During our first service on Sunday our missions speaker shared his experiences relating to his Muslims friends, in and out of the United States. He reminded us that, while there is certainly a radical element to their faith which needs to be taken seriously, they are people who have the similar fears, dreams, and desires that we do. We should not be afraid to befriend them. 

He also recommends a very helpful book in sharing the gospel with our Muslim friends. 

The Gospel for Muslims: An Encouragement to Share Christ Christ with Confidence by Thabiti Anyabwile. 

Thabiti Anyabwile, himself a convert, from Islam to Christianity, instructs you in ways to share the good news of Christ with your neighbors and friends. The Gospel for Muslims allows you to focus on the people rather than the religious system. Meant for the average Christian, this book is not an exhaustive apologetic or a detailed comparative study of Christianity and Islam. Rather, it compellingly stirs confidence in the gospel, equipping the reader with the basics necessary to communicate clearly, boldly, and winsomely.

You can also listen to an interview with Thabiti: The Gospel & Islam.

He describes the beliefs and history of Islam, his own experience as a Muslim, the contradictions in the Koran, as well as the way for churches to approach evangelism with Muslims.

Sunday we’re resuming our sermon series on gender identity issues called Biblical Manhood & Womanhood: Equal & Unique.

Here are some things that will make the series more helpful as we move along.

                               Three Talks on the Trinity & Gender Roles 

Andrew Franseen and Andy Naselli served our congregation well by helping us see how the Trinity relates to our roles as men and women in our world, our churches, and our homes.

If you missed those talks, be sure to listen to the audio and check out the helpful handouts Andrew and Andy provided for those sessions. 

                               Two Books & Two Chapters on Gender Roles

In combination with the sermon series, this week also begins our Family Bible Class discussions on the issue of gender identity and roles. (Mike Gray starts off the series this Sunday by talking about “The Origin and Purpose of Gender.”) 

Bruce Ware’s book Father, Son, and Holy Spirit: Relationships, Roles, and Relevance is the finest book to help think through issues of Biblical Manhood & Womanhood, particularly as they relate to the Trinity. (We’ll have some of this available in our bookstall.)

Wayne Grudem tackles some of the toughest questions relating to gender roles in his excellent book Evangelical Feminism: An Analysis of More Than One Hundred Disputed Questions. (It’s available as a free PDF.)

John Piper provides the most concise and nuanced treatment of the topic in the first two chapters of Recovering Biblical Manhood and Womanhood. Chapter 1 is available as a free PDF. Chapter 2 is a series of questions and answers. It’s also available as a free PDF. (The entire book is available for free or for purchase here.)

In the weeks to come we’ll list more resources as we think through yet another issue that displays the incomparable beauty and surpassing sufficiency of our great God. 

Sunday’s message (The God-Glorifying Design of Singleness) was another installment in our series on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood.

We referenced two helpful books on the topic.

Singles at the Crossroads: A Fresh Perspective on Christian Singleness by Albert Y. Hsu. Hsu’s treatment of singleness is readable and thoughtful. He writes as a single person to us all.

You can get a feel for the book from the chapter titles. (Note: Having been published in 1997, the statistics in the first chapter are woefully out of date.)

Why This Book?

1. Where Singles Are Today?
2. A Brief History of Singleness
3. The Myth of the Gift. (This chapter is a brief, and somewhat novel, exposition of 1 Corinthians 7.)
4. The Issue of God’s Will
5. Freedom and Opportunity
6. From Loneliness to Solitude
7. From Aloneness to Community
8. Rethinking Romance
9. Temptations Singles Face

Epilogue: A Visions for the Future

Appendix: John Stott on Singleness

The Appendix is one of the most insightful parts of the book, where Hsu interviews the recently deceased John Stott. Stott carried out his fifty-plus years of ministry as a single man. In this interview he shares his insights on relevant passages, his personal struggles, and the sacrifices and privileges of being single.  

Redeeming Singleness: How the Storyline of Scripture Affirms the Single Life by Barry Danylak.

This is a heavier read than Hsu’s book, but it is probably a more important one. Rather than looking piecemeal at various issues and passages that Christian single men and women wrestle with, Danylak takes a biblical theological approach to the issue asking the insightful question: How does singleness function in the storyline of Scripture? The answers are breathtaking. The kneecap of his argument is this:

Christian singleness is a testimony to the supreme sufficiency of Christ for all things, testifying that through Christ life is truy blessed even without marriage and children. It prophetically points to a reality greater than the satsifcation of this present age by consciously anticipating the Christian’s eternal inhertinace in the kingdom of God. Christian singleness lived as a testimony of this gospel truth is a redeeming singleness (215).

