anyone to bother him, for he bore in his body the brandmarks of Jesus Christ (Gal. 6:17).

Paul and the early church prayed in accordance with the Father’s will, for the glory of Jesus, and because, as Piper explained, prayer was “primarily a walkie-talkie for the mission of the church.” A church with a domesticated prayer life will inevitably be a church in maintenance mode rather than in missional mode. Simply put, if you want to know if a church is on mission, listen to their prayers and feel their hearts

David Miller's Response to the John 3:16 Conference

An Open Letter from David Miller, country preacher at large, to Jerry Vines concerning the recent John 3:16 Conference at FBC Woodstock:

Dear brother Jerry,

I attended your conference on Calvinism on November the 6th and 7th and it has inspired me to write a book. The title of which shall be: "How Many Inconsistencies and Contradictions Can One Hear in Only Five Sermons". The brethren (presenters) not only contradicted each other but themselves as well. We were repeatedly told not to build a systematic theology first and then make the Scripture fit our system, rather, we were to exegete the Scriptures and build a Biblical theology.

Yet only one of your presenters proceeded to follow this advice, namely, Page Patterson.. The other 4 presenters who addressed the TULIP, proceeded to build straw men and knock them down with Scripture verses taken out of context, and they did so with measured sarcasm and no small dose of arrogance.

This was evidenced in that 3 out of the 5 were so full of themselves that they could not conclude their sermon within the allotted time of 50 minutes. This did however, provide a high level of entertainment as I watched Richard Land fall asleep on at least 3 occasions during Dr. Lemke's sermon in which he departed from his assigned subject and drudged on and on as the congregation got quieter and quieter.

I did at this point feel some compassion for yourself as I saw your rear-end at least 3 inches off the pew giving Lemke physical signs of your discontent. I know it, you know it, and the Lord knows it! You were sitting there wishing that he would sit down and hush. Tell the truth!

Regarding your own sermon on John 3:16: you had a wonderful text and a wonderful opportunity to preach a gospel sermon to the choir. Instead you chose to give a Greek grammar lesson which was as boring as a 5 hour long WMU meeting! Why was this?

By the way, you said nothing in your sermon that I could not say amen to, as a 5 point Calvinist. Your sermon did inspire me to write new lyrics to an old song.

"Old Jerry Vines had him a conference E-I-E-I O , and at the conference he had a "pas" E-I-E-I-O, with a pas, pas,here and a pas, pas, there; here a pas, there a pas, everywhere a pas, pas, old Jerry Vines had him a conference E-I-E-I-O."

The most rousing response at the conference came regarding vitriolic statements condemning men who don't give a public invitation the same as you. In a convoluted argument favoring public invitations Dr. Allen pointed out that as "far back" as 1750 certain Baptists were giving alter calls. He said this as though his audience would be so stupid they wouldn't figure out from his own statement that the church existed for 1750 years without public invitation system! This was classic Clintonian rhetoric.

For whatever its worth I personally believe a public invitation can be extended and practice such in my own preaching. This however, is an accommodation not a biblical principle.

Your conference has inspired me further. I shall no longer keep silent. Men like yourself, denigrate the doctrines of grace which I treasure. I am now prepared to take you on. I will no longer be silent as you, Johnny Hunt, Junior Hill and others whom I have loved and respected, proceed to blame Calvinists for the decline of evangelism in the SBC.

While your speakers correctly rebuke the Presbyterians for infant baptism I might remind you that the only area where southern Baptists have had an increase in baptisms is among 4 and 5 year olds! This is happening in "your kind" of churches.

It is not the Calvinists who have built a convention of 16 million members, 4 million of which could not be found if your life depended on it. You have done this! This has happened on your watch! It is your fault! You have been in charge! "Your kind" of evangelism and methodology has produced this colossal number of unregenerate church members.

In your church in Jacksonville and Johnny's church in Woodstock, less than half of your members come to church on Sundays. Why don't you stop blaming the Calvinists and take responsibility for your own actions! Your church is doing no better than the average church in the convention in this area. My guess is, your church has spent more money on interest on debt service in the past 15 years than it has on foreign missions.

