Pastors' Recommended Book of the Month

How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth by Fee and Stuart

2011-09-30T14:42:00.000-07:00

“How many of you believe that the Bible contains the very words of God?” This is the opening question in Bart Erhman’s New Testament class at the University of North Carolina. A vast majority of students boldly raise their hands, but Erhman is not taking a survey. They keep their hand raised until his second question: “Since most of you think this is God’s word to you, how many of you have read the whole thing?” As the hands fall, the seed of doubt is firmly planted. The two questions are his attempt to rattle the cages of naïve undergraduates who thoughtlessly cling to an evangelical faith. Do they really believe? Is this book really special?

Left on the shelf, the word of God does seem ordinary, if not out of date. But for those who have opened it, for those who have drunk deeply from it, they know with the writer to the Hebrews that the “word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword.” Or, with Apostle John, they have discovered that these are the very words that can produce life. The word of God is a powder keg; when read or heard its explosive force changes lives and transforms society.

The weakness of our faith does not nullify the power and effectiveness of God’s word, yet Erhman’s question is an important one. Why do we neglect God’s word?

For many of us, the Bible is difficult to understand. Meaning can seem locked away. We can get lost in strange imagery or unfamiliar historical events. It is much longer than other books we read, yet we aren’t always sure where to begin or how much to read at a time. To compound the problem, skeptics and contrarians carelessly assert that the Bible contains errors or contradictions.

This fall CPC wants to unlock and unleash the word in your life. One vital resource is Gordon Fee and Douglas Stuart’s helpful book How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth. No other book better equips the reader to come to the Bible and find clarity and meaning.

This book begins by tackling the challenging interpretation and application questions we all have. The bulk of the book, however, orients the reader to each genre found in the scripture. As those who have struggled to read Revelation or follow Jesus’ parables have found that you cannot approach every book in the same way. Knowing the genres is essential for rightly grasping the biblical author’s intention, and Fee and Stuart do a masterful job succinctly guiding the reader through each genre.

As we begin a Wednesday Study Center class on interpreting the Bible, How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth will be a welcome companion.

Why We Love The Church

2011-08-10T14:28:00.000-07:00

by Kevin DeYoung and Ted Kluck

As we gear up for a new year of activities at CPC, we encourage you to consider why the church is worth loving and serving. We will find a time to discuss this book publicly.

"The New Testament is clear -- to love Christ is to love the church. Kevin and Ted provide a powerful word of correction, offering compelling arguments and a vision of church life that is not only convincing, but inspirational." -R. Albert Mohler, Jr., president of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary

Hudson Taylor

2011-08-10T14:24:00.001-07:00

This month we are featuring two books which are biographies of Hudson Taylor. One is an autobiography detailing some of the events that led to the formation of the China Inland Mission. The other is a children’s book from the A Guessing Book series. Guessing Books were favorites of mine growing up for my parents to read aloud as the book pauses the story periodically to let kids guess what happens next. I hope you all enjoy the inspiring tale of God's mighty works through a willing servant!

Just Do Something:

2011-06-11T19:02:00.000-07:00

A Liberating Approach to Finding God's Will OR How To Make A Decision Without Dreams, Visions, Fleeces, Impressions, Open Doors, Random Bible Verses, Casting Lots, Liver Shivers, Writing In The Sky, Etc. By Kevin DeYoung (Moody Publishers, 2009)

That is one heck of a subtitle! If the subtitle's job is to make it clear what you are talking about, this one does it exceptionally. DeYoung begins with some simple analysis of the millennial generation (the one to which both he and I belong), an explanation of how the phrase "will of God" is used in scripture, and then heads straight into breaking down the concept of "finding the will of God." He is sympathetic, but in no way panders those who are searching for God's will for their life in ways God hasn't promised to speak. The fact is God hasn't promise to tell us what to do in every decision. Instead He has given us wisdom in the form of His Spirit, scriptures which guide us in understanding His heart, and community. DeYoung doesn't deny that God communicates in extraordinary ways sometimes, just maintains that they are indeed not ordinary. In addition to providing helpful steps in making decisions, he pushes the reader to be courageous knowing that God is with you and act. Most striking to me was his reminder that the difficult things in life are not choosing which job to take or which girl to ask out, but following God's will for your life in sanctification. Loving your neighbor day in, day out, that's the hard part. This is an easy read and worth the couple of hours it will take you.

Your Work Matters To God

2011-05-06T12:41:00.000-07:00

by Doug Sherman and William Hendricks (Navpress, Colorado Springs, CO 1987.)

Work is an important topic of discussion since it is where we spend so much of our time and energy. As our graduates prepare to enter the work force, we want to encourage them to consider a Biblical perspective on work. In honor of them, the pastors are recommending to us all Your Work Matter to God. This review by John Engler, was one that I found helpful and I hope you will too!

