Why O God? Suffering & Disability in the Bible and Church

Here is another great book put out by Crossway.  The editor is Larry J. Waters.  Below is my review;

This new book from Crossway is one that every Pastor of Pastoral Care or every Pastor of Disabled Ministries is going to need to purchase and keep on hand. The essays are amazing. They are not so much academic in nature as they are personal and practical in nature. 

Each of those contributing to the book have either dealt with their own disability (Joni Erickson Tada) or are the care giver for someone who is disabled (Gregory Hatteberg for his wife Lisa). Their experiences give them a platform from which to write with passion, grace, understanding and insight. Each of the authors also comes from a very deep Biblical Commitment to the truth of God's word and the truth of God's love for His creation, man. 

I think one of the major things that struck me was the love each of these people has for their spouses. Often times you find the author referring back to the marriage vows that were taken when they first married. Those vows of in sickness and in health, for richer for poorer, for better or worse. . . . these vows really come home to people who have a spouse who is dealing with a disability. They see how those vows are important. They are a commitment that they made before God and need to be fulfilled. When God made vows with man he made a commitment to always fulfill those vows, His Covenants were promises that were and are always fulfilled. 

The statistics that get pointed out often are that many spouses abandoned or divorce their disabled spouse because it is too difficult to deal with. This is not what they signed up for. But low and behold the authors remind us that no, really, this is what they signed up for. This is how they will show the world the Love of Christ, how they respond to this crisis and to their loved one. 

Further the book gives many practical suggestions to us the church about how we should minister to the disabled. How we should treat the handicapped. How we need to be careful that we don't treat these people as though they are broken or sinful or (can I really say this) dumb. Yeah, several times it is pointed out that we at times treat the handicapped as though they don't have any IQ or cognitive abilities. That is not always the case. So there are good practical notes for us to take as we develop our ministries and reach out to our communities. 

One last major section that I appreciated was the discussion often to us about the Biblical aspect of Suffering. How do we respond to people who are in pain? How do we respond to people who are disabled? How do we answer their honest questions of, WHY ME? 

How do you help people to move past the bitterness and anger at God and help them to honestly see the blessings and gifts that God has given to them. I really think the best chapter for me was Chapter Five. Gregory Hatteberg tells of the terrible development in his marriage with Lisa when they discovered that she had MS. She gave birth to four fabulous children and had a husband who was in Seminary and wanting to go into ministry. What would the MS do to their dreams. Well, you need to read it for yourself. But Gregory's selfless love for his wife and family are the things that we Pastors wish we would see in all couples who get married in our churches. 

Well, I have gone on to long. Do you realize by now that I loved this book? I think we all need to read it, think about it, and gain all of the insights we can from it. If nothing else please learn about how God wants you to keep the VOWS that you make. 

God bless and Enjoy!

ESV Student Study Bible, Crossway Books

I received a notification from Crossway Books last week that they had just released their latest ESV Bible and that it was Students Study Bible version. I immediately ordered one since I work with some college students and young adults just starting their careers (I use to be the Youth Pastor at our church). 

I am very pleased with this new version of the ESV Study Bible. In addition to the regular study notes and topics that are included, along with the Outlines and Introductions to each book of the Bible there are several new features. In the Student Study Bible they have included 120 new Bible character profiles. These profiles are short (just a few paragraphs each) but they are well done and help the student get a thumbnail sketch of important characters of the Bible. 

There are also 900 New 'Did You Know" facts that are listed throughout the Bible. An example from page 34 is the "Did you Know" fact about "Cherubim (Genesis 3:24) are angels who guard holy places. They appear in various places in the Bible. 'Cherubim' is the Hebrew plural form of 'cherub'." These little facts help a student to come to an understand about a term that they might not be familiar with if they are new to Bible reading. 

Also included in the Bible are the plan of salvation and many topics that will help a new Christian navigate their way to a better understanding of the Bible. The color maps are well done and give just the right information when needed to go along with stories that the student is reading. 

Then there are the regular notes (commentary) at the bottom of each page that give the students information regarding the text that they are reading. There is also a great concordance in the back that is well done and will help students to search out topics that they are interested in. 

Finally, all of this in the Bible you purchase your student plus an authentication code that will allow them to register with ESV.org so that they will have full access to the ESV Study Bible online as well as the printed edition they have. Today's students are so computer oriented that you will find that many of the students will become so adept at using the online Bible that they won't have to carry their study Bible with them, instead they can sit down in an internet cafe or at a library and sign on and start reading and studying anywhere. 

I think that Crossway Books has done a great job in putting this Bible together and just when you thought, how can they improve on the ESV Study Bible, well they do it with the Student Version. So, thank you Crossway for developing this new study tool for students. 

Enjoy and God bless!

The Deity of Christ, edited by Moran & Peterson

I want to thank Crossway Books for sending me a copy of this wonderful book to review for those who follow my reviews and blog page.

