Oct
14
2009
30 Years Ago Today: How God Called John Piper to Become a Pastor
John Piper (January 1979)
In May of 1979 John Piper had completed his sixth year of teaching biblical studies at Bethel College (Saint Paul, MN) and was due for a sabbatical in the fall. In every class Piper had encountered students who sought to discount his Calvinistic interpretation of Romans 9. So he had one aim for his eight-month leave: “to study Romans 9 and write a book on it that would settle, in my own mind, the meaning of these verses.” Or put differently, “to analyze God’s words so closely and construe them so carefully that I could write a book that would be compelling and stand the test of time.”
The book–which Richard Muller would call “the most compelling and forceful exposition of Romans 9:1-23 I have ever seen”–was published four years later by Baker as The Justification of God.
But God had more designs for this sabbatical than the production of a book. He would use this time to call Piper away from being a professor to become a pastor.
Piper enjoyed college teaching in many ways. In addition to teaching through a number of New Testament books using an exegetical methodology called arcing, Piper was seeing the lives of some of his students transformed. He even saw some students converted in his NT History classes. And he was also involved at his local church, teaching a rapidly growing young-adults class at Olivet Baptist Church in Crystal, MN. Students unable to take his classes at Bethel (due to enrollment caps) were coming to hear him teach Sunday School.
But during his sabbatical a new desire was emerging: “to see the word of God applied across a broader range of problems in people’s lives and a broader range of ages.” In other words, he increasing longed “to address a flock week after week and try to draw them in . . . to an experience of God that gives them more joy in him than they have in anything else and thus magnifies Christ.” And he found that in studying the majestic, free, and sovereign God of Romans 9 day after day his “analysis merged into worship.”
The decisive night of wrestling was on Monday, October 14, 1979—30 years ago today. His wife and two young sons were asleep. But Piper was up past midnight, writing in his journal, recording the direction God was irresistibly drawing him to.
The journal entry for that evening begins in this way:
I am closer tonight to actually deciding to resign at Bethel and take a pastorate than I have ever been. . . .
The urge is almost overwhelming. It takes this form: I am enthralled by the reality of God and the power of his Word to create authentic people.
In effect the Lord was saying to him:
I will not simply be analyzed; I will be adored.
I will not simply be pondered; I will be proclaimed.
My sovereignty is not simply to be scrutinized; it is to be heralded.
It is not grist for the mill of controversy; it is gospel for sinners who know that their only hope is the sovereign triumph of God’s grace over their rebellious will.
The calling to preach and pastor had become irresistible.
Bethel was operated by the Baptist General Conference, which had its roots in Swedish Pietism. Piper sought the counsel of Dick Turnwall, Executive Minister of the Minnesota Baptist Conference, and they met together in Turnwall’s office just a mile or so down the road from Bethel. Piper had a number of counts against him as a pastoral candidate: he was young, had no pastoral experience, had intentionally skipped all of the practical courses in seminary–and had no Swedish heritage. But Turnwall encouraged him to fill out a ministerial form, and Piper sent it to Warren Magnuson, General Secretary of the denomination. And then he waited.
Bethlehem Baptist Church, located in downtown Minneapolis, had been searching for a pastor since the retirement of Bruce Fleming. It was originally known as the First Swedish Baptist Church of Minneapolis in 1871, but had moved to English services by 1930.
By 1980 it was an aging congregation: of the 750 members, 279 were over the age of 65, and 108 of those were over the age of 80.
Turnwall put in a call to Marvin Anderson, chairman of the church and a history professor at Bethel Seminary, to inform him of Piper’s availability as a candidate for pastor.
Two members of the search committee were sent to observe Piper’s Sunday School class. They reported back to the rest of the committee that Bethlehem may have just found their new pastor.
Anderson called Piper, and on Friday, December 7, John and Noël met with the search committee at the Andersons’ home in Shoreview, MN, along with other members of the search committee and their spouses: Char Ransom, Marlene Johnson, Olive Nelson, Ozzie (Floyd) Nelson, Jim Backlin, Rollin Erickson, and Clarence Ohman (chairman of the deacon board). The following Wednesday Noël would give birth to their third son.
After meeting with Piper two or three times a week for a month, he became Bethlehem’s candidate.
