Right now there’s a conference happening in the States, in Durham, North Carolina, called Advance 2009.

Piper, Driscoll, Chandler, Stetzer, Chapell and a few others…

I’m guessing that full audio/video will be available at a later date, but the audio is being made available straight away on Desiring God… listening to Chandler ranting, his intro makes me laugh becuase he has “a picture of Dr. Piper on his fridge”.

Richard Cunningham told us a little bit about New Word Alive 2010 – one week with Rebecca Manley-Pippet, Wayne Grudem and Jerry Bridges. For 2011, Piper and Driscoll are looking hopeful.

Rupert Bentley-Taylor is Pastor at Widcombe Baptist Church in Bath.

Parable of the Banquet. What does the future look like? Blessed is the man who eats the feast v.15 – prophets, Jesus, Revelation all speak of the feast, the man was right, but… What was in the man’s heart? He was complacent, assumed he’d be at the feast. He was claimless, the belief had no impact on the way he lived. What you believe about the future should affect your living now.

Matters of the heart v.15-20
- the generous heart of God v.16 – God has amazing plans for your future, he prepares a great banquet with many guests.
JC Ryle – ‘the gospel has everything that humans need’
God says ‘come’
- the hard heart of men – lots of excuses, but the problem is in the heart, they knew, but couldn’t be bothered, they were in love with other things. The invitation is rejected. Jesus says come, but they crucified him – men reject the grace of God.

* England 1 – 0 Ukraine (Crouch) *

A matter of others v.21-24
There is one day left, the coming of Christ in judgement, one thing restrains that, the patient, gracious heart of God that longs for men to be saved.
- God wants the sinners, the waifs and strays, the outcasts, no one wants them, but God does! Friendship evangelism is great, but God says go and invite the people that no one wants to be friends with.
- God wants those outside the city – the gentile. Go and invite them, go with a passion, out of your comfort zone to bring Christ to all people everywhere. The heart of God longs for others to come.

Do we share the master’s heart – then invite. Jesus looks beneath the words and looks at our hearts – if you share his heart you will eat at his feast. They will cross every barrier to bring that invite to all.

‘Porn-Again Christian‘ is the punningly named title of a new e-book written by Mark Driscoll and published online (for free) at The Resurgence. Driscoll doesn’t mince his words, hence the sub-title – “a frank discussion on pornography and masturbation”… and that’s what it is; real, honest words to men about the issues surrounding lust, with a grasp of both the theology and practicalities of the issue.

Because the book is very frank I won’t go into details…  but there’s two focuses of the book… firstly the theology – what is lust, why do we lust, why do we sin, why do we reject God for the inferior pleasures of lust? and secondly the application of that, how practically can I avoid temptation and fight it when it comes… it covers porn, masturbation, godly sex in marriage, being a man, and some Q&A.

The book concludes with something very profound, and very disturbing. It is an interview with Ted Bundy, American serial killer who explains in an interview with a Christian leader James Dobson how experiences of soft porn started a slippery slope into more hardcore, more violent materials and then ultimately to sexual violence and murder in the real life. What’s frightening is that Bundy had a ‘normal’ upbringing… a stable family and a Christian home, but the images of pornography and the violence of films changed him. There’s also an appendix looking at the real, current effects of prostitution and sexual slavery in the world today.

“In closing, sin leads to death. Jesus died for your sin. You are in a war. Be a man. Put your sin to death.”

“To motivate them toward growing up and honorably taking a wife. Nearly every man wants to have sex. The issue is which woman he will have sex with. If he grows up, leaves home, walks with God, pursues his career, and then marries his bride to enjoy her biblically, then his love for her was part of God’s motivation to turn a boy into a man by making him take manly responsibility. Since most young men want sex, that desire is to encourage them to not settle for having sex with their hand or with their girlfriend, but rather grow up and lovingly enjoy their wife.”

Mark Driscoll

I love the banter that goes on between these two…

At the last Resurgence conference there was the joke question from Driscoll… “Would you let an Arminian cut your grass?” and just after the infamous Driscoll-Chandler punch.

Then there’s his 4 reasons why I love John Piper…

and reason number 5, “He’s a good sport”… see below:  John’s Piper’s New Coat!

Hope to see him preaching in it soon! Best line in the video… “I love John Piper… but not in an Episcopalian way!”