Faith by Hearing
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Piper 2 Pastors Conference
John Piper and Conrad Mbewe presented three messages and one Q&A to a pastors conference in Zambia. Piper’s messages were titled “Feel” and “Think”, two messages he has given at a previous Desiring God Pastors Conference, but nonetheless, wonderful to hear them again. And Conrad is an absolute pleasure to listen to, and his message “Christ and Him Crucified” is timeless.
Rezolution Conference 2010 Piper & Mbewe
Johannesburg, South Africa, John Piper and Conrad Mbewe reflect on the conviction of Jonathan Edwards in keeping his famous resolutions.
Piper opened the conference with a message on “For His Name’s Sake” which considers the sweep of redemptive history which demonstrates God’s zeal and love for himself.
Piper’s second sermon was vintage Piper, and was fitting, as Piper talked about one of the most significant things Edwards said that had a tremendous impact on Piper’s life. “God is most glorified in you when you are most satisfied in him.” If you’ve never heard Piper on this subject, then this is one you will want to hear.
Conrad’s messages surrounded Romans 12:1. In his first message he asked 2 questions: 1. What keeps Edwards resolutions from being mere legalism? 2. What motivated him to define and keep these resolutions? The answer is that the fountain of grace brought in a fresh supply to him.
In Conrad’s second message he asks 1 question: What should have Edwards resolved to do in the light of the mercy God showed toward him? Bringing it home to us, he asks if we as Christians are merely giving God a contribution from our lives, or have we completely sacrificed our lives for him. Conrad considers that most of us, if we are honest, are Christian contributors rather than living sacrifices. A phenomenal message.
The Saturday night Q&A was wonderful. I love Q&A’s because it’s entirely unscripted and allows me to see how these men think through issues in a candid manner. The questions discussed what their typical day is like, how we should think about some pastors being less gifted than others and the discouragement that might bring. On the issue of dating, Piper believes dating as a matter of having a boyfriend or girlfriend without any intention of marriage is wrong because it is courting danger. But dating (whether you label it courting or not) should be restricted to seeking a marriage partner. On the issue of tithing, Piper said the “tithe” system of 10% that is so prevalent in America is robbing God. If 10% satisfies our sense of giving, we are misled. Giving is to be above and beyond tithing, and to simply set the bar so low that tithing 10% is sufficient for most Christians is Pharisaical.
Piper closed the conference on Sunday morning with another vintage Piper message: “You exist to spread a passion for the supremacy of God in all things for the joy of all peoples.” He focused his message on 2 Corinthians 8:1-7.
Conrad writes about the conference, and provides photos from it, on his blog A Letter from Kabwata.
Interview with Conrad Mbewe
Tim Challies Podcast Connected Kingdom interviews Zimbabwe preacher Conrad Mbewe about the challenges of ministry in Africa.
Conrad Mbewe: Christianity in Sub-Saharan Africa
9 Marks Mark Dever interviews Conrad Mbewe about his ministry and work in Zimbabwe.
Conrad Mbewe: The Gospel of John
You cannot help but love Conrad Mbewe, who pastors a church in Zambia. Not only does he have a strong South African accent, and a comforting preaching style, he is a good expositor of Scripture and strongly stands for God’s Word.
Heart Cry Missionary Society has a portion of Conrad’s messages series on John and Romans. I haven’t got to listen to his Romans series yet, but I am enjoying John. Unfortunately, all that is available is John 12:20 through John 17:18.
One memorable point was in his sermon titled “The Danger of Spiritual Self-Confidence” where he reflected on Peter asserting to Jesus that he would follow him even to death. Conrad suggests that to question Peter’s sincerity and to call him a hypocrite in light of his denial of Jesus that very night is to draw a superficial conclusion. We make this same mistake in the church today. When we hear about another believer falling into serious sin our response to that reveals our theology. A response of condemnation and pride will believe “How could they do that? I would never fall into that.” We must realize that we carry with us a nature that is capable of any sin. And any sin that you just now though would be exempt, add that back to your list. You are capable of any sin. If you don’t believe that then you are decieving yourself. He who stands now, take heed lest you fall.
Conrad continues this line of thought regarding our natures. He uses the example of women who watch the soaps, or men who look at pornography. To do so is to watch scandal and deception. “Don’t you realize you are FEEDING a nature?” We carry with us a nature prone to sin. When we feed it such things it will eventually lead to exercise those sins. Be careful what you feed to your sin nature.
This is a fabulous series that will feed your soul.
Conrad Mbewe: The Gospel of John >>>
By the way, Conrad has a very interesting blog of his work in Africa called A Letter from Kabwata.
Conrad Mbewe, the African Spurgeon
Widely regarded as the African Spurgeon, Conrad Mbewe is faithfully and powerfully proclaiming the Word of God in Zambia from Kabwata Baptist Church in Lusaka. Like Spurgeon, he works himself to exhaustion.
Banner of Truth has written an informative article about Conrad. An excerpt from the article:
Conrad Mbewe slices the air with his hands. His booming baritone soars to a frenzied pitch. “I ask, what is your attitude to authority in your home?” he says. “What is your at-ti-tude? If that’s what characterizes your life, stop cheating yourself that you’re a Christian.” The congregation’s eyes follow every jab of his finger, every sweep of his hands. They’re hearing – and watching – a regular Sunday sermon from their pastor. But he also happens to be the Spurgeon of Africa.
