Q. Dale: How can training for evangelism in the local church propel global missions and help us finish the Great Commission?

A. Rico: Brother, I think all evangelism—everything we do evangelistically—is about three great themes, and it’s why I think 2 Corinthians 4:1–6 is the most important passage on evangelism in the Bible.

Therefore, since through God’s mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart. Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God. And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. For what we preach is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ. – 2 Corinthians 4:1-6 (NIV)

And here are the three great themes: sovereignty, integrity, and creativity. So, sovereignty: God has to do the miracle and open blind eyes. Integrity: We have to teach the truth. Jesus is Lord,  He’s risen from the dead. … There is a place called hell. We need to be saved from God’s wrath. Repentance is real. But third, creativity: What does it mean to reach people wherever we are? Sovereignty, integrity, creativity. That’s what you take from your local situation to any situation.

So, this is how His sovereignty [plays out] here on my street. When we meet our neighbors, we know the sovereign Lord (Acts 17:24 –28) has put us there. Who are the people around me? God has placed them there. He’s the creator, sustainer, and ruler. How amazing God has sovereignly placed my neighbors here. So that means as I go out to them, they’re not there by chance: God has put them there to hear the gospel. And His aim is that the gospel goes out. We’ve only been here six months, that’s [holds up journal] every house on the street, just about one or two we’re short of. So, wherever I am, as I’m driving by, I say, “Okay, let’s pray.” And then I pray through the names. 

Integrity: How can we tell the gospel truthfully? What do we need to talk about? We need to talk about hope in the face of death. We need to talk about forgiveness. We need to tell people: Actually, you are not what you should be.

Third, creativity. How can we reach them in creative ways? My daughter and I are giving out Easter baskets on the street and asking people to come for a picnic. And then we pray … When [she and I come back from school], as we go past, we say, “Lord, we pray for number two. We pray for number four. We pray for John and Jenny and number 24.” So, we’re praying and reaching out.

So, I would train people with sovereignty, integrity, creativity locally. But wherever you go, even if you end up in Afghanistan, it’s the same three issues. And, find out your neighbors’ names.

Q. Dale: And are there next steps?

A. Rico: There are four I go through. Number one, celebrate people. Second, serve them. What are the needs on the street? When we went at Christmas, there was a woman three doors down whose husband had died suddenly in the summer and we took her some flowers.

Third, cross the pain line and ask a question. For example, “Do you celebrate Easter? Would you come to church? Would you like to do that with us?” Now, I’ll need to have my identity in Christ as I ask that because it is a bit scary, even just a gentle question like that, because we’re the aroma of life to some, and the smell of death to the others.

Fourth, exit. So that means that if they go quiet, you go quiet. But people are thrilled to get an Easter package. And if a Muslim up the street sent me some chocolates at Ramadan and said, “Here’s a book,” I’d [accept them graciously].

I’m not going to risk this unless my identity is in the grace of God. So whether you accept or reject me doesn’t make me valuable. What makes me valuable is the gospel, is God’s love for me. My value is in that, not whether you accept or reject me.

Q. Dale: Why do people still not talk about the gospel?

A. Rico: The answer that I found over the last 20 years is: idols So, if we’re not preaching the gospel, if we’re not going to our neighbors, if we’re not speaking to colleagues, it is idols underneath. The first two commandments are: Don’t have other gods. But that’s true for evangelism, too. That’s what stops us from speaking. So, don’t forget with idols that we love them, we trust them, and we obey them. So if I’m trying to find out your idols, I’d be saying, well, what do you daydream about? What are your nightmares? When do you lose your temper? What are the things most precious? And then you dig those out and then you are aware of the things that often stop you from speaking. And quite often it’s good things that take up all your time. So, for example, the kids’ sports. Now that’s really important, but as I’m doing the kids’ sports, am I looking to reach anyone with the gospel or am I just there for the kids’ sports?

