04 April 2019

Reflections on TGC19

What a rich time.

A few thoughts, offered of course with the inescapably partial view of reality that we are all operating out of, and therefore needing to be filled out and supplemented with the thoughts of others...

1. The Gospel Coalition has to be one of the most striking examples of the Lord's care for his church in our generation. When leaders are asked about the state of the church today, the immediate reaction is often hand-wringing and lament. But TGC represents a wave of blessing and health and vitality and spiritual hunger and theological fidelity and evangelism fostering that is a big reason for celebration.

2. It's a particular pleasure, for me, to be there with my Crossway colleagues. I am just so proud of them. They are both humble and professional, instead of one or the other. They are not only colleagues but friends. How awful to do ministry alone. And we operate out of a deep well of shared theology and vision and commitments that makes our work together not only meaningful but fun.

3. Books. Books, books, books. I love books, and apparently so do other Christians. The swelling book lines in between sessions is itself a sign of spiritual health. Apparently people want to read, to grow, to learn. The day people come to conferences to hear sizzling preaching but don't care to take home books will be a sad day, if it ever comes. It isn't here yet.

4. Really appreciated Matt Boswell's leadership of the singing. That was one of my favorite things about the event. Don Carson on John 11 was rich indeed. Tim Keller on the new birth: typically insightful. Paul Tripp on suffering: deep wisdom. The best thing I heard all week was my dad's talk 'Pastor, Your Church Can Become Healthy Again.' I wish everyone at the conference could have heard it. Searching, deepening, eye-opening, emboldening.

5. One of the blessings of these conferences is to see friend-ministries we wouldn't otherwise--for me, talking to those representing Covenant Seminary, Rafiki Foundation, WTS, WTS Books, Christian Focus, Bethlehem Seminary, Third Mil, Indianapolis Theological Seminary--not to mention the many individual friends from seminary, grad school, etc one runs into. All these are impromptu conversations that have a way of bearing fruit as time passes; they're just as important, I find, as the planned meetings.

6. I'm grateful for denominations, including my own, and I'm glad to belong to one. But something isn't right if we evangelical denominations never come together. TGC provides that beautifully (as does T4G). I know something like TGC can't exercise church discipline, and that the leadership structure doesn't fit neatly onto what the New Testament prescribes for the local church, and so on--so what? It isn't trying to. It was conceived to provide an opportunity to come together around a theologically clear gospel of grace in a day of increasing fracturing. It's healthy to rally around the vital gospel doctrines we all revere deep in our hearts, even if that reverence clothes itself in denominationally distinct ways back home.

7. One final thought. I wonder what all of us who support TGC can do to consciously work against this great enterprise being quietly taken down by the flesh. Human nature being what it is, it seems to me virtually inevitable that an event such as this, with well-known speakers, and a big crowd, and a green room, and preachers quickly and quietly escorted around, provides a unique venue for venting the flesh, for schmoozing, for preening and parading--unless we deliberately fight against it. Left in neutral, we will slide toward worldliness; church history, the Bible, and honest self-knowledge all confirm this, unpleasant as the thought is.

