Working out Salvation with Fear and Trembling

It seems that there is a never-ending barrage of ethical questions coming at pastors, health care workers, and families. Some may wonder where to turn for answers for some of the most difficult ethical issues. C. Ben Mitchell and D. Joy Riley, an ethicist/professor and an ethicist/doctor help Christians to understand how to make life and death decisions in an effective way in Christian Bioethics (B&H). The questions that surrounded us even 50 years ago, are different and more complicated than those we face today. Having an up-to-date help in addressing these issues, in what looks like an excellent series (B&H Studies in Christian Ethics), these two authors serve as able guides.

The authors begin by addressing issues of Christian bioethics in a general way. Particularly helpful is their second chapter where they show the necessity of understanding the Bible as our foundational guide for ethical decisions and show how it speaks to issues of today.

Part 2, looks at issues of death, particularly abortion and human dignity and dying. Both are hot-button topics in our 24 hour news cycle and important for Christians to have solid answers on.

Part 3 looks at issues of life, with regards to infertility and reproductive technology, organ donation and transplantation,  and cloning and human-animal hybrids. Some of the issues hit close to home for many people, including Christians, and it is important for us to understand these issues.

Part 4 considers issues of remaking life, including issues of aging and life-extension and how to preserve our humanity in the midst of our ever-growing biotech world. How we should treat our elderly, and what fundamentally it means to be human are important questions for all of us.

The book is not completely comprehensive, and there are areas of discussion that could be explored further. There are broader topic books on Christian ethics (not just bioethics) that would be helpful supplements on this volume. Mitchell and Riley helpfully offer resources on all of these issues for further reading. The style (where each author is represented in each chapter) could come off a little disjointed to developing a coherent whole thought on each issue, but it is helpful to see both author’s perspectives. Yet, when it comes to some of these profound issues facing both Christians and non-Christians alike, Mitchell and Riley helpfully address them from a biblical standpoint. Not every reader will agree with everything here, but they will have to work through Mitchell and Riley’s understanding of both Scripture and the times we live in.

When it comes to anyone dealing with these bioethic issues today (which frankly is most likely all of us), I would consider Mitchell and Riley’s Christian Bioethics to be a helpful guide in the great morass of issues facing us. They provide a compassionate and caring understanding that issues we are going through, or people we know are going through.

Everyone loves to celebrate a party. Weddings are much more fun than funerals.  Getting a new job is much more exciting than getting laid off. We in the church are certainly no different. Our tendency is to spend time enjoying the positives rather than celebrating anything negative. When it comes to “Christian” holidays, the clear winner for our attention and affection is Christmas. Even if we ignore the fact that Santa brings presents and the Easter Bunny only chocolate, who would not rather enjoy the birth of a child rather than the public execution of a state criminal? At Christmas, banners fly on Christian homes that read “Jesus is the Reason for the Season.” They love signing Christmas carols, exchanging presents, and even in the case of our church, collecting money to give Christmas gifts to our missionaries that we support. But when it comes to Easter, we can hardly get people to consider coming together to reflect and even sing about the death of our Master. Easter takes second fiddle to Christmas when it comes to holidays to celebrate in the Church. Even when taking into consideration the resurrection as part of Easter, Christmas still becomes the event that dominates our holiday considerations.

Yet, it is not the crèche but the cross that is the pivotal point in the Christian calendar. Christmas simply serves as a servant to Easter. When the Christian rightly understands what the purpose of Christmas was, they will understand that Christmas should not be the main holiday focus of the church, but that Easter should dominate our attention. For Christ was not born simply to be born, but to go to a cross. Jesus was, as the saying goes, “born to die” I would articulate here then, that as individual Christians and as the church we should realize that Christmas should be a time when we reflect on the reason why Jesus came, namely to die a substitutionary death for sinners to be redeemed, and rose again to provide eternal life for the same. Christ did not stay in the manger, He went to His death for sinners. Christmas exists so that Easter could!

The Purpose of Christmas

Christmas is obviously not about the grand advertising and merchandising brouhaha that it has become. As Lucy Van Pelt says in “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” “Look, Charlie, let’s face it. We all know that Christmas is a big commercial racket. It’s run by a big eastern syndicate, you know.” That may be what Christmas is today, but the obvious purpose for Christmas was for the Incarnation to happen.

