Common Man Faith

The Kingdom of God and the Glory of the Cross by Patrick Schreiner

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is another volume in the Short Studies in Biblical Theology series from Crossway.

Like many I am sure I have been exposed to multiple interpretations on what is the Kingdom of God. Is it heaven, is it future? Is it now? Is it a combination of all of these? Schreiner does a great job of presenting the now, not yet aspect of the kingdom. The presence of the king inaugurates the kingdom, but it has not been fully realized.

Schreiner points out that kingdom language in Scripture is more than a physical location with national boundaries. Instead, in order to have a kingdom there are three qualities that define a kingdom. These qualities include power (the authority of the King) a people (the citizens) and a place. For believers this place is not just universal influence but will have a physical location. With these elements in place there is structure for the flourishing of the Kingdom.

After this introduction Schreiner works from Genesis to Revelation to show Scriptures unified message of this kingdom and its importance. Note that Schreiner uses the typical Jewish breakdown of the Old Testament of Law, writings and prophets and not our typical table of contents breakdown in current bibles.

Kingdom is the theme which all scripture revolves around.

The Law. Here the Kingdom hope thrives, is corrupted, and then revived. Adam administrate the kingdom God created to flourish. Mankind tries to build his own kingdom. Schreiner calls the kingdom a tree designed to grow. The Law waters the tree.

Then he moves to the Prophets. God will give land to Abraham descendants but it’s not the kingdom they’re waiting for. There is something better God has promised. For now, the tree is withering but there are righteous branches. Sin has led to captivity by another kingdom but there is always hope.

In the writings we are shown how to follow kings’ ways and live. Abandon HIs ways and we will die. Here we examine life in the kingdom. While we may be in exile but God is still in charge and will bring restoration. This is not just history but assurance. The Kingdom is still coming someday and will restore the people. God will make a place through a king for his people

After these three divisions of the Old Testament Schreiner moves into the New Testament.

Matthew shows us the place of kingdom. Here we see the uniting of the kingdom of heaven and earth. In Mark we see the power of the king revealed through service and suffering. These are not the typical markers of a king and his kingdom. In Luke we see King Jesus and the people of the kingdom. John shows us the otherworldy aspect of life in this kingdom

In Acts the resurrected King is defining and forming this new community of the king. The early church will continue the kingdom story. In sending the Holy Spirit the Kingdom advances by authority of kingdom empowered by the spirit and proclaimed by people.

The epistles speak of praising the king who rescues, and the justice of the king. The Kingdom is established through justice, for unity and consummated at return.

By the time we get to Revelation we see the revealing of the kingdom promised so long ago. This Kingdom is achieved by the power of God defeating the kingdoms enemies through His sacrificial death. The King shows his power for his people. He is establishing a place by removing the kingdoms opposed to the true king.

As true planted by water grows so does kingdom grow. Jesus dis announce the Kingdom is at hand (Mark 1:14-15). “All these pictures are of the kingdom. The kingdom is not simply social ethics, or heaven, or the church, or God’s sovereignty; the kingdom is much larger. Only when we connect the dots from the first page to the last do we begin to see that on every page the kingdom concerns the King, His people, and their place. At the center of this kingdom plan stands a wooden cross covered in blood.” (p142-143)

In the ends this volume is a great introduction to the Bible’s teaching on the Kingdom of God. While not an exhaustive, scholarly volume (it was not designed to be) it is a valuable survey. In the end the reader comes away realizing Christians are citizens of a kingdom, whose King has gone to the greatest of lengths to rescue His people and secure their place for eternity.

The publisher provided a copy at no charge in exchange for an honest review

View all my reviews

Becoming a Welcoming Church by Thom S. Rainer

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Early in my ministry I was used to hearing churches say we are a friendly church. And this was partly true. They were very friendly to each other. But when I asked them what if we ask people who are not part of our church if we are friendly what would they say, especially the kids we shooed away from the porch for loitering. Were we that friendly. In this book Rainer challenges us to look at church hospitality with new eyes and as a gospel issue.

