Monday Musings : Fighting For Doctrine

It was a normal Sunday morning and the preacher was busy pounding on the pulpit, exhorting the people to persevere in their faith in God. Along with his passionate pleas, he threw the words of Paul in 2Timothy 4:7 as a proof text of what he was saying. The frequency at  which this verse was used to season the sermon was increasing as time went by and after a while the preacher just had to begin the verse, the congregation completed it. Even though the exhortation of the preacher – to persevere in faith till the end, is legitimate, the use of 2Timothy 4:7 for it is not. If we analyze the context of 2Timothy4:7, both its immediate and wider, we would see that 2Timothy 4:7 is not a message primarily for the pew, but rather to be preached to men who stand in the pulpit. 

Take a look at the wider context of this verse. 2Timothy is most probably the last epistle written by Paul and can very much be considered as his “will and testament”. However it is written to his favorite co-worker and thus contains abiding principles and exhortations for gospel ministry.  In chapter 1, Paul reminds Timothy of his calling to ministry and how he ought to suffer gladly for the gospel, by retaining the standard or pattern of sound words heard from the apostle (2Tim 1:13). Thus in chapter 1 itself, Paul is encouraging Timothy to follow the apostolic[1] faith in all its sound, doctrinal standards. Then in chapter 2, Paul  enlists a number of personal responsibilities to be a faithful workman of the gospel, all of which involves hard work  and then asks him to rightly divide the Word.(2Tim 2:15). In other words, in chapter 2, Paul is exhorting Timothy to suffer for the gospel, by laboring hard to teach the apostolic faith, interpret the scriptures diligently and live a pure life in accordance to his calling. In the third chapter, Paul moves onto warnings regarding the last days and it is one which is marked with a mere appearance of godliness and lacking any knowledge of truth. Paul again exhorts Timothy to suffer for the gospel by persevering in the apostolic faith and practice (2Tim 3:10). Paul does this by reminding him two things – 1. The example of Paul himself (2Tim 3:10-12) and 2. Timothy’s own personal experience of the power of the Scriptures (2Tim 3:14-17). Then in the last chapter, Paul exhorts Timothy to that one delightful duty to which every minister ought to give his whole being, in season and out of season, namely, the preaching of the Word (2Tim4:1-2). Thus the whole book can be seen as Paul’s final message to his dear Timothy to be a faithful gospel minister. His message can be summarized as suffering for the gospel – its purity, its protection, its perseverance and its proclamation.

It is in light of this wider context that we should approach 2 Timothy 4:7. As pointed earlier, he begins the chapter with perhaps the most serious and solemn charge in the whole of the Bible. Paul charges Timothy in the name of God and Jesus Christ, who is to judge the living and the dead, to preach the Word. Pause a moment and think on this. The most serious and solemn charge, unlike no other in the Bible is given by Paul, when he gives Timothy, the responsibility to preach the Word. In our day and age, preaching has fallen on hard times, with even Evangelicals belittling the centrality and primacy of its ministry. We ought to spend more time just meditating this pressing and solemn charge of Paul in verse 1. Paul wants Timothy to approach this responsibility of preaching the Word with proper reverence and fear of God, Who will judge his ministry. It could be argued that Paul gave this solemn a charge to Timothy, as preaching the Word, in difficult times mentioned in the previous chapter, requires an appeal so solemn and serious. This is a valuable lesson for all preachers, that we should approach our ministry with God and Jesus Christ in mind, as our Judge, to whom we are accountable. Hence even if difficult times arises, a preacher of the gospel should continue in preaching the Word in all its doctrinal fullness.

Paul moves onto his reason in verse 3, as to why he wants Timothy to continue preaching the Word in season or not, knowing God to be His judge. The reason is precisely the one which he explained in chapter 3 – dangerous times. However in this verse, he explains in specific, what the problem of these times is. The apostle says very clearly that people in these times do not want sound doctrine, but they go after preachers who will tickle their ears with myths (2Tim 4:3-4). It is worthwhile for us to read the description of dangerous times in chapter 3, in light of this verse. Why do we have people who are lovers of themselves and not lovers of God? Because they do not love sound doctrine. Why do we have people who only have an appearance of godliness and not its power? Because they do not love sound doctrine. Why do we have people who are always attending meetings, but never coming to a knowledge of truth? Because they are listening to myths, no serious exposition of sound doctrinal truths. This one verse is very helpful to diagnose the myriad of problems seen in many contemporary churches which belittle sound doctrine.

