Don’t Be Ashamed

This morning I read from the Gospel of Mark: “For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.” -8:38

Interestingly, I’ve always thought about this verse in the context of evangelism. And indeed, we should not be ashamed of Jesus as we testify to others about the person of Christ. We should be very open and expressive of our love for Him. Nonetheless, that’s not the context surrounding 8:38.

The context is setting your mind on the things of men, not of God (v.33). The context is taking up your cross to follow Jesus (v.34). The context is losing your life that you might gain it (v.35). The context is letting go of the world that you might hold onto your soul (v.36). Of course evangelism falls under those things, but so does a lot more. These verses are about our whole lives as believers. In fact, we may be unashamed to talk to others about Jesus, but the rest of our lives might look like we’re forsaking Jesus for something else.

In other words, there are other ways to be ashamed of Jesus besides the context of evangelism. We’re ashamed of Jesus when we set him aside to pursue what we think are “greater” pleasures. We’re ashamed of Jesus when we build up our own kingdoms. We’re ashamed of Jesus when we pad our lives instead of living sacrificially for the sake of others. We’re ashamed of Jesus when our lives testify to the universe, “Jesus is…ok.”

Hopefully, as our whole lives become more devoted to enjoying Jesus, so too will we be unashamed in telling other people about the hope we have in Christ.

“I’m Changing a Tire”

There was a great panel discussion today at 930 Mary Street including Al Mohler, Mark Dever, David Platt, Ed Stetzer, Danny Akin, and Daniel Montgomery. I thought everyone who spoke gave thoughtful answers to some great questions.

Maybe more importantly, however, were the actions of my buddy Lee as he was on his way to meet me at the panel. I was waiting for him to arrive, seats saved and everything, but he was yet to arrive as the panel began. I called him to see where he was and his reply was, “I am on the side of the road, helping a lady change her tire with another guy. We’ll be there in a bit.” I was so glad he stopped to serve this lady even though he had an appointment elsewhere. How weird would it have been to go listen to a panel discussion on the great commission after having passed a woman who was clearly in need of help on the side of the road?

I think little things like that are how we can tangibly show the compassion of Christ and share the gospel.

Norris’s Addition to ‘Thousand Tongues’

“…the Son of Man must be lifted up for this purpose: that all who believe should have eternal life in him. For God loved the world in this way, with the result that he sent his only Son for this purpose: that everyone who believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:14-16). Why, then, was Jesus sent by his Father to be lifted up on the cross? He was to be killed there to accomplish salvation for those who believe in him; and all the Father gives to the Son (6:37-40), all the Father draws to the Son (6:44), all for whom it is granted by the Father (6:65), all the sheep for whom the Shepherd died (10:11-30), believe.

The following verses added to Charles Wesley’s “O For a Thousand Tongues to Sing” (1739) by Leila N. Norris in 1899 explain this assuring of salvation for the believing ones. Our singing of it last Sunday-gathered ministered to me as well as became my prayer for those I know who do not believe in Jesus Christ and lack eternal life.

For God so loved this sinful world,
His Son he freely gave,
That whosoever would believe
Eternal life should have.

I was a wayward, wand’ring child,
A slave to sin and fear,
Until this blessed promise fell
Like music on my ear.

The “whosoever” of the Lord,
I trusted was for me,
I took Him at His gracious word;
From sin He set me free.

Eternal life, begun below,
Now fills my heart and soul.
I’ll sing His praise forevermore
Who has redeemed my soul.

Sinners Can’t Come, but Must

In light of the previous post on faith as a gift from God, and some discussion it has generated with a close brother of mine, I felt it would be helpful to add some follow-up that would, I pray, help the church in her preaching, teaching, and evangelism. This includes five exhortations of my own to consider and some penetrating words by John Duncan that was recently posted at Desiring God.

