Christianity is not the movement from vice to virtue but from virtue to grace. -Gerhard Forde
Author: Josh King
The Doctor: When Satan Attacks
You may know that an attack come from the devil and not from yourself, (a) if it appears to come from outside; (b) if you hate the suggestion made; (c) if it leads to anxiety, depression, doubts, over-concentration on self. Therefore ‘resist the devil’. – From Lloyd-Jones: Messenger of Grace by Iain Murray
Tolle Lege: Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life
Readability: 1
Length: 249 pgs
Author: Donald Whitney
Since the late 70’s Richard Foster’s Celebration of Discipline has probably been the bestselling book on spiritual disciplines (bible reading, prayer, evangelism, serving, fasting, etc.). I read it while I was still in seminary and benefited from it. There is truth in it, but there is much that is unhelpful, and unbiblical. I wish someone would have introduced me to Donald Whitney’s Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life instead. It is the book I will recommend to who are new to the Christian faith and need instruction in such areas. Biblically faithful, simple, and easily understood, it is far superior to Foster’s work.
Discipline without direction is drudgery.
Think of the Spiritual Disciplines as ways we can place ourselves in the path of God’s grace and seek Him as Bartimaeus and Zacchaeus placed themselves in Jesus’ path and sought Him.
The Spiritual Disciplines then are also like channels of God’s transforming grace. As we place ourselves in them to seek communion with Christ, His grace flows to us and we are changed.
Bible intake is the most important Spiritual Discipline, it is also the most broad. It actually consists of several subdisciplines. It is much like a university comprised of many colleges, each specializing in a different discipline, yet all united under the general name of the university.
Shallow Sentimentality
Sentimentality is subtle. C. S. Lewis once told a young writer: “Instead of telling us a thing is ‘terrible,’ describe it so that we’ll be terrified. Don’t say it was a ‘delight,’ make us say ‘delightful’ when we’ve read the description. You see, all those words (‘horrifying,’ ‘wonderful,’ ‘hideous,’ ‘exquisite’) are only saying to your readers, ‘Please, will you do my job for me.’” Lewis complains that authors of gushy and sentimental words are tyrannical because they tell the readers how they must feel rather than letting the subject work on them in the same way it did the author. Sentimental worship-leading works in exactly the same way that Lewis describes. With typical comments—“Isn’t he just wonderful?” “Isn’t it such a blessing?”—the leader tells people how they ought to feel about God instead of telling them about God. – Tim Keller in Worship by the Book
[Review] Shepherding a Child’s Heart
Readability: 1
Length: 210 pgs
Author: Tedd Tripp
Parents, what is your ultimate goal in parenting? In Shepherding a Child’s Heart Tedd Tripp exposes some unbiblical goals such as developing special skills, psychological adjustment, saved children, family worship, well behaved children, education, control. What is the ultimate goal? Tripp answers with the first question / answer of the Shorter Catechism.
Q. What is the chief end of man?
A. Man’s chief end is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever
Is there any other goal that is worthy? Are you willing to start here with our children? You must equip your children to function in a culture that has abandoned the knowledge of God. If you teach them to use their abilities, aptitudes, talents and intelligence to make their lives better, without reference to God, you turn them away from God. If your objectives are anything other than “Man’s chief end is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever,” you teach your children to function in the culture on its terms.
How do we do this? We pander to their desires and wishes. We teach them to find their souls delight in going places and doing things. We attempt to satisfy their lust for excitement. We fill their young lives with distractions from God. We give them material things and take delight in possessions. Then we hope that somewhere down the line they will see that a life worth living is found only in knowing and serving God.
Oh for God-glorifying, gospel-saturated homes! Praise God for Tedd Tripp and his service to us toward that goal. Shepherding a Child’s Heart is a thoroughly Biblical approach to parenting. This book is not full of practical ideas to help you get what you want out of your children, but what God wants. This is not a book about behavior modification, but about the heart. Parents I urge you, read this book.
When we miss the heart, we miss the gospel. If the goal of parenting is only securing proper behavior we will never help our children understand the internal things – the heart issues – that push and pull behavior. Those internal issues: self-love, rebellion, anger, bitterness, envy and pride of the heart show our children how profoundly they need grace. If the problem with children is deeper than inappropriate behavior, if the problem is the way the heart has enthroned something other than God, then the need for grace is established. Jesus came to earth. Lived a perfect life and died as an infinite sacrifice so that children (and their parents) can be forgiven, transformed, liberated and empowered to love God and others.
Better Than We Deserve
C.J. Mahaney and Dave Ramsey oft reply to the social grace, “How are you?” with “Better than I deserve.” I like that. I thought about copying it, but I think it would come off as insincere because I would probably say it hypocritically most of the time. Some may be down on others saying such statements saying they are down on themselves. My response is twofold: 1. Don’t we have plenty to be down about (i.e. sin)? 2. They are not seeking to be down on themselves are much are they are seeking to be up on Christ.
It was a few weeks ago on a Saturday night. Bethany was cooking supper and I was upstairs trying to balance the checking account. Thirteen cents off! Isn’t amazing how such a minuscule figure can cause such disproportional stress? Any other time I would think thirteen cents insignificant. If something is on sale for thirteen cents off, big deal. If something cost thirteen cents, no problem. Lose three pennies and a dime, oh well. But thirteen cents when balancing the books is a major stressor. Then Bethany’s phone rang. A grenade was about to go off in my soul sending my emotions in a thousand different directions.
