Here are a couple of recent quotes from the blog Of First Importance. Food for the soul.

First, from Paul Tripp and Timothy Lane…

The Christian life is built upon the foundation of (1) facing who you really are and (2) trusting who Christ truly is. Everything you do will be shaped by the degree to which you act on the blessings that are yours in Christ.

If you only look at yourself and carry around a load of guilt, you will hide, excuse, blame, rationalize, and cover up your shame rather than enjoy the freedom of confession and the joy of forgiveness. You will not enjoy the lasting fruit that comes from following the wisdom that is already yours in Christ! Instead, you will reduce the Christian life to a simplistic list of rules and behaviors that never touch the real problems, and you will be blind to the gaps in your relationship to Christ.

- Timothy S. Lane & Paul David Tripp, How People Change (Winston-Salem, NC: Punch Press, 2006), 65.

Tim Keller…

The gospel shows us that our spiritual problem lies not only in failing to obey God, but also in relying on our obedience to make us fully acceptable to God, ourselves and others.

Every kind of character flaw comes from this natural impulse to be our own savior through our performance and achievement. On the one hand, proud and disdainful personalities come from basing your identity on your performance and thinking you are succeeding. But on the other hand, discouraged and self-loathing personalities also come from basing your identity on your performance and thinking you are failing.

Belief in the gospel is not just the way to enter the kingdom of God; it is the way to address every obstacle and grow in every aspect. The gospel is not just the “ABCs” but the “A-to-Z” of the Christian life.

The gospel is the way that anything is renewed and transformed by Christ — whether a heart, a relationship, a church, or a community. All our problems come from a lack of orientation to the gospel. Put positively, the gospel transforms our hearts, our thinking and our approach to absolutely everything.

- Timothy Keller, Paul’s Letter to the Galatians: Living in Line with the Truth of the Gospel (Redeemer Presbyterian Church, 2003), 2.

Many of us find initiating and cultivating friendships with unbelievers difficult. Many more of us find getting to the gospel, discussing spiritual issues, proclaiming Christ even more difficult. Here are some thoughts on getting over the proverbial hump in a relationship to talk about spiritual things and the work of Christ.

First, often there won’t be a clear time to bring up Christ in a relationship. If we are waiting for some voice from heaven telling us its time to bring up the gospel in a relationship we probably never will. Sometimes we will talk about spiritual things in the first few minutes of a relationship, other times it may be months. It may depend on frequency and nature of our contact with our friend. While we want to be wise and aware of our friend’s openness I would generally say, the sooner the better. When it comes down to it the issues of tone and tact are probably more important than timing.

Second, any conversation about Christ will probably have some level of awkwardness. Perhaps this shouldn’t be the case, but in our fallen and weak state it is. The more we talk openly about Christ with all kinds of people the more comfortable we will be in doing so. Also, keep in mind that the more awkward you act the more awkward your friend will feel. Remind yourself that you are bringing up an issue that everyone thinks about at times, that is of immeasurable importance to you, and that is a matter of reality.

Third, sometimes it is simply time to be bold. This is not to say that tact is not needed or that we intentionally put the other person in an awkward position. However, you probably know if you are procrastinating. If you have been friends with an individual for some time maybe it is time to sit down with them and in a sincere way just ask them if you could talk with them about a message that is of supreme importance to you.

Sometimes we stress out too much about getting the timing and tone exactly right. Generally, if we are loving our friend, concerned about their spiritual condition, and praying for God’s work in their hearts our tone and timing will be appropriate. It may be time to move ahead in love and trust God with our friendship.

Fourth, don’t give up on or end a friendship if your friend doesn’t respond positively. If your friend does not respond to the message of the gospel, it does not mean that your friendship is over. They are not a failed assignment- they are a friend that you love, will continue to pray for, and will seek to continue to talk about the message of the gospel with.

Also, assume and seek to have your initial conversation about the gospel be a starting point for more conversations. We tend to think God is going to work right away or not at all. Be willing to discuss their questions over time and look for more opportunities to bring up the truths of the gospel. Often, once the door is open these conversations will come much more easily.

This whole process is difficult and in fact risky (surprise, surprise- I think I read somewhere about risk being a part of following Christ). The risk is small however in light of the reward- the pleasure of God and the potential of seeing our friend worship God for eternity.

One more note- I write from little experience and much need. Please pray for and help me apply the things I’m writing in this series.

If you have a long commute or have time to listen to audio books or sermons you might enjoy the following links.

Until July 6th listenersbible.com is offering a free download entitled “We Hold These Truths to Be Self-Evident.” It is a collection of documents relating to our country- The Declaration of Independence, The Constitution, The Gettysburg Address, and Lincoln’s second inaugural speech. It is narrated by Max Mclean and is very well done.

