Brook Hills College – Blog

I do not believe there is a magic bullet to help you thrive in prayer. At the end of the day it is a discipline that must be developed by the power of the indwelling Spirit. However, below is a resource that I have utilized for a few years now that I believe you will find beneficial.

I continually find myself in prayer (whether spontaneous or concentrated) utilizing the IOUS acronym by John Piper. I pray it for myself, my family, those I lead in ministry, and those I meet who need the Gospel to transform their lives. Sometimes it is a heart whisper throughout my busy day. Other times it is a prayer offered as I lay prostrate on the floor. It is simple enough to put to memory rather quickly, and deep enough to meditate on for hours on end.

I hope you find it to be of use in your personal prayer time. For all you rowdy college students…know that I regularly go before the LORD, begging Him to accomplish these things in your life.

1. The first thing my soul needs is an inclination to God and his word. Without that, nothing else will happen of any value in my life. I must want to know God and read his word and draw near to him. Where does that “want to” come from? It comes from God. So Psalm 119:36 teaches us to pray, “Incline my heart to Your testimonies and not to gain.”

2. Next I need to have the eyes of my heart opened, so that when my inclination leads me to the word I see what is really there and not just my own ideas. Who opens the eyes of the heart? God does. So Psalm 119:18 teaches us to pray, “Open my eyes, that I may behold wonderful things from Your law.”

3. Then I need for my heart to be enlightened with these “wonders.” I need to perceive glory in them and not just interesting facts. Who enlightens the heart? God does. So Ephesians 1:18 teaches us to pray “That the eyes of your heart may be enlightened.”

4. Then I am concerned that my heart is fragmented and that parts of it might remain in the dark while other parts are enlightened. So I long for my heart to be united for God. Where does that wholeness and unity come from? From God. So Psalm 86:11 teaches us to pray, “O Lord, I will walk in Your truth; unite my heart to fear Your name.”

5. What I really want from all this engagement with the Word of God and the work of his Spirit in answer to my prayers is that my heart will be satisfied with God and not with the world. Where does that satisfaction come from? It comes from God. So Psalm 90:14 teaches us to pray, “O satisfy us in the morning with Your lovingkindness, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days.”

6. But I don’t just want to be happy in my own little private world with God. I want my happiness to be as full as possible for spreading and expanding for others. I want to be strong in joy. This will make me durable in the face of threats or adversity. Where does that strength and durability come from? It comes from God. So Ephesians 3:16 teaches us to pray, “That God would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man.”

7. Finally, I want my strength in Christ to produce good deeds for others so that the glory of God will be seen in my life. Who produces these good deeds? God does. So Colossians 1:10 teaches us to pray, “That [we] will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord . . . bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.”

All this I pray “in Jesus’ name,” because God gives these things to my soul only because Jesus died for me and removed the wrath of God so that the Father might “freely give me all things” (Romans 8:32).

“As it is the business of tailors to make clothes and of cobblers to mend shoes, so it is the business of Christians to PRAY!” Martin Luther

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Sacrifice our Money on Specific Purposes

For those of us who are on board with the Radical Experiment, we have committed to look at all of our expenses within the church, individual and family budgets and begin to view them through the lens of specific need in the world.The hope is to set a cap on our lifestyles so that we can free up as much of our resources as possible to be used for the sake of the glory of Christ in His church, among the lost, and among the poor.

A few weeks into the Radical Experiment I personally believe that this is the most difficult of the 5 commitments to keep.  We can discipline ourselves to read and pray daily. But there is always an aspect of dying to self that is involved in saying no to indulging ourselves and saying yes to sacrificing for others in dire need (especially those we have never had the opportunity to meet).  Despite the fact that we are aware that 26,000 children will die today of starvation and/or preventable diseases and we are aware that there are more than 1 Billion people who have no access to the Gospel- it is still exceedingly difficult to go without when it comes to our American luxuries. The past 3 weeks have proven that in the Taylor family and I assume it has done so in your life as well.

So, on day 21 of 365 of the Radical Experiment- I wanted to help remind you of why we should be dying daily to our unnecessary purchases on self.

