Chris Moyles On Church
Labels: Church, Evangelism, Mission, Worship
adrianwarnock.com
Labels: Church, Evangelism, Mission, Worship
Labels: Church, Culture, Missional, Newfrontiers, Tim Keller
Labels: Church, Competitions, Mark Driscoll
The birth of the church was associated with an extraordinary splurge of generosity and freedom from possessiveness; being together seemed more important. Their needs became common. If you need it and I’ve got it, I guess you should have it. Amazing!
This has not got much to do with giving 10% to a weekly offering to uphold the minister and his needs and pay for the building not to fall down. This was radical common life. They were in fellowship, which did not mean they shared a cup of coffee after the meeting for a few minutes.
Koinonia is a fascinating Greek word. Among other things, it means partnership. It’s not strictly a religious word, but the church flooded it with fresh life and colour. Before they ever met Jesus, Peter, Andrew, James, and John were in koinonia. They were partners in a fishing firm. They owned it together. If one was in problems with breaking nets, the others would rush to help. This was not a religious response, it was a partnership reality.
That partnership or common ownership lifestyle gripped the early believers."
Read more . . .
Labels: Church, Social Action, Terry Virgo
"I am not among those who decry statistics, nor do I consider that they are productive of all manner of evil; for they do much good if they are accurate, and if men use them lawfully.It is a good thing for people to see the nakedness of the land through statistics of decrease, that they may be driven on their knees before the Lord to seek prosperity; and, on the other hand, it is by no means an evil thing for workers to be encouraged by having some account of results set before them. I should be very sorry if the practice of adding up, and deducting, and giving in the net result were to be abandoned, for it must be right to know our numerical condition. It has been noticed that those who object to the process are often brethren whose unsatisfactory reports should somewhat humiliate them: this is not always so, but it is suspiciously frequent.
I heard of the report of a church, the other day, in which the minister, who was well known to have reduced his congregation to nothing, somewhat cleverly wrote, "Our church is looking up." When he was questioned with regard to this statement, he replied, "Everybody knows that the church is on its back, and it cannot do anything else but look up." When churches are looking up in that way, their pastors generally say that statistics are very delusive things, and that you cannot tabulate the work of the Spirit, and calculate the prosperity of a church by figures.
The fact is, you can reckon very correctly if the figures are honest, and if all circumstances are taken into consideration if there is no increase, you may calculate with considerable accuracy that there is not much being done; and if there is a clear decrease among a growing population, you may reckon that the prayers of the people and the preaching of the minister are not of the most powerful kind."— C. H.Spurgeon
On Spurgeon, firstly he was a man of his times. In those days active churches grew - churchgoing was a national habit, not a bizarre minority practice - that is one reason why CHS wanted to see conversions, not endless transfers to sit under his ministry.
I do believe that we can say today with confidence, however, that active churches don't decline unless something is wrong. We might struggle to grow - but note that he says that the keys are good preaching and good prayer, and if a church declines then something is deficient. He doesn't say that a church has to grow hugely - of course that is what we seek because we want to see people saved. My own small church has maintained and even gained a little in the last two years I have been there.
In my constituency (reformed evangelical (cessationist although I hate the term)) some churches grow. Prime example being Spurgeon's own Met Tab. Why? I say CHS's formula is correct - sound and inspiring ministry with strong evangelistic content, and prayer - those Tabernacle church prayer meetings are what I miss the most. People falling over themselves to call upon the name of the Lord, it was like a seige on the Throne of heaven. If I am ever in London on a monday night and free, that is where I'll be! Other churches grow too, and again the formula holds.
You might be interested to know that Spurgeon also preached that it was a glorious thing to hold to a losing cause. He cited Noah as an example. A minority of one. That is in an unpublished sermon due out from Day One in January 09. . . As a friend of my quipped recently 'How many converts did Jeremiah have?'
And all this said it is DOUBTLESS true that those of a high calvinist (hyper) tendency will always decry any numbers game as unspiritual. I count my congregations every week and keep records. I may become aware of personal spiritual declines but I must be aware of trends in the numbers. If they fall, even more prayer is needed!
Ultimately I have never visited a shrinking church . . .where I could not SEE why the church was diminishing. It may be hard for those 'faithful' ones there to accept that they need to change things - but facts don't lie. One of the greatest scourges of our independent churches today is a crying failure to raise up godly men, for ministers to spot and train more ministers, so that pulpits are not empty. It is so chronic one might almost call it a judgement.
