What does a Missional Lifestyle look like?

Missional Living Is Unmistakable

The military is full of what’s known as “cultural Christians.” They have been to church; they have said a prayer; they have been baptized; they own a Bible. But apart from these few truths, no one would ever mistake them for a disciple of Jesus Christ.

So as a man who has been bought, redeemed, forgiven, and then given a mission, what does it look like to be a missional believer while serving in a job where you can’t call in sick if you have a migraine, take vacation whenever you feel like it, walk in and give your two-week notice, and are surrounded by enough porn to be considered on par with Primetime TV?

Read the rest here.

The exemplary humility of Jesus

The kingdom of God assuredly had no beginning, and it will have no end: but because he was hid under a humble clothing of flesh, and took upon himself the form of a servant, and humbled himself (Phil. ii. 8), and laying aside the insignia of majesty, became obedient to the Father; and after undergoing this subjection was at length crowned with glory and honour (Heb. ii. 7), and exalted to supreme authority, that at his name every knee should bow (Phil. ii. 10); so at the end he will subject to the father both the name and the crown of glory, and whatever he received of the Father, that God may be all in all (I Cor. xv. 28).

John Calvin (Institutes, 2.14.3)

You just might be a Calvinist if…

I don’t usually pay attention to articles or blog posts that start out with, “You might be a _____ if you _____,” but I looked this one over and found myself in several of the “you might be’s.” Here are a few of my favorites:

You might be a Calvinist if:

If a free Bible has ever arrived in the mail to you from John MacArthur

If you have ever purchased 100 or more copies of the same John Piper book to hand out to random people you meet

If you have adjusted the default passage setting at www.biblegateway.org from “NIV” to “ESV”

If you have ever purposefully sung a different word in a hymn to conform to scripture

Without me giving last names, you still know who I’m referring to (I got most of these right):

John
John
John
John
John
Jonathan
John
John
John

You know what a Remonstrant is.

Wisdom: how do I get it?

Psalm 107:43:

Whoever is wise, let him attend to these things;
let them consider the steadfast love of the Lord.

I make this my daily goal. It will keep me out of trouble. It will make me look to Jesus. It will make me embrace the cross. It will make me run to the glorious gospel.

He is risen!

Mike Tong:

This was a post I wrote for Desiring God on March 3, 2009)

Each spring, we remember an event more ground-shaking than any other event in human history. We remember the incredible fulfillment of one man’s claim:

I lay down my life…. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. (John 10:17-18)

On Easter morning, Jesus did just that. Having laid down his life for his sheep, he took it back up. No ambulance, no doctors, no medicine.

Who is like our great Christ? Who has dared to claim what he claimed? Who could dare to do what he has already done—and for our great good!

I Hate That Music!

Bob Kauflin:

I’ve been musing recently about how we express our musical opinions. Why do we feel so strongly about songs, bands, and styles? And why do we draw conclusions so quickly? Someone plays a new song or band for us and we have an immediate response:

Nope. Don’t like it.

That stinks.

I can’t stand that kind of music.

You like that stuff?

Is there anything wrong with raving about the music/artists we love and being swift to trash those we despise?

If we’re Christians, yes. Let me suggest ten reasons why musical forbearance might be good for our souls.

Read the rest here.

(HT: Z)

Kempton Turner on Sermon Jams

Bethlehem’s very own Kempton Turner is featured twice on the new Sermon Jams album (Vol. 5). I have the privilige of working alongside Kempton Turner in the Young Adults Ministry here at Bethlehem Baptist Church. He is a joy-filled, Christ-centered example of Gospel partnership (Philippians 1:3-5).

Check out the album here.

Mark Driscoll on Marriage (1 Peter 3)

God is wrecking my present view of marriage, and is giving me a new, more Christ-centered view. I just finished listening to Mark Driscoll on Marriage and Men.

The greatest gift I received from his sermon was the reminder that my beautiful bride, Rebecca, is God’s daughter. This is an incredible truth! God has entrusted one of his precious daughters to me.

May I encourage you, whether you are single or married, to listen to these superb sermons from the sermon series Trial (1 & 2 Peter):

Marriage and Men

Marriage and Women

A Plea for Heart Devotions and Head Study

A short, concise plea from John Piper concerning the matter of our personal time with God:

This is a plea that all of you would build into your lives both personal devotions and purposeful study of God’s word.

Both:

Daily prayerful meditation seeking personal application of God’s word to your own heart and life.

And:

Regular study in a class or with a book where the (living or dead) teacher has seen more than you have and can give you insight in 30 minutes that might otherwise take you ten years to see.

The reason I plead for both is that without a book or a class about what some part of the Bible means and a teacher who is ahead of you, your devotions will probably flatten out at a low level of insight.

Year after year you will go over the same biblical ground and find it as perplexing as before. There will be little advance in understanding. This will tend to take the heart out of devotional reading, because the lack of growth cannot sustain the joy.

Seek out preaching, books, and classes which take you further in grasping what various books and texts in the Bible mean.

Ryan Furgueson recites Psalm 145

Ryan Furgueson is a fantastic example of the reader I encouraged us to be in my last post. He has memorized many passages of Scripture, and I truly believe God is glorified through his ministry. Enjoy and be encouraged: