A few months back, Piper posted this excelent couple of paragraphs about the need to make GOD the central thing as we try to lead people to a shared understanding of theology.

. . .a Reformed position mainly means, God is really big, really strong, really powerful, really knowledgeable, really wise, really great, really weighty, and he is going to be big in this service, and we're going to make a big deal out of God here. There are a lot of born-again Arminian people who like that. It's because they don't see the implications of their theology.

And if you get a congregation liking that over time—"God is great, and we're going to celebrate his magnificence and his power and his sovereignty" (just leave it undefined for the time being. Everybody believes in the sovereignty of God, one way or the other)—what happens is that when your heart begins to get shaped around a massive, big, glorious view of God, then when you get to specifics in Romans 8 and 9 or Ephesians 2, about election and whatnot, your heart is more ready for it.

So the flourishing could be that you're taking people where you know you want them to go, just because God is magnificent. And your Reformed orientation makes you keenly aware of that. Their Arminian orientation doesn't naturally make them as aware of that. And you're going to take them there. And when the whole spirit of the place changes, then the theology might grow. And that's what I mean by flourishing. READ MORE

One of the tragedies of the modern church is that we just don't seem to understand a lesson the Moses learnt from his father-in-law. Sadly we fail to realise that not every godly Christian leader should aspire to be the so-called "number one" leader of a church. Many churches are started and do not grow because the person at the helm was never meant to be in such a role. Perhaps in some cases that leader could be helped to birth a church by despite branching out on his own remaining under the care and close direction of another. Perhaps the initiator and father-figure role of some leaders can be exercised from afar via someone who looks up to them. But, surely one of the real challenges is to help people find their place in leadership which in most cases may well not be in yearning after leading their own church. In order to grow large churches, we need to multiply many leaders who are secure in God enough, and in their own calling from God to fulfil their role without "doing their own thing".

In the story to follow, it is striking that Moses appointed godly people as leaders over 10s, 50s, 100s and 1000s. This reflects the differing capacity for leadership we all have. Surely we need such leaders in the church today. Whats your capacity? And what kind of leader are you? Are you in a team right now? Are you content to do whatever God is calling you to do? Are you being faithful with the small job that God has entrusted you with right now so that just maybe you might be entrusted with more in the future?

These words from the scriptures could have been written about leading today:

Exodus 18:13-26

The next day Moses sat to judge the people, and the people stood around Moses from morning till evening. 14 When Moses' father-in-law saw all that he was doing for the people, he said, “What is this that you are doing for the people? Why do you sit alone, and all the people stand around you from morning till evening?” 15 And Moses said to his father-in-law, “Because the people come to me to inquire of God; 16 when they have a dispute, they come to me and I decide between one person and another, and I make them know the statutes of God and his laws.” 17 Moses' father-in-law said to him, “What you are doing is not good. 18 You and the people with you will certainly wear yourselves out, for the thing is too heavy for you. You are not able to do it alone. 19 Now obey my voice; I will give you advice, and God be with you! You shall represent the people before God and bring their cases to God, 20 and you shall warn them about the statutes and the laws, and make them know the way in which they must walk and what they must do. 21 Moreover, look for able men from all the people, men who fear God, who are trustworthy and hate a bribe, and place such men over the people as chiefs of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens. 22 And let them judge the people at all times. Every great matter they shall bring to you, but any small matter they shall decide themselves. So it will be easier for you, and they will bear the burden with you. 23 If you do this, God will direct you, you will be able to endure, and all this people also will go to their place in peace.” 24 So Moses listened to the voice of his father-in-law and did all that he had said. 25 Moses chose able men out of all Israel and made them heads over the people, chiefs of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens. 26 And they judged the people at all times. Any hard case they brought to Moses, but any small matter they decided themselves.

As you read this, I have just returned from a blog holiday. Thanks to Blogger's scheduling feature, I have been able to give this blogger a rest without any interruption of posts while I was away. Although I am now back, and while I do have to return to work, I want to maintain some sense of the rest and relaxation that hopefully I was able to enjoy. Therefore the auto-published posts will continue without the usual attention from my editor, as I am giving her a break, too.

Since I am basically away, it's a good time to introduce you to a new blog. It's by my friend, Joel Virgo, and some of his fellow elders at Church of Christ the King. There are lots of cool posts already, including a report from the recent New Day Youth Conference. So go read it right now! I have decided to give this blog a "Warnie Award," and their posts will appear in my sidebar from now on.

The next fifteen days will see me release the top thirty posts here on the blog as defined by their readership from the 1st of January 2008 through the 31st of July 2008. I will share links to two such posts a day, and I hope that you will find it a useful chance to catch up with some of my older material that you may not have seen before. Posts that are similar or in a series will only be represented by the most popular post.

Let me introduce you to the 30th most read post, which is no small thing when there are over 3,000 others that didn't make the top thirty. The post is a short one, giving my response to John Piper's announcement that he plans to attach a Bible college to his church, which will have a very different philosophy and charging structure.

In 29th place is my interview with my friend, Justin Taylor.

Ed Stetzer has a great post discussing the concept of apostolic work today. He has some great links many of which would on first glance describe a view very similar to that which I hold. There almost seems to be a consensus emerging that recognises the need for some kind of apostolic role today (though many would disagree with the use of the actual word). I have a lot more posts on apostles today here on my blog.

Hear Dave Fairchild, Scott Thomas and Steve Timmis answer questions in this session from the Dwell Conference in London. Once again this is a longer video and so is hosted by Google Video rather than Youtube. You can watch it below or download the audio here. The Q and A spoke a lot about the role of the wife in church leadership.

UPDATE
Scott has made available an article which expands on this talk and includes other lists of characteristics that leaders have cited as being important in a church planter.


Thanks to the kind permission of Acts 29, I am able to share with you a number of videos of their recent DWELL Conference in London. I begin with one that is especially important for those of you who have come back from the conference excited, wondering what God may have in store for you. You can download the mp3 — or thanks to Google video (which has no time limits for its videos) you can watch the entire talk online below. My notes of this engaging and helpful talk by Scott Thomas follow.

You can ask yourself 20 questions that will help you determine whether you are called to lead a church plant. For the record, these questions indeed confirm my previous firm conviction that I am not meant to become a church plant leader. It is so important that we each realize what role God is calling us to. I am as sure as I can be at this time that God wants me to stay long-term at Jubilee Church, London. I hope and pray, however, that I can help many church planters in some small way.


DWELL — "Am I a Church Planter?" by Scott Thomas
Church planting is the new “cool” in Christian circles. The worst thing you could do is to become a church planter if you are not one! Are you called, competent, and do you have the character? Pay careful attention to yourself (Acts 20:28).

The top five issues that come up most commonly when Acts 29 is assessing planters:

1. Theology
   
2. Vision
   
3. Family
   
4. Calling
   
5. Character

Scott sais that they had surveyed UK church-planting organizations prior to coming here. To a network, of the ones who responded, not one gave a clear definition of what a church planter should look like. They were all doing it relationally, so men were being raised up from within. But it is necessary to identify who is the planter. Then prepare and send out. As a potential planter yourself, you need to ask yourself some questions to be sure if you are the right kind of person.

While in Brighton, Scott asked a group of Newfrontiers leaders to describe for him the characteristics of a church planter. Their responses, in this order, were:

1. A leader/visionary.
   
2. Missionary heart.
   
3. Preacher, a good proclaimer.
   
4. Generalist, i.e. do more than one thing as opposed to a specialist.
   
5. A family man. Need your wife and kids to believe in Dad's vision.

On the fourth point, as a new planter, you can't do what Mark Driscoll does — he studies, reads, writes a lot, one day a week has meetings, preaches, and spends time with his family, and that's it. There was a time, however, when he set up chairs, etc.

Scott then took us through twenty questions you can ask yourself to help answer the question, "Am I a church plant leader?"

Before we begin, as one of my asides, I want to remind you that there are lots of other ways you can serve God in an established church or a church plant apart from being the senior leader. Some very good pastors would make bad church plant leaders. That call from God you have to do church planting might be a call to go join a team led by another man to help plant a church, or it might actually be a call to stay so others can go. Please pray as you work through this list that God will either confirm your call or show you that you are not meant to lead a church plant after all.

1. Am I a Christian? — This is a good place to start! Integrity is critical!
   
   
2. Am I passionately in love with Jesus, and is he the Lord of my life in every area? Don't skip these! People plant churches who never open the Bible or pray. Some big churches are led by people who may not even be Christians! Jesus must be the most important thing in your life. Your life must be built on Jesus only such that nothing else is enough, and even if family and possessions are taken away, you will still have the grace of God resting on your life, you will have hope, and you will be able to say “That’s enough.” IF Jesus is in you and you love and follow him, people will be drawn to you.
   
   
3. Do I believe his Word, and does it affect my life deeply? It's not enough to just have good sermon material; it has to flow from your heart. The Word needs to speak to you, and you need to talk out of the abundance of his Word.
   
   
4. Am I Spirit-filled, Spirit-led, Spirit-directed, and Spirit-controlled? We want to be witnesses, but we have tendencies to lean on our own ideas and abilities. He will give you all you need, and give you the place and the way to go about it. The church planter needs to be an empowered man. The Spirit needs to be working in and through you and be dripping out. That’s the Holy Spirit I want!
   
   
5. Am I qualified as an elder? Timothy and Titus talk about these things. Study them carefully, assess yourself. They both say that to be above reproach is the over-arching thing — you have to be above reproach. There isn’t an exhaustive list of things, they overlap, but the key is to be above reproach. Here are some "for instances" of how to be above reproach: the husband of one wife, no one else in your head, your heart, your eyes, on that screen—none. Totally focused and satisfied in that one woman God has brought to him. Marriage can be a struggle. But you cannot stray, even an inch. Forgiveness is required for marriage. Children should be in submission. Need to be a pastor-dad.
   
   
6. Do I love the local church as an expression of a gospel community on a mission? The church brings hope, forgiveness, and community, etc. This is an expression of the gospel. Stop dating the church as Josh Harris said. It's not an institution, but Christ's body.
   
   
7. Am I a missionary to the city? Am I sent for the advancement of the gospel in the city? If you are a church planter, you have to be a missionary. Every pastor needs to see themselves as a missionary. For the glory of God and the good of the city. Don't be someone who wants to start something because of "me" and my desire to be recognized. It's not about me, or success. It's about exalting the grace of Jesus.
   
   
8. Do I have a clear vision for this new work? Nehemiah had to have a vision of a complete wall. Not take a survey. The city is in ruins, It's time to build. You know you have a vision when people around you say, “Let's do that.” People need to be following you.
   
   
9. Am I wiling to pour myself out in obedience to the vision?
   
   
10. Am I healthy physically, emotionally, financially, spiritually, relationally, maritally, mentally?
    
    
11. Am I the kind of leader many people will follow? Have I served as some form of church leader successfully?
    
    
12. Can I preach effectively? You don't have to hit it out of the ball park every time. But you do have to hit singles pretty regularly. The pulpit is the rudder that steers the church.
    
    
13. Can I guard the doctrinal door with biblical clarity and tenacious confidence? When you start a church, you'll have new people with new ideas for which they got kicked out of their old church. You have to be able to guard the doctrinal door, squash doctrinal error—not arrogantly, but being sure of what the Word of God says and being able to articulate that in a winsome way.
    
    
14. Can I architect a new work with entrepreneurial skill? What have you started successfully? Some men can't see the vision of what is to come, and some—even if they see the vision—can't find the steps towards the vision. If you can't be the architect, then you are in trouble. As an example, some very pastoral people are NOT the best people to start a church, or at least not as the main team leader. Be clear about who you are. If you're a shepherd, counselor, care-giver, and you could be a success doing those things in an established church or as part of a team, then that is where you should be. Someone who is called to plant a church is frustrated if they don't do it. Number two guys don't always make good number one guys. As an aside, for my English readers, the example that struck me was this (and blame me for this one, not Scott) — Gordon Brown was perceived widely to be a good chancellor, but when he became Prime Minister he has been widely perceived to be a bad one.
    
    
15. Am I called to plant a church at this time and in this place? Calling is a top issue. Not called when things are going badly. The call of God usually comes when things are going really well. It needs to be a ministry to God, not to anyone or anything else. 2 Corinthians 7:6-8, 7:13; 2 Corinthians 8:6, 8:16-17. You need to be someone who says because of your own personal calling, I need to do this.
    
    
16. Have my church leaders commended me for this calling? What do they think of you? Are they recommending you?
    
    
17. Am I a hard worker? Am I persevering?
    
    
18. Am I adaptable to new people, places, and concepts? If you don't like change, you don't like church planting! If you are the kind of person who goes into the fetal position, you're probably not a church planter
    
    
19. Can I raise the funds required for my family's needs? Can I still be there for my family? Anyone who won't provide for his family is worse than the ungodly. You also need to be there for your family. Your children need a father more than the city needs a church.
    
    
20. Am I humble enough to learn from others — particularly from those who have gone ahead of me in different areas? This is one of the issues we call "stallers" and "stoppers." You need to be coachable, teachable. If you're not teachable, your church will stay stunted in its growth. The local church makes the audible gospel visible. It's a glorious thing.

What if I'm called? What if I'm not sure? What do I do?

1 Timothy 4:12. “Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith, and in purity.” Right now, no matter where you are, what you're doing, begin to build that into your life, begin to look into your own life, and set the believers an example in these areas. Don't neglect your gift. Practice these things. Devote yourself to them. Make it evident that Jesus Christ is the most important thing in your life. Listen to the calling of God. Examine your life. Examine your family. Then obey, and get ready for the ride of your life!

The audio of this message can be downloaded, or you can listen to it right here:

More posts from this conference can be found on my TOAM08 label page. You can also download the mp3s of this week's talks by subscribing to the new Newfrontiers podcast, which will be an easy way for you to get access to the mp3s for free.

Mark Driscoll began by thanking us again for having him, thanking us for the trust placed in him as someone we didn't know, but who had a reputation for being proactive, for the reception and the new friendships, and specifically once again for Terry Virgo and Tope Koleoso, and for what he has learned.

Having been gracious, he then said, “And now I will hurt you . . .” with a twinkle in his eye. He says that he wants us to go beyond our goal of 1,000 churches and grow more quickly.

Our movement leader is Jesus. He interjected about his view of the apostolic. He briefly stated that he did believe in “capital A” Apostles whose job it was to write the New Testament. He also believes in “small a” apostles whose job it is to lead movements and church planting drives. And he believes in them for today. He also believes that Terry Virgo has such a gift and is therefore a modern-day apostle. Pointing at the crowd, he said, “This is good evidence” — meaning the movement of 600 plus churches represented in this room. Feel free to read one of my previous posts about modern day apostles if this all seems a bit strange to you.

Mark explained that the church exists because of Jesus' desire to reach the ends of the earth. Paul was a leader under Jesus in this movement of Christ, and was responsible for the drive to the Gentiles. Paul completely ignored the rural areas and focused entirely on the cities. Mark strongly urged those of us in Newfrontiers to hear this if we want to grow faster.

If you plant a church in a rural area you will never reach the city. If you plant a church in the city you will also reach the rural areas. Everything hinges on the well-being of the cities. Cities are strategically important for two reasons. First, there are more people there, and second, culture emanates/flows from the city. City is upstream, and suburban and rural areas are downstream. The river flows one way. Culture does not come from the rural areas into the city. The only way to change culture is to transform the city.

Both Christian and non-Christian movements have always emanated from cities. It's not the number of people, it's the type of people. But today most cities are non-Christian and the rural areas are more Christian. So Christians become frustrated with the culture — films, music, books, art, etc. The only way to affect that is to be in the city. The key to actual change is to get upstream. We need to lead politicians, artists, musicians, etc. to Jesus. It's not about getting a lot of people to make a difference. The degree of influence is not about the number of people, but their place upstream.

Christianity starts as an urban church planting movement. He described how he would go into a city and plant a church that could reproduce and plant out into the rural areas. Mark told us to pool our best leaders and resources into the key areas. Chief on that list is London. The world passes through London. Cities like Cape Town and Sydney and other such cities also need strong churches which will reproduce and plant more churches.

Early Christianity was a city-based movement. By 300 A.D. half of the cities of the empire were Christian while 90 per cent were still pagan. Pagan probably comes from a word which meant someone living on a farm. Urban church planting in strategic areas can become a center for a movement of its own. Multiple churches, multiple networks, multiple styles, but one mission—to obey the Great Commission.

Puritans were a movement. They were also very young—teens and 20's. Methodism, the charismatic renewal—bigger than one denomination or network or one man. Young people tend to be at the center, at least early-on. By bringing in the students suggests that God was telling Terry, “I am planning more renewal.”

Spurgeon, Moody, Billy Graham, and others were all very young when called to ministry. What young people lack in wisdom they make up in zeal. If the older ones can make the transition from player to coach, they will do well.

Anglicanism isn't having mass conversions right now because they are too busy fighting over who you can have sex with.

With a renewal movement going on, new churches are planted. New ways of doing things, new music, new styles, new ways of reaching out. Church planting requires new wineskins. The goal is not to plant churches, but to have converts such that it becomes necessary to plant churches.

Most movements are unaware of the scale of their influence.

Out of the movement comes supporting organizations—new songs, new books to write, etc.

Most movements come into being because of the coming of new technology. The Reformation was only possible because of the printing press. Evangelists like Billy Graham were only able to do what they did because of the newly invented amplified speaker systems, etc. The Internet is now spawning a new movement in form. We can preach the gospel to the nations with a click of a button.

Mark wants Newfrontiers to still exist when we are all dead, and to still be loving Jesus and planting churches.

Movements start as a simple organization that sees a need and a few friends club together. They come together to meet that need. God raises up a leader who the people recognize as the visible face, the one who God has called to lead them. The organization then grows and becomes a movement. Big interest is generated. More people come. The crowds grow. There is passion, purpose, mission, expansion. It can be fast and furious. Mistakes are made. Theology needs to be clarified. It can be a messy time, some people don't fit.

During the time of growth there is pressure to become an institution. There no longer is courage, but rather a fear of failure. Founders and friends occupy all the positions of leadership. Those who have been there a long time have all the senior roles, and there is no room for the young. As soon as that happens the young guys leave to start another movement. The young guys of the past are in danger of becoming the old guys that they never used to like in the first place.

The question for every movement is — Will every seat always be filled by the founders and friends? Only this will stop it becoming an institution. Institutions guard previous change, they don't pioneer new change. They stop listening to anyone outside of the network they're in. They only read books by, sing songs by, listen to teaching by people from inside their movement. A movement needs humility and discernment to listen to people from outside the movement.

Driscoll was shocked to be here. He sees how willing Newfrontiers is to bring in people from outside of Newfrontiers, bringing a gift to us. You receive it and consider it. That is one of the key ways a movement can avoid becoming an institution.

Once you have an institution, the next step is to become a museum. The remnant that is left behind exists solely to tell the story. In one generation a movement can transition to being an institution and then a museum.

Mark then outlined seven ways a movement can get off-track. He acknowledged that most of this was taken from Larry Osbourne.

Doctrinally
An example of this is Vineyard. It started well, but then drifted and compromised on ecclesiology, introduced women elders, etc. and became too loose. A movement can also become too tight. A healthy movement does not debate doctrines such as the atonement, the Bible, heaven, hell, etc., but should be free to discuss secondary issues. The key is to define what you need agreement on in order to be in the movement and what you can safely differ on.

