What does it mean to be converted?

I was greatly edified by this powerful video by Kirk Cameron and John MacArthur on what it means to be born again. I was especially moved by the strong testimony to Christ's lordship and God's sovereignty in salvation. Cameron says:

You didn't find Jesus. Jesus wasn't lost--you were, and he found you! ... I wasn't seeking after the Jesus of the Bible. His demands are far too high. What God wants from me is total and complete surrender and a dying to myself. I wasn't looking for that!... I was lost and God found me and he drew me in to the truth of Scripture and caused me to embrace it with all of my heart. And that's the beauty of the power of God--to take a guy who's not seeking God and all and to seek him out to find him and to make him a new creature in Christ.

On theology, conscience, faith and humility

A great quote from J.I. Packer (one of the most quotable fellows out there):

"If our theology does not quicken the conscience and soften the heart, it actually hardens both; if it does not encourage the commitment of faith, it reinforces the detachment of unbelief; if it fails to promote humility, it inevitably feeds pride." (A Quest for Godliness, 15.)

HT: Ray Ortlund.

Chalchocoyo, San Luis Potosí

Lord willing, next week I will be traveling with my dad down to a little mountain village of Chalchocoyo in the state of San Luis Potosí. About 30 years ago I visited this little village with my parents (shown in this photo).

Each year the church there hosts a conference and when we visited 30 years ago my dad spoke at that conference. This year, I will be privileged to speak at the same conference. Please pray for me this week as I prepare my messages. I will be speaking on Hebrews 11.

The latest from the Gibson household

HOT!

It's February 27 and it's 100 104 degrees here in Monterrey. Looks like it's going to be a long summer......

Good question

A while back Jonathan (7 years old) asked me, "Daddy, why did God make Adam and Eve if he knew they were going to sin?" Hmm. It's easier to answer that question from one of my 20-something college students than from my seven-year-old.

Are you meek?

What does it mean to be meek and why did this particular characteristic make it to #3 of Jesus' "Top 8" list of the characteristics of kingdom citizens? Today, while preparing my message for Sunday on the third beatitude, I came across the following helpful quotes:

D.A. Carson says,

"Poverty in spirit has to do with a person's assessment of himself, especially with respect to God, while meekness has more to do with his relationship with God and with men." (Jesus' Sermon on the Mount and His Confrontation with the World, p. 20)

Martyn Lloyd-Jones agrees.

"Meekness is essentially a true view of oneself, expressing itself in attitude and conduct with respect to others. . . . The man who is truly meek is the one who is amazed that God and man can think of him as well as they do and treat him as well as they do." (quoted by John Stott, The Message of the Sermon on the Mount, p. 43).

So how will this affect our relationship with other people?

We are to leave everything—our rights, our cause, our whole future—in the hands of God, and especially if we feel we are suffering unjustly." (D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, quoted by Carson, p. 21)

According to Stott, "this makes him [the meek man] gentle, humble, sensitive, patient in all his dealings with others."

So Sinclair Ferguson defines meekness as follows:

"It is humble strength that belongs to the man who has learned to submit to difficulties (difficult experiences and difficult people), knowing that in everything God is working for his Good. The meek man is the one who as stood before God's judgment and abdicated all his supposed 'rights'. He has learned, in gratitude for God's grace, to submit himself to the Lord and to be gentle with others." (The Sermon on the Mount, p. 21)

So how does one become meek? It seems that meekness grows out of the first two beatitudes: those who recognize their absolute spiritual poverty and bankruptcy before God ("blessed are the poor in spirit", v. 3) and who are characterized by a humble, broken repentance because of their own sinfulness ("blessed are those who mourn", v. 4) will, in turn, be characterized by a humble, patient, gentle, sensitive meekness in their dealings with other people. So if this third beatitude is missing, it is likely that we need to grow in the first two. I don't make myself meek. Rather, as I am exposed to the white-hot holiness of God in his Word and to the gospel's assessment of my own sinfulness and depravity, the Holy Spirit will form in me poverty in spirit and repentance and, as a consequence, meekness in my attitudes and dealings with others.

Church Inauguration

Thanks to those of you who prayed for the inauguration of Iglesia Bautista Nueva Vida! God blessed, and by his grace we had a wonderful day. We were blessed to have a good number of guests from Iglesia Bautista Genesaret, our church's "mother church," as well as our missionary colleagues and several students from the university with us. The services and activities were very uplifting and joyful as we celebrated God's grace in bringing us to this special day. Here are some photos of the services and the meal afterward.




















Thanks to our friend and colleague, Russell Raymer for the photos.

Prayer request

This Sunday, the 22nd of February, our church plant will be formally organized as a local church under the name "Iglesia Bautista Nueva Vida." We appreciate your prayers for Sunday.

