Praying for Sovereign Grace Ministries

The readers of this blog who know me at all will know that I have been influenced and helped by CJ Mahaney and Sovereign Grace Ministries (SGM). I've read everything CJ has ever written, listened to dozens of his sermons, visited Sovereign Grace churches, and met CJ personally.

So, needless to say, I was saddened last week to hear the news that serious accusations have been made against CJ and SGM. As a result, CJ is temporarily stepping down as president of SGM and is submitting to a process of searching his heart and seeking godly counsel.

You can read CJ's letter/blog post about all of this here.
You can also read SGM's letter here.

For those who are unfamiliar with the circumstances, here is a summary of what I understand has happened.

One particular Sovereign Grace leader has compiled and detailed these accusations and supported them with e-mails, phone calls, meeting notes, etc. This leader sent these detailed accusations to SGM pastors. Someone in SGM posted all of these documents online for anyone and everyone to read.

I've scrolled through the documents (I think its over 600 pages), and its not pretty. Did I mention that they are detailed? Painfully detailed.

My purpose in writing this post is simply informational. We need to be aware of what's going on. We need to pray that above all Christ will be honored and that all of this does not bring shame on our Savior. May God take these realities and use them to advance His mission in the world. I pray that SGM comes out of this stronger and more faithful and more humble.

I'm sure I'll have more reflections as more information becomes available. For now, let's all check our own hearts and realize that God cares how we respond to other's shame and humiliation.

Don't Waste Your Sports

I highly recommend CJ Mahaney's new little booklet on sports to anyone who watches or participates in sports (that's just about everyone). This is just a short little booklet, but it packs a punch that helps us glorify God through sports. Sports are a gift from God to be used to honor Him and not us. So, get a copy and pass it along to others. And don't waste your sports.

T4G Day 3 Recap

Lig Duncan helped us understand how to rightly read the Church Fathers (those who wrote during the first 3 centuries after Christ).

Matt Chandler was given some time to model suffering well for the glory of God. I so appreciate how Matt is allowing us to see his faith. We prayed for God to heal Matt.

CJ Mahaney took a few minutes after Matt spoke to challenge us to prepare our churches to suffer well. He challenged us to believe the gospel in the midst of suffering.

CJ Mahaney ended the conference with a very soul-edifying challenge to be faithful to the task. God gave me fresh passion to press on through his message. And, it was classic CJ: funny and helpful.

You can listen to or watch all of the messages from T4G here.

Pursuing Humility by the Grace of God

Reading CJ Mahaney's Humility again reminded me of this post I did 4 years ago:

Humility draws the gaze, favor and presence of God (Isaiah 66:2, 57:15) while pride repulses Him and brings Him in opposition to us (1 Peter 5:5, Proverbs 8:13). If we would have God for us, we must seek to cultivate grace-enabled, Cross-bought humility in the power of the Holy Spirit. But first, let's do a little pride check.

Characteristics of the Proud
- Talk about themselves and their accomplishments
- Often compare themselves to others
- Concerned about what others think of them in public prayer
- Concerned about what others think in times of public worship
- After a meeting, I think about what I said and consider what others thought of me
- I fear speaking because I am afraid of making a mistake and saying something that would be considered stupid
- I take advantage of service that is likely to get me noticed and praised
- Do not confess sin to others
- Driven by a permeating perfectionism
- Feel good when others come to me for advice
- Like being the leader because it causes people to give you their attention
- Fear being a leader because I might mess up in front of others
- Extremely concerned about clothing
- Dress in a way that draws attention to themselves
- Laugh at other's mistakes, but blush at own

Characteristics of the Humble
- Amazed at God's love for them
- Often think about how great God is compared to them
- Understands personal weakness and willing to own and discuss them
- Primary goal in serving others is to bless them and glorify God
- Enjoy leading because of its service to others
- Enjoy following so as to assist the leader in serving others
- Will do the minimial tasks that get no recognition, and do them repeatedly
- Ask others for advice/asks questions
- Regularly study the Bible for guidance and direction
- Compare my life to God and not others
- Regularly confess sin to others
- Look for ways to spend time with people Jesus loved but the world doesn't
- When I make mistakes, I can laugh at myself and not be embarrassed
- Dress modestly

27 Ways to Cultivate Humility
From C.J. Mahaney:
1. Meditate on the cross.
2. Begin your day by acknowledging your dependence upon God.
3. Begin your day expressing gratefulness to God.
4. Practice the spiritual disciplines.
5. Seize your commute to memorize and meditate on Scripture.
6. Cast your cares on Him, because He cares for you.
7. At the end of the day, transfer the glory to God.
8. Before going to sleep, acknowledge the gift.
9. Study the attributes of God.
10. Study the doctrines of grace.
11. Study the doctrine of sin.
12. Play golf.
13. Laugh often (especially at yourself)
14. Identify evidences of grace in others.
15. Encourage and serve others each and every day.
16. Invite and pursue correction.
17. Respond humbly to trials.

From Karl Graustein:
18. Ask God to make you humble.
19. Understand the immense difference between God and us.
20. Be aware of your weaknesses and limitations.
21. Study God's promises to the humble.
22. Study creation.
23. Spend time with people who are more gifted than you.
24. Learn a new skill.
25. Spend time with humble people.
26. Spend time with people who are honest with you about you.
27. Serve others.

1 Hour Preaching Like 8 Hours with a Jackhammer

CJ Mahaney is now going to interview some "ordinary" pastors. Looking forward to this!

And, his jackhammer analogy is funny because its true. No wonder I'm so sore on Sunday afternoon.

Spurgeon Sermons

I can't remember which message it was, but I remember hearing CJ Mahaney give this advice to preachers: Read a sermon by CH Spurgeon on the text you are preaching the night before you preach. I think his point was to help us cultivate humility realizing that our sermons are pretty weak.

I took his advice and have been extremely helped, humbled, and blessed for over 2 years now. I bought the Spurgeon Collection from Ages Library and read a Spurgeon sermon almost every week. Many of Spurgeon's sermons are online (although not all of them) and you can search by Scripture text.

I've also be treking with Spurgeon's journey to the Cross in Banner of Truth's Majesty in Misery 3 volume series.

Roles, Goals, Schedule

I'll be spending some time this week re-evaluating my life and seeking to cultivate deeper passion for the Savior. I'm going to be relentless on myself and look into every corner of my life and heart. I'm going to shine the light of the gospel into areas I've forgotten about and intentionally shut off.

One of the ways I'm going to do that is to think about my G0d-given roles and what goals I need to implement to fulfill those roles. I've been challenged and helped by Mahaney's recent post describing how he does this. Honestly, I've never even thought about surprising people as a goal.

And, I'll be studying The Gospel According to Daniel. Oh, I mean the book of Daniel :).

Meet Some Ordinary Pastors

By now, I hope all of my readers are familiar with CJ Mahaney's series of posts where he is interviewing some of his friends like Piper, Dever, Grudem, and Thabiti. Well, I have been served by these interviews and the questions Mahaney has asked. There is only one thing missing so far in his interviews: regular pastors who also serve as secretaries, janitors, and other humble roles they rarely get credit for.

So, I've asked a few of my friends to answer the same set of questions (I hope CJ doesn't mind me using his fantastic questions). You'll soon learn that they are anything but ordinary pastors. These are men who love their churches and serve in ways that please their Savior. I genuinely want to learn from these brothers and think their examples will be helpful to us all as we pursue Christ.

It should be fun.

CJ on Phelps

EXCELLENT post by CJ Mahaney on Michael Phelps' recent stupidity and the nature of sin and the wonderful cross of Jesus Christ.

Meet Wayne Grudem

Have you ever wondered what Wayne Grudem does in his time with God in the mornings? Well, CJ Mahaney asks him to describe his devotion times along with other helpful questions.

And, this is just part 1 of 4!

Biblical Productivity

In case you haven't seen them, CJ Mahaney has been writing a series of posts dealing with busyness, procrastination, roles, goals, and redeeming the time. You can see what he has done so far here.

I have found his thoughts both encouraging and challenging. I am realizing that a procrastinator dwells within me and that he must be put to death.

Game Day for The Glory of God

I just got finished reading Game Day for the Glory of God by Stephen Altrogge. Basically, this is a helpful book for anyone who plays or watches sports. Stephen is obviously a huge sports fan and wants to help others recognize sports as a gift from God. The best part of the book for me is the practical advice for parents. I want my kids to play sports much differently than I did. Baseball was my life from 3 to 18 years old.

Here are some of the other main points from the book:

-Our talents are gifts from God (thus, we are to boast in Him and not in our abilities).

-Humility pleases God (not pride).

-Sports are an opportunity to develop character.

-Christ is a great Savior.

My one critique of the book is that it omits a serious discussion of the danger that sports can be in our culture. It seems to me that too many men think about, play, and watch sports way too much (meaning they are neglecting things clearly commanded by God). Sports are a gift from God and we should receive them as such. But, as with all gifts, it is possible to love them too much.

CJ Mahaney writes an appendix in this book in which he discusses how dads should use sports to teach their sons. He shares the conversation he has with his son prior to each practice and game:

• Humbly receive correction from your coach, and ask your coach how you can grow in character as well as athletic skill.
• Thank your coaches for the way they have served you. And thank the referees after each game.
• Encourage your teammates for their display of godly character and athletic skill--in that order of priority.
• Encourage your opponents during and after the game. If you knock someone over, extend your hand to help him up.
• Play the game passionately and unselfishly. Serve your team by playing aggressive defense [his father never did this] and passing the ball on offense [again, his father never did this.]
• Humbly respond when the referee calls a foul on you. Do not complain or disagree in word or by facial expression [unfortunately, his father always did this].
• No inappropriate celebrating after you score; instead recognize that others played a role [his father never did this].
• Thank the team manager for the way he served, and recognize the humility and servanthood he is displaying at each game. Remember that true greatness is sitting on the end of the bench.

