The Cross Conference, December 27-30, 2013

In a missions conference in the 1960s,  John Piper tells of when he heard someone ask a veteran missionary this question, "If you believe in Predestination, why would you want to be a missionary?"  The veteran missionary answered, something like this,"I would not persevere as a missionary for 20 years in minsitry without the Biblical doctrine of predestination!"  

For some answers to that question, see 1. here;  and 2. here; and 3. here.


 The Cross Conference website.

Scroll down to see Speakers, Schedule, Registration, Pray, Blog articles

  Frequently asked questions.


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I know some of my friends are upset with Dr. Piper for inviting Rick Warren (and Mark Driscoll earlier) [I agree that those were unwise decisions.] to speak at one of his "Desiring God" conferences (and never directly dealing with the problems and red-flags that Warren generates by his pragmatism, etc.); and also Piper's continualism of the miracle-sign gifts seems out of place with Reformed theology and there are a few other issues that we would disgree him on; but his passion for God and sound doctrine and missions is just so good, and so right; that I forgive him for his other mistakes. 

About the Conference: Many college aged and young adult Christians are seeking guidance as to what God's purpose/vocation/career for their life will be. A great way to explore possibilities in missions is to go to the Cross Conference. (December 27-30) It will be in Louisville, Kentucky. It is especially designed for young people/ college and University Students, who are wrestling with the questions of what kind of career and purpose and vocation should they pursue and asking the question, "what are my gifts and how does my personality and giftedness fit into God purpose to glorify Himself in this world?" Even if you are not going to be a missionary who goes oversees or to another culture; the Biblical and spiritual atmosphere will be equipping you to glorify God better and walk with Him no matter what vocation or career God leads you to. The whole conference would also be very helpful for missions pastors and missions committee members and elders and pastors of local churches, in building their missions vision and motivation for their church. There will be many key missions speakers and pastors and workshops/break-out sessions. All of the "break-out" sessions explore issues that people, churches, and missionaries face, and some issues that non-missionaries are facing in our modern world, for example, issues of Islam, Islamic terrorism; and contextualization and how to understand those issues from a Biblical point of view.

  http://crosscon.com

 See some of the key speakers: D. A. Carson; Conrad Mbewe; John Piper; Thabiti Anyabwile; Mark Dever; Al Mohler; Missionaries and nationals from the field; Kevin DeYoung; Mack Stiles http://crosscon.com/speakers/


 Pray for workers/laborers for the field: (Matthew 9:36-38)

  http://crosscon.com/prayforworkers/

 Praying for God to raise up more laborers for His harvest -

Please be praying for these students who come to the conference to keep on abiding in Jesus (John 15:1-16) and go and serve in their local home church, just as Paul and Barnabas did (Acts 11:26) for an extended period of time; and then as they were submissive to the elders/leaders/teachers as they worshiped the Lord and fasted and prayed, the Holy Spirit spoke and said, "Set apart for Me Barnabas and Saul to the work for which I have called them".  See Acts 13:1-4  As they followed the Lord and the local church authority, when the church sent them out (verse 3), the Holy Spirit was sending them out. (verse 4)  When a Biblical church sends out workers, the Holy Spirit sends out workers.

The benefit to us is an overflow of God getting Glory

The reason God seeks praise is not that he won't be God if he doesn't get it, but that we won't be happy if we don't give it.
— John Piper (@JohnPiper) October 25, 2013

Be awed and humbled . . .

HT:  I saw this morning at AnsweringMuslims.com.  Wow. 

Piper and Metaxas on so called "same sex marriage", Bonhoeffer, civil rights, abortion, Romans 13

Although I was very mystified and disappointed by John Piper's "clarification" on heresy and how it relates to the Roman Catholic Church, and I agree with what Dr. White said recently on the Dividing Line about it and its application from Galatians 5; I still very much like John Piper and don't think I am being too soft or nice on him.  I also don't understand totally why he never really answered the issues that people brought up about his invitation of Rick Warren, except maybe he doesn't think investigating RW and spending any more time on that is worth his time.  ( I also disagree with Dr. Piper on the continuation of the sign and miracle spiritual gifts, but if they are still continuing today, those that believe in God's sovereignty like Dr. Piper and others like him are the best representatives of that position.)  I thought Piper's original video about what would you say if you had 2 minutes with the Pope was very good and more clear than his recent "clarification". 

