Coming Soon to the SPEP Resource Center

Several new books and four more DVD sets are coming to the Resource Center soon! By popular demand, we've purchased more DVD sets for individual and small group use. The picture's a little small, so here are some of the DVDs that will show up soon:

Forever: Why You Can't Live Without It - Live conference with Paul David Tripp

Your Walk with God is a Community Project - Live conference with Paul David Tripp

Two Ways to Live: Know and Share the Gospel

The Prodigal God: Finding Your Place at the Table - Timothy Keller

The Returning King: A Guide to the Book of Revelation (2000) Vern S. Poythress

The Returning King: A Guide to the Book of Revelation (2000) - Vern S. Poythress

P&R Publishing

Trade paperback, 213 pages 

ISBN 9780875524627

Retail price: $14.99

Many pastors avoid preaching on it. (Even John Calvin didn’t write a commentary on it.) Many Christians know they should study it, but aren’t sure where to turn or how to get started. But Vern Poythress, professor of New Testament interpretation at Philadelphia’s Westminster Theological Seminary, says a child could understand the Book of Revelation. 

In fact, a 12-year-old boy once told Poythress that he read Revelation and understood it. “I read it just like a fantasy,” the boy said, “except that I knew it was true.” 

Poythress states, “Revelation is a picture book, not a puzzle book. don’t try to puzzle it out. Don’t become preoccupied with isolated details. Rather, become engrossed in the overall story. Praise the Lord. Cheer for the saints. Detest the Beast. Long for the final victory.”

Poythress also shows that the apostle John’s writings were most likely not confusing at all to his original audience. The reason is that his audience was steeped in a knowledge of the Old Testament, which is necessary for a proper understanding of Revelation. In fact, it seems there’s actually very little in the Bible’s final book that hasn’t been referenced throughout the Old Testament. 

Then what gets people bogged down? Dragons and beasts and angels? Seven seals and seven trumpets? The white horse? The 144,000? The sea of glass? The little scroll? The 42 months? 

Yes, all of the above. In other words, the details. People want to know what every single detail means, so they obsess over them, missing the big picture, which is actually pretty simple: 

Jesus wins. 

There, I’ve just told you the whole story of Revelation. But there’s much more to it than that. 

Poythress lays out the big picture (which is very big), then breaks down the big picture into large (but manageable) rocks, not pebbles. You won’t have every question answered (we never will in this life, anyway), but you’ll have a good, basic understanding of the themes and structure of Revelation. Poythress provides many helpful Scriptural references, especially those referring back to important sections of the Old Testament. One annoyance, however, is the frequent use of “See ‘Schools of Interpretation below’” for example, when that section is actually not below, but in another chapter. This is a small frustration, but when you’re already going back and forth in your Bible, this is a serious challenge to keeping your focus. Why not just give us a chapter number or a page number?

If you’ve kept the Book of Revelation at a distance up until now, it’s time to pick it up and start reading. Poythress’ book can be a great help in helping you to understand and enjoy (yes, enjoy!) the Book of Revelation.  

4/5

Schaeffer on the Christian Life (2013) - William Edgar

Schaeffer on the Christian Life (2013) - William Edgar

Crossway, trade paperback, 206 pages

ISBN 9781433531392

$17.99 retail

I firmly believe that the best way to learn about Francis Schaeffer, one of Christianity’s most important figures of the 20th century, is to read his work. For the uninitiated, that can be a daunting task. Although most of his books are fairly short, Schaeffer packs a tremendous amount of material into them: examinations of the world that are biblical, philosophical, artistic, cultural.... The list goes on.

Writing about the man and his work is also no simple task, yet William Edgar does a remarkable job in many areas. The opening section of the book, however, “A Man and His Times,” begins on shaky ground. Edgar, a professor of apologetics at Westminster Theological Seminary, takes us on a brief journey through Schaeffer’s life that is both scattershot in its approach and frustrating in its familiarity. To Edgar’s credit, a workable biography of Francis Schaeffer in 20 pages is an impossibility. (Edgar also gives a personal introduction that’s nearly 20 pages long.) Yet this first section is filled with too many personal reflections that interrupt the flow of the narrative.