Relationships
Mark has some concern for us here. People can love their circles of friendship so much that they are unwilling to break up their circles of leadership to make more room. It's like Peter saying, “Let's build tents.” Mission can become their friendship and not the Great Commission. It's not that you shouldn't have friends. But you tend to gravitate towards your friends. This affinity and love can exclude those who are new. This can be especially true in working teams. It might suddenly be time to break up a team for the mission. Again, Mark expressed a bit of concern for us over this.

There is a bit of relational resistance, and we should really be planting at least 70-100 churches a year from a base of 200 churches like Newfrontiers has in the UK. (Ed. There are another 400 or so worldwide.)

Organizationally
This is another concern Mark has for Newfrontiers. Everything is done initially through relationships and verbally. As time goes on, things must be written down, articulated, and defined. They move from the spoken to the written. If you are unwilling to make those adjustments you can become an institution. If the reason you don't want policies, etc. is that you don't want to become an institution, what you will become is a very poorly organized institution.

Organizational Pride
Some movements will not sing songs unless they have been written by them; they won't read books that have not been written by them; nor will they listen to those from outside. Mark stated that he has no concern whatsoever about Newfrontiers on this front. There are times that every movement outgrows the counsel of their leadership and need wisdom from outside. He commends Newfrontiers for being so open to outsiders teaching them.

Chasing Potential Rather Than Calling
Movements can chase too many things at once. For example, Vineyard started as a church-planting movement and then became a renewal movement. They were involved in so many other groups that they didn't really plant churches any more. Focus on the primary calling of the movement. Mark said that so far he hears that our primary goal is church planting, but 10 to12 churches a year is too few for a movement our size if we are truly pursuing this with all of our heart. He wondered what other things we were pursuing that were diverting our energies.

Movements Stagnate Because of Lack of Publishing
There is a need to do much, much more publishing. What is your doctrine of the Holy Spirit? What is your doctrine of church planting? What is your ecclesiology? Some of these things still need to be cleaned up. Actually he feels Newfrontiers is doing better than Acts 29 on some of these points. Websites, blogging, vodcasting, etc. More statements to safeguard the movement.

Mark warned us that the next point would be his most painful point, and he wasn't wrong. By the time he had finished with us, I don't think there was a dry eye in the hall.

Movements Get Off-Course Because They Fail to Simultaneously Honor the Founder and the Future
Some movements so honor the founder that they shipwreck the future. Some so honor the future that they shipwreck their founder. This is the defining issue for our movement. It will determine whether our movement a one-generation movement or many. At this moment do you believe that as a movement you would tend to honor your future or your founder? Which way do you feel Newfrontiers is heading?

For the first time in the history of a Newfrontiers conference, Mark proposed a vote. We don't vote, but went along with it just this once. Of those who were bold enough to raise a hand, 80 percent said that they felt our tendency as a movement would be towards honoring our founding leader rather than running after the future.

Driscoll agreed with those who responded that we tend to honor our founder, and we should do so! We love Terry Virgo and we should honor him. Mark said that he was only just getting to know Terry, but that he also loves him. He is a great man. He truly loves Jesus, the Scriptures, his family,and Newfrontiers. And we love him. The question is, How can we best honor him? We can do that by making sure that Newfrontiers remains a movement with a future and builds on Terry's life work.

Mark then explained that he felt that God had given him a prophetic word for us as a movement, and for Terry in particular. This was remarkable in a way because he had said repeatedly during the week that this was an area in which he was learning from us. In his own church he had said that although he believes in gifts, they don't use them. For someone who said he had no real models of gifts, he was about to share one that packed a heavy punch.

Looking down at Terry, who was sitting on the front row watching, he said that God had said that Newfrontiers is like a daughter to you, Terry. You have birthed it, held it, guarded it, cared for it, tended to it, prayed for it, loved it. You have been an amazing father to them.

He felt God said that, while not in the immediate future, there will come a day when you will need to walk her down the aisle and marry her to a great man so she will have children.

Driscoll urged us to pray for Terry as he is to make that transition at some point in the future. God will tell him. Be ready for it when it comes. Regularly pray for him. He asked us to commit to pray daily about this point. He said we should ask that Terry would have absolute certainty when it is time to walk it down the aisle, certainty about which man or men he should entrust her to. He looked at the crowd and declared, "You think of it a lot, but speak of it very little, because you love Terry. And you don't want to dishonor him."

Driscoll also warned us that we must not swing towards being all about the future. But it is the epicenter of whether we will continue to be healthy or begin to die. Pray for Terry Virgo. Pray for him every day that God will reveal to him when and how and who so that this will remain a movement. London is full of museums. We don't need another one. We don't need some of you to be just telling the stories in thirty years' time. We want the praises of Jesus to still be sung.

Rick Warren once spoke on movements. He said there are six phases of renewal:

It begins and ends with personal renewal.
You keep meeting with Jesus. He is alive! Be filled with the Spirit, meeting him in the Scriptures, be overwhelmed with the grace of God. Be scandalized with the gospel. Personal renewal, enthusiasm, joy.

Next there is relational renewal
Love of God in your heart is shared. Concern for the well-being of others. Captures something of your heart. Improves marriages, children. Circle of influence. Life of Jesus by the Spirit flowing through you to extend the grace of God to others. People show up early and stay late, and they are talking. They love to sing together because they are a people. This is what happens in Newfrontiers. Personal, which leads to relational, and shows up when we sing. Again Driscoll spoke of being impressed by our worship.

Missional renewal is the next phase
As we are connected to Jesus and love one another, our heart expands. We want new churches to get planted right now. We are people of God. The Word of God and the Spirit of God sustains us and we have to get that out.

Leads to cultural renewal
Be passionate about living as a city within the city. Cultural change in our churches will then spill out to the community. Infiltrates the culture of the cities. Culture here in Newfrontiers, according to Mark, is beautiful, but it needs to multiply.

Structural renewal then needed
The way we do things is going to need to change. More systems, more policies. 70-100 plants a year at least. The measure of life in this room should squeeze out many more than ten children a year!

Institutional renewal is the ultimate goal
Changing Christian organizations that are dead. Do not give up on churches, networks, museums, colleges, even Anglicanism. We could be a source of renewal. Pour life into a dead seminary, a dead church, etc. How refreshing it is to be around renewed people! This could be a gift to the whole body of Christ. In joy, giving them hope that change is possible. He said that for the entire time he has been with us, he has been happy, which is very unusual for him. He feels his spirit has been renewed through being here. We should pray for the dead and dying places where the light of the gospel is dimming or has been snuffed out altogether. Bring hope where there is hopelessness. In Acts 29, their church planters are from many different movements and denominations. It begins with Jesus and ends with everything. Young men, you need to step up. If he asks, Who are the young leaders here? don't point to men years older than Driscoll.

One prayer is for a bunch of 20 year old guys with hope who will plant churches and preach the gospel with hope. Be looking at all times for men in their 20's. They will be arrogant, foolish, impetuous, critical, disorganized, and they will be perfect for the task God has for them!

At the end of this talk, we did something that in my memory we have never done in the 30 years I have been attending Newfrontiers conferences — we all stood as one man in a standing ovation to this fatherly yet direct, loving yet firm, respectful yet critical, emotive yet rational, talk.

Terry Virgo then stood at the microphone and said that there have been times in our movement that were historic moments. He spoke about the way Kreingsak changed us in the past, and when Simon Petit spoke on the poor that also changed us. He said that he knew God told him to invite Mark Driscoll, but that when he did, he had no idea he would feel “taken apart” by him.

Terry then closed with a simple prayer in which he thanked God for his care for us as a movement. He also thanked God for Mark Driscoll, who he called one of God's most remarkable servants. He thanked God for the high privilege of having Mark Driscoll on this platform, and spoke of how we really are a FAMILY on a journey, with a God who is continualy expressing his love for us.

The speaker for the first main session today was P-J Smyth. P-J leads Godfirst Church and one of the Newfrontiers apostolic teams working in southern Africa, involved with planting and strengthening local churches. P-J, Ashleigh, and their three sons live in Johannesburg, South Africa.

More posts from this conference can be found on my TOAM08 label page. You can download the mp3 of P-J's talk or listen to it right here:


Those in distress, debt, and discontent, became the army of God. We need to manage a growing army that works. There are multiple enemies. When planting a church, it can feel like the people that gather are a motley crew. But God is in the business of producing change. It can be a cave-like start. It's not about being irresponsible and reckless. The cave is a season that becomes a great army. Don't panic if that is how it feels.

The Conscience of the Army (1 Chronicles 11:1-3)

Three things joined this group of people to David. What enabled them with a clear conscience to say “I am with you”?

1. You are our own flesh and blood, i.e. we like being around you.
   
   
2. We see the anointing/fruit i.e. we see what God has been doing.
   
   
3. Because God said.

They didn't follow because the leader was the closest geographically, or because you were named the successor.

Jesus would ask questions — Who do you think I am? Effectively, Where are you at with this? Do you love me?

Philemon 8. Paul said he could not compel. He uses the phrase “clear conscience” many times. “We commend ourselves to every man's conscience” (2 Corinthians 4:2). “What we are is plain to God, and I hope it is also plain to your conscience” (2 Corinthians 5:11). He did not inflict and was not overbearing.

David was willing to tell Saul that he had a track record — a bear came, a lion came; Goliath is no different. Sometimes it's not wrong to tell people about things that have happened before in order to help win them over.

Paul strongly urged Apollos, but he was quite unwilling. Paul then backs off, but trusts that Apollos will go at some point. Paul trusts the sovereignty of God (1 Corinthians 16:12). Paul will have nothing to do with violating another's conscience.

• Be convinced.
  
  
• Give compelling theological reasons.
  
  
• Give compelling pastoral, prophetic, or situational reasons.
  
  
• Acknowledge and thoroughly address concerns and difficulties.
  
  
• Reassure that you are continuously looking to God for confirmation; moving forward, but not burning bridges too soon.
  
  
• Have a culture of robust discussion and debate.
  
  
• Patiently help people to get their own “faith.”
  
  
• Keep “my way or the highway” for last resort. Persuade, don't bulldoze.

David was not a softy. It wasn't a democracy. Don't violate consciences, educate them.

1 Chronicles 12:16-18. David is very clear and direct. Basically, if you are against me, God will get you! But it was the Spirit who joined them to him.

If you get a new leader, allow him to get a year or two behind him. Look for a sense of relationship to grow, for you to see the anointing, so you will hear God. But if you feel after that time it just isn't working, you may have to readjust where you're at.

1 Timothy 1:18 tells us that if we reject the clean conscience, then there is a danger that we will end in a shipwreck.

Devotion of the army (1 Chronicles 11:16). Brought water back, but wouldn't drink it. Followers can express radical devotion, not just to the mission, but to the person. But the leader shouldn't just glug it down! Thanks mate, give me more! No! If people devote themselves to the leader, then the leader should send that back to God.

P-J shared two sets of statements taken from the Scriptures — one that he uses when he is doing the leading and one when he is doing the following. Sadly I was too tired to type fast enough to capture this list in its entirety. If you did a better job than me, please do send it to me and I will complete it here.

The Leadership Set of Scriptures

• I am not doing this for gain (2 Corinthians 2:17, 1 Timothy 3:8, 1 Timothy 6:5, Titus 1:7 ).
  
  
• I am free from the love of money, content, trusting God (Hebrews 11:5-6).
  
  
• I am above reproach, and at pains to do what is right in the eyes of God and man. (1 Timothy 3:2, 2 Corinthians 8:21)
  
  
• My followers owe me nothing—I will gladly spend myself for them. (2 Corinthians 12:4)
  
  
• I consider devotion to me as if to God ... I will pour it out to the Lord (1 Chronicles 11:18)

The Followers Set of Scriptures

• My leaders are worthy of double honor (1 Timothy 5:17).
  
  
• My aim is to make their lives a joy (Hebrews 13:17).
  
  
• I can be attentive to their needs and quick to try to help, alert to give them support and encouragement (1 Chronicles 11:18).

In David's team there were the 30, the 3, and some who were honored, but some who didn't quite fit. In fact, someone who wasn't in the 3 became their commander. Structure and clarity is important, but sometimes you have to break the mould a bit. We need to be secure in God and have slightly blurred lines. Don't try and fit God's structure into a neat human "organogram." We can sometimes fit things into such a thing, and it's good to do so.

Structure of the Army

• Some order and clarity is good.
  
• Don't force it into an organogram.
  
• Allow gifting of God to trump structure.

Friendship gets us to the table—it's a round table, but gifting determines who gets the loudest voice. Ordered, but organic.

The Leader of the Army

Lead Inclusive
1 Chronicles 11:4. “You will not get in.” But the next word says, “nevertheless.” David said “whoever leads will become commander in chief." Perhaps David was about to lead the charge and remembered Saul letting him go for the wrong reasons, and so said “Who’s up for it?”

Don't give everybody a go! Provide an atmosphere and an opportunity, but don't over-promote people. Give room, but followers need to fill that room. Leaders are looking for followers who will become leaders.

Lead Strong
Lead, follow, or get out of the way.

Leaders' Three Levels

• Guard what has been entrusted. Know what you are protecting. The trust, the people, the ground we have taken, the doctrine, myself, my integrity, my flock. Not going to throw away my wicket!
  
  
• Steady advance—it's not sexy, but it's important.
  
  
• Breaking new ground. Spot the opportunities. Cricketers have to decide: Will I let it go by, block it, or give it a whack? Seize the moments of advance. It's not teamsmanship; it's not managership; it's not administership. It's LEADERSHIP. Spot the soft spot of the enemy. When David sees Goliath he doesn't see the amor, he thinks, “What a big forehead you have!” Don't take "no" for an answer. Don't back off. I am up for this. We need an army of men who don't know what can't be done.

General Montgomery, on taking over the struggling 8th Army in 1942, said:

"I believe that one of the first duties of a commander is to create what I call ‘atmosphere’, and in that atmosphere his staff and troops will live and work and fight. I do not like the general atmosphere I find here. It is an atmosphere of doubt, of looking back to select the next place which to withdraw to, of loss of confidence in our ability to defeat Rommel, of desperate defence measures in preparing positions in Cairo and the Delta. All that must cease. Let us have a new atmosphere. The defence of Egypt lies here at Alamein. Here we stand and fight; there will be no further withdrawal. I have ordered that all plans and instructions dealing with further withdrawal are to be burnt, and at once. We will stand and fight here. If we can’t stay here alive, then let us stay here dead ... Our mandate from the Prime Minister is to destroy the Axis forces in North Africa; I have seen it, written on half a sheet of notepaper. And it will be done. If anyone here thinks it can’t be done, let him go once; I don’t want any doubters in this party. It can be done, and it will be done: beyond any possibility of doubt."

Emu and kangaroo are both physiologically incapable of going backwards. It's not like the army of God to go backwards.

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:

Leadership training in the 21st century Church simply HAS to change!
With rising debts associated with pastoral training and the desperate need for true "on the job" training, what seems to be needed is, in Mohler's words, "a seminary in every church." Piper's announcement seems to take that call very literally with its opportunity to obtain a degree while being a part of this unique congregation. He also speaks about a different financial approach designed to avoid the heavy debt produced by a typical theological education. If I was in the market for a theological degree right now, I think I know just where I would be sending my application!

Here is Piper's announcement about the expansion of their vision.

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:

• 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.

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.

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


********************************

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UPDATE
The written transcript of this interview is now available and can be read here.

In the second part of my interview with Don Carson we spoke about how to prepare people to serve as leaders and preachers in the Church. We spoke about the place of seminary, and about those who, like Martyn Lloyd-Jones, serve without spending time there. We also spoke about conferences, and the importance of recognizing that most of us are just going to be ordinary Christians. You can view part 1 here.

My video interview with John Piper will begin on Monday.

UPDATE
The written text of this interview is now available. You can access it here.

The following video was filmed at New Word Alive in April of this year, when I had the opportunity to speak with Don Carson. We spoke about his reasons for coming to the UK, about how he chose to leave the field of chemistry to become a pastor and then left pastoral ministry to train ministers in a seminary, the crucial importance of the local church, and his relationship with his father.

My interview will conclude tomorrow with part 2.




Jonathan Leeman has kindly transcribed some of the key points about seminaries and churches:

• "The front line is the local church, and there's a sense in which the seminary is a back up slot."
  
  
• "The first impetus toward ministry and toward stamping people for what ministry ought to be ought to be within the context of the local church."
  
  
• "A good seminary, a good theological college, helps to provide the kind of training, and further exposure, more technical knowledge, grasp of the language, this sort of thing, that virtually no local church can produce."
  
  
• "Yet it's really important for those who teach in such places, nevertheless, to be pastors first, because if they think of themselves as teachers and scholars first, then they tend to produce teachers and scholars. So there's a stamping not simply from the course materials, but from your own values, what you think about, what you dream about."
  
  
• "So at our seminary, we always hire a certain percentage of faculty who wish they were in the pastoral ministry or else, quite frankly, we don't want them. Now, they have to be academically competent and all the rest. But we don't want people who just want to be in a seminary.We want people who, in many ways, would prefer to be in the local church."

Thankfully, many people today seem to have moved on from the ideas of the "homogenous church growth principle." I never could see how that whole idea wasn't just a thinly veiled form of racism, or at the very least, an accommodation with the racism of others. I think I would prefer to be a part of a church aiming to be multicultural, even if that means it might not grow as quickly as one where people's eager desire to flock together with others like themselves is not challenged.

Having said that, it's not easy to build that kind of church. For a start, one has to live in a multicultural area, which is simply not true of every town—certainly not in the UK anyway. Even if you are in such an area, there are many hurdles to overcome.

The desire does seem to be growing for multicultural churches to be formed. There are even a few such churches springing up. It was great today, therefore, to attend a day conference at King's Church Catford aimed at stirring churches to rise to this challenge.

For once I decided not to live-blog the event, but I am told mp3s will be available online. It was great to greet one or two of my readers at the event also. Thanks for coming up and saying "Hi." It always means a lot to know that there are real people reading.

It's vital to remember when blogging that behind every page impression lies a human person with real emotions. It's because so many bloggers forget that, not only am I glad I banned comments here, but for now at least, I'm keeping away from the comment boxes elsewhere, too. Somehow forcing people to send me an e-mail if they want to contact me seems to have driven away the negative comments that I used to have to wade through.

I guess that little outburst was probably prompted by an illustration used earlier today:

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.

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.

Other helpful websites from Newfrontiers include Terry Virgo's other messages, and the Brighton Conference Audio, all of which give you ample opportunities to listen online or download some talks and burn a few CDs. Technology is a wonderful thing.

I had planned on an early night tonight! However, despite my best intentions, this session looks like it will keep me up late once more tonight. I may duck out half way through if I can't keep my eyes open.

Driscoll began by claiming that, statistically, the only variable that makes a difference to the life or death of a new church plant is the gifting and qualifications of its leader. Driscoll will be bringing a book out on church leadership this summer.

The first and most important officer in the church is God—Jesus is the Senior Pastor of your church. Jesus should be on the organizational chart! He is the Chief Shepherd. Don't assume ANYTHING. Under Jesus are qualified men, both pastors and elders. The words "pastor" and "elder" can be used interchangeably.

To be qualified, you must be called by God. Driscoll confessed to being functionally charismatic “with a seatbelt.” God calls people today. Acts 20—“Shepherd the flock over which the Holy Spirit has appointed you.”

There has to be a sense of call or desire—it's not just a matter of being nominated and voted on. There must be a desire to be an elder. God has to clearly call you. Not in an arrogant, proud, or controlling way. If you don't have that sense of call, you will end up quitting the ministry. You must not limit the ways that God can call you. There needs to be a strong desire to care for God's people.

1 Timothy 5. The ministry can be described as "ox-like" in the sense of carrying a load, grinding it out, staying faithful.

