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True Church Conference 2010 – Friday Thoughts and Notes

As soon as I can, I'll be updating these for better completeness, but for the moment here are my rough notes and some thoughts from the Friday messages at the True Church Conference. If you missed it, my first TCC2010 blog explains the title of the conference a little better, and includes the notes from David Miller's opening message.

A note on my frequent failure to prefix names with "Brother" - although this is a colloquial title for ministers, never have I been particularly fond its use that way, so I avoid it entirely. It by no means implies any disrespect, and out of consideration for others when I am speaking personally (and unable to give this disclaimer), I will use the de facto title regardless.

Also today, some brothers from a partner church shared of how they first started meeting, and their sermons were YouTube videos of Jeff Noblit and Paul Washer preaching. As I mentioned in my earlier entry, if you were looking at this from a worldly perspective, your concerns of cultish behavior would be reasonable. However, without any reservation I can say - neither man would want anyone to think that they are some figurehead of some movement, not ever. Instead, it is a work of God, using men who have committed themselves to constantly reforming their preaching to be glory of God focused, Christ centered, and Bible saturated. (I am borrowing this wording from the Grace Life Distinctives.) I'll digress, but I still know many people look at Grace Life (and likely, other churches at the TCC) as somewhat of a cult, so I want to try and be honest about the uniqueness and help clarify as best that I can.

Lastly, I should say there are others blogging and tweeting from the conference. To find others on twitter, search #TCC10, and this blog is sharing their sermon notes.

Now to my notes: there are three sermon's notes here: Urging ALL to Repent & Believe by Jon'o Sims, The Use of Alter Calls by Jeff Noblit, and Loving Sinners by Conrad Mbewe.

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Defining Hyper-Calvinsim by Dr. Michael Haykin
I missed this one. I'll have to wait until I hear it via CD.

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Urging ALL to Repent & Believe by Jonathan (Jon'o) Sims

Why we preach the gospel: Ephesians 2:19-21

I learned this, although I don't recall how he connected it to the message: dispute (Greek) -> dialogue (English)

Main text: Acts 17:30-34

Why do we urge all to repent and believe? (5 points)

1) Urge all to repent and believe because all men are ignorant. (Acts 17:30)

Spurgeon was in trouble from the Arminians for preaching the gospel. He was in trouble with the hyper-calvinists for preaching the gospel to everybody.

2) Because God himself calls every man to repent. (Acts 17:30)

Acts 2:39-40, Romans 2:4

"The great gospel duty." - Matthew Henry

"Command" means to charge with urgency.

3) Because all men will one day face the judgment of God. (Acts 17:31-32)

There is both assurance of this judgment and of Jesus's ability to save.

"America is a wicked pagan nation." - Jon'o. I asked him about this quote later, because I had forgotten the context. He recalled that he was talking about how, absent of gospel preaching, America or any nation, finds itself making idols out of the things that men are easily given to. (That is my wording, not his.)

4) because thanks be to God, some will repent and believe. (Acts 17:34)

"God's sovereign plan is to save some by preaching to all." - Jon'o

5) because this is our calling.
Acts 9:15-16. Acts 26:19. Romans 1:18

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The use of alter calls. by Jeff Noblit

"Alter Call" in this context - implying or outright stating that coming forward is a part of one's salvation.

1) "old time religion" or new fad?

Charles Finney - considered the pioneer of modern evangelistic methods ("the invitation system").

Modern methods? How can such a thing even exist when the gospel is 2000 years old? (This is a rough approximate summary of what was said.)

Spurgeon said if you use a come to the front method, at least change it so that people don't think it's part of their salvation.

Certainly, the pre-invitation system conversions seem to be genuine.

Billy Graham was so respected because of the "results."

"Billy Graham is one of my heroes. [He] is a great man .. Yet I am convinced [that] any honest, knowledgeable person should find his invitation system troubling." - Jeff Noblit

Curtis Mitchell says a typical Graham invitation: "I'm going to ask you to come forward ... Come now and come quickly. Don't let distance keep you from Christ ... Certainly you can come these few steps and come to him."

(This is from later in the sermon, but in my notes, it better fits here.) Jeff quotes Joel O'steen without naming him: "We'll never leave before we give you a chance to be saved."

Response to O'steen: "Are you the gate keeper to the kingdom of God? You're not a priest! There's only one priest! [and his name is Jesus]"

2) consequences

* perfectionism
-- I missed what this means in this context.