(if you are viewing this through RSS feed, you might need to click HERE to watch the embedded video)

“We have money to use it in such a way to show money is not our god, but God is our God…Money is not our treasure, Christ is our treasure!” Piper

“Because your steadfast love is better than life” Psalm 63:3

Gallop Poll on Religion was quoted some years ago saying, “We are having a revival of feelings but not of the knowledge of God. The church today is more guided by feelings than by convictions. We value enthusiasm more than informed commitment” So many in our culture look to the Church to provide goods and services, that will enable them to continue in their self-absorbed life. Thankfully, I see something drastically different here at Brook Hills. I believe the direction is actually polar opposite, and that starts at the top with our Elders!

Need an example?… Disciple-Making Institute!

One of the umpteen reasons I am humbled to be a part of covenant community called The Church at Brook Hills is the The Institute for Disciple-Making (IDM). The Institute was birthed out of a biblical conviction that the best context for the training of God’s people to fulfill God’s mission is the local church.  The classes offered through IDM seeks to prepare church leaders in numerous capacities—small group leadership, worship leadership, pastoral ministry, missionary service, and much more. Below is the philosophy driving this picture.

Philosophy of Ministry

The Institute for Disciple-Making at Brook Hills seeks to align itself with and support the Vision, Mission and Goal of this faith family.

• We seek to glorify God by loving Him with all of our heart, soul, and mind (Matt. 22:37). His character, will, and ways are infinitely worthy of our reverent and serious contemplation.

• We seek to make disciples by teaching the Word of God. Jesus commanded His followers to make disciples by baptizing and teaching (Matt. 28:19-20). Disciples are sanctified by the truth; God’s Word is the truth (Jn. 17:17).

• We seek to make disciples of all nations by learning for the sake of others around the world (Matt. 28:19). Our efforts here are intended for world impact.

As you see below, there are some pretty potent classes offered this semester. I think it would be well worth the few hours per week to dive into one (or more) of these classes.  Remember, as CS Lewis said, “He (Christ) wants a child’s heart, but a grown-up’s head!”

Spring 2010 Offerings
Class	Day	Time	Room	Registration
Evangelism and Missions Dr. David Platt & Jonathan B.	Sunday	4:00-6:00pm	M17	Click Here
Biblical Counseling Dr. Mark Shaw	Tuesday	6:30-8:00pm	M17	Click Here
Intro to the New Testament Dr. Bart Box	Wednesday	6:30-8:00pm	M17	Click Here
Christian Theology II Dr. Bart Box	Thursday	9:00-11:00am	M17	Click Here
Christian Theology II Dr. Bart Box	Sunday	6:00-8:00pm	M17	Click Here

We seek to make disciples of all nations by learning for the sake of others around the world (Matt. 28:19). Our efforts here are intended for world impact.

A powerful 7.0 Earthquake hit 10 miles west of the capital city of Haiti, Porte-au-Prince. It happened this past Tuesday at 4:53pm.  Reports say it is the strongest earthquake to hit that area since 1770.

Haiti is the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere, with more than ½ of the population living on less than $1 a day.  Abject poverty is the norm with unemployment rate over 80%.  It is hard to even imagine the struggles of life that Haitians face day in and day out.  And now, on top of all of that, a large portion of the country has literally collapsed.

Haiti’s infrastructure was among the world’s worst, even before the devastating earthquake.  One government official said, “It was a catastrophe waiting to happen…sadly, it has happened”. I spoke to a friend earlier today who has been to Porte-au-Prince before. He said he did not see how that city could withstand even a strong wind, much less a massive earthquake.

Reports say that 1/3 of the 9 million people of Haiti may need emergency aid and there are probably 100’s of 1,000’s already dead as a result of the earthquake.

So what can we do?

I suggest 3 primary means of offering help to our Haitian brothers and sisters…

• Pray. I know this might seem trivial to some, but I am reminded of what Oswald Chamber said concerning prayer- “Prayer does not fit us for the greater work; prayer is the greater work.” Pray to God that He would be an ever-present help in time of need (Ps 46:1-2). Ask the Father to meet the needs of the Church, so that they could meet the needs of others (Ephesians 4:28). Ask God to transform the lives of scores of unbelievers in Haiti through this horrific tragedy (2 Corinthians 7:10). Beg God to send out laborers to the harvest, we all know suffering is God’s megaphone to rouse a deaf world (Mt. 9:37-38).  And finally, pray to God that your own soul would be softened by the news of the tragedy and be moved to action in Jesus name ( Micah 6:8).