Don't blame the Calvinists for your lack of compassion for the lost and your unwillingness to sacrifice to take the gospel to the ends of the earth. I for one am sick of your duplicity and hypocrisy.

Furthermore, don't blame the Calvinists for all the church splits. Was it the Calvinists that split Bellevue after Adrian died? Hardly! Is there any empirical evidence that there is a higher percentage of church splits caused by Calvinists than the other brethren? Not on your life! There is enough stupidity to go around. Calvinists do not have a monopoly on pastoral stupidity.

Why do you brethren seem hell bent on dividing the Convention over this? Is your rear-end gaulded to such an extent because Southern Seminary, led by a Calvinist, has now become the largest seminary in the convention. Do you brethren fear Al Mohler this much? Are your insecurities so pronounced that every time you get up to speak at a conference you feel morally obligated to take a jab at the Calvinists?

Look at you, you had Southwestern, New Orleans, Mid-Western, Liberty and Luther Rice Seminaries along with Woodstock church and Jerry Vine ministries jointly sponsoring your conference and you could not muster more than 600-800 people in attendance, and many of those were Calvinists who came out of curiosity. I find it passing strange, that when I was a trustee at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, one of your presenters was on the short list to be considered President of the Seminary.

When I called him to find out his views regarding article 5 of the Abstract of Principles (on election), he assured me in unequivocal terms that he believed in unconditional election in the same manner in which James P. Boyce, Basil Manly, and John Broadus believed in unconditional election. Would this be referred to as chameleon theology, expediency, or just a lack of integrity?

Furthermore, Paige signed the abstract of principles while serving as president of Southeastern. Evidently during his tenure at Southeastern he believed both in total depravity and unconditional election or else he was guilty of doing the same things that we castigated the liberals for i.e. signing a confessional document while not subscribing to the theology expressed in the document! Are you sure you brethren want to pursue this further?

I regret very much that this breach in fellowship has occurred among conservatives within the convention. I stand willing and ready to do my part in trying to resolve the matter.

I would love nothing more than to have an opportunity to sit down with you and a small group of 12-15 other brothers from both sides in a non-threatening venue. Perhaps at my deer camp in Duck Hill, MS, at my expense, sitting around a campfire eating venison bacon wraps and sipping ice tea, we could discuss this matter before we have gone past the point of no return.

I remain your brother in Christ,

David Miller

Happy Thanksgiving!

A Puritan Prayer for Thanksgiving

from “The Valley of Vision - A Collection of Puritan Prayers & Devotions” compiled by Arthur Bennett

O MY GOD,

Thou fairest, greatest, first of all objects,

my heart admires, adores, loves Thee,

for my little vessel is as full as it can be,

and I would pour out all that fullness before Thee in ceaseless flow.

When I think upon and converse with Thee

ten thousand delightful thoughts spring up,

ten thousand sources of pleasure are unsealed,

ten thousand refreshing joys spread over my heart,

crowding into every moment of happiness.

I bless Thee for the soul Thou hast created,

for adorning it, sanctifying it, though it is fixed in barren soil;

for the body Thou hast given me,

for preserving its strength and vigor,

for providing senses to enjoy delights,

for the ease and freedom of my limbs,

for hands, eyes, ears that do Thy bidding;

for Thy royal bounty providing my daily support,

for a full table and overflowing cup,

for appetite, taste, sweetness,

for social joys of relatives and friends,

for ability to serve others,

for a heart that feels sorrows and necessities,

for a mind to care for my fellow-men,

for opportunities of spreading happiness around,

for loved ones in the joys of heaven,

for my own expectation of seeing Thee clearly.

I love Thee above the powers of language to express,

for what Thou art to Thy creatures.