This small book is big on solid information and advice. In Becoming a Welcoming Church Rainer may not have a lot of “new” information he does remind us to look at some of what our church does from the perspective of a first-time visitor. Rainer does not shy away from addressing sacred cows like greeters, ushers, and that stand and greet one another moment. Rainer sees these as all potential strengths to building a welcoming church but they can also be detrimental to seeing guests return if they are not done well.

The biggest strength in this book is its emphasis that a welcoming church, a hospitable church is a gospel issue. This is one more way of serving our neighbor. Think of the first-time church goer who never returns to church because of the lack of hospitality they experience. He gives ample examples of those who were turned off by a lack of hospitality as well as those who came back and eventually responded to the gospel.

One area Rainer did mention that I never thought of was how uncomfortable visitors may feel in the moments just before the service starts. They may have been welcomed when they came in but once they find a seat they are ignored until the stand and greet time.

The other area I forget about is the quality of the sound and the brightness of the lighting. Hint. Dark rooms make it hard to read your Bible.

Another strength in this book is its updated perspective. Rainer stresses a current, up to date website, especially service times and activities. No one cares about the Easter service you had 3 weeks ago. Update the site. Rainer calls the church website the new front door of the church. He reminds us how important safety and security are to hospitality. The church should make it clear in both its website and other information how seriously they take the protection of their attendees and especially children. In today’s climate we cannot forget to let parents know how we plan to safeguard the children in our care. They should know this before they show up.

Other areas Rainer covered are good reminders. How clean is your space? How is your signage? Can people find the nursery and bathroom? How accurate is your information booth and it is manned? How are your holy huddles? Spoiler alert. 2 greeters talking to each other constitute a holy huddle and needs to be broken up so visitors can be tended to.

To sum it up Rainer reminds us we should be expecting guests and prepared for them when they arrive. We become too familiar, to used to what we see, and we forget what guests may experience.

The book also includes facility audit to evaluate your churches cleanliness and safety. There is also a survey you can give to a mystery guest, someone unaffiliated with your church you can invite to attend as a first-time visitor who would provide an honest evaluation.

Much of what is in the book is something most of us know but have forgotten over time. This is a good reminder.

There is one area I wish he could go deeper. What about those of us without permanent facilities, who meet in a school gym, who load and unload trailers, set up and tear down tables and chairs week after week and are also at the mercy of the landlord for certain challenges. I would like to see a little more advice or examples for those folks.

A review copy was provided free of charge by the publisher.

View all my reviews

Theophany: A Biblical Theology of God’s Appearing by Vern Sheridan Poythress

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

First of all let me say this book is PACKED with information and detail. I went in thinking I had a grasp on theophanies and was I surprised. Poythress has described and explained theophanies from Genesis to Revelation, most of which I never considered.

Admittedly the book started slow for me and I was having trouble tracking but I stuck with it and it was worth the effort. I would encourage you to stick with it specially through part 1 The Biblical Theme of God Appearing. Poythress gives a broad picture of theophany through Scripture as well as its importance.

Poythress defines a theophany as “represents an intensive form of the presence of God.” He notes that not all theophanies involve a physical manifestation of Gods presence but can be contained in words, images and other manifestations. Poythress then reviews different types of theophanies. These can include thunderstorms, clouds, fire, courtrooms scenes and warrior theophanies. Even unbelievers can experience a theophany as pointed out in Genesis 40 and 41 and Daniel 4

Poythress does point out that “in all theophanies, a clear distinction is in place between God the creator and the phenomena of creation. In other words God is in the cloud or burning bush but He is NOT the cloud or burning bush.

