My Blog Has Moved!!!

I have moved my blog.  I will no longer be posting blogs on this site.  I am going to continue blogging just on another site.  Over the past month or so I have been redesigning my blog and I hope that you enjoy it's new look.  I encourage you to check it out, I think it will serve you better than the one I have been currently doing.  Remember to change your bookmarks and update your blogs links to my new one.

Check it out

http://jeremygreenberg.wordpress.com/

Grace & Peace,

Jeremy Greenberg

Christianity & Liberalism

I blogged a few days ago about an awesome book that I recommended you to check out.   I wanted to give you a taste of what is inside.  So here are a few snippet from the book.  It is ridiculously sweet book and has really blessed me.

..."the message of the resurrection was not isolated. It was connected with the death of Jesus, seen now to be not a failure but a triumphant act of divine grace; it was connected with the entire appearance of Jesus upon earth. The coming of Jesus was understood now as an act of God by which sinful men were saved. The primitive Church was concerned not merely with what Jesus had said, but also, and primarily, with what Jesus had done. The world was to be redeemed through the proclamation of an event. And with the event went the meaning of the event; and the setting forth of the event with the meaning of the event was doctrine. These two elements are always combined in the Christian message. The narration of the facts is history; the narration of the facts with the meaning of the facts is doctrine. "Suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead and buried"--that is history. "He loved me and gave Himself for me"--that is doctrine. Such was the Christianity of the primitive Church." page 29 from the Doctrine chapter

"The fundamental fault of the modern Church is that she is busily engaged in an absolutely impossible task--she is busily engaged in calling the righteous to repentance. Modern preachers are trying to bring men into the Church without requiring them to relinquish their pride; they are trying to help men avoid the conviction of sin. The preacher gets up into the pulpit, opens the Bible, and addresses the congregation somewhat as follows: "You people are very good," he says; "you respond to every appeal that looks toward the welfare of the community. Now we have in the Bible--especially in the life of Jesus--something so good that we believe it is good enough even for you good people." Such is modern preaching. It is heard every Sunday in thousands of pulpits. But it is entirely futile". page 63 from the God and Man chapter

Psalm 61

I was just reading through this Psalm this morning and it just spoke to me so I figure I would throw it up here.  I was struck once again with how it is ALL about the Lord.  It is Him who leads us and sustains up, who provides for us and called us out of darkness into light!  I loved the distinction that David makes between his cry and his prayer in verse 1.  I don't think I cry out to God much....

1 "Hear my cry, O God,
   listen to my prayer;
2 from the end of the earth I call to you
   when my heart is faint.
Lead me to the rock
   that is higher than I,
3 for you have been my refuge,
   a strong tower against the enemy.

 4 Let me dwell in your tent forever!
   Let me take refuge under the shelter of your wings! 
5 For you, O God, have heard my vows;
   you have given me the heritage of those who fear your name.

 6 Prolong the life of the king;
   may his years endure to all generations!
7 May he be enthroned forever before God;
   appoint steadfast love and faithfulness to watch over him!

 8 So will I ever sing praises to your name,
   as I perform my vows day after day."

Christianity & Liberalism

If you have not read this book I strongly recommend that you pick it up and read it.  It is a Machen classic.  If you are not familiar with Machen he was born in 1881 and died in 1937.  He was a Presbyterian theologian, born at Baltimore, Maryland, studied at John Hopkins, Princeton University, and the universities of Marburg and Gottingen, Germany.... Taught New Testament literature and exegesis in Princeton Theological Seminary (1906-1929).... An outstanding conservative apologist and theologian at Princeton, he left the school because of Modernism. Offered the presidency of several schools; but refused each offer. In 1929 founded Westminster Theological Seminary and became president and professor of New Testament from 1929 to 1937. Protesting against the liberalism of the Presbyterian Board of Foreign Missions, established an independent mission board. Charged with insubordination, tried, found guilty, and suspended from the Presbyterian ministry. Group of sixteen other clergymen and laymen with Dr. Machen withdrew in 1936 to found the Orthodox Presbyterian Church.   This book, first published in 1923, is a classic treatment of the age old controversy between Orthodox Christianity and Liberalism. Machen contrasts the errors of liberalism with the basic foundational truths of Biblical Christianity such as: Doctrine, God and man, the Bible, Christ, Salvation, and the Church. Machen's book is scriptural, thought-provoking, well-reasoned, and relevent today!!! Your faith in the Bible and its basic doctrines will be strengthened. It is worth your time to read this important book.

