Matt Capps Biblical Theology, Calvary Baptist Church, Christian Theology, Christianity, Faith, Religion, The Great Commission Resurgence, The Southern Baptist Convention, Theology

The Gospel and Evangelism (Part 2): The Context of the Gospel

“It is possible to know Bible stories, yet miss the Bible story.” – Ed Clowney[1]

Introduction

Increasingly we find ourselves living among a biblically illiterate people. Every day the people around us swim in a postmodern sea and find themselves drowning in emptiness, relativism, and confusion with no orientation to the “The Grand Narrative” of the truth of world around them.

One of the main tasks we have as believers if to communicate the gospel with absolute clarity and simplicity. Before we are able to do this we need to be able to show people the context in which the good news of Jesus Christ was delivered. This is why it is extremely important to understand the meta-narrative[2] or overarching story of the Bible in which the gospel is to be told. Understanding the outlined story of the Bible is very helpful in directing conversation toward the gospel.

Most popular evangelism courses and gospel summaries do well to explain the good news of Jesus Christ, but often fail to explore the context in which that good news is delivered. The gospel is central to, and yet part of, the grand story laid forth in the Bible. The Bible is best understood as a single story,[3] “a story set in real history. It is a historical saga – an epic. And the story is amazing.”[4]

It’s important to remember that the whole story, or the ‘grand narrative’[5], of redemption is essential for properly understanding the gospel message and is thus vital a tool for communicating the gospel itself. The gospel is central to human history and is the climax to all of redemptive history. Therefore, in studying the gospel and evangelism one should begin by seeking to grasp God’s overall plan and his specific work in Jesus Christ to bring salvation.

The following outline of creation-rebellion-redemption-restoration is a framework to understand the human situation. These four points in the story are “pegs on which to hang a gospel conversation; [and] they might not even be dealt with in order.”[6] However, intimately understanding these four points of the “The Grand Narrative” will allow you to guide a conversation while keeping it focused on the gospel of Jesus Christ.

“The Grand Narrative”

The following is just a simple outline of the grand narrative of history and redemption: much like what you will find in Mark Dever’s article on the plan of salvation in the ESV Study Bible, and the tract “The Story.” I encourage every believer to know the story well, put it in your own words, and think though how you might use “The Grand Narrative” to point to the gospel of Jesus Christ.

1. Creation

The story begins with God, who has always existed. God spoke this world and all that is in it into existence: “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. . . . God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.”[7] God created human beings in his image. They were created to reflect God’s beauty and to worship him. Our first parents once lived in paradise and enjoyed unhindered fellowship with God. When God’s work of creation was complete he declared that it was “very good.”[8] So, in the beginning all of creation was in harmony, and everything was “as it should be.”

2. Rebellion

Although the first people God created, Adam and Eve, had complete freedom to live in intimacy and trust God, but they chose to rebel and turn away from him.[9] In doing this they rejected God’s created order. Because God designed that Adam would represent the entire human race, his rebellion was catastrophic not only for him but for us: “one trespass led to condemnation for all men.”[10] Like a virus, sin entered the world. With sin came death, disease, natural disaster, violence, and all other evils that plague our world. Our fellowship, as a human race, with God was broken. Therefore, instead of enjoying His holy pleasure, we all now face His righteous wrath.

Through this sin, we all died spiritually[11] and the entire world was affected. God also cursed the world over which humanity had been set to reign as His representatives.[12] “The creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it.”[13] Evidence of our rebellious hearts is that we all individually sin against God in our own lives: “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”[14] We see the effects of rebellion all around us, “things are not as they should be.”

3. Redemption

God would have been perfectly just to leave matters there, with all human beings under his holy judgment, but he didn’t. God instead set in motion his plan to save his people from sin and judgment and set free the entire creation from its subjugation to sin and the curse. Over the centuries God prepared the way for his Son Jesus to enter the world. Jesus is a true and pure man, who conquered where all others had failed, and who would bear the penalty for our sin and die in our place: “Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures.”[15] Christ did what we could not do to offer us what we do not deserve.

The best-known verse in the Bible summarizes the required response to this good news: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”[16] To “believe in” Jesus includes both a complete trust in him for forgiveness of sins and a willingness to forsake one’s sin or to “repent”: All who truly “repent [or turn from their sins] and believe [in Jesus for the forgiveness of their sins]” will be redeemed[17] and restored to a right relationship with God. To “believe in” Jesus also requires relating to, and putting trust in, Jesus as he truly is—not just a man in ancient history but also a living Savior today who knows our hearts and hears our prayers.