Q. Dale: What is an evangelist?

A. Rico: That’s a great question. And so many people get this wrong! The evangelist in Ephesians 4:11–12 is there to prepare God’s people for works of service. So, the evangelist is not just to be proclaiming the gospel themselves. Yes, that’s true. But their primary role is to equip the church family to proclaim the gospel. So yes, I might say, “Come and hear me speak.” But my biggest job is to go [help others tell and bring a friend along]. All these people think evangelism and say, “I can’t see myself as a great speaker.” They think of Billy Graham in a stadium.

Yes, you do need someone who can preach the gospel, but much more you need someone who’s working through the church family saying, “Dale, let’s talk about your neighbor Cindy and her husband, Max, and what do you think is the next step for them? Can we do a little Easter bag for them? Let’s be praying for them. What are their hobbies? What might they like?” That’s how we’re doing it [in my church].

If you see every situation as a divine appointment, at the heart of evangelism is a real doctrine of God’s sovereignty. Do I really believe Acts 17:24–28, that the One who’s made the world sustains it? He’s the ruler. So, He’s put you in St. Louis, He’s put me [in London]. And that, I think, is when I see a neighbor on the street and I stop and talk to them and I know their name. God has put them there to meet me. So, that’s what I find really exciting because I think God is the great evangelist. If you really believe that divine appointment it makes every day the Super Bowl!

Q. Dale: Why do people at a missions conference need to hear about evangelism?

A. Rico: Well, I want to say we all need to hear about hell again and again and again. So, I think what I’ve found I’m doing, because in the U.K., particularly in the Church of England, they’ve stopped talking about hell. And because of that, they’ve stopped talking about repentance. And how do we escape hell? Well, only through the cross. We need to be reminded of the eternal dimension. And then we need to be reminded that, amazingly, as we preach Christ, God will send His Holy Spirit and do what He did for us, and open blind eyes.

Confidence is what you need. Confidence that the God who saved you could save other people, confidence that the gospel is right, confidence that “this work is absolutely eternal” confidence. That with the [Christianity Explored] methodology we pray, we teach the truth, and creatively we keep reaching for people. And then, how do we best preach Christ? Well, I always say, let’s let the gospel tell the gospel. So, we’ve picked Mark’s gospel, the shortest and simplest gospel. And we say you can go through it with three words: identity, mission, and call.

Every word in Mark’s gospel is either about who is Jesus, why He came, or what it means to follow Him. So you’ve got to give people the confidence to do it.

Q. Dale: So Rico, if there’s one step you would encourage North American pastors to take to lead their churches in evangelism, what would it be?

A. Rico: [Years ago when I worked at All Souls Langham Place], I went to John Stott and said, “What do I say to frantically busy pastors?” Because I knew that if they’re not modeling personal evangelism, the church family won’t think it’s important. And John Stott said, every generation needs to relearn the lesson of Acts 6:1–4, where the work of waiting tables was delegated in order that the work of prayer and teaching of the Word could be done.

What do you have to say no to? Good things: say yes to that. And therefore, I would get your elders to put into your diary half a day a week where you are doing a lovely hobby. So that’ll be good for you creatively. But then you are with non-Christians—on their terms. I’m going to be coaching rugby to the under-10s every week. It’s just their terms. I’m getting to know the parents. So, you’ve got to model it.

The speed of the lead is the speed of the team. That’s what I’d say if the pastor isn’t modeling bringing their friends: The church family doesn’t think it’s important because it’s hard evangelism. It’s the hardest one. It’s the hardest thing to do—to bring people.

So, there are lots of other things we can give our time to [alongside non-Christians]. And then it’s lovely. People from other churches might arrive. Well, that’s a lot easier—having sheep from elsewhere—than finding your own lost sheep. We just reshuffle the sheep. No, we want to find new people who are coming to faith!

