Preach: Theology Meets Practice

I want to grow as a preacher. Therefore, I love books on preaching. So, when I saw that Mark Dever and Greg Gilbert wrote a book on preaching, I was excited.

It is a good book. The middle section on how to prepare a sermon is full of gold nuggets. You'll find all sorts of encouragements like this one:

"A pastorate is made up of a lot of sermons, and the fact is, most of those sermons are going to be singles rather than triples or home runs. But that's fine. If the Lord is so kind as to give you even a long string of singles, that's purely of His grace, and your congregation will benefit and grow from that. You score runs with a string of singles. So don't worry if you haven't hit a home run in a while--and if you hit one today, don't get cocky! Either way, go home, rest, thank God for the grace He gave you to teach and encourage His people again, take some time off, and then start the whole process over the next week. Our God is a good God, and week after week, sermon after sermon, He will give grace and strength and insight to the men who preach His Word."

Well, sometimes I don't even hit singles. Sometimes I'm hit by the pitch and take first base with a bit of a bruise.  Anyway, that's the kind of encouragement a preacher needs.

And, the conclusion to this book is fantastic. Dever and Gilbert both include a sermon manuscript peppered with comments and questions for each other about the sermon. I commend it to those who want to grow in their preaching. You can find more info about this book here.

A Christian Guide to Loving Books

Tony Reinke's Lit! A Christian Guide to Reading Books is a very good book on a far too neglected subject. Let's be honest. Not many of us have thought deeply about the importance of reading good books. And, not many of us have a strategy for a lifetime of reading good books. With so many books available, which books should we buy and read, and which books should we avoid? Reinke is here to help.

Lit! is divided into 2 sections: (1) A Theology of Books and Reading and (2) Some Practical Advice on Book Reading.

The first section is helpful because it lays a foundation for how to view books and why we should spend precious time reading books. Reinke makes clear that we should read all books in light of the one authoritative book (the Bible). He rehearses the gospel and makes sure we are shaped by a Biblical worldview.

The second section was most helpful and challenging to me. Some of my favorite chapters include: Six Priorities That Decide What Books I Read (and Don't Read), 20 Tips and Tricks for Reading Nonfiction Books, Six Ways to Find (and Protect) the Time You Need to Read Books, How Internet Habits Cripple Book Reading, and The Fine Art of Defacing Books with Pencils, Pens, and Highlighters.

A few of the practical issues that Lit! addresses:

-Which books to avoid.

-The benefits of reading "non-Christian" books.

-The benefits of reading fiction.

-The drawbacks of e-reading devices.

-Why and how to mark up a book with permanent ink.

-Reading in groups.

-Raising kids who love to read.

If you are serious about making the most of your reading, you should read this book. Or, if you have a long list of excuses for why you don't read, you should read this book.

You can get Lit! for 40% off at WTS books.

Radical Together

I have been very challenged in recent days reading through David Platt's Radical Together: Unleashing the People of God for the Purpose of God. This is Platt's second "radical" book. The first one (my review here) mainly focuses on individual Christians being totally devoted to spreading the fame of Jesus. This second book focuses on how local churches should be totally devoted to the cause of Christ.

Radical Together is most applicable to church leaders but any church member can benefit from reading it. Basically, this book is a call to abandon "church as usual" and to increase our energies and giving toward the needs in this world.

One of the most powerful thoughts for me was that often good things keep us from doing the best things. The question is not, "what's wrong with it," but "how can we best impact the world for Christ." Platt calls us to lay everything on the table before God and honestly seek Him for what He wants us to be about.

Throughout the book, Platt shares examples and stories from his own congregation and their struggle to be totally devoted to Christ. I would encourage all pastors to read this book and begin leading your church to be radical for Christ.

The Greener Grass Conspiracy

I absolutely loved Stephen Altrogge's new book, The Greener Grass Conspiracy: Finding Contentment on Your Side of the Fence.

This is a wise and funny and convicting book that I would encourage anyone to read.

Stephen exposes our chronic lack of contentment and points us to the healing balm of the gospel. This is really a book about the sufficiency of Jesus. He is more than able to satisfy us.

Stephen defines contentment as "a disposition of the heart that freely and joyfully submits to God's will, whatever that will may be." He shows how discontentment reveals the idols we worship and the ungratefulness in our hearts.

