March 2011

Finishing Well

  • Tim Challies
  • 03/27/11
  • 6

I’ve felt myself drawn to this prayer written by Scotty Smith, a prayer that asks God to help our friends finish well in the gospel—to help us all remain faithful until Today becomes the Day. It begins with this passage of Scripture:

See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness. We have come to share in Christ if we hold firmly till the end the confidence we had at first. Hebrews 3:12-14

Dear Jesus, this portion of your Word is both sobering and encouraging. It leads me to think about friendship this morning and the gospel-posse you've given me. I'm so very grateful for the friends you've woven into my life. Being an introvert, the journey of investing my heart in long term relationships has required, and still requires the work of the gospel in my heart--a grace work you've been faithful to provide.

I've already gripped the handle of a couple of friend's caskets and they'll do the same for me one day. More than ever, I want us to finish well together in the gospel. What does look like and what will it require, Jesus?

My temptation is to treat my easiest friendships like a broken-in pair of Birkenstocks--I just enjoy these relationships without much thought or effort. It's a great gift to have a few friends who can finish each other's sentences, endure one another's jokes, appreciate each other's quirks and accept one another's weaknesses. Surely, this is a gospel-gift.

Yet, Jesus, we're still foolish men--capable of acting out in very destructive ways, prone to wander, easy targets for temptation. Sin is exceedingly deceitful. With all of my heart, I believe in the "final perseverance of the saints," but I equally believe that it's the saints who will finally persevere. Your Word is very clear--continuance in the gospel is a sign of being rooted in the gospel. That doesn't scare me, but it does humble me.

Help us know how to hold each other accountable for believing the gospel. Help us to take each other's heart-struggles seriously. Don't let us confuse flattery with encouragement. Help us never to minimize nor marginalize the hardening power of sin. Help us know how to preach the gospel to our own hearts daily and to each all the time, until Today gives way to the Day. So very Amen, I pray, in your all glorious name.

Weekend A La Carte (3/26)

  • Tim Challies
  • 03/26/11
  • 8

Here are a few links for a Saturday morning. I’m enjoying the last day of the Ligonier Ministries National Conference and looking forward (mostly) to heading home this evening. But first we get a double-dose of John Piper. You can catch it online if you like.

Japan’s Disaster and Your Wallet - Obviously this is a small concern when looking to the disaster in Japan. CBS writes about some of the international financial impact of the disaster.

The Organized Heart - Becky Pliego has a review of Staci Eastin’s book The Organized Heart. “Be encouraged, my friends, to read this book before the other one that teaches you ‘how to organize your closet in 24 days and live happily ever after’.”

Jerusalem Bomb Victim - “Mary Gardner, the British woman killed in the Jerusalem bus bombing, was an evangelical Christian who had been living in Togo, west Africa, translating the New Testament into the local If language.” The Guardian memorializes her.

New York Times - This article tells why the New York Times pay model is bound to fail. “The New York Times has shot itself in the foot with this paywall. It’s easy to defeat because frankly, that’s the way it was built. I want the Times to succeed. But if there is any chance of success, the company will have to drastically rethink its subscription service.”

5 Ways to Make Your Kids Hate Church - Here they are, courtesy of Thomas Weaver.

You can’t open your eyes in this universe without seeing a theater of divine revelation. —R.C. Sproul

Free Stuff Fridays

  • Tim Challies
  • 03/25/11
  • 8

Free Stuff Fridays

This week’s Free Stuff Fridays sponsor is a regular around here and one you know well by now—CBD Reformed. And as they always do, they are offering five prizes, each of which contains three great books.

Five people will each win these three books:

  • The Reason for GodThe Trellis and the Vine by Colin Marshall and Tony Payne - Retail price $14.99
  • The Reason For God by Timothy Keller - Retail Price $16.00
  • Letters To A Young Calvinist by James K.A. Smith - retail $14.99

In addition, CBD Reformed is offering a 4-day sale (March 25 - 28) on the following three products. Anyone is free to take advantage of these deals:

Again, there are five prizes to win, so go ahead and enter below.

Giveaway Rules: You may only enter the draw once. Simply fill out your name and email address to enter the draw. As soon as the winners have been chosen, all names and addresses will be immediately and permanently erased. Winners will be notified by email. The giveaway closes Saturday at noon.

Note: If you are reading via RSS or email, you may need to click through to see the form.

A La Carte (3/25)

  • Tim Challies
  • 03/25/11
  • 8

It’s looking like another great day in Orlando. It’s quite a conference Ligonier puts on and I’m enjoying it thoroughly. I’ve also enjoyed meeting quite a number of readers of this blog as well. And I suppose I’ll meet a few more when I do a book signing a bit later in the day. If you’re down here at the conference, drop by and say hi, won’t you?

Ligonier Conference - The Ligonier Ministries National Conference will be live streaming all day today. Speakers today include R.C. Sproul, Steve Lawson and John Piper. Tonight’s discussion between Piper and Sproul looks like it will be particularly interesting.

