This is a number two of a continuing series of some student reflections from the T4G conference they were able to attend in April. Click on the following numbers to access the previous posts. Post 1.
Today I will post Nick Wolf’s:
-T4G was awesome and I was extremely blessed. This trip as a whole was edifying, encouraging, humbling, and filled with great times and laughs.
- The singing was ridiculously awesome. I loved worshipping with around 8,200 people, it was so powerful. Just hearing all the voices singing praises to our God was amazing. That was the first time I’ve ever really experienced that and I was blown away. Ever since the conference I’ve had “Hallelujah! All I have is Christ. Hallelujah! Jesus is my life” in my head (from All I Have is Christ by Sovereign Grace Music). This song verse has definitely had an impact in my life. Like Dana said, the worship at T4G gave me a glimpse of what Heaven will be like. It was sick.
- The preaching was amazing. It was so Gospel and cross centered, the pastors didn’t hold anything back. They brought the Truth and the full Gospel. I definitely have a better understanding of how powerful the Gospel is and why we shouldn’t underestimate it.
- I grew closer to Jeff, Tim, Charlie, and Dana. We had some good times together praising our Heavenly Father, following John Piper to his hotel, having great theological conversations, eating at Waffle House, joking around, and just having fun. These guys are definitely a blessing and I am so thankful to have them in my life.
- Praise God for saving a wretched sinner like me and giving me the ability to experience T4G. This trip will always be a great memory and I hope to go back in April, 2014!
A couple of young, studly dudes (Nick Wolf, Charlie Plump Jeff Sholar and Tim Aney) and I recently had the privilege of attending a conference called T4G which stands for Together For the Gospel. The conference was absolutely fantastic in every way and all five of us were blessed beyond understanding. I asked each of the guys to write me an email with some their reflections and highlights from the conference and I will be posting them one by one for the next couple of days.
Today I will start with Charlie Plump’s reflections:
1. One of the many blessings of the conference was the testimonies of people, who were transformed by the Gospel, at the beginning of each day. The first day, to open up the conference, three Christians went up in front of all 8,000 of us and told us their story of their lives and how God had called them, purchased them, and regenerated them. Also, usually the first person to give their testimony had a tough background, usually being involved in drugs, alcohol, and other sinful behaviors then of course they would tell us how their lives were changed by the gospel. Then a second person would go up to the pulpit and tell us how they had lived in a Christian home and grew up with Christian parents and then told us of their repentance and faith in Christ and how they turned to Christ. It was a blessing to hear both these different types of testimonies and it blessed me to know that we all need Christ, no matter who or where we are.
2. The singing of praises by many men in the same stadium lifted my soul. Not only did the thunderous voices of the thousands of men blessed me but also, and more importantly the lyrics of the songs. These songs were actually straight-up hymns that incorporated gospel truths and Jesus glorifying words. Each hymn spoke of our brokenness and sinfulness and of Christ’s wrath-bearing sacrifice. The hymns preached the gospel, that we could do nothing to attain our salvation but that a good and loving God justified the ungodly so that we might praise his glory and not our own, into my life and into the lives of my fellow Christians.
3. The faithful, loving, Christ-centered preaching of the 9 speakers also testified to the power of the gospel. The joy of learning and then applying the truths that each preacher brought to the table encouraged my heart all the more. The preaching also pushed me to know the gospel better and to be able to preach it with more articulation and passion.
4. Finally, probably my favorite part of the conference was the fellowship with Dana, Jeff, Tim, and Nick Wolf. Their brotherhood in Christ and friendship has shown the adoption by God the Father to be true in every sense. The conference gave us time to mess around and have fun as well as having good and beneficial conversations on the sermons and on biblical advise for us as men in relationships. These deep relationships have many a time kept me from despairing in life and then turned me to praise Jesus for his love and mercy. Thank you, Father, for South Shores and the men that you called to be in your family.
