Real Truth Matters

A Look Back at 2 Years for RTM

Today marks the second anniversary of RTM going full time, and we praise God for calling us here and sustaining us. In these last two years we have seen God do some amazing things. He has provided for us financially through His body, the church, and we are very grateful for this. For those of you who have been instruments the Lord has used, thank you for being obedient to the Lord. You have tremendously blessed us, and we pray that the Lord blesses you tremendously.

God has allowed us to produce the video series History of the Modern Gospel. When we started on the journey of producing this video series, we had no clue what we where in for. God truly directed us and led us every step of the way. Starting off we thought it would be just one short video, then we realized this was not possible, and out of that morphed this video series. God has used this video series in many ways. We have heard countless reports of how God has used this series to impact peoples lives, and all we can say to that is, “To God be the glory!”

This year God allowed us to go to Poland as a result of the History of the Modern Gospel video series. It was awesome to see how the people had watched and passed these videos along to their friends, family, and even church. We received multiple reports of pastors showing them in church and then having discussions about what they had just heard. God is doing a work in Poland, and he allowed us to join in that work and we are very grateful for it.

There are many other things that have happened in these two years here at RTM, and God has seen us through them. We would like to thank the countless people whom God has allowed us to reach through this ministry and tell you just how much we appreciate you interacting with RTM. We are amazed as we hear from people all over the world who are coming in contact with RTM.

If you would like to leave a testimony of how God has used RTM in your life or in the life of someone you know, please do so. It would be a great encouragement to us here at RTM as well as to you who follow us.

As we look forward to the years ahead, as the Lord allows, we would ask that you would keep us in your prayers. Pray that God would lead us and direct us to what He has for us as a ministry, that He would provide and meet our needs to sustain the ministry, and that peoples lives would be impacted for the glory of Christ our Savior. We appreciate each and every one of you.

Original post blogged on b2evolution.

Perhaps My Most Important Trip to Eastern Europe

Three weeks from today, I will be leaving for a preaching/teaching expedition to Romania and the Republic of Moldova. I will be gone from June 6 through 18. This is a very important trip to these two Eastern European countries. I have made this same trip many times before to conduct pastors’ conferences. This time, I am going to begin a new phase of ministry for us. We are establishing a training center for missions and church planting. We will work with pastors from these two countries to help them prepare young men for the work of full-time church planting in cities, towns, and villages that have no evangelical witness at all. The missions center, under the leadership of Pastor Florin Vasiliu, will provide the more in-depth training that local church pastors may not be equipped to do. I met Brother Florin in March 2001 and knew almost immediately that our meeting was providential. After a weekend with him and his wife, Denise, Florin asked me to disciple them. Almost 6000 miles away I attempted to do so through phone calls and emails. I made many return trips and brought Florin and Denise here for a month. Hours upon hours each day we labored over the Scriptures. When the marvelous technology of Skype came along our meetings were weekly.

For years, Florin and I have dreamed, talked about, and prayed about preparing young men for the ministry. There are two seminaries in Romania but from the city of Iasi, in the northeastern corner of the country, the seminaries are far away and too expensive for many Romanian men to attend. Besides the undue hardships it would cause for men to go to either of these schools, we believe the training of preachers was given to the church, mainly pastors and preachers to disciple future leaders. This is what Christ commanded the apostles and it is what the Apostle Paul commanded Timothy. In 2 Timothy 2:2 Paul writes, “And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.” This method has served the church well for over 1600 years.

Therefore, we want to primarily work with pastors and local churches and give them the resources to train their own men, who will in turn go out and duplicate the process as they plant new churches. This is a very long-term strategic plan that cannot be measured in the next year or even five years. But what could happen over the next 20 years if a group of 20 to 30 pastors could be trained on how to disciple future pastors and those who are trained also do the same? The result is huge. An army of men will have been raised and Eastern Europe could be changed forever as a consequence.

That is why this trip is both unique and very weighty. Along with this task I will be doing a good deal of evangelistic preaching. Several evangelistic events are planned. Please pray for me that I will be given much grace, power, and wisdom. Pray that pastors will be moved upon to take this new ministry seriously. And ask the Father of mercy to be gracious to many sinners.