Labels: Charles Spurgeon, Church, Missional, Prayer, Preaching
Terry began by recommending the outstanding biography of John Newton written by Jonathan Aitkin. I have listened to the CD version and enjoyed it immensely. I join Terry in commending it strongly to you. Terry also recommended two books by Christopher Wright on being missional.
If definitions 1 through 7 are not present, you cannot do mission because unity isn't there. Prayer and worship and fellowship can be so much loved that we somehow just trust that the work will get done. Since we also believe God is sovereign, we tend to let him figure it out. Because we are charismatics, we tend to think the Spirit will figure it out. Truth is, we need a plan, and a more intentional one. We will see some growth without an intentional plan because we’re healthy, but if we are intentional about it we will grow faster.
Second, a missional church sees every Christian as a missionary. Cares for those with whom they come in contact. Pays attention to getting out and reaching out. Needs their people to be good theologians and good apologists. Sets things up so people naturally bring their non-Christian friends to church. Shares the gospel every single Sunday. If you think that they are all Christians, they are not! If, for example, you want men, preach to men, even if there are none there because their wives will get them to come. It can’t be a goofy presentation of the gospel, it must be a relevant one. Every week train them to recognize how everything relates to Jesus, e.g. marriage, parenting, etc. Mark shared an example of a couple in the church who couldn't understand why they shouldn't sleep together outside of marriage. He told them, “You are preaching a false gospel.” He asked them if their friends knew that they were Christians and were doing this. If so, he explained, they were saying the wrong thing with their lives. Jesus has a bride, not a girlfriend.
Magazines have on their cover someone's definition of heaven. Car heaven, six-pack heaven, stereo heaven, photography heaven, etc. Visions of heaven. If you buy the magazine can be delivered from your hell and give you your heaven. Do these things and you will get there. It’s evangelism. How does this work with the Bible? Is that view of heaven they are offering false? Why? What is the underlying need the magazine is trying to address?Labels: Abortion, Church, Jude, Mark Driscoll, Missional, Newfrontiers, TOAM08
Labels: Church, Church Planting, Ed Stetzer, Missional
Labels: Church, Ed Stetzer, Evangelism, Interviews, Missional, Video
Al Mohler has hinted at it, saying he wants to put Southern Baptist Theological Seminary out of business. I have long thought it, but not dared to say it on the blog. Piper has quietly come out with it in what, at first glance, seems to be just another ministry newsletter, but in it—although he doesn't use the following exact words—it is clear that what he means is this:Dear friends of TBI,
With trembling gratefulness in my heart, I look at the remarkable cluster of visionary ministries growing like fruit on the tree of Bethlehem Baptist Church.
- We are a kind of mission-sending agency with 85 foreign missionary units (families or singles) who count Bethlehem as their main sending base.
- Campus Outreach has exploded in its four-plus years at Bethlehem, with 25 staff on four campuses.
- Desiring God has been spreading resources and holding conferences for over a decade, and nourishes people around the world with its Internet presence.
- Children Desiring God is transforming the way children are nurtured in over two thousand churches in the US and overseas.
- Bethlehem Urban Initiatives pushes truth and love into the inner city.
- Treasuring Christ Together plants churches and channels Christ-exalting relief and reformation to the poorest of the poor.
- The Bethlehem Institute has graduated nine classes of pastoral and missionary-destined men for Bible-saturated, God-centered ministry.
I mention these as a testimony to God’s sovereign grace working through a remarkably unified, Christ-exalting, Bible-cherishing, Spirit-filled, doctrinally Reformed, people-loving, hard-thinking, deep-feeling, justice-advancing, globally aware, eldership at Bethlehem over the last two decades. In other words, the fruit of such a ministry has not only been souls saved and saints edified, but new structures of multiplication created.
One of the most explosive of these new structures is The Bethlehem Institute. I am writing this letter to express my amazement and joy over what God appears to be doing with this ministry.
Nothing here has been precipitous. It has been in the making for over ten years. I would say it goes back twenty-five years to Tom Steller’s earliest mentoring of apprentices and teaching hundreds of our people what used to be called LTTTR (Leadership Training Through Theological Reflection).
Now a flash point has been reached for moving to new levels of training and a new place of ministry.