Five exhortations to consider when teaching on God’s sovereignty in granting faith alongside the person’s necessary response of faith for salvation:

1. We must resort to the Scriptures, and surrender to all of them, and believe what they mean to communicate regarding the nature of God, the state of man, and God’s purposes in redemption. For example, do not be a “whosoever” kind of guy at the expense of being a “because-God” kind of guy (and vice-versa).
2. We must not allow what we (rightly) believe about the meticulously exhaustive sovereignty of God to suppress our plea with sinners to repent and trust in Christ. Rather, it ought to embolden our plea (Read the prayer surrounding Acts 4:28).
3. We must not allow the fact that God grants salvation to be a loophole for our unbelief or an excuse for our refusal in coming to him. Here, I am thinking of this attitude: “Well, I am not doing anything unless God does it first.” Rather, we must submit ourselves to his commands, and in doing so prove to be one of his own. God’s own come to him as King and Judge or they do not come at all.
4. We must not ever think about God’s sovereignty in granting faith, or love, or perseverance, etc. as an excuse for not doing them. Obey! We must “work out our salvation with fear and trembling, BECAUSE God is at work in us both to will and to do.”
5. We must not think that because God grants faith in Christ, that he would ever do this apart from the means of the communicated gospel. Faith comes [i.e. it is generated by] hearing the word of Christ. Preach.

John “Rabbi” Duncan’s answer to “How then shall we preach to those who cannot come to Christ, but must come in order to be saved”:

It would not do to tell a man that he may come to Christ, but that he must come. Some, indeed, would have man to do all, though he could do nothing; and others would have him to do nothing, because all was done for him.

As long as I am told that I must come to God, and that I can come, I am left to suppose that some good thing, or some power of good remains in me, and I arrogate to myself that which belongs to Jehovah. The creature is exalted, and God is robbed of His glory.

If, on the other hand, I am told that I cannot come to God, but not also that I must come, I am left to rest contented at a distance from God, I am not responsible for my rebellion, and God Jehovah is not my God.

But if we preach that sinners can’t come, and yet must come, then is the honour of God vindicated, and the sinner is shut up. Man must be so shut up that he must come to Christ, and yet know that he cannot. He must come to Christ, or he will look to another, when there is no other to whom he may come; he cannot come, or he will look to himself.

This is the gospel vice, to shut up men to the faith. Some grasp at one limb of the vice and some at the other, leaving the sinner open – but when a man is shut up that he must and cannot, he is shut up to the faith – shut up to the faith, and then would he be shut up in the faith. God is declared to be Jehovah, and the sinner is made willing to be saved by Him, in His own way, as sovereign in His grace (Rich Gleanings, 392).

[HT]: Desiring God (posted by John Piper on March 6, 2009)

Naming God in a Pluralistic World

I would love to be here February 20-21 and 27-28.

Stoke the Flame for Personal Evangelism

All audio, video, and manuscript files are up for the 2009 Desiring God Conference for Pastors: Commending Christ: The Pastor, the Church, and the Perishing (click here to view them). From the several messages I have listened to thus far, I have been convicted about my lack of urgency in sharing the good news, ecouraged by the sovereignty of God in evangelism, and even more stimulated to serve alongside these men for the faith of the gospel of Jesus Christ. I have listed the messages below as they occurred. Thanks Desiring God for your efforts in making these things available to us.

1. The Need for Evangelism (Mark Dever)
2. A Shepherd and His Unregenerate Sheep (Matt Chandler)
3. The Pastor and Evangelism (Mark Dever)
4. “I Will Not Be A Velvet-Mouthed Preacher” — The Life and Ministry of George Whitefield: Living and Preaching as though God Were Real (Because He Is) (John Piper)
5. The Church and Evangelism (Mark Dever)
6. Missions and Fasting: The Forsaking of Things Present for the Global Exaltation of Christ (Michael Oh)
7. Commending Christ (Q & A)

Living Soli Deo Gloria

It is one thing to affirm Soli Deo Gloria; it is another to bear its fruit throughout all the days God graciously gives us. I raised some questions regarding the effects this fundamental Sola ought to have on my own joy and worship, love and good works, prayers and missions, marriage and family, and evangelism efforts. Surely, there are more that could be asked for my sanctification, but these are some that I have begun asking myself afresh this week. It is a bit of a hodgepodge, but I hope they generate some God-centered thinking and conversation.

