Faster Unto Thee

Keller on Identifying Idols

From the interview with Timothy Keller, author of Counterfeit Gods, in Christianity Today (Nov. 19, 2009, page 71):

How does someone identify their idols?

Look at your daydreams. When you don't have to think about something, like when you are waiting for the bus, where does your mind love to rest? Or, look at where you spend your money most effortlessly. Also, if you take your most uncontrolled emotions or the guilt that you can't get rid of, you'll find your idols at the bottom. Whenever I hear someone say, "I know God forgives me, but I can't forgive myself," it means that person has something that is more important than God, because God forgives them. If you look at your greatest nightmare - if something were to happen that would make you feel had not reason to live - that's a god.

How to Botch an Altar Call

I found this yesterday on The Way of the Master website. This evangelistic ministry is led by Ray Comfort and Kirk Cameron. While those who do not hold to penal substitution will not like this list, those of us who do will find it helps with clarity of thought.

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(A few keys for those who don't want people saved in their altar calls)

1. Present an unbalanced message. Only let them see the heart-warming part of God’s character. Preach God’s love but leave out His holiness and justice. That way they’ll think He’ll let them into heaven no matter what.
2. Don’t mention repentance until they’re repeating a “sinner’s prayer.” Just get them to say, “I repent of all my sins” while they’re echoing you. They won’t know what they’re saying and they won’t count the cost.
   
3. Above all else, be dignified. Don’t get heart to heart with the people. They would get something out of what you said.
   
4. Skim over the gospel and push the prayer. Pretend the lost naturally understand what Christ has done for them.
   
5. Preach Jesus as a life enhancer not a life rescuer. Tell them how Jesus can improve their life but don’t show them Jesus as the only One who can save them from Hell. People will think if they reject Him they’re only losing out on a spiritual high.
   
6. Try to please the people instead of convert them. Tell them what they want to hear instead of what they need to hear.
   
7. Compromise the message to speed up the process. The Christians who have heard it a hundred times before will be pleased with that. The quicker they get out the quicker they can get to the restaurant.
   
8. Give them the impression that God is so good He won’t send anyone to hell. Don’t present the whole counsel of God or they might realize He is so good that He’ll see to it that justice is served and that all unrepentant sinners will be punished in the fire that is not quenched.
   
9. Speak to sinners as though they were saints. They’ll think they’re God’s children instead of the enemies of God they’ve made themselves into because of their sin. You’ll give them false assurance and mislead them.
   
10. Don’t mention sin or man’s guilt. Resist the urge to explain what Christ came to deliver us from. Don’t show them their need for the Savior. Otherwise it may all make sense.
    
11. Don’t look to the Bible for the substance of your altar call. Only mimic other preachers with large congregations.
    
12. Tell the lost not to feel bad about their sins. That way you will work against the Holy Spirit who’s convicting them
    
13. Whatever you do, never mention Judgment Day. Your audience might take spiritual matters seriously.
    
14. Tell them Jesus is the only way to heaven but don’t explain why. They may think it’s nothing more than fear tactics and leave offended instead of enlightened.
    
15. Confuse the call. This is a great way to botch up an altar call. Don’t let people know you’re asking them to commit their life to Christ. Be vague and general in what you’re saying. Neglect to mention following Christ in your evangelistic altar calls and say things like, “If you don’t feel you’re as close to God as possible raise your hand,” “If you feel lonely come to the front for prayer,” “If you want more of God this is your time,” and, “If you have struggles and need the answer come down.” Just get them to raise a hand. That way no one will be able to count the cost and you’ll even get saints to respond to salvation altar calls, making the results look more successful.
    
16. Only give them half the story. Tell them Jesus died to forgive everyone but overlook the fact that they must personally receive Him to partake of that forgiveness.
    
17. Present the truth as though it isn’t. Be so funny when you share Christ that you belittle the seriousness of the matter.
    