4. Restoration

God not only rescues lost sinners but will one day restore all of creation. We read in Romans 8:21: “the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God.” The heavens and the earth will “pass away” and be radically transformed.[18] We read of the glorious culmination of this in the book of Revelation, where God’s people, the redeemed, are brought into the presence of God to live forever.[19] This is life as it should be, literally as it was meant to be.

The gospel is what brings us to a right relationship with God. In that relationship we will experience what it is meant to be truly alive, truly human, we will see how things are meant to be. In the gospel of Jesus Christ we are granted to experience reality as God intended, it is the magnificent step awaiting the return to God’s created order.

Thoughts and Questions

When in conversation with people it is very likely that you will get on a subject that will allow you to orient the discussion to the “The Grand Narrative.” Here are some questions and comments that could help aim your discussion towards the ‘The Grand Narrative.’ These are just a few suggestions. In conversation with someone be wise enough to make your own connections that are relevant to the discussion and need.

  • There are plenty of examples around us of evil and suffering. Why do you think our world is the way it is?
  • It’s interesting to watch the evening news: one story is about murder, another is about someone helping out a neighbor. Why are human beings, as a race, so inconsistent?
  • There is so much pain in our world. Don’t you long for the world to be a better place?
  • Many people try to be good citizens, and even religious. But, do you think behavior modification will really fix the deepest problems of humanity?
  • The literature scholar C.S. Lewis once wrote that the story of Christianity is the only ‘true myth’, in the sense that it is not only a beautiful story but it is also true. Isn’t there a part of you that wants this story to be true?
  • All of us want to be happy, but we find different ways to fulfill that desire. But, do you find in yourself desires that nothing in this world can fulfill?

Conclusion

Again, knowing the context of the gospel is important for evangelism. But we need to make sure we actually get to the gospel personally:

“The grand story of creation, [rebellion], redemption, and [restoration]…tells me what God is doing and how he’s doing it. But how is that good news for sinners like you and me?”[20]

The grand story of redemption is bad news for unrepentant rebellious people who have not placed their faith in Christ. In the context of redemptive history we look towards a time of judgment and wrath, along with the good news of renewal and re-creation. So, how then do we move from ‘cosmic news’ to ‘personal news’? Without the personal call to repentance and faith – we are not doing evangelism. Heed this warning given by Greg Gilbert:

“When you understand and articulate it rightly, the creation-[rebellion]-redemption-[restoration] outline provides a good framework for a faithful presentation of the biblical gospel. The problem, though, is that…[it]…has been used wrongly by some as a way to place the emphasis of the gospel on God’s promise to renew the world, rather than on the cross.”[21]

Therefore, in the next post we will explore the personal response to the Gospel…

Continue reading “The Gospel and Evangelism (Part 2): The Context of the Gospel” →

Matt Capps Biblical Theology, Calvary Baptist Church, Christian Theology, Christianity, Culture, Faith, Religion, The Great Commission Resurgence, The Southern Baptist Convention, Theology

The Gospel and Evangelism (Part 1): Introduction

“Evangelism is not persuading people to make a decision; it is not proving that God exists, or making out a good case for the truth of Christianity; it is not inviting someone to a meeting, it is not exposing the contemporary dilemma, or arousing interest in Christianity; it is not wearing a badge saying ‘Jesus Saves’![1]

Introduction

While I was in seminary I had the honor of taking a few courses under Dr. John Hammett, a Baptist theologian who ended up being one of the most influential professors in my own theological development. In his book Biblical Foundations for Baptist Churches Dr. Hammett made a statement about evangelism that jolted my interest in the subject in a fresh way.

Hammett stated that “there is almost a total absence of commands concerning evangelistic involvement in the New Testament.”[2] He then explains, “this is not to say that evangelism is absent from the pages of the New Testament. On the contrary, evangelism is everywhere…but it is almost hardly ever commanded.”[3] In conclusion of that thought[4] Hammett argues that, “the implication we are to draw from the New Testament is that evangelism should be a natural product of a healthy church.”[5] Simply put, evangelism is never commanded because it is always assumed – interrelated with the whole of the Christian life.

