The Church at Brook Hills

Brook Hills College – Blog

1. Gospel Clarification

   October 22, 2009 by Britten Taylor

   What is the Gospel?  There is much confusion among those who are answering this question.  Many definitions are weak and some are down right wrong.  There are some trying to redefine and in so doing just rejecting it all together.  Don Carson gives 8 words that summarize the Gospel from his address to the Gospel Coalition back in 2007. His sermon serves as a great reminder of what exactly the Bible says is the “power of God for salvation”.

   1. Christological: The gospel centers on the person and work (the life, death, and resurrection) of Jesus Christ.
   2. theological: The gospel tells us that sin is first and foremost an offense against God and that salvation is first to last the action of God, not our own.
   3. biblical: The gospel is essentially the message of the whole Bible.
   4. apostolic: The gospel is passed on to us by Jesus’ disciples as authoritative eyewitnesses.
   5. historical: The gospel is not philosophy or advice on how to find God, but rather news of what God has done in history to find and save us.
   6. personal: The gospel must be personally believed and appropriated.
   7. universal: The gospel is for every tongue, tribe, people, and individual.
   8. eschatological: The gospel includes the good news of the final transformation, not just the blessings we enjoy in this age.

   He also gives 5 clarifying sentences to differentiate the Gospel from what it is not.

   1. This gospel is normally disseminated in proclamation (preaching, heraldic ministry). The good news must be announced, heralded, explained.
   2. This gospel is fruitfully received in authentic, persevering faith, faith that continues and brings forth results.
   3. This gospel is properly disclosed in a context of personal self-humiliation. People respond to it by becoming aware of their own insufficiency and helplessness. “I am not what I want to be, nor what I ought to be, nor what I will be, but by the grace of God I am what I am.” John Newton. Humility. Gratitude. Dependence on Christ, contrition – these are the attitudes of the truly converted. “Proud Christian” is an unthinkable oxymoron.
   4. This gospel is rightly asserted to be the confession of the whole church. Of course what the whole church, or all the churches are doing, is not necessarily right. Otherwise there would be no need for an Athanasius or a Luther. Hidebound tradition is not the gospel. But also be suspicious of churches who proudly flaunt how different they are from what has gone before. (reread this one, it needs to soak in)
   5. This gospel is boldly advancing under the contested reign and inevitable victory of Jesus the king. All of God’s sovereignty is mediated through King Jesus: All authority is given to me in heaven and on earth… the name that is above every name… he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. There is still resistance, but one day the final enemy, death itself, will die, and God will be all in all. Therefore, stand firm, let nothing move you, always give yourselves fully to the Lord, knowing that your work for him is not in vain.

   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. Romans 1:16

   Category: Gospel, Uncategorized Comments (0)

2. Missional Living

   October 18, 2009 by Britten Taylor

   Great insight from Jonathan Dodson, Pastor of Austin City Life Church,  into how to break out of the Christian bubble which so many of us find ourselves living in.  At the core of the mission of Christ is to engage the lost world with the Gospel.

   Eat with Non-Christians

   We all eat three meals a day. Why not make a habit of sharing one of those meals with a non-Christian or with a family of non-Christians? Go to lunch with a co-worker, not by yourself. Invite the neighbors over for family dinner. If it’s too much work to cook a big dinner, just order pizza and put the focus on conversation. When you go out for a meal, invite a non-Christian friend. Or take your family to family-style restaurants where you can sit at the table with strangers and strike up conversations. Have cookouts and invite Christians and non-Christians. Flee the Christian subculture.

   Walk, Don’t Drive

   If you live in a walkable area, make a practice of getting out and walking around your neighborhood, apartment complex, or campus. Instead of driving to the mailbox or convenience store, walk to get mail or groceries. Be deliberate in your walk. Say hello to people you don’t know. Strike up conversations. Attract attention by walking the dog, carrying along a 6-pack to share, bringing the kids. Make friends. Get out of your house! Last night I spent an hour outside gardening with my family. We had good conversations with about four of our neighbors. Take interest in your neighbors. Ask questions. Engage. Pray as you go. Save some gas, the planet, and some people.

   Be a Regular

   Instead of hopping all over the city for gas, groceries, haircuts, eating out, and coffee, go to the same places at the same times. Get to know the staff. Smile. Ask questions. Be a regular. I have friends at coffee shops all over the city. My friends at Starbucks donate a ton of leftover pastries to our church 2-3 times a week. We use them for church gatherings and occasionally give them to the homeless. Build relationships. Be a regular.

   Hobby with Non-Christians

   Pick a hobby that you can share. Get out and do something you enjoy with others. Try city league sports or local rowing and cycling teams. Share your hobby by teaching lessons, such as sewing, piano, knitting, or tennis lessons. Be prayerful. Be intentional. Be winsome. Have fun. Be yourself.

   Talk to Your Co-workers.

   How hard is that? Take your breaks with intentionality. Go out with your team or task force after work. Show interest in your co-workers. Pick four and pray for them. Form moms’ groups in your neighborhood and don’t make them exclusively non-Christian. Schedule play dates with the neighbors’ kids. Work on mission.

   Volunteer with Non-Profits.

   Find a non-profit in your part of the city and take a Saturday a month to serve your city. Bring your neighbors, your friends, or your small group. Spend time with your church serving your city. Once a month. You can do it!

   Participate in City Events

   Instead of playing XBox, watching TV, or surfing the net, participate in city events. Go to fundraisers, festivals, cleanups, summer shows, and concerts. Participate missionally. Strike up conversation. Study the culture. Reflect on what you see and hear. Pray for the city. Love the city. Participate with the city.

