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Reflections on "God Exposed." (Part 2)
How do I describe the impact of C. J. Mahaney’s message this weekend? I have yet to hear a teacher of the Bible who so accurately understands his own shortcomings yet so clearly magnifies God. Mahaney taught from 2 Timothy 4:1-5 and encouraged faithfulness to the gospel through the content and character of the preacher.
Mahaney made clear that the Word of God is essential to the church. Before being overwhelmed by the obvious he traced out the implications of such a thought. For example, the primacy of the Word of God should be reflected in the schedule of the preacher (i.e., I should set aside adequate time to unhurriedly exegete, applicate, and illustrate the text of Scripture). I cannot let lesser duties overwhelm this primary concern nor can I allow sinful procrastination to cripple my Bible Study.
I was also reminded during this time that a pastor/elder is most adequately equipped to teach the Bible at a particular church because preaching requires pastoral skill and discernment to teach and apply the Bible. A pastor should know the struggles and victories of his congregation and, therefore, know the appropriate use of admonition and exhortation. I would not want to admonish the weak and encourage the unruly! This requires an atmosphere of community that is conducive to openly sharing life.
Mahaney pierced my heart with his encouragement to preach “with all patience” (2 Tim. 4:2). It is sometimes easier to give a weekly monologue than be patient with people. I must always keep in the front of my mind God’s patience with me. Further, I cannot expect my listeners to immediately understand and apply everything I preach. God has been slowly working on my heart and I have been “living in the text” for weeks. How foolish of me to think that what took me weeks and years to understand will immediately be fully grasped by my audience. Further, it is the height of arrogance to think that I am such a good communicator as to condense years worth of Biblical study and personal sanctification into a single hour-long sermon.
All-in-all I must persevere in the careful and consistent teaching of the Word of God and “be grateful and surprised” that anyone shows up to hear me speak at all!
Reflections on "God Exposed." (Part 1)
This past weekend (September 25-26) I attended the 9 Marks “God Exposed” conference held at SEBTS. My heart and head are both full from the information and exhortations I received.
Audio from the event can be found at the SEBTS website. On the IX Marks website some blog reflections can be found.
Mark Dever opened the conference with a message from Mark 4 that was encouraging and convicting. He challenged us to depend totally on the power of the Word of God and not on our own personality, creativity, or intelligence. Being dependent on God and His word leads to humility and confidence (two traits that I normally view as opposed). We have humility because we realize that God is accomplishing the growth of the Kingdom of God. We have confidence in the fact that God will accomplish what he promised. I was reminded through this exhortation not to confuse size with significance in my own ministry. Further, I am thankful that God chooses weak vessels. One memorable quote from Dr. Dever:
If you think you can be filled with the Spirit without being filled with the Word, you need to check what Spirit you are being filled with.
Dr. Akin underscored this point during the Sermon Review (an idea I wholeheartedly recommend for teachers of the Bible) by showing the connection between being filled with the Spirit (Eph. 5:18) through the word of Christ (Col. 3:16).
The Word of God is powerful because God is powerful. The Word of God will be victorious because God is the victor.
You have been born again: not originating from the mortal but from the immortal, that is through the living and permanent word of God. ‘For all flesh is like grass and all its glory is like the flower of grass. The grass withers and the flower falls off but the word of the Lord endures into eternity.’ Now this is the word which was preached to you (1 Peter 1:23-25).
Why I Attended a Public University.
Parents and high school students are often asking my advice in regard to their undergraduate education. To those students who are well-grounded in their relationship with Jesus I almost invariably recommend attending a public university.
In my own life I decided to attend a public university for very specific reasons (in no particular order):
1. Quality of education. I have found in my state (Virginia) that public universities have the highest quality of professors and students. My undergraduate institution (The College of William and Mary) carefully selects students who are serious about academics and extra-curricular activities.
2. Campus Culture. Every university and college is different. You have to know what type of campus community is important to you. I wanted to go to a school that offered plenty of educational and extra-curricular activities but maintained a genuine feeling of community. I also wanted regular access to my professors outside of the classroom.
3. Cost. An in-state education is a significantly better value than most private or out-of-state colleges and universities.
4. Exposure. A public university offers diversity in so many ways. Many parents use the teenage years to shelter there kids. I believe it is essential to give young people opportunities to interact with persons who look, think, and act differently. Diversity of thought is essential to understand one’s own beliefs and learning how to articulate those beliefs. A “big view” of the world will combat narcissism, expand access to information, and give a more accurate portrayal of the world. Pew Research Center has found that 57% of United States Citizens have never lived outside of their hometown and 37% have never left their hometown!
A man who has lived in many places is not likely to be deceived by the local errors of his native village: the scholar has lived in many times and is therefore in some degree immune from the great cataract of nonsense that pours from the press and microphone of his own age (C. S. Lewis).
A public education will ideally provide access to a wide range of scholarship and a diverse student body to deal with this common error.
5. Mission. I had been told that sharing the gospel to all people a la the Great Commission was important, but outside of a few short term mission trips in high school I had no real gospel opportunities. All of my friends went to my Christian high school or my church (read: Christian bubble). My undergraduate education was the first time in my life were the majority of my regular contacts and friendships were with non-believers. Sure my Mom was scared of the “sex, drugs, and rock-n-roll” but she trusted me as a mature Christian young man (though she almost peed her pants when I mentioned that I was living in a co-ed dorm). Further, the context of a university lends itself to the free exchange of ideas. I have found few contexts more hospitable to the gospel (the dog park is coming in second right now). Further, bringing the “gospel to the nations” is particularly simple at college because the nations come to you in the form of international students. In addition, the university will help fund your own international excursions via study abroad programs!
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At this point you might ask why I am really writing this post. I minister to parents and teenagers every week and I have noticed a particular brand of “bunker mentality.” It is essential to develop meaningful relationships with non-believers in which to model and articulate the gospel. These relationships cannot happen unless young adults are given opportunities to interact in the “real world.” Many Christians claim to be missionaries but have given up on going to hard places. Most college students in America go to public universities. How will we reach them with the gospel unless we go to public universities? Most of the world’s population lives in large, urban cities. How will we reach them with the gospel unless we go to these cities?
