Kevin DeYoung's Blog, page 136

Silent Suffering

Guest Blogger: Jason Helopoulos

Maybe one of the most unique things about the Christian life is the call to suffer (Matthew 10:38; 16:2; Romans 8:17; Philippians 1:29). If anything was ever countercultural this is surely it! And maybe one of the hardest things about the Christian life is a willingness to endure that suffering silently. Don’t misunderstand me. There are surely times that we are not to endure suffering silently. The most obvious example is when the Gospel is at stake. But those times seem to be rare and far between. Usually our suffering for the sake of Christ does not call for us to add our voice to the cacophony.

However, when we are being persecuted or falsely accused by others our first inclination is typically to offer a defense. And why is that? Because our true concern in most of these cases is not the Gospel, nor Christ, nor even His Church—though those may be secondary concerns—our real concern is what others will think of us and the desire to be vindicated.

The rationalizing comes fast, “I cannot allow error to triumph over truth,” “My reputation is at stake,” “It will hamper my future ministry or current relationships,” “Surely I am to suffer but that does not mean being a doormat,” etc. However, at times does it not seem wise to follow the lead of our Lord and suffer silently (Isaiah 53:7; 1 Peter 2:23-24)? It is not easy, but often it is the most righteous and holy course to take. As Peter says, in so doing we are following in His footsteps (1 Peter 2:21ff). Here are a few things to remind yourself as you seek to suffer silently unto the glory of God.

I have the opportunity to…

look to Christ who suffered silently (Isaiah 53:7)
become more like Christ as I endure suffering (1 Peter 2:21)
and privilege of suffering with Christ (1 Peter 4:13)
complete what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions (Colossians 1:24)
to be tested by fire, so the genuineness of my faith will shine to the glory and honor of Christ (1 Peter 1:7)
remind myself that the Great Judge knows what is true (Matthew 12:36)
suffer with Him—knowing that as I do, I shall be glorified with Him (Romans 8:17)
suffer as it is a gracious thing in the sight of God (1 Peter 2:20)
suffer as it is a blessing and a sign that the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon me (1 Peter 4:14)
be reminded that my current suffering is nothing compared to the glory that awaits (1 Peter 5:10)
truly love my enemies (Matthew 5:44)
know more fully the extent of Christ’s love towards me (Ephesians 3:14ff)
learn afresh how dependent I am upon Christ (John 15:5)
be identified with Christ (John 15:18ff)
test my desire for God’s glory rather than man’s approval (Isaiah 51:7-8)

Fear of man must not silence you when you should speak. But neither should it lead you to speak when you should not. And suffering for the sake of Christ often means remaining silent in the midst of that suffering. It is hard and bitter. But as our minds are gripped by these truths, that which is hard and bitter can at the same time be sweet and easy to digest.

Monday Morning Humor

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In a generation, will we be hearing lots of sermons on BACON and having our children learn about BACON in Sunday school. We can hope so. And speaking of bacon…

Unity in Truth

Here is another excerpt from Turning Around the Mainline. In it, Tom Oden writes wisely (and passionately) about the right and wrong ways to pursue ecclesiastical unity.

Oldline ecumenical debate and planning are prone to misfire through a fundamental misunderstanding of the relation of unity and truth: They do no seek unity based on truth.

Four modern ecumenical arguments in particular misfire, as shown by David Mills. They even make Christian disunity more likely. These four following arguments have prevailed in liberal ecumenism, each unintentionally eliciting disunity. Each is a mistake “if-then” correlation:

1. If we can just get together on some common ethical standards, then we will therefore achieve the unity of believers.

2. If we could have the same open ecumenical feelings or experiences, then we would feel our unity.

3. If we could just be open to dialogue, then we would grow toward unity.

4. If we merge the separate institutions based on different memories created by the Spirit, then we would experience our unity through an institution, and thus we now must renew our commitment to the institutional vestiges of ecumenism.

All these attempts are alike in one way: they put unity ahead of truth. They squander the truth to achieve a superficial unity. All are mistaken. All spawn disillusionment with efforts at Christian unity. Together they have resulted in the ecumenical turbulence that now buffets us.

All misfire for the same reason: they base unity on something other than the truth, by avoiding the only basis from which Christian unity can emerge—that is the revealed Word whose hearing is enabled by the Holy Spirit and received through faith. (111)

On a related topic, for understanding liberal theology there is no better source than the three volumes by Gary Dorrien. After working through Dorrien, I tried to summarize Protestant liberalism with seven statements in an earlier blog post.