In verse 5, Paul exhorts Timothy to be not swept away by what goes on in these popular circles and calls him to endure in his ministry with all soberness. In verse 6, Paul gives another reason why Timothy should take this matter of suffering for the gospel seriously, which is Paul’s time of departure is at hand. The apostle is leaving and he is depending on Timothy to take over the responsibility of guarding, heralding and instructing the gospel. In light of this impending departure, Paul joyfully cries out his triumphant boast as a servant of God in verse 7. Some seem to take these as referring to three things – fighting, racing and keeping. However it is possible that Paul was referring to the same thing, but putting it in different pictures. This is something which biblical writers often do and one which Paul used in the second chapter of this epistle too.[2] 

John Piper says, “I don’t think we should view fighting the fight and finishing the race as different from keeping the faith. They are simply pictures that Paul used to describe what is involved in keeping the faith. The reason I think this is that when Paul commanded Timothy in 1 Timothy 6:12 to fight the good fight, he called it the fight of faith: “Fight the good fight of faith; take hold on eternal life to which you were called when you made the good confession.” So when Paul uses the very same phrase of his own experience in 2 Timothy 4:7, followed by the phrase, “I have kept the faith,” we have good reason to believe he meant: I have fought the good fight of faith. The two pictures of a fight and a race illustrate what is involved in keeping the faith.”[3]

The valid question that needs to be asked here is, what does the word ‘faith’ mean in this verse. Does it mean one’s subjective belief or the objective body of truth? Whenever the definite article ‘the” is found before the word ‘faith’, it is usually considered to be referring to the objective body of truth. However, is that the only reason for us to consider here. What does the context teach us? John Stott says, faith here “may conceivably mean ‘I have kept faith with my Master’. But in the context of this letter, which emphasizes so strongly the importance of guarding the deposit of revealed truth, it is more likely that Paul is affirming his faithfulness in this respect. ‘I have safely preserved, as a guardian or steward, the gospel treasure committed to my trust.”[4] Moreover Paul uses the word “the faith” in this objective sense in his first epistle to Timothy also. (1Ti 3:9,4:1, 5:8, 6:10).

It is also noteworthy that the word used by Paul for “fight” (ἀγωνίζομαι) is exactly the same root word used in Jude 3, where we are exhorted to contend (ἐπαγωνίζομαι) earnestly for the faith, once for all delivered to the saints. The etymology of our English word ‘agony’ has been attributed by some to this Greek word, which means to fight, to exert oneself, labor or strive hard, to struggle or contend with an opponent.  Since we have already established the fact that, fighting the good fight, finishing the course and keeping the faith are referring to one and the same thing, we can consider this use of αγωνίζομαι by Paul here as referring to the same fight for the faith as in Jude 3. In other words, Paul is emphatically affirming his victory in the fight for the protection of the revealed body of truth, upon which the Christian faith is built.

So in light of the wider and immediate context, the structure of this verse, the words used here and elsewhere in the Bible, we can conclude that Paul is encouraging Timothy to agonizingly contend for the body of apostolic truth that has been entrusted to him and thus guard the gospel from all doctrinal perversions. Only then, would he be like Paul, glad about his death and soon to be revealed reward for his faithfulness. Thus 2 Timothy 4:7 is a call to Christians, especially those who are in ministry to follow the apostolic example of doctrinal purity (fighting the fight), fidelity (finishing the course) and integrity (keeping the faith). May God enable His men to do so and also raise up a new generation of leaders who are committed to Sola Scriptura. Amen.

Footnotes  

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[1] Through out this article, the author has used the word “apostolic” to refer to that which is apostolic in origin, either of doctrines or practices, all of which has now been inscripturated for us in the New Testament. Therefore please keep in mind that this word ‘apostolic’ does not refer to any extra-biblical notions as some extreme Charismatics mean.

[2] Paul uses the illustrations of a soldier, athlete and farmer as pictures of diligence in Christian service.

[3] John Piper, I Have Kept The Faith, December 28, 1980, Bethlehem Baptist Church.

[4] Stott, J. R. W, Guard the Gospel. The message of 2 Timothy. Downers Grove, Ill.: Inter Varsity Press.