• Give. It is simple. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also (Luke 12:34). We will spend enough money on our luxuries over the next few days to cover the cost of immediate emergency relief for many families in Haiti. God has blessed us, not for our own comfort, but to shine forth His salvation to the world (Ps. 67).  Sure, there will be scammers at every turn. And I hope you will be wise with your choice of who to give to. So, in light of many poorly run and down right fraudulent charities who will ask for your $ I  offer you one of many excellent options- Compassion International. They are Christ-centered, local church based, and adhere to the highest standard of integrity with donated money.

• GO. When the door of opportunity for effective ministry opens, GO! Scrounge up the $500+, buy a plane ticket, and board the plan headed to the earthquake zone! Give your time, energy and tears to serve the people in Haiti in Jesus Name. In doing so, it will be an incredible reminder to the Church in Haiti of the precious promise of Jesus, “I will be with you to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20).  We will keep you updated on opportunities for you to GO as our Global staff and other ministries put together trips in the near future.

In closing, in the midst of this tragedy and every other tragedy, I pray you cling to the promises of Ps 46-

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam though the mountains tremble at its swelling. There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy habitation of the Most High. God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved; God will help her when morning dawns. The nations rage, the kingdoms totter; he utters his voice, the earth melts. The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Come, behold the works of the Lord, how he has brought desolations on the earth. He makes wars cease to the end of the earth;
he breaks the bow and shatters the spear; he burns the chariots with fire.” Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!” The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. -Psalm 46

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We are off and running…

Radical Experiment is officially underway. We are currently clobbering Genesis while praying for the entire world via Operation World.  Amazingly, some have even gone so far as refraining from their $8 Venti Tri Pump Quad Shot Café Mocha.  I know it is hard to believe, but it is true. Seriously, we hope you have joined in on the sanctifying fun, but if not…we urge you to do so quickly.  Go to Radical Experiment to get all the details.  Whether you are in Birmingham beginning classes for your spring semester or in another state on Jan-Term break, you can stay on track with the rest of your church family by keeping up via the Radical website.

Multiplying Community…

One of the facets of the Radical Experiment is committing to a Multiplying Community. Although it is not the common trend among college students, every Christ-follower should commit wholeheartedly to membership of a local church (see Stephanie’s post on Church Membership). But, even deeper than that, we should commit ourselves to a disciple-making small group that is intentionally sharing, showing, and teaching the Word while serving the world together.  If you are not already connected to a College Small Group, there will be several opportunities for you to do so over the next month.

1. GroupLink: Our adult ministry is hosting a Group Link next Sunday, January 17^th at 6pm in the Student Building.  College Ministry will have several small group leaders for you to connect with and our staff will be there for those who want to form their own group.
2. College Mixer: This is a time is for college students to hangout and learn more about the Brook Hills College Ministry while enjoying a FREE catered lunch. The College Mixer will also give you an opportunity to connect to an existing College Small Group or form a new one among your friends. Spring Semester College Mixer will be January 31 at 12:30 p.m in the student building.

I cannot stress to you how important it is to connect to biblical community, especially in light of our church’s year long Radical Experiment.  Most of our College Small Groups will not start up until the first week of February (the week following the College Mixer).  So until then, I pray you maintain consistency in your daily reading through the Word and praying for the world.

Below is last week’s sermon by David Platt. It would be worth the 45min watch to get a good overview of what all The Church at Brook Hills is committing to over the course of the year and the resources that are available.

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IMPACT: New Member’s Workshop: Begins January 24th

I know that many of you have heard about the IMPACT class here at Brook Hills but we thought we would take a minute to explain again the importance of being connected to the body of believers through membership. “Meaningful local church involvement is not an optional spiritual discipline; it is the essential context within which believers are intended to find Christ and grow in him.” Sometimes we view membership of a local church as a supplement to our spiritual life but it is intended to be the very community of God’s redeemed people who have fully put their trust in Christ alone.

