Tag: John Piper

Fighter Verses Song CD and Giveaway

~ Bob Hayton

Some friends of mine have been involved in putting Bible verses to music to help aid Bible memory. At my old church, Bethlehem Baptist Church, where Pastor John Piper ministers, they developed a Bible memory system called the Fighter Verse Program. Over the last several years, several church members have been writing songs to accompany the verses and the result has been a series of Bible memory song CDs.

I wanted to spread the word that they will be giving away five copies of their most recent CD. You can go to the Fighter Verse Songs blog for details on the giveaway. At their blog, you can listen to song samples, subscribe via RSS to the verses and songs, and learn more about the Fighter Verse Program.

Reformed Rap: The Sound of the Reformed Resurgence

~ Bob Hayton ~ 4 Comments

Christianity Today recently highlighted Reformed Rap and Hip-Hop. Click here, to see a PDF of an entire page describing the key Reformed artists and this new phenomenon.

Some of the key rappers include: Trip Lee, currently a pastoral intern under Mark Dever at Capitol Hill Baptist Church; Marcus Gray (Flame), studying for a master’s degree in biblical counseling at Southern Seminary; Curtis Allen (Voice), an assistant pastor in Maryland; Shai Linne; Timothy Brindle; and LeCrae. All of these men are involved in ministry beyond their music, and all are affected deeply by Reformed Theology.

Here are a few excerpts from CT’s write-up.

SPOTLIGHT: Reformed Rap and Hip-Hop

Not since Maranatha! and contemporary praise emerged from Chuck Smith’s Calvary Chapel in the 1970s has a genre of Christian music become so associated with a specific stream of evangelicalism. And while not all Christian rappers are Reformed, nor do all see themselves as preachers and teachers working in a musical medium, the growing edge of the movement is explicitly taking its cues from Calvinist leaders. Several tracks have included direct references to (and even sermon clips from) John MacArthur, John Piper, C. J. Mahaney, and other pastors, and Curtis “Voice” Allen’s recent rap on the Westminster Catechism (with theologian D. A. Carson) went viral in March””as did his Heidelberg Catechism rap last October.

Is it the sound of Reformed resurgence?

While hip-hop has become a staple of young Reformed conferences, it’s not yet the dominant sound and it rarely appears in Reformed churches, said D. A. Carson. “I doubt that hip-hop with Reformed lyrics will ever become a primarily congregational corporate worship medium. It is a performance medium, and as such it is very useful for communicating with certain groups of people. . . . But that does not make it inappropriate for the more limited goals that it achieves quite strikingly at the moment.”

“The genre allows the rapper to cram loads of biblical and theological content in a single verse. I think we love hearing the Scripture “˜preached’ lyrically. Second, there is a “˜cool factor,’ which has helped bridge generational and cultural divides. But we can’t explain this without acknowledging the sovereign workings of God.” “” Thabiti Anyabwile, senior pastor of First Baptist Church of Grand Cayman

“Reformed hip-hop is a theologically driven masculinity movement. It says no to the prom songs to Jesus in CCM, no to whiny emo Christian music for hipsters, and no to empty, shallow, individualistic Christian music lacking theological content produced out of Nashville.” “” Anthony Bradley, associate professor of theology and ethics at The King’s College and author of Liberating Black Theology

Many conservative Christians, and fundamentalists in particular, refuse to endorse rap music or hip-hop of any kind. They cannot think of the genre without its cultural associations with a sinful lifestyle. But conservative evangelical leaders see the value in this music and the movement under-girding it. John Piper has interviewed LeCrae personally, and Desiring God has produced a three part video interview of him as well. Desiring God partnered with LeCrae’s Reach Records for a Don’t Waste Your Life tour. Mark Driscoll has interviewed LeCrae too, and Mark Dever interviewed Voice and Shai Linne (see the video here).

I’ve highlighted this musical phenomenon before (here and here), and I encourage you to listen to the music before rejecting it out right. I have a CD by Timothy Brindle entitled Killing Sin, which is basically John Owen’s On the Mortification of Sin translated into a new medium. Shai Linne has a CD called The Atonement which explains in depth the intricacies of limited atonement, substitutionary atonement and more. The music requires a high degree of lyrical intricacy, poetry and a command of language, not to mention an artistic sense. The songs these men are producing are excellent and filled with God honoring lyrics. Check out Reach Records or Lampmode Recordings for audio samples and lyrics.

I pray the Reformed Rap movement will continue to pick up steam and influence the hearts and minds of many people for Christ.

Live at The Gospel Coalition Conference – 4

~ Bob Hayton ~ 4 Comments

Here is a brief overview of each of the plenary sessions from day 2 of the 2011 Gospel Coalition conference.

