Could it be that Satan wants to make things more complicated?  As I teach my three young children gospel truths, I’m reminded how those simple answers are what my soul desperately needs, as well.  "Sunday School answers" are sometimes the best answers. 

Sunday School Answers

A believer experiences an unexpected break-up, and a friend responds, “God works all things for good.”  Another Christian expresses struggles with his future job prospects, and his brother answers, “Trust in the Lord.”  The discouraged disciple becomes frustrated.  He looks at his Christian friend and says, “Well, I know that.  Give me something that helps.”  Or, more likely, the truths are never stated.  The basics are just assumed.  After all, people know the Sunday School answers, right?

Certainly we must fight against insensitivity. It’s often appropriate to hold a hand, give a hug, or simply sit in silence.  Most of us don’t want to be preached at in the midst of suffering.  But the basics are truly what we need.  Truth is what comforts us.  There is a tragic sophistication and cynicism toward basic Christian truths today by many young people.  We’ve heard those answers.  They’re too simple, we reason.  We ask for more.    

The Simplicity of the Gospel

Jesus taught us that the kingdom belongs to children.  We are to receive him with the faith of a child (Luke 18:16-17).  What’s the answer to monsters under the bed?  God is in control.  How are we comforted when someone teases us on the playground?  He loves us, and that’s what counts.  What do we do if we find ourselves sad?  We reflect upon our joy in Christ.  Our need is not for better answers.  It’s for our hearts to embrace the right ones.  Gospel truths are not simplistic.  They are rich and deep.  But they’re simple.

I remember a skit, back in my college ministry days, where three Christians were competing in a game show.  One girl, trying to play the airhead, kept answering “Jesus,” with much enthusiasm, to every question.  Everyone laughed.  But maybe it was our Enemy who was truly laughing.  If he can get us to assume gospel truths, he’s won most of the battle.  If he can get us to mock God’s word, that’s success for him.  In our counseling, in our preaching, and in our evangelism, is “Jesus” our answer?  Are the promises of Scripture our comfort?  If not, we might just need to go back to Sunday School.

Resurgence Podcasts

Get all the latest audio sermons, interviews, and lectures delivered straight to you as soon as they are released. Find out more.

Could it be that Satan wants to make things more complicated?  As I teach my three young children gospel truths, I’m reminded how those simple answers are what my soul desperately needs, as well.  "Sunday School answers" are sometimes the best answers. 

Sunday School Answers

A believer experiences an unexpected break-up, and a friend responds, “God works all things for good.”  Another Christian expresses struggles with his future job prospects, and his brother answers, “Trust in the Lord.”  The discouraged disciple becomes frustrated.  He looks at his Christian friend and says, “Well, I know that.  Give me something that helps.”  Or, more likely, the truths are never stated.  The basics are just assumed.  After all, people know the Sunday School answers, right?

Certainly we must fight against insensitivity. It’s often appropriate to hold a hand, give a hug, or simply sit in silence.  Most of us don’t want to be preached at in the midst of suffering.  But the basics are truly what we need.  Truth is what comforts us.  There is a tragic sophistication and cynicism toward basic Christian truths today by many young people.  We’ve heard those answers.  They’re too simple, we reason.  We ask for more.    

The Simplicity of the Gospel

Jesus taught us that the kingdom belongs to children.  We are to receive him with the faith of a child (Luke 18:16-17).  What’s the answer to monsters under the bed?  God is in control.  How are we comforted when someone teases us on the playground?  He loves us, and that’s what counts.  What do we do if we find ourselves sad?  We reflect upon our joy in Christ.  Our need is not for better answers.  It’s for our hearts to embrace the right ones.  Gospel truths are not simplistic.  They are rich and deep.  But they’re simple.

I remember a skit, back in my college ministry days, where three Christians were competing in a game show.  One girl, trying to play the airhead, kept answering “Jesus,” with much enthusiasm, to every question.  Everyone laughed.  But maybe it was our Enemy who was truly laughing.  If he can get us to assume gospel truths, he’s won most of the battle.  If he can get us to mock God’s word, that’s success for him.  In our counseling, in our preaching, and in our evangelism, is “Jesus” our answer?  Are the promises of Scripture our comfort?  If not, we might just need to go back to Sunday School.

Resurgence Podcasts

Get all the latest audio sermons, interviews, and lectures delivered straight to you as soon as they are released. Find out more.

People Don't Trust the Church Anymore

Organized religion's trust levels are only a few percentage points higher than that of our politicians—and that is a grave problem for the church. The majority of Americans, over three quarters of them, view organized religion with the same suspicion they do politicians, who are often associated with incredible self-interest and pettiness.

People View the Church as a Dead Organization

This low view of organized religion has not led to an outbreak of atheism. Spiritual things are still a hot topic in many people's lives and still have incredible influence over how people live their lives. Many people will say things like, "I'm spiritual, but not religious," or, "I can have a relationship with God, but I don't need to belong to a church." These statements are indicative of the wider attitude towards church: the church as an organism and organization is no longer seen as a credible source to know God or find life. Instead, the church looks like a horse and carriage in a world of automobiles—tolerated, but not the best way to get around.

How to Build Trust: Humility and Sacrifice

That is why establishing trust is so important. Trust is the bedrock of all quality relationships, so if the church needs a restoration of its relationships, it will need to renew trust with others. At the core of all churches is relationship—relationship to one another, relationship to the leadership, and relationship to the organization. When trust within the church is broken, just as in all relationships, the whole edifice crashes. The church has a moral imperative, then, to not just retreat into an enclave and perpetuate a community where trust is already established, but to do the hard work of restoring trust with individuals and communities.

But sadly this is often not the case. To the outside world the church seems to be full of hypocrites, money-hungry leaders, and hateful people. This is also the experience of many Christians who now walk with a spiritual or emotional limp because the church broke their trust. Many Christians have experienced the fallout of leaders who covered their sin because their church or vision was more important than their individual righteousness or morality.

Some churches have been captured by false teaching that leave people wounded and starving for the one true God. Many have seen church people preach one thing and then turn around and do another, leaving them wondering, "Can the church really be a place where we can practice what we preach?" and "Can this really be a place that has treasure for the outside world?"

The Blueprint for Trust: Stop Pretending

The blueprint for building trust is simple. It does not involve any new thinking or teaching, but actually rediscovering something very old: the gospel.

The gospel message has two embedded characteristics that are vital for trust: humility and sacrifice. Trust is never built on perfection, but on the ability to own up to our mistakes and flaws. We also see this with church membership: the church is one of the only organizations in the world where the absolute requirement for membership is failure. You have to own up to your bankruptcy before God.

We must stop pretending that we have performed for God—that is the only way to build trust.

Scandalous

In Scandalous, world-renowned theologian D.A. Carson unpacks the meaning of the most scandalous event in history: the death and resurrection of Jesus. Get the book.

Jared Wilson pastors a church in Vermont, runs a great blog, and wrote the book Your Jesus Is Too Safe: Outgrowing a Drive-Thru, Feel Good Savior.

I had never even visited New England before I began the interview process for the church in rural Vermont that I am pastoring now. As a native Texan who spent more than a decade in Tennessee, I have the blue blood of the Bible Belt coursing through my veins. But in 2008, as the pastor of a young church plant in Nashville, God began to shift my attention from the older brothers of my homeland to the prodigals of (what I would consider) the wilderness.

In just the last two years I have been privileged to connect with others who are receiving a heart for the now least-reached portion of the United States, and I believe more and more are receiving the call, looking to “liberal,” “pagan,” “dead and dry” New England with missionary fervor. But the need is great and the workers are still few. As I keep an eye on the momentum of church planting initiatives in the U.S., I am grateful to see so many willing hearts and strong hands engaging neighbors with the gospel, but I am disheartened to see over and over again the least-churched region of the nation overlooked. Could the neglect of this emerging mission field not be from the lack of God’s call, but the lack of the called’s interest?

If you are a future church planter or have designs on joining a missional plant, here are some reasons I hope you will consider looking to and praying for a vision of Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, or Vermont, the six states that comprise New England:

1. New England is the least-churched area of the nation.

If there is an unreached people group in the United States, it is New Englanders. A 2009 Gallup poll placed the six states of New England in the top ten least religious states in the nation. While the Bible Belt is approaching a completely unchurched generation, New England is already there. There is no high attendance at Easter and Christmas, because nobody even has the nostalgia factor driving them to recapture childhood visits to church.

There is no biblical literacy to speak of, of course. According to the Glenmary Research Center, via NETS Institute for Church Planting, those in New England who attend evangelical churches hover between 1 and 3% of the population. There is a higher percentage of evangelical Christian churchgoers in Mormon Utah than in Rhode Island!

2. New England’s few existing churches are not gospel-wakened.

New Englanders have little desire for anything to do with Christianity or church, but even those who have it have little opportunity to explore it. While the landscape of New England is dotted with little church buildings, some quaint and some beautiful, more and more of these buildings now house liberal, practically Unitarian congregations, if they house church gatherings at all.

And where churches are evangelical, the evangel has not yet captured the hearts of many congregations. As the cultural environment became more worldly, conservative churches became more insular, opting to self-protect in their religious “bunkers” instead of engaging their communities in gospel mission. The need for gospel-centered missional churches throughout New England is dire. The good news is that a movement is afoot already, but it needs more workers.

3. New England is spiritually fertile.

While the soil in New England is superficially hard, beneath it run springs of spiritual openness. This isn’t always a good thing, of course, but there’s something about this area of the nation that is spiritually fertile. America’s two major cults—the Latter Day Saints and the Jehovah’s Witnesses—had their genesis in the Northeast United States, both in New York State. (My 200-year-old church in Vermont actually kicked out Joseph Smith’s secretary for heresy!) The New Age movement and pagan spiritualities are still popular in pockets throughout rural areas and college towns.

But there is a rich evangelical heritage in New England, of course. The Great Awakenings began here. George Whitefield, Jonathan Edwards, and Charles Finney are just some of the great preachers God used to light fires of gospel revival. New England enjoys a great history of Reformational preaching and mission. Lemuel Haynes of Rutland, Vermont, was a strong Calvinist parish minister and the first black pastor of an all-white church in the United States.

But where gospel fires once burned now looks burnt over. The majority religion in New England is Catholicism, which seems so odd given the evangelical fervor of the Awakenings.

Many of us believe God can and will do something great again in New England. As in the days of Amos, we are praying that God will do what he promised to do for his dispersed children: “In that day I will raise up the booth of David that is fallen and repair its breaches, and raise up its ruins and rebuild it as in the days of old” (Amos 9:11).

Is God calling you to raise up the ruins of beautiful New England? The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few.

How Do You Pastor Your Family?

How do you pastor your family? A practical article by an A29 pastor and dad. Read it here.

As I prepared to preach from Luke 5 recently, God impressed on me to look at the history of the Pharisees. You may have heard the part of their story where they challenged Jesus and felt they were above God, but the details of how the Pharisees came to power and prominence were a shocking challenge to my religious heart.

From Exile to Occupation

The story began 600 years before Luke 5. God’s people, the nation of Israel, had fallen into sin and false worship of other gods. God’s judgment came on them as they were invaded and carried into exile in Babylon. God’s people had to repent of their sin and figure out how to be his people in a foreign nation.

Seventy years later, Babylon was conquered by the empire of Persia. The new king allowed the Jews to return to Jerusalem and worship together. Under the leadership of Ezra, they rebuilt the temple, and under Nehemiah they rebuilt the city and a protective wall around it. The Persians did not allow them to appoint a king, so the priests, left to themselves, became the highest authority.

Persia was conquered by a Greek, Alexander the Great, a few hundred years later. The Greeks also left God’s people to themselves, but Greek culture was a force to be reckoned with. Bit by bit, year by year, the Jews began to take on more and more Greek language, literature, and, eventually, the worship of their many gods—including the construction of monuments to Greek gods in the Jewish Temple.

From Compromise to Revolt

The Jewish people were sharply divided among those who favored assimilation into Greek culture and those who held fast to God’s Law (the Scripture) and temple worship under the Law. This divide culminated in revolt as the traditional Jews took up arms against the Greek Jews in the Maccabean Revolt (165 B.C.). The more traditional Jews won and restored the temple and leadership under the High Priest.

It was out of this time of idolatry and conflict that a new movement began to rise up from within the Jews. They were disgusted by the compromise of so many of their brothers. Their movement was marked by two distinct values:

• They were known as the most expert and accurate expositors of Jewish Law; they were the Bible guys of their day in the midst of cultural compromise.
• They believed that God’s standards for purity were not just intended for the temple, but for all of life. In this they were also the worship guys of their day, saying, “This isn’t just about things you do in a certain building at a certain time of the week. It’s about all of life to God’s glory!”

You can probably guess what they were called: the Pharisees.

From Righteous to Religious

What happened? Their message could not be more familiar to us: “The Bible is the highest authority and you should live all of life to the glory of God!” How could something that started so right go so wrong—as we know it did by Jesus’ time?

Somewhere along the way, the Pharisees’ power and authority became an end in itself. Somewhere the leaders grew to love the sound of their own voices. Somewhere, at least in their own minds, their words became equal with God’s.

The reality is that becoming a Pharisee can happen to any of us. And if you think it could never happen to you, then maybe it already has.

If you would like to hear the whole sermon I preached on this, it's called "Gospel Heals, Religion Kills."

ESV Study Bible

The ESV Study Bible is our Bible of choice. To show how good the notes are, we’ve posted some free study notes on the Trinity. Read them here.

Most marriages today have a tendency to accept sin in either spouse. One spouse becomes dominant and the other passive. The couple goes through life trying to manage sin rather than allowing God to change them from the inside out.

Sin-managing marriages are not healthy. A healthy marriage is Christ-centered, which means:

• Gospel-centered
• Transparent
• Growing (not perfect!)

A Christian marriage is committed to see sin put to death through the finished work of Christ and through the abiding Holy Spirit, who radically transforms us on a day-in and day-out basis. For the couple, this means:

• Constant repentance
• Constantly seeking forgiveness
• Constant openness to change

My wife helps me confront sin in my life by being very direct and very loving simultaneously. She’s learned to speak to me in a way that’s helpful and kind, but also straightforward. She’s a constant source of help for me, praying for me, encouraging me, and staying faithful to me. She has tremendous credibility when she says things like, “I think you blew that one,” or “You’re being harsh.”

Additionally, in a healthy marriage, spouses serve one another sacrificially. When we have time off, we should first be devoted to helping one another in very practical ways. When we come home from work, we should make it a priority to look for how our spouse needs help. Where we’ve found a lot of love together is simply in loving and serving our children.

It’s a great joy for us to do it all together, and it keeps us growing.

David Bruskas is a pastor at Mars Hill Albuquerque. This was posted on the Mars Hill blog and excerpted from a video interview Pastor Dave gave to Acts 29’s Pastor Scott Thomas.

Luke Sermon Series

The current Mars Hill sermon series traces the life of Jesus through the Gospel of Luke. Watch the preview.

The City on the Hill

In Jeremiah 29:4-7 God called the Israelites, who had been exiled into Babylon, to pursue the peace and prosperity of that pagan city. Likewise, Jesus, in Matthew 5:13-16, calls us to be a city on a hill that cannot be hidden. He clarified that not only our words, but our words backed by deeds of service would shine the glory of God from the city of God into the secular city.

We see in Luke how Jesus not only used his words to bring the gospel, but also his acts of service allowed his words to be heard. As Christians sent into our respective cities, we are called to be the very best citizens of that city. We are to work for the peace, safety, security, vibrancy, and future of our city, plus the common good of all of our neighbors. A gospel-centered church is one that takes this mission seriously. We want to demonstrate the resources the Christian faith has for hope in the future.

New Heavens and New Earth

In Revelation, we don't see individuals being taken out of the world into heaven, but heaven coming down to renew the world and wash it of evil, disease, poverty, injustice and death. At Mars Hill Downtown we are actively working to build bridges and relationships with city and neighborhood leaders. We want to find out what the needs and gaps are in our city and if at all possible, work towards a solution.

City Involvement

Practically, we host "Town Halls," where we invite local city leaders to an evening of discussion, brainstorming and strategizing how we as a community can assist. A new ministry that sprung out of a conversation with a civic leader last year is "Rest". This ministry reaches out to the girls and women in our city who work in prostitution and dancing, or who are involved in sex trafficking. We are pursuing permission with a downtown strip club for some of our women to begin building relationships at the club on Friday nights.

Additionally, many members are actively involved on community councils, Mayor's office, business associations, and chambers of commerce. We don't believe that politics changes hearts—Jesus does. We do believe that we are called to serve our city, love our neighbors, and be as active as possible, so that people "see our good works and glorify our Father who is in Heaven" (Matt. 5:16).

ESV Study Bible

The ESV Study Bible is our Bible of choice. To show how good the notes are, we’ve posted some free study notes on the Trinity. Read them here.

Redeemer Church in Lubbock, Texas, recently invited Jonathan Dodson to speak at their Missional Living Conference. The conference was built around the Three Gospel Conversions based on Colossians 1:15-20. Those familiar with his talks at LEAD 09 will note that these new talks introduce a fresh theological and practical perspective on the Three Conversions. Both audio and video are available.

• The Gospel & American Christianity: This message deconstructs the dualism of American Christianity in order to reconstruct a whole Gospel around Jesus Christ as Lord.
• Community in American Christianity: This message demonstrates the communal character of the Gospel, unpacking very practical ways to cultivate “steady state community.”
• Everyday Mission in America: This message shows how mission is not optional but essential, spending considerable time on how to live "everyday life with gospel intentionality.”
• How a Church Renews a City: This message shows how Gospel communities on mission is God's design to renew cities.

Docent Research

Customized research for pastors. High-level exegesis, theological analysis, and cultural research as well as writing assistance. Learn more.

Know Your Heretics series: Click | View Series

The Rise of the Judaizers

A problem arose in the early church when the apostles took the gospel of Jesus to Jews, Samaritans, and Gentiles. When Gentiles responded to the gospel, a conflict arose that threatened to divide the church.

