Dever, Mark. What Does God Want from us Anyway? A Quick Overview of the Whole Bible. Wheaton: Crossway Books, 2010. 128 pp. $12.99. Purchase at Westminster Books for $8.44.

Introduction

We have seen a plethora of books published by the men at IX Marks Ministries in the last year. I have reviewed many of them here at Christian Book Notes and have found each one to be extremely helpful to the local church. What Does God Want from us Anyway? is no different. Though it is not explicitly one of the 9 marks of a healthy church, that characterizes the ministry, it is an essential understanding of what they are all about because, quite simply, IX Marks is all about striving toward a biblical understanding of how the local church should operate.

Summary

The introduction sums up the book best: this is a big picture of the Bible’s message. Dever has divided this short little book into three parts. The first part looks at the message of the entire Bible. Here, we see the promises of God both made and kept.

Parts two and three break down the message of the whole Bible into the theme of promises made and kept in the Old and New Testaments. Obviously, I hope, part two is dealing with the promises made throughout the Old Testament. Dever shows God’s passion for His holiness and the promise of hope that He will make a way for His people to be holy because He is holy.

The third part, then, is the message of the New Testament in that God kept His promises set forth in the Old. This section shows that Christ is the promise kept and the only person able to bridge the eternal gap between an unholy people and a holy God.

Review

Dever nails it! I love the recent trend to return to a biblical theology and the language of the promises made and kept show God to be the faithful God He claims to be in His word. Much like Crossway’s The Big Picture Bible, Dever shows how the entire Bible points to one Person and one claim–God is holy, we are not and in order to be with Him for eternity we are to put our faith in Christ.

Also, throughout the book, Dever uses the language of particularity. This is not unnoticed and is really one of the more important “words” used in the book. In using “particular,” Dever shows explicitly that God is a particular God and that He has ordained the means by which man can approach Him. Not the other way around as many think is the case.

Recommendation

For those who struggle to see the Bible as a unified collection of 66 books, this is the book for you! Mark Dever simplifies what can easily be a difficult topic for some as he strives to show the Person with whom we should all seek to serve and why we should seek to serve him. It is an age old story that has been lost in many churches today. Thankfully, Dever is showing us the lens by which we should read the scriptures. This book makes an excellent resource for the new believer who asks “What is the Bible about?”

Author Martin Murphy, over at his blog, Rational Christian Thoughts, wrote a post this past Saturday about a 19th century preacher speaking of the decline in the church and culture in his day. Read the few choice quotes Martin has shared and leave a comment with your thoughts. Here is the first paragraph of Martin’s post:

Dr. James Henley Thornwell served the Lord from 1835 to 1862. His life and ministry manifested a desire to know God and a passion to serve Him through the ministry of the church. I read the Life and Letters of James Henley Thornwell years ago and recently reviewed it to refresh my memory. Reading his letters makes me wonder; was yesterday, today? Thornwell’s discernment and insight should have awakened the church leaders during his life time. I’ll share a few quotes from Thornwell’s letters that were written over 150 years ago.

Read the quotes and the rest of the article here.

I recently interviewed Jonathan Catherwood, a grandson of Martyn Lloyd-Jones.  This email arrived in my inbox yesterday and I thought it was worth passing on.  Anytime you can get free MLJ sermons, you should.  God bless and please support their ministry if you are able.

To those who have been able to donate to our ministry, we thank you so much. For those who have not had an opportunity, but would like to help us continue funding this ministry, a link to our donations page is at the bottom left of this eMail (your VeriSign secured contribution will be processed by Groundspring, a member of Network for Good). As a reminder, the MLJ Trust is 501 (c) (3) charitable consisting of four Board members who volunteer their time, and no staff. You can learn more about us at www.mljtrust.org.

As always, we only want to be sending these eMails to friends of the ministry who want to receive them, and so if you would prefer not to receive them, simply click on the “unsubscribe” link below and you will be removed from this eMail list.

Thank you again for your interest in the Ministry of Martyn Lloyd-Jones!

Every blessing,

Jonathan
www.mljtrust.org
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Baxter, Richard. Pastoral Ministry. Edinburgh: Banner of Truth Trust, 2010. 128 pp. $6.00. Purchase at Westminster for $4.20.

Introduction

Richard Baxter (1615-1691) is known as the pastor of the Puritans. His writings have proven to be so devotional and practical that many today are rediscovering his many works. Pastoral Ministry is an adaptation of his The Reformed Pastor which is not a book about a pastor being persuaded of a specific set of doctrines but instead being filled with the Spirit of God.

Summary

This particular Pocket Puritan has been written as a 31-day devotional that will cause the pastor to seek the Lord and His blessings on the ministry. In those 31 days, the pastor will look at what the Bible says about the office of pastor and how the pastor ought to live his life so that he can be of most effective use by God.

Of special note is a brief introduction to the man and his ministry in both writings and preaching by J.I. Packer. Here, the reader is introduced to a forgotten man today though he needs to be remembered even with his theological short-comings.

Review/Recommendation

There seems to be a concerted effort on behalf of some publishers to produce a number of biblically saturated books that are meant uniquely for those in the pastorate. Add Pastoral Ministry to those efforts. A hard-hitting (because it is biblical) 31-day devotional will provide a much needed wake-up call for today’s pastor. While many will probably not read the fuller The Reformed Pastor, most will read a 31-day devotional. Another book, not yet published, entitled A Portrait of Paul is very much in the same vain as Baxter’s work. The two of these books combined would make for an excellent gift to anyone looking to go into the ministry or who is in the ministry already.