I usually go through a book fairly quickly, but must admit that this book I have taken more time to go through and find myself going back over sections at a time.  It’s not because the book is difficult to read, it is because the material is so valuable and there is much to digest.

The book is a compilation of short Essay’s on the topic of the Deity of Christ.  Each Essay is well done and touches on a different aspect of the Deity of Christ.  Chapters include the following;

The History of the debate on the Deity of Christ

Christ in the Old Testament

Christ in the Synoptic Gospels

Christ in John’s Gospel

Christ in the Apostolic Witness

Christ in John’s Letters and Revelation

Towards a Systematic Theology of the Deity of Christ

The Deity of Christ and the Cults

The Deity of Christ for Missions, World Religions and Pluralism

While the book is going to delve into the reasons that we can believe in the Deity of Christ we need to understand an underlying principle that was used in bringing this volume together.  That principle is this, “We are writing from the perspective that we believe the Bible is the authoritative Word of God, inerrant and useful for teaching.”  If you doubt the inerrancy of scripture or that it is truly the Word of God then you will need to tackle that subject in another text before going through this book.

That said, this book is well done, easy to understand for both laymen and clergy.  There are a huge number of Biblical references that you can use to develop good teaching outlines for Sunday School classes as well as small groups.  Pastors will find this a good resource book for sermons they plan to preach on the Deity of Christ.

My favorite two chapters are Chapters 3 and 4 on The Deity of Christ in the Synoptic Gospels and the Gospel of John.  They caught my attention and I read each of those chapters two or three times each and kept my Bible handy to be cross-reading as I went through the text.  It was a wonderful study experience.

With today’s culture debating whether Christ was truly the “Son of God” this book is a treasure trove of information to help you develop your understand of Jesus Christ as the Son of God.  Some of the information will be old news that you have heard before, but it is presented in a fresh way that will stimulate your thinking about the topic and push you to be more pro-active in sharing the truth about Jesus Christ.

This book can be read in different ways.  You can read it straight through one chapter after another, or you can pick and choose chapters based on discussions you may be having with people regarding Christ. 

But whatever way you read through this text you will be happy you purchased this book and took the time to thoughtfully work your way through it.

Enjoy!

Christ-Centered Worship, by Dr. Bryan Chapell

Dr. Chapell has given us a gift, the gift is this thoughtful book on why The Church worships the way it does and what importance each element of the worship experience has for us. My son had the privilege of attending Covenant Seminary and taking courses from Dr. Chapell. He told me about this book as well as Christ Centered Preaching. I have had this book on my shelf for about a year and just now got around to reading it (partly at the encouragement of our new lead pastor). 

Dr. Chapell takes Part 1 of the book to explore the history of liturgy and how The Church has structured its worship services for 2,000 years. He compares the Roman Catholic church with the movements by Martin Luther and John Calvin. It is interesting to note how liturgy is not that different from one church structure to the next. Dr. Chapell points out that Martin Luther was not trying to re-write the Catholic Church, but he was trying to improve on it through the structure of the worship experience. But as he did that he came to realize that he had a difference of opinion with the Catholic's on doctrine and theology. That then shaped the Protestant movement where a major difference in theology took place. But surprisingly enough there was not a major shift in the order and style of liturgy. 

From here Dr. Chapell then explains the Westminster Catechism and it's liturgical style as well as that formed by Robert Rayburn during the 1980's. What is amazing is that over the period of 2,000 years liturgy has not evolved in a way that it looks totally different today than when the early church started to meet. The main elements are still the Liturgy of the Word and the Liturgy of the Upper Room. These two elements are easily defined as the ministry of the sermon and the ordinance of the Lord's Supper. 

But as Dr. Chapell points out many times people are confused about our worship services. They think that the time of singing, prayer, reading of scripture and moments of testimony are just the preliminary work leading up to the real work of the Sermon. But as each of major liturgies show our time of the Liturgy of the Word starts from the opening call to worship and music until the end of the service with the Benediction. All of the time is "worship" and important for our relationship with the Lord. 

In Part 2 of the book Dr. Chapell moves on to "Gospel Worship Resources." He gives examples for each of the different aspects of our worship experience. He explains the ins and outs of how to plan a worship experience and the importance of the flow of the service to help the church of God fully worship and express their adoration and love for God. 

From the opening invocation to the expression of our sinful state and nature to our expression of adoration and thanksgiving to the ministry of the word Dr. Chapell gives us good outlines, structure and examples that will help us to plan and lead our congregations into meaningful worship experiences. 

This book will be a valuable tool for every worship leader and preaching pastor who wants to guide their flock into Christ Centered Worship experiences. While the book is expressly a textbook it doesn't read like a boring textbook. Instead it reads as a great review of our historical roots and an expression of how we, The Church, has not truly changed at all from it's structural roots of worship. Instead we hold to the true tradition of worship and help our current culture learn how the Lord is relevant even in today's community. 

This book will be a great help for laymen as well as pastors to learn how we can best express our worship to God and gain meaningful insight through the process. 

