Desiring God Blog

A Testimony to God’s Goodness in Disability and Suffering

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 09:55:41 -0600

(Author: John Knight)

As a father of a multiply-disabled child, I have consumed dozens of books, articles, and web sites on suffering, disability, and the sovereignty of God.

What I read yesterday morning from a young man with spina bifida may be the best statement I have ever encountered on this subject. Here is an excerpt:

Both pain and pleasure are meant to point us to the same reality; namely, that Jesus Christ is infinitely beautiful and so much more than enough for our every need. Living for Him, even suffering for Him, is worth every moment of affliction! Why? Because Jesus shows you such beauty in pain, because He is there and He is carrying us through.

The writer, Joe Eaton, is well-known to us at Desiring God as a volunteer and an intern with Children Desiring God last spring before starting college this fall. I can testify that he lives what he writes.

9 Ways to Know the Gospel of Christ Is True

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 10:17:32 -0600

(Author: John Piper)

1. Jesus Christ, as he is presented to us in the New Testament, and as he stands forth from all its writings, is too single and too great to have been invented so uniformly by all these writers.

The force of Jesus Christ unleashed these writings; the writings did not create the force. Jesus is far bigger and more compelling than any of his witnesses. His reality stands behind these writings as a great, global event stands behind a thousand newscasters. Something stupendous unleashed these diverse witnesses to tell these stunning and varied, yet unified, stories of Jesus Christ.

2. Nobody has ever explained the empty tomb of Jesus in the hostile environment of Jerusalem where the enemies of Jesus would have given anything to produce the corpse, but could not.

The earliest attempts to cover the scandal of resurrection were manifestly contradictory to all human experience—disciples do not steal a body (Matthew 28:13) and then sacrifice their lives to preach a glorious gospel of grace on the basis of the deception. Modern theories that Jesus didn't die but swooned, and then awoke in the tomb and moved the stone and tricked his skeptical disciples into believing he was risen as the Lord of the universe don't persuade.

3. Cynical opponents of Christianity abounded where claims were made that many eyewitnesses were available to consult concerning the resurrection of Jesus from the dead.

"After that He appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time, most of whom remain until now, but some have fallen asleep" (1 Corinthians 15:6). Such claims would be exposed as immediate falsehood if they could. But we know of no exposure. Eyewitnesses of the risen Lord abounded when the crucial claims were being made.

4. The early church was an indomitable force of faith and love and sacrifice on the basis of the reality of Jesus Christ.

The character of this church, and the nature of the gospel of grace and forgiveness, and the undaunted courage of men and women—even unto death—do not fit the hypothesis of mass hysteria. They simply were not like that. Something utterly real and magnificent had happened in the world and they were close enough to know it, and be assured of it, and be gripped by its power. That something was Jesus Christ, as all of them testified, even as they died singing.

5. The prophesies of the Old Testament find stunning fulfillment in the history of Jesus Christ.

The witness to these fulfillments are too many, too diverse, too subtle and too interwoven into the history of the New Testament church and its many writings to be fabricated by some great conspiracy. Down to the details, Jesus Christ fulfilled dozens of Old Testament prophecies that vindicate his truth.

6. The witnesses to Jesus Christ who wrote the New Testament gospels and letters are not gullible or deceitful or demented.

This is manifest from the writings themselves. The books bear the marks of intelligence and clear-headedness and maturity and a moral vision that is compelling. They win our trust as witnesses, especially when all taken together with one great unifying, but distinctively told, message about Jesus Christ.

7. The worldview that emerges from the writings of the New Testament makes more sense out of more reality than any other worldview.

It not only fits the human heart, but also the cosmos and history and God as he reveals himself in nature and conscience. Some may come to this conclusion after much reflection, others may arrive at this conviction by a pre-reflective, intuitive sense of the deep suitability of Christ and his message to the world that they know.

8. When one sees Christ as he is portrayed truly in the gospel, there shines forth a spiritual light that is a self-authenticating.

This is "the light of the knowledge of the glory of God" (2 Corinthians 4:6), and it is as immediately perceived by the Spirit-awakened heart as light is perceived by the open eye. The eye does not argue that there is light. It sees light.

9. When we see and believe the glory of God in the gospel, the Holy Spirit is given to us so that the love of God might be "poured out in our hearts" (Romans 5:5).

This experience of the love of God known in the heart through the gospel of Him who died for us while we were yet ungodly assures us that the hope awakened by all the evidences we have seen will not disappoint us.