In this section Poythress notes that theophanies cover covenant, kingdom and promise. While I followed this progress I did have a lot of trouble following the many charts in this section and they did not aid me in my understanding. That may also be part of my learning style. This may have been better if I were sitting in a class setting

Next Poythress covers the mystery of theophanies. He states that “each form does reveal him and does communicate things about who He is and what He does.” In this section he expands his definition of theophany to state “an intense expression of the broader theme of God’s presence”.
Here we can have events where God Himself may not appear but a reflection of Gods presence in another person or event.

I do admit that at times, especially in the Psalms I question is this a theophany or a literary description of the Psalmists prayer

The next two sections survey each section of Scripture and at times book by book expounding on theophanies through Scripture. This served as an unpacking of section 1.
In the end this is a great reference book, especially for the student looking to go deeper into the revelation of God and His character through Scripture as well as the common theme of God revealing Himself to us in Scripture.

As Poythress concludes. “All of these passages function simultaneously in three ways. First, they reveal who God is. The manifest his character and his glory. Second, they reinforce the biblical teaching that God in His kindness and grace draws near to his people – he is “God” with us (Matt 1:23). Third, they stir up the expectation for that final coming and appearance of God, which will take place in the second coming of Christ and the consummate victory that his coming will bring.”

Publisher provided a review copy at no charge.

View all my reviews

The Apologetics Study Bible: Understand Why You Believe by Anonymous

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Apologetics Study Bible is the latest addition from Holman and the Christian Standard Bible. As its name suggests this is a very specific type of study bible. Like all study bible, this a resource or tool. Still there is enough here for every reader, and every follower of Christ is an apologist.

As stated this resource is tied to the Christian Standard Bible, a very readable and reliable Bible translation. Like any very good reference Bible this one has lots of useful features. Each book of the Bible contains an introduction defining its authorship. Another feature of the introduction is a defense of the reliability of the book in the canon of Scripture. This is fitting for a resource focused on apologetics, defending the reliability of the source. Each introduction also contains a unique feature highlighting a specific issue of the book, from challenging myths to the importance of the book in the greater scope of Scripture. Fortunately, these introductions are just that and not a commentary. The reader is given just enough information to grasp the book. One minor note is there are no outlines provided for each book.

Throughout the text there are plenty of study notes to help illuminate and expand the readers understanding of the Biblical text itself.

The heart of this Bible is its apologetics resources. The lion’s share of the material is in articles spread throughout the text. The articles range from topics such as “Are the days of creation to be taken literally” to looks at Islam and sexuality. One of the strengths of these articles is they are not tied to specific political, social or other areas. Each article is tied to a scriptural text as its basis. Each article, whether it is about sexuality, science, or ethics is backed biblically.

The authors range from Russell Moore of the ERLC of the Southern Baptist Church to John Frame of Reformed Theological Seminary and the late Chuck Colson. There are plenty of these articles to cover most of the issues the church faces today. Along with top notch scholarship contributing these articles they are presented as readable and accessible to the reader. No Seminary degree or philosophy background needed.

The second notable feature is the twisted scripture index. R Alan Smith has brief comments on 20 passages of Scripture showing how various groups have taken scripture and twisted it to their own views. (See Genesis 1:2 and vampires for an example)

The final part I want to mention are the biographies. There are 12 articles introducing prominent apologists from church history. These biographies range from Augustine to C.S Lewis. While not extensive (a paragraph or so) they are sufficient to encourage the reader to read more about the person. The articles also encourage the reader that the church has wrestled with questions and successfully defended the faith for thousands of years.

This publication will not address every topic or answer every objection or question it is a solid, valuable resource to aid the reader to understand and defend the faith as well as give the believer confidence in the faith handed down throughout the ages

View all my reviews

CSB Disciple’s Study Bible, Hardcover by Anonymous

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Disciples Study Bible from Broadman and Holman is another in a growing line of Study Bibles. This bible is built around the Christian Standard Bible and as such that makes it an accurate, readable, and accessible translation. There is quite a bit to commend about this Bible.