Our adoption caseworker called saying that they had two brothers, ages two and five, and wanted to know if we would be interested in adopting them. She then proceeded to tell us their story, a story that would melt your heart, but that’s their story. As she told us about the boys we were instantly in love. During the conversation it clicked, I had misdated the interest we had earned that month. How much was it? Yep, thirteen cents. We took some time for the emotional side to calm down and the rational side to process. We called family, consulted our pastor, and prayed to our heavenly Father. Later that evening the sewer backed up in our downstairs half-bath; so while Bethany was calling family, I was called the plumber.
Monday morning we let our caseworker know we were in. The emotional rollercoaster continued for a couple of weeks. Finally, yesterday we found out that it is final, the boys are ours. We will go get them next week. Our heavenly Father has blessed us with two beautiful boys.
We don’t deserve these two boys, they are a blessing. The Christian faith is not about desert, it is about grace. Again, I don’t deserve these two boys. I don’t deserve stress over thirteen cents or a backed up sewer either. I deserve worse. I deserve hell. I deserve wrath. I deserve judgment.
The reason I thankfully don’t get what I deserve is because God gave me something infinitely more valuable than these two sons. He gave me His Son. The Son who took my just deserts so that I might be justified.
So when we say “we don’t deserve this,” it’s not simply because we are down on self, but because we are rejoicing in the bountiful mercy of God to us in Jesus Christ. It’s not because we are negative, or pessimistic, labels I have issues with, but because we are full of joy and overwhelmed by grace. There is greater joy contemplating my Lord’s merits than in deluding myself into thinking I have any of my own.
So pray for these two sinners raising two younger sinners. Pray that the grace of God would be mighty upon us, not because we deserve it, but for His glory.
Don’t Pursue Excellent Worship!
[T]here is a profound sense in which excellent worship cannot be attained merely by pursuing excellent worship. In the same way that, according to Jesus, you cannot find yourself until you lose yourself, so also you cannot find excellent corporate worship until you stop trying to find excellent corporate worship and pursue God himself. Despite the protestations, one sometimes wonders if we are beginning to worship worship rather than worship God. As a brother put it to me, it’s a bit like those who begin by admiring the sunset and soon begin to admire themselves admiring the sunset. – D.A. Carson in Worship by the Book
Tolle Lege: The Unquenchable Flame
Readability: 1
Length: 191 pgs
Author: Michael Reeves
Michael Reeves has written an introduction to the reformation that is fun to read, brief, accurate, and inspiring. He begins by giving the necessary historical backdrop to understand the reformation, dealing with figures such as John Wycliffe and Jan Huss. He then goes on to Luther, Zwingli, and Calvin; followed by a look at the reformation in Britain from Thomas Cranmer to the Puritans. The Unquenchable Flame also includes a helpful timeline and further reading suggestions. Mark Dever’s endorsement says it best,
With the skill of a scholar and the art of a storyteller, Michael Reeves has written what is, quite simply, the best brief introduction to the Reformation I have read.
The Doctor: The Bible Is Not an Instruction Manuel for Living
‘What then is the Bible about?’ asks someone. Surely there can be no hesitation about answering that question; the Bible, in its essence, is the grand story of redemption. It is the history of what God has done about men and women as the result of their sin, and everything else that we find in the Bible is, in reality, incidental to that. The Bible is concerned with presenting to us the message of redemption by God, and from God, in a way that we can understand and see and believe. – D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Great Doctrines of the Bible Vol. 1, p. 2
Tolle Lege: Dug Down Deep
DugDownDeep_Carnahan.mov from Covenant Life Church on Vimeo.
Readability: 1
Length: 234 pgs
Author: Joshua Harris
Are you looking for a book that would serve as an introduction to theological terms such as: theology, orthodoxy, doctrine, omnipotence, omnipresence, omniscient, inerrancy, clarity, sufficiency, the person of Christ, incarnation, atonement, penal substitution, propitiation, regeneration, justification, adoption, sanctification, indwelling sin, spiritual gifts, the church? Do you also want the book to be practical, applying these doctrines and truths to everyday life? Do you further desire that the book be deeply honest and personal coming from a humble author giving great illustrations from his own life? Do you think your desires to be too big to ever be realized? Read Joshua Harris’ Dug Down Deep.
Harris doesn’t wade in the deep end of the pool, but he helps you to get there and makes you want to dive… or dig. Theology matters – Harris humbly seeks to convince you of this, and I think he does an excellent job. If you are new to the Christian faith, or new to that faith being talked about in vibrant, robust theological terms this would be a great theological primer.
But the hardest work of all is putting truth into practice. … Church affiliation and a list of beliefs are never enough. Doctrine and theology are always meant to be applied to our lives – to shape and reshape not only a statement of faith but also the practical decisions of how think and act. Book knowledge about building on rock has no value if we’re still resting on shifting sand.
Once when my little brother Isaac was four years old, he grabbed a shovel and headed toward the woods. My mom asked what he was doing. He answered, “I’m going to dig for holes.” The story has become family favorite, and Isaac is tired of having it repeated. But it’s a good description of what we do when we study and argue over beliefs without putting them into practice. We’re digging for holes.
We need to dig for rock.
[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_lUDZD0Wqc]
No Other Boast 