Increase my love, O my God, through time and eternity. Amen

Moore on Providence

Dr. Russell Moore, Dean of the School of Theology and Senior Vice President for Academic Administration at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, has written a series of articles on the doctrine of providence:

Musings on God's Providence

The Goal of God's Providence

The Extent of God's Providence

The Mystery of God's Providence

Challenges to God's Providence

Voddie Baucham on Calvinism in the SBC

Voddie Baucham has written an excellent blog post called The SBC and Calvinism: A Personal Perspective. I must give a high five to Voddie for "Still holding to the Fives."

The Five Solas
Sola Scriptura
Sola Fide
Sola Gratia
Solus Christus
Soli Deo Gloria!

The Five Points
Total or Radical Depravity
Unconditional or Sovereign Election
Limited Atonement/Particular Redemption
Irresistible or Effectual Grace
Perseverance of the Saints

A Sermon Recommendation

I would highly recommend this sermon by Paul Washer. The Scriptural truth of its message is a much needed proclamation for contemporary Christianity. I must warn you that when Paul preaches, he is an equal opportunity convicter. I pray that as you listen, you would be convicted, blessed, and more conformed to the image of Christ.

10 Indictments Against the
Modern Church in America
(A Historical 21st Century Message)

Transcript

Listen to MP3

Watch Video (Part 1 and Part 2)

The Wonderful Grace of Repentance

The True Church Conference is quickly approaching (February 19-22, 2009). It is always a good time of worship through the powerful preaching of the Word, the genuine fellowship of believers, and the joyous singing of the truth in song. Moreover, there is a bookstore with a good selection of great books. Usually, the conference speakers will recommend various books which are available. I know how hard it is to decide on which books to by when you have such little money and a big selection from which to choose. Their recommendations are quite helpful in those situations.

Go here to register and here for travel info.

I will be unable to attend this years conference because I am now living in San José, Costa Rica at the Instituto de Lengua Española, but I would like to help get the word out about it. The True Church Conference has always been a blessing.

Here is what Pastor Noblit says:

What is a true church and how is it to be built? Jesus said that He would build His church, and He has chosen to build it through the faithful ministry of earthly disciples, primarily through the preaching of the Gospel. A true understanding of the Gospel must include a sound understanding of the wonderful grace of repentance and the courage to preach it with spiritual power. Nothing is more foundational to the Gospel, conversion, and church health than a biblically healthy understanding of repentance. . . In this day of weak churches and powerless preaching, nothing is more needed than a good refresher on this essential doctrine.

This conference is certainly driven by the preaching of the Word. At Grace Life Church, the preaching of the Word of God from the pulpit is foundational to everything we are and everything we're about. This conference is no exception. The preaching of the Gospel is essential to the life of a church. It is the means God has given us to bring about the conversion of lost souls and to maintain our walk with Christ as we persevere unto holiness.


Look at the preaching schedule:

The Radical Depravity of Man - Conrad Mbewe
Grace Wrought Repentance - Jeff Noblit
The Repenting Believer - Jonathan Sims
Preaching Repentance - Paul Washer
National Repentance: The Repentance of Ninevah - David Miller
Brokenness - Voddie Baucham
My Journey in Grace So Far - Jonathan Sims
Counseling Seekers for Repentance - Jeff Noblit
Taking the Message to the World - Paul Washer
The Doctrine of Regeneration - David Miller
Repentance & the Glory of God - Jeff Noblit


In case you are unfamiliar with any of these preachers, let me introduce them to you:

Voddie Baucham

The Pastor of Preaching at Grace Family Baptist Church in Spring, Texas, an adjunct professor at The College of Biblical Studies in Houston, Texas, and Union University in Jackson, Tennessee, and author of the Truth In Love blog.


Conrad Mbewe

This Spurgeon of Africa is pastor of Kabwata Baptist Church in Zambia which overseeing the establishment of ten new Reformed churches in Zambia and Botswana, and the principal of the Reformed Baptist Preachers College.


David Miller

A “Country Preacher-at-Large” itinerant preacher and founder of Line Upon Line Ministries.




Jeff Noblit

Senior Pastor-Teacher of Grace Life Church of the Shoals and founder of Anchored in Truth Ministries.




