Radical Together (Platt)

This book, "Radical Together" by David Platt is one that I recommend to every Christian leader (good call Mike for giving it to all the PMC GGp leaders as a Christmas present!) Whether you are a pastor/elder, or if you're on the staff team at a church or missions organization, or if you are or want to be an influencer, this book is worth the read. If you don't know who David Platt is take 2 minutes and do a quick Google search on him. He's the pastor of the Church at Brook Hills in the USA, he's just a few years older than me, and his passion for the Church and global outreach is contagious.  If he lived in Hamilton, we'd be friends!  He is quickly becoming (if he hasn't already become) one my favourite Bible teachers.

Here are some highlights from this book. But I encourage you... Read the whole book yourself, not just my summary below. If you need even more motivation to read the book check out this review from the Gospel Coalition.

There's an introduction and then the following 6 chapters. You'll notice that I liked some chapters more than others.  Chapter 5 was my favourite.


Introduction

How can we in the church best unleash the people of God in the Spirit of God with the Word of God for the glory of God in the world? (pg 3)

If you and I want our lives to count for God's purpose in the world, we need to begin with a commitment to God's people in the church. God has called us to lock arms with one another in single-minded, death-defying obedience to one objective: the declaration of His gospel for the demonstration of His glory to all nations. (pg 5)

And with that the book was off to a great start :)

Chapter 1: Tyranny of the Good - One of the worst enemies of Christians can be good things in the church

This chapter was so good it's very hard to chose just a few quotes. Platt starts telling a story of a man who had been involved in church programs and church committees his whole life but then he came to a point where he said

I spent my life doing all the stuff in the church that I thought I was supposed to do. But I'm realizing that I have missed the most important thing: making disciples. (pg 8)

God, please guard this from happening to me.  Wherever I am may I be involved in making more and better disciples.

The way we minister to kids, youth, men, women; how we do music and mission; how we budget; our policies and procedures; all the buildings or land we own or rent - all these things and more belong on the table. (pg 9)

Everything belongs on the table.  It's a pretty radical statement, but its true - if God gave His life for us then there's nothing we shouldn't be willing to sacrifice for Him.

In church there are going to be some things that are dead and need to die. Why should we just do things for the sake of doing them? We need to ask these questions.

- How can we most effectively mobilize the people of this church to accomplish the Great Commission?
- How can we most effectively organize the leadership of this church to accomplish the Great Commission?
- Do we need all the staff, teams, and committees we have?
- Does our church budget reflect the desires and design of God in His Word?
- Are our multimillion-dollar facilities the best use of our money for the accomplishment of God's purposes in the world?
- Are all the programs we have created the absolute best way to advance the gospel from our community to the ends of the earth?
- What good things do we have or what good things are we doing that we need to abolish or alter for greater ends? (pg 12)

No one was going to say that children having fun at a carnival or people playing basketball was a bad thing. The conversation would change only when we asked, "Are these programs and activities the BEST way to spend our time, money and energy for the spread of the gospel in our neighborhood and in all nations?" (pg 13)

Amid all the good things we are doing and planning, are there better ways to align with God's Word, mobilize God's people, and marshal God's resources for God's glory in a world where millions of people are starving and more than a billion have never even heard of Jesus?
Some would say that's not a fair question. I'm convinced it is a question we cannot avoid. (pg 15)

WOW. Powerful and true!!

Christians in North America give, on average, 2.5% of their income to their church.  Out of that 2.5%, churches in North America will give 2% of their budgeted monies to needs overseas.  In other words, for every $100 a North American Christian earns, he will give 5 cents through the church to a world with urgent spiritual and physical needs.  This does not make sense (pg 16)

Chapter 2: The Gospel Misunderstood - The gospel that saves us from work, save us to work

I didn't have any quotes from this chapter to mention.  It was a good chapter (don't get me wrong) but nothing "outstanding"

Chapter 3: God Is Saying Something - The Word does the work

We don't have to work to come up with a word from God; we simply have to trust the Word He has already given us. (pg 40)

Well said, David Platt, well said!

Together, will we realize that our greatest need is not to be successful business executives, profitable money managers, or even good parents, but to know God and to walk with Him? (pg 50)

In the midst of learning how to be "a good dad" with the option of reading endless books on parenting this was a much needed reminder to know God, read His Word and walk with Him.