A Mexican used car parts shop

Ok, one more video from our day on the town. This totally cracked me up. If you ever need a part for any kind of vehicle, this is the place to look--but good luck finding what you want! This can't be described, you have to see it....

A day on the town

A couple weeks ago during our Christmas break our family took a day trip down-town Monterrey. First we took the metro (the city’s public transportation train) to a large park called “Fundidora” near the center of town. In the park we took a 45 minute boat ride down-town through the “Paseo Santa Lucia,” Monterrey’s version of San Antonio’s River Walk (although I personally think the Paseo is even nicer than the River Walk). Upon arriving at the central Plaza by boat we ate some tacos at a taco stand and then returned home via the boat and the Metro.

We wanted to share with you some photos and videos our excellent family adventure in the beautiful city of Monterrey. If you've never visited Monterrey, here's your chance.

Beginning our journey at the entrance to the metro station

On the metro

Disembarking the metro at "La estación Fundidora"

After leaving the metro, we walked past the "Arena Monterrey," a multi-purpose arena located in Fundidora

The "Fundidora" park is one of our favorite places to visit as a family in Monterrey. Part of our walk across the park to the river.

Now we're at the head of the river, the "Paseo Santa Lucia," where we will board the boat to take the ride down-town.

On the boat...

Arrival down-town at the "Macro-plaza," the central plaza in Monterrey

The taco stand we ate at (not exactly Monterrey's finest, but....)

The rest of the pictures are of our return trip on the boat down the Paseo Santa Lucia

A great view from the river of our famous mountain, El Cerro de la Silla

One final video of our return trip

Video on Jim Elliot

Jim Elliot is one of my heroes. As you probably already heard, January 8 marked the 53rd anniversary of the death of Jim and his four companions in Ecuador. The following video is an inspiring record of their mission.



May we all be willing to give what we cannot keep to gain that which we cannot lose! Laying down one's life for Christ and others is not just for missionaries. It is part of being a disciple of Jesus Christ.

"This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this, that someone lays down his life for his friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command you." (John 15:12-14)

"By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers." (1 John 3:16)

Now great crowds accompanied him, and he turned and said to them, 26 "If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. 27 Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. ... 33 So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple." (Luke 14:25-27, 33)

Video of our newly finished auditorium

The other evening I recorded a brief video clip of our new church auditorium to give you a better idea of what it looks like. Take a look.



The majority of the funds to build this building came from the generous giving of the members of the church. Praise God for his goodness!

"But who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able thus to offer willingly? For all things come from you, and of your own have we given you." (1 Chron 29:14)

A morning meditation (Micah 7:18-20)

¹⁸     Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity

        and passing over transgression

        for the remnant of his inheritance?

    He does not retain his anger forever,

        because he delights in steadfast love.

¹⁹     He will again have compassion on us;

        he will tread our iniquities under foot.

    You will cast all our sins

        into the depths of the sea.

²⁰     You will show faithfulness to Jacob

        and steadfast love to Abraham,

    as you have sworn to our fathers

        from the days of old.

High-impact books: Ten books that have shaped my life and thinking

A few months ago I began to reflect on my own personal spiritual and theological journey and the books that God has used to nurture and mature along the way. I’ve come up with this list.

Explanation:

1. These are not the only books I’ve ever read. :)
2. These are not necessarily the best or most important books I’ve ever read. Nor are they necessarily all my favorite books today.
3. These are books that I’ve read that, at the time in my theological and spiritual pilgrimage when I read them, had a particularly profound impact upon my life and thinking.
4. I don’t necessarily recommend that those who read this blog go out and buy all of these. High-impact books don’t work that way (at least not for me). Instead these are works that God, who is always teaching, discipling and pastoring me, graciously, sovereignly, and providentially placed in my life at just the right times to make me what I am today.

1. A.W. Tozer, The Pursuit of God

This book, which I read my freshman year of college (1991), had a profound impact on my spiritual life. It brought me to a new understanding of biblical spirituality, namely the necessity and centrality of a personal intimate relationship with my Creator. Although I grew up in a Christian home, for some reason that reality had never come home to me. Tozer’s writing put me on my knees and sparked within me a deep longing to pursue and know God personally. I haven’t read this book now for over 15 years but it continues to bear fruit in my life.

2. Courtney Anderson, To the Golden Shore

Anderson’s outstanding biography of Adoniram Judson, the great missionary to Burma set my heart on fire for missions. It was recommended to me the summer after my sophomore year by my good friend, Eric Smith, who was then an MDiv student at BJU. Even as an MK, this inspiring story of one of America’s most gifted missionaries opened my eyes to the realities of missionary work. What are those realities? Self-sacrifice and suffering for the cause of Christ uniquely serve to advance the kingdom of God on earth.