I particularly appreciated Altrogge's emphasis on the fact that contentment is not dependent on our circumstances. Since contentment is found in a Person (Jesus), we can be content in any and every circumstance of life (Phil. 4:10-13).

While reading this book, I felt at times like Stephen was speaking directly to my heart. He challenged my tendency to grumble when things don't go my way. And time and time again he applied the gospel to my soul. Get this book. You need it.

Book Review: Practicing Affirmation

I'm not good at practicing affirmation. And, I want to be better at it. Because the Bible says we are to outdo one another in showing honor. We are to think on and affirm whatever is good and right and godly. We are to commend the commendable.

So, I was super excited to see Sam Crabtree's new book, Practicing Affirmation. I was excited because this is a unique book that helps us with something that most of us have never even thought about.

The subtitle of this book is "God-Centered Praise of Those Who Are Not God." Basically, the point of the book is that God is honored when we recognize and verbalize His work in others. We praise God by affirming and encouraging each other.

In the forward to this book, John Piper says, "If God is sovereign, and every good gift is from above, then not praising the good in others is a kind of sacrilege and soul-sickness." He goes on to say, "When our mouths are empty of praise for others, it is probably because our hearts are full of love for self."

Every evidence of good in another person is blood-bought. No one is good apart from the grace of God. Thus, we must open our eyes and recognize and affirm God's work in others all around us. We must regularly and consistently identify evidences of God's grace in the lives of others.

Crabtee shows from the examples and commands of Scripture that not affirming others is robbing God of His glory. And, he helps us avoid the pitfalls and dangers of flattery and pride.

Crabtree has a whole chapter on mistakes he has made, a chapter with answers to some of the most common questions, and a chapter with 100 ideas for those who need help getting started.

This is a good and practical book that should be read by any and every Christian. I hope this book has massive influence in churches where God-centered affirmation is far too rare. I hope God uses this book to strengthen His church and exalt His name. Get a copy for yourself and a friend.

For the Fame of God's Name

For the Fame of God's Name: Essays in Honor of John Piper is a fantastic collection of articles. As one who has been heavily influenced by John Piper's ministry, I resonated with nearly every article in this thick volume. This book contains both rigorous scholarship and robust passion. Thus, I think it does a great job in honoring God for the life and ministry of John Piper. Here are a few of the highlights of the book for me:

• David Michael's prayer of thanksgiving in chapter 1 is a powerful way to begin this book.


• I loved how most of the authors related their topic to Piper's influence. All of these great theological and practical themes have been ingrained in me by Piper and its humbling to hear how Piper's influence has even reached to these giants of the faith.


• Talbot's article actually proposes a correction to Piper's teaching. Which, I don't think Piper would disagree with.


• Ware's article on prayer and the sovereignty of God is a great primer on this difficult theological issue.


• Carson's article on the gospel is just splendid (as is everything by Carson).


• Grudem's article is one of the few I have read on how our obedience pleases God. Loved it.


• Thabiti nails it again.


• Randy Alcorn's article has been the most challenging to me. It is basically a summary of his Treasure Principle. But, it helpfully summarizes Piper's radical teaching on money and possessions. Get the book to read this article!


• Justin Taylor's article summarizes Piper's preaching on abortion. I'll be going back to this chapter over the next years.


• Mahaney, Powlison, and Dever are (as always) useful, practical, and rich.


• Mounce's article is one of the best in the book. It is drenched with humility and wisdom for pastors.

You can see the entire table of contents here.

A Review of Radical

Radical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream by David Platt is a must-read book.

WARNING: This is a challenging book that will turn your world upside down (actually, right side up).
PAY ATTENTION: This is a helpful book that will increase your joy in Jesus.

David Platt calls us to follow the Jesus of the Bible. He warns us against thinking we are worshipping Jesus while really we are worshipping ourselves. He shows us that Jesus is far superior to all the things we clutch onto in this life. He calls us to abandon the Christian spin on the American dream.

Here are a few of the claims Platt makes in Radical:
-Real success is found in radical sacrifice.
-Ultimate satisfaction is found not in making much of ourselves but in making much of God.
-The purpose of our lives transcends the country and culture in which we live.
-Meaning is found in community, not in individualism.
-Joy is found in generosity, not materialism.
-Truth is found in Christ, not universalism.