Chapter 4: The Genius of Wrong - Building the right church depends on using all the wrong people

There's also nothing in the NT that says we should construct church buildings.  So whenever we plant a church or whenever a church starts to grow, why is the first thing we think, "We need to spend masses of our resources on a building?"  Why would we spend an inordinate amount of our resources on something that is never prescribed or even encouraged in the NT?  Why would we not instead use those resources on that which is explicitly promoted in the NT, such as sharing the gospel with the lost or helping the poor in the church? (pg 62)

Let's at least consider not spending such a large portion of our resources on building places when the priority of the NT is decidedly on building people. (pg 63)

As my church walks through the process of figuring out what to do with a 100+ year old facility this was a good reminder.  The building is not "the church".  The church is the people.  So if we're going to build something then lets design it so it's used more than once a week. :)

Our leadership team understands that it's good when people are so involved in ministry where they live that they don't have time to participate in the programs we create (pg 67).

AMEN. I need to work on this in my life.  God help me lead my family so that when we return in 2014 we can fully engage and move in to the neighbourhood wherever you call us. 

If you are married, how can you serve together with your spouse in your community? (pg 67)

YES!  God, help Karen and I not only lead a GGp, but to serve together in other ways.

If you work outside the home, how can you share Christ in your workplace? Be careful not to let programs in the church keep you from engaging people in the world with the gospel. (pg 68)

Church leaders are intended by God not to plan events but to equip people. (pg 71)

Don't build extravagant places; build extraordinary people.  Make disciples who will make disciples who will make disciples, and together multiply this gospel to all peoples. (pg 73)

Chapter 5: Our Unmistakable Task - We are living and longing for the end of the world

What we need to understand is that Jesus did not command us simply to take the gospel to as many individual people as we can.  Instead, he made it clear that his followers are to make disciples among every people group in the world. (pg 82)

Praise the Lord!!!! If you haven't yet listened to this 5 minute clip I encourage you to do so.

So for you and me not to be intentionally engaged in taking the gospel to unreached people groups is disobedience to the command of Christ.  Our churches are in the wrong before God if we are not prioritizing the spread of the gospel to every people group. (pg 84)

Then Platt quotes from George Ladd... 

God alone knows the definition of terms.  I cannot precisely define who "all the nations" are.  Only God knows exactly the meaning of "evangelize".  He alone... will know when that objective has been accomplished.  But I do not need to know.  I know only one thing: Christ has not yet returned; therefore the task is not yet done.  When it is done, Christ will come.  Our responsibility is not to insist on defining the terms of our task; our responsibility is to complete it.  So long as Christ does not return, our work is undone.  Let us get busy and complete our mission.

These next quotes hit me pretty hard and made me really think.  It would be way too much for me to try to unpack them all here.
 

They are unreached because they are hard to reach and we haven't had the resolve to get them the gospel. (pg 86)

Amid much talk in the church today about being missional, the Adversary may subtly be deceiving our minds about mission.  We are exhorted to see ourselves as missionaries in our cities, and we are encouraged to engage our cultures with the gospel.  These exhortations and encouragements are needed correctives for church mind-sets that have compartmentalized and limited mission.  But biblically our mission is not only about loving our city or invading our culture with the gospel.  Our mission is also about leaving our cities to infiltrate every culture with the gospel.  I am convinced that Satan, in a sense, is just fine with missional churches in the West spending the overwhelming majority of our time, energy and money on trying to reach people right around us.  Satan may actually delight in this, for while we spend our lives on the people we see in front of us, more than 6,000 people groups for generations have never even heard the gospel and remain in the dark (pg 87)