1 Timothy 2:12 ff—gives the qualifications of an elder. Once you sense a call, then look at the qualifications.

Don't call the trained. TRAIN THE CALLED.

Driscoll strongly supports the complementarian position. He was very clear that anyone wanting to plant an Acts 29 church needs to agree with the teaching that eldership is male. The government of home is the foundation on which eldership is built. In the family the woman is the helper, the man is the head.

Driscoll made the point that you have to get to know someone over a period of time to see if they are qualified to be an elder. There are lots of character issues. “Beyond reproach” is a catch-all. Must be able to teach in some context or another, and it doesn't necessarily have to be preaching. This could be in smaller groups—one-on-one or in a discussion group. All your elders do not need to be preachers.

You have to take care of your family first. God takes care of your family THROUGH YOU. God first, family second, ministry third. Be a one-woman man. Ministry will magnify and expose holes in your character. Do you help your wife? Do you care for her? Do you pay attention? Do you train her? Are you alive in conversation with her? Paul and Jesus were single. But in our culture it is very hard for an elder to be single. Most of what you learn about being a pastor will be by being a daddy. Pastors are fathers. Don't let your children think that the church stole their father. Let your kids love what you love—the church, etc. Take kids whenever possible. Seeing your kids love Jesus is so much more important than church leadership.

Must be emotionally stable. Eldership is a front row seat for sin and depravity. Must be able to live there. Must have self-control. An elder needs to be disciplined in every area of life. Think through every decision and make a plan. No addictions. It is not biblical that alcohol is a sin in and of itself. Jesus took it, and gave it to others. Basically elders should be examples such that others are able to point to them and say, for example, to their daughter, "I want you to marry a man like that."

Hospitality is crucial. Elders should be welcoming to strangers, new people, non-Christians, etc. Pastors need to be evangelistic. BUT, be discerning and guard your home and family. Don't close your home.

Anger is more of a challenge to the average pastor than many people realize.

Also, you will need a gift of apostleship—a church planting/missionary gift. Someone who pastors a church that is an existing body is a different guy from one who starts something new. In planting a church, you need to be entrepreneurial and have the ability to attract people to follow you.

You will also need to have the ability to preach and defend the gospel. You will need to refute false doctrine. You can't be frightened by wolves! Too many shepherds are just sheep. You don't know if you have a sheep or a shepherd until a wolf turns up!

You must also be an equipper of others. (Ephesians 4:13)

Define the role of your wife. Don't make her sit in the front row or be present at every event. It's not a two-for-one deal. You want her to be a mature Christian who is serving in the church as appropriate. She must love you and care for your children. The pastor needs emotional support and sexual companionship. Marriages in the church will imitate the leaders.

Some elders are like prophets, some like priests, some like kings. As a prophet, Jesus proclaimed the truth—corrected elders. Some elders are like that. Can call to repentance. The priest loves people. They do hospital visits and weddings. They are compassionate. They like to encourage people and shepherd them. The prophet yells over them at the crowd. Kings like systems, teams, measurable results, leadership.

Most of the prophets are reformed. Most of the priests are doing the whole emerging thing. Most of the kings are in the mega-churches. Some will be both. Need an eldership that has each of these aspects and learn. Read outside of your tribe. For example, learn to get organized by reading a book and get some systems together. Be humble enough to learn from all of them! And be discerning enough to know what not to agree with.

We want to build biblical, loving, effective churches.

Well, I kept my eyes open, but am off to bed. If you want to follow other sessions, you can do it live online at http://www.theresurgence.org/live.

Well, sleep or a sermon by C.J.? Tough choice, huh? You can see from this that the C.J. talk won that battle in the Warnock house. Listening to both Driscoll and Mahaney "live" on the same day has to be every preacher's dream!

C.J. read from the opening of 1 Corinthians 1:

“Paul, called by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, and our brother Sosthenes

To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours:

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus, that in every way you were enriched in him in all speech and all knowledge—even as the testimony about Christ was confirmed among you—so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift, as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will sustain you to the end, guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.”

God is faithful. Paul is a compelling example of cross-centered pastoral ministry. This can make all the difference in your ministry. The Corinthian church no longer had a focus on the cross, and was tolerating division, sexual sin, and lawsuits. Their meetings “did more harm than good.” In spite of this, Paul always gave thanks to God for them! Paul's affection for this church is extraordinary. Why is this? It is because of the call of God on him. This call begins with the call of the gospel on our own souls. We ourselves have experienced the miracle of regeneration.

Mahaney says he reads Spurgeon on this passage the Saturday night before he preaches. This is to edify himself and humble himself as he thinks, “That's how preaching should be done, and what I do will not be as good as that!” He quotes Spurgeon, who emphasized the mystery of why God calls us to salvation and to ministry. Our calling should evoke our greatest gratitude. Where would we be without his call?

If I ask “Why me?” then the only thing I see in me is sin. It has to be God's initiative. I was running after sin. God acted upon me, before I had faith in God. God interrupted me in my sin and initiated his salvation. Yes, repentance and faith do come as a result in our lives.

"Why me?" I do not know!

Be intensely grateful, and earnestly love God in reply to what he did to you— determined in eternity past. Wonderful, overwhelming mercy. An unexplainable, incomprehensible expression of God's mercy.

Pastors need to be able to have a good view of the call of God in order to be able to love and be patient with their people. The influence of sin that continues in Christians gives pastors job security! Remember that progressive sanctification is a process and not an event. Sometimes it is even difficult to perceive. Leaders have the privilege to care for, to preach to, and to counsel those who are in the process of being conformed to the image of Jesus. Don't be exasperated by your people if they seem not to be developing as quickly as they should in their fight against besetting sin. If you believe in your call, you will have faith for them and affection for them. Don't correct those for whom you do not have faith and for whom you do not have affection. They must not perceive frustration. Review 1 Corinthians 1:1-9 and remind yourself that this person is the object of divine activity. God will complete his work! They have previously been acted upon by God.

We need to transfer truth to them in a way that gives hope to the person being corrected. The letter of 1 Corinthians is all about correction. But what sets Paul apart is his exemplary attitude to this Corinthian church. Paul begins by giving thanks for them, and by celebrating their giftedness—he even thanks God for the things which by their abuses are causing problems. He identifies God's grace. Paul even says in chapter 9 that they are the seal of his apostleship!

If you have a divine perspective, you will see where God's grace is at work. How can we train our eyes to see the means of grace?

1. Spend time re-familiarizing yourself with the fruit of the Spirit and the gifts of the Spirit. Then, when you look at your people, you will see God at work.
   
   
2. Make a habit of praying and giving thanks to God for evidences of grace at work in others.
   
   
3. Begin any critique (e.g. of a sermon, or whatever) by celebrating how God was at work BEFORE any helpful improvements.
   
   
4. After every conversation, leave behind someone who has been encouraged and edified—recognize that God is at work in their lives. Build a grateful church.
   

UPDATE
You may be surprised to see that another reformed charismatic, C. J. Mahaney, has responded to Mark Dever and, like me, stresses his agreement with Mark's post, and also lists some helpful resources to review.

***************

A few days back, Al Mohler wrote about the need for a subjective sense of God propelling one into ministry. He described this as only one part of the decision-making process for potential ministers, and a fallible one at that. But it was clear to him that this was important:

First, there is an inward call. Through His Spirit, God speaks to those persons He has called to serve as pastors and ministers of His Church. The great Reformer, Martin Luther, described this inward call as "God's voice heard by faith." Those whom God has called know this call by a sense of leading, purpose, and growing commitment.

Charles Spurgeon identified the first sign of God's call to the ministry as "an intense, all-absorbing desire for the work." Those called by God sense a growing compulsion to preach and teach the Word, and to minister to the people of God.

This sense of compulsion should prompt the believer to consider whether God may be calling him to the ministry. Has God gifted you with the fervent desire to preach? Has He equipped you with the gifts necessary for ministry? Do you love God's Word and feel called to teach? Spurgeon warned those who sought his counsel not to preach if they could help it. "But," Spurgeon continued, "if he cannot help it, and he must preach or die, then he is the man." That sense of urgent commission is one of the central marks of an authentic call.

Second, there is the external call. Baptists believe that God uses the congregation to "call out the called" to ministry. The congregation must evaluate and affirm the calling and gifts of the believer who feels called to the ministry. As a family of faith, the congregation should recognize and celebrate the gifts of ministry given to its members, and take responsibility to encourage those whom God has called to respond to that call with joy and submission.

Mark Dever meanwhile got in on the act, too, with a post about the need to put guidance in its right place, saying:

I do believe that God's Spirit will sometimes lead us subjectively. So, for instance, I am choosing to spend my life here on Capitol Hill because my wife and I sensed in 1993 that that is what God wanted us to do. However, I realized then (and now) that I could be wrong about that supposition. Scripture is NEVER wrong. I was free in 1993 to stay in England, or teach at a seminary, either of which would have been delightful opportunities. I understand that I was free to make those choices. But I chose, consulting Scripture, friends, wisdom, and my own subjective sense of the Lord's will, to come to D.C. And even if I were wrong about that, I had (and have) that freedom in Christ to act in a way that is not sin. And I understand my pastoring here not to be sin. So I am free. Regardless of the sense of leading I had.

Most decisions I've made in my Christian life, I've made with no such sense of subjective leading. Maybe some would say that this is a mark of my spiritual immaturity. I understand this to be the way a redeemed child of God normally lives in this fallen world before the fullness of the Kingdom comes, Christ returns, and immediate, constant, unbroken fellowship with God is re-established . . .

What really interested me about these posts is the fact that what they both so clearly describe as important, but needing careful handling and testing, seems to me to be indistinguishable from what us charismatics call a prophecy. So tell me, is it really just a matter of semantics? It is surely the case that if we define prophecy to mean the same as Scripture, every true believer would agree that it has ceased. If, on the other hand, we claim there is a range of prophetic experience which includes the subjective sense of God's Spirit communicating to us that Mohler and Dever describe, are there really that many Christians who genuinely believe that such subjective callings from God have stopped?

No. 2 on the list of most-read posts on this blog appeared on October 26, 2007. This post was an expression of some of my own concerns and frustrations about the blogging world I have come to love so much. I said some things I had been wanting to say for a long time, and it was not a great surprise that the aftermath of this post would lead me to disable comments on my blog a month later. Tim's book addresses discernment, which lies at the root of many of my issues with the Christian blogosphere and its direction.

A couple of updates to the original post appeared several days later and have been included here as part of the original post.

UPDATE—November 3, 2007
Phil has now written part two of his reply, and I have responded with a post entitled, "Of Tone, Discernment, and the Charismatic Question."

UPDATE—October 29, 2007
Phil Johnson over at Pyromaniacs and I have been debating the issues raised by my criticism of him in the comments section of his original post. Just search for "Adrian" using the "find in page" function if you want to follow our specific debate. Phil has also written a new post, "If you can't say something nice," and we are debating in the comments on that post.

I will leave this post at the top of my blog for a couple more days as I want to give you all a chance to read it. If you are interested in some of my related thoughts on this subject, you could read the following posts:

• My Visit to the Billy Graham Center
  
• I Don't Want Balance, I Want It All!
  
• My Comments Policy
  
• Blogging Principles for Christians

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Those of you with an eagle-eye will have already noticed that I am publicizing Tim Challies' forthcoming book, The Discipline of Spiritual Discernment. I doubt that many are surprised that I should want to encourage you to read his book, and I will show in this post why that is the case.

To begin with, however, I want to be very open and honest with you. When I first heard that Tim was writing a book I was actually a little concerned. This may surprise those regular readers who know how much I respect Tim and enjoy his blog. But I still had in my mind an old paradigm where those who are in some way "approved" as trained experts are the ones who should write books. Tim, like me, has no theological degrees. I also know that, just like me concerning this blog, he has been rather surprised by the way in which his readership has grown to an extent he never predicted (and, I should say, to a substantially larger figure than my own). So I was surprised that Tim put his neck on the line still further by taking on the challenge of writing a book.

Tim and I have both been riding a wave—the wave of blogging. In both the secular field and the Christian field, it seems that the most successful bloggers almost all seem to have something in common; they are not "officially trained" recognized global experts in their chosen fields. Perhaps this is because the real experts are too busy to write on a daily basis, or perhaps this is because of a new phenomena in our culture—one with which I'm not particularly thrilled, to be honest. In our 21st century culture there is a growing mistrust of any form of authority and of academics. It is actually rather sad to me that this now seems to be spilling over into the Church, and that it might seem, at first glance, to also include the Christian blogosphere.

One of the most influential early articles discussing the Christian blogging phenomenon was titled, "We Know More Than Our Pastors," and it embodied this trend. It concerned me immensely. David Wayne summarized this piece and sounded some very valid concerns about it. For me, I wanted almost nothing to do with the concepts outlined therein.

Even as I have enjoyed the way that I have been able to be buffeted in this hurricane called blogging, I have also been somewhat concerned about some of the implications of this new marketplace of ideas. I suppose that, despite these reservations, I remain in the blogosphere because I am drawn to it as surely as a bee is to a flower in bloom, and as the Apostle Paul was to the debating spots of ancient Athens.

I am also here because somebody has to be. I am certainly not here because I imagine myself to be at the vanguard of some modern reformation that will sweep away the "old guard" in the way some bloggers (usually not Christian ones) speak about. I am here because, ironically enough, I see this new media as a way that we can proclaim the old, old message. I am here because, in some small way, I can act as a signpost to direct passing traffic to wiser heads than mine. The more readers I find visiting here, the more I feel the need to both quote and link to others. Whatever the size of your blog readership, that filtering process is the single best gift you can give both to your readers and to the writers of even the biggest blogs. I am pleased that the headlines from several bloggers who deserve to be read more than I do appear in the "Warnie Winners" box in my sidebar.

The blogging community can be thought of as a road system, a library, an ecosystem, or perhaps most aptly of all, a jungle. With no single classification system or map, what is needed are good wise guides. There are precious few of them online.

Read more . . . Blogging, Discernment, and a Book by Tim Challies

We have now arrived at the countdown of the top ten most popular posts of all time with readers of this blog. No. 10 appeared on July 19, 2007, and of all the posts I have written, this one is probably my own personal favorite. It is a rallying call to a kind of Christianity that is not ashamed to embrace the best from many different backgrounds.

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!

I just received the following announcement in my e-mail about a blogging tour that Tim Challies will be taking next week. I have previously highlighted Tim's book here on my sidebar, and in my review of it, in which I said:

"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."

RELEASE FROM CROSSWAY

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.

Perhaps this conversation needs to be re-opened. Leading evangelical blogger Tim Challies initiates the dialogue with his new book, The Discipline of Spiritual Discernment, which contends that discernment is the call of every believer. In conjunction with the book's release, Challies is taking his message to the blogosphere. His two-week blog tour will start on Monday, January 7th and will run until Friday, January 18th. Watch for Challies on the following sites, and submit your comments to participate:

Jan 7: Evangelical Outpost

Jan 8: Tall Skinny Kiwi

Jan 9: A-Team

Jan 10: Adrian Warnock

Jan 11: Gender Blog

Jan 14: Jollyblogger

Jan 15: Between Two Worlds

Jan 16: Team Pyro

Jan 17: Internet Monk

Jan 18: Church Matters

Tim has written more about his tour and some foolish comment controversy some have been stirring up about his book. All I want to say for now is that a team of professionals built the Titanic. A single amatuer built the ark.

In my interview with Wayne Grudem he said something pertinent to this latest controversy over "professionalism" in the church:

". . . 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

UPDATE - Steve Chalke has expressed his views more fully in a chapter in The Atonement Debate, and I have posted a response to this.

Today I will continue my review of the last year's blogging which we began yesterday. April was a very interesting month for me on this blog. So much so that it deserves an entire post. It was a month which single-handedly seemed to dramatically raise my UK readership, and that rise persisted after the month ended. Since I have historically had so many US readers compared to British, sometimes this feels like an American blog to me. (OK, I'm sure it doesn't to my American readers!) But it seems to me that us Brits have yet to embrace blogs as passionately as our cousins across the pond.

After Easter I considered some readily available information about a significant controversy that had risen to the fore again and now threatened to split the Evangelical movement in two. There seemed to me to be an unfathomable reluctance in certain UK Christian media outlets to cover it. I wondered if some news desk decisions were being influenced by certain commercial relationships. In the end, after much deliberation and with the support of my spiritual mentors, I did the first real piece of journalism I had ever done and broke the story that the split between Word Alive and Spring Harvest was not as amicable as many had understood. Suddenly, UK Christians were turning to my blog to read the latest developments and varying opinions of key figures on both sides to whom I tried to give a platform.

Looking back, as messy as that time was, I really don't regret the decision to break that story. My sources were several and impeccable, and without looking for gossip, I had heard rumors for several months. Interestingly, I subsequently discovered that at least one person had hinted at the same story on their own blog before me. (Sadly I cannot now remember the link to that.) I didn't expect the level of public debate between the two sides that would occur, nor the phone calls I would receive from key players on both sides to explain their version of events to me. I felt like something of an agony uncle at times, and knew far more details about the situation than I would have wanted to publish or it would have been beneficial to publish. Splits are always painful. This was the first one that played out in front of the amassed Christian blogs.

I was glad of one thing—the secular media did not pick up the story, although in a sense it shows how irrelevant we have become to their perception of our culture. I really didn't expect to have such a role, and I very much doubt that there will be too many times in the future when I will find myself doing a similar thing.

You can trace the story as it emerged here on my blog in the following posts:

• Word Alive and Spring Harvest to Separate After Fifteen Years Because of the Atonement


• Response from UCCF to the Spring Harvest Decision to End the Word Alive Bible Teaching Week After Fourteen Years.


• The Atonement—N. T. Wright Attacks Both Sides of the Debate


• Pete Broadbent of Spring Harvest Makes a Statement About Word Alive


• Peter Broadbent States Atonement Was a Factor in Spring Harvest Split

The interesting thing was that I was, in any case, in full flow in a series on the atonement. So, with the whole blogosphere lit up on this issue, the blog posts I had already written seemed so much more relevant. Here are the posts in question:

• Wright Quotes That Affirm Penal Substitutionary Atonement


• Dave Warnock Shares an Alternative View of the Atonement


• John Stott—Champion of Penal Subsitutionary Atonement Retires


• The Atonement—Penal Substitutionary Atonement Defined


• The Atonement—If Jesus Was Not a Sinner, Why Did He Die?


• The Atonement—The Place of Union With Christ


• The Atonement—The Terrible Problem of Sin


• The Atonement—Wrong Ideas About the Cross
  
• The Atonement—Should We Disagree With John Stott?


• The Atonement—Packer on Penal Substitution


• The Atonement—The Mission of Jesus


• The Atonement—The Historical Background to the Cross


• The Atonement—An Attack on Penal Substitution


• The Atonement—Quotes From Leon Morris


• The Atonement—Does the Cross of Jesus Matter?


• T4G Article 7—The Atonement: An Introduction
  

Somehow in the midst of all that, I also blogged about other subjects. Notably, the following posts reflected on other debates, and also how we can cooperate together despite certain differences:

• Relating Together for the Gospel


• A Cessationist Healing?


• Newfrontiers Magazine Focuses on Healing


• The PCA Considering Excluding Followers of N. T. Wright


• Mark Driscoll Banned Church Planting Video

I also blogged a fair bit about the resurrection, including the following:

• The Resurrection Empowered Life—Gazing on Jesus


• The Resurrection Empowered LIfe
  
• Book—How Much Does God Foreknow? by Steve Roy

I also remember one of my rare forays into the world of politics in US Election—Dipping My Toe Into a Can of Worms, and an article I published elsewhere entitled Loving God—A Guide for Beginners.

