John Piper's Blog, page 281
January 19, 2016
How Christ Sensitizes Us to Reality
In a 2015 message, Pastor John preaches that the gospel brings life, and in this life comes sensitivity to reality, and there is great sadness in reality.
Trust God When You Are Mistreated
What happens when someone is mistreated for doing good? In this lab, John Piper teaches us how to respond to and endure injustice.
January 18, 2016
Can I Be Blotted from the Book of Life?
If your name is in the book of life, you will conquer and not be blotted out. Pastor John explains why.
January 17, 2016
Dear Dr. King
You were right. You prophesied, “If today’s church does not recapture the sacrificial spirit of the early church, it will . . . be dismissed as an irrelevant social club with no meaning for the 20th century.”
But we have lost more than a sacrificial spirit. One of your prophetic heirs, Carl Ellis, has made clear that many black and white churches have become “irrelevant social clubs” because they have lost the God-centered, Christ-exalting, Bible-saturated gospel. God has been sold for good agendas.
There are times I wished you had made the biblical gospel clearer. But I am sure you would agree that the power you wielded was rooted in God.
Today, as I look at the gospel-weak white and black churches, I would say that both need a transcendent reference point in the sovereignty, supremacy, and centrality of God, expressed supremely in the gospel of Jesus Christ. God-centered, Christ-exalting, Bible-saturated churches where the gospel is cherished — these are the birthplace of the kind of racial harmony that give long-term glory to God and long-term gospel-good to the world.
Again you were right about the folly of passive waiting. Biblical waiting is not passive. It does not compromise. Nothing that needs changing changes without effort.
Some may have quoted, “Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!” (Psalm 27:14)? But this call to wait for the Lord never meant stop doing what he commanded us to do in the pursuit of holy goals.
Waiting for the Lord means our action is essential, but his is decisive. The farmer must wait for the harvest. But no one works harder than the farmer.
Thank you for your sacrifices. May our Lord Jesus hasten the day when the terms “white church” and “black church” will be unintelligible.
This letter from John Piper is published as part of his chapter in the book Letters to a Birmingham Jail: A Response to the Words and Dreams of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., edited by Bryan Loritts and including chapters from Piper, John Perkins, Matt Chandler, and others.
Read the entirety of Piper’s chapter, “Waiting for and Hastening the Day of Multi-Ethnic Beauty,” now available online.
Related Resources
From Bloodlines to Bloodline | In this sermon, John Piper explains how God takes all of us from our various racial and ethnic bloodlines and leads us to the one bloodline of Jesus Christ.
Trayvon Martin, Race, and the Gospel | Seventeen-year-old Martin was killed on February 26, 2012 in Sanford, Florida by George Zimmerman. John Piper explains how Christians should think about the tragedy.
MLK’s Most Powerful Words | In this episode of Ask Pastor John, John shares what are, in his opinion, Martin Luther King Jr.’s most powerful words.
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January 14, 2016
Slaves, Obey Your Masters
Slavery is a sensitive topic with a horrific history. So what does the Bible say for slaves? In this lab, John Piper explores one place where freedom is found.
January 13, 2016
January 12, 2016
Who Is Jesus to You?
Who is Jesus? It is a perennial question. And there must be as many diverse answers to that question as any other person who ever walked on this planet.
Fear God, Not the Government
What does freedom in Christ look like in subjection to a human government? In this lab, John Piper explains five key principles.