Chapter 3 is golden. Platt pleads with us to stop relying on ourselves and realize our utter need for the power of the Spirit. Most of what we do in our churches could be done without the power of the Spirit. Would we even recognize if the Spirit abandoned us? He calls us to recognize the power of the Spirit and depend on that same power for everything we do.

One of the main points that Platt emphasizes is Jesus’ call to preach the gospel to all nations. He disarms all of our common excuses for not being involved in missions and gives example after example of people who have abandoned the American dream to follow God’s heart. Missions is not something a few people do. We have been given so much by God so that we can be a blessing to the peoples of this earth.

In chapter 6, David Platt challenges the abundant wealth of the American church. He calls our wealth a “blind spot” in our generation. How can we keep so much for ourselves when so many are starving and dying of preventable diseases? We don’t earn salvation by giving to the poor but we prove our salvation by our care for the poor.

Platt ends this book by challenging us to embrace the “radical experiment,” a one year test drive of living totally for Christ. Specifically, there are 5 challenges of the radical experiment: (1) pray for the entire world, (2) read through the entire Word, (3) sacrifice your money for a specific purpose, (4) spend your time in another context, and (5) commit your life to a multiplying community.

I really appreciate Platt’s emphasis on living out these principles in the context of the local church.

Here’s a flavor of what you will find in Radical:

“Both of us will soon stand before God to give an account for our stewardship of the time, the resources, the gifts, and ultimately the gospel he has entrusted to us. When that day comes, I am convinced we will not wish we had given more of ourselves to living the American dream. We will not wish we had made more money, acquired more stuff, lived more comfortably, taken more vacations, watched more television, pursued greater retirement, or been more successful in the eyes of this world. Instead we will wish we had given more of ourselves to living for the day when every nation, tribe, people, and language will bow around the throne and sing the praises of the Savior who delights in radical obedience and the God who deserves eternal worship” (pp. 216-217).

You can buy Radical directly from the publisher here (Multnomah provided a copy for me to review).
Or, you can buy it at 34% off here.

I Dig Dug Down Deep

Josh Harris' new book is worth reading: Dug Down Deep: Unearthing What I Believe and Why it Matters.

I received an advance copy from the publisher, Multnomah. You can purchase the book beginning January 19 from their website.

Westminster Book Store has it for 35% off ($12.99).

Honestly, I was a little skeptical of this book at first. The title really doesn't strike me as helpful. And, there is a one line blurb by Donald Miller on the top of the dust jacket. I don't know much about Donald Miller and I've never read any of his books. The few things I've heard about him wouldn't make his recommendation very valuable to me at all. I was pleased to see Piper, Dever, and Packer (Yes, Packer) endorsed the book. I was surprised there was not a recommendation by Mahaney.

Enough about that. This is an excellent book. Very fun to read. Humorous and meaty.

Basically, Dug Down Deep is a defense of theology. Harris argues that the knowledge of God and His Word is essential to growing in the Christian life. He says, "We're either building our lives on the reality of what God is truly like and what he's about, or we're basing our lives on our own imagination and misconceptions" (p. 11).

Harris shows that if you want to feel deeply about the things of God, you have to think deeply (p. 86). "Messed-up theology leads to messed-up living" (p. 12). "Sound doctrine is at the center of loving Jesus with passion and authenticity" (p. 16).

Josh does a great job in this book of pressing this important question on his readers: "What are you building your life on?"

After the first few chapters of passionate call for right thinking about God, Harris spends the majority of the book actually diving into some of the most important theological issues that we must embrace and know. Here are some of the topics/truths Josh helpfully addresses:

• God's passion for His own glory
• The authority and necessity of Scripture
• The deity and humanity of Jesus
• The atonement (chapter 6 is a fantastic and refreshing summary of the gospel)
• The doctrine of salvation (chapter 7 is helpful in explaining that salvation is God's work and not our work)
• Sanctification (chapter 8 has pictures!)
• The Holy Spirit
• The Church

Josh ends with a chapter about the fact that right theology must make us more humble and loving people. The doctrines of the Bible are meant to impact our lives. We must live what we believe.