Regular readers of my blog will remember that, together with my pastor, Tope Koleoso, we had the joy of being able to chat with Mark Driscoll when we went to Edinburgh to hear him preach live. We were deeply impressed with his graciousness and kindness to us. In this, he reminded me of a man who is one of my other living Christian heroes—Terry Virgo.

I know that many people were disappointed not to be able to make it to Scotland to hear Mark. So I am delighted to relay an announcement from Terry Virgo's blog today. Mark Driscoll has agreed to speak next July at the Newfrontiers Leaders Conference in Brighton, UK. Here is how Terry begins his post:

"The last time I checked, the Pope was still a Catholic, the death rate was still hovering at around 100%, and the chances of getting Mark Driscoll to speak at a conference in the UK in 2008 were averaging at zero.

It is therefore with great delight that I can announce that we have, with the aid of certain friends (for an inspired guess see Adrian Warnock’s blog), arranged for him to be our main visiting speaker at Together on a Mission in Brighton next year, 8-11 July 2008.

In recent months I have found myself listening to downloads of Mark Driscoll’s preaching, probably more than anybody else’s. I find him completely arresting, relevant, Biblical, funny, aggressive, and packing a real punch. I believe he will do us a lot of good.

I love his value system and I am impressed by what has been accomplished by God through his ministry based in Seattle, where a church of several thousand has been built in a few years, starting from almost nothing and largely not through church swapping, but conversion.

He is theologically reformed, Biblically orthodox, and culturally relevant, and particularly addresses the post-modern world with remarkable insight. I have just read his chapter in the Crossway publication, The Supremacy of Christ in a Post-Modern World. I found myself underlining sentence after sentence, and simply wrote ‘Wow!’ in the margin at the conclusion of the chapter. I am deeply grateful to God that he will be with us." Read more . . .

This is a fantastic piece of news. Terry and Mark are both pastors of pastors. Church planting is a major need of our world today. Leaders themselves need to be trained.

As an example of Terry's gifting in operation, he has recently finished a series of posts on the vital role of the pastor in the life of a church. He re-examines the biblical teaching. I will finish this post by giving you a taste of each post in the series, but do go and read them all; they are worthy of careful study.

Church Leaders

As a movement, Newfrontiers has tended to emphasise the role of apostles and prophets. The church was originally built on the foundation of apostles and prophets (Ephesians 2:20) so they gave the people of God their fundamental identity. I have argued that we were not built on a pastoral foundation.

My argument has often been expressed by noting that pastors are called to care for and feed the flock and meet the flock’s needs. An over-emphasis, therefore, on the pastoral role can result in pre-occupation with needs. We could become need-centred instead of apostolic and prophetic, thereby missing God’s intention and forgetting the bigger picture, building churches that gradually become foreign to the atmosphere of the New Testament.

I have been alarmed at the possible danger of a church becoming introverted, developing a culture where personal preference dominates and shepherds major on discerning and serving people’s so-called ‘felt needs’. However, in taking this stance, we may have failed to bring adequate positive Biblical teaching about the vital role of pastors and teachers. They are, of course, the most visible ministers in the local church. They have the most ‘hands on’ role among the flock. Read more . . .

Shepherds of the Flock

Jesus didn’t say, ‘I am the good apostle,’ or ‘the good prophet,’ or even ‘the good evangelist,’ but happily claimed to be the Good Shepherd. . .

Although the Lord was their ultimate shepherd, it is clear that God actually enlisted men to fulfil the shepherding role on His behalf. . .

As the apostles go, their intuitive strategy in obeying the command was to plant churches, establish flocks and appoint shepherds to care for them. Read more . . .

Other Sheep I Must Bring

When Billy Graham came to the UK in the 1950's and ‘60s, the call to return to God would have been generally comprehended by that generation. Today we live in a different era and though people can be born again through encountering the simplest message, we must not assume that initial conversion will result in inevitable Christian maturity, or even basic understanding of Christian living.

Deconstructing people’s world view
The role of the modern shepherd includes a call to deconstruct people’s previous world view. Nothing can be taken for granted. Lives need to be re-formed. Coming from a fragmented and aimless society devoid of any trace of Christian values, people need to be re-socialised and taught how to relate in godly ways.

Raised on self-indulgence, consumerism and rampant individualism, the new convert won’t automatically be transformed into a mature Christian who knows how to conduct himself in the household of God (1 Timothy 3:15).

God has promised to give His people shepherds after His own heart who will feed them with knowledge and understanding (Jeremiah 3:15). This feeding requires a radical approach. We are not called to build on a false foundation with teachings that imply merely personal fulfilment or the grasping of the individual’s full potential, or how to love oneself. The shelves of many a Christian bookshop are filled with titles which appeal to personal fulfilment as the goal of the Christian life. Coming from a culture where demanding your personal rights seems to be the bottom line, new Christians hardly need that diet. Read more . . .

Spirit-inspired Preaching

. . . Holy Spirit-inspired preaching brings about an encounter with God that demands a verdict and produces a changed life based on revelation, faith and love, not cold obedience to external rules.

God’s flock will intuitively hear His voice and respond as truth is fed to them by called and anointed pastor/teachers. Gradually a culture of God-centredness will emerge characterised by worship, faith, grace, mercy, respect, service and the awareness of being an alien people whose fundamental citizenship lies elsewhere (Philippians 3:20) . . .

The shepherd’s ability to feed and be a channel of God’s grace will result in the gathering of a flock. The sheep gather to the gifted anointing of shepherding and thus a flock forms.

The responsibility of the shepherds is not simply to expound truth but to develop relationships of love and trust, and in some cases to ‘parent’ a flock often made up of those who have never been parented before. Read more . . .

The UK EA has freely released some legal framework documents that may be of particular interest to you if your church is in Britain and is led by one of its employees and/or decisions are not taken by a vote of the full membership. Legal changes have led to the following announcement:

"The Evangelical Alliance and the Charity Commission have announced the completion of three model governing documents that provide guidance for independent churches. These documents are the culmination of four years of work.

The documents set out the proper checks and balances required to allow paid church leaders to take appropriate leadership responsibilities as church charity trustees, manage any potential conflicts of interest, and offer churches a legal structure to help govern their charity.

The work, initiated in 2003, was primarily designed to strengthen accountability and governance of new independent churches. The model governing documents have been drawn up by the Evangelical Alliance, African and Caribbean Evangelical Alliance, Anthony Collins (solicitors) and Stewardship, in partnership with the Charity Commission . . ."

UPDATE The Audio of this talk is now available to download.

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Tonight's event took place in an ex-cinema, so I felt at home! It is the home of Destiny Church, Edinburgh. Destiny is a family of churches across Scotland, and they have some churches elsewhere in the world as well. The audience that gathered was a young one, and following an energetic time of worship, Mark Driscoll came to the platform to share with us. Here is a short video clip from the message. Following this, I will share my notes with you.

Mark spoke about the person of Jesus and his work on the cross. He said that he believed that it was important for preachers of the gospel from time to time to sit and hear the gospel.

He began in 1 Corinthians 2 — “... I resolved to know nothing when I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified ....” The only thing that must be preached is Jesus and him crucified. Apart from Jesus and his death, we have nothing to offer anyone.

It takes three generations to lose the gospel. One generation believes, the next assumes too much, and the third forgets it or denies it. We cannot assume anything. If we say Jesus, Bible, God, cross, sin—we must not assume that anyone has any idea what we are talking about!

Martin Luther said that in our preaching of the cross, we should “ ... beat it into their heads continually!”

Many traditions love one side of the jewel of Jesus' death. Mark believes we must appreciate eleven sides of the cross. We must also think of it in the context of Jesus' whole life—his incarnation, holy life, death, resurrection, and ascension. We need to emotionally encounter the significance of the crucifixion and all that it has accomplished for us. The Jews couldn't understand how God himself could be cursed by hanging on a tree.

It is perhaps the most amazing thing that has ever happened—that the cross should become the most popular symbol in human history. To call the day Jesus died “Good Friday” is also astonishing. We must understand the theological aspects of the cross.

ELEVEN ASPECTS OF THE ATONEMENT

1. The Central Theme—Penal Substitutionary Atonement (PSA)
   
   We cannot assume anything. A war is brewing over this issue. This is the issue we must be willing to fight over. If we lose this, we lose the gospel. Mark said that if you deny this, you have essentially lost the Christian faith. Isaiah 53:5 — “ ... FOR our transgressions.” Romans 5:8 — “Christ died FOR us.” 1 Corinthians 15:3 — “Christ died FOR our sins.” Sin results in death. In the Garden of Eden, our first parents sinned in our place. They substituted themselves for God—they made their own rules and lived as though they were God.
   
   As we substituted ourselves for God, God substituted himself for us to fix this. Sin is only atoned for in substitution — e.g. in the sacrifices of atonement.
   
   What does this mean practically? I MURDERED GOD! He died for MY sin! He paid MY penalty of death. As MY substitute he endured what I deserve in order to give me what I don't deserve. If you lose substitution, you lose all sense of gratitude.
   
   
2. Jesus is Our Victor
   
   Jesus conquered Satan and demons. We don't like demons, so this is a good thing! Colossians 2:13-15 — “ ... disarmed the rulers and authorities ...” It looks as if Jesus is defeated on the cross. Isaiah 45:15 — “God hides.” He hid victory in defeat because God is humble. Those who are proud (like Satan) don't see it! We aligned ourselves with Satan. Being "spiritual" is not good if it's not the Holy Spirit. Satan is real. There is a real war. Revelation 12:10 — Demons accuse people: “You are a loser; you are not a real Christian ...” The devil condemns people and haunts them with past sin. He loves death and wants to kill. Jesus cancelled the rights that Satan and demons have towards the children of God. He has been defeated and disarmed. There is victory over Satan and demons for the people of God.
   
   
3. Jesus is Our Redemption
   
   Don't teach this from the pagan slave market. Rather, speak about God redeeming his people from the slavery of Pharaoh—in slavery to sin. We can't stop. We are not free. We can't escape. But just like the people of Israel, we have been set free to worship God! We are liberated to live new lives. To have joy. To worship God together as his people.
   
   
4. Jesus is the New Covenant Sacrifice
   
   1 Peter —“... precious blood of Christ like that of a lamb.” Blood disgusts us. We must identify the horror of blood and death as sin. God is as disgusted with sin as we are with blood. God is horrified by sin. We should be as horrified by sin as we are by blood. God was the first person to shed blood in the Bible—to cover the sin of Adam. The Bible is a bloody book. The first thing Noah did after the flood was to sacrifice. Noah was not "a good guy." Noah found GRACE. He found unmerited grace, and then he became righteous. After the flood, it was as though Noah said, “God should have killed me, too”—that was why he had to offer a sacrifice. “I deserved to die.” He, of course, promptly went on to demonstrate why— by getting naked and drunk.
   
   Hebrews is clear on this. We don't need a temple or a priest or a lamb because we have Jesus. His blood was shed for our sins. When sinned against we often say, “I want blood!” Well, you already have it. The gospel is the good news that we should have died, but instead we are loved. So we must show love to others!
   
   
5. Jesus is Our Justification
   
   No one will be justified by works of the law. God would not be good if he let everyone into heaven. If he did that, when we got there it would be like earth, full of hatred and sin and evil. God's heart is gracious mercy and forgiveness. But because of his justice, he has to deal with our sin. God's standard is perfection. No one can say they are perfect. Lust counts as adultery and anger counts as murder. People want righteousness, which is why hard firm religions attract people. When you go to the bathroom, that's about how impressed I am with your righteousness. Our righteousness is described by the Bible as human excrement and menstrual rags. God hates religion. He despises it. You must call sinners to repentance, and also call "righteous" people to repent of their religious righteousness. Righteousness is GIFT righteousness. It is the righteousness of God. “Jesus was the most despised thing in all creation on the cross” (Luther). Righteousness only comes from faith in Christ. When we stand before God it will be imputed righteousness—that is what will appear on our resume. I trust Jesus.
   
   It doesn't end with imputed righteousness. He gives us a new heart and a new nature. This gives us a desire to do right things. He gives us new power through the Holy Spirit to live life. He gives us a fulfilling life. We are regenerated. We change.
   
   
6. Jesus is Our Propitiation
   
   Four times in the Greek New Testament. 1 John 4:10 — This is love—not that we have loved God. It's not because you are a good person that God loves you. You don't obey so God will love you; you obey because God already does love you!
   
   Propitiation is how God demonstrates his love. God hates sinners. You have been told that God loves sinners, but hates sin. No, Gandhi said that! God often says he hates people. We are by nature sinners. “I hate the essence sum and total of what you are, but I really love you.” We have a sinful nature and commit sins. “God hates all who do evil.” God hates a lot of people. God's wrath is mentioned more than 600 times in the Bible. More verses talk about the wrath of God than those which state that he loves us. The gospel starts with “God hates you and it's going to go really really bad forever and ever!” Jesus suffered the wrath of God, and it is thereby taken away from sinners who are in Jesus. The question is not, "How can a loving God send anyone to hell?" The real question is, "Why does a holy God take anyone to heaven?" The passover demonstrates the wrath of God passing over the ones covered by the blood of Jesus. Jesus is our passover Lamb.
   
   
7. Jesus is Our Expiation
   
   This is different from propitiation. Propitiation takes away our wrath. Expiation deals with our defilement. This is often overlooked. Sins have also been committed against us. In 1 John it says that Jesus' blood purifies us from all unrighteousness. Expiation deals with the feeling of being dirty, a feeling that is experienced by both sinners and those sinned against. “Dirty people do dirty things.” Our identity is sometimes about what people have done against us rather than what Jesus has done for us. Feeling defiled, feeling dirty, is a huge issue. The scapegoat was set free. Sin was laid on Jesus and it was taken away. The blood of Jesus CLEANSES us. We are clean. We are clothed in white by Jesus. We should see ourselves and others that way. We can be clean. We don't need to manage, shift blame, or excuse sin; rather we need to face it and deal with it.
   
   
8. Jesus is Our Ransom
   
   There is only one mediator. Music, Bible translations, etc. don't mediate. If the music changes, we can still worship God. We owe a debt to God. Every sin or omission is a debt. We have a mountain of debt. We cannot possibly pay it to God. Doing good for awhile doesn't reduce our debt, it just doesn't increase the amount of our debt! A mediator pays the debt on our behalf.
   
   
9. Jesus is Our Example
   
   1 Peter 2:21 and Philippians 2 — “Christus exemplar.” Jesus has always been God. He came into human history as man. How did Jesus live his life? It wasn't a fake—like Superman and Clark Kent— i.e. God can't be tempted. Jesus DOES sympathize with our weaknesses because he was tempted. Jesus did not cease to be God. He set aside the use of his divine attributes. God knows everything, but Jesus had to learn. How did he do it? It was by the power of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit filled Jesus. He was the Anointed One. All was done by the power of the Spirit. We can now also live Spirit-filled lives. Being spirit-filled means living the life of Jesus. We do what Jesus did. The Spirit led Jesus into temptation, into suffering. We suffer too (Philippians 1). We will be led into difficult times. We are perfected by our suffering, when we suffer like Jesus did, by the power of the Holy Spirit. Don't waste your pain or your suffering. Use it for a witness, use it for the gospel. Christians are like nails—the harder you hit us, the deeper we go.
   
   
10. Jesus is Our Reconciliation
    
    Sin separates us from God and each other. The cross brings us together. “... be kind ... forgiving one another as God forgave you ...” We are sinned against and either become bitter or become like Jesus. That is the choice we have. We often have two standards. When we sin, we want mercy; when others sin, we want hell. Bitterness is often caused by the person we love the most sinning in a little way against us. There are only two problems in a marriage—the man and the woman. We can either learn to forgive or let sin destroy our relationships. We can only be true community and reconciled in the cross. We need the Prince of Peace to know true peace.
    
    
11. Jesus is Our Revelation
    
    Who is God? Where do we begin? Start at the cross. Jesus reveals God to us. The centerpiece of Jesus' life is the cross. Look at the cross to see what God is like. Love and justice. Holiness and mercy. No other religion has a concept of God like that. Our God is not a god who asks for blood; instead, he offers his own. You can talk about the attributes of God all day; it is only in the cross that it all makes sense. The revelation of God comes together at the cross.

Mark closed with a few comments on 1 Corinthians 15:1-4 — the gospel must be reiterated to us, and we must remind our people of it. We must not assume it. If we do, they will deny it. It must be continually proclaimed and declared—not offered as a helpful suggestion! Jesus must be magnified. It must be RECEIVED. It is personal. We must be changed by it. We must go on believing it. It is central in every way. You can't teach marriage, parenting, work, or for that matter, anything, without the cross. It precedes everything else. The gospel gets passed on. Paul received it and passed it on. If anyone changes it, they are a demon. They are sent from Satan and they are going to hell. We don't change what we received!

It's all about Jesus!

• It is penal—Christ died.
  
• FOR our sins—it is substitutional.
  
• It is eschatological—Jesus didn't remain dead, but was raised. Forever is a really long time!

My friend, Tony Miles, reports on the death of Rob Frost. More information is available at Share Jesus International, where reflections from his family are also available. I found this passage striking:

On the last evening of Easter People this year Rob preached, and as he left the platform he was sad that this would be the last Easter People . . . but he believed God said to him, ". . . you will not be here next year Rob." We thank God for this preparation, even though the knowledge has been difficult.

If there is one thing that the discernment debate between the Pyromaniacs and myself has confirmed these past few days, it is surely that discernment is far from easy!! It’s a good thing Tim Challies has written a book on it. I really like the following extract from his book, which I think totally sums up what I think has been happening over at the fire-lovers’ place. Of course, the whole point about wisdom and discernment is that it is very situational, so I am quite sure that some others see things very differently from me on that matter! Please note that I am not trying to claim that Tim would or should side with me in this debate; rather I am choosing to apply these words to the situation at hand as they seem relevant to me.

“It is easy, when attempting to be discerning, to neatly categorize people into two camps: safe and unsafe or good and bad. We then implicitly trust the people in the good camp and entirely reject anything said by those in the bad camp. To do so, though, is to ignore the common grace God gives whereby even those whose views are far different from our own can still be wise and can still speak the truth. While we need to read their words with care and discernment, we can and often should still read their words. We need to rest in the security of the Spirit’s guiding and protecting ministry in our hearts rather than in sheltering ourselves from views that do not always accord with our own.” (Tim Challies in The Discipline of Spiritual Discernment)

Tim then goes on to quote Dennis E. Johnson, Professor of Practical Theology and Academic Dean at Westminster Seminary California, in an article on Common Grace and Theological Scholarship as follows:

We cannot simply compile a list of “safe” authors, stamp them with the Reformed equivalent of imprimatur or nihil obstat, and then confine our reading to them. We must do the hard work of exercising discernment—sentence by sentence, paragraph by paragraph, argument by argument. Facts, insights, perspectives, and methods must all be tested in the light of the principles of Scripture. And we must keep alive our consciousness of dependence on Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. Our safety is not in avoiding the ideas of the unbelieving world; our safety is in union with Christ, who transforms the mind of those who trust in him.

There is hard work to be done in sorting and sifting the teachings of other humans, especially when we realize that we cannot simply cubbyhole the unpleasant or challenging ideas away and ignore them. But this hard work, like other exercise, gives us the necessary muscle tone to serve and lead God’s people. “Solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil (Hebrews 5:14).

UPDATE—February 19, 2008
In January 2008, the following post was identified as the 2nd all-time most popular post with readers of this blog. The 3rd most-read post was "The ESV: A Bible Translation for Everyone?"

