The End of T4G (At least until 2010)

T4G is over. It was a blessed time of challenge and encouragement. The messages ranged from great to phenomenal. The giving of books was overly generous. It was, all in all, a great time.

It was very nice to see Agent Tim for the little time that I did. But with Tim coming to Boyce in the fall I know that I will see more of Him. I was disappointed that I did not get to see Aspiring Theologian there, but I do eagerly a wait to read his takings from the conference if he posts them.

I have class in about 15 minutes, so I do not have much time. I will be posting the notes from most of the messages. Because the battery life of my laptop is not the greatest I took meager notes on Thabiti and R. C.'s messages on paper. Which, of course, are some of the best messages of the conference...(That would have to be the case right!)...But I do apologize for that.

You can, actually, download all the messages from the conference for free from here.

Band of Bloggers

Okay, I know that I am slow! But here is the first for all that I have received from the conference…

First off is the Band of Bloggers. Three hours before the main conference started there was a gathering of bloggers at the Galt Hotel (the site of the first T4G). There we had lunch and listened to a panel made up of well known bloggers. It was a question and answer format where a moderator ask the panel questions then let each one give an answer. Then, after that, people in the audience were able to ask the panel questions. On the panel was Abraham Piper, Thabiti Anyabwile, Phil Johnson, and Tim Challies.

(Note: These are not direct quotes (I cannot take notes that fast!) but the general ideas that they were getting across. If it is a direct quote it will be in parenthesis.

Also, Two things other things: (1)These are not all the questions either, just the ones I was able to make good note of. (2)Some answers are not in full. Meanings that I would miss a point here a there in the whole discussion. But what I do post reflects what the person does say.)


The first set of questions were asked by a moderator,

Q: What does it mean to blog as one that has been redeemed?


Piper. He was reminded of the parable of the talents and ties it in that he has been given a stewardship with his blog. Specifically, what he as a blogger has been entrusted with is the gospel. In our posting we are not to bury the gospel. In fact our blogs should be gospel flavored.

Anyabwile. What we discuss on our blogs should be saturated by the gospel. In our blogging,“the blood should leave its stain.”

Johnson. Echoed Piper in that blogging is a stewardship.

Challies. The shadow of the cross should be over everything.


Q: (1)How does your salvation shape your blogs? (2)Why do you do what you do?


Challies. (1)Saved is who he is, so he likes to talk about it. (2) Book reviews. No one else was reviewing books for the purpose of testing its soundness theologically.

Johnson. (1)Salvation shapes his thinking so everything has a connection to the gospel.(2)What he does on his blog just depends what is going on in the week.

Anyabwile. Love and burden for the church. Yet, he tries not blog about issues that pertain to his local church.


Q: Controversy on the bloggersphere. (1)How do, or should, we handle this and (2)the temptation to use it to increase readership at your blog?

Challies. (2)Just like more money will not satisfy, more readers will not satisfy. (1) Always check your heart. It is a good idea to sit on a post for a day if it is controversial.

Johnson. The dominate issue is not controversy. We need to discuss hot button issues to think through things. But we need to be balanced and not just focus on stirring or getting into controversial subjects.

Anyabwile. (1) There are two things to keep in mind on this issue. First, we need to keep the main thing the main thing. Yes, there are hills to die on, thus we get into controversy. Number two, we do not to seek controversy on secondary issues.

Piper. We need to think about the way we go about doing controversy. Are our arguments actually causing those we disagree with to think and notice the soundness of our arguments? Or are we just being congratulated by our own circle of friends when we make a point on a comment?


Q: What do you do to hold yourself accountable?

Johnson. He has accountability with other bloggers. If he gets a email from a well respected person that he should not have posted such and such then the post probably should not have been posted. His wife, also, reads over all his
posts.

Challies. The members of his local church continually talk to him about his blog.


Question from the audience:
As pastors that are mainly responsible for the flock entrusted to you, how you manage that task and blogging?

Anyabwile. Blogging is completely unnecessary. If need be it could be dropped instantly.

Johnson. Your calling as pastor is your main responsibility. Blogging should never be a threat to that responsibility.

Start of T4G and Band Of Bloggers

Together for the Gospel starts today!

I got early with Alex to help setup for the Band of Bloggers. Stuffing bags with the books that differnt publishers are giving away. They have the list at the Band of Bloggers Website if you want to see what I am getting :)

We get a lunch at the Band of Bloggers meeting and get to hear a panel discussion from some well known bloggers. I will post the notes sometime. (I don't know when I will find the time during the conference, so it may be up after it finishes)

The first T4G session does not start until 2:00.

T4G 06 Messages

For all those who are interested, you can download the messages from the 2006 conference for free. You will find them here.

Ligon Duncan at T4G 2006

T4G

(I am sorry that the audio is off on these videos. Try to bear though it the best that you can. Thanks)

Keeping us Humble

While things are going slow with the contentment post, I though I would post something that would aid our pursuit of humility.

A Restful Weekend and Contentment

Spring break has started for me. (Here at Boyce and Southern we actually call this week spring "reading" days to give us a hint about what we need to do during the week. fortunately I have my reading done with, so I do not have to worry about that.) I get to spend the weekend with my family down in Knoxville, Tennessee. After this I have to go back to Louisville because of work.