Jono Sims

Pastor of Shelbyville Mills Baptist Church in Shelbyville, Tennessee.





Paul Washer

Served as a missionary in Peru for ten years, founder of the HeartCry Missionary Society which supports indigenous missionaries, and is the most downloaded preacher at Sermon Audio.



Conference Distinctives

Doctrine Aflame
We desire to focus on the passionate preaching of the great doctrines of Scripture that are being neglected in today's church. Easy believism, decisionism, and manipulative altar calls have replaced the sound preaching of the Gospel calling sinners to repentance and faith. The result is an unregenerate church membership and bloated membership rolls. As Dr. Al Mohler writes, "We are reaping the harvest of doctrinal neglect. The urgency of this task cannot be ignored. Baptists will either recover our denominational heritage and rebuild our doctrinal foundations, or in the next generation there will be no authentic Baptist witness"

THEOLOGY & METHODOLOGY
The conference will give much attention to how sound doctrine must govern the life of the local church. Today’s evangelical church is often driven by man-centered pragmatism, worldly marketing approaches, and entertainment. And all this with a veneer of Christianity! We need the passionate, expository preaching of the truth, accompanied by an unswerving commitment that ALL methodology in the church MUST flow out of sound theology.

LOCAL CHURCH CENTERED
The conference is being held at Grace Life Church of the Shoals in Muscle Shoals, Alabama. The church is located in the northwest part of the state and has about 1,000 active members. Jeff Noblit is the Senior Pastor for preaching. For the last two decades God has been blessing Grace Life in reforming both its policies and procedures to become more biblically healthy.

APPLICATION INTENSIVE
During the conference, time will be set aside to discuss the practical “working out” of sound doctrine in the life of the local church. Plus, materials and resources used at Grace Life for counseling those seeking repentance will be made available to conference participants. There will be a large bookstore featuring trustworthy books and commentaries by both past and contemporary writers.

EVANGELISM & MISSIONS
Sound doctrine must always promote the preaching and sharing of the Gospel! If a passion to glorify God by winning lost souls is not present, then our doctrine is invalid. A strong emphasis on evangelism and world missions will permeate the conference. True doctrine never results in cold intellectualism.

MODELING & MENTORING
Our first goal is that God will use the conference to continue the maturation of Grace Life Church of the Shoals in the truth. We believe the church should be reformed and always reforming. We also have a strong desire to encourage and help mobilize like-minded churches who are on the same pilgrimage.

TRUTH DRIVEN ASSOCIATION OF CHURCHES
Updates on the Pastors Network and the church planting/mentoring ministry will be shared at the conference.


The True Church Conference is hosted by:

My Post-Election Response

Go Vote

Beyond the TULIP

I have no problem calling myself a Calvinist, a five-point Calvinist. (But I must add that usually, evangelicals who disagree with Calvinism misunderstand and misrepresent them when they speak against them. What they call "Calvinism" is something different than I believe. But that's another blog post.) However, Calvinism is more than TULIP.

For some Calvinism is merely the five points of the acrostic TULIP. We should realize that there is so much more to the fuller, biblical worldview sometimes nicknamed "Calvinism".

I was reading through James I. Packer's Introduction to John Owen's The Death of Death in the Death of Christ, and Packer addresses this point when he writes, “it would not be correct to simply equate Calvinism with the ‘five points.’” Packer also writes:

Calvinism is something much broader than the “five points” indicate.

Calvinism is a whole world-view, stemming from a clear vision of God as the whole world’s Maker and King.

Calvinism is the consistent endeavour to acknowledge the Creator as the Lord, working all things after the counsel of His will.

Calvinism is a theocentric way of thinking about all life under the direction and control of God’s own Word.

Calvinism, in other words, is the theology of the Bible viewed from the perspective of the Bible—the God-centred outlook which sees the Creator as the source, and means, and end, of everything that is, both in nature and in grace.

Calvinism is thus theism (belief in God as the ground of all things), religion (dependence on God as the giver of all things), and evangelicalism (trust in God through Christ for all things), all in their purest and most highly developed form.

