Sound Words: Is God Still Working?

There is a shocking lack of confidence in the Gospel of Jesus Christ today. To borrow a phrase from Romans 1:16, it seems that many are “ashamed” of it, or at least doubtful as to whether it is indeed the “power of God for salvation to everyone who believes.” This Gospel doubting can be seen in at least two ways.

Some doubt the Gospel and therefore supplement or replace it.
There is no question that the church is embarrassingly pragmatic in our day. Pragmatism is essentially the idea that success justifies strategy—that the end justifies the means. “If it works, do it,” we are told. Thus, in the name of evangelism, we see all sorts of circus-like shenanigans: “preaching” that apes foul-mouthed stand-up comics, shockingly explicit “outreach” to the pornography industry, goldfish-swallowing youth pastors, bait-and-switch outreach efforts, felt-needs preaching, and the like. While the Gospel may be “snuck in” to such efforts, they actually reveal a sad lack of confidence in the Person and Work of Jesus Christ. Such “evangelists” act as though the Gospel is an impotent thing—a hard sell that has to ride the coattails of more attractive products, not unlike the add-ons politicians tie to bills in order to pass unpopular measures using measures with broad support. But make no mistake—the tacky salesmanship that exists both inside and outside of fundamentalism betrays a lack of confidence in the unadulterated, unadorned Gospel.

Some doubt the Gospel and therefore expect no conversions.
Not all Gospel doubting is as crass as the used-car-salesman tactics listed above. Some have a more respectable shame of the Gospel, but it is a tragic doubt nonetheless. Some are convinced that God is finished, that the conversions we read of in the New Testament and throughout church history are relics of another time, evidences of more receptive hearers and more empowered churches. We shouldn’t expect solid churches to grow, we hear. In fact, our declining numbers are justified and almost celebrated as badges of our faithfulness—as though all growing churches must be doing something wrong.

I disagree with the second concept as vehemently as I disagree with the first. To quote a Christmas hymn, “God is not dead, nor does He sleep.” He’s still working. His Spirit is still convicting, illuminating, drawing, regenerating. The Gospel is still the power of God for salvation. The Word is still alive, and powerful, and heart-rending. And thus, I expect to see it work. I pray expectantly. I preach expectantly. And God is saving people—like the deacon who will preach in our prayer meeting in a few hours, like the drug addict whose life has been turned upside down in recent months, like the single mom who has turned from religion to Christ and been eternally changed; like the multitudes that have come to Christ in recent months at Grace Church of Mentor—not because the church is perfect, and not because the church is compromising, but because the Gospel is mighty and they’re unleashing it to one sinner at a time.

One of my favorite hymns about the power of the Gospel is Isaac Watts’ stirring “How Sweet and Awesome Is the Place.” After rejoicing in salvation blessings and marveling at God’s including us in them, the hymn ends with a prayer for the Lord to use His victorious Word to save souls, fill His churches, and glorify Himself.

Pity the nations, O our God!
Constrain the earth to come;
Send Thy victorious Word abroad,
And bring the strangers home.

We long to see Thy churches full,
That all the chosen race
May with one voice and heart and soul
Sing Thy redeeming grace.

We mustn’t be ashamed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We mustn’t sell it, as though it’s on a discount rack. And we mustn’t shelve it, as though it’s no longer useful. The Gospel is as powerful as ever! God is as alive as ever! Let’s pray and preach like we believe it, by God’s grace.

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“Sound Words” is a monthly column in the OBF Visitor, the publication of The Ohio Bible Fellowship. This article was first printed in August 2009. It is cross-posted from the OBF Visitor blog, where many other articles are posted and may be searched by author, category and keyword. Information on subscribing to the Visitor is available here.

Santa’s Messiah

Saw this in a store last night. You can’t make this stuff up.

You can get your copy at Amazon. But don’t.

Gratitude for Joe Tyrpak

I spent a few minutes in the beginning of my November 22 morning message to express to the TCBC body the blessing that Joe Tyrpak has been to our church and to my life. Much of what the Lord has taught me over the last 5 years (including much of what I’ve posted here) has been the result of conversations with Joe, books Joe has recommended, and messages Joe has preached. He’s been a great assistant pastor for me, shoring up my weaknesses and helping me minister more effectively. More than that, he’s been a great pastor for me, teaching me the Word and pointing me to Christ. I thank the Lord for him and want MTC readers to know what a blessing he’s been.

Here’s a 2-minute clip from that message. Thanks, Joe!

Chuck Colson: Manhattan Declaration is “a foretaste of heaven.”

Dave Doran again shows why the Manhattan Declaration is being viewed by both participating ecumenists and non-participating separatists as a significant compromise with false teaching. Noting the centrality of ECT mastermind Chuck Colson to the entire process, Doran makes the following comment:

Can there any doubt, based on his own words, that one of the primary architects of this document believes it is aimed at expressing genuine Christian unity? It would be wrong to conclude that what Colson believes about this can be attributed to everybody who signed it, or even that signing necessarily commits one to Colson’s pursuit of ecumenicism. But the clarity with which its chief architects express their ecumenical ambitions can’t be ignored and should have been a major cause for concern about this project. Frankly, I don’t see how anybody who signed it could really be surprised about negative reactions given the history of George and Colson with regard to ecumenical efforts. How could the Manhattan Declaration not be viewed as part of the Evangelicals and Catholics Together package?

