"One point Calvinism" by Scott Thomas and JI Packer

I thought this was really good and that if you didn't see it on the acts29 site, you could catch it here.

One point Calvinism

By Pastor Scott Thomas, Acts 29 Director

As a church planter, I received more arguments over our position of Reformed Theology than I did everything else combined. It angered the most faithful of Christians and confused others. Only a handful, I believed, truly understood the doctrine of salvation as described in the Bible. It was a point of contention that got people off mission--even though it was not presented in a polarizing manner.

Packer

Recently I read The Five Points of Calvinism co-authored by David Steele, Curtis Thomas and Lance Quinn (P&R Publishing). I felt it was a shepherdly treatise on the doctrines of grace that can help the layman to understanding the centrality of God in the salvation of man. The book quotes JI Packer, whom I had the pleasure of spending the day with recently. I think his explanation of Calvinism as "one point" is brilliant.

Packer said, "The very act of setting out Calvinistic soteriology [the doctrine of salvation] in the form of five distinct points (a number due, as we saw, merely to the fact that there were five Arminian points for the Synod of Dort to answer) tends to obscure the organic character of Calvinistic thought on this subject. For the five points, though separately stated, are inseparable. They hang together; you cannot reject one without rejecting them all, at least in the sense in which the Synod meant them. For to Calvinism there is really only one point to be made in the field of soteriology: the point that God saves sinners.

"God – the Triune Jehovah, Father, Son and Spirit; three Persons working together in sovereign wisdom, power and love to achieve the salvation of a chosen people, the Father electing, the Son fulfilling the Father’s will by redeeming, the Spirit executing the purpose of Father and Son by renewing.

"Saves – does everything, first to last, that is involved in bringing man from death in sin to life in glory: plans, achieves and communicates redemption, calls and keeps, justifies, sanctifies, glorifies.

"Sinners – men as God finds them, guilty, vile, helpless, powerless, unable to lift a finger to do God’s will or better their spiritual lot. God saves sinners – and the force of this confession may not be weakened by disrupting the unity of the work of the Trinity, or by dividing the achievement of salvation between God and man and making the decisive part man’s own, or by soft-pedalling the sinner’s inability so as to allow him to share the praise of his salvation with his Saviour. This is the one point of Calvinistic soteriology which the “five points” are concerned to establish and Arminianism in all its forms to deny: namely, that sinners do not save themselves in any sense at all, but that salvation, first and last, whole and entire, past, present and future, is of the Lord, to whom be glory for ever; amen."

J.I. Packer, “Introductory Essage,” in The Death of Death in the Death of Christ, by John Owen (London: Banner of Truth, 1959) 4-5.

Church Planting: Modern fad or eternal purpose?

As someone who has had a glimpse of whats really really beautiful, the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ (as Paul puts it), I'm amped-very amped to see this more and more. Now, one of the ways this Glory is seen and appreciated and loved is in its refraction through the Church.

Of this gospel I was made a minister according to the gift of God's grace, which was given me by the working of his power. To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things, so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. This was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through our faith in him.

The apostle Paul writing to the Ephesian Church

So, is the current passion for church planting amongst young believers merely a substcription to the latest christian fad started by the likes of Driscoll and Keller? I dont think so! It's part of Gods eternal plan. At its root it's a desire to "bring to light for everyone" the glory of Jesus.

This is the heartbeat of true church planting-to make known the manifold wisdom of God! This deep theological truth works itself out in everyday life through local churches that faithfully and understandably make known the Gospel and lives lives that reflect its saving and changing power. Are you passionate for the expression of Gods greatness in our world? Then see from the scriptures that He has chosen to reveal it through Christ and His Church!

The Treasure In The Vessel

"Do you know, my friends, that the Spirit within you is very God? Oh that our eyes were opened to see the greatness of God’s gift! Oh that we might realize the vastness of the resources secreted in our own hearts! I could shout with joy as I think, ‘The Spirit who dwells within me is no mere influence, but a living Person; He is very God. The infinite God is within my heart!’ I am at a loss to convey to you the blessedness of this discovery, that the Holy Spirit dwelling within my heart is a Person. I can only repeat: ‘He is a Person!’ and repeat it again: ‘He is a Person!’ and repeat it yet again: ‘He is a Person!’ Oh, my friends, I would fain repeat it to you a hundred times—The Spirit of God within me is a Person! I am only an earthen vessel, but in that earthen vessel I carry a treasure of unspeakable worth, even the Lord of glory.