When I came to Brook Hills, I was encouraged to identify our target audience (ie Brook Hills Bob).... We decided our goal was not to reach Brook Hills Bob.  Instead, our target was going to be Brook Hills Baruti... Baruti doesn't live in our community.  Instead he lives thousands of miles away in North Africa... We are going to live and plan and strategize and organize and work so that Baruti hears and receives the gospel.  This changes everything about how we do ministry at Brook Hills.  If our goal is all nations, then our strategy cannot be defined by what will best reach people within 10 miles of our church building.  If our goal is all nations, then our strategy must always revolve around what will best reach people who are 10,000 miles from our church building.  This doesn't mean we neglect Brook Hills Bob or anyone else... Someone might ask "Are you saying that Baruti is somehow more important, or more valuable, than Bob?" That's a great question, and that's not at all what I am saying.  Bob and Baruti are equally valued by God and equally lost before God.  They both need the gospel.  But if the church I lead focuses only on Bob, then even if we are successful in reaching Bob, we will ultimately be disobedient to Jesus' command to get the gospel to all people groups, including Baruti's people group.  Therefore, I want to make sure that the church I lead has its sights set on Baruti, not to the exclusion of Bob, but to the inclusion of Bob and everyone else in Birmingham.  And once we reach Baruti together, we will equip Baruti to reach still other unreached people.  And we won't stop until the word "unreached" is no longer applicable to any people groups! (pg 90)

I am a strong believer in short-term mission trips.  I can talk until I am blue in the face about setting our sights on the nations, but until someone actually goes and sees the nations in person, he or she is likely to underestimate the urgency of God's global purpose in our lives.  For this reason, at Brook Hills we are intentional about encouraging people in the church to take concentrated time every year possible to go into another context and spread the gospel (pg 93)

Successful short-term missions must be a part of fueling a long-term disciple-making process in another context (ie the receiving church).  Clearly, no one is going to make disciples in another country over the span of 1 week... Successful short-term missions must also be a part of fueling long-term disciple-making in the sending church (pg 94)

Consider what would happen if each of our churches adopted (or a couple of churches joined together and adopted) an unreached people group and decided to organize an intentional strategy for leveraging the resources of the church here for the spread of the gospel there. (pg 97)

Chapter 6: The God Who Exalts God - We are selfless followers of a self-centered God

We are selfless followers of a self-centered God.  We are selfless in that we have died to ourselves.  We have lost the right to determine the direction of our lives.  Our God is our Lord, our Master, and our King.  He holds our times in His hands, and He is free to spend our lives however He pleases. (pg 104)

AMEN

Let me remind you of a startling reality that the Bible makes clear: "There is... no one who seeks God." So if the church is sensitive to seekers, and if no one is seeking God, then that means the church is sensitive to no one.  That's radical, but probably not the kind of radical we're looking for.  Instead Jesus tells us that the Father is pursuing worshipers for his praise.  He is the one doing the seeking!... So let's be radically seeker sensitive in our churches.  But let's make sure we are being sensitive to the right Seeker. (pg 108)

The topic of "seeker sensitive" deserves more than a brief sound byte, but his point is a valid one.

"God does not need our help" - A. W. Tozer (The Knowledge of the Holy)

God does not need me.
God does not need my church.
God does not need you.
God does not need your church.
God does not need our conferences, conventions, plans, programs, budgets, buildings or mission agencies.
God does not involve us in His grand, global purpose because He needs us.
He involves us in His grand, global purpose because He loves us. (pg 122)

Thank you God for loving me and inviting me to participate in this grand redemption story!

Making disciples of ALL nations

Some people have asked me why I'm so passionate about making disciples of all nations. In this 5 minute clip, David Platt gives a wonderful illustration that I hope answers that question while encouraging and challenging you.

If you want to hear the whole message titled "The Privilege & Responsibility of the Missionary Problem" go here

Finding Faithful Elders and Deacons (Anyabwile)

It has been an honour over the past year to serve as an elder at Philpott Memorial Church.  The call to "shepherd the church of God" (Acts 20:28) has been one I've done with joy.  As we prepare to go to Africa, one of my latest tasks has been involved on the Nominating Committee doing exactly what the title of this book says... "Finding Faithful Elders and Deacons".  Thabiti Anyabwile was previously the Associate Pastor of Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington, DC with Mark Dever, and now he is Senior Pastor of First Baptist Church in Grand Cayman.  

This book was very helpful for me and I pray it will be for you.  