Session 5: James MacDonald – Not According to Our Sins (Psalm 25)
–Download audio–

I had never heard James MacDonald preach, except for maybe a clip here or there from the radio or something. He was an engaging speaker and very passionate. He said before you can preach Christ from the OT, you have to know how to preach. There’s a need for people today to preach, “Thus says the Lord.” Then you need to preach Christ from the Word and He is in the Word both in the Old and New Testaments. He then preached through Psalm 25 detailing his own personal experience of being crushed by life’s problems lately and really having to trust in God like the Psalmist did. He used visual elements in the preaching, but it was definitely a word-based proclamation. The visual elements helped, but it’s hard to describe if you can’t see the video. At the end he explained how Jesus is in this Psalm. He embodies our trust, He exemplifies our trust, and He enables our trust.

Workshops

I am not sure if the workshops will be recorded or not. But I’m glad I attended the ones I did.

Workshop 1: Colin Smith – Preaching a Christ to Whom We Can Come

Colin Smith originally hails from Scotland so his accent was on full display. What he said about preaching a Christ to whom our people can come, rather than one they are to follow and obey (only), was very grace-filled and refreshing. I’d say more, but you can download and read his presentation (in PDF) here, from his website and ministry UnlockingtheBible.com.

Workshop 2: C.J. Mahaney – Pastoring with Discernment: Applying the Gospel to the Hearts of Those You Serve

As always, C.J. Mahaney did not disappoint. His lecture was less a workshop, and more a sermon. It just was a sermon, no bones about it. About 800 or more it seemed were in the room for his session. He preached through the book of Jude with particular emphasis on “keeping in the love of God”, as people who were “loved, called and kept (vs. 1) by building ourselves up in faith (through rehearsing the Gospel to ourselves daily), by praying, and through waiting for God’s mercy. He also emphasized that Jude was very eager to declare the common salvation or the Gospel, but he had to contend. Mahaney stressed that contending isn’t optional, but we must be wise in what threats to the Gospel really apply to our church and need to be contended with in that context. The contending is important but Jude’s passion was the Gospel. He stressed that Jude wasn’t eager for secondary things or practice or church structure or social issues. We may be tempted to be passionate. What pastors are very eager about matters and is obvious to their people.

Workshop 3: Randy Newman – Questioning Evangelism

Randy Newman who is a converted Jew who ministers to college professors and the like with Faculty Commons, Campus Crusade, is also the author of a couple books on evangelism. Questioning Evangelism is his first book and what his lecture covered. Bringing the Gospel Home: Witnessing to Family Members, Close Friends, and Others Who Know You Well is a new book just published by Crossway. This session was excellent as he worked through the role of questions in evangelism. Answer people’s questions about the gospel with a question rather than an answer. He explained that you should look at people on a grid from A to Z with A being extreme atheist, and Z being almost a believer. Rather than aiming to convert people with a one-shot prospect, we should look for ongoing process. Try to bump them up a few rungs, by causing them to think and overcoming an obstacle. Let our Sovereign God do his work. Today people don’t share the many common beliefs that most Gospel pamphlets and tracts assume. So an incremental approach is better. I’m going to have to seek out his book, since this seems such a good approach.

Session 6: Conrad Mbewe – The Righteous Branch (Jeremiah 23)
–Download audio–

With my parents being missionaries in Zambia, I was particularly interested in hearing Conrad Mbewe. I had heard of him only recently, and my parents don’t know him at all. Some apparently, call him the African Spurgeon. He’s a pastor in Lusaka and helps direct two colleges for pastors. Not sure if he’s quite Spurgeon’s equal, but he is passionate and articulate. His message on Jesus, the Branch was powerful. He explained the role of leaders and how their sins affect the people, and their judgment is the people’s judgment. God’s solution has been to give new leaders who are faithful to his people, but ultimately it is Jesus the Good Shepherd and the Branch who will arise. The restoration prophesied here is described as surpassing that of the Exodus. He said, “Let’s face it, this wasn’t fulfilled in the 1940s with Israel.” He finds the ultimate fulfillment in the eternal state. The message didn’t focus on particulars about the land promise or anything, it was a wider lens view of Jesus Christ and his Greatness and Glory.

Session 7: Matt Chandler – Youth (Ecclesiastes 11-12)
–Download audio–

Chandler was the best message of the day, by far. He went so fast it was very hard to keep up. His own story of having been diagnosed with brain cancer a year or so ago, is compelling in its own right. His message on remembering the Creator in the days of your youth, was especially poignant given his own story. He connected the command to rejoice in 11:9-10, with the command to remember. We need to remember rightly (the Gospel and what God has done for us), in order to rejoice rightly. Our problem isn’t rejoicing, it’s rejoicing in the wrong things. Chandler also drove home the need for the Gospel in all of life, not just the entry to the Christian life. He displayed an amazing knowledge of the Bible and had a humorous yet insightful way of putting things. I’ve heard him compared to Mark Driscoll as far as the style of his church, and he is friends with Driscoll. I wasn’t sure what to expect. He didn’t wear a tie or anything close to that. But he didn’t come across as inappropriate or even close to it. His preaching could be put right up there with John Piper’s in a sense, or C.J. Mahaney’s. I was blessed and will want to download this to listen to it again.

This was day two, and I have to leave now to start day three. The conference will be over soon, unfortunately. But I’ve enjoyed my time here immensely.