All the worry and fret of God’s children would end if their eyes were opened to see the greatness of the treasure hid in their hearts. Do you know, there are resources enough in your own heart to meet the demand of every circumstance in which you will ever find yourself? Do you know there is power enough there to move the city in which you live? Do you know there is power enough to shake the universe? Let me tell you once more—I say it with the utmost reverence: You who have been born again of the Spirit of God—you carry God in your heart!"

Watchman Nee, The Normal Christian Life

Some good reasons...for those who think we don't have reasons

Here are some good reasons from the pope of reformed theology, John Piper, on why we should believe in and seek an authentic experience which scripture calls the baptism in the Spirit. Hope this challenges you and encourages you!

"Now the positive thing I want to say about the moderate Pentecostal teaching (represented by the Bennets) is that it is right to stress the experiential reality of receiving the Spirit. When you read the New Testament honestly you can't help but get the impression of a big difference from a lot of contemporary Christian experience. For them the Holy Spirit was a fact of experience. For many Christians today it is a fact of doctrine. Surely the Charismatic renewal has something to teach us here. In sacramental churches the gift of the Holy Spirit is virtually equated with the event of water baptism. In Protestant evangelicalism it is equated with a subconscious work of God in regeneration which you only know you have because the Bible says you do if you believe. It is easy to imagine a spiritual counselor saying to a new convert today, "Don't expect to notice any difference: just believe you have received the Spirit." But that is far from what we see in the New Testament. The Pentecostals are right to stress the experience of being baptized in the Spirit.

Here are four reasons from Acts. 1) The very term "baptized in the Holy Spirit" (1:5; 11:16) implies an immersion in the life of the Spirit. "John immersed in water; you will be immersed in the Spirit." If the Spirit overwhelms you like a baptism you can't imagine him merely sneaking in quietly while you are asleep and taking up inconspicuous residence. That may be the way it starts (Paul may have this early movement in mind in 1 Cor. 12:13), but if it ends there Jesus and Luke would not call it a baptism in the Spirit.

2) Jesus says in Acts 1:5 and 8 that baptism in the Spirit means, "You shall receive power � and you shall be my witnesses." This is an experience of boldness and confidence and victory over sin. A Christian without power is a Christian who needs a baptism in the Holy Spirit. I am aware that in 1 Cor. 12:13 Paul says that baptism in the Spirit is an act of God by which we become a part of the body of Christ at conversion, so that in his terminology all genuine converts have been baptized in the Spirit. But we have done wrong in limiting Paul's understanding of the baptism in the Holy Spirit to this initial subconscious, divine act in conversion and then forcing all of Luke's theology in Acts into that little mold. There is no reason to think that even for Paul the baptism in the Holy Spirit was limited to the initial moment of conversion. And for sure in the book of Acts the baptism in the Holy Spirit is more than a subconscious divine act of regeneration�it is a conscious experience of power (Acts 1:8).

3) In fact the third reason I think this is that when you take your concordance and look up every text in Acts where the Holy Spirit works in believers it is never subconscious. In Acts the Holy Spirit is not a silent influence but an experienced power. Believers experienced the baptism in the Holy Spirit. They didn't just believe it happened because an apostle said so.

4) The fourth reason we should stress the experience of baptism in the Holy Spirit is that in Acts the apostles teach that it is a consequence of faith not a subconscious cause of faith. As a convinced Calvinist I believe with all my heart that the grace of God precedes and enables saving faith. We do not initiate our salvation by believing. God initiates it by enabling us to believe (Eph. 2:8-9; 2 Tim. 2:25; John 1:13). But this regenerating work of God's Spirit is not the limit of what Peter means by baptism in the Spirit. In Acts 11:15-17 Peter reports how the Holy Spirit fell on Cornelius just as on the disciples at Pentecost. "As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell on them just as on us at the beginning. I remembered the word of the Lord, how he said, 'John baptized in water, but you shall be baptized in the Holy Spirit.' If then God gave the same gift to them as he gave to us, when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I should withstand God?" Notice that the gift of the Spirit, or baptism in the Spirit, is preceded by faith. The NASB correctly says in v. 17 that God gave the Holy Spirit after they believed. So the baptism of the Spirit (v. 16) or the receiving of the gift of the Spirit (v. 17) cannot be the same as the work of God before faith which enables faith (which Luke speaks of in 2:39; 5:31; 16:14; 11:18; 15:10; 14:27). The baptism in the Spirit is an experience of the Spirit given after faith to faith.