Every month Christianaudio.com has a free download of a audio book. These again are quality productions and usually are classic works. This month’s free offer is “Pilgrims Progress” by John Bunyan.

As you probably know there are plenty of places to get free audio sermons as well. Here are some worth checking out.

Resolved- a recent college age conference put on by Grace Community Church- the theme was “Heaven and Hell.”

Desiring God- audio sermons from the ministry of John Piper

Sovereign Grace Ministries- audio sermons from various speakers including C.J. Mahaney and Josh Harris.

Reformissionary- Tim Keller Resources-a collection of articles and audio sermons from Tim Keller

The Village Church- audio sermons from the ministry of Matt Chandler

Monergism.com- a huge collection of links to audio sermons from a wide variety of solid preachers.

When it comes to summer missions in the Auburn area here are a few events that might be of interest (check out a community calendar here).

Auburn Cruise Night- hot rods, food, etc. along Lincoln Way in downtown Auburn. The second Friday of every month.

Fast Fridays- motor cycle racing at the Auburn fairgrounds- every Friday night.

Auburn Family Night Out- This Saturday, June 28th- booths, games, food, etc. throughout downtown and old town Auburn.

Western States Endurance Run- June 28-29- probably none of us will run but we can watch with friends and neighbors or we could even volunteer.

Auburn Family 4th- 4th of July celebration- parade along high street in Auburn and fireworks from the fairgrounds.

Thunder in the Sky Airshow- August 2nd- Auburn Municipal Airport.

In addition to this there are numerous concerts, plays, etc. that are going on in our communities all the time.

Invite a neighbor to enjoy a meal before or after. Buy extra tickets and then invite a friend from work. Strike up a conversation with the people next to you.

Other activities you might keep in mind might be kid’s swim lessons, table tennis club, mountain bike club, Auburn Art Walk, etc. Start a card game night with the guys in the neighborhood, get together with some other dads and take your kids fishing, host a block party, etc. Think through the things you do anyways or the things you might do for fun as a family and look to invite someone to join you.

This is how our mission to spread the joy of knowing God through Christ begins. This isn’t all of it but for some of us it may be the most difficult part.

In order to reach the lost we must be in contact with and know the lost. For some of us this may come easy but others of us may be at a loss as to how to do this (if you’re one of the one’s its easy for please come alongside and help those of us its difficult for).

Some of us may have lots of contact with unbelievers and simply need to love people, develop relationships, boldly bring up the gospel, and trust God. However, others of us need to give more thought and effort towards purposefully putting ourselves in the mission fields of our culture.

The following are some ideas that a blogger named David Fitch threw out there as someone who lives in a suburban community and is attempting to reach his community for Christ.  You could probably come up with more but maybe these will help you get started.

Mom’s Play Groups: (I noticed young children in this neighborhood). All over the suburbs, through the internet, lonely moms get together under the excuse that their kids need to play together (It’s not an excuse). These moms have some of the greatest community. I’ve witnessed this first hand with our young son. When you get there, look for the hurting left out mom, the single mom, maybe the mom with a troubled child, spend time there caring and supporting. Practice the generous serving spirit of Christ. You will be changed, and others will be too through your ministry.

McDonald’s: (there’s a great McDonald’s in this hood). I don’t care where you go, every McDonald’s has a local breakfast club: usually a group of men who sit around, talk sports and joke around before they go to work. If you go the same time everyday, they’ll soon get to know you and you’re life will become an open book to strangers who become friends. Trust me on this; you don’t even have to try on this one.

Hospitality with your Next door Neighbors: It is so hard to get to know your neighbor in the burbs. They often don’t want to talk. And if you’re a pastor, you’re rarely home. I must make time to be in neighborhood. But then to overcome the distance, some subversive tactics might be in order. Like sell your lawnmower and ask to borrow your neighbors, ask someone to baby-sit your dog. As time goes on, the barriers come down, and you can share some barbeque in the back yard.

The Elderly Center: The most neglected of our society. There are so many elderly who live in retirement homes who need to talk to someone and understand their lives with someone. Find an elderly care facility and visit someone on a regular basis.

Foreclosures: Foreclosures are popping up (there’s a few in the neighborhood). (Neil Cole gave me this one) These are opportunities for Christians to minister to hurting people, bringing peace, helping them readjust and think differently about life.

A Ride with the Police: (there’s police available in every neighborhood) I think it’s a great one. Neil Cole once said that the police know where the trouble spots are in the burbs. They know where the hurting people are, the drug addicted domestic abuse is. He suggested to Christians in the burbs to go on a regular ride with the police, find these places, and find ways to hang out and minister.

All of these places are within 2 miles of my house, almost all of them within 8 blocks of my house. I am encouraged that this house can be a place for mission.