At some point in the process John had told his father, Bill Piper, about his sense of God’s calling. A 55-year-old itinerant evangelist, Dr. Piper had been preaching the gospel for 40 years and had been in countless churches throughout the United States. He knew both the promise and the perils that would await a pastor. So he wrote his son a two-page letter in response, seeking to make sure the call was genuine and that his son was realistic, not idealistic, in his expectations. Here is an excerpt:
Now I want you to remember a few things about the pastorate. Being a pastor today involves more than merely teaching and preaching. You’ll be the comforter of the fatherless and the widow. You’ll counsel constantly with those whose homes and hearts are broken. You’ll have to handle divorce problems and a thousand marital situations. You’ll have to exhort and advise young people involved in sordid and illicit sex, with drugs and violence. You’ll have to visit the hospitals, the shut-ins, the elderly. A mountain of problems will be laid on your shoulders and at your doorstep.
And then there’s the heartache of ministering to a weak and carnal and worldly, apathetic group of professing Christians, very few of whom will be found trustworthy and dependable.
Then there a hundred administrative responsibilities as pastor. You’re the generator and sometimes the janitor. The church will look to you for guidance in building programs, church growth, youth activities, outreach, extra services, etc. You’ll be called upon to arbitrate all kinds of problems. At times you will feel the weight of the world on your shoulders. Many pastors have broken under the strain.
If the Lord has called you, these things will not deter nor dismay you. But I wanted you to know the whole picture. As in all of our Lord’s work there will be a thousand compensations. You’ll see that people trust Christ as Savior and Lord. You’ll see these grow in the knowledge of Christ and his Word. You’ll witness saints enabled by your preaching to face all manner of tests. You’ll see God at work in human lives, and there is no joy comparable to this. Just ask yourself, son, if you are prepared not only to preach and teach, but also to weep over men’s souls, to care for the sick and dying, and to bear the burdens carried today by the saints of God.
No matter what, I’ll back you all the way with my encouragement and prayers.
On January 27, 1980, John Piper was presented to the congregation as a candidate to become their pastor. You can listen online to his 32-minute sermon from that morning, which he preached on Philippians 1:12-14, 19-26. He closed the sermon with application to his own calling:
Right now in my own life, I stand on the brink of a professional change. I really love my job at Bethel College. It is very rewarding. When I see students out there who are in my 1 Corinthians class, it makes me very glad.
One of the ways God has said to me “Move Piper,” is this: when I read Philippians 1:19-26, there is in me a tremendous longing. Last October it became an irresistible longing to be an instrument in God’s hands to fulfill these goals in a local church.
At this point in my life I say, and I believe God is saying to me, “The potential, Piper, for magnifying me is greater now in the pastorate than in the professorship.” That’s why the move. When I become a pastor, I am going to have one all-encompassing goal, a very simple goal, that in nothing I might be ashamed but that in everything I might magnify Christ whether by life or by death. To that end, I aim at three things.
- I will aim to love Christ with all my heart, and with all my soul, and with all my strength. Because when I die in the midst of my ministry and say farewell to a beloved flock and a cherished family, I want to be able to believe that it is gain. And in my dying I want to be able to bear witness to a church that Christ is great indeed and worthy of all our trust.
- While I live and minister, my goal is going to be to make the people glad in God. Woe to the pastor who uses his position to hammer year after year in chiseling out a hard sour people! He has forgotten his calling. “I know that I shall remain and continue with you all for your advancement and your joy of faith.”
- Since joy comes from faith, and faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of God, it will have to be my main goal–my tremendously fulfilling and joyful goal–to feed that flock the Word of God every week, week in and week out. I will pray that Jesus’ words will become fulfilled in my words. The banner of every sermon I preach will be this: “My words I have spoken to you in order that my joy might be in you and that your joy might be full” (John 15:11).
That evening Piper delivered a 20-minute testimony of sorts, designed to introduce himself to the people by explaining the major influencers in his life–mainly his father and mother, but also formative teachers like Clyde Kilby and Daniel Fuller.