Q. Dale: What is the biggest factor for a church being successful in evangelism? If there’s one.

A. Rico: When I go and train churches for evangelism, the first thing I say is, “Are we praying?” We’ve got to preach Christ, but we’ve got to pray that God opens blind eyes. Now it’s very important this, I often say: I can’t turn the light on, only God can turn the light on. But my job is to pray and to preach Christ. Evangelism is always a subsection of faithfulness. My job is to be faithful.

Q. Dale: Is there anything you’d like to say to American pastors to welcome them to … ?

A. Rico: I think my colleagues, my church here in Ealing, the American missionaries from MTW are outstanding. I mean, I really mean it. I’ve been so impressed with them. And there I was on Saturday coming back from the park run and there were five of them. There was Stacy* with her little toddler on the street. Charles,* one of our old elders, Peter, who’s 80, Daniel* giving out booklets on Greenford High Street. And I thought then, they love the church and they get the gospel out. Charles with the Iranians, he’s learning Farsi. Stacy, his wife, is endlessly hospitable. They’re just brilliant. I really mean it. These guys are really making a difference in this part of the world.

Q. Dale: That’s so encouraging to hear. One hope I have is to work in partnership with IPC missionaries so that we can reach even farther and deeper into the world and even closed countries to do that in partnership. And I believe that this work of evangelism is the very foundation to make that effort happen in the future.

A. Rico: And what’s interesting about your note to me, my brother, is everything—sovereignty, integrity, creativity—that clarity. It’s always those three things. Then, you get out Mark’s gospel and it’s always identity, mission, call, but that’ll mean different things in different cultures. And I’ve taught this in North India. It’s different from teaching it in North Carolina. Who is Jesus, why did He come, and what does it mean to follow Him, [it needs to be contextualized], but the core is the gospel. That’s why 2 million people in East Africa have taken Christianity Explored, because the locals get that absolute simplicity.  

Come hear Rico Tice at the PCA Global Missions Conference November 1–3, 2024 in Atlanta. Register at mtw.org/gmc.

*Names have been changed for security reasons.

**Read Original Post HERE!

So, to get the full picture, Rico said that most mornings as he sets his heart and mind in Christ for the day through prayer and reading, he turns to the front of his yearly Bible where he reads through these important questions and the Scriptures which accompany them to ground himself for the day:

1. When were you converted? Ephesians 1:4-5 says, …even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love ⁵ he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will,… Here he is simply but profoundly reminding himself that he has been called and saved by Christ the redeemer, that he is indeed “in Christ.”
2. How does God feel about you? Romans 1:17 says, For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.” This reminds Rico that God has given him Christ’s righteousness so that when God looks upon him, he is pleased.
3. What sort of day is today going to be? Romans 8:28 says, And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.  If God was in charge on Good Friday, he is in charge of all days, he is in charge of all things. So, Rico can trust him with the day and all its goodness, trouble, joys, and sadness. He can face the reception as well as the rejection of others.
4. Why is today better than yesterday? 1 Corinthians 2:9 says, But, as it is written, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him.”This reminds him that no matter what the day brings we are all a step closer to our best days ever and that is something hopeful to keep before us.

As you live in this difficult and unpredictable world and as you face the things you face, even perhaps being rejected for sharing your faith, may these questions be at least a regular help, if not daily help, to keep you grounded in the sovereign and deep love of our Lord.

Peace of Christ,

Patrick

Eternal Weight of Glory

Now the days and hours and moments
Of our suff'ring seem so long
And the toilsome wait and wond'ring
Threaten silence to our song
Now our pain is real and pressing
Where our faith is thin and weak
But our hope is set on Jesus
And we cling to him, our strength

Oh eternal weight of glory!
Oh inheritance divine!
We will see our Lord redeeming
Every past and future time
All our pains will be transfigured
Like the scars of Christ our Lord
We will see the weight of glory
And our broken years restored