Here are a few random thoughts:

• This is going to be my "go-to" book for discipleship of new and baby Christians. So helpful.
• I couldn't help but think that Dug Down Deep is basically a modern and simplified version of Knowing God. Anybody else with me on this one?
• This book is filled with personal stories and examples that make it so fun to read.
• In chapter 7, Josh tells the story of how his dad was converted. My heart was so full of joy and confidence in God as I read this chapter. Seriously, its worth the price of the book.
• This is going to be my "go-to" book for challenging any influenced by the emergent church movement. Josh is edgy and cool and relevant and everything else this generation wants to be. But, he is also faithful, Biblical, and gospel-drenched.
• I'm confident this book will make my top 15 books published in 2010.
• It's time to start thinking about which books will be given away at T4G 10. My guess is that this one will certainly be among them.

The Prodigal God

After sitting on my self for about a year, I finally read Tim Keller's The Prodigal God: Recovering the Heart of the Christian Faith. Though I'm not fond of the title (because its subject to misunderstanding), this is a good book. Here are a few thoughts:

1. This book is an exposition Jesus' parable commonly known as "The Prodigal Son" in Luke 15. Keller does a fantastic job opening up this parable to show its true meaning. I now have a more robust understanding of this parable. I'm thankful for Keller's careful and vibrant exposition.

2. This book is a helpful gospel presentation. Keller opens up the beauty of what Christ has done from Luke 15.

3. This book does a fantastic job exposing the legalism of the elder brother. Legalism is one of the most serious problems in the church today. Read this book and find yourself loathing your own self-righteousness.

There is also a DVD series of Keller teaching through this parable.

Counterfeit Gods Only Make Empty Promises

Tim Keller's newest book is a winner. Counterfeit Gods is a helpful book that addresses an issue most helpful to our sanctification. This book is a great introduction to the subject of idolatry and a helpful resource for identifying the idols of our hearts.

The best aspect of this book is Keller's relentless focus on Christ as our only hope. This is a gospel-saturated book. And, Keller expounds the Scripture in order to expose our idols. Each chapter is a reflection on God's Word that ultimately leads to revealing the glory of the person and work of Jesus Christ.

The only critique I have of the book is that many of the examples and illustrations will quickly become dated and less useful over time. Keller deals with the recent financial crisis and political scene quite a bit. My fear is that in a few years, these examples will not have the same impact. My personal preference would have been to have illustrations that would be just as relevant 100 years from now (in any culture) as they are to our current culture.

Here are a few random quotes to give you a flavor of what you will find in this book:

"Counterfeit gods always disappoint."

"What is an idol? It is anything more important to you than God, anything that absorbs your heart and imagination more than God, anything you seek to give you what only God can give. A counterfeit god is anything so central and essential to your life that, should you lose it, your life would feel hardly worth living."

"Idols capture our imagination, and we can locate them by looking at our daydreams."

"We never imagine that getting our heart's deepest desires might be the worst thing that can ever happen to us."

"Idolatry is not only one sin among many, but what is fundamentally wrong with the human heart."

"Jesus must become more beautiful to your imagination, more attractive to your heart, than your idol."

Counterfeit Gods is set to come out on October 20 (you can read sample pages online now).

At WTS books, you can already preorder a pack of 5 copies at 45% off.

A Praying Life

I just finished reading, A Praying Life by Paul Miller. I read the majority of it a chapter at a time before bed at night. It is a good book. It is a helpful, enjoyable, inspiring book.

Here are some of my thoughts about A Praying Life:

1. This is a good read. At times, I couldn't wait to read another chapter.

2. I'm putting this book back on the shelf more aware of God and the power of prayer. The real value of a book lies in what it teaches you about God.

3. This is not just a book about how to pray. This is a book about something deeper than prayer: desperation. This is a book about the reality of our helplessness. Miller writes, "Learned desperation is at the heart of a praying life." No matter what prayer strategies you develop, no matter what your theology of prayer, you will not pray if you are not desperate. The majority of this book is simply a call to recognize how much you need God. Apart from Christ we can do nothing; therefore, pray.

4. This book is about real life praying in the midst of all the distractions of our world. I love the personal stories throughout this book.

5. This book helped me want to be a better parent.

6. Miller makes clear that the best gift God gives is His Son. Jesus is God's most clear answer to our pleas. God allows suffering and leaves prayers unanswered so that we can grow in our love for the Savior.