The people of Bethlehem voted soon after, and elected John Piper to be their thirteenth pastor. In June the Pipers and their three boys moved to Minneapolis, buying a house within a half mile of the church. And on July 13 he preached his installation sermon, The Wisdom of Men and the Power of God, from 1 Corinthians 2:1-5. Among the words that this young shepherd delivered to his aging flock were these:
I come to you as your pastor today with weaknesses (which you will learn soon enough) and in much fear and trembling. Not that I distrust the power and promise of God but that I distrust myself. Not so much that I will fail—as the world counts failure—but that I might succeed in my own strength and wisdom and so fail as God counts failure.
Years later Piper recounted a moment from his early days at Bethlehem:
. . . I stood in front of the glassed-in case of “pastors’ pictures” in the second-floor hallway of the “B” building. I was a brand new pastor. I looked at the two longest pastorates in Bethlehem’s 109-year history and thought, “Maybe God would keep me faithful long enough to be here that long.”
God, in his sovereign kindness, has answered that prayer.
I thank God that he has kept John Piper faithful, and I pray that he would continue to do so until Christ returns or Christ calls him home.
Thank you, Lord, for the decisive calling you did in his heart, 30 years ago this evening.
101 Comments
Good stuff as usual JT. I thank Christ for the ministry of John Piper.
Thanks JT. Though I’ve had my share of disagreements with Dr. Piper’s pen, I’m so grateful to the Lord for Piper’s God-centered ministry over the years. I’ve read and listened to him with delight.
Thank Christ for how He has used Piper to wield influence for His glory & renown, & our delight in Him who loved us and gave Himself for us.
Should have said in my above comment:
‘Love the picture you chose for this, brilliant’
What an encouragement for one just starting out on the road of ministry… Praise God for His faithfulness.
[...] Nano-Blog link here: http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/justintaylor/2009/10/14/30-years-ago-today-how-god-called-john-p... [...]
That picture completely makes my day.
Wow!
I’m speechless…
praise God for his work through the ministry of John Piper!!
(just quietly… we know what his son abraham will look like in 30 years!!!)
Praise God for how He has been working in and through John Piper! Have always been blessed with his ministry…his passion and love for the Lord and His poeple is such an encouragement.
Thanks, Justin.
There’s a good consistency between the John Piper of today and the one who delivered that sermon and testimony on January 27, 1980.
I love John Piper, but I am so thankful that he decided to get rid of that big gold blingin’ cross. What was he thinking? :)
Joe Justiss
What a privilege to be one of the dozen or so students who spontaneously broke out in singing the doxology at the conclusion of his Greek Exegesis class on Romans 9-11. This was way back in the spring of 1976 at Bethel College. Now in my 30th year of laboring with him in pastoral ministry at Bethlehem, I can say that God’s influence in my life through John’s ministry of the Word is as significant now as it was then. Not only that, but I have had the opportunity to see him up close–for over 35 years. He doesn’t hide his sin, he doesn’t pretend things are easy when they aren’t. He is authentic. He is gripped with the glory of Christ. He is deeply happy in the Gospel, sorrowful but always rejoicing, weeping with those who weep and rejoicing with those who rejoice. Christ is all. May God give him many more years of faithful ministry!
This was a fantastic post Justin!!!
Thank you so much for sharing this.
Among all the memorable sentences, I like this one the best:
“Not so much that I will fail—as the world counts failure—but that I might succeed in my own strength and wisdom and so fail as God counts failure.”
Wow.
Jesus, not simply analyzed…..adored,
Jesus, not simply pondered…..proclaimed,
Jesus, not simply scrutinized..heralded! AMEN ~
True spiritual maturity is a life that has not been
beguiled from ’simplicity’ of devotion to Christ.
What I want to is how could it be that I only heard of Mr Piper a few years ago….Bethlehem Baptist hid him perhaos too well! I praise God for his ministry because it bought me to understand Grace and salvation in truth.
[...] 30 Years Ago Today: How God Called John Piper to Become a Pastor October 14, 2009 A. W. Powers Leave a comment Go to comments Many people, including myself, have benefitted in unspeakable ways from the ministry God is doing through John Piper. The following is how he became turned away from analyzing God to proclaiming Him. (This post was originally done by Justin Taylor over at his always so powerful blog, Between Two Worlds.) [...]
I love the God who called Piper to the pastorate.
I love Piper for what he’s done in my life and ministry.
And I love that Piper has always had really bad hair, and God used him anyway.
