Sound Doctrine by Bobby Jamieson

Aaron Armstrong —  May 21, 2013 — Leave a comment

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While “doctrine” is a dirty word in some circles, there are times when I wonder if it’s become a bit of a cliché in some of ours. Many of us in the “new Calvinist/YRR/whatever-you-want-to-call-this” movement love to talk about the importance of sound doctrine and why it matters. We have systematic theologies and commentaries, apologetics books and cultural critiques. But sometimes we forget to talk about what doctrine does in the life of the church, practically.

In Sound Doctrine: How a Church Grows in the Love and Holiness of God, Bobby Jamieson doesn’t give us another book on why doctrine is important. Instead, he reminds us how orthodoxy leads to a healthy church—one committed to the fulfilling of the Great Commission in the spirit of the great commandments.

Sound doctrine: for life in—and the life of—the church

Jamieson, assistant editor of 9Marks and managing editor of the 9Marks Journal, hooked me the moment I read his definition of sound doctrine: “Sound doctrine is a summary of the Bible’s teaching that is both faithful to the Bible and useful for life” (17).

How many other clear and helpful definitions of sound doctrine have you encountered—definitions that balance knowledge and practice? We understand the first easily enough, but when we neglect the second we tend to get into trouble. Application testifies to how firmly we actually hold to our beliefs, confirming the genuineness of our convictions or betraying the hypocrisy of our hearts. For example, what effect does how we treat one another have on the outside world? Does it attract or repel? Do people look at our congregations and really see a group of believers committed to one another? We’ve all heard stories of ugly church splits, divisiveness, pride, and cliquishness that leave people saying, “If that’s what a church is, I’m out.”

This is what sound doctrine lived out protects us from. It brings about greater unity when handled humbly. It increases our awe of the Lord and grows us in personal and corporate holiness. It drives our witness before the watching world and increases our love for one another. Continue Reading…

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Aaron Armstrong —  May 21, 2013 — Leave a comment

Sanctification by time travel

David Murray:

…spiritual time travel is not an optional extra, something for high-flying Christians, but this is something for every Christian to try. In fact, you will never make much lasting progress in holiness if you do not travel back in time to Calvary’s cross and the empty tomb.

Let me put this as bluntly and as starkly as possible: The Christian’s holiness depends primarily on his/her ability to time travel by faith.

John Piper Is Not Anti-Seashell

Trevin Wax:

Piper’s sermon on a wasted life is powerful because it exposes the tragedy of living only for this world. But countless other sermons from Piper are powerful because they show the joy and wonder of living in this world and the importance of looking beyond the gift to the Maker of all good things – the Artist who splashes his brilliant colors on the canvas of creation.

Just Do Something: the study guide

Moody’s just released a free study guide to Kevin DeYoung’s excellent little book, Just Do Something. Download it here.

Kindle deals for Christian readers

Two of my friend Stephen Altrogge’s fiction books are free this week (and if they’re not already showing up free, they will be soon): The Chip and The Last Superhero. Both are really fun reads and well worth getting.

Also, on sale is Praying Backwards: Transform Your Prayer Life by Beginning in Jesus’ Name by Bryan Chappell ($1.94). And in case you missed them over the weekend, here are a few other books still on sale:

A Biblical and Scientific Adam

Vern Polythress:

Did Adam and Eve exist? Does science say otherwise? The human genome project has produced voluminous data about the information contained in human DNA. Various news media and scientists tell us that this information demonstrates our ape ancestry. How do we evaluate these claims?

The Unspoken Tension Between (Some) Pastors and (Some) Laity

Thom Rainer:

There is a growing tension between some pastors and some laity in churches across America. It is not pervasive, but it’s growing. Frankly, I don’t even like the seemingly opposing labels of pastors and laity. I just don’t know how to describe the groups otherwise.

This tension is like the family secret that no one mentions explicitly, but many speak around it and near it. And this tension is growing.

