Great little Booklets--Got a Kindle?

Got a Kindle?  Ligonier recently released a bunch of booklets, on a variety of subjects.  they cost $3 or so each as booklets--but on your Kindle, they are free!  I've read two of them so far--How to Develop a Christian Conscience? and What is the Church?  They are at most a 15-30 minute read, and very good.  Check out all the titles by clicking here.

Why Presbyterian?

Here is a rare brief article, from the Gospel Coalition's blog, titled "Why You Should Be a Presbyterian."  Just in case you wondered--have a read.

I have not always been Presbyterian, either.  What drew me mostly to Westminster Seminary was the gospel--the full grace of God expressed in the doctrines of grace.  As a byproduct, almost, I became Presbyterian.  Since Presbyterians are sinners, too, it is not utopia.  But I am blessed, as a Presbyterian minister, with wise and godly elders who are better than I deserve, and with a presbytery.  Soli Deo Gloria.

"The Wrath of God Was Satisfied..."

Perhaps you recognize that line.  It is from the new hymn, "In Christ Alone."  The entire verse reads, 
In Christ alone, Who took on flesh,
Fullness of God in helpless babe!
This gift of love and righteousness,
Scorned by the ones He came to save.
Till on that cross as Jesus died,
The wrath of God was satisfied;
For ev'ry sin on Him was laid—
Here in the death of Christ I live.

The biblical teaching that the wrath of God was satisfied on the cross--that Jesus' death atoned for sin by, among other things, satisfying the justice of God--is not well-received today.  Colin Hansen has an interesting article on that at the Gospel Coalition web site.  Read it and pray for the larger church.

A Picture of the Gospel

What would you say to this?  See what happened on these two flights last year around Christmas:



This is actually a picture of the gospel. Like all analogies, it breaks down, of course, but consider this:

Every day God gives us life instead of death.  He does so to lead us to repentance (Ro. 2:14).  He does this, in other words, in order to point us toward his greatest gift: that of his Son, Jesus, who came to deal with our deepest, most profound need, that we are sinners--sin robs us of all ultimate joy and happiness, and forces us into lives of servitude to our self-serving desires.

Now in this video (by the way, what better way for a company--at a fraction of the cost of a TV commercial--to get publicity, and some loyal customers!) people, to their great surprise, receive what they asked of the electronic Santa Claus set up in the departure lounge of the airport.

Some, alas, did not ask for much--one man new socks and underwear, for instance.  Some, no doubt, were too jaded to ask for anything.  But--everyone got what they asked for! Even an Android tablet, and a large TV.

But--heart-check!--what are all these compared to forgiveness of sins, being made white as snow before God, and deliverance from slavery to sin's tyranny?  All the gifts passengers received--how many of them still make them happy next year, the year after that?  All will wear out--from the socks and underwear to the big TV.  But salvation lasts forever.  And is there for the asking.

So--ask God for a lot.  Ask for nothing less than Christ.  Don't just ask for socks and underwear.

Hat tip: David Murray

Unusual Church Plant

Here is a link to a video about the church plant I mentioned before the sermon yesterday.  Take a look:

http://vimeo.com/76092170

Here's the Bob Newhart skit I mentioned on Sunday.  Enjoy!

Comfort In, Dump Out

Here is some good advice when suffering, and when connected, either closely or more distantly, with those who are suffering. Follow this link.

An Absolute Must-Read

I am tempted to say, "If you read only one book this year, this should be it!"  I really am.  Suffice to say, I picked it up yesterday for the first time, and finished it today.  It's only about 150 pages, but it is all the way through a powerful testimony of God's grace to sinners.
I picked it up because of the uniqueness of the story it tells: it is the story of a woman who, in her mid-thirties, was a tenured professor of Culture Studies (if you know anything about post-modernism, you have some idea of what that means--let's just say she was not exactly a "social conservative"), and in a monogamous lesbian relationship.  And then God's irresistible grace got a hold of her--not overnight, but through the friendship of a pastor and his wife who welcomed her into his home, and just listened and asked questions at first.  That's an attention-grabbing summary.
But I kept reading it because of the way her story taught me about the nature of the call of the gospel; what repentance looks like; how the author wrote very perceptibly about the nature of sin, including sexual sin; and how, though I do not appear, in the eyes of many Christians to be quite so much in need of redemption as this woman was--I am every bit of it.  Excellent, excellent book.  I agree with Westminster professor and pastor Carl Trueman, whose recommendation runs like this: "I cannot recommend this book highly enough.  I do not agree with everything she says; but I did learn from everything she wrote.  It deserves the widest possible readership."
You can purchase the book from wtsbooks.com by clicking here.  Why not get a couple to give away?