Justin,
Thanks so much for your labors on this blog, they are a continual source of encouragement and helpful information. This is a great post. Thank you for putting it together.
May God continue to strengthen you in His joy!
John Erickson
What a great article! Thanks for this.
I echo all the other comments. Beautifully done, Justin — and thank you *Pastor* John Piper for magnifying Christ these 30 years.
Excellent Justin!
I have benefited tremendously from John’s preaching and writing gift over the years. May the Lord grant him many more years to pass on the Gospel to the next generation.
Thanks be to God. What a testimony to His faithfulness in the life of one who earnestly seeks Him and daily basks in His grace to us in Christ.
[...] John Piper’s call to the ministry. Justin Taylor gives the details at some length. [...]
I am thankful for Piper’s undeniable passion in his preaching. His love for God’s word has been convicting for me as a pastor and teacher.
Thanks for posting this.
Thank you God for this bit of mercy and grace. Thank you, God.
[...] about how and why Dr. Piper left teaching at seminary and entered into church life, you can do so here. And by all means, go read Desiring God. [...]
Wonderful tribute to a godly and not-afraid-to-admit-he’s-flawed man. I, as many others commenting, have benefited more than I can say from John Piper’s ministry.
Great work, Justin.
I’m still moved by that Phillipians sermon.
Char
Char, thanks for being a faithful member of that search committee. I think you all chose the right man for the job!
So thankful to God for John’s faithfulness. I am bowled over by the letter his father wrote to him. This should be affixed to every seminary student handbook. What a great, great revelation to a budding pastor and an even better encouragement from a shepherding father. Good stuff all around.
I’m so thankful that he obeyed that call. Great article JT!
[...] 30 Years Ago Today: How God Called John Piper to Become a Pastor by Justin Taylor [...]
[...] miss this wonderful telling of the story by Justin Taylor of how Pastor John went from professor to [...]
Do you think he’ll go on to 40 years … or stop one short so that people won’t think it was a wilderness experience? :o)
So many things have intertwined in this story – God’s call, a man’s struggle and many people participating in the “making of a good preacher”. This is a very good story. Thanks.
[...] night and this morning (partly after reading this article), I was remembering some of my main desires before going into youth ministry. I wanted students to [...]
Thanks for including the photo. It’s exactly as I remembered Dr. Piper the first time I saw him walking down the hallways at Bethel – and yes, he was wearing that exact same cross at the time. His influence has now passed onto our children…and their peers. Praise God from whom all blessings flow…
[...] so that I am restless with even now with what has been a GREAT joy: seminary life. I read today and article about John Piper’s call to preach, and I was nearly brought to tears as the passion for [...]
Well besides the hair and the cross, I kinda like the way he’s bent his neck and has a warm, goofy smile on his face. Very nice.
The expression on his face then is the same as it is now; I think that has something to do with having spent the intervening 30 years faithfully adoring and proclaiming God. Thanks for this article.
I have to agree with Dave – thought I was looking at Abraham!
Loved listening to the candidating message, thanks so much for this post.
[...] Justin Taylor has written a post today telling the story of Piper’s transition from professor to pastor. [...]
Excellent post. Being a pastor is a sacred and holy thing that really cannot be articulated. I am a chaplain at a law firm in Virginia and I love my sheep. My calling into the pastorate is a precious memory that I will never forget. Thanks for sharing Mr. Pipers experience.
Thanks, Justin. I’ve been greatly blessed by God through John Piper’s ministry. His book, The Justification of God, is one of my favorites; I read and used it for a bible study on Romans several years ago and was blown away by his careful, thoroughly convincing exegesis of the Romans 9. I read it again this summer and was reminded how great it is.
One quick story: I took my mother, who is not a believer, to hear him preach a couple of years ago when we were in Minneapolis. It happened to be on Martin Luther King weekend and he preached a great sermon about racial justice and was nearly in tears as he spoke about how shameful it was that so many conservative Christians had defended segregation and racism. My politically liberal mother was stunned that a conservative evangelical cared so much about racial justice; she bought several of his books that very day. She’s still not a believer, but I’m praying that God will cause to grow some of the seeds that I trust the Spirit planted that day through Piper’s ministry.
