Head colds, ministry, and the Sovereignty of God

Well, it has been an interesting two weeks and right now a couple of us have what I can only describe as the Kiwi brand of the common cold. God is good and He is providing strength and energy to see us though it. I can’t remember the last time I felt this energetic while having a cold bug. I’m typically pretty worthless when I'm sick. I’m usually the guy who crawls into a hole and hides until I’m all better, but that hasn’t been necessary. The other guys (or as we say here: “blokes”) on CCP are all really encouraging and challenging to be around and they have been God’s chosen vehicle to energize me as they spur me on to love and good deeds.

Pray with us as we pray for physical wellness. My hope is that we will all get well soon but more importantly, my prayer is that God alone would be enough. My prayer is that He would be satisfying and sustaining above all else. "Jesus minus everything equals salvation. Christ plus nothing else equals satisfaction." God will teach us great things about Himself as we rely on Him for energy and strength. Our head colds in New Zealand are nothing compared to the sacrifices made by saints world-wide. The suffering of those saints pales in comparison to the cross of Christ. Our team will be just fine.

I got the opportunity to meet some Kiwi students last week and managed to get their phone numbers so we could meet up and chat some more. The first student I really got to meet on campus while we were doing some outreach was a guy named Tom. Tom is a really funny guy. I’m hoping that we will get the chance have lunch with Tom and his friends this Friday. A first year student named Josh Cole invited me and some of the guys to come hangout with him and his friends at The Cook which is a local tavern. God opened up some doors during that time for future conversations and my ministry partner (Sean Stallings) and I hope to hangout with Josh and his friend Brian this week. I met another first year named Peter and he invited Kyle Morris and me to play rugby on Saturday with his college (dorm hall). He and his hall mate Nathan will be seeing more of us in the next week. Please pray for Kyle and me as we get ready to play rugby and connect with another dozen or so students.

In and over all of these relationships that we are building, God is Sovereign. And the Devil is powerless to stop what God wills.

-Nate X.

“In the end, the gates of hell couldn’t shut us down.” -Lecrae Moore

Book Review: "Unfashionable"

Title: Unfashionable
Sub-title: Making a difference in the world by being different
Author: Tullian Tchividjian
Publisher: Multnomah
Book Type: Christian Living
Page Length: 196
Chapters: 17 chapters, Foreword, Introduction, Acknowledgments
SRP: $17.99
Suggested Audience: Christians who want live a life that looks different than the lost world around them.

Strengths: The back half of the book finishes extremely well. Tchividjian closes strong and saves the best for last in this book. This book is a great follow up book to a Crazy Love (Francis Chan) or a Don’t Waste Your Life (Dr. John Piper) kind of book. It’s a well-written book from a PCA pastor but it doesn’t have the overly robotic or formal academic feel of a Presbyterian author. Tchividjian does keep this book extremely theologically sound by not trying so desperately to play at our heart strings and inspire us that he leaves his foundation in search of something else. As a PCA guy, this is quite a breath of fresh air.

Weaknesses: This book starts slow and I found myself wading through the first half and having to really muscle through it. I actually put it down for a while and picked it back up again. I have had multiple people agree with me on this without even bringing it up to them before hand.

My thoughts: I enjoyed it. This book gives us a glance of what it looks like to be a Christian but it does so from 30,000 feet looking down. Meaning, it invites us to view how God sees believers existing and transforming and living among those who know not Christ at all. It gets us out of this goofy mindset where we compare ourselves to others rather than Christ. This book will build your character and challenge you in many facets.

Notable quotes: “Your citizenship has changed.”
“The kingdom is already here in true form, but it is not yet in its full form.”
“...Christians are called to be unfashionable by being mission-minded, not tribal-minded like everyone else.”
“In the Bible, however, the word for church literally means “the called-out ones...”
“We must choose to speak redemptively.”

Book Review: "Finally Alive"

Title: Finally Alive
Sub-title: What Happens When We Are Born Again
Author: John Piper
Publisher: Christian Focus
Book Type: Theology
Page Length: 203
Chapters: Introduction, 15 chapters, Conclusion
SRP: $14.99
Suggested Audience: Believers who want to better understand Biblical regeneration.


Strengths: Very clear, very thorough and yet very tight and clean. It’s deep without being deep for the sake of being deep and it’s weighty without being made weighty in an attempt to add academic prowess to the book. It is broken up into parts, chapters, and sections so it’s easy to read and it never gets to run together which is great because it is such a weighty book.

Weaknesses: I don’t really see any weaknesses in this book. It’s well written and it is very clear on a very important doctrine. Piper is a great writer and a great reformed theologian so it’s no surprise how strong this book is.

My thoughts: If you’re of the Arminian theological camp then you’ll hate this book unless God really just opens your eyes to the truth Piper is conveying in these pages. If you’re a Calvinist, you’ll love this book. I love this book. I will recommend it to anyone that wants to read more about regeneration and what the Bible has to say about new birth. This is not my favorite Piper book, but it will be very difficult for another author to write a book on regeneration that I like more than Finally Alive.

