The Power of the Gospel to Save Sinners

Romans 1:16 says, For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.

While many of us have read that verse over and over again, I wonder how much we actually believe it. It is easy to say, but another thing to believe and hope in. With the way the world is and with the many people that we come across who desire nothing else then to glorify themselves, it is hard to see sometimes.

I think of people in my own life who I at times have wondered if they will ever come to know Christ. I am sure that each one of us has someone in mind who we think about and pray about and go, It would be a miracle if that person got saved? Well, you know what. That statement is true. It does take something supernatural to do this and thanks be to God that He sent Christ to save us and He is the power of the Gospel.

Christ is what saves. He saves us through faith in His life which earned righteousness for you and me (Rom. 5:19). He saves us through faith in His death which paid the penalty for our sin. We deserve to be judged for our sin, but Christ took our place and died in our stead(Is. 53:4,11). He saved us through faith in His resurrection which proved that He was who claimed to be and it proved that the sacrifice for our sin was paid. Christ's sacrifice secured our salvation and that is the power of the Gospel.

We, who were dead in our sins and headed for an eternity away from Christ are now saved by Him so that we might glorify His name and spend forever with Him. We could not do this on our own. Jesus Himself said that with man this is impossible(Luke 18:26-27). Not with God though. He provided a miracle by sending His son to die in the place of sinners so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

So take comfort in the fact that if God can save you and me, then He can save anyone. He can save the person that we don't like and that hates Christians. He saved Paul and 12 fisherman. Also take comfort in the truth that the power is not in us, but in Christ and in the message that we share about Christ in His Word. May this motivate us to pray and look for opportunities to declare the power and wonder of the Gospel to others.

The Power of The Gospel: Augustine's Confession

As we were thinking about the Power of the Gospel over our lives, it occured to me that one of the early leaders of the church had a massive "eye opening" break through when it came to the Gospel. Today we thought we would let you enjoy reading Augustine's statement about the power of the gospel in his life, and then direct you to John Piper's excellent biographical sketch on Augustine.

I flung myself down beneath a fig tree and gave way to the tears which now streamed from my eyes . . . In my misery I kept crying, "How long shall I go on saying 'tomorrow, tomorrow'? Why not now? Why not make an end of my ugly sins at this moment?" . . . All at once I heard the singsong voice of a child in a nearby house. Whether it was the voice of a boy or a girl I cannot say, but again and again it repeated the refrain 'Take it and read, take it and read.' At this I looked up, thinking hard whether there was any kind of game in which children used to chant words like these, but I could not remember ever hearing them before. I stemmed my flood of tears and stood up, telling myself that this could only be a divine command to open my book of Scripture and read the first passage on which my eyes should fall.

So I hurried back to the place where Alypius was sitting . . . seized [the book of Paul's epistles] and opened it, and in silence I read the first passage on which my eyes fell: "Not in reveling in drunkenness, not in lust and wantonness, not in quarrels and rivalries. Rather, arm yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ; spend no more thought on nature and nature's appetites" (Romans 13:13-14). I had no wish to read more and no need to do so. For in an instant, as I came to the end of the sentence, it was as though the light of confidence flooded into my heart and all the darkness of doubt was dispelled.

To read all of Piper's biography on Augustine (who we in the church owe a massive debt of gratitute to) click here.

The Power of the Gospel: Christ's Triumph

J Crew picked an excellent theme for the week. Wow!

One of the new areas of ministry that I am involved with at our church is the career young adults ministry and Bible study that gets together on Thursday nights. Last week we began studying 2 Corinthians and I have been challenged with a statement from that letter that Paul makes in 2:14-16. "Thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life."

Paul picks this image of a "trimphal procession" which would have been a familiar picture to the Corinthians. It is one of a Roman army and commander conquering a foreign land or city and then bringing back the captives to the commanders home city. In that city a huge parade would be thrown and the captives would be lead in a triumphal procession through the city. The point Paul is making here is that he is one of the captives. He sees himself as being conquered by Christ. Paul looked at his life and ministry from his conversion on the Damascas road and saw one great triumph of Christ over his life.