Book Recommendation: Worldliness

1 John 2:15 says, “Do not love the world or the things in the world.” This is the constant battle of the Christian life. We love the world. We are worldly people. This new book aims to help us battle our worldliness by treasuring Christ more. Worldliness deals with practical subjects like what we watch, what we listen to, what we own, and how we dress. The authors of this book are uniquely qualified to deal with these touchy subjects in a way that avoids legalism and exalts grace. In the forward, John Piper summarizes the aim of this book with this question, “What does it look like when the blood of Christ governs the television and the Internet and the iPod and the checkbook and the neckline?” That’s a good question!

I am particularly helped and challenged by the chapters on media and materialism.

The Antidote to Worldliness

In chapter 1 of the new book Worldliness, CJ Mahaney reminds us:

"The antidote to worldliness is the cross of Jesus Christ."

"Only through the power of the cross of Christ can we successfully resist the seduction of the fallen world."

Owen: "Fill your affections with the cross of Christ and you will find no room for sin."

"What should consume our thoughts and affections is not resisting worldliness but the glory and grace of God revealed at the cross."

"Dwell where the cries of Calvary are louder than the clamor of the world."

Now Available: Worldliness

The good books just keep rolling out. Worldliness: Resisting the Seduction of a Fallen World is the latest Crossway new release. This is a book I've been anticipating since hearing about it at T4G.

Worldliness is edited by CJ Mahaney and features chapters by several Sovereign Grace pastors and leaders. The forward is by John Piper. This book deals with our relationship to media, music, stuff, clothes, etc. This should be an extremely helpful book on a subject that is not often dealt with. You can bet these guys deal with worldliness is a way that avoids legalism and highlights our Savior.

I'm looking forward to being challenged.

Cultivating Humility...Weakening Pride

If you haven't read CJ's book on humility, don't delay any longer.

Incredible humility to let his daughter post this for the world to see.

God Put it There!

Yes! Yes! Yes!

(Be sure to listen to CJ read this quote instead of just reading it yourself).

Our Heavenly Banker

Here is the CH Spurgeon quote used by CJ Mahaney at the end of his first New Attitude message:

God's promises were never meant to be thrown aside as waste paper; he intended that they should be used. God's gold is not miser's money, but is minted to be traded with. Nothing pleases our Lord better than to see his promises put in circulation; he loves to see his children bring them up to him, and say, "Lord, do as thou hast said." We glorify God when we plead his promises. Do you think that God will be any the poorer for giving you the riches he has promised? Do you dream that he will be any the less holy for giving holiness to you? Do you imagine he will be any the less pure for washing you from your sins? He has said "Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool." Faith lays hold upon the promise of pardon, and it does not delay, saying, "This is a precious promise, I wonder if it be true?" but it goes straight to the throne with it, and pleads, "Lord, here is the promise, 'Do as thou hast said.'" Our Lord replies, "Be it unto thee even as thou wilt." When a Christian grasps a promise, if he does not take it to God, he dishonours him; but when he hastens to the throne of grace, and cries, "Lord, I have nothing to recommend me but this, 'Thou hast said it;'" then his desire shall be granted. Our heavenly Banker delights to cash his own notes. Never let the promise rust. Draw the word of promise out of its scabbard, and use it with holy violence. Think not that God will be troubled by your importunately reminding him of his promises. He loves to hear the loud outcries of needy souls. It is his delight to bestow favours. He is more ready to hear than you are to ask. The sun is not weary of shining, nor the fountain of flowing. It is God's nature to keep his promises; therefore go at once to the throne with "Do as thou hast said."

Why Are You Downcast, O My Soul?

CJ Mahaney's New Attitude message is a "must listen." He exposits Psalm 42 and urges us to learn to speak to ourselves instead of listening to ourselves. Basically, he teaches us the importance of preaching the gospel to ourselves.

I listened today as I mowed the lawn. It was refreshing to my soul.

-CJ draws from Llyod-Jones' Spiritual Depression and Tripp's Instruments in the Redeemer's Hands.
-One of the Spurgeon quotes he uses (toward the end) is one of the best I've ever heard. I'll try to post the entire quote sometime soon.
-CJ points us to Christ. My favorite line of the message: "The Psalmist felt forsaken by God. Jesus actually was forsaken."

Hope for Ordinary Pastors and Church Members

By far the most encouraging nugget I received at T4G this week was a Spurgeon quote given by CJ Mahaney. CJ knows how to serve the ordinary pastor. He was concerned that we would be discouraged that we cannot preach the gospel like Piper, Sproul, and MacArthur.

The way I wrote the quote down was this:
"Whitefield and Wesley might preach the gospel better, but they cannot preach a better gospel."

Take a moment after reading that.

If you are reading this blog, chances are that your pastor is not George Whitefield, John Wesley, or Charles Spurgeon. You probably have an average, rather ordinary pastor.
Hopefully, your pastor preaches the gospel. The gospel is anything but average and ordinary. The gospel is extraordinary, powerful, life-altering, cleansing, and energizing.

Prepare your heart to hear THE GOSPEL this Sunday, proclaimed by a man who cares deeply about your soul, even if his gifting is below average.