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S’More books I’ve read…

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Last weekend, I highlighted 3 books I had finished and over the weekend I finished up a few more:

40 Questions About the End Times by Eckhard Schnabel
Schnabel is a first class scholar and the 40 Questions series are a very accessible set of books.  What I appreciated about this overview of many of the questions we have about the end times was how thoroughly Biblical he was.  Part of the struggle in end times is deciphering what’s literal and what’s figurative in the apocalyptic genre (Revelation isn’t the same genre as say one of Paul’s letters).  Schnabel helps navigate the waters with a thorough Biblical case.  One other practical things that makes this appealing is in helping one see how different interpreters have erred and seeking to avoid that.  Really helpful piece.

Rose Guide to End-Times Prophecy by Timothy Paul Jones
I am working through this book right now and have found it very helpful in again, thinking about the 10,000 foot level of eschatology.  One thing I love so far is how centered on Jesus the book is.  One frustration I have about end times fanaticism is that the interpretations can leave Christ on the curb and other things are sensationalized and showcased.  Jones helps the reader see how different schools of thought are making much of Christ and what this means for the average person out there.  This book also helps by bringing end times things throughout the history of the church, and, in this, helps all readers.

Loving the Church . . . Blessing the Nations: Pursuing the Role of Local Churches in Global Mission by George Miley
Last month I attended a conference at a missions agency to help local church missions committees think about their role in relation to both the church and the call to reach the nations.  At that conference, one resource that popped up in a few quotes was this one.  I gave this a quick read and found many things helpful.  This book helps highlight a methodology for church planting.  But, in a deeper way, shows a love for the local church and the strength she can wield in planting churches internationally.  The church can be about God’s work and I was encouraged in this regard by this book.

Hope you’re enjoying your summer reading.

Weekend Recap – Faith’s Actions/Moses

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My 6/3/12AM sermon entitled Faith’s Actions from Hebrews 11:23-28 is online.  This sermon looked at the recap of Moses’ life in the book of Hebrews and helped us see how his faith related to action (informed by the Gospel, of course).  One big thing I was driving at in the sermon was how many of us think that faith doesn’t require action, which is good if we’re talking about entering into a relationship with God.  However, long term sanctification and growth occurs out of faith-filled action, evidencing what we really believe.  In this sermon, I was driving at how being saved by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone produces a faith that is not alone, but filled with God-glorifying, Gospel-provoked action.

I hope it benefitted you and you had an enjoyable Lord’s Day standing in awe of God and His amazing mercy towards you.

Tweets from Revelation 1

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In late May, I began 202 days of journaling through the 404 verses of the final book of the Bible, Revelation.  To go along with my personal study and preparation to preach through this book in 2013, I’m trying to tweet something from every verse.  Today I finished chapter 1.  Here’s a compilation of my tweets followed by the reference.

The final book of the Bible is a singular revelation of a specific person: Jesus Christ (Revelation 1:1)
John was qualified to capture this b/c he saw it (Revelation 1:2)
If you apply yourself to study the final book of the Bible you’re promised a blessing (Revelation 1:3)
God: the timeless One (Revelation 1:4)
Jesus is a Sovereign Savior (Revelation 1:5)
Because of what Jesus has done for His people, He’s worthy of all worship forever. (Revelation 1:6)
Jesus is surely returning and everyone will know! (Revelation 1:7)
The Lord God Almighty is everything. (Revelation 1:8)
As Christians, we partner together in Jesus, which means tribulation, a kingdom & endurance. (Revelation 1:9)
Sundays are great days to devote ourselves to seeking the Spirit. (Revelation 1:10)
God’s revelation of His Son is meant to build up churches. (Revelation 1:11)
God means to clearly communicate through His Word. (Revelation 1:12)
Jesus, the Son of man, dwells among His people. (Revelation 1:13)
Jesus is wisdom personified. (Revelation 1:14)
The work and the word of the Son of God are powerful and effective. (Revelation 1:15)
Jesus is radiant in His people through His powerful word. (Revelation 1:16)
A revelation of Jesus will drive us to our knees in worship. (Revelation 1:17)
Jesus lived, died and lives forevermore with all authority over eternity. (Revelation 1:18)
God has always clearly articulated who He is for people in His Word. (Revelation 1:19)
God sometimes unveils mystery for the good of His people. (Revelation 1:20)

