Drumroll Please...

Ladies and Gentlemen,

The day you have all been waiting for (although you may not know it) is fast approaching. This year, on September 26, John Piper's new book What Jesus Demands from the World will be released. This is definitely one worth getting excited for. Apparently Piper was struck by Jesus' command in the great commission to "teach them to obey all that I have commanded you." He asked himself (as I have often asked myself), "What is all that Jesus commanded?" That question served as the impetus for the creation of this book. Check it out.

From the publisher:

The four Gospels are filled with demands straight from the mouth of Jesus Christ. These demands are Jesus’ way of showing us who he is and what he expects of us. They are not the harsh demands of a taskmaster. For example, the demand that we come to Jesus is like the demand of a father to his child in a burning window, “Jump to me!” Or like the demand of a rich, strong, tender, handsome husband to an unfaithful wife, “Come home!” What Jesus demands from the world can be summed up as: “Trust and treasure me above all.” This is good news!

In What Jesus Demands from the World, John Piper has gathered many of Jesus’ demands from the four Gospels. He begins with an introduction that puts the demands in a redemptive-historical context, then concisely examines each demand. The result is an accessible introduction for thoughtful inquirers and new believers, as well as meditative meat for veteran believers who want to know Jesus better.

Beautiful

Lessons from a Sarcastic Bulb

Call me a heretic with a warped sense of humor, but The Onion, a satirical "newspaper", continues to both amuse me and teach me important lessons on my journey. Although the newspaper is actually quite hostile to American Evangelicalism in general, I am again and again impressed by what I am able to learn from my "enemies." Those who set themselves against some person, cause, or belief system are most likely to spot any weaknesses, inconsistencies, or shortcomings. And so it is with The Onion. In its many attempts to mock Christianity, I have been confronted with many instances of unChrist-like behavior and attitudes in my own life and in the American Christian community at large. Obviously its jabs at Christianity are not all true, but none the less, they hold many lessons for those with eyes to see. So, enough of my babble...without further adieu, here are some of my favorite examples:

Poverty-Stricken Africans Receive Desperately Needed Bibles

Christ Kills Two, Injures Seven In Abortion-Clinic Attack

Important Christmas Lessons Already Forgotten

Area Pastor Likes To Inject A Little Humor Into His Sermons

Christian Right Lobbies To Overturn Second Law Of Thermodynamics

Christian Weightlifter Bends Iron Bar To Show Power Of God's Love

NFL Star Thanks Jesus After Successful Double Homicide

Imago Dei

"We must not be hindered by the malice of men, but rather contemplate the image of God in them, which by its excellence and dignity moves and enables us to love them." - John Calvin

Missions Motivation Mondays: Missiology 101

What is mission work?
Obeying Jesus's command in the Great Commission.

What is the Great Commission?
"All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” -- Jesus in Matthew 28:18-20

What is an evangelist?
A person who shares the gospel message with another person or group of people.

What is a missionary?
A person who carries the gospel and Christian teachings to an unreached people group.

What is a people group?
A people group is the largest group through which the gospel can flow without encountering significant barriers of understanding (language) and acceptance (culture).

What is an unreached/least-reached people group?
A people group among which there is no indigenous community of believing Christians with adequate numbers and resources to evangelize that people group.

My church doesn't currently support anyone working in an unreached people group, but we do support people working in reached people groups overseas. Aren't we still doing mission work?
Technically, no. You are probably doing evangelism, compassion/mercy work, or support work. These things are all incredibly important, and although they often go hand-in-hand with mission work, unless your church is supporting work among an unreached people group, then your church isn't involved in missions. Don't stop doing what you are doing, but find a way to get involved in reaching the unreached.

I think every Christian is a missionary, and that anytime you share your faith or advance the Kingdom you are doing mission work.
That is fine. You are certainly entitled to your opinion. But the fact still remains that you and your church should be involved with reaching the unreached. Call it what you want, but for the purpose of communicating clearly, I call it mission work. Some call it pioneer mission work, and I suppose that is fine too. So long as the Good News about Jesus, Salvation, and the Kingdom is going to every tribe, tongue, people, and nation...I won't argue too much over semantics.

How many unreached people groups are there?
Approximately 6,705

Should we expect all the people groups to eventually be reached?
Yes:
"...this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come." -- Matthew 24:14

"...I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb." -- Revelation 7:9

So it isn't a hopeless task?
Absolutely not. It is THE story of history. Get on board!

What should I do?
Pray about that very thing, and then...go, send, or disobey

Don't I need a "call" or something to be involved with missions?
According to the Great Commision, you already have one.

But I'm not really that interested in missions.
Repent.

