the cost of conversion - thoughts from Rosaria Butterfield

Last year (2012), I read Rosaria Butterfield's amazing autobiography, The Secret Thoughts of An Unlikely Convert. I should note that I strongly disagree with some of her theological convictions (on baptism, corporate worship, etc.) and some of her personal opinions. But overall I think the book is profoundly insightful and challenging in ways that overshadow the things I disagree with.

Here are some of her reflections on the nature and experience of conversion:

"Conversion put me in a complicated and comprehensive chaos. I sometimes wonder, when I hear other Christians pray for the salvation of the 'lost,' if they realize that this comprehensive chaos is the desired end of such prayers."

"Making a life commitment to Christ was not merely a philosophical shift. It was not a one-step process. It did not involve rearranging the surface prejudices and fickle loyalties of my life. Conversion didn’t 'fit' my life. Conversion overhauled my soul and personality."

pastors should always be writing

Pastor Peter Schemm published a recent article in the Themelios Journal that encourages pastors to practice writing as a private spiritual discipline. He lays out six benefits of consistent writing (specifically for pastors but they apply to Christians in general):

1. Writing helps to deepen the mind.
2. Writing helps to clarify and refine your thinking.
3. Writing helps us to find a suitable pace of life.
4. Writing well requires quiet and solitude, both necessary in developing a healthy soul.
5. Writing (i.e. copying) Scripture helps us to meditate on Scripture.
6. Writing our prayers helps to make our prayer lives more meaningful.

I love writing as a way of communing with God. Unfortunately, it requires a discipline and quietness that I struggle to maintain.

Helpful description of how Old Testament history relates to Christ

"In order for Christ the King to come through the chosen nation, the kingdom had to be formed. Under Joshua the Israelites took possession of the land for the kingdom (Joshua). Because of incomplete obedience, this was followed by the oppression of the nation (Judges). But devotion within the nation (Ruth) brought about a long-needed stabilization (1 Samuel) under Saul's kingship. This was followed by the expansion of the nation under King David (2 Samuel). After a brief period of Israel's glorification under Solomon (1 Kings 1-10), we witness the division of the nation into two kingdoms (1 Kings 11-22). Eventually this led to the deterioration of the northern kingdom of Israel (2 Kings 1-17) and the deportation of the southern kingdom of Judah (2 Kings 18-25). Chronicles reviews the prophetic history of Samuel and Kings from a priestly point of view, showing the deprivation (1 Chronicles) and ultimate destruction of the Temple (2 Chronicles). All is not lost, however, for God's providential hand is witnessed in the protection of His people in Babylon (Esther), the restoration of their Temple (Ezra), and the reconstruction of their nation (Nehemiah). Thus the checkered history of the Old Testament ends with the returned remnant awaiting the coming Redeemer." (Norm Geisler in A Popular Survey of the Old Testament, p.21-22)

God accomplishes things through our prayers

2 Corinthians 1:8-11 is an amazing passage that shows the power of prayer. The New American Standard Bible captures the flow accurately because the end of verse 10 is the beginning of one sentence that goes through the end of verse 11.

Crazy that Paul trusts God to deliver him and his ministry partners from persecution (v10) but says that the church participates in that by helping with their prayers (v11)!!!

Sometimes I really do underestimate the effectiveness of prayer. But the Bible is so clear that prayer is a means through which God accomplishes his purposes.

May we be people who wholeheartedly and maybe even illogically believe in the God to whom we pray!

Here is a great sermon answering the question "Why pray if God knows everything and has planned everything?" One of the most clear and concise messages I've heard on the subject.

The gospel is not merely the gate through which we walk and leave behind; it is also the ground."

That statement may seem a bit abstract but the more you walk with the Lord, the more you see that the promises of the gospel undergird and motivate all of the Christian life.

Here's a book that has been extremely helpful to me in centering my life on my gospel:

A free pdf version of Piper's 'When I Don't Desire God'

CLICK HERE to read or download the book.

helpful commentary on psalms

I picked up this book for one my Old Testament classes. It can be a bit technical at points, but it's pretty understandable for the serious Bible student and has been very helpful to me in understanding the Psalms.

Interpreting the Psalms: An Exegetical Handbook by Mark D. Futato

why are you in ministry?

this is an amazing sermon from Matt Chandler. I watch it every once in a while as a way of living out Psalm 139:23-24:

great bible commentaries

Here's a great online resource that lists the best commentaries for each book of the Bible:

www.bestcommentaries.com

You can filter the list according to three types of commentaries:

• Technical (T) - more academic; harder to understand if you don't have a working knowledge of Greek or Hebrew
• Pastoral (P) - helpful for preparing to preach a sermon or teach a Bible study; a little easier to understand the the technical commentaries
• Devotional (D) - for individuals simply looking to glean spiritual depth and insight
  

online study tools

Here are the standard sites that I typically use when I'm preparing for a sermon:

www.biblegateway.com - great bible search site

www.blueletterbible.com - basically all the Bible study tools you need

www.biblestudytools.com - i particularly love the NAS with Strong's Numbers but you can also click "include study tools" and it'll pull up commentary on each verse

http://www.antioch.com.sg/bible/vines/ - online Vine's Expository Dictionary of NT Words

www.dictionary.com - self-explanatory plus their thesaurus site

what are your favorite online resources?

learning greek

i LOVE this website: http://www.ntgreek.org/.