-Rebekah Johnson

Autobiography of George Mueller, the life of trust (1861)

2011-04-06T07:28:00.000-07:00

Edited by H. Lincoln Wayland1

If memory serves me, the Autobiography of George Mueller, the life of trust (1861) was I think the second distinctly “Christian” focused autobiography/biography that I ever read as a young Christian.2 I was in my early twenties and hardly hatched out of the conversion shell.   The value to me then, as now, was not so much what I learned about the Christian faith, but rather what I learned about the life of faith itself, or perhaps better, a “living faith.” As such, Mueller continues to both inspire and haunt me.

Now to be absolutely clear, I wouldn’t recommend this autobiography if the intention is to walk away with some semblance of a coherent orthodoxy as per “the faith.” George Mueller was something of a theological maverick if ever there was one. As noted by John Piper, himself a “reformed Baptist” (what for some of us is an oxymoron in its own right ), Muller is noted for his pastorate in “a kind of independent, premillennial, Calvinistic, Baptist, church that celebrated the Lord's Supper weekly and admitted non-baptized people into membership.” Now this might not seem so unconventional in today’s terms, but such combinations were as rare then as they were daringly “untraditional” in the early to mid 19th century church pastorate.   And yet the maverick persona of Mueller was expressed in some very refreshing ways in many other areas of his Christian life—which then brings me to his story itself.

As also noted by John Piper, it is that his “eccentricities were almost all large-hearted and directed outward for the good of others” that makes his life so compelling and worth a thoughtful consideration. This is especially the case if the question one brings to Mueller’s life is this question of divine trust. Can we believe God enough to obey him at his word even when it goes contrary to all circumstantial wisdom of this world?   If for instance, it seems that Sabbath keeping as an expression of resting in God’s provisions both circumstantially and redemptively (the big issue that Mueller was concerned about in his church) seems on the surface contrary to making a living, would it be enough that God commands it such that we should trust that God can provide for us while being faithful to his word, even if this makes us unfaithful to conventional market driven wisdom?   Well again, if you want to be encouraged to REALLY believe in God as a living trust such as to become a way of life and practice-- then Mueller is your man!

George Mueller spent most of his active years in 19th century Bristol England where he was the pastor of the same church for sixty-six years!   The years of his tenure were tough years for his people suffering under the ravages of war and financial depression.   While Mueller is known for many things including his role in the Great Awakening of 1859 in England and his role of inspiring the missionary faith of such missionary giants as Hudson Taylor, George Mueller is perhaps best known for his faith venture related to the establishment of an orphanage movement in England.

The facts are as follows: In 1834 Mueller founded what he called The Scripture Knowledge Institute for Home and Abroad. This organization in turn spun five major ministries—one of which was an orphanage whose purpose was “to board, clothe and scripturally educate destitute children who have lost both parents by death.” The first orphanage begot a second, then a third, a fourth and eventually FIVE large orphan houses which cared for 10,024 orphans in his life. His orphanage vision eventually inspired a movement wherein it is estimated that at least one hundred thousand orphans were cared for in England alone under his influence!

Now, and again, these are the “facts.” But the facts themselves do not tell the real story here, at least not in so far as what Mueller would have us take away from it. For it was the way Mueller went after the much needed venture capital that is, well, maverick if not inspired! For in his autobiography, the story is told how he never asked anyone directly for money, nor did he ever take a salary in his last 68 years of ministry, but rather he trusted God to put it on people's hearts to send him what he and the orphans needed, as they needed it! He never took out a loan or went into debt. And neither he nor the orphans ever went hungry or went without their basic necessities.

Okay, so you see the maverick in him, don’t you? But the question is begged, why such an unconventional and even “beyond the expectations of scripture” sort of strategy (for even Paul himself raised support for his missionary ventures)? The answer is stated over and over and over again throughout Mueller’s autobiography.   By way of a sampling:

The orphan houses exist to display that God can be trusted and to encourage believers to take him at his word.

That is, while acting to meet a desperate need out of Christ-like compassion for orphans, George Mueller was concerned to speak into the soul of his pastoral flock by way of enactment wherein those most anxious in their own walk of faith might see God’s faithfulness such as to be encouraged to “take God by His word and to rely upon it.” For again, Mueller was grieved that “so many believers . . . were harassed and distressed in mind, or brought guilt on their consciences, on account of not trusting in the Lord.”   And so it was his supreme passion “to display with open proofs that God could be trusted with the practical affairs of life.”