The new levels of education include moving toward becoming an accredited college and seminary. That means offering, as soon as is feasible, an accredited BA in Biblical Studies and an accredited MA and MDiv at the seminary level.
What moves me most deeply about this plan is that it is all built around a solid, biblical, Reformed affirmation of faith—The Bethlehem Baptist Church Elder Affirmation of Faith. The longer I have thought about it, the more it has seemed wise to me that the educational enterprise I would love to give my remaining life to is one that is robustly Reformed with all the vital signs connected with Christian Hedonism:Add to this that the dreamers at this stage in TBI include those who have long experience in higher education. They see the paralyzing effects of massive debt incurred by college students. We believe there is a way to re-conceive higher education to avoid this kind of debt so that students are free for radical mission. We do not aim at just being another school. It will have, we believe, a unique combination of theological, intellectual, affectional, communal, and financial commitments.
- A vision that stresses the sovereignty of God,
- the truth that God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him,
- the inerrancy of Scripture,
- rigorous thought with disciplined habits of mind,
- intense affections awakened by a true vision of God,
- cultural awareness and discerning engagement,
- creative and compelling expressions of great old truth in fresh ways,
- global concern, especially for the unreached peoples of the earth,
- courageous, risk-taking readiness to suffer and die for Christ,
- a wartime lifestyle that prefers simplicity over luxury and generosity over riches,
- serious friendships that last a lifetime,
- corporate life and worship in the local church,
- and a respect for history and what we can learn from it.
I would like to be a part of this vision for the remainder of my life. I believe the church and the world need leaders shaped by this vision of God. I pray that you will find it compelling.
Please, send inquiries to info@thebethleheminstitute.org.
Spreading a passion for the supremacy of God in all things,
John Piper
Pastor for Preaching and Vision
Bethlehem Baptist Church
********************************
Permissions
You are permitted and encouraged to reproduce and distribute this material in any format provided that you do not alter the wording in any way and do not charge a fee beyond the cost of reproduction. For web posting, a link to this document on our website is preferred. Any exceptions to the above must be approved by Desiring God.
Please include the following statement on any distributed copy:
By John Piper. © Desiring God. Website: desiringGod.org
Labels: Church, John Piper, Leadership
Labels: Church, Don Carson, Interviews, Leadership, NWA08, Video
Labels: Church, Don Carson, Interviews, Leadership, NWA08, Video
I have just been listening to a message by my pastor, Tope Koleoso, who was recorded at a recent conference on building a multicultural church. I have become so used to what God has been doing these past couple of years at Jubilee that I sometimes need to remind myself that genuinely racially integrated churches are actually far from common. We truly have a lot to be grateful for. I really think you may well enjoy listening to Tope on this subject. The message can be downloaded or you can listen to it right here:Labels: Audio, Church, Multiculturalism, Newfrontiers, Tope Koleoso
Labels: Church, Church Membership, Hebrews
From a distance I thought you were a monster. Then, when you got closer, I thought you were an animal. When you got closer still, I realized you were a human. Closer still, I realized I liked you. When you were right next to me, I recognized you were my brother.A quick shout-out about a couple of books on the subject, neither of which I have had time to read completely, but I like what I have seen. First, Gracism by David Anderson (one of the speakers) and secondly, Dynamic Diversity by Bruce Milne.
Labels: Books, Church, Leadership, Missional, Multiculturalism
In one of those God-incidences, just as I am exploring the Holy Spirit more deeply here on the blog, Newfrontiers USA have redesigned their website and made the audio of the Newfrontiers USA Church Leadership Conference available even before it has finished. There are also a number of older messages there which include a whole series on the Holy Spirit. This is a great site for you if you are intrigued and want to find out more about the Holy Spirit and/or leadership in Reformed Charismatic churches. Labels: Audio, Church, Holy Spirit Baptism, Leadership
One of the UK's most senior Christian leaders, the Reverend Joel Edwards, will be leaving his post as General Director of the Evangelical Alliance UK after more than a decade of valued service."These twenty years have been absolutely magnificent and have provided lots of exciting opportunities for me and the Alliance.Mr. Edwards, who was the Alliance's first black General Director, has progressed and deepened the diversity of the Alliance while bringing credibility and attention to evangelicals in the ecumenical and secular spheres. In the UK he strengthened the voice of evangelicals in the media and in Parliament, while on an international level he was fundamental to the formation of Micah Challenge, a movement calling governments to account for justice for the poor.
