Worry and Fear

Edward T. Welch has done it again. I have benefited greatly from his previous writings and look forward to reading this too! It is titled Running Scared: Fear, Worry, and the God of Rest. C.J. Mahaney has written two seperate reviews of it found here and here. Tim Challies has written a longer and perhaps a bit more helpful review here (by the way, he admits this is his first, but certainly not last time, he read Welch). Here are some excerpts from the book:

"At this point, we know that worry and fear are more about us than about the things outside us. They reveal what is valuable to us, and what is valuable to us in turn reveals our kingdom allegiances. We also know that God is patient and compassionate with us, and he gives grace upon grace. Though alert to our divided allegiances, he persists in calling us away from fear and worry, persuades us of the beauty of the kingdom, and gives more than we can imagine."

"Like most writing projects, this book is aimed squarely at myself. Although I can be angry or melancholy, I am a fear specialist. In this I have found that I am not alone. Not everyone is a fear specialist, but there is no doubt that every single person who ever lived is personally familiar with fear. It is an inescapable feature of earthly life. To deny it is…well…to deny it."

No Little Places

I just finished reading an excellent book by Ron Klassen & John Koessler titled No Little Places: The Untapped Potential of the Small-Town Church. Here are some excerpts:

"If God has called you to pastor a small-town church, this book is for you.It is to encourage you to appreciate more than ever before the importance of the work to which God has called you and to give you and your people practical tools for fulfilling your church's God-given potential. Your picture will probably never grace the cover of a national magazine. You may never be invited to address your denominational conference. Few may hear or care about the struggles you have faced as you serve Christ in your small town. Do not let that discourage you. There is One who notices. He will bless your efforts and reward your faithfulness" (pg. 15).

"The more pastors become the students of their people, the more they can impact their lives for good. If we want to reach people for Christ, we must immerse ourselves in their world instead of trying to force them into ours" (pg. 68).

"Good worship is not a fancy sound system or choir or talented soloists or professional instrumentalists. The best worship is simply when all the people participate in ascribing worth to God" (pg. 84).

"The truth is that no church of any size can meet all the needs around it. But any church can do those things God has specifically called it to do. God never calls us to do anything without also giving us the resources to do it..." (pg 90).

"Pastors who want their congregation to be on the cutting edge of creative ministry must help nurture an atmosphere that encourages experimentation....Perfectionism - demanding excellence - can kill creativity. Paradoxically it is by extending the freedom to fail - by creating an atmosphere where the inexperienced can develop new skills without feeling embarrassed by their mistakes and where those with vision are encouraged to experiment with new ministries - that you provide the environment that is most likely to lead to excellence in ministry" (pg. 95).

Free Resources

Over at Sovereign Grace Ministries one can download the entire main set of 2006 "Together for the Gospel" conference. Download them here. Enjoy!

Message titles and speakers

The Pastor’s Understanding of His Own Role (Mark Dever)
Preaching from the Old Testament (Ligon Duncan)
Preaching with the Culture in View (Albert Mohler)
The Center of Christian Preaching: Justification by Faith (R.C. Sproul)
Why Expositional Preaching Is Particularly Glorifying to God (John Piper)
Watch Your Life (C.J. Mahaney)
Forty Years of Gospel Ministry (John MacArthur)

America's Most Popular Theologian

I have said it before and I will say it again, "Oprah Winfrey is America's most popular theologian." If you would like to know what this "theologian" is teaching about God and humanity then you must read this article by Warren Smith.

Here is a quick smattering of what Oprah teaches in "A Course in Miracles," a year long course on New Age doctrine. What she teaches is dangerous, deceptive, and flat out wrong:

“There is no sin. . . "
A “slain Christ has no meaning."
“The journey to the cross should be the last ‘useless journey.”
“Do not make the pathetic error of ‘clinging to the old rugged cross.’”
“The Name of Jesus Christ as such is but a symbol... It is a symbol that is safely used as a replacement for the many names of all the gods to which you pray.”
“God is in everything I see.”
“The recognition of God is the recognition of yourself.”
“The oneness of the Creator and the creation is your wholeness, your sanity and your limitless power.”
“The Atonement is the final lesson he [man] need learn, for it teaches him that, never having sinned, he has no need of salvation.”

Avoid Every Appearance of Evil!!

Daniel Wallace has posted some great thoughts on what 1 Thessalonians 5:22 means when it says, "avoid every appearance of evil." I can remember as a child being told not to play cards, or watch movies at the theatre, etc., because they are the appearance of evil. I have long since grown away from that erroneous teaching but many still have not. I hope many will read this article and think carefully about its implications for the Christian life.

Church & Culture

"We do not want, as the newspapers say, a church that will move with the world. We want a church that will move the world."
- G.K. Chesterton

Programs! Come Get Your Programs!

The ancient church had a minium of organization, but it had a maximum of power. The average church today has a maximum of organization but tragically lacks power. Dr. G. Campbell Morgan once warned, “One of Satan’s methods today is to start so many organizations in a church that the members have no time for unhurried communion with God. Many Christians are so busy that they can hear only the clink and clatter of church machinery." Too often we are over-organized and under-agonized.
—Walter B. Knight

What God's church needs today is not new and better programs, but more men and women and children who are burdened and praying wholeheartedly for the spiritual and physical needs of fellow brothers and sisters in Christ around the world. The church needs more individuals who are committed both privately and publicly to prayer.

Epigram on Prayer Meeting

I first heard this on the radio a few months back and I remember thinking to myself how true it is! Unfortunately, I could never quite remember how it went so I couldn't share it with others, but now that has all changed.

The popularity of a CHURCH is measured by its Sunday morning attendance and the popularity of the PREACHER by its Sunday evening attendance. However, the popularity of the LORD is measured at the prayer meeting.

—The Bible Friend

Food for Living

"Man shall not live by bread alone, buy by every word that comes from the mouthof God" (Matthew 4:4).

The church father Jerome, in reflection upon this statement by Jesus, wrote, "if anyone does not feed upon God's Word, that one will not live."

Enough said?