the gospel coalition

I have been so delighted to discover a coalition of pastors who are seeking to raise up a generation of pastors committed to Gospel-basaed ministry. The leadership of this group is an amazing gathering of pastors whose books I read and sermons I listen to for encouragment, stimulation and better understanding of God's Word. Here you have the likes of John Piper, Tim Keller, DA Carson, Mark Driscoll, Mark Dever and others--men committed to God's Word, historic reformed theology and dynamic and relevant Gospel-ministry in our day.

As they say it...

Our desire is to serve the church we love by inviting all of our brothers and sisters to join us in an effort to renew the contemporary church in the ancient gospel of Christ so that we truly speak and live for him in a way that clearly communicates to our age. We intend to do this through the ordinary means of his grace: prayer, the ministry of the Word, baptism and the Lord’s supper, and the fellowship of the saints. We yearn to work with all who, in addition to embracing the confession and vision set out here, seek the lordship of Christ over the whole of life with unabashed hope in the power of the Holy Spirit to transform individuals, communities, and cultures.

The Gospel Coalition site has documentation on their theological positions and ministry vision, audio and video content, articles--historical and contemporary, recommended resources and more. Check it out!

importance of doctrine

For a long time now I have held what I consider to be a high view of the importance of right doctrine in the life of the believer and the Church. I am one of those people who really believes that right actions flow from right thinking. I believe that ideas matter. They shape the world we live in. They shape the mundane decisions we make day to day that determine our paths and our character.

For all that, I am also convinced that correct doctrine is not the be all end all of the Christian life. I have seen and experienced (yes and led out in) too many bitter disputes over doctrinal issues. I have seen people with fine theology whose spiritual lives are cold. I have talked with too many people hurt by those who see their calling as policing everyone else's doctrine. Even worse, I see in Scripture that correct doctrine, while important, does not a vital Christian life make. How else do you explain James 2:19, "You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder!"

I've recently discovered a wonderful article by Francis Schaeffer on this issue called "The Secret of Power and the Enjoyment of the Lord." In a couple short pages Schaeffer helpfully connects the critical role of pure and correct doctrine with a motive of love as a key component of true Christian spirituality. He says, "Purity of self and purity of the church are not ends in themselves. It will not even do to pursue these merely as loyalty to principle. Purity of self and the purity of the church are only worth while when they are based upon love and lead to love." This type of life is a "battle against flesh all the way" according to Schaeffer.

I continue to believe in the importance of ideas and especially doctrine. At the same time, we cannot disconnect our doctrine from its fruit and motive. If the Gospel is the life-transforming news of God's love for the world expressed through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, then love must flow forth from our lives--especially those for whom doctrine matters. After all, Jesus Himself told us (and the world around us!) "By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." (John 13:35)

one of our own!

One thing I am passionate about in our college ministry here at Grace is the stewardship we have in training up those who will go out and serve Christ in all kinds of vocations. Just over a week ago, one of our own, Jessica Reed (former Student Leader in our college ministry!), was back in town for her first professional engagement as Papagena in Mozart’s "The Magic Flute." Jessica is currently pursuing her graduate studies at the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston. I regularly get emails from her where she continues to evidence her growing faith and desire to serve the Lord where He calls her. Way to go Jess!

Check out the Tribune's article on Jessica!

urbana

A number of our college students from Grace went to Urbana over the winter break to explore missions and God's calling on their lives. I've been hearing moving reports of what happened in their lives as a result. One of them, Matt Esswein, sent me this article published in the Wall Street Journal saying, "It was cool for me to here as a business major that one of the nation's top business publications would include an article on the conference. "

Check it out: Meeting in St. Louis

He shared that this conference has been making him think more about doing business for a while and seeing what doors God opened up there. Since we're talking about vocation in college these days I wonder...

Any ways God has been working on your lives specifically with regards to vocation?

the a.i.d.s. crisis

I mentioned the Hedlt's and their blog a couple posts back as examples of living the Gospel in the world. One issue they are informed about si the crisis of AIDS, especially in Africa. Iam very challenged by them in this area and regret my ignorance in this area. Today in the mailI received some literature on a new book being put out by Intervarsity Press on this very issue. I think for many of us in the Church this is one of our Ninevehs--an area of sin we would rather not touch. Perhaps it's time to see the Gospel is bigger than the AIDS crisis...

From the notice I received...

The Campaign for Life

Deborah Dortzbach and W. Meredith Long (both executives with World Relief) take you to the ground floor of the campaign against AIDS, moving from the devastating global perspective to the hope emerging from the grass roots. You can help the church change the course of hte AIDS Crisis.

How We Can Help

1. Stop debating whether Christians should repsond to HIV and AIDS. "We must instead repent of our slow response."
2. Decide how to resond. "The scope of possible invovement is just as broad as the scope of the AIDS disaster."
3. Know with whom to respond. "The fight agaist AIDS brings together many unlikely organizations...sincere in watign to protect and save lives."
4. Ask yourself daily: What attitude am I repsoning with? How vulnerable am I willing to become?

Perhaps the Lord would call on some in our midst to read this book and expand our understanding of this issue?

kingdom come

I've been thinking a great deal recently about what it looks like to live the Gospel in real life circumstances. I especially want to point our college age community toward worthy examples of Gospel-life. How do we "in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation...appear as lights in the world " (Phil 2:15)? How do we live our future redemption in our lives now? What does it look like to strive toward the kingdom and will of God to be the same on earth as it is in heaven?

These are the questions that are on my mind a great deal of late. Then I thought about some people here at Grace that are lights in the world--examples of this kingdom living--for me. May their lives shine forth as an example for you as much they have for me...

• Scott Morton--I've had the opportunity to hear Scott cast vision for Grace's upcoming Capital Campaign in a number of forums, both public and private. He's the real deal. His life challenges me to personally re-evaluate if we are truly stewarding our material resources for the Kingdom. That doesn't even get into Scott's personal investment into college men, or as an elder, or the way he uses his dentistry practice for the Kingdom.
  
• Tim & Karen Weaver--I've been impressed watching Tim and Karen serve in many behind-the-scenes ways here at Grace. I think many would be surprised to find out how much they do for our Body Life. Beyond that, their love and commitment to their new boys Nick and Bif is amazing. They embody a picture of Romans 8:15.
  
• Mike and Katie Allshouse--Generous folks who recently adopted Eli from Ethiopia. They have raised my awareness of ministries such as Engineering Ministries International and Compassion International. They're living life and keeping their eyes open for opportunities to give of themselves to the Kingdom.
• Kevin and Brianna Heldt--This is a couple who regularly challenge me in a number of areas. Keven & Brianna were the first in our congregation to adopt twin boys from Ethiopia (Josef & Biniam) and to open my eyes to this possibility. Brianna blogs about issues like adoption and HIV in Africa (and lots of regular stuff too!) and they are a couple who looks seriously at how to live lives that promote justice, quality relationships and authentic spirituality.
  
• Kirt Collins--Kirt is the backbone of our ministry to the homeless population here at Grace. He's faithful to recruit volunteers for the overflow ministry and to oversee it's operation for two months each year. He also lives out his faith as a local principle and member of the community. Besides that, he's just a neat guy to be around!
  

This isn't an exhaustive list, but a group of people who are right in front of my eyes who are striving to to see and live in the world in light of the Good News of King Jesus. My guess is that none of these think they're doing anything special--normal people living out the Gospel the best they know how. If you have any examples you know and would be willing to share, I'd love to hear about them!