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May/June Update

family fun

Check out the post here.

False Comforts When Death Is Near

"I was violently seized with a disorder very rife here, and which carried off many, supposed to be an inflammation of the bowels. One Sabbath evening I felt such alarming symptoms that I did not expect to see Monday morning. In these circumstances I realized the feelings of a dying man. My mind had been so accustomed to reflect on virtue and moral goodness, that the first thing I attempted was a survey of my own conduct; my diligence and faithfulness in the ministry, my unspotted life, &c. &c. But, ah, vain props these for dying men to rest on! Such heart sins, such corruptions, and evil propensities, recurred to my ind, that if ever I knew the moment when I felt my own righteousness to be as loathsome and filthy rages, it was then. And where should I, where could I, where did I flee, but to Him whose glory and grace I had been of late degrading, at least in my thoughts? Yes, there I saw peace for guilty consciences was to be alone obtained through an almighty Savior. And oh, wonderful to tell, I again came to him; nor was I sent away without blessing. I found him full of all compassion, ready to receive the most ungrateful men."

From a portion of a letter written by Samuel Pearce. Taken from A Heart for Missions: Memoir of Samuel Pearce, 20-21.

Radical by David Platt

I won this book on Library Thing in exchange for a review. Although I'm required to review the book, I am free to express my opinions. I received no reimbursement.

Radical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream

By David Platt

Multnomah Books; 230 pages

Reviewed by A. Michael Cole

The book’s title, Radical, encapsulates the author’s message. Platt attempts to call his readers away from a self-indulgent, self-focused lifestyle. The book conveys Platt’s teaching to his mega-church and his mega-church’s response to his call for radical living. Platt writes popularly, inserting plenty of interesting stories and anecdotes to illustrate his points. Although the book is 230 pages (including end notes), most readers will find it a quick read—if they don’t pause to think. Those who take Platt seriously will find themselves reverting to self-examination and prayer.

Platt begins the book with the accusation that American Christianity as a whole has a created a safe, tamed Jesus who encourages its narcissism (13). He does not promise any easy answers, but he does invite the reader to join him and his church in seeking a true understanding of the cost of discipleship. According to Platt, this understanding requires that one “commit to believe whatever Jesus says” and 2) “commit to obey whatever Jesus says” (20).

Chapter 2 challenges the modern trend away from a commitment to the Bible. Based on visits with foreign Christians who risked everything to spend hour studying the Bible, Platt began something his church calls “Secret Church”: six hours on a Friday night for Bible study and prayer. Nothing else. Contrary to expectations, the buildings are filled to capacity for these meetings (27-28). His point is that Christians need to hunger for God and that God rewards such hunger with knowledge of himself.

Platt rehearses the call for a gospel centeredness that relies on God’s power for living and for evangelism. He seems especially intent on calling Christians to live with worldwide evangelism in focus. That does not mean that everyone must go, but that everyone must live with redemption in focus. He decries the division of missionary work into called and not called categories (72-73) and argues that everyone is called to influence the world for Christ.

He focuses his attention on the fact that discipleship of a few is the way for most Christians to carry out the missionary task (88-89). This requires a radical change from an inward focus to an outward focus that invests time and money into people (99-101). Platt distinguishes between people who arrive at church meetings to receive and those who attend in order to reproduce (99). The majority are receivers—they take no notes and have no intention of passing on what the learn. The others, reproducers, take notes and pay careful attention so they can pass on what they learn. This was a very convicting section.

Also, he challenges the purpose of church gatherings. Is it for the purpose of disinfecting or discipling? His point is that if we simply rejoice in how many come to be purified then we are missing the point of church gatherings. We should take more joy in how many are coming to be taught how to go out (103-104).

Finally, he challenges people to consider how much is enough when it comes to possessions. He encourages American Christians to ask God to reveal their blind spots when it comes to materialism. Specifically, he calls for believers to live below their means for the sake of the gospel. Also, he calls for believers to simplify their lives so they have time for others (chapter 6).