Ever since the Fall of man in the Garden, humanity has been waiting for redemption. It had been hinted at even in the Garden (Genesis 3:15) and the Levitical system of sacrifice pointed forward to the full and final sacrifice that was necessary (Hebrews 10:14). Yet, what was necessary, implicitly hinted at in some portions, was made explicitly clear in others. A child would need to be born. Isaiah 7:14 reads, “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.”[1] Later, this promise is expounded upon further in Isaiah 9:6–7 emphasizing this child’s kingship, “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this.”

But, all too often once Christmas rolls around, we get stuck in the manger scene with the wonderful truth of the child born and attended to by shepherds and angels alike. It is a warm, caring scene that even the most anti-religious can tolerate to a certain extent. Still in towns do you even see community manager scenes, they play Christian music on the radio at Christmas, and people still wish each other Merry Christmas, much to the chagrin of the ACLU. Yet, what was the purpose for God being born a man? It was far more profound that simply being born.

It is very clear from the Scriptures that the reason God became man was to redeem the lost through the cross:

Luke 19:10 – “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”

Matthew 9:13 – “Go and learn what this means, ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”

Mark 10:45 – “For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Galatians 4:4–5 – “But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.”

1 Timothy 1:15 – “The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost.”

1 John 4:10 – “In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.”

As B. B. Warfield rightly notes, “Eliminate sin as the proximate occasion and redemption as the prime end of the Incarnation, and none of the other relations in which it stands, and none of the other effects which flow from it, will be fulfilled, at least in the measure of their rights.”[2] What Warfield is saying is that without thinking that the prime end of the Incarnation is the death and resurrection of Christ means that no other benefits from it can come to pass. The essential purpose of the Incarnation was not for a child to remain in the manger but for that child to become a man, to live, and die to redeem sinners for God.

The Purpose of Easter

So, if the purpose of the Incarnation was the Cross, what was the purpose of the cross? That is not more explicitly described than in Isaiah 53. While the whole passage speaks to the nature of the reason for the suffering of Jesus, vv. 10–12 will do to demonstrate the reason for the cross.

Yet it was the will of the LORD to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities. Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors.

The purpose of Jesus death on the cross was to bear the sins of those who would be redeemed. He bore our iniquities so that we might be saved. He took our place and was condemned instead of us. The reason Jesus died was so that we might live. This is the most profound truth that we can ever understand. The crux (from where the word “cross” comes from) of the Christian faith is the cross. God created man and when man fell it was the purpose of God to restore fellowship between God and man. With an infinite debt to be paid against an infinite God, the only way finite man could pay it could either be through an eternity in Hell or if an infinite person took our place. That was the reason Christ became man, so that the infinite could take the place of the finite. The reason we have life, and life abundantly, is that Christ in his death paid our penalty against an infinite God. The purpose of Easter was to redeem sinners.

This all can be summed up so clearly and beautifully by the Apostle Peter in 1 Peter 2:24–25: “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.”

The purpose of Christmas was so that Easter could happen. Easter happened so that men could be saved from eternal torment and punishment in Hell!

Living in the Shadow of Both the Crèche and the Cross

I remember preaching on an unusual passage one Christmas: Revelation 5.

Revelation 5 is the second part of the major climax of the throne room scene in the book of Revelation. Here John weeps because no one is found worthy to open the scroll that will bring about the justice of God upon all unrighteousness. Yet, in the midst of the elders one is found who is worthy to take the scroll and open it and enact the judgments to come. This passage becomes one of the most profound expressions of the purpose for the Incarnation.

And one of the elders said to me, “Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.” And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, with seven horns and with seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. And he went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who was seated on the throne. And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. And they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God      from every tribe and language and people and nation, and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth.”

Here we see that the reason Christ was worthy to enact the judgments to come and bring about the fruition of God’s plans for the universe was because He was slain and He redeemed people for God from among the mass of humanity. He was worthy because He died and rose again. The only way Christ could do that was by becoming man through the Incarnation. The Incarnation occurred because the cross had to occur. It is ultimately not the crèche but the cross that is the center of our faith.