What might God do if TGC and all of us went into an event like this with Francis Schaeffer's essay 'No Little People, No Little Places' emblazoned across our mental horizon? Schaeffer wrote:
The Scripture emphasizes that much can come from little if the little is truly consecrated to God. There are no little people and no big people in the true spiritual sense, but only consecrated and unconsecrated people.
Later in the same book but in a different essay ('The Lord's Work in the Lord's Way'), Schaeffer reflected:
If we have the world's mentality of wanting the foremost place, we are not qualified for Christian leadership. This mentality can . . . fit us for being a big name among men, but it unfits us for real spiritual leadership. To the extent that we want power we are in the flesh, and the Holy Spirit has no part in us. Christ put a towel around Himself and washed His disciples' feet. We should ask ourselves from time to time, 'Whose feet am I washing?'
Schaeffer himself had learned this secret of walking in the Spirit rather than in the flesh, and he knew how imperceptibly and naturally we can slip from doing the Lord's work animated by the Spirit to doing the Lord's work animated by the flesh. His close associate Udo Middleman wrote of Schaeffer:
He was not slick. He revolted against false appearances of leadership, growth statistics, and any show, in which he saw the dangers of pretense, performance, and praise of men. He had been there and found it dishonest, dangerous, and finally condemning.
What a joy, an honor, to participate in and support TGC. Now, as we return home, may we celebrate a thousand blessings flowing from that great event and all that it represents, doing so with sober-minded realism about how quickly we can all slip into fleshly motivations, and with ongoing prayer, and with an insistence on spotlighting Christ himself in all we do and say and desire. If we don't, what began as gospel rallying 12 years ago will, in another 12, become one more venue for Christian fracturing, thus denying the very gospel that TGC came into existence to hold high.

82 comments:

  1. Thank you for the encouraging article Dane. Indeed, let's magnify the Lord for His work in and through TGC. Thank you and the Crossway staff for your diligent work to publish new works that strengthen Christ's church.

    With love,

    Matthew Roberts

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks, dear son.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Great thoughts, Dane. I missed your dad's workshop, but hope they put it online. I heard that the panel for small churches was great too, with Don Carson making a surprise visit and adding some thoughts. Also, thanks for mentioning Schaeffer's article--I've never read it, but look forward to. Thanks for letting me sit on the comfy couches for a few minutes at the Crossway booth--it was great talking to you for a bit.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I think I missed the part about humility.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. tempat untuk bermain sambil mencari cuan tambahan dimana lagi kalau tidak di SATWA4D. situs yang ke gacoran nya sudah tidak di ragukan lagi dan sudah banyak sekali yang mencoba ke gacoran nya, sekarang giliran anda mengandakan uang berkali kali lipat disini. qubypennotkon.com #satwa4d #slot #slots #slotgacor #slotonline #slotindonesia #slotgame #fyp #viral
      #slotgaming #togel #situsgacor #situstogel #situsslot

      Delete
  5. Dane,
    I appreciate the summary of the TG 19. It was good to meet you at Rafiki a couple weeks ago. I will certainly continue to send you pictures as we distribute Bibles in Kenya.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Replies
    1. slot gacor online yang terbaik dan terpercaya . memberikan kemenangan dengan mudah dalam setiap permainan, salah satu informasi paling penting dalam bertaruh slot gacor adalah RTP live terlengkap juga ter update. yuk cobain sekarang juga ! qubypennotkon.com #satwa4d #slot #slots #slotgacor #slotonline #slotindonesia #slotgame #viral #fyp #pola #rtp

      Delete
  7. I enjoyed over read your blog post. Your blog have nice information, I got good idea from this amazing blog.I am always searching like this type blog post. I hope I will see again…

    daftar game terbaik
    gamesindonesia.net
    gamesindonesia

    ReplyDelete
  8. I really appreciate this wonderful post that you have provided for us. I assure this would be beneficial for most of the people. thank you for sharing information. please visit my website
    Poker77
    Judi Poker Online
    Kiu Kiu Poker
    Poker Texas Boyaa
    Club poker88
    domino338
    macau88

    ReplyDelete
  9. Great article with excellent idea!Thank you for such a valuable article. I really appreciate for this great information..
    asia88
    sbobet338
    sbobet188
    sbobet99
    poker play
    gaple poker77
    sbobet88

    ReplyDelete
  10. Thanks for posting this info. I just want to let you know that I just check out your site and I find it very interesting and informative. I can't wait to read lots of your posts. please visit and help my website thx
    7mmbet
    slot777
    Sobet88
    slot338
    sbobet388
    slot88

    ReplyDelete
  11. To be honest I found very helpful information your blog thanks for providing us such blog FanFight