Edgar does get things on track throughout the rest of the book, addressing some of Schaeffer’s main themes: the fundamentals of Christianity, freedom in the Christian life, prayer and guidance, affliction, life in the church, and engaging the world. These chapters get to the heart of what made Schaeffer tick and, like all good biographies, makes you want to read more of the man’s work. Edgar is much more comfortable here, explaining the nuts and bolts of Schaeffer’s work and worldview, both in his writing and his work with his wife Edith at L’Abri. 

In fact, one of the book’s most pleasant surprises is how much space and attention Edgar gives to Edith Schaeffer, showing how she, in her own writing, often focused in detail on aspects of the Christian life that her husband sometimes barely touched upon. If you pick up Schaeffer on the Christian Life wanting to know more about Francis, by the time you finish it, you’ll probably want to know more about Edith as well. 

*Schaeffer on the Christian Life is part of the Theologians on the Christian Life series, which includes:

Warfield on the Christian Life - Fred G. Zaspel (available now)

Bonhoeffer on the Christian Life - Stephen J. Nichols (available June 2013)

Wesley on the Christian Life - Fred Sanders (available August 2013)

4/5

Reverberation (2012) - Jonathan Leeman

Reverberation: How God’s Word Brings Light, Freedom, and Action to His People (2012) Jonathan Leeman

9Marks, Moody Publishers

Trade paperback, 197 pages

ISBN 9780802422996

Retail price $12.99

Churches and church leadership can come up with all sorts of way to promote church growth: attractive programs, contemporary worship bands, people-oriented ministries, etc. All of these things are fine, but without the church’s main driving force, the Word of God proclaimed, all of these other considerations are secondary. 

To use Leeman’s terminology, the Word of God should reverberate in and through our lives, both individually and as a body of believers in local churches. In the book’s second chapter, Leeman states that the Word acts in five ways:

• God’s Word is an extension of God

• God acts through His Word

• God acts through His Word by His Spirit

• God’s Word and Spirit act together efficaciously 

• God speaks through human preachers and human words

Leeman (who clearly has a high view of Scripture) explains how the Word invites and divides, acts, frees, and gathers. Through sermons, the Word exposes our sin, “announces what God has done, and confronts its hearers with this news and its implications (p. 124).”

So that’s how God’s Word acts. But how does it reverberate? What does this look like?

The reverberation becomes noticeable in how Christians sing, pray, and disciple. It’s unmistakable, says Leeman. You know it when you see it. Such reverberations themselves can lead to the Word exposing, announcing, and confronting. It scatters, reverberating in the hearing of others, starting the process all over again. 

I initially feared Reverberation would be a very simplistic volume, but I was wrong. While the book is a fairly read, Leeman explores the topic with depth, making us rethink how our churches operate, how we think of the Word of God, and how it reverberates (or doesn’t) in our own lives. I’m not sure I agree 100% with all of Leeman’s thoughts on expositional vs. topical sermons, but his dedication to biblical teaching is evident. 

Kevin DeYoung’s quote does a good job of summing up Reverberation:

“The secret of the gospel is that we actually do more when we hear less about all we need to do for God and hear more about all that God has already done for us.”

April Arrivals to the Resource Center

Schaeffer on the Christian Life (2013) - William Edgar

Crossway, 206 pages

ISBN 9781433531392

The Intolerance of Tolerance (2012) - D.A. Carson

Eerdmans, 186 pages

ISBN 9780802869401

Paul Through Mediterranean Eyes: Cultural Studies in 1 Corinthians (2011) - Kenneth E. Bailey

IVP, 560 pages

ISBN 9780830839346

Brothers, We Are Not Professionals: A Plea to Pastors for Radical Ministry (2013) - John Piper

B&H Books, 306 pages

ISBN 9781433678820

Why Cities Matter: To God, the Culture, and the Church (2013) - Stephen T. Um & Justin Buzzard

Crossway, 175 pages

ISBN 9781433532894

Choosing a Bible: Understanding Bible Translation Differences (2005) - Leland Ryken

Crossway, 32 pages

ISBN  9781581347302

Church Membership: How the World Knows Who Represents Jesus (2012) - Jonathan Leeman