[...] There are several modern day “Pauls”, if you will, that I have fallen under the influence of over the past few years. One that comes to mind is John Piper. Today marks his 30th anniversary of the day that he felt the call to be a pastor. You can read the article here. [...]
John Piper has taught me that “it’s not about me”, by his example.
It’s about obedience to the Lord….
He is the first person that challenged my husband and I with the question on Missions Sunday, “Are you willing to die in service to the Lord?”
God bless you, Pastor John on this your 30th year celebration.
“God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him”
[...] a pastor is a unique job, and a very special vocation. The way the Lord called John Piper is nicely summarized by blogger Justin Taylor (a John Piper January 1979former Piper student). I first met John in those early years, while [...]
Thanks Justin,
It is difficult to imagine how much poorer my life and ministry would be without John Piper and his ministry at Bethlehem. There are indeed no indispensable people, but I suspect some individuals are less dispensable that others…John Piper being one. :-)
Amazing what God will do with a person who seeks to be most satisfied in Him – He is mostly Glorified!
[...] After almost a decade, I can affirm that Bill Piper’s counsel is spot-on. And countless young pastors like myself are eternally grateful that Dr. Piper made the decision he did. More at Justin Taylor’s blog. [...]
I have serious disagreements with John Piper on some important aspects of theology. But I appreciate him and his ministry and consider him a great man of God, and praise God for his ministry, even though it contains some major elements I think are not biblical. None of us are perfect, and John Piper is among the first of those to admit it. I actually consider myself a Christian Hedonist and agree wholeheartedly that God is most glorfied in us when we are most satisfied in him.
[...] “30 Years Ago Today: How God Called John Piper to Become a Pastor.” [...]
In Honor of John Piper: 30yrs ago He was called to the Pastorate…
Though I share my disagreements with Piper on this blog from time to time, I thank God for his use of Piper in shaping much of my thinking.
……
That picture is just insane.
He still wears that corduroy sport coat!
Justin, thanks for this post. That grace to John Piper 30 years ago has meant grace to many people, including me.
“I thank God that he has kept John Piper faithful, and I pray that he would continue to do so until Christ returns or Christ calls him home.”
Amen.
[...] Piper and how he has used the resources that God has given him to bless so many others. This is a great post about how Piper came to be a pastor. Interesting, a good read, and a pretty cool picture! [...]
[...] article written by Justin Taylor on John Piper’s call to ministry 30 years ago, have a read here from The Gospel Coalition. Possibly related posts: (automatically generated)the portrait of a [...]
Am so grateful to God for making the writings of Ptr. John available to me… and recentlly being spiritualy through his video message…
I loved that post. It was inspiring especially as I consider a more pastoral role within my youth group even all the way in Australia. It was of great encouragement to me.
I really hope that as John Piper displays the humbleness and desire to serve. That I will as well to those that I serve. So that Christ may be glorified.
Also…great picture of John in the 70’s- it doesn’t look like an old photo at all
[...] http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/justintaylor/2009/10/14/30-years-ago-today-how-god-called-john-p... [...]
Great post Justin. And wow does that picture look like Abraham!
[...] October 14, 2009 by John Sundberg Today’s post from Justin Taylor at Between Two Worlds is a well-written testimony to the grace of God in one man’s life. Click through to see a photo of Piper from 30 years ago, stay there and read the post. 30 Years Ago Today: How God Called John Piper to Become a Pastor [...]
I have visited BBC many times and have been personally encouraged by his preaching. Yes, I have my disagreements with him, but I have always had to wrestle through his arguments seriously to arrive at an opposite conclusion. His heart, integrity, and passion truly exhibit the grace of God.
John Piper has certainly answered His calling……..
I thanks God so much for John Piper and his ministry!
That picture was taken the same month I was born!
[...] Justin Taylor on John Piper’s 30th anniversary of being called to the ministry. Adrian Warnock comments. [...]
That picture is priceless! I want to know why Piper Doesn’t rock the cross bling bling anymore?
I thank god every day since April 2009 that I know John Piper. He came to my life through the Word he preached. God used him to put a fire back into my life for Christ. Thank you.