18. Preach forgiveness without repentance. That way no one will know how to be forgiven.
    
19. Be unbiblical. Present repentance and faith as an offer instead of how God does as a command (Acts 17:30).
    
20. Let them think next Sunday is the day of salvation. Don’t make them feel it’s urgent to respond today.
    
21. Never warn of hell. Dangle heaven in front of their nose but rarely mention hell, certainly not as much as Jesus did.
    
22. Only do altar calls inside the church. Never take the gospel where sinners congregate. The lost might get saved.
    
23. Use churchy terms. Use words like, “saved,” “repent,” and “born again,” without any explanation. That way your hearers won’t comprehend what you’re saying. If they can’t understand it, it’s probable they won’t be changed by it.
    
24. Give false assurance of salvation to unsaved Christians. Assure church folk that they are saved even if they bear no fruit. So that you don’t offend the unsaved pew warmers never quote 2 Corinthians 13:5: “Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith.” You could lose some financial supporters and have to depend on God.
    
25. Never mention the wrath of God. If you mention it, people might be awakened to flee to Jesus who “saves us from the wrath to come.” ( 1 Thess. 1:10)
    
26. Study how the apostles preached and witnessed and do the opposite. Don’t explain Jesus’ suffering death on the cross. Otherwise they may think of running to Him for forgiveness. Don’t speak of His burial or resurrection or they might realize He is God. Refrain from commenting about the hundreds of eyewitnesses who saw Jesus after He rose from the dead. That way they can go on thinking He’s a fairy tale. Overlook talk of the messianic prophecies Jesus fulfilled or they might realize that the Bible is true. If they see it’s the truth they may see that following Christ is the logical decision. And whatever you do, avoid what the apostles did when it came time to call people to obey the gospel. Don’t tell them to trust Christ and live for Him. That is too accurate. If they know how to get saved your altar call will be a success.
    
27. Put more emphasis on the “sinner’s prayer” then on repentance and faith. Satan will smile over your departure from Biblical instruction. We are never taught to use a ‘sinner’s prayer’ throughout the entire Bible. If you decide to use it and put more emphasis on the technique than on what we’re commanded to preach: faith and repentance you’ll certainly botch things up. A ‘sinner’s prayer’ doesn’t equal salvation, only faith in Christ and repentance toward God do.
    
28. Let Christians think you’re the only one who can do it right. Always leave the impression that they should only invite friends to church and never actually witness themselves. It will keep you in business and the lost unsaved.
    
29. Don’t let the lost know they are. Disregard subjects like Judgment Day, God’s holiness, man’s sinfulness and justice. That way the lost can continue to think they’re “good enough” to get into heaven.
    
30. Rely upon psychological techniques to manipulate people into responding to the altar call. Don’t rely upon the Holy Spirit or they may actually get saved.
    
31. Make sure you’re the main attraction. Remember the goal in botching up an altar call is for people to leave and say, “What a wonderful preacher,” instead of, “What a wonderful Savior.” Draw all possible attention to how great a speaker and person you are. Otherwise people might see Christ in your preaching and get saved.
    
32. Don’t focus upon Jesus. Finally, the best way to botch up an altar call is not to preach the gospel. Just get people to lift up a hand and pray a prayer with you. Resist the urge to speak of the only One who could save them.

Sometimes the best way to get a point across is to put it in a different light. You now know a few ways to botch up an altar call. Please do not employ them. Do the opposite. You may already do some of them. Don’t let pride keep you from changing and doing things in a Biblical fashion. The bottom line is how true we are to Christ and His word. Effectively reaching the lost is our purpose. Let nothing hold you back from that agenda. May God bless you as you seek to win people to Christ in Bible clubs, churches, conferences, on the street witnessing encounters, at your school, and at your workplace.

Adapted from Becoming an Emissary for God by Allen Atzbi

Book Review - Seeking to Divorce-Proof Your Marriage

Dr. Rick Walston of Columbia Evangelical Seminary has written another helpful book entitled, Seeking to Divorce-Proof Your Marriage. Published by LULU, this intentionally brief book is aimed for the everyman – especially everymen that are not big readers.