This Christmas, as we live in both the shadow of the crèche and the cross, we need to remember to not leave Christ in the crèche. The reason Christ came was so He could die for sinners. The question you need to ask yourself this Christmas is whether the peace that was promised at the arrival of Jesus as man is available to you, or whether you are still under the judgment of God? The redeeming work of Christ on the cross is still available to you and if you repent of your sins and turn and embrace Jesus Christ alone as your Saviour you will have eternal life. Jesus Christ came to redeem you from death and destruction through His death and resurrection. This Christmas, have an eye toward Easter and belief in Him.

If you are in Christ Jesus then consider which holiday should have most of your emphasis. Should Christmas, the servant of Easter occupy your entire focus or should it serve as a bridge to talk about the reason why Jesus Christ came? Christmas is a perfect opportunity to share the Gospel because people are open to celebrating the Christ-child. Use it to direct them to the real purpose for Christmas: the cross. Share with them the hope and peace they can have, not in the Incarnation in and of itself but in the reason He came, to purchase men for God through His death and resurrection.

While we might say Jesus is the reason for the season, Jesus is the reason for every season. And at this Christmas season, do not leave Jesus in the crèche. Remember He came to die for sinners. The purpose for Christmas was Easter.

[1] Scripture quotations are from the English Standard Version.

[2] B. B. Warfield, Selected Shorter Writings of Benjamin B. Warfield, ed. John E. Meeter, 2 vol. (Nutley, NJ: Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing Company, 1970), I:143.

Rod Decker (1952-2014) was Greek and New Testament Professor at Baptist Bible Seminary, Clarks Summit, PA for many years before his untimely death. In that time, he developed an integrated text and work book for first year Greek students called Reading Koine Greek. When I was asked to teach Greek to the undergraduate students at Baptist Bible College, I planned to use Mounce like I had been taught. But Dr. Decker met with me to encourage me to consider using his pre-published Greek text. He gave me  a copy to review, and after working through much of the text, I found it a superior version for teaching. Here are my thoughts on why you should consider Decker for first year Greek instruction.

1) He introduces the verbal system earlier. I was always frustrated with Mounce’s “natural” approach to the verbal system where you learned it later. I found it difficult to make head way in studying Greek with the verbal system put so far behind. Decker, in contrast introduces the verbal system in its basic form in chapter 5. Then in earnest he works through elements of the verbal system starting in chapter 13. This gives the student a better understanding of the Greek language, including the verbal system, at an earlier date than Mounce and others.

2) It’s thoroughly updated with the most up-to-date linguistic elements. Older entries either did not include detailed discussions of verbal aspect, or were written prior to the seminal Porter-Fanning entries. While you may disagree with Decker as he generally takes Porter’s approach, you will see how he carefully integrates elements of, what may be considered advanced Greek, into first year where it is appropriate. The book is thorough and detailed on a number of issues like aspect, which makes it even an ideal text to be used alone, or in a class.

3) The combined workbook is helpful in itself because it makes it less cumbersome to carry around a separate workbook. I had my students live, breathe, and eat Decker, and utilize their UBS 4th, and Danker’s The Concise Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament. Adding a separate workbook would have been unnecessary.

4) This is a grammar for Koine Greek, not just New Testament Greek. Decker helpfully includes translation work from the LXX and the church fathers. How many of your Greek students have large portions of 2 Chronicles or 1 Enoch or 1 Clement memorized already? This is where we separate the men from the boys, as my Greek teacher used to say.

While Decker doesn’t have all the fancy videos like Mounce does, there are helpful teaching elements available to be used in conjunction with Reading Koine Greek. In addition, helpful appendixes on the vocative, various charts, and such, make the book an excellent reference tool as well.

Certainly the length of book, and the details at times, might make you shy away from it as a good entry level Greek text, but I assure you, Reading Koine Greek  is an excellent pedagogical tool for teaching first year Greek. I heartily recommend it for teachers and those who simply want to learn to read the NT in Greek.

Anything that has been featured on Oprah, I find very suspicious. The modern new age guru often features items and books on her show that skyrocket in popularity after being featured, but generally have much to be desired. What caught my attention was the so-called “complaint-free world” bracelet. Pastor Will Bowen was featured on Oprah regarding this 21-day challenge for a complaint-free world. He gave out purple bracelets to his congregation and when they complained they were to switch the bracelet to their other hand and start the 21-day challenge all over again.