Notable quotes: “The instant God gives new life, we do the living. The instant the Spirit produces faith, we do the believing.”
“My nature is my deepest personal problem.”
“Love doesn’t think possessively. Love knows everything belongs to God.”
“So the way God brings about the new birth in dead, unbelieving hearts is by the gospel, the good news.”

"The Condition of Man: Part One"

It’s no secret that I am reformed in my theology. I’m not a hyper-Calvinist by any means because I believe that God’s Sovereignty over all things is NOT an excuse to sit on our hands and disobey the Great Commission. You’ve got to point to something far greater and far bigger than reformed theology if you want to kill missions. I’m a reformed, gospel-sharing, evangelical believer in Sovereign Grace and I don’t ever apologize for it.

However, I do hate the word “Calvinism” and all its’ derivatives. It’s such a divisive word—especially in the southern church culture. Most southern church folk know nothing about John Calvin and Calvinism. They simply hear Calvinism and identify it as heresy. Why? Because that’s what they "heard from somebody one time"...and most people aren’t responsible enough to recognize that whenever a bunch of people follow some guy's teachings without ever actually studying or researching truth/the Bible for themselves, then they are, in fact, not in a church, but rather a cult. Cults are fun that way. One guy talks and everybody listens without any independent thought or Biblical corroboration ever entering the picture. Then all of a sudden the FBI is all over the place wondering why they’ve got a thousand dead bodies dressed in white robes with red Kool-Aid mustaches—but that’s another blog for another day.

So what’s my point?

In my conversations with those that hold theological view points that are completely opposite of my own, I always come to find that the root of the disagreement is our opposing views on the condition of mankind. If we don’t agree on how tragically hopeless mankind is, then we will not agree on the relationship between mankind and the Godhead and therefore will not agree on the role that the Triune Godhead plays in salvation. If I say a Mack truck will crush us and you treat it like a little, yellow Tonka toy then clearly we have a problem—clearly there is a disconnect in communication, philosophy, and theology.

So this will be the first of many in a series called “The Condition of Man.” The verse that many people love to pull out of the air in Sovereign grace arguments and conversations is Revelation 3:20, which in the ESV (like I said, I’m reformed) says: “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.” I still can’t figure out why they throw this verse in my face. This verse damages their case. Sure it says “anyone” (they love that word) but that doesn’t mean that “everyone” can or will open the door. It baffles me as a thinker that someone could see this verse and say “See! Anyone that wants to choose Jesus can freely choose Christ whenever they want!”

The word “If” in the middle of that verse...it’s a really, really big “if.” Let me paint this picture. Jesus is on the outside of a door and the man is on the other side of the door in a house, cabin, hut or whatever. Jesus knocks on the door and apparently He is saying something, because the verse says “hears my voice.” The man on the inside of the building is on the other side of the door and he has to move from wherever he is before Jesus knocks to the door and open it for Jesus to come in. This is a picture of salvation. Eating with Jesus symbolizes relationship and closeness. It is important to understand that at the end of it all when Jesus comes back (according to Revelation) the followers of Christ (real Christians) will eat with Christ in celebration of Him and victory over sin and death while those who are not believers will NOT be anywhere near the party—they will be in hell, separated from Christ. Believe me when I say that I write that with a heavy heart.

So the guy that gets up and answers the door that Jesus knocks on—he’s in. The man who, for whatever reason, does not answer the door—he’s condemned. So answering this symbolic, spiritual door is necessary for salvation. Now...here’s my question and also my point: What is the condition of the man on the other side of door? Let’s see what the Bible says about man’s condition. I promise that when this series is done, we will see that the Bible makes it really clear that mankind is hopeless and helpless. We are utterly and totally depraved and have total inability to do anything for ourselves spiritually before Christ saves us.

So here’s a little preview of point one: The man on the other side of the spiritual door is spiritually dead.

So believe me when I say that the dead man on the other side of the spiritual door has zero chance of reaching that door on the basis of his own merits and abilities. And by the way, his deadness is only the beginning of his problems—it gets much, much worse. So far, this is all turning out quite gleeful and chipper...isn’t it?

Book Review: "Counterfeit Gods"

Title: Counterfeit Gods
Sub-title: The Empty Promises of Money, Sex, and Power, and the Only Hope That Matters
Author: Timothy Keller
Publisher: Dutton
Book Type: Christian Living
Page Length: 177 (210)
Chapters: Intro, Seven chapters, Notes, Acknowledgments
SRP: $19.95
Suggested Audience: Anyone struggling with the idolatry of money, power, and sex.

Strengths: It’s not incredibly long and it doesn’t skimp over necessities to maintain its brevity. This book addresses the American idols at the top of the idolatry list. Sex, Money and Power are all exposed as the counterfeit gods they are. The big three topple underneath the weight of Christ’s supremacy and Keller displays this clearly with his words in this book. This book hits hard and hits quick and you won’t want to put it down if you have any desire to kill sin and be rid of counterfeit gods that threaten to grab your attention away from Jesus.

Weaknesses: It’s a little pricey. It’s worth $20 but I’d recommend finding it on Amazon.