3. Jerry Bridges, The Discipline of Grace

Bridges’ works of practical spirituality are outstanding. This particular book, which I read my junior year of college, opened my mind to a truth that had never dawned on me before and that continues to shape and drive my daily relationship with God: the gospel, rather just being the starting point of the Christian life, is a message that I need every day of my life. Bridges’ mantra, “preach the gospel to yourself” struck me like a bolt of lightening and continues to dominate my spiritual life and growth. Since then, other authors (e.g. Bryan Chapell, Mike Barrett, Milton Vincent, and C.J. Mahaney, as well as other books by Bridges) have continued to shape and mature my thinking on the role of the gospel in sanctification, but it was The Discipline of Grace which first introduced me to this blessed truth.

4. John MacArthur, The Gospel According to Jesus

This classic (and controversial) work by MacArthur had both a profound intellectual and spiritual impact on my life. I read it while involved in a ministry in a low-income housing project in Greenville my senior year of college. After a year or two in that ministry, I (and the other students that I ministered with) began to notice that most of the “conversions” that we had been seeing simply did not bear any permanent fruit. Confused and frustrated, we began to reevaluate our evangelism methods. By divine providence, at that time MacArthur’s work came into my possession and resulted in nothing less than a revolution in my thinking about salvation and discipleship. MacArthur helped me to understand (sadly, for the first time) the danger of an easy-believeism gospel that makes no demands of potential disciples. The Gospel According to Jesus introduced me to reformed soteriology (for which I am eternally grateful) and at the same time adjusted my understanding of what it meant for me personally to be a disciple of Jesus Christ. This isn't the most balanced or even-handed book I've ever read, but it's certainly one of the most important.

5. Martin Lloyd-Jones, Romans 6

My last semester of college I took a graduate class called Romans in Greek. Curiously and providentially, the textbook for that class was this volume of 23 sermons by one of the greatest expository preachers of all time, David Martyn Lloyd-Jones. Lloyd-Jones’ practical and penetrating expositions of Romans’ sixth chapter have, more than any other single volume, shaped my understanding and practice of the doctrine of sanctification.

6. John Piper, Let the Nations be Glad

I wept my way through this book my first year of grad school ('95/'96) as the Lord (through Piper and Jonathan Edwards) opened my eyes to the supremacy of the glory of God in all things. My man-centered worldview crumbled under the weight of Piper’s compelling and passionate biblical arguments. The famous opening words of this book summarize reason that I’m a missionary today:

“Missions is not the ultimate goal of the church. Worship is. Missions exist because worship doesn’t. Worship is ultimate, not missions, because God is ultimate, not man.”

I haven’t been the same since.

7. B.B. Warfield The Inspiration and Authority of the Bible

Warfield’s compelling and profound essays on Scripture forever sealed for me the question of the Bible’s inspiration and absolute authority. Not that I’d ever doubted it. But by God’s grace, and by means of Warfield’s towering intellect and rigorous theological argumentation, I came to own a truth that I’d always just assumed. It was that truth that drove me to pursue more biblical studies (Ph.D.) and to dedicate my life to the exposition of God’s word.

8. John Piper, The Pleasures of God

What can I say about the greatest (human) book that I’ve ever read? Read it. Digest it. Read it again. Live it. Love God and worship him.

9. Thomas Schreiner & Ardel Caneday The Race Set Before Us

The content of this book is well summed up in its sub-title: A Biblical Theology of Perseverance and Assurance. I did not read this book until 6 or 7 years ago. Few books that I’ve ever read (none that I can think of offhand) have caused a greater theological paradigm shift in my thinking than this one. Schreiner’s and Caneday’s explanation of the warning passages in the NT and of the NT’s teaching on perseverance (as opposed to just “eternal security”) continues to affect my reading of the NT and to shape my understanding of the doctrine of salvation.

10. Paul Tripp, Instruments in the Redeemer’s Hands

It may be premature to add this book to my list since I’ve only just read it this year. Perhaps its impact has been so great because lately I’ve found myself (more than ever before) crying out to God for wisdom and help in my personal pastoral ministry to other people. Tripp’s practical biblical wisdom has been a breath of fresh air for me and has begun to (re)shape my thinking and practice of pastoral ministry. I think every Christian and especially every pastor, professor, Sunday-school teacher, church leader, nursery worker...ok, I’ll just say that every Christian should read this book. And if you don’t have time to read it, read it anyway. As Tripp puts it, a personal ministry of God’s word to others belongs “to all the people of God, all the time.”