Sproul, R.C. St. Andrew’s Expositional Commentary-John: In the Beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God. Lake Mary: Reformation Trust Publishing, 2009. 434 pp. $27.00. Purchase at Westminster for $17.55.

Introduction

This is the second book in the St. Andrew’s Expositional Commentary Series. These are being co-published by both Crossway Books and Reformation Trust Publishing.

Summary

This commentary on the gospel of John is not so much a commentary on the history of interpretation or exegetical work and word studies of the contents of John. Rather, this is commentary is Dr. R.C. Sproul’s sermons on the Gospel of John. We are blessed with fifty-seven sermons preached on Sunday’s at St. Andrew’s in Sanford, Fl. That encompasses almost two full years of Sunday morning sermons according to Dr. Sproul in the preface.

Chapter by chapter, verse by verse, Dr. Sproul unpacks and unleashes perhaps some of the best messages recently preached from the Gospel of John. He intertwines high theology and doctrine with simple and practical application in just about every sermon. He shows how the evangelist continually pointed his audience toward the great truth that God became flesh and dwelt among us.

Each chapter is only 6-10 pages long and therefore makes for fairly easy reading in that a chapter can be read and meditated on each day. You will plumb the depths of the purpose and content of the Gospel of John as it applies to us today while you read these messages.

I greatly enjoyed his two-part sermon on the man born blind (chapters 25 & 26).  In these two sermons, Dr. Sproul takes a look at sin and suffering and how we should biblically view suffering in light of Scripture.  In the course of these two sermons, we find that God is always glorified in suffering even if man does not give him the glory.  We see how the man reacted (praising God and being willing to be thrown out of the synagogue) and how his parents reacted (not willing to be chastised for their son’s good fortune!).  Sproul concludes this two-part series with the exhortation to speak of Christ and what He has done for you on the cross (assuming you are a believer).

Recommendation

As I stated in my review of the commentary on Romans in this series, having a compilation of Dr. Sproul’s sermons on a particular book of the Bible is a wonderful addition to any Christian’s library. I am excited that the sermon series on John was the second book to be published in this commentary series. This is not a book that you will purchase as a resource where you will only use it if you are wanting to study the gospel of John. Rather, you will find that drinking of Dr. Sproul’s wisdom through the reading of these messages now transcribed and collected into one source will be of great benefit to your soul.

We just reviewed The End of Secularism this past Monday. Today, we are giving away one copy. To enter simply fill out the contact form below or Tweet the contest using @ChristBookNotes and this link http://wp.me/pviKd-WM in your tweet. (this helps me to follow who is tweeting.) The drawing will be held Monday, March 15 at noon.  Good providence!

Contact Terry Delaney

Merry Christmas from Christian Book Notes.

Cantrell, Julie. God is with Me through the Day and God is with Me through the Night. Grand Rapids: Zonderkidz, 2009. 32 pp. $9.99. Purchase God is with Me through the DayGod is with Me through the Night or at Amazon for a discounted price.

Review

Julie Cantrell is a freelance writer who writes about health, science, faith, education, family, child development or lifestyle. You can read some of what she has written and where she will be speaking at through her personal website, JulieCantrell.com. She also has a blog she updates regularly called Julie’s Journal and is worth checking out.

These two particular picture books are designed for children ages four to seven. With cute, full-color pictures of various kinds of animals, your child will love reading and viewing these books over and over again. In doing so, they will be introduced to the biblical attribute of God’s omnipresence–God is every where at every time.

As I watch my five year old flip through book, I see how he teaches my youngest son (21 months) what each animal is and what kind of sound it makes. If he does not know or cannot remember, he will ask either me or his mom for help. Granted, my five year old cannot read, but he knows the books are about God’s being with us all the time and so he tells his brother the same truth. We have had fun making animal noises and discussing God’s creation through both of these books.

After seeing how my three sons I have enjoyed these books, I can recommend them as a dad as well as a book reviewer. They can be purchased separate from one another, but to have both of them is to encourage more reading for your kids and more thinking about God’s presence for your family. After all, God is not only with you through the day but the night, too.

Giveaway

Zondervan is sponsoring this week’s giveaway. I have one copy of each book to give to one person (I just could not split the two books up!).  Here is how you can be entered to win both books:

1. On Twitter:  @ChristBookNotes is giving away two books by @JulieCantrell http://tw0.us/4o9
2. On Facebook:  become a fan of Christian Book Notes.
3. Leave a comment below about how your children love to read picture books.
4. Subscribe to my RSS Feed or Email list (your email address is always kept private).  If you subscribe, please send me an email at tdelaney017@yahoo.com to let me know.

Congratulations to Andy Raymond and Jason Gardner. Andy won by tweeting about the contest and Jason won by leaving a comment and added to his chances by blogging about the giveaway.  Jason blogs at eis doxan. Congratulations to both of our winners.

Stay tuned as we have more giveaways lined up and ready to go here at Christian Book Notes.

Earlier today I reviewed The Disappearance of God.  Now, I have been blessed to acquire the five books pictured above to give away this week.  There are two ways to win.  First, sign up for my email or RSS feed and let me know through the contact page.  Second, leave a comment below telling how you have been blessed by Dr. Mohler’s ministry.  It is that simple.  The giveaway ends next Monday (September 1, 2009) at 5 pm.