For behold! I tell a myst'ry
At the trumpet sound we'll wake
Death is swallowed up in vict'ry!
When we meet our King of Grace
Every year we thought was wasted
Every night we cried "How long?"
All will be a passing moment
In our Savior's vict'ry song

We will see our wounded Savior
We'll behold him face to face
And we'll hear our anguished stories
Sung as vict'ry songs of grace

For behold! I tell a myst'ry
At the trumpet sound will wake
Death is swallowed up in vict'ry!
When we meet our King of Grace
Every year we thought was wasted
Every night we cried "How long?"
All will be a passing moment
In our Savior's vict'ry song

Every year we thought was wasted
Every night we cried "How long?"
All will be a passing moment
In our Savior's vict'ry song

Paul goes on to discuss this diverse gifting in and through the leadership that he has provided to the church. However, in Rom 12 and 1 Cor 12 (it may be helpful to review these) he discusses the various gifts for all the people of God. We see in 1 Cor 12:14, “Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit;” that this is with very nearly the same object as in Ephesians 4:1-7. Again, the Lord makes it clear that this diversity of gifting promotes and strengthens, the harmony of believers. So, with this in mind we must ask ourselves a few questions. Are we using the gifts he has given to us?  Do we even know and understand how God has gifted us?  Or perhaps, is it possible that we desire a certain gift that has not been given to us?  Bryan Chappell shares an insightful story in his commentary on Ephesians that touches on this last question and may be of help.

Mr. Holland’s Opus is a movie about a dedicated music teacher who dreams of becoming a famous composer. He does not have those gifts and, instead, makes an impact he does not fully appreciate in the lives of a generation of students in his high school music program. Mr. Holland never writes the musical opus that will make him famous but pours himself into the young people before him: a redheaded girl with pigtails who struggles to play the clarinet, a football player who cannot keep rhythm but needs a band credit to keep his game eligibility, a street kid who is mad at the world but who discovers the beauty of his own soul in music. As the movie concludes, Mr. Holland is fighting budget cuts for the survival of the high school’s music program. He loses. And he retires. The last day of school he cleans out his desk and, with shoulders slumped down, walks the school hall for the last time. He is a picture of dejection, reminding us of a life spent without a dream fulfilled. But as Mr. Holland walks, he hears noise in the auditorium. He goes in to see what is happening and faces a packed auditorium of students and alumni thundering an ovation and chanting his name. The little girl with pigtails is now the governor of the state, and she addresses Mr. Holland from the podium. “Mr. Holland, we know that you never became the famous composer you dreamed of being. But don’t you see it today? Your great composition is what you did with us, your students. Mr. Holland, look around you. We are your great opus. We are the music of your life.”

Chappell continues, “Each of us is the music—the great opus—of those who have used their gifts to equip us. And I pray that we will know the joy and fulfillment that comes from knowing that we have used our gifts for the equipping of others for their works of service in the kingdom of God. We may not become famous before men, but we fulfill the purposes of heaven when we use what God has given us for the purposes he has designed for us in equipping others for the work of ministry and the building up of the church. A couple whose marriage is healed, a young man in a distant nation brought to faith, a grieving mother next to an empty cradle brought comfort, a preacher boldly proclaiming the word—all these are the works of service that we are equipping others to fulfill as we minister with the gifts that Christ has given. Together we are the transforming power of the church, Christ’s great opus.”

What a good reminder of how the Lord lovingly uses us for one another. Be encouraged and as one theologian used to say, “Grow where God has planted you!” 

Patrick

In addition to this reminder, I wanted to further press the encouragement to seek other prayers from the scriptures to pray for ourselves and one another. What could be more encouraging than having God’s word to pray? When words can’t be found, when we need to pray deeper than we in our weakness can pray, we find that God’s word is “living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12). In other words, it is able to give us language beyond mere human sentimentality. It gives us spiritual concepts that are God’s words and thoughts. So, I want to encourage you, as you read God’s word with the Holy Spirits enabling, to pull out sections to pray for yourself and the Saints.