But I believe God is saying that now is the right time for me to hand on the baton to someone new, who can lead the next generation of evangelicals to implement our renewed vision for society.
The vision I and the Alliance have worked on together is clear: our future as evangelicals is to be at the heart of spiritual and social transformation for our society."
The last four words of the above title are not new to me, but they are certainly resonating with me at the moment — "I Want It All!" Why should I have to choose, for example, between being enthusiastic about theology and being charismatic?
I know what some of you are thinking as you've been reading my posts on the Together On a Mission conference. You're wondering why it is that someone who is so enthusiastic about what was obviously a very charismatic conference can also be deeply committed to defending and understanding biblical doctrine. I know it's hard for some of you to believe, but it really is the same me who wrote all those posts on the atonement who also was so deeply touched by this latest conference. For those of you who have never met one, I am indeed that rare breed — a Reformed Charismatic.
Too often, however, the temptation for me is to downplay one side of that equation or the other in order to appear "balanced." When I am with the charismatics, my reformed doctrine often appears alien to them, although in the UK, Newfrontiers offers a major exception to that with over 200 churches that are broadly reformed and charismatic. When I'm with the reformed, I'm tempted to soften my charismatic viewpoint and not speak too much of the things I have seen and experienced. Why is it that on this issue, as on so many others, the Church seems to be split in half? Why can't we be both radically reformed and radically charismatic? Why do we see a conflict and therefore try to play down both in order to be "balanced?" I don't want to be balanced, I want it all!
On the one hand there are those who care about theology enough to study God's Word in detail, weigh scripture against scripture, study great theological minds, and preach intellectually stimulating messages that would stretch even a PhD in Theology — which, incidentally, I am certainly not! Why is it that for the majority of us, if we want such a feast for our minds, we must sacrifice certain other things? Why are some leaders in the Church committed to theology almost exclusively? Is even great theology so captivating that it is the only need of the Church? I don't believe it can be, or God would have given us a Bible that was a systematic theology and not the one we have, which is essentially a collection of lots of stories with a few doctrinal portions.
Read more . . . I Don't Want Balance! I Want It All!
Labels: Blogging, Calvinism, Church, Gifts of Holy Spirit, Gospel, Leadership, Missional, Personal
"Tim Challies takes us from the turbulent marketplace of ideas that is the modern western church back into the world of the Scriptures. Sadly, today many people fall into the trap of being naively blown from one wind of teaching to another. Others become so expert at straining out the gnats of what they believe to be error that they are unable to learn from anybody. Instead they believe themselves to be the guardians of "true" doctrine. Tim shows us from the Bible itself how to avoid both errors. Tim's reliance on the Bible is refreshing in an age when doctrinal pillars of our faith are being challenged by prominent preachers, and there is a constant search for novelty in parts of the Church. This book, like no other I have seen, aims to give ordinary Christians like you and me the tools we need to learn how to discern truth from error. I wholeheartedly urge you to get yourself a copy and read it, and then buy one for a friend."
Most Christians are a little fuzzy on the topic of discernment. We know that someone should apply discernment to the media, to teachings, and to important decisions. We've heard of discernment ministries, and we may have even used the phrase "the gift of discernment." The general tenor of our conversations could lead us to conclude that discernment is best left to the professionals.". . . it is always wise to have a governing structure where the highest governing offices in the church and the highest positions of influence are open to lay people as well as ordained people. The denominations where only clergy have the highest of authority seem to be the ones that are never able to be brought back once they drift into liberalism because the ordinary lay people who have common sense and are reading their Bibles every day don’t have any way to regain control of a denomination that has gone astray if it has that kind of structure."—Wayne Grudem
Labels: Blogging, Books, Church, Discernment, Leadership, Wayne Grudem

Labels: 1 and 2 Corinthians, Church, Ephesians, Personal, Preaching, Psalms, Sermons