"A church without godly leaders is an endangered church.  And a church that does not train leaders is an unfaithful church." (pg 11)

"If a man is not given to discipling others, it's unlikely that he is called to the pastoral office." (pg 11)

Deacons

"In the last decade or two, more and more churches have adopted the biblical model of eldership, which means the deacon role has either been redefined or neglected.  But deacons are an indispensable part of serving the body of Christ and of multiplying the church's ministry" (pg 20)

"The loftiness of the office is seen in:
(a) the character of the individuals required to fill it ("full of the Spirit and of wisdom" v3),
(b) the fact that it facilitates the ministry of the Word and prayer, and 
(c) the unifying and strengthening effect it has on the whole church.
The deaconate is important!" (pg 21)

"Are there widows in our churches who are not cared for?  Perhaps we need to consider our work with deacons." (pg 21)

1 Timothy 3:9 - They must hold the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience.

"Since deacons care for the practical needs of the body, perhaps even being assigned a specific area of service, we may run the risk of thinking of deacons as technocrats with specialized skills but little or no theological acumen.  We may think of deacons as doers but not as thinkers.  But to "hold the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience" requires a steel grip on the gospel of Jesus Christ." (pg 36)

Elders

"While deacons serve the practical or physical needs of the church, elders serve the overall spiritual needs of the church." (pg 49)

"As Pastor Mark Lauderbach puts it, 'An elder with no Bible is an elder with no authority'". (pg 49)

"Faithful pastors will regularly encourage young men (including twenty-somethings) to include in their personal aspirations the goal of becoming an elder.  After all, every characteristic that Paul lists for elders in 1 Timothy 3, except for the quality of being "able to teach" (v2) should mark every Christian man. (pg 51)

"Choosing pastors/elders is the most important decision a congregation makes, since the pastors will shape the congregation through their teaching and their model." (pg 56)

1 Timothy 3:2 - Therefore an overseer must be... hospitable.

"Hospitality enables evangelism.  Perhaps our failure to be hospitable explains why so many Christians have few non-Christian friends and find themselves far removed from evangelistic opportunities.  We cannot share the gospel with a person we fail to greet, or speak to a person with whom we refuse to spend time." (pg 72)

"Hospitality enables discipleship and fellowship." (pg 72)

"It does pay to take note of the men who hang around after church services end, who arrive early, who greet visitors and saints alike." (pg 73)

"Does he use his lunch hour to build relationships with non-Christian coworkers with the hope of gospel opportunity?  Does he meet regularly with other men in the church to build fellowship and accountability and to disciple?" (pg 74)

"At the last church evening service before Jim and his family were relocated from Washington, DC, the pastor asked everyone who had been guests in their home for lunch or dinner to stand.  In the service that night were probably 350-400 people.  Literally 90% stood and gave God praise for the hospitality of Jim's family.  Their home and their lives had become a very real extension of the church's ministry and pastoral care.  They bore immeasurable fruit simply by having people join their normal Sunday dinner, week after week.  If that sounds like a burden, I should also mention that Jim and his wife have 6 children as well as their adopted nephew and niece, and they lived 45 minutes from the church.  He was not Superman, but he way he and his family modeled hospitality sometimes made it seem like he was.  His example challenges me to forsake ease and to cross more boundaries with the love of Christ.  May Jim's tribe increase!" (pg 75)

1 Timothy 3:2 - Therefore an overseer must be ... able to teach.

"Teaching is the primary task of the elder.  Other things are necessary in a church, such as administration, mutual care, and so forth.  But the one thing that necessarily sets an elder apart is his ability to teach." (pg 78)

"Does the prospective elder help others grow in Christ in more private settings such as small groups or 1-on-1 discipleship?" (pg 80)

1 Timothy 3:6 - He must not be a recent convert.

"Paul does not give us an age requirement or length of time that automatically signals maturity.  We all know Christians who have been Christians for decades but lack the spiritual maturity requisite for eldership.  And conversely, we have probably met a number of people who spiritually were born old and evidence remarkable maturity for their Christian age." (pg 100)

1 Timothy 3:7 - He must be well thought of by outsiders

"If a man is well regarded inside the church but poorly regarded by non-Christians, he does not qualify as a suitable candidate for Christian ministry." (pg 106)

Overall it was a great book. I've only touched on a few points here. 

How Important Is Church Membership (Piper)

I just listened to this sermon by John Piper titled "How Important Is Church Membership".  Here are the quotes I liked:

1) Membership is implied by the way the church is supposed to discipline its members (Matt 18:15-17)... If there is no church membership, how can you define the group you bring this sensitive issue to.

