Missional Living in the 21st Century

A few days ago, I finished reading the book, The Convergent Church: Missional Worshipers in an Emerging Culture. The authors, Mark Liederbach and Alvin Reid, are both professors at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, NC. These men have done a masterful job of evaluating both the theological and philosophical framework of the emerging church movement (not an easy task) and the "conventional" church. Reid and Liederbach know what is at stake as we attempt to engage an increasingly secular and postmodern mentality. They understand that a genuine zeal to reach the culture around us must be firmly grounded in the orthodox truth claims of Scripture. The Great Commission compels us to boldly share this amazing news with our neighbors. This means that we must able to testify with our lips, as well as, our lives that Jesus Christ is Lord and the only means of reconciliation to God.

I would highly recommend this book to any pastor that is trying think through these issues biblically.

Advance 09 Conference

My wife and I had the privilege of listening to an outstanding line-up of evangelical speakers this past weekend. It was a good opportunity for me to be encouraged in my pastoral pursuit for a gospel-centered community of faith. The messages really seemed to get at the root cause of why traditional churches around the country are plateaued and dying. I'm sincerely hoping that there will be a fresh movement of God that sweeps through these churches as a result of this conference.

Here is the link to the conference messages: http://advance.vintage21.com/

Creation Narrative

Over the past month I have been teaching through the compelling book of Genesis. There are so many fascinating and pivotal narratives that reveal God's covenantal faithfulness to His people. The Pentateuch (the first five books of the Old Testament) is instrumental in displaying the major themes and motifs of Scripture. As a matter of fact, I believe that its absolutely essential that Christians have a thorough knowledge of these inspired texts. This would definitely clear away much confusion regarding the methodology of missions and evangelism. If we are truly "baptized into Christ" according to the Apostle Paul then we share in the glorious inheritance and promise of Abraham (Galatians 3:27-29). I must say that I have always come away with a renewed understanding and appreciation for God's redemptive purposes when I read through Genesis.

In the next couple of posts I just want to briefly touch on the Creation narrative and discuss some of the implications that are derived from these texts. The posts in this series will certainly not be exhaustive in their scope. Right now I want to focus specifically on the first verse and what it means in the context of Christianity.
"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth"

In the very first phrase of the Bible, the author (traditionally ascribed to Moses) states that only God is the agent of Creation for both the heavens and the earth. God alone is to receive our praise and adoration for His marvelous work and design. The reader can also discover in this verse that before there was a vast material universe God eternally existed. It is simply amazing that God would choose to create a world that could be inhabited by His specially designed creatures. In the New Testament we also discover that "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God"(John 1:1-2). Jesus Christ is proclaimed as the Word before the grand act of creation. Christians can be confident that Jesus has the power to save and to atone for sins because He is truly God in the flesh. This gives the Christian a good apologetic for the deity of Christ and His equality with God the Father.

Hello Blogging World!

Well, I've finally decided to venture into the unpredictable and sometimes sensational world of blogging. I'm pretty sure my entrance into this particular sphere of mass information will not elicit much fanfare, but I hope to at least contribute something meaningful to the areas of theology and church history.

I've named this blog "For His Good Pleasure" because I am astonished that the self-sufficient God of the universe takes such delight in my pursuit for personal holiness. Each believer, as well as the collective Church, is responsible for "working out" this salvation and for cultivating a spiritually disciplined lifestyle (Phil.2:12). God, of course, has not left us alone to maintain our salvation. He is actually working in us to bring about this "good work"(Phil.1:6) to completion. It gives me joy that God finds pleasure in conforming me to the image of Christ.

Well, I hope everyone will find the topics and posts on this blog to be both edifying and thought-provoking.

Soli Deo Gloria