I don’t think I’m really overly qualified to speak on the recent issues in Ferguson, MO, but I believe Voddie Baucham may be. On that note, I wanted to bring to you his recent post over at The Gospel Coalition.

Thoughts on Ferguson – Voddie Baucham

In early August my wife and I, along with seven of our nine children, left for a month-long ministry tour in Africa (Kenya, Zambia, and South Africa). It was a couple of days before we got settled and had any access to media. As such, I was taken aback when I began to receive Google alerts, emails, and Facebook and Twitter messages either demanding that I comment on “Ferguson,” or condemning me for failing to do so. The only problem was, I had absolutely no idea what they were talking about. Who, what, or where was Ferguson? Why was it such a big deal? Why was I being condemned (along with other “high-profile” evangelicals) for “failing to speak out on such an important issue”?

I eventually got up to speed. Or at least I found out what all the fuss was about. Over the next several weeks I viewed this issue from a unique perspective. I was an American in Africa watching an issue ignite ethnic tensions in my homeland. It was almost surreal.

Who Am I to Speak?

My first response to Ferguson was to say nothing. I was on the outside looking in. I didn’t know what happened. I didn’t know the communities or the issues surrounding the tensions. Second, I chose to remain silent because people were demanding that I speak—even condemning me for my silence. In this age of “I sure would love to hear your thoughts on” I get tired of the sense of entitlement with which people approach those whom they deem to be popular or high-profile Christians. No one is “entitled” to my opinion. Nor is my faithfulness to God determined by how quickly I respond to “relevant” issues.

As a pastor, I have a responsibility to my flock. If those for whose souls I care (Heb. 13:17) want help thinking through these issues, I am obligated to them. I have a duty to walk them through issues like these to the best of my ability, and with sensitivity to their particular needs. What worries me is that Christians in the age of social media care more what “popular” preachers have to say on issues like this (and whether or not they agree with other “popular” preachers) than they are about taking advantage of an opportunity to work through challenges in the context of Christian community. More importantly, it worries me that so many Christians view themselves primarily as members of this or that ethnic community more than they see themselves as members of the body of Christ.

The Plight of Black Men

Rest assured, I do believe there are systemic issues plaguing black men. These issues are violence, criminality, and immorality, to name a few. And all of these issues are rooted in and connected to the epidemic of fatherlessness. Any truly gospel-centered response to the plight of black men must address these issues first and foremost. It does no good to change the way white police officers respond to black men if we don’t first address the fact that these men’s fathers have not responded to them appropriately.

There is indeed an epidemic of violence against black men. However, that violence, more often than not, occurs at the hands of other black men. In fact, black men are several times more likely to be murdered at the hands of another black man than they are to be killed by the police. For instance, in the FBI homicide stats from 2012, there were 2,648 blacks murdered. Of those, 2,412 were murdered by members of their own ethnic group. Thus, if I am going to speak out about anything, it will be black-on-black crime; not blue-on-black. I want to apply the gospel and its implications in a way that addresses the real issue. If a few black men being killed by cops requires a national “dialogue,” what in the world does the overwhelming number of black-on-black murders require? If the police do not see black men through the proper gospel-centered, image-of-God lens, what does the black-on-black murder rate say about the way we see ourselves?

In addition to violence, black men are plagued with criminality. Low-income black communities like Ferguson know all too well that black criminals preying on their neighbors makes life almost unlivable. Growing up in South Central Los Angeles, I know all too well what it’s like to have bars on the windows and doors for fear that thugs will break in to steal or kill. I remember being robbed at gunpoint on my way home from the store one day. It was one of the most frightening and disheartening events of my life. The fear, helplessness, and anger I felt stayed with me for years. And it taught me an unfortunate lesson: the greatest threat to me was other black men.

The underlying malady that gives rise to all the rest of these epidemics is immorality and fatherlessness. We know that fatherlessness is the number one indicator of future violence, dropout rates, out-of-wedlock births, and future incarceration. And in the black community, more than 70 percent of all children are born out of wedlock! Fatherlessness is the bane of the black community.