Original post blogged on b2evolution.

The Gospel Is Big Enough to Fight for Itself

A blog from Jonathan Parnell at Desiring God Ministry:

Russell Moore:

Sometimes believers will throw up their hands in frustration with non-Christian people they know. “I have said everything I know to say to her about the gospel,” one might say. “She already knows it all and doesn’t believe.”

Often what we seek is another argument, a hidden angle that our interlocutor hasn’t thought through before. But that’s rarely how the gospel is heard and received. Think about it in your own case. Did you believe the gospel the first time you ever heard it? Perhaps you did, but if so, you’re quite unusual. Most of us heard the gospel over and over and over again until one day it hit us in a very different way.

And what was different about it? Was it a new argument? Did you say to yourself, “Wait, you mean there’s archaeological evidence proving the historical existence of the Hittites?” or “Hold on, there were five hundred witnesses to the resurrection? Well, what must I do to be saved?”

No, in most cases what we heard was the same old gospel — Christ crucified for us, buried, raised from the dead — and suddenly there was light (2 Corinthians 4:6). Suddenly what had seemed boring or irrelevant to us now seemed quite personal. We heard a man’s voice in that gospel, and we wanted to follow that voice (John 10:3, 16). We saw a light of glory that overwhelmed us (2 Corinthians 4:6). The same is true with the as-of-yet unbelieving world around us or the as-of-yet unbelieving relatives we have waiting for us at the Thanksgiving dinner table.

You need not be intimidated by unbelievers, as though what you need is a more nuanced “worldview” to protect the kingdom of God from their threats. Yes, we engage in apologetic arguments, but those aren’t at the hub of our mission. By talking with unbelievers about arguments against the existence of God or scientific evidence for blind natural selection or whatever, all we’re doing is listening to the defense mechanisms of those who are, as we were, scared of the sound of God’s presence in the garden. We should talk about those things lovingly, but not so we can defend the faith. We engage others only so we can get to the only announcement that assaults the blinding power of the god of this age (2 Corinthians 4:4).

The gospel is big enough to fight for itself.

Tempted and Tried: Temptation and the Triumph of Christ, 110–111, paragraphing added.

Original post blogged on b2evolution.

Josh Hamilton’s Nine Great Minutes

Being a big baseball fan I really enjoy reading about Christian atheletes, in particular baseball players. I came across this today on Tim Challies blog that he reposted from Matthew Hoskinson.

I sometimes get nervous when I listen to Christian athletes talk about their faith on the big stage. While I appreciate their desire explicitly to give glory to Jesus during interviews, they can come off as glib, token, or perfunctory. Not that this is their intention, to be sure. That twenty-something-year-old-men would boldly speak the name of Christ in front of the cameras is a tremendous testimony to the work of divine grace in their hearts. But like most twenty-somethings, perhaps a bit more thought as to the relationship of the gospel to their profession would result in less-rote-sounding responses to interviewers.

This is why Josh Hamilton’s appearance last night on ESPN’s Pardon the Interruptionmade such an impression on me.

PTI is one of the few shows I watch regularly. I don’t have as much time as I once did in order to keep up with the world of sports. I find PTI to be a relatively brief introduction to the major stories of the day. Besides, Tony and Mike are just funny. Sometimes crass, but generally funny.

During last night’s interview segment, called “Five Good Minutes,” they talked with Josh about his four-home-run game the night before. To put that in perspective, there have been twenty-one perfect games thrown (or twenty-two, if you count Armando Galarraga’s from a couple of years ago). Josh’s four-home-run game was just the fourteenth. A remarkable performance, to be sure.

Tony and Mike talked with him four-plus minutes longer than the allotted five. Humanly speaking, Josh is just a good interview. He took the occasion to share how the cross shapes the way he plays baseball.

Here’s the video:

Some observations:

1. Josh’s easy demeanor and genuine likability come through in this clip. A lesson for all of us: simply being kind, humble, and genuine opens doors for the gospel. We don’t need to be angry and intense all the time.

2. Josh has clearly thought through his circumstances in light of the cross. We should take a page from this book: what difficulties/issues/brokenness in this fallen world do I face today? How does a sight of the cross change my perspective? You could walk through the application sections of the NT epistles (say, Ephesians 4–6) and see the apostle do the very same thing.

3. Josh did not open his comments by saying, “All praise to Jesus.” He could have perhaps, but he didn’t. That does not make him unfaithful in his responsibility to communicate his faith. Let’s make sure we don’t create an artificial standard for Christian athletes, one that says, “If that guy’s a real believer, then the first words out of his mouth in every interview ought to be ‘Praise Jesus.’”

4. Josh did communicate the glories of Jesus in the interview. And he did it in a thoughtful, specific way. In your job, you likely cannot start every conversation or presentation with “I’m just grateful to the Lord Jesus that I can be here.” But you can thoughtfully and specifically speak of Jesus throughout your day. If the cross affects the way a guy plays left field, it affects everything.

5. Josh nailed the means of grace: “praying, getting in the Word, fellowshiping with other believers.”

6. Josh admitted his brokenness. He did not run from admitting he is still a sinner. We sometimes think that perfection is required in order to be a witness. In that case, none of us—from Peter on down through history—would qualify. You don’t have to be perfect, much less pretend to be perfect. Such pretension runs counter to the gospel. Instead, let us be humble witnesses, humbly admitting regularly that we are so broken that we cannot fix ourselves. And by so doing let us direct others’ attention to the Rescuer.

7. Josh isn’t the Rescuer. It’s easy to become infatuated with Christian athletes, whether Josh Hamilton or Tim Tebow or Jeremy Lin. We think, “How much good for the gospel they could do! I hope they don’t fall.” But how quickly we forget that they are broken and sinful like we are. We shouldn’t be surprised when they stumble and fall. Certainly let’s pray that God would protect them from the Adversary. But let us not put our hopes for revival in our nation in these good, godly men. Josh isn’t the Rescuer. Tim isn’t the Savior. Jeremy isn’t the Christ. Let us enjoy these good gifts and give glory to the Giver.

8. Prediction: this is a contract year for Josh. He’ll be in pinstripes next year. OK, wishful thinking maybe. But I’d love it.

*****

Update: If you haven’t heard Josh’s testimony, you can watch him tell it below. You really cannot comprehend Josh as a baseball player apart from the gospel.

Original post blogged on b2evolution.

A Beautiful Story of Marriage

This is simply an amazing story of love -

Original post blogged on b2evolution.

Can't We All Just Evolve?

I recently saw a special screening of the movie Bully with its director, Lee Hirsch. The movie has garnered a great deal of notoriety due to its raw look at the problem of bullying in public schools. While the problem is not a new one as most anyone who grew up in public schools knows, this movie shows that the vitriolic nature of bullying seems to have increased over the years. In turn, many bullying victims are going to extreme measures to escape the torment, some by committing suicide. I can attest to Hirsch’s passion regarding this subject. He too was bullied as a child, and as he spoke about his film, you could sense his deep longing to make a difference as well as his excitement that the topic is coming to the forefront in the public eye.

While I agree with Hirsch that bullying should not be tolerated in public schools and that it is a problem that must be addressed, I wonder how this topic meshes with what we are teaching kids in schools.

We want kids to treat one another with respect and dignity, and when it comes down to it, this really means to protect those who are most vulnerable and weak. These are the ones who are bullied. But according to science classrooms, this is not who we are as humans. Or should I say as animals?

The theory of evolution says that we are merely a product of chance and a fight for survival. The stronger animal eliminates the weaker in order to eliminate competition and preserve resources for itself. This is how we got to the top of the hill, right? So now that we are here, how do we tell children that the survival instincts they have now need to be changed? How do we ensure survival?

I believe it is in moments like this that evolution breaks down. Bullying falls in line with the predispositions we possess due to the evolutionary process. So why would we want to change it? Have we evolved more empathy? Are the world’s resources enough now that we don’t have fight over them? What do we do as the population grows and resources become scarcer?

These are questions that I believe evolutionists are going to have to face. Bullying is just a symptom of the problem of meshing who we think humans are and who we think we ought to be. It doesn’t make sense to tell our children that we survived through being the strongest and most fit and then tell them it is not right to want to eliminate or suppress those who are weaker.