Well, for the last 2 years, my soul has been refreshed as I hear pastor John week after week. He has counseled me patiently and preached to me lovingly and God has used him to challenge deeply held beliefs. I thank God that he called and sustained John Piper for 30 years at Bethlehem. Integrity, genuineness and authenticity are the marks God has laid on him. Before I ever visited the church, a friend who was on staff said to me, “He’s different than most pastors. He is the same behind closed doors as he is in public.” That statement has stuck with me, and it has been confirmed thousands of times. God is at work in and through John and there is evidence of grace in my life as proof. Thank you Justin.
[...] Justin Taylor over at the Gospel Coalition blog today drew my attention to the fact that it has been thirty years since John Piper left his teaching post at Bethel College and took up his pastoral role at Bethlehem Baptist Church. [...]
[...] Justin Taylor over at the Gospel Coalition blog today drew my attention to the fact that it has been thirty years since John Piper left his teaching post at Bethel College and took up his pastoral role at Bethlehem Baptist Church. John Piper, 1979 [...]
[...] 15, 2009 by John Knight Yes, I’m a day late and most people have already seen this post from Justin Taylor on Pastor John’s call 30 years ago yesterday. But if you missed it, you [...]
[...] Posted on October 15, 2009 by bkingr speaking of Justin Taylor, you have got to check out his post about John Piper’s call to the ministry 30 years ago if you haven’t [...]
[...] Church leadership, Ministry, Something worth reading, Theology, Websites | Justin Taylor has a post about John Piper’s call to enter the pastorate and serve as pastor of Bethlehem Baptist [...]
Where did all the hair come from???
: )
This December my husband and I will mark our 30th year in ministry. John Piper and his able staff are an encouragement to us most every day. Thank you, Mr. Taylor, for writing this, and thank you, Pastor and Noel Piper for allowing us to see how you live and how you think. The help you have been to this associate pastor’s wife has been immeasurable.
[...] Piper’s arrival at Bethlehem – 30 years later. http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/justintaylor/2009/10/14/30-years-ago-today-how-god-called-john-p... Published [...]
Thank God for John Piper. Now if only he’d correct his soteriology and baptize babies, ha, ha! Just kidding, sort of. It’s ironic that his various attempts to defend believers’ baptism by immersion resulted in showing me that the ancient position of infant baptism by sprinkling is the true Scriptural one, though in my love of Christ’s Church I’m more than eager to find a via media.
Praising God for John Piper, his faithfulness, and his bad hair. :)
I blogged about JT’s post here:
http://bloodletting.blogspot.com/2009/10/thirty-years-of-bad-hair-that-nobody.html
I must say that the excerpt of his father’s letter was brilliant. It really made me think more about what pastors have to face daily. But like it was mentioned in the letter, “If the Lord has called you, these things will not deter nor dismay you.”
Thanks for sharing.
John Piper was my seminary. When I came to Christ, I listened to his sermons sometimes twice a day. Constantly would I be brought to tears as Dr. Piper showed me a Jesus I had never known and built in me an awe for the Holy.
I’m a pastor today because of my love and need for Jesus. Thank you Dr. Piper.
I give thanks to God for calling John Piper into the ministry. I love his books and his sermons. Weren’t the 1970s great!? I had a coat and hair just like that – both are now gone.
[...] recently posted a fairly lengthy account of the calling and ministry of John Piper. You can read it here. I find his biography to be one of the most fascinating and encouraging of any living ministry on [...]
That’s a cool story about how John Piper was called! Thanks for sharing. John Piper’s teaching has been an encouragement to me……and his hair gave me a great laugh!
Thank you for putting this together and sharing it, Justin. I’m so thankful that God gifts and gives men to shepherd and teach His church. He has used Pastor Piper very powerfully in my life.
Thanks for the wonderful post on John Piper! An insipring testimony for young pastors.
[...] 30 Years Ago Today: How God Called John Piper to Be a Pastor by Justin Taylor Tags: Friday Top Blogs Comments (0) Trackbacks (0) Leave a comment Trackback [...]
As I contemplate my future service to Christ and His church, this post has given me pause. Dear God, do what You will. Amen
As I scrolled down reading your blog and came upon this photo/entry, my 8 year old daughter was by me. I said to her, do you know who this is? She replied, “Pastor John wearing a wig?”
