I love Bryan Chapell. I love the English Standard Version of the Bible. I love the Christ-centered, gospel-grounded understanding that I've come to have of the overarching narrative of the Scriptures.
"No matter how
great your skill or accolades, you are unlikely to lead others closer to
God if your heart does not reflect the continuing work of the Savior in
your life. A grace-focused ministry recognizes the repentance our prayers must consistently express, confess the divine aid that grants us the strength of our
resolutions, obeys God in gratitude for forgiveness Christ supplies, expresses the humility appropriate for a fellow
sinner, exudes the joy of salvation by faith alone, and reflects
the Love that claims our own souls and accepts our service without any merit of our own. Preaching without a grace focus concentrates on means of earning divine acceptance, proofs of personal righteousness, and contrasts with those less holy than we.
"The necessity of grace in balanced preaching inevitably points both preacher and parishioner to the work of Christ as the only proper center of our sermons. Christ-centered preaching is not merely evangelistic, nor confined to a few gospel accounts. It perceives the whole of Scripture as revelatory of God's redemptive plan and preaches every passage within this context--a pattern that Jesus himself introduced to us (Luke 24:27)...(T)he Bible requires us to construct our messages in such a way as to reveal the grace that is the ultimate focus of every text, the ultimate enablement for ever instruction, and the only source of true holiness."
For those of you who (like me) are in eastern Michigan and love to fellowship with brothers in Christ as we bask in the glow of the Gospel, let me alert you to what is sure to be a great event May 3rd and 4th. Fellowship in the Gospel is a two day conference hosted by Berean Baptist Church in Livonia, Michigan, and it is dedicated to the idea that the Gospel is the key to preaching and teaching, the key to relationships, and the key to an ongoing life of transformation.
This year's keynote speaker will be Dr. Bryan Chapell of Covenant Theological Seminary. During my time at Covenant, Dr. Chapell did as much as anyone to increase my understanding of and appreciation for the grace of God and the good news of the Gospel.
The schedule includes three plenary messages from Dr. Chapell, as well as three elective sessions. For those interested, there is also a pre-conference workshop by Brian Vickers focusing on Abraham's Sanctification by Faith.
Click here for information regarding registration.
"The cross of Christ is the warrant for confidence in God's promises of ultimate good, despite great heartache. Jesus' agony did not indicate that God failed, or that the faith of the one who died was weak. The suffering caused and inflicted by evil (Psalm 22:16) still was within God's will (Acts 2:23) and served a purpose so loving, so powerful, and so good that our eternity changed as a result (Isaiah 53:4, 10; Matthew 26:31; Revelation 13:8). Through Jesus' resurrection, we learn that our God has power over evil, but through the cross he gains power over hearts. Though the human mind will reach its frayed end trying to reconcile earth's tragedies with God's goodness, the heart remains bound to God, knowing that the provider of the cross can mean no ill. Making much of the blood is neither maudlin nor manipulative; rather, the sacrifice of Christ is the heart's ultimate solace in times of great pain."
The nature and benefits of sharing Christ's identity could be seen in a comparison to the modern gas stations that allow us to use our credit cards at the pump. I have learned to appreciate these pumps not simply because I no longer have to hike into the office of the station to pay, but because I don't have to go to the station at all. If my son needs the car, I can give him my credit card to use at the pump. At his current economy he usually doesn't have the means to get what he needs, so he uses the card with my name on it. With my permission and according to my desire, he assumes my identity. Though he cannot fulfill the conditions required for payment, my son has all of my credit available to him. He meets the qualifications required to use that pump because the machine gives him the credit that is really mine. My son, though he could not provide it himself, acts with my identity and, thus, has all the credit that I have earned.
"It is very hard, but biblically necessary, not to judge others because of their disagreement with our judgment regarding scripturally uncertain issues. An 'Aha! moment' occurred for me in ministry when I learned to ask a key question about advising others: Is it more wrong to allow what God prohibits, or to prohibit what God allows? This is actually a trick question because both alternatives are equally wrong. Either alternative would put me in the position of Lawgiver. God allows only himself the prerogative to determine holy standards."
This evening I saw the following announcement from the Board of Trustees of Covenant Theological Seminary:
At our spring stated meeting of April 27-28, 2012, the Board of Trustees of Covenant Theological Seminary voted to approve the transition of Dr. Bryan Chapell from President to Chancellor, effective June 1, 2012. The Board appointed Dr. Mark Dalbey, currently Vice President of Academics, as interim President. In addition, the Board announced the formation of a search committee to assist the Board in selecting the next President. More information will be forthcoming.
To my knowledge, Covenant has not had a Chancellor in the past, so I'm not sure what exactly this means in regards to Dr. Chapell's responsibilities. That being said, I am sure that Dr. Dalbey will provide wonderful leadership in the interim, while Covenant searches for it's next President. Please join me in praying for the seminary during this period.
"Because God provides each aspect of our armor, we need not fear its failure against Satan's attacks. Our confidence is not in our ability to stand but in the ability of our armor to withstand assault. Whenever we begin to point to our godly practices as the source of our spiritual protection, our virtues become tools of unbelief in which we deny the need of grace and assert the rule of self. We do not put on the armor of God by trusting in the more vigorous performance of our duties, but by relying on God's provision for our protection. We gain the confidence to rely on God's armor when, on Scripture's authority, we perceive his protection to be as real as the armor Paul observed on the soldier guarding him in prison while he penned these words."
