Treasure Christ

Need Some Good Theology?

In case you haven't heard, John Calvin turned 500 years old this year. Amazing what a legacy this one man had on the church, society, culture, politics, etc.

To help celebrate the birthday, Desiring God's National Conference theme was of course "In the Theater of God: With John Calvin." This is where every speaker had Calvin part of their lecture.

Imagine Doug Wilson, John Piper and others all diving into the theology and teaching of Calvin. Well, imagine no more. The entire conference is now online and free for the taking.

Click here for the full experience of John Calvin and the folks from Desiring God.

FREE Music at Come & Live!

from Desiring God Blog

(Author: Lukas Naugle)

God has used Don't Waste Your Life to change the course of many lives since 2003. In the Spring of 2006, I had a chance to interview Chad Johnson about how it was impacting him. Little did he know that God would call him to leave his successful position at Tooth & Nail Records and start a non-profit music label called Come & Live! this year.

Come & Live! is an expression of the major themes of Don't Waste Your Life (radical generosity, risk taking love, making others glad in God, missions, living simply for the sake of giving, etc). The basic idea is that the label is like a missions agency, the musicians are like missionaries, and you do not have to pay for the music. I am encouraged by how God calls men and women in different industries and cultures to find ways to make others glad in God within their context.

You can download for free without registration their first music sampler I Am Living Vol. 01. If you enjoy indie rock, hardcore, and alternative music styles you will find some tracks you will appreciate (there is a great variety). Also included is a sermon excerpt from John Piper.

Graduating Up

So here we are in August, more than half-way through the Summer. When I was a kid, I thought that as soon as the last week of July was come and gone, my mind went to regretting the fact that school was so close.

You may say, that I am kind of jumping the gun here, but perhaps I am not alone.

In our small group, we certainly have a lot of young people and to my knowledge all of these kids have graduated from one grade and are moving up to another.

So, with that in mind, I thought that I would give some thought to both young people that are "graduating up" and their parents.

First, the youngsters...

1. To borrow the John Piper line, "don't waste your" grade. Know that the Lord has called you to this time for a purpose of bringing glory to Him first and foremost. School and all that it comes with (drama, grades, fights, dances, new music, new friends, etc) sometimes feels like it is the most important thing in our lives. But that is not the case. School IS important, but know Christ is even more so.

   1 Peter 2:21--"For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in His steps."

2. Don't forget the Word. Be in the Word. Stay in the Word. Know the Word. Pray the Word. Hear God speak to you in His Word. We all can be so busy doing "stuff" that we forget to feed on what can truly sustain us. Stay in the Word.

   Psalm 119:105--"Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path."

3. Don't forget the wisdom of your elders. I am not just suggesting myself here. There are a lot of wise men and wise women that are older than you are. Seek them out. Listen to their words. Ask them about their struggles, pain. Seek advise from people who have "been there" before. You may save yourself a lot of pain and heartache.

   Colossians 2:10 & 19, "You have been filled in Him, who is 'the Head of all rule and authority.' Not withholding fast to the Head, from whom the whole body, nourished and knit together through its joints and ligaments, grows with a growth that is from God."

4. Don't forget the Church. I know of one of us who will be moving away for college and others of us will be joining the college bound in a year or so. When we move away from home we can easily slip into a routine of not going to church. Not being in fellowship with other believers. I know this to be true - even while I was at Bible college, no less. The saying is true, as a single coal is removed from pile of coals and thus looses it's heat, so the same for an individual when they are not part of church.

   Hebrews 10:24-25, "And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near."

5. Trust the Gospel to be true. Trust in Jesus who has saved you. Whom should you fear, for who can stand against you?

   Romans 1:16a, "For I am not ashamed of the Gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes."

Parents...

1. Show your kids that you are proud of them. This is not a time to "boast" about your freedom from your kids. The world does that. This is a time for you to encourage them by telling them how proud you are of them.

   Proverbs 23:24, "The father of the righteous will greatly rejoince; he who fathers a wise son will be glad in him."

