Recommended Reading

Access PDF version of this review here.

David Wells has written a challenging critique and historical overview of conversion.  Turning to God addresses the method of modern day outreach crusades and evangelism.  The publication is recommended as it teaches and reminds its readers that conversion is a supernatural work of God.

Conversion is supernatural because “without God’s saving action in Christ, it would not be possible.”  The Holy Spirit accomplishes a “convincing work” so that conversion is “desirable.”  And then He must supernaturally re-create and regenerate.  God’s inspired Word provides “sinners the framework of truth to think.”  Wells fittingly argues that without a supernatural work, men and women would not “desire to turn from sin” and “believe in Christ.”

The author categorizes unconverted people into two groups.  There are those who will experience “insider conversion” and “outsider conversion.”  “Insiders” are those who “accept the basic biblical truths but who [currently] lack a personal relationship with Christ.”  Outsiders are those who are converted but currently “have little or no prior knowledge of Christianity.”

Conversion, the author defines after several pages of word study, is “turning to God.”  Conversion consists of two elements, turning from an old way of life and to a new and opposite allegiance.”  Biblical conversion “always means turning to Christ from unfaithfulness and sin to receive God’s grace.”  The author correctly asserts that true conversion is not the ability to state when a person entered through the door to eternal life (repeating a prayer confessing Jesus as Savior).  It is, however, evidenced by a “God–centered life, a God-fearing heart, and God-honoring character.”   Wells continues, “The only real proof of our conversion is an obedient and fruitful life.”  In conversion, a person moves from biblical “theory to practice.”

The author recognizes that often a clear and careful biblical presentation of the gospel is lacking.  The result is people do not receive enough information before being asked to submit to Christ as Lord and Savior.  Wells comments that evangelistic crusades and churches are guilty of calling for decisions too early.  He writes, “We need to know enough to make us certain, through the Spirit’s convincing and convicting action, that we need a new life that is right with God, and that the only way to have such a life is to trust absolutely in the mercy and direction of Jesus Christ as living and personal Savior and Lord.”  He goes on to say, “We need as much knowledge as will bring us to an awareness of ourselves as sinner, sufficient knowledge to understand how Christ will ‘solve’ the problem we are sensing, enough knowledge to see how the world will look from within Christ, and enough knowledge to know what is asked of us as we believe it.”  “Decisions undertaken in the absence of a sufficient knowledge of God, his truth, and his Christ, are decisions that will likely be malformed and so will probably lack direction and staying power.”

Chapter four is dedicated to a historical overview of the church’s view of conversion looking at Augustine, medieval theology, Calvin and Luther, the Puritans, Wesley, Whitefield, Billy Sunday, Charles Finney, and D. L. Moody.  The overview demonstrates how evangelism and outreach have moved from a call to faith and repentance to simply making a decision for Jesus to avoid judgment as “truth is replaced by experience” and “each evangelist aims to reap decisions, rather than to bring humbled, penitent sinners to the only source from who forgiveness can be had.”

The author introduces in the last chapters a comparison between the beliefs of Christians, Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, and Marxists.  Families and cultures will reject many of them who are converted to Christ.  Christians and churches evangelizing Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists and Marxists will likely need to care for those God converts.  Their conversion will come at great cost to them personally and the church is to share that burden and cost with them.

The author concludes that conversion is a divine work that a sinner contributes nothing to but sin “from which he or she needs to be redeemed.”  “When conversion leads to a love of God and his glory and a commitment to serve and honor him in all that we do, then the conversion is genuine.”

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See our online calendar for information regarding this and other events. See this event in our calendar for contact information, the address and to access an interactive location map.

You’re invited to come and join us for Bible Study, food and fellowship.

The pool will be open!

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May God richly bless you and yours.

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The Georgia Trail at Sugarloaf “Regulation Executive Golf Course” features one par 5, three par 4′s and five par 3′s. It’s NOT a chip and putt. From the back tees, yardage ranges from 191 to 471 yards. Four additional sets of tees measuring from 49 to 435 yards ensure golfers of every level of play will enjoy their round.