Here is one of the testimonies that Charlie was speaking about:
Below is a prayer taken from The Valley of Vision, 1975, which is a book of compiled Puritan prayers, edited by Arthur Bennet. I highly recommend it. The prayer is titled, “Love Lustres at Calvary.” To lustre means to shine. Calvary is referring to the cross of Jesus Christ.
May this help us rejoice in the Goodness of Good Friday.
My Father,
Enlarge my heart, warm my affections, open my lips, supply words that proclaim ‘Love shines at Calvary.’
There grace removes my burdens and heaps them on thy Son,
made a transgressor, a curse, and sin for me;
There the sword of thy justice struck the man, thy fellow;
There thy infinite attributes were magnified, and infinite atonement was made;
There infinite punishment was due, and infinite punishment was endured.
Christ was all anguish that I might be all joy,
cast off that I might be brought in,
trodden down as an enemy that I might be welcomed as a friend,
surrendered to hell’s worst that I might attain heaven’s best,
stripped that I might be clothed,
wounded that I might be healed,
athirst that I might drink,
tormented that I might be comforted,
made a shame that I might inherit glory,
entered darkness that I might have eternal light.
My Savior wept that all tears might be wiped from my eyes,
groaned that I might have endless song,
endured all pain that I might have unfading health,
bore a thorny crown that I might have a glory-diadem,
bowed his head that I might uplift mine,
experienced reproach that I might receive welcome,
closed his eyes in death that I might gaze on unclouded brightness,
expired that I might for ever live.
O Father, who spared not thine only Son that thou might spare me,
All this transfer thy love designed and accomplished;
Help me to adore thee by lips and life.
O that my every breath might be ecstatic praise,
my every step buoyant with delight, as I see my enemies crushed,
Satan baffled, defeated, destroyed,
sin buried in the ocean of reconciling blood,
hell’s gates closed, heaven’s portal open.
Go forth, O conquering God, and show me the cross,
mighty to subdue, comfort and save.
One conviction I have in being a minister of God’s people is that theologically informed and artfully created songs are an extremely powerful tool for teaching, correcting, rebuking and training in righteousness. At The Ride, I pay special attention to what songs are sung and what songs we don’t sing because I know that the students are bound to memorize and be influenced by what they sing on a weekly basis. To put it simply: songs are powerful, short sermons that are powerful in the lives of God’s people.
But not only for the students…
Parents (and students who will one day be parents), I would like to introduce you to a song called, “A Christian Home.” It is s sung prayer that God would, “give us homes built firm upon the Savior / Where Christ is Head, and Counsellor and Guide.” I hope this song serves you by challenging you in your role as pastors of your family and by giving you a goal to chase after.
As you read it and think about it I venture to guess guilt could easily come over you because you haven’t lived out the content expressed in this song. If this is true, please remember that, “When Satan tempts me to despair and tells me of the guilt within / Upward I look and see Him there who made an end to all my sin.” Where there are failings and sin in our lives, there is, in the cross of Jesus Christ, blood to that has covered them. Your sins are finished. Not only should that awe-inspiring truth alleviate you of guilt, but let it also serve to motivate you into growth. The work has been finished, so live in light of His perfection! Pastor your children knowing, not that you are worthy for the task, but knowing that Jesus has paid it all and in Him you have been made worthy! Now he has commissioned you to pastor your children toward the heart of the gospel so that, “ev’ry child is taught His love and favor / And gives his heart to Christ, the crucified.”
A Christian Home
Barbara Hart
O give us homes built firm upon the Saviour,
Where Christ is Head, and Counsellor and Guide;
Where ev’ry child is taught His love and favor
And gives his heart to Christ, the crucified:
How sweet to know that tho’ his footsteps waver
His faithful Lord is walking by his side!
O give us homes with godly fathers, mothers,
Who always place their hope and trust in Him;
Whose tender patience turmoil never bothers,
Whose calm and courage trouble cannot dim;
A home where each finds joy in serving others,
And love still shines, tho’ days be dark and grim.
