Equip is the name of the training and education ministry of Auburn Sovereign Grace Fellowship. Each semester a variety of courses taught by the elders will be offered on Tuesday nights.  Each Equip offering is strategically intended to build up the body of ASGF in maturity, knowledge, and Christ-like living.

Fall Offerings: 

       Equip: Evangelism- this class is being offered to spur ASGF towards being a body that is characterized by constant and naturally overflowing evangelism. The two main texts for this course are “Tell the Truth” by Will Metzger and “Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God” by J.I. Packer. This course will deal with issues of philosophy, method, and other practical issues surrounding evangelism. It will be led by Tim Pickard (who also happens to be the chief student in need of learning and growth in this topic) and will be held at his home. Please contact Tim with questions or to sign up for the course (or you may use the comment section below).  Begins September 12th- 7pm at the Pickards.

Equip: Bible Doctrine- this class is a continuation of the Bible Doctrine class already in progress led by Josh Winans. The class is based on the book “Bible Doctrine” by Wayne Grudem. In light of the fact that this class is aproximately three quarters of the way through the material we would encourage those not already a part of it to wait until next fall when it will be offered again. Begins September 19th.

In the spring we are hoping to offer at least three new courses including one on Parenting Teenagers.  Please pray for this ministry and consider how it might be useful in your own growth and sanctification.

Mark Dever recently shared some thoughts on Evangelism over at Together for the Gospel.  I thought they were quite helpful and profitable for thinking through what real evangelism is.  You will find the majority of the post below.

             When you share the Gospel, think carefully about the language you use.  One of the best conversations I can remember having about evangelism was with a secular Jewish friend of mine.  I was to give talks soon on a college campus about evangelism.  And I decided to ask my friend about it.  We’ll call him “Michael.”  (In fact, that was his name!)  “So Michael,” I said, “have you ever been evangelized?” (more…)

Reading is one of those practices that seems to be used in incredible ways by God to grow His people.  As I think about the most godly people I have known I can honestly say that all of them have been readers (of good biblically based books that is). 

Bob Kauflin over at Worshipmatters posted a quote by Richard Baxter today on reading.  Below is the majority of the post.

 …here’s a quote I pray will encourage your soul today. It’s from an article entitled “Advice on Reading,” by the Puritan pastor, Richard Baxter. After commending Scripture as the ultimate book to read, he highlights the benefit of reading godly books. Finally, he offers a few questions to help us make the most of our reading.

“Every congregation cannot hear the most judicious or powerful preachers: but every single person may read the books of the most powerful and judicious; preachers may be silenced or banished, when books may be at hand: books may be kept at a smaller charge than preachers: we may choose books which treat of that, very subject which we desire to hear of; but we cannot choose what subject the preacher shall treat of. Books we may have at hand every day. and hour; when we can have sermons but seldom, and at set times. If sermons be forgotten, they are gone; but a book we may read over and over, till we remember it: and if we forget it, may again peruse it at our pleasure, or at our leisure. So that good books are a very great mercy to the world: the Holy Ghost chose the way of writing, to preserve His doctrine and laws to the Church, as knowing how easy and sure a way it is of keeping it safe to all generations, in comparison of mere verbal traditions.

While reading ask oneself:

1. Could I spend this time no better?
2. Are there better books that would edify me more?
3. Are the lovers of such a book as this the greatest lovers of the Book of God and of a holy life?
4. Does this book increase my love to the Word of God, kill my sin, and prepare me for the life to come?”

On the subject of reading- keep your eyes open for the Sovereign Grace Resource Table in the coming weeks.  We will give you plenty of opportunity to practice what Baxter reccomends to us.

As you probably know, New Life Pregnancy Center is our primary outlet for missions at this point in the life of our church (although in a sense all of us our on a mission for the gospel daily).  We desire that this would be true not just in the realm of finances but also in practical help.