A group called the Judaizers opposed Paul and Barnabas at the Council of Jerusalem (AD 50) in Acts 15. They were uncertain that the benefits of the covenant people of God were to be extended to the Gentiles, thus doubting their conversion by the gospel.

Paul's response assures them that the Gentiles had indeed been made partakers in the blessings of the covenant, namely, the Holy Spirit: "And God, who knows the heart, bore witness to them, by giving them the Holy Spirit just as he did to us, and he made no distinction between us and them, having cleansed their hearts by faith" (Acts 15:8-9).

The Judaizers' View of Salvation

The Judaizers were teaching that God still required everyone to observe certain rituals and statutes in order to be accepted by him as Father.

Paul, in recounting his confrontation of Peter before the Judaizers, gives us an insight into the teaching of this group (Gal. 2:14). Apparently, the Judaizers were attempting to force Gentile Christians to live under the regulations of the Mosaic Law.

They are also called the "circumcision party" (Gal. 2:12), because one of the specific elements of the Law that the Judaizers were forcing the Gentile Christians to live by was the practice of circumcision.

Peter had withdrawn himself from eating with Gentile Christians, fearing the opposition that would come from the Judaizers. Eating with Gentiles would have rendered Peter ceremonially unclean under the Old Covenant, by breaking an important element of the Mosaic Law. However, Paul said Peter's conduct was "not in step with the truth of the gospel" (Gal. 2:14).

The Orthodox Response

Paul's response is given in Galatians 2:16: "We know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified."

Paul's other response is found in Galatians 5:12: "I wish those who unsettle you would emasculate themselves!" He suggests self-castration for those who require circumcision for others. Paul made his point clearly.

According to Paul and the response drafted at the Council of Jerusalem, the Gentiles were not obligated to follow the restrictions of the Law. They were free in Christ, who had fulfilled the demands of the Law. Paul exhorted the Gentiles to abstain from practices associated with pagan idol worship, not to earn their salvation, but as a response to the life-changing message of the gospel and in gratitude for God's gift of salvation.

Why Does All This Matter?

While the heresy of the Judaizers was put to rest by the Apostle Paul, the idea behind their erroneous belief still permeates the church today. The issues are no longer circumcision or ceremonial uncleanness, but the question of how the law relates to salvation—or how works relate to righteousness—is still something that many Christians remain confused about today.

Paul's exhortation to the Judaizers remains as important as ever. It is not by works that we are saved, but solely by the grace of Christ. In fact, to add anything to the work of Christ for salvation actually negates God's grace. Paul says, "I do not nullify the grace of God, for if justification were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose" (Gal. 2:21).

Preaching & the Emerging Church

This ebook offers a thorough critique and evaluation of the preaching of four leaders of the emerging church movement. Get it here.

Rock’s False Gospel

Sometimes false gospel messages in music are easy to spot. For hip-hop, it’s blatant self-promotion and indulgence. For R&B and pop, your boyfriend or girlfriend relationships will save you. But with a lot of rock music, the message is more abstract. If prompted, what would you say is the false gospel of a band like Coldplay, or better yet, Radiohead?

Radio Who?

Radiohead is an especially unique band. Ever since they redefined Brit-pop in the mid-90s, countless bands have been influenced by their music, and they've drawn a cult-like fan base, many of whom are culture-makers. Radiohead embodies postmodern music.

Culture Teaches—Whether You Notice It or Not

In Luke 6:40 Jesus says, “A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone when he is fully trained will be like his teacher.” In your life, where have you given way to the lies that the world teaches? Lies are usually subversive. Before you know it, lies can become so much a part of your worldview that they disciple you to an imbalanced view of the gospel.

This is what happened to me. As a Radiohead mega-fan, I passively bought into their ideology: hopelessness, cynicism, apathy, and generally a “down with the Man” attitude. My gospel understanding was only half true—my total depravity and Christ’s crucifixion, without the new identity and Christ’s resurrection.

Pay Attention

Whatever you do, don’t focus so much on contextualizing as a missiologist to the point that you lose sight of how the gospel contextualizes to you. Understanding the message behind the music that we love is not just important for how we see the culture that we minister to, but also how we see culture teaching us. We need to remember that every moment is a gospel opportunity, and leisurely listening to music shouldn’t be an exception to the rule.

Joel Brown leads the Mars Hill band Red Letter. Get Red Letter's album for whatever you want to pay from Re:Sound.

Red Letter Music

Music from the Mars Hill band Red Letter. Pay what you want and download the full album now from Re:Sound.