(First posted as a Taste & See Article in 1999)

Discounted DVD Sets

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 06:46:41 -0600

(Author: Tyler Kenney)

We've lowered our prices on the John Piper Small Group Series DVDs.

Each one is at least $7 cheaper than before.

My Mother's Response to Our Adoption

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 09:13:15 -0600

(Author: Noel Piper)

Today is a very important day in my life—my mother's birthday.

At my blog, I'm in the middle of a series, telling our adoption story. Today, I skipped ahead a few episodes to describe Mother's response to our adoption news.

I'm thanking God for Mother, who to this day points me toward him through her life and practical advice.

New Programs at Bethlehem College and Seminary

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 07:25:16 -0600

(Author: Joe Rigney)

Bethlehem College and Seminary is offering new undergraduate programs beginning in the fall of 2010.

We'll be offering a two-year degree in Christian Worldview, a four-year degree in Biblical and Theological Studies, a four-year degree in the History of Ideas, and a non-traditional degree completion program.

Whichever of these programs students choose, they will not find a typical college experience.

The classes are small.

For starters, we keep the classes around 16 students per instructor (instead of those mammoth introductory courses at most colleges).

The price is small, too.

For 2009-2010, the tuition was under $5,000 for 32 hours of credit (compared to $24,000 for a typical private Christian college). And if you apply and are accepted before June 1, we'll help you find affordable housing with other students near Bethlehem Baptist's downtown campus.

The teachers are many.

Besides learning from their regular instructors, students will learn from as many as 40 scholars, pastors, and missionaries, all of them accomplished in their fields.

The coursework is integrated.

In our foundational program in Christian Worldview, we weave Bible, theology, history, anthropology, world religions, biblical Greek, missions, science (and more!) into a single comprehensive course of study.

We take a chronological approach, beginning with creation and moving through to the present day, exploring God's mission in history and how various religions, philosophies, and worldviews have left their mark on the world.

Our two four-year undergraduate majors build on this integrated foundation.

The college is church-based.

We don't just want to instruct the minds of our students; we also want to engage their hearts and shape their lives. Thus, the classes don't just take place at the church building; all of our programs are woven into the life of Bethlehem Baptist Church.

Along with coursework, our programs include mentorship by Bethlehem members, field trips to mosques, synagogues, and temples, and ministry opportunities in one of the most diverse neighborhoods in the country.

In the end, our goal is simple: to provide a unique, God-centered, life-transforming, cost-effective, undergraduate experience. John Piper explains,

What we have seen, and what we would like to teach, is a God-entranced vision of reality that will make all other study and all the rest of life, deeper, richer, and more in sync with God's ultimate purposes for your life.

Applications for our primary undergraduate programs are available now. For more information, visit our website, download our undergraduate brochure, and listen to John Piper's special address on the Biblical Foundations for Bethlehem College and Seminary.

Questions? Contact us at admissions@bcsmn.org.

Christmas Sale: Something for Everyone

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 13:45:32 -0600

(Author: Abraham Piper)

You're going to be buying presents for all sorts of people this Christmas, so we thought for our Christmas sale we'd put together sets of books and other resources aimed at different kinds of readers.

We've created 12 packages and put them on sale. We hope that this will make it easy to choose a perfect present for some of the people on your list.

Check out your different options:

The Centrality of the Glory of God

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 12:45:28 -0600

(Author: John Piper)

We use the term "glory of God" so often that it tends to lose its biblical force. But the sun is no less blazing, and no less beneficial, because people ignore it.

Yet God does not like to be ignored. "Mark this, then, you who forget God, lest I tear you apart, and there be none to deliver!" (Psalms 50:22). So let's focus again on the glory of God. What is it? How important is it?

What Is the Glory of God?

The glory of God is the holiness of God put on display. That is, it is the infinite worth of God made manifest. Notice how Isaiah shifts from "holy" to "glory": "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!" (Isaiah 6:3). When the holiness of God fills the earth for people to see, it is called glory...

Read the rest of the article.

Q&A with John Piper Live Online

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 16:27:59 -0600

(Author: Abraham Piper)

Tomorrow morning, you can watch a Q&A with John Piper live from 8-11 AM, Central Time.

The questions will be a combination of those that have been emailed to us recently and those that are submitted via Twitter during the Q&A.

To send in a question tomorrow, simply Tweet it and add #apj to your Tweet. We'll be selecting questions as they come in.

For those of you (most of you, probably) who can't join us live tomorrow, the answer is, yes, we'll be recording it and making it available within a few days.