Here are the chapter titles.

1. Begetting from the Beginning: Procreation, Marriage, and the Blessing of God to the World
2. Living in the Land: Why Every Israelite Man and Woman Married
3. Prophetic Paradox: How Failure of a Nation Brings Blessing to the World
4. Good News for the Gentiles: How Abraham’s Offspring Come from Jesus Alone
5. The King and the Kingdom: Jesus’ Surprising Statements on Singleness and Family
6. A Charisma for Corinth: Paul’s Vision of Singleness for the Church

MESSAGES

Both messages from Sunday are available.

1. Martin Luther: The Progress of a Reformer

• The Progress to Salvation
• The Progress from Roman Catholicism
• The Progress to Building a Heritage

2. What is Justification?

• The Righteousness of God: Why Justification is Necessary?
• The Righteousness of Christ: How Justification is Possible?
• The Righteousness of the Believer: What Justification Does for Us?

BOOKS

1. If you can only read one book this year on church history and the Reformation, pick this one: The Unquenchable Flame: Discovering the Heart of the Reformation.*

Burning pyres, nuns on the run, stirring courage, and comic relief: the Protestant Reformation is a gripping tale, packed with drama. But what motivated the Reformers? And what were they really like?

The Unquenchable Flame, a lively, accessible, and fully informative introduction to the Reformation by Michael Reeves, brings to life the movement’s most colorful characters (Martin Luther, Ulrich Zwingli, John Calvin, The Puritans, etc.), examines their ideas, and shows the profound and personal relevance of Reformation thinking for today.

2. If you can only read one book this year to increase your joy and understanding of the gospel, pick this one: Complete In Him.*

*Note: Both books are, or will soon be, available for purchase at church.

3. If you need one book to help reveal the subtle, but vital, differences between Protestant Christianity and Catholicism, this may help: Nothing In My Hand I Bring. (Free download of cover, contents, and chapter 1.)

Each year our church sets aside a day in October to celebrate the surprising work of God through the Protestant Reformation. The Reformation began with a German monk named Martin Luther asking a simple question: What will I do about my sin? This year’s celebration falls on the very day the Reformation symbolically began: October 31.

On October 31, 1517, Martin Luther walked up to the church door in Wittenberg where he nailed his Ninety-Five Theses. Here were ninety-five statements that exposed the corruption of the Church of Rome through the false assurance of pardon held out by indulgences. In addition, Luther would declare later (in sharp contrast to Rome) that people are declared right with God through Christ alone, by grace alone, by faith alone. It was upon this article of justification by faith alone, Luther argued, that the church stands or falls.

As in previous years, our order of worship on Reformation Sunday will center on the five solas of the Reformation: sola scriptura (by Scripture alone); sola fide (by faith alone); sola gratia (by grace alone); solo Christo (through Christ alone); soli Deo gloria (glory to God alone).

Dr. Mark Sidwell and Dr. Michael Barrett will also be with us to help celebrate the truths of the Reformation. Both are members of Faith Free Presbyterian Church.

During our Family Bible Class, Dr. Sidwell will present a biographical sketch of the life of Martin Luther. Dr. Sidwell is a member of the American Society of Church History. He has published and edited several books, one of which is an outstanding biography of Martin Luther entitled The Triumph of Truth: A Life of Martin Luther. (He also likes the Three Stooges.)

During our worship service, Dr. Barrett will deliver a message on the doctrine of justification by faith alone. Dr. Barrett has taught ancient languages and Old Testament Theology for over thirty years. Currently he serves as the president of Geneva Reformed Seminary and he is a gifted minster of the word. One of the most helpful books he has written is Complete In Him: A Guide to Understanding and Enjoying the Gospel. (He also fancies himself to be a good hunter.)

This past Sunday we started a short series encouraging us to put our hope in God, so that our children would put their hope in God. Here are some helpful resources to that end. 

1. Resources for Adults.

• Knowing God
• The Gospel for Real Life
• The Cross of Christ
• Living the Cross Centered Life

2. Resources for Children.

    Books.

• What God Has Always Wanted: The Bible’s Big Idea from Genesis Through Revelation
• Jesus Storybook Bible
• Big Truths For Little Kids
• The Big Picture Story Bible
• Big Truths for Young Hearts

    Music. 

• J is for Jesus
• A Very Very Very Big God

For additional recommendations you may consult the Recommended Resources available on our website. 