This is truly the power of the Gospel. Where Christ came and conquered our sinful, depraved, and dead hearts with His grace and love. Our pride and our self-centeredness were utterly defeated and conquered, and we are now "captives" to Christ because of the victory He won on the cross. The Gospel is the power of God (Romans 1:16-17) and I am glad Christ conquered me to bring me back to Him.

Theme: The Power of the Gospel

This is the kickoff of the revamped fellowship. You maybe have heard of founders week. Well this is Fellowship week. We here at the fellowship think that for our first theme, we should talk about the object of our worship, Jesus Christ. It is because of Christ's life, death and resurrection that we are saved and have a relationship with Him. It is because of Christ's sacrifice that we get to spend eternity glorifying Him in heaven.

We are people who were born sinners. We have inherited sin from Adam and we ourselves in our very natures are bent to sin. We choose to sin. We desire to sin. We like to sin and we want to sin. Before Christ and before the power of the gospel, we were following after our own desires and ways. We were doing our best to bring glory to ourselves. But thanks be to God for the power of the Gospel. He has delivered us from our sin. He promises to make us like His Son(Romans 8:28) and He has promised that we will spend eternity with Him in heaven. We have been blessed with all spiritual blessings in Christ and it is all because of the power of His Gospel. So over the next few days look for the fellows to discuss the theme of the power of the Gospel of Christ.

The Sufficiency of Christ

Is Christ enough? Here's some thoughts from my study on Revelation 1 concerning how Christ is sufficient for every need we have.

As one who stands amongst the midst of the seven lampstands so Christ is present in the midst of suffering (v. 13a).

As one who wears the garments of the High Priest so Christ is our Great High Priest interceding on our behalf (v. 13b)

As one who's head symbolizes purity and wisdom so Christ is our righteousness (v. 14a)

As one who's eyes are flames of fire so Christ possesses penetrating knowledge of all we are (v. 14b)

As one who's feet represent authority and power so Christ stands as the judge of the church and the world (v. 15a)

As one who voice is like many might rushing waters so Christ's authoritative Word guides and directs us (v. 15b)

As one who holds the messengers of the church in His right hand so Christ is sovereign over all the affairs of our life (v. 16a)

As one who has a sharp two-edged sword proceeding from His mouth to destroy His enemies so Christ protects his own (v. 16b)

As one who's face is shining like the sun in full radiance so Christ's glory is our joy (vv. 16c-18)

Take some time to investigate these realities and see Christ as your only sufficient Savior and fix your eyes upon Him!

Fellowship Housekeeping

Although these "update" posts seem more often than actual content posts, we Fellows thought it would be a good idea to let you in our thinking regard where this blog is headed as far as content and structure in the up-and-coming weeks and months. Each week J Crew and I are going to pick a different theme (some themes might be developed over several weeks) and post on that theme. One of us will introduce the theme of the week on Monday. On Tuesday you can see the other Fellow's remarks and comments about the theme. On Wednesday we will bring collective insights from past Fellows who have much more wisdom and understanding than we do on the weekly theme. Thursday we will introduce a book, or maybe even a list of books that we have been reading and encouraged by or that we are recommending for further study on our theme. Friday is "Stump the Fellows" Friday and we would love it if you would submit queries that you might have on our theme, or church history, or doctrine or even practical Christian living that we might try and help you with by answering. So hopefully that will give you and idea of what's coming up in the near future on the Fellowship, and Lord willing we will be able to maintain some consistency between the two of us, and you might be encouraged and even challenged by what we present. Check back tomorrow for our first post in the new structure.

The Fellows

Facing Opposition

As was mentioned earlier, the fellows spent last week at the Shepherds conference where they were fed both spiritually and physically. It was a great time of fellowshipping with believers from all over the world. One of my favorite parts about this conference is the singing. The conference does a great blend of old hymns such as It is well with my soul and new ones such as Before the throne. We must tell you that it is incredible hearing over 3,000 men singing songs of praise to God. I can't even imagine how amazing it will be when all the believers gather together in heaven and sing songs to Christ with new glorified voices.