Platt’s book is helpful. His call for radical living is not new, but the unnatural nature of the message requires that it be given again and again. He avoids the trap of social gospel because he continually submits his call to God’s redemptive purposes for mankind. He also avoids the pitfall of an easy answer that aims at externals. He realizes that situations differ, so he focuses on the internal. I recommend this book as a helpful read, but also because it gives a year’s challenge for how to live radically. You can hear his pastoral care come out in his call for his church people (and readers) to do the following: 1) pray for the entire world, 2) read through the entire Word, 3) sacrifice (not give the excess) your money for a specific purpose, 4) spend your time in another context, and 5) commit your life to a multiplying community.

God's Sovereignty and Goodness in our Lives

"How pleasing, my dear friend, to a pious mind, is the reflection that all our goings are in his hands whose love inclines him to every thing that is kind-whose purity connects with his conduct every thing that is good-whose wisdom infallibly adopts the best means, and whose power cannot fail to accomplish all his will. With his blessing, our felicity cannot fail of being accomplished-without it, it can never be attained."

A portion of a letter from Samuel Pearce to his wife found on page 10 of A Heart for Missions: Memoir of Samuel Pearce. He wrote these words to her after they had been married one year or so in a letter explaining that he would not be returning home on the appointed date due to opportunities for ministry. They had already been apart for several weeks without the blessings of email, texting, skype, etc.

Samuel Pearce on Christ as High Priest

"I rejoice in that he who pleads for us knows our wants individually, as well as the necessities of the whole church collectively. Through his intercession alone I expect my sins to be pardoned, my services accepted, and my soul preserved, guided, and comforted; and, with confidence in his intercession, I cannot doubt but I shall enjoy all. Oh how sweet is it, my dear friend, to exercise a lively faith in a living Savior!"

This is a portion of a letter sent in 1790 to a friend. Found on page 8 of A Heart for Missions: Memoir of Samuel Pearce published by Solid Ground Christian Books in 2006.

Sharing and Backup Option

I just signed up for a drop box account. This is an easy way to backup important documents and photos on the internet, to sync different computers, and to share files. It took less than 5 minutes to set up on my computer. Best of all, you can start a free account that gives you 2GB of space. If you sign up using my referral, you and I both get an extra 250MB. So, if you're interested click here to get started.

Thanks.

Evangelistic Hospitality

I read this passage earlier and was duly convicted:

"We go down in humility as we open our lives in hospitality. But why do so few Christians today open their hearts and homes to the non-Christian community? The reason is that they are fearful of being hurt by involvement with others. They do not want the trouble and the risk, the exhaustion that hospitality brings, the struggles with sloth that it requires, and all the rest of the suffering that it entails."

C. John Miller, Outgrowing the Ingrown Church, 87.

Resurrection Sunday

Liz and I enjoyed staying close to home this Resurrection Sunday. It was a blessing to fellowship with the people of our sending church. Michael also had the blessing of teaching a short lesson in the SS hour on how the resurrection is pivotal for our justification. His outline is below:

I. Promise

a. John 6:39 And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day.

b. John 6:44 No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day.

c. John 6:54 Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.

d. John 11:23 Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.”

e. John 11:24 Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.”

f. John 11:25-27 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, ²⁶ and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” ²⁷ She said to him, “Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world.”

i. How does Martha’s statement in 11:24 relate to Jesus’ teaching in John 6?

ii. Compare Jesus’ teaching in John 6 and 11? What new thing does Jesus say in chapter 11?

iii. According to 11:27, what must one believe to participate in the resurrection from the dead?

II. Prediction

a. Matt 16:21 From that time [Peter’s confession] Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. [Peter responds by telling him no way!]

i. What was Peter’s response to Jesus’ prediction?

ii. Why did Peter respond this way?

iii. What was Peter focused on? What did he miss?

b. Matt 17:9 And as they were coming down the mountain [from the transfiguration], Jesus commanded them, “Tell no one the vision, until the Son of Man is raised from the dead.”

c. Matt 17:22-23 As they were gathering in Galilee, Jesus said to them, “The Son of Man is about to be delivered into the hands of men, ²³ and they will kill him, and he will be raised on the third day.” And they were greatly distressed.

i. Why were the disciples greatly distressed?

ii. What does their distress reveal about what they heard?

d. Matt 20:19 See, we are going up to Jerusalem. And the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn him to death ¹⁹ and deliver him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified, and he will be raised on the third day.”

e. Matt 26:32 Then Jesus said to them, “You will all fall away because of me this night. For it is written, ‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’ 32 But after I am raised up, I will go before you to Galilee.”

III. Proof

a. Acts 17:30-31 The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, ³¹ because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.”

i. To whom was Paul speaking?

ii. What purpose did the resurrection serve according to verse 31?

b. Rom 1:1-4 Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, ² which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures, ³ concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh ⁴ and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord,

i. To whom is Paul speaking?

ii. What did the resurrection accomplish according to verse 4?

c. 1 Cor 15:3-8 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, ⁴ that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, ⁵ and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. ⁶ Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. ⁷ Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. ⁸ Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me.

i. How essential does Paul think the resurrection is?

ii. What proof does he offer for believing in Christ’s resurrection?

iii. What does Paul say is true if Christ did not rise from the grave?

IV. Conclusion

Romans 4:24-25 But the words “it was counted to him” were not written for his sake alone, ²⁴ but for ours also. It will be counted to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord, ²⁵ who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.

Watermelon Creek Baptist Church

We had a good time with Watermelon Creek Baptist Church at the end of March. It was a blessing to see how the Lord has sustained a church for 170 years so that it continues to have a vibrant testimony in its community. We appreciate those who spent time learning about France and the kindness the church showed us.

Another blessing we enjoyed that weekend was the opportunity to spend time with one of my cousins and his family. I found out two weeks before we went down that Josh and his family live only a few miles from the Watermelon Creek. They welcomed us into their home and were graciously hospitable. We enjoyed spending time with them and catching up with them since we don't often see them.

Here are a couple of photos of the kids. Viviane enjoyed time with her cousin.

Missionary Anecdote

I read this account in Outgrowing the Ingrown Church. I thought it highlighted some good missiological principles that are applicable to every church and every Christian.

"Vednayakam Samuel Azariah became [the Anglican] bishop of Dornakal, the smallest diocese in the subcontinent. By the time he died at the end of World Warr II, the diocese had become the largest in all India.

What made the difference? Many things. Azariah stressed the importance of Bible knowledge being systematically imparted in all the churches. He focused on leadership training, regular evangelism, crusades after the harvests, and the use of native Indian cultural forms of worship and music. But he did something else that was supremely important. He insisted that every congregation and every church member get their [sic] identity straight. He stressed continually that each congregation was Christ's and distinct from the world . . . Often Azariah would dramatize the need for outgoing witness when he arrived in a congregation by asking every Christian in the church building to stand up and put his or her hands on their heads and say, "I am a baptized Christian. Woe is me if I preach not the gospel!"

7 Core Elements of Introversion

C. John Miller wrote Outgrowing the Ingrown Church in 1986. It is an excellent book that the Lord is using to help me in my sanctification. His basic premise is that many churches are ingrown (introverted/self-focused) because of a lack of faith in God's promises to empower for service.

He offers the following list as an aid to determining if an individual or church is spiritually introverted:

1. Tunnel Vision: the limitation of "potential ministries of the church to those that can be accomplished by the visible, human resources at hand. These possibilities are often further limited by recollections of past negative experiences and perceptions of present obstacles. At bottom, this is unbelief based on a secularized ignorance of the Spirit's power-His ability to supply us with God's goals for the church and the supernatural means to reach them" (29).

2. Elitism: This refers to the elevation and idolization of strengths in order to overshadow weaknesses, and it results in arrogant, self-satisfied, other-desparging attitudes (30)

3. Fear of Man: Although ingrown/introverted persons and ministries have a sense of superiority, they also are "likely to feel inferior and shrivel up and die at the first sign of opposition" (31).

4. Superficial Niceness: He describes this as a group commitment to avoid rocking the boat or disturbing the status quo. Miller offers the story of a mainline pastor who preached on regeneration. Midway through the sermon a woman was convicted and came forward. Shocked, he asked her what she wanted. She replied, "I need Christ so very much. Please tell me how to get this new birth." The minister ignored her, finished the sermon, took the offering, and dismissed the church. Miller finishes: "Afterward the congregation filed out without a single person, not even the pastor, coming to talk to her. What we had there was a churchly conspiracy to make God and Christ something other than what they are. Christ is not a nice, tame God who can be controlled, caged lest He intrude in unseemly ways on Sunday mornings or in other church affairs" (33).

5. Gossipy: Unwillingness to forgive as defined by the Bible

6. Confused Leadership Roles: "In the typical self-centered church there is a hidden determination to eradicate enthusiasm that disturbs the comfortable routine dictated by self-trust, self-exaltation, niceness as a defense mechanism, and the right of gossip" (35). Also, the pastor is expected to do all the work of the church.

7. Misdirected Purpose: "the controlling purpose in the ingrown church has to do with survival-not with growth through the conversion of the lost" (35-36).

Emotions Underlying Evangelistic Outreach

I was arrested recently by Paul's claim to have incredibly deep feelings for the Jews (Rom 9:1). Although I've read the passage before, the Spirit would not leave me alone about this passage. As a result of my meditation, I organized a lesson that I taught twice this past weekend. I left the last 10-15 minutes open for discussion that really helped me along in my thinking. The result of my meditation and the contributions of the classes I taught are below:

I. Paul's emotional response to lost Jews

A. Paul's claim is really pretty remarkable. He claims that he felt great sorrow or heaviness such as the sorrow one might feel when he learns that a close friend is moving far away (Jn 16.6), when a woman approaches labor (Jn 16.21), when a person is excluded from a community he desires to be included in (2 Cor 2:7), and when a person learns of the death of a loved one (Philippians 2:27). As I meditated on this claim, I realized how appropriate the KJV's "heaviness" is as a translation. Paul is saying that he has a great big cloud hanging over him. And that cloud is an emotional pain. Paul also claims that he is continually feeling agony emotionally. The same word is used in Luke 16 to describe the pain of the wealthy man who woke up in hell. So, to summarize, Paul has a continual sense of emotional pain and agony over the lost state of the Jews.

B. Paul recognizes that this claim is difficult to believe. That is why he starts off with a three-fold affirmation of the truthfulness of his claims. He says that he speaks the truth in Christ, he is not lying, and the Holy Spirit actually bears witness with his conscience. So I am left with no choice but to believe that Paul is describing his actual feeling.

C. Paul spells out what kind of attitude grows out of this deep feeling of sorrow and agony: self-sacrifice. And not just the desire to lose sleep and undergo discomfort for the sake of the lost. Paul actually has the attitude that he is willing to forego the bliss of eternity with God so that the Jews could enjoy that bliss.

II. Paul's lifestyle backs up his claims with a life of sacrifice.

To some extent, I am a product of the enlightenment. So I tend to be skeptical. I can just imagine that if I claimed to feel this type of deep sorrow and continual emotional pain for a people, some would say "prove it." So I looked in Acts to see if Paul's lifestyle matched his claims. This is what I found:

Passage	Activity	Result
Acts 9:20, 23	Proclaimed in the synagogues in Damascus	Plot to kill him; he escapes to Jerusalem
Acts 9:29	Preached, disputed with Greek speaking Jews in Jerusalem	Plot to kill him; he escapes to Tarsus
Acts 13:5	Preached in synagogue in Salamis
Acts 13:14, 45, 50	Spoke in synagogue in Antioch in Pisidia	Contradicted, reviled, persecuted, driven away
Acts 14:1, 2, 5	Spoke in synagogue in Iconium	Stirred up and poisoned Gentiles, attempt to mistreat and stone
Acts 14:19	In Lystra	Stoned Paul to pt of death
Acts 16:3	Circumcised Timothy for Jews’ sake
Acts 16:13	Preached on Sabbath in Philippi	Attacked and imprisoned
Acts 17:1-3, 5	Reasoned in synagogue in Thessalonica	Jealousy; mob, riot, attack
Acts 17:10, 13	Gave word in synagogue in Berea	Agitation and riot
Acts 17:17	Reasoned in synagogue in Athens
Acts 18:4, 6, 9-10, 12	Reasoned in synagogue in Corinth	Opposed, reviled, threatened, sued
Acts 18:19	Reasoned in synagogue in Ephesus
Acts 19:8-9	Reasoned in synagogue in Ephesus	Spoke evil of the way
Acts 20:3		Plot made by Jews in Greece
Acts 21:26, 30-32	Paul purifies self and pays for other’s vows for Jew’s sake	Seized, dragged, almost killed, beaten
Acts 23:1, 10	Spoke to council of Jewish leaders	Violence that threatened to tear Paul apart
Acts 28:17, 23	Calls together local leaders of Jews in Rome teaching morning till night	Some believed and some did not.

When I look at these passages, I see that I cannot gainsay what Paul claimed. I mean, how many times do you have to get beaten and driven away by the Jews before you think, "Perhaps this isn't the best method?" What made him go back again and again? It was his love for the Jews. It was this deep, emotional, sorrow and pain he felt for the Jews.

As I look at this passage and think it through, I see three concrete aspects of Paul's life that grow out of his feelings:

1. Prayer. His feelings provoked him to pray (Rom 10:1).

2. Proactive evangelism. The chart above shows that Paul pursued the Jews. When he arrived in a town, he sought out the synagogue. He did not have a GPS or the yellow pages. He had to find them. In Acts 16, we read that he found the Jews and God-fearers praying at the river on the Sabbath. How did he know they would be there? He found out where the Jews met, joined them, and spoke up about the gospel.

3. Persistence in the face of rejection. Paul never stopped going after the Jews. Even after we've read of time after time of Paul's being kicked out, reviled, beaten, and even stoned, we find that Paul's first act after arriving in Rome is to call the local Jewish leaders to him to reason with them from morning to evening for the gospel's sake. Real sorrow of heart grows into persistence.

III. Application

I am forced to confess that my life does not match up with Paul's. I am likewise forced to admit that my emotions do not either. Why not? The following reasons are the ones that I and others thought of:

1. Self-focus: all I care about is what is going on with me, my family, my church, etc.

2. Self-righteousness: I am actually irritated and frustrated by the ungodly because I think so highly of myself

3. Self-dependence: Paul's tenacity and persistence grew out of his dependence upon God. In my experience, it takes only a few rejections (pretty mild when compared to Paul's) to make me timid.

4. Isolation from the lost. This can be physical isolation that grows out of spending all of our discretionary time with other believers, all of our discretionary time as a family, etc.

5. Thoughtlessness. These deep emotions aren't the result of five minutes of meditation and prayer. They grow out of prolonged, regular meditation on truth.

On the Sinful Church

I've been reading The Jesus I Never Knew by Yancey at night before I fall asleep. I thought this section was helpful for how to think about the visible church that is so sinful.

"I could fill several pages with such colorful quotations [about the church's failings], all of which underscore the risk involved in entrusting God's own reputation to the likes of us. Unlike Jesus, we do not perfectly express the Word. We speak in garbled syntax, stuttering, mixing languages together, putting accent marks in wrong places. When the world looks for Christ it sees, like the cave-dwellers in Plato's allegory, only shadows created by the light, not the light itself.

"Why don't we look more like the church Jesus described? Why does the body of Christ so faintly resemble him? If Jesus could foresee such disasters as the Crusades, the Inquisition, the Christian slave trade, apartheid, why did he ascend in the first place?

"I cannot provide a confident answer to such questions, for I am part of the problem. Examined closely, my query takes on a distressingly personal cast: Why do I so poorly resemble him?" (234).

