A few books I like
Today I was asked to think about some books that I would like translated into Thai. I thought I would also share them here.
What is the Gospel by Greg Gilbert. Short yet powerful for believers and the lost.
Counterfeit Gods by Timothy Keller
Just Do Something by Kevin DeYoung
Excellet book on following God's will.
Death by Love, Letters From the Cross by Driscoll & Breshears
The Great Work of the Gospel, How We Experience God's Grace by John Ensor
The Cross Centered Life, Keeping the Gospel the Main Thing by C.J. Mahaney
The Dangerous Duty of Delight by John Piper
Christian Beliefs, Twenty Basics Every Christian Should Know by Wayne Grudem
Visioneering by Andy Stanley
A Book You Will Actually Read series by Mark Driscoll
These are very short books packed with big truths. Specifically:
1. On Who is God
2. On the Old Testament
3. On the New Testament
A book that will shake you…unless you have it all together.
I finished David Platt's book Radicallast night and am very glad I read it. My plan in writing today was to summarize the book and encourage you to go out and get it and then I saw that Platt had a short video explaining the purpose of the book. So I will let him share about his book with you in the video below. As a missionary I am reminded that radical Christianity is not defined by how far away you live from friends and family but by how much you love and obey Jesus' commands. May I stop picking and choosing which commands of Jesus I think are important and see that they all are. May I stop categorizing his commands according to my comforts. May I see who I am in Jesus and reach the world for Him by the power of the Holy Spirit as one who is in love with his Good Shepherd who was slain for His sheep.
"What does it mean to be a 1st century follower? Is it any different than being a follower in the 21st century? Listen as author Dr. David Platt shares the passion behind his new book, Radical: Taking Back your Faith from the American Dream. The radical things Jesus said 2000 years ago still apply to Christians today. Denying ourselves, giving up everything, and loving Him above all others is a radically different way to live. But it is the only way to truly live. We were created for more than a middle class existence. We were meant to count for His glory."
David Platt Radical Book from Life Bible Study on Vimeo.
Wasn't sure if I should use the word altogether or all together??
Leaving Organized Religion to Organize My Own
Why We Love the Church. In Praise of Institutions and Organized Religion by Ted Kluck and Kevin DeYoung
Have you ever read a book that you know is important but it's not where you are in life? Well this book was like that for me. I made myself finish it, not because it was not good, but because the contents are not directly related to me here in Thailand, or at least our church in Khon Kaen in 2009. However, I was glad to receive their point of view. I was rebuked in some areas and I am glad for that.
If you are looking for a book to add some balance to all the books on why some people are leaving the church (the organized church) then this book is for you. Another title could have been Why 'They' Don't Love the Church. Are you cynical and jaded and just fed up with the way people are "doing" or "having" church? Would you rather just hang out with your favorite buddy at Starbucks or the local golf coarse or family deer stand and maybe talk about Jesus and call it church? Do you find that you are constantly critical of the music, the preaching, the music, the lack of evangelism, discipleship, and community involvement of your church, and the music? Actually, they don't write too much about the music. We will leave the worship wars to the musicians and choir members and sneak off to Sunday school, small groups, or lunch and talk about how we need Jesus which will lead to worship, or at least the big game from the day before. Are you tired of your pastor wanting to talk about doctrine, sin, and holiness? Do you wish your pastor was? Kluck and DeYoung have devoured so many books written by the disgruntled camp and have written a response (at least that's the way I read it). I did find myself growing tired of the constant responding, but that is what they were purposely doing. I was desiring a read on why we should love the church more than why some don't with their valid issues but improper application to them. With that said, this book has a place in many circles and is a great read/tool for the debate. If you are desiring to read a book that is not reactive this is not for you. As a matter of fact, if you just became aware that some people are writing books encouraging people to leave their churches and how most churches are just bad, then this book is not for you. Don't even get your mind thinking on these things(at least past this post, sorry).
But, if you are a professing Christian and if you find yourself not wanting to gather with a body of believers for worship, discipleship, preaching, good works, missions, discipline and fellowship-- whether it be in a huge building or in your living room, then walk yourself through this book with humility due to the possibility that something could indeed be in need of perspective shifting within your "if I ruled the world" thinking. Maybe only my college room-mate and I would speak in ways of how everything should be. These times would often end with "if we ruled the world" as we smiled, regained some reality and went to the GC&SU Chic-fil-a to start it all back up again or just laugh. I still do this...do you Shane (say "if I ruled the world", not go to Chic-fil-a at GC&SU)? Funny thing is, as I have gotten older I am glad I don't rule the world, I will be satisfied if I can just serve and lead my family well.
I would encourage all pastors to read this. There are many things for the church to learn from the debate.
I think they should have defined "religion" earlier than later in the book for clarity. Maybe they did.
If you are confused with the title of this post, I am not talking about me.
Endorsements from guys much smarter than I or me.
“An attitude of indifference to the church has become tragically common within American Christianity. As a result, many people fail to make a solid commitment to congregational life and responsibility. The New Testament is clear – to love Christ is to love the church. Kevin and Ted provide a powerful word of correction, offering compelling arguments and a vision of church life that is not only convincing, but inspirational. This book will deepen your love of the church – and for Christ.”
R. Albert Mohler, President, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary
“If you’ve written off the church, I dare you to read this book.”
Joshua Harris, author of Stop Dating the Church
“Jesus loves the church. Yes, the church is imperfect, and we have made mistakes. But if we love Jesus, then we will love what Jesus loves. This book moves us to a thrilling portrait and future of what the church that Jesus loves and builds can look like and the hope we can bring to the world.”