This is why Paul can say in Acts 19:2 when he meets the confused disciples of John the Baptist, "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?" What would a contemporary Protestant evangelical say in response to that question? I think we would say something like, "I thought we automatically received the Holy Spirit when we believed. I don't understand how you can even ask the question." How could Paul ask that question? He could ask it, I think, because receiving the Holy Spirit is a real experience. There are marks of it in your life. And the best way to test the faith of these so-called disciples is to ask them about their experience of the Spirit. This is no different than what Paul said in Romans 8:14, "All who are led by the Spirit are the sons of God" (see 2 Cor. 13:5 and 1 John 3:24; 4:12-13). I sometimes fear that we have so redefined conversion in terms of human decisions and have so removed any necessity of the experience of God's Spirit, that many people think they are saved when in fact they only have Christian ideas in their head not spiritual power in their heart.

So you see, the real issue the Charismatics raise for us is not the issue of tongues. In itself that is relatively unimportant. The really valuable contribution of the Charismatic renewal is their relentless emphasis on the truth that receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit is a real, life-changing experience. Christianity is not merely an array of glorious ideas. It is not merely the performance of rituals and sacraments. It is the life-changing experience of the Holy Spirit through faith in Jesus Christ the Lord of the universe.

We could talk for hours about what that experience is. In fact, most of my messages are just that -descriptions of the experience of the Spirit of God in the life of the believer. But I'll mention two things from the book of Acts�things that mark the experience of being baptized in the Holy Spirit or of receiving the gift of the Spirit. One is a heart of praise. In Acts 10:46 the disciples knew the Holy Spirit had fallen because "they heard them speaking in tongues and extolling (or magnifying) God." Speaking in tongues is one particular way of releasing the heart of praise. It may be present or may not. But one thing is sure: the heart in which the Holy Spirit has been poured out will stop magnifying self and start magnifying God. Heartfelt praise and worship is the mark of a real experience of the Holy Spirit.

The other mark I'll mention is obedience. In Acts 5:29 Peter and the apostles say to the Sadducees who had arrested them, "We must obey God rather than men." Then in verse 32 he says, "We are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit whom God gave to those who are obeying him." ("Gave" is past tense; "obey" is present ongoing tense.) It is inevitable that when the object of your heart's worship changes your obedience changes. When Jesus baptizes you in the Holy Spirit, and infuses you with a new sense of the glory of God, you have a new desire and a new power (1:8) to obey. Whether or not you speak in tongues these two things will be your experience if you have been baptized in the Holy Spirit, a new desire to magnify God in worship and a powerful disposition to obey God in everyday life."

John Piper, 1984

saw this on www.adrianwarnock.com, check it out!

Rick Warren's prayer for the USA-an act of obedience

“First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior.”

Almighty God, our Father:

Everything we see, and everything we can’t see, exists because of you alone.

It all comes from you, it all belongs to you, it all exists for your glory.

History is your story.

The Scripture tells us, "Hear, O Israel, the LORD is our God, the LORD is one." And you are the compassionate and merciful one. And you are loving to everyone you have made.

Now today we rejoice not only in America’s peaceful transfer of power for the 44th time, we celebrate a hinge point of history with the inauguration of our first African American president of the United States.

We are so grateful to live in this land, a land of unequaled possibility, where a son of an African immigrant can rise to the highest level of our leadership. And we know today that Dr. King and a great cloud of witnesses are shouting in heaven.

Give to our new president, Barack Obama,

the wisdom to lead us with humility,

the courage to lead us with integrity,

the compassion to lead us with generosity.