We at the fellowship also enjoyed the rich teaching from the Word of God. While all the messages were convicting and profitable, there is one that God used to really convict this fellows heart. God used his messenger Mark Dever to deliver a very sobering message on facing opposition and suffering. The texts that Mr Dever used were the first 6 chapters of Daniel. Throughout the first 6 chapters we see how God delivered Daniel and his friends from opposition. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were delivered from the fiery furnace and Daniel himself was delivered from the lions.

Generally, we look at Daniel and we see how God kept him for so many years. Did you know that Daniel lasted through 3 kings, 2 empires and was in public service for more than 70 years. This brings us to the first point in facing opposition. The first point is that there is hope in God. God delivered Daniel from opposition and He can do the same for us. It also teaches us that ultimately our hope is fixed on Christ and His sacrifice for us. As a result of this, we overwhelmingly conquer according to Romans 8 through Christ who loved us. This is so important for us. We must place our hope in God at all times whether facing opposition or not. One thing we must not do though, is to fall prey to the thought that we won't face opposition.

This brings us to the 2nd point from Daniel. We must be prepared to and expect opposition and persecution to come our way. The society in which we live today is a society that is very affluent. While there is much to be thankful for and while we are blessed, we must understand that our affluency can keep us from having the right perspective. We should not be surprised when we face opposition. We live in a fallen world full of sinners like you and me whose desire is to please themselves and don't like people telling them that there is only one way to heaven. In light of this, why should we think that we won't go through suffering? 2 Timothy 3:12 tells that the one who desire to live a Godly life in Christ will suffer persecution. I assume that if you ask a follower of Christ if he or she desire to live a life that is honoring to Christ that they would say, "Yes." If this is true, then we should count on suffering.

I must say that this really was convicting to me. I want to stand strong during times of trial, but I was realizing that I don't expect to face opposition. In other parts of the world, believers expect to face opposition even to the point of death. Is that something that we are prepared to do for Christ? It was mentioned earlier that while Daniel faced opposition, he was delivered from it by God. Well Christ faced opposition and He went to the cross to pay for our sin! It could be that in our lives it never gets to that point, but are we willing to take up our cross and follow Him?

That being said, it could be that our facing opposition is losing our job because we tell others about Christ. It could be losing relationships with certain friends and family because we are devoted to Christ. Whatever the situation might be, this message really made me examine myself and how I feel about facing opposition. We here at the fellowship hope that it has done the same for you.

The Storekeeper Fellow

In an effort to bring more good reading to our few and faithful readers The Fellowship has determined to not limit itself to one main writer. Not only will this produce more good theology and affirmations of what is true and right and good, but it will also take the pressure off of our main contributor and allow him to share the load with another like-minded Fellow. To that end it is our joy to let you know that J Crew of the notorious Storekeeper fame will very soon enter into our midst as a honored Fellow. We are looking forward to hearing, and sharing his insights into the Word and being blessed by his writing. Upon his induction (which includes is a very solemn and secretive ceremony) we will be developing a theme, or schedule for our writings to give you an organized structure with which to read. Again than you for your support and readership. We hope that we are affirming and encouraging you in Christ.

The Fellows

Shepherd Lessons

Well we are thoroughly beat and exhausted from a full day of (and week) of hearing the Word of God proclaimed and our minds filled at the Shepherds Conference. It has been a great time of seeing faithful men come together to be refocused on the glory of God in the Word and be challenged to be proclaimers of the Cross of Christ.

Whenever I come to the end of a week like this I always like to reflect and be mindful of how I can change and apply the Word to my life and ministry in the year to come. Here are a few things that the Lord has impacted me to be about this year:

Be More Intentional About Mortification - As John Owen stated, “be killing sin or it will be killing you.” Paul reminds Timothy to “keep a close watch on yourself” (1 Timothy 4:16). Nobody at the conference said this outright this week (that we remember) but it seemed that the Lord just hit home with us this truth, that we need to be ever wary of our weakness and propensity towards sin and by the grace of God and under the power of the cross attack our sinful nature. So we are already thinking about some measures we need to take in the dismembering of our flesh.