I wrote this at my other blog, "apologetics and agape", where I link to a recent Piper video (with Eric Metaxas) and also to some of Denny Burk's recent blog articles on so called "same sex marriage".

I originally just started a Word Press Blog just so I could log in and debate with Muslims at Paul Bilal Williams blog  ; (I just noticed that he may have banned me again; he bans me every now and then, and lets me come back later) but it has resulted in me not being able to resist debating informally with different Muslims there and writing other articles at my "apologeticsandagpe" word press site. ("apologetics and agape" = Meaning the balance of truth and love)

I just don't have the energy or extra time to write long articles on each blog, and also with lots of other mission work,  travel, teaching, preparation, and writing other articles on missions; and also writing some articles in Farsi is taking up lots of time; so I am linking to it here.

This video is well worth your time to watch and listen.

Bonhoeffer QA with John Piper & Eric Metaxas from The Hub on Vimeo.

Piper on Luther (also Augustine and Calvin)

In the spirit of celebrating the upcoming Protestant Reformation -
John Piper's excellent message/lecture on Martin Luther: "Lessons from his life and labor".
http://www.desiringgod.org/resource-library/biographies/martin-luther-lessons-from-his-life-and-labor

This became one of the chapters in his book, The Legacy of Sovereign Joy, on Augustine, Luther, and Calvin.  This is an excellent book on introducing the main issues with the lives and significance of Augustine, Luther, and Calvin.

http://www.desiringgod.org/resource-library/books/the-legacy-of-sovereign-joy

see also Piper's lecture on Augustine: The Swan is not Silent.

http://www.desiringgod.org/resource-library/biographies/the-swan-is-not-silent

Piper's lecture/message on John Calvin: The Divine Majesty of the Word. 
http://www.desiringgod.org/resource-library/biographies/the-divine-majesty-of-the-word

"Let Marriage Be Held in Honor . . . "

Excellent sermon on the Homosexual and "same sex marriage" issue:



You can also read his sermon here.

http://www.desiringgod.org/resource-library/sermons/let-marriage-be-held-in-honor-thinking-biblically-about-so-called-same-sex-marriage

One of the things Dr. Piper says at the beginning is asking his people in the church to pray, that is not in the typed manuscript is:

"You Pray that I would speak them in the truth of Scripture and in the tone of Scripture"  (my emphasis)  That is so good and godly and hopefully both unbelievers will be persuaded by his godly example and believers (including me) will learn from his example, in constantly praying that our tone will be God-honoring in the way we teach the truth.


Denny Burk reports on how the local Newspaper distorted Pastor Piper's sermon.

http://www.dennyburk.com/a-newspaper-misrepresents-john-piper/

Addendum:  I decided to bring my comments from the com-box up to the article also. (with some additional comments)

Piper's whole sermon was excellent, every point needs to be emphasized and discussed and fleshed out with people in discussing the issue.

Point 2 needs to be emphasized:

"2. There is no such thing as so-called same-sex marriage, and it would be wise not to call it that.

The point here is not only that so-called same-sex marriage shouldn’t exist, but that it doesn’t and it can’t. Those who believe that God has spoken to us truthfully in the Bible should not concede that the committed, life-long partnership and sexual relations of two men or two women is marriage. It isn’t. God has created and defined marriage. And what he has joined together in that creation and that definition, cannot be separated, and still called marriage in God’s eyes."  (My emphasis)

We need to stand on this and say it often when in dissuasions with people. So called "same sex marriage" does not even exist at all, even if they call it that and pass laws that approve of it in the future.

Piper's point number 3 is also very important.