New Life is holding an information meeting about “Ways to Volunteer” on Thursday, August 31st at 10 am and then again at 7pm.  This meeting will take place at the Rocklin Campus accross from Sierra College at 5050 Rocklin Rd. 

If you have questions please call the Center at 530-889-8991

John Piper recently wrote an article on Talking to People Rather Than About Them.  It addressed the danger of gossip that so easily creeps into churches and destroys relationships.  

Gossip is one of those sins that we easily excuse and justify.  It is so commonly accepted and practiced that it seems stiff and unnecessary to put a stop to it.  We are often adept at calling it something else or claiming that our motives were somehow right in what we said.  

I have pasted the majority of the article below.   (more…)

This post may cause everyone to want off of my prayer list but I am persuaded to share it with you anyways.  Mark Lauterbach struck a chord in me as I read his most recent post on Gospeldrivenlife.  It was convicting to think about how my discernment attennae are usually more in tune to see and look down on other’s faults then to see and point out evidences of God’s grace.  While this is certainly an area of balance, I find it quite easy to be driven by pride rather than love in this area.  I have pasted Lauterbach’s post in its entirety below.

I have been reflecting on the matters of suspicion and discernment. C J Mahaney’s message on Grace and the Adventure of Leadership has touched a nerve in my soul. Paul thanked God for the Corinthians – he saw grace in them. He was not angry or bitter toward them. He was neither suspicious of them nor discerning only of their evil.

I am finding my heart is endlessly suspicious and my discernment likes to “read between the lines” to see sin. I believe in a doctrine of sin that is serious and deep – but I think it is a wrong application of the doctrine of sin to cause me to hold others in suspicion. I think the doctrine of sin should lead me to hold myself in suspicion and assume others are not nearly as corrupt in motives as I am. But that is not the case.

The other day I spent more time looking through my prayer list – and saw that often when I looked at someone’s name it really was their sin that first came to mind. This means my heart is predisposed to suspicion of others rather than seeing grace in others. I do not think this is a mark of Gospel transformation.

It is called censoriousness by Edwards and fault-finding by others – the remarkable facility to see your specks of evil and miss my own logs of sin.

When I ask my heart questions here is what I find – there is a profound sense of self-righteousness and pride in me. When I see someone’s sin and motives (or think I see it) my thoughts run like this, “I am pretty discerning. I wonder if anyone else sees this.” I congratulate myself on being discerning. The same is true with my doctrinal discernment – I congratulate myself on my correct perceptions and wonder why no one else is as discerning as I.

It would seem that a true gift of discernment is as able to see grace and godliness that others do not see. Who says discernment is focused on sin? Why should it not also be focused on truth? Who says discernment is primarily about weeding out error?

None of this should lead me down the path of relativism or naiveté. Where it should take me is to take my pride to task before the cross and exercise myself in seeing truth and grace as much as error and sin. My guess is that my heart is so naturally predisposed to fault-finding that I do not need to exercise myself in that at all.

Paul seems to have done this with the Corinthians – he was not “buttering them up” – he was seeing the grace of God in them, flawed though it may be and marred by sin – it was grace nonetheless.

Pastors: do you love your people and see far more of their graces than their sins? Do you find fault with them more quickly than find joy in them?

May we be eager to see and point out evidences of grace in others and may we point out sin only as we are driven by love and a desire for God’s glory.

Bob Kauflin over at Worshipmatters posted a helpful and convicting post on reproof and correction.  As he points out most of us don’t really want reproof and tend to quickly dismiss it in favor of encouragment or praise.  I have pasted his post in its entirety below

 “Stupid” is a word that we discouraged our children from using as they were growing up. That was because they typically used it when they were fighting with a sibling or responding to a decision they weren’t too happy about.

But God doesn’t hesitate to use stupid to describe some of the ways we act. He tells us in Proverbs 12:1:

Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but he who hates reproof is stupid.

