Let the nations be glad

I have just finished reading the revised and expanded edition of a contemporary mission classic – John Piper's, Let the nations be glad: The Supremacy of God in Missions (First published in 1994 and revised in 2003. Inter-varsity press)
Piper asks the hard questions about why we do missions. He asks if it is possible to be saved by any other means than through Christ. He then argues, quite convincingly, using scripture, that it is not possible. This leaves us with two realities: 1) People who die without Christ will go to hell; and 2) it is our mission to make Christ known among the nations so that people will be saved from eternal punishment and become worshipers of God rather than of themselves and things.
"Saving faith means receiving Christ as your treasure, not just as a deliverer from pain. It is possible to claim faith in Christ as merely a rescuer from hell. Such faith saves no one. [...] Until your soul has a thirst for Christ as the bread of life and living water, you will use Christ for what your soul thirsts after. Many people who claim to have saving faith simply use Christ to get what they really want, which is not Christ but his gifts (escape from hell, peace of mind, health of body, a better marriage, a social network, etc.). We are saved by coming to Christ not only as our deliverer but also as our treasure–coming for all that God is for us in Jesus."

This is not a book to read with the television going in the background. It demands the full attention of an engaged mind and heart. I found myself stopping on occasions to 'come up for air' and to contemplate the reality of what I had just read and given my assent to.
For me, I found particularly helpful his dealing with the questions of what is meant by going to 'the nations' and what it means for a country or a people group to be classified as 'reached'. I am bothered when mission organizations draw up their maps of the world and colour-in whole countries they are 'reaching' when in reality there may be only one worker, most of the churches in the country may never have heard of the mission and no significant ministry has been established. We must resist the temptation in missions to exaggerate in order to impress. Our reports should be acurate and not missleading. They should also be careful to acknowledge the work of indigenous churches and other organisations and avoid giving the impression that they (or we) are the only poeple doing any worthwhile Gospel work.
"In spite of the fact that every nation of the world has been penetrated with the gospel, four out of five non-Christians are still cut off from the gospel because the barriers are cultural and linguistic, not geographic." Quoting Ralph D. Winter he writes: "Why is this fact not more widely known? I'm afraid that all our exultation about the fact that every country of the world has been penetrated has allowed many to suppose that every culture has by now been penetrated. [...]"

This book must surely be essential reading for Christian missionaries, pastors and Christian leaders.

Armenia - Day 5

The Manoukians came today to visit the CMLC and meet the students. It is a dream come true for them, after pioneering the work here in 1991 to live to see the moment, 18 years later, when Armenia has its own 'leadership training institute'. It was a pleasure to have them present while teaching and also to have lunch with them.

Last night I was continuing to read in John Piper's book, Let the Nations Be Glad: The Supremacy of God in Missions. I read something on prayer that I found very challenging and well worth sharing:

“Prayer is the walkie-talkie of the church on the battlefield of the world in the service of the Word. It is not a domestic intercom to increase the temporal comforts of the saints. It malfunctions in the hands of soldiers who have gone AWOL. It is for those on active duty. And in their hands it proves the supremacy of God in the pursuit of the nations. When missions moves forward by prayer, it magnifies the power of God. When it moves by human management, it magnifies man.”

Bookworm activities in 2009

I am quite a slow reader (I like to chew long) but there's nothing I like to do more on these winter evenings after getting the children to bed, than to turn off the computer (to resist the compulsion to constantly check my in-box), put some logs on the fire, make a cup of German Jakobs coffee, switch on the reading light, grab the highlighter and pen and sink into the double sofa to disappear into a good read. Good intentions often end in my eyes closing on me after 30 minutes or so but I am getting better at keeping awake and staying concentrated.
Above is the pile of books that I hope to get through this year! They are mostly theological books which I read both devotionaly and for the purpose of keeping abreast with current trends and winds of doctrine.
I also read in order to sharpen my skills in areas of interest. For example the book slide:ology is written by one of the worlds leading design agencies and focuses on making good PowerPoint presentations. This is something I often have to create as I both teach and promote the work of CEF. I have also had opportunity to teach other CEF workers and future workers on this subject. The book on public speaking from Richard Bewes is another example of reading to sharpen skills. Some of the books were given to me as gifts with the recommendation of the giver.
In addition to reading the above, I ensure that I give priority to the reading of God's Word. I have been following the 'Bible in a Year Plan' in my Explorer Quiet Time notes. For this I use the ESV study bible and often listen to it online while reading (I find this helps me to concentrate and to retain more). If I continue to keep up with the readings, I will have completed this in September.
In between I pick up Grudem's huge Systematic Theology and read a chapter of that.
I also subscribe to the monthly Evangelical Times and Evangelicals Now, and the quarterly Gemeindegründung. On top of that are all the blogs which I find impossible to keep up with! There's just so much information and good solid material out there (can you ask for a Sabatical after two years service :) )???
As well as all of this reading, I listen regularly to sermons I download on my iPod. They are normally sermon series or Pastors/Leadership conferences. On my playlist you would find, John Piper, Don Carson, John MacArthur, Mark Driscoll, Mark Dever, C.J. Mahaney, Alistair Begg and music from Sovereign Grace Music.
Perhaps I will post the odd review and recommendation over the coming months.