Preach The Cross - Al Mohler’s message last night (Thursday) could not have been more clear to our lives and teaching/preaching ministry. As Paul stated in 1 Corinthians, “we proclaim Christ, and Him crucified.” That’s what we must be centered on in our ministry.

Read More - Easier said than done. And I don’t just say this because I have a small library in the back of the vehicle I am driving home in tomorrow. Al Mohler puts down 7-10 books a week. I don’t think I am capable, nor am I aiming for that but I need to read more for the benefit of my own mind and heart. And not merely books, but I need to be a student of the Scriptures more. I need to linger over the text more carefully.

Be Humble By Being In Prayer More - Here’s another huge conviction from the Holy Spirit. We don’t often pray much because we are proud, and dependent upon ourselves more than we are dependent upon the Lord. As Mahaney pointed out, pride is my life vying for supremacy with God. I don’t want that in any way, so I must go before the Lord in prayer more.

So you can see a few more lessons that I have been taught. Time will show if I have learned those lessons. Please pray that the Lord would grant me grace to go after these desires, and that the Lord would change me in the days and months ahead to be more like Him and more effective with the Word for His glory.

Book Day with the Shepherds

One of the things that really blesses us each year at the Shepherds Conference is the amount of good helpful books that are supplied here for the pastors to pick up. Not only do they make the best of the best available for purchase but each year they bless us with a small library of books for free. Right now my hotel room is a library from yesterdays book day.

Just a few highlights of the day as far as preaching is concerned:
Ligon Duncan showed us in great fashion how to preach from OT books like Numbers. His text on Numbers 5 was one we had never heard preached before and showed us that “all Scripture is God-breathed and useful.”

Steven Lawson did a biographical sketch on John Calvin and focused primarily on Calvin the preacher. It was masterful and helped challenge us in our preaching to work hard in the text.

Al Mohler hit the home-run of the day for us where he called preachers to know and to preach one thing: Christ crucified. This message went direct to my heart and God used to help focus me in what I would be spending my time preaching/teaching on this year. I praise God for Dr. Mohler’s message.

We are excited about today and what the Lord will bring. Another trip to the bookstore is in store, so that little library will probably increase by about 25-30 volumes this week. Now I have to find the time to begin reading them all, but you can be assured, the more I read, the more we at the Fellowship will find things to post.

One last note, this is our 100th post (it only took us a year and a half to get here!). Thanks for your patronage and support of the Fellowship. Look for more affirming theology in the next 100 posts (maybe it won’t take us more than a year and a half to get there).

Learning to Shepherd

This week the Fellowship is being blessed and enjoying the teaching and preaching of the Word at the Shepherd’s Conference at Grace Community Church in Los Angelos, CA. Today was the first day of the conference and pastor John MacArthur, Steven Lawson, and C.J. Mahaney spoke.

Each spoke on a different subject, but they were all important and subjects that we were looking for some clarification and exposition for the benefit of our own lives.

MacArthur dealt with the subject of predestination and eschatology and made a clear, biblical defense for the premillinial interpretation of eschatology and rooted it in God’s sovereign, unconditional election of Israel.

Lawson took us to Acts 2 and exhorted us to use the apostolic model for preaching passionately the Word of God. He dived in to Peter’s sermon at Pentecost and drew the conclusion that we must preach with authority, preach the text, be Christ-centered in our preaching and preach to pierce the hearts of the listener. The Lord used him to fan the passion to communicate the Word further into our hearts.

Mahaney’s message was taken from Isaiah 66:1-2, and focused on humility in the life of the pastor. He called us to be men who are at war with our own pride and to cultivate humility in our lives for the glory of God.

To put it simply it has been a wonderful day of exhortation and encouragement and our prayer is that the Lord would continue to use it for His glory and the transformation of our lives.