Romans 8:20-21 points to Genesis 3 and God's judgment on Adam and Eve's sin and God's subjecting all of creation into futility and corruption. 

My comment:
Same sex desires are un-natural and deviant desires that are part of the corruption and futility/meaninglessness that came about as a result of sin.


Piper:

3. Same sex desires and same sex orientation are part of our broken and disordered sexuality owing to God’s subjection of the created order to futility because of man’s sin.

In Genesis 3 we read about the catastrophic moment when the first man and woman rebelled against God. The effects on them and on the world are described in chapters 3 and 4, and then illustrated in the sin-soaked and death-ridden history of the Old Testament — indeed the history of the world.

The apostle Paul sums it up like this in Romans 8:20–21:

The creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God."

All of history and society and all cultures considered homosexuality as a shameful and deviant and perverted thing. Even when approved, it was underground from the general society.

Point number 4 is the only place I think Dr. Piper should probably elaborate more.

Even the homo-sexual desire and lust is sin and unnatural, even though the temptation or initial attraction may not be sin in-self, although it seems even that is a "corruption"/perversion of God's creation design.

Point number 4 needed a statement on the fact that that even the desire is wrong, but that there is a difference between a temptation and lustful fantasy, as Matthew 5:28 teaches us.

Piper:

"4. Therefore, same-sex intercourse, not same-sex desire is the focus of Paul’s condemnation when he threatens exclusion from the kingdom of God.

The clearest statement is found in 1 Corinthians 6:9–10.

Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, 10 nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.

The words, “men who practice homosexuality” is a translation of two Greek words which refer to the passive and active partners in homosexual intercourse. See Robert A. J. Gagnon, The Bible and Homosexual Practice: Texts and Hermeneutics [Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2001], 306–331). The focus is not on same-sex desire, but on same sex practice. And notice that homosexual practice is not singled out but included with other ways of sinning: idolatry, adultery, stealing, greed, drunkenness, reviling, etc.

The point is not that one act of homosexual or heterosexual experimentation condemns you, but that returning to this life permanently and without repentance will condemn you. “Men who practice — who give themselves over to this life, and do not repent — will not enter the kingdom of God.” They will perish."

In my opinion, "men who practice homosexuality" should be translated, "men who practice homosexuality, both active and passive" . . . It should be more clear that there are two different Greek words.

I think Dr. Piper also needs to further elaborate so that there is no mis-understanding of point 4, in light of James 2:10. I know that Piper is NOT meaning to deny the meaning of James 2:10; it is just that people could take one of his statements above out of context and abuse his point, as the local newspaper did in Minneapolis.

"For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all." James 2:10

One sin does condemn us, and lust does also, as Matthew 5:28 shows for heterosexuality; however the point that needs to be made is the difference between a temptation and mental lust.

But even the desire of homosexuality seems to be by nature an un-natural and corruption and futility-ness of our broken world.

But we also need to say:
We who don't struggle with same-sex desires are not better than those that do; we are sinners also.

We who have gluttony and anger and greed and pride problems readily acknowledge that we have our sins/issues that we struggle with and we are not better than people who struggle with same sex attraction or temptations; but homosexuality is in itself destructive to society and children, and it is harmful to the homosexual persons themselves, even though they don't see it and don't understand why their sin bothers us - it bothers people in the same way that injustice bothers us and the way drunk drivers bothered mothers enough to found "MADD" - "Mothers Against Drunk Driving".  The way that cruelty to blacks in the south in the 1950s should bother us. The same way that cruelty to an elderly bus monitor should bother us - those 12-13 year old boys need an old fashioned whipping with a leather belt on their naked behinds - about 10 good lashes each.  That was called a "spanking" when I grew up!  Their cruelty and rebellion reminds me of the list of sins in Romans 1:28-32; I Timothy 1:8-11 and 2 Timothy 3 - lovers of self, disobedient to parents, haters of good - hatred and killing their own parents.

Point 5 needs to be emphasized also.