I had always categorized evangelism as a specific type of ministry or a specifically focused activity. So the statement that there is a “total absence of commands concerning evangelistic involvement in the New Testament” did not initially sit right with me. I assume that many Christians would have the same reaction when reading such a comment. What should we make of such a reaction?

Perhaps our understanding of evangelism is unhealthily tied to specific outreach efforts or other compartmentalized endeavors that have an evangelistic thrust. If so, it is quite possible that we have developed the wrong criteria for judging and evaluating the success of our evangelistic efforts on a personal and corporate level.

I am very thankful for the emphasis on evangelism we have experienced in the contemporary Church. But I have my concerns. When I survey much of the material that we are using to train people in evangelism I come to the conclusion that we need a more balanced understanding of evangelism that moves beyond decision-oriented presentations to gospel-centered transformation. We need to move from an exclusive focus on the after life and include a thorough understanding of the mission-life. We also need to be careful not to confuse the method with the message.

It is quite possible for someone to equate evangelism with a particular method of sharing the faith. Method’s of sharing one’s faith are not bad “in and of” themselves. But, it is important to recognize that particular methods of ‘sharing one’s faith’ implicitly shape how we understand of evangelism, and how we evaluate those efforts. It would seem that we can safely categorize most forms of evangelism training into three categories:

  1. Cold-Contact Evangelism: street evangelism, tract distribution
  2. Mass Evangelism: crusades, outreach events, media broadcasts
  3. Visitation Evangelism: door to door outreach, visitor follow-up[6]

These methods (illustrated in the categories above) are best suited for specific contexts. The problem is that the majority of our “day to day” living happens in situations outside of where these methods are focused. Yet most of the evangelism training in the American church is dependant on such programs, methods, and activities. Well, what about everyday living? I have been thinking to myself, how can we train our people to live evangelistically – or to put it another way, missionally – in the context of their everyday life?

This is where I think we need to spend our time. Not developing another nifty way to share our faith, or coming up with another gimmick to get people in the doors of our churches – we need to understand, and learn how to talk about the gospel in such a way that evangelism is natural to our everyday conversation. I whole heartedly believe that if we understand the gospel and its implications clearly we will learn how to live with “gospel intentionality.”[7]

What Evangelism Is Not

I have often found that it is quite helpful to define ‘what something is not’ before you attempt to explain ‘what something is.’ An attempt to work towards clarity would be helpful as we begin to study evangelism. It is my opinion that once we strip away our misunderstandings of evangelism we can destroy our false assumptions and fears that have become our reasons not to share the gospel with others.

a.) Emotional Manipulation:

There are many well intentioned Pastors who never purposely mean to manipulate someone into repenting and believing in Jesus. But some of the methods that have been employed in corporate gatherings (and even in one on one conversation) to elicit a response have done just that.

In his book The Deliberate Church, Mark Dever argues that: “sometimes pastors will use service music in ways that play on the emotions…that draws out the listeners affections and misguidedly encourages a decision for Christ based on feelings.”[8] It is quite possible to elicit a response out of someone when they don’t even know what they are responding to. I have seen many pastors call for an alter call without explaining the gospel clearly. How can someone respond if they don’t understand? Emotion is not bad – but when it comes to evangelism, emotion must be stirred by the truth of the gospel. Just stirring emotion to elicit a response is not evangelism.

b.) Apologetics:

In the scripture we are instructed to give a reason for the hope that we have.[9] This is much of the work of apologetics. While apologetics allows us to answer questions and objections that people may have about the faith, and may present wonderful opportunities for evangelism – we should necessarily not equate apologetics with evangelism. Another way to put it is like this, “Apologetic arguments cannot generate faith, but the Christian can answer the false charges of the unbeliever so that obstacles to hearing the gospel are removed.”[10]

By far the greatest danger in apologetics is being distracted from the main message.[11] Evangelism cannot be equated with defending the virgin birth, defending the historicity of the resurrection, or proving a six day creation.

c.) Personal Testimony:

Personal testimony plays an important role in the witness of the Christian life[12], but one can give a personal testimony without ever presenting the Gospel. You will often hear things in evangelism training like ‘no one can refute what God has done in your life’, which has truth to it. But we must be careful. One can agree with your testimony without ever being confronted with the truth of the Gospel.