Comforting Covenant Theology

Covenant Theology is not just for theologians, it is for every single Christian. For it reveals the God of the covenants as the covenant keeping, faithful God. Pastors would do well in learning to apply covenant theology to their sermons, to not only show how the whole counsel of God hangs together, but also to bring forth the comfort of knowing the God of the covenants. Concerning the comfort of covenant theology, here is a brilliant excerpt from the Prince of preachers, Charles Spurgeon, who applied the truths of Covenant theology on his text from Genesis 7:16: 

The great door of Covenant faithfulness is shut behind the Believer and he is surrounded by the power and Grace of God, even as Noah was housed within the strong timbers of the ark. There is no crack nor cranny through which the floods of wrath can penetrate—Omnipotent Love has shut us in! And the Lord did this not only necessarily, but graciously. I call your attention to the change of the names in the text, a very significant change indeed—“They that went in, went in male and female of all flesh: as God had commanded him: and the Lord”—that is, Jehovah—“shut him in.” Elohim, as the Creator and Preserver, takes care of living things to preserve them, but the Lord, even Jehovah, the covenanting God, interposes in great mercy to protect His chosen servant!

It was Jehovah who entered into solemn league and Covenant with His servant, Noah, that He would preserve him in the ark and float him into the new world in it. And as Jehovah, the Covenanting One, He shut Noah in.There is no security like that which is given us by the Covenant of Grace. The hand which was lifted to swear our safety has also been outstretched to effect it! The everlasting Covenant, ordered in all things and sure, guarantees salvation to all who are represented by the great Head and Surety of that Covenant, even our Lord Jesus. Love and power cooperate with faithfulness and truth to keep the chosen from all danger. Dwell much upon the Covenant and note the immutable pledges by which it is secured and the immortal principles upon which it is founded! Try to suck out the delicious sweetness which is to be found in the hive of the Covenant, for if you are an advanced child of God, no form of the Truth of God can be more nourishing or refreshing to your mind.

The doctrines which spring out of the Covenant are peculiarly comforting to believing minds. The promises of God are yes and amen in Christ Jesus and can never fail nor change, since the Covenant stands fast forever and ever. Its tenure is free and Sovereign Grace and it cannot be disannulled. Here is a line of it, “I will put My fear in their hearts, that they shall not depart from Me.” With such a promise does Jehovah shut us in with Christ Jesus in matchless kindness and unspeakable love. [1]

Footnotes  

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[1]  C.H Spurgeon, Shut In Or Shut Out, Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit, August 14, 1881.

Why Hermeneutics Matter For Pastors

During a new church plant function, a local Charismatic pastor from Kerala, India, told his church members that if they believed, God would cause miracles to be wrought through their handkerchiefs and aprons, just like God did using that of Paul, as written in Acts 19:12. While this was being taught by this pastor, in a nearby church, another local Word of Faith pastor, took the people to Genesis 1 and taught them how they can also create blessings by speaking out the word like God did, when He created all things by speaking out the Word.

Where have these two pastors gone wrong?

The answer to that question in technical terms would be - in their hermeneutics. In other words, it is in their interpretation of scripture that they went wrong.  Their science of interpretation also known as hermeneutics, does not see any difference between descriptive passages and prescriptive passages in the Bible. Both of them took passages in the Bible which are descriptive in nature and preached them as prescriptive. Thus what God does in creation is no longer descriptive, but prescriptive – something which we are also to do. Thus even though no believer in New Testament days imitated the apostles and sent their handkerchiefs to heal anyone, the passage in Acts 19 becomes a prescribed pattern for today’s believers.

Hermeneutics matters as God’s truth matters. The above mentioned error is a common error made by pastors, especially those who have no background in serious theological education – whether formal or not. This error has caused untold damages to Christianity. The constant hunger of Christian leaders to preach mere-moralistic prescriptions has lead to the development of many faulty understanding of and teachings from the Scriptures, especially in the area of sanctification.

In grammatical terms, these two natures – descriptive and prescriptive are explained in terms of verb moods, as indicative and imperative. All pastors should know the difference between the two while interpreting scriptures.

The mood of a verb designates the relationship of the verb's action relative to reality. The following is a simple list of moods of verbs in the New Testament and what they generally signify:

• indicative - mood of certainty, actuality

• subjunctive - mood of probability

• optative - mood of possibility

• imperative - mood of command

As the list indicates, the New Testament uses indicative statements when discussing what God has done, is doing or will do. Imperative statements are used when saying what we should do. It is important to realize, not only that both moods are present in the Bible, but that there is a specific relationship between these two moods in the area of sanctification. Namely, what God commands us to do (the imperative) is based upon what he has done, is doing or will do (the indicatives). God is signifying by this consistent pattern that sanctification depends on God, but involves human volition and cooperation. [1]

Examples :

In the following examples, the imperative mood is underlined, while the indicative is in italics.