Several year’s after my brother’s murder, someone recommended I read John Piper’s books. I wrestled with the concept of God’s sovereignty and goodness for weeks as I read – many sleepless nights. I love the prediction Dr. Piper made when speaking of this same struggle that many besides me have faced when wrestling with the sovereignty of God: “The possibility at least exists that out of the upheavals will come a new era of calm and confidence.” One chapter from “The Pleasures of God” titled “The Pleasure of God in Doing Good to All Who Hope in Him”, forever changed my view of God as it wove scripture together illuminating the truth of who God is-that He is sovereign over every circumstance and desires to do us good in every circumstance. The two verses he shares at the beginning, Zephaniah 3:17 and Psalm 147:10-11 have remained precious promises that keep my heart anchored to God’s sovereign goodness. I’ll never forget the impact of reading George Mueller’s testimony and the “funeral sermon” he gave at his wife’s funeral, then what He said to his daughter afterward, “God Himself has done it; we are satisfied in Him.” And then John Piper’s words and the Word of God that followed. “God never stops doing good to His covenant people. And when the enemy is temporarily given the upper hand, we can say, straight into the muzzle of the gun, ‘You mean evil against me, but God means it for good’ (Genesis 50:20.) Since God is sovereign and has promised not to turn away from doing good to his covenant people, we can know beyond all doubt, in tribulation and distress and persecution and famine and nakedness and peril and sword, that we are more than conquerers through Him who loved us (Romans 8:35-37).” The imagery, the truth, the power of the Word . . . God broke through. Many books that I had read up until that point had either comprimised God’s goodness or His sovereignty in dealing with the issue of suffering. Years later when I read the opening words Dr. Piper wrote in “The Misery of Job and the Mercy of God”, I smiled as I looked back at my own journey: “Who has lived long in the world of woe without weeping, . . . ? But O, the folly of trying to lighten the ship of suffering by throwing God’s governance overboard. The very thing the tilting ship needs in the storm is the ballast of God’s good sovereignty, not the unburdening of deep and precious truth. What makes the crush of calamity sufferable is not that God shares our shock, but that his bitter providences are laden with the bounty of love.” Amen.
Thank you, God, for John Piper – for making him such an incredible reflector of Your glory!
[...] 16, 2009 at 9:01 pm Great article over at Between Two Worlds about how John piper became a pastor. Click here to read. I would also like to thank my Pastor Scott Maxwell for becoming a pastor and for doing the hard [...]
[...] Justin Taylor tells how God called John Piper to the ministry that puts a well-known personal face on this lesson. His post is entitled: 30 Years Ago Today: How God Called John Piper to Become a Pastor. Possibly related posts: (automatically generated)Stop Looking for VolunteersConfirmations Of God’s Call To Ministry“He’s Eating Our Appetizersâ€The Mother Of All Heists [...]
Thank you for sharing Piper’s call to the ministry. I linked to your post to support the view that the call to the ministry of pastoring does not negate a call to ministry for all believers to serve as some in the Missioal movement are saying.
[...] important article recounts John Piper’s call to the ministry, as he was still a professor of New Testament at [...]
[...] How God Called John Piper to Become a Pastor [...]
[...] How God called John Piper to be a pastor [...]
[...] in me surged as I read this. Have a look, you might just find that your response is quite the same: 30 Years Ago Today: How God Called John Piper to Become a Pastor. Tags: Bad Hair, Desiring God, Good Theology, John Piper, Justin Taylor, Pastoral Ministry, The [...]
[...] 23, 2009 in Uncategorized Here [...]
Many, many times I have thanked God for John Piper, his call to ministry, and God’s Word spoken through him. Although I live in a different city and am a member of a different church, God has used his ministry to transform me dramatically.
The first time I heard him speak in person 11 years ago I literally cried throughout the message, which was on “God’s Passion for His Glory”. I was a Christian, living a comfortable, safe, respectable, but somewhat ineffective life. I knew I wanted what Piper had. I read Desiring God over and over until I “got” it in my heart.
Now my life looks completely different. I am not in pastoral ministry, but my money, time, energy, and heart are devoted to reflecting God’s glory and sharing the Good News among very emotionally needy people: homosexuals. There is much rejoicing in heaven over one of these sinners who repents !
I pray that the ripple effect of Piper’s ministry will become a great wave that affects this whole generation and goes on into eternity!