   Serve Your Neighbors.

   Help a neighbor by weeding, mowing, building a cabinet, or fixing a car. Stop by the neighborhood association or apartment office and ask if there is anything you can do to help improve things. Ask your local Police and Fire Stations if there is anything you can do to help them. Get creative. Just serve!

   Britten

   
   

   
   

   Category: Mission, Uncategorized Comments (0)

3. The Great Commission

   October 15, 2009 by Britten Taylor

   

   Disciple-Making is at the core of our mission as Christ-followers.  The Great Commission is quite clear- based upon the authority of Christ (Matt. 28:18) we are to go make disciples of all nations (Matt. 28:19) and in so doing trust in the sweet promise of the Risen Christ that he will never leave us (Matt. 28:20).

   Interestingly, the only imperative is found in verse 19 when Christ commands us to “make disciples”.  At the heart of our mission is transformation.  But, most of the Church has a very shallow understanding of how to go about accomplishing this task.  I think it is often times assumed that Christians by default understand what it means and what it takes to “make disciples”.  So, in an effort to clarify the term, let me give you 3 words that have helped me tremendously in thinking through what it means to accomplish the Great Commission. These are from Bill Hull in The Complete Book of Discipleship.

   1. Deliverance: going into the World and admonishing those who do not know or those who have not believed in the Gospel to turn from their sin and trust in Jesus Christ. Disciple-making is not just about believers growing deeper in their walk.  It is about rescuing dead sinners. It is about going into all of the world and lovingly yet boldly proclaiming the Gospel, that is the power of God for salvation.
   2. Development: once a person has turned from their sin and trusted in Christ- the step is to “teach them to observe all that I have commanded”. Notice that Disciple-making is not just a transfer of intellectual ideas.. No, disciple-making is about transformation! Transformation is our mission. Our aim is to reproduce the life of Christ in others!
   3. Finally, Deployment: Once a disciple is made- the final step is “sending”. Commissioning out the disciple, the same way you the disciple-maker has been sent (John 20:21)

   I hope these 3 words (beautifully alliterated by the way for the reader) will help guide you in your disciple-making efforts.  If you think about it, removing any one of these aspects of disciple-making will result in the breakdown of the entire process.  You cannot impact nations without a radical commitment to all three of these components.

   Britten

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4. Catching the newbies up to speed…pt2

   October 8, 2009 by Britten Taylor

   

   Previously I have written a post on “catching the newbies up to speed” and introduced you to  what I would say is one of the most influential teaching series here at The Church at Brook Hills- “Follow Me: What does it mean to be a disciple and make disciples.”  At this point I hope all of you have taken the time to listen/watch through this whole series and are now all fully devoted disciples and disciple-makers!

   Next up, I point you to the “Lifeblood” series.  If I could mandate all incoming freshmen (and even the rest of the 30,000+ college students in the greater Birmingham area) to listen to one teaching series…it would be this one.  Our country is flooded with churches and inundated with “gospel” ministry- but still so many have a very shallow, if not unbiblical view of the Gospel. This teaching series by David Platt expounds the Truth of Scripture and exposes tb of the misconceptions that are so common among Christians in our day.  Download, listen, listen again, and if necessary listen again.

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5. Radical Experiment @ Samford

   by Britten Taylor

   

   Eat like the rest of the word.  What’s on the menu? Rice, beans and tap water!  Last night our pastor David Platt spoke at Shiloh, a worship gathering hosted by University Ministries, at Samford’s “Go Global” week on the topic of the Gospel and global poverty.  At the dinner preceding Shiloh we were able to serve rice and beans to students attending the worship gathering.

   

   Why rice and beans with a cup of tap water?  Because the $1500+ that was saved by not catering this meal – but serving rice, beans, and tap water – will go directly to impoverished areas of India to care for children in dire physical need.  Our world is filled with billions of people who are in urgent physical and spiritual need.  Over 26,000 children die every day of starvation or preventable diseases. On top of this, 1.4 billion people still have no access to the Gospel.

   

   In light of this, the Church at Brook Hills has committed to what we are calling “The Radical Experiment.”  For one year, we will look at every expenditure we have in light of these dire, desperate needs around the world (specifically children who are dying of starvation or preventable diseases and hose who have no access to the Gospel.)  As a church, we will save and sacrifice in every possible place in order to free up as many resources as we can to give away to urgent need in the world around us.

   

   David Platt spoke to the Samford students about meeting both physical and spiritual need around us, challenging us not to allow our work to be devoid of either.  We cannot provide for physical need without addressing spiritual need.  The trendiness of addressing social justice problems quickly becomes less trendy when we accompany our deeds with the bold proclamation of the Gospel.  But that is a non-negotiable.  Our involvement with the poor and oppressed are an overflow of a life that has been transformed by the Gospel.  Likewise, we cannot address spiritual need and not address physical need — for James would tell us that this type of faith is in face no faith at all.

   

   Category: College Life, Uncategorized Comments (0)

6. The Word is Worth the Risk

   October 5, 2009 by Britten Taylor

   Secret Church is coming soon…

   Today, Monday, October 5th, at 9a.m., Secret Church tickets go on sale!

   You can get them by visiting Brook Hills’ website, www.brookhills.org, or by going to www.secretchurch.org. Tickets are $5. This will cover your study materials for the evening.

   Secret Church will be Friday, November 6, from 6p.m. – midnight.

   If you want to be added to our email roster, have questions, or need additional information, feel free to contact our Media Director, Angelia Steward, at astewart@brookhills.org or call her at 205.313.7735. There is also a Secret Church Facebook Group that you can join to stay connected.

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