Each book has an introduction giving its basic purpose, background, and context. These intros give just enough information to be helpful without turning into a commentary. A plus to the introduction is the included timeline to see the books context in its historical setting. It should be noted that not all books contain introductions. Instead the introduction of a book may be tied to a related book. For example, the introduction for Nehemiah is included in the introduction to Ezra.

First are the notes. The notes in this version are plentiful. In some instances the notes take up more page space then the Biblical text. Instead of being a series of random notes tied to verses, the notes are built around various doctrines. Each note is identified in bold text to identify its doctrinal topic. For instance, notes may be categorized on prayer, Christian Ethics, Last Days etc. I found this to be a refreshing method so that instead of random notes interspersed throughout the text all the notes are tied to specific themes. The notes do follow a conservative, evangelical viewpoint but are not lopsided. The content is solid and beneficial.

This Bible has been designed primarily as a tool for discipleship and its offerings are specific to that task.

The first portion contains an explanation of the F260 method. This is a plan to read through the Bible in 260 readings. The idea is that instead of reading the entire Bible it is broken into a meta narrative of 260 readings. These readings cover chronologically the major points of the Bible as stated in the explanation. There is a page for each reading placed within the Biblical text to guide the reader. Each reading has prompts to guide the reader through HEAR. Highlight a specific verse in the reading. Explain the passage. Apply the passage. Respond to the passage. This is a useful guide to enable the reader to study and work through the passage on their own.

If I have one issue with the F260 is the amount of Scripture left out. For example, in this plan you only read Job 1, 2, 38-42. In Revelation you only read 1-5 & 18-22. 1&2 Chronicles are omitted. I do think this plan helps this Study Bible achieve its goal of helping a reader (new believer or new to discipleship) develop the habit of reading and journaling. I wish there were an option to include the entire Scripture into daily readings.

There are more tools for discipleship in the back of the Bible. What I have noticed is the group that developed these tools (Replicate Ministries) likes acronyms.

There is an explanation of the CLOSER method of Bible study.
Communicate (Prayer)
Listen (Bible Study)
Obey
Store (Scripture Memory)
Evangelism
Renew (Journaling, using the HEAR method)

There are also resources for forming and sustaining discipleship groups including the elements that make a good discipleship group with the emphasis on group or community. Included are pointers to apply these methods to different settings (family, children, staff, men, women)

There is one more section describing the basis of a healthy group and another acronym, MARCS
Missional
Accountability
Reproducible
Communal
Scriptural

All in all I would recommend this Bible for group study. I do not think it will be your everyday carry to church Bible due to its size and as stated the notes take up more page space at times making it hard to be a reader’s bible. But to give to someone either as a new believer or someone new to discipleship this is a solid tool. I can see it giving the user a solid grasp of the Biblical narrative as well as tools to be able to study and learn on their own as well as part of a group.

A copy of this book was provided for review by the publisher.

View all my reviews

Before I begin, let me give a quick introduction. I pastored various churches from 1987 until 2006, when I stepped away from Pastoral ministry. I remain very involved in a local church serving as a Worship Leader and Elder. I still have the privilege of preaching and teaching as the opportunity arises. As I continue to be exposed to solid preaching and preaching resources I feel like I owe my previous congregations an apology for some of my sermons.

I am interested in this book because of the opportunities I am given to preach and the desire to be a better preacher and listener. I also have seen a deficit in Biblical preaching. Mohler expresses this phenomenon in the introduction. He notes how the preaching of the word is being replaced by singing, drama, and other avenues of entertainment.

This book is not a “how to book” as much as it is a “why you should book”. There are plenty of practical sections on preparing a sermon, but the strength of the book is in its defense of expository preaching.

I appreciate that the opening section starts with the preacher’s qualifications and a review of Titus 2 and other appropriate passages. While not all who will preach are elders, any who are going to preach should still meet these qualifications. There is also a strong emphasis on reliance on the Holy Spirit in the preparation and delivery of sermons. Another plus.

