Don't Tweet During Worship

John Piper:

Josh Harris has done us a good service. He explains why many of us think it’s a bad idea to “tweet” while participating in corporate worship. That is, we think you should use Twitter before and after corporate worship to say what you take in and take out. But when you are in corporate worship, Worship! There is a difference between communion with God and commenting on communion with God.

Don’t tweet while having sex. Don’t tweet while praying with the dying. Don’t tweet when your wife is telling you about the kids. There’s a season for everything. Multitasking only makes sense when none of the tasks requires heart-engaged, loving attention.

There is an assumption that Josh and I share, which is not understood or embraced by all. Preaching and hearing preaching are worship. Preaching is expository exultation. The preacher is explaining the Bible and applying the Bible and EXULTING over the truth in the Bible. The listener is understanding, and applying, and joining in the exultation. Hearing preaching is heart-felt engagement in the exposition and exultation of the Word of God.

Also read Joshua Harris' 6 points about not twittering during church.

The Main Issue Behind the Same-Sex Marriage Debate

Drew Barrymore was quoted during an address to protesters after the Courts upheld Proposition 8 in California.

"Children need families, people need to love and we need to move forward, not backward," Barrymore said. "What defines a family? We do!"

Completely agree with the first part. But with all due respect, Ms. Barrymore, we don't get to define the family. Are there many different types of families? Clearly. But what's at the heart of this comment, and much of the debate here, is the feeling that it doesn't matter how God created us. We can improve upon his design in some way.

Unfortunately for those who want to do just this, it just doesn't work that way. God designed us the way he did because he loves us and created male and female to perfectly compliment each other. That's why the family functions best this way. It's rooted in creation. Comments like this demonstrate the real divide between the sides of this issue. One side wants to submit to God's design; the other wants to be their own god and re-define creation.

Music Video of the Week

Jimmy Needham - "Before and After (Live)"

Piper on Paraphrase Bible "Translations"

John Piper day here. In his "Ask Pastor John" segment, he discusses his feelings on paraphrase "translations" of the bible, such as Eugene Peterson's "The Message." Good distinctions between philosophies of translation.

My takeaway - paraphrases are great tools to have when they call themselves paraphrases, but very dangerous when they claim to be God's Word.


By John Piper. © Desiring God. Website: desiringGod.org

Piper on Driscoll, MacArthur, and Vulgarity in the Pulpit

John Piper briefly addressed the Driscoll/MacArthur controversy in a Q&A at the Basics Conference 2009 held at Parkside Baptist Church in Cleveland, OH.

He states at the end that we should "look for more" on the internet soon, which I assume means he'll be posting something on the DesiringGod blog sometime in the near future.

I really appreciate his approach to this. He doesn't let Driscoll off the hook for things that need to be addressed, but he doesn't go too far with it. At the same time, he doesn't attack MacArthur for his stand, either. It's a fine line, but I think Piper does a great job. Can't wait to hear more from him.

You can listen to the audio here.

HT : Jonathan

Driscoll on the Decline of "Christian America"

Mark Driscoll, in his article on FoxNews.com:

Subsequently, the Newsweek report simply confirms the fact that, just as Christendom has died in Europe and the major American cities, it is now dying in the suburban and rural areas of America as well. With the social benefits of professing to be a Christian no longer in place and the social stigma of not professing to be a Christian now lifted, those who were part of Christendom America are simply no longer pretending to be part of Christian America.

Since those who professed faith but did not practice faith were confusing to account for, this is actually a good thing. Now, it is more likely that if someone is a Christian or non-Christian, he or she will state so plainly.

Therefore, the number of Christians has likely not diminished as much as has been reported, but rather we are seeing an increasingly accurate accounting of actual Christian America. The ARIS study confirmed this by saying that the number of people who claimed to be Christians decreased, while the number of people who claimed to be evangelical increased. This fact is not discouraging, but rather clarifying.

Sheperding to Truth - Part 2 from Matt Chandler

You'll need to read part 1 first. More great stuff from Matt here:

I want to give you a few things to think about practically when it comes to shepherding people to truth. On Thursday I’ll post when we are to “avoid such people” but for today here are three practical ways to shepherd people:

• Give people texts to read and then give them plenty of space to wrestle. I love strong, convincing theologically driven books. The Bible’s better.

• Listen. Don’t listen to respond. Listen. You’ll find that people usually have an aversion to truth because it is affecting something or someone very close to them. If you’ll listen and see past a specific theological agenda, you can minister to their hearts. Let me give you an example. The Village is reformed in theology. A few weeks ago after an especially clear presentation of God’s sovereignty over salvation a young man came up to me after service frustrated with what I taught. It didn’t take long to figure out someone very close to him wasn’t a believer. We prayed for his family member for 10-15 minutes and asked the merciful God of the universe to save. After we prayed together, he told me he needed to “learn more of what the Bible says about all this.” After feeling loved, cared for and then prayed with, he was much more open to hear the scriptures unpacked. I have found this to be the case more often than not.

