Essential Books – Part 1

Posted on January 27, 2012 by

One of the things that preachers love to do is recommend books, and I am no exception.  This is the first in a series of posts in which I plan to recommend what I think are the best books for Christians to have on their shelves.  This will include a variety of topics from Bible study to devotional literature.

First on my list is the NIV Study Bible.  This latest release is based on the NIV 2011, which I have found to be an excellent translation and update of the original NIV.  It is definitely not the only translation I use, but it is the Bible which I consult most frequently and the Bible from which I preach and teach.  The NIV Study Bible has developed a reputation as a reliable and thorough source of insight and background information for Bible study, but this edition goes far beyond what we have seen in the past.  It is full-color throughout, which includes numerous photos, illustrations, and maps within the text, not tucked away at the back or in a center picture section. This brings the text alive in ways that previous version simply could not.  The timelines are helpful (though some scholars would probably quibble with some of the dates), and the charts and references which appear frequently organize both the history and topics of the Bible in ways that can readers make better sense of biblical narrative and theology.

This Bible is an excellent resource for personal Bible study and for preparation to teach or preach.  While no study Bible is a good substitute for consulting commentaries, dictionaries, and other resources, this is best one volume resource that I have found.  The price is fairly reasonable, especially from online sellers, running around $30 for the hardback or leatherbound editions.

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Noah’s Dad

Posted on January 25, 2012 by

Rick and Abbie Smith have gotten a good bit of attention recently because of Rick’s blog Noah’s Dad, which recounts the couple’s experience with their son Noah who was born with Down Syndrome.  The blog has become popular, and the family has been interviewed by a couple of local TV news outlets as well.  It’s a great story and an excellent witness to the value of each person.  It’s also a story of real joy.  Today on their facebook page, people are posting photos of their children with special needs.  These photos are beautiful, and they will probably some tears to your eyes.

Reading through the blog makes me think about how the church should minister alongside families who have children with special needs.  How should we partner with these families to help their children develop spiritually?  That’s an important question, and it’s one we need to examine.  But I think a question that sometimes gets overlooked is how the church can work to involve families of children with special needs in ministry.  We all need the opportunity to serve, not just to be served.  What is the church doing to help all of our families find the space to serve? That’s a good question for us to talk about.

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Finding Satisfaction

Posted on January 23, 2012 by

As I work through this series of Sunday lessons we’re calling Can’t Get No Satisfaction, I am struck by the fact that so much of our effort to find satisfaction comes down to one decision.  As we think about our money, our families, and our work, we often decide that we would find contentment or meaning in life if we had something different.  That mentality is pervasive in our culture.

Scripture teaches a simple response to that thinking, and this is the key decision that we have to make.  When we look at our lives and see our money, our families, and our work as gifts from God which makes our lives better and richer, we can’t possibly think that something else would be better.  We can only give thanks, and in the simple act of giving thanks, we are communicating that God’s blessing is sufficient.

This approach is counter-cultural, and some people won’t understand.  But it can be a key to transforming the way that we approach life.

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Church Planting

Posted on January 20, 2012 by

I linked yesterday to a post by Andrew Jones on the Out of Ur blog about church planting.  He has produced part 2 in this series, and again, his analysis is insightful.  He examines an Asian network of Christians who have used an evangelistic model which does not heavily rely on church planting, at least not in a traditional sense.  In areas which face government opposition to Christianity, this model be the best option for those hoping to introduce Jesus.  I am not a missionary and am not qualified to speak much about mission strategy and practice, but this approach is at least worth examining.

One note: it seems to me that this is still the church at work, simply in a different form.  They may not have Sunday gatherings, but they are doing the work of the church.

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Church Planting

Posted on January 19, 2012 by

In the past few years, I have heard less and less about church planting.  A decade or more ago, church plants were seen as the salvation of the church, but  we have found that it is difficult work, and it often fails to meet our high expectations.  Sure, many of us could name church plants that have been wildly successful, but we probably also know of several church plants that simply have not gone very far.

Andrew Jones provides some good analysis of why church plants may not be the future of the church, and I think he makes the case that it may just be ok.  In fact, less church plants might be better because we are discovering other ways to make the church a vibrant force in our world.