Must a Pastor Be Married? - The New York Times recently had an article accusting Christian churches of discriminating against non-married pastors. Here Al Mohler responds to the article and to his comments that were quoted in it.

Christian Book Awards - The ECPA has released its list of finalists for the 2011 Christian Book Awards.

Flash Mobs - Ed Stetzer’s blog has an interesting article about flash mobs (an Internet phenomenon).

Matrix - This is purely entertainment but is strangely intriguing.

A Surveillance Society - Computer World writes about all the data we leave behind us today and what companies are doing with it. “By looking at data over a period of years, corporations can know how you spend your time, where you work, and who you typically spend time with.” And that’s just the start.

We don't really begin to love God until we love God for who he is. —R.C. Sproul

Meeting the Book

  • Tim Challies
  • 03/24/11
  • 13

I got to meet my book today. Zondervan rush-shipped a few boxes of the books straight from the printer to the Ligonier Ministries National Conference where I’m hanging out for the next few days. So as soon as I got here, I went over to the bookstore to check it out. Lukas and Susannah VanDyke happened to be there and just for kicks they snapped a couple of photos.

So here I am, meeting The Next Story.

Meeting the Book

A La Carte (3/24)

  • Tim Challies
  • 03/24/11
  • 2

God is good. Despite my trip to Orlando (for the Ligonier Ministries National Conference) coinciding with what is surely the worst late-March snowstorm we’ve seen for many years, Aileen and I made it safely and only a little bit late. The question now is whether we can adjust to an 80 or 90 degree temperature swing between there and here.

Here are a few links before we head to the conference.

Two Cents and Not a Penny More - Greg Gilbert waited a lot time to write about the Rob Bell situation, but his few comments are well worth the read. Meanwhile, Albert Mohler responds to an article in which Brian McLaren defends Bell and his book.

From Hymns to Hip Hop - Anthony Bradley: “If you are looking for theologically saturated Christian music that has the greatest potential for widespread appeal, your best option may be Christian hip-hop. Because of its form--a high volume of words with little repetition--hip-hop may provide one of the best modes of music to convey propositional truths and doctrinal content that at the same time connects to a younger generation.”

Nominal Christians - Gene Edward Veith writes about an interesting study regarding nominal Christians.

Christian Parallel Universe - “I think there are parallel universes.  At least, it seems that way to my eyes. What I mean is that Christians in the USA seem to have created a universe parallel to the secular one. There are more obvious versions of this — the Christian Yellow Pages being foremost in my mind — but there are subtle versions too.”

Talking Tech with Trevin - Trevin and I recently had a conversation about technology and about my new book. It may prove somewhat interesting to you.

Beautiful Minds - This is a fascinating video about a man with a disability and a gift.

A Meditation on Sin

  • Tim Challies
  • 03/23/11
  • 25

Sin. I can't live with it, but am just not able to live without it. I know that I've been freed from sin, freed from the power of sin, and yet I still sin. Scripture tells me not to let sin reign, it tells me that if I am truly a child of God I will not go on sinning (Romans 6:12, 1 John 3:9). And still I sin. Even in those times that I focus my efforts on one particular sin I find that I am unable to stop, unable to put it entirely to death. My mind can't do it; my will can't do it. It may not reign as sovereign, but it continues to exist as a trial and a steady temptation.

In The Christian Life: A Doctrinal Introduction Sinclair Ferguson writes about this tricky relationship of sin to the Christian and offers these words of assurance: "We are no longer what we once were; we are no longer related to sin the way we once were." This is important for me to understand and to keep in the forefront of my mind as I battle sin—any sin. I am not what I once was. I am not who I once was. I was once a slave to sin, owned by it, inexorably drawn to it. But now I am the slave to a different master. I am owned by God and subject to him. My relationship to sin has been radically transformed.

And yet I still get angry. I still lash out in anger. I still simmer in anger. I still have desires that stem from anger and suffer the consequences of my anger. And that is just one sin. I still lust and am still jealous and am still thankless and still sin in so many ways. I have died to sin but sin has not yet died within. But here is the difference; here is the change: Sin no longer has dominion. And practically I cannot relate to it as if it has dominion. I have to ensure that my experience of sin is consistent with my theology of sin.

Anger does not own me. Christ owns me. Lust does not motivate me. Christ motivates me. Jealousy does not get the final victory. Christ will get the final victory. The cross stands there as assurance that I have been saved from its power and will some day be fully and finally delivered from its presence. Sin is in me but I am in Christ. And what is in me was put upon him on the cross. He triumphed over it then. He broke its power. And now I just wait, battling all the while, for him to speak the word and bring it to an end once and for all.

A La Carte (3/23)

  • Tim Challies
  • 03/23/11
  • 3

My parents made the drive up from Tennessee yesterday and arrived just minutes ahead of a big snow storm. So here we are on March 23 with the schools closed and the kids at home. Tonight Aileen and I hop a plane and head for Orlando (for the Ligonier conference). From snow storms to sun and humidity. Sounds nice.

Challenges Facing the Gospel Coalition - Darryl Dash offers some interesting thoughts on challenges that will face The Gospel Coalition and the New Calvinism.