Dever writes: “It’s good to share a testimony of what God has done in our lives, but in sharing our testimonies we may not actually make clear what Christ’s claims are on other people.”[13] The Gospel does not center on what God ‘can do for you’, or how ‘God can make your life better’ – yet many testimonies implicitly communicate that. The content of the message is the Gospel, not our journey to faith.

d.) Clean Living:

Certainly every believer in Christ will live a life that “is worthy of our calling.”[14] Evangelism includes who we are, but it is much more. Saint Francis of Assisi once wrote “preach the gospel at all times, if necessary, use words.” I could not disagree with these words more. The danger is that someone can live a morally clean life around others and those people never hear the good news of Jesus Christ. Being a moral person does not proclaim the gospel.

e.) Social Action:

The desire to transform or redeem culture though Christian’s doing “good works” has become a very popular in recent years. As Christians we are told to “resist evil” and “let our light shine before others.”[15] We are also urged to care for the poor, abandoned, and lonely. But doing these good things should not be equated to evangelism.

It is wonderful to be involved in ministries that improve society, but social action in and of itself is not evangelism. I can feed hundreds of starving children and yet the truth remains that I cannot satisfy their deepest needs with food, they will all one day die. I think John Stott said it well when he wrote that social action and evangelism are “partners.”[16] See, these efforts may help commend the gospel, but are not evangelism.

f.) Conversion:

Many people only feel successful in evangelism if they see the desired results. We shouldn’t want our gospel presentations and invitations to be finally molded by what we think will “close the deal.” If they are, then they reveal that we think conversion is something we can orchestrate, which is the furthest thing from the truth.”[17]

This is a subtle but dangerous mistake. We should guard against misinterpreting the desired results of evangelism, the conversion of unbelievers, with evangelism itself.

Conclusion

Confusing evangelism with one of these categories above distorts and even hinders well meaning churches into a pragmatic and results-oriented approach to sharing the faith, which in turn “cripples individual Christians with a sense of failure, aversion, and guilt.”[18]

The Church needs a biblical understanding of evangelism. We need to teach our people that effectiveness in evangelism “does not depend on eloquence, using the right mood lighting, emotionally sappy stories and songs, or high-pressure sales pitches.”[19] We need to reach a place where we know how to live with gospel intentionality – a place where the content and implications of the gospel become so clear and understandable to us that it becomes part of our daily talk. I hope for the day that we see evangelism happen in the same way as historians tell us it did in the early church. Oxford professor Michael Green paints a picture of what the early evangelism must have looked like:

“This must often have been not formal preaching, but informal chattering to friends and chance acquaintances, in homes and wine shops, on walks, and around market stalls. They went everywhere gossiping the gospel; they did it naturally, enthusiastically, and with the conviction of those who are not paid to say that sort of thing. Consequently…the movement spread.”[20]

Continue reading “The Gospel and Evangelism (Part 1): Introduction” →

Matt Capps Biblical Theology, Calvary Baptist Church, Christian Theology, Christianity, Faith, Religion, The Great Commission Resurgence, The Southern Baptist Convention, Theology

Identifying Your Idols

The human heart has a powerful way of taking anything and turning it into the “most important thing.” We have this uncanny ability to take anything that gives us significance, security, comfort, safety, and fulfillment, and begin to fully trust in that thing as if it is more important than the air we breathe. This is idolatry. For most people, the subject of idolatry conjures up pictures of a “primitive people bowing down before statures.” But idolatry happens in the heart. In his latest book Counterfeit Gods, Tim Keller defines idolatry like this:

“An idol is anything that absorbs your heart and imagination more than God, anything you seek to give you what only God can give.”

In a sermon titled “Soul Idolatry Excludes Men Out of Heaven,” English Puritan Pastor David Clarkson (1621-1686) gave thirteen pointers to help his listeners identify the idols of their hearts. This past weekend Kenny Stokes framed those points as questions as he preached at Bethlehem Baptist Church.

  1. What do you most highly value?
  2. What do you think about by default?
  3. What is your hightest goal?
  4. To what or whom are you most commited?
  5. Who or what do you love the most?
  6. Who or what do you trust or depend upon the most?
  7. Who or what do you fear the most?
  8. Who or what do you hope in and hope for most?
  9. Who or what do you desire the most? Or, what desire makes you most angry or makes you despair when it is not satisfied?
  10. Who or what do you most delight in, your greatest joy and treasure?
  11. Who or what captures your greatest zeal?
  12. To whom or for what are you most thankful?
  13. For whom or what great purpose do you work?