Bless and protect him, his family, Vice President Biden, the Cabinet, and every one of our freely elected leaders.

Help us, O God, to remember that we are Americans--united not by race or religion or blood, but to our commitment to freedom and justice for all.

When we focus on ourselves, when we fight each other, when we forget you--forgive us.

When we presume that our greatness and our prosperity is ours alone--forgive us.

When we fail to treat our fellow human beings and all the earth with the respect that they deserve--forgive us.

And as we face these difficult days ahead, may we have a new birth of clarity in our aims, responsibility in our actions, humility in our approaches, and civility in our attitudes—even when we differ.

Help us to share, to serve, and to seek the common good of all.

May all people of good will today join together to work for a more just, a more healthy, and a more prosperous nation and a peaceful planet.

And may we never forget that one day, all nations--and all people--will stand accountable before you.

We now commit our new president and his wife, Michelle, and his daughters, Malia and Sasha, into your loving care.

I humbly ask this in the name of the one who changed my life—Yeshua, 'Isa, Jesus [Spanish pronunciation], Jesus—who taught us to pray:

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name.

Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread.

And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil,

for Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever.

Amen.

The cross, justice, doubt and marriage

A few months ago I faced one of the greatest attacks on my faith yet. I was driving home one afternoon, thinking about the cross, when suddenly a thought flashed through my mind. Was the cross REALLY just? Throughout my christian life, the justice and the mercy of the cross have been two doctrines that I have not only understood cerebrally (or so I thought), but also that I have felt emotionally stirred by time and time again. They have always been my joy. These two realities of the cross are at the very heart of the Christian faith. It's at the cross where Christ fulfilled the righteous requirements of God's Justice. It's at the cross where Jesus revealed the depth of God's love for His people. This has been at the heart of my faith, and the constant source for heart felt respect and love for God.

Yet, that afternoon in the car, the Justice of God was brought into question in my mind. This seed of unbelief came in the form of an analogy.

"If my sister was raped and the rapist was caught and made to appear in court, would the judge be just if he declared the perpetrator to be guilty, and then took the punishment in his (the perpetrators) place, allowing the rapist to go free?"

My gut feel is NO! Yet, this sounds something like what happened on the cross! We are guilty of a terrible offense. God, the judge has declared us to be guilty. Yet, although we are guilty, He takes our place. Jesus bears the punishment for our sin. Now, that would be incredible mercy; but is that Just? Justice requires that he who committed the offense, bear the punishment. How can God justly bear the punishment on behalf of someone else? If we are not punished, it's the same kind of "justice" as in the analogy above. Is God that kind of judge?

Now, you might be thinking-"ah, this is getting really pedantic! Come on, accept the mercies of God and get over it" Well, to be honest, this was something that really did trouble my soul. God MUST be just in order to be God. How did he maintain his Justice by letting us escape...punishment free!?

Over the following days I prayed and asked God for a biblical solution to my theological and emotional dilemma. "God, I know you are just, I just don't see how at the moment!"

My answer came one Sunday at church while listening to a sermon on marriage from the 5th chapter of Ephesians. The preacher correctly brought out the point that marriage, the uniting of a man to a women by God for life, is designed to be a lived-out reflection of Christ's relationship to the church. In marriage, there is a uniting to such a degree that, in a sense, a man and his wife are no longer viewed as two separate entities. They unite in a physical, emotional and spiritual sense (in our fallen world however, this original intent is never completely fulfilled). Essentially, they become one, as the scripture says (a pre-fall description of marriage). Paul then says something really interesting; something that I have never quite understood. He says:

"This is a profound mystery-but I am talking about Christ and the church."