Summer Camp

So all of you know, I will be at Rockbridge the next two weeks.  Rockbridge is the big summer camp for our region (North Carolina, Virginia, and South Carolina).  All the schools in the region are split into two weeks and there are about 750 students that will attend the camp over that time.  It's a really awesome and amazing week for the students and also the staff.  Exams have finished, the school year is over, summer has officially started and the students get to spend a week in the mountains with a ton of other folks from different schools. 

In typical IV fashion there is a main speaker each day, tons of worship music, track time, and a mess of free time.  The students pick a track and stick with that one for the week.  A lot of the training for the next school year will happen at Rockbridge.  There is a small group vision track that is geared to help students learn what it mean to lead a small group and practically how to do it.  They get the opportunity to lead a small group through a passage of scripture and get to hear feed back from the group.  They also get tools for how to study scripture and prepare a bible study for a group of students.  There is also tracks geared solely for non Christian or really young Christians, called following Jesus.  It's a great track that goes through one of the gospels and spends a lot of time examining Jesus' life, death, and Resurrection and what that means for us.  There are several other tracks but I wont get into them all, just wanted to give you a brief taste of what I'll be doing these next two weeks.  

All of the tracks are led by the various staff throughout the region, so be praying for us and it's also a very full and exhausting time for us.   I'll probably blog a few time while I'm here to share some of my thoughts, so don't think I'm taking this time off from here :).  I'm also reading Christianity & Liberalism by J. Gresham Machen and will assuredly have something to say about that book at some point while I am here.

Together For The Gospel 2008

If you were not able to go to the Together for the Gospel conference in Louisville KT in mid April I would stronger encourage you to check out the talk on MP3.  You can download them at the t4g.org website.  I've listened to them all a few times and they have greatly blessed me.  Here are the speakers that were there and the topic they spoke on.

• Ligon Duncan - Sound Doctrine – Essential to Faithful Pastoral Ministry
  
• Thabiti Anyabwile - Bearing the Image: Identity, the Work of Christ, and the Church
  
• John MacArthur - The Sinner Neither Able Nor Willing: The Doctrine of Absolute Inability
  
• Mark Dever - Improving the Gospel: Exercises in Unbiblical Theology
  
• RC Sproul - The Curse Motif of the Atonement
  
• Albert Mohler - Why Do They Hate It So? The Doctrine of Substitution
  
• John Piper - How the Supremacy of Christ Creates Radical Christian Sacrifice
  
• CJ Mahaney - Sustaining a Pastor's Soul
  

The Next Generation

I guess I am sort of on a Joshua Harris kick or something because this post is from him as well.  I came across an article that he wrote in the magazine called Tabletalk in the April edition.  I thought I would share it with you.  It is about mentoring the next generation.  I encourage you to read it, I think it's pretty good.  It hits home with me because of my involvement with InterVarsity and my belief in the importance of mentoring relationships and what they accomplish.  

If you don't know he is the senior pastor at Covenant Life Church, in Gaithersburg Maryland and is the author of Sex Is Not the Problem (Lust Is).

When I turned twenty-one, my dad gave me this simple advice: “Find men that you want to be like and then sit at their feet.” As I launched into manhood, he was reminding me that the lessons I needed most wouldn’t be found in a textbook — they’d be written in the heart and life of a godly man. I needed to get close enough to this man that I could observe his character and be shaped by his example. I needed a mentor. 

 I didn’t realize at the time how important and prescient my dad’s counsel was. But less than a year later, God brought me across the path of C.J. Mahaney, the man who would mentor me, train me in pastoral ministry, and eventually install me as his replacement in the church he founded and led for nearly thirty years. 