This post was an expression of some of my own concerns and frustrations about the blogging world I have come to love so much. I said some things I had been wanting to say for a long time, and it was not a great surprise that the aftermath of this post would lead me to disable comments on my blog a month later. Tim's book addresses discernment, which lies at the root of many of my issues with the Christian blogosphere and its direction.

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UPDATE—November 3, 2007
Phil has now written part two of his reply, and I have responded with a post entitled, "Of Tone, Discernment, and the Charismatic Question."

UPDATE—October 29, 2007
Phil Johnson over at Pyromaniacs and I have been debating the issues raised by my criticism of him in the comments section of his original post. Just search for "Adrian" using the "find in page" function if you want to follow our specific debate. Phil has also written a new post, "If you can't say something nice," and we are debating in the comments on that post.

I will leave this post at the top of my blog for a couple more days as I want to give you all a chance to read it. If you are interested in some of my related thoughts on this subject, you could read the following posts:

• My Visit to the Billy Graham Center
  
• I Don't Want Balance, I Want It All!
  
• My Comments Policy
  
• Blogging Principles for Christians

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Those of you with an eagle-eye will have already noticed that I am publicizing Tim Challies' forthcoming book, The Discipline of Spiritual Discernment. I doubt that many are surprised that I should want to encourage you to read his book, and I will show in this post why that is the case.

To begin with, however, I want to be very open and honest with you. When I first heard that Tim was writing a book I was actually a little concerned. This may surprise those regular readers who know how much I respect Tim and enjoy his blog. But I still had in my mind an old paradigm where those who are in some way "approved" as trained experts are the ones who should write books. Tim, like me, has no theological degrees. I also know that, just like me concerning this blog, he has been rather surprised by the way in which his readership has grown to an extent he never predicted (and, I should say, to a substantially larger figure than my own). So I was surprised that Tim put his neck on the line still further by taking on the challenge of writing a book.

Tim and I have both been riding a wave—the wave of blogging. In both the secular field and the Christian field, it seems that the most successful bloggers almost all seem to have something in common; they are not "officially trained" recognized global experts in their chosen fields. Perhaps this is because the real experts are too busy to write on a daily basis, or perhaps this is because of a new phenomena in our culture—one with which I'm not particularly thrilled, to be honest. In our 21st century culture there is a growing mistrust of any form of authority and of academics. It is actually rather sad to me that this now seems to be spilling over into the Church, and that it might seem, at first glance, to also include the Christian blogosphere.

One of the most influential early articles discussing the Christian blogging phenomenon was titled, "We Know More Than Our Pastors," and it embodied this trend. It concerned me immensely. David Wayne summarized this piece and sounded some very valid concerns about it. For me, I wanted almost nothing to do with the concepts outlined therein.

Even as I have enjoyed the way that I have been able to be buffeted in this hurricane called blogging, I have also been somewhat concerned about some of the implications of this new marketplace of ideas. I suppose that, despite these reservations, I remain in the blogosphere because I am drawn to it as surely as a bee is to a flower in bloom, and as the Apostle Paul was to the debating spots of ancient Athens.

I am also here because somebody has to be. I am certainly not here because I imagine myself to be at the vanguard of some modern reformation that will sweep away the "old guard" in the way some bloggers (usually not Christian ones) speak about. I am here because, ironically enough, I see this new media as a way that we can proclaim the old, old message. I am here because, in some small way, I can act as a signpost to direct passing traffic to wiser heads than mine. The more readers I find visiting here, the more I feel the need to both quote and link to others. Whatever the size of your blog readership, that filtering process is the single best gift you can give both to your readers and to the writers of even the biggest blogs. I am pleased that the headlines from several bloggers who deserve to be read more than I do appear in the "Warnie Winners" box in my sidebar.

The blogging community can be thought of as a road system, a library, an ecosystem, or perhaps most aptly of all, a jungle. With no single classification system or map, what is needed are good wise guides. There are precious few of them online.

One such wise guide is surely Tim Challies. I know that he shares many of my concerns about the world of blogs, and has a similar attitude in wanting to support those in positions of authority in the Church rather than tearing them down. I know that he is submissive to others. I like that he respects those, like me, who might differ with him on secondary issues, but firmly join hands on the Gospel. I have also met a godly man called Paul Martin who pastors him wisely. The more I came to know Tim, the more my concerns about the concept of a non-expert writing a book began to evaporate. If the modern world needs non-experts to grapple with the words of the experts and make them more accessible to the rest of us, then those who have been given that gift should be encouraged to find an appropriate outlet, even if that looks a bit different from previous models.

Writing a book is very different from writing a blog, even though the number of words involved in a blog over the years may be just as numerous. With a blog, there is instant feedback, and a chance to easily go back and reword or retract an argument. With a book, not only is it more permanent, it is somehow expected to be more accurate, so the responsibility feels greater. James 3 is ever present in the mind of a preacher, and should be in the mind of a blogger as well. Speaking personally, I have applied it even more strongly to the concept of writing a book, which quite frankly has always terrified me rather than attracted me.

But for some people there comes a time when a book finds them and demands to be written. That is what has happened to the man I am glad to call my friend, Tim Challies. He is painfully aware of the cacophony of voices available online, and the need to discriminate between them. The average member of your congregation might well be either theologically illiterate or have imbibed a watered-down, overly simplistic doctrinal system which he has heard away from your church pulpit. Blogs, mp3s, books, magazines, TV programs, conferences, and radio all compete for the minds of modern Christians. The battle has never been stronger. How should we respond to this?

There are a number of different approaches that could be taken. We could just ignore what is going on around us, which would not be wise. We could, instead, become great experts in the different types of false teaching that are being purveyed. There are some bloggers who seem to have the goal of ferreting out everything that is less than perfect. These are often termed "watch blogs." The temptation is to take some kind of perverse gratification out of proving others wrong. As the years have gone on, by God's grace, that temptation has increasingly looked less appealing to me, although there was a time when I frequently delighted in giving in to it.

Sometimes even bloggers with good intentions can fall into the trap of being over zealous in their discernment. I am sure I have fallen into that trap myself at times. But this past week, in reading a post by Phil Johnson, I thought I saw a classic example of someone who had over-reached himself in reacting to some things he had discerned. Now, don't get me wrong. I share many of Phil's concerns. I am indeed concerned about some aspects of Willow Creek's ministry philosophy. Personally, I am not sure how to interpret their recent "repentance," and certainly was VERY worried to see that they have invited Brian McLaren to speak at one of their conferences. BUT it bothers me that Phil seemed (at least to me) to be implying that Willow Creek has absolutely nothing to teach us. I am sure that if we fail to recognize something as being good and helpful and true, we fail in our discernment as much as if we blindly accepted everything in a naive way. I know it sounds cliched, but we really must be looking for the good in people, especially in those who have not denied important aspects of the Gospel. It is quite correct to say, "I like what this person says about the following subject, and have learned from them, although I disagree strongly with them on another subject." If, instead, we lump people and whole movements together into an amorphous lump of theological rejects, surely we risk alienating them and, ironically, driving some further away from the truth of the Gospel that I know Phil and I both love.

But if Phil was harsh on Willow Creek, he went on in the same post to be even harder on the charismatics. I mention this because this kind of over-zealous discernment is sadly quite common. Again, quite rightly, he was pointing out the sin in a specific charismatic minister. Also, quite rightly, he was pointing out that due to an absence of discernment this kind of error is all too common in the charismatic movement, and sadly is often covered up. So far so good. And, despite his claim that his charismatic friends would be angry at these comments, I agree! What I struggle with, however, is that he then makes plain that he believes that charismatic doctrine itself is to blame for these sins and the lack of discernment that allows them to continue unchallenged. Phil applies the red card of his disapproval to the entire movement that, despite all its acknowledged weaknesses, I am thrilled to have been part of for decades. Should we use discernment with such a broad brush stroke?

My dear friend, Jesse Phillips, took Phil to task admirably in the comments section and repeated this on his own blog. No one seemed able to answer his arguments that while it is true that some second-order implications which people draw from core charismatic doctrine do encourage gullibility and an absence of discernment, the core doctrines themselves do not need to do so. Phil, in reply, claimed that reformed charismatics were a new breed, and only caused by alien influences on the movement. This is not true. Men like Terry Virgo and C. J. Mahaney and the groups of churches they lead have been around for many decades now. Perhaps these groups are not as visible as they could be, but I know they are also not alone in being committed to a firm grasp on reality and the wisdom of the Bible.

To simply dismiss the entire charismatic movement in just one sentence does not seem a wise response to the fastest growing segment of Christianity. It is not, of course, wrong to disagree with charismatic theology (some of my best friends online are cessationists, like Tim himself, of course), but Phil does not seem to recognize any good that has come out of the movement. It would be like me refusing to acknowledge the fantastic work being produced by cessationists. Much as I disagree with some of the positions cessationists take, I am willing to go so far as to state I learn as much and perhaps even more helpful theology from their teachers as I do from fellow charismatic teachers. Doesn't discernment require that we identify helpful material even when it comes from those we disagree with on relatively minor points?

There is surely another way to respond to the marketplace of ideas to which we are exposed in today's church. The single best approach to discerning truth from error is to focus on understanding and proclaiming the truth more (while remaining aware of what is being taught around us). We need to learn to recognize the truth for ourselves by studying the Bible. But we must recognize that we ourselves are not immune to error. We need to ask God for humility wherein we submit ourselves to the views of others and are willing to be taught by them. Indeed, we should be willing to use our discernment as a sieve to strain out the good bits from a mixture of error in order to do so. None of us has a monopoly on truth, or for that matter, error. Some may grasp certain aspects of the truth with remarkable ease, while others of us may struggle to understand it for years. There is, in my view, often much truth in the very ministries of those who we eagerly criticize. We can learn from more people than we like to think we can—provided we have discernment. I am frequently provoked when I read the writings or listen to the teachings of others who come from different parts of the Church than I. This must be done with caution, of course, and requires that I have studied the Bible for myself first. The more we understand the biblical truth for ourselves the better skilled we will become at testing everything and holding onto the good. I love the way Tim says it in his book:

"We can best know what is wrong by first knowing what is right. Experts on counterfeit currency know this as well. They train others first to know the traits of genuine currency because such knowledge will make apparent what is fraudulent. Christians need to dedicate themselves to learning and knowing truth so that what is evil and abnormal will appear obvious. For this reason the Apostle writes, “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things” (Philippians 4:8). He encourages us to think first and foremost about what is right and true and pure and lovely. In Romans 16:19b he says this as well, exhorting the Roman church “to be wise as to what is good and innocent as to what is evil.” Never does the Bible tell us to dwell primarily or repeatedly upon what is false.

The relationship of truth to error is such that we can best know error by knowing truth. The opposite is not true. People who invest undue effort in concentrating upon what is false will not necessarily be able to identify what is true. By dwelling upon the beautiful truths of Scripture we will subsequently learn discernment. A discerning person will know that he must focus his heart upon what is true and pure and lovely, having confidence that in doing this God will bless Him with the ability to expose darkness."

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.

I will close by quoting another passage from Tim's book that expresses well his aim in writing the book:

This book is written for the general reader who wishes to understand discernment, to understand what the Bible teaches us about discernment, and who wishes to equip himself in this discipline. It is not written primarily for people with theological training, though I trust they, too, can benefit from it. Rather, it is written for you and for me—average Christians living in a culture and in a church where it so often seems that anything goes. It is written for those who look at much of what is said and done in the name of Jesus and ask themselves, “How can this be right?” It is written for all those who believe that it is the duty of every Christian to think biblically about all areas of life so that they might act biblically in all areas of life . . .

I do not intend to do the work of discernment for you. There are many books, web sites, and ministries that claim to teach discernment but do so by simply listing all the things you must do and the things you must not do. This book approaches the subject differently and is the result of my studies in Scripture to find the tools of discernment that God provides to us in his Word. And so I will not present a list of ministries you should avoid or endorse, authors whose books you should burn or buy, and music you should not listen to or that you should immediately download to your MP3 player. Rather, I hope to teach biblical wisdom on how you and I can become more discerning. I will present to you the wisdom of the Bible as it teaches us how we can become men and women of discernment. I will present principles you can use as you walk this life distinguishing between what is truth and what is error, what is right and what is wrong.

I have spent a bit of time over the last few days rediscovering Theopedia. It is not quite so frenetic and unstructured as Wikkipedia. This is probably due to its requirement that you acknowledge a statement of faith and be registered before editing items. They are keen for more contributors and if you have good quality material you have blogged and are willing to adapt, they are happy for it to be included in their articles with the appropriate acknowledgments. Would be great to have a few more bloggers over there. Here are the articles for which I have made some contributions so far (some more significantly than others):

• Gifts of the Spirit
• Gift of Prophecy
• Penal Substitutionary Atonement
• Pastor
• Steve Chalke
• Mark Driscoll
• Wayne Grudem
  
• C. J. Mahaney
  
• Together For the Gospel
  
• Mark Dever
• Ligon Duncan
• Albert Mohler
• Jacob
• Terry Virgo

In news that will shake the blogosphere, Justin Taylor has not only shown that he is with Sam Storms on these issues, he has exclusively revealed that Lig Duncan was not baptized as an infant! Anyone questioning his commitment to the Presbyterian cause would no doubt be told "It wasn't my fault my parents didn't baptize me!" which perhaps to a credobaptist is precisely the point! Anyway here is what Justin said:

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!

UPDATE
In January 2008, the following post was identified as the 10th all-time most popular post with readers of this blog. The 11th most-read post was The Atonement—Wright Attacks Both Sides of the Debate.

Of all the posts I have written, this one is probably my own personal favorite. It is a rallying call to a kind of Christianity that is not ashamed to embrace the best from many different backgrounds.

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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.

Also, why is it that those who are most committed to following the Bible in everything also seem most committed to relegating a book like Acts to mere descriptive stories to tell our children? It's not even just the book of Acts; there are swathes of the New Testament that in some theologies become almost entirely irrelevant to us. That was for then, we are told. When I read passages like those found in the book of Acts, I find myself yearning for something more than I am experiencing currently, yearning for a dynamic sense of the supernatural presence of God, longing for God himself to surprise and astonish me by his dynamic actions. Why is it that so often I am left with the impression that we are being encouraged to merely learn about God rather than get to know him? Would I be satisfied if I had read hundreds of e-mails from my wife, but had never actually met her or seen her do anything?

On the other hand, I could find many so-called men of faith who have stories to tell of miraculous healings or of prophecies that have had a life-changing impact. Listening to them, especially if I suspend my natural British cynicism and reserve, I hear tales of powerful encounters with God. Sadly, however, theological truths don't seem to be emphasized at all by most of those committed to experiencing the supernatural presence of God. It is often even implied that it is all right for people to make glaring errors in their teaching or show little interest in what the Bible actually says.

Why is it that so many men who seem on first appearances to have such intimacy with God, such access to his power, such supernatural giftings, and such powerful prophecies, also have much less interest in the words that the Person they often describe as their best friend, the Holy Spirit, wrote 2000 years ago? Why is it that when listening to some of these men, the greatest miracle is no longer what happens in someone's life when they are saved, but rather the latest supernatural healing or encounter with God? Why do we put up with so much flakiness and even blatant deception from figures claiming to have an anointing of the Spirit? How has it got to the point that even hearing the word "faith" seems to raise antibodies in me and make me feel uncomfortable? Why, though, do I feel in honest moments that some of those people with whose theology I most disagree seem to have something that I haven't got, and that I want? Is it so wrong to want to learn more about faith and experience the supernatural acts of God without becoming flaky or doctrinally suspect? Is it not possible for me to both want and get it all?

This desire to "want it all" and have it all in extreme form rather than just a little of everything so as to become "balanced" is not confined to the issue of the truth of God's Word and the experience of the supernatural. There are so many other stalls in the modern marketplace that is the global Church of Jesus. I can see them all before me selling their wares, each of them sure they have the answer to the ills of the Church. How do I choose which one to follow? Can't I have it all? Can't I learn from each of them? Must I choose only one? Where is the person who will overturn all these market stalls and say, “You need a bit of everything — no, change that — you need A LOT of everything — you need it all!”

Let's consider those in the Church who understand the reason we are here on earth. They understand that we are here to enjoy God and bring glory to him by evangelizing the world and producing more worshippers. These guys have such enthusiasm that it is inspiring. Many are also so creative. They split into different tribes, however, sitting as it were at different stalls in the marketplace. There are those who believe in old-style tent crusades, those who want to fill stadiums again, those who knock on doors, those who tell strangers they are sinners, those who befriend sinners in order to evangelize them, those who run seeker sensitive services, those who speak of being missional and incarnating the Gospel, those who run Alpha, and those who preach a certain kind of evangelical "gospel" message every Sunday morning that has to include penal substitution. The different brands may disagree about the methods, but yet they all thrill me with their determination and commitment to see more people becoming Christians. Isn't there room for us to use some methods from almost all of these brands of evangelism?

What troubles me most about so many of these devoted evangelists and missionaries is that so few of them are also deeply devoted to and thrilled with the Church. Why does there seem to be a dichotomy between being "out there" reaching the world and building the community of God such that we love each other so much the world knows we are Jesus' disciples? Also, why does the message of the evangelist sometimes ring hollow in my ears and fail to inspire me like it should? Is there something wrong with me? Dare I even admit that there have been times in the past when I have felt I don't want to hear another "simple Gospel presentation" ever again? Why do the sermons I read in Acts sound so different to the vast majority of evangelistic messages I have ever heard? For that matter, if the Gospel is a handful of reductionistic propositions that we must preach on every occasion, and those few ideas are all that matters, why does so much of the Bible even exist? Much as I believe in penal substitution, it is not to be found in every verse of the Bible. Why are some evangelicals frightened to preach the whole counsel of God? Is it wrong to want to preach the message of the whole Bible?

Why is it, for that matter, that so many of us feel we lack practical wisdom of how to live our lives? I know I have felt like this many times in my life. How can it be that I can work through the Gospel from A to Z, listen to theologically-sound sermons, read the Bible, pray even, and do all the "right" things they tell me to, but somehow not know how to live? Why is it that the breed of practical living teachers are so rare in the Church that many feel they have to learn by watching programs like Nanny 911 because no Christian leader ever taught them how to raise their children? Why are there so few places in the Church to send someone who is struggling with a breaking marriage or with mounting debt? Why, when we find someone in the Church who is valiantly teaching us practical living tips that we should have learned from our parents do they so often sound no different to someone in the world? Where is the teaching that is biblically rooted, yet shows me how to run my life in the 21st century? Isn't the Bible supposed to teach me how to have a good marriage, hold down a job, be a parent, have friends? It's easy to condemn those preaching "self help" in the name of Jesus, but where are those teaching me how God wants to help me live wisely?

Again, why is it that as churches we are not all stirred to activism to help the poor? Adopting a village in Africa, helping HIV victims, befriending single mothers, housing drug addicts — the list goes on and on. Christians who really care, frankly, put me to shame. Why do I so shamefully neglect this? I know that I do give some money that is channeled to such projects by my church, but why do I feel I should be doing much more? Surely we should be demonstrating God's kingdom on earth for the world to see. And yet, why do some of the people who give themselves to this kind of work which is meant to demonstrate God's kingdom seem more like social workers than Christ's ambassadors? Why do we seem to allow the Gospel to be squeezed out of our attempts to help the poor?

I can go on — what of the worshippers? There are many people who love God, feel his presence, and "waste time" with him. Why do I find it so hard to squeeze contemplation into my busy life? Why should worship become an option that excludes other options? Why is meditation considered to be something for Buddhists when the Bible invented it? What about prayer — shouldn't it be more than merely reciting a shopping list of requests to some heavenly slot machine? Shouldn't it be something other than worrying out loud?