Happy Birthday John Calvin

Reformer John Calvin was born on this day 497 years ago in 1509 in France.

An Interview With a Great Pastor

This interview with Matt Chandler by Mark Driscoll comes from the Resurgence website today:

The Scouting Report identifies emerging pastors of innovative churches that haven’t yet gained much national attention. This month a good friend named Matt Chandler, who pastors The Village Church (www.thevillagechurch.net) in the great nation of Texas, answers 6 questions.

SUBJECT: Matt Chandler
AGE 31
AGE OF THE CHURCH: 30 years old
MEDIUM AGE OF THE CONGREGATION: 27 years old
LENGTH OF TIME PASTORING THIS CHURCH: 3 years

1) What growth has transpired in your three years as pastor?
168 to 2700 in average weekly attendance.

2) What three things have been most difficult for you?
(a) Managing such rapid growth, (b) figuring out how to theologically educate people of diverse backgrounds, and (c) putting the right people in the right places.

3) What things have been most helpful?
First, theological training—second, an understanding of culture.

4) Who do you look to for help?
My own team, Leadership Network, Mark Driscoll, and the resources of John Piper.

5) What resources have been most significant to you?
The library at Dallas Theological Seminary and www.DesiringGod.org.

6) What one piece of advice would you give to emerging pastors?
Let your wife worry about your clothes. Buy books and study. We don’t need any more well-dressed, hip, funny, heretics. Who cares how you say it if what you’re saying is wrong?

Quote of the Day

All teenage boys [when attempting to date your daughter] should be told 'We love Jesus and we know how to hide a body.'" - Mark Driscoll

A Wise Man's Thoughts on the 4th of July

Dear Pastors and Church Musicians:

I want to comment on Memorial Day and July 4th and how they overlap with the life of church music and Christian worship.

I am a very patriotic American. I cry when the planes fly over the football stadium and when we sing “America the Beautiful.” I pay my taxes with enthusiasm and, to my knowledge, have never missed an opportunity to vote in state and national elections. I would guess that the vast majority of the U. S. citizens in our congregations are also extremely patriotic. HOWEVER, as a local congregation, we choose NOT to use these national celebrations as an emphasis in our worship services. Here are our reasons:

1. It is just too easy to confuse what it means to follow Christ with what it means to be a loyal U.S. citizen. Especially when hard-hitting emotional presentations are made with flags and uniforms and pledges, it is too easy to get mixed up about where our allegiance should be. However, we ARE quick to pray for our country and for our leaders and we are quick to thank God for the freedom of worship that we enjoy. We are also faithful to pray for believers in other countries who do not enjoy the freedom to worship Christ openly.

2. We have many internationals in our congregations, many of whom are considering the Christian faith for the first time. We do not want to have the bold gospel of the Cross somehow confused in their minds with Uncle Sam and a particular form of government or foreign policy.

3. When a mood of patriotic celebration is present, it seems to be about two clicks away from partisan politics. While we strongly encourage citizens to vote, we are amazingly silent concerning how Christians should vote. If anything, we want believers who are committed to different views on social programs and public policies to be ONE IN CHRIST. There are some fine Scriptures that support this position.

FINAL COMMENT:
I am not saying this in any way as a judgment on other churches that pull out all the stops (and flags) for civil celebrations. I am just wanting to share with colleagues what makes me tick. May God’s richest blessings be on you and your congregations—and on our country.

Respectfully submitted,
Carl Stam
Director, Institute for Christian Worship
The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary
(Louisville, Kentucky)

My Thoughts on the 4th of July

Happy Independance Day! I've been watching The Revolution on The History Channel and I am realizing, perhaps for the first time, what an absolutely amazing piece of history the American Revolution is. Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness...romantic ideas to be sure, and I am grateful to live in a country that has provided me with them. I am also grateful beyond words to those who came before me who have worked in many different ways to make sure that I had freedom and liberty when I arrived on the scene. Yet, America is far from perfect, and I hope we would not confuse patriotism with naivete. I would also hope that all the saints would remember that ultimately our citizenship is in heaven, and not in America. The American Revolution was certainly a glorious thing, but its glory does not even hold a candle to The Revolution begun by Jesus...The Revolution of love, humility, holiness, peace, reconcilliation, compassion, justice, truth, and mercy...The Revolution that marches on still to this day.