2) Membership is implied by the fact that excommunication even exists (1 Cor 5:12-13)

3) Membership is implied in the Biblical requirement for Christians to be submitted to a group of church leaders (elders/pastors) (Heb 13:17, 1 Thes 5:12-13)

4) Membership is implied by the way the New Testament requires elders to care for the flock in their charge (Acts 20:28, 1 Pet 5:2)

5) Membership is implied in the metaphor of "the body" (1 Cor 12:12-31)

Are you an accountable member of a local church?  I'm not asking is your name on a list somewhere.  Are you committed to discipline and being disciplined.  Have you publically declared your willingness to be lead by a group of elders?  Do you see yourself and your gifts as grafted into a body?

David Platt quotes

I was listening to one of David Platt's sermons on the topic "Radical Giving" and he said the following:

An African pastor has said "We won't give up, shut up or let up, until we have stayed up, stored up, prayed up, paid up, preached up for the cause of Christ." We are disciples of Jesus and we must go 'til he comes, give 'til we drop, preach 'til all know and work 'til He stops us.

To which I said, AMEN!

Then I continued in his sermon series and listened to "Radical Abandonment".  He mentioned that Blomberg has written a book on "Heart, Soul and Money" in which he argues the same points below:

Instead of God giving possessions to build a PLACE that will display His glory among the nations, now God is giving possessions to build a PEOPLE who take His glory to the nations.

In the Old Testament (and old covenant) obedience to God led to acquiring possessions on earth. 

In the New Testament (and new covenant) obedience to God leads to abandoning of possessions on earth and accumulating possessions in heaven. 

My Rights? My God? (Wells)

One of the resources AIM sent for Karen and I to read was this book "My Rights? My God?" by Robin Wells. It was a decent book... nothing spectacular, but decent.

On page 16 he lists the following 9 "Myths of Missions". I thought they were well spoken myths.

- Christian work is for people who can't get into the career they want
- Everyone who wants to share their faith should be a pastor or a missionary
- You have to be stinking rich to go on summer programmes
- Being interested in world missions is for fanatics, not for the rest of us
- If you have a good skill, you shouldn't waste it overseas
- If you're really converted, you won't go into business. You'll be a full-time evangelist.
- Missions damages people's cultures
- We have no right to tell people that they should believe in Christ
- Missions is only for single people

Then on page 18 he states very clearly

There is no sense in which it is a 'more spiritual' calling to work overseas.

Amen? AMEN!!!!

Wells shares a story about George Whitefield, one of the great preachers in the 18th century spiritual awakening in the UK and USA. Whitefield crossed the Atlantic Ocean thirteen times, in a sailing ship, and the activist in him seized the opportunity of preaching to everyone on board. But at one point after reading and writing, he records in his journal:

"I have learned that the reaper is not wasting his time when he is whetting his scythe." - G. Whitefield (pg 77)

God help me rest and remind me that its not wasting time when I read and write. It's whetting my scythe!

Listen to this call:

Someone must go. If everyone, through the centuries, had listened to the reasons for not going, the church would still be confined to the countries around the Eastern Mediterranean! (pg 86)

But what about the risks? How can we respond to people who say that going on missions isn't safe... Wells advises with the following:

If you stay at home you can't be sure of escaping accidents, disease or violence; but if you're called to live in one of the developing countries you do increase your risks. But, I say again, remember that these tragic incidents are unusual; we shouldn't become paralysed by fear. (pg 97)

Should we above all else protect our children in a safe environment, and give them the best education? If this is our conclusion, then we should stay at home. Yet we are ignoring the gospel reasons for going. And we are also ignoring the fact there is no sure way of avoiding all risk while we are in this world. On top of this, we are discounting the significant benefits that our children can gain through the experience. (pg 133)

YES - life is about more than just a safe environment and the best education! Christ's love compels us to share the gospel. What a privilege!

I'll close with this quote, restated from the final chapter of Mabel Williamson's book "Have We No Rights?"

All that He takes I will give;
All that He gives I will take;
He is my only right!
Everything else fades away before Him.
I have full right to Him;
May He have full right to me! (pg 142)

Rowland Bingham - Into Africa's Interior (Benge)

As Karen and I talk more with SIM, I wanted to find out more about the history of this organization. I must say after reading this book "Rowland Bingham - Into Africa's Interior" by Janet and Geoff Benge, I'm quite impressed!