They were turning the world upside down as a primitive church—simple, clean wineskins. But about 300 AD they started ordaining regional bishops, and that was the beginning of the end and the slide into the Dark Ages. So we try to avoid having regional apostles. But to qualify that, that’s not to say that some apostolic ministries won’t tend to have more influence in their region. Some, like Paul, are called primarily to the Gentiles, and others, like Peter, primarily to the Jews. So there is that “setting apart” that God may give certain apostles more influence in Africa or America or Australia, but they must never get territorial and say, “This is my territory. You guys from Africa, even though we are on the same team, don’t you come in here!” What we’ve said to all the churches that relate to our international team is, “You can invite anyone on the international team to come to you. You don’t have to be exclusively in an arbitrary way restricted to just the apostolic ministry resident in your country. You can invite the apostolic ministry from outside the nation so there is no regional control. And, of course, invite other people from other streams as well because we don’t want to be exclusive. It becomes a little bit incestuous when all you do is feed off your own lives and ministries.Labels: Apostles and Prophets, Church, Conferences, Interviews, Newfrontiers, Rob Rufus, TOAM07
Terry Virgo is one of the most important Christian leaders God has raised up in the last thirty years. No wonder amazing doors continue to open for him and his message to the Church! He is wise, humble, full of grace, and a man of astonishing faithfulness and vision. Significantly, he is an outstanding prophetic voice and a remarkable Bible teacher. He combines Word and Spirit in striking ways, teaching truth in depth and seeing miracles accompany it, and he has influenced thousands of people around the world to model the same authentic Christianity we read of in the book of Acts. We're told by Christ to judge teachers “by their fruits” (Matthew 7). I've seen what Terry and his associates have built first-hand. I have been part of it. It is very impressive. It is not marked by the boasting, hype, self-serving, and exploitation that other leaders and movements have floundered on. When I say “Charismatic” he and his movement is what I most think of. It's biblical and dynamic in equal measure. Why divorce what God always meant to be together?
But Terry has never sought to hold things to himself. He has raised up like-minded leaders of stature. He has released them to “do their stuff” all over the world. He is not possessive. He believes in Church unity. He is a blessing to many outside Newfrontiers. Young leaders are emerging everywhere you look and church plants and adoptions increase by the week, with many Ephesians 4 ministries being released to serve them. I don't see this movement collapsing should Terry retire or be taken home. He has built too well. Only demonic attack, heresy, or some kind of character failure on the part of his followers could jeopardize all he has built, but many safeguards are in place to help prevent this.
I am pretty sure that intellectual, religious, social, and political persecution is emerging in our nation right now and will increase in the future. Arrests, imprisonment, and even martyrdoms could occur. Some loose unaffiliated churches and failed denominations will likely go to the wall. As the darkness deepens, it means that there is every possibility the light will become brighter. Christians will find each other, and find Christ more powerful among them, and then will find the courage to do and say the right things in spite of the pressure to panic or compromise. We can, and shall, make great progress in the conversion of dangerous false religionists, and among many who will be disillusioned with the failure of governments and other faiths to “give the goods.” Evolutionism, secularism, atheism, and religious syncretism will all be exposed for their lies. Truth will prevail and error cannot hold out forever.Labels: Church, Ephesians, Greg Haslam, Interviews, Newfrontiers, Terry Virgo
Today we continue with the fourth part of my interview with Greg Haslam, pastor of Westminster Chapel in London (pictured here with his wife, Ruth). The previous three parts of this interview included an introduction to Greg and his ministry, on leaving Newfrontiers for Westminster Chapel, and Haslam on the primacy of preaching.
No, I am not depressed about the future of the Church anywhere. Christ wins! The Church will still be here when everything else has gone. The best days of Church history lie ahead of us. Worldwide revivals will sweep the continents. Many have already happened or begun. This is the “Age of the Spirit,” and “The Holy Spirit will never allow the blasphemy to be voiced against his name that he was unable to convert the world!” (C. H. Spurgeon). I am at heart a great optimist where the Gospel and the work of God is concerned. Setbacks are never permanent, only temporary. Britain is in a state of apostasy at this time, and culpable for her rejection of history, the Bible, and the honor of Christ, and for her contempt for Christ's people. But this is no problem for God to remove and reverse. It's what I'm praying, preaching, and working for. “Of the increase of Christ's government and peace, there shall be no end” (Isaiah 9).Labels: Church, Ephesians, Greg Haslam, Interviews, Isaiah, Relationships, Romans
Westminster Chapel has been a fairly unique and decidedly independent kind of place, with a significant influence on the wider church, primarily through the preaching and books of its ministers. It's probably time that this independence became inter-dependence on other streams and ministries. This is on my heart to achieve in the years ahead. These connections are likely to be varied since I've always been keen on unity in the church, and want to live out that conviction. This will mean friendships with all kinds of leaders and people, and openness to receive a wide diversity of ministry from outside as God leads.