Crossway, 142 pages

ISBN 9781433532375

Daniel: Trusting the True Hero (2011) - Sean Michael Lucas

Christian Focus, 141 pages

ISBN 9781845507329

Fifty Reasons Why Jesus Came to Die (2006) - John Piper

Crossway, 125 pages

ISBN 9781581347883

Galatians for You (2013) - Timothy Keller

The Good Book Company, 199 pages

ISBN 9781908762573

Mid-March Arrivals to the Resource Center

Look for these books coming to the Resource Center soon: (All copy from book cover wraps)

Church for the Fatherless: A Ministry Model for Society's Most Pressing Problem (2012) - Mark E. Strong

When planting his church, Mark Strong realized that 15 of 20 core leaders, whether they were in their 20s or 60s, white or black, had grown up without an active father figure in their lives. And he determined to make a difference in the lives of the next generation. 

The church is uniquely positioned to minister to the fatherless, both within its own community and in society at large. Strong shows how churches can reveal a true picture of God as loving Father through mentoring both children and dads, meeting the practical needs of children, and much more. By embedding key values into your congregational culture, your church can become a church for the fatherless. 

Strangers Next Door: Immigration, Migration and Mission (2012) - J.D. Payne

In Strangers Next Door, J.D. Payne introduces the phenomenon of human migration and explores how the church can embrace it in light of the mission of God. As many of the least-reached people groups continue to migrate to Western countries, churches have unprecedented opportunities to freely share the gospel.

Payne provides practical guidelines for developing cross-cultural ministries and a global strategy for mission. He highlights examples of churches and organizations attempting to reach, partner with and send migrants to minister to their own communities. Discover how you can be a global witness in your own neighborhood. 

Community is Messy: The Perils and Promises of Small Group Ministry (2012) - Heather Zempel

Heather Zempel oversees the community life at a multisite church in Washington, D.C., a challenging population with one of the highest relocation rates in the United States. And yet under her leadership, National Community Church has become a model for creative, dynamic, deep small group ministry. 

Drawing from her background as an environmental engineer, Zempel demonstrates the dynamics of faith in community. Read this book and discover fresh insights into how we can support one another's unique paths to maturity in Christ while maintaining cohesion as a community and blessing the world around us. 

Coming Soon to the Resource Center

Well, I didn't exactly plan for this to be Paul David Tripp Week here at Looking Outside the Doors, but I guess it just happened that way.... :) 

Anyway, here are a few books to look for next time you're in the Resource Center: 

Dangerous Calling: Confronting the Unique Challenges of Pastoral Ministry - Paul David Tripp

After traveling the globe and speaking to thousands of churches worldwide, Paul David Tripp has discovered a serious problem within pastoral culture. He is not only concerned about the spiritual life of the pastor, but also with the very community of people that trains him, calls him, relates to him, and restores him if necessary.   

Dangerous Calling reveals the truth that the culture surrounding our pastors is spiritually unhealthy - an environment that actively undermines the well-being and efficacy of our church leaders and thus the entire church body. 

Here is a book that both diagnoses and offers cures for issues that impact every member and church leader, and gives solid strategies for fighting the all-important war that rages in our churches today.

The Hole in Our Holiness: Filling the Gap between Gospel Passion and the Pursuit of Godliness - Kevin De Young

The hole in our holiness is that we don’t seem to care much about holiness. Or, at the very least, we don’t understand it.... This is a book for those of us who are ready to take holiness seriously, ready to be more like Jesus, ready to live in light of the grace that produces godliness. This is a book about God’s power to help us grow in personal holiness and to enjoy the process of transformation.

The Explicit Gospel - Matt Chandler 

Even if you go to church, it doesn’t mean that you are being exposed (or exposing others) to the gospel explicitly. Sure, most people talk about Jesus, and about being good and avoiding bad, but the gospel message simply isn’t there - at least not in its specificity and its fullness.

Inspired by the needs of both the over-churched and the unchurched, and bolstered by the common neglect of the explicit gospel within Christianity, popular pastor Matt Chandler writes this punchy treatise to remind us what is of first and utmost importance - the gospel.

What Did You Expect? Redeeming the Realities of Marriage - Paul David Tripp

Everyone’s marriage morphs into something they didn’t intend it to be. At some point you need something sturdier than romance. You need something deeper than shared interests and mutual attraction. You need changed expectations, you need radical commitments, and, most importantly, you need grace.