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5 things we loved about Nashville

Aaron Armstrong —  May 20, 2013 — 1 Comment

We just wrapped up a fantastic week enjoying the sites and visiting friends in Nashville. Here are a few things we loved about our visit:

1. Sunday at Immaneul.

Our first morning in town, we visited Immanuel Church, where Ray Ortlund serves as the pastor. We loved spending the morning there and meeting a whole bunch of folks (it was funny how most people assumed we were moving to town rather than visiting). What I most loved about the morning was the way Ortlund employed William Bridge’s Exodus 34 liturgy to engage the congregation and remind us of the truth of God’s character and our confidence in Christ.

2. The downtown library.

We’ve been to story times at libraries before, but we were shocked to see the production at the Nashville Public Library. They put on an amazing show for the kids, the type you’d normally expect to pay for. Library Pete and Mary Mary clearly have a lot of fun.

Beyond the story times, the downtown library itself is gorgeous. It was terrific to roam around there.

3. Chick-Fil-A.

Emily’d never tried the fabled Chick-Fil-A before our visit on Monday. She’d long heard me going on about how delightful it is and she kept thinking, “Really? It’s a chicken sandwich.” She had something like a McDonald’s chicken sandwich in mind—and when she took the first bite, her response was telling:

“This – is - good.”

Turns out I didn’t oversell it.

3. Hanging out with Trevin Wax, Micah Fries, Jonathan Howe, Matt Capps and Michael Kelley.

Wednesday we spent time a lot of time at LifeWay and with the great folks who work there. Really enjoyed meeting Michael Kelley in person for the first time (shame we didn’t have longer). Having lunch with Trevin, Micah, Jonathan and Matt was a real treat and they were incredibly hospitable (especially since we had our three kids with us). We also got to spend time with Matt and his lovely family before we left town. Our girls were happy to make a Nashville friend. :)

Side note: While we were away, I read Trevin’s soon-to-be-released fiction book, Clear Winter Nights. I’ll tell you more about it later.

4. Really old Bibles.

One of the coolest things at LifeWay is found in their library—they’ve got a display cabinet showcasing a number of extremely old Bibles, including a reproduction of the Gutenberg Bible and the Gun Wad Bible, the first Bible printed in America on American made paper. As the story goes, the reason it’s called the Gun Wad Bible is because it was used as cartridge paper during the American Revolution.

5. People love kids.

One of the things that amazed us most during our stay was how we didn’t get the sense we were burdening society by being outdoors with our three kids. People smiled and talked to them and generally made us feel welcome wherever we were with them. This was a really nice change because, although it doesn’t always happen, we sometimes get the sense our presence is offensive to others here in London (usually at a store).

Those are just a few of the things we loved about our vacation. I could probably list a ton more, like my daughter discovering she likes comic books, our trip to the Frist Center for the Arts, visiting the Parthenon in Centennial Park, Hudson getting his land legs…

In fact, aside from some issues with our hotel and our car having a bit of surprise repair work (and if you’re in the area, go to Antioch Auto Center!), it was a practically perfect vacation.

We’re glad to be home and looking forward to getting back into the normal routine, but we’re already looking forward to when we get to go back. Nashville, consider yourself warned.

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Aaron Armstrong —  May 20, 2013 — Leave a comment

Preparing for the Future in the Age of Facebook

Alex Chediak:

Youth is a particularly strategic time to develop healthy study habits. The early years are a season of developing our God-given talents into competencies by which we can meaningfully serve others and live with impact in a broken world. This requires learning to receive, understand, and evaluate arguments conveyed via words, equations, or other means. It requires attentive reading, alert listening, and active engagement.

But an endless assortment of instantly-available media and non-stop social interactions are making uninterrupted study less common for young adults in our day (and for all of us).

Just My Imagination

R.C. Sproul Jr:

It’s the fuzzy stuff around the edges that gets us. When we are aware we are facing a text from God’s Word, we tend to tread carefully. We move slowly, break out our exegetical tools, and get to work. The trouble comes when we’re dealing in broad generalities. We take a vague notion grounded in our private wishes, and turn these into convictions. I had a friend in college who was signed up for the Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps. Two years into the program he wanted out, having adopted a pacifist perspective. I asked him how he came to this conclusion- “I just can’t see Jesus blowing some guy away” was his answer. Now there are some thoughtful, nuanced arguments out there in favor of pacifism. I don’t believe them, but I can respect them. This, however, is some microscopically thin ice.

