Christian Carnival CCCXXI

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angels, blogs, books, christian carnival, christianity, Easter, Jesus, Martin Luther, Passover, religion, resurrection

Welcome to the 321st edition of christian carnival ii, a weekly collection of some of the best posts of the Christian blogosphere.  This carnival is open to Christians of Protestant, Orthodox, and Roman Catholic convictions.

One of the goals of the carnival is to offer our readers a broad range of Christian thought.  If you’ve never participated before, this is a great way to make your writing more well known and perhaps pick up some regular readers.

PLEASE NOTE: There were several posts this week that fell outside the acceptable dates for submission.  Arbitrarily, I included some that were written fairly recently, and excluded some that were written months or even years ago.  Basically, you have a one week window to write a qualifying post for the next carnival.  Posts for next week should have been written between midnight March 30 and midnight April 6.  Following the carnival links you’ll find more detailed instructions and qualifications for any post you might want submit to the carnival.

As you might expect with a carnival of this nature, there are some outstanding submissions every week, as well as a few that I don’t endorse or agree with.  However, I encourage you to visit and interact with as many contributors as you can.  Here are the posts (in the strange order they appeared in the InstaCarnival tool) which make up…

RADICAL (Discipleship, Conclusion)

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blogs, books, christian, christianity, David Platt, discipleship, radical, the cross

As is sometimes the case, this series of posts came about almost accidentally.  It began with a graphic I saw online several years ago.  The message it contained was both true enough and uncomfortable enough that it made a lasting impression on me.  I eventually incorporated it into this post (which also mentions a pastor named David Platt.  Remember that; I’ll come back to it later.)

A comment on that post reminded me of some articles on discipleship that I’d written several years ago at the request of my former pastor.  I decided to dust them off and republish them here.  Thus began this series. 

Carnival time, my bloggy friends

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blogging, blogs, christian, christian carnival, christianity

The latest edition of christian carnival ii is live at And She Went Out… (a great blog, by the way).

I’ll be hosting the carnival next week. You know what that means, my bloggy friends.  I’d like for you to submit a post.  It’s easy.  Click here, fill out the appropriate fields, and hit ‘submit’.  That’s all there is to it.

You know how much I appreciate those of you who have encouraged me almost from the inception of this blog.  It’s neither an exaggeration nor flattery when I say that your entry will add great value to the carnival.  Thanks!

Calvin, Carson, and Piper on John 3:16

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calvinism, D.A. Carson, free offer of the gospel, gospel, hyper-calvinism, Jesus, John 3:16, John Calvin, John Piper

We’re studying John’s gospel in my Sunday School class.  This week we’ll discuss a portion of chapters 3 and 4; part of our discussion will focus on John 3:16.

The way that verse is sometimes handled makes me sad.  A few on one end of the theological spectrum want it to say that God loves only his chosen people, while a few on the other end want it to say that God loves all men in exactly the same way.

What the verse (and its surrounding context) actually does say, however, is astounding–so astounding that it should literally compel every believer to do at least two things:  (1) to fall down and worship God for loving someone as undeserving as he, and (2) to get back up and tell everyone that he can about God’s amazing love for a world that deserves only his condemnation.

Below are excerpts from the writing and preaching of three men I respect (two living, one long dead, all three careful thinkers and expositors).  I’ve found their reflections to be very helpful as I’ve meditated on this verse. 

I’m not a preacher

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christianity, church, expository sermons, Haggai, John 3:16, John Piper, leadership, Pastoral Ministry, preachers, preaching, Richard Baxter

I’m not a preacher.  I’ve wished that I was.  I’ve tried to be.  But I just don’t seem to have what it takes.

However, I love to listen to good, passionate, expository preaching.  And I’m extremely thankful for the opportunity to hear preaching like that every Sunday.  Last week, for instance, my pastor preached a single sermon on the book of Haggai.  It was great.  Do yourself a favor and listen to it here.

That’s a digression, but only a slight one.  It hadn’t even occurred to me to mention that sermon when I sat down at the keyboard two minutes ago, but it came to mind because it’s a good example of what I had intended to write about.   The original reason for this post (which I’ll move on to now) was to quote something John Piper said about preaching in a sermon last May.

Some of you are familiar with Piper’s description of preaching as “expository exultation.”  After defining that phrase in this particular sermon, he proceeds to point out that…

Preaching does not come after worship in the order of the service. Preaching is worship. My job is not done if I only see truth and show it to you. The devil could do that—for his own devious reasons. My job is to see the glory of the truth and to savor it and exult over it as I explain it to you and apply it for you. That’s one of the differences between a lecture and a sermon.

A short time later, he continues with this…

Paying the Price (Discipleship, Part 4)

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Africa, AIDS, christian, christianity, discipleship, missionary, missions, poor, poverty, social action, Uganda

I’ve prattled on in this series about the cost of discipleship.  There are those, though, who go beyond just talking about paying the price; they do it.  Katie Davis is a good example.

So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple.  (Jesus, in Luke 14:33)

Katie took a trip to Uganda in 2006 that eventually changed the course of her life.   She writes about her life and work at the Journey; it’s a blog you need to add to your reader.  Posts are infrequent, but worth the wait.  Any of the 150 or so posts she’s published in the last two and a half years are worth reading, but I’ll recommend a couple of recent ones.

Jja Jja Grace, an elderly woman with AIDS, clearly needed someone to care for her.  However, no one seemed willing.  That left Katie wondering whether she should move Grace into her home in order to give her the kind of care she needed.  In this story, she describes how she wrestled with that decision, and what she learned.

In my heart spilled… Katie describes a very personal and painful sacrifice she had to make in order to move to Africa.  Then she challenges all the rest of us take up our crosses and make our own personal, painful sacrifices to follow Christ.

My goal in this short post is simple.  I want you to know about Katie’s ministry, and support it.  By clicking on the Amazima graphic to the right, you can find out more about Katie, contribute to her mission work, or begin sponsoring a child through the organization she founded.

Holy Subversion Giveaway

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blogs, books, christian, christianity, discipleship, free, giveaway, southern baptist, Trevin Wax, Tullian Tchividjian

Southern Baptist blogger Trevin Wax is now also author Trevin Wax.  His first book, Holy Subversion, has received a warm reception and a number of key endorsements.  Here are just a few examples.

From J. I. Packer, Professor of Theology, Regent College:

How should God’s American people put the lordship of Jesus Christ on display in their lives? Wax’s searching answer is biblical, basic, businesslike, and blunt.

From Russell D. Moore, Dean, School of Theology; Senior Vice President for Academic Administration; Associate Professor of Theology and Ethics, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary:

Christianity is all about paradox. We lose our lives to gain them. We find life in crucifixion. We serve in order to reign. In his book, Holy Subversion, Trevin Wax takes up the question of how to be both a rebel—against the false authorities of this time—while simultaneously being submissive—to the divine authority of the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. This book is a helpful warning against both nihilism and cynicism.

From Tullian Tchividjian, Pastor, New City Church; Author; Grandson of Billy Graham:

With Francis Schaeffer-like instincts and insight, Trevin Wax aptly identifies the idols of our time and compellingly calls Christians to live against the world, for the world. He blazes a trustworthy trail for those who yearn to make a long-lasting difference in the world by showing that Christians make a difference by being different; they don’t make a difference by being the same.

Pastor Jim at Ex Libris is giving away a copy of the book. Jump on over to this blog post for details.  Hurry, though.  The drawing will be held at 5PM EST, this Friday, March 5th.