Some Reading…

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Finished up a few books recently, so here’s some little blurbs about each of them:

God’s Glory in Salvation through Judgment: A Biblical Theology by Jim Hamilton
I took my time and plodded through this a few pages at a time each evening for a few months.  I love God’s glory.  I believe it defines what we’re to ultimately be living for.  So, I really resonated with Hamilton and his thorough approach to uncover this theme throughout the Bible.  He even had a chapter that answered some objections of people who don’t see things the way he does.  And, the book ended with a section I loved with what this means to life and ministry.  I would highly recommend this volume to anyone who would like to take the time to see what God is up to in the Bible.

Create: Stop Making Excuses and Start Making Stuff by Stephen Altrogge
This was a very easy read, but a helpful, how do I put it?, kick in the pants to get about living a creative life.  Many excuse their apparent lack of creativity saying, “Well, I’m just not gifted.” And, Stephen takes time to show how not only you are creative, since you are created in the image of a Creative God, but also how this imprint on your creative design is meant to be acted upon.  He gets at motives, excuses we make and how we can take small steps to improve in our creativity.  I was very helped by this short read and benefitted accordingly.

Father Hunger: Why God Calls Men to Love and Lead Their Families by Doug Wilson
Another helpful book by Wilson on manhood.  I had the privilege of hearing Wilson speak on this subject at the Desiring God Conference for Pastors earlier this year.  The big call in this book is for men to take responsibility.  This is the definition of masculinity he gets at in this book: “The joyful accepting of responsibility.”  There are numerous ways Wilson applies this and gets at both the need and application of these kind of men for the good of society and the church.  Again, a helpful read to encourage men to men.

So, these are a few.  Take your time this summer to read through a book and find your soul nourished and your life pointing to God Himself.

Weekend Preview – Ol’ Moses

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This coming Lord’s Day, we will continue our march through the book of Hebrews (specifically Hebrews 11:23-28) by looking at Moses’ faith.  There are a few things that stand out from a mere cursory reading of the text:

1) Faith is fearless.  Both Moses’ parents and Moses himself were fearless when it came to the ruler of the land of Egypt.  What’s amazing about being fearless is that typically there is something greater that is feared.  In this case, Moses endured by a big picture of an invisible God.  Catch that?  Something that couldn’t be seen with human eyes made Moses live a certain way in today.

2) Faith is active.  In each episode of Moses’ life, we see someone who has faith in God alone, but it is not a faith that is alone.  It’s a faith that displays itself in action.  And, for every action that comes out of the story of his life, we are given a reason for why that action is pursued (which helps us as we seek to live out active faith).

In light of this, then, I encourage you to join us this coming Sunday, 6/3/12, as we explore the active, fearless faith of Moses so that we might be a people who glorify and enjoy God, forever.

Weekend Recap – Finite, Focused Faith

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My sermon from 5/27/12AM is online.  It was entitled Faith for the Finite and Focused from Hebrews 11:20-22.  It looked at Isaac, Jacob and Joseph and helped us see how they exhibited faith at the end of their lives in blessing their children.  So, faith was exhibited by finite men, who were given a window of time to honor God, but were frail and dying.  And, their faith was focused on future, unseen, promised realities from God Himself.  That’s the forward focus.

The main application I have for my own life is to realize that I want this short life God has given me to count as a life of faith.  Today, will you pray for me in this regard and look at your own life, seeing if you’re building your “house” on the rock of who God is or on the sand of this world.

Have a great week.

Helping You Help Me

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A great post came over at the Gospel Coalition recently entitled Sermon Prep: A Week in One Life.  I’m often super-blessed when I’m asked by people in the church how they can pray for me.  My reply usually is something like “Pray that I would be faithful to honor God week in and week out.”  While this sounds trite, this post on the nature of a pastor’s work week may help you understand some particular struggles inherent in my work.

I found this post helpful, as well, in reminding me of some important parts of my work.  So, if you’ve ever wondered how you can pray for your pastor, why not take some time and check out this post, which begins: “For those unfamiliar with ministry, the pastor’s work week can be mystifying.”