Ephesians 4:32 : Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

Philippians 2:12b-13 : work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.

I Corinthians 5:7 : Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, as you really are unleavened. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.

Romans 6:12-14 : Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.

Sinclair Ferguson exhorts pastors to preach the gospel imperatives as rooted in the glorious indicatives of the gospel. He says,

The great gospel imperatives to holiness are ever rooted in indicatives of grace that are able to sustain the weight of those imperatives. The Apostles do not make the mistake that’s often made in Christian ministry. [For the Apostles] the indicatives are more powerful than the imperatives in gospel preaching. So often in our preaching our indicatives are not strong enough, great enough, holy enough, or gracious enough to sustain the power of the imperatives. And so our teaching on holiness becomes a whip or a rod to beat our people’s backs because we’ve looked at the New Testament and that’s all we ourselves have seen. We’ve seen our own failure and we’ve seen the imperatives to holiness and we’ve lost sight of the great indicatives of the gospel that sustain those imperatives. Woven into the warp and woof of the New Testament’s exposition of what it means for us to be holy is the great groundwork that the self-existent, thrice holy, triune God has — in Himself, by Himself and for Himself — committed Himself and all three Persons of His being to bringing about the holiness of His own people. This is the Father’s purpose, the Son’s purchase and the Spirit’s ministry. [2]

This explains why most of the New Testament Epistles begin with explaining the doctrine and then moves onto practical applications of truth. Apostles first made the hearts of their hearers believe the doctrinal truth and then instructed their minds to apply it practically. In other words, indicatives first and as the foundation of the then coming imperatives.

Pastors do you follow this Apostolic pattern and gospel logic while you preach?

Footnotes  

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[1]  Gary DeLashmutt and Dennis McCallum, The Indicative and Imperative Moods

[2] Sinclair Ferguson, Our Holiness: The Father’s Purpose and the Son’s Purchase, 2007 Banner of Truth Conference.

What Is The Bible All About?

It is of little wonder that most pulpits today lack preaching flavored with the aroma of the gospel, when pastors to a great degree do not have any clue on how to put their Bible together. This is the reason why, at least in some circles of Christendom, preaching is merely an articulation of ethical and moral imperatives and has nothing to do with gospel indicatives. There is no exegetical faithfulness in making distinctions between descriptive and prescriptive passages.  Little or no thought is given to what unifies the whole Bible. Some even question whether there is any such unity, even venturing to speak against the Old Testament.

 We need to rediscover and appreciate with deeper levels of insight the bond between God’s partial and preparatory words of promise spoken through Israel’s prophets and his final word spoken in Jesus, the Son who is the Word (Heb. 1:1–2; John 1:1, 14). The contemporary sense of estrangement of the Old Testament from the New Testament is an anomaly in the history of the church. From the apostolic period through the Church Fathers, the Middle Ages, the Renaissance, and the Reformation, the church maintained a hearty confidence that God’s role as the primary author of Scripture, speaking his message infallibly through distinctive human voices, secures the harmony and unity of the Bible’s message from Genesis to Revelation. Admittedly, some like Marcion denied that the Lord who addressed Moses on Sinai is the Father of our Lord Jesus. The church, however, condemned such aberrant repudiation of the Old Testament as contradictory to the teaching of Jesus himself. Others failed to recognize the diversity within the Bible’s unity, especially the fact that the Messiah, in bringing Old Testament promises and institutions to fulfillment, also has transformed God’s covenantal modes of relating to his people. Nevertheless, despite such anomalies in relating the Old Testament to the New Testament, the heartbeat of the church as a whole has coincided with Augustine’s pithy maxim: “The old is in the new revealed, the new is in the old concealed.” [1]

The answer to all of these is given by our Lord Jesus Christ Himself in Luke 24, when He expounded the Scriptures to the disciples on the road to Emmaus and showed how the Law, the Prophets and the Psalms were all about Himself. Pastors would do well if they realize how the whole Bible is all about Jesus Christ. We need preachers who are committed to a redemptive-historical reading of the Bible and expounds its central theme – the person and work of Lord Jesus Christ, the full and final revelation of God.

How would a Christocentric reading of Scriptures look like? How would preaching Christ from all of Scriptures look like?

