Last night we met Alistair Begg, speaking at the main Bible readings and and all the way from Ohio, USA. We found out about his love of Manchester United (he hates Chelsea) and a secret passion for the TV drama Foyles War. This morning he began the first of 3 Bible Readings, looking today at ‘The Wisdom of the Cross’.

Alistair took us to 1 Corinthians 1:18-2:5, reminding us first and foremost that the gospel is not the ABC, but the A-Z of the Christian Life. Here are some thoughts and quotes that Alistair brought to us…

“There is nothing in us or done by us, at any stage of our earthly development, because of which we are acceptable to God.We must always be accepted for Christ’s sake, or we cannot ever be accepted at all. This is not true of us only when we believe. It is just as true after we have believed. It will continue to be trust as long as we live. Our need of Christ does not cease with our believing; nor does the nature of our relation to Him or to God through Him ever alter, no matter what our attainments in Christian graces or our achievements in behavior may be. It is always on His “blood and righteousness” alone that we can rest.”  - B.B. Warfield

The message of the cross has two big effects:

1. Those who are perishing… think it’s foolish
2. Those who are being saved… think it’s wise

“To convert one sinner from his way is an event of greater importance than the deliverance of an entire kingdom from temporal evil.” – Doctrine of the Atonement by Smeaton

“…only a person can substitute for a person; only a consenting will can substitute for a rebellious will.” – Alec Motyer

The Gospel is not something we do, it’s something Christ has done! If we exhort, without the gospel then we become legalistic! The Gospel is Historical, it’s rational, and it’s experiential… we couldn’t create it or think it up by our own wisdom… but, v.24 God Calls!

Lady Macbeth, with stained hands… “canst thou not minister to a mind diseas’d?”… Jesus can!
“There is a fountain filled with blood drawn from Emmanuel’s veins; and sinners plunged beneath that flood lose all their guilty stains.”
“Jesus, keep me near the cross, There a precious fountain, Free to all, a healing stream, Flows from Calvary’s mountain.”

No other story, no other Saviour – Jesus the only one qualified!

You’ll be able to get DVDs, CDs and MP3 downloads of this talk after the event in the online shop

It’s the first night of Bible by the Beach 2010, an annual Bible-teaching conference in Eastbourne, UK. The sun is shining, Stuart Townend and Phatfish a playing nice and loud, and there’s a great turn out for the first night, with many still travelling to join us – it’s not too late for you to come!

Greg Haslam, minister of Westminster Chapel is preaching on Psalm 133 – a song of ascents, when God’s people coming together to celebrate.

We live in a world of suspicion and disunity and rivalry… and it’s often the same in the church. One three letter word – SIN – it’s the cause and root of our disunity. But in John 17 – Jesus prays that we may be one, so that the world may believe!

Unity can be Experienced! – It’s good for Christians, for prodigals, for outsiders, for children… there’s something amazing about unity. v.1 – It’s GOOD and PLEASANT

Unity is not just being put together, it’s not being uniformed (‘cookie-cutter Christians’)… unity is a togetherness in Christ, that comes from the heart.

Unity is portrayed (v.2-3) like sweet oil, like dew on the mountains bringing new life. So… unity is a gift from God (just like the dew), unity flows from God right down through leaders to the church – if pastors aren’t united, congregations won’t be either! So too unity spreads, like oil, like dew… it increases more and more uniting many. Unity… brings nothing but blessing!

Christians – we have more in common than divides us! One body, one Lord, one faith – servants of the same Master, One Father – brothers and sisters together… the Holy Spirit unites us!

You’ll be able to buy DVDs, CDs and MP3 downloads of this talk at the Online Shop.

Preached a couple of weeks ago on James 1…

There’s that somewhat shocking, disagreeable, interesting, vexing, deep, confusing, enigmatic, truthful, heart-warming, [insert adjective here] verse which goes something like…

“Consider it pure joy my brothers whenever you face trials of many kinds”

I would say this verse is a little bit challenging, to preach, and even more so to live out!

