A Far Country

We appeal to men as if they had all the ability to receive Christ at any time; we speak of His redeeming work as if He had done no more by dying than make it possible for us to save ourselves by believing; we speak of God’s love as if it were no more than a general willingness to receive any who will turn and trust; and we depict the Father and Son, not as sovereignly active in drawing sinners to themselves, but as waiting in quiet impotence “at the door of our hearts” for us to let them in...

It needs to be said with emphasis that this set of twisted half-truths is something other than the biblical gospel. The Bible is against us when we preach in this way; and the fact that such preaching has become almost standard practice among us only shows how urgent it is that we should review this matter. To recover the old, authentic, biblical gospel, & to bring our preaching & practice back into line with it, is perhaps our most pressing present need.


- J.I. Packer, In My Place Condemned He Stood, pp.113-14

Dear Me:

The glory of the Gospel is that it was accomplished outside of us on the Cross and that the righteousness that counts for me in heaven before the Holy Judge is a righteousness outside of me. Christ is my righteousness. In Christ his righteousness is commended to the Father. I stand clothed in Christ—his righteousness is my only hope.

One of the hardest things in dealing with introverted, introspective, depressed, and insecure people who every time you give them a promise divert this way and deflect that way and can’t wear it. Ultimately, there is only one answer for them—the miracle : “Would you please stop thinking about yourself? Lets pray that God will set you free from the curse of the condemning mirror and begin to think of Christ.

Your measuring up will never happen on planet earth. You will never be good enough. Ever, ever, ever. Relax, you will never be good enough. There is One who has been good enough and only One. And He has died as to climax to that obedience such that your sins have been taken and the righteousness you so long to have has been provided perfectly in Christ before the Holy Judge.

God looks you upon it and says ”I count you perfect and all that are in you my Son and you may be in Him by simply falling on Him.”


- John Piper

Danny Akin in one of his messages at the SBC annual meeting:

“How is it that this spiritual crime is being so perpetuated? Who is guilty of this sin being perpetuated? Too much of the fault falls at the feet of men. Recently, I did some research and discovered that, among our wonderful Journeyman program, today the International Mission Board has 331 journey girls on the field, but only 126 men. There are 2 1/2 times more of our sisters on the mission field as there are our brothers.

I was informed a couple of months ago that in West Africa, one ofour most difficult regions, there are today 50 journeymen—48 are females, only two are men. You say, “Where are the men?” They are sitting at home in their boxer shorts and T-shirts playing video games—that is where the men are. The fact of the matter today is that the median age of those who are addicted to those things (video games) is 34 years old.

“Gentlemen, what are we not doingto inspire our sons and grandsons to dream of doing something great for Jesus? What is it we’re not doing that would cause them to want to give their life for Christ and the nations and put their life on the line for that which really matters? You say, ‘This is a new phenomenon.” No, unfortunately it is not; when Lottie Moon (Southern Baptists’ most famous missionary, a woman who labored in China in the late 19th century) was on the mission field and she would write back home, she would write some scathing letters.

Here is just one of them: “I am trying to do the work that could fill the hands of three or four women and in addition, I am doing the work that ought to be done by young men. I must add that the work is suffering and will continue to suffer for the want of a man living on the spot.”


- from Jeff Robinson at The Gender Blog

YES!

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A powerful portrait painted of Jesus' wrestling in the Garden of Gethsemane & the implications for us. You will not hear many things more powerful than this.

Some of the pictures don't go perfectly, but an Al Mohler covocation message with the Braveheart soundtrack - this you've got to see...or at least hear.

My dad has been keeping me up to date by links on some of the happenings in this years SBC 09 meeting. I think I cried a little when I read what Southeastern Seminary President Danny Akin said:

Great missionaries must be theologians, and truly great theologians will be missionaries.

Now, can we get some of these great theologians to the field? Yesterday? Pronto? Vamos? Put down your commentary...that's it. Shut your laptop - good boy! Ah, ah, ah, stop debating with your buddy on tertiary issues - hey! hey! - put down that latte!! And your iPod fully loaded with Piper...actually, go ahead & bring that & grab the commentary too. That's it . . . come on to the mission field! Give a decade!



HT: Michael Mckinley