When Dialogue Avoids Truth

Thomas Oden on the problem with the mainline church’s infatuation with dialogue:

Lowercase orthodox believers are not seeking a debating society that would aspire to be a religious version of the United Nations. They do not see organic union as the final objective, especially if that objective is reduced to rhetorical evasion and organizational tinkering. What they want to see is the living confession of Jesus Christ transforming human, personal, and social experience. Wherever they see that, they know instantly from the heart their deep affinity with it. Wherever they don’t hear that, they know inwardly how alien and distant are these temptations.

The seductions of dialogue typically draw believers toward subjective feelings, mutual congratulation, and institutional horse-trading. They thrive on negotiation or arbitration models of interaction. They thereby draw us far away from the truth that is declared in Jesus Christ in whom all believers are called to participate by faith. So it should not be surprising that classic Christian believers tend to regard undisciplined dialogue as a temptation…

Confessing Christians have a long history of experience with the frustration and futility of such undisciplined dialogue not ordered under the written Word. It less often leads to the question of truth than to the question of how we “feel,” and how we can accommodate or negotiate our competing interests. That is different from the question of truth announced in the gospel, which alone engenders the unity of believers.

If the central question of Christian unity for classic Christian believers is the truth of the gospel, then the apostolic testimony made known in Jesus Christ is the first step toward unity. All other dialogue, however altruistic it may appear, is truly a diversion, a pretension of searching for truth, a ruse that substitutes narcissistic talk for integrity. What seems an innocent and generous invitation to dialogue actually amounts to a disposed predetermination to replace the truth question with what we “feel” about our own experience. In this way dialogue becomes an instrument of manipulation already shaped by the wrong premises. Global orthodox believers seek unity in the truth, no unity apart from truth, not unity as a substitute for the truth, but unity in the truth of the revealed Word. (Turning Around the Mainline, 66-67).

Toward Denominational Unity

If there is one biblical theme we’ve heard a lot of in the RCA for the past 15 years it’s the theme of unity. And no one is against unity. Jesus prayed for and Paul commends it, so who doesn’t want unity? Truth-filled, grace-saturated, gospel-centered, Bible-grounded unity is precious beyond measure. And yet, such unity does not come by wishing for it, announcing it, or devaluing truth. The only unity worth having is a unity that takes doctrinal backbone, effort, prayer, and guts.

So what events would have to take place and what problems would have to be addressed for the RCA to experience genuine, vibrant, Christ-pleasing, Spirit-filled, God-glorifying unity?

Let me suggest ten things we would have to do as a denomination to enjoy this kind of unity. Though some points are specific to the RCA, I believe most suggestions are applicable to other church bodies as well.

1. Admit we do not have unity in the RCA. The first step to solving the problem is admitting we have a problem. We are kidding ourselves if we think every pulpit preaches the same gospel and every minister believes the same basic things. We don’t all agree on hell, Scripture, the atonement, the virgin birth, the uniqueness of Christ, the purpose of missions, and a host of other crucial matters. When someone leaves your church, do you feel confident telling them “Just go to another RCA congregation. I’m sure it will be great”?

2. Draw doctrinal boundaries. Ironically, we cannot be inclusive if we don’t have anything in which to include people. We must get better at saying no to aberrant practices and doctrines. We need less death by dialogue and more tough decision making. It’s always easier to expand the boundaries or delay the inevitable, but no church or institution grows in the long run by being all things to all people. We have to be okay with people getting off the bus. I’d rather the RCA develop a strong identity and run with it, even if in the end it’s not an identity I like.

3. Make our Standards the standard, especially the Three Forms of Unity. Those who did not vote for Belhar will need to decide if they can still thrive and exist in a denomination that has, for the first time, changed its formal doctrinal foundation. But the Belhar question aside, our Standards aren’t worth much unless they are actually standards of unity. How many of our churches regularly utilize and teach from Heidelberg, Belgic, and Dort (yes, Dort too)? If “historic and faithful witnesses” only mean “these are faithful to what Christians in history have believed” then our confessions mean very little.

4. Put to rest the political pronouncements. If the Bible speaks clearly to an issue or if our theology is at stake, we must speak out. But let’s be honest about all the things we don’t know and aren’t qualified to pronounce a churchly judgment upon. Are we really equipped to weigh in on the latest farm bill, the embargo on Cuba, immigration policy, or the Israel-Palestine conflict?