And so I recommend for your faith this amazing autobiography, even if an abridged version, of George Mueller and especially his venture of faith by way of example. Oh, but one more clarification! I am not recommending some kind of health-wealth style version of faith venture here—where the “gifts” of faith that WE would surmise as God’s will are so often confused with the “gift of faith” itself. In fact, this would be the exact opposite of Mueller’s faith venture, even as he often distinguished the “gift of faith” from whatever “gifts” of faith that may or may not come.   For Mueller, the much greater “gift of faith” that he was after brought a much greater joy in the disposition of submission wherein all things whatsoever that comes to pass circumstantially can be viewed as from the hand of a faithful and loving God (vs. the disposition of resisting presumption as to hold God to gifting us with what seems right in our own minds necessarily…”by faith” so rationalized!).

In other words, Mueller was able to allow his rich grace-centered theology of Christian assurance to interpret his circumstances as from the hand of a loving Father seeking intimacy with his sons and daughters rather than the “health-wealth” kind of faith that tends to interpret God’s assurance based on circumstantial evidence as we see it.   This movement from grace-centered assurance to submission to life’s circumstances is nowhere more perfectly illustrated than in his response to the passing of his beloved wife Mary wherein he wrote:

Now, if we have believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, we have received grace, we are partakers of grace, and to all such he will give glory also. I said to myself, with regard to the latter part, “no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly”— I am in myself a poor worthless sinner, but I have been saved by the blood of Christ; . . . Therefore, if it is really good for me, my darling wife will be raised up again; sick as she is. God will restore her again. But if she is not restored again, then it would not be a good thing for me. And so my heart was at rest. I was satisfied with God. And all this springs, as I have often said before, from taking God at his word, believing what he says.

1 The following review utilized as well the nice summary biography by John Piper and can be located at www.desiringgod.org/resource-library/biographies/george-muellers-strategy-for-showing-god.   Quotes are taken from 1861 unabridged version of Autobiography and/or Piper’s summation.

2 I should note that the much shorter abridged addition that you have before you is not what I read, but it is my hope that you will receive the same reward.

The Man in the Mirror by Patrick Morley

2011-02-04T13:08:00.001-08:00

Men, do you feel swamped? Do you feel like you are over your head in life? Do you feel that after taking care of your own problems that you have no capacity left over to help anyone else? Many of us don't understand why we are so caught up in the rat race, and that our lives are frequently spinning out of control. Others of us sense that something isn't quite right about lives. We have an eerie feeling that we may be running in the wrong direction but we can't quite put a finger on the answer.

In the book entitled The Man In the Mirror, Patrick Morley attempts to provide a vehicle by which men can reflect upon their lives, the meaning of their life, and the challenges that face them day-in and day-out. In this easy-to-read book, Morley attempts to guide men through a process of self-reflection on such important topics as our identity problems, relationship problems, money problems, time problems, temperament problems and integrity problems. Throughout the book, Morley attempts to help the reader find answers to many of life's important questions and ultimately to help men avoid the rat race that consumed so many of us. As R. C. Sproul writes in the book’s forward, “Now Pat Morley comes along and wants a mirror that can reflect the soul. Fortunately for me and for those who read this book, at least the mirror is gentle and kind. It tells the truth, which is scary enough, but it does it with encouragement and wisdom.… The man in the mirror is a book written by a man's man. It is a book written by a man, for men.” Fortunately, Morley provides suggestions for real concrete steps that men can take that will lead to lasting change in their lives. This book is a must read for any man wishing to reflect on his life, his legacy, and his God.

Cliff Bogue

Worship, Community, and the Triune God of Grace

2011-01-02T17:23:00.001-08:00

by James B. Torrance

Review by Emily Boyer

Are you like me and sometimes lose the forest for the trees when it comes to worship? You come to church on Sunday mornings to worship God, but you get caught up in the songs and readings and before you know it, you have heard the sermon and taken communion and are already thinking about lunch. Or, maybe you see that worship looks different in different churches and wonder what unites it. Maybe you know Christians go to church to worship God but are not sure why. As it has for me, let this book refresh you and renew your understanding of who we worship and why.

Worship, Community, and the Triune God of Grace gets to the center of Christian worship. In words readily understood, Torrance explains the theology of our worship. He teaches that true worship is Trinitarian, with Christ as the sole mediator. He goes on to describe baptism and the Lord’s Supper in this way, that “we are graciously given the gift of worshiping the Father, in and through the Son, in the communion of the Holy Spirit in the communion of the saints.” Although the book is short, only 125 pages, Torrance includes practical examples to show how these rich theological truths relate to our daily lives and enliven our experiences in the worshiping community. This is not a handbook for those planning a worship service or guide for choosing music. Rather, it builds a spiritual foundation for all who seek know who is at the center of our worship.

Consider checking this book out before the Sunday Studies seminar on History of Music in Liturgy and Worship later this semester. Steep yourself in the “who” of worship in preparation for exploring the “what” and “how” in worship as it relates to music.

Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus edited by Nancy Guthrie

2010-12-03T12:22:00.001-08:00

Red and green, presents, cookies, stockings, carols, Santa, ornaments, fudge, parties, Christmas tree, cards, the scents of pine and cinnamon-clove sweetness -- there are an awful lot of trappings to the hoilday season! And as long as we don’t overdo it, all this is really fun for most of us. Though in our culture Christmas has become about touching base and creating and reliving memories with friends and family, there is something deeper that all of this celebration is founded upon. The joy we share as friends and family is a common grace that is perfected in Christ. We have much to celebrate because God in His overwhelming graciousness became man! So why not spend a little of each day reflecting on that during this holiday season?

Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus is a collection of 22 short readings focusing on different aspects of the incarnation. Like turning a diamond in the sunlight, looking at this act of grace from different perspectives reveals the wonder of beauty in His sacrifice. Nancy Guthrie collected these snippets of reflection on scripture from many leaders in our Christian tradition from Augustine to Calvin to Whitfield to Packer, Spurgeon, Schaffer, and Keller. They could be daily readings or read on a comfy couch with a cup of coffee in a couple of hours. I invite you to join me in basking in His love as revealed in His coming this month.
-Rebekah Johnson

Motives: “Why Do I Do the Things I Do?" by Edward T. Welch

2010-10-01T14:14:00.001-07:00

How do people change? How do we go from being stuck in familiar patterns of sin and struggling to follow God to living obediently and joyfully in Christ? If it were as simple as choosing not to sin, most of us would have no trouble living the Christian life. The truth is people are complex. Sometimes our own behaviors can seem baffling to us; and the key to a changed life seems elusive. At the root, each of us must grapple with the question: why do I do the things I do?

That very question lies at the heart of so many of the little booklets put out by the Christian Counseling & Educational Foundation (CCEF) in their series Resources for Changing Lives. These booklets seek to get down to the heart level of our behaviors. Covering topics like stress, priorities, anger, depression, guilt, loneliness, and sexual sin, these counselors seek to lead us to understand the spiritual dimension to the problems of modern life. To be clear, the spiritual dimension is part of the issue, our behaviors can be sparked by our body chemistry, past events, or current environment. Yet, uncovering the spiritual causes is what these booklets do best.

Ed Welch’s Motives is probably the best introduction to this collection. Welch’s profound thesis is that if our motives don’t change, we won’t change. Underneath the surface of our behaviors are desires, heart longings that control our lives.

X-ray questions like: Why do I want what I do? What do I really want? If I don’t have ___ I am miserable, help lead us to uncover these controlling desires. There are pretty common motivations: Pleasure, Freedom, Intimacy, Respect, Control, Success, and the list goes on. Notice that many of these are good things that God has hard-wired us to want, yet when they are put in place of God life seems meaningless.

Welch writes that “idols are the way we try to satisfy our heart’s desires.” We use money, alcohol, work or even people to feed those cravings. Until those loves are replaced by a desire to love God and live for him alone, we will continue to wrestle with the actions and emotions that dominate our lives.

Start with this book. Use it as a guide to evaluating your life. It is a wonderful tool for reflecting deeply about our lives and a great gateway to the other equally helpful and accessible writings.

-Kevin Nelson

Encountering God In the City

2010-09-10T10:10:00.001-07:00

The review is coming. Until then, check out what the book on Amazon

Till We Have Faces by C.S. Lewis

2010-08-04T07:45:00.001-07:00

Till We Have Faces is a re-telling of the Greek myth of Cupid and Psyche. But in the hands of C.S. Lewis, it becomes so much more. Considered by Lewis to be his best work of fiction, it boasts his most mature and masterful prose writing style. It is delightfully presented and easy to read, carrying the reader along the emotional journey to the chilling conclusion.

The myth that grounds the story is placed into the service of a higher story, the story of the human struggle against the divine counsels which are meant to be for our good, though we cannot see how they should be so. As the story progresses and the demands of the gods seem increasingly barbaric, we find ourselves more and more aligned with the main character. But at the conclusion, when Lewis turns all on its head, we also learn something of what it is like to be in the hands of a jealous God.

Till We Have Faces encapsulates the feeling of modern man in the face of skepticism, rationalism and unbelief, and still stands today as one of the most sound responses to the furious despair of philosophical atheism. Read in conjunction with Lewis’ essay, “God in the Dock,” it forms a complete response to the atheism of such contemporaries of Lewis as Bertrand Russell. It achieves that rare mixture of delight in story and philosophical depth that makes it equally powerful whether one is concerned with apologetics or merely passing a pleasant rainy afternoon. In it, Lewis has left us a jewel which can capture even the most sophisticated of imaginations.