Joy & Worship. Dr. Nettles drew the conclusion (listen here) from several passages of Scripture that God shouts over his people, “Soli Deo Gloria!” (e.g. Exod 33:17; Rom 11:36; Ps 96:7-9; Eph 1:3-14). In other words, God has revealed to us what is of primary importance to God in his aims for creation and redemption, namely, that his glory might be praised. What emphases are being highlighted in this statement about God? How might such a statement both cultivate and focus worship within my heart and among the broader community of believers? How does God’s God-centeredness produce joy in the life of the believer (think along the lines of God’s gift of himself to you)?

Love & Good Works. The previous questions about joy and worship relate directly to the first and greatest commandment, “to love the Lord your God with all of your heart, soul, mind, and strength.” This next set addresses the second greatest commandment, “to love your neighbor as yourself.” How might embracing Soli Deo Gloria effect (or change) the way we love others? [Here I was reminded of Augustine's quote, "He loves Thee too little, who loves anything together with Thee, which he loves not for Thy sake" (Confessions).] Is your love for others God-centered that they might be pointed to him in your loving them, not merely to your ”liking” of them? In what ways does God’s aim to glorify himself challenge your work ethic (see Matt 5:16)? How might one work in such a way that others glorify the Father, not the worker? Does this involve a life of both deed (service) and word (proclamation)? In what manner should we do the good works God created us for (Eph 2:9-10) so that he does receive all glory (see Tit 2:11-14; 1 Pet 4:11)?

Prayer & Missions. How does (or should) God’s determination to glorify himself drive your prayer life? In Numbers 14:13-19 Moses’ greatest concern is that God forgive the people and go with them so that his name would remain famous among all the nations. Is God’s fame and glory the ultimate aim and end of your prayers? Look again at Numbers 14 and notice how God answers Moses: “As I live, and as all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord…” (14:21). In other words, that God will fill the earth with his glory is as guaranteed as his very existence. In what ways does God’s resolve to glorify himself in all the earth give us confidence in our prayer life and missions efforts (e.g. Hab 2:14; Isa 43:6-7; Eph 1:3-14; Phil 2:10-11)? In light of these things, are you broken-hearted because lost people are not like you, OR because God does not receive their praise and adoration?

Marriage & Family. How do we promote a robust sense Soli Deo Gloria in our own households (see Ps 78:1-8; 1 Cor 10:31; Eph 5:21-6:4)? Do our spouses observe in our motives and attitudes when carrying out certain responsibilities a zeal for God’s glory, or merely a desire to just get things done? Do extended family members notice a God-centeredness in our speech? Or do we tend to change it around them? What can we highlight for children as we teach them the Scriptures or guide them through circumstances set before them, so that they might lay hold of Soli Deo Gloria?

Evangelism. Dr. Nettles clarified in his final warning that there will be two kinds of people at Christ’s return: (1) believers who will experience the glory of God in everlasting joy; and (2) non-believers who will experience the glory of God in the wrath of the Lamb. Do you find similar emphases of God-centered evangelism in your own encounters with the lost? If not, why?

Here are a couple of sermons that were (and still are) very influential to me with regard to living Soli Deo Gloria:

Passion for the Supremacy of God I (John Piper, Passion ‘97, Austin, TX)
Passion for the Supremacy of God II (John Piper, Passion ‘97, Austin, TX)

Common Ground with Unbelievers

Those who find it difficult to relate to unbelievers in efforts of evangelism, or think there to be no common ground on which to build a relationship with them, should remember the gross exchange from which God delivered them. This is what Romans 1 and 2 taught me this morning.

For 17 (maybe 18) years, I “exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things” (1:18), and “exchanged the truth of God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever” (1:25), and was filled with “unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice, envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness” (1:29), and was a “gossip, slanderer, hater of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventor of evil, disobedient to parents, foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless” (1:30-31), and though I knew God’s decree against these things (since such a decreed law was surely shown to be written on my heart [2:14-16]), I gave hearty approval to them anyway (1:32).