Enjoy!

Erasing Hell, by Francis Chan and Preston Sprinkle

Chan and Sprinkle do a good job in giving a rebuttal argument to the Universalist discussion of Heaven and Hell.  I appreciated the introduction that Chan gave, this was not a topic that he desired to write about, it was not a topic that he enjoys dwelling on, but he felt the need to address it after the current book that Rob Bell wrote, Love Wins.  I agree with Chan's opening statement, if you are excited to read this book there is something wrong with you.

Chan and Sprinkle point out that this is a very important subject and that the eternal destiny of people depends on getting this topic correct.  If every one gets to heaven (as Universalists claim) then the topic of Hell and Heaven is not that important, because in the long run it all works out for the best interest of everyone.  But if there is a Hell and if those who don't accept Christ as their Savior are condemned to an eternity of torment and isolation from God, then this is the most important topic you could ever study.

Chan talks about his great grief that he felt after his grandmother's death, mainly because he believes in an eternal torment in hell for non believers.  His grandmother did not believe in God so that condemned her to hell, how devastating.  But what if there wasn't a hell and everyone makes it to heaven?  Then he didn't need to grieve.

He then asks this question, "do you want to believe in a God who shows His power by punishing non-Christians and who magnifies His mercy by blessing Christians forever?  Do you want to?  Be honest.  Do you want to believe in a God like this?  Here's my gut-level, honest answer;  NO."  I think that Chan hits the nail on the head, who wants to believe in a God that would be so cruel?

Well, the answer is, yes we want to believe in a God like this, not because we are sadistic, but because we understand that He is a loving creator that made us to have a good relationship with Him that would bring us blessing and happiness.  The problem is that man sinned, and in that sin man created a gap between himself and God.  Now, that same loving God also gave man 'free will' so that he can choose whether to believe in God or not.

My bottom line, well, it's our choice as to whether we spend eternity in hell or heaven, not God's choice.  God desires that all would come to know Him and spend eternity with Him.  But God knows that there are many who will reject Him.  That rejecting will end up costing them.

Chan and Sprinkle base their discussion on this concept, man's choice is what leads him to his eternal destiny.

The question they wrestle with is, does the Bible support that thought?  Does the Bible support the concept of Hell?  Does the Bible support the concept of eternal punishment and torment?

I think they do a great job of working through the scriptural references that cause many of us difficulty.  They then explain the original language and also Jesus Jewish culture and how they would have viewed the comments that Christ made regarding eternity.  They do a good job of bringing this information to us.

I further appreciate the fact that Chan suggests that we never take a belief at face value, but that we should study it for ourselves, question the Bible and examine it for ourselves and then come up with an educated opinion based on what scripture says.  I appreciated the extensive footnotes that Chan gives.  I also appreciated the fact that he kept the book brief so that he wets our appetite for the subject but then expects us to do some research on our own.

If you are interested in the topic of Hell and have read Rob Bell's book and wondered about the other side of the topic I think that you will enjoy reading Chan and Sprinkle's book.  Also be sure and go on the web and pull up the Gospel Coalition's web site and look at their blogs regarding the topic of Universalism, it will help you in your study.

Enjoy!

Forgotten God, by Francis Chan (about the Holy Spirit)

In this short work Francis Chan does a wonderful job of explaining the role of the Holy Spirit and our lack of full understanding or commitment to allowing the Holy Spirit to work in our lives. Each chapter builds on the work of the Spirit and also builds on why it is that we don't seem to hear from the Spirit or allow him to work. 

What I found really helpful was that Chan at times asks you to stop reading and spend some time with God in prayer or in reading different chapters of scripture. Those exercises make the book even more helpful and future help the reader to work on their relationship with God, specifically with the Holy Spirit. 

One challenge that really resonated with me was the question, "do you love the people of your church?". The issue being that love is one of the major commandments that Christ taught us to include in our lives. But many of us today don't consider the others we worship with, instead we just go to church to get our own selfish desires meet. Those typically are our social needs meet, and also to earn enough good points to go to heaven when we die. 

But God is not concerned with those things. He is concerned with us having a strong relationship with him and allowing the Holy Spirit to work through us to meet the needs of people around us. 

Do you regularly hear from the Lord? Do you regularly feel the nudging (leading) of the Holy Spirit? If not it is your issue not Gods. He desires to use you, but way to often we are thwarting the work of the Holy Spirit by our own selfishness and stubbornness. Philippians chapter two reminds us that we are to humble ourselves and to look out for the needs of others as more important than our own needs. Chan remindsnus that as we live this selfless life that the Holy Spirit can then do His work. 

The bottom line is this, do you love God and love His church so much that your joy is only complete when the church of God is growing? If thatbis true of your life then you will notice the Holy Spirit working in and through you. 

This book is a great book to keep around and probably one that you should read every year or two as a good reminder of how to allow the Holy Spirit to work in your life. 

Enjoy.