Fanning the Flame – What We’re Reading

(On Saturday, April 28, 2012 Chad Phelps shared these thoughts on his own personal blog)

From Brian Chappell in his formative book, Christ-Centered Preaching, pg. 274:
“A textually accurate discussion of biblical commands does not guarantee Christian orthodoxy.  Exhortations for moral behavior apart from the work of the Savior degenerate into mere Pharisaism , even if preachers advocate the actions with selected biblical evidence and good intent.  Spirituality based on personal conduct cannot escape its human-centered orbit though it aspires to lift one to the divine.”

Jesus, be at the heart of every message that I preach.  May your presence alone bring hope for change.  I would do you the greatest of disservices if I were to exhort change based upon any other factor than you, and you alone.

Chad posted these thoughts to his own personal blog on Wednesday, February 16, 2011.

“So I got a Kindle. Actually, I’ve had it for about a month and a half now, and I’m praying that it will be a tool that God uses in my life to further shape me for His service. I have to say that after using this thing for about six weeks now, I can’t believe that I went so long without it. There’s something about buying a volume of Spurgeon’s sermons that take up basically no space for 99 cents that will put a spring in just about anybody’s step. But that’s just one of the many advantages along with having multiple English Bible Versions, my Greek text, a couple of lexicons (kind of weak lexicons, but better than nothing –if you know of any good Kindle lexicons, let me know), a few of my Seminary textbooks, multiple sermon volumes, and a library of books that is growing faster than it should be ($$) in one incredibly small, easily accessible place. I take my Kindle everywhere except to church. My wife won’t let me. One of the first books that I read on Kindle was David Platt’s Radical: Taking back your faith from the American Dream. I’ve been meaning to put some thoughts about this book into writing, so here is my feeble attempt to highlight five items that particularly impacted me. Please don’t consider this list exhaustive. I’m almost certain that there’s a life-altering quote on every page (at least every-other).

1. My name is Chad Phelps, I am 22 years old, and I am captivated by the American Dream. I am. I don’t want to be, I don’t want to admit it, I hate the way that it looks when I write it, but I am. I have succeeded in molding Jesus into who I want Him to be, and in this way I have redefined a gospel that is less about radical self-abandonment to Christ, and more about what I can get out of this Christian experience. But that’s not the gospel; at least not the gospel that Christ preached. As Platt put it, I need to believe that “Jesus is so good, so satisfying, and so rewarding that we will leave all we have and all we own and all we are in order to find our fullness in Him.” Let that sink in.

2. Social action is not the gospel, but it is ridiculously naive and calloused for Christians to believe that Christ doesn’t care about how we treat the poor. The gospels pay particular attention to the poor. Christ healed them, He gave to them, and He confronted them with the gospel. Am I turning a blind eye to my responsibility to them?

3. Without Christ, I am inept. Platt points out that “In direct contradiction to the American dream, God actually delights in exalting our inability.” The American dream emphasizes our culture, our abilities, our mental faculties, our sparkling buildings, our programs, and our monetary assets. Point after point drives home this fact in convicting fashion. A Facebook friend of mine referred to this book as “devastating.” He was right. The gospel of Christ emphasizes His lordship and my inability apart from His grace.

4. A large portion of the church today ignores Christ’s commands. Why is it so easy to hear Him say, “Take my yoke upon you,” and yet so hard to hear Him say, “Go, sell all that you have?” How come we cling to the “Ask anything in my name” promise, and ignore the “Go ye into all the world” command? The answer is simple; because we have not become radically surrendered to Christ. We trust Him, but only so far. We love Him, but only so much. We would never admit it, it stinks to hear it, but it’s true. Most of the church today has never even considered sharing the gospel abroad. It’s not even that we’re not open to God’s commands. We just blatantly ignore them. When God says “Go into all the world,” why does that not apply to you? You don’t have an answer? That’s because it does.

5. I have never been so open to missions in my life.”

Posted by Caleb

This book is a timeless treasure. J.C. Ryle (1816-1900) was 71 years old the last time he revised this little book. As a husband, father of five (including 3 sons), and pastor there’s no questioning Ryle’s qualifications for writing such a book. Having worked in the Dean of Men’s office at Bob Jones University now for 3 years I have grown very familiar with this book. We use this book quite frequently here as a great resource for helping guys that are struggling with their spiritual walk. 

The book is divided into four sections: 
As you read this book it will really challenge your entire outlook on life. Sin really is a powerful thing in our lives and Ryle really paints this picture for his readership. Ryle paints the truth in such a way that it is equally as relevant today as it was 100+ years ago when he first wrote it. If you are a man ages 18-35 this is an absolute must read for you. You can read small passages of this book as a devotional or you can just take a couple hours out of your day and read the entire thing. Obviously the language and some of the content of the book are a little dated as you read it. At one point in the book Ryle exhorts young men to stay away from books and newspapers that will lead you to sin. I wonder what Ryle would think of our culture today with it abundance of information on the internet and TV. Ryle’s advise remains Biblical and practical for today’s Christian young man. Ryle is passionate in his appeal to young men that they be grounded in their beliefs and they behave as good soldiers of the Lord Jesus Christ. If you have not yet read this book I challenge you to do so as soon as you can.

Here’s the best news about this book: It’s free online! 

Posted by Caleb

A dear friend of mine at church recently gave me a copy of this book. The title stood out to me right away when I got a copy of it. In my mind I was thinking, “how can anyone forget about something Spurgeon wrote.” Admittedly I do have a love for all things Spurgeon (you’ll have to blame my Dad for that). If you have never read anything by Spurgeon you have missed a treat. There is a reason Spurgeon has been called “The Prince of Preachers.” He will forever be etched in history as a man whose theology drove his application. He is a solid expositor but at the same time makes his messages stick in the minds and hearts of hist listeners. The messages of Spurgeon remain timeless and continue to challenge our thoughts and our actions.

The sermons that are recorded in this book cover a range of subjects from having a “Happy New Year” to “Notes for the Encouragement of Saints.” While written over 100 years ago the sermons will still strike you right where you live today. This really is a book to treasure. Most of the sermons in the book are brief but they still pack a tremendous amount of wisdom that will require you to slow down as you read them. If you are looking for a book that doesn’t require you to read from cover to cover in order to grasp the books entire concepts this is the book for you. Since this is just a book that brings together a bunch of Spurgeon’s sermons you don’t even have to read the chapters in order. Just pick a chapter that sound interesting to you and start reading there. 

Posted by Caleb