From EPM (Eternal Perspectives Ministries):

Why don’t we think more about heaven?

“If there be so certain and glorious a rest for the saints, why is there no more industrious seeking after it? One would think, if a man did but once hear of such unspeakable glory to be obtained, and believed what he heard to be true, he should be transported with the vehemency of his desire after it, and should almost forget to eat and drink, and should care for nothing else, and speak of and inquire after nothing else, but how to get this treasure. And yet people who hear of it daily, and profess to believe it as a fundamental article of their faith, do as little mind it, or labour for it, as if they had never heard of any such thing, or did not believe one word they hear.” Richard Baxter, 1649

“Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.” The Apostle Paul, Colossians 3:1

“Let temporal things serve your use, but the eternal be the object of your desire.” Thomas a Kempis

“It is since Christians have largely ceased to think of the other world that they have become so ineffective in this one.” C. S. Lewis

“It has been cited as a flaw in Christianity that it is more concerned with the world to come than with the world that now is, and some have been fluttering about trying to defend the faith of Christ against this accusation. Both the attack and the defense are wasted. No one who knows what the New Testament is about will worry over the charge that Christianity is other-worldly. Of course it is, and that is precisely where its power lies.

“Let no one apologize for the powerful emphasis Christianity lays upon the doctrine of the world to come. Right there lies its immense superiority to everything else within the whole sphere of human thought or experience. When Christ arose from death and ascended into heaven He established forever three important facts, namely, that this world has been condemned to ultimate dissolution, that the human spirit persists beyond the grave and that there is indeed a world to come.

“The church is constantly being tempted to accept this world as her home, and sometimes she has listened to those who would woo her away and use her for their own ends. But if she is wise she will consider that she stands in the valley between the mountain peaks of eternity past and eternity to come. The past is gone forever and the present is passing as swift as the shadow on the sun dial of Ahaz. Even if the earth should continue a million years not one of us could stay to enjoy it. We do well to think of the long tomorrow.” A. W. Tozer

Book recommendation that’s on sale for 50% off for a limited time!

Mark Dever, my former pastor, says, “It’s the best book on the nature of church ministry.”

Dever’s blurb: “What Col and Tony have described here is exactly what I’ve been trying to do in my own life and in our congregation for years. According to this book, Christians are to be disciple-making disciples and pastors are to be trainers. Superb! This book sets out a crucial shift that is needed in the mindset of many pastors. The authors have carefully listened to the Bible. And they’ve worked on this book. The result is a book that is well-written and well-illustrated, but even more, a book that is full of biblical wisdom and practical advice. This is the best book I’ve read on the nature of church ministry. “
- Mark Dever, Senior Pastor, Capitol Hill Baptist Church, Washington DC, USA

The book is called The Trellis and the Vine and it’s on sale for $9.99 here.

Polity: Serving and Leading the Local Church, by Dave Harvey, pp.6-17.

Thabiti Anyabwile devotes two posts to this topic – part 1 | part 2

D.A. Carson comments on this question and I share my thoughts on his comments.

Display of God’s Glory, Mark Dever (free pdf here), pp. 23-4.  I reflected on his argument and gently disagreed with my former pastor and dear brother.

On Church Leadership, Mark Driscoll, pp. 20-4.

The Master’s Plan for the Church, John MacArthur, pp. 196-7

I posted my thoughts on the topic reflecting on some of the various arguments:

1. Reflecting on Mark Dever’s argument
2. Reflecting on D.A. Carson’s argument
3. Reflecting on Dave Harvey’s argument
4. Reflecting on Mark Driscoll’s argument
5. Reflecting on Thabiti Anyabwile’s argument
6. Reflecting on John MacArthur’s argument

“The man who lives in a much smaller community lives in a much larger world… the reason is obvious. In a large community we can choose our companions. In a small community our companions are chosen for us.” G.K. Chesterton Think of how this applies to the church: While we may choose our friends, God chooses our brother…

From Tim Chaddick’s facebook update.

Here in the San Francisco Bay Area we have a lot of work to do. This is a highly unchurched metropolitan area with great hostility to the gospel. What are a couple brief points of counsel you’d give to church leaders wanting to build (or re-build) a gospel ministry in a region like this?

Trust Christ; believe the power of the gospel; abandon short-term gimmicks; think big but start small and be faithful; meet with, work with, pray with, learn from, those who have a common set of commitments and vision.

Read the whole four question interview.

At Moore College – Sermon at Family Service – September 1985   – Ephesians 3:14-21

To read his exposition of this prayer (Eph 3.14-21) and other prayers of Paul, read his book, A Call to Spiritual Reformation.

To see all Carson audio I could find and links to other Carson archives, click here.

Advertisement: Support this site by visiting Westminster Books. Even just clicking and visiting helps! It’s an excellent site for good Christian books.

Greg Beale’s sermon on this topic (Rev. 1.4-9).

The kingdom to come has been secured in the propitiatory death and triumphant resurrection of the king who came so that the kingdom could be experienced, tasted, and enjoyed in part now as the kingdom has come, is coming, and will come in fullness when Jesus Christ returns.

God is “missional” because he sends and is sent.  The Father sends the Son.  The Father and Son send the Spirit.  The Son sends the church.  But does this mean that “sentness” or “missional” is an attribute in the nature of God?

I’m not sure what to conclude on this, but here are some thoughts:

1. God’s omnipresence, omnipotence, and omniscience, being, wisdom, holiness, justice, and goodness can all be traced to him pre-creation.  Missional cannot.
2. But neither can mercy or wrath be displayed or exercised until creation (Rom. 9).
3. The Bible never says explicitly “God is missional” in the way it says “God is merciful, compassionate, gracious, etc.”
4. It’s clear that within the Trinitarian roles of each person sending or being sent, sentness (mission) is tied to their relationships in redemptive history.
5. With all the critique about modernistic (to use fighting words) categorization that puts things in neat boxes, it seems that to fight for mission being God’s attribute as opposed to his function or what he does misses the point.
6. The church is still sent by its nature regardless of whether mission/sentness is an attribute of God or a function of God.