Here is an interesting short clip of Tim Keller giving us a feel of how Christ is all though out the Old Testament. He thus shows how the Bible is basically not about us, but primarily about Jesus Christ. The video ends with an implication for preachers. May those of us who are called to preach Christ take heed.

 

Footnotes

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[1] Dennis. E. Johnson, Him We Proclaim: Preaching Christ From All The Scriptures, Pg 4

Contending For Truth : History of the Modern Gospel - II

History of the Modern Gospel is a video series from RTM ministries, which tracks the history of the modern, sub-biblical gospel, espoused by a vast majority of Evangelicals today. As it tracks the history of the Evangelical church, it highlights key theological compromises committed by Christians of the previous century. Hosted by Michael Durham, this video series also presents a biblical response to these errors in the popular understanding of the gospel. Presented in a very interesting manner, these videos are both entertaining and enlightening. Watch the first three parts here. Here are the next 3 episodes from this series.
 

4. Session#3 :  Welcome To The Circus



5. Session#4 :  I've Got a Feeling!

6. Session#5 :  Repeat After Me..

Contending For Truth : History of the Modern Gospel - I

History of the Modern Gospel is a video series from RTM ministries, which tracks the history of the modern, sub-biblical gospel, espoused by a vast majority of Evangelicals today. As it tracks the history of the Evangelical church, it highlights key theological compromises committed by Christians of the previous century. Hosted by Michael Durham, this video series also presents a biblical response to these errors in the popular understanding of the gospel. Presented in a very interesting manner, these videos are both entertaining and enlightening. Here are the first 3 episodes from this series.

1. Introduction

2. Session#1 : Departing from Scripture: The Root of Error

3. Session#2 : Toxic Intelligence

Our Fourfold Duty To The Gospel

More than forty years ago, John Stott expounded the second epistle of Paul to Timothy, to emphasize the different aspects of a gospel-faithful ministry.  Stott in his introduction says :

In each of these four chapters, the Apostle Paul seemed to emphasize the different aspects of Timothy's responsibility. In chapter 1, Timothy was told to guard the gospel. He was to protect it, pure and undefiled. In chapter 2, he was told to suffer for it. In chapter 3, he was told to continue in it, to abide in it, and not to deflect from it to the right hand or to the left. And in chapter 4, he was told to preach it, to make it known.[1]

Stott’s exposition is straightforward and marked with excellent observations and reflections. He sticks to the passage and brings out the essential meaning of the passage.  At the end of his first address, while concluding his exposition of the first chapter, he summarizes as follows:

The gospel is good news of salvation. It was promised from eternity, was secured and purchased by Jesus Christ, and is now offered to friends. First, we must communicate it faithfully, we shall undoubtedly suffer for it. And when we suffer for it, we shall be tempted to trim it and to eliminate the elements that provoke opposition. So then, third, and above all, we must guard it against every possible corruption, keeping it pure whatever the cost. Guard it faithfully, spread it actively, suffer for it bravely - that is our threefold duty.[2]

Though given many years ago, this excellent exposition is still worth reading in our day and ministers would benefit by taking time to read these gospel meditations.  At the end of the series, Stott outlines a gospel-centered ministry, from this epistle, as follows :

Guard it--the gospel is a treasure;

Suffer for it--the gospel is an offense to the people;

Continue in it --the gospel is profitable;

Proclaim it - the gospel is good news.[3]

It is a pity that the thing that is most missing in today's Evangelical churches is the biblical gospel. May the Lord foster biblically faithful and gospel-centered ministry in His church.  It is hoped that these expositions would serve as an instrument for this purpose.

2 Timothy 1 : The Charge to Guard the Gospel             Read | Download

2 Timothy 2 : The Charge to Suffer for the Gospel        Read | Download

2 Timothy 3 : The Charge to Continue in the Gospel     Read | Download

2 Timothy 4 : The Charge to Preach the Gospel            Read | Download

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[1]  Guard the Gospel: 2 Timothy 1, Urbana 1967

[2]  Ibid

[3]  Preach the Gospel: 2 Timothy 4, Urbana 1967

What Manner of Young Men God Uses To Herald His Gospel

Yea…that we shall see the great Head of the Church once more . . . raise up unto Himself certain young men whom He may use in this glorious employ. And what manner of men will they be? Men mighty in the Scriptures, their lives dominated by a sense of the greatness, the majesty and holiness of God, and their minds and hearts aglow with the great truths of the doctrines of grace. They will be men who have learned what it is to die to self, to human aims and personal ambitions; men who are willing to be ‘fools for Christ’s sake’, who will bear reproach and falsehood, who will labor and suffer, and whose supreme desire will be, not to gain earth’s accolades, but to win the Master’s approbation when they appear before His awesome judgment seat. They will be men who will preach with broken hearts and tear-filled eyes, and upon whose ministries God will grant an extraordinary effusion of the Holy Spirit, and who will witness ‘signs and wonders following’ in the transformation of multitudes of human lives. [1]

Footnotes

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[1]  Arnold Dallimore, George Whitefield, Vol. 1 (London: Banner of Truth Trust, 1970), p.16.