The Chapel hosts a monthly Newfrontiers London pastors’ gathering, which I attend whenever I can. The Chapel views Newfrontiers very positively indeed now, and we've had many of their leaders preach here. Yet I remain officially outside of that movement, in line with all God told me to do five years ago. This has led to many new and wonderful friendships with top leaders and great movements around the country, as well as opportunities to serve the wider body through church visits and ministry of the Word at major denominational and church-stream conferences. I am convinced that the wider body of Christ, including many evangelicals who ignored or allowed previous moves of the Holy Spirit to bypass them from the 1960's onwards, are going to be caught up in a new visitation of God—soon! I speak to this matter whenever I can, and I have just written two new books to help foster new openness to God in whatever way I can, and to help leaders to make sense of what God is going to do—A Radical Encounter with God (New Wine Press, October 2007) and Moving in the Prophetic (Monarch Publications, April 2008).Labels: Church, Greg Haslam, Interviews, Newfrontiers, Terry Virgo
“One of our international pastors in Acts 29, Pastor Sudhakar in India, is facing tremendous persecution, having been drug out of his church on a Sunday morning and beaten by twenty men. He is now standing trial for "converting Hindus to Christianity."
Trusted sources tell Between Two Worlds that Ligon Duncan was not baptized as an infant, but was baptized as a believer! This certainly adds a wrinkle to the discussion, doesn't it? So shouldn't Dever accept Duncan both into membership and at the Lord's Table? Inquiring minds want to know!
I'm not sure why anyone would care what my position is, but I agree with old Piper, new Grudem, and unchanging Storms. I agree with Dever about membership and disagree with him regarding the Lord's Supper. And I think we'd all get along if we just followed the happy middlemen, Ted Christman and Vern Poythress!
Labels: Church, John Piper, Leadership, Lig Duncan, Lord's Supper, Mark Dever, Water Baptism, Wayne Grudem
Labels: Calvinism, Church, Gifts of Holy Spirit, Gospel, Leadership, Missional, Personal
Sam PoeProphets in the New Testament are not meant to be lonely isolated people who suddenly appear with a message from God. Rather, we are called to live in community, in team life. We are family; we are in a real relationship. Prophets are meant to work together in team with each other, and also with the other ministries.Sam serves on the Newfrontiers apostolic team in the USA. He and his wife, Marlene, have travelled widely, serving churches in the USA and other nations. In recent years they have been particularly involved in working together with a number of churches in Russia and the Ukraine. Sam and Marlene are presently based in Tacoma, Washington, USA, where they are part of a new church plant. Sam is also serving other churches related to Newfrontiers in that region as part of the apostolic team.
Guy MillerGuy Miller leads the Bournemouth Family Church, UK and leads apostolic teams that serve the Wessex Region with seventeen churches. He also overseas the work of 21 churches in the North and West of India, and two churches in Portugal. He is a passionate family man, married to Heather, with four children, and loves fishing.
Labels: 1 and 2 Corinthians, 1 and 2 Thessalonians, Apostles and Prophets, Church, Conferences, Gifts of Holy Spirit, Leadership, Newfrontiers, TOAM07
David StroudDave Stroud spoke to us today about the identity markers of Newfrontiers.David Stroud leads ChristChurch, London, and the Newfrontiers UK team. He has been involved in leading churches for over fifteen years, and ChristChurch is the third church that he has planted. He is married to Philippa, who works as an adviser on issues of social justice in Westminster, and they have three children.
See also Andrew Fountain's notes from this talk: Being Sure of Who We Are as a People.
Labels: Apostles and Prophets, Church, Conferences, Ephesians, Leadership, Missional, Newfrontiers, TOAM07
Labels: Church, Conferences, Leadership, Newfrontiers, TOAM07
- Talk with your children about ethnicity (the nations) rather than "race."
- Talk about ethnicity in a way that magnifies the power and wisdom of God. We should be amazed more often than we are (excuse me for projecting my dullness onto you!) at the sheer power and wisdom of God who can create "difference" and "same" in His creation ...
- Talk about the need of all men for the Savior. Not only are we alike in our humanity, but we are therefore alike in our sin, guilt, shame, and need for divine rescue. We are far more alike than we are different ...
