The Gospel Coalition

Intensely felt, openly demonstrated love between manly men of God – who wouldn’t want to be a part of that?  Three ways to create that culture in our churches:

One, “Outdo one another in showing honor” (Romans 12:10).  No flippant put-downs.  No undercutting.  Not even waiting for the next guy to make the first move.  But me getting out of my self-concern to lift the next man up with high honor.  Doing this verbally, unashamedly.

Two, “Bear with one another” (Colossians 3:13).  Not trying to change one another.  Who appointed us to that role?  Our privilege is to bear with one another’s “weaknesses and oddities, which are such a trial to our patience, . . . to break through to the point where we take joy in [the other man’s quirkiness]” (Bonhoeffer, Life Together, page 101).

Three, “Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths but only such as is good for building up” (Ephesians 4:29).  Nothing could be more unAmerican than denying ourselves our right of free speech.  Men of God filter every word by a higher standard.  Even if the words wanting to come out of my mouth are factually true, the real question is, Are my words positively helping the man listening?

Manly men of God loving one another intensely and openly are a life-enriching social environment.

“‘Edith, I wonder what would happen to most churches and Christian work if we awakened tomorrow, and everything concerning the reality and work of the Holy Spirit, and everything concerning prayer, were removed from the Bible.  I don’t mean just ignored, but actually cut out – disappeared.  I wonder how much difference it would make?’  We concluded it would not make much difference in many board meetings, committee meetings, decisions and activities.”

Edith Schaeffer, The Tapestry, page 356.

I thank my brothers on The Gospel Coalition for the trust of this blog. I consecrate it to this purpose: “. . . to sustain with a word him who is weary” (Isaiah 50:4).

Everyone needs sustaining, because everyone is weak. But there is a word that refreshes, sustains, revives. God spoke it to us in Jesus and personalizes it to us by his Spirit. It is my theme, for his glory.

Check it out here.

No analogy is perfectly aligned with its reality. But there are telling parallels here with the gospel.

“There is no sin so much like the devil as this for secrecy and subtlety and appearing in a great many shapes undiscerned and unsuspected, even appearing as an angel of light. It takes occasion to arise from everything, it perverts and abuses everything, even the exercises of real grace and real humility. It is a sin that has, as it were, many lives. If you kill it, it will live still. If you suppress it in one shape, it rises in another. If you think it is all gone, it is there still. Like the coats of an onion, if you pull one form of it off, there is another underneath. We need therefore to have the greatest watch imaginable over our hearts and to cry most earnestly to the great Searcher of hearts for his help. He that trusts his own heart is a fool.”

Jonathan Edwards, Thoughts on the New England Revival, page 155, edited slightly.

The Acts 29 Boot Camp in Louisville left me with these thoughts:

1. God continues to stir up a new generation of gospel men. It is so wonderful to watch this, I almost don’t want to breathe lest I disturb it. For one who has seen long seasons of unstirred and confused men, the present work of God is unspeakably precious. May it intensify more and more.

2. Acts 29 is maturing and winning broader favor. I see no ego-games going on. I see gifted men submitting to Christ and honoring one another. May we stay there, low before the Lord, where we could perhaps be entrusted with an ever-increasing stewardship of blessing.

3. My hope for Nashville in particular is that, over the next ten years, we will plant so many Acts 29 churches that we reach a threshold where our whole city senses that something has changed, that the gospel has come to town with newness of life.

For this, I give myself in prayer and effort. And I welcome more co-laborers.

Dr. Bruce Ware, Professor of Christian Theology at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, will preach at Immanuel Church this Sunday, November 8th, at 10:30 AM. We welcome you to come hear Dr. Ware.

“Our Lord and Master Jesus Christ, in saying ‘Repent,’ intended that the whole life of believers should be repentance.” Martin Luther, Thesis 1

According to Schaff, History of the Christian Church, VII:160, Luther was attacking the medieval notion of sacramental penitence. That kind of “repentance” could be limited to isolated outward acts, leaving the rest of our lives safe from the mega-upheaval of true repentance. Luther contended that real repentance opens us up to endless personal change, leaving nothing about us untouched.

When Luther posted his Theses, he undermined self-reinforcing Christianity, which is no Christianity, and he launched a new era of self-challenging Christianity, which is the power of the gospel.

In Karl Barth’s commentary on Romans, he entitles his section on Romans 12-15 “The Great Disturbance.” The whole world needs gospel disturbance. Nashville needs it. I need it.

Bring it on.

A voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” Matthew 3:17

“There are many other voices speaking — loudly: “Prove you’re worth something.” “Prove you have any contribution to make.” “Do something relevant.” . . . These are the voices Jesus heard right after he heard, “You are my beloved.” Another voice said, “Prove you are the beloved. Do something. Change these stones into bread. Be sure you’re famous. Jump from the temple, and you will be known. Grab some power so you have real influence.” . . . Jesus said, “No, I don’t have to prove anything. I am already the beloved.”

Henri Nouwen, Leadership Magazine, Spring 1995.

There is more than one way to be strong. We can be strong with the dark energy of anxiety, because we need approval, or we can be strong with the bright energy of assurance, because we are already approved.

We have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel. 1 Thessalonians 2:4

You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus. 2 Timothy 2:1