DeYoung on "How to Be Better Bereans"

Kevin DeYoung has a three-part series of very helpful posts on ten ways to be better Bereans.

The Jews in Berea, it is said, were more noble than those in Thessalonica, for “they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so” (Acts 17:11). How telling–for them and for us–that nobility is measured not by titles, land, parentage, wealth, or degrees, but by how we handle the word of God. Our approach to the Scriptures sets us apart as riff-raff or royalty.

So how do we become better Bereans?

He posted three ways on Tuesday, four today, and will post the final three tomorrow.

Part 1 of 3

Part 2 of 3

Check back there on Thursday for the final three

Are You "Crazy Busy"?

Many of us live our lives frantically, feeling like we are always in a hurry. It seems that there is never enough time to do all that we need to do. In fact, you might be thinking to yourself at this very moment, “I really don’t have time to read this right now. I have too much to do.”

If that sounds like your life, then you need to get your hands on a copy of Kevin DeYoung’s new book, Crazy Busy: A (Mercifully) Short Book about a (Really) Big Problem. It's a brief, well-written, humorous book about busyness, infused with common sense as well as biblical and theological wisdom.

Here's the gist (but I really do recommend reading it yourself...unless you're just too busy!).

THREE DANGERS OF BUSYNESS 

DeYoung begins by discussing three dangers that we must be aware of:

1. Busyness can ruin your joy 
2. Busyness can rob your heart 
3. Busyness can cover up the rot in your soul 

While busyness can certainly have a negative effect on our physical bodies, the most serious threats are spiritual. Put simply, busyness sets our souls at risk.

SEVEN DIAGNOSES TO CONSIDER

The next section of the book deals with seven different diagnoses of busyness.

1. You are beset with many manifestations of pride (i.e., people-pleasing, pats on the back, performance, possessions, proving yourself, pity, power, perfectionism, prestige, posting [social media]). 
2. You are trying to do what God does not expect you to do (helpful counsel for those of us who think we need to do everything and feel guilty because we can’t). 
3. You can't serve others without setting priorities (everything we can do is not everything we ought to do). 
4. You need to stop freaking out about your kids. Parents, consider these quotes: “[O]ne of the best things we can do for our kids is to find a way to stop being so frantic and frazzled” and “Our children are suffering from ‘secondhand stress.’” 
5.  You are letting the screen strangle your soul (“For many of us, the Web is like The Eagles' Hotel California: we can check out any time we like, but we can never leave”). 
6. You'd better rest yourself before you wreck yourself (great discussion on the importance of rhythm and routine to our daily and weekly lives, the importance of sleep, and the importance of the Sabbath). 
7.  You suffer more because you don't expect to suffer at all. (We're going to be busy if we're serving God and others, so we must remember that to serve is to suffer.) 

ONE THING YOU MUST DO 

The book ends with a reminder that there is one thing we must do to counteract the crazy busyness of our lives: we must devote ourselves to the Word of God and prayer. As DeYoung himself testifies, “I can tell you that no single practice brings more peace and discipline to life than sitting at the feet of Jesus.” What he states on the last page of the book sums it up well: “We won't say 'no' to more craziness until we can say 'yes' to more Jesus.” Amen!

The War On Sin

A convicting question raised by Kevin DeYoung:

If the war on poverty is worth fighting, how much more the war on your own sin?

 [...]

There is a gap between our love for the gospel and our love for godliness. This must change. It's not pietism, legalism, or fundamentalism to take holiness seriously. It's the way of all those who have been called to a holy calling by a holy God.  

--Kevin DeYoung, The Hole in Our Holiness

DeYoung on the Three R's of Christian Engagement in the Culture War

Kevin DeYoung is not only a very gifted writer, he is also a balanced and thoughtful pastor-theologian.  His recent post regarding the cultural controversy surrounding Chick-fil-A and homosexual marriage is evidence of that.  He offers 3 R's for Christians as we consider how best to respond to this and similar situations.

1. No retreat.
2. No reversal.
3. No reviling.

The entire post is brief, and his explanation of each R is well worth reading.  To do so, click here.

What the Emerging Church Really Is

"The emerging church is not an evangelistic strategy. It is the last rung for evangelicals falling off the ladder into liberalism or unbelief."

--Kevin DeYoung

Great Quote, Great Picture - You Need to See Both for the Full Effect

Normally, I would just take a quote like the one I'm about to recommend and include it in the post (without making you have to go to another site to read it). But the picture that Kevin DeYoung included with this quote by the Puritan, Thomas Brooks, is too good not to point you to his blog to see both. Check them out here.