Download the MP3 here

Script here

Lifted – Experiencing the resurrection life, is the new book by Sam Allberry. 140 pages, published by IVP looking at 4 big implications of the Resurrection; Assurance, Transformation, Hope and Mission.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and consequently recommended it to be our Easter Focus book on our church bookstall this Easter.

Allberry brings a simple, informal style to help make weighty subjects accessible, with helpful illustrations and witty comments to keep the reader engaged! I thoroughly enjoyed reading it… often I find books hard work, when the author just talks… but in Lifted you’re gently taken through the implications of the Resurrection – and you’ll want to keep reading.

My fiancé demolished the book in one sitting as she prepared to give a youth talk on the Resurrection… her assessment was… Great book, especially chapter 3 on Christian Hope… great to be reminded, refreshed and encouraged by the hope of resurrection life to come.

It’s well worth a read - Buy it now – just £6.29!

that protecting human life, protecting marriage, and protecting freedom of conscience are foundational for creating and maintaining strong families, caring communities and a just society.

Christians of all denominations who subscribe to the historic Christian faith to sign the Westminster 2010 Declaration of Christian Conscience.

upon all parliamentary candidates to pledge that they will ‘respect, uphold and protect the right of Christians to hold and express Christian beliefs and act according to Christian conscience’.

If you agree… sign up here!

In related news… in the spirit of Christian unity, prominent UK leader Steve Chalke under the banner of Faithworks has refused to sign up stating that social action is more important than Christian conscience (I paraphrase). So Faithworks have their own declaration which Steve Chalke will deliver personally, because he’s a greaser. Personally I think Chalke in this situation has been unhelpful, and generally a bit of an idiot. For a more helpful and measured response, please see Westminster 2010 Response.

Cheers Dan

Raised with Christ – How the Resurrection Changes Everything… is the new book released by popular UK Christian Blogger, Adrian Warnock. Who despite making fun of my figure on at least one ocassion (pot, kettle, black), is quite a nice bloke really, and sent me a copy of his book, very nice.

It seems that in his great providence God has seen it right to raise up some folk in the Church to write for us on the subject of the Resurrection; Adrian Warnock, Sam Allberry, Tim Chester, Dan Clark and Don Carson of late. In his book Adrian sets out to put the Resurrection back on the agenda!

The book sets out in the opening chapters to provide a framework for Resurrection, looking at historical evidence for Jesus’ resurrection, thoughts on why we neglect the Resurrection, and looking at some Biblical background of what resurrection is, means, and occurrences of it before Jesus (great pointers to lots of OT passages). While this is probably a necessary framework to have, it is not done in sufficient detail to be convincing… ie. I wouldn’t point a sceptical friend here to examine evidence for the Resurrection. But this is not the focus of the book, rather the book gets going in the later chapters as Warnock looks at the implications of the resurrection… how it changes everything!

There’s rich material here looking at the Apostles focus on preaching the Resurrection, spelling out what it means to be united with Christ and practical application on what it looks like to be transformed in the light of the Resurrection. The book concludes with yet more practical outworkings, looking at being born again - resurrection life in the believer, revival, mission, the Spirit sent by the risen Lord (lays out some controversial issues graciously), and the hope and assurance that the Resurrection brings.

“Christians have the same power that raised Christ Jesus from the dead living inside them. One day that power will complete the work of saving us, but in the meantime the normal Christian life can be one in which we are very aware of the change that the resurrection brings. We are citizens of the age to come, living in a world that is dead to God. But we are not dead to him. We live to him. May God help us live in the light of that fact more each day.”

See also reviews by: Dave Bish, Phil Sweeting

Definitely worth reading, and a great resource to have when thinking about the Resurrection. Packed with helpful quotes and footnotes for further study.

Currently it’s selling for less than £10 on Amazon – buy it now!