Redeemer’s philosophy was that preaching on Sunday mornings and evenings had to major in the majors—that is, establish that Jesus Christ was God come to save us, not just one more teacher showing us how to save ourselves.
In 2002, Tim Keller wrote what, for me, was the most compelling case for planting new churches. His argument was two-fold: new church plants are not only evangelistically most effective to grow the body of Christ in a city, but they’re also necessary for the renewal of existing churches.
In the wilderness God provided for the material needs of the children of Israel with manna. Every morning the manna appeared on the ground and the Israelites went out to get it with the following instruction: “Each one is to gather as much as he needs. Take an omer for each person you have in your tent. The Israelites did as they were told: some gathered much, some little.”
Here in Manhattan, there is a dearth of plaques of spiritual leaders, though many have come through here and have done great work.
George Packer wrote an article in The Atlantic (“How America Fractured into Four Parts,” July/August 2021) which outlines four recent U.S. political movements that employ moral visions of a good society. He concludes that they are all inadequate and that he does not want to live in any of the four “Americas” that the political movements are seeking to establish.
28 African church planters received training grounded in and centered on the gospel. They were challenged to preach Christ through the whole Bible because it all points to Him. They became reacquainted with their Heavenly Father, who loves them and redeemed them at a great cost. Each of these leaders is now participating in a year-long residency program to deepen their understanding from the Intensive, strengthen their relationships with their fellow planters, and expand the influence of gospel-centered churches in their cities.
Michael Horton exhorts Christians to not confuse discipleship with the gospel. A disciple was someone who followed a rabbi around not only to learn doctrine but also to see its application in life. Jesus was one such rabbi, as we see in the familiar story reported in Luke 10:38–42.
As a child in church, I spent much of my early life hearing, reading, and singing about God’s love for me. But as I look back on my walk with the Lord thus far, there is one question that I seem to have never stopped asking: “Does God really love me?”
This Month's Featured Book
In this book, Tim Keller explores how the interactions Jesus had with people were transformative for them, and how these encounters are still able to address the big questions and doubts about life that each of us have today.