Thinking Theologically about Memorial Day

Kevin DeYoung on "Thinking Theologically about Memorial Day"

Reasons to Leave a Church

Jason Helopoulos has a great guest post on Kevin DeYoung's blog related to reasons for leaving a church. I'll summarize them below, but it would be worth reading his entire post for further discussion and clarification of the reasons he provides.

Good Reasons for Moving On - The Four P's

1) Providential moving

2) Planting another church

3) Purity has been lost

4) Peace of the church is in jeopardy due to my presence

Possible Reasons for Moving On - The Three S's

1) Spouse

2) Special Needs

3) Special Gifts

Reasons Often Used Which Are Insufficient

1) Children's ministry

2) Buzz

3) Youth group

4) Church has changed

5) New pastor

6) I'm not being ministered to

7) Music

Sinners and Saints

Kevin DeYoung, reflecting on Luther's famous phrase, simul iustus et peccator (at the same time, justified and a sinner):

On this side of heaven, we will always be sinning saints, righteous wretches, and on occasion even justified jerks.

--Quoted in The Good News We Almost Forgot, Kevin DeYoung

Grace-Soaked Truth and Truth-Filled Grace

Kevin DeYoung currently has a series of posts on his blog answering the question, "How Do You Put Your Sermon Together?" At the end of part 2, he says:

Mostly I pray for grace-soaked truth and truth-filled grace. And fresh unction from the Holy Spirit week after week.

That's an excellent way to pray for preachers (and to think about biblical preaching). If you're a preacher, pray that way for your own preparation and preaching. If you're not a preacher, pray that way for your pastor.

For DeYoung's full posts, see below:

• How Do You Put Your Sermon Together, Part 1
• How Do You Put Your Sermon Together, Part 2

Personality and the Pulpit

Kevin DeYoung, who is now blogging for 9Marks, has a great post at the "Church Matters" blog on "Learning to Be Yourself as a Preacher: From One Still Learning to Do Just That." Here is an excerpt:

When Phillips Brooks famously defined preaching as “the communication of truth through personality” I do believe he was talking about your own personality and not someone else's. It has taken me awhile, but I finally feel like I have learned to be myself in the pulpit. Now whether this means my sermons are better or worse I can’t say. But being myself means my preaching is more genuine, more comfortable, and more sustainable. I know I have a lot to learn as a preacher, and I hope that ten years from now I’ll still get those awkward but true compliments–“your preaching has really improved over the years.” But at 32 I feel like I’m finally preaching the truth through my own personality....

I’m sure that for the first years of my ministry I sounded at times like a (very) poor man’s version of John Piper. I was listening to so much Piper that I’m sure my prayers, my themes, and even the way I said “Joy!” was Piperesque. Don’t get me wrong, I make no bones about learning from Piper and being influence by him. I’d trade my sermons for his any day. But he’d probably be the first to say, “Preach the same gospel I preach. But you don’t have preach just like me.” It’s taken me several years, but I think I’m finally ok with not being John Piper. I just don’t think I have the same personality, let alone the same gifts.

Along the way there have been other famous preachers I’ve wanted to emulate. I wish I could walk through a text and use humor like Alistair Begg (with the accent too, of course). I wish I were as creative in my thinking and as culturally attuned as Tim Keller. I’d love to be as funny and humble as C.J. Mahaney. I’ve wondered at times what it would be like to do in-your-face as well as Driscoll, or be as smart as Carson (I tried saying "Eye-Ziah," but no one was fooled). Hey, I’ve even thought how cool it would be to communicate as cooly as Rob Bell.

I would encourage you to read the whole thing (especially if you are still a relatively inexperienced preacher). Click here to do so.

Why Church Membership Matters

Why bother with church membership? Kevin DeYoung answered that question in a great post yesterday on "Why Membership Matters."

Why Churchless Christianity Doesn't Work

Christianity Today recently interviewed Kevin DeYoung about churchless Christianity and why it doesn't work. Read the interview here.

Defending Musical Diversity

Kevin DeYoung has a thoughtful and balanced post on musical diversity within a church's corporate worship. Here is his conclusion:

I am not arguing for a mechanical implementation of Psalms, hymns, contemporary songs, and non-Anglo songs. We should not make one week Psalms and another week non-Anglo songs, and we don’t have to get all four categories in every service. But singing from these four traditions, as we often do, is good for our church, not least of all because no one can claim absolutely “they use my kind of music here.” Then, Christ–sung in our songs, called up in our prayers, and heralded in the preaching–will be the glue that holds us together, and not music. That’s the kind of unity in diversity worth celebrating.

Read the whole thing here.