This summer, through David’s teaching, we were given a great picture of what the Covenant Community at Brook Hills looks like. Here are just a few key bullet points and reminders of why it is so important to be committed to the church:

The Foundation of a Church …
+We are a community grounded in the Word of God.
+We are a community sustained by the grace of God.
+We are a community promoting the good of one another.
+We are a community demonstrating the glory of God

The Value of Church Membership…
+Church membership is implied by church gatherings.
+Church membership is implied by church discipline.
+Church membership is implied by church leadership.
+Church membership is implied by church accountability.

The College Ministry staff highly encourages students to commit to membership of a Local Church. If you are interested in joining Brook Hills here is the link to the IMPACT class starting January 24th. Don’t wait to sign up, spaces are limited!

Pray for the entire world

Through a prayer emphasis that revolves around Operation World, we will pray together for the entire world over the course of a year.

Read through the entire Word

Using a chronological Bible Reading plan, we will read through the entire Bible together as a faith family. Daily devotional guides, weekly family worship times, small group discussions, and our worship gatherings will all be coordinate around our readings in the Word.

Commit our lives to multiplying community

We will commit ourselves wholeheartedly to the local church. But even deeper than that, we will commit ourselves to a small group that is intentionally sharing, showing, and teaching the Word while serving the world together.

Sacrifice our money for a specific purpose

For the next year, we will look at all of our expenses as a church, individuals and families through the lens of specific need in the world. We will work to set a cap on our lifestyles so that we can free up as much of our resources as possible for the sake of the glory of Christ in His church, among the lost, and among the poor.

Spend our time in another context

As we continue to give the majority of our time to making disciples right here in Birmingham, we will commit, as individuals and families, to give 2% (one week) of our time in Gospel ministry outside of Birmingham for the sake of God’s glory in all the world.

stay connected with the Daily Reading Schedule, the Daily Prayer Focus, and more at the Radical Experiment Website

Here is a video from Together for Adoption that shows the connection of the glory of the Gospel (i.e., the treasure that Jesus is) with the current global orphan crisis. The quotations from the video come from Dan Cruver’s article“The Orphan Crisis: Not the Way It’s Supposed to Be”

Freed to Visit Orphans from Together for Adoption on Vimeo.

Here is another video from Shoahannah’s Hope that gives facts about the needs of orphans and the hope that exists for them.

Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world. James 1:27

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The world is full of people who are trying to get all they can get out of life.  The reality of the impending death is continually before us all in this broken world.  And those who have no eternal hope, who have not been transformed by the Gospel, who do not know intimately the Person and Work of Jesus are in a rat race to soak up as much as possible at all costs before their life expiration date hits.  How else are they to live? If this is our only shot and all we have to look forward to is non-existence… or as Paul puts it “If the dead are not raised” then all we have to do in this world is  “eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.” (1Cor 15:32)

Not so for the believer in Christ. Not even close for those who have been redeemed, made alive, and given an eternal hope through Jesus Christ.  His death has ransomed those who have trusted in Him and His resurrection has secured for His people a reward.  For the Christ-follower, to live is Christ and to die is gain. (Phil 1:21)  This all-glorious truth radically shifts the way we live life and the way we approach our impending death.

This is clearly seen in the words below.  Matt Chandler , Pastor at Village Church, has over the past week come face to face with his own mortality.  His doctors discovered a small mass in the frontal lobe of his brain.  Today, hours before he went into major brain surgery, he posted the words below on his blog.  As I read his post, I was reminded that this is not our final stop and our life should reflect it.  And I was reminded of Resolution #17 from Jonathan Edwards, “Resolved, that I will live so as I shall wish I had done when I come to die.”

The last seven days have been some of the most interesting of my life. I have felt anxiety, fear, sadness and a deep and unmovable joy simultaneously and in deeper ways than I have felt before. I am grateful for this heightened sense of things. Today at 10:45 a.m. CST I will have a good portion of my right frontal lobe removed. I head into that surgery with a heart that is filled with gratitude and hope.