Who influences your theology?

When I look back over the past 2 or 3 years, I have had the privilege of meeting many of the people who's writings and sermons have shaped my theology. Many of these people are regular travel companions with me (on my iPod of course :) as I commute in the car from my home in Germany to our European Regional Office in Kilchzimmer, Switzerland.

Top left clockwise: Begg, Piper, Hughes, Ryrie, me and Dever, me and MacArthur, Carson and Lawson.

In the late 90's, while studying in Germany, one of our annual guest lecturers was Charles Ryrie. He was probably the first prominent theologian I have met. As I was a native English speaker at a German college, I was often asked to accompany him and to sit with him at mealtimes.
In 2005 I met Don Carson when he came to speak at a gathering of pastors in Belfast. His writings have probably influenced evangelical reformed theology more than anyone else during the past 20 years.

In June 2006 I organized a day conference in Belfast for John MacArthur, Steve Lawson and Philip de Courcy. I probably have more theological books from John than any other single author and in more recent years I have been a daily user of the MacArthur study Bible. It was a privilege to be able to speak with him 'back stage' and to see his warm personality and love for the scriptures. One unexpected incident was in a small room during the coffee break, when Steve Lawson briefly shared the story of how he left his last church because of their rejection of expository preaching. The emotional tone of his voice and the tears which welled up his eyes evidenced the pain that was still very real. During that day MacArthur described Lawson as "my favorite preacher".

In 2007 (although I didn't speak to him personally) I listened to R. Kent Hughes teach at the NI Ministers' Assembly in Dollingstown (Near Lurgan) in N. Ireland. This event had added significance for me as this was the church where in 1980 I trusted the Lord at a CEF Holiday Bible Club! R. Kent Hughes' book Disciplines of a Godly Man was hugely influential on me while I was studying at Bible College in Germany.

In September 2008 I met Mark Dever in Zurich, Switzerland. His book and ministry entitled Nine Marks of a Healthy Church was very helpful to me as I was seeking to find direction in my early days of pastoral ministry.

In 2005 Alistair Begg was the speaker at our annual Pastors' conference. His teaching on Pastoral leadership was a great encouragement to me to stand firm through difficult times.

Without doubt, the most influential theologian for me at present is John Piper! I heard him at the EMA Conference in London in 2005 but didn't meet him personally. I am a regular listener of his weekly audio podcast or watch his videocast. A few weeks ago he started to preach through the Gospel of John, which he hopes to be finish before he dies (although I think he would count it joy to pass into glory while preaching!!!) His passion for the glory of God, his encouragement to sacrificial service and his hatred of the false gospels being propagated today, makes him a 'quite extraordinary gift' to the church of Jesus Christ in this 21st century. His positive influence on many men, old and young, will only be truly revealed in glory.

What about you? Post a comment and let me know who influences your theology the most.

PS I just finished reading Young, Restless, Reformed by Collin Hansen. It gives a good overview of the movers and shakers in the USA today. From the back cover ... discover how our restless youth are discovering anew the great doctrines of the Christian faith. Weary of churches that seek to entertain rather than teach, longing after the true meat of the Word, these young people are pursuing doctrine. It's exciting to see that in these days of watering down the Gospel that there are many who are showing biblical discernement. You can read a review of the book over at Tim Challis' blog.

PPS I also was given an ESV Study Bible as a Christmas present :)
If you are looking for a new Bible then this is the one to get. Another very good alternative is the Reformation Study Bible which also uses the ESV translation. It may even be better (I'm still undecided)!

In my next post I will let you know what I am planning to read this year!