As Christians it is important to daily search our own sinful hearts for idolatry. As Christians our answer to each of these questions should have Christ, in some sense,  as the highest treasure – our most beautiful longing. But answering these questions will most likely reveal the darkness of our own hearts – which in turn – will humble us to see the glory of God’s grace. Searching the depths of the human heart can be a painful exercise because it reveals how sick we really are. But there is good news. Our Savior Jesus said:

“Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”

I found these questions very helpful. I encourage you to listen to or read the whole sermon here.

Matt Capps Biblical Theology, Books, Calvary Baptist Church, Christian Theology, Christianity, Faith, Philosophy, Religion, The Great Commission Resurgence, The Southern Baptist Convention, Theology

Dr. Michael Lawrence on what it means for a church to be “missional.”

I am a fan of succinct theology, so I am always excited to find a good clear explanation of something and pass it on. I am currently finishing Pastor Michael Lawrence’s (Ph.D.) book “Biblical Theology In The Life of the Church”, Lawrence has a very good explanation of what being a missional church looks like.

“Being missional is not the same as being committed to missions, or being missions-minded. Being missional is a way of thinking about the church and how it relates to the world. A missional church understands that the church does not go on mission, or send people out to do missions. Rather, the church is the mission of God into the world, in order to heal the world and reconcile people to God.” (205)

Just for clarity, Lawrence is not arguing that we stop doing “missions”. But, that’s all I am going to give you, so go read the book.

I highly recommend this book. I am currently reviewing it for PLANTD.COM.

Matt Capps Biblical Theology, Books, Calvary Baptist Church, Christian Theology, Christianity, Culture, Faith, Religion, The Great Commission Resurgence, The Southern Baptist Convention, Theology

D.A. Carson – “The God Who Is There”

One of the books I am currently reading is Don Carson’s “The God Who Is There.” This book is a very good introduction the Bible and its major themes. I would encourage you to check it out.

Via Andy Naselli

On February 20-21 and 27-28, 2009, Don Carson presented a 14-part seminar entitled “The God Who Is There” at Bethlehem Baptist Church’s North Campus in Minneapolis. This series will serve the church well because it simultaneously evangelizes non-Christians and edifies Christians by explaining the Bible’s storyline in a non-reductionistic way.

The series is geared toward “seekers” and articulates Christianity in a way that causes hearers either to reject or embrace the gospel. It’s one thing to know the Bible’s storyline, but it’s another to know one’s role in God’s ongoing story of redemption. “The God Who Is There” engages people at the worldview-level.

And now MP3s (full) and video (10-minute previews) are available for Carson’s 14-part series:

  1. The God Who Made Everything | MP3 | Video Preview
  2. The God Who Does Not Wipe Out Rebels | MP3 | Video Preview
  3. The God Who Writes His Own Agreements | MP3 | Video Preview
  4. The God Who Legislates | MP3 | Video Preview
  5. The God Who Reigns | MP3 | Video Preview
  6. The God Who Is Unfathomably Wise | MP3 | Video Preview
  7. The God Who Becomes a Human Being | MP3 | Video Preview
  8. The God Who Grants New Birth | MP3 | Video Preview
  9. The God Who Loves | MP3 | Video Preview
  10. The God Who Dies—and Lives Again | MP3 | Video Preview
  11. The God Who Declares the Guilty Just | MP3 | Video Preview
  12. The God Who Gathers and Transforms His People | MP3 | Video Preview
  13. The God Who Is Very Angry | MP3 | Video Preview
  14. The God Who Triumphs | MP3 | Video Preview
Matt Capps Biblical Theology, Calvary Baptist Church, Christian Theology, Christianity, Culture, Faith, Philosophy, Religion, The Great Commission Resurgence, The Southern Baptist Convention, Theology

Evaluating Molinism: An Introduction to Luis de Molina, Middle Knowledge, and Libertarian Freewill

Introduction to Molinism

In the evangelical academic world there has been an increase of interest in the philosophical theology of Molinism. The primary point of interest in this system has been its claim to provide a philosophical framework for understanding the relationship between divine and human agency. The most notable proponents of Molinism in the theological world are Alvin Plantinga and William Lane Craig. In Southern Baptist circles, particularly at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, the main proponent has been Kenneth Keathley who has just published a book on Soteriology from a Molinist perspective.