The evolutionist has to admit that if his theory is true, bullying is an inherent trait that ensures one’s survival. And it cannot and should not be changed. After all, it got us where we are today, and it ensures the future of the human race.

Bullying is not a learned behavior. It is born into us. We can agree with the evolutionist on that point. It does not come through evolution, however. It comes through the sin nature we are born with. We know that bullying is wrong because we do retain enough of the image of God within each of us through the conscience. But that nature cannot be changed outside of a radical transformation by God himself. Only in light of who God says we are does issues like bullying make sense.

Original post blogged on b2evolution.

'This was my life — was it a life?' (Augustine)

A word from D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones:

I remember very well the case of a man who was an outstanding surgeon in London and in great prominence. Suddenly to the amazement and astonishment of all who knew him it was announced that he had given it all up and had become a ship's doctor. What had happened to that man was this. He was a great man in his profession and he had legitimate ambitions with respect to certain honours in the profession. But disappointment in that respect suddenly opened his eyes to the whole situation. He arrived at the conclusion that there was no abiding satisfaction in the life he was living. He saw through it all, but he did not become a Christian. He just became cynical and left it all. There have been many other notable examples of men who have given up everything and have gone into some isolated position where they have found a measure of peace and happiness without becoming Christians. That is one possibility. But they may even go further, they may see the excellences of the Christian life as indicated in the Sermon on the Mount. They say, 'There is no question at all about it, the Christian life is the life, if only everyone lived like that!' They may also have read the lives of the saints, and have recognized that these were men who had something wonderful about them. There was a time when they were not interested, but now they have come to see that the life depicted in the Sermon on the Mount is real life and living, and again, seeing life as portrayed in 1 Corinthians chapter 13, they say, 'If only we all lived like that, the world would be Paradise.' They have come to see that much very clearly.

Spiritual Depression, p. 41

Original post blogged on b2evolution.

Misdirected Discontent

Mason King, from The Village Church blog:

This race we’re running is tiring. In hunting our happiness and fulfillment, we’ve become the hunted. Our desire for approval and love – this disconnect in our souls – both promises and denies rest. We are trapped in a self-defeating cycle, trying to catch happiness at the expense of joy.

As believers, Jesus is our identity – our daily footing and acceptance before God. Our hope in life is His death and resurrection.

But there are moments I don’t believe this. There are moments that I say I trust in one thing but believe in another. I let my heart put hope in things other than Him – subtle things like power, respect and approval.

When I find my identity and fulfillment in things other than who He is – and who He says I am – disappointment and discontent bind me. It’s not disappointment with the object but with life at large. I blame Him for my inability to recognize my own deviation from the gospel and go right back to a pick-me-up, a novel distraction from the reality that life still isn’t what it should be.

So there I am again: frustrated that I don’t have more fruit of the Spirit in my life, annoyed at sin I still struggle with and disappointed with myself – certain that God is also. The promise of God’s love goes untried, while misdirected disappointment draws my eyes back to myself and away from Jesus. This cycle feeds a deadly misunderstanding of the gospel – that it cannot save or transform me.

The problem is that we’re moving so fast we can’t see this, and we’re lucky if we slow down enough to hear the never-ending whisper of our sinful hearts: that what we can make, who we are and what we do will satisfy us – if we just work harder. But this is not the gospel.

The gospel is hard for me and maybe for you, too. I fear, along with others, that His love is no better than mine – fickle and flimsy. Truth is, this love wants me to be full of joy to the depth of my being – and this joy is found in the depth of His.

Such elusive fulfillment is freedom to quit looking inward – and to look outward to Him. It’s like we get stuck on the first few steps onto the grass, and our feet are so tender that we can’t move forward. But His love makes our feet firm.

If you think He is too good to be true, that He might be for others but not you, then you believe a lie. God is a good and loving Father who gives good gifts to His children. He gives Himself, and that has all kinds of implications for daily life.

Dare to believe that He is good, and that His love towards you is particular, knowing and intentional. Don’t let momentary distractions steal your hope. Don’t blame disappointment on the One who came to rid you of it. Slow down and look at what and who you are trusting for your happiness, identity and worth. Your daily discontent might just be enough to expose it.

Original post blogged on b2evolution.