Paul’s Dependence on the Christian Community

Yes, and I will rejoice, for I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, this will turn out for my deliverance.” Phil 1:18b-19

“Here is the key to Christ’s being glorified in every way; by Paul’s being “supplied” the Spirit of Jesus Christ himself, who will live powerfully through Paul as he stands trial. At the same time, from such a phrase and its close relationship with the prayer of the believing community, one learns a great deal about Paul’s own spiritual life and his understanding of the role of the Spirit in that life. He simply does not think of Christian life as lived in isolation from others. He may be the one in prison and headed for trial; but the Philippians – and others – are inextricably bound together with him through the Spirit. Therefore, he assumes that their praying, and with that God’s gracious supply of the Spirit of his Son, will be the means God uses yet once more to bring glory to himself through Paul and Paul’s defense of the gospel.” 

Gordon D. Fee, Paul’s Letter to the Philippians, NICOT (Grand Rapids, Eerdmans, 1995), 135.

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Rich Quotes on Life as a Church

Over the past few days, I have run across several rich quotes worth deep thought, all on life as a church family:

From Charles Spurgeon [sermon #2234 (1891)]:

“Give yourself to the church. You that are members of the church have not found it perfect, and I hope that you feel almost glad that you have not. If I had never joined a church till I had found one that was perfect, I should never have joined one at all; and the moment I did join it, if I had found one, I should have spoiled it, for it would not have been a perfect church after I had become a member of it. Still, imperfect as it is, it is the dearest place on earth to us.” [HT: Tony Reinke]

From Ray Ortlund:

“In our world of hyper-sin, people need gospel, safety, and time to get free. A lot of gospel. A lot of safety. A lot of time.”

From Arthur Holmes:

“When you choose a church, you are choosing the people you want to have around you when you die.” [HT: John Piper]

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“Caring in an Expendable Culture”

My next Sunday School commentary in the Baptist & Reflector is up today: “Caring in an Expendable Culture (Psalm 139:1-6; 13-18).”

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“Seeking Purity in a Sensual Culture”

My next Sunday School commentary for the Baptist & Reflector, “Seeking Purity in a Sensual Culture (Eph 5:1-5, 8-12, 15-16),” is up and available here. To clarify, some of the verses cited in the first two paragraphs appear to be from the lesson’s passage, Ephesians chapter 5, but they are actually from Ephesians chapters 1-2.

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It’s Love that wrote the Play

It’s the first week of our read-through/preach through the Bible in 2012 family project here at Curve Baptist Church. In preparing for this Sunday’s sermon (an overview of Genesis 1-11), I was reminded of the lyrics of a song I recently heard. I don’t know anything about the artist, David Wilcox, or his religious convictions. I do know that these heart-piercing lyrics find their fulfillment in the Biblical story, in the sovereign God of love, who set the stage at creation for the story of his glorious rescue of sinners:

“Show the Way” by David Wilcox

You say you see no hope, you say you see no reason
We should dream that the world would ever change
You’re saying love is foolish to believe
‘Cause there’ll always be some crazy with an Army or a Knife
To wake you from your day dream, put the fear back in your life…

Look, if someone wrote a play just to glorify
What’s stronger than hate, would they not arrange the stage
To look as if the hero came too late he’s almost in defeat
It’s looking like the Evil side will win, so on the Edge
Of every seat, from the moment that the whole thing begins
It is…

Chorus:
Love who makes the mortar
And it’s love who stacked these stones
And it’s love who made the stage here
Although it looks like we’re alone
In this scene set in shadows
Like the night is here to stay
There is evil cast around us
But it’s love that wrote the play…
For in this darkness love can show the way

So now the stage is set. Feel you own heart beating
In your chest. This life’s not over yet.
so we get up on our feet and do our best. We play against the
Fear. We play against the reasons not to try
We’re playing for the tears burning in the happy angel’s eyes
For it’s…

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Ten Favorite Reads of 2011

Thinking through my favorite books read in 2011, I decided to reserve a special category for great books written by good friends:  Bonhoeffer and Business Ethics by Dr. Walton Padelford, and The Gospel and the Mind, by Dr. Brad Green, and the local church application chapter of The Lord’s Supper by Dr. Ray Van Neste. It felt funny trying to rank these books alongside those written by strangers, because in addition to benefitting from their content, I rejoiced in the culmination of the hard work of beloved brothers as I read. So, I have kept them separate, and highly recommend each one. Now, to the list:

10.  Evangelical Spirituality, James Gordon

A good survey of evangelicals from the eighteenth century on, and how they pursued the Christian life.

9. Age of Opportunity, Paul David Tripp

I have never raised a teenager, but I bet this book will be a great help whenever I do.

8. Keep in Step with the Spirit, J.I. Packer

J.I. Packer clearly, graciously, faithfully lays out the biblical teaching of the ministry of the Holy Spirit. This should be required reading on Christian living.

7. Angels in the Architecture: A Protestant Vision for Middle Earth, Douglas Jones and Douglas Wilson

A thought-provoking collection of essays about various aspects of the medieval Christian worldview and what we can learn from it. I’d like to read it again.