"Consciousness of God's enablement should encourage all preachers (including beginning preachers) to throw themselves wholeheartedly into their calling. Although the degree of homiletical skill will vary, God promises to perform his purposes through all who faithfully proclaim his truth. Even if your words barely crawl over the edge of the pulpit, love of God's Word, will, and people ensures an effective spiritual ministry. You may never hear the accolades of the world or pastor a church of thousands, but a life of godliness combined with clear explanations of Scripture's saving and sanctifying graces engages the power of the Spirit for the glory of God."
"A passage retains its Christocentric focus, and a sermon becomes Christ-centered, not because the preacher finds a slick way of wedging a reference to Jesus' person or work into the message but because the sermon identifies this particular text legitimately serves in the great drama of the Son's crusade against the serpent."
"The old preaching imperative, 'make much of the blood,' reflects great wisdom about human motivation. The cross stimulates love for God, the resurrection zeal for his purposes, and the second coming perseverance in his cause. All are necessary, but God's mercy toward the undeserving -- as it unfolds through Scripture and culminates in the cross -- is still the message that programs the heart to receive and employ all other truths of the gospel."
"Faithful expository preaching unfolds every text in the context of its redemptive import. The success of this endeavor can be assessed by a bottom-line question every preacher should ask at the end of each sermon: When my listeners walk out the doors of this sanctuary to perform God's will, with whom do they walk? If they march to battle the world, the flesh, and the devil with only me, myself, and I, then each parades to despair. However, if the sermon has led all persons within sight of the Savior and they now walk into their world with his aid firmly in their grasp, then hope and victory brighten the horizon. Whether people depart alone or in the Savior's hand will mark the difference between futility and faith, legalism and true obedience, do-goodism and real godliness."
I received an email yesterday from my alma mater, Covenant Theological Seminary, with this video included. It includes a brief portion of a message from Covenant's President, Dr. Bryan Chapell, recently given at the spot thought to be the tomb were Jesus was buried. Please take two minutes and watch it.
"It is very hard, but biblically necessary, not to judge others because of their disagreement with our judgment regarding scripturally uncertain issues. An 'Aha! moment' occurred for me in ministry when I learned to ask a key question about advising others: Is it more wrong to allow what God prohibits, or to prohibit what God allows? This is actually a trick question because both alternatives are equally wrong. Either alternative would put me in the position of the Lawgiver. God allows only himself the prerogative to determine holy standards."
"There are no dark passageways through twisted mazes of logic to biblical truth that require the expertise of the spiritually elite. There is only a well-worn path that anyone can follow if the preacher will shed some ordinary light along the way."
The Beach Boys once sang, in all of their brilliant harmonies, "Be True to Your School." It can not be debated; I have heeded this command.
I still follow my high school's football and basketball teams as closely as I can from 568 miles away. I have read about them in the online edition of my hometown's newspaper, exchanged text messages with friends and family members while they were at games, watched games streamed live on the internet and even once upgraded my TV package so that I would have the station that was carrying a game in which my high school was playing. As a matter of fact, the color scheme of this blog is inspired by the orange and black of the Webster Groves Statesmen.
I still show the same type of support for my college as well. Each Saturday during football season, you're sure to find me decked out in my Mizzou black and gold, watching the game if the Tigers happen to be on TV, or listening to the radio broadcast online if that's the best I can do. More Saturdays than I'd like to admit have been made or ruined on the basis of a Tiger football game.
As much as I am committed to my high school and college though, I am perhaps even more enthusiastic in my support of my other alma mater. I have often told others that my three years at Covenant Theological Seminary provided me with a foretaste of heaven. Thanks to both the teaching in the classrooms and the atmosphere that is cultivated, an ethos of grace pervades the campus.
Dane Ortlund captured my thoughts perfectly when he recently wrote about Covenant:
Every institution is filled with nothing but sinners. We are fallen, and our schools reflect that. And when I left three years ago, the school's overall sin-meter dropped considerably. But the norm is for institutions, even seminaries, to contain islands of grace amidst an ocean of self. Covenant is the only school I've ever set foot on that contains, in the mercy of God, islands of self amid an ocean of grace.
I shake my head with wonder at God's kindness to this institution.
Covenant recently released a number of faculty videos on YouTube that help communicate what makes Covenant so special. I've included four below from some of the professors who had a particular impact on me.
For all my friends in the ministry, here are some great words of advice from one of my favorite preachers/teachers/mentors, Bryan Chapell, President of Covenant Theological Seminary.
This evening I saw the following announcement from the Board of Trustees of Covenant Theological Seminary:
require the expertise of the spiritually elite. There is only a well-worn path that anyone can follow if the preacher will shed some ordinary light along the way."
I still follow my high school's football and basketball teams as closely as I can from 568 miles away. I have read about them in the online edition of my hometown's newspaper, exchanged text messages with friends and family members while they were at games, watched games streamed live on the internet and even once upgraded my TV package so that I would have the station that was carrying a game in which my high school was playing. As a matter of fact, the color scheme of this blog is inspired by the orange and black of the Webster Groves Statesmen.
