Grace Blog
What the Gospel Is Saying
Of First Importance is a blog that is dedicated to giving you daily gospel gold. If you have not bookmarked or subscribed to their feed, I encourage you to do so. Here is an entry from last week:
“The gospel is saying that, what man cannot do in order to be accepted with God, this God Himself has done for us in the person of Jesus Christ. To be acceptable to God we must present to God a life of perfect and unceasing obedience to his will. The gospel declares that Jesus has done this for us. For God to be righteous he must deal with our sin. This also he has done for us in Jesus. The holy law of God was lived out perfectly for us by Christ, and its penalty was paid perfectly for us by Christ. The living and dying of Christ for us, and this alone is the basis of our acceptance with God.”
- Graeme Goldsworthy, Gospel and Kingdom, p. 86
Labels: Cape Coral, Gospel, Grace Baptist Church, Graeme Goldsworthy, Of First Importance | posted by TimBrister at 10:58 am | Categories: Gospel, Jesus |
12 Observations about the Poor from the New Testament
Why should we take up the subject of the poor in our studies of the gospel-centered life? From the New Testament alone, let me provide you with twelve observations for your consideration.
Jesus and the Poor
1. Jesus began his earthly ministry by defining it according to prophecy fulfilled regarding the preaching of the gospel to the poor (Luke 4:16-21).
2. The proof that Jesus chose to give to John the Baptist that he indeed was the Messiah was ministry to the poor (Matthew 11:1-6).
3. Jesus lived on earth as a poor man (Luke 9:58) and enjoyed community among the poor and needy.
4. Jesus links the fulfillment of the second table of the Law in reference to having mercy and compassion upon the poor and needy (Luke 10:25-37).
5. Jesus indicates that our confidence in the resurrection should lead us to welcome the poor to the banqueting table of our lives (Luke 14:12-14).
6. The basis of Jesus’ judgment upon his return is grounded in how we cared for “the least of these my brothers” (i.e., the poor) (Matthew 25:31-46).
Early Church and the Poor
7. The early church believed (and practiced) that caring for the poor was fundamental to their identity such that there was “not a needy person among them” (Acts 2:45; 4:34-35).
8. When Paul was received by the apostolic leadership in Jerusalem, they left him with a simple charge: remember the poor, something that Paul was eager to do (Galatians 2:10). Of all things they could have said, apparently this was very important to leaders of the early church.
9. It was a common practice for the early church to take up contributions/offerings to help meet the needs of the poor (Romans 15:25-26; 2 Corinthians 8-9).
10. When Paul exhorts the Corinthians believers, he reminds them that God has chosen the weak, the lowly, the despised in the world (1 Corinthians 1:26-31). As history reveals, not many of the early church were rich or of noble birth.
11. James declares that justifying faith is authenticated by good works in reference to the poor (James 2:1-26). Ignoring the poor is an indication that you may not rightly understand what it means to be justified by faith in God.
12. John questions whether or not we have come to know the love of God through the sacrifice of His Son if our hearts are closed to the poor and needy (1 John 3:16-18). The love we have received vertically ought to be demonstrated horizontally in deeds to the poor.
These observations strike at the heart of the New Testament community of believers–what they believed, how they lived, and why they embraced the poor and needy in their community. May God grant us an understanding of the gospel that fuels a passion to love, serve, and bless the poor in our city!
Labels: Cape Coral, Grace Baptist Church, Jesus, New Testament, Poor | posted by TimBrister at 8:42 am | Categories: Jesus, Poor |
2010: A Clear, Close, and Continual Looking to Jesus
I had the privilege of preaching on the first two Sunday’s of 2010, and during preparation the Lord led me to a familiar passage–Hebrews 12:1-3. Although familiar, this passage proved to be very fruitful and engaging to my own heart, and I pray that you were encouraged as well. It is my hope that this year we will have a clearer, closer, and more continual looking to Jesus. The kind of endurance we need this year is nourished in the gospel, and the danger we face each day is to allow weights to distract us or unbelief to blind us from beholding the author and finisher of our faith.