The Last Disciple

2010-07-12T07:46:00.000-07:00

The Last Disciple

by Sigmund Brouwer and Hank Hanegraaff

Review by Joseph Shields

What if the Antichrist has already been revealed? The first book in a gripping new series by best-selling authors Sigmund Brouwer and Hank Hanegraaff explores the lives of Christians who struggle to survive and spread the Gospel during the climactic turbulence of “the last days.” With the enemy seeking to decipher the code of John's letter, Revelation, and destroy the church, believers must cling to the hope Revelation provides as they face the greatest of all persecutions. A spellbinding story of faith and fulfillment of prophecy. Discover the "code" of Revelation as you begin to see it through the eyes of the persecuted believers to whom it was written.

The above summary from the author’s website is the broad synopsis of The Last Disciple, the first in a series of at least three historical fiction novels based on the Revelation of John. Written in part as an answer and alternative to the wildly popular Left Behind series by Tim LaHaye which sets all of the events of Revelation as far future events, Brouwer and Hanegraaff weave a tale as seen from the perspective of the first century Christians to whom the letter was written. The characters are a mix of fictional and historical figures from all levels of Roman society including Nero, John, slaves, soldiers, gladiators, Jewish leaders and more.

The Last Disciple is a tale that reflects the difficulties and persecution that Christians faced in the first century under the vicious rule of Emperor Nero. There are vivid depictions of Christians awaiting their turn in the arena to face wild beasts. There are gruesome depictions of their bodies being used to light the streets of Rome. There are moments of tension as Roman soldiers raid house churches arresting some members while others flee and, as with any good novel, there are also moments of romance, intrigue and mystery as a paranoid Rome fiercely attempts to decipher the “code” of Revelation and track down this “treasonous last disciple,” John. Each character’s faith is put to the test as they face the challenge of counting the cost as a disciple of the “Christos” in a seemingly chaotic and hostile culture.

Note: While some critics have accused the authors of promoting a preterist interpretation of Revelation (all prophetic events in Revelation were fulfilled in the first century), this reviewer is aware of no such claim by or evidence indicating the authors support a full preterist view. Rather they seem to espouse that while many of these events were fulfilled in the first century we yet await Christ’s return (partial preterism) as opposed to none of the events being fulfilled until the far future, leaving the first century
Christians clueless as to the meaning of such a letter amidst their intense persecution.

Sir Gibbie by George Macdonald

2010-06-05T13:04:00.001-07:00

Sir Gibbie is much more than an enjoyable summer read; it is nourishment for the soul and inspiration to godliness. It is filled with adventure, rich characters, and beautiful descriptions of the Scottish highlands of a century ago. The backbone of the novel, though, is its powerful Christian themes of sacrifice, service, purity of heart, and Christ-like love. Without being preachy or guilt-inducing, Sir Gibbie teaches important lessons from the school of Christian discipleship.

The plot follows Gilbert Galbraith, Gibbie, a destitute Scottish orphan unable to speak. Gibbie’s life is marked by harsh living conditions and encounters with harsh individuals. He is frequently punished by those who misunderstand his kindnesses or deplore his low condition. Like his Master he is despised and rejected by men. Yet, Gibbie never sees himself as a victim; his compassionate, indomitable spirit returns every evil with love. Where many would turn bitter at God or humanity, his circumstances never dictate Gibbie’s impulse to love others. He does so without prompting or in expectation of repayment.

These illustrations of Christian living challenge the prevailing values of our day. Even within the church we can forget that the call to love our enemies and turn the other cheek is really intended to be obeyed. Gibbie’s antagonists often expose the pride, fear, ignorance, and selfishness in our own hearts, as they respond with the wisdom of the world. And Gibbie continues to disarm them (and us) with his counter-cultural personification of the gospel.

This novel is a great introduction to George Macdonald, one of the most creative and gifted authors of Christian fiction. His genius inspired C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, G.K. Chesterton and others. C. S. Lewis wrote of George Macdonald, "I know hardly any other writer who seems to be closer, or more continually close, to the Spirit of Christ Himself!"

Sir Gibbie can be found in many editions. The original 1879 version is lengthy and made challenging by the Northern Scots dialect found in the dialogue. There are a few adaptations that are worthy of reading, including one for young readers. Young or old will enjoy and be challenged by this classic story.

-Kevin Nelson

Faithful Women and Their Extraordinary God

2010-05-20T14:00:00.000-07:00

by Noël Piper
“Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him” Ps. 34:8

Noël Piper takes us from 1710 Connecticut to modern day Congo through the looking glass of God’s work. This book is a collection of five short biographies and Piper’s reflection on what God has taught her through them. By reading about God’s work in others’ live we can see that He is faithful and powerful, He answers prayers and that following His call will be the greatest and most painful thing you will ever do. These ordinary women had faith and through that faith God changed the world.

Through Sarah Edwards’ hard work, Lilias Trotter’s giving precedence to God over her gifts, Gladys Aylward’s love for China, Esther Ahn Kim’s determination in the face of death, and Helen Roseveare’s imperfections, we see humble obedience, prejudices overcome, prayers answered, and people coming to love Christ. These are not stories of perfection or of strength, but of real women, their struggles, their faith, and, truly, stories of their God.

I appreciate that Piper included both single and married women, both those sent far from home and those working in their native land, and women of different nationalities reminding us that God isn’t served in just one way or by only certain types of people. These women knew through hardship what prosperity can lure us to forget -- our calling to share in Christ’s sufferings. (Phil 3:7-11) Friends, be encouraged as you read this book, be enlivened, and be reminded of your calling in the Lord’s army. Remember that wherever you are sent God has gone before you, it is His work, and that you do it in His power. Happy reading!

Introducing Covenant Theology, by Michael Horton (Baker, 2009)

2010-03-08T12:33:00.000-08:00

How many of us try to read through the Bible and end up feeling lost by the time we hit Leviticus (or the end of Genesis!)? Have you tried the “read through the Bible in a year” and still don’t have a better grasp of what God is trying to do throughout all these different types of books, stories, poems, laws, parables, gospels and letters?! Michael Horton’s Introducing Covenant Theology provides a clear framework that gets us past these frustrations to trusting in the wonderful ways God creates and saves His people throughout history.

Many Christians today fall into two camps: they either see the Old Testament as the time when God was angry, unloving and the people were evil (unlike us now!); or, they try to appreciate the Old Testament as the Word of God, but can’t understand what God was up to for all those years with Israel, the Temple and all those crazy laws! Horton masterfully shows why both groups will miss the purpose of Jesus’ mission, how God was always moving toward salvation in Christ throughout the Old Testament, and how the Church can best submit itself to the dynamic and wide world of Scripture. We need to take seriously Jesus’ statement that He fulfills all the Law and the Prophets, and this book helps us do that.

Having used this book as the guide for a Bible Study, I can attest that it opens people’s eyes to how the Bible is held together through God’s one purpose of redemption and why that matters for our own lives. We can be confident that God had a specific purpose from Genesis to Revelation and accomplished that purpose through clear redemptive-historical periods. Horton also shows how understanding the intentions of God transforms the life of the Church and what God is doing through us rag-tagged group of believers.

One great example of this is the David and Goliath story. How are Christians today meant to read this story? Is it simply meant to inspire us to fight our own Goliaths – as a kind of battle cry? Or, when we understand that David foreshadows Christ, are we meant to see shadows of Christ’s battle on our behalf and the kingdom that David inherits as ultimately fulfilled in Christ?

This book will challenge and enlighten how you understand God’s Word and how we ought to faithfully obey the God who speaks through it.

-Craig Leukens

Counterfeit Gods

2010-02-06T17:26:00.000-08:00

"There are more idols in the world than there are realities" quotes Timothy Keller from Nietzche's Twilight of the Idols at the outset of Keller's newest work entitled Counterfeit Gods. With the backdrop of the economic crisis, Keller examines the things that we as humanity have placed our faith in outside of Christ. The work begins with a general exposition of idolatry and it becomes clear why Keller entitled the work counterfeit gods rather than idolatry. Idolatry comes pre-packaged with many misconceptions regarding bowing to statutes - things that modern humanity is unlikely to do. With the focus on where we place our faith, our trust, our hope, Keller is able to help us examine both the obvious false gods in our lives as well as those hidden underneath the surface.

Keller begins with an examination of idolatry and uses Abraham and Isaac as a powerful example. Abraham was old and had received a promise from God that he would receive a son and from that son everyone would be blessed. After years of waiting, a son was born to him in his old age. That child represented everything that Abraham had hoped and prayed for his entire life. Isaac truly meant the world to Abraham and it would be easy for us to see Abraham trying to obtain all his value and worth through the false god of his own son - the son of promise. And so Abraham is asked by God to walk up Mt. Moriah with his son, the son of promise, and sacrifice him at the top of the mountain. To the modern reader, this seems quite odd; however, we must understand this in the context of Abraham's life and what was before him. This act was merciful as Keller argues. Abraham had to have his faith solely in God and it couldn't be in Isaac. In order to demonstrate that, Abraham had to be willing to give up what he most loved and valued. As so many paradoxes go in Christianity, it was in the dying that we are born again and it was in the giving up of Isaac that he was truly found. The point: God is working in our lives to contest the false gods in our own lives just as God was contesting the false gods in Abraham's life. These tests are hard and they are painful, but they are for a purpose. The next time we despair at something being taken from us, we must stop to examine why. Possibly my despair is revealing a false god - something that I value more than the true God who is removing that idol.

