Tyler Kenney is the Web Content Assistant at Desiring God.

We've lowered our prices on the John Piper Small Group Series DVDs.

Each one is at least $7 cheaper than before.

• God Is the Gospel
• Seeing and Savoring Jesus Christ
• TULIP
• What's the Difference
• When I Don't Desire God
• Why We Believe the Bible

John Piper explains why the so-called "prosperity gospel" is not the gospel.

I bought The Complete English Works of George Herbert recently, hoping to add a little more poetry and devotion to my reading list. Not 10 minutes after laying my hands on it I read "Bitter-sweet" and knew I would not be disappointed. I'm tempted to say these are the best 8 lines of English poetry I know of.

Bitter-sweet

Ah, my dear angry Lord,
Since thou dost love, yet strike;
Cast down, yet help afford;
Sure I will do the like.

I will complain, yet praise;
I will bewail, approve;
And all my sour-sweet days
I will lament and love.

(I've also discovered that John Piper quotes this poem in When the Darkness Will Not Lift (PDF), pg. 78.)

Arabic

• The Great Offense: Was Jesus Really Crucified? (Arabic)
  اإلساءةاألعظم:هلحقًا ُصِلبالمسيح
• How Shall We Love Our Muslim Neighbor? (Arabic)
  كٌف ًضتطٍع ٔاى ًحت جبسًب الوضلن

Russian

• Audio and video added to the 7-part Seeing and Savoring Jesus Christ series
• Discerning Idolatry in Desire (Russian)
  Чем отличается идолопоклонство от простого желания
• Why Expositional Preaching is Particularly Glorifying to God (Russian)
  Почему разъяснительная проповедь в высшей степени прославляет Бога

American Sign Language

• 7 video sessions from last month's 2009 National Conference

Burmese (New language!)

• Quest for Joy

Chin (New language!)

• Quest for Joy

Russian

• 6 transcripts from the 2005 Regional Conference: When I Don't Desire God

Spanish

• Live translation audio of all 8 sessions from the 2009 National Conference

The video and audio from John Piper's talk "Other Sheep I Have: The Power of God's Grace Among Native Americans Then and Now" is now online. It was given at the Native American Awareness Conference held recently at Bethlehem Baptist Church (see the PDF brochure).

Also available now is the audio—not just the manuscript anymore—from his message "Beholding Glory and Becoming Whole," which he delivered last week.

If you've ever tried reading through the Old Testament, chances are at some point you've found yourself bored, stuck in the middle of a genealogy or list of laws and wishing you were back in Mark. And if you didn't fall asleep, skip the chapter, or quit entirely, you at least came away wondering why these sections are in Scripture and what they mean for us today.

The New Testament affirms that every word of the Old Testament is God-breathed and for our good (Matthew 5:17-18; Romans 15:4; 2 Timothy 3:16; etc.). But how do we experience this, especially when some passages seem to be nothing more than antiquated lists of numbers, names, or laws? How do we benefit from the parts of the Bible that seem so boring?

Here are three possibilities:

1) "Boring" passages are the evidence of God's faithfulness.

Taken individually, many details in Scripture can seem useless, like scattered stones at the bottom of the Jordan. But when we read them in context and observe how they have been drawn out and arranged on the other side of the river, we start to see them as concrete reminders of how God has been faithful to his people and promises.

What significance is it, for instance, that in the census at Sinai the tribe of Judah had a noticably larger number of men than the other tribes (Numbers 1:26-27)? For one, it shows us that God was making good on his promise to exalt Judah above his brothers (Genesis 49:8).

2) "Boring" passages equip us to understand greater spiritual realities.

By enumerating details from the past, "boring" passages introduce us to concepts by which we can understand later revelation.

Consider this: Why does the Pentateuch contain so much material that describes the old covenant and its laws? One reason is that Moses wanted to increase our anticipation and appreciation of a new covenant.