    ReplyDelete
  12. To be honest I found very helpful information your blog thanks for providing us such blog cricket game 2020

    ReplyDelete
  13. To be honest I found very helpful information your blog thanks for providing us such blog Delivery Against RR

    ReplyDelete
  14. Bonus yang diberikan Pokervit :
    * Bonus rollingan 0.5%,setiap Jum'at di bagikannya
    * Bonus Refferal 10%,seumur hidup
    * Bonus Deposit Member Baru 20%
    * Bonus Jackpot, yang dapat anda dapatkan dengan mudah
    * Minimal Depo 10.000
    * Minimal WD 50.000

    APK IDN Blackjack iOS
    Deposit IDN Blackjack 10000

    ReplyDelete
  15. Vegus168 บาคาร่า ออนไลน์ เครดิตฟรี เว็บตรง สมัครง่าย แทงบอล คาสิโน บอลออนไลน์

    ReplyDelete
  16. Thanks mate. I am really impressed with your writing talents and also with the layout on your weblog. Appreciate, Is this a paid subject matter or did you customize it yourself? Either way keep up the nice quality writing, it is rare to peer a nice weblog like this one nowadays. Thank you, check also event marketing and free class registration software

    ReplyDelete
  17. Whoаh this weblߋg is eхcellent i love studying your articles.Keep up the goⲟd woгk! You undеrstand, many peгsons are hunting around for this information, you could help them greatly.

    Arcade VST Crack

    RoboForm Crack

    Crack Software

    Pc License Keys

    ReplyDelete
  18. Great post and I got extremely information from your article. I appreciate your work and requesting you to please keep posting other articles.
    Sony Vegas Pro Crack
    Bitdefender Total Security Crack
    AOMEI Backupper Pro Crack
    Youtube By Click Premium Crack
    EaseUS Partition Master Crack
    uTorrent Pro Crack
    MS Office Crack

    ReplyDelete
  19. your website is very helpful and has beautiful content. Thank you for share with us.
    local business directory usa

    ReplyDelete
  20. Pokoknya Bakalan Jackpot Sensational & Scatter di Hobi4D !!!
    Deposit via Pulsa Tanpa Potongan !!!

    Bonus New Member 10%
    Bonus Harian 10%
    dan Banyak Bonus Lainnya !!!

    Link: hobisenang,org
    Whatsapp +6281219567330

    ReplyDelete
  21. Gacorr Bangett Pokoknya Slotnya Gak Ada Obat di Sumo4D !!!
    Daftar Sekarang Juga Kakak !!!

    Bonus New Member 10%
    Bonus Harian 5%
    Ada Bonus Harian,Mingguan,dan Bulanan Juga !!!
    Depo Pulsa Tanpa Potongan.

    Link: betsumo4d.org
    WhatsApp :
    +6281382294724
    Terimakasih, Salam Jackpot !!!

    ReplyDelete
  22. Launch a web browser. Enter the Belkin router website link or the router's default IP address, 192.168.2.1, in the Address bar and press [Enter]. If it doesn't work, check your router's IP address. You will be asked to log in using the router's admin password. If you have not set a custom password, just leave the Password field blank then click Submit.

    ReplyDelete
  23. Daftar & Mainkan Sekarang Juga Slot Gacor Hanya di Pelangi4D
    Raih Kemenangan Hoki Terbesar Kamu !!!

    Bonus New Member 10%
    Bonus Harian 5%
    dan Bonus Lain-lainnya !!!

    Link: angkaindo,info
    WA: : +6281287736082
    Terimakasih Salam Jackpot !!!

    ReplyDelete
  24. Daftar & Betting Slot Gacor Hanya di Pelangi4D !!!
    Deposit Via Pulsa Tanpa Potongan !!1

    Bonus New Member 10% & Harian 5%
    Link: angkaindo,info
    WA : +6281287736082

    Terimakasih, Salam Jackpot !!!

