Bible by the Beach is a new Bible-teaching conference that begins in May 2009. The event runs over the bank-holiday weekend, 1st-4th May 2009, and is held at the Congress Theatre complex in Eastbourne. It is best compared to Keswick – you come to Eastbourne, find your own accommodation and then come along to as many or as few sessions as you like. The cost of an adult delegate pass is just £50, with children (under 16) just £1!!

The conference is the initiative of the Bishop of Lewes, Wallace Benn and has been organised by a number of local ministers from different denominational backgrounds, including my dad. In the first year there is already a strong line up of speakers including;

• Wallace Benn, Bishop of Lewes
• Terry Virgo, New Frontiers
• Paul Williams, Christ Church Fulwood
• Kent & Barbara Hughes, Wheaton College Church
• Mike Ovey, Principal of Oak Hill
• Simon Vibert, Vice-Principal of Wycliffe
• Andrew Baughen, St. James’ Clerkenwell

And some more… plus Stuart Townend will be leading the music, and performing a concert.

For more information and to book in please visit the 85% complete website (nearly there) at: http://www.biblebythebeach.org

Adrian Warnock interviews Mark Driscoll – videos here

Mark Driscoll reflects on his time in the UK here and here

My posts on Together on a Mission 2008

My posts on the Dwell London conference

Mark Driscoll’s pastors training track (audio) – Be Radical Plant Radical Churches

Together on a Mission 2008 (audio) – Main Sessions

Off to CYFA camp in Colwyn Bay (sunny North Wales tomorrow) – 10 days of fun, hard work and learning lots about Jesus from John’s Gospel.

Mark Driscoll concluded the Dwell London conference on the subject of Preaching Jesus, and then finished with a short Q&A session. He gave 6 points about preparing to preach:

• What does the Scripture say?
• Theological – What does it mean?
• How can I make it memorable? – a hook to hang the sermon on – connect with doctrines, big words, emotion, images, people, characters
• Apologetic – How do people resist the message? – Answer the objections
• Missional – Why does this matter to our community?
• Christological – How is Jesus the hero?

On the 6th point Driscoll went on to talk a lot about how we can preach Christ from the Old Testament by using; prophecies, Christophonies, types (Adam, Priests, Prophets, Kings), services (tested in a garden, tested in wilderness etc.), events (Passover, Day of Atonement etc.), titles of God.

Mark simply concluded by saying:

“It’s all about Jesus”   “Love Jesus”  “Talk about Jesus lots”

He said, “If it’s about Jesus, it works… and it makes up for a lot!”

He then addressed a Q&A session mainly answering questions about the role of a wife and family life in church planting ministry. He also had time for a quick jab at us Brits, he said two of our biggest weaknesses were our “fake niceness” and our “cowardice” particularly in addressing big questions – like sex. All in all great conference, watch this space for more stuff from the Acts29 and Porterbrook Network partnership…

Mark Driscoll kicked off the Dwell London conference by explaining the gospel – highlighting the difference between the Gospel of Grace, and the Religion of Works.

Mark began by quoting Martin Luther from his lecture on Galatians 2:14 -

“The truth of the Gospel is the principle article of all Christian doctrine…. Most necessary is it that we know this article well, teach it to others, and beat it into their heads continually.”

Driscoll then went to 1 Corinthians 15, asking – What is the Gospel?

• It’s continual (now I would remind you)
• Proclamation and Explanation
• Pastoral and Personal
• Essential (don’t assume too much, preach the priorities)
• Relevant (don’t make it, show it)
• Christological – it’s all about Jesus
• Penal Substitutionary
• Biblical (it was prophesied)
• Eschatological (it has a future)

Under the PS point, Mark alluded to his knowledge of the NWA foundation, and told the story of how his church grew by 800 people on the week he preached PSA! He said that he wants to be a ‘truth teller’ – “I’d rather be hated than ignored – that’s my ministry!” Mark then moved on to look at the two enemies of the Gospel – Idolatry and Religion.

Idolatry

Driscoll quoted Luther who said that idolatry was “the sin”, and that it all came down to the first two Commandments – if we disobey the first two we have an idol, and will break the other commandments.

An idol is that which takes pre-eminence, which receives our worship. We’re all spiritual people because we all have our own definitions of heaven and hell, and the a ‘Functional Saviour’ (our idol) to take us from hell to heaven. He then goes on to reference Tim Keller who has a set of questions to expose our idols:

What are you afraid of? What do you long for? Where do you get comfort? How do you introduce yourself? Whose approval do you seek? What makes you happy/sad?

Religion

Mark started off by showing the clear differences between the Gospel of Grace and the Religion of Works:

If I obey God loves me  vs.  God loves me, his Spirit enables me to obey

Good and Bad People  vs.  Repentant and Unrepentant Sinners

What you do  vs.  What Jesus has done

He then explained the result of religion, it either leads to pride and self-righteousness (these people stay in the church), or despair at not being good enough (these people walk away from church). Rather, the Gospel ends in joy, those who receive grace are humble and happy.

Acts 17 – God commands ALL men to repent (religious and idolatrous)

Romans 1:16 – Mark reminded us not to be ashamed of the Gospel we preach, and again to notice that it goes to the Jews (the religious people) and to the Greeks (the idolatrous people)

Steve’s second talk was entitled ‘Planting communities of Grace‘. He opened by reading 1 Timothy 3, and then briefly spoke about groups and the 5 stages of a ‘group’ defined by Dr. Bruce Tuckman:

1. Forming
2. Storming
3. Norming
4. Performing
5. Adjourning (he added this one at the end)

Steve stressed that the forming stage was the time to build a ‘dynamic of Grace’ into the structure, the DNA of the group. Then in to 1 Timothy 3:

The need for stand-out godliness (v.1-13)

• The principle to be ‘above reproach’ (in all things)
• Leaders should model real-life, practical holiness
• A love for strangers – “Grace with clothes on”

The means of stand-out godliness (v.16)

• ‘The Mystery’ – godliness revealed in Jesus
• Through relationships, lived out in real life
• Grace – to be loved and lived
• Chief of Sinners + a lover of grace and people

Where it comes together (v.15)

• In the church!

Steve then brought up two final thoughts:

• “litter the world with communities of grace”
• (point 5) Adjourning – keep going, keep replication, keep planting communities of grace