Gracious Rewards

This past weekend I taught SS on the topic "For the sake of his name." My outline was:

1. What is the meaning of "for the sake of his name"? (answer = advance Christ's interests)

2. How does missions advance the interests of Christ?

3. What might it cost to advance the interests of Christ?

4. What are the rewards for advancing the interests of Christ?

This last point is a contested point, but I think we glorify the Lord when we believe what he says. So I take these remarkable promises at face value:

1. Matthew 19:29: "And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or fathers or mother or children or lands, for my name's sake, will receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life" (ESV).

2. Luke 18:29-30: "And he said to them, 'Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or wife or brothers or parents or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, who will not receive many times more in this time, and in the age to come eternal life" (ESV).

The promise for multiplied returns in the present is what staggers me. Does emphasizing these promises produce mercenaries? I don't think it has to. I italicized two phrases in the verses above because I believe they provide the necessary guards against pushing a self-centered message of rewards. Jesus simply says that he will take care of the interests of those who seek his interests above their own. So, for people who pass up on the opportunity to own a home, live close to family and friends, seek a retirement etc., Jesus promises to make sure they have multiple homes to live in, family members wherever they are, etc.

In our own experience (not that we've given up much really), we've found that we have houses to live in in multiple states. All we have to do is call and people open their homes to us for the Lord's sake. By the Lord's grace we have people who are as dear as brothers, sisters, parents, and grandparents all over the Eastern US. (Just this past weekend Viviane referred to a man in the church we were visiting as her grandfather.) Because of the Lord they have welcomed us into their families. We would have missed this incredible joy if we ignored the Lord's leading in our life to forsake owning a house of our own and living near family and friends. Have we earned or merited this favor? No. Whatever little we have left for the Lord has not been left in perfect obedience. We've had our fair share of self-centered pity parties. My conclusion is that the Lord has show himself gracious to us. We are experiencing his promise of rewards as a grace.

Thank God for such a gracious, loving Lord.

March/April 2010 Update Letter

Down in Sumter

We thank the Lord for the time he gave us in Sumter, SC with Sumter Bible Church. We had a good visit with the church. The Lord gave Michael multiple opportunities to speak: SS, Sunday AM and PM services, and the junior/senior Bible class at Sumter Christian School.

We enjoyed making new friends. Viviane especially enjoyed Pastor Davis. They got along splendidly as you can see.

On Monday we decided to swing by Swan Lake in Sumter before we drove home. The Lord gave us a beautiful day and we were very impressed by the park. We are grateful for a Lord who can create and sustain such a variety of beautiful creatures and plants. We are more grateful that such a Lord condescends to be our Savior.

Weekend Tennessee

We spent a profitable few days in Tennessee at the end of February and beginning of March. We are grateful for the hospitality of our friends at Trinity Baptist Church in Franklin, TN. We enjoyed a morning service with them and then lunch with Pastor David Schindel, his family, and the Dale Baker family. We also enjoyed catching up with some one of Michael's former apartment mates, James Barnard, and his family.

That Sunday evening we drove north to present the mission to Charity Baptist Church in Joelton, TN. We had a good time with the church, making new friends and catching up with old ones. Sam and Dana Gage showed us Christian hospitality. We also enjoyed catching up with David and Jill King, friends from Charlotte, NC. Michael was also surprised to see Gary Wingert and his family as well. Gary and Michael were in the same society while at Bob Jones.

The Lord also gave Michael the opportunity to speak to the students of Jonathan Edwards Classical Academy on Wednesday morning and to the Awana group at Charity on Wednesday night. We enjoyed the time we spent with these believers and look forward to times in the future when we can fellowship again.

Gray's Last Hurrah

The gray minivan that saw Tim and Ruth through their deputation and that has seen us through several months of driving during our deputation has finally retired from pre-field mission work at 241,000 miles. Although gray seems to have some life left yet, we traded her out for a 2000 green Odysee that is being lent to us for deputation use free of charge. We are grateful for the Lord's provision of the gray van and its reliable service, but we are excited to begin traveling again in a newer, more modern vehicle.