Keller then walks the reader through four of the common false gods of our day: love, money, success and power. Going beyond the obvious sex charged culture we live in, Keller touches on the false god of trying to find personal value, acceptance, and a sense of worth in the "love" of another. This "love" may be from children, a spouse, parents or any number of individuals close to us. And yet this love is not truly loving unless God is my focus. Likewise, money, power, and success are things we may seek in hopes they will provide us with meaning and value. Keller's discussion is clear on these subjects and challenging. All those who read this text will find in each chapter something of themselves.

Keller properly examines the 'hidden' idols - those false gods within our hearts which might be driving the obvious gods of love, money, power and success. For example, possibly the desire to make love a false god is a hidden god of insecurity. That is, not trusting that the Lord truly accepts and loves me, I might seek out that love in external things. This examination of the hidden gods in our lives is an important discussion that challenges the reader to get to the fundamental motivations behind those things we are trusting in. After all, we must deal with the foundational issues if we are to truly topple the counterfeit gods in life. Of course, reformation in our lives is the process of sanctification and it is the work of the Holy Spirit. Keller's book is not a self-help book that teaches the reader how to overcome false gods in several easy steps or in just 6 minutes a day. Sanctification is the work of God's Spirit and so it progresses in God's timing. This books' goal is to open our eyes to our sin and to help us focus our prayer lives upon ongoing sanctification. We do not sanctify ourselves, but we can in God's grace become aware of the false gods in our personal lives and pray for liberation from them and for a greater understanding of the hidden gods that also need to be overturned.

Keller is a clear writer with an important and challenging message for the church today. This book is an excellent follow-up to the autumn's Sunday Study on Respectable Sins. I encourage everyone to read it this month. -Doug Bruce

December book

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We are continuing John Calvin: Pilgrim and Pastor for the month of December. If you are looking for more reading, please consult the church library and bookstore.

John Calvin: Pilgrim and Pastor

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John Calvin: Pilgrim and Pastor
by W. Robert Godfrey

I will get straight to the point: I think reading John Calvin: Pilgrim and Pastor is worth your time, especially if you don’t know Calvin’s life or theology well or haven’t thought about it lately. Why do I say so? I will give you three reasons.

First, because everyone else is doing it. July 10, 2009 marked the 500th anniversary of Calvin’s birthday and accordingly there has been much ado in the worlds of Reformed publishing and academia. There have been conferences on Calvinism, new editions published of his most well known works, and a great many books written. If you peruse our own bookstore and library you will find copies of his Institutes of Christian Religion, his synopsis of the gospel, Truth For All Time, a couple devotionals he wrote, a few biographies, and a couple of the books written this year. Why all the fuss? Because God used John Calvin mightily. This hard-working genius devoted his life to the gospel and the church. He wrote and pastored with full conviction that he was doing the work of God and it showed. The body of work that he produced is astounding - commentaries on all but 3 books of the Bible, several editions of the Institutes, and several other books - all while preaching every Sunday and daily every other week and writing a great many pastoral letters. All the while not living the easiest of lives -- his wife died after less than a decade of their marriage, his only child died in infancy, he was exiled twice, he saw friends burned at the stake for following his teaching, and the list goes on, but I will leave it to Godfrey to tell you the rest. Calvin’s influence is felt by all Protestants to some degree, but also the unchurched on issues like church and state. Calvin’s understanding of scripture has been instrumental to all of the pastors at CPC and consequently Calvin’s teachings are influential on our worship. As you read you may find yourself reflecting on how your understanding of worship, the sacraments, and assurance of salvation has been effected by his.

Second, of all the books written this year, I picked this book because it is both a biography of Calvin’s life and an examination of his thought. The book is an accessible read for all of us and often lets Calvin speak for himself. I found the book to be devotional at times as I reflected on the passion with which Calvin wrote about the gospel.

Third, the same reason you read any Christian biography, you learn about God. In studying the piety, the frailty, and the work of Calvin, you see God’s hand in his life. You will be amazed by the power God can exercise through us, daunted by what He may call us to, and encouraged by the work of the Spirit in humanity.

Happy reading!

Respectable Sins: Confronting the Sins We Tolerate, by Jerry Bridges (NavPress, 2007)

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This is a dangerous book. One that, if read slowly and prayerfully, may cause painful conviction, frequent repentance, and lead to a more joyful grasp of the power of the gospel. It’s that last point that Bridges hammers home so effectively in this book. The gospel is not just for unbelievers! A study of “respectable sins” points out how every Christian must daily apply the gospel to our lives.

“Respectable sins” is such a great phrase because it exposes a widespread but flawed view of sin held even by many evangelicals. The church hasn’t abandoned the concept of sin, but as Bridges points out, it has “been deflected to those outside our circles who commit flagrant sins such as abortion, homosexuality, and murder, or the notorious white-collar crimes of high-level corporate executives.” Notorious sins like these can keep the concept of sin at arms length, while reinforcing a misguided sense of our own self-righteousness.