And Calvinism is a unified philosophy of history which sees the whole diversity of processes and events that take place in God’s world as no more, and no less, than the outworking of His great preordained plan for His creatures and His church.

The five points assert no more than that God is sovereign in saving the individual, but Calvinism, as such, is concerned with the much broader assertion that He is sovereign everywhere.

Essentially, Calvinism puts the triune God and his glory at the center of theology and of all of life as an all-encompassing, Christ-centered worldview. which affects all areas of one's thinking and practice. It produces more gravitos in our worship, more passion in our missions and evangelism, more seriousness in our churches, and more joy in our lives, provided that our Calvinism is not limited to our head but is infused in our hearts as well.

One Another

I have blogged on this before, but the concept came up yesterday in a session concerning the doctrine of the church. One important aspect of the church is fellowship. Our fellowship has its foundation in our union with Christ. The world should be able to see that we are a people who are desiring to follow Christ and are being conformed to His image.

It was mentioned briefly in one of the session that we should examine the "one another" passages in the New Testament. One big thing that we should gather from these "one another" passages is that we need one another. If I fail to identify and fellowship with a body of believers I jeopardize my own spiritual maturity and those of others. We are never to try to live the Christian life on our own apart from a local church. This "one another "principle requires personal interaction with people at a pretty significant level. God has designed for us to face each other so that we can rebuke, exhort, and encourage each other to press on into holiness. This list of the "one anothers" in the New Testament reminds us that we need each others and that God has purposed to use people as He santifies us. We need the fellowship of other believers for the sake of our own perserverance unto Christlikeness.

I have found about forty different "one anothers" in the New Testamant. If you count the repeated ones separately, there's around sixty of them. May this list stimulate us to spur one another on unto godliness.

The One Anothers of the New Testament
Love one another (John 13:34, 35; 15:12, 17; Rom 13:8; 1 Pet 1:22; 4:8; 1 John 3:11; 3:23; 4:7; 11, 12; 2 John 5; )
Stimulate one another to love and good deeds (Heb 10:24)
Outdo one another in showing honor (Rom 12:10)
Greet one another (Rom 16:16; 1 Cor 16:20; 2 Cor 13:12; 1 Pet 5:14; )
Serve one another (1 Pet 4:10; Gal 5:13)
Encourage one another (1 Thes 5:11; Heb 10:25)
Be devoted to one another in love (Rom 12:10)
Be humble toward one another (1 Pet 5:5)
Build up one another (Rom 14:19; 1 Thes 5:11)
Do not speak against one another (Jam 4:11)
Do not repay one another with evil for evil (1 Thes 5:15)
Regard one another as higher than himself (Phil 2:3)
Do not envy one another (Gal 5:26)
Care for one another (1 Cor 12:25)
Increase and abound in love for one another (1 Thes 3:12; 2 Thes 1:3)
Forgive one another (Col 3:13; Eph 4:32)
Pray for one another (Jam 5:16)
Confess your sins to one another (Jam 5:16)
Be like-minded with one another (Rom 12:16)
Wait for one another (1 Cor 11:13)
Be hospitable to one another (1 Pet 4:9)
Be knid to one another (Eph 4:32)
Do not judge one another (Rom 14:13)
Admonish one another (Col 3:16)
Do not complain against one another (Jam 5:9)
Live in peace with one another (1 Thes 5:13)
Do not provoke one another (Gal 5:26)
Bear one another's burdens (Gal 6:2)
Show tolerance for one another (Eph 4:2)
Teach one another (Col 3:16)
Be truthful to one another (Col 3:9)
Seek good for one another (1 Thes 5:15)
Exhort one another daily (Heb 3:13)
Accept one another (Rom 15:7)
Be subject to one another Eph 5:21 (Eph 5:21)
Speak to one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs (Eph 5:19)
Comfort one another (1 Thes 4:18)
Wash one another's feet (John 13:14)
Admonish one another (Rom 15:14)
Bear one another (Col 3:13)