The Underestimated Gospel

On By Dr. Casey LewisIn Devotionals2 Comments

In Romans 1:16-17 we read,

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.”

Here we learn that the gospel is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes. But do we really believe the gospel has the power to save everyone? Thabiti Anyabwile, one of the speakers at the T4G conference challenged us to believe the gospel has the power to save everyone. He spoke on 1 Timothy 1:12-17 and the title of his talk was: Will your gospel transform a terrorist?

In 1 Timothy 1:12-17 Paul is discussing who he was before his conversion to Christianity. As you know Paul heavily persecuted the church. In this text, he lists himself as the chief of all sinners. Even so, Christ saved him. He received God’s grace and mercy despite his persecution of the church.

The Underestimated Gospel

Often I think we, myself included, believe the gospel cannot save those who are that far gone. We do not really believe our gospel will transform a terrorist. The reason we believe that is because we underestimate the power of the gospel, which was the theme of the conference I attended.

The purpose of the conference was to show that the power of the gospel is not to be underestimated. It can, will, and does change those who we may believe are unchangeable. In order to show this, we heard a number of sermons, as well as testimonies about the power of the gospel. Some of these testimonies came from people who grew up in Christian homes, but others were from people who were power hungry, selfish, and only seeking to make a name for themselves. While others gave testimony that the gospel saved them from gang life, alcohol, and drugs.

The Articulated Gospel

Not only did we learn that the gospel has the power to save everyone, and that we should not underestimate its power to bring about change in a person’s life, we also learned that we must articulate the gospel to others. In other words, we must actually tell it to others.

And so, if we believe the gospel has the power to save even the worst of the worst, if we believe the gospel has the power to save a terrorist, then we must articulate it’s message to everyone in society. Never thinking that someone is too far gone, because when we start to think like that, we are underestimating the power of the gospel.

My Challenge

I want to challenge you, just as I have been challenged this week, to not underestimate the power of the gospel to save everyone. As well as I want to challenge you to articulate its message to all you come in contact with. For it is a message that took Paul from a hardened persecutor of the church, to its greatest advocate. May it do the same in someone’s life we take the time to tell this good news to. Don’t underestimate the power of the gospel!

Sermons To Motivate You to Spread the Gospel

On By Dr. Casey LewisIn Evangelism, Pastoral, PreachingLeave a comment

Here are three messages I heard at the Together for the Gospel (T4G) Conference this last week that I would like to share with you. These messages have spurred me on to evangelize the lost, articulate the gospel, and pray about mission work. I hope they do the same for you.

Thabiti Anyabwile | Will Your Gospel Transform a Terrorist?

Albert Mohler | The Power of the Articulated Gospel

David Platt | Divine Sovereignty: The Fuel of Death-Defying Missions

T4G and Band of Bloggers Resources

On By Dr. Casey LewisIn Books, PastoralLeave a comment

This last week I was blessed to be able to attend the Together for the Gospel (T4G) Conference and the Band of Bloggers forum. At each, we received a substantial amount of books. As a way to say thank you to the publishers, I want to highlight the books we received.

Tim Challies has already supplied the list on his blog, so instead of creating a new list, I want to share his list with you guys. If you have never read Tim’s blog, I would highly encourage you to do so.

Together for the Gospel

  • The Cross and Christian Ministry by D.A. Carson (Amazon | Westminster)
  • Fellowship with God by Martyn Lloyd-Jones (not available online; given in both book and CD format)
  • Listen Up! by Christopher Ash (Amazon | Westminster)
  • Gospel and Kingdom by Graeme Goldsworthy (Amazon | Westminster)
  • Health, Wealth and Happiness by David Jones and Russell Woodbridge (Amazon)
  • Reformation: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow by Carl Trueman (Amazon |Westminster)
  • Turning to God by David Wells (Amazon)
  • What Is the Mission of the Church? by Greg Gilbert and Kevin DeYoung (Amazon | Westminster)
  • Preaching and Preachers: 40th Anniversary Edition by Martyn Lloyd-Jones (Amazon | Westminster)
  • How the Gospel Brings Us All the Way Home by Derek Thomas (Amazon |Westminster)
  • The Pleasures of God by John Piper (Amazon | Westminster)
  • Church Membership: How the World Knows Who Represents Jesus by Jonathan Leeman (Amazon | Westminster)
  • The Church: The Gospel Made Visible by Mark Dever (Amazon | Westminster)
  • 1 Corinthians 1-9: Challenging Church by Mark Dever (The Good Book Company)
  • A T4G special edition of the HCSB

Several of these were special editions created specifically for T4G (including, for example, the books from Piper and Carson).

Band of Bloggers

The couple hundred people who attended Band of Bloggers also received these titles:

  • On Earth As It Is In Heaven by Wyman Lewis Richardson (Amazon)
  • Tribal Church: Lead Small, Impact BIG by Steve Stroope (Amazon)
  • 7: An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess by Jen Hatmaker (Amazon)
  • Everyday Prayers by Scotty Smith (Amazon | Westminster)
  • Who Am I?: Identity in Christ by Jerry Bridges (Amazon)
  • A Holy Ambition by John Piper (Amazon)
  • Red Like Blood: Confrontations With Grace by Joe Coffey and Bob Bevington (Amazon | Westminster)
  • G.O.S.P.E.L. by D.A. Horton (Amazon)
  • Test, Train, Affirm and Send Into Ministry by Brian Croft (Amazon |Westminster)
  • Gospel: Recovering the Power that Made Christianity Revolutionary by J.D. Greear (Amazon | Westminster)
  • Subversive: Living as Agents of Gospel Transformation by Ed Stetzer (Amazon)
  • The World We All Want by Tim Chester (Amazon)

Thank You

To all those who contributed these resources, thank you. They will serve me and my congregation well over this next year.

Why I am Going to Together for the Gospel

On By Dr. Casey LewisIn Discipleship, Pastoral2 Comments

Bright and early tomorrow morning I am flying to Louisville, KY with three other friends to attend the Together for the Gospel (T4G) Conference. I am excited, and I can’t wait to go! But why? Why have I made it a priority in my busy schedule as a pastor to attend this conference?

Why I am Going to Together for the Gospel

(1) Teaching

The men who will be speaking at this conference are godly men that have been blessed by God with the ability to shepherd other pastors. They are firmly grounded in the Word and all their counsel will be as well. I am looking forward to hearing what they have to say about the gospel, as well as learning more about how the gospel applies to my life, my ministry, and my church.

(2) Books

I love books, they are essential tools for any minister, and there will be tons of vendors at the conference. The best thing is that these vendors will have hand selected a number of solid books and they will be selling them at a discounted price. As well as there will be a lot of books given away for free, which is probably the best part. I plan on coming back with a suitcase full, so much so that I am packing as light as possible, in order to make room for more books. If it is not a necessity, I am not bringing it. I am hoping these books will not only serve to educate me, but that they will also serve my congregation.

(3) Fellowship

I have found that conferences are a great time to meet other godly men from around the country, as well as it is a great time to spend with friends. I am looking forward to connecting with those I have not seen since my last conference, meeting new people, and hanging with my friends I am traveling with. Above all, I am looking forward to learning how God is working in these men’s lives and churches, as well as hearing how the gospel is being spread in their town, and how they are ministering to their community.

(4) Band of Bloggers

I am looking forward to gathering together with other fellow bloggers at the Band of Bloggers meeting to discuss and learn how we may band together as a united front to spread the gospel to the nations through the internet. As well as I am looking forward to meeting new people and discovering new blogs to add to my RSS reader.

(5) Traveling

I love to travel and learn about new places. I am looking forward to exploring Louisville, KY, seeing the campus of SBTS, and eating at a few local places.

For He Has Risen, as He Said!

On By Dr. Casey LewisIn Devotionals6 Comments

Tomorrow is Easter Sunday. The day we will celebrate the Resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. This Easter I have the privilege of preaching on the resurrection at Sycamore Baptist Church, where I am now the Lead Pastor. I will be preaching over Matthew’s account of the resurrection. In that account, the angel of the Lord tells the two Mary’s who come to the tomb:

“Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for He has risen, as He said. Come, see the place where He lay.”

Their dialogue tells us that Jesus knew about His crucifixion and resurrection. It was not a mystery, nor was it plan B.

Jesus’ Announcements of His Resurrection

Jesus actually announced His resurrection several times during His ministry:
  • In Matthew 12:40, He compares Himself to Jonah saying that as Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days, I will be in the grave three days.
  • In Matthew 16:21, we learn that “Jesus began to show His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.”
  • In Matthew 17:23, 20:19, and 26:32, Jesus again foretells His death, and in Matthew 26:32 He even tells His disciples where He would go after His resurrection, which is Galilee.

What does this tell us?

It tells us that Jesus’ resurrection was not unplanned, nor unknown. In fact, His death, burial, and resurrection was and always has been apart of God’s sovereign plan. God knew Adam and Eve would sin in the garden, even before the foundation of the earth since Ephesians 1:3-4 tells us that we are chosen (predestined/elected) before the foundation of the earth to be blessed in Christ. In other words, we are chosen before the earth even began to be saved from our sins through the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

So we learn that Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection were apart of God’s plan from the beginning and Jesus knew this plan and shared it with His disciples.

What does Jesus’ death and resurrection accomplish?

His death and resurrection accomplishes salvation for all those who repent of their sins and confess that Jesus Christ is Lord and Savior.

Through His death He paid the price for our sins, taking on the wrath of God, and dying the death we deserved, so that all those who believe in Him would be reconciled to God and could experience eternal life.

His resurrection proves all He said was true. In the resurrection, God places His stamp of approval on all of Jesus’ claims to be the Messiah, the Savior, the Chosen one, as well as His cross work, which means that His death really does cover our sins. His death really does reconcile our relationship to God. His death really does provide us with eternal life. We should recognize that and worship Him.

Conclusion

So this Easter, do not forget the resurrection. Amidst all the fun with friends and family hunting Easter eggs, cooking out, and dressing in your Sunday best, do not forget that this day was planned from before the earth began. Do not forget that this day Jesus our Lord and Savior was resurrected from the grave. Do not forget that this day all that Jesus said about Himself was confirmed, when His hand began to twitch in the grave and life was breathed back into His crucified body. Do not forget to worship the Lord, FOR HE HAS RISEN, AS HE SAID!


The Sanctifying Work of the Holy Spirit | Part 1

On By Dr. Casey LewisIn Practical8 Comments

As Christian, we are set apart by God to glorify Him in our bodies (1 Cor. 6:19-20). The way we glorify God in our bodies is to become more like His Son, Jesus Christ. The way we become more like His Son is through the transforming work of the Holy Spirit in our lives, which is known as Sanctification. In my next series of posts I want to explore the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit.

Sanctification: A Definition

When I talk about sanctification, I simply mean the process by which we are set apart unto God for His use. There are two types of sanctification. The first is Definitive Sanctification, and the second is Progressive Sanctification. We will discuss Definitive Sanctification today, and leave it to my next post to discuss Progressive Sanctification.

Definitive Sanctification

Definitive Sanctification can be defined by saying our belief in the gospel occurs at a definitive moment in space time history through the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. He is the one who first sets us apart by opening our hearts to the gospel message, allowing us to understand it, and believe in it as our only hope of salvation (2 Thess. 2:13-14; 1 Peter 1:1-2; Jn 3:5-8; Titus 3:5).

Without an objective moment in time occurring where we are set apart through the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives, we would not be able to begin to be more like Christ because we would be in bondage to our sin, as well as we would be spiritually dead (Eph. 2:1-5; Col. 2:13-14). In Christ, we are made alive, we are a new creation (2 Cor. 5:17). As those who have been made alive by the work of the Holy Spirit, we can begin to become more like Christ, but not before we are raised from the dead in Christ through the work of the Holy Spirit.

This means that we are only able to become more like Christ after we have been set apart by the work of the Holy Spirit. The gospel does not tell us that we have to first clean ourselves up before we come to Christ. It tells us that the only way we can believe in Christ is if we are made alive by the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

Application

Believing the Holy Spirit is the one who awakens dead sinners hearts has radical implications in regards to our evangelism and preaching. By understanding it is the work of the Holy Spirit who awakens a sinners dead heart, we can say several things:

(1) We are freed from the pressure of feeling like we must close the deal every time talk with someone about Christ.

Rather than feeling like we cannot share the gospel with someone until we have our presentation fine tuned, we can share what we know, in the way that works best for us, trusting the Holy Spirit is the one who will close the deal by awakening their heart. No matter how good of a presentation we may give, or how persuasive of a closing argument we have, people will not believe the gospel unless the Holy Spirit has awakened them to it.

From experience you know this is true. Have you ever spent hours on end pleading and showing someone the truth of the gospel only to have them reject it? You answered all their questions, your presentation was solid, you provided them with example after example of how the gospel has changed your life and how you have more joy in Christ than you ever thought possible, but they still do not believe, they still are not ready to commit their lives to Christ. Why you ask? Because the Holy Spirit has not awakened them to the reality of the gospel.

So then, instead of trying to find the next best way to close the deal, be real with people. Share your heart and trust the Holy Spirit will use what you say, no matter how inadequate you believe it to be, to awaken their hearts to the gospel.

(2) We are freed from the belief that people’s blood is on our hands if we do not tell them about the gospel.

In saying this I do not mean to say that we should not seek to tell everyone we meet about the gospel. Rather, I mean that we have a different motivation for presenting the gospel to them. Our motivation is not out of guilt or fear, but out of gratitude for what God has done for us and love for that person. When we tell others about the gospel, we should not tell them the gospel simply to make ourselves feel better, we should present the gospel to them because we want them to experience the same joy, love, and freedom from sin that we experience in Christ as a new creation.

(3) We are freed from manufacturing a worship service that plays on people’s feelings and emotions. 

Rather than manufacturing feelings in people, we are to clearly and boldly explain the gospel message, believing the Holy Spirit will use the Word of God to awaken ones heart to believe in Jesus as their Lord and Savior.

Looking Forward

In my next post in this series, I will introduce and define the concept of Progressive Sanctification.

Resources

Jerry Bridges, The Transforming Power of the Gospel, Ch. 8