Why I Abominate the Prosperity Gospel

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 01:46:12 -0600

(Author: Tyler Kenney)

John Piper explains why the so-called "prosperity gospel" is not the gospel.

The All-Providing King Who Would Not Be King

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 14:00:32 -0600

(Author: David Mathis)

This week's sermon: "The All-Providing King Who Would Not Be King"

Bread exists to point us to Jesus. Its goodness and nourishment beckon us beyond the bread itself to the One who is "the Bread of Life."

But the large crowd in John 6 doesn't yet see beyond the bread to Jesus. They see him as the Prophet, but they don't see that he is God and not simply like Moses. They see him as king, but they don't see that his power is not military conquest but the power of the cross and of radical new desires.

Jesus didn't come into the world to lend his power to already existing appetites. That's the kind of claim that Jesus walks away from, not the gospel.

Having Trouble Downloading Desiring God?

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 11:14:59 -0600

(Author: Abraham Piper)

Many of you are trying to download the free Desiring God audio book from Christian Audio and having trouble. Their servers are overwhelmed because there's so much interest.

We're happy so many people want the book, but we're sorry for the frustration, too! Please remember the book will be free for all of November, so you may want to try your download again in a couple days when traffic has leveled out.

When Following Jesus Means Going Home

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 01:18:16 -0600

(Author: Jon Bloom)

We tend to think of following Jesus as leaving behind the familiar for the unfamiliar. But sometimes, like for the man in Luke 8:26-39, the more difficult call is to go back home.

For the first time in a long time he was in full control of his mind. He could think! No rage. No fear. No torment. Peace like the quiet sea. He actually wanted to keep his clothes on.

But the most strangely wonderful thing of all was his sense of cleanness. His soul was clean.

The tomb-man from Gadara looked up at Jesus again. His lucid mind mulled over the words, "Son of the Most High God."

Who would have thought that the Son of God looked so much like other Jewish men? He wasn't very big. The tomb-man had beaten off much larger men in his demonic rages.

It was, in fact, his demons that had recognized Jesus. Son of God was their term. What was it that they saw? In all his tormented years, he had never felt anything like the terror that coursed through him when he saw Jesus get out of the boat. It was the terror of the damned. He had thought he'd been living in hell already. Now he knew better.

And now, with the demons gone, nothing he had ever experienced came close to the safety and peace he felt simply being near Jesus. He had only known Jesus for a few hours, but had already determined to be Jesus' disciple for life. Life with him would be heaven on earth.

The man looked out on the Tiberius. Pig carcasses were washing ashore and drifting out to sea. He shivered at the disturbing memory. He felt Jesus' reassuring hand on his shoulder.

A noise made them all turn back toward the hill. A small crowd of people was approaching, with the pig herdsmen leading the way. You could hear alarm in their voices.

A few men went on to survey the dead floating herd. But the rest stopped some twenty feet away. Everyone strained for a look at the tomb-man. He recognized most of them.

He was used to seeing fear in their eyes. But it was different this time. As a herdsman recounted what happened, they kept looking at him and then to Jesus. It was Jesus they were afraid of.

The crowd's murmuring crescendoed into anxious pleas: "Please leave! We don't want any more trouble here!" Some were already hurrying back toward the city. For years the tomb-man, this one-man barracks of a thousand devils, had terrorized them. And now here was someone even more powerful. Whatever witchcraft Jesus possessed, they wanted it far away from them.

The tomb-man felt confusion and grief. They didn't understand! Jesus wasn't anything like the demons. Jesus' power was clean, holy. Jesus was potently kind. They were jumping to the wrong conclusions. If they would just listen to what he had to say...

But Jesus motioned to Peter to ready the boat. He was leaving!

The man jumped up and said to him, "Sir, please, may I go with you? I'll follow you anywhere!"

Jesus looked hard at him without speaking. Then he put his reassuring hand on the man's shoulder again and said, "Return to your home, and declare how much God has done for you."

The words "return to your home" must have made this man's heart sink. Home for him was not a warm place of sentimental memories. Home was a place of memories so dark and pain-filled that he likely just wanted to escape them and never go back.

But sometimes following Jesus means being sent back to a place where we once knew desolation and indescribable pain. The thought of returning there conjures up fears of our old demons and the people who knew us as we were back then. But it is there that the grace of God in our lives will shine the brightest.

What Jesus wants us to know is that his salvation and his protection extend to those old, horrible haunts. If he can break the death-grip Satan once had on us and set us free, then he can redeem the places of our former slavery and make them showcases of God's omnipotent grace.

