Piper and DeYoung

Did you guys watch this? I thought it was really good, but then I found out Kevin DeYoung is only 34 (and so am I). I'm glad they ended with progress is possible!

Part One



Part Two

"Specials" and "Solos"

What do you guys think is the best way to approach specials and/or solos in a church? Is it ever appropriate to have them? I'm not a fan, and I think the corporate gathering is certainly primarily about the people of God worshipping together (with one voice). I also do not like the fact that we live in such an entertainment driven culture, which seems to only fuel the desire for these 'specials' within the corporate worship gathering. My question, however, is what are your thoughts Biblically? Are they always inappropriate? Or is there freedom here?

Romans 6:4

As I'm thinking through my sermon for this coming Sunday morning, a phrase in Romans 6:4 has me thinking. Now, I haven't yet looked at any commentaries, and it may be a very simple answer. However, I thought I'd ask it and hope that maybe someone on here would answer (if you still stop by here).

Why does Paul say that Christ was "raised from the dead by the glory of the Father?" Why not the power or something like that? Or maybe even for the glory of the Father? Just curious to get your thoughts before (or as) I consult some commentaries.

10 Things An Effective Minister Must Remember

from Doug Wilson

1. You are a minister of Christ, for the people. You are not a minister of the people, for Christ. Always preach Jesus.

2. Acknowledge your sins to God, and do what He says to do about them.

3. Your principal credentials for ministry are maintained, or not, within your marriage and family.

4. Your family is a community within the larger community of your ministry. But this community of family still needs to be a gated community.

5. Your toolbox is the Bible, always the Bible. It is the only book you have that is infallible and absolute.

6. If this makes you neglect other books, it is proof that you are neglecting the one book you pretend to have.

7. You are to preach, teach, lead, admonish, and encourage with authority. Don't do it like a muttering scribe.

8. Surround yourself with men who respect you, not men who cater to you.

9. Attack sin from the pulpit. Proclaim grace from the pulpit. You have a high vocation that should require some level of courage. Thunder the Word.

10. In the fulfillment of the Great Commission, never forget the big picture. The point is the success of the army, and your church is simply a platoon. You should want a successful platoon, of course, but only to the extent that it advances the larger mission. And always remember that Jesus is the supreme commander.

Raised for our Justification

"[Christ] was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification."  Romans 4:25
What does it mean that Jesus was "raised for our justification"?  Anybody have any insight into this?

Concerning Church Covenants...

I'm always fascinated by the heavy emphasis many evangelicals put on written church covenants. I do see some practical value of having one (sort of a "written contract" with other believers - something that you can hold people to), but honestly I'm rather cautious about insisting upon something this serious that is not clearly defined for us in the NT. Don't get me wrong - I'm certainly not opposed to all use of non-scriptural practical elements (nursery, sound systems, offering bags/plates, air conditioning) in churches, but an actually written covenant (signed or not signed) seems to be in a different league than padded pews or visual aids, at least in my mind. And I'm not sure I can defend written church covenants on any grounds other than they sure are very practical... and I'm not real comfortable with that conclusion. What do you guys think about church covenants? The good, the bad, and the ugly...

Anti-Contextualization

Not exactly what Jonathan Leeman is espousing in this post (Yin-Yang Contextualization), but it is interesting and counter to the "contextualization" rage these days. Here's what he says he has learned from Mark Dever:

He has a good eye for locating the particular weakness of a culture and then adopting practices that directly run against those weakness. For instance,

• We live in an entertainment-driven culture, and so he works hard to make sure our corporate gatherings don't cater to that desire among Christians and non-Christians.
• We live in a highly emotivisitc culture, and so he's careful not to use overly dramatic sermon illustrations that play to that desire for an emotional rush.
• We live in a style-conscious and celebrity-driven culture, and so he dresses plainly/unremarkably, puts someone else in the pulpit around 35% of the year, and generally promoted the leadership of others.

What do we make of this? This seems to run in the opposite direction of what we're being told we must do to be relevant and draw folks to our church. If they want the word, give it to them. If they want entertainment, emotionalism, or a cool, rockstar pastor, be very careful not to do/be those things. What do you think?