ONE LAST THING - ONE PERSON CANNOT DO ALL OF THESE! I recommend doing what is already part of your daily life. Then add one and make it part of your weekly rhythm. I aim to add one of these to the ones I already do. Once you’re in a rhythm, aim to simply be Christ to the people you are among. God will use you, opportunities for 1 Pet 3.15-16 will occur regularly.

Regrettably, ASGF does not have any summer missions trips going outside of our local community this summer (if anyone has a heart to remedy this, please answer the call). While this is not desirable and we would like to see this change in the future I want to remind us that we do have a mission here at home.

This post is the first in a series intended to challenge us to make our daily lives and outings missions trips of sorts.

As we seek to promote God’s mission in our communities this summer we must understand that our mission is to be an overflow of our own joy in God. The Girltalk bloggers recently wrote the following post encouraging readers to consider how they use and view their summer activities. If this is our perspective we will be prepared, compelled, and overflowing with our mission of spreading the glorious gospel of Christ.

Recently my daily reading took me through Deuteronomy 8.  In this passage Moses is recounting God’s works on behalf of Israel over the 40 years of wilderness wanderings.  In verse 3 we find the following statement.

He humbled you and let you be hungry, and fed you with manna which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that He might make you understand that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of the LORD.

Did you get that?  God was purposefully humbling them and letting them go hungry.  There was a purpose behind the lack of provisions and seemingly hopeless prospect of finding any out in the wilderness.

God’s purpose was so that he might satisfy His people with Himself and teach them that every good blessing comes from Him.

D.A. Carson comments,

The sad reality is that fallen people like you and me readily fixate on God’s gifts and ignore their Giver.  At some point this degenerates into worshiping the created thing rather than the Creator (cf. Rom. 1:25.  God knows that is Israel’s danger.  He is bringing them into a land with agricultural promise, adequate water, mineral wealth (8:6-9).  What likelihood would there be at that point of learning that, “man does not live on bread alone but on every owrd that comes from the mouth of the LORD”?

Carson goes on to ask,

In what ways does your life show you cherish every word that comes from the mouth of God, above all the blessings and even the necessities of this life?

I know reading this passage and contemplating what I hunger for made me want to fast- I want- I need to be hungry on some level so that I might see more clearly the all satisfying nature of my God.

My fear is that in our American affluence we are slow to learn this truth.  May God give us grace to taste and see that the LORD is good and His lovingkindness is better than life.

Justin Buzzard over at Buzzardblog recently posted the following paragraph from D.A. Carson’s Christ & Culture Revisited. I think we can tend to talk about worldview and Christian worldview without really understand what we mean. Hope this is helpful.

“Christians whose worldview–whose way of looking at the world–is decisively shaped by the Bible’s story line cannot forget that we human beings have been made in the image of God; that our first obligation is to recognize our creatureliness, and thus our joyful obligation to our Creator; that sin is nothing other than de-godding God; that our dignity as God’s image bearers is horribly marred by our rebellion; that the entire race, and all of human history, is rushing toward final accountability before this God who is no less our Judge than our Maker; that there is a new heaven and a new earth to gain and a hell to fear; that our sole hope of reconciliation with this God is by the means he himself has provided in his Son; that the people of God are made up of human beings from every language and tribe and nation, and, empowered by God’s Spirit, are growing in personal and corporate obedience and love, rejoicing to come under the reign of God in anticipation of the consummation of that reign. Meanwhile, we are enjoined to do good to all, especially–but certainly not exclusively!–those of the household of faith. In other words, Christianity does not claim to convey merely religious truth, but truth about all reality.”

This second quote is from the blog Of First Importance and specifically speaks to the end- where things are going.  It is from “The End of History — The Moral Necessity of Eschatology” by Al Mohler.

“Put simply, the Christian story unravels unless God brings the entire course of human history under His visible and perfect judgment, unless God’s justice is perfectly displayed, unless the Christ is revealed in glory so that every knee bows and every tongue confesses that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father [Phil. 2:11], unless Christ claims His redeemed people, unless God’s triumph in Christ over death, sin, evil, and injustice is made universal. Put simply, unless every eye is dry and every tear is wiped away.

There is no Christian Gospel if history simply unwinds into a meaningless puddle, if the cosmos simply escapes into a cataclysmic black hole, or if the universe finally dies of exhausted energy. Without belief in a biblical eschatology, there is no Christian hope. Without a sense of perfect moral judgment in the end, the human heart is homeless.”

In short, a Christian worldview is about understanding where the world has come from, where it has been, where it is going, and what God’s activity and purposes are in all of this. It is about understanding the gospel not only on the smaller scale of our own lives but also in the bigger picture of God’s plan for the world.