Nor is this plague forced on us. It is as common as morning dew, and as overlooked as dust under a refrigerator. Where are the marches against this travesty? Where are the protestors who demand better? Where are the black “leaders” who . . . oh, that’s right, they have just as many illegitimate children as anyone else. Again, it is common knowledge that this is the most immediate root cause of the ills plaguing black Americans.

But What About Racism?

I have been pulled over by police for no apparent reason. In fact, it has happened on more than one occasion. I was stopped in Westwood while walking with a friend of mine who was a student at UCLA. We found ourselves lying face down on the sidewalk while officers questioned us. On another occasion, I was stopped while with my uncle. I remember his visceral response as he looked at me and my cousin (his son). The look in his eye was one of humiliation and anger. He looked at the officer and said, “My brother and I didn’t fight in Vietnam so you could treat me like this in front of my son and my nephew.”

Again, this experience stayed with me for years. And for many of those years, I blamed “the system” or “the man.” However, I have come to realize that it was no more “the system” when white cops pulled me over than it was “the system” when a black thug robbed me at gunpoint. It was sin! The men who robbed me were sinners. The cops who stopped me were sinners. They were not taking their cues from some script designed to “keep me down.” They were simply men who didn’t understand what it meant to treat others with the dignity and respect they deserve as image bearers of God.

It does me absolutely no good to assume that my mistreatment was systemic in nature. No more than it is good for me to assume that what happened in Ferguson was systemic. I have a life to live, and I refuse to live it fighting ghosts. I will not waste my energy trying to prove the Gramscian, neo-Marxist concept of “white privilege” or prejudice in policing practices.

I don’t care what advantages my white neighbor may or may not have. If he does have advantages, God bless him! I no more fault him than I fault my own children who have tremendous advantages due to the fact that they were raised by two educated, Christian parents who loved, disciplined, and taught them. Ironically, when I think about THAT advantage, I am filled with joy and gratitude to God for his faithfulness. People are supposed to bequeath an advantage to their children and grandchildren (Prov. 13:22). Why, then, would I be angry with my white neighbor for any advantage he is purported to have? And what good would it do? How does that advance the gospel? Especially in light of the fact that growing up with the gospel is the ultimate privilege/advantage! It is the advantage that has granted us all “American privilege”! Are we guilty for being citizens of the wealthiest republic in the history of the world? I think not!

As a father of seven black men, I tell them to be aware of the fact that there may be times when they may get a closer look, an unwelcome stop, or worse. However, I do not tell them that this means they need to live with a chip on their shoulder, or that the world is out to get them. I certainly don’t tell them that they need to go out and riot (especially when that involves destroying black-owned businesses). I tell them that there are people in the world who need to get to know black people as opposed to just knowing “about” us. I tell them that they will do far more good interacting with those people and shining the light of Christ than they will carrying picket signs. I tell them, “Never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay’” (Rom. 12:19). And I tell them that there are worse things than suffering injustice. That is why we must heed Peter’s words:

But in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame. For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God’s will, than for doing evil. (1 Pet. 3:15–17)

In the end, the best lesson my children can learn from Ferguson is not that they need to be on the lookout for white cops. It is far more important that I use this teachable moment to remind them that “God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap” (Gal. 6:7). Moments before his death, Michael Brown had violently robbed a man in a store. A man doing the best he could to make a living. Minutes later, Brown reaped what he sowed, and was gunned down in the street. That is the sad truth.

My sons have far more to fear from making bad choices than they have to fear from the police. The overwhelming majority of police officers are decent people just trying to make a living. They are much more likely to help you than to harm you. A life of thuggery, however, is NEVER your friend. In the end, it will cost you . . . sometimes, it costs you everything.

It’s not the event itself that makes you nostalgic, it’s the memory of the event.