5. Talk honestly about what is (and isn’t) the mission of the church. If mission is everything, then mission is nothing. We cannot be held together by missionalism, not least of all because mission and missional have become junk drawer terms filled with whatever we want them to mean. Is our mission to reach the lost, be the presence of God in the world, fight injustice, be the hands and feet of Jesus, renew cities, transform culture, care for the poor, and bless others? Is it really all of this, without distinction or priority? When we talk about “mission” we don’t mean the same thing.

6. Exercise church discipline. This starts in our own churches with careful membership and shepherding. It must also happen at the classis level. Too many denominations suffer from overindulgent parenting. Some can be too combative, but the RCA is a nice place that rarely disciplines ethical or doctrinal deviation. If the RCA has no courage or no mechanism to discipline those who blatantly contravene the Scriptures and thousands of years of Christian consensus, we have lost the third mark of the church.

7. Make the ordination process an actual evaluation of fitness for ministry. I understand the desire to mitigate the fear factor of exams and to make the process more enjoyable. But this cannot be done at the expense of doctrinal integrity. Our exams are far too easy. It is almost impossible for someone with reasonable intelligence and follow through who wants to be a pastor in the RCA to be directed out of the process (though I know of men who were so directed by virtue of being too conservative). A denomination will only ever be as good as its ordination process.

8. Make our seminaries accountable to the churches. The churches (and donors, most of whom are conservative) should know what is being taught in our schools. What is the doctrine of Scripture being espoused? What about three Isaiah’s? What about an historical Adam? What about creation and evolution? What about the “I am” statements? What is taught about propitiation, penal substitution, reprobation and other doctrines affirmed in our Standards? What is taught about homosexuality, the wrath of God, and the warnings of hell? How Reformed is the theology? How evangelical? How much would we be glad to have taught in our churches?

9. Stop focusing on unity. Unity will only be vibrant and lasting when it is a by-product of the pursuit of truth. It cannot be achieved by a concoction of institutional formulas and prolonged guilt-tripping. Talking about unity all the time is like a boyfriend and girlfriend having a DTR every time they go out. Just get on with it and find out if you really belong together.

10. Don’t assume; articulate. The first generation receives the gospel. The second generation assumes the gospel. The third generation loses the gospel. We must not only affirm the gospel when having it presented to us. We must teach our people to articulate it. We must sing it strong and preach it loud. We must be passionate about clarity and be clear with our passions.

When Dialogue Avoids Truth

Thomas Oden on the problem with the mainline church’s infatuation with dialogue:

Lowercase orthodox believers are not seeking a debating society that would aspire to be a religious version of the United Nations. They do not see organic union as the final objective, especially if that objective is reduce to rhetorical evasion and organizational tinkering. What they want to see is the living confession of Jesus Christ transforming human, personal, and social experience. Wherever they see that, they know instantly from the heart their deep affinity with it. Wherever they don’t hear that, they know inwardly how alien and distant are these temptations.

The seductions of dialogue typically draw believers toward subjective feelings, mutual congratulation, and institutional horse-trading. They thrive on negotiation or arbitration models of interaction. They thereby draw us far away from the truth that is declared in Jesus Christ in whom all believers are called to participate by faith. So it should not be surprising that classic Christian believers tend to regard undisciplined dialogue as a temptation…

Confessing Christians have a long history of experience with the frustration and futility of such undisciplined dialogue not ordered under the written Word. It less often leads to the question of truth than to the question of how we “feel,” and how we can accommodate or negotiate our competing interests. That is different from the question of truth announced in the gospel, which alone engenders the unity of believers.

If the central question of Christian unity for classic Christian believers is the truth of the gospel, then the apostolic testimony made known in Jesus Christ is the first step toward unity. All other dialogue, however altruistic it may appear, is truly a diversion, a pretension of searching for truth, a ruse that substitutes narcissistic talk for integrity. What seems an innocent and generous invitation to dialogue actually amounts to a disposed predetermination to replace the truth question with what we “feel” about our own experience. In this way dialogue becomes an instrument of manipulation already shaped by the wrong premises. Global orthodox believers seek unity in the truth, no unity apart from truth, not unity as a substitute for the truth, but unity in the truth of the revealed Word. (Turning Around the Mainline, 66-67).

I Hope You Don’t Mind Hearing about the RCA

Because our General Synod starts tomorrow and I am a delegate. If I have time to blog or tweet it will probably be about what’s going on and going down with the Reformed Church in America. Keep us in your prayers.