Dan Kimball, author of They Like Jesus But Not the Church
“Well, they’ve done it again. The two guys who should be emergent, but aren’t, have followed up their first best seller with what I hope and pray will be a second. In Why We Love the Church DeYoung and Kluck have given us a penetrating critique of church-less Christianity and a theologically rigorous, thoroughly biblical, occasionally hilarious, but equally serious defense of the centrality of the church in God’s redemptive purpose. In spite of her obvious flaws, DeYoung and Kluck really do love the church, because they love the Christ whose body it is. You don’t have to agree with everything they say to appreciate and profit from this superbly written and carefully constructed book. This is a great read and I recommend it with unbridled enthusiasm.”
Sam Storms, senior pastor, Bridgway Church, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
“If you’re looking for reality, authenticity, and honesty, you’ve found it in this book. Kevin DeYoung and Ted Kluck, shrewd observers and faithful practitioners, have once again written a book that is like the best of foods – good tasting and good for you. Their style is easy, creative, and funny. They are theologically faithful, fresh, and insightful. They are sympathetic with many concerns and even objections to much in the church today, yet are finally defensive, in the best sense of the word. They are careful critics of the too-popular critics of the church. They are lovers of Christ and His church. I pray this book will help you love Christ’s church better, too.”
Mark Dever, author of 9 Marks of a Healthy Church
“Two young men, a pastor and a layman, here critique the criticisms of the institutional church that are fashionable today. Bible-centered, God-centered, and demonstrably mature, they win the argument hands down. As I read, I wanted to stand up and cheer.”
J. I. Packer, professor of Theology , Regent College
“If Jesus thought the church was worth dying for, it may just be worth living in. While not ignoring the sins of the church, DeYoung and Kluck remind us why church bashing is often shallow, and why the institutional church remains the most authentic place to encounter the good news of Jesus Christ.”
Mark Galli, senior managing editor, Christianity Today
I know God’s will for you.
Do you wonder what God's will is for you? Do you stress about not being in the center of his will so much that you think that by doing nothing somehow honors God or is where God wants you? Are there things for all of us that we know for certain that we should and should not be doing? If "God loves me and has a wonderful plan for my life", then why doesn't he write that out for me in a neat time-line or tweet me each day with all the steps I should take or not take?
I am really glad that I read the book Just Do Something: A Liberating Approach to Finding God's Will...by Kevin DeYoung last week. There are just a few books that I recommend to everyone, and this is one of them. Get it, read it, buy more and give them away. I think this should be required reading for every student before they finish the 11th grade and for every young and older adult.
DeYoung takes a look at three aspects about God's will:
1. God's will of decree
2. God's will of desire
3. God's will of direction
He encourages us to live trusting in God's will of decree(that God is sovereign and has our lives planned out for our good and his glory), as we follow his will of desire(truly walking with God by following his commands written out in the scriptures), and then go and do things.
I agree with him in that we focus way to much on the unknowns of our future and trade in walking with him today for anxiety.
"We obsess about the future and we get anxious, because anxiety, after all, is simply living out the future before it gets here." Then he quotes James 4:13-15
In addressing God's specific individual plans and will for our lives he quotes Haddon Robinson:
"If we ask, "How can I know the will of God?" we may be asking the wrong question. The Scriptures do not command us to find God's will for most of life's choices nor do we have any passage instruction on how it can be determined. Equally significant, the Christian community has never agreed on how God provides us with such special revelation. Yet we persist in searching for God's will because decisions require thought and sap energy. We seek relief from the responsibility of decision-making and we feel less threatened by being passive rather than active when making important choices."
DeYoung follows with:
"Does this mean that God's Word has nothing to say about how we live our lives and make decisions? Of course not. But when it comes to most of our daily decisions, and even a lot of life's "big" decisions, God expects and encourages us to make choices, confident that He's already determined how to fit our choices into His sovereign will. Passivity is a plague among Christians. It's not just that we don't do anything; it's that we feel spiritual for not doing anything. We imagine that our inactivity is patience and sensitivity to God's leading. At times it may be; but it's also quite possible we are just lazy. When we hyper-spiritualize our decisions, we can veer off into impulsive and foolish decisions. But more likely as Christians we fall into endless patterns of vacillation, indecision, and regret. No doubt, selfish ambition is a danger for Christians, but so is complacency, listless wandering, and passivity that pawns itself off as spirituality. Perhaps our inactivity is not so much waiting on God as it is an expression of the fear of man, the love of the praise of man, and disbelief in God's providence."
"God never assures us of health, success, or ease. But He promises us something even better, to make us...humble like Christ."
"Isn't it interesting that we are never told in Scripture to ask God to reveal the future or to show us His plan for our lives? But we are told--in no uncertain terms--to call out for insight and to cry aloud for understanding. In other words, God says, "Don't ask to see all the plans I've made for you. Ask Me for wisdom so you'll know how to live according to My Book."
In looking at Romans 12:1-2 DeYoung writes this:
"There are three commands here:
(1) Present your bodies as living sacrifices.
(2) Do not conform to the world.
(3) Be transformed by the renewal of your mind.
If we do these three things, then we will be able to discern what God's will is. This is how the Christian life works. There are no shortcuts. We don't get secret messages that tell us whether to drop the entomology minor..."
Christian, God's will for you is for you to be sanctified and become more like Jesus. Spend more time walking with him and the bride of Christ (the church), seeking to obey his clear will as you trust his sovereign will and go and do something!
The danger of quoting books is that you don't quote everything. In other words, get the book and read it for a clear understanding of what I believe could be the best biblical, refreshing and humble approach for living according to God's will.
I fear I have over quoted and could face a lawsuit from Kevin DeYoung. Maybe I should ask God if I should hit the publish post button or not.
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