Ephesians 5:32

There is something deeper going on here. Something profound. Something mysterious. Marriage is about much more than human beings. Its about human beings doing something that reflects ultimate reality-and the reality is this: That Christ has united himself in such a profound and mysterious way to His people, the church, that the two have become one. We are part of Christ, members of his body. We are in Christ. (not that we are equal to Christ, but that we have been made part of who he is-his body)

Now how does this deal with the theological dilemma I faced a few days before? Well, in an instant God showed me the beauty of the cross and the depth of His love. Before the creation of the world, God chose, in love, a people that were His very own, His bride, the true Israel of the old testament (the children of promise) and the true Israel of the new testament, the church (also the children of promise). He then united himself in such a deep way to these people that when God punished Christ, it was if he were punishing them. Their sin became his own, for the two were now one. God didn't punish a being that was separate from us when Christ died in our place. God punished a being that was profoundly linked to us. He punished the one, who, in love, had linked himself to us. This is great love! Apart from Christ, we would have been consumed. Yet, our God and saviour Jesus, made a plan. He united himself to us...and then, for the joy set before him, faced and absorbed the righteous fury of Almighty God into himself. He bore our sin, satisfied the Father's wrath and rose to show that nothing can keep him down (death could not hold Him-the power of indestructible life!)!

What Satan intended for evil-to sow seeds of doubt in my view of God's justice-God intended for good-to show me more clearly the depth of his love and the justice of his judgement. I am so grateful I am in Christ!

On Christ the solid rock!

Ok, here's another amazing hymn that i've been enjoying lately. This is better than many sermons. Read and soak in this truth!

My hope is built on nothing less

Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness;

I dare not trust the sweetest frame,

But wholly lean on Jesus’ name.

Refrain:

On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand;

All other ground is sinking sand,

All other ground is sinking sand.

When darkness veils His face,

I rest on His unchanging grace;

In every high and stormy gale,

My anchor holds within the veil.

His oath, His covenant, His blood

Support me in the whelming flood;

When all around my soul gives way,

He then is all my hope and stay.

When He shall come with trumpet sound,

Oh, may I then in Him be found;

Dressed in His righteousness alone,

Faultless to stand before the throne.

The version on the Passion CD, "Hymns:ancient and modern" is fantastic!

We must take the fight seriously-it's life or death!

So often we refer to the Christian life as a battle, a fight or a war. Although this is very biblical and true, sadly, it has become for many Christians just another Christian cliché. We often refer to the war, battle or fight, more for the sake of making our Christian lives feel like something exciting, tough, manly and hardcore, rather than referring to it for the sake of depicting the actual reality Christian existence.

Christianity, with all its "nice" people, sweet hymns, coffee cups with bible verses and Sunday smiles, can loose its sense of reality. We don't need to pretend we are in a war (what many guys do because western Christianity can be so naf!). We need to slap ourselves across the face and realise that we are in a war.

Now, the reason I’m saying this is because, when you pretend, it's not life and death. But real war is life and death. On D-day, allied troops jumped out the boat on the shores of France and were mowed down, dead! That's life and death-that’s war. Is that what we are experiencing? Well, let’s look at how sin is rampaging through the lives of Christians (I include myself here). Sadly, sin is doing to christians what the Germans did to the Allies. It’s mowing them down! Recently I read some stats about the state of Christian marriage. The stats are dismal. What about purity before marriage-it's not great either. I mentioned a few posts ago, the Christian life is not about morality primarily, yet it does involve fighting sin, night and day. Not play-play pretend fighting. No, real fighting, real battle, real strategy.

What inspired this post was a series of sermons that I listened to by someone I consider to be a real Commando in our generation, John Piper. He is preaching through Romans 6 and presents to us a real, biblical strategy to fighting sin. I was challenged when hearing this because so often I have a take-it-as-it-comes attitude to my fight against sin. Well, to be honest, I don't think that is going to cut it. I was challenged by Piper to have a proper battle plan when it comes to waging war against sin.

I have linked the two sermons (below) to this post so that you can check them out. It's worth it. God, and the delight of fighting for his glory is worth it.

Free from Sin, Slaves of Righteousness, Part 1

Free from Sin, Slaves of Righteousness, Part 2

(Its two sermons(oooh, long!)but definitely worth the read and thought)

A great Hymn!

Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee
HENRY van DYKE and LUDWIG van BEETHOVEN
Arr. and addl. chorus by CHARLIE HALL and TRENT AUSTIN
Copyright © 2004 worshiptogether.com Songs/sixsteps music. Adm. by EMI Christian Music Publishing.
All rights reserved. Used by permission.