I’ve had fresh opportunity to apply this verse after the WorshipGod06 conference. While the overwhelming majority of the feedback we’ve received has been positive, there are some who were disappointed or strongly disagreed with aspects of the conference. Responses have either been posted on the web or came on the evaluation forms we asked people to fill out.

Not surprisingly, some of the criticisms are the result of taking words out of context or uncharitably judging motives of those involved. Others have shared their comments sarcastically. I’ve been most grateful for those who have asked sincere questions or offered helpful thoughts for how we could have done things better.

In the midst of the feedback, I’ve been aware of my desire to love the encouragement and avoid hearing anything critical. I tend to have the same attitude after I preach a sermon. But God tells me that if that’s my attitude, I’m stupid. He wants me to LOVE reproof and discipline, not run from it.

Why? I can think of a few reasons. Loving reproof makes me more aware of my need for God’s grace in my life. Loving reproof helps me fight my inherent craving for self-exaltation. Loving reproof is a sign that I need others in the process of sanctification. Loving proof is a way of acknowledging I have blind spots and that I don’t know EVERYTHING.

Here are a few ways I try to cultivate the love of discipline and reproof (and I still have a long way to go):

1.    Pray for reproof. That’s right. Ask God to bring people into your life who will point out where you’re making mistakes, sinning, or could do things better.
2.    Expect reproof. Be on the lookout for it. I find that when I’m surprised by critical feedback from others, it’s usually because I’m looking for their praise.
3.    Ask others for input. That’s why we hand out evaluation forms at the conferences. We read every one of them. They have been invaluable each year for making the next conference better. It’s best to ask people for input when they have time enough to think about it, and are convinced that you really want to hear it.
4.    Thank people for reproof. It’s rarely easy to reprove someone else. When a friend approaches me and says they want to share something with me (and I don’t get the feeling it’s encouragement), I want to make sure I thank them for caring enough to give me input, whether I agree with them at the moment or not.
5.   Ask questions about reproof. Oftentimes, people don’t say everything they’re thinking. Ask them to elaborate, expand upon, or fill out what they’re saying. It will help you hear it more clearly and respond more humbly.
6.   Thank God for reproof. Every critic is a gift from God. God is the one who enables others to overcome their fears and tell us what we need to hear. What an evidence of God’s kindness!

And that’s what reproof from others is – an evidence of God’s kindness. Of course, it’s hard to see that when it’s given thoughtlessly, angrily, sarcastically, judgmentally, or harshly. But I know that most of the feedback I receive from others is not as strong as I need to hear it, and comes from a heart that wants to serve. But even when given sinfully, reproofs remind us of our own blind spots and cast us upon the mercy of the Savior who covers all our sins, and who has provided the only means of our justification before God.

So let’s not be stupid today.

May we become of a body that is full of humble people who are eager to recieve reproof as an evidence of God’s kindness.  So, with a tinge of hesitancy I conclude with this- if you have any input on how I could honor and reflect Christ more clearly in my life and ministry please let me know.

After this last Sunday all of us as elders and many of you were protesting for more time to work through the doctrinal statement study guide.  It was so encouraging to us to contemplate and discuss such incredible truth and to see your hunger for the meat of the word in those discussions.  In light of this we have decided to adjust the schedule for the study. Below are the dates listed and what will be discussed on those dates.

August 20th- Man- Assurance- page 1- questions 1-4- covering Man-Atonement roughly.

August 27th- Man- Assurance- page 2- questions 5-9- covering Regeneration- Assurance roughly.

September 3rd- The Church- Death and End Times- page 1- questions 1-4- covering The Church

September 10th- The Church- Death and End Times- page 2- questions 5-9- covering The Christian Life- Death and End Times

September 17th- Church Covenant and Membership Application- both pages- all questions.

Thank you for your flexibility and for making our ministry a joy.  We know this study is a bit more difficult but keep at it and trust God to bring great profit and growth by His grace.