Luis de Molina (1535-1600) was a Spanish Catholic Jesuit scholar of the counter-Reformation who developed the philosophical system known as Molinism. Molinism, in the broadest sense, is simply a libertarian resolution to the puzzle concerning divine foreknowledge and human freedom based on God’s supposed middle knowledge, which would evade determinism.

What’s most interesting about this subject is that Molina’s Catholic views on free will and grace have been far more influential in Protestant theology than most people tend to realize. I also think that the system as a whole fails to achieve what it promises. I have concerns about Molinism theologically which I hope to explore over the next few posts, for now I would like to simply introduce the subject in general terms focusing on two key ingredients, middle knowledge and libertarian freewill.

Middle Knowledge

Molina is best known for the philosophical idea of middle knowledge (scientia media). The Oxford Companion to Philosophy explains “middle knowledge” this way:

Middle knowledge [could be described as] God’s knowledge of what persons would do under any set of circumstances, which enables God to arrange for certain human acts to occur by prearranging the circumstances surrounding a choice without determining the human will.

In other words, it is God’s knowledge of conditional future events. The philosophical system of Molinism attempts to make God’s “way of knowing” intelligible by dividing it into three parts, middle knowledge being distinctive of this system:

  1. Natural Knowledge: God’s knowledge of everything that could happen prior to creation (the world God chooses to actualize). This includes all the possibilities within creation order. Simply put, God knows the range of possible worlds.
  2. Middle Knowledge: God’s comprehensive knowledge of what would happen from any creative decision He might make. Or, God knows the range of feasible worlds.
  3. Free Knowledge: God’s knowledge of everything that will actually happen in the created world that He actualizes. The actual world is often called ‘the best of all feasible worlds.’

What middle knowledge attempts to account for is that God knows what an individual will do in circumstances if grace is offered, and so he actualizes the circumstances to effect the cooperative action of the individual.

Libertarian Freewill

The philosophical idea of middle knowledge was developed during one of the more important quarrels to beset the Roman Catholic Church during the ‘age of reason’ over the relationship between grace and human initiative. Within the ‘bounds of Catholicism’ Molina developed a system which would attempt to preserve human free-will in response to Reformation thought. He wrote of human freedom as follows:

That agent is called free who, with all the prerequisites for acting having been posited, is able to act and able not to act, or is able to do one more thing in such a way that he is also able to do some contrary thing.

This quote espouses what theologians refer to as libertarian freewill. Libertarianism is a philosophical view that seeks to protect human free will by supposing that a free choice is not causally determined but not random either. In other words, for an agent to be free – that agent must be totally free to do the contrary and those actions are completely self-determined. Molina’s whole system was built on the foundation of libertarian free-will.

In Molina’s day his Jesuit views were considered Pelagian by his Dominican Thomist opponents. The Catholic Church in Rome, under Pope Paul 5th, refused to take a stand on the issue and declared that neither Thomists nor Molinists may condemn each other.

Final Thoughts

Again, this is an introductory post. Over the next few weeks I plan on taking certain elements of the Molinism system and evaluating them in more depth. Understand that Molinism has many facets, and in some cases Molinists do not entirely agree, I will try and make those distinctions when necessary. Overall I do have concerns over the theological foundations and implications of Molinism –as it pertains to the doctrine of humanity, Soteriology, the problem of evil, and other theological particulars.

Matt Capps Biblical Theology, Books, Calvary Baptist Church, Christian Theology, Christianity, Faith, Religion, The Great Commission Resurgence, The Southern Baptist Convention, Theology

Resources for Christian Counseling and Member Care

Over the past few months I have been meeting with some of the men from our church family to discuss the book Total Church by Tim Chester and Steve Timmis. This morning we discussed pastoral care. When most people hear the words “pastoral care” they get the picture of a vocational pastor, or professional, providing care for people in time of crisis. In most cases this is true – because we have let it come to that.

The problem with this picture is that the body of Christ, the church, should be involved in communal care and discipleship before a situation ever reaches ‘crisis mode.’ This is what Chester and Timmis call preventative care. More than that, pastoral care is the responsibility of the whole body of Christ, and it is done in the context of intimate community. In most cases people are pushed to the pastor or professional counselor rather than being discipled in the context of a intimate christian community. I would go as far as to argue that the only reason the “Christian Counseling” ministry exists is because the church is not functioning as it was created to function. Counseling and member care is the job of the church community.