- Talk about the Gospel and the Church as the plan of God to demonstrate unity across such diversity and to display His wisdom.
"So the church is vital in God's programme — it should be vital in every Christian's life, [in] our experience of church life."Terry Virgo's website also has a growing collection of his sermon audios available."It's important for us, too, to realise that [al]though we're meeting in a theatre here, and we're very relaxed, and we don't have clergy and laity, and we don't have 'priest and people,' and we could look as if we're really rather novel — maybe reactionary, maybe just trying to be relevant to our generation and just do[ing] it different[ly] . . . actually, those are none of the motivations that stir us. We're happy to be here, we're happy to be relevant to our generation, we're certainly wanting to be contemporary to this generation, but our endeavour is to be as biblical as is at all possible. We want to really take the Scriptures [seriously] because we believe that's God's way of building [His] church, that's God's way of touching our generation and fulfilling His purpopse amongst us. So yes, we may look rather different in a place like this, but we are building, as far as we know how, seriously from a biblical base. We're trying to get it right because there we believe God will bless."
"Is this church properly founded? That's an apostolic work. Paul said in 2 Corinthians 3, 'When I came to you, as a wise master builder' — the Greek word gives us our word architect, someone who sees the whole plan — 'I laid a foundation.' Now there he's talking about one local church. He did his apostolic work making sure it was properly founded. So that was . . . the role of [the] apostles and that work will continue until Jesus comes — the necessity of churches being properly founded ..."
"Jesus ascended on high: it doesn't say He gave some priests, He gave some clergymen — it doesn't say that, it's not in the Bible. It says He gave some apostles to make sure churches are properly founded on their identity in Christ ... establishing the community, giving them a sense of identity, purpose, and meaning ... establishing bodies of Christ if you like, in town after town after town. Places where Jesus was manifest in phenomenal glory again and again and again. That's part of our calling as a family of churches, from generation to generation. Let's plant church after church where the presence of Christ can be known in that particular place."
"The book of Ephesians probably is the one that most emphasizes the place of the church. It's interesting that Jesus said to His disciples 'Go and make disciples of all the nations,' and the strategy they immediately took on board was to go and plant local churches. That was the way they saw that they were going to fulfil that commission to make disciples. That was the way they chose to do it."
"And so we're very much in line with that biblical arrangement, that you go and plant churches, you go and gather people together. That's the way we fulfil the commission of the Lord Jesus to 'Go and make disciples of all the nations.' It's very important, then, that you're built into a local body and, of course, Ephesians highlights the place of the church in several ways. It talks about a temple, not of concrete or stones, but of living people that are built together as a context for the presence of God. It talks about the church as a bride in Ephesians 5 — that relationship of intimacy ... and then it speaks of the church also, by implication, as an army. It says we're soldiers, we're to put on the armour, we're to fight. And then in this particular chapter in Ephesians 4 it talks of us as a body together."
Labels: 1 and 2 Corinthians, Apostles and Prophets, Church, Ephesians, Leadership, Newfrontiers, Terry Virgo
“What is now clear is that independence is not the answer. We need to look at more of a Presbyterian-style model with some outside accountability. I see in newfrontiers, for example, an effective attempt to recreate the balance between the autonomy of the local church and an appropriate, biblical ‘apostolic’ authority. We all need to look at models like that and see what we can learn from them.”Interestingly, Liam accepts that he himself, in common with many other evangelical leaders, in practice functions in a very similar way to one of the leaders of an apostolic family of churches like newfrontiers.
He trains young men, encourages them, helps to place them as pastors, and supports them from a distance in their pastoral work. He provides to those people a sense of identity and support that goes beyond the local church and which is significantly more than what is available by merely owning a denominational title or the label “evangelical.”“We have not linked arms in the past as much as we should. Provided we can agree that local churches have their own theological identity and style, interaction between us is essential, especially as it seems that at the moment the whole evangelical house is collapsing around us.”