Their beautiful 2.5-acre lake and numerous streams and ponds provide challenges for golfers of all abilities. It’s an ideal course to share the game with friends and family, young and old.

Practice Facilities
The Georgia Trail’s state-of-the-art practice facility has everything you need to improve your game.

1. A 25-station driving range with real grass
2. Short game area with practice bunker
3. An 8,000 square-foot practice putting green
4. Synthetic tee-lined turf for use during wet conditions

The driving range – practice on real grass. On wetter days, they provide an artificial grassed tee line to prevent mud and water splash. They rotate the hitting area every day to allow the practice area to heal properly and provide you with the best condition possible each time you come to their facility.

The post GCBC Golf Outing — Apr 13, 2013 appeared first on Grace Community Bible Church.

Recommended Reading

Access PDF version of this review here.

Keeping the Heart (the proposition and sub-title of the book is “How to maintain your love for God”) by John Flavel is recommended to encourage us in our faith, to inspire us to work on our heart, and to better equip us to minister to the heart of others. While the subject matter is weighty, the manner of writing is clear and practical.

Flavel describes the heart as the “seat of principles, and the foundation of actions.”  He recognizes that, “The hand and tongue always begin where the heart ends.”  The great battle in conversion is to win the heart to God.  After conversion the battle “is to keep the heart with God.”

To keep the heart necessitates regeneration.  The believer must make it his aim to “maintain that spiritual frame which fits it [the heart] for a life of communion with God.”  Flavel provides six practices that assist us to maintain a holy frame.  The author later offers six reasons why Christians should make the work of their heart their great business.  One primary reason is for the glory of God.  He reminds us that a heart set apart for God also comforts the soul.

The Christian must be particularly diligent to guard his heart during times of prosperity when providence smiles upon him.  Likewise, he must be careful in seasons of adversity when providence seems to frown upon him knowing that the Savior is sovereign.  The holy heart is trained to be content and maintains a realistic perspective with regards to one’s present and temporal situation when compared to those suffering in hell with no hope and rest.

An occasion to exert special work on the heart is in seasons of trial.  The author exhorts us to be careful and not allow the “light troubles make you forget the weighty mercies” of God.  He observes that the Christian’s heart can move toward “pride, impatience, or other sinful passions” while under trial.  Flavel counsels that during adversity, believers should seek to put on “humble and abasing thoughts of yourself.”  The humble man is patient but a prideful one thinks his trials and troubles are too severe.

The writer counsels believers to cultivate a habit of communion with God to prepare for whatever may take place in the future.  Communion with God leads the heart to sweeten the temper and calm the mind.  He offers practical advice to avoid those things that heighten the heart’s irritation and to void what leads a heart toward jealousy, anger, hate, or lust.  As Paul asserts, we are to meditate on what is good, lovely, and holy (Phil 4:8).

Flavel observes that too often people spend time listening to preaching and teaching, praying, reading the Word, and conferring with others but never do “heart-work.”  Even those in ministry are not immune to caring for things instead of the heart, so Paul exhorts us to pay close attention to our life (1 Tim 4:16).  Church members, deacons, leaders, pastors, and seminary professors may be correct in theology but be dry, stiff, and puffed up with knowledge.  They can fall short of being a doer of the Word and loving God and others because they fill their intellect but not their hearts and affections with the theology they learn.

Flavel’s writing remains relevant for us in the 21st century, “Worldly cares and encumbrances have greatly increased the neglect of our hearts.”  We observe this today with adults busying themselves as workaholics, painting a façade they have it together in their gated communities, engaging in a little church work and Bible study to keep up appearances, driving their kids to every sporting event in the state, while taking little to no time to work on the heart.  In order to take care of our heart, we may need to amputate an overbalance of activities and cares that encumber us.

Men and women forsake the faith for fables because they do not study, observe, and protect their heart from “dangerous and infecting errors of the times.”  Guarded hearts promote unity and fellowship in the body of Christ but pride, passion, and earthliness of heart “has spoiled Christian fellowship.”

Knowledge is not enough.  By God’s grace we must lock God’s Word in our heart (Prov 3:1-3) and take heed to guard it with all diligence (Prov 4:23).  From the heart every foul sin and activity proceeds (Matt 15:19).  Keeping the Heart encourages us and offers us sound practices to guard our heart and our love for God.