African Spurgeon Preaching

Conrad Mbewe (pronounced as em-be-way) is the current pastor of Kabwata Baptist Church, a Reformed Church in Lusaka, Zambia. He is widely regarded as the African Spurgeon. KBC is presently overseeing the establishment of ten new Reformed churches in Zambia and Botswana. Conrad is the editor of Reformation Zambia magazine and writes three columns in two weekly national newspapers. His most recent contribution to a book is found in Dear Timothy—Letters on Pastoral Ministry, published by Founders Press. He is also the principal of the Reformed Baptist Preachers College in Zambia. He blogs at A Letter from Kabwata.

Mr. Mbewe isn't sure why listeners compare him to the British "Prince of Preachers." Perhaps it is because Mr. Spurgeon too toiled to the point of collapse, ministering to a congregation of 4,000, delivering sermons 10 times a week, managing an orphanage, and running a preachers' college - all of which culminated in exhaustion and gout. Or perhaps it is because Mr. Mbewe shares Spurgeon's love for writing. Spurgeon edited and wrote for his monthly magazine, The Sword and Trowel; Mr. Mbewe has been writing two columns a week for the last 10 years in the country's Daily Chronicle newspaper. One is a sermon, while the other examines popular social questions and is tailored for the ordinary man, similar to Spurgeon's selection of parables, John Ploughman's Talk. But where the Zambian pastor most resembles Spurgeon is in his challenge to the "mile wide and inch deep" church in Zambia. In 2003 he declined to participate in Operation Sunrise Africa - an evangelical crusade meant to dispense gospel teaching to 50 million people in 50 cities in 50 days in southern and eastern Africa. The cost to sponsor a city for the July and August campaign and three years of follow-up ministry is $160,000. Most of the funding has come from the United States. In Zambia, hundreds of pastors are taking part. "They were so excited about this. My question is, what are they doing that I don't already do? You can't win the world in 50 days. Every generation has to be re-evangelized." This outspokenness in the pulpit and on national television panel discussions has put the spotlight on Mr. Mbewe and his ministry. "People think that he's always serious - a sort of cold-blooded theologian," said Charles Bota, a 29-year friend of Mr. Mbewe, "He's warm. He's funny. He knows a lot about the world."[1]

The comparison to Spurgeon is mainly due to Mbewe's eloquent speech and depth of understanding of the text, combined with the fact that his English (and accent) is closer to that of 1875 England than 21st century American.

What aspects of Mbewe’s style you would appreciate?

a) Expository preaching:  Like all good Reformed preachers, he employs expository preaching alone and is doctrinally rich in all his sermons. 

b)Interaction with the congregation: His excellent use of questioning. Surely this is one way to press the soul of the hearer! A good explainer of the text must know how to question his text and his hearer. He sometimes preaches as if he is  in dialogue with an imaginary objector.

c) Flat out earnestness.

d) Use of questions in application: Rarely would one hear a preacher so relentlessly question his congregation, and to such effect. [2]

Praise God for at least one African nation hearing the true Gospel. One often hears from Africa, nothing but the popularity of prosperity 'gospel' and charismatic excesses.  May the Lord raise such mighty men of Scripture in other nations too, a preacher who uses the pulpit to preach the word alone.

Romans 7:25: Thanks be to God Through Jesus Christ, Our Lord  Download

Footnotes

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[1] Priya Abraham, Conrad Mbewe, World magazine, March 29, 2003

[2] Unashamed Workman,  Conrad Mbewe – 1 John 5:13-15

Happy Birthday John Piper

Today, John Piper, the pastor for preaching at Bethlehem Baptist Church, turned 65 years old.  