Such texts are everywhere. For example, you may use the Lord’s prayer to get your focus on God daily. You may use the Psalms to guide you as you pray. For help with this I suggest Praying the Bible by Whitney which is a practical book on this topic. Also consider Praying with Paul: A Call to Spiritual Reformation by Carson which delves into the prayers of Paul. Both are good tools to help us grow in our praying for ourselves and the Saints.

Enjoy the treasures you find to pray!!

In context of this verse, throughout chapter 20, Paul had been traveling throughout Asia minor visiting groups of believers as he went. On his way to Jerusalem, he took a brief stop at Miletus and called for the elders from the Ephesian church to come to him. Here Paul covers two main topics, a bookended recap in defense of his life and ministry, implicitly offered as an example to follow (20:18-27, 33-35), and exhortations regarding how the elders are to rule after his departure (20:28-32). As we lay out verses 28-32, we see the heart of what elders are called to do.  

1. They are to watch over & guard themselves. This means constantly reviewing their hearts and minds in light of his commands to make sure they are truly following Jesus and his ways. This would also include repentance and seeking to be in deeper relationship with Jesus.
2. Next, they are to watch over & guard the flock, the people of God.

Why, because the Holy Spirit has made elders overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood. Now that is some pretty heavy stuff!  Next, he gives a warning.

3. Fierce wolves will come in among the church, not sparing the people of God. One of the most frightening aspects of this is that people from within the church will arise and twist words to seduce disciples into following them instead of Jesus. Therefore, he cautions that the elders “be alert” and mimic his prayer for the saints.
4. Finally, he commends the elders to God and to the word of his grace, which will build up the elders and to give them the inheritance among all those who are sanctified.

As you consider what this means for you, I’ll give you two thoughts to consider. First and again, pray for the elders. While this under shepherding work is good work, it is also frightening and difficult work. Also, our frail & sinful humanity often gets in the way so pray! Secondly, let the elders minister to you. One of the things we have been doing over the last year or so is touching base all within our church, asking how to pray for you. In this, be honest, be approachable, don’t be afraid. Reach out if you are in need and don’t wait until you are in crisis over your head. Let the elders minister to you and lift you up. Let them encourage you and do the work of an elder. We are all weak and frail sinners in need of God’s grace. God had designed his church to be a place where people love and come along side one another in the grace of God. Let us be the church, the people of God.  

The Most Radical Thing I Do – by Mike Flynn

 I go to church.

To get there I pass through the shopping centre on its busiest morning of the week. The sports fields are crowded with players and spectators,the park run friends in their shorts and tees mingle with the lycra-clad cyclists, crowding the cafés. If you know where to look, you can sometimes catch glimpses of the yoga and meditation session in the community room. As I pull out into the dense traffic the world is full of people running errands, visiting open-air markets, piling into Bunnings, travelling to and from visiting family and friends.

Meanwhile, I go to church. Why?

After all, group exercise is good and necessary for physical, social and mental health; meditation can adjust our mood and re-centre our thoughts to a calmer mode; grocery shopping and the unending list of domestic projects need to be tackled sometime in our crowded week; friendships and family commitments are hard to maintain in our separated lives. These things can be good, even necessary. But still I go to church, for a short time of inefficiency, irrelevance and rebellion against our curated, self-improving, iLives.