The post Review – Keeping the Heart – Recommended appeared first on Grace Community Bible Church.

The Roles & Responsibilities of Wives

The Roles & Responsibilities of Husbands

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Recommended Reading

Access PDF version of this review here.

Steve Lawson is a pastor in Alabama.  He is the author of numerous books including Famine in the Land, Foundations of Grace, and Pillars of Grace along with other biographical profiles.

Lawson’s account of Luther’s life is gripping and challenging for pastors and all Christians.  Church leaders in America today easily crumble or compromise in the slightest hostile environment.  I know very well the weakness in my own knees to stand faithful when God’s Word is not popular.  God’s grace and examples like Luther strengthen Christians to be valiant in their devotion to Christ and pastors to be emboldened behind the pulpit.

Luther is credited as “the father of the Protestant Reformation” (2).   The cornerstone of his “ministry was his bold biblical preaching” (3).  Lawson quotes Luther saying, “Christ Himself wrote nothing, nor did He give command to write, but to preach orally” (3).

After a brief account of Luther’s early years and conversion, Lawson quickly jumps into Luther’s attack on the Roman Catholic Church and the counter attacks against him.  Luther’s biblical preaching and teaching opened the eyes and hearts of his countrymen to the errors of the Roman Catholic Church.  The primary error Luther addressed was that faith plus works leads to justification.  Neither the works of the Law nor a church’s statutes justify a person in God’s sight (Rom 3:20, 28).  Faith alone justifies a sinner (Hab 2:4; Rom 1:17; 4:5; Gal 3:11; Heb 10:38) as an act of God’s grace (Rom 3:24; Eph 2:8-9; Tit 3:7).  God, not man or religious institution, is “the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus” (Rom 3:26, Italics added).

The father of the reformation gave his clarion call of sola Scriptura (Scripture alone) and toto Scriptura (all Scripture).  Luther translated the Bible into the tongue of the common people.  He cried forth, “A simple layman armed with Scripture is to be believed above pope or council” and that “for the sake of Scripture we should reject pope and council” (14-15).  Luther was not merely putting on a bold face when it was safe, but refused to recant even when brought before leading Roman Catholic theologians and under threat of death and anathema from the Pope.  Lawson comments that the reformation preacher “was firmly anchored to the impregnable rock of Scripture.  The strength of his courage lay in the fact that Luther was unbending in his allegiance to the Bible” (25).

Luther was convinced that the Scriptures are to find a home in the pulpit asserting that, “The pulpit . . . is the throne for the Word of God”(26).  The author lists “five core commitments” Luther held regarding the Scriptures:  (a) the Bible is divinely inspired (28-31); (b) the Bible is “pure and infallibly true” (31) being divinely inspired (31-33);  (c) the Bible alone is the supreme authority and is not dependent on the Roman Catholic Church, pope, or councils (33-36);  (d) the Bible has clarity (36-37);  (e) “the Bible is entirely sufficient in what it teaches” (38) and lacks nothing God wants His people to know for life and godliness (38-40).

Luther entered the pulpit after long hours of study and “examination of the Scriptures” (44).  He studied with humble submission to the Scriptures (45-48), deep intake of the Scriptures (48-50), applying the literal interpretation of the Scriptures (51-54), careful exegesis from the original languages (54-57), and with the Holy Spirit’s illumination (57-58).

Lawson asserts that Luther recognized that the primary duty of “a preacher of the gospel was to magnify the glory of God as supremely revealed in His Son, Jesus Christ” (71).  In Luther’s last sermon, just before he died he preached, “The hearers must say: ‘We do not believe our pastor; [unless] he tells us of another Master, One named Christ.  To Christ he directs us; what Christ’s lips say we shall heed.  And we shall heed our pastor insofar as he directs us to this true Master and Teacher, the Son of God’” (74).

Luther models the example for every preacher and believer to “never equivocate or apologize for that which God had plainly spoken” (105).  Luther stood on the principle that, “To God’s enemies I must also be an enemy, lest I join forces with them against God” (109).   Lawson accentuates that Luther had heroic boldness and “was ready to preach the truth because he was ready to die for it” (111).