Here are some of the things I am thankful for in no particular order:

1. I am thankful for the thousands of you who have prayed and fasted for my health. It has brought far more tears to Lauren’s and my eyes to receive this kind of attention from the Church universal than this tumor has.
2. I’m thankful for health insurance because I’m guessing they aren’t doing my five-hour surgery for free!
3. I am thankful that I have deep, real friendships at The Village with Michael Bleecker, Josh Patterson, Brian Miller, Chris Chavez and Beau Hughes. They have been such a comfort to me and my family this past week. Pastors should have good friends on their staff. It’s risky but worth the risk.
4. I am grateful for the men of God in my life, namely John Piper who taught me to hold my life cheap and to join with Paul in saying “I don’t count my life of any value or as precious to myself if only I might finish my course and complete the work that He gave me to do to testify to the Gospel of the grace of God. I’m nothing, I just have a job. God keep me faithful on the job and then let me drop and go to the reward.” Without this strong view of God’s sovereign will, I’m not sure how you don’t despair in circumstances like mine.
5. I am thankful for my wife Lauren. “Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she laughs at the time to come. She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue. She looks well to the ways of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: ‘Many women have done excellently, but you surpass them all.’” “Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.”
6. I am thankful for my children. Audrey the Beautiful, Reid the Valiant and Norah the Joyous. Being a daddy to these three is one of the greatest joys of my life.
7. The privilege of seeing and appreciating all of life through the grid of a heightened sense of my own mortality.
8. I am thankful for brilliant doctors and surgeons who have been given a real gift by our great God and King to repair things as complex as the brain.
9. I am thankful for The Village Church. If there is a place that loves Jesus more, takes sanctification as seriously and wants to see the lost love the great King deeply I am unaware of it. These last seven years have been a spectacular joy!
10. More than anything else I am grateful to my King Eternal, my Lord Immortal, for my God invisible. He alone is God. All Glory and Honor, Forever to You O God. I am overwhelmed in these moments by God Himself and the assurance of a future inheritance of a Kingdom that cannot be shaken and where all things are made new (Hebrews 12).

Christ is All,
Matt Chandler

Praying for Matt Chandler and his family today. Trusting that our Sovereign God is working out all things, including brain tumors, according to the counsel of His will. And learning more and more of what it looks like to live life well- In other words, learning to live life with my eyes fixed on Christ and continually aware of my own mortality!

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Every time I read or listen to David Powlison I thank God for him.  He has incredible wisdom and it comes through so clearly in the practicality of his theology! My encouragement is to clobber anything Powlison you can get your hands on.  Below is a semi-outline of his “Breaking Pornography Addictions” pt 1 that I hope and pray Christ uses to rid some of you of your addiction.

WHAT IS PORNOGRAPHY?

The first part of the word pornography, “porné,” means immorality and the second part, “graph” means to write, draw, or portray. Pornography is about picturing, imagining, and fantasizing about immorality…We are all bombarded with pornography every day—it’s the atmosphere we live in.

FANTASIZING IMMORALITY IS WRONG

It’s important for you to acknowledge that what you are doing is wrong, because you won’t fight well unless you are able to say, “This is an enemy. When I do this, I sin.”

WHAT DOES PROGRESS LOOK LIKE?

• A decrease in the frequency of a sin is a true good..
• A change in the actual nature of the sin is progress.
• A change in the battleground is progress.
• An increase in honesty and accountability is progress.
• Not always responding to difficult circumstances by indulging in sin is progress
• Repenting more quickly is progress.
• Learning to love and consider the interest of real people is progress.

UNDERSTAND YOUR DEEPER STRUGGLE

How do you get going in the right direction? You start by understanding your struggle. It’s easy for your big, obvious sins (like surfing the internet for pornographic material) to conceal the deeper sins that fuel your struggle with pornography. But unless you recognize and repent of the sin patterns underlying your addiction, you won’t be fighting the right battle

Start a journal, and keep track of what’s happening in your life when you struggle with pornography. Answer these questions:

• When does it happen? What is going on? What happened that day?
• What were you thinking about? What was the nature of the temptation?
• What did you do about it? Did you act on it?
• If you didn’t act on it, how did that happen?
• If you did what did you do after you fell?
• How did you recover? What was the after-effect?

As you start to grapple with your deeper sin patterns, you’ll see that your problem is much bigger, your need for grace is much deeper, and your goal is much more magnificent than you ever imagined.

YOU GO TO GOD

How do you begin taking those small steps in the right direction that will add up to deep down change? You go to God…Your only hope for deliverance from this never-ending cycle of self is going to Jesus. How do you recover from defeats? You recover from defeats by going back to the God who offers mercy and forgiveness to you through the death of his own Son on the cross. Jesus died so you could be forgiven.

Pt 2 is coming soon.

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