Why Going to Church on Sunday is An Act of War

Dan Darling:

…the simple act of going to church–I’m assuming here a church who preaches the gospel and declares that Jesus Christ is King–is in and of itself a declaration of war. When your weary legs rise for another verse of the chorus and you offer praise to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, you are saying, in effect, that the reigning prince of the power of the air, Satan (Ephesians 2:2) is really not the King He thinks he is. There is another King, another Kingdom and it’s coming one day in it’s fullness and power. When you gather with your fellow believers and worship Christ, you are saying to the rest of the world that man is not ultimate. You are saying that the great movements of this world may have some power, but ultimately they are part of God’s gathering of history to Himself and for His kingdom. When you worship the risen Christ every Sunday at your church, you are telling the world that in your life, for this moment, Christ is ultimate. He is to be worshipped above all else. You’re making a statement that there is Someone deserving of more adulation and worship than the lesser things to which we pledge allegiance. You’re inviting them to ask you, “Why do you think the Kingdom of God is better than the Kingdom of man? What is it about Christ that gets you to roll out of bed, get dressed, get your family dressed, hop in the car, and go to church every single Sunday? 

The Imperfect and Aktionsart

William Mounce:

Meaning is communicated in more ways than time and aspect, and when we see a verb in a certain tense with a certain aspect, there are other factors that determine its meaning. This is Aktionsart.

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A purchased peace

Aaron Armstrong —  May 19, 2013 — Leave a comment

Jesus-Reaching-Out

Christ hath purchased peace for his people; and what Christ hath purchased for them, God the Father is engaged to give unto them. Read the purchase in Eph. 2:13-14, “But now in Christ Jesus, ye who were sometimes afar off, are made nigh by the blood of Christ. For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us. Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments, for to make in himself of twain, one new man, so making peace.” Verse 16, “And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby; and came and preached peace unto you that were afar off, and to them that were nigh.” So that thus ye see it is the purchase of Jesus Christ: this inward peace and quietness of soul, it is Christ’s purchase; and what Christ the Son hath purchased, God the Father is engaged to give.

William Bridge, A Lifting Up for the Downcast

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Links I like (weekend edition)

Aaron Armstrong —  May 18, 2013 — Leave a comment

Kindle deals for Christian readers

Here are a number of (hopefully!) still active deals for the Kindle:

On Why We should Love and Hate the Suburbs

Matthew Lee Anderson:

Like most kerfuffles, the recent dispute over Christianity and the suburbs has teetered on engendering far more heat than there has been light.

Some of that was due to our own Keith Miller’s post, which self-consciously provoked and explored questions rather than laid out definitive hypotheses.  (Mission accomplished.  The comments have been wonderful.)  But one gets the sense that the discussion has been fueled by vagueness, that it’s full of heuristic caricatures set up to illuminate more fundamental points.  And heuristic caricatures often breed defensive responses, and around the internet wheel-go-round we spin.  That’s my observation, anyway, which I am happy to be wrong about.

Kingdom Come—50% off at Westminster Books

Sam Storm’s new book, Kingdom Come: The Amillennial Alternative, is on sale at Westminster Books for $15 (a 50 per cent savings). You can read a sample which includes the introduction and first chapter here.

Radical Christianity: A Call to Legalism or a Cause to Live?

Ed Stetzer:

I think we need more missional and more radical role models and resources for the church. I think we need it because the bigger problem is complacency, not an overemphasis on radical missional living. At this time and in most Western cultural contexts, a consumer church is a greater danger than a radical Christianity.

However, that does not mean that all of us need to be David Platt.

Idle of the Heart

Joe Thorn:

I continually run into young men who are frustrated at their stage in life in part because of a lack of clarity about their calling, or a lack of opportunity to do what they really want to do.  This frustration leads many to become idle. Inactive if not aimless.