 

Looking back, I’ve become even more aware of what a rare gift God gave me in my relationship with C.J. Sadly, my experience is unique. There are many young adults who desire to sit at the feet of mature Christians. But how many older Christians are willing to let them sit there?

C.J. let me into his life even though it involved personal inconvenience. He literally invited me into his home (I lived in his basement for a year); he guided my study, exposed me to great theology, and both encouraged and constructively critiqued my fledgling attempts at leadership and preaching.  

So for me the power of a mentor is no abstract concept. I know the difference that personal example, friendship, and on-the-job discipleship makes. Every part of my life — as a follower of Christ, as a husband and father, and now as a pastor — has been shaped by the investment my friend made, and continues to make, in my life. 

One of the reasons I love to tell my story is because I hope it will inspire older Christians to take the time to mentor the up-and-coming generation of believers.  

Most of us know that mentoring the next generation is a good idea. And of course it’s unarguably biblical. Proverbs 13:20 calls the young to be companions of the wise — the implication being that some wise person will be willing to let the less-wise be their companion. The Psalms speak of one generation commending the mighty acts of God to the next (Ps. 145:4). And of course, the New Testament example of Paul teaching and training Timothy models the importance of mentoring in the spread of the Gospel and the building of the church.  

So we can agree that mentoring is good. But do we do it? And if we don’t, is the problem that we’re too busy? Or could it be that we don’t mentor because we lack real conviction? And could our lack of conviction be the result of failing to apply the truth of the Gospel to our view of the next generation?  

How does the Gospel relate to this topic? First, it’s the essential motive for Christian mentoring. As Christians, we have a message — one composed of true facts about real events — that is bigger and more important than any one of us. The good news of Jesus and His death and resurrection for sinners is the world’s only hope. It’s the only way of salvation for mankind. The obvious implication is that passing this saving message on to people who will be here after we’re gone is the most important thing we can do during our lifetime. Our legacy, our reputation, our heritage is really unimportant. A building or company or denomination with our name on it will do the world little good. But if we can teach, train, and disciple men and women to trust in, love, and proclaim the message of Christ and him crucified, then we’ve accomplished something worthwhile. 

This kind of Gospel-centered view of life leads to proactive mentoring. And this is exactly what is needed today. Members of the older generation need to take it upon themselves to pursue younger Christians to mentor and disciple them in the faith. Let’s be honest. They might not be beating down the door to sit at your feet. They might not look to you with adoring eyes, amazed by your knowledge. You might not be a “cool” old person. Don’t let that stop you. If you’re motivated by the Gospel, it shouldn’t stop you. Remember, it’s not about you. It’s about the Savior. It’s about what He has done. Whether or not you have the added fuel of feeling wanted, needed, and in demand, you can go out and seek to serve.  

But what if you can’t relate to the younger generation? Again, this is where the Gospel comes into play. The Gospel strips away the façade of “generation gaps” and reminds us that, regardless of our age, we all have something in common — we’re all sinners in need of the substitutionary sacrifice of Jesus Christ. The Gospel smoothes out the bumps of cross-generational friendships. It reminds us that, regardless of our age, we have a lot in common.  

It was God’s grace that led me to realize as a young man that I needed a mentor to advise and train me in ministry. And it was God’s grace that prepared a godly older man to be that mentor. Two decades earlier, in the early days of his ministry, C.J. had made a promise to God. He had always longed for but never truly found a godly, older mentor for himself. And so he told God that if he ever had the chance to be that mentor to a younger man, he wouldn’t pass up the opportunity. He wouldn’t be too busy.  

When I came along he didn’t see me as a nuisance. He didn’t see me as a threat. His first concern wasn’t preserving his position. He saw me as a young man in whom he could invest in so that the most important truth — the truth of the Gospel — could be passed on. What a refreshing perspective. Our job isn’t to fend off the next generation. Our calling as lovers of the Gospel is to equip the next generation to surpass us in faithfulness and effectiveness.  

Somewhere there’s a young man or woman praying for a mentor. Get ready. You could be God’s answer to that prayer. - by Joshua Harris

Copyrights Tabletalk magazine