Approving of homosexuality in so called "same-sex marriage"  (like Rachel Held Evans; John Shelby Spong, Barry Lynn; Brian McLaren; Jack Rogers; Tony Compolo; Miley Cyrus; and Carrie Underwood), or being silent about it (like Andy Stanley, Pastor of Northpoint Community Church did) is a contradiction to love and a contradiction to the gospel.

Piper:

"5. Therefore, it would contradict love and contradict the gospel of Jesus to approve homosexual practice, whether by silence, or by endorsing so-called same-sex marriage, or by affirming the Christian ordination of practicing homosexuals.

We must not be intimidated here. The world is going to say the opposite of what is true here. They are going to say that warning people who practice homosexuality about final judgment is hateful. It is not hateful. Hate does not want people to be saved. Hate does not want people to join the family. Hate wants to destroy. And sin does destroy. If homosexual practice (and greed and idolatry and reviling and drunkenness) leads to exclusion from the kingdom of God — as the word of God says it does — then love warns. Love pleads. Love comes alongside and does all it can to help a person live — forever."

Standing against homosexuality is not hate. It is actually a loving thing to do to be against it. Amen

Points 7 and 8 are important also, as how the issue relates to Christians and pastors being involved in society and politics.  Don't miss anything in Piper's sermon, but I just wanted to make some more comments on some of his points.  More later on those points, Lord willing. 

Three excellent sermons on God’s Sovereign Grace by John Piper in John chapter 6

1. Skeptical Grumbling and Sovereign Grace – John 6:41-51


http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/Sermons/BySeries/86/4404_Skeptical_Grumbling_and_Sovereign_Grace/


Excerpt:

“First, what does Jesus mean by “no one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him”? If we just stay in the Gospel of John, and work our way out from the near context to the farther, what becomes clear is that Jesus means not that he draws everyone and then some of them provide the decisive impulse and come, but that everyone whom he draws actually comes. The drawing is the decisive impulse. We will see it again and again in this Gospel that this drawing is not at all in conflict with our choosing to come and our freely coming because we want to come. But his drawing is decisive. And without it no one would come.

5 Clarifications and Confirmations

Consider 5 passages which say essentially the same thing and confirm and clarify this understanding.

1.1) John 6:37. We saw this verse last week. “All that the Father gives me will come to me” (John 6:37). In the flow of thought here between verses 37and 44, I don’t think there is any reason to view the Father’s giving people to Jesus (verse 37), and the Father’s drawing people to Jesus (verse 44) as different experiences. I think they are the same. And Jesus says, “All that the Father gives me will come to me”—not some of them will come to me, but all of them. So there is good reason to think that verse 44 means, “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him” because all that he draws, all that he gives, will come to me. The drawing is the deciding cause. Inside our seeing Christ as compellingly desirable is God’s drawing, God’s opening our eyes.

1.2) John 6:63-65. Here Jesus explicitly refers back to verse 44 and applies the truth of verse 44 to those who do not come, especially Judas.
He says, “The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life. But there are some of you who do not believe.” Then John inserts, “(For Jesus knew from the beginning who those were who did not believe, and who it was who would betray him.)”—a reference to Judas in particular. Then Jesus continues in verse 65 by referring back to verse 44. “And he said, ‘This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father.’”
Notice the logical connection between what Jesus says in verse 64 (“There are some of you who do not believe”—like Judas) and what he says in verse 65 (“This is why—or on account of this, what I said back in verse 44—no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father.”). Because there are unbelievers—like Judas—that’s why I said no one can come without being drawn (verse 44) or being granted (verse 65) to come. If the Father’s drawing, or the Father’s granting (as Jesus means it in these verses), were something he did for all people, this would seem to make no sense. He would be saying, “I know that there is a Judas among my disciples, and that is why I told you that it takes a universal drawing of everyone for anyone to be able to come.” But a universal drawing of everyone doesn’t explain Judas. What verse 65 is saying is this: There is a Judas among my disciples, and that’s why I made the point that no one can come unless God draws him. God has not drawn Judas in this way. God has not “granted” him to come. He has left him in the rebellion of his greed and stealing and unbelief.”