For your benefit, I am making my sermon manuscripts available here for you to download. If you would like to listen or download the audio, go here for the first sermon and go here for the second sermon.
To download my two manuscripts put into one (PDF), simply click here.
Labels: Gospel, Hebrews 12:1-3, Jesus, New Year | posted by TimBrister at 12:02 am | Categories: Jesus, Resources, Sermons |
He’s Here - The Jesus Storybook Bible
The Jesus Storybook Bible has been a great gift to our family for our family worship. We are close to completing it for the second time, and our boys are increasingly loving their Bible with each time of learning about Jesus. Below is a video narration of the birth of Christ. I encourage you to share this with your children sometime during this advent season. You can pick up a copy at Westminster Bookstore for just $11 and change.
Labels: Advent, Jesus, Sally Lloyd-Jones, The Jesus Storybook Bible | posted by TimBrister at 12:17 pm | Categories: Advent, Jesus, Parenting/Family |
Power of the Cross
Lest we forget, the power of the cross changes everything.
Labels: Forgiveness, Jesus, Power of the Cross, Salvation | posted by TimBrister at 3:33 pm | Categories: Jesus, Worship |
Encouragement from Leisa
On Thursday, September 15, Leisa Goodall did something she had never done before. Having been a Christian for only a couple of years, she has developed increasing desires to share Jesus with strangers but had not followed through - until recently. At the conclusion of the previous Sunday night’s message by Pastor Tom Ascol about the relationship of the mission and the church, God had convicted Mike and Leisa in the area of evangelism. With tears in their eyes, they told me, “We will be there Thursday night. You can count on us.”
Sure enough, Mike and Leisa were the first ones to show up. I had not realized this was Leisa’s first time going out (and Mike’s second) in the neighborhoods to share Jesus and invite people to come to our “Worship @ the Park,” so I asked Mike if it would be okay to take Leisa with me. Of course, the devil would have you believe the worst when you are entering “enemy territory” and desiring to take the light of the gospel into the darkened hearts whom he is seeking to keep in ignorance and rebellion against God. And, frankly, I was a little concerned that the potential rejection and angst we could receive would discourage Leisa. Nevertheless, we went out and ended up visiting roughly 40 homes, only to be stopped by a torrential rainstorm.
In all, we talked to 19 different families and individuals, and to my surprise and shameful unbelief, all 19 people warmly received our invitations and a couple of them even assisted us in who to visit next! I asked Leisa to briefly describe her first experience, and here is what she sent me:
I do have to say being this was my first time going door to door reaching out to the community that I was a bit nervous. Pastor Timmy and I teamed up and after about the 5th house I felt better about talking with people, especially when the first lady I talked to worked at Publix. After we finished our 25 houses I was ready to do more. I didn’t know what to expect or how people would react to us, but out of all 19 people we talked with all of them seemed to be thankful that we had invited them to the picnic. This is really out of my comfort zone, but I know in my heart that this is something that I have a desire to do, so I’m thankful that I went and hope in the future to do more for the community, and if the Lords wills doing short term mission trips.
The encouragement from Leisa did not end there. What she did not say was that the next morning, Leisa went by herself in her neighborhood inviting them to the outdoor worship gathering and desiring to talk to them about Jesus! How cool is that? Evangelism and witnessing is one of those things that is better caught than taught. Two hours of going with Leisa and doing the work of evangelism brings more fruit than twenty hours of talking about evangelism in a Bible Study. The fear, intimidation, and anxiousness that precedes the obedience of God’s people almost inevitably changes to joy, passion, and earnestness afterward.
I pray that the encouragement from and example of Mike and Leisa as new Christians getting out of their comfort zone to share Jesus will inspire and challenge you to do the same. God has so designed the church to be the vehicle through which He accomplishes His saving purposes, and you play an important part of that–yes, you! As good stewards of the Great Commission, let us all follow Jesus to His harvest field with the confidence in His promise to make us fishers of men.