Driving down here I listened to John MacArthur on contentment. It was a message I needed to here. (What follows is the blend of MacArthur's message and my thoughts. If there is anything profound here, it is probably from MacArthur, directly or indirectly.)

We live in a culture that constantly bombards us with the message that life should be better. Every time you turn on the TV you here the messages: "you need this product," "your are not beautiful enough," "this idem will increase your standard of living to where it should be." MacArthur was right, the degree by which we are told that we should be discontent is as great as it has every been.

What this message does is feed our already fleshly desire to be discontent. Our selfishness pushes us to demand certain "rights" that we think we have. When areas of our lives to not attain to our idea of a happy life we feel offended. We believe that we deserve what we envision what our life should look like. (Of course if we go by what we deserve, we should all be in hell!)

The Christian life, however, is not to be one in want. On the contrary, as the Psalmist say, "The Lord is my Shepard, I shall not want," (Ps. 23:1). God wants His children to be in a sate where they reside with satisfaction and joy, no matter the circumstance. "Because your steadfast love is better than life,my lips will praise you," (Ps. 63:3). No matter what happens in life the steadfast love of the Lord should proves more satisfying. A satisfaction (which is another way of saying contentment) should permeate a Christian's walk.

Contentment is a satisfaction in God that a Christian possess that transcends the circumstances of life. "Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice,"(Phil. 4:4). Rejoicing is not a action that one is suppose to do when he feels like it. Feelings have no regard in the matter. Instead, we are commanded to be in a constant state of rejoicing. There is to be a satisfaction underlining our lives that produces a flowing river of rejoicing. Even in the mist of sorrow, joy is to be seen (2 Cor. 6:10a). Gladness is a defining characteristic of the Christian.

How do we receive this contentment? I know that I do not have it in full. There are many times that I am not satisfied with my circumstances. MacArthur walks through the book of Philippians to see what are the characteristics of this contentment:

1. A content person is one that not focused on his own wants or needs but is focused on imparting the gospel to other people's lives.

I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel, 13 so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ. 14 And most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.

15 Some indeed preach Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from good will. 16 The latter do it out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. 17 The former proclaim Christ out of rivalry, not sincerely but thinking to afflict me in my imprisonment. 18 What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice. (Phil. 1:12-18)

Paul was under arrest when he wrote this epistle. He was not in best of circumstance. On the contrary, He was imprisoned for his faith.

Yet, with him being in such a circumstance he does not focus on what he does not have. Instead, he says is, "this imprisonment is working out for the best." Why could he say such a things? He did not have any freedom. He would not have the best of living conditions. If his goal was to live a simple live and get by with good things he should feel destituted. But just to get by is not his goal. His goal is to make the glories of Christ known throughout the world. His thoughts to not dwell on himself but on the mission to proclaim Christ to the heathens. Even though he did not have much, he lived according to what drove him. What drove Him was to preach Christ crucified.

It was not just the material things that he went without because of the gospel. He laid aside his own honor for the proclamation of the gospel. In verse fifteen we read about some ministers that would preach Christ in hopes of becoming more famous than Paul. They wished to afflict Paul by thier work. What was Paul's response to such harsh and undeserved actions? "Christ is proclaimed, I am satisfied." This is being sold out for a mission! It does not matter what harm you are doing to me, as long as my Christ is brought before sinners I am happy. Paul is not concerned with himself at all. He is totally fixated on his mission and his calling given to Him by Christ. His own wants are of little too no concern in his own mind.

I think it is just mind rocking to see how the apostle Paul deals with personal attacks. People constantly attacked him and tried to discredit his ministry. Yet, if you watch Paul, He never retaliates against the attacks that will do him harm. He will just sit there and meekly take unjust blows against himself. However, if a person moves his attacks from the person of Paul and onto the message of Paul, then there are words spoken in return. If one dares to try and bring discredit upon the gospel they will meet the broadside of Paul. That is what Paul is concerned with. Not himself but on Christ's glory shown through the gospel.

Back to the text, we see that that a content person sees his task in delivering Christ's message to people. Whether they are lost or saved. He wants to Christ magnified in people's lives. The gospel, not himself, is the concern.

That hits me deeply. I ask myself, "What drives me?" Is in a passion to see the gospel become manifest in some one's life? Or is it just to have good things? Is it to get the wife, get the house, get the children, and have a minister that I look back at with satisfaction? Or is it to give my life away to turn people's eyes on to Christ? Do I look to see where Christ can be proclaimed when I am with out freedom, food, wife, or any other physical position? Or do I sit around and fret because I do not have? What drives me?

This gets into the transcendent part of my definition of contentment. When I am driven to see Christ gloried in people's lives, material possessions are subdued to fulfill that purpose. So without or with, I am to look where the message of Christ can be to someone.




Hopefully I will get to the other points during the week. If not soon.

2. The content person knows that Christ is near.

3. The content person goes to God with thankful prayers.

4. The content person saturates his mind with Godly thinking.

5. The content person learns from a godly example.