For those of you who don't know SIM is short for "Serving In Missions". It used to be "Sudan Interior Mission" but as it merged with other organizations over the past years the new name was adopted.

SIM was started by 3 men: Rowland Bingham, Walter Gowans and Thomas Kent. You'll hear more about these guys below, but the focus will be on Rowland Bingham. Rowland was born 1872 in England. He came to Halifax when he was 16 and then he moved to Toronto. Here in the GTA he met Walter Gowans mother, Mrs. Gowans. Listen to this mother's passion. I love it!!

"My son feels particularly called to the Sudan, a great expanse of land south of the Sahara Desert and bounded on the west by the Niger River and on the east by the Nile. In this belt of land stretching some 2500 miles across Africa live 90 million people. And do you know what, Mr. Bingham?... There is not one missionary in all of the Sudan and neither is there one Christian." (pg 44)

Now "Sudan" at that time is not the "Sudan" or "South Sudan" of today. In the early 1900s "Sudan" encompassed the area including countries like Nigeria, Niger, Chad, CAR, Sudan, Ethiopia.

Then Mrs. Gowans continued...

"What about you, Mr. Bingham? Are you prepared to join my son in his mission if God calls you to do so?"

What questions eh? Talk about challenging and mobilizing people for missions! God I pray, raise up more people like Mrs. Gowans today.

That night Rowland lay in bed, he could not get the words of Walter's mothers words out of his mind. There was plenty of work to be done in Canada and what would Reverend Salmon do without an assistant? (pg 45)

Classic questions! What about the need in Canada? What about the things were already involved with here? God I pray, call people to passionately serve you in Canada and call others to go to the nations.

In 1893 Rowland and Tom left on a boat from New York to England. When the boat finally dock in Liverpool, England, a letter from Walter Gowans was waiting for Rowland. The lines that stood out to me from this letter were...

But in London also I found nothing but indifference, halfheartedness and opposition, oh! My brother it is the same everywhere, sleeping societies, sleeping Christians, sleeping church! Yes, a dead church but blessed be God we have a LIVING Christ! My brother, one staggers to think of the immensity of our undertaking: 90 million without Christ, the great Sudan untouched. One might well stagger and ask, 'Who is sufficient for these things'? But our sufficiency is of God. He is able and He can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth us and we will. (pg 48-49)

As I mentioned before the book describes Walter's mother as a very admirable woman. Listen to this...

Without a mission board behind them, the men had no one but Mrs. Gowans to keep churches updated on their news and prayer requests. Rowland smiled to himself. If we have to have a one-woman missionary board, there is no woman I would rather have behind me than Mrs. Gowans, he thought. She has enough enthusiasm and vision to do the work of ten others. (pg 52)

In 1894, when both Walter and Thomas had died from sicknesses obtained in the Sudan interior, Rowland was left as the lone surviving member of SIM. Unsure what to do, thinking that it may be true that the African interior is the white-man's graveyard, he heard the following from Mrs. Gowans.

"I would rather have had Walter go out to the Sudan and die there all alone than have him home today disobeying the Lord. I pray every day that God will raise up a Christian witness in Girku where Walter laid down his life for the gospel." (pg 72)

Pretty awesome!

Now the task of leading SIM was squarely on Rowland's shoulders. Would SIM be a Baptist mission or a non-denominational one?

It doesn't seem right, he thought, that today a Presbyterian woman gave all the money she possessed to enable me to start a Baptist mission work in the Sudan. Yet, whil I might take her last dollar, if she herself were to apply to serve in the mission she would not be accepted because she is a Presbyterian. Rowland wrestled with the problem and by dawn he made up his mind: SIM would be open to accept missionaries from all denominations, not just Baptists. He wondered what his friend who had promised him $100 a year if he kept the mission under the Baptist umbrella? ... Surprisingly, as Rowland explained his decision, his friend chuckled and said, "God has challenged me on the same issue. Instead of $100 a year for the first 3 years, I will make it $1000 a year for that period." (pg 80)

Around 1915 Rowland Bingham wrote the following in an open letter:

"Merely to mark time in missionary work during the war is a fatal blunder. We must go forward. Let the call of Christ be heard and heeded through the din of the world's conflict, and let the Church rise to a worthy endeavor to accomplish speedily the work entrusted to her." (pg 115)

I echo that prayer! Let the Church rise to accomplish speedily the work entrusted to her!

If you're not impressed yet by Rowland Bingham's faith and boldness, check this out. At a meeting to discuss northern Nigeria he stood up and stated:

"Friends, we have talked endlessly about how to open up the Muslim areas to the north, but we have been unable to come up with any plans to do so. Unless something very definite is decided upon here, I am going to go to Kano City as soon as this meeting is over. There I will stand in the marketplace and preach the gospel to the people. I know this may seem an extreme action to take, especially since I will probably be imprisoned, but something needs to be done to draw attention to the fact that there is no religious liberty in that area." (pg 137)

At another meeting to discuss the same issue he stated:

"There are many millions of people who live in these regions who have no opportunity to hear the gospel preached. Something must be done about it!" (pg 150)

As the beginning World War 2 approached, on October 3, 1935, Rowland listened to the grim news on the radio that Mussolini had ordered his Italian troops to invade Ethiopia.

Soon reports came from Tom (an SIM missionary in Ethiopia) that all foreign consulates had been closed and diplomats were leaving. In addition, the US and British governments had ordered all their citizens to evacuate immediately. Tom wanted to know what to tell the 80 SIM workers in the country. Rowland was well aware that if the SIM doctors and nurses left the country, there would be no more than a dozen doctors and up to twenty nurses in all of Ethiopia. Ethiopia needed missionaries as never before, yet these men and women would be in great danger if they stayed. After much prayer, Rowland sent a telegraph to Tom that read, "You are under higher orders than those of the King of England or the President of the United States. Get your instructions from Him and we are right with you." (pg 158)

I love that line. "You are under higher orders than those of the King of England or the President of the United States. Get your instructions from Him!"

When I got to the last chapter and read the following I was stunned.

The funeral service for Rowland Victor Bingham was held on December 10, 1942 at Cooke's Presbyterian Church in Toronto. The church was selected because it had the largest church auditorium in the city. The minister who conducted the service was Dr. P. W. Philpott, whom Rowland first meet in 1889 when attending the Salvation Army in Halifax soon after his arrival in Canada. Like so many hundreds of other people, Dr. Philpott had become a lifelong friend and supporter of Rowland's many Christian endeavors. (pg 181)

What a small world it is that the first pastor of the church I attend would officiate Rowland Bingham's funeral.

God, thank you for men like Rowland Bingham! I humbly ask that you will use me, as you used him, for the sake of Your name. If that's in Africa, so be it. If that's here in Canada, so be it. Be exalted oh God.

Translations of Old Testament

I found this out at Servant Pathway last month...

There are no complete original manuscripts of the Old Testament text. What we have is:

1) the Masoretic text (in full) which is in Hebrew.
2) the Septuagint "LXX" text (in full) which is in Greek.
3) the Dead Sea Scolls (in part) which are in Hebrew.

"What Should A Local Church Look Like?"

I listened to the following talk on my drive to and from work recently and was encouraged.

It's from the 2011 Gospel Coalition conference and is a topic close to my heart. The panel discussion between Mark Dever, Crawford Loritts and Tim Keller was titled "What Should A Local Church Look Like?"

At Philpott Memorial Church we're working through what membership looks like, what members are accountable to and how one is added to and removed from the membership roll.

Mark Dever stated that his church (Capitol Hill Baptist) has 6-1 hour membership classes spread out over 6 weeks. Then if new prospective members complete the classes, they are interviewed by an elder. The elder takes his summary of that interview to the rest of the Board of Elders and then in turn that recommendation for membership is taken to the congregation. At a "members meeting" (which is held 6x per year) the congregation would then "vote in" the new members. Mark Dever says this is in keeping with 2 Cor 2:6.

Tim Keller stated that his church (Redeemer Presbyterian) has 5-1 hour sessions and then the elders will interview and the vote to bring in new members. The congregation does not vote to accept new members. Keller did state he thinks that at some point the congregation is involved in church discipline (not just the elders only).

Currently at Philpott we have 3-1 hour membership classes (called Philpott DNA) and then if needed an interview is held with a "senior staff member or an elder". Then the recommendation for new membership is brought to the Board of Elders and a vote occurs. The congregation does not vote to accept new members.

That's all for now... more thoughts will come. :)

Tim Keller stated he has a 5

Biblical Manhood

I've copied and pasted this prayer from a book called "Recovering Biblical Manhood and Womanhood".