The real potency of this observation lies in what the author calls the true malignancy of sin. He writes, “Sin is a spiritual and moral malignancy. Left unchecked, it can spread throughout our entire inner being and contaminate every area of our lives.” Even these (especially these!) “respectable sins” are powerful forces that often work covertly to shipwreck our faith.

As you work through this book, you will encounter sins that are rarely identified as such. Each chapter hits close to home: Anxiety, Frustration, Discontentment (gulp), Anger, Irritability, Impatience (gulp!), and the list goes on. Each of these sins are not just respectable, they are ones we easily justify. Many of us feel entitled to frustration, a “victim” of anxiety, and righteous in our anger. Yet, as Bridges works through scripture, we see how harmful these sins can be.

Thankfully, this book does not leave us without hope. From beginning to end we are reminded that the power that saved us is the power that enables us to wrestle with these sins. The gospel not only cleanses us from the guilt of sin, it is also effective at destroying its power.

This fall our adult Sunday studies will guide our reflections on this book. Take this book home; read it; wrestle with it; pray through it; and, come to Sunday studies ready to engage each topic. This is not just a pursuit for “serious” Christians; this is a call to each of us to root out those things that keep us from the love of Christ.

As you read, remember to blog your thoughts. Post a quote; raise a question; challenge an assumption. As the book points out one of the directions for dealing with sin is to do so in community. Let’s take this challenge as a church and deal with our respectable sins.

-Kevin Nelson

Life in Christ: A Guide for Daily Living, by John Stott (Baker, 2003) A good place to start!

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Hmmmmm… but where to start???? And then it came to me:

What’s the first thing, and the last, with respect to our being a Christian? What is it, that if we lose it, we lose everything — the gospel, the church, eternal life, even the knowledge of God himself or any hope of access to His blessed presence? What is it, of all things, that we ought most fear that we would take for granted? The answer of course is obvious — JESUS CHRIST! It just can’t be stressed enough, however interesting and beneficial is our tradition(s), our church history, our doctrine, even our Christian relationship and practices in the church—they are only so beneficial as they are all

in/on/with/through/under/unto/for/like

Jesus Christ!

Have you ever considered the prepositional phrases that are used in the New Testament in reference to Jesus Christ?   Someone considered one of the most prolific and influential Christian authors/apologists/missiologists/pastors/professors of our age has.   In his little, if not also simple, albeit profoundly insightful meditation of a book Life in Christ, John Stott proposes “to explore the implications of a Christian faith and life which are focused on Christ by means of the prepositions which are used in the New Testament in reference to Him.”

Speaking of John Stott—I was recently on a “camping” (perhaps better “semi-camping”) trip with three other pastor/scholars, all a “tad” over 50, deep in the Adirondacks.   One evening while enjoying a rich time of fellowship together, we contemplated the most influential Christian apologist/pastor of our lifetimes.    It was unanimous—John Stott. It’s hard to imagine life without his popular Christology book entitled Basic Christianity or his significant soteriology (doctrine of salvation/atonement) entitled The Cross of Christ and the list could go on—Involvement (a two volume series on vocation/calling), Between Two Worlds (on Biblical Preaching), Baptism and Fullness (on the Work of the Holy Spirit), etc. Over 50 books in all! But perhaps more than even his writings, it was his Christian witness over his many years of service to Christ. I think of his energy in forming such evangelical and missional alliances as the Lausanne Covenant (we recite a portion of this in our worship occasionally).   And there was his firm, if not always civil, advocacy for evangelical orthodoxy in often hostile places. On a personal note, he was my very first seminary professor in a class on the Pastoral Epistles (I used his notes in my recent Titus sermon series, for instance). And I can remember ever so vividly his defense of Christian orthodoxy in the face of a virulent antagonist once at Andover Newton—what an incredible witness to a young seminarian such as myself as he demonstrated with amazing firmness and restraint an example of the grace and truth of Jesus Christ that day!

And therefore, we begin where we also ought to end, with Jesus Christ! And by none other than perhaps the greatest advocate of Christ in our era, John Stott. In his writing, even meditation on Jesus Christ, you will, I think, discover a vast treasury of pastoral anecdotes as can only be delivered by someone so globally aware as John Stott in his life-long, if not waning, witness for the sake of Christ.   You will be introduced to many great stories and encounters, but most of all, even if by way of much needed review, you will be reminded of why it must be “that Christ should have first place in everything” (Col 1:18 — sound familiar?).

Again and again, let’s pray this prayer for ourselves and for our church “lest we are led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ?” And by all means, do blog your thoughts even as you read—short brief thoughts will do, but thoughts that revel in the wonder of all things Jesus Christ!!
                                                                                                                                       -Preston Graham