John Piper has had a profound impact on countless men and women over his thirty years of pastoral ministry. From his online ministry with Desiring God to his preaching ministry at Bethlehem Baptist Church to his writing ministry in over thirty books, his faithful service has encouraged, challenged, and corrected many who are thirsty for God’s Word. Piper’s influence does not stem from his own abilities and accomplishments, but finds its source in his consistent and humble leading of others to Scripture, where the breathtaking sovereignty and glory of God are displayed in all their wonder. We rejoice and are changed as we encounter glorious truths about God in Piper’s ministry.[1]

Last year some of his friends and colleagues honored Piper with a book, which had essays covering topics central to his ministry: prayer, suffering, the sovereignty of God, justification, Jonathan Edwards, Christian hedonism, and more. The editors of For the Fame of God's Name: Essays in Honor of John Piper, in a letter to Piper, wrote: “We believe that the apostle Paul has given us a strong and biblical precedent for what this book is designed to accomplish. He wrote to the Philippian church concerning Epaphroditus, having drawn attention to his tireless efforts for the sake of the gospel and the fact the ‘he nearly died for the work of Christ’ (Phil 2:30). ‘Honor such men’ (Phil 2:29), Paul instructed the church. Yes, it is possible to ‘honor’ men such as you without detracting from the centrality and supremacy of our Lord.”[2]

The project was kept secret for three years and was a surprise gift for Piper. Watch below Sam Storms and Justin Taylor presenting the book to John Piper for the first time.  Other than the information of this book and Piper’s surprise, the most noteworthy thing in this video is the tearful, humility of Piper – a man sold out to the fame of God and God alone. Piper does not stand with any sense of aloof dignity, but rather is humbled by such honor. Here is a man who is single-heartedly passionate about God’s magnificence and sure, it is a contagious passion, as is evident from the millions of souls, he has influenced during his thirty years of ministry.

May the Lord bless you dear John Piper to continue to spread a passion for the supremacy of God in all things for the joys of all peoples through Jesus Christ.

The staff of Desiring God has compiled 65 reasons to thank God for John Piper here.

If you are new to John Piper, then here is a list of 52 key sermons from his ministry.

Footnotes

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[1] Desiring God store, For the Fame of God's Name, Essays in Honor of John Piper

[2] Ibid

10 Things To Take Heed In Pastoral Ministry

Particular Baptist  pastor and theologian, Abraham Booth (1734-1806) gives ten things to take heed in pastoral ministry, in his 1784 sermon, preached at the ordination of a young pastor named Thomas Hopkins. This sermon was widely circulated among the Particular Baptists of his day and pastors like Andrew Fuller, William Carey, John Sutcliff, and John Ryland Jr, were very much influenced by this sermon.   The sermon “Pastoral Cautions” was based on the text of 1 Timothy 4:16  “Take heed to yourself.”   

The ten things that Booth cautions pastors to take heed are :

1. “Take heed to yourself, then, with regard to the reality of true godliness, and the state of religion in your own soul”

2. “Take heed to yourself, lest you mistake an increase of gifts for a growth in grace”

3. “Take heed that your pastoral office prove not a snare to your soul, lifting you up with pride and self-importance”

4. “Take heed to yourself, respecting your temper and conduct in general”

5. “I will now adopt the words of our Lord, and say, Take heed and beware of covetousness”

6. “Take heed, I will venture to ask, take heed to your Second-Self in the person of your wife”

7. “Take heed to yourself, with regard to the diligent improvement of your talents and opportunities, in the whole course of your ministry”

8. “Take heed to yourself, respecting the motives by which you are influenced in all your endeavours to obtain useful knowledge”

9. “Take heed of yourself, with regard to that success, and those discouragements, which may attend your ministry”

10. “Once more: Take heed that you pay an habitual regard to divine influence; as that without which you cannot either enjoy a holy liberty in your work, or have any reason to expect success” [1]

Whether you are someone who is aspiring to be in ministry or a seminarian or a pastor, this is a must read for you. The full sermon can be read online here.

Footnotes

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[1] Michael & Alison Haykin, eds., The Works of Abraham Booth, Volume 1: Confession of Faith & Sermons (Particular Baptist Press, 2006), pp. 57-84.

 

How To Ascertain The Call of God?

In the 1849 edition of The Baptist Manual published by the American Baptist Publication Society, there is a short article seeking to answer this question of how young men can ascertain the call of God on their lives.  The author “firmly believe[s] that no man ought to enter into the ministry, whom God has not called to the service. But the question is, how is the call of God to be ascertained ? That a miraculous intimation of his will is to be expected, no rational man, at the present day, believes. This will must, then, be learned from the feelings which the Holy Spirit produces in the mind of the individual himself; from the gifts of heart and of intellect with which he is endowed; from the course of providence; and from other circumstances.” The article however is not addressed directly to young men but to the churches, for the “deficiency of ministers must be attributed to a neglect of duty on the part of the churches. We cannot suppose that God is inattentive to the wants of his church and of the world, and purposely withholds a competent supply of ministers.”