I go to church out of gratitude for the sacrificial love God has shown us all in Jesus Christ (Colossians 1:3–6). I go to church to be reminded of the rare gift of reverence (Psalm 148), to reflect on a Word that is bigger than what our agnostic entertainments imagine or what our news feeds fear (John 1:1–4, Hebrews 1:1–4, 2 Timothy 3:16–17). I go to church to get out of my head, to stop being conformed to the patterns of our deeply confused culture (Romans 12:1–2). I go to church to learn holiness, to be trained in character and wisdom (Philippians 1:9–11; Colossians 1:9–14); to have a moment of sane honesty about my frailties and wrongs—to repent of them and to love again what is right by the strength of God (1 John 1:5–2:2). I go to church to give and not to get; to show and to experience grace (1 Corinthians 12:27–13:13). I go to church to leave behind a world where we have to earn everything; to instead commit to giving up my life for Christ’s sake so I may truly find it (Matthew 16:24–26). I go to church to remind myself that I am sacrificially loved, therefore I can love (Philippians 2:1–18); to reject the bleakness of this world: ‘I consume, therefore, I am consumed’ (Colossians 3:1–10). I go to church because God enjoys it and I enjoy his joy in his people (Ephesians 1:3–10). I go to church because it is the unanticipated centre of what God is doing in our crazy, battered and beautiful world (Ephesians 1:15–22; Revelation 21:1–4).

As I left our small church this morning the crowd sitting outside at the café opposite stared at me. I smiled back and waved. They had no idea of the fundamental treasons I’d been committing, of the revolution I participate in.

I go to church.

Mike Flynn is an Anglican minister working in aged care. You can read the original article here: https://au.thegospelcoalition.org/article/the-most-radical-thing-i-do/

A great illustration of this comes from one of Andrew Peterson’s children’s books, The Wingfeather Saga. (By the way, it is a great series for grown-ups too!) One of Peterson’s characters is an old man by the name of Podo Helmer, a reformed pirate and loving grandfather in the story. Without trying to give too much of the story away, he spent most of his life trying to hide the guilt of his past sins.  However, one day all of his secrets were exposed in front of the very people he was seeking to hide them from. Can you imagine how frightening that would be? All of the things you’re most ashamed of laid out in the open for everyone you love and respect to see? After the intensity of the scene, Peterson writes this concerning Podo: “He moved through the days in peace and wonder, for his whole story had been told for the first time, and he found that he was still loved” (North or Be Eaten! p.321).  How astonishing is that?

What we don’t often understand is that our whole story has always been told before the eyes of the Lord, for he sees all. And more than this, we are still loved. Instead of hiding and holding onto the guilt and sorrow of our sin, whether it be past or present, we too can move about in peace and wonder by trusting in the reality of the gospel, that we are both fully known and fully loved!

Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man against whom the Lord counts no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit.

~ Psalm 32:1-2

For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. – 2 Cor. 5:21

It all began a few weeks ago when I was studying for Genesis 40. As I contemplated Joseph’s being in prison and the agony it must have been as God “hammered out” the formation He desired him to be for his calling, a song came into my mind that I had not listened to for several years. It is a song from Bebo Norman called, The Hammer Holds. It is a song I have listened to maybe hundreds of times and have often thought about the lyrics in terms of God’s guiding us through the crucible of hammer and fire as He molds us into the image of He desires us to be. That is why the song came to my mind as I studied Joseph, it is a song that has always inspired encouragement and hope to me in the midst of trial and tribulation on the level of James 1:2-4.   

However, as I revisited the song again, I saw something that should have been obvious if I had taken the time to really contemplate the lyrics. It is a song told from the point of view of a piece of steel that is molded to become one of the nails used to crucify Jesus. How incredibly creative and fascinating this is!

As I was searching for anything Bebo had said about his song, I came across a blogger, rittywrites, who wrote the following in response to the lyrics which I thought were very much worth sharing with you as you contemplate Holy Week:  

Like the piece of steel, we are shapeless and in need of "Thee" Blacksmith to give us our ultimate form and final shape.

Like the piece of steel, we need others to pray, cry, and hurt with us and for us, until we have reached our journeys end. 

Like the piece of steel, we constantly search for the purpose and meaning in our lives.

Like the piece of steel, our sins are what held and even nailed Christ to that cross. 

Like the piece of steel, the task before us may seem unclear, but even that, our Maker holds.