Pastoral Theology: Some Book Recommendations

Recently, we tweaked our pastoral internship program for this year to focus more on pastoral theology than trying to cover the whole gamut of a seminary education (church history, systematics, biblical theology, exegesis, etc.). To that end, we choose to highlight twelve categories of thought and practice that seem especially important to pastoral ministry. I know not every category below is technically “pastoral theology,” and obviously this isn’t anything like an exhaustive list. But these are some of the books I’ve found most helpful in pastoral ministry.

 

1. General Pastoral Ministry

Charles Spurgeon, Lectures to My Students – One of my favorite books of all time. I reread chapters often.

D.A. Carson, The Cross and Christian Ministry – Destined to be a classic exposition of the gospel-centered nature of our calling.

Ajith Fernando, Jesus-Driven Ministry – An honest and challenging look at what spiritual leadership really looks like.

R. Kent Hughes, Liberating Ministry from the Success Syndrome – I read this early in ministry; a good idea.

John Piper, Brothers We Are Not Professionals – I can’t think of a Piper book that moved me more than this one.

 

2. Ecclesiology

Guy Prentiss Waters, How Jesus Runs the Church – He’s almost certainly thought about church polity more than you have.

James Bannerman, The Church of Christ – He’s possibly thought about church polity more than anyone ever has.

Mark Dever, Nine Marks of a Healthy Church – A great blueprint for church reform and revitalization.

Jonathan Leeman, The Surprising Offense of God’s Love – Deep and long, but worth the effort. Very practical and heartfelt.

Philip Ryken, City on a Hill – I wish more people knew of this little gem.

 

3. Shepherding

Alexander Strauch, Biblical Eldership – Best exegetical overview of eldership around today.

Colin Marshall and Tony Payne, The Trellis and the Vine – Will help you keep the main thing the main thing.

Timothy Laniak, Shepherds After My Own Heart – A biblical theology of the shepherd imagery. At least read the last chapter.

Timothy Witmer, The Shepherd Leader – A practical guide and biblical exhortation to actually know and care for the flock.

John Dickson, The Elder and His Work – Our elders are reading this right now. Good primer on elder care.

Richard Baxter, The Reformed Pastor – You don’t have to follow all his methods to be impressed by Baxter’s care of souls.

 

4. Leadership

J. Oswald Sanders, Spiritual Leadership – A wealthy of examples, heroes, and anecdotes.

Larry Osborne, Sticky Teams – Will save you from being stupid.

Alexander Strauch, Meetings that Work – Will save you from being boring.

Mark Dever, Deliberate Church – You’ll be prodded and poked to think more carefully about what you do and why you do it.

 

5. Biblical Interpretation

D.A. Carson, Exegetical Fallacies  - The book everyone needs to read and no one wants to be in.

Robert Plummer, 40 Question About Interpreting the Bible – Great overview of the doctrine of Scripture and hermeneutics.

David Helm, One-to-One Bible Reading – Helpful primer on discipleship.

 

6. Preaching

John Stott, Between Two Worlds – A well deserved classic; every preacher should read this at some point.

D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Preaching and Preachers – By far, my favorite book on preaching.

James W. Thompson, Preaching Like Paul – Not sure if Thompson is an evangelical, but this book is full of eminently good sense.

John Piper, The Supremacy of God in Preaching – Will make your preaching better by making it bigger.

 

7. Worship

D.A. Carson, ed., Worship by the Book -Introduction to worship from three different perspectives, with an excellent summary essay from Carson.

Philip Ryken, ed., Give Praise to God – Introduction to worship from the perspective of the regulative principle.

Bryan Chapell, Christ-Centered Worship – I don’t know of any church whose services could not be helped by considering the things in this book.

Hughes Oliphant Old, Worship That is Reformed – There is more to being Reformed than you might think.

Bob Kauflin, Worship Matters – Eminently balanced, gospel-centered, and practical.

Harold Best, Unceasing Worship - A wise, creative, insightful writer. Will make you think.

 

8. Counseling

Michael Emlet, CrossTalk – Biblical counseling applied.

Paul Tripp, Instruments in the Redeemer’s Hands – The best manual on how to get started with helping people change.

David Powlison, Seeing Through New Eyes – Counseling in action on the printed page.

David Powlison, “The Pastor as Counselor” in For the Fame of God’s Name (p. 419-42) – Great introduction to and appeal for biblical counseling over against secular models.

 

9. Evangelism

Mark Dever, The Gospel and Personal Evangelism – Straight thinking of the evangel and evangelism.

Mack Stiles, The Marks of a Messenger – A theology of evangelism by one who really evangelizes.