The authors are also quick to note that preaching entire books is the better method. However, there are times to preach topically and that a topical message can be an expository message.

This volume is a fully Christ and word centered presentation. It is summed up in the phrase “preaching occurs when a holy man of God opens the word of God and says to the people of God, ‘Come and experience God with me in this text.’”

The book contains 3 sections. The authors start with The Man, The Text and The Spirit. This is the right place to start. This is the heart of the book starting with a strong foundation for the building of a sermon.

The authors do a great job stressing the importance of a passages context. The passage’s place in the whole of Scripture, the specific book and its place in the book must all be considered. After that the context of both the original and current hearer must be addressed. In fact, the illustration of The Wizard of Oz and historical context is worth getting this book.

It is not until this solid foundation is laid, do the authors move to the mechanics of sermon preparation

Here they move to the Early Preparation of the sermon. I am encouraged that the authors stressed the importance of the public reading of Scripture, an often-overlooked skill. This section also includes another strong reminder of the importance of context.

Finally, the authors move to delivery and the decision to use manuscripts, outlines or no notes. This section again includes a strong emphasis on diligent study and desperate reliance on the Holy Spirit. Their conclusion is that the preacher should work to the point of going without notes.

For me, the one part of the book that missed was the section on outlining. This chapter was another strong chapter on expository preaching but not as strong as the chapters on manuscripts or no notes.

In the end this book is not primarily about hermeneutics or sermon preparation even though those areas are covered. This is a solid, healthy defense of Expository preaching, something sorely missing in today’s church.

For those of you who regularly preach this is a good refresher on the importance of expository preaching. If you are just beginning start with this book and be convinced of the value of expository preaching, and then dig deeper to hone your skill. This way hopefully you won’t feel the need to apologize for questionable sermons.

NOTE: The publisher provided a copy of this book for review.

H3 Leadership: Be Humble. Stay Hungry. Always Hustle. by Brad Lomenick
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Brad has joined the list of those providing writing on leadership for a wide audience. I will say there was not a lot of new stuff here but that is OK. Not everything has to be new and novel. Tried and true are valid and Brad has been able to take the tried and true and present it for a new generation of leaders.

Brad works through each section of the “H’s” by laying a foundation followed by some practical steps to achieve each benchmark. Each chapter ends with what I believe is a unique and strong part of the book. Brad allows various other leaders to comment on practical points for each topic. These leaders range from Dan Rockwell (a leadership guru) to Kristen Stanfill (a worship leader). This drives the fact that these principles are far reaching and not just for business or church but can be widely applied.

My one negative was this. There seemed to be a lot of attention to Brad’s tenure and transitions with Catalyst. I would like to have had some more exposure to different settings. The ones provided at the end of each chapter were helpful but short. At times I felt like this was a journal of Brads success and transition with Catalyst.

If you are looking for new and novel this is not the book for you. If you are looking for different ways to see the tried and true applications at work go ahead and read this book.

View all my reviews

Knowing Scripture by R.C. Sproul
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Excellent book on how to read/study your Bible. This is a valuable resource to address an skill that seems widely missing in todays church. Too many of us are content to let someone else read and study and then tell us what the Scripture means.

Sproul does point out the church needs Pastors and teachers to expound Gods word for the church. They have been gifted and trained for this. Still this does not negate our responsibility to search the Scriptures ourselves as we seek to build a first hand relationship with Jesus Christ .

Sproul covers all the necessary areas including the motivation to study and the challenge to combat our own laziness for a fruit that lasts. He also covers the various types of writings in Scripture and the need to distinguish and interpret accordingly.

The book closes with a very helpful chapter explaining and recommending the various types of tools (both in print and digital) available for every skill and budget.

For those needing a positive motivation to study the Scriptures and the basic tools needed to get started, this book is a valuable resource

View all my reviews