I remember back to a life of memories of the second Monday in October. It always seemed nice to have the three day weekend with no shopping Armageddon following it. I remember the turkey, the mashed potatoes, the corn, the stuffing, the home-made rolls. And the pies… Dear Lord I remember the pies. Apple. Pumpkin. Pecan. You name it. It was there. That was of course because my mother wasn’t able to make enough food only for us. Clearly she had to make enough for an invisible army that was going to attend. I remember her maxim for how many mashed potatoes to make: one large potato for each of us, and then add 2 or 3 others for good measure. But I digress…

Certainly my experience of the event may not have been as profound as many Americans. Yet, so much of it was the same. A meal with the family. An opportunity to be thankful for what we had. Time spent with family (whether we liked it or not!). And whatever the historical reason why we celebrated, we simply wanted to enjoy a good meal together and to be thankful. And, while I may not always have been thankful at the time, I’m thankful for the experience and the memories to this day.

While so much is the same, so much is different. In a few short days we’ll celebrate Thanksgiving here in the United States. There will be turkey, pie, and all the trimmings. There will be traditions and family, and good times had by all. And while the proclamation of giving thanks for survival in a new land in 1621 might be more profound than giving thanks for the recovery of King Edward VII in 1872 (although Thanksgiving was celebrated informally in Canada as early as the 1578 voyage of Frobisher), at the foundation, they are the same: being thankful for what we have, no matter what we have. I haven’t been able to celebrate Canadian Thanksgiving since moving to the US (it’s hard to make the trip back to Canada for the weekend), but I am thankful for the many years of Thanksgiving celebration that I did have. And I’m thankful that, even while I celebrate the event on a different day, I’m thankful for my homeland, my family, and Thanksgivings of bygone days.

And that’s what being thankful really means. It’s not about being thankful when in plenty. It’s about being thankful in all situations (1 Thessalonians 5:18). There are times in our life where we don’t have all the family support or even the big turkey on our table. That doesn’t mean it isn’t time to be thankful. Have a roof over your head, but stovetop stuffing on your table? Be thankful. Don’t have a roof over your head, but have friends and family that help to take care of you, be thankful. Don’t have friends or family to take care of you? Be thankful you are alive and have breath. Everyone has something for which they can be thankful. The question to ask yourself this year is, in plenty or in want, what can I be thankful for?

I missed Thanksgiving in Canada for another year. But I celebrate my Canadian holidays in abstentia (my wife is gracious to me that way). I don’t have to be present to celebrate Victoria Day, Canada Day, or Canadian Thanksgiving. I can be thankful that I can celebrate here, both Canadian and American Thanksgiving. I can be thankful for family, for food, for fellowship, for friends, for everything I have. And I can be thankful for, the things I once had, and the things I will have. I’m thankful for the memories of things past, and the memories I make today. What are you thankful for today?

Preaching, as most should know, is not just providing a lecture (despite the many preachers that do this week in and week out) but involves taking the text preached and applying it to the lives of the hearers: essentially, persuading them to live differently in light of the sermon. While this should see a no-brainer, considering the failure of many to do this, Persuasive Preaching, by R. Larry Overstreet, is a helpful, academic tome for pastors seeking to be better at persuading people to change.

The bulk of Overstreet’s book focuses on the biblical support for persuasion. Some, perhaps concerned about manipulating people, may never actually call people to live or think differently. Therefore, it’s important for Overstreet to develop the overwhelming support for persuading people in our sermons. It is clear from his presentation, that the Bible calls those who “preach” the Word of God to people, need to call them to live or think differently in light of the Scripture preached. It is insufficient to simply teach them, you must call them to live differently.

He then shows how those more persuasive messages might look, which is probably the strongest part of the book. Here Overstreet is helpful at laying down messages that motivate, solve problems, demonstrate cause and effect, and refutation. This is helpful for pastors to see the varied ways they may approach their preaching to help bring people to real biblical change.

Finally, Overstreet deals with issues of the problem of manipulation, how the Holy Spirit relates to preaching, and the invitation. And it is over the invitation this writer disagrees a bit. Overstreet doesn’t deal at all with the problems of the invitation system (see Iain Murray’s excellent work on the invitation system), but I think Overstreet is not wrong to suggest people make a definitive move to change following a message, but the “coming forward” of most invitations becomes tools to manipulate rather than make actual biblical change. Other than Overstreets failure to deal with those with whom would disagree with him, the application of his book in these chapters is helpful.

The appendices are rather technical, but the sample sermons is helpful to see what this would look like in real life.