At only 80 pages long, the book provides a primer for men on building a successful marriage on a foundation of biblical truth, listening, commitment, and more. The book is divided into 9 chapters, is full of helpful and often humorous illustrations, and is intentionally a quick read. To make it a quick read, the ideas are presented in a simple and clear style, though the content is never simplistic.

A portion of the book focuses on the answers given to a survey question Walston posted to women: "What are the Top 5 Things a Husband Should Know or Do to Help Divorce-Proof His Marriage?" The answers he got back from women sounded as if they had answered the question, "How Can a Man be a Better Husband?" This alone illustrates the difference in thinking between men and women, something which Walston expounds upon in his book.

The book is perfectly suitable for a Sunday School text, a small group resource, and for use in pre-marital counseling. For some men, the book's content will be a real eye-opener, but for others who are read up on other marriage books it may not offer many new insights, although it may state those insights in a fresh well. Beyond these uses, pastors will want a copy of the book simply for the excellent illustrations that can be borrowed for sermons and to have a copy on hand to loan to a clueless man who desperately needs insight into strengthening his marriage.

Vanhoozer's 10 Theses

The difference between an evangelical approach to systematic theology and a liberal one is striking. Read articles by liberal systematic theologians and you will often find sophisticated philosophical arguments and reflections on the implications of their ideas, but little grounding in actual exegesis nor an effort to stay within the theological boundaries set by the Bible. Kevin Vanhoozer, who recently left Trinity Evangelical Divinity School for Wheaton College Graduate School, has recently presented a paper that reveals the heart of an evangelical systematic theologian who wishes to stay firmly within the bounds of Scripture and orthodoxy.

The following is verbatim from NT scholar Michael Bird's blog:

I am fortunate enough to have a copy of Kevin Vanhoozer's paper on "Systematic Theology: The State of the Evangelical (Dis)union" delivered at Gordon-Conwell. It includes these 10 theses on theological interpretation:

1. The nature and function of the Bible are insufficiently grasped unless and until we see the Bible as an element in the economy of triune discourse.

2. An appreciation of the theological nature of the Bible entails a rejection of a methodological atheism that treats the texts as having a “natural history” only.

3. The message of the Bible is “finally” about the loving power of God for salvation (Rom. 1:16), the definitive or final gospel Word of God that comes to brightest light in the word’s final form.

4. Because God acts in space-time (of Israel, Jesus Christ, and the church), theological interpretation requires thick descriptions that plumb the height and depth of history, not only its length.

5. Theological interpreters view the historical events recounted in Scripture as ingredients in a unified story ordered by an economy of triune providence.

6. The Old Testament testifies to the same drama of redemption as the New, hence the church rightly reads both Testaments together, two parts of a single authoritative script.

7. The Spirit who speaks with magisterial authority in the Scripture speaks with ministerial authority in church tradition.

8. In an era marked by the conflict of interpretations, there is good reason provisionally to acknowledge the superiority of catholic interpretation.

9. The end of biblical interpretation is not simply communication - the sharing of information - but communion, a sharing in the light, life, and love of God.

10. The church is that community where good habits of theological interpretation are best formed and where the fruit of these habits are best exhibited.

I really liked this quote from Vanhoozer towards the end of the paper:

"Seminary faculties need the courage to be evangelically Protestant for the sake of forming theological interpreters of Scripture able to preach and minister the word. The preacher is a “man on a wire,” whose sermons must walk the tightrope between Scripture and the contemporary situation. I believe that we should preparing our best students for this gospel ministry. The pastor-theologian, I submit, should be evangelicalism’s default public intellectual, with preaching the preferred public mode of theological interpretation of Scripture."

Book Review - Memoirs of an Ordinary Pastor by D.A. Carson

    Memoirs of an Ordinary Pastor: The Life and Reflections of Tom Carson, is a book that every pastor should read. Pastors who faithfully plod through the grind of daily ministry and never see more than modest growth in their churches will find encouragement from the example of a minister who was faithful in a tough ministry context. Pastors who have led their churches to significant growth will also gain new respect for those who do not but yet are faithful workers in the kingdom.