My thoughts: I finish Keller books pretty quickly, not because they are easy to read or really chipper and nice—he writes as if he was high-kicking his readers in the face with love, grace and harsh, residual truth. He is a great writer and communicator. I never feel comfortable when I read a Keller book and this one is no different. He addresses issues of my heart and he loves us as readers well enough to tell us the truth and display the grace of Jesus and his supremacy over stuff and idols.

Notable quotes:
“If anything becomes more fundamental than God to your happiness, meaning in life, and identity, then it is an idol.”
“There is only one way to change at the heart level and that is through faith in the gospel.”
“He had just learned that this God is not an extension of culture, but a transformer of culture, not a controllable but a Sovereign Lord.”
“Rejoicing and repentance must go together. Repentance without rejoicing will lead to despair. Rejoicing without repentance is shallow and will only provide passing inspiration instead of deep change.”
“You cannot get relief simply by figuring out your idols intellectually. You have to actually get the peace that Jesus gives, and that only comes as you worship.”

Book Review: "The Prodigal God."

Title: The Prodigal God
Sub-title: Recovering the Heart of the Christian Faith
Author: Timothy Keller
Publisher: Dutton
Book Type: Christian Living
Page Length: 135
Chapters: Introduction, “The Parable,” 7 Chapters, Acknowledgements, Notes
SRP: $19.95
Suggested Audience: I recommend this book to everyone who wants to know themselves loved greatly and recklessly by a Prodigal God.

Strengths: Keller is brilliant at communicating God’s love and grace for us. He clearly communicates how “reckless” God is in pouring His love out on us as He runs to meet us and take us into His house. The word prodigal means “recklessly extravagant or having spent everything.” Well, God is reckless in how He loves us and He has spent everything, even His life as Jesus, on us! The book is short and sweet—meat and potatoes all the way through. Keller quotes notable people that are relevant to people who will read this book. This book implicitly and yet, clearly displays how pastors in all denominations have been miss-teaching and miss-preaching parables—mainly the Parable of the Prodigal Son. They’ve been doing this for years and Keller makes the reader of this book aware of this and he reframes the parable for us and contextualizes the parable for us in a fresh and yet orthodox and biblical way.

Weaknesses: I really don’t see any weaknesses in this book over than it’s a little pricey, but well worth it if you get it from Amazon used rather than in the store new. It’s beautifully written.

My thoughts: Keller actually writes a better version of Chan’s “Crazy Love” but it’s just called “Prodigal God” and it’s twice as expensive and in a sweet orange-gold hardback. It’s also shorter. If Keller releases a paperback and sells it for $12 he could sell a bunch in the cheap PB. I recommend this book. If you can get Crazy Love by Francis Chan or Prodigal God by Tim Keller for the same price—like, if you had to or you could choose between the two...I would get Prodigal, instead of getting Crazy. Don’t get me wrong—I dig Chan and his books—but Keller’s book is better. Not by much mind you, but it is better. I’ll put it this way: if Crazy Love by Francis Chan and Prodigal God by Keller got into an octagon together to duke it out in the cage, Prodigal God would wear the belt at the end of the night. Hands down.

Notable quotes:
“When Christianity first arose in the world it was not called a religion. It was the non-religion...Romans called them atheists.”
“So there is not just one lost son in this parable—there are two.”
“The gospel of Jesus is not religion or irreligion, morality or immorality, moralism or relativism, conservatism or liberalism...it is something else all together.”
“He not only loves the wild-living, free-spirited people, but also hardened religious people.”
“As one of my teachers in seminary put it, the main barrier between Pharisees and God is ‘not their sins, but their damnable good works’.”
“The point of the parable is that forgiveness always involves a price—someone has to pay.”
“Jesus’s miracles were not so much violations of the natural order, but a restoration of the natural order.”
“Religion operates on the principle of ‘I obey—therefore I am accepted by God.’ The basic operating principle of the gospel is ‘I am accepted by god through the world of Jesus Christ—therefore I obey’.”

March 14th, 2010

The Supremacy of Jesus Christ is so overwhelming. Today for me was a day that just overwhelmed me. I preached on the supremacy of Christ for 90 minutes over two sermons today, and he, like he has for the last 3 weeks, revealed to me just how unbelievable and gracious he truly is. He stands over my life and declares “Mine!” He stands over your life and declares “Mine!”

He stands over my life and declares "Preach the cross....it will cost you your life, but preach as if you do not care, for I am Jesus the Christ and I am supreme over all! I am more satisfying than life and ministry and preaching and comfort and stuff."

He declares his authority and supremacy over all things...even the salvation of men and women.

When Christ is so overwhelming that you just don’t care that you’re almost crying while checking your email in public...that is a great day. When he’s so evident in your life that you’re tempted to just start walking to Nashville so you can get on a plane for Haiti...that is a beautiful day.

I want to hold my life cheap and fling my life away for him. I want to be reckless with my life for the sake of Christ and his glorious kingdom. I want so desperately to not be like the world. Oh, Jesus come quickly for us, for your people. Oh, God may my generation throw it all away for your name: their college, their job, their life! May they see those things as instruments for glorifying you rather than seeking them as ultimate.