• Be patient. Progressive sanctification is just that…progressive. Deep spiritual growth is far from a super highway; it’s more like a dirt path through a thick jungle. Encourage, pray, and be patient.

• Work diligently and passionately concerning your own spiritual life. It’s easier to say “hard” things if your life is marked by humility, grace, hospitality and steadfastness.

Full of Sound and Fury, Signifying Nothing

When you argue with people (on blogs or otherwise), do you actually make rational, reasoned arguments, or do you just contradict, with no real substance to what you're saying?



HT : Kevin DeYoung

What Is Your Standard of Love?

I'm really enjoying reading Jerry Bridges' book The Discipline of Grace. He beautifully lays out a biblical view of the balance between discipline/obedience and grace. One aspect I've found very helpful so far is his exhortation that we not only need to "put off" sin, but we also need to "put on" Christ as well as the associated positive attributes. It's not enough to not steal; you need to be generous. It's not enough not to be angry; you need to be gracious with others.

I found this re-stating of 1 Corinthians 13:4-5 very helpful in my pursuit of loving others well (page 39):

• I am patient with you because I love you and want to forgive you.
• I am kind to you because I love you and want to help you.
• I do not envy your possessions or your gifts because I love you and want you to have the best.
• I do not boast about my attainments because I love you and want to hear about yours.
• I am not proud because I love you and want to esteem you before myself.
• I am not rude because I love you and care about your feelings.
• I am not self-seeking because I love you and want to meet your needs.
• I am not easily angered by you because I love you and want to overlook your offenses.
• I do not keep a record of your wrongs because I love you and "love covers a multitude of sins."

This is the model of love we should strive for.

Music Video of the Week

Caleb and Sol - "Afloat"

Fast Food Folk Song

Good old Rhett and Link on this Friday. Seriously, watch this through the end. The guy's awesome.

The Difference Between Works-Based Religion and Grace-Based Gospel

Tullian Tchividjian posted some insights from Tim Keller on the difference between pursuing righteousness through performance for God (Religion) and receiving righteousness from God through Christ (The Gospel).

RELIGION: I obey-therefore I’m accepted.

THE GOSPEL: I’m accepted-therefore I obey.

RELIGION: Motivation is based on fear and insecurity.

THE GOSPEL: Motivation is based on grateful joy.

RELIGION: I obey God in order to get things from God.

THE GOSPEL: I obey God to get to God-to delight and resemble Him.

RELIGION: When circumstances in my life go wrong, I am angry at God or my self, since I believe, like Job’s friends that anyone who is good deserves a comfortable life.

THE GOSPEL: When circumstances in my life go wrong, I struggle but I know all my punishment fell on Jesus and that while he may allow this for my training, he will exercise his Fatherly love within my trial.

RELIGION: When I am criticized I am furious or devastated because it is critical that I think of myself as a ‘good person’. Threats to that self-image must be destroyed at all costs.

THE GOSPEL: When I am criticized I struggle, but it is not critical for me to think of myself as a ‘good person.’ My identity is not built on my record or my performance but on God’s love for me in Christ. I can take criticism.

RELIGION: My prayer life consists largely of petition and it only heats up when I am in a time of need. My main purpose in prayer is control of the environment.

THE GOSPEL: My prayer life consists of generous stretches of praise and adoration. My main purpose is fellowship with Him.

RELIGION: My self-view swings between two poles. If and when I am living up to my standards, I feel confident, but then I am prone to be proud and unsympathetic to failing people. If and when I am not living up to standards, I feel insecure and inadequate. I’m not confident. I feel like a failure.

THE GOSPEL: My self-view is not based on a view of my self as a moral achiever. In Christ I am “simul iustus et peccator”—simultaneously sinful and yet accepted in Christ. I am so bad he had to die for me and I am so loved he was glad to die for me. This leads me to deeper and deeper humility and confidence at the same time. Neither swaggering nor sniveling.

RELIGION: My identity and self-worth are based mainly on how hard I work. Or how moral I am, and so I must look down on those I perceive as lazy or immoral. I disdain and feel superior to ‘the other.’

THE GOSPEL: My identity and self-worth are centered on the one who died for His enemies, who was excluded from the city for me. I am saved by sheer grace. So I can’t look down on those who believe or practice something different from me. Only by grace I am what I am. I’ve no inner need to win arguments.

RELIGION: Since I look to my own pedigree or performance for my spiritual acceptability, my heart manufactures idols. It may be my talents, my moral record, my personal discipline, my social status, etc. I absolutely have to have them so they serve as my main hope, meaning, happiness, security, and significance, whatever I may say I believe about God.

