The Living Church: Convictions of a Lifelong Pastor
By: John Stott
The Pastor’s Monthly Book Selection – August, 2018
I found myself driven to my knees while reading The Living Church by John Stott. Very few books have had this effect on me. Written shortly before his death, this book is a reflection on the Church and lessons learned over 60 plus years of ministry. However, the author does not begin by looking back on what was and longing for the good old days. Rather, Stott takes note of where we are in the 21st century and reflects on what the Church can be.
He begins the first chapter by listing the essentials of God’s vision for His church – Learning, Caring, Worshiping, and Evangelizing. The next seven chapters show how these four characteristics unfold in the life of the Church. The author concludes his thoughts with a challenge to up and coming “Timothys,” and he includes three interesting appendices offering historical insight into his life. Even in the few instances where I disagreed with Stott’s views, I was encouraged by the godly counsel from this wise and experienced saint.
Although it is a short read, I believe you will be pleasantly and gently challenged by this work. I highly recommend it for all of us at Grace & Peace as a nice book on a late summer vacation or to start the upcoming season at our church.
Both warm and theologically sound, The Heidelberg Catechism stands as one of the most significant creeds of the Protestant Reformation. Used to
Here is a book I recommend simply because it was a joy to read.
As many of us can attest, we often come into the Reformed Faith because of compelling theological reasons only to discover that there is much more to Reformed theology than the five points of Calvinism or the five solas of the Reformation. Sometimes we are surprised to discover that a major emphases of the Reformation was the nature and practice of worship. Reformed worship in particular can be a little puzzling to folks that have grown up with a broad evangelical background. In the book With Reverence and Awe the authors offer a study on the foundational principles of worship in a Reformed context. This short work challenges the reader to seriously consider a biblical perspective on the worship of God, thereby upholding what is known as the Regulative Principle. Although it is not an exhaustive study on the subject, it does turn our attention away from the common man-centered approach to a God-centered focus on what the Church does as it gathers together on the Lord’s day. I highly recommend this concise work to anyone wishing to understand the Reformed perspective of worship.
Besides containing the hymns normally sung by our congregation on Sunday morning, the Trinity Hymnal is a treasure of worship material. Included in the back are responsive readings in the psalms, The Apostles and Nicene creeds, and the Westminster Confession of Faith and Shorter Catechism. Familiarizing ourselves with the great hymns of the Faith, not only enables us to worship more robustly on Sunday mornings, but connects us with the worship of the Church throughout the ages, and serves as an aid in adding music to our personal and family devotions. Therefore, I recommend this work to all those at Grace & Peace Presbyterian Church.
As we begin a new year many folks look for a devotional book that can be used for either personal or family time. In The Songs of Jesus, Tim and Kathy Keller offer a day by day look through the Psalms. Beginning with the Scripture text, the author gives a brief commentary followed by a prayer focusing on the passage. The writer’s design is to bring you closer to the Lord as you walk through every situation of life, finding guidance, comfort, and strength through the songbook of the people of God. Renee and I are finding choice morsels of wisdom as we read through this work together. I recommend it, not so much for deep theological reflection, but as a window into the heart of Jesus and His care for His sheep.
I recently came across this interesting work that I’ve found valuable for my own personal devotions. Translated into modern English this volume includes various sermons of Augustine, bishop of Hippo, that deals with both theology and practical Christian living. Although as a Protestant, I find some of Augustine’s views untenable, such as his views on marriage and celibacy, his personal appeals to his congregation and profound insights make his preaching come alive to the reader. The bishop’s Christ-centered approach to scripture and church topics is refreshing, and his propensity of calling his people to holy living is quite challenging. I especially enjoyed those sermons on the Beatitudes and the Lord’s Prayer. Toward the end of the book the editors included a few sermons delivered on the feast days of various martyrs. I began reading them with caution, fearing that these might lead to a form of adoration of “saints”. However, working through these sermons, I found most of them constantly bringing the reader back to a focus on the work of Christ to strengthen the faith of His people.
To what extent should the Christian in America embrace the separation of Church and state? This hot button topic is often discussed from a perspective that equates the existence of the United States with that of God’s covenant relationship to ancient Israel. In A Secular Faith, Darryl Hart argues that America was never founded as a Christian nation. Furthermore, when religious people attempt to find a universal Judaeo-Christian foundation for the political life of the country, they run the risk of watering down Christianity to the point where the gospel is no longer evident and we are merely left with a set of morals and ethics. The end result is that Christianity is redefined and presented, not as the message of redemption through Christ and the hope of the coming kingdom of God, but as moral standards that preserve the nation from ruin.
This October marks the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation. In light of that movement it seems appropriate to suggest one of the better biographies of Martin Luther. As one of the foremost authorities on the Reformer, Heiko Oberman believed that the best was to understand this man’s life is to recognize that Luther saw himself as being engaged in a great spiritual battle. Throughout the book the author paints a picture of Luther with both failings and strengths. He reminds us to look at this monk, not through the lens of our own age, but as a man of his times. Weaving together the religious and social events of the day, Luther’s upbringing, his theological discoveries, marital relationship, and his view of the world as a battleground between God and the devil Oberman gives us an understanding of Doctor Martin that is both engaging and enlightening to the reader. I recommend this book for those that wish to read a biography of Luther that is more than just a chronological timeline of historic events.
Regardless of who we are, everyone will face trouble and sorrow during their life. In When Trouble Comes Phil Ryken offers encouragement to the reader in times of difficulty. By using various Bible narratives, the author provides insight into suffering and gives us a glimpse of God’s comforting presence in seasons of trouble. I recommend this book for all who travel life’s pathway and need to know that hardship is not our only companion, but we have a God whose faithfulness never fails.
Two veteran TIME writers, Nancy Gibbs and Michael Duffy have written a fascinating book about a peculiar aspect of the ministry of Billy Graham. When being interviewed for this piece, Reverend Graham made the stipulation that the authors present the bad as well as the good. Following that wise counsel enabled Gibbs and Duffy to write a work that offers great insight for those wishing to understand the interaction between religion and politics in America.