2. Pray for your kids. As our kids head out into the world, there are a lot of ideals, philosophies, and thoughts that are completely counter to who they are as followers of Christ. Go before the throne of Heaven and plead for their protection.

   Matthew 21:22, "And whatever you ask in prayer you will receive, if you have faith."

3. Trust in our Sovereign God to sanctify them. This is His promise for you, for them. Rest in this. Trust God.

   2 Corinthians 3:18, "And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this come from the Lord who is the Spirit."

4. Remember that you are your kid's parent for a specific reason. God placed you there. You have a huge responsibility. It's your job to raise your kids for the glory of Christ. Remember you don't do this alone, you do this through the strength of the Spirit of God, who is in you.

   Psalm 127:3, "Behold children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward."

We still have a while before summer is done... So don't panic. Enjoy this time with your kids.

The Loving Meaning of Leftovers

(Author: John Piper)

After Jesus had fed both the 5,000 and the 4,000 with only a few loaves and fish, the disciples got in a boat without enough bread for themselves.

When they began to discuss their plight, Jesus said, "Why are you discussing the fact that you have no bread? Do you not yet perceive or understand?" (Mark 8:17). What didn't they understand?

They did not understand the meaning of the leftovers, namely, that Jesus will take care of them when they take care of others. Jesus said:

"When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you take up?" They said to him, "Twelve." "And the seven for the four thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you take up?" And they said to him, "Seven." And he said to them, "Do you not yet understand?"

Understand what? The leftovers.

The leftovers were for the servers. In fact the first time there were twelve servers and twelve basketfuls left over (Mark 6:43). The second time there seven basketfuls left over—the number of abundant completeness.

What didn't they understand? That Jesus would take care of them. You can't outgive Jesus. When you spend your life for others, your needs will be met.

I Heard God Speaking to Me

A couple of years ago, John Piper sent a letter to his congregation regarding the topic of hearing the voice of God. It caused quite a stir for reasons I think you would agree with.

He opened his letter by saying the following:

Let me tell you about a most wonderful experience I had early Monday morning, March 19, 2007, a little after six o’clock. God actually spoke to me. There is no doubt that it was God. I heard the words in my head just as clearly as when a memory of a conversation passes across your consciousness. The words were in English, but they had about them an absolutely self-authenticating ring of truth. I know beyond the shadow of a doubt that God still speaks today.

He goes on to say that he was on a staff retreat and for some reason was not able to sleep, so he got up. He went to an area in the center that they were staying in that was quiet, where he would be undisturbed. He began to pray.

Piper continues,

As I prayed and mused, suddenly it happened. God said, “Come and see what I have done.” There was not the slightest doubt in my mind that these were the very words of God. In this very moment. At this very place in the twenty-first century, 2007, God was speaking to me with absolute authority and self-evidencing reality. I paused to let this sink in. There was a sweetness about it. Time seemed to matter little. God was near. He had me in his sights. He had something to say to me. When God draws near, hurry ceases. Time slows down.

I wondered what he meant by “come and see.” Would he take me somewhere, like he did Paul into heaven to see what can’t be spoken? Did “see” mean that I would have a vision of some great deed of God that no one has seen? I am not sure how much time elapsed between God’s initial word, “Come and see what I have done,” and his next words. It doesn’t matter. I was being enveloped in the love of his personal communication. The God of the universe was speaking to me.

Now at this point, as I am reading this letter the hair starts to rise on the back of my head. What? God doesn’t speak to people anymore. The Cannon of Scripture is closed. Most importantly – is John Piper now a charismatic? What is going on here?

Piper continues,

The words came again. “I turned the sea into dry land; they passed through the river on foot. There they rejoiced in me—who rules by my might forever.” Suddenly I realized God was taking me back several thousand years to the time when he dried up the Red Sea and the Jordan River. I was being transported by his word back into history to those great deeds. This is what he meant by “come and see.” He was transporting me back by his words to those two glorious deeds before the children of men. These were the “awesome deeds” he referred to. God himself was narrating the mighty works of God. He was doing it for me. He was doing it with words that were resounding in my own mind.