THE GOSPEL: I have many good things in my life—family, work, spiritual disciplines, etc. But none of these good things are ultimate things to me. None of them are things I absolutely have to have, so there is a limit to how much anxiety, bitterness, and despondency they can inflict on me when they are threatened and lost.

HT : Tullian Tchividjian (originally posted at The Journey)

Matt Chandler on Shepherding to Truth

I've been coming across a lot of blogs lately that are ardently defending what I believe are truths presented in scripture about God. Truths that paint God as Sovereign, Omnipotent, Omniscient, Loving, Just, Wrathful, Kind, Merciful, Gracious. The truths they are defending are beautiful...and biblical.

The ways they're defending them are not.

It's almost like it's become a theological game to some people. They know they're on the right team, and they love trash-talking the other side, ridiculing their use of scripture (or lack-thereof), and berating their beliefs about the God they love and attempt to follow. In some cases, you even see people choosing to reject God because they don't want to end up like the people ridiculing them.

Clearly false doctrines need to be corrected. It does no good for someone to continue as a Christian, believing entirely false doctrines they know are contrary to scripture, but is this the way to correct those things?

I say all of this as someone who has operated this way in the past. At some point, however, God showed me that it was absurd for doctrines that paint man as entirely depraved and totally and completely in need of God to do anything good whatsoever to possibly lead to arrogance and pride. The 2 ideas just don't make sense together. I know, people will answer back that they are just defending God's character, but I don't buy that. That would have been my excuse, and it was just that, an excuse.

The doctrines are right, but something is very wrong here. Are we trying to win arguments for God, or are we trying to win people for Christ?

With this in mind, I found this post by Matt Chandler very refreshing. Here's a sample of the post:

There is a big difference between shepherding people to truth and wielding it over others. I have been grieved lately with people whose doctrine is correct but whose methodology in engaging others with those beautiful truths has been nothing short of wicked. Let me explain the difference between shepherding to truth and wielding truth as a blunt force tool...

...To watch a linebacker blitz off the edge running full speed, untouched and slam into a quarterback’s blindside is a thing of beauty. It brings a smile/smirk to my face every time. As beautiful as it is on the field, the theological linebacker whose whole being is a spring wound tight ready to explode onto the next unsuspecting Arminian he comes across is a fool and is acting contrary to the very scriptures he is adamantly defending.

Read the whole article. Matt is going to post a Part 2 in a couple days. I'll keep an eye out for that.

NO, Mr. President.

Caleb and Sol - Barabbas

Recently discovered these guys, Caleb and Sol when they followed me on Twitter. I'm really enjoying their album Afloat (iTunes link) right now, and I wanted to share this video from them called "Barabbas." Amazing.

One Shot

Amazing story. You've probably heard the first part (although it always gets to me no matter how many times I see it). The second part is amazing as well (sorry about the audio being off).





HT : JT

Music Video of the Week

Anberlin - "Feel Good Drag"

Anberlin "Feel Good Drag" from Endeavor Media Group on Vimeo.

COLLISION Preview

This looks extremely interesting.

A preacher and an atheist walk into a bar...

Preview of the first 13 minutes of the forthcoming documentary "Collision". The film follows renowned author and anti-theist Christopher Hitchens and Pastor Douglas Wilson as they debate the topic: "Is Christianity Good For The World?".

COLLISION - 13 min VIMEO Exclusive Sneak Peak from Collision Movie on Vimeo.

All Grace All the Time

This book is currently next on my reading list once I finish Piper's Finally Alive.

"Pharisee-type believers unconsciously think they have earned God’s blessing through their behavior.

Guilt-laden believers are quite sure they have forfeited God’s blessing through their lack of discipline or their disobedience.

Both have forgotten the meaning of grace because they have moved away from the gospel and have slipped into a performance relationship with God.

Your worst days are never so bad that you are beyond the reach of God’s grace.

And your best days are never so good that you are beyond the need of God’s grace."

Jerry Bridges, The Discipline of Grace

HT : Tullian Tchividjian (via JT)

Music Video of the Week

I was traveling Monday and Tuesday, so I didn't get a chance to post this week's video on Monday.

Alter Bridge (Myles Kennedy) - "Watch Over You (Acoustic)"

Train Station Dance

You may have seen this already as it's making the viral rounds. Sam Storms pointed it out in his email to his subscribers the other day. His point was to ask, "What you would be willing to dance like this for?" People will essentially "celebrate" something like hearing a song from The Sound of Music. What do you feel this way about? Just something to ponder.

This video is pretty sweet though. Would have been pretty cool to be there.

A Little Friday Humor - Facebook Style