By chronicling the old covenant—one in which God's law is external to his people, written on stone and unattainable in all its requirements—Moses sets up a contrast by which his readers can better apprehend the nature and glory of the coming covenant. In the new covenant there is still law and obedience, but the law is written on our hearts and obedience comes from within as "faith working through love" (Deuteronomy 30:6; Galatians 5:6).

3) "Boring" passages help us experience what they talk about.

At times the biblical authors illustrate or elaborate on certain details in the past in order to give their readers a felt sense of what they are describing.

For example, when listing out the instructions for how to build the tabernacle, Moses goes into great detail about all the materials and measurements. Did he intend for the reader of Exodus to actually build a tabernacle? No! That was Bezalel and Oholiab's job (Exodus 31:1-11).

Rather, it appears that Moses included the full set of blueprints in order to convey to us, as we literally labor to read them, a greater sense of the weight and worth of God. The effect is that we feel more hopeless about attaining our own righteousness, and we marvel more at God's mercy in still coming to dwell among feeble and failing people.

Every passage of Scripture plays its part perfectly. Sure, not all are dramatic or suspenseful or flowering with sweet promises. But God has his wise—and needed—purposes for every inspired line.

Along with being able to purchase The Power of Words and the Wonder of God, you now have the option to download it for free.

Bulgarian

• Go, Your Son Will Live
  Върви, синът ти ще живее
• What Does It Mean to Seek the Lord
  Какво означава да търсиш (да се стремиш към) Господа?

Chinese (Simplified)

• The Pleasure of God in Obedience
  耶和华喜悦顺从
• What God Has Joined Together, Let Not Man Separate, Part 1
  神所配合的，人不可分开，第一部分
• What God Has Joined Together, Let Not Man Separate, Part 2
  神所配合的，人不可分开，第二部分

Japanese

• Not in This or That Mount, but in Spirit and Truth
  この山でもエルサレムでもなく、霊とまことによって

Portuguese

• Christ and Cancer
  Cristo e o Câncer
• The Pleasure of God in His Son
  O Prazer De Deus em Seu Filho
• The Absolute Sovereignty of God: What Is Romans Nine About?
  A Soberania Absoluta de Deus: De Que se Trata Romanos 9?

Spanish

• Let Marriage Be Held in Honor Among All
  Honroso Sea En Todos El Matrimonio
• How to Welcome a Weak Brother
  Como Acoger Al Hermano Débil
• Each One Should Be Fully Convinced in His Own Mind
  Cada Cual Esté Plenamente Convencido Según Su Propio Sentir
• By Signs and Wonders: Where Christ Has Not Been Named
  Con Potencia De Señales Y Prodigios: No Donde Cristo Ya Hubiese Sido Nombrado
• Holy Ambition: To Preach Where Christ Has Not Been Named
  Ambición Santa: Predicar No Donde Cristo Ya Hubiese Sido Nombrado
• Joy+Debt = A Two-Thousand-Mile Detour to Jerusalem
  Gozo + Deuda = Desvío de 2000 Millas Hasta Jerusalén
• Resting and Wrestling for the Cause of Christ—Together
  Luchar y Descansar por Amor a Cristo—Juntos
• The Beautiful Faith of Fearless Submission
  La Hermosa Fe de la Sumisión Sin Temor
• The Tragic Cost of Her Cavernous Thirst
  El Trágico Costo de la Su Profunda Sed
• Racial Harmony and Interracial Marriage
  La Armonía Racial y el Matrimonio Interracial
• Abortion, Race, Gender, and Christ
  El Aborto, La Raza, el Género, y Cristo
• What Makes the Good News Good? Seeing the Glory of Christ?
  ¿Qué Hace Buenas a las Buenas Noticias? Ver la Gloria de Cristo
• Honoring the Biblical Call of Motherhood
  Honrando El Llamado Bíblico A La Maternidad
• Fathers, Bring Them Up in the Discipline & Instruction of the Lord
  Padres, Criadlos En Disciplina Y Amonestación Del Señor
• Marriage, Singleness, and the Christian Virtue of Hospitality
  El Matrimonio, Soltería, y la Virtud Cristiana de la Hospitalidad
• Marriage Is Meant for Making Children...