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3 ways to use the outdoors to teach your kids about God

Aaron Armstrong —  May 17, 2013 — Leave a comment

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As a boy, I could hardly ever sit still around the end of May. We were so close to the end of school (it was only a month away!), the weather was actually nice, and I was eager to do… whatever it is that I enjoyed doing back then. Probably reading a comic book under a tree.

These days, the tables are turned. My oldest daughter is now the one eagerly waiting for school to end (even though she loves it), and all my kids loooove playing outside.

All.

The.

Time.

Our baby even recently broke out of the house once to go outside and play. True story. (please don’t call the police.)

Naturally, with summer comes vacations and interruptions to the normal rhythms of life, and we can easily get off course in our discipleship of our children. They want to play outside, not do devotions at the dinner table.

So how can we use outdoor fun as an opportunity to teach our kids about Jesus? Here are three ways:

1. Go for a walk.

We’ve got a really nice nature path near our townhouse complex and the weather’s perfect for going on family walks. We show our kids all the different kinds of plants and trees around, they stare at the different kinds of bugs, and at least one of the kids eats some dirt.

As we walk, we talk about the diversity of God’s creation. He created all of these wonderful things we see — the plants, the trees, the flowers… all of it. We talk about how God loves beauty because he made flowers and sunsets beautiful. We want to give our kids a sense of the bigness of God’s creative work and this is a great way to do it.

2. Do some gardening.

My wife loves gardening (and I’m glad she enjoys it because I sure don’t); she finds it relaxing and she really loves getting the kids involved. Gardening presents us with more opportunities to talk about how the world works—and even about the curse.

A few weeks ago, we started growing some flowers and vegetables in our dining room with plans to move them into the garden as soon as we were sure we weren’t going to have any more snow. In late April, we figured it was nice enough to do it, planted our seedlings and called it a day.

Then the frost came and killed everything.

Despite this being annoying, it opened a door to talk about the curse, how because of sin, the earth fights against our work to grow anything. The frost comes and the sun scorches, snails and bugs eat our plants, and neighborhood cats pee on everything.

These frustrations allow us to tell them the world doesn’t work the way it should, that there is a problem in the world called sin. We can teach them God sent Jesus to die for the sins of the world and that eventually he will make the world new—a world where everything will work exactly the way it should. But for now we have to wait and do our rework in a way that pleases God.

3. Play!

Finally, there are times when the best thing we can do is remind our kids that God created everything–including fun!

Release the hounds! Let them play to the glory of God—and maybe get your feet wet at the splash pad while you’re at it.

Are these terribly creative ideas?

Not really.

But that’s okay. Sometimes we forget the opportunities God puts right in front of us to teach our children about Himself and the world He has given us. So go for a walk with your kids; do some gardening—and for goodness’ sake, have fun! It may be the most important teaching you do with your kids all summer.

Originally published at The Gospel Project. To see the entire series, click here.

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Aaron Armstrong —  May 17, 2013 — Leave a comment

Gospel Self-Esteem: Imago Dei

Matthew Sims:

He was on his kick. They all had one. Something they had studied and come to the definitive answer on, usually it was related to a cultural issue or the rapture.

This particular evangelist had studied Scripture and found out that it never said anything about self-esteem. Loving yourself was bad. We don’t need more value. We’re disgusting sinners. We just need Jesus.

Get Blood Work for $5 at Ligonier.org

The ePub edition of Blood Work by Anthony Bradley is on sale in today’s $5 Friday sale at Ligonier.org. Also on sale:

  • The Consequences of Ideas teaching series by R.C. Sproul (audio and video download)
  • Abortion by R.C. Sproul (hardcover)
  • Handout Apologetics teaching series by John Gerstner (audio and video download)

$5 Friday ends tonight at 11:59:59 Eastern.