            The book is written by New Testament scholar D.A. Carson and is about the life and ministry of his father, Tom Carson. Conveying a son's love and respect for his father, the book explains the difficulty of Tom's ministry in Quebec from the late 40's through the early 90's. Quebec was a brutal mission field for Protestants during the early decades of Tom's ministry, as the Roman Catholic presence was oppressive and even dangerous to Protestant efforts to spread the gospel. Despite the challenges of a pitifully small salary, extremely slow gains in evangelism, betrayal by denominational leaders, the pressures of working in a culture different than his own, and many more challenges, Tom pressed on faithfully in service to the Lord to the end of his life. The book begins with an overview of Canadian history to give a historical context to Tom's ministry, then moves into his call and ministry training. From there it surveys his ministry in Drummondville, then it moves to his work in civil service while continuing pastoral ministry. Finally, the book describes Tom's care of his wife in her Alzheimer's years and his life after his wife's death. The book helps one see faithfulness amidst many different types of struggles over many years.

            The entire book is an interesting read, but perhaps the most insightful portions of the book explain Tom's struggle between his high ministerial standards and his own performance. Frequently in his journals Tom berates himself for his lack of faithfulness to the Lord in terms of evangelistic zeal, work ethic, devotional life, and more. The journals reflect times of deep spiritual depression and struggle in ministry. But while he condemned himself for his lack of perfection, his family and church saw him as a model Christian and family man, and the impact of his ministry was profound, even if it did not result in a large congregation. If you are a pastor and can relate to strong feelings of inadequacy and have contemplated leaving the ministry, this book will help you see that you are not alone. The solution is not a lesser standard, as author Carson, points out, but a stronger acceptance of God's grace: "I cannot allow that to drive me to despair; rather, it must drive me to a greater grasp of the simple and profound truth that we preach and visit and serve under the gospel of grace, and God accepts us because of his Son" (page 92). If you have a family member or close friend who often battles strong feelings of inadequacy in ministry, this book will help you understand that pastors who love God deeply and long to make a difference for him often feel this way, and that there is no simple means to get over it. That being said, if you are not a pastor yourself, you may gain some insight into the interior life of a godly pastor but you will always be an outsider to the experience yourself.

            Aside from understanding what it means to labor faithfully in a tough field that yields little fruit, what can be learned from this book? One thing stands out: God requires faithful labor for him from some servants who will not enjoy satisfying numerical growth. For such laborers, their satisfaction for a job well-done must be delayed until Heaven, while other ministers enjoy some of their reward presently. Can a minister find satisfaction in the Lord alone with little ministry fruit to show, while others labor in more fruitful fields? The answer is yes, and it is for those "ordinary pastors" that D.A. Carson tells his father's story of faithfulness.

        Idealistic seminary students should read this book to gain a realistic view of what ministry can be like. Pastors who are discouraged should read this book to be renewed in the commitment to ministry, and those just curious about what a makes a godly pastor tick will find insight in this volume.

    One more thing. Back in December of 2008 I posted an entry about D.A. Carson's interview with Mark Driscoll about this book. A link to that post and the video is here. Also, you can read a pdf of the book for free here.

 

Sermon Synopses - "Shirk the Shame" - Romans 1:16-17

Here is another sermon synopsis from my current series on the book of Romans. These synopses, as always, are presented minus the bulk of the sermon material, illustrations, etc.

This letter continues to be life-changing for me, and I hope it is the same for my congregation.

"Shirk the Shame"

Romans 1:16-17

June 21, 2009

Introduction

            Shame is an painful and powerfully motivating thing.

            Imagine the following scenarios. You marry into a family, and for your first Christmas with your new in-laws you are informed that this family draws names out of a hat at Thanksgiving time to decide who is buying Christmas gifts for whom. The family does this because it is large and it is just too expensive for everyone to buy gifts for everyone else. So you draw Uncle Fred's name and file it away. Fast forward ahead to Christmas Day. The family is all gathered together at Grandma's house, who by the way, never follows the name drawing thing but buys gifts for everyone, and it is time for everyone to exchange gifts. As you open up your gift, a sense of dread hits you because the gift you just opened costs way more than the gift you got for Uncle Fred. You hope that the person that bought you your gift just got carried away, but as you look around the room, everyone else's gift is about the same value as the one you are holding, except for the gift you bought for Uncle Fred, which is less than half that value. What happened? They all have an understanding among themselves that the gifts will all have about a such-and-such value, but they never told you about that. Nevertheless, your face is beat red, you want to slide under the couch and die and everyone wonders how such a cheapskate got into the family.

            I remember the kid in high school who, when he was asked a question in math class, did everything he could to divert attention away from himself because he still did not know his multiplication tables and he was embarrassed; Or the kid whose dad was in jail and got mocked for it all the time by the other kids – you could see the shame all over his face.

            Sometimes shame is simple and brief, sometimes it is crippling, sometimes it dominates a person's life and they never shake it.

            Amazingly, Christians sometimes feel ashamed of the gospel, the good news message of Jesus Christ. There are times when a believer walks into certain circles of people and the last thing that believer wants is to be identified as a believer in Christ. There are times and situations where the social fallout is so great, whether it be in school, or the workplace, or the neighborhood, that Christians do their best to live very quiet, wallflower Christian lives. We have the best news in the world and sometimes we are afraid to let it out around the very people who need it most because they might mock us or ridicule us or snicker at us, or think we are real simpletons for believing that religious stuff.

            The Apostle Paul, in this wonderful letter of his to the Romans, deals with this issue of being ashamed of the gospel with only two verses. That is all he needs to make it clear why he is not ashamed of the gospel, and the reasons that drove shame from him can drive shame from us as well. And so the thrust of today's sermon is this:

            Don't be ashamed of the gospel message! Let's look at the two reasons why in these verses.

I.  Because through it salvation comes (v. 16).

            ......

            Now back to my point about not being ashamed. Like Paul, we can say, "I'm not going to be ashamed of this gospel message, because through it God definitely changes people. It is God's means of bringing about transformation. This is how it works. I am not ashamed of it because when it is truly believed, people are transformed. To put it even shorter, I'm not ashamed of it because it is the truth, and those who mock it are fools and they believe a lie.

II. Because through it God's righteousness is revealed (v. 17).

            Now, second reason. Don't be ashamed of the gospel because through it God's righteousness is revealed. Verse 17 again: "For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, the righteous shall live by faith."

           It appears at first glance that God is in a dilemma. Human beings are terrible sinners, defying his commands and laws and will, living without praise to their creator, choosing to put their wills above his, worshiping other so-called gods, and living generally corrupt lives. That 's the Bible's depiction of human beings – sinful hearts and sinful lives. And the Bible depiction of God is that he is perfectly holy – without sin in any way – and that his wrath burns hot against sin. But God wants to forgive – he loves – it is in his nature to forgive. But his subjects deserve severe punishment and he has said that he condemns their sin and that the penalty for sin is death. And so he can't just wave his hand and forgive them without compromising his justice. For if he just said, "Aw, don't worry about it, I'll let it go", it would be the same as saying sin is no big deal and he  was just kidding about his standards and his holiness is not such a big deal, either. He cannot maintain his integrity as ruler if he does not take law breaking seriously and punish it appropriately. And then he would not be worthy of respect, much less worship. Like children who know their parents' warnings of punishment are empty threats, we would not respect God.

             The gospel is intellectually, emotionally, and relationally satisfying.

Critiquing Your Sermons

Bishop Donald Bastian has a helpful series of 6 posts on critiquing your own sermons starting here at his blog, Just Call Me Pastor. All the posts were helpful to me, and, I am sure, will be helpful both to the long-time preacher and the beginning one. Here are the titles of the six entries:

Part 1: Is My Sermon Biblical?

Part 2: Does My Sermon Have Unity? That Is, Does It Say One Thing?