Also, as I think about my homeland, my thoughts turn toward the spiritual dynamic of America, particularly the American Church. There is, without a doubt, much out of order in the church of our homeland... materialism, churches that are run more like businesses, a straying away from holiness and discipleship, an ever increasing abandonment of truth, ears deaf to the plight of the poor and downtrodden, and a very hollow and shallow sense of awe and worship. Yes indeed, there is much work at hand for any American saint who has eyes to see, and yet the cause is not hopeless. There are many voices crying in the wilderness who are swimming upstream for the causes of Glory, truth, compassion, holiness, and humility: John Piper, Matt Chandler, Mark Driscoll, Justin Taylor, Steve McCoy, Al Mohler, Mark Dever, Franklin Graham, Beth Moore, Tim Keller, etc., etc. I could go on for quite a bit longer, but I'll spare you the lists and get to the point. The fact that I could write a list this long or longer reminds me of two things:

1. Although the American Church is far from perfect, there remain those who are contending well for the Gospel and the Church.

2. There are many places in the earth who have not a single witness to the truth and good news of Jesus Christ, the Kingdom of God, and the abundant life of forgiveness, love, compassion, peace, and joy that Jesus calls us all too.

It is because of those two things that I am yet again convinced that although there is much work to be done here in America, there is a vastly greater need among the unreached peoples of the world. I salute those who are working so steadfastly for Christ's bride here in the U.S.A., and I pray for God's blessing on all your efforts. But for the rest of us...those of us who have yet to find our place in this world...I can only hope that we would cast our gaze towards those still dark spots on the globe where the gospel of Christ has not yet gone. God bless the U.S.A., but God bless Iraq, and Iran, and Indonesia, and India, and China, and Cuba, and Venezuela, and Mexico, and North Korea, and Vietnam, and France, and Nepal, and Papua New Guinea as well.

Compassion Fatigue and Touching a Soul

I crawled out of bed this morning, still a little tired from a good night out with friends, but rested none the less. After morning prayers, some nice time reading from the Sacred Writtings, and getting the old teeth brushed, I stolled into the living room and turned the TV on to CNN as I set down on the futon...

"A car bomb ripped through a packed Baghdad marketplace Saturday morning, killing at least 62 people and wounding 114 others..."

"Authorities on Friday found two human heads in front of a state government office in the Mexican resort of Acapulco..."

"Fighting this week between Chadian insurgents and government and African peacekeeping troops in Central African Republic left at least 33 people dead..."

"Gangs of young men hurled rocks at a camp housing refugees and torched houses in East Timor's capital Wednesday in a sign that weeks of crisis may not be over ..."

"A roadside bomb exploded Tuesday under a military truck packed with security officers headed to guard a school in Thailand..."

"Four days of heavy rains in Indonesia have triggered deadly floods and landslides, killing 200 people and leaving another 130 missing..."

There may have been a time in my life when this would have overwhelmed me, but not today. There may have been a time in my life when this would have brought me to tears, but not today. I got up off the futon, turned the TV off, and headed up to Sweet Eugenes House of Java to study Biochemistry. It didn't effect me at all. I have become numb. I have become callus to the suffering of my fellow human beings. I am suffering from what I suspect many other like myself suffer from...compassion fatigue. They don't touch my soul, and I don't touch theirs.

How did it ever come to this? Saint Paul in Romans 12:15 says, "...weep with those who weep." How is it that a follower of Jesus Christ could be so unmoved by the plight of the suffering souls the world over? How did I get this way, and what can I do...what can we do to turn around and be a voice of compassion, reason, and sympathy in this world?

How did we get this way?

1. We watch too much TV. -- even the most compassionate heart will grow numb from hours of exposure to violence, death, corruption, disaster, and tragedy.

2. We don't pray -- usually, at best, we just say "Isn't that awful?" and then go on about our business.

3. Our lives, generally speaking, are insulated from such horrific suffering and tragedy -- the TV is usually the closest we will get.

4. We don't take Jesus seriously -- we assume teachings about orphans, widows, prisoners, and "the least of these" only apply to people who are "called" to do those things.

What we can do to avoid compassion fatigue:

1. Don't watch so much TV -- Honestly, you probably wouldn't be any worse off if you threw that life sucking box out the window. But, in the very least, be careful where you get your news from. Try newspapers or websites. That way it doesn't come at you so fast. Maybe even read the Editiorial section. That way you get some commentary instead of just a straight regurgitation of the facts.

2. Pray -- alone and with others.

3. Get involved -- find ways to be an agent of change, to push back the darkness, and to be a light in a dark world.

4. Touch a soul -- seek out those who are suffering and hurting. Learn their names. Look in their eyes. Listen to their stories. Compassion isn't just sending money to a charity. That is pity.

5. Take Jesus seriously. Let Him change you and your priorities.


"A billion people died on the news tonight
But not so many cried at the terrible sight...
Why don't the newscasters cry when they read about people who die?
At least they could be decent enough to put just a tear in their eyes"
--from The News, a song by Jack Johnson