Hence, establishing some common ground with unbelievers should not be difficult for me or any other Christian. According to Romans 1 and 2, we both bear the image of God, are meant to reflect and enjoy God’s glory, and yet have also exchanged it for the fleeting pleasures of this world. Here believers and unbelievers meet. However, here is also where the believer has a platform to proclaim the truth concerning Jesus Christ, who rescues sinners running hard to hell, and cleanses them from all impurities, that they might delight themselves forever in bringing glory to God.

Application: Relate to hell-bound, unrepentant sinners. Preach the saving Gospel.

Gospel: Proclaimed Promise Saves

Three statements about the Gospel are clear from Romans 1.

1. The Gospel about God’s Son was “promised beforehand through [God's] prophets in the holy Scriptures” (1:2).
2. The Gospel must be proclaimed: “I am under obligation both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to wise and to the foolish, [and] in this way, I am eager to preach the Gospel even to you who are in Rome” (1:14).
3. The Gospel is the “power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also the Greek; for in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, ‘The righteous shall live by faith’” (1:16-17).

Conclusion: The Gospel concerning God’s Son, which has been promised beforehand in the Scripture, must be proclaimed, so that it effects salvation in everyone who believes. In this way, will the “obedience of faith” (to Jesus Christ) be brought about in all the nations (1:5). Let us be all the more diligent to proclaim the biblical promises concerning Christ which save. (And read Acts if you need examples of how to do this.)

The Destiny of the Unreached and the Mandate for Missions

I am currently writing a paper for Systematic III on the eternal destiny of those who have not heard of Christ or his gospel. I went into research with prior convictions, and have had those convictions strengthened and amplified. How Christians view the eternal destiny of those who have not heard of Jesus will make or break world missions.

I will post the paper when it’s done (which will be added to over the Christmas break…Lord willing), but consider this the brief version.

In a broad sense, there are three competing beliefs:

1) Universalism – This is the view that all will be saved, because all religions/belief systems are small parts of one universal faith. Eventually we’ll all end up in the same place.

2) Evangelical Inclusivism – This is the view that salvation was purchased by Christ on the cross; however, conscious faith in Christ is not necessary. Thus, through natural revelation, and within other religious schemes, people can be saved by the little knowledge they do have of God.

3) Exclusivism – This is the view that salvation is in Christ alone, by conscious faith in Christ alone.

You will not find Christian universalists. Anyone who does not see Christ’s work on the cross and his resurrection as necessary to salvation cannot be saved.

You will, however, find Christians who hold to evangelical inclusivism. They claim to see possibilities of it in Scripture, and believe that it’s going “beyond what is written” to firmly state that the unreached will suffer condemnation.

Yet, Scripture appears to clearly teach that salvation is found only in Christ, by conscious faith in Christ. In fact, Jesus himself used highly exclusive language as he claimed to be “the way, the truth, and the life” or “the gate” by which the sheep enter the fold. He plainly says, “Whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.” This would include those who have not yet heard the gospel. The apostle Paul (an established missionary wouldn’t you say?) clearly understood this:

“For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. But how are they to call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent?” -Rom. 10:13-15

As for missionary efforts: They would cease to exist if the first two views were true. In the rubric of universalism, there is absolutely no need to reach the unreached; everyone is already going to be saved. With inclusivism, the Christian is left with no urgency to reach anyone with the gospel. In fact, I believe he/she is led to do the opposite. If a person will surely be condemned for rejecting the gospel, yet might be saved if they don’t ever hear the gospel…then we should all do our very best to keep our mouth shut! After all, who wants to be responsible for bringing the gospel to someone who rejects it when they might have been saved apart from hearing it?

There is only one position that is faithful to Scripture: Conscious faith in Jesus Christ alone saves the unworthy sinner, and sets him apart for living presently and eternally in Christ.

(P.S. – A great book plug to go with this topic: Let the Nations be Glad by John Piper. It greatly aided how I think of missions. And I’m currently enjoying a book called The Centrality of Christ in Contemporary Missions, edited by Mike Barnett and Michael Pocock. I’m not so sure it’s available everywhere, so here’s a link to it. I am yet to finish it, but it’s been great so far. If I come across anything terrible in the next few chapters I’ll make sure and update this book plug.)