This past Sunday we looked at the Old Testament book of Esther. Here are some resources from that message. 

1. Two resources on a popular level.

We referenced a book by Malcolm Gladwell called Outliers and a film by M. Night Shyamalan called Signs. Neither of these make any claim to be Christian in any sense, but both raise insightful questions concerning the apparently random events in our lives. They are also useful in introducing one to the category of providence.

2. From an old sermon

God’s Providence. C.H. Spurgeon

I believe that every particle of dust that dances
in the sunbeam does not move an atom more or
less than God wishes; that every particle of spray
that dashes against the steamboat has its orbit
as well as the sun in the heavens; that the chaff
from the hand of the winnower is steered as
surely as the stars in their courses; that the
creeping of an insect over a rosebud is as much
fixed as the march of the devastating pestilence;
and the fall of leaves from the poplar is as fully
ordained as the tumbling avalanche.
He who believes in God must believe this truth.
There is no standing point between this and Atheism.
There is no halfway between an Almighty God, who
works all things according to the good pleasure of
his will, and no God at all!

4.The Scroll of Esther as Deuteronomic Theology. Jonathan Matias

Don’t let the title scare you. This brief article provides a valuable literary analysis of Esther, as well as a useful reader’s guide to the book. (Jonathan also pastors a sister church of Emmanuel in Alexandria, VA.)

5.Not by Chance: Learning to Trust a Sovereign God. Layton Talbert

. 

Last Sunday provided an overview of the Old Testament book of Psalms. Here are some of the resources referenced in that message.

1. Martin Luther’s Preface to the German Psalter (1531)

Psalms is a little Bible. It seems to me as if the Holy Spirit had been pleased to take on himself the trouble of putting together a short Bible, touching the whole of Christianity, in order that they who are unable to read the whole Bible may nevertheless find almost the whole sum comprehended in one little book. 

2. Treasury of David: A Commentary on the Psalms, 3 Vol. C. H. Spurgeon 

Even though it is dated, Spurgeon’s Treasury of David is still the best collection of devotional insights on the Psalms. The link above provides a wonderful online version. For a hard copy, you can go here. 

3. “What Can Miserable Christians Sing?” in Wages of Spin. Carl Trueman

This insightful essay reminds us of the harm done to the church by feeding on “a diet of unremittingly jolly choruses and hymns” while neglecting the anguished cries and melancholy themes of the Psalms. Here is an excerpt from Trueman’s essay:

By excluding the cries of loneliness, dispossession, and desolation from
its worship, the church has effectively silenced and excluded the voices of those who are themselves lonely, dispossessed, and desolate, both inside and outside the church. By so doing, it has implicitly endorsed the banal aspirations of consumerism, generated an insipid, trivial and unrealistically triumphalist Christianity, and confirmed its impeccable credentials as a club for the complacent.

At the beginning of each week we will try to post some resources referenced from the previous Sunday’s message. We post the resources because they are helpful, not because they are perfect.

Last Sunday provided an overview of the Old Testament book of Song of Solomon, and here are some of the resources referenced in that message.

1. Sex, Romance, and the Glory of God. C. J. Mahaney

2. Song of Songs (NICOT). Tremper Longman

3. Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs (NAC). Duane A. Garrett

Two more resources that might be helpful.

1. Sex and the Supremacy of Christ. (Available in audio, book, or PDF format.)
2. The Peasant Princess: A Love Story from The Song of Songs. (An 11-part sermon series by Mark Driscoll of Mars Hill Church that’s very frank, not always the very best exegesis, but, nonetheless, a very beneficial take on the Song of Solomon.)

As we’ve been working through each book of the OT in one message, some have asked for more resources on understanding not just the OT, but the entire Bible. Here are two more resources that might be helpful as we seek to make sense of the Bible’s story-line.

The God Who Is There: Finding Your Place in God’s Story. It’s hard to say that any book outside of the Bible is a must read. This one must be close. The book’s purpose is to unpack the story-line of the Bible for both the Christian and the skeptic. While being a tremendous tool to help you understand the overall message of the Bible, it will also be a great book for you to read through with an unbelieving friend. Perhaps The God Who Is There will do for adults what The Jesus Storybook Bible does for children. Best of all, it’s 65% off until Friday! You can order it here for only $6.

Zondervan Handbook to the Bible. This volume is packed with illustrations, charts, in-depth articles, and photographs. It goes through each book of the Bible, providing helpful comments on every chapter. You can preview portions of this book by clicking on the link above.