The point of signing your name to such a document is to unite your voice with myriads of others for a worthwhile cause. I get that. But it seems that those who signed the Manhattan Declaration to cry out against moral issues also find themselves being asked to sing backup for Colson’s ecumenism—or even being portrayed by him to be doing just that!—despite their protestations. Almost inevitably, lending your voice to this sort of inter-faith activism means losing your voice, or at least part of it.

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There is a previous post on the Manhattan Declaration here.

The Cross Can Do What Arguments Cannot

William Barclay speaks sagely on the weakness of human argumentation to produce faith in his commentary on John 1:46:

“Not very many people have ever been argued into Christianity. Often our arguments do more harm than good. The only way to convince a man of the supremacy of Christ is to confront him with Christ. On the whole it is true to say that it is not argumentative and philosophical preaching and teaching which have won men for Christ; it is the presentation of the story of the cross…The best argument is to say to people: ‘Come and see!’”

Wesley’s Carol

Dave Mincy (mincymedia.com) is making his choral arrangement of Wesley’s Carol (a fresh take on Hark the Herald Angels Sing) available as a free pdf. If you’re at all involved in your church’s music program, you need to go download it. And if you’re not, you need to send the link to someone who is.

Details here.

We’ve used the arrangement in the past with our combined adult and children’s choirs. It’s beautiful. The melody is ideal for a children’s choir, IMO. I commend it to you. Thanks, Dave, for your ministry and generosity!

Rerun: Al Mohler Explains Why He Withdrew from the “Reclaiming” Conference

In light of Dr. Mohler’s decision to sign and rationale for signing the Manhattan Declaration, I thought a reposting of some correspondence I had with him over a similar situation a couple years ago might be of interest to those thinking through the issue. In short, Dr. Mohler withdrew from a friend’s political/morality conference because speaking on the same platform as a Roman Catholic priest under a “Christian” moniker would unnecessarily muddy the waters regarding the meaning of the Gospel. He defended co-belligerence, but not at the expense of Gospel clarity.

Faced with a similar (and far more public) circumstance now, Dr. Mohler has come to a very different decision. I continue to think highly of Dr. Mohler, but I think he is making a significant mistake, allowing important cultural similarities to trump essential gospel differences, all under the eternally significant term “Christian.” My understanding of the situation is very like Dave Doran’s (here and here), John MacArthur’s, Alistair Begg’s, and James White’s, all of whom speak to the issue much more ably than I do.

Here’s the original post from April 10, 2007. I include my introduction and response, but the germane portion is the letter from Dr. Mohler.

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Some time ago, I made a blog post in which I took exception with Dr. Al Mohler’s participation in the “Reclaiming America for Christ” conference. Dr. Mohler was scheduled to speak alongside a Roman Catholic priest and Ann Coulter, among others. Though I’ve appreciated much of what Dr. Mohler has said and written, I thought he was making a mistake, and I said so.

Well, someone brought my post to Dr. Mohler’s attention, and in January of this year he sent me a very gracious email explaining how he got into the predicament, how he quietly got himself out of it (he did not speak at the conference), and—most importantly—why. Here’s the germane portion of the correspondence, which he has given me permission to post:

O God, My Joy

This hymn by Paul Keew and Brian Pinner is a delight. Exquisitely written, and relentlessly God-centered. You can hear it here. [Addition: You can also here it here (an octavo by Molly Ijames) and here.]

O God, my joy, You reign above in radiant splendor and beauty.
Your Word has drawn my heart to love the awesome sight of Your glory.
Your blazing Light and gospel grace shine brightly from my Savior’s face.
No other wonder would I see than Christ enthroned in His glory!

Sustained by joy in trial and pain, I trust Your wisdom and mercy.
Through suff’ring that Your love ordains, more like Your Son You will make me.
For Christ embraced the cross of shame, beholding glorious joys to come.
O give me faith like His to see that suff’ring lifts me to glory!

Compelled by joy, I fight the sin that turns my gaze from Your glory.
Your Holy Spirit dwells within; His presence arms me for vict’ry.
Let death and hell against me rise; through death I’ll gain eternal joys.
All pow’rs of hell will bend the knee before my great King of Glory!

While Your Collegians Are Home for Thanksgiving…

…encourage them to register for the Student Global Impact Conference in Detroit on January 4-6, 2010. For one thing, they can still get the discounted rate (only $40) if they register before December 1. More importantly (and I speak from experience), there post-Christmas schedules will fill quickly if they don’t plan to go now.

Pastors, parents, and friends, a nudge from you encouraging young people to consider their roles in world evangelization may be just what the Lord will use to get them thinking about investing rather than wasting their lives. Prayerfully send a link, or volunteer to drive a group from your church, or pay some registration fees, but help the good people at Inter-City Baptist Church and the cause of missions by promoting this conference in your sphere of influence!

Information can be obtained at the Missions Mandate site or at info@missionsmandate.org.

“For the sake of His name!”

BJU Thanksgiving Service

What a memorable, humbling day. Greg Habegger and I were both able to take early-morning flights to arrive in Greenville in time for BJU’s 2009 Thanksgiving Service, Portraits of Praise. Portions of the service can be heard or viewed here.

The entire service was beautifully planned and executed, and our Lord was magnified. By God’s grace, two ChurchWorksMedia hymns were included in the service—Greg’s choral arrangement of My Jesus, Fair and Dan Forrest’s arrangement of His Robes for Mine. Paul Keew and Brian Pinner’s exquisite new hymn, O God, My Joy, was also included. I love that!

Thanks to those who worked hard to point people Christ-ward this morning, and thanks for allowing us to have a small part. It was overwhelming to hear the orchestra, chorus, and congregation of some 6000 people lift there voices in praise to our Savior. Grace!