Ecclesiastical Mad Libs for Those Disillusioned with the Church

The institutional church is becoming so (pejorative adjective). When I go to church I feel completely (negative emotion). The leadership is totally (adjective you would use to describe Richard Nixon) and the people are (noun that starts with un-). The services are (adjective you might use to describe going to the dentist), the music is (adjective you would use to describe the singing on Barney), and the whole congregation is (choose among: "passive," "comatose," hypocritical," or "Rush Limbaugh Republicans"). The whole thing makes me (medical term).

I had no choice but to leave the church. My relationship with (spiritual noun) is better than ever. Now I meet regularly with my (relational noun, pl.) and talk about (noun that could be the focus of a liberal arts degree) and Jesus. We really care for each other. Sometimes we even (choose among: "pray for each other," "feed the homeless together," or "share power tools"). This is the church like it was meant to be. After all, (insert: "Where two or three are gathered, there I am in the midst of you," or "the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life," or " we don't have to go to church, we are the church"). I'm not saying everyone needs to do what I've done, but if you are tired of (compound phrase that begins with "institutional" or ends with "as-we-know-it"), I invite you to join the (noun with political overtones) and experience (spiritual noun) like you never will by sitting in a (choose among the following architectural put-downs: "wooden pew," steepled graveyard," "stained-glass mausoleum," or "glorified concert hall") week after week. When will the (biblical noun) start being the (same biblical noun)?

--Taken from Why We Love the Church: In Praise of Institutions and Organized Religion, Kevin DeYoung and Ted Kluck

Why We Love the Church

Over the weekend, I finished Kevin DeYoung and Ted Kluck's new book, Why We Love the Church: In Praise of Institutions and Organized Religion. For those of you who have not read it yet, let me offer a few thoughts.

1. It reads quickly and easily, much like Why We're Not Emergent.


2. And like Why We're Not Emergent, DeYoung's chapters are more didactic and Kluck's are more narrative.


3. Both men write with wit and humor, which makes for enjoyable reading.


4. The book provides a realistic and honest discussion of actual problems with the church (problems often posed by critics), but it does so without discrediting the value and necessity of the church.


5. They respond to the church's critics head on but with charity and humility.


6. It is a clear and sound call for believers to love that institution which Christ shed his precious blood for, namely the church.


7. It is a great book to give to all the twenty-somethings and thirty-somethings you know who have become disillusioned with the church.


8. Along those same lines, I would think it would be a very helpful book to give to college students (especially those at Christian colleges who sometimes see little need for the local church).


9. Chapter 6 ("Brief Interviews: Snapshots of Churched People") seemed unnecessary and out of place.


10. There were several typos throughout the book. I'm not sure if Moody Publishers are to blame or the authors themselves, but it needed better editing.


11. On the whole though, I found it to be helpful and would certainly recommend it.


12. And I think it accomplished its stated purpose:

My aim is to present to the body of Christ, and for anyone else who cares to listen, a picture of why we should be in the church. Indeed, being a part of a church - and learning to love it - is good for your soul, biblically responsible, and pleasing to God.

And I don't mean the "church" that consists of three guys drinking pumpkin spiced lattes at Starbucks talking about the spirituality of the Violent Femmes and why Sex in the City is really profound. I mean the local church that meets - wherever you want it to meet - but exults in the cross of Christ; sings songs to a holy and loving God; has church officers, good preaching, celebrates the sacraments, exercises discpline; and takes an offering. This is the church that combines freedom and form in corporate worship, has old people and young, artsy types and NASCAR junkies, seekers and stalwarts, and probably has bulletins and by-laws.

The church we love is as flawed and messed up as we are, but she's Christ's bride nonetheless. And I might as well have a basement without a house or a head without a body as despise the wife my Savior loves.

--Taken from the Introduction (written by Kevin DeYoung)

DeYoung and Kluck on the Church

You may remember my previous post from a few weeks ago about Kevin DeYoung and Ted Kluck's new book, Why We Love the Church: In Praise of Institutions and Organized Religion. Well, it is now available (it was published today). It looks to be a realistic and refreshing look at Christ's church.

In addition, DeYoung and Kluck were the guest voices today in the "On Faith" section of The Washington Post, which can be read here.

Great Subtitle, Even Better Book

Kevin DeYoung's new book on the will of God may have the best subtitle I have ever seen, Just Do Something: A Liberating Approach to Finding God's Will, Or How to Make a Decision Without Dreams, Visions, Fleeces, Open Doors, Random Bible Verses, Casting Lots, Liver Shivers, Writing in the Sky, etc.




His seminar from the NEXT Conference, which was based on the book, can be heard here.

And here is a brief interview with him about the book.

DeYoung is teaming up with Ted Kluck again for a new book (set to be published in July), Why We Love the Church: In Praise of Institutions and Organized Religion.

You may remember that these two also co-wrote Why We're Not Emergent (By Two Guys Who Should Be).