Here is an excerpt from this article :

Two things are necessary to prove a call to the ministry to be from God. The first is, that the individual possess a sincere desire to be thus employed. He must feel a strong concern for the glory of God, and for the salvation of men. His heart must be moved with desires to proclaim the love of Christ to dying sinners, and to persuade them to be reconciled to God. He must feel such an impulse of soul towards this point —such a concentration of his thoughts and affections —that he cannot, with a quiet mind, engage in any other employment. He must be willing to part with prospects of emolument, and to forego all worldly advantages, for the sake of his Savior and of his fellow men. These are some of the feelings which will occupy the heart of a man, whom God designs for the ministry. Of these feelings the individual himself is the only judge, because he alone can determine whether they are sincere, strong and permanent.

But another necessary thing is, that he possess suitable gifts. We mean not, that he must be qualified immediately to preach, because no man is qualified to preach with profit, until his mind has been furnished with adequate knowledge, and he has learned how to communicate that knowledge. By suitable gifts we mean a sound understanding, a capacity and a desire to learn, an aptitude to teach, a reasonable degree of ability to be useful to his fellow men as a minister, when his mind shall have been cultivated as much as circumstances may allow.

Of these points, the individual is not a competent judge. His brethren must judge for him. The church has thus a duty to perform. She ought to watch the character and conduct of her young men. An individual, whom God designs for the ministry, will usually show the bent of his disposition, by his zeal for the support of Sabbath schools, by his pertinent exhortations in the conference room, and by his prayers in social meetings. If the ministerial spirit exist within him, it will find occasion to display itself; and in most cases, a church is convinced of the call of a young man to the ministry as soon as he is himself, and sometimes sooner. In such cases as this, it is the duty of pastors, deacons, and other members of the church, to converse with such persons, to inquire concerning their feelings, and to give them all proper encouragement. If the individuals have themselves been thoughtful and anxious concerning their duty, such an affectionate and judicious conversation may remove their doubts, and confirm their decisions, by bringing in aid of their own convictions, the opinions of their brethren.

It is believed that a very different course is frequently pursued. Young men are left to struggle with their feelings without one word of advice or encouragement. The more modest they are, and therefore the more deserving of sympathy, the more reluctant they are to disclose their feelings, lest they should be attributed to pride and presumption. A sense of unfitness, the greatness of the work, doubts concerning duty, all throng upon the mind, and often produce inconceivable distress, which one word of kind sympathy and advice from a pastor or Christian friend would remove. Many young men, it cannot be doubted, are overcome by these anxieties, doubts, and fears, and relinquish the thought of the ministry, who ought to preach the gospel. It is a mistake to suppose, that if it be a man's duty to preach, he will force his way through every obstacle. A man may neglect his duty to preach, as he may neglect any other duty; and he is the more liable to neglect this duty, because the conscientious mind will consider it as a far less sin to refuse to preach, though it be a duty, than to preach when it is not. If his doubts preponderate in the smallest degree, the mind of a conscientious man will be very liable to abandon the design; and thus the very best ministers may be lost to the church.

But if a young man surmounts his doubts and discouragements, and makes his case known to his brethren, he is sometimes treated with cold suspicion, and obstacles are thrown in his way on purpose to test the strength of his zeal. If, at last, by dint of perseverance, he forces the church to give him a license, so much time may have been wasted, that it is too late to enter upon the work with advantage.

There may be cases, too, in which a young man may not have thought of the ministry, who may nevertheless furnish evidence of piety, talents and zeal, which would make him useful as a minister. It is undoubtedly the duty of pastors and Christians to converse with such a person, in a judicious manner; to inquire respecting his feelings; to ask him if it is not his duty to preach the gospel; to urge him to reflect and pray on the subject; to invite him to speak and to pray in conference and prayer meetings, and thus give his mind a direction towards the object. No reason can be given, why it is not as much our duty to use the proper means in this case, as it is to persuade a sinner to be reconciled to God; and God may, in both cases, employ us as instruments to accomplish his will. [1]

You can read the entire article here.

Footnotes

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[1]  The Baptist Manual, American Baptist Publication Society, 1849,  Pgs 172-174