Labels: Church, Interviews, Leadership, Liam Goligher, Newfrontiers
Liam is a trustee of the Keswick Convention and a well-known Bible teacher. He leads Duke Street Church, an independent church in Richmond, UK which has approximately 400 members, with many more attending, making it a large church for England.Labels: Church, Interviews, Leadership, Liam Goligher, Missional, Water Baptism
"Something that is meant to be different about the T4G conference, and what it may inspire in your own ministry, is that it is built on, and attempts to model and provoke relational networks for encouragement and accountability. So inviting Thabiti was no mere decision of the 4 of us to send him a letter. First, we had to work at building in relationships, and introducing Thabiti to the brothers who didn't know him. So the delay in announcing his speaking reflects nothing on our confidence in him, but rather highlights the different kind of conference this is. From the moment the idea was born, time would need to be set aside for fellowship together and co-laboring. That has now largely happened. And we are delighted not simply at Thabiti's agreement to speak, but at Thabiti's growing friendships with the other speakers involved in the conference."— Mark Dever
Labels: Church, Conferences, Gospel, Relationships, T4G
I am not qute clear what happens next if this report is adopted — will we eventually see some kind of exclusionary process for those who hold to these ideas? (HT Justin Taylor)"That the General Assembly recommends the declarations in this report as a faithful exposition of the Westminster Standards, and further reminds those ruling and teaching elders whose views are out of accord with our Standards of their obligation to make known to their courts any differences in their views.
That the General Assembly reminds the Sessions and Presbyteries of the PCA that it is their duty “to exercise care over those subject to their authority” and “to condemn erroneous opinions which injure the purity or peace of the Church” (BCO 31-2; 13-9f).
The whole article is well worth a read, but I offer the following excerpts as a taste of the way they strongly criticize N. T. Wright in particular:The Declarations of the PCA Committee
"In light of the controversy surrounding the NPP and FV (Ed = Federal Vision), and after many months of careful study, the committee unanimously makes the following declarations:
- The view that rejects the bi-covenantal structure of Scripture as represented in the Westminster Standards (i.e., views which do not merely take issue with the terminology, but the essence of the first/second covenant framework) is contrary to those Standards.
- The view that an individual is “elect” by virtue of his membership in the visible church; and that this “election” includes justification, adoption, and sanctification; but that this individual could lose his “election” if he forsakes the visible church, is contrary to the Westminster Standards.
- The view that Christ does not stand as a representative head whose perfect obedience and satisfaction is imputed to individuals who believe in him is contrary to the Westminster Standards.
- The view that strikes the language of “merit” from our theological vocabulary so that the claim is made that Christ’s merits are not imputed to his people is contrary to the Westminster Standards.
- The view that “union with Christ” renders imputation redundant because it subsumes all of Christ’s benefits (including justification) under this doctrinal heading is contrary to the Westminster Standards.
- The view that water baptism effects a “covenantal union” with Christ through which each baptized person receives the saving benefits of Christ’s mediation, including regeneration, justification, and sanctification, thus creating a parallel soteriological system to the decretal system of the Westminster Standards, is contrary to the Westminster Standards.
- The view that one can be “united to Christ” and not receive all the benefits of Christ’s mediation, including perseverance, in that effectual union is contrary to the Westminster Standards.
- The view that some can receive saving benefits of Christ’s mediation, such as regeneration and justification, and yet not persevere in those benefits is contrary to the Westminster Standards.
- The view that justification is in any way based on our works, or that the so-called “final verdict of justification” is based on anything other than the perfect obedience and satisfaction of Christ received through faith alone, is contrary to the Westminster Standards."
Labels: Atonement, Church, Gospel, N. T. Wright, News, Romans
Labels: Church, Complementarianism, Leadership, Mark Driscoll, Missional
"What is Church? Church is where the presence of God is." -- Terry VirgoWas that your experience this Sunday morning? If the presence of God is there, then how can it possibly be boring?
Labels: Church, Terry Virgo
Today I preached a message on Joseph for my UK church. The message is entitled "Joseph - God's Dreamer" and is available as an mp3 file for download. (To download this, simply right click on the mp3 link and save it to your computer. Or, why not subscribe to the podcast either by following the link or seaching inside the iTunes podcasts list for "Jubilee."Labels: Church, Ephesians, Hebrews, Romans, Technology



Opinions expressed in this blog are Adrian Warnock's alone, and do not represent the views of his church, employer or anyone else for that matter!
Material is often provided for your research purposes rather than as an endorsement. We ask you to report anything you see here or on a linked site that you feel may be inappropriate or may inadvertently breach copyright to adrian.warnock@gmail.com.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial No-Derivs 2.0 England & Wales License.
Unless otherwise indicated, all bible quotations are from The English Standard Version © 2001, Crossway Bibles. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
See my ESV Interview for more information