The Canary - Michael Wittmer: “Sexual sin is the canary in the coal mine, the first sign that something has gone haywire in our walk with Christ. Don't laugh at lust. Repent before you do something really dumb.”

The Rapper in Rehab - Christianity Today has a good interview with rapper Lecrae. “Theology and rap are hardly kissing cousins. One is the purview of academics laboring in seminaries, the other was born in the South Bronx in the 70s. Turns out they were made for one another. Rising rap star Lecrae seamlessly blends gospel-saturated lyrics with the hooks of southern style hip-hop, and the result is something you have to hear to believe.”

Video Broadcasting on a Budget - My friend Jesse has written an article about how to get your church’s services out via the Internet without spending a lot of money. He’s clever like that. “This may come as a surprise, but getting our church's services broadcast on the Internet was neither difficult nor expensive. Our church didn't have a budget for video broadcasting, but it was something I really wanted to see happen; we've got several people in church who can't come to the services because of their failing health, and I imagined the joy it would bring them to be able to watch the services live from their own home.”

Christian Beliefs - Clear Cut Media has done a DVD of Wayne Grudem’s Christian Beliefs. Piper says “Wayne Grudem is one of those very rare pastor-theologians who speaks and writes with equal clarity and faithfulness. That's why listening is often even more satisfying than reading. I am glad his voice (and heart) is now available in this way.”

Chimby and Church - Ali and her African Adventures find themselves in a church service in the jungles of Peru.

VW Factory - This is pretty much amazing.

Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God. —Corrie ten Boom

The New Evangelical Virtues

  • Tim Challies
  • 03/22/11
  • 57

I don’t want to keep talking about Rob Bell. Honest. And in this post I am only going to touch on him on the way to something else. I think the uproar about his view on hell has helpfully illustrated what passes as virtue in the evangelical world today. As I have read some of the controversy, reading particularly from those who have taken his side, I have seen evidence of three characteristics that seem to pass as virtues today. In some parts of the Christian world, these are now embraced as Christian virtue: doubt, opaqueness, and an emphasis on asking rather than answering questions.

Doubt

Doubt has become a virtue while boldness and assuredness have become marks of arrogance. The only thing we should be sure of is that we cannot be sure of much of anything. Doubt has become synonymous with humility. And so it was with the people who used to be known by that term emerging. This was a faith devoid of boldness, a faith that emphasized the unknowability of God at the expense of what we can know with confidence. The man who went on television and declared how little he knew in a quiet tone of voice was lauded over the man who spoke confidently of what God has made clear.

But here’s the thing: the Bible tells us that we can believe boldly, knowing what we know, believing and proclaiming what God says is true. Through the Holy Spirit, Jesus gives boldness to His people. It is not a rash and arrogant boldness that takes refuge in our own intellectual capacities, but a boldness that what God reveals of himself through Scripture is real and right and true and knowable. It is a confidence that we, simple human beings, can know and understand God. And what we know and understand we can proclaim. Humility is not found in doubting what is true, but in believing that what God says is true is true indeed. And it is found in proclaiming it on that basis. Humility is expressed in obedience.

Opaqueness

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A La Carte (3/22)

  • Tim Challies
  • 03/22/11
  • 2

I promised that if you kept buying The Next Story in the Kindle version, the price would keep falling. Well, it’s now down to $7.99. Remember, for every 200 people who buy it, the price falls by $1. I’m pretty sure it will fall at least a dollar more. So keep buying it! (Note: those who bought at a higher price will be charged the lower price)

An MLB Contract - This one’s for baseball geeks only. If you’ve ever wondered what an actual baseball contract looks like, well, here you go. You can now see how many uniforms a team has to provide, what sports a player is forbidden to play, etc.

Why Is Hell Forever? - Russell Moore answers the question. “The sinner in hell does not become morally neutral upon his sentence to hell. We must not imagine the damned displaying gospel repentance and longing for the presence of Christ. They do indeed, as in the story of the rich man and Lazarus, seek for an escape from punishment, but they are not new creations. They do not in hell love the Lord their God with heart, mind, soul, and strength.”

Google vs Content Farms - You may have heard about Google tweaking their algorithm to eliminate some of the worst search results. This infographic tells you how it worked out.

Always the Last to Know - Ed Welch: “The problem with anger is that those who don't have the problem take it to heart; those who are angry are confident in their right-ness and over time can become massively, utterly, completely deluded, blind and (this is no exaggeration) can feel quite good about themselves after bludgeoning someone close them, as if they have set the world aright. Arrgghh. I hate anger.”

Forgiveness - Mounce doing what he does. For a guy who knows very little Greek, I sure do enjoy this weekly blog.

Successful Teachers - “In order to be a good teacher, you don't have to be a Christian. But you must model Christian principles. For Christianity is not just a religion, or some compartmentalized facet of existence. Rather, it testifies to reality itself, the true nature of all that exists. So when we teach according to Christ's example, we teach more effectively.”

Thoughts are the parents of words and deeds. —J.C. Ryle