Book Review: What is the Gospel?

What is the Gospel? By Greg Gilbert. Wheaton: Crossway, 2010.

Some evangelicals, when reading the title of this book, may question, “Is there a real need for this? Don’t we know the Gospel?” The answers to those questions would be “yes” and “maybe.”

There will always be a need in the church to restate the Gospel in its biblical presentation from within the current context. The pure message of God’s holiness, man’s sinfulness, Christ’s redemption, and man’s necessary response of faith and repentance gets sidelined, skewed, undercut, redefined, overloaded, simplified, and complicated with time. Fresh, clean statements of the true Gospel remind us, refresh us, and refocus us.

As to whether or not we [evangelicals] know the Gospel, that is determined by our responses to books just like this one!

Gilbert’s work is part of a series from 9 Marks, each devoting attention to one of the marks of a healthy church. He does an excellent job of clearly communicating what the Bible reveals as the Gospel, both the message and the response to the message. It’s succinct and accessible as a tool for young believers, a witness to unbelievers, or an encouragement for mature believers. I am convinced that the church should develop a healthy habit of preaching the gospel to ourselves often! What is the Gospel? is one way to do so.

To quote from D.A. Carson’s forward, “Read it, then buy a box of them for generous distribution” (p.14).

Isn't Jesus Enough?

During our recent trip to Kenya, our team had the privilege to meet Abraham and Sarah. They are members of Search And See Church, Tiriki, Kenya. Abraham is lame in both feet and so moves around by pulling his body with his hands. He is a man of God who witnesses to other men in his village. In order to attend church, he must travel about 4 miles, often by pulling himself along the side of the road.

Our introduction to Abraham occurred during a church service. The offering is received in their church by members coming forward, placing their gifts in a basket. Abraham scooted down the aisle and dropped a few coins in the basket, and did so with the joy of the Lord written all over his face. His love for and devotion to the Lord made a tremendous impact on all of our team members.

One of our team members was speaking to one of the young pastors. She was struck with Abraham’s determination to be in church. She asked, “Why does he come this far since he can’t walk?” He looked at her with a look of puzzlement, as if he were surprised such a question would ever be asked. And he answered her by asking, “Isn’t Jesus enough?”

As our church family studies through the book of Colossians, that question keeps surfacing in my mind. Last week we looked at 1:15-17. I believe if we could look through the words of Colossians, back in time and see Paul penning this letter, the look on his face would bear the same puzzlement as that of the young pastor. In the air, the question would linger, “For those who are being distracted from the faith by lesser things, Isn’t Jesus enough?”

May this same question stir our very souls. May it move us to lay aside the sins and distractions that so easily beset us. May we see Jesus as the Lord of creation, God in the flesh, the glorious Son of God! Yes, He is enough!

Book Review: The Shepherd Leader

The Shepherd Leader: Achieving Effective Shepherding in Your Church. By Timothy Z. Witmer. Phillipsburg, P&R, 2010.

This is a great tool! God’s design for the care of His Church is clearly set forth in the NT, a plurality of elders watching over the flock. Pastors are shepherds. They are gifted, called, qualified men who are entrusted by the local body to oversee the spiritual matters of the whole congregation and also of each individual member. It is a daunting task, but a thrilling one. It is the pervasive NT model, but sadly, it is one model among many in today’s evangelical world. Churches that do practice a plurality of leadership often do so with a board-of-directors mentality instead of a shepherd-leader approach. Witmer’s work call us back to the Lord’s model and also equips us to pursue it.

There are two important strengths of Shepherd Leader. It is both biblical and practical. Witmer demonstrates how the shepherd model for leading God’s people is grounded in the OT, exemplified in Christ, and entrusted to men in the NT era. After presenting the scriptural evidence for a plurality of shepherds, Witmer provides a strategy that enables the elders of any local church to begin caring for their members spiritually. With the Bible as his guide, Witmer divides the shepherd’s responsibility into four categories. A shepherd should know his sheep, feed his sheep, lead his sheep, and protect his sheep. Within each of these divisions, Witmer explains how to achieve these steps at the level of the entire church and at the level of the individual. In addition, he provides examples and illustrations of what each aspect would look like.

The end product is a manual that teaches what a shepherd does and how he could go about fulfilling his ministry. Witmer is to be commended for giving the church a tremendous resource. Qualified and gifted men may be overwhelmed when realizing the work of an elder is the care of souls. Witmer’s work gives elders the categories and the means to put spiritual care into practice.

I read this book because the elders I have the privilege to minister with have read this book. I’m thankful God used Witmer to help direct us toward a shepherd model. I’m thankful God has given our men the desire to shepherd the flock and a framework whereby to move from discussing a shepherd ministry to implementing a shepherd ministry. As I said at the beginning of this review, this is a great tool!

Search And See - July 2011 Update

Dear Friends:

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ! I pray this update finds you well and growing in the grace of our Savior. I am simply amazed at how far reaching the Lord allows this ministry to be! As small as we are, the Lord has opened opportunities for us to reach out to Muslim, Hindu, and Buddhist regions. It is the Lord’s work, but He is accomplishing this work through His people. So, I praise Him, and I thank you!

*Sermon Ministry - 327 downloads to 24 States and 11 Nations. Continuing to broadcast in Liberia.

*Books - The Scripture-reading based devotion has been edited and the children’s book on salvation is almost done!

*Kenya - Pastor John and the other pastors are supported each month. They are reading through the Scripture with me this year. Their work continues to grow with orphan care, clinics, and schools.

*India - We continue to support a number of orphans through Hopegivers Int. Most of these children grow up to be missionaries. It is an exciting work.

*Myanmar - This October, 2 of my friends will join me on quite an adventure! We are going to visit Pastor Joseph, take part in the graduation of his Bible College students, visit the surrounding villages, and spend time encouraging the believers.

To God be the Glory - Great Things He has Done!

Blessings!

Wil Owens

Gal 2.20

Book Review: The Meaning of the Pentateuch

The Meaning of the Pentateuch: Revelation, Composition and Interpretation. By John H. Sailhamer. Downers Grove: IVP Academic, 2009. 612pp.

Finally—all of the years of study and insight into the world of the Pentateuch by John Sailhamer are gathered in one place! It is a treasure of OT theology that is certainly worthy of attention and study.

I have to admit my personal bias toward the teachings and biblical observations of John Sailhamer. During my M.Div. studies, I took Intermediate and Advanced Hebrew along with additional OT studies, not because they were required for my degree but because Sailhamer was the teaching professor of those courses! When I walked into his classroom, I walked into the OT. His lectures seemed to rise from within, from behind, from under the text. His insights into the text were so surprising, yet founded squarely on the text, I was sure he conversed with Moses and Abraham directly!

Sailhamer’s approach, compositional theology, is not unique, but his application of compositional strategy is. His interpretation of the Pentateuch, and therefore of the rest of the OT, is a striking balance between dispensational theology and covenant theology, between conservative regard for the inspiration of the text and critical observations of how that inspired text has sources behind it. The result is a profound and fresh reading of the OT!

To sum up Sailhamer’s findings, the NT is in the OT, the new covenant is there as well as the Messiah. The NT is not a new reading of the OT. The NT authors interpreted OT texts just as they were interpreted by OT authors and their audiences! (OT authors mainly being ostracized prophets.) The NT does put a new spin on the OT. The NT is only repeating what the OT has already said!

For you to be convinced, you have to read his collected studies, all 612 pages! However, once you do, you will NEVER read the OT the same anymore and you will be glad you did!

When I read Sailhamer’s conclusion, I thought if I ever recommended this book, I would recommend that a newcomer to Sailhamer’s thoughts should read the conclusion first. It provides a nice, clear, succinct summary of the book. If you read it first, it will equip you with an understanding of where he is going and therefore aid in grasping the content of his observations as you read. Take the following sentences in the conclusion for example:

“My general conclusion was that the message of the Pentateuch is not so much about Mosaic law and Sinai covenant as it is about the prophetic hope of a new covenant. At the center of that hope, and extending to the whole of the Pentateuch, is the role of the king from the house of Judah who will reign over Israel and the nations. I found that focus particularly in the poems that accompany the narratives” (p. 603).

*Of particular interest and fascination is Sailhamer’s demonstration of how the design, placement, and theology of the poems throughout the Pentateuch, and the OT, convey the main theology of the OT!

Concerning weaknesses, it’s hard for a student like me that appreciates the wisdom of a teacher like Sailhamer to offer any critiques! Some have commented that Sailhamer repeats material too often. It is true that there is much repetition in this work, however, I would suggest that the bulk of it is necessary for two reasons. First, often the repetition of theological insight is demonstrating another point being made. For example, the poetic theology illustrates not only that point but also how one finds that same theology throughout the OT. Second, given Sailhamer’s uncommon observations, repetition enables the reader to grasp what is being said. It helps bring understanding when something new is repeated often and in different contexts.

If you love the OT, read this book.

If you are not a fan of the OT, read this book and you will be!