Part 3: Does My Sermon Speak Concretely?

Part 4: Is My Sermon Relevant?

Part 5: Can My Sermon Be Preached With Unction?

Part 6: Does My Sermon Have Bite?

Your Library up in Flames

Lovers of books and learning, how would you react?

I am a fan of Thomas O. Summers, late Methodist theologian whose systematic theology text is nearly impossible to find for purchase. Today I stumbled across a paper by Charles M. Wood. that contains an entry from Summers' journal:

Nashville, February 15, 1872.—On going to the Publishing House this morning I found my office, library, papers, etc., in ashes. About midnight a fire broke out in the bindery, and burned it, my office, the composition and stereotype rooms. My journal, which I had kept for forty years, manuscript works on Retribution, Hymnology, the Church, notes on Scripture, sermons, commonplace-books,autograph letters of the Wesleys, Coke, Asbury, Watson, and other distinguishedmen, and my library worth thousands of dollars, were all consumed.

Summers concluded the entry thus:

The Lord would not have permitted so great a calamity to happen to me, if he had not intended to overrule it for good; so I submit without murmuring. I take out a new lease of life, and begin the world anew; yet I feel the stroke so keenly.

Wood cites this quote from O.P. Fitzgerald, Dr. Summers: A Life-Study (Nashville: Southern Methodist Publishing House, 1884), p. 270.

Ryken's "Choosing a Bible" for Free

Today I stumbled across a free online copy of Leland Ryken's Choosing a Bible: Understanding Bible Translation Differences at the ESV Blog. I own a print copy that I purchased several years ago and have pointed others to it as well.

Formerly titled Bible Translation Differences, the little booklet is adapted from Ryken's larger book The Word of God in English. The booklet argues for an essentially literal approach in Bible translation, against the dynamic equivalent approach. Obviously, it is in support of the ESV, but the points he makes are part of why I prefer to use an essentially literal translation like the ESV over the NIV or the more extreme The Message.

This booklet is worth reading, arguing with, and gleaning much gold from.

Of Worms and Isaiah

I've been reading Memoirs of an Ordinary Pastor by D.A. Carson, a wonderful book about his father's life and ministry in Canada. The book is refreshing to this ordinary pastor as I can relate to the mentality of its subject and its emphasis on how to become a more faithful pastor, not necessarily a more successful one as is held in much of contemporary church thinking. While the book is refreshing, it is also very sobering as it

makes the reader realizes that service in small, obscure churches with only modest growth may be the only life for many pastors, no matter how hard they pray, work, and serve. The book reveals the very bleak side of pastoral ministry in a tough field in a tough time in Canada and how such ministry can break the spirit, health, and finances of a man. Responding to the call of God is never easy, but it has it particularly rough edges when gains in ministry are always small. The call and duty presses one to stay with the work, while the work makes one miserable at the same time. Being caught between a rock and a hard place is a gross understatement of such a ministry. Of course, the book also includes much of God's grace and successes in ministry as well.

I will review more the book later, but for now an entry that is both humorous and sobering at the same time.

The author recalls this incident with his father, found on page 74:

One Saturday we were both weeding a flower bed. I was in the first year of high school, I think, and going through my first poetry-writing phase. I wrote for my own amusement but sometimes printed the results in the school newspaper. Observing the worms as I was hoeing, I thought it would be fun write a poem in the first person from a worm's point of view. I composed it in my head on the spot: a worm approaching the warmth of the sun, squeezing through particles of dirt, etc. My last two lines were, "I saw the spade flash in the sun:/Woe is me! I am undone." I thought it was hilarious and could hardly wait to print it at school. I interrupted my weeding long enough to recite it proudly to my father. He kept on weeding, said nothing for a minute or two, and then quietly asked, "Are you quite sure you want to print a poem that applies to a worm the deepest reflections of the prophet Isaiah when he was afforded a vision of the transcendent God in all his glory?"

"It's just a joke," I protested. But I never printed the poem.

Good boy. Oh, that we had reverence for God and his Word like that today!