Reading Lawson’s treatment of Luther encourages pastors and Christians to hold to a high view of the Scriptures, a high view of God, and a high view of the pulpit even in the face of hostility and hatred (120).  The Heroic Boldness of Martin Luther is highly recommended.

The post Review – The Heroic Boldness of Martin Luther – Recommended appeared first on Grace Community Bible Church.

Recommended Reading

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Al Mohler is the president of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, author, blogger, and conference speaker.  He addresses his readers with the supposition that they hold to a high view of God and to the Scriptures.  The Conviction to Lead is not a verse-by-verse Bible Study on leadership but 25 principles leaders should apply in the 21st century.  He underscores the importance that for a leader to lead with conviction, he must maintain godly character, secure credibility, and exemplify moral virtues as he employs the media and the digital world.

Conviction is the driving force for an effective leader, “Convictions are not merely beliefs we hold; they are those beliefs that hold us in their grip” (21).  And for Christians, leadership must flow from “distinctively Christian conviction” (19).  A Christian leader with biblical convictions will develop “mental habits that are consistent with biblical truth” (34).  Leading by conviction and “emotional intelligence” (being able to connect with others, 31) are key facets for effective leaders.

Convictional leaders are prominent participants in a narrative story because every organization that has a leader has a story (39).  Christian leaders are part of a biblical “metanarrative” involving the glory of God and the salvation of sinners (40-41).  They are exhorted to find their “identity and meaning in this story and in no other story” (41).  Every Christian leader, whether in a secular or Christian environment, is accountable to the biblical story of grace and redemption (42).  And a biblical vision with passion draws passionate followers and builds a passionate movement (51-57).

To lead with conviction, a leader faces the facts of reality and does not deny when danger is rising on the horizon (61).  He lives in the truth, demands to be told the truth, and is a truth teller (62).

Mohler underscores that a leader must possess godly character, competence, and the “know how” in a given situation (83-89).  He earns credibility through godly character, educational preparedness/credentials, and experience (85-86).

Leaders with conviction are constant learners who are always reading worthwhile material critically and with understanding.  Mohler offers suggestions for how leaders are to read, what to read, and when to read (101-06).

Power and responsibility in leadership is kept in check by accountability (trustees, stock holders, elders, congregation) (112).  Being a God glorifying steward of power will be the moral challenge of every leader (113).   The author reminds the reader that leadership is a stewardship that is to honor God and can be taken away by God.  No leader but God is sovereign (133-35).

Leaders manage people by conviction (121) and speak with ethos (character), pathos (emotion), and logos (logic) (127).  The author supplies eight guidelines that he found to make speaking easier and productive (128-30).

A leader’s term will expire (if for no other reason than on account of death!) (207).  But a leader cannot be a quitter.  A pastor cannot be a quitter.  Neither the prophets nor Jesus nor the apostles were quitters.  Mohler calls “leadership an endurance test that will demand the best of anyone” (194).

The author recognizes that God is the author of truth (45, 63).  It is important, however, that readers understand that not all things that are called truth today are truth, but may only be the faulty conclusion of an observation.  The results of research today deemed as true may be found false later when further information is discovered.  For instance, some believed it was true that the sun rotated around the earth and that the earth was flat.  The only certainty we have is that everything the Bible says is true (John 17:17).

Having read this publication twice within two months, I highly recommend it.  Astute leaders will buy, READ, and apply the principles taught in The Conviction to Lead.  Afterward they will place it on their bookshelves for easy access next to their copy of Spiritual Leadership by J. Oswald Sanders.

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Not Recommended Reading

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John Eldredge is an integration author with ties to Focus on the Family.  The premise of his publication, according to the book cover, is that God’s goodness frees us from everything that plagues us.  The book promotes self-centeredness—be holy for the relief it gives you, Utter Relief, rather than to glorify God and worship Him.  Holiness is about relief, not God.