Live at The Gospel Coalition Conference – 2

~ Bob Hayton

Here is a brief overview of each of the plenary sessions from yesterday’s conference. I’ll have more to say about books and the Band of Bloggers event I went to later.

The music was led by Keith and Kristyn Getty. It was more upbeat and lively than I expected, which was actually nice. The Irish flair was there with even a bagpipe solo. They are introducing a fairly new song of theirs, “By Faith” and also did an even newer one. Prior to session 2, the music at one point dropped out and the congregation was heard more clearly singing “O Church Arise”. The 5,000 or so voices singing that song together was powerful. Praise to Jesus for bringing together his people in places like this conference center (the massive McCormick Place in Chicago) and all around the world…

Session 1: Al Mohler – Studying the Scriptures and Finding Jesus (John 5)
–Download audio–

Mohler explains the problem of a Christless Old Testament, and explains how studying the Scriptures is supposed to result in finding Jesus. He shows how so many people are practical Marcionites, claiming the New Testament is the Christian book, the OT is Hebrew Scriptures. Basically, some would have us do synagogue lectures when we teach from the OT. Don’t get me wrong, his tone wasn’t combative at all. It was a very helpful and hope filled lecture on the importance of seeing Christ in the OT.

Session 2: Tim Keller – Getting Out (Exodus 14)
–Download audio–

Keller showed multiple links from the Exodus account to the New Testament. He explained that the story of the Israelites could be described as this: They were slaves in bondage with no hope and a sentence of death, finding redemption by hiding under the blood atonement, crossing over from death to life, then having a promise of going to a new country. They’re not there yet, but they’re on the way and God has given them his law and a worship system so they treasure and remember His work for them. Keller then says, that’s exactly how you would describe the people of God today, too. He goes on to discuss the layers of bondage and the redemption and how it was accomplished (all by Grace).

Session 3: Alistair Begg – From a Foreigner to King Jesus (Ruth)
–Download audio–

Begg gave us sketches of the beautiful story of Ruth. He showed how Boaz, particularly, was the goel, kinsman redeemer and foreshadows Christ. He also drew parallels from the locale of Ruth’s story and then David’s childhood tending sheep there in Bethlehem, to Christ and the Bethlehem shepherds coming at his birth in Bethlehem. Much to see Christ from in this book.

Session 4: Round-table discussion – Tim Keller, John Piper, Crawford Loritts, Don Carson, Bryan Chapell
–Download audio–

Highlights from that are really anything Keller or Carson said. Loritts emphasized the role of the preacher’s walk with Christ too, in preaching. Piper emphasized not ignoring the context of the OT text itself when preaching from it.

Keller explained his preaching as a fourfold trajectory often: 1) What you should do (as evidenced by this OT text); 2) You can’t do this (due to your sinfulness); 3) Christ has done it for you (i.e. the Gospel applied); 4) Until you rest in what He’s done, you can’t do it (living the gospel life).

Piper mentioned Graeme Goldsworthy’s book on Preaching the Whole Bible As Christian Scripture as containing a line that really got Piper thinking and has changed how he preaches. Goldsworthy said “If a Muslim liked your sermon, you didn’t preach a Christian sermon. If a Jewish person liked your sermon, you didn’t preach a Christian sermon.”

Carson brought out the Temple theme as one of many trajectories that are traced through Scripture and which really do point to Christ. He stressed everything doesn’t point to Christ the same way, but when you are in a text that addresses one of these types or trajectories that aligns to Christ, you have a warrant for going to Christ. Carson was also asked by Chapell, “Can you preach Proverbs without going to the New Testament?” Carson immediately responded, “Why would I want to? It wouldn’t even occur to me to do so.” He also pointed out that it’s the same with texts like Isaiah, too. Carson then went on to stress that the NT relates to the OT yes in terms of not only prophecy (OT) and fulfillment (NT), but also message hidden (OT) and message revealed (NT). Personally I find that very helpful, yes some things are plainly clear, but other things were hidden until Christ clearly revealed them.

At the end of the discussion, Chapell fired off a list of helpful resources for preaching Christ from the OT. I thought that list (plus Bryan Chapell’s own book, Christ-Centered Preaching) was excellent. You’ll have to listen to the audio though since he gave it out so quickly.

At the end of the roundtable discussion Tim Keller, John Piper, Dr. John Woodhouse and Lane Dennis (president of Crossway), presented a book written in Carson’s honor, commemorating his long service to the church and his 65th birthday.

Doug Wilson on Pessimistic Assumptions & the Piper/Warren Controversy

~ Bob Hayton ~ 23 Comments

Following up on my post from this weekend, I stumbled across this jewel of a video clip with Doug Wilson discussing the Rick Warren / John Piper controversy. He makes some insightful comments about how pessimism plays a role in the conservative church today when we assess situations such as Piper and Warren getting together to talk. We assume that something bad is going to happen, rather than looking for a positive outcome. I think Wilson is on to something here, even if I don’t totally buy into his eschatology. Listen to the clip below and let me know what you think.

Rick Warren and Desiring God 2010 (Part III) from Canon Wired on Vimeo.