The Litmus Test of Genuine Christianity

Cap Stewart:

In our pluralistic culture, churches have become so varied that they spread confusion about what it really means to be a follower of Christ. When it comes to hot-button issues like gun rights, abortion, and homosexuality, professing Christians line up on opposite ends. Can Christianity legitimately be so divided? Or, to put it another way, can anyone discern the “real deal”? Is it possible to know what functional, practical Christianity truly looks like?

Gosnell is not the only one

Owen Strachan introduces us to an equally dark challenge to the “compassionate choice” rhetoric of pro-choice advocates: Douglas Karpen:

But some clinics–like that of the now-convicted Kermit Gosnell–let us see the true horror of abortion. Another clinic has been exposed by former workers as, apparently, a site of truly mind-bending evil. It is a Houston clinic run by a man named Dr. Douglas Karpen. Karpen has seemingly been slaughtering babies for decades, including many babies that doctors consider “viable,” as they were born alive. The video above discusses Karpen’s practice in great detail.

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Extraordinarily ordinary

Aaron Armstrong —  May 16, 2013 — Leave a comment

word-balloons

It seems people are continuing to get into a tizzy about what people mean when they say “radical,” “missional” or some other qualifier-de-jour when talking about living out their faith.

I wonder if, maybe, it’s because we’re prone to forget something important:

What should be ordinary in the Christian life will seem extraordinary in comparison to those living apart from Christ.

Many of the books coming out that are getting people’s backs up (think Radical, Crazy Love, Follow Me, etc) are hardly radical. While the language might be intentionally inflammatory at times, the point is the same:

Christians should look different from the rest of the world. 

And all God’s people said, “Well I should hope so.”

This doesn’t mean you’re getting on a jet and flying to Nepal, starting a non-profit in your kitchen and selling your kids’ hand-made crafts on Etsy to sponsor ten Compassion children. It’s sometimes pretty basic stuff.

When you:

  • choose to give away what you could spend on yourself
  • set aside the house, cars and career so a parent can be home with the kids
  • give “ordinary” advice and encouragement to another believer
  • open your home to a neighbor and/or stranger
  • preach “average” sermons in an “average” church

When you sacrifice anything for the sake of Christ, it’s practically revolutionary!

So why get worked up into a lather? Stop worrying about being radical enough—the “ordinary” Christian is extraordinary.

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Aaron Armstrong —  May 16, 2013 — Leave a comment

The Difference Between Original Autographs and Original Texts

Michael Kruger:

In recent years, however, a more foundational challenge has arisen. All of the above critiques are essentially the same; they all argue the words of the Bible are not true. But this newer and more foundational challenge is not about whether the words of the Bible are true, but whether we have the words of the Bible at all.

At the core of this challenge is the fact that we only have handwritten copies of these books we treasure. And, in reality, we only have copies of copies of copies. And given that scribes made mistakes, and that the transmission process was imperfect, how can we be sure that these texts have been preserved? How can we be sure we actually have the words of Scripture?

Reactionary Christianity: Step Off the Pendulum

Logan Gentry:

We are in a reactionary culture and unfortunately Christianity has followed its ways, but God’s call to love Him most and lovingly challenge our societal norms with His ancient truth has not evolved or changed. Modern culture will be different in a decade, but the truth of the gospel will not be. The Scriptures lay out a clear and simple direction for church that will not be different either.

5 apps to help you share the gospel

Steven Kryger shares five smartphone apps to help you with sharing the gospel. There’s some neat stuff!

Writers Don’t Let Go

Barnabas Piper:

One of the characteristics of a good writer is the inability to let go. To let go of something is to give up an opportunity, and idea, or an inspiration. Let go of what, you ask? Nearly anything.

John Piper and Mark Driscoll Talked Me Off the Bridge

Jared Wilson:

I have met John Piper just once, a couple of years ago, when I was in Minneapolis to record some material with Desiring God Ministries in promotion of my book Gospel Wakefulness. On the way to what would be a brief visit to his home, I clutched in my hand a copy of my book to give him. I was told I ought to sign it, because he’d like that. I don’t remember what exactly I wrote inside that front cover but I know it included this line: “God used you to save my life.”

That is not an exaggeration.

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