Faith Baptist

We enjoyed the good fellowship of the people of Faith Baptist Church in Decatur, IL a couple of weekends ago. Pastor Jeremy Nason and believers there were very kind to us. The people reached out to us like few churches have, welcoming us and inviting us into their fellowship. Michael was able to present the work in SS and then preach in the evening service. Liz and Michael sang a duet in the morning service.As we begin traveling again from church to church, we are encouraged anew by the fact that God has saved sinners in Christ all over the US. That gives us hope that he can and will do the same thing in France.

Martin Luther by Stephen Nichols

Martin Luther: A Guided Tour of His Life and Thought

Stephen J. Nichols; Phillipsburg: P&R, 2002

Reviewed by A. Michael Cole

Stephen Nichols’ Martin Luther provides a manageable read (intended for mature readers) that goes beyond a simple introduction to the events of the reformer’s life. He seeks to remedy the lack of familiarity most modern Protestants have regarding Luther’s life and writings. So Nichols’ attempts to “put his [Luther’s] long-lost descendants in touch with their legacy, an invitation to spend some time at Luther’s table, to examine his life and hear his ideas” (14). He does so in a relatively short book (240 pages) of three parts. Part one offers a brief, interesting biography [chapters 1 and 2] that highlights the significant events of Luther’s life. In Part two, Nichols’ guides the reader through Luther’s theology that led to the Reformation. Chapter 3 surveys Luther’s theology, dealing with his teaching on sin, the cross, justification, faith, Scripture, and the laity. Chapter 4 introduces readers to three of Luther’s treatises that sparked the Reformation: Address to the Christian Nobility, The Babylonian Captivity of the Church, and The Freedom of the Christian. In chapter 5, Nichols summarizes Luther’s debate with Erasmus concerning the human will by walking the reader through The Bondage of the Will. Next, in chapter 6, Nichols’ covers Luther’s teaching on the Lord’s Table. In the final chapter of part 2 (7), the reader discovers the center of Luther’s teaching on Christian ethics. The final part of Nichols’ book covers Luther the pastor, surveying his work among children (8) and pupils (9), his work in hymnody (10), his work in church polity and practice (11), and his work in preaching (12).

Unlike some biographical or historical books I’ve read, this work is enjoyable to read. Nichols writes on a popular level, but does not resort to shallow treatment when tackling deep topics. He has organized the chapters well, helping the reader stay with the topic under discussion. He keeps the primary topics in view and does not deviate from them. His sentence structure and vocabulary keep the work moving.

Several features of Nichols’ work succeed in providing readers with beneficial information and analysis. First, each chapter ends with several suggestions for further reading. He also provides a list of books written by and about Luther at the end of the book. Second, special insets and feature boxes also provide helpful information in summary form. For example, he summarizes the important events of Luther’s break with Rome in 1520 and lists Luther’s major works on the Lord’s Supper along with key events in the development of his thought. Third, each chapter introduces readers to the ideas embodied in Luther’s works, moving readers into a knowledge of Luther that goes deeper than a rudimentary grasp of his life. This feature is why the book should be read. Nichols ably takes the reader to the root ideas that drove Luther’s theology; ideas like justification by faith alone, radical depravity, love as the center of Christian ethics, and the importance of training the next generation to name a few. This book is not a rehash of what everyone knows about Luther; it takes the reader by the hand and introduces him to key themes in Luther’s teaching. Finally, Nichols moves beyond description to application throughout the book. He is not afraid to point readers to the relevance of Luther’s thinking for modern Christianity. Usually he is pointing out deficiencies in contemporary thought or practice.

Nichols accomplishes his purpose with this book. He took someone who knew the basic aspects of Luther’s life and teaching to a deeper understanding of the reformer’s theology. Martin Luther’s has wet my appetite for learning more from this godly man. I recommend it as a helpful place to begin a journey of understanding the man and theology that sparked the Protestant Reformation.