We sing in jubilation, adoration to a joyful King
You are spinning and You are singing
Zealous love over all Your children

Joyful, joyful, we adore Thee,
God of glory, Lord of love
Hearts unfold like flowers before Thee
Opening to the sun above
Melt the clouds of sin and sadness
Drive the dark of doubt away
Giver of immortal gladness
Fill us with the light of day

All Thy works with joy surround Thee
Earth and heaven reflect Thy rays
Stars and angels sing around Thee
Center of unbroken praise
Field and forest, vale and mountain
Flowery meadow, flashing sea
Chanting bird and flowing fountain
Call us to rejoice in Thee

Mortals, join the mighty chorus
Which the morning stars began
Father love is reigning o’er us
Brother love binds man to man
Ever singing, march we onward
Victors in the midst of strife
Joyful music lifts us sunward
In the triumph song of life

Engaging with my fellow backpackers!

During my recent travels to Mozambique I had the refreshing oppertunity to engage with many people who are not familiar with the claims of Jesus. I say this is refreshing because it is so easy to become, in our Cape Town christian community, detached from real engagement and interaction with people who don't believe. Sure, we might chat briefly, but interaction is often very limited and, from our side, without specific intention of making Christ known. I found being in a backpackers lodge, where hardly anyone has even heard of the essence of the gospel, a refreshing and exciting oppertunity.

Now, what would usually happen is that I would be sitting at the bar having a beer and someone would join me (or I would join them). We would strike up a conversation and they, like any friendly person who smokes, would offer you a fag. I would graciously decline the offer (at least I tried) and would carry on the conversation. Invariably, with time, both of us would start to relise that our views on the world and how to live were very different ways. "You don't seem to have too much to drink; you don't swear; you don't smoke; your jokes are clean (and probably not funny!)" In essence, people DO notice a difference.

Now, as I chatted more with people, things that interest me and that I'm involved in were raised. I remember an instance where the issue of abortion was raised. I had an oppertunity to share my "pro-choice of life" views. Another issue that came up was that of premartial sex. Again, I had the oppertunity to speak about the biblical way to approach sex as a single. In essence, from the way we act and the things we say, our moral values become clear to unbelievers. I found this to be especially true in the backpacking environment where there is such a diversity of beliefs and behavior.

Now, as I thought about these interactions, it concerned me that this appearance of good morals, without a key message, may be counterproductive to the our making known the Gospel. Why? because if we live by the christian cliche, "preach the gospel, and use words if necessary", we will go for the easier option of never using words. Its easier to just be a someone who lives a "moral" life than be someone who actaully speaks about Jesus. Unfortunatly, what tends to happen, is that when we only show our "good sides" and make no mention (in an appropriate,sensible way) of Christ, the cross or the gospel, people see us as merely good moral people (that they could never be like). In their view, our lives are characterized by morality. This leads them to either: 1)be impressed at our morality (not what we want, although it may feel good), or 2) withdraw because we our moral views are offensive to them. In both cases, we are not getting the message of grace accross to the people that really need to hear it!

Now, I'm not saying that we should comprimise our morality to engage better with people who don't know Christ. What I do think however, is that we should ensure that what people take offense at is the cross, Jesus, the gospel-not our morality. Let's make sure that the stumbling stone (if there is going to be one) is Jesus and his gospel, not our "superior morality". Christianity is not primarily a religion of morality. If we make it out to be, by lives that are merely moral with no message, we do nobody any favours. Christianity is about the obedience of faith. If people do notice our moral lives, let's by all means not let them miss the spring from which true obedience flows-that spring is the gospel. Let's try to let them see that morality is in response to Jesus and his saving work on the cross, not our self-will to be good people.

We are not going to be able to "preach a gospel message" every time we interact with unbelievers. Thats not realistic. Our changed lives will show the "effects" of the gospel. One thing we must do though, is be prepared to speak (there is a message that must be spoken, and not just by preachers) in a way that shows that the "effect" is not the foundation-that morality is not the crux of our motivation to live right. We need to bring in the gospel. Lets not let our morality be the primary offense. If there must be an offense, let's let it be Christ, the cross and His gospel.

What does God think of the Church?

Recently preached at Grace on 1 Peter 2:9-12. Stream it by using the player or download it by clicking on the title of this post.