 Now, I hope you too will listen to the song and read the lyrics below that you may be encouraged in the sometimes painful work God is doing in your life to make you into the image of His Son.  

Peace of Christ,

Patrick

The Hammer Holds - (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Vp1HCWKl6w)

A shapeless piece of steel, that's all I claim to be. This hammer pounds to give me form, this flame, it melts my dreams. I glow with fire and fury, as I'm twisted like a vine. My final shape, my final form I'm sure I'm bound to find.

CH - So dream a little, dream for me in hopes that I'll remain. And cry a little, cry for me so I can bear the flames. And hurt a little, hurt for me my future is untold. But my dreams are not the issue here, for thee, the hammer holds.

And the water, it cools me gray, and the hurt's subdued somehow. I have my shape, this sharpened point, what is my purpose now? And the question still remains, what am I to be? Perhaps some perfect piece of art displayed for all to see. (CH)

The hammer pounds again, but flames I do not feel. This force that drives me, helplessly, through flesh, and wood reveals. A burn that burns much deeper, it's more than I can stand. The reason for my life was to take the life of a guiltless man.

So dream a little, dream for me in hopes that I'll remain. And cry a little, cry for me, so I can bear the pain. And hurt a little, hurt for me, my future is so bold. But my dreams are not the issue here, for thee, the hammer holds.

This task before me may seem unclear but it, my maker holds.

In part 2 of Helpful Technology, I want to share some of my favorite encouraging teaching supplements with you. But before I do, let me say something about supplements in general. Webster says that a supplement is “something that completes or makes an addition.” Many of us are familiar with dietary supplements which are (also from Webster), “a product taken orally that contains one or more ingredients (such as vitamins or amino acids) that are intended to supplement one's diet and are not considered food.” While all true Christian teaching is spiritual food, we must understand that the food that makes up our main diet is to be partaken of in the local church we are part of. We are meant to be fed first in our local church and then add to that the rich teaching of others as a supplement.  Here is a great little article on the local church and its importance in teaching as well as life:https://www.challies.com/articles/why-the-local-church-really-matters/

Now, on to the teaching supplements that I enjoy! I will start with blogs. Years ago I was consumed with blogs but not so much now. I began to realize that I could not and did not need to keep up with everything. However, I have found one blogger extremely helpful in this, Tim Challies, yes, the guy from the article above.  He not only writes articles himself that are quite edifying, but his “A La Cart” highlights daily articles he deems as at least somewhat worthy our time. You simply read the title and the description and decide if you want to click on that article.  In other words, he does a lot of work for you.  So, if you like to read blogs, he is a good resource to for sure. I also like https://www.michaeljkruger.com/ and https://clearlyreformed.org/ by Kevin DeYoung.

The next supplement I will mention is podcasts.  Podcasts are the current “big deal” in our culture with millions of people listening to various “Casters” daily. There are some great Christian podcasts out there. You can find these on any podcast app or music service app you may have. We use Spotify because of all the music lovers in our family but Spotify also has Podcasts and even audio books now (there is a cost for Spotify).  You can also find and use apps from Ligonier, and other reformed teaching entities.  Along with this, Reformed, Covenant, and Westminster Theological Seminaries have apps that will allow access to full seminary courses. It really is truly amazing!!

However, because of the limited time I have, and you are probably not that much different, I typically don’t listen to the hour+ long podcasts unless I am working in the yard or driving on a long trip. I do however enjoy a few short ones that would benefit you greatly as you have time:

• Things Unseen with Sinclair Ferguson (5 min)
• Ultimately with R.C. Sproul (3-8 min)
• Life and Books and Everything with Kevin DeYoung (time varies widely and includes reading of his blog articles)
• Mortification of Spin (28-35 min)

I hope you enjoy these and other teaching supplements that encourage your walk with Christ. In closing, I would add not to forget audio books. They are a great supplement you can add to the helpful technology that is available in today’s world.  

Peace of Christ, 

Patrick