I agree with Chester and Timmis fully when they argue that:

It is our conviction that the gospel word and the gospel community do not fail us when it comes to pastoral care. Together they provide a secure framework within which to approach pastoral issues…The Bible addresses the entire range of problems we experience in living in this world. Biblical truth is not limited to a narrow sphere of life, not to a limited range of beliefs or convictions. It addresses all the basic and essential issues of what it means to be human, both in our sin and in our salvation.

The best resources I have seen for counseling and care come through the Christian Counseling and Education Foundation. These guys offer theologically solid, gospel centered resources for counseling and care. If you are looking to grow in your understanding of applying the gospel to the hard situations of life I would point you to the “Resources for Changing Lives” series from the CCEF. These are concise booklets that are about 20-25 pages each and provide a helpful introduction to problems that Christians faith. Here is a list of links to each of the topics they cover:

A great introduction to guide you in understanding the larger context of Christian counsel and care is Paul Tripp’s book:

Again, CCEF provides a wealth of resources in service of the church. Make good use of them, their vision is to “restore Christ to counseling, and counseling to the church.” – That’s you and I

Matt Capps Calvary Baptist Church, Christian Theology, Christianity, Culture, Faith, Religion, The Great Commission Resurgence, The Southern Baptist Convention, Theology

Baptist21, 9Marks, and PLNTD at 2010 SBC Annual Meeting

While at the Southern Baptist Convention in Orlando I had the privilege of attending some very beneficial meetings. First, the Baptist21 and 9Marks discussion panels. The videos of these panels have been made available. Thanks to Justin Taylor for pointing this out.

Baptist21 held its 2nd annual B21 Panel at the SBC. The panel took place in Orlando during Tuesday’s Lunch at the SBC. The members of the panel were Danny Akin, Matt Chandler, Ronnie Floyd, Johnny Hunt, Albert Mohler, David Platt, Jimmy Scroggins, and Ed Stetzer. The panel discussed issues pertaining to the gospel, the SBC and its future, the Great Commission Resurgence, and more.

On Tuesday night of the SBC Annual Meeting Danny Akin, Albert Mohler, David Platt, and Mark Dever met “to talk about the Great Commission Resurgence, church planting, theological education and the importance of the local churches participation in pastoral training.

I also had the privilege of attending a dinner discussion about PLNTD – a church planting network. Our conversation was lead by Tim Brister – with important input from Tom Ascol, Ed Stetzer, and Steve Childers. If you are looking to plant a church, or if you are an established church looking to be more involved in church planting I highly recommend looking into what PLNTD is doing.

Here is their vision statement:

PLNTD is a decentralized network focused on establishing and multiplying confessional church-planting churches. We seek to do this through providing rich resources, intentional relationships, and accessible church-based ministries, including assessment, training and coaching. It is our firm conviction that to fulfill the Great Commission inherently means that we must embrace the call to plant churches, and no one else is given that stewardship more than the local church.

I would keep up with the blogs – B21, 9Marks, and PLNTD. If you are on twitter you can follow each at – B21, 9Marks, and PLNTD.

Matt Capps Biblical Theology, Calvary Baptist Church, Christian Theology, Christianity, Faith, Religion, The Great Commission Resurgence, The Southern Baptist Convention, Theology

Gospel-Centered Evangelism: Introduction

Note: This is the first post in a series titled “Gospel-Centered Evangelism.” I am writing this material for the purpose of developing a evangelism training course for the local church.

While I was in seminary I had the honor of taking a few courses under Dr. John Hammett, who ended up being one of the most influential professors in my own theological development. In his book Biblical Foundations for Baptist Churches Dr. Hammett made a statement about evangelism that jolted my interest in the subject in a fresh way.

Hammett stated that “there is almost a total absence of commands concerning evangelistic involvement in the New Testament.”[1] He then explains, “this is not to say that evangelism is absent from the pages of the New Testament. On the contrary, evangelism is everywhere…but it is almost hardly ever commanded.”[2] In conclusion of that thought[3] Hammett argues that, “the implication we are to draw from the New Testament is that evangelism should be a natural product of a healthy church.”[4] Simply put, evangelism is never commanded because it is always assumed – interrelated with the whole of the Christian life.