Randy Newman, Questioning Evangelism – Get to the gospel by asking questions; sound like Jesus.

D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Evangelistic Sermons – Wonderful examples of exegetical, evangelistic preaching.

 

10. Prayer

Paul Miller, A Praying Life – The best book on prayer to actually make you want to pray.

David Hansen, Long Wandering Prayer – I always like books on prayer that feel freeing.

Hughes Oliphant Old, Leading in Prayer – A manual filled with beautiful examples to use or emulate.

 

11. Church and Culture

David Wells, The Courage to Be Protestant – Every pastor should read at least one David Wells book. This is the last, so a good place to start.

James Davison Hunter, To Change the World – Helpful corrective to Christian triumphalism.

D.A. Carson, Christ and Culture Revisited – Nuanced, careful, balanced.

 

12. Missiology

David Hesselgrave, Paradigms in Conflict – The chapter on sovereignty is not great, but the rest of the book raises some of the most critical issues in contemporary missiology.

P.T. O’Brien, Gospel and Mission in the Writings of Paul – Read whatever he writes (that goes for O’Brien and Paul)

Kevin DeYoung and Greg Gilbert, What Is the Mission of the Church? – Extremely important topic.

You Cannot Be Spiritual Without Being Religious

At the end of 1 Corinthians 2:13 Paul uses a popular word: spiritual. It’s a popular word for us, and it was a popular word in Paul’s day. They desired spirituality just as much. They loved spiritual gurus, and so do we.  But not everything spiritual is truly spiritual.

When you hear the word “spiritual” certain images come to mind. You think of someone very quiet and contemplative. Or maybe you picture someone with hands raised in a demonstrative expression of worship. You may think of your spontaneous, free-wheeling, “Spirit-led” friend. The spiritual person in your mind may be the young woman deeply interested in miracles and mystery, or maybe the old man earnestly pursuing a relationship with a higher power. To be “spiritual” in our day is to be vaguely interested in the supernatural and loosely committed to practices like prayer and meditation.

And yet, all of these indicators are what Jonathan Edwards would call non-signs. They don’t prove anything one way or another. It’s not bad to be contemplative or demonstrative or spontaneous. There’s nothing wrong with being interested in prayer, miracles, or a higher power. These interests and practices could be good or bad, depending on other factors. But by themselves, these things are not spiritual, not according to Paul’s definition.

The spiritual person understands spiritual truths (1 Cor. 2:13). He receives what the Spirit imparts. By contrast, the natural person (the unspiritual person) does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him (v. 14). Paul is clearly distinguishing between two categories of people. On one side you have spiritual people who accept spiritual things. Opposite them you have unspiritual people who do not accept spiritual things. What makes a person spiritual, then, is the embrace of spiritual things.

And what are the spiritual things Paul has in mind?

We must let scriptural context, and not our immediate culture, answer that question. Paul has just finished explaining that the message of the cross is folly to those who are perishing (1:18). His preaching does not look like wisdom to the wise ones in the world. Nevertheless, he continues to know nothing among the Corinthians except Christ and him crucified (2:2). Paul knows that what Jews and Greeks want to condemn is the power of God unto salvation (Rom. 1:16). But you have to have ears to hear it. This message, considered foolish by many, is wisdom among the mature (1 Cor. 2:6). Though the rulers of this age did not understand it and therefore crucified the Lord of glory, the message of the cross is actually the revealed wisdom of God, once hidden from view and decreed before the ages began (2:7). The “spiritual things” refers to the gospel proclamation revealed by the Spirit and entrusted to Paul and his apostolic band.

The spiritual person, therefore, is the one who accepts the message of the cross. We are truly spiritual if, and only if, the Spirit of Christ has given us the mind of Christ to receive the good news concerning the death and resurrection of Christ.  No matter how much you like angels, or how much you pray, or how often you mediate, or how much you are into yoga, or how much you believe in miracles, if you do not understand, cherish, and embrace the cross you are not a spiritual person. The spiritual person discerns spiritual things, starting with the substitutionary sacrifice of Christ on the cross for sinners like you and me. To accept this gospel, with all its doctrinal and religious contours, is the beginning of true spirituality. For in the end, our slogans and endless searching do not count for much, neither does our interest in reading Chicken Soup for the Soul. If we reject the message of the cross, we have rejected the Spirit’s revelatory work. And when we spurn the Spirit we forfeit the right to be considered spiritual.

Monday Morning Humor

And for my three year old’s birthday I will gladly replay his favorite MMH.