Do not be afraid. The Good Shepherd will walk with you and protect you on the darkest road (Psalm 23:4). Declare how much God has done for you. You are being sent because there are other tomb-people to free.

Free Audio Book: Desiring God

Sun, 01 Nov 2009 07:11:55 -0600

(Author: Abraham Piper)

This month you can download the Desiring God audio book for free from Christian Audio.

DWYL Wallpapers

Sat, 31 Oct 2009 09:39:42 -0500

(Author: Andrew Laparra)

Check out the new Don't Waste Your Life wallpapers, created to help you spread the message of the Gospel.

Download and share them freely.

Make It Free: A Follow Up

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 06:32:07 -0500

(Author: Jon Bloom)

The New Testament makes essential things crystal clear: "there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name [besides Jesus] under heaven given among men by which we must be saved" (Acts 4:12). Deny that and you deny the gospel.

But the New Testament also has a category of gospel-informed convictions which are deeply held, sometimes strongly commended, yet are not universal mandates. These are intended by God to shape our kingdom mindset, guard against temptation, and test our hearts. But they are also meant to be adaptable to our particular calling and context.

One example was Paul's conviction that he should go to extraordinary lengths to keep money from being a hindrance to the gospel.

Now, we know that in the Gospels (see Matthew 10:8), Acts (see Acts 8:20), and the Epistles (see 2 Corinthians. 2:17) Jesus and the apostles were all very careful to keep gospel ministry from becoming, in either reality or others' perception, a means of great personal financial gain (1 Timothy 6:5).

But we also know that Paul and Barnabas went to greater lengths than other apostles in this area.

Or is it only Barnabas and I who have no right to refrain from working for a living? Who serves as a soldier at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard without eating any of its fruit?... If we have sown spiritual things among you, is it too much if we reap material things from you? If others share this rightful claim on you, do not we even more? Nevertheless, we have not made use of this right, but we endure anything rather than put an obstacle in the way of the gospel of Christ.... What then is my reward? That in my preaching I may present the gospel free of charge, so as not to make full use of my right in the gospel. (1 Corinthians 9:6-7; 11-12; 18)

Two things are clear in the way Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 9:

He strongly believed that this strategy contributed to the spread of the gospel most effectively.
He was aware that not everyone did it the way he did. Paul recognized that there were legitimate ways of making a living off the gospel. He simply discerned that foregoing his right to make such a living was more fruitful, whether because of his particular missional context or in general.

No doubt Paul was a strong advocate for his "make it free" ministry philosophy. But he did not judge other apostles for not adopting it to the same degree he did. He knew that "each [person] will give an account of himself to God" (Romans 14:12).

And it's in that spirit that we talk about our "make it free" approach to ministry, as Matt Perman did in his post yesterday.

I loved the post and said amen to every point Matt made. But when explaining and commending such convictions, which are not Scriptural mandates, one can wonder if we are sinfully judging others who do things differently. That certainly is not our intention.

The Lord has his hand on many churches and ancillary ministries whose approach is different from ours and which are producing very good fruit. And even comparing our approach with Paul's makes me blush. We are not in his league when it comes to foregoing rights and suffering for the gospel.

So do not hear from us the message that you must do what we do to do it right. Every calling and context is different. "Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind" (Romans 14:5).

But having said that, we still commend to all to "make it free" as much as possible, and here's why:

The gospel came to us free at great cost to God. Which is why, I believe, Jesus told his disciples, "You received without pay, give without pay" (Matthew 10:8).

The medium of the gospel was to be a reflection of the gospel. When the gospel comes free to people at the cost of those who are bringing it, it says something wonderful. It says that there is a treasure that is worth more than money to be had and by removing even a perceived profit motive it often makes people want to listen.

God is doing an amazing and beautiful thing in our day by bringing about a recovery of and revived love for the gospel of justification by faith alone apart from works of the law. Yet the damage to the gospel by prosperity preachers and other peddlers of God's word still wields tremendous influence for harm around the world.

It is our hearts' desire and prayer to God that as we all join together to re-clarify for the church and world what the gospel message is, that we present it to them with the kinds of radical generosity and radical reliance on God's provision (2 Corinthians 9:8) that we see in the New Testament.

So knowing that it may look different in each case, let us pray and think and act so that our personal lifestyles and our ministry approaches all seek to reflect and remove all obstacles from the gospel of Jesus Christ.

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Recommended Resource: Money, Markets, and Ministry