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Community of Faith

Posted on January 18, 2012 by

I’ve been thinking a good bit recently about the nature of the community of faith, the church.  What should be important to a church?  What should a local church value?  These values will determine the use of resources and the goals which are set.  They will determine the path that the leaders take.

I haven’t really thought this through carefully enough in the past.  I think I’ve just made some unexamined assumptions that need to be challenged now.  I’m reading through the book of Galatians at present to help me think through this.  Paul was really troubled at the theological and ministry direction that these churches were taking.  They were willing to sacrifice their freedom in Christ to make another group of Christians happy.  Paul challenged that thinking and he helped to reset their values.  I want to glean from this book what the church today needs to hear from Paul , specifically what we should value as communities of faith.

Read through Galatians with me.  What do you hear Paul telling us about the nature of the church in this letter?

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1 Corinthians

Posted on January 16, 2012 by

I’ve avoided Paul’s letter we call 1 Corinthians for a long time.  Paul is pretty tough on the church in Corinth in both of his letters, and they are not much fun to read.  Paul also deals with some theological issues which have become very controversial in the past few years.  I haven’t been excited about preaching or teaching on them.

But then, I read The King Jesus Gospel by Scot McKnight recently.  He bases much of his understanding of the gospel on 1 Corinthians.  N.T. Wright goes to the same chapter for the basis for his eschatology (a big word for the study of last things) in Surprised By Hope (which I think is the best book out there on the subject).  I decided it was time for me to read this letter more carefully so for my devotional time time in the first part of the year, I am reading through this letter more carefully than ever before.  I’ll probably only take a few verses at a time, but you may read about my adventure through this letter of Paul in future posts.

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The King Jesus Gospel

Posted on January 13, 2012 by

Scot McKnight‘s new book The King Jesus Gospel lays out McKnight’s redeveloped (maybe further developed is more accurate) thinking on the very nature of the Christian gospel.  McKnight’s basic argument is that the word “gospel” has been hijacked by what he calls soterians.  Soterians are Christians who believe that the gospel is primarily concerned with personal salvation, a group which includes most American evangelicals.  Now, McKnight is not saying that personal salvation is not biblical; he clearly believes that it is.  Rather, he is arguing that the word “gospel” is used in Scripture to describe something much larger.

McKnight begins with Paul’s teaching in 1 Corinthians 15 to make his point, though he also examines the teaching of both Jesus and Peter to show that the New Testament is consistent on this.  He sees the core of the gospel as the fulfillment of the story of Israel in Jesus.  God called humanity at the very beginning (Genesis 1&2) to rule of all of nature.  Over and over, we abdicated or corrupted that responsibility.  God called Israel to be a people of priestly kings to fulfill this calling, but again the mission was corrupted.  God’s final solution is Jesus.  He inaugurated the kingdom of God and his ministry, death, and resurrection point forward to his coming when God’s people will rule with him over a new heaven and earth.  This is the gospel story.  Personal salvation is vital part of the story as God redeems humanity so that they can once again reign with him, but it is part of the story, not the whole.

What do you think of this?  Is God up to more than we ever imagined?

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Can’t Get No Satisfaction

Posted on January 11, 2012 by

The Rolling Stones sang, “I can’t get no satisfaction.”  I think many Americans are ready to sing along.  Though we are the wealthiest people who have ever lived, we can’t seem to find satisfaction is what we have.  Though we have tremendous opportunities for education, lots of people can’t use their education because of a poor job market.  Many people are unhappy in their relationships and families.  What do we do about this?

Many of us have decided that answer is more money, newer stuff, and different people in our lives.  But when we have more money, newer stuff, and different people, we often find that our lives are just as unsatisfying as they were before.  This month, our church is seeking biblical solutions to this satisfaction problem.

So, how do you think we can find real satisfaction with the lives that we have been given?  Where would you turn in Scripture to find answers to this problem?

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NIV 2010

Posted on December 1, 2010 by

The text of the newest New International Version is now available on my favorite online Bible source: www.youversion.com.  The great advantage of youversion is that it is available as an app for many smart phones and on their full site as well.  Reading plans, various translations, community interaction, and even live event notes are all resources available in all their versions.

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