At a recent meeting of our women’s Bible study, Sara G. shared a devotional on discipleship.
A number of the ladies couldn’t make the meeting for various reason, but requested the notes.
For ease of access we publish the file Paul, Silas and Timothy for any and all parties interested. Enjoy!
At least twice now I have referenced in a message David Platt’s book Radical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream.
Today I received an email from someone with a link to a Gospel Coalition review of Platt’s book by Kevin DeYoung.
DeYoung expresses some helpful push back to some of the potentially more extreme aspects of Radical or at least they way certain things might be taken along the way by the less mature, more emotionally stirred, less critically insightful reader.
Uniquely it includes a response in turn from Platt, something you don’t see/read every day. It’s worth the read. Here’s a sample from DeYoung’s critique:
We must do more to plant the plea for sacrificial living more solidly in the soil of gospel grace. Several times David talks about the love of Christ as our motivation for radical discipleship or the power of God and the means for radical discipleship. But I didn’t sense the strong call to obedience was slowly marinated in God’s lavish mercy. I wanted to see sanctification more clearly flowing out of justification.
I commend this interchange to the reader as an example of redemptive debate. Would that more of God’s people engaged in this kind of critique/response with such gospel grace. You can read the entire piece here.
In the end result, risks notwithstanding to some of Platt’s bold and passionate pleas, I personally want to embrace the five-fold practical challenge of application with which Platt leaves his readers and pray for a church full of folks who will do the same.
Today’s message from John 12:20-26 is now on the website. You can listen to the audio here.
My synopsis of the text was as follows:
The Spirit of God working through John wants us to go with the Greeks. He would have us express the same desire – we would see Jesus. He means for us to take our cue from them. He wants us to believe in Jesus in light of their example, as He does with everything else He shows us in the gospel from the signs Jesus did to the things He said (John 20:30-31).
Let me put it in the form of a theme as always. Follow the Greeks’ lead in seeking Jesus toward believing in Him as the Messiah. You will need four things from their example if you want to get somewhere close in proximity that their search brought them: deliberately focused intentions for Jesus, directly engaged connections to Jesus, dramatically altered perceptions of Jesus, and decidedly shared affections with Jesus.
I mentioned a link to an interview with Mark Dever of 9 Marks called Culture of Discipling that gives some great principles for doing the second of these things from the Greeks’ example. I highly recommend it. You can listen to that audio program here.
May this be a week where we draw closer to Jesus and help others do the same!
Generally I prefer to recommend books folks might want to read.
This one you want to avoid like the plague . . . IF you prefer to remain mired in a mediocre north American version of following Jesus.
I am referring to David Platt’s dangerous little ditty entitled Radical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream (Multnomah, 2010, 230 pages). And obviously I wax facetious.
You want to read this book if you desire to rescue your faith from the kind of perverted counterfeit version American affluence often deceives us into accepting as if it were the real deal.
Here is a sample of the kind of hard-hitting content you will encounter in Radical:
We are, by nature, receivers. Even if we have a desire to learn God’s Word, we still listen from a default self-centered
mind-set that is always asking, What can I get out of this? But as we have seen, this is unbiblical Christianity. What if we changed the question whenever we gathered to learn God’s Word? What if we began to think, How can I listen to his Word so that I am equipped to teach this Word to others? ….When we realize that we have the responsibility to teach the Word, it changes everything about how we hear the Word (p. 102).
Platt concludes the book with an extremely practical five-point, one-year plan for a life turned upside down. I struggle to dare believe what might happen in a church like ours if everyone read a book like this and put the author’s one-year challenge into action with God’s help.
You will rarely find a resource so biblical in its content and yet practical in its approach.
Dangerous? Yes. Necessary? Absolutely.
Unless you prefer to remain mired in the you-know-what.
In 2009 Matthias Media published this book subtitled: The Ministry Mind-Shift that Changes Everything.
When I read Mark Dever’s assessment (This is the best book I’ve read on the nature of church ministry) I knew I needed to read it. I have. Since then I have given away several copies.
Recently I picked up thirty more copies at a great one time only price of $8 per copy which will be available beginning this Sunday on the resource table.
You will want to read this book if you are a pastor.
You will want to read this book if you are an elder or deacon.
You will want to read this book if you are an intern.
You will want to read this book if you are a discipler of others – a mentor or are being mentored.
You will want to read this book if you are a growth group leader.
You will want to read this book if you are a believer looking for ministry in the local church, especially if you don’t have a clue where you fit.
Here is Mark Dever’s endorsement of the book:
Pick up your copy this Sunday!
It’s Friday. Last week I called it “Freeloader Friday.” It’s my day off so I am borrowing from the work of others to post today. But after watching this piece on Timmy Brister’s blog, I couldn’t bear to make light of things at all in the subject line.
As we enter another Advent season starting this Sunday, join me for a healthy dose of perspective from what it means to follow Christ in a place like Pakistan. Remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them, and those who are mistreated, since you also are in the body (Heb. 13:3).
curtheffelfinger.com 