There settled over me a wonderful reverence. A palpable peace came down. This was a holy moment and a holy corner of the world in northern Minnesota. God Almighty had come down and was giving me the stillness and the openness and the willingness to hear his very voice.

At this point it almost appears as if Piper is having an “out-of-body-experience.” I am thinking he has gone over the edge. He continues by saying that this experience is “breathtaking,” “serious,” “almost a rebuke,” “a warning.” Piper is saying that it’s one thing that God spoke those words, but that He specifically spoke them to him! That is what is incredible. And frankly, I tend to agree. Why Piper? Why him and not me?

He continues more,

Think of it. Marvel at this. Stand in awe of this. The God who keeps watch over the nations, like some people keep watch over cattle or stock markets or construction sites—this God still speaks in the twenty-first century. I heard his very words. He spoke personally to me.

What effect did this have on me? It filled me with a fresh sense of God’s reality. It assured me more deeply that he acts in history and in our time. It strengthened my faith that he is for me and cares about me and will use his global power to watch over me. Why else would he come and tell me these things?

It’s at this point that the “light” turns on in my mind and I am beginning to figure out what Piper is really saying…

[God speaking to me] has increased my love for the Bible as God’s very word, because it was through the Bible that I heard these divine words, and through the Bible I have experiences like this almost every day. The very God of the universe speaks on every page into my mind—and your mind. We hear his very words. God himself has multiplied his wondrous deeds and thoughts toward us; none can compare with him! I will proclaim and tell of them, yet they are more than can be told (Psalm 40:5).

And best of all, they are available to all. If you would like to hear the very same words I heard on the couch in northern Minnesota, read Psalm 66:5-7. That is where I heard them. O how precious is the Bible. It is the very word of God. In it God speaks in the twenty-first century. This is the very voice of God. By this voice, he speaks with absolute truth and personal force. By this voice, he reveals his all-surpassing beauty. By this voice, he reveals the deepest secrets of our hearts. No voice anywhere anytime can reach as deep or lift as high or carry as far as the voice of God that we hear in the Bible.

So, this begs the question, why would I be sending you this info. Well, this past week on this blog, I posted the poll with the statement: I schedule my day around spending personal time alone with God

The results? Strongly agree – 0, Agree - 28%, Disagree - 42%, and Strongly disagree - 28%

My thought is that ultimately we are not aware of the fact that the God of the universe is the One who will speak to us everyday. I think that if we were really, consciously aware, we would go to His Word.

I don’t say this to bring guilt on us, but to really say that if you want life, abundant life – go to the Word and hear your Father speak to you. Hear Jesus speak to you.

My friends don’t be afraid. Jesus loves you and He wants you to hear His voice.

How Do You Break Free From an Addiction to Entertainment?

from Between Two Worlds by JT

John Piper answers this question, writing that "Recognizing [the problem] is a huge step in the right direction" and that " ultimately it's a gift of grace to feel the glory of God." Here are some suggestions of what you should do:

1. Seek the Lord earnestly about it. Pray like crazy that God would open your eyes to see wondrous things out of his law.

2. Immerse yourself in the Bible, even when you don't feel like it, pleading with God to open your eyes to see what's really there.

3. Get in a group where you talk about serious things.

4. Begin to share your faith. One of the reasons we are not as moved by our own faith as we are is because we almost never talk about it to any unbeliever. It starts to feel like a kind of hothouse thing, and then it starts to have a feeling of unreality about it. And then the powers of entertainment have more sway in our life.

5. . . . [T]hink about your death. Think about your death a lot. Ask what you'd like to be doing in the season of life, or hours or days, leading up to meeting Christ. I do that a lot these days. I think about the impact of death, and what I would like to be found doing, and how I would prepare to meet him and give an account to him.

No, Mr. President... (John Piper)