I pray this will be true of me and the men God has brought into my life.

1. That all of your life (in whatever calling) be devoted to the glory of God.
2. That the promises of Christ be trusted so fully that peace and joy and strength fill
your soul to overflowing.
3. That this fullness of God overflow in daily acts of love so that people might see
your good deeds and give glory to your Father in Heaven.
4. That you be men of the Book, who love and study and obey the Bible in every area
of its teaching; that meditation on Biblical truth be the source of hope and faith; that you
continue to grow in understanding through all the chapters of your life, never thinking
that study and growth are only for others.
5. That you be men of prayer, so that the Word of God will be opened to you, so the
power of faith and holiness will descend upon you; that your spiritual influence may
increase at home and at church and in the world.
6. That you be men who have a deep grasp of the sovereign grace of God which
undergirds all these spiritual processes; and that you be deep thinkers about the doctrines
of grace, and even deeper lovers of these things.
7. That you be totally committed to ministry, whatever your specific calling; that you
not fritter away your time on excessive sports and recreation or unimportant hobbies or
aimless diddling in the garage; but that you redeem the time for Christ and his Kingdom.
8. That, if you are single, you exploit your singleness to the full in devotion to God
(the way Jesus and Paul did) and not be paralyzed by the desire to be married.
9. That, if you are married, you love your wife the way Christ loved the church and
gave himself for her; that you be a humble, self-denying, upbuilding, happy spiritual
leader; that you consistently grow in grace and knowledge so as never to quench the
aspirations of your wife for spiritual advancement; that you cultivate tenderness and
strength, a pattern of initiative and a listening ear; and that you accept the responsibility
of provision and protection in the family, however you and your wife share the labor.
10. That, if you have children, you accept primary responsibility, in partnership with
your wife (or as a single parent), to raise up children in the discipline and instruction of
the Lord-children who hope in the triumph of God; that you establish a pattern of
teaching and discipline that is not solely dependent on the church or school to impart
Bible knowledge and spiritual values to the children; and that you give your children the
time and attention and affection that communicates the true nature of our Father in
Heaven.
11. That you not assume advancement and peer approval in your gainful employment
are the highest values in life; but that you ponder the eternal significance of faithful
fatherhood and time spent with your wife; that you repeatedly consider the new
possibilities at each stage of your life for maximizing your energies for the glory of God
in ministry; that you pose the question often: Is our family molded by the culture, or do
we embody the values of the Kingdom of God? That you lead the family in making
choices not on the basis of secular trends or upward lifestyle expectations, but on the
basis of what will strengthen the faith of the family and advance the cause of Christ.
12. That you step back and (with your wife, if you are married) plan the various forms
of your life’s ministry in chapters. Chapters are divided by various things-age, strength,
singleness, marriage, employment, children at home, children in college, grandchildren,
retirement, etc. No chapter has all the joys. Finite life is a series of tradeoffs. Finding
God’s will and living for the glory of Christ to the full in every chapter is what makes it a
success, not whether it reads like somebody else’s chapter or whether it has in it what
only another chapter will bring.
13. That you develop a wartime mentality and lifestyle; that you never forget that life
is short, that billions of people hang in the balance of heaven and hell every day, that the
love of money is spiritual suicide, that the goals of upward mobility (nicer clothes, cars,
houses, vacations, food, hobbies) are a poor and dangerous substitute for the goals of
living for Christ with all your might and maximizing your joy in ministry to people’s
needs.
14. That in all your relationships with women (not just in marriage) you seek the
guidance of the Holy Spirit in applying the Biblical vision of manhood and womanhood;
that you develop a style and demeanor that expresses your God-given responsibility for
humble strength and leadership, and for self-sacrificing provision and protection; that you
think creatively and with cultural sensitivity (just as she must do) in shaping the style and
setting the tone of your interaction with women.
15. That you see the Biblical guidelines for what is appropriate and inappropriate for
men and women not as license for domination or bossy passivity, but as a call to servant
leadership that thinks in terms of responsibilities not rights; that you see these principles
as wise and gracious prescriptions for how to discover the true freedom of God’s ideal of
complementarity; that you encourage the fruitful engagement of women in the countless
ministry roles that are Biblically appropriate and deeply needed.