I had always categorized evangelism as a specific type of ministry or a specifically focused activity, and thought that the Bible commanded it. And the statement that there is a “total absence of commands concerning evangelistic involvement in the New Testament” did not sit right with me. Maybe I needed to rethink ‘evangelism’? This lead to another thought.

Perhaps our understanding of evangelism is unhealthily tied to specific outreach efforts or other compartmentalized endeavors that have an evangelistic thrust. If so, it is quite possible that we have developed the wrong criteria for judging and evaluating the success of our evangelistic efforts on a personal and corporate level. Simply put, we need a more balanced understanding of evangelism that moves beyond decision-oriented presentations to gospel-centered transformation. We need to move from an exclusive focus on the after life and include an thorough understanding of the mission-life. Consider common methods of evangelism, which could be categorized three ways:

  1. Cold-Contact Evangelism: street evangelism, tract distribution
  2. Mass Evangelism: crusades: outreach programs, media broadcasts
  3. Visitation Evangelism: door to door, program visitor follow-up[5]

The reality is that most of us only give a certain amount of time to such activities. In other words, these methods are best suited for specific contexts. The problem is that the majority of our “day to day” living happens in situations outside of where these methods are focused on. Yet most of the evangelism training in the American church is dependent on such programs, methods, and activities. Well, what about everyday living? I have been thinking to myself, how can we train our people to live evangelistically – or to put it another way, missionally – in the context of their everyday life?

Being unsatisfied with the compartmentalized evangelism training that is so prevalent in our day I began to desire a more holistic approach to evangelism that flowed from a robust theology into everyday missional living. My prayer is that this study is will begin to fill in those gaps. In many ways, this will be the product of my own journey from an uneasy tension in my own presuppositions of evangelism to understand what biblical evangelism actually is and what it should look like.

Over the next few weeks I will continue to write and develop this study.

Continue reading “Gospel-Centered Evangelism: Introduction” →

Matt Capps Adoption, Calvary Baptist Church, Christianity, Faith, Personal, Religion, The Great Commission Resurgence, The Southern Baptist Convention

Adoption Update – We have a son!

We received a very important phone call yesterday – I’ll let Laura explain:

Ahhh!! We got our call today!! It still feels like a dream and hasn’t really set in yet. Here is how it happened:

So I was at work and it was after 2pm. I was thinking that since Gladney hadn’t called yet that we were not going to get our call today because they were having an Ethiopian conference call for families this afternoon. So I figured our caseworker would be busy preparing for that conference call. So I went on with my day.  I was across the hall from my office and I heard my phone ring, but I didn’t make it in time. Before I could see who it was it started ringing again and I saw the famous 817 area code.  I immediately started shaking and my heart was about to beat out of my chest. I answered and Kristin, our caseworker, told me she had our referral ready for us. All I could say was Oh my gosh like a million times. I told her that Matt and I wanted to be together for the call and could call her back in 30 minutes once we met up.

So I called Matt and he did not believe me that Kristin had actually called me. After several seconds of telling him I was not joking and that this really was the call, we agreed to meet at his work to hear about our referral after he went home to pick up the video camera. I left work and went straight to his office. Once we got the camera and computer all set up we called Kristin back. She sent us our email and we saw the cutest, I mean cutest baby boy ever! God has truly blessed us.

He is 7 months old and has the biggest brown eyes and chubby cheeks. He is just amazing! He is described to be very social, smiles easily and loves attention. I can’t wait to get my hands on him. We have decided to call him Solomon.

So for all of you who are not in the adoption community, you may be asking what is next. Well now we wait some more. They are busy getting Solomon’s papers ready and in order and will then submit them to the Ethiopian court system. In Ethiopia the court system closes down for the rainy season sometime in August and opens back up in November. Once we receive a court date we will travel over to Ethiopia for the court date and then come back to the US. Upon passing court we will then travel back to Ethiopia and bring Solomon home. We hope to have him home around November. Please continue to pray for us as now that we have seen his face it will be hard to be patient and wait for a court date.By the way we are not allowed to post any pictures of him until he is officially ours.

To follow our adoption journey and process please see Laura’s blog The Cappsters for updates. Thank you for all the prayers and support, we are so thankful and cannot wait to meet our son Solomon.