Labels: Encouragement, Evangelism, Great Commission, Witnessing | posted by TimBrister at 2:08 am | Categories: Encouragement, Evangelism, Gospel, Jesus, Testimonies of Grace |
Resources on Union with Christ
In my last post, I mentioned a great little resource on union with Christ from the writings of John Flavel. There are a couple of other books worth checking out, though they are a little more academic in nature (and more costly!). In any case, the place where you can find nearly every resource related to the doctrine of union with Christ is on this blogpost by Phil Gons. There you will find everything from books, articles, essays, chapters, and even conference papers! Be sure to check it out.
A couple of other books that I recently picked up that might be of some interest to you are:
Mark A. Garcia, Life in Christ: Union with Christ and Twofold Grace in Calvin’s Theology (Carlisle, UK: Paternoster Press), 2008.
Maurice Roberts, Union and Communion with Christ (Grand Rapids: Reformation Heritage Books), 2008.
Labels: Resources, Theology, Union with Christ | posted by TimBrister at 1:59 pm | Categories: Jesus, Resources, Theology |
Book Recommendation: The Inner Sanctum of Puritan Piety
During the “Ask the Pastor” time of discussion during Bible Study, the question of union with Christ was raised, at which time I mentioned a helpful little book called The Inner Sanctum of Puritan Piety: John Flavel’s Doctrine of Mystical Union with Christ by J. Stephen Yuille. Dr. Yuille has mined the woks of John Flavel and presented a powerful summary of this fundamental doctrine from one of the most eminent Puritans of the 17th century, John Flavel.
Here’s the Table of Contents:
1. The Covenant of Redemption
2. The Basis of Union with Christ
3. The Nature of Union with Christ
4. The Act of Union with Christ
5. The Blessings of Union with Christ
6. The Fruit of Union with Christ
7. The Evidence of Union with Christ
8. The Suffering of Union with Christ
9. The Joy of Union with Christ
10. The Practice of Union with Christ
11. The Hope of Union with Christ
Union with Christ was a central theological motif for John Calvin and many who followed in his train, not the least was such men as John Flavel and James P. Boyce. In the introduction, Yuille provides a probing quote by Flavel in which he asks:
How transcendently glorious is the advancement of believers, by their union with the Lord of glory? This also is an admirable and astonishing mystery; it is the highest dignity of which our nature is capable, to be hypostatically united; and the greatest glory of which our persons are capable is to be mystically united to this Lord of glory; to be bone of his bone, and flesh of his flesh. O what is this! Christian, dost thou know and believe all this, and thy heart not burn within thee in love to Christ? (4, emphasis original)
In a follow-up post, I refer to the research compiling a comprehensive listing of books and articles related to “union with Christ.”
Labels: John Flavel, Stephen Yuille, The Inner Sanctum of Puritan Piety, Union with Christ | posted by TimBrister at 6:24 pm | Categories: Books, Jesus, Recommended Reading, Resources, Theology |
The Kingdom, the Community, and You, Part 3
This week, I have been writing about a kingdom hermeneutic–a way to interpret and shape life according to Christ who is our King and the kingdom’s advance in and through our lives. In Part 1, I focused on the preeminence of the King and how His kingdom should prioritize our thinking, inflame passionate affections, and pattern our living. In Part 2, I turned our attention to how pursuing the kingdom causes us to embrace a kingdom-ethic where we are considering others more highly than ourselves. Christ-like community takes shape when kingdom-focused disciples are embracing their identity and purpose together to pray and live out, “Your kingdom come.”
In this third and final part, I want to think about us, and in particular some points of application as it pertains to parts 1 and 2. This is crucial because we can have many “amen” moments in affirming theological principles without ever experiencing any “oh me” moments–times when we are confronted with realities requiring repentance. We are always susceptible to reverting back to our own little kingdom’s where we are king and the world revolves around us–our wants, our needs, our perspectives, our priorities, etc. When Jesus said, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand,” we should not forget that this is a present command; in other words, repentance is required regularly not only for the advance of the kingdom but its presence as well.
There are questions we ought continually to ask ourselves, especially when it comes to the direction of our lives or our church. Are we thinking of the kingdom of God first or ourselves? Are we trying to advance our agenda or God’s agenda? When it comes to others, are we looking to take advantage of what they can do for us or taking the advantage of the opportunity to do much in blessing them?