Overall, Overstreet’s book is helpful in converting people to the idea that preaching is more than lecturing. It should be calling people to biblical change. While my caveat over invitations stands, Overstreet is a helpful addition to the preacher’s library who wants to improve, overall, how the Holy Spirit uses their preaching to bring about change in their hearers.

Expository preaching (preaching that takes as its main point the main point of the Scripture that is being preached upon) is defended in the Bible itself, and there are both benefits from it for the pastor and for the church. Things that are a good thing sometimes takes a lot of effort. It is in expository preaching that we really flex our pastoral muscles.

Often it seems that many in our churches expect that we can feed them from the Word of God without actually preparing for it. This is both a crime for the preacher and for the congregation.

The fact that we’re almost at Thanksgiving made me think about this illustration. I have a friend, Heinz Dschankilic, who is a wonderful servant of Christ and Executive Director of Sola Scriptura Ministries International, who offers an excellent analogy about sermon preparation. He explains that there is quite the difference between a microwave dinner and Thanksgiving dinner. The microwave dinner is quick but rarely tasty and frankly, far from filling. Thanksgiving dinner though is delicious and highly filling, but it takes substantial time. For a shepherd to effectively feed his flock, he needs to take time to prepare the feast for the flock. Isn’t a feast better than a Hungryman TV dinner?

In an issue of Preaching magazine Stan Toler has an excellent article called “Leading from the Pulpit.” He offers the story of Pastor W. A. Criswell of First Baptist Church in Dallas, TX and the importance of study in preparation of Sunday. He writes that Criswell,

… used to stay away from the “office” during the weekday morning hours. He was home in his study–pouring over the Scriptures, seeking the Spirit’s leadership in putting the menu together for a sheep-feeding the following Sunday. Criswell said in his autobiography, Standing on the Promises, “If you want to succeed in ministry… keep your heart fixed on Jesus and your mind centered on God’s Word.” His afternoons were given to the church business, but his mornings we devoted to Bible study.”

It is important as shepherds to feed our flocks. If I want you to to be healthy and to live according to the glory of God, I need to feed you what they need, a steady diet of the Word of God. And before I can feed you, I need to prepare the feast. This takes time and effort on behalf of the preacher, but the rewards for both the pastor and the flock are extraordinary. It doesn’t mean I’m only stuck in my study. I’m out and about visiting people, evangelizing, and other pastoral elements. But it’s helpful to know that the time spent in my study, hopefully helps to make me a more effective preacher.

So, for all you at Cornerstone BFC, know that I want the best for you and I intend to prepare feasts for you each week from the Word of God. This means that it will take me time each week to prepare the meal for Sunday. It means I need dedicated time to study the Scriptures, to apply them to my own life, so I can proclaim them to you. But in the end, this dedicated time of study will pay off as you are able to experience a steady diet of the Word of God. I intend to feed you and feed you well. So, I must prepare the meal well!

There has been a marked growth in good children’s material from a gospel-centered focus of late. For too long, most children’s material was focused on a moralistic picture of our relationship to God, rather than a Christ-focused one. I am thoroughly pleased that this change is happening and that I can find good books for my children in that vein. Alby’s Amazing Book, helpfully fits into that category.

The story of a squirrel who likes adventures is very cute. The fact that his adventures are tied into real life stories from the Bible is even better. The fact that the Author of those stories is real and loves Alby, is the best part. It’s a short book, so don’t expect a lot of theology behind it. For instance, I was wishing for Alby to tell us more about the One at the heart of the stories he loves, but perhaps that’s best left to other books, and Alby’s Amazing Book serves as a little appetizer (especially consider Jim Hamilton’s recent, The Bible’s Big Story). Overall, it’s helpful to point out to our children that the stories in our Bible are true, and aren’t there in isolation from the rest, but there to point us to the Author of the stories. In that, Alby’s Amazing Book, succeeds.

As to the illustrations, they are certainly eye-catching and interesting, if albeit a bit frantic at points. My second youngest found it a little difficult following the illustrations at points, and is convinced Alby is a bear and not a squirrel, because he doesn’t really look that much like a squirrel (outside the tail), but these are minor things to consider.

If you’re looking for a cute picture book that helps point your children to the Author behind the stories of their Bible, then Alby’s Amazing Book, is a good introduction.