7. I have reinstituted my prayer cards as a result of this book. I desperately want to obey Colossians 4:2: "Devote yourself to prayer."

The Bookends of the Christian Life

Everything by Jerry Bridges is worth reading. His newest book is extremely helpful: The Bookends of the Christian Life.

Basically, here is the point of the book:

Bridges and Bevington compare our lives to a book shelf. Each book represents something about us. Our bookshelves are full of activities and roles. In order to keep all these books stable, we need some sturdy bookends to lean our books on. Without bookends, our books will fall.

Bridges proposes that every Christian should have two particular sturdy bookends that we lean everything in our lives against:

Bookend #1: The Righteousness of Jesus Christ

Bookend #2: The Power of the Holy Spirit

The first bookend is the Gospel. We are accepted by God because of what Christ accomplished, not because of what we have done.
The second bookend is dependence on God's power to enable us to live the Christian life.

This is a brilliant and Biblical illustration. Indeed, these are the bookends of the Christian life. If we try to lean our lives on anything else, we will fail constantly.

I hope this book gains wide readership and that these two bookends begin to shape our worldview.

Learning to be Unfashionable

Unfashionable: Making a Difference in the World by being Different by Tullian Tchividjian is a book worth reading. I've read several books on how Christians should relate to the culture around them. This is by far the best and most Biblical one.

Basically, Tullian argues that we love and care for the world by being distinct from the world. Christians make a difference in this world by being different from this world.

He writes, "When the size of God grips us more than the size of our churches and leadership conferences, and when we become obsessed with surrendering our lives to God's sovereign presence, only then will we be redemptively different and serve as God's cosmic change agents in a world yearning for change" (p. 18).

This book addresses issues such as the relevance and sufficiency of Scripture, the content of the gospel, the call to redeem the culture, vocation, and the church. Part 3 is actually an exposition of the end of Ephesians 4. Tullian lists six defining marks of a church that is distinct from the world. He ends with a passionate call to live against the world for the world.

"Christians who try to convince the world around them that they're really no different at all, hoping they'll be accepted on the world's terms and on the world's turf, should be embarrassed" (p. 167).

Here is my favorite quote:

"Ironically, the more we Christians pursue worldly relevance, the more we'll render ourselves irrelevant to the world around us. There's an irrelevance to pursuing relevance, just as there's a relevance to practicing irrelevance. To be truly relevant, you have to say things that are unfashionably eternal, not trendy. It's the timeless things that are most relevant to most people, and we dare not forget this fact in our pursuit of relevance" (p. 17).

Finally Alive by John Piper

Here is a list of my posts on Piper's new book, Finally Alive. This book is now available at WTS Books for $8.99 (40% retail).

-Finally Alive is Finally Here!

-Deep Depravity

-Friends, I am the Greatest Problem in the Universe!

-What Happens in the New Birth

-Who We are Apart From Christ

-What is Relevance?

-11 Evidences of the New Birth

-Piper's recommended books on evangelism

-The Last Chapter is Best

It is my prayer that this book gain wide popularity.

Spectacluar Sins and their Global Purpose in the Glory of Christ

24 hours after John Piper's new book landed on my door step, I am reflecting on its content. This is an extremely helpful and needed book. I've never heard anyone say these kind of things before.

Basically, the point of the book is that sin and evil (no matter how spectacular) exist ultimately for the glory of Christ. Sin and evil serve God's purposes to make much of Jesus Christ. All things exist for Jesus Christ, including sin. God did not just know that sin would exist, He ordained it in order to fulfill His purposes.


Piper does a fantastic job of proving this Biblically. He leaves no doubt that this is the consistent teaching of God's Word.

Piper's aim is a pastoral one. He seeks to help us to be strong and stable whenever we face spectacular sin and evil in our lives.

He says, "I am writing this book to build a vision of God into our lives that will not let us down in the worst of times" (p. 14).

"The aim of this book is not to meet felt needs, but to awaken needs that will soon be felt, and then to save your faith and strengthen your courage when evil prevails" (p. 16).

"As a pastor, I do not think it is my job to entertain you during the last days. It is not my calling to help you have chipper feelings while the whole creation groans. My job is to put the kind of ballast in the belly of your boat so that when these waves crash against your life, you will not capsize but make it to the harbor of heaven--battered and wounded, but full of faith and joy" (p. 28).