6. Carry On, Jeeves! P.G. Wodehouse

Humorous stories about a supremely-competent butler named Jeeves who spends his life saving his inept employer from one scrape after another.

5. Tempted & Tried: Temptation and the Triumph of Christ, Russell Moore

A thoughtful, well-written meditation on the Temptations of Christ and what they mean for us, written by the Dean of my seminary. Dr. Moore has helped me tremendously in my own study, application, and communication of the Bible over the past several years.

4. The Thirty-Nine Steps, John Buchan (audio)

Suspense-filled page-turner about an ordinary man swept up into a plot to begin a world war. Buchan was a British statesmen in addition to talented writer; would like to read (or listen to) more of his stories in 2012.

3. That Hideous Strength, C.S. Lewis

A few folks who know a lot more about these kinds of things than me consider this one of the greatest novels in the English language. It drew me in and didn’t let me go for some weeks after I finished it, though I’m quite sure I only picked up about half of all Lewis was communicating in it. Among other things, there are some powerful insights into the drive for human approval (and how weak and irrational such behavior really is).

2. The Last Battle, C.S. Lewis

Makes my heart ache for my real Home just thinking about it.

1. George Whitefield: The Life and Times of the Great Evangelist of the 18th Century Awakening, Arnold Dallimore

I had heard for years about how good this biography is, and it did not disappoint. This is a big, two-volume work, and I only read the first volume in December, but have already excitedly begun the second. Whitefield is a giant of church history, considered one of the most remarkable preachers of the Gospel since the apostles. Aside from the wonderful content of this book, I enjoyed knowing that the author was the pastor of a small Baptist church in Canada, who just kept plugging away at researching and writing for thirty years until the job was complete. The end result is a masterpiece.

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Favorite Commentaries on the Gospel of Mark

Here at Curve Baptist Church, we finished our sermon series in the Gospel of Mark this past Sunday. It was a joy to preach the resurrection of Jesus on Christmas Day! You can find the files of all the sermons form this series on the Sermons page, thanks to the diligent work of my friend Tim Blackstock.

Over the course of the six months we spent in Mark, I found five commentaries especially helpful in preparing sermons. Because I love rankings and lists at this time of year, here they are, in reverse order:

5. The Training of the Twelve, A.B. Bruce

This is an older book, written around the turn of the Twentieth Century. Bruce is seeking to vindicate the gospels as accurate, historical accounts of the life and ministry of Jesus at a time when this was increasingly coming under fire. But the way he goes about this is by harmonizing the four gospels, addressing in each chapter a different lesson in discipleship which Jesus gives to the Twelve. I did not consult this book every week, but there were some real gems along the way when I did. I think particularly of his insights into the character of Judas Iscariot, his treatment of the Sabbath and the life of liberty to which Jesus calls his followers. This would be a good book to have on the shelf for any study of any of the gospels.

4. King’s Cross: The Story of the World in the Life of Jesus, Timothy Keller.

This collection of studies in Mark (it does not cover every passage in the book) was released just before I began my sermon series. Keller writes as a pastor in Manhattan, and as expected, he was most helpful in showing how Jesus applies to twenty-first century man in all his starvation for God and the gospel. Our ministry contexts are very different, but his insights were great for my own meditation on how to apply each passage to myself and my people.

3. The Gospel of Mark, New International Commentary Series, William L. Lane.

This is a classic, and the strongest commentary in terms of filling in the historical background of each passage. But as good as Lane’s is, if I could only purchase two books on Mark, it would be the following:

2. Mark, NIV Application Commentary Series, David Garland.

This may be the most well-written commentary I have ever read. Garland is a talented, lively writer. He really knows his Bible (making all the important Old Testament connections that hover in the background of Mark’s narrative), and  skillfully weaves in strong illustrations throughout. The application section was almost always immensely helpful. Garland’s book does an outstanding job of capturing the punch and power of Mark’s presentation of the victory of Jesus. His treatment of the resurrection was particularly good, where most commentaries (in this Bible-reader’s humble opinion) fail to capture the electricity of the announcement. Highly recommended.

1. Let’s Study Mark! Sinclair Ferguson.

Those who know me well will not be surprised to hear me rank anything by Ferguson, my favorite living preacher and writer, at the top of my list. The Let’s Study Series, published by Banner of Truth Trust, is designed as a doctrinally-sound devotional commentary for lay men and women, walking through passages and making heavy application. I think Ferguson, a long-time pastor as well as a systematic theology professor, is a master at this sort of thing. Broken down into 72 separate studies, this book was consistently the most helpful tool I consulted from week-to-week.

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“Thriving in a Fast-Food Culture”

My next article in the Baptist & Reflector, “Thriving in a Fast-Food Culture,” is available here. The lessons in the month of January all come under the heading of “Going right in a culture gone wrong,” and this first installment is about the appetites.

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“Rejoice at God’s Gift”

The last of my Christmas devotionals for the Baptist & Reflector, “Rejoice at God’s Gift (Luke 2:8-14),” can be found here. I will also be writing for the January Sunday School series, “Going Right in a Culture Gone Wrong.”

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“Respond to God’s Gift” Devotional

My next article in the Baptist & Reflector, “Receive God’s Gift (Matt 2:1-15),” is available here.

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