And what about a sense of belonging? Of a Church that loves each other and builds a community in this loveless world? Why are there some small churches that really are a family, and yet find it hard to grow? How can large churches retain the feeling that people are there for me and know me? How can we avoid merely having hundreds of superficial acquaintances and yet still feeling totally alone? How can we learn how to do things well for God without becoming just a commercial entity led only by the world's management techniques?

I guess this all leads to a feeling that there is something wrong with the Church. I suspect many of us feel that way as Christians. But what is it that is wrong? Is it, as some would say, "Well, the danger is an overemphasis on feelings, so here we preach the truth of the Bible — that is what we need most." That sounds so good until you hear someone else say something like, "What the Church really needs to do is to learn to care more — we have to love each other and then learn to love the world — that's the problem with the Church," or someone else says, "Your problem is that you know the Bible, but you don't know God — you people just have a form of godliness, but deny its power."

I don't just want balance, however, and certainly not if it means we end up missing EVERYTHING. I thank God that there are those who are attempting to be balanced and have a bit of all of these things. Yet, I am concerned that in an anxiety to be balanced, we end up being mediocre at all of these things. I suppose as individuals we will always be better at some of them than others, but as a healthy local church can't we have it all?

Social action needn't be the enemy of building a nice community, nor should singing be a chore to get through until the preaching starts. Do we really have to wince every time someone begins to prophesy for fear of what our visitors may think? We shouldn't have to be anxious, when preaching, that our people are being bored or that we are offending visitors. These things are not enemies of each other.

Why shouldn't we have churches that are every bit as concerned about doctrinal accuracy and knowledge as John MacArthur, that love relational intimacy with Jesus as much as John Arnott, see miraculous healings that are every bit as dynamic as the ones the tele-evangelists claim to have seen, are as full of vision and purpose as Rick Warren, as skilled in leadership as Bill Hybels, as humble and committed to spiritual maturity as C. J. Mahaney, as relevant to practical life as the author of any self-help book you can think of, that impact social needs in the model of Shaftsbury, tackle political issues like Wilberforce, preach with both the passion for souls of Spurgeon and the passion for God's glory of John Piper, that hear from God as clearly as any modern prophet, are as aggressively missional as Mark Driscoll, have the apostolic drive of Terry Virgo, and yet somehow still feel as comforting as my wife's homemade apple crumble with custard?

Am I being greedy to say "I want it all, and I wish I could become an extremist for all of these things at once?"

Terry Virgo
Terry is based at Church of Christ the King, Brighton, UK, and leads the Newfrontiers team. A well-known Bible teacher, Terry speaks at conferences around the world. He has written several books, including No Well-Worn Paths, Does the Future Have a Church?, God’s Lavish Grace, and his latest, The Tide is Turning.

See also Andrew Fountain's notes from this talk, The Folly of Achan.

There are a few traditions within the family of Newfrontiers. One of them is that the father of the movement, Terry Virgo, always closes the conference. I always look forward to these messages. He manages to blend an amazing expositional gift with a strong prophetic edge. Last year's message on leadership was simply outstanding, and I hope that if you haven't already listened to that message you will do so. Terry is much loved by our family, and if you haven't yet made his acquaintance, Terry Virgo's blog and website, as well as my interview with him, are great places to find out more about him.

Terry seemed quite emotional on the video summary of the conference, which they showed us before he came to speak. He said this had been one of the most glorious weeks we had ever had together, and he was not wrong. I feel personally that this week has touched me at least as much as any previous conference I have attended. I always get excited to think of the amazing impact that a conference like this can have around the world.

The reason Terry was drawn to the book of Joshua was because of a sense he had that God was moving us into a new era. Joshua 7 is an astonishing chapter, and in many ways parallels the book of Acts. Acts and Joshua are in many ways similar books with the people going forward into a new break-out of a community.

The army is not a faceless army of robots — rather, it is people who have strengths, weaknesses, and vulnerabilities. We don't want any of us to be missing as we press forward together. The story of Achan might seem a strange place to take a conference like this during the final session. But Terry explained that he had felt the strong leading of the Spirit to do so.

The previous chapter ended with elation and excitement. Joshua was now famous as an invincible leader with an invincible army. Joshua takes on board the perceptions of those who he had sent rather than wisely seeking God. Then there is a crushing defeat. God had said no one will be able to stand against them. Now suddenly, Joshua is vulnerable and swings like a pendulum to, “We are finished!” He felt there was no future for him. We can feel that. Fear grips us sometimes.

Joshua then begins to cry to God. He doesn't ask the generals how did you fight? He doesn't just look to the immediate. What is the big picture? Two different perspectives.

1. What is happening to the Israelites?
   
   The invasion of the land was the fulfilment of the promises to Abraham, which in turn are a reflection of the plan of God for Adam. It is like a great recovery. Similar to Eden, there is a "don't touch."
   
   
2. What is happening to the Canaanites?
   
   At the same time he is blessing Israel, God is also coming in to judge the land. God had said to Abraham that the evil of Canaan was not yet enough. At this time the sins had got to such a state that God was judging gross evil that had affected every aspect of life.

The story turns on the actions of one man. A double-minded man caused the whole problem. An independent assessment results in a secret agenda. One of the soldiers is not persuaded. He isn't single-purposed. He is finding what God finds unattractive to attract him. He saw. Be careful what you look at. You might say, “I couldn't help seeing.” The forbidden thing can seem delightful. Be careful of the lust of the eyes. We have a vulnerable spot. We can't help seeing, but there is a power that can come. Jesus said some brutal words — gouge out your eye. There is a danger in seeing.

David was a man after God's own heart. Everything about him was magnificent. But one day when he didn't go to battle he saw something. He is ruined. The path is to shame, disaster, and death. Achan wished he had never ever seen. If I hadn't gone there, I wouldn't have seen it. Why then do some of us choose to look? Why do some of us go to the place where you know you will see it? Why are some of us so stupid as to not just catch a glimpse, but we go back to look again? We live in an age where we can hardly help seeing, but don't go back there.

After he saw, he coveted. He allowed his imagination to captivate him. Obviously we tend to think of sexual sin in this area. But the Bible here is talking about riches. Those who want to get rich fall into temptation . . . which plunges men into destruction. (1 Timothy 6:9) It's not just having wealth, but the prestige, power, and independence that goes with it. Wealth means that you can tell the rest of the world to get lost. Lust conceives and gives birth to sin which gives birth to death.

So he saw, he coveted, then finally he took. He defied God's clear command. Like David, he took what he knew he should never have touched. Then, he finally hid. He wasn't fulfilled. Because it was forbidden, you can have it, but no one else is allowed to know. There is no abandonment and fulfilment of joy like we experienced last night during worship. Instead, they had to hide from the Lord.

Secret sin leads to relational problems. It ruins. Imagine what David must have felt looking in the eye of his general who he'd told to arrange the death of Uriah.

The wrath of God was coming. God looks at our planet today and says, “Enough of this!” In all the joy and light and break-out of the Church, there is also a revelation of the judgment of God. Which side are we on? The whole battle turns on a double-hearted double-minded person. Are we in this together?

HOW COULD THE DISASTER HAVE BEEN AVOIDED?

• Joshua should have avoided self-sufficiency. We need to be fearfully aware of our total dependence on God. Before Jericho, he knew he needed God. Suddenly he thought, “I can do this now.” God wants us to be listening. Beware the lure of independence.
  
  
• Achan completely forgot his identity and his purpose. Christianity is an essentially corporate experience. He is in step. Suddenly he gets another idea, and becomes out-of-step. He was not ruthlessly committed to God's perspective. God is angry against sin. “Who knows the power of his anger?” If we don't feel anger, then we are not in step with God's view of our society.

We are part of a body. God told us to make disciples. They did this by forming churches. The only way to become a mature disciple of Christ is to be part of a church. Church is not just for your social life, it's for your salvation. It kills the desire to sin. It is not all about your personal fulfilment. It is not all about us. We die to self and get baptized into an army, a body, a people. God does love us and has a wonderful plan for our lives, but he wants us to be part of a community to work it out. God doesn't want a faceless army.

A Christian is a member of Christ. Our fulfilment is found in him. Don't float. Find a group that takes church seriously. "Elder" isn't just a title. They are shepherds. They are here for us to be led. It is not that are characterized by the volunteering of self for the benefit of others is what God wants in his Church. We need to have a network of mutual care and support. Let's abandon the "my rights" concept. The Gospel is totally contrary to that. We need to make space for people and die to ourselves. Let's live for the people of God. We love the Church as Christ's bride, his treasure, his workmanship.

We are light. We are meant to shine in the places where we are. We used to be darkness. We are to go to all the world bringing in the light. We died with Christ. We were raised with him. We are seated in the heavenlies. We didn't get ourselves there. We are a new creation. We are righteous. Now let's live like it! Christ's wonderful life was credited to me. He has made us righteous as a gift. Now we must live it out. It's not so much about “don't touch, don't taste, don't handle.” Legalism doesn't produce righteousness. Now God sees us as righteous — now live it. We are no longer what we were. Martyn Lloyd-Jones says we need to talk to ourselves. He said, “If you don't preach to yourself, you are not a Christian.” We are light, what should we have to do with darkness?

The story ends with ruthless execution. It's a shocking ending for our ears. He was put to death. God said, “I won't have it.” We see the same thing happening in the midst of a NT revival. A couple lied to the Spirit, missed it, and were killed by God. There are people who have missed it, even in their middle years. Be ruthless. Seek the things above. Set your mind on things above. Put to death what belongs to your earthly body. We need a new body. In the meantime, we must take responsibility for our bodies. Put to death the things that lead to the wrath of God. Why do we play games with the things that mean the wrath of God is coming?

We must put to death the deeds of the body by the Spirit. How do we do that?

• Engage with the Spirit. Get baptized with the spirit.
  
  
• Enjoy the Spirit. Don t just tick it off as something we have done. Jesus rejoiced in the Holy Spirit. When you are enjoying him and his fellowship, it is much easier to resist temptation. Get full of Him.
  
  
• Have the energy of the Spirit. By his presence and power we share in the divine nature. Ephesians 5 is the Holy Spirit-filled life. Enjoy the life of God.
  
  
• Have the eschatology of the Spirit. He is the promise of the age to come. He is a foretaste of eternal glory. It's a down-payment. It's heaven coming down to where we are now. We are having a taste of the eternal glory. Darkness has nearly gone, the light is coming. Day is at hand. Don't live in the dark. We are the light of the world. Walk as children of the light. Don't play around with something less than that.

God poured out his wrath on Jesus so that he could pour out his love on us.

Be ruthless. Say I am not going there any more. I am blocking a channel. I am making myself accountable. Don't be fulfilled by sin, be ruthless instead. They killed Achan.

The opening verse of the next chapter turns the page and says, “Don't be frightened, remember who you are . . . now go and take Ai.” Let's be ruthless, and move on to victory.

I spoke with Tope, who is the lead elder of Jubilee Church, about his impression of this sermon. He replied as follows:

"With forceful passion, engaging delivery of truth, incredible urgency and raised voice, and utter conviction, Terry Virgo preached until he himself was consumed in the sermon, leaving us with an unadulturated view of the Word of God that left us all challenged and transformed, meek and strong, and grateful and amazed."

Sam Poe
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 Miller
Guy 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.

Prophets 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.

Biblical Base For Team

• Acts 11:27-28
  “Some prophets” — notice it's a team. Agabus was part of a prophetic team that came from the Jerusalem church.
  
  
• Acts 13:1-3
  Again it says "prophets" (plural) and "teachers" (plural). There was a team of leaders in the church, and when they were together, the Spirit began to speak. Acts 15 — at the Council of Jerusalem, at the conclusion, some key leaders were chosen to go back with Paul and Barnabus. Judas and Silas went and said much to encourage and strengthen the brothers.
  
  
• 1 Timothy 4:14
  The prophecy came amidst the body of elders. Prophetic ministry releases things in people.

The foundational basis for this “team-life” is our triune God. God lives throughout all eternity in wonderful and joyous community. Three magnificent persons, ONE living God. When someone says the word “God,” do you think of him that way? God really is three-in-one. We are called not only to teach trinitarian theology, but to live trinitarian ways. 1 John 1:3-4. We need to be in fellowship with the persons of God and then reach out to others. There is an overflowing joy in the Trinity.

“The being of the church should echo the dynamic of the relations between the three persons who together constitute the Deity.” (Gunton)

This should put an end to all isolated one-man-band ministry.

Some of the Benefits of Prophetic Team Ministry

• The joy of serving together — a relational side. The prophetic can be a bit intense; working in team helps us to avoid getting that way. It helps us to not take ourselves so seriously. There is a rest in it.
  
  
• There is a fuller flow of revelation. No one gets it all. If a team prophesies, the results will be more full-orbed.
  
  
• Immediate accountability. There can be an immediate weighing of words.
  
  
• It can help check eccentricities. Some prophetic guys seem to think the weirder we can get the better. Lone ministries have no one who asks them, “Why are you being so weird?”
  
  
• Avoidance of the “super-star” syndrome. We all need help. We must not get our personal identity wrapped up in our gifting. There is a risk of over-exposure and feeling almost like a prophesying machine. You can begin to feel used.
  
  
• Avoidance of personal control or the manipulation of others. Never prophecy to get someone to do what you want them to do! Often we don't understand what we are saying when we prophesy, rather than trying to get anybody to do anything. (2 Corinthians 4:2 — see the way The Message interprets that.) The word is out there and can be weighed rather than with secret manipulation.
  
  
• Helps create an atmosphere of humility and submission. 1 Corinthians 14:29-33. Sometimes you can get a revelation that you don't share because you have to stop. Wait your turn. Stop and give someone else a chance, i.e. make room for others. If someone works alone, it's easy to overlook the authority and oversight of the local church leadership. Elders are the door of a church and have authority.
  
  
• Helps train up younger prophetic ministries.

The Value of Prophets Being Teamed With Apostles

• In 2004 there was a whole seminar on this topic.
  
  
• These two foundational ministries need to work together. Every single local church needs that foundation laid in it. This is teamwork.
  
  
• 1 Thessalonians was written by Paul, Silas, and Timothy. There is a team at work. Paul leads the team, but Silas is a prophet.
  
  
• Apostolic wisdom, teaching, and strategy, coupled with immediate prophetic revelation bring strength and vibrancy to local churches.

In Conclusion

• Prophetic teamwork is of great value. It's the primary NT model for prophetic ministry.

David Stroud
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.

Dave Stroud spoke to us today about the identity markers of Newfrontiers.

We must be very clear on who God is and who he has made us to be. If we forget who we are, then we will not be able to handle the things that happen. Dave wanted to spend his session reminding us what holds us together as a movement. What underlines our confidence? What enables to respond with boldness? Dave took us to the first few verses of Acts 13 and the church of Antioch. At its height, one in three people of Antioch were believers. It was a church that sent people out for a century after these events.

FIVE THINGS THAT TIE US TOGETHER

1. We are a people of the Spirit.
   
   There were prophets in the church at Antioch. This happens when the Spirit is poured out. They know something of the closeness of God. When Paul and Barnabas went, if asked, they would have said, “God said to us!” We have experienced something of the presence of God that has drawn us together. We don't make decisions on the basis of strategic planning as in businesses. Big decisions in the NT church, and in our churches, are made because God spoke. For example, “The Spirit of Jesus wouldn't let them” go somewhere. We as Newfrontiers have always sought to be led by the Spirit of God. For example, a couple were considering moving to Dublin to start a Newfrontiers church. They believed that God was speaking to them and prayed that God would speak to their kids. The next morning their daughter came down and said, “Are we moving?” Their ten-year old daughter had a dream of a sundial in the garden, a porthole, and windows that were not windows in the roof. The parents said nothing, but took their children on a weekend trip to Dublin. They were walking and looked in the window of one estate agent, whereupon their daughter suddenly said, “Thats the house I saw in my dream!” Sure enough, they ended up buying that house, and it was exactly as their daughter described. John Wimber felt God say when he arrived in London, “Give me back MY church!” It doesn't belong to us. When the Spirit speaks, people go and become those they never thought they could be.
   
   
2. We are deeply dependent on Scripture.
   
   It wasn't just prophets, but teachers also. We bow to God's Word. We give ourselves to it and develop a habit. The world tells us to set ourselves free by deciding what is right. In some cultures people treat their neighbours with respect; in others they eat them, and it's all done on the basis of feelings. We cannot just take the Holy Spirit bit. We must let the Word get to us. We must submit to the Word. Teachers lift the Word for us corporately. We can't just make it up. We must keep coming back to being shaped by Scripture. We shape ourselves individually and corporately by The Book. Prophets and teachers work together. Two sides of the same coin. Word and Spirit together.
   
   
3. We believe that these Word and Spirit churches are to be multiplied all over the world.
   
   In Antioch they were living for an outbreak of the Spirit, globally not just locally. We need to take salvation to the ends of the earth. We cannot simply be focused on the nation where we live. We need a heart for the nations. Paul and Barnabas knew that at some point they had to go — there was a timing with God. They built a strong sending base where they were, and then they went and started churches. That is the biblical model for going to the nations. Churches are something that can reach people in decades. It's Spirit people founded on the Word going to the nations with clear annointed leadership.
   
   
4. We believe in the Ephesians 4 ministries.
   
   The terms of Ephesians 4 are not just useful terms; rather they are uniquely fitted to get the mission done. The Church functions well with this leadership. Imagine if a general replaced your head teacher at a primary school and ran it like an army! Imagine the army going into battle and the general is replaced with a conductor. In the same way, it is ridiculous to try and fulfil the biblical vision without apostles and prophets. That is the sort of leadership God has given. What Paul did is needed today. Apostles give to churches a sense of identity. Apostles will aggressively see the big picture and want to see nations filled with churches.
   
   
5. We are full of confidence.
   
   Why were Paul and Barnabus ready to take such a big step? It was because they knew that God would succeed. God will give us all we need so we can go. God will have a bride for himself. Even though that doesn't mean that everything we touch will succeed, knowing the eventual triumph of God's Word will strengthen our resolve, even when things are tough. As someone said, “Expect great things from God. Attempt great things for God.” We have the privilege of cooperating with God.

HOW DO WE RESPOND TO THIS?

• Don't get stuck in one place
  
  The world is too big! Sometimes a promotion from God requires us to physically move. For example, Elijah passed on the call of God to anoint a king to Elisha who himself handed it on. We have to hand on the promises we have for an area and pass them on. The vision is bigger than what we can accomplish. We must be open to the Lord. We must trust him to help those who are left behind.
  
  
• Stay connected to Apostles and Prophets
  
  Following anointed leadership gives benefits to ourselves. Leaders shape us and give us impetus. Apostles and prophets are given by God and have anointing given by him. Apostles create spheres and an anointing goes with it. Word and Spirit churches are not built by one leader. We are a family of Word and Spirit churches going to the nations under anointed leadership and full of confidence that God will fulfil his mission.

At Together On A Mission, we also have a conference within a conference for students and those in their 20's. It was a real pleasure to interview Tom Shaw, a friend of mine, who heads up that conference. You can listen to that message right here or download it to your computer:

The much beloved wife of Billy Graham has died. There is lots of coverage on the CT Blog

Justin Taylor says it well when he writes "I join others around the world in thanking God for a life well lived in quiet, unashamed, faithful service to the Lord and his kingdom."

I am glad for the work of this couple who have represented Jesus well to the whole world for decades. I wonder if we will ever see their like again. It is astonishing to think of all that they did, and of the selfless way Ruth supported her husbands ministry to the crowds and world leaders.