"My prayer is that as these great historical vistas of God's sovereignty over sin take their place in your mind, they would have a profoundly practical effect in making you strong in the face of breath-stopping sorrows and making you bold for Christ in the face of dangerous opposition--Christ-exalting strength in calamity and Christ-exalting courage in conflict. I pray that the Lord will weave cords of steel and silk into the fabric of your soul" (pp. 97-98).

After stating his purpose and point, Piper walks through about 6 particular Biblical sins showing how they served God's ultimate purpose. The chapter titles and subtitles are worthy of pondering deeply.

The only critique I would offer is that I wish Piper would have included a discussion regarding the balance between being deeply grieved by sin and being firmly resolved that God ordains sin for His glory. How do we see sin as infinitely ugly and offensive to God and yet rejoice that sin serves God's purposes?

You can read the table of contents, the introduction, and chapter 1 at the WTS site. I would highly recommend this new book. It is just 120 pages, but packs a powerful punch.

Come and Welcome to Jesus Christ

The Puritans knew how to take a verse or a phrase and meditate long and hard on it. Most of the Puritan books are simply meditations on one verse of Scripture.

One such book is Bunyan's Come and Welcome to Jesus Christ. It is a meditation on John 6:37.

Since I'll be preaching from John 6:30-40 on Sunday and I'm reading through the works of Bunyan, I decided to go ahead and read Come and Welcome to Jesus Christ.

This is a great little book. Banner of Truth has published it in the Puritan Paperback series and you can find it in volume 1 of Bunyan's works.

Basically, Bunyan takes this verse a word at a time and draws out implications and observations.

He meditates on:
-the extent of the gift ("all").
-the Person giving the gift ("the Father").
-the importance of the word "giveth" (implies election).
-the Father's intent in giving (in order to save).
-the Son's reception of the gift ("shall come").
-what it means to "come to Christ."
-the importance of the words "to me," "him," "cometh," "in no wise," and "to cast out."

Then, the second half of the book is devoted to pondering 3 of his 8 observations about this verse. He devotes some effort to application.

Bunyan concludes the book like a good Puritan, pleading with sinners to see in Christ beauty worth coming to.

I would highly recommend slowing reading through Come and Welcome to Jesus Christ (only $5.40).

Deliberate Church: Conclusion

I hope you have enjoyed these short summaries of "The Deliberate Church." This is really a fantastic book that I have found to be very helpful. Every pastor and church leader should read and apply these principles.
If you have the book, pull it off the shelf and read the Conclusion. The conclusion itself is worth the price of the book. Here is my quick summary/outline of the Conclusion:

Conclusion (of the book)
The health of the local church is discerned in the direction of its gaze (2 Cor. 3:18).

A Godward-looking Church
“We want to build our churches in a way that makes this corporate captivation with Christ a normal part of our lives together.”
“The more clearly we present Christ’s person and work to our local churches, the more clearly we will come to reflect His glory together as if in a mirror.”

An Outward-looking Church
God is passionate about His glory. He desires for His glory to be seen and known by all the nations of the world.
-Other individuals
-Other churches
-Other countries

Deliberate Church: Forward and Introduction

Christ Baptist Church will be studying The Deliberate Church on Sunday nights. God willing, I will post some of my summaries here on the blog. If you have not obtained and read this great book, shame on you.

Forward
What The Deliberate Church is not:
1. It’s not new. “We don’t even want to be innovative.”
2. It’s not a program. This is not just something you plug into your church and press PLAY.
3. It’s not a quick fix. Healthy growth takes time, prayer, hard work, patience, and perseverance.

So, what is it?
“Simply put, it’s the Word building the church.”

We don’t need the latest rhetorical techniques, business practices, or creative ministry models based on captivating metaphors. We simply need to be guided, governed, and geared by the Word of God (2 Tim. 3:16-4:2).

Middle paragraph on page 21:
“Deliberate, of course, means well thought through or careful. What we are trying to be careful about as church leaders, then, is building the church on and around the Gospel of Christ. More specifically, we are trying to be careful about building our church according to the pattern that God has given us in Scripture. At its best, the deliberate church is careful to trust the Word of God, wielded by Jesus Christ, to do the work of building the local church. It is an attempt to put our money where our mouth is when we say that we believe in the sufficiency of Scripture for the life, health, and growth of the local church. Our goal isn’t to see how innovative we can be. Our goal is to see how faithful we can be.”