The writer believes not everything is about Jesus and Jesus did not expect everything to be about Him (32).  The Bible, nevertheless, teaches everything is about Jesus and the Scriptures are about Him (John 1:3; 5:39, 46).  He is the Lord God holding all things together with everything being for Him and from Him (Col 1:16).

The goal of holiness, according to Eldredge, is to avoid those things that harm our body (anorexia, anger, rage, and alcoholism) (18-19).  The goal of holiness is not conformity to Christ but rather relief from things that become a burden.  People need relief and the point of Christianity is not discipline but the “restoration of your creation” and healing (14).

Eldredge comments that it is “heartbreaking” that people associate terms like boring, denial (self-denial), discipline, unattainable, striving, the goal, separation (from the world and worldly things) and hard with the word holiness (9).  It must be understood, however, that those who love sin will find holiness boring.  Holiness calls for self-denial.  Pursing holiness is a command and goal (1 Pet 1:15-16).  Holiness is hard and requires discipline (1 Tim 4:7).  Eldredge falsely believes that a believer can reach a point where he does not even need to discipline himself not to sin (43).  The apostle Paul, however, confessed that he had to continually discipline his body so not to sin and be disqualified from ministry (1 Cor 9:27).

Feeding the self-esteem flavor of the publication, Eldredge claims that when Paul calls himself a wretched man (Rom 7:24), he really means he is in a “horrible quandary” (94).  But the context of Paul’s writing is that he is a wretched man and that nothing good lives in him and his body of death (Rom 7:18, 24).  Thus the apostle is so grateful and thankful for Christ who will deliver him (the wretched man in need of grace) and free him from condemnation (Rom7:25-8:1).

Repentance has little to do with holiness for Eldredge and is motivated by self-centeredness.  Chapter 5 focuses on repentance, taking up approximately one-fourth a page with less than 70 words consisting of four questions.  Later in the book the author mentions repentance and the motivation is so that “you do not . . . lose your intimacy with God” (122) and not be vulnerable to the devil (123).  The author’s reasoning to repent is not completely wrong and those are truths believers seek.  But the primary reason to repent is because God commands it (Ezek 14:6; Matt 4:17).  The Bible exhorts and encourages sinners to repent, follow Christ, and perform radical amputation (cut out the eye, cut off the hand, cut off a relationship, find a new job, etc.) as a means to pursue holiness. For a helpful work on the teaching of repentance look to Thomas Watson The Doctrine of Repentance and Thomas Boston Repentance.

The writer supplies prayers to recite.  One prayer is for renouncing the sins of one’s father (or mother, grandparent, etc.) to break the bondage of a specific sin (138).  Some people, says the author, have spiritual strongholds and suffer from “spirits of sexual sin” (139) or “spirits of addiction”, “rage”, “homosexuality” (143, 45).  But neither Jesus nor the apostle attribute sin (sexual or otherwise) to spirits or demons, but to a sinful heart (Matt 15:19).  People sin because they want to.  Eldredge places the blame of one’s sins to his or her environment or a “spirit”.

Eldredge suggests asking the Holy Spirit to guide the sinner (144) without exhorting his readers to study the Book written by the Holy Spirit (Ps 119:11, 18, 33-34).  He boldly proclaims that praying his prayer “will erode your enemy’s claims to keep you in bondage” (144).  He counsels hurting sinners to “invite Jesus” into their wounds (146-47) because we need to give Jesus “permission to these wounded places” (148).

Everyone would like to have relief from hardship.  But relief cannot become one’s god/idol and believe that the pursuit of it is equivalent to holiness. For the prophets, apostles, and others, righteousness is better than relief (Matt 5:10-12). The book contains errors in Demonology, Hamartiology, Soteriology, and Christology.  Instead turn to The Hole in our Holiness by Kevin DeYoung or Heaven Taken by Storm by Thomas Watson for biblical instruction on holiness.

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Stuart is a professor at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and oversees the biblical counseling program. He is a NANC Fellow and board member as well as an author of several books. You are cordially invited to join us and we hope you will!

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This year’s first Fellowship Meeting date and location to be announced shortly.

Fellowship meetings are normally held on Wednesday nights in someone’s home.

The post February Fellowship Meeting date TBD appeared first on Grace Community Bible Church.