* carnal Christians
-- no such idea exists in scriptures as Christians who never behave like Christians.

* redundant baptisms
-- an emphasis where the bible has no emphasis - on a system that "causes" people to respond.

* church discipline is difficult in a church where the easy believism labels so many as Christians. Your whole church needs discipline? Your problem isn't with discipline, it's with evangelism.

* church splits unnecessarily
-- because of false believers voting

* diminished glory of God
-- this is what it's about. When things are wrong, His glory is diminished on earth.

3) what say the scriptures?

* nothing on the invitation system. Nothing to help those get saved, or even to identify new believers. Jesus did say come follow me, but it's a stretch to say that "come follow the incarnate Christ" is similar or related to "come forward to the steps."

* make disciples. Matthew 28:18-20.

"Every pastor should have to pastor for 30 years and live with his fruit. [But most just move away to elsewhere.]"

5 minutes of counseling [usually] isn't enough. But - Edwards says sometimes you can with the confidence of grace know that someone is genuine.

2 Timothy 4:3-5

He who rejects sound doctrine rejects those who teach sound doctrine.

* what are biblical invitations?

John 4:14 - drink of this water.
Mark 1:15 - repent and believe in the gospel.
Mark 8:34 - deny yourself and take up your cross and follow.
Acts 2:38: repent and be baptized.
Acts 10:43-44: believes in Him.
John 3:7 - must be born again. Didn't tell him how to do it. [No 'ABC']

Paul talks about begging men to come to Christ. Jesus commanded them. The eunuch was persuaded. It's all of the above.

No system. No structured system of things to do at the end. That's why roman Catholicism is so popular. It melds with what men [wrongly] want [a works based system].

Spurgeon: "an old stag likes to die alone."

It is a call to a total lifestyle.

4) final considerations

* the gospel IS the invitation
- if you're not giving an invitation, you're not preaching the gospel. In reality, the Spirit gives the invitation. John 6:44, John 16:8.
- "Some say 'Brother Jeff doesn't give an invitation anymore.' I give the longest invitations!" [The whole sermon.]

God doesn't necessarily save during the preaching, but through the preaching.

* don't throw everything out. Scripturally you do not need to abandon everything about the modern invitation system. An appeal at the close of the service is not unscriptural. It's not essential, but it itself is not unscriptural. (What you say might make it unscriptural.)

* avoid any notion of works salvation (sacramentalism) in any appeal given.

* never believe that one who doesn't given an immedate appeal is less evangelistic.

* shepherd the brethren to sound practice: 'those of us who believe in grace ought to have some' Acts 18:24-27.

* you can not eliminate all the tares from the wheat.

* let the spiritual maturity of your church be the proof of your doctrine. 2 Cor 3:2.

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Loving Sinners by Conrad Mbewe

Luke 19:41-44, Context: Luke 19:28-40

Hyper-Calvinism is: "for someone to think that you're an Arminian for wanting pastors to preach the gospel to lost sinners."

"The apostles went everywhere preaching reptenence of sin and faith in Jesus Christ, and we must do the same."

Jesus spent every one of his last days teaching: (Luke 19:47).

Don't lose sight of lost sinners, and don't lose your passion for them to hear the gospel.

Jesus was moved with compassion for the city that (he knew) was to crucify them. There is no excuse for us [not to have compassion for lost sinners] in that light.

"Unless He draws us, unless He speaks life into us, we must go the other way. However, it did not stop Jesus from weeping."

Compare to Paul: Romans 9:1-5. But Paul does not begin this section with a cold herated, matter of fact statement of the facts, as if he was dissecting his chicken. (It would be really interesting to find out if this is a Zambia thing, or his picturing of a dispassionate American.) Instead, Paul starts with "my heart is broken."

"Romans 10:1. That's my heart's desire. That's my prayer."

The rails on which God's salvation runs: God's sovereignty on one hand, our responsibility on the other.

"Don't tell me that your church is evangelistic if your prayer meeting is half dead. Don't tell me you're an evangelic preacher if your [prayer] closet is empty."

If you truly love sinners as God expects you to, it ought to move you to zealously pray for them, because unless they are saved they must perish forever. Consider the story of Lazarus and the Rich Man.

Is Hell real? Do we believe what the Bible says?

my thought here: If God is immutable and beyond time: does he eternally mourn for the damned sinner? And what is his purpose for there being a "too late?"

God weeps. Do you?