Nov
25
2009
Worth a Look 11.25.09
How a mega-church is rediscovering the gospel
The belief system of a pastor is bound to come out in his preaching at least in subtle ways. My emphasis was always on grace, but it was also laced with the discipline of effort and inner strength to be what God called us to be. The result was either pride or defeat. My preaching has changed as a result of the Gospel going deeper inside of me.
The truth is I have existed as a pastor with gods in my closet. There were times when these gods sustained me. Giving them up has caused more death this year than I would like to admit. The closet is still not empty, but the death of these gods has made me ravenous. Without the Gospel as my source of security and significance, I would die. So as one who has vacillated between self-sufficiency and depression, Gospel-driven transformation is both liberating and terrifying.
There are some in our church who have not yet rediscovered the Gospel this way. There are others who hear the terrifying part but not the liberating part, and they sit on pins and needles. Many of them will leave soon, I think. But there are many others who have felt the shackles start to fall off, and, like me, they are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy.
Kevin DeYoung on “The Gospel Old and New”
Please, please, please, if you are enamored with the New Gospel or anything like it, consider if you are really being fair with your fellow Christians in always throwing them under the bus. Consider if you are preaching like Jesus did, who called people, not first of all to a way of life, but to repent and believe.
A new orphan ministry and a way to win a set of commentaries:
Our Mission: Baby Zoowon is committed to orphan care. For each blanket purchased Baby Zoowon will donate a blanket to a child in need. Baby Zoowon also donates a portion of every sale to help families with the overwhelming cost of adoption.
If you promote their new ministry, you can have a chance to win Calvin’s commentaries on the whole Bible.
How to split firewood. (I remember doing this a few times when I was living in Romania.)