In this 3-minute video for The Gospel Project, Matt Chandler explains the difference between a moralistic interpretation of the story of David and Goliath and a gospel-centered approach.

I love listening to pastors who exalt Christ everywhere they can as they proclaim the Scriptures. Christ-centeredness is one of the core values we are seeking to implement in The Gospel Project. (For more information, check out the website we launched late last week.)

Denny Burk puts together a great rundown of the funniest YouTube videos each year. Taking a cue from Denny, I’d like to post a year-end collection of weather videos. Here are five newsworthy weather events that were caught on film.

As you watch these weather events, ask God to break your heart for the brokenness of our fallen world, and remember to pray for the people whose lives were affected during these storms. It’s also a good reminder to pray for the churches in these areas, as God’s people display the beauty of the gospel in their response of compassion.

1. The first-person, street-level view of the tsunami in Japan. Within six minutes, a small wave pushing cars along becomes a monstrous wall of water moving whole buildings.

2. High winds cause the stage to collapse at the Indiana State Fair. (I can’t embed this video because of the graphic nature of the fall.)

3. Here is a group of people huddling in the cooler of a gas station as the tornado passes through Joplin. You can’t see much, but the sound is pretty intense.

4. Here’s the same guy as he returns to the gas station where the previous video was filmed.

5. Lake Shore Drive in Chicago on February 2, 2011.

Here’s the audio from a performance of Handel’s Messiah. 

Fascinating video that shows how we went from 0.3 billion people to 7 billion in 1000 years.

In this TGC roundtable, J. D. Greear, Greg Gilbert, and I talk about how gospel-centeredness must lead to mission. Evangelism requires contextualization. Good contextualization starts with the questions that people in contemporary culture are asking, but it necessarily moves us to bring in the additional questions the Bible would have us ask.

In the end, the point of gospel-centeredness and clarity regarding the gospel message is not that we will master the gospel but that the God of the gospel would master us. Right doctrine is vital. So is love for neighbor that represents the heart of Christ the King.

Mastered by the Gospel from The Gospel Coalition on Vimeo.

I love the set up for this scene from Home Improvement, with Tim getting mad at Al for issuing warnings. The physical comedy is well done too.

Here’s a roundtable discussion on an important question posed by J.D. Greear – “If we look back 20 years from now on the growing gospel-centered movement, what might we notice that we neglected?” The main areas of concern regard the believer’s heart and the believer’s mission.

• Regarding the heart, we don’t want to be gospel-centered in just a cerebral sense but gospel-centered in the way we love Jesus more.
• Regarding our mission, we want the practice of “preaching the gospel to ourselves” to translate into proclaiming the gospel to others.

In short, the gospel makes us want to know God and make Him known.

The Christian post summarizes the discussion here.

Don’t Be More Gospel-Centered Than Jesus from The Gospel Coalition on Vimeo.

Hilarious clip of Tim poking fun at denominational names, coffee houses, and modern translations like The Message.

Good to see Elliot Yamin again (in a video that is sure to go viral):

In this TGC video, J.D. Greear, Greg Gilbert, and I have a conversation about finding assurance in Christ’s finished work for us, recovering the gospel as the best motivation for long-lasting obedience, and defining the gospel biblically.

This discussion reminds me of something I posted a couple years ago: “Gospel Confrontation and Gospel Comfort.”  An excerpt:

We all need the gospel.

Some people think they are Christians because of a one-time decision that never bore genuine fruit in life. They need gospel confrontation: the gospel changes us.

Others doubt they are Christians because they recognize their sinfulness. They need gospel comfort: the gospel saves us.

The gospel should comfort the conflicted and confront the comfortable.