Kingdom confrontations are going to happen. In each of us are preferences, traditions, felt needs, and a sense of entitlement, all of which serve as filters to our worldview and influence the decisions we make. They are not all bad, but we must recognize that there will be times when, if we are humbly submitted to the rule and reign of Jesus in our lives, areas will be exposed where we are rivaling or even rebelling inwardly against the very thing we are praying for!
I am convinced that God has great things in store for Grace Baptist Church, but in order for us to fully embrace all of what He will do through His church, we must cultivate a passion for the kingdom, a priority to serve others, and a daily practice of repentance as we together seek to glorify Him through radically-devoted, gospel-saturated, kingdom-advancing lives. When we have God’s perspective for our church, we think little of ourselves, more of others, and always for the glory of Jesus through the building of His church!
Labels: Community, Kingdom of God, Repentance | posted by TimBrister at 7:51 pm | Categories: Community, Jesus |
The Kingdom, the Community, and You, Part 2
In my last post, I made the case that kingdom of God should have preeminence in our lives and serve as the foundation for all we do in our lives. We should seek first the kingdom of God, pray for His kingdom come, and not look back when we’ve put our hands to the plow in following Christ. Because is pleased the Father to give us the kingdom, it should bring us pleasure to give God our hearts and lives in service to the advancement of His kingdom and glory, for to that we are called to live in a worthily manner.
With a kingdom perspective that prioritizes your life according to the things our King values the most, we should realize how good citizens of the kingdom are to relate to one another in community and to the larger community of unbelievers in the world around us. When Christ is king, we do not consider people for what they can offer us but rather how we can serve them. We are not looking to take advantage of them but rather take advantage of the opportunity to bless them. This approach to community is only possible as we appropriate the example of Christ by His Spirit who came not to be served but to serve (Matt. 20:28). At the moment when Jesus knew the Father had given all things into His hands, you would think such knowledge, power, and greatness would be encapsulated in the recognition of this fact by Himself and others in public praise, adulation, and worship. Yet, such a moment led Jesus to a towel and basin where he performed the most humbling of tasks in washing the feet of disciples (John 13:1-20).
True kingdom community is possible when we have the humble heart of our King who served others by giving His life away in loving sacrifice. Paul exhorted the Philippian believers this very thing when he wrote,
“Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus . . .” (Phil. 2:3-5)
Outside of Christ, no one is more significant than ourselves. Repentance in the heart where the kingdom of Christ is present deals continual blows against pride and self-centeredness in order to liberate our thinking so that we may have the mind of Christ which humbly considers others more significant than ourselves.
The Christian community is heaven on earth where the mind and heart of Jesus is expressed through His body being knit together in love. The church becomes a more visible sign of the kingdom when those subject to the King are being conformed to His will and pattern their lives according His commands - and do in the context of a broader community outside the kingdom whose attitudes and actions are daily challenged by the reign and rule of Jesus Christ among His people. This is where the presence of the kingdom spreads a passion for the advance of the kingdom. Only in community can we demonstrate the kind of humility, love, and sacrifice for others where our preeminent interest in the kingdom fuels our personal interest in blessing of others in kingdom word (gospel) and kingdom deed (service).
Labels: Community, Gospel, Humility, Jesus, Kingdom, Service | posted by TimBrister at 7:04 am | Categories: Community, Gospel, Humility, Jesus |
The Kingdom, the Community, and You, Part 1
Over the past several weeks, we have been discussing the future of community groups in the life of Grace Baptist Church. Last Sunday night, I presented the nuts and bolts of a Great Commission vision focusing on the roles that community groups and church planting would play in our future. The elders and pastors recognize that this is a bold and aggressive vision–one that is exceedingly beyond us. In a time like this, there are real temptation and challenges we face, including facing our fears, owning up to our comfort zones, challenging our preferences and feelings in light of Scripture, and just simply counting the cost of being a faithful follower of Christ full of faith in His promises and power to perform might things in our midst.