Billy and Ruth were constants in a changing world. Ruth's passing reminds us no man goes on forever. With Billy now retired, and John Stott to preach only one more sermon a generation of world-class Christian leaders has passed away.

We should pray for world class leaders to be raised up to take their place. I am sure we can all think of several beginning to rise to significant influence. But, I wonder if we will in fact see just one or two rise to such prominence as say Stott and Graham had - between them embodying Evangelicalism to several generations.

This from Anthony Bradley over at The Resurgence:

America has nearly 115,000 orphaned kids in foster care waiting to be adopted. Some wonder how this is possible in a country with Christian families. Surely there are 115,000 missional families in America, right? Missional families, for example, embrace the redemptive mission of God and practice "true religion" in their local communities (James 1:27). Missional Christians in America could eliminate the foster care system tomorrow ...

"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world," writes James (1:27). As a matter of fact, the Bible has over 40 verses mandating God's people to look after orphans and the fatherless for various reasons ...

If your church is not cultivating an ethos that practices "true religion" it may not be missional at all. It may be dying or sinking into a consumeristic, entertainment quicksand where people come to have their "felt needs" stroked. Your pastor might wear "cool" clothes, have a "cool" blog, or be in the process of trying to make God and Jesus androgynous, but God seems to care that his people are being led by capable men who lead the rest of God's people in bringing the Kingdom to their local neighborhood in all its forms.

While not all Christians are gifted or equipped for taking in orphans, it's pretty convicting that 65 million American evangelicals can't rescue 115,000 kids from an unstable hell. If the pagans in our neighborhoods aren't struck by how our churches are applying the Word of God to the needy, it's possible that we aren't the real deal yet. May we all pray that our churches are soon as mature as James commends. The revolution continues . . .

It doesn't seem that long ago that Terry Virgo preached at the church I attend, and it blessed us so much — listening to him always seems to do that to me. It was great to be able download and listen to a sermon this evening entitled Becoming a Member of the Body, preached earlier this month by Terry Virgo at Christ Church London, which meets in a central London theatre.

He preached on Ephesians 4, boldly dealing with the controversial issue of the continuation of "Ephesians Four Ministries," but the entire message was packed full of fantastic material that challenged his hearers to play an active role in the church. It is well worth listening to in its entirety. This sermon, along with the one Terry preached for us, makes a great introduction to his teaching. You can download this new sermon from the Christ Church site, or listen to it online here using the following player:


Luke Wood has served us well by sharing the following quotes from Terry Virgo's sermon:

"So the church is vital in God's programme — it should be vital in every Christian's life, [in] our experience of church life."

"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."

Terry Virgo's website also has a growing collection of his sermon audios available.

9Marks has announced a conference entitled Gospel Growth vs. Church Growth. Here is the information from the website:

Tuesday October 30 — Thursday November 1, 2007

Capitol Hill Baptist Church, Washington, D.C.

About the conference
It's hard for pastors not to be mesmerized by church growth. Who doesn't want their congregation to grow? Who doesn't want to see numbers and budgets increasing year by year? And who isn't greatly interested when the latest growth model comes along, the latest research, the latest insight that promises us the key to such growth?

But there's growth and there's growth.

Understanding what the New Testament means by growth, and how that growth happens, sets us free. It liberates us from anxiety and self-doubt, and from the slavery of chasing the latest program.

Matthias Media, in association with 9Marks, is pleased to present ‘Gospel Growth vs Church Growth’, a conference for pastors, evangelists and ministry trainees.

At this conference, you will learn about the growth that is central to God's plan, and how that growth is achieved. But the conference will not just be about biblical ‘principles’. It will also be about the practicalities of what these principles mean for your local ministry, and about making you more effective in it.

Four key addresses by Phillip Jensen will be the foundation of our conference, with Mark Dever also contributing a valuable keynote address. Tony Payne and Phillip will also give two practical seminars, and there will be a forum with all three speakers answering questions and engaging in further exploration of the ideas.

When: Tuesday, October 30 through Thursday, November 1, 2007.

Registration begins at 2:00 pm on Tuesday. Conference will conclude by noon on Thursday.

Where: Capitol Hill Baptist Church, Washington, D.C. Parking is limited.

Cost: $95.00

Special rates apply for students and pastors of small churches. Please contact us for details. Earlybird rate: $80.00 (register by August 15).

UPDATE - In April 2009 I filmed a video interview with Liam Goligher

This is the last post in my interview series with Liam Goligher. In previous posts we have addressed our distinctives, things that unite us, the atonement, and now to conclude, we will look at some very interesting comments Liam made about church government and structure.

Towards the end of our time together, I asked Liam what he felt the current crisis in evangelicalism was teaching us about how we define evangelicalism. There is, he said, a fundamental problem at the heart of the current evangelical movement. In the past we wanted to be independent and build a structure that allowed a “free for all.” His own church, he said, is entirely independent. When it comes to the evangelical movement, it seems that no one is in a position to bring some definition — if a person claims they can sign the statement of faith in good conscience, the general perception is that we are powerless to do anything about it. This whole scenario of the last couple of years has made Liam think that we all need to revisit the idea of church polity or church government:

“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.”

I am excited to see that men like Dr Goligher are beginning to understand that pieces of paper and organisational structures do not guarantee orthodoxy. I believe that it is no accident that the New Testament speaks of God giving gifts of specific men with ministries to the whole church to equip us and help us to do works of service. It is these men who are supposed to stop us being blown around by every wind of teaching.

There are not many with the stature and authority of a man like Liam Goligher. As the interviewer, I was struck that there is an urgent need in the Church today for men like Dr Goligher to rise up and use their God-given authority to bring clear definition and leadership to others. That leadership will obviously be primarily directed by each man of such calibre towards churches who share the majority of both the theological and stylistic distinctives that he holds dear. Increasingly such men will, I am sure, be joining hands together across such divides in a very clear way to stand up for the distinctives of the Gospel. The Gospel is far more important than the second-order issues that sometimes stand in our way of working together. I will give Liam the last word in this write-up of our meeting:

“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.”

In the first post of my interview with Liam Goligher we focused on the distinctives on which he and I differ. In the second post we discussed some important challenges facing the church today. We now turn to an issue which is never far from my blog — the atonement.

Perhaps because it is most topical right now, and perhaps because he has already written a popular book on the subject (The Jesus Gospel), the atonement seemed to arouse the most passion in Liam as we spoke. Liam’s book should, in my view, be seen as occupying the middle ground between C. J. Mahaney’s Cross Centered Life and the recently published Pierced for Our Transgressions (PFOT). Unlike Mahaney’s more devotional book, The Jesus Gospel engages directly with the current debate prompted by Steve Chalke, but is neither as long nor as deep theologically as PFOT. Liam is glad that his book can fit into a spectrum which means that every Christian can access vital teaching on the atonement, and he strongly welcomed the publication of the new longer work — of which he is one of a very long list of evangelical endorsers.

Liam is very disappointed at the reluctance of some leading figures within UK evangelicalism to define the limits of what is acceptable in an evangelical's understanding of the atonement. As far as Liam (and me, for that matter) is aware, Pete Broadbent (by implication) and N. T. Wright are the only key figures who have gone on record supporting the right of someone to describe views of the atonement (which the majority of evangelicals hold dear) as “cosmic child abuse” and still maintain that they are “evangelical.” By contrast, there is a very long list of names who have endorsed PFOT very strongly, so there seems to be a very strong sense of the vital importance of the doctrine of Penal Substitutionary Atonement. There seems to be very few key figures in evangelicalism who have been willing to go further and to say publicly that the ideas popularised by Steve Chalke are unacceptable within the evangelical community — two notable exceptions are, of course, Wayne Grudem and John Piper.

I asked Liam how he came to write his book on the atonement. He described the strong feelings he and other Keswick trustees had felt about Steve Chalke’s book, The Lost Message of Jesus, when it first came out. It was of great concern to him that these views condemning penal substitutionary atonement were coming from Steve Chalke, one of the most influential members of the evangelical movement in the UK, who sits on the boards (as Liam described them) “of almost every major Christian organisation in the UK” and is part of the Spring Harvest leadership and speaking team. Liam feels very strongly that PSA is central to the very heart of the Gospel. Sitting in a coffee shop in Keswick, where strong concerns were voiced around, a friend said, “If one of you guys don’t do something about this, who will?” Liam explained, “I took that as a word from the Lord to me, and from that moment knew I had been commissioned by Him to write a book on the subject of the atonement.”

Liam begins The Jesus Gospel by describing how he found a book many years ago, written in the 19th century, in which there was a clear distaste for the doctrine of penal substitutionary atonement and the concept of the wrath of God. It advocated exactly the same beliefs that are being publicised now, and was clearly written in response to a culture hostile to the Gospel. The modern views are, to Liam, exactly identical to those of the original 19th century theological liberals and 20th century modernists. Once again the drive is to be culturally relevant, which must not be allowed when it comes to doctrine. The only difference is, far from happily calling themselves liberals, modern exponents of these teachings are trying to retain the description “evangelical,” and even painting historic evangelical positions as somehow “sub-biblical” and “un-Christian.”

I asked Liam if he could enlighten me as to what the detractors of PSA believe actually happened on the cross, since I find them hard to pin down. He agreed that it is far from clear what many of those people actually believe, and that often it seems almost as if they are saying that the cross was merely a display to the world of how much God loves us. Liam said, “It’s a bit like a boy saying to a girl — 'Look how much I love you!' — and then jumping straight off a cliff. That’s an absurd way to view the cross.”

Continued in part four . . .

It was a real privilege to speak with Liam Goligher recently, and it is a delight to now bring a report of that conversation here to my blog. 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.

Liam comes from a very different church background than I do. For example, he is happy to use the identification “cessationist" in a nuanced kind of way, and the style of his church meetings (which includes liturgy and more traditional music) is very different to that with which I am familiar. Yet immediately there was a mutual recognition of brotherhood in the body of Christ. Liam is clearly a man who loves Jesus and is willing to stand up for biblical truth. We spent the majority of our time discussing things about which we both agree, and my respect for him grew by the minute. I will spend this first post of the interview discussing those things where we have differing perspectives, and then move on in subsequent posts to the more vital doctrines — including, of course, the atonement — about which Dr Goligher is clearly very passionate.

Liam was eager to point out that he believes it is vital for those who he describes as “confessing evangelicals” to work together across some of the barriers that have divided them in the past. He does not, however, advocate minimising or removing all such distinctions. We operate in two spheres — the sphere of joining hands to support the Gospel and work together and the sphere of the local church. Liam spoke about the importance of realising what issues have prominence, and in our conversation those did, indeed, have prominence. He clearly believes that what Mohler calls “theological triage” is crucial. There are issues that should not prevent us from working together on a conference platform, but which within a local church may present practical difficulties. Each local church must identify where it is going to stand on these matters, and on which of them it is willing to be flexible. Liam believes, for example, that to have both cessationists and charismatics in the leadership team of a local church congregation would not be practical. On the other hand, in his own local church, considerable flexibility is given to those who differ on the mode and timing of baptism. Not every church will come to the same conclusions about where it stands on these “second-order” issues, which of them will be required for membership, and which will be prerequisites for leaders in that congregation. But, said Liam, every church must have a clear idea of its own theological and stylistic identity, and must not confuse the two. Along with theological distinctives, each congregation will be shaped to some degree by the local culture in which it exists — this will affect the stylistic choices, but obviously should not affect the theological ones. It is vital that we remember that the way we do things is not the only way they can be done — or even necessarily the best way in another context.

In his own local church, Liam felt it was crucial to introduce a firmer commitment to some of the doctrinal creeds, and to demonstrate this by a greater use of catechisms and confessions. He was intentional about defining exactly where the church stood on doctrine and where it allowed variation within its members and leadership team. He also introduced an eldership. He has sought to apply the regulative principle to worship using creeds and some reformed liturgy and confessions as teaching and worship aids, along with the best mixture of traditional and contemporary music. "We love Watts and Wesley, as well as Townend and Kauflin. Our mornings are more classical, and our evenings more jazz and contemporary." Being based in Richmond and having a desire to reach a certain group of people who, historically, their church had not met, he also introduced some changes to their style of worship. In his desire to shape a worship service to help a certain type of person encounter God in a relevant way, Liam arrived in a very different place to others of us. Where many of us have moved to more informal services with drums, keyboards, and guitars, Liam went another way. The changes towards including liturgy in his meetings and maintaining a music style and format that was familiar to many in the area of Richmond, proved successful in encouraging people back to church. Liam is eager to stress that he, personally, can worship God in a variety of settings, and is happy to attend worship services very different to those in his local church congregation.

We discussed the specific issue of the charismatic/cessationist debate. Liam believes that this can often revolve around differences in how certain things are defined. For example, the typical charismatic and cessationist hold to very different definitions of prophecy. To Liam, these differences are often about “sloppy language,” and he is not at all concerned with where people stand on that issue when it comes to uniting with them for the purposes of defending and declaring the Gospel. Liam was anxious to point out, however — something I have begun to realise is clearly the case — that moderate cessationists like Liam are not so very far from us charismatics. As he put it, “We all want to have a dynamic living relationship with God and each other, and to experience something of God in our meetings.”

Continued in Part Two . . .

Mark Driscoll is at the centre of controversy once more. This time it is about a video he shot for a conference that was aimed at stirring men to fight for the church. The video was publicly criticised from the stage of the conference by Bill Hybels. The video was then not given out as planned to the conference delegates. I am impressed with his restraint in his blog post on the subject.

I am praying for Mark right now as I write this because I'm sure this was the last thing he was expecting or wanting. Personally, I love the video and I think he is right on with what he says. Well done, Mark, for standing for God, and more power to your elbow!

Thought I would share some brief notes and highlights from 1 Timothy 1-6. This is based on what I underlined and wrote in the margins of my lovely new Bible. These are the things that stood out as I was reading.

Verse 3 - “charge certain persons not to teach any different doctrines” – perhaps certain bloggers need to hear that command!

1 Tim 1:8-11 - the proper use of Law. Note that in v10 doctrine has implications for life (see also 1 Tim 4:16 and 1 Tim 6:3). Paul is given as the premier example of the transforming grace of the Gospel in 1 Tim 1:16.

The vital place of prophecies for Timothy in ministry in 1 Tim 1:18-19. If he needed to fight on the basis of specific words from God, surely we do, too.

Predestination indirectly comes up in 1 Tim 2:4 and 1 Tim 4:10. This subject, including the questions about the extent of the atonement, is also addressed in Romans 9 and Ephesians 1. These passages do NOT contradict each other despite first appearances.

Gender issues are addressed in 1 Tim 2:8-15. I realise that good people differ on the interpretation of this passage - what exactly is “teach or exercise authority”? But, the key question is - do we in any sense feel these words apply to us today? It is those who want to totally ignore them that do irreparable damage to their view of the Bible.

Chapter 3 lists fifteen qualifications for eldership, only one of which (teaching) is a ministry gift. If teaching is for men only as per the context of chapter 2, then it should be no surprise that an elder is consistently described in masculine terms here.

There are six qualifications for deacons, and in the middle, some for “women”. I'm convinced that this is not just the wives of deacons because the position of their mention would mean that Paul was only concerned about deacons' wives and not the wives of elders! So, instead this is surely about the qualifications for women leaders in the church who, like the male deacons, served under the supervision and direction of the elders. In other words, the way Paul interjects women here leads me to believe that he feels women can serve as deacons in the church.

My conclusion? There IS a role for women to lead in churches, but it would seem from these verses NOT as elders.

1 Tim 4:3 puts the knife into later monasticism – we are not to forbid marriage or require abstinence! Paul does require spiritual progress, and commands his son in the faith to demonstrate this to the people in 1 Tim 4:11-16.

Chapter 5 is headed appropriately enough in my Bible - “Instructions for the Church,” and is almost a social policy document.

Money is addressed in 1 Tim 6:5-10, 17-19, and the right use of alcohol in 1 Tim 5:23. Timothy is urged in the end to guard the deposit with which he has been entrusted.

So there you have it - an overview of 1 Timothy 1-6.

This newly released 600-page book needs to quickly become part of the library of every preacher who wants to learn what some of the most influential preachers in the UK think of our shared art, which some have called the highest calling any man can ever receive.

Based on an extended preaching conference, this book includes contributions by a wealth of the very best UK preachers.

Editor Greg Haslam begins the book with an introduction to preaching and ends it with appendixes on the relationship between being filled with the Spirit and preaching and on the so-called "Ephesians 4 ministries." Greg spent over twenty years pastoring a newfrontiers church, so if my recent coverage of the Together on a Mission conference has whetted your appetite, the book is worth buying just for this section.

John Stott follows up with a chapter on the paradoxes of preaching. It is amazing to think that he is still preaching. I will never forget hearing him in the flesh — as he put it, "a preacher preaching to preachers about preaching.”

Liam Goligher surveys preaching in church history and argues that preaching presupposes a view of the Bible as the "book that speaks for itself.” Mark Stibbe discusses the gift of teaching and what we can learn from Jesus' model of preaching.

Michael Eaton explains his view of "God-centered" preaching, and introduces us to expository preaching through books of the Bible. Phillip Greenslade focuses on the priestly effects of preaching and how to "preach the big story.”

Greg Haslam asks, "What makes a good sermon?" whilst David Pawson describes how his own style of preaching evolved over the years through several different forms, and also how to preach to the whole person.

Terry Virgo boldly describes three of the ascension gifts of Jesus — the apostle, prophet, and evangelist — and focuses in on what he calls apostolic preaching, as well as what it means to give ourselves to the word of God and prayer.

An entire section is devoted to the anointing of God and preaching for a response — David Holden and Colin Dye contribute much of this. This is followed by a very practical section about the "nuts and bolts" of sermon preparation and connecting with the real world, brought to us by Stuart Reid, Chris Wright, Mike Pilavachi, Greg Haslam, and Jeff Lucas.

Preaching can bring both unity and division in local churches and between different types of churches. Joel Edwards (head of the UK's Evangelical Alliance) hopes for the former — but with Haslam's chapter on prophetic preaching, we may have to concede sometimes the latter is appropriate! Doug Williams explores Pentecostal and black preaching, as well as the spiritual warfare aspects.

Another big section is devoted to preaching into the culture, and the evangelistic effects of preaching. J. John, Michael Ramsden, and Mark Stibbe bring their insights here.

The book itself ends with a section on the making of a preacher — the famous answer to that question we all hate: "How long did it take you to prepare that sermon?" "Thirty years!" springs to mind here. Steve Brady, Jeff Lucas, and Greg Haslam discuss the calling, making, maturing, and where necessary, recovery of the preacher.

I cannot recommend this book highly enough. It is available online from a UK website, but will be posted anywhere in the world. Buy a copy for yourself, for your pastor, for your missionary friend overseas — in short for anyone with an interest in preaching!

The book is available from Sovereign World, who will deliver it to you wherever you are and I will close with what they say about it themselves:

In changing times, one thing does not change: the quiet, but insistent, call of God to preach the Gospel. Yet there has been a widespread loss of confidence in the Scriptures and growing confusion about their message. As a result, our witness has often been muted, timid, and unclear.

One of the greatest casualties has been the decline of bold, authoritative, and powerful popular preaching. Many critics have predicted the total demise of preaching from church life altogether, since it is increasingly seen as an outmoded relic of a former age. The result of this loss has been a widespread leakage of spiritual power, declining numbers, and stunted spiritual growth in many churches.

In the autumn of 2003, at Westminster Chapel, we embarked upon a preaching school that sought to provide a remedy for this problem. It was simply called Preach the Word! My hope was that it would help raise the calibre, profile, and effectiveness of authentic biblical preaching across every denomination and stream in the Body of Christ.

A wide range of outstanding teachers, preachers, and communicators were invited to share their skills, wisdom, and strongest convictions on a host of themes related to this great task, and a large number of delegates gathered each month to give them an enthusiastic hearing. The transcripts of these teaching sessions have been edited and distilled into this single volume in an effort to reach and engage an even wider audience. These presentations will encourage renewed confidence in the importance of this ministry, and impart practical know-how in its development, both in beginners just 17 starting out on this call, as well as those considerably more experienced in the work. Men and women of all ages who are called to this task will benefit greatly from this extraordinary collection.

Now that the Together on a Mission conference is over, I thought I would share the highlights from my perspective. If you have never heard of us, my newfrontiers Special Edition of Links post should give you a good starting point. We had a great time with 54 nations represented at the confernece.

In true blogging fashion, these excerpts from the last few days are in reverse chronological order – which can be a bit confusing if you aren’t used to it!

Just a note before we get going about these posts – they are a mixture of the actual words of the preachers and my own reflections on the talks as I wrote – I have, if you like, let you all have a look over my shoulder as I wrote notes for my own use.

As such, I do want to give credit to the preachers where credit is due, but take the blame for any error I may have introduced. The best set of notes can never substitute for listening to the sermon itself, so I would encourage you to download these messages from the newfrontiers site.


TOAM - Final Session - Numbers 10, 11 - Terry Virgo

• newfrontiers has been one of God's best kept secrets.




• Let's make Jesus famous.




• I would urge EVERYONE with any current level of Christian leadership, or any future desire to serve God in this way, to make sure that you listen to this talk when it becomes available. It is quite simply the best message on leadership I have ever heard.

TOAM - Seminars, Worship, and MOBILISE

• The near ubiquity of prophecy . . . is impressive. No matter how much any given New Testament document may attack false prophecy or seek to regulate charismas, there is not a single instance in which the widespread phenomenon of the prophetic gifts is condemned or even questioned. It is regarded as part of the normal life.

TOAM - Session 8 - P. J. Smyth on "Penetrating Leadership"

• "Someone radical, doing something radical, helped by another radical" - this is what attracts God's attention.




• For some of us, God needs to put the "Lead" back into our leadership.

TOAM - Session 7 - Romans 1, 15, and 16 by Dave Devenish

• Thus the objective and theme of Paul's letter to the Romans and his ministry is to bring about the obedience of faith in EVERY nation.
  

TOAM - Session 6 - The Person of Christ by Wayne Grudem

• Don't let your lack of ability to understand cause you to reject the biblical truth. Jesus had to be divine to be the mediator and the substitute.




• One nature of Jesus does some things that the other nature does not do. His human nature is no longer in the world, but His divine nature is still in the world - hence He could say, "I am leaving," but also "I will always be with you." Jesus could get tired humanly whilst remaining all-powerful.




• EVERY KNEE WILL BOW TO THE CARPENTER OF NAZARETH! Who would you rather have as Lord and Savior?

TOAM - Thousands of international pastors reflect on the challenge of the Gospel

• “I am writing these short thoughts in the hotel as I am about to go and lie down. Ironic, isn't it, that as the next session starts, my shingles pain is the worst it has been so far, just after we heard that faith-stirring talk on healing . . . this is part of the tension of living in the now, but not yet. Even in the midst of Bible times, Paul could speak of his friend nearly dying, and urged Timothy to drink wine because of his "frequent illness."” (I missed session 5 as a result.)

TOAM - Session 4 - 2 Corinthians 3 by Rob Rufus

• We should expect that there is coming a great outpouring of the supernatural Holy Spirit that will exceed anything any generation has seen before.




• Experience shouldn't shape our theology, but neither should our lack of experience shape our theology either!

TOAM - Session 3 - Hebrews 11 by Terry Virgo

• This chapter is not simply about getting, claiming, and receiving; it's about making huge decisions rooted in things you know. The first act of faith was Moses refusing by faith - he didn't GET anything at that point! He REFUSED something instead




• Biblical leadership is to be called, tested, and then given a sphere on the basis of what they have proved.




• We have to allow God time in order to do a work in our soul before He will use us in leadership.

TOAM - Session 2 - Isaiah 9 by Dave Stroud

• Words are one of the most powerful weapons in a leader's armory,




• The King is coming and He will change everything . . . give yourself to the King!

TOAM - Session 1 - Acts 7- 8, 11:19 by Stephen van Rhyn

• Beholding before going, encountering before commissioning.



• Our actions matter . . . if we are going to reach new frontiers, it will require each one of us to win personal faith battles. Growing personal faith empowers apostolic advance.

We don't just tolerate diversity, we celebrate it!

TOAM - Live Blogging Together on a Mission - The Prelude

• Some Christians are a bit dismissive of conferences and wonder what all the fuss is about. I say a conference is the closest thing to heaven we are likely to experience on earth!




• Lives changed. Missions assigned. The Word preached. Truths grasped. Cynical hearts broken down. Hope restored. The Spirit poured out. Spiritual gifts received. Leaders created. Churches restored. A new beginning. Back to the real world. Souls saved. GLORY TO GOD!

As I concluded my final set of notes . . .
The conference has ended. Let the global reverberations begin!

This is one of a series of posts about Together On A Mission – the newfrontiers conference

The sense of prophetic expectation and commission was heavy in the air throughout the worship time. One prophetic word which stood out spoke of how newfrontiers has been one of God's best kept secrets! The word said we should expect others to suddenly want to know more about us. Perhaps this blog will have a small role to play in this. If you are intrigued about this family of churches on a mission about whom I've been blogging, go visit http://www.newfrontiers.xtn.org/ and find out more - perhaps even find a newfrontiers church near you to visit and discover more about us!

Terry's last talk at conferences like this is always a vision-casting and faith-building commission, so I feel that you will be well-served by listening to the whole talk. I only plan to take short notes from the talk, to whet your appetite. Just before the sermon, there was a fantastic video clip which included a phrase which stands out from the week - "Let's make Jesus famous."

Before Terry shared, the total from last night's offering was shared with the congregation. This was just a few thousand pounds short of one million pounds.

Nigel turned the tables on Terry and introduced the man who has been introducing all the other preachers as "the man who fathers this movement." Then, as he stood up to preach, something happened which I don't think we have ever done before - entirely unprompted by the platform party and despite hand signals from Terry to discourage us, the entire congregation rose to their feet, united as one, and gave Terry and the God he serves a fairly long standing ovation! Somehow it felt right and not at all man-glorifying. As Terry began to speak, the feelings of love and family that so mark this movement were clear.

Terry opened the Bible at Numbers 10. He explained that for a people like newfrontiers, with a great vision, it is not just a matter of a moment at a conference. Instead, the endurance of the leader - who often stands at the pressure point - is crucial. His talk was aimed at helping us to go "on and on" with God. He explained what a high point Numbers 10 was - including as it does the famous quote, "Come with us, and we will do you good." At that point, the people of Israel had great confidence because GOD was with them. But then, he explained, he wanted instead to speak this morning on the next chapter, Numbers 11, and the complaints and pressure that all leaders face at times.

I found myself thinking as he masterfully read a significant portion of the chapter of what was said about Lloyd-Jones - that listening to him read the scripture was more informative than listening to most men preach. Certainly his pastoral heart and empathy with the passage were very clear, and he made it live.

As he began to preach, I stopped writing notes. I knew instantly that I should just listen. That is not to say that notes would not have been helpful, nor indeed that others were not furiously writing. I just wanted to let the full impact of this message shape me, rather than focusing on writing it down. I found this message to be quite simply the best message for leaders at any level in the church. I did not write notes because it was a sermon that demanded to be listened to with full attention.

I would urge EVERYONE with any current level of Christian leadership, or any future desire to serve God in this way, to make sure that you listen to this talk when it becomes available. It is quite simply the best ever message on leadership I have ever heard. Get the downloads for the conference and make SURE that you listen to this one. Perhaps like Piper at Together for the Gospel it might be wise not to listen to this one first. Terry Virgo is a father-figure to the whole global church and one of those men you need to get to know! If you have never heard him preach, start with this one, or whilst you are waiting for the downloads to be available (keep watching this blog!) try listening to him when he preached on Romans at the UCCF.

The conference has ended. Let the global reverberations begin!

This is one of a series of posts about Together On A Mission – the newfrontiers conference

Terry, during his introduction, recommended the series on Ephesians by Lloyd-Jones which is now available in a reduced price paperback version. He also recommended the new volume released, Preach the Word, edited by Greg Haslam. I can add my recommendation to the first - it having been foundational in my life many years ago, and having listened to the audio from the conference on which the second is based, I have high hopes for it as well.

I will share somewhat shorter notes from this talk, largely because it was the kind of sermon that gives itself more to that � the talk is peppered with stories and illustrations, so it would be worth listening to it when it becomes available.

1 Samuel 14 - ". . . nothing can hinder the Lord from saving by many or by few . . ."

Three CONSEQUENCES of penetrating leadership:

1. It draws God into the battle. P. J. said, "someone radical, doing something radical, helped by another radical"- this is what attracts God's attention.
   
   
   
2. Chaos can result!
   
   
   
3. It opens up the other side. "To boldy go where no man has gone before" is a good definition of biblical leadership. For some of us, God needs to put the "Lead" back into our leadership.

P. J. then challenged prophets and preachers to be bolder in our proclamation, and to be expectant.

Three CHARACTERISTICS of penetrating leadership:

1. It is fueled by the promises of God � e.g. "I can do all things by God who strengthens me," or "The earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord like the waters cover the sea." Leadership decisions are tested � in this case his armour bearer.
   
   
   
2. You put God first in your life � you die to self.
   
   
   
3. You are content with the "maybes" - There is a bit of a RISK that occurs � I am not absolutely sure, but I think God is saying this.
   
   
   

Three RESPONSES of a penetrating leader:

1. A restrictive or religious response � Saul � form over substance - bound the army under an oath. Even to the point of killing his son!
   


2. A reasonable response � the soldiers � NEVER! God was in it, don�t kill him. Tozer: "Faith is not a once-done act; it is a continuous redirecting of our sight, getting ourselves out of focus and God into focus."
   


3. A radical response � verse 7 � armour bearer - he articulated his support. Agreement and unity brings God�s blessing. Followers complete leaders.
   

P. J. said, "Leadership is about leading," not "officers to the rear!" "It�s not just a name - it�s a function."

Mark Dever has a great post over at the T4G blog which hammers home their reasons for prioritising the complementarianism versus egalitarianism issue in their statement. You might feel that the issue of whether or not women should hold the position of elder is a relatively minor point of theology. These guys clearly do not! I am going to take the liberty of quoting the last few paragraphs of this, but do go and read it all:

"Well then," you might say, "why don't you leave this issue of complementarianism at the level of baptism or church polity? Surely you cooperate with those who disagree with you on such matters." Because, though I could be wrong, it is my best and most sober judgment that this position is effectively an undermining of--a breach in--the authority of Scripture. As Lig, the paedobaptist, has often said, "If there were a verse in 1 Timothy saying, 'I do not permit an infant to be baptized . . .' we wouldn't be having this conversation about baptism! There is such a verse about women serving as teachers/elders!"

Dear reader, you may not agree with me on this. And I don't desire to be right in my fears. But it seems to me and others (many who are younger than myself) that this issue of egalitarianism and complementarianism is increasingly acting as the watershed distinguishing those who will accomodate Scripture to culture, and those who will attempt to shape culture by Scripture. You may disagree, but this is our honest concern before God. It is no lack of charity, nor honesty. It is no desire for power or tradition for tradition's sake. It is our sober conclusion from observing the last fifty years.

Paedobaptism is not novel (sadly). But, on the good side, evangelicals who have taught such a doctrine have continued to be otherwise faithful to Scripture for five centuries now. And many times their faithfulnesses have put those of us who may have a better doctrine of baptism to shame! Egalitarianism is novel. Its theological tendencies have not had such a long track record. And the track record they have had so far is not encouraging.

Of course there are issues more central to the Gospel than gender issues. However, there may be no way the authority of Scripture is being undermined more quickly or more thoroughly in our day than through the hermenuetics of egalitarian readings of the Bible. And when the authority of Scripture is undermined, the Gospel will not long be acknowledged. Therefore, love for God, the Gospel, and future generations, demands the careful presentation and pressing of the complementarian position."

I received another great e-mail question today:

I became interested in your blog when I found it through Mark Dever's 9 Marks website. I attended his church for a semester in college, and am friends with two of his former interns (James Santos and Paul Alexander). I'll be going to the T4G conference in April.

While jumping around through your site, I came across your description of the various leaders in a church. Very apt! However, I was wondering if you could clarify the "Apostle" position for me. For the sake of my own curiosity, I'd like to understand better what this person looks like in the church, how they are defined, and who an example might be. Which of the types do you envision Mark as?

I am fairly sure that my correspondent is referring to a post in which I argued apostles are for today and defined the Ephesians 4 ministries as follows-

A Pastor loves Christians
A Teacher loves books
An Evangelist loves non-Christians
A Prophet loves God
An Apostle loves the Church

As far as what an apostle does today is concerned, well they are meant to do almost exactly what the apostles of the NT era actually spent the vast majority of their time doing - serving the purposes of God in extending his Kingdom through the church. In the New Testament apostles plant churches, travel in teams around existing churches, disciple young men and turn them into leaders, appoint elders, gather elders together to train and warn them, lay doctrinal foundations, speak out against doctrinal heresy, strategize, direct, lead and correct existing churches.

In general teams I guess you could say Apostles start and care for churches. They MUST in my view have proven themselves in building a good local church which should be healthy and growing. The must inspire confidence in them by other leaders. They must be deeply committed to prayer and inspire faith in others. They will teach doctrine but will do so in a way which is very much connected with the practical issues of how to day to day do church. They are father-figures for whole families of churches. Their authority far exceeds any official position they have and they influence people more by the nature of their life and love for God than by any denominational authority. Actually, biblically we see that apostles did not even seem to exercise an organizational authority in NT days. Paul does not "lord" it over his converts but instead seeks to instruct them.

Now, whilst apostles are not always called apostles, and in some ages have been frustrated in their ministries by bureaucratic church heirachies I believe that God has never stopped sending his apostles to his church.

So who do I feel were apostles in church history? Men like Spurgeon, who single-handedly spawned hundreds of new churches. There are too many other examples to list.

In terms of Mark Dever, well I don't know him that well but from what I do know of him from meeting him once and reading online he is

-deeply committed to the local church
-passionate about both doctrinal foundations and building church structures that match it.
-a real people person and a gatherer - he totally seemed like a father-figure to me
-a man with an extensive following among Church leaders outside of his own local church
-a man without denominational power that explains his influence
-a man whom others are inspired by
-a man who travels with the gospel
-a man who seeks to bring reconciliation and renewal to the corporate body of Christ and not just his own denomination

He sounds a bit like an apostle to me. What other biblical class of leader could we put him in? How else could we explain his role? How else can we hold him accountable to a biblical model to test his ministry by?

Do you not think that we would be better of recognizing the role that men like Mark are fulfilling, and releasing them to do it in just the same way that the apostles of the New Testament did whilst they were not busy writing scripture (a task incidentally that cannot have kept the average apostle occupied for much of their lives!)

Tags:

• apostles

Evangelical Outpost pointed me to a great post by Catez who says:

"Recently I've seen posts in which the conclusions drawn are that if more than a certain number of people read a blog, or a blog appears in a certain position on a list of blogs, then this is a popular blog and this is not good. Ive even seen comments saying that these popular bloggers are like Pharisees because they are prominent and therefore are not humble. Well it's pointless to set about trying to prove one's humility - proving one's humilty is a contradiction in terms. So let me push back that wall first. Guess what? I'm not humble enough. I'm not loving enough either. I'll go the whole hog - I'm woefully imperfect......"

Catez proceeded to pose an interesting question:

"There's a man who is the author of a book which is a best seller. He is popular with millions of people worldwide and considered an authority on religious matters and Christianity in particular. There is criticism of those who read his book, particularly those who promote it as the book for the times. There's criticism of people's motives for following his advice too. You would be right in saying that just as he has numerous people who seem to hang on his every word, he has also amassed a significant number of critics. In fact some people don't like him purely because he is so popular. Do you know who he is? Does his popularity in itself make him a Pharisee?"

Evangelical Outpost responded:

"The responses she received in the comment section include: Rick Warren, John Piper, Brian McLaren, and Joel Osteen. I would add that it could also fit John McArthur, Bruce Wilkinson, Tim LaHaye, Phillip Yancey, Chuck Colson, Francis Schaeffer,�in fact it could fit just about any male Christian author who has written a best-selling book.

Since they don�t all share the same theological views, we can�t blame the reason on issues of doctrine. So what else could it be? I suspect that just as there has been a strain of anti-intellectualism in evangelicalism that there is a similar anti-success element. Success, like intellectualism, is viewed as an obvious and incontrovertible sign of worldliness. Why is this such a recurring theme? Why can�t Christians simply be more discerning rather than making judgments based on popularity? Is it something in the nature of our faith that makes us this way?"

Like Joe, I wont take the punchline away from Catez and will leave you to read the follow up post to find out who this author was.

This issue is exactly what I was trying to get at in my posts about Bill Hybels and learning from others. Joe is absolutely right that certain believers seem eager to tear down anyone who is successful. Without trying to sound bitter, I somehow suspect that Joe may have had personal experience of that at the hands of other bloggers- I know I have. Just because a blog or a person is popular doesnt mean that blog or person is somehow automatically evil and wrong- after all it is said in the bible of Jesus himself that he " increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man" (Luke 2:52)

Catez puts it brilliantly:

"I am no longer.... going to wear guilt by association or feel some sort of false guilt because a certain number of people come to read what I write. Believe me - I appreciate anyone reading what I write. I have a blog because I would like people to read what I write.

What I would like to say to certain Christian bloggers is that this is not church. As far as I'm concerned bloggers are all just individuals with computers. There is no cyber board of elders and pastors�.What I mean is that there is no group of people running and overseeing a cyber church."

I also loved Evangelical Outpost's response to this part of the post:

Catez is right. There is no synod, presbytery, diocese, or other ecclesiastical council that oversees Godblogs. Essentially, we are all Baptists. We set up our blogs, either individually or as a group, and begin to express our theological opinions, all without oversight from a higher level polity. We may choose to congregate together (what is the GodBlogCon but the blogging equivalent of the annual meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention?) but our little para-churches are answerable to no higher human authority.

I totally agree with both Catez and Joe here- bloggers do not have authority nor should they have. Blogging can never replace being under the authority of the local church.

I would sound a note of caution here for those who may feel they can blog whatever they like. Bloggers will increasingly in my view be held accountable both on and offline for the things they say. I can imagine a blogging pastor one day loosing his job for some loose words spoken on his blog. But more than that, we are all likely to find ourselves caught by the words of James 3:

Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness. For we all stumble in many ways, and if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle his whole body. If we put bits into the mouths of horses so that they obey us, we guide their whole bodies as well. Look at the ships also: though they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things.

How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell. For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind, but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so. Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and salt water? Can a fig tree, my brothers, bear olives, or a grapevine produce figs? Neither can a salt pond yield fresh water.

Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom. But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice. But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.

Like David Wayne, I have been aware of Tim Bednar's Paper for some while, but never read it. I really ought to read it sometime and hereby give my readers permission to nag me to do so! In the meantime David's reaction as a pastor is interesting. My own view is that the internet can never replace church or the pastoral care of a set of elders who God has raised up to care for me. I said as much in my last sermon on Acts 20.