2. They will all be taught of God – John 6:41-51
http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/Sermons/BySeries/86/4430_They_Will_All_Be_Taught_of_God/

Excerpts:

From Every Tribe, Tongue, People, and Nation
These last words describe the scope of Jesus’ death as John presents it in this Gospel. Jesus died not just for one ethnic group, but “to gather into one the children of God who are scattered abroad.” This is a reference to Gentiles whom God will effectively draw to himself when they hear the gospel. They are called “children of God” because God has chosen them to be adopted, as Paul says in Ephesians 1:4-5. So if this is a good parallel, then the all in John 12:32 is not all human beings, but “all the children of God.” “When I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all the children of God to myself.” From every tribe and tongue and people and nation (Revelation 5:9).
. . .
“How did he draw you? Here our focus is on John 6:45-47. After saying in verse 44, “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day,” Jesus says,
It is written in the Prophets, “And they will all be taught by God.” Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me— 46 not that anyone has seen the Father except he who is from God; he has seen the Father. 47 Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life.

Drawn by Being Taught

The answer John gives to how the Father draws people to the Son is by teaching them. “No one can come unless the Father draws him . . . . It is written in the Prophets, ‘And they will all be taught by God.’” So the connection between drawing and teaching is clear. The drawn are the taught. They are drawn by being taught.
And the connection between being taught and coming to Christ is unbreakable. No one is taught and then decides not to come. The teaching produces the coming. You see that most clearly in the second half of verse 45.
Verse 45 says, “Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me.” (This is why I said this verse confirms our understanding of John 12:32.) Not some of them come. All of them come. So Jesus uses at least three phrases to describe how the Father draws people to Jesus. He calls it “being taught,” and he calls it “hearing from” God, and he calls it “learning from” God. “‘They will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me.”

3. It is the Spirit that Gives Life – John 6:52-71

http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/Sermons/BySeries/86/4438_It_Is_the_Spirit_That_Gives_Life/
Excerpt:

“But what does eating the flesh of Jesus and drinking the blood of Jesus mean? This was incredibly offensive language. It sounded like cannibalism. And it was especially offensive for Jesus’ Jewish contemporaries because the Mosaic law prohibited eating any flesh with the blood in it, let alone drinking blood itself (Leviticus 19:26).
The answer is the same thing we saw in John 6:35. There Jesus said, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.” Coming to Jesus as the bread of life to still the hunger of your soul is the same as believing in him. That’s what believing is. It is being satisfied with all that God is for us in Jesus.

Now see the same thing with the more graphic language of flesh and blood. Notice the very close parallel between verse 40 and verse 54.

Verse 54: “Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”

Verse 40: “Everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”

This parallel (just like the parallel in the first and second half of John 6:35) shows that, in Jesus’ mind, eating his flesh and drinking his blood are a figurative way of saying: Believe in me, trust me, receive me, get your nourishment from me. Get life from me. St. Augustine said, “Believe and you have eaten” (In Johan. Tract. xxvi. 1).

So the pervasive offer of this chapter from beginning to end is: Anyone may have eternal life if they will receive Jesus and trust in Jesus and treasure Jesus and be satisfied with all that God is for them in Jesus. Whoever feeds on my flesh—that is, whoever believes in me—has eternal life. I abide in you and my life becomes your life—forever.

Pointing Forward to the Cross

And we can be more specific about how Jesus gives us eternal life. When he says in verse 51, “the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh,” he is referring to giving his flesh as a sacrifice for the world. He is talking about his flesh and blood being given as a substitution for the world. In other words, he is pointing forward to the cross.

Remember he already referred to the cross in John 3:14-15 where he said, “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.” So when he talks in chapter 6 about eating and drinking the flesh and blood of Jesus, he means trust him as one who dies for you. Receive him as one who gives his life for you. Treasure him as one who bears God’s wrath for you (John 3:26). Feed on all that God is for you in him because of his suffering flesh and shed blood."