The priority of pastors and church leaders is to make sure that the Gospel enjoys functional centrality in the church.
The goal of pastors and church leaders is to keep our methods basic and plain so that the Gospel is cast in bold relief against the backdrop of our own admitted weakness.

“We think the church will be catapulted into the future only when the most noticeable thing about her corporate life is that it is carefully governed and powerfully driven by God’s age-old, time-tested Word.”


Introduction
“Ignoring God’s plan for the church and replacing it with your own will ensure the eternal futility of your work.”

What is a local church?
1. A corporate display of God’s glory and wisdom (John 13:34-35; Eph. 3:10-11).
2. A corporate dwelling place for God’s Spirit (Eph. 2:19-22; 1 Cor. 3:16-17).
3. The organic body of Christ in which He magnifies His glory (Acts 9:4; 1 Cor. 12).
“The church is God’s vehicle for displaying His glory to His creation.”

The uniqueness of the church is her message—The Gospel.

The distinguishing marks of the church:
1. The right preaching of the Gospel
2. The right administration of the Biblical ordinances that dramatize it

The attitude we are combating: “If it brings people to church or helps them feel like they’ve really worshiped on Sunday, it must be a good thing, right?”

**The Word builds the Church.
Our power is not in having small groups, or meeting the felt needs of the target audience, or using the right evangelism program, or having funny skits, or providing plenteous parking, or targeting our ministries to postmoderns. Our power is in our unique message—The Gospel.

The relationship between the Gospel and the method of its ministers:
1. Theology drives method.
2. God’s methods determine ours.
3. The Gospel both enables and informs our participation in God’s purposes.
4. Faithfulness to the Gospel must be our measure of success, not results.

Growing Up Christian: Some Concluding Observations

Here it is: the last post on Growing Up Christian. This is an excellent book that deserves to be in every library of a parent, teenager, or pastor. One of the great things about this book is that it is so unique. I know of no other like it written from a Reformed/Biblical perspective.

After a tough week of studying the entire book, my students are raving about this book. They are saying how much they have been challenged and are thankful for a book written just for them.

If you forced me to outline the entire book, here is how I would do it:

The dangers of growing up Christian:
1. False assurance
2. Lack of appreciation for the saving and forgiving grace of God
3. Loving the world
4. Pride or self-righteousness
5. Mimicking our parent's convictions
6. Forgetting the familiar (taking blessings for granted)
7. Being too shallow
8. Trusting in ourselves and others instead of trusting God
9. Not taking sin seriously
10. Lack of discipline (laziness)
11. Lack of faithfulness (not using our gifts and talents)

The only qualification to my outline is that it seems much more negative than the book itself. While Graustein does share these dangers, he does a great job explaining the blessings of growing up Christian. Church kids have been blessed with so much.

I am thankful for these things about this book:
1. It is God-centered.
2. It is Bible-saturated.
3. It is extremely practical.
4. It is chalked full of powerful quotes and illustrations.
5. It maginfies our weakness and God's sufficiency.
6. It is Gospel-driven.

Growing Up Christian #12: Making the Most of It

Chapter 12 of Growing Up Christian:

God has blessed us abundantly with talents and opportunities, but the mere presence of those things doesn’t guarantee success. We are stewards entrusted with specific skills and abilities to be used for the glory of God.

This chapter is about being faithful with the gifts and opportunities God has given us.

“Faithfulness leads to greater opportunities, and lack of faithfulness leads to fewer opportunities.”

Five Pitfalls of Faithful Stewardship:
1. Laziness—failing to invest our talents
2. Lack of faithfulness in what we consider small responsibilities
3. Thinking that we ourselves are the source of our gifts and abilities
4. Sowing to the flesh—doing things that serve and please ourselves
5. Striving for earthly treasures—focusing on the present instead of eternity in heaven

5 Stewardship Tips:
1. Enlist the help of others to identify your gifts.
2. Remember the source.
3. Use them.
4. Learn from others.
5. Seek to be humble.

One day, we will stand before God. He will ask us how we used the gifts, resources, and talents He has entrusted to us.