O give us homes where Christ is Lord and Master,
The Bible read, the precious hymns still sung;
Where prayer comes first in peace or in disaster,
And praise is natural speech to ev’ry tongue;
Where mountains move before a faith that’s vaster,
And Christ sufficient is for old and young.
O Lord, our God, our homes are Thine forever!
We trust to Thee their problems, toil, and care;
Their bonds of love no enemy can sever
If Thou art always Lord and Master there:
Be Thou the center of our least endeavor:
Be Thou our Guest, our hearts and homes to share.
An Interview with Dan Wallace: For anyone who is interested in apologetics, manuscript reliability and the newest findings on ancient Biblical manuscripts, this one is for you!
John Piper’s Earliest Recording Sermon: “In seminary, John Piper mainly earned A’s, with a few B’s. He did get two C’s: one for a class on the atonement, and one for a class on homiletics. Nevertheless, his senior year his classmates voted to give him the Clarence Roddy Preaching Award, and he delivered his senior sermon in the Fuller Theological Seminary chapel on March 24, 1971. Piper was 25 years old.”
Should I Divorce If I Am Miserable: “There’s been no abandonment, no sexual immorality, and no abuse. We just don’t get along. We shouldn’t have married. We should have known we are incompatible. I know God hates divorce but I don’t have any other option. My pastor and some Christian counselors have told me that while God hates divorce, this is the lesser of two evils because God doesn’t want me to be miserable. What do you think?”
The Simple Message: “We who love theology, we who take joy in diving into the deep waters of the person and work of God, we need to be so careful, lest we make the message more difficult than it needs to be, lest we forget the simple word that we believed in.”
Warfield’s Love for His Wife: “Gresham Machen believed Warfield had done “about as much work as ten ordinary men. Warfield, like many others, can teach us much about theology, but he may be one of just a few celebrated men of history who by his life example can squash our weak excuses of neglect and challenge us to serve our wives with consistency, sacrifice, and longevity.”
New Biography on C.H. Spurgeon: A new biography on Spurgeon by Steve Lawson just came out and it is receiving high reviews from Spurgeon-Experts, “I own at least three dozen different biographies of the prince of preachers, but Steve Lawson’s new book on Charles Spurgeon will from now on have a key place of prominence in my short list of favorites.”
Wayne Grudem, His Wife, Complementarianism: “In this talk Wayne Grudem gives some practical counsel on what decision-making looks like in the life of a complementarian couple, and some of the key distortions that need to be avoided…”
We recently ended our study in the book of Ecclesiastes and shared what we learned at last night’s Core. I thought Boomhauer could share his thoughts about the meaning of life too…
“I came, I saw, I conquered,” is a line which will be quoted to the end of time. Such is
the life of our Lord Jesus, from the cross onward.” C.H. Spurgeon
John MacArthur’s answer to the question, “What is the ultimate key to effective preaching?” Worthy of reflection on what priorities we have for our pastor’s work.
Very simply, stay in your study until you know that the Lord will gladly accept what you have prepared to preach because it rightly represents His Word. Let me close with an unforgettable plan suggested by an unknown parishioner as to how to accomplish this.
Fling him into his office. Tear the “Office” sign from the door and nail on the sign, “Study.” Take him off the mailing list. Lock him up with his books and his typewriter and his Bible. Slam him down on his knees before texts and broken hearts and the flock of lives of a superficial flock and a holy God.
Force him to be the one man in our surfeited communities who knows about God. Throw him into the ring to box with God until he learns how short his arms are. Engage him to wrestle with God all the night through. And let him come out only when he’s bruised and beaten into being a blessing.
Shut his mouth forever spouting remarks, and stop his tongue forever tripping lightly over every nonessential. Require him to have something to say before he dares break the silence. Bend his knees in the lonesome valley.
Burn his eyes with weary study. Wreck his emotional poise with worry for God. And make him exchange his pious stance for a humble walk with God and man. Make him spend and be spent for the glory of God. Rip out his telephone. Burn up his ecclesiastical success sheets.
Put water in his gas tank. Give him a Bible and tie him to the pulpit. And make him preach the Word of the living God!
Test him. Quiz him. Examine him. Humiliate him for his ignorance of things divine. Shame him for his good comprehension of finances, batting averages, and political in-fighting. Laugh at his frustrated effort to play psychiatrist. Form a choir and raise a chant and haunt him with it night and day—“Sir, we would see Jesus.”
When at long last he dares assay the pulpit, ask him if he has a word from God. If he does not, then dismiss him. Tell him you can read the morning paper and digest the television commentaries, and think through the day’s superficial problems, and manage the community’s weary drives, and bless the sordid baked potatoes and green beans, ad infinitum, better than he can.
Command him not to come back until he’s read and reread, written and rewritten, until he can stand up, worn and forlorn, and say, “Thus saith the Lord.”
Break him across the board of his ill-gotten popularity. Smack him hard with his own prestige. Corner him with questions about God. Cover him with demands for celestial wisdom. And give him no escape until he’s back against the wall of the Word.
And sit down before him and listen to the only word he has left—God’s Word. Let him be totally ignorant of the down-street gossip, but give him a chapter and order him to walk around it, camp on it, sup with it, and come at last to speak it backward and forward, until all he says about it rings with the truth of eternity.
And when he’s burned out by the flaming Word, when he’s consumed at last by the fiery grace blazing through him, and when he’s privileged to translate the truth of God to man, finally transferred from earth to heaven, then bear him away gently and blow a muted trumpet and lay him down softly. Place a two-edged sword in his coffin, and raise the tomb triumphant. For he was a brave soldier of the Word. And ere he died, he had become a man of God.
Boys should be taught that they are to protect their sisters “from the dragon,” and the very first thing this means is that they must refrain from turning into the dragon themselves. When the protector turns into the very thing that protection is needed from, the result for the girl involved is nightmarish. The things you assumed as fixed and given turn on you; one thing morphs into another. When a brother is being annoying (say, for a wild hypothetical), his sister is dealing with two things, not one. The first thing is the annoyance itself — what she would be dealing with if her sister or a friend at school were being annoying.
But when her brother does it, a second thing comes into the picture, and that is the sense of a double-cross, or a betrayal. He ought be standing between the threat and his sister, but instead he has abandoned his post. It is this that feeds the temptation to resentment — first of her brother, then her father (who does not intervene), and then of men generally.
I want to share a song that has recently struck me in a significant way. The song is a re-adaptation by Bob Kauflin from an old hymn written by John Newton (writer of Amazing Grace). In the song, Newton imagines the Savior looking at him from the cross. The first look speaks about how our guilt and shame is the reason Christ is dying on the cross. The second look communicates the love, grace and atonement that the cross of Jesus brings. These two looks, one that brings guilt and shame and the other that speaks of forgiveness and atonement, result in Newton seeing the cross as a “pleasing grief and mournful joy” because in it he sees His own great sin and the Savior’s greater love.
In order to taste the sweetness of the cross, we first have to taste its bitterness and grief. Jesus died upon that bloody cross because of our sin AND His great love. The cross speaks clearly about the depth of our sin and the greater depths of God’s love for His people.
May the cross be forever etched upon our minds.
THE LOOK
I saw one hanging on a tree
In agony and blood
Who fixed His loving eyes on me
As near His cross I stood
And never till my dying breath
Will I forget that look
It seemed to charge me with His death
Though not a word He spoke
My conscience felt and owned the guilt
And plunged me in despair
I saw my sins His blood had spilt
And helped to nail Him there
But with a second look He said
“I freely all forgive
this blood is for your ransom paid
I died that you might live”
Forever etched upon my mind
Is the look of Him who died
The Lamb I crucified
And now my life will sing the praise
Of pure atoning grace
That looked on me and gladly took my place
Thus while His death my sin displays
For all the world to view
Such is the mystery of grace
It seals my pardon too
With pleasing grief and mournful joy
My spirit now is filled
That I should such a life destroy
Yet live by Him I killed.
