Monthly Archives: July 2009

Resolved 2009

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This years Resolved Conference was on the popular subject of sin, and the messages are excellent.   The speakers spoke about understanding sin and how to fight sin in your life.   The theme of the conference is from John Owen who wrote “Be killing sin, or it will be killing you.”

The War Against Your Soul, Rick Holland
Blessed Bankruptcy, Steve Lawson
Who’s Really at Work, C.J. Mahaney
Blessed Purity, Steve Lawson
A Theology of Creation, John MacArthur
God’s Sovereignty Over Satan’s Fall, John Piper
A Biblical Strategy for Fighting Sexual Sin, Rick Holland
The Sanctifying Shepherd, John MacArthur
The Troubled Soul, C. J. Mahaney
How Sin Serves the Glory of Christ, John Piper

A few messages worth noting:

Steve Lawson’s message “Blessed Bankruptcy” looks at Matthew 5:3, “Blessed are the poor in spirit” and is one of the best messages I’ve heard on this beattitude. Don’t miss this one.

John MacArthur’s message “The Sanctifying Shepherd” is fantastic, and desperately needed in our current climate of wild and crazy church planting and evangelism techniques.  MacArthur brings us back to take a sober look at the shepherding of our Lord Jesus Christ who alone has the power to save and sanctify.  I think many honest church strategists will listen to this and discover they are operating outside of the pasture that Christ is.

MacArthur’s message “A Theology of Creation” is the same message he gave at the Shepherd’s Conference.  Though a repeat, if you have not heard it, it is a look at how a literal 6 day creation is the only honest way to deal with Genesis 1-3.  MacArthur makes a great case for the miraculous nature of creation which is beyond scientific means of measuring and explaining.

Rick Holland takes a hard look at the problem of sexual sin in the church and presents a biblical strategy for fighting it.

All in all, this Resolved Conference continues to affirm that Resolved is one of the best conferences in the evangelical world, not just for college students, but for anyone who likes sound theology powerfully proclaimed.

Resolved 2009 >>>

Sovereign Grace 2009 Pastors Conference

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There’s a wealth of audio material online now from Sovereign Grace’s Pastors Conference held early in April.  Many good men speaking:  Mark Dever, C.J. Mahaney, Jeff Purswell, Mike Bullmore, Dave Harvey and more.  I haven’t had a chance to listen to any of these messages.  But here it is.

Sovereign Grace 2009 Pastors Conf >>>

College Students and the Local Church

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Mark Dever interviews Aaron Messner, the chaplain of Covenant College in Lookout Mountain, Georgia.  Aaron talks about the cultural and spiritual challenges that college students face, and the particular need there is for local churches to invest in their lives.

Today’s students have grown up with technology and the Internet, and according to Messner, this is shaping the way students think.  He references the recent article in The Atlantic, “Is Google Making Us Stupid?” which all the staff at Covenant have been reading and formally discussing together.

One other issue that was helpful is the way students use the Internet and social media.  Most students use Facebook to network and stay in touch with friends.  Email, Messner says, is like the spam box to them.  They don’t communicate much with email.  Their dependance upon tools like Facebook has starved them of valuable face to face friendships.  And Messner says that he sees interpersonal relationships often challenging and difficult for students.

Very interesting discussion and one you will want to listen to if your church reaches out to college students.

College Students & the Local Church >>>

Collections: Kevin DeYoung

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Kevin DeYoung is pastor of University Reformed Church in East Lansing Michigan.  He has written numerous books that have been lauded by many well known evangelical leaders. These books include Just Do Something, Why We’re Not Emergent, and Why We Love the Church.

If you enjoyed his message at the Next Conference you might be interested in more of his sermons that can be found at these sites:

University Reformed Church >>>

University Reformed Church (new site)>>>

Justin Taylors spotlight on DeYoung >>>

Don Carson on Preaching through Bible Books

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Don Carson talks about how to prepare for expositional preaching through a biblical book.  Carson is an excellent craftsman to follow and learn from.  If you are a preacher or teacher this is one lecture you don’t want to miss. Carson delivered this at the 2003 Katoomba Christian Conference.

The Unashamed Workman has a very nice time-stamped overview of Carson’s 12 main points.

Preaching Through Bible Books >>>

Advance 09

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John Piper gathers a group of men who have a heart for the church to talk about various issues facing the church:  Bryan Chapell, Matt Chandler, Ed Stetzer, Danny Akin, Tyler Jones and Mark Driscoll.

There were some messages that stood out to me. Piper always is a treat to listen to and learn from.

As much as I have been struggling with Driscoll lately, his message “Mission Idolatry” was good stuff, much of the material drawn from G.K. Beale’s book We Become What We Worship, but applied to church and missions.

Ed Stetzer’s message “Keys to Understanding the Church” and the Kingdom does a good job of examining how many church plants and missional (I’m really getting sick of this term) movements have derailed from the purpose of the church.

Advance 09 Conference page >>>