That’s right, my Black Trutone ESV Study Bible arrived 2DAY! What I didn’t realize was that I get free access to the ESV Study Bible online, which looks to be a very cool tool for those of us who enjoy electronic media coupled with print media. You can check out the features of this here.

Sinclair Ferguson serves as Pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Columbia, South Carolina. You can access sermons of his here. Enjoy!

Continuing our series on Total Church, today we look at what they said about social involvement. I think they are spot on in their assessment of evangelicalism in this chapter. They are discussing why it matters to discuss these things and they summarize by saying:

It matters because we are failing to reach the working class with the gospel. Evangelicalism has become a largely middle-class, professional phenomenon. When we invite people to our dinners and our churches, we invite our friends, our relatives, and our rich neighbors. We do not invite the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame. What is at stake is the grace of God.

After this assessment, as with many chapters, they go on to discuss how we wield the gospel word to the poor and marginazlized and then discuss how we can extend community to them. These are really compelling points and arguments. In our own church, for instance, our small groups are seeking to do some ministry projects this fall. Are these groups of people (poor and marginalized) even on our radar? These are good things to think about and, better yet, do something about.

At last Friday’s HomeWord, I spoke on Hebrews 13:4, which calls on believers to have honorable marriages before all and to let the marriage bed be pure, since God will judge.

We wrestled around the theme of esteeming marriage. We pursue the esteeming of marriage in our lives through Honoring It, Protecting It and Sanctifying It.

How do you have a marriage that honorable among all?

Justin Taylor alerted me to this, available here.

Matt Chandler leads the Village Church and I came across him recently because he will be the pastoral speaker at the upcoming Desiring God Conference for Pastors.

Mark Driscoll interviewed Chandler recently. I was really helped not only in getting information, but also in being convicted about my own heart attitudes on some issues. Download here.

I’ve enjoyed reviewing and blogging on the book Total Church by Tim Chester and Steve Timmis.

Here are previous posts:
Post 1
Post 2
Link to Interview with Authors
Post 3

This week, we continue the post on evangelism, discussing what they call the three strands of evangelism: building relationships, sharing the Gospel, and introducing people to community. They summarize:

Like three strands of a piece of rope, our approach to mission should involve these three elements.

Think about people you are trying to reach with the gospel or would like to start reaching. Identify ideas (often very ordinary ideas) for building relationships with them, sharing the gospel message, and introducing them to the network of believing relationships. Introductions might involve nothing more sophisticated than inviting both Christian and non-Christian friends for a meal or an evening out. It is not enough to build a relationship between one believer and one unbeliever.

When considering this model, it is important to avoid imposing a supposed logical sequence. Often people ask which comes first–introducing people to community, sharing the gospel or building relationships. None need be the first; nor need progress be made in one area before you can move into one of the others. In reality, any one of the three can occur first, and all three can sometimes begin to happen simultaneously. If one strand is missing, then, in God’s sovereign plan, the rope can still hold. But it is stronger when all three are present. (p.61)

Later on they say:

Most gospel ministry involves ordinary people doing ordinary things with gospel intentionality.

I find what they are getting at here to be extremely liberating. Often, thinking about sharing my faith with others, I get this idea about awkwardly getting into some conversation about things that immediately make people uncomfortable. No relationship is involved. I am dumping truth on someone. This model, though, says, go about living your life. Be relational. And as you live life in a relational way, be intentional with the Gospel. This is something that I can relate to. I hope it encourages you in that regard too.

On a deeper level, the NT emphasis on the local church and community is upheld. Often with the evangelism training I grew up with, there was much about how to turn conversations or not an emphasis placed on my living out Gospel truth in the context of Christian community. This is very good stuff.

This Friday, October 10, HomeWord 2.0 kicks off. HomeWord are Friday evening worship services that aim to expose God’s word to our marriages. If you are intersted in what happened at the first HomeWord meetings, the audio is available online. This Friday, I will deal with one verse. Chew on this for the week and we’ll meet Friday night and discuss it.

Hebrews 13:4 — “Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous.”

Have a good week and may God richly bless your marriage.

I was super-interested in James McPherson’s latest book, Tried By War which is set to be released October 7. I went up to the circulation desk at the Hutchinson Public Library and asked, “I noticed on Amazon that one of my favorite authors has a new book coming out. Is it something that you will be getting in here.” The helpful lady said, “Let me check.” She looked in their database and then on Amazon and said, “Why don’t we just go ahead and order it.” I was thinking, “Because you’re the library not a bookstore.” They ordered this book simply because I requested it and, as a result, I won’t have to buy it. Anyway, they called yesterday and my book is in and I just finished reading the preface. So this book, which is due out on Tuesday, might be read by then.

They’ve also been incredibly helpful with Interlibrary Loans. I was researching sermons today for October 12 and noticed that scholars have found the actual coin Jesus referred to in Mark 12:15-16. I requested a book that has a picture of this and, if God’s providence allows, will be able to look at the very coin that Jesus might have been referring to. Pretty awesome stuff that all these service took minimal effort and the scholarship of the world can come to me (even here in Hutchinson).

So thanks Hutchinson Library! You are a blessing.

At my local Starbucks today, I had the opportunity to enjoy a new drink…

A doppio (pronounced DOUGH-pee-oh) espresso long…

Here’s the concept: an espresso is pulled through longer so that more water comes through the pressed grounds.

It was nice and smooth. On Starbucks new espresso machines, the espresso drinks seem much richer. Americanos taste better. To get this doppio, just ask for a doppio long.