One of the things I encourage you to consider is Christ as King and the advance of His kingdom, specifically as it relates to our lives. When Christ inaugurated His kingdom, the kingdom of God was tied to repentance. Radical changes were being made of cosmic proportions. A quick word-study on “kingdom” in the gospels will show the majority focusing on entrance into the kingdom and what it is like. When God establishes the kingdom in our hearts, it will come about through the changing of our thinking, our believing, and our living. It is nothing short of a reversal of the world’s pattern of thinking about life and conforming our lives to the pattern of God’s revealed will in Scripture. Therefore, when we pray, “Your kingdom come . . .” we are also saying, “Lord, reveal whatever is in my life that needs to change so that you have complete rule and reign in my life.” To pray for Christ’s kingdom to come without submitting and surrendering to His rights as King over our lives makes the Lord’s Prayer impersonal and our repentance superficial.
Practically speaking, daily repentance in light of God’s kingdom involves a new perspective with new priorities for our lives. Outside of Christ, we are king. The world revolves around us–what we need, what we want, who we like to have in our lives, etc. It’s a life shaped by comfort and ease, seeking a happiness with daily attempts to make the circumstances fair, painless, and pleasant. We determine our priorities because we are convinced we have the best perspective for our lives.
Until the King and His Kingdom comes.
When that happens, everything changes. Our world does not revolve around us but around Christ–what He wants for our lives, what He requires of us, and how to please Him. It’s not a comfortable or easy life; rather, it comes with cost and is illustrated by a disciple taking up his cross daily to follow Jesus. We don’t seek to make life easy, but do seek to make it glorious. As we understand His perspective for our lives, we then go about the business of repentance (changing) so that our priorities are His priorities, our passions are His passions, our purpose in life is arrested by his death on the cross.
Principally, what should dominate our lives when Christ is King is the advance of His kingdom. Jesus told His disciples to “seek first the kingdom of God” (Matt. 6:33). Nothing should have a higher priority than His rule and reign in and through our lives. Even the most respectful and legitimate reasons fall short to the preeminence of the kingdom. At one point in his ministry, Jesus called a would-be disciple to follow him. The man offered what seemed to be a most reasonable excuse–the need to bury His father. In a moment some might call divine insensitivity, Jesus told him, “Let the dead bury their own dead. But you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God” (Luke 9:59-62). There are some things spiritually alive people can do that spiritually dead people cannot, namely proclaiming the kingdom. Consequently, our entire lives should be invested in the kingdom, knowing that anyone who puts his hands to the plow and looking back is not fit for the kingdom of God.
Followers of Christ know that “it is the Father’s good pleasure to give us the kingdom” (Luke 12:32). Because of that reality, our lives should be radically different from the world around us. Things like selling our possessions, giving to the needy, storing up treasures in heaven rather than places where thieves and moth have access, for example. When we have discovered that God has given us the treasure of His Son, our affections should follow our chief possession. When the kingdom’s advance is our leading priority, we will know something of what it means to “walk worth of the God who calls you into His own kingdom and glory” (1 Thess. 2:12).
In my next post, I will share how the preeminence of the kingdom in our lives leads us to a passionate commitment to community.
Labels: Community, Gospel, Jesus, Kingdom of God | posted by TimBrister at 2:01 pm | Categories: Community, Gospel, Jesus |
Together at the Cross
One of my favorite blogs on the internet is called “Of First Importance.” This blog is dedicated to posted gospel-centered quotes on a daily basis, and I encourage you to add them to your list of online reads for the edification and encouragement in the gospel. A few days ago, they posted an excerpt speaking about the work of the gospel in our hearts together as a community of repenting and believing followers of Christ. In light of our discussion on community of late, I felt it was appropriate to include it here.
“We stand as sinners together at the cross needing to be cleansed. When true love shines, we find it easy to share with and trust one another as we repent together and find grace in the sinner’s place. We grow to understand and feel safe with one another. There is nothing so sweet on earth as this simple fellowship of Christians who repent. Jesus stands among us shedding His holy light until it seems that nothing evil or unreal can linger there. It becomes easy to repent but hard to hurt one another. Our hearts are melted together and we lay down our lives for the brethren.”
- Stanley Voke, Personal Revival (Waynesboro, Ga.: OM Literature, nd), 77.
Labels: Community, Gospel, Jesus | posted by TimBrister at 6:48 am | Categories: Community, Gospel, Jesus |
Confessions of a Dreamer, Or, Beholding the Glory of God in Southwest Florida
I don’t know about you, but I am far too often guilty of speaking about the glory of God without a sense or desire to feel the weight of the glory of God. While it is sometimes difficult to define words like “glory,” it is not something that leaves you in doubt when you experience it. Glory is conspicuously unambiguous, I guess you could say.
One of the things that have gripped my mind and heart in recent weeks thinking and praying about church planting and community groups is dreaming what Southwest Florida would look like if the glory of God covered it like the waters cover the sea. I tremble to speak so much of what I have not seen, and boy do I want to see the glory of God in the conversion of sinners, the spread of the gospel, and the establishing of Christ-centered churches across Southwest Florida! I am finding myself beholding the glory of God in a dream more than a theological concept, for in that dream at least I can see it. The only problem is that the dream is not reality.
But that does not mean it cannot be.
What would it look like if God’s invisible kingdom were made visible here in our own city? What would we do if were so pleased to visit us with extraordinary providences in a sovereign and sweeping work of His Spirit?
In the account of the early church, we get a glimpse of this. In Jerusalem, the Lord as adding to their number daily those who were being saved (Acts 2:47). We also learn that later many who heard the word believed (Acts 4:4) and also “more than ever believers were added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women . . .” (Acts 5:14). Even when strapped with unmet needs, the Jerusalem church “multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests became obedient to the faith” (Acts 6:7).
The Holy Spirit was not done in Jerusalem. We find that the church “multiplied” throughout all Judea, Galilee and Samaria (Acts 9:31). Specifically,
- “all the residents of Lydda . . . turned to the Lord” (Acts 9:35).
- Twice in Antioch, we read that “a great number (a great many people) were added to the Lord” (Acts 11:21, 24).
- In Iconium, “a great number of both Jews and Greeks believed” (Acts 14:1).
- In Lystra, “many disciples were made” (Acts 14:21).
- In Thessalonica, “a great many of the devout Greeks and not a few of the leading women” were persuaded (Acts 17:4).
- In Berea, “many [of them] believed, with not a few Greek women of high standing as well as men” (Acts 17:12).
- In Corinth, “many of the Corinthians hearing Paul believed and were baptized” (Acts 18:8).
So what’s the point here? Why so many superlatives? Is Luke a man full of exaggerations and embellishment? Certainly not, for he himself wrote that his goal was to give “an orderly account” with the precision of a doctor and integrity of one inspired by the Holy Spirit.
One of the things we observe from the life of Jesus was that He loved (and was impressed by!) those who believed Him to do something so big and beyond themselves that it was suited only for the Sovereign King. Juxtapose that with Nazareth, where Jesus “did not do many might works” because the people were all-to-familiar with contemptible unbelief. While we would certainly never want to be found with such unbelief, our enemy does not plot that we would deny Jesus so much as he would subtly have us get over Jesus.
So I ask that you join me in praying, dreaming, and seeking first the kingdom of God for the glory of Jesus here in Southwest Florida. Through Grace Baptist Church, may there be many who see the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ and savor Him as their Treasure!
Labels: Acts, Confession of a Dreamer, Glory of God, Southwest Florida | posted by TimBrister at 5:17 am | Categories: Jesus, Worship |
That’s My King!
Labels: Jesus | posted by TimBrister at 7:53 am | Categories: Jesus |
What’s Next?
Formerly New Attitude, Next is a ministry focusing on college age students and twenty-somethings under the direction of Josh Harris. While this promo video is geared for their upcoming conference, I think it is very thought provoking not only to consider about the NEXT conference but also the next day, the next hour, the next five minutes. Take a look.
Labels: Jesus, NEXT | posted by TimBrister at 8:42 am | Categories: Jesus |