    ReplyDelete
  25. If your color ink cartridges are empty and there is still some black ink left, then you can continue your printing work with black ink. To Epson print without color ink, cancel the print job by clicking on the Cancel Print button. After that, load sheets and then open printer settings. Choose Appropriate Quality Option settings from the main tab. Select plain paper as the type setting and proceed with the printing process by checking the Grayscale checkbox. Close the printer settings by clicking on OK. Now, you can print your file using black and white ink on Windows 10.

    ReplyDelete
  26. Undeniably believe that which you said. Your favorite reason appeared to be on the internet the simplest
    factor to consider of. I say to you, I certainly get irked at the same time as folks think about issues that they
    plainly don't realize about. You controlled to hit the nail
    upon the highest as well as defined out the entire thing with
    no need side effect , other folks can take a signal.

    Will likely be back to get more. Thank you!

    ReplyDelete
  27. This will open a pop-up window, click Install to start the download.microsoft365.com/setup Now depending on the browser you are using, save the downloaded installer and run it. Once the installer is downloaded, the installation will begin. Wait for it to finish. It will take a few minutes. Once the installation is complete, a screen with animation and a close button will be displayed. Click Close and run the Office applications.

    ReplyDelete
  28. We have explained the process of setting up wired and wireless connections for Windows and Mac operating systems. Basic Prerequisites Before Setting Up the Canon Printer Always have your printer model number ready before you begin the setup process.ij.start.canon Make sure your device has enough storage space to install the driver. Make sure the printer is properly plugged into the power outlet. Make sure your device has an active internet connection

    ReplyDelete
  29. Within two minutes, press the WPS button. The printer status will now be displayed as Connection and you must wait a few seconds. Once the printer display shows you the connection status, complete the setup by pressing OK. For the configuration of ij.start.cannon, download the software by following the given illustrative procedure.ij.start.canon setup If you haven't customized the file location, you just need to go to the Downloads folder to run the downloaded file. Double click on the ij.start.cannon installer file and click Run to quickly extract the files. The main Canon driver setup interface will appear on your screen.

    ReplyDelete
  30. microsoft365.com/setup Rather than installing the software offline and staying away from updates, Microsoft has emphasized this software called Microsoft 365 setup. It can be accessed online through the link provided by Microsoft and through the login procedures. Some Microsoft 365 apps are downloaded offline, but running online means they require the internet. This is the only main difference between Microsoft 365 and other office applications. But before that, you need a Microsoft account with the pre-purchased Microsoft 365 subscription. If this is not done, do so by following the procedures in this document.

    ReplyDelete
  31. situs judi slot gacor easy win di KING338
    deposit min 5000 via:
    ➡️DANA
    ➡️GOPAY
    ➡️OVO
    ➡️LINK AJA
    Get Started

    ReplyDelete
  32. Your best knowledge and kindness in playing with all the pieces were very useful. I don’t know what I would have done if I had not encountered such a step like this.
    FUBO tv/Connect
    FUBO tv/Connect

    ReplyDelete
  33. Cari Penghasilan Tambahan Dari Hobi Jadi Uang
    BANDAR PELANGI4D Mau Nawarin Promo Website
    Mau Bet Bola | Poker | Slot | Casino | Tangkas | Togel Di PELANGI4D
    SEMUA BANK ONLINE 24 JAM

    Tersedia Bonus Deposit + New Member
    SPONSOR RESMI PIALA DUNIA WORLD CUP 2022

    -Menerima Deposit PULSA | LINK AJA | OVO | DANA | GO-PAY | BRI-LINK
    -Bisa Daftar Melalui OVO , DANA , LINK AJA , GO-PAY , BSI
    -Tanyakan Ke Wa Atau Livechat Untuk Promo Lainnya

    WA : +6282143358209
    beacons.ai/pelangi4d

    ReplyDelete
  34. Your article so unique and usefull and thanx for sharing this content.
    Sexologist in Delhi

    ReplyDelete
  35. I have a comparable intrigue this is my page read everything deliberately and let me comprehend what you think canaan avalon 1246

    ReplyDelete
  36. paragraph.What’s up everyone, it’s my first pay a quick visit at this site, and piece of writing is truly fruitful in favor of me, keep up posting these articles or reviews. 메이저공원

    ReplyDelete
  37. Hey exceptional website! Does running a blog such as this..require a great deal of work? I have virtually no understanding of computer programming..You have noted very interesting points ! ps nice web site. I understand a fury in your words, But not the words. by William Shakespeare. 안전토토사이트

    ReplyDelete
  38. I have to thank you for the efforts you have put in writing this website. I am hoping to check out the same high-grade content by you later on as well. In truth, your creative writing abilities has inspired me to get my very own site now 😉 안전놀이터

    ReplyDelete
  39. Im thankful for the post.Much thanks again. Much obliged.You’re so cool! I do not believe I’ve read through something like this before. So great to find another person with some original thoughts on this subject. Really.. thanks for starting this up. This web site is something that is needed on the internet, someone with some originality!..This excellent website really has all of the info I needed about this subject and didn at know who to ask. 먹튀검증

    ReplyDelete
  40. Hi there just wanted to give you a quick heads up. The text in your article seem to be running off the screen in Internet explorer.I’m not sure if this is a format issue or something to do with web browser compatibility but I thought 먹튀패스

    ReplyDelete
  41. Majalah4d agen togel deposit pulsa 10rb tanpa potongan besar dengan bermain permainan tebak angka atau togel online sekarang ini sudah bisa anda akses dengan aman dan mudah bersama situs togel toto 4d yaitu Majalah4D. Dengan minimal togel deposit pulsa 10rb tentu memudahkan pemain yang menginginkan deposit tanpa perlu khawatir dengan bank offline.

    ReplyDelete
  42. Thank you so much for providing good quality information. I think it would not have been easy to collect this information and organize it in an easy to understand way.
    sexologist in delhi

    ReplyDelete
  43. i had a really nice time reading your article, such a great post. thanks for sharing with us.
    poker deposit pulsa

    ReplyDelete
  44. https://rahayu88.powerappsportals.com/

    ReplyDelete
  45. 🏆 𝐒𝐈𝐓𝐔𝐒 𝐒𝐀𝐓𝐖𝐀𝟒𝐃 𝐒𝐈𝐓𝐔𝐒 𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐇𝐎𝐊𝐈 & 𝐒𝐋𝐎𝐓 𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐆𝐀𝐂𝐎𝐑 𝐍𝐎.𝟏 𝐃𝐈 𝐈𝐍𝐃𝐎𝐍𝐄𝐒𝐈𝐀 🏆

    Pengen merasakan jackpot & maxwin bosku ?
    Langsung saja 𝐃𝐀𝐅𝐓𝐀𝐑 & 𝐌𝐀𝐈𝐍 di situs kami !
    Kami juga mempunyai 𝐁𝐎𝐂𝐎𝐑𝐀𝐍 𝐏𝐎𝐋𝐀 untuk bosku ya^^


    🎰 𝐁𝐎𝐍𝐔𝐒 𝐍𝐄𝐖 𝐌𝐄𝐌𝐁𝐄𝐑 𝟓𝟎%
    🎰 𝐁𝐎𝐍𝐔𝐒 𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐈𝐀𝐍 𝟏𝟎%
    🎰 𝐁𝐎𝐍𝐔𝐒 𝐂𝐀𝐒𝐇𝐁𝐀𝐂𝐊 𝐌𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐆𝐔𝐀𝐍 𝐒𝐏𝐎𝐑𝐓𝐒𝐁𝐎𝐎𝐊 𝐔𝐏 𝐓𝐎 𝟐𝟎%
    🎰 𝐁𝐎𝐍𝐔𝐒 𝐑𝐎𝐋𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐀𝐍 𝐒𝐋𝐎𝐓 & 𝐓𝐄𝐌𝐁𝐀𝐊 𝐈𝐊𝐀𝐍 𝐔𝐏 𝐓𝐎 𝟏%
    🎰 𝐁𝐎𝐍𝐔𝐒 𝐑𝐎𝐋𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐀𝐍 𝐋𝐈𝐕𝐄 𝐂𝐀𝐒𝐈𝐍𝐎 𝟎.𝟖%
    ➡️ 𝗠𝗜𝗡𝗜𝗠𝗔𝗟 𝗗𝗘𝗣𝗢𝗦𝗜𝗧 𝗛𝗔𝗡𝗬𝗔 𝟭𝟬.𝟬𝟬𝟬
    ➡️ 𝗠𝗜𝗡𝗜𝗠𝗔𝗟 𝗪𝗜𝗧𝗛𝗗𝗥𝗔𝗪 𝗛𝗔𝗡𝗬𝗔 𝟱𝟬.𝟬𝟬𝟬
    ➡️ 𝗣𝗥𝗢𝗦𝗘𝗦 𝗗𝗘𝗣𝗢 𝟭 𝗠𝗘𝗡𝗜𝗧
    ➡️ 𝗣𝗥𝗢𝗦𝗘𝗦 𝗪𝗗 𝟮 - 𝟯 𝗠𝗘𝗡𝗜𝗧
    ➡️ 𝗧𝗘𝗥𝗦𝗘𝗗𝗜𝗔 𝗟𝗔𝗬𝗔𝗡𝗔𝗡 𝗟𝗜𝗩𝗘𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗧 𝗥𝗘𝗦𝗣𝗢𝗡 𝗖𝗘𝗣𝗔𝗧 𝗗𝗔𝗡 𝗥𝗔𝗠𝗔𝗛 𝟮𝟰/𝟳

    Tersedia Banyak Pilihan Deposit :
    💰 𝐒𝐄𝐌𝐔𝐀 𝐁𝐀𝐍𝐊 𝐈𝐍𝐃𝐎𝐍𝐄𝐒𝐈𝐀 ( 𝐁𝐂𝐀,𝐌𝐀𝐍𝐃𝐈𝐑𝐈,𝐁𝐍𝐈,𝐁𝐑𝐈,𝐃𝐀𝐍𝐀𝐌𝐎𝐍,𝐃𝐋𝐋)
    💰 𝐄-𝐖𝐀𝐋𝐋𝐄𝐓 (𝐃𝐀𝐍𝐀/𝐎𝐕𝐎/𝐆𝐎𝐏𝐀𝐘/𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐊𝐀𝐉𝐀)
    💰 𝐏𝐔𝐋𝐒𝐀 ( 𝐓𝐄𝐋𝐊𝐎𝐌𝐒𝐄𝐋 & 𝐗𝐋 )

    Layanan Livechat 24 jam
    WA : +62 877-6628-6231

    ReplyDelete
  46. Most games have a variety of winning combination of symbols, often posted on the face of the machine timur188

    ReplyDelete
  47. Jangan lewatkan kesempatan jackpot kamu! Hanya di 𝐒𝐀𝐓𝐖𝐀𝟒𝐃 yang cepat memberikan anda kemenangan dan jackpot dengan mudah. Cukup dengan modal 10.000 saja. Anda bisa berpeluang mendapatkan kemenangan dari ratusan ribu hingga jutaan rupiah. Langsung daftarkan akun anda untuk bermain di 𝐒𝐀𝐓𝐖𝐀𝟒𝐃. heylink.me/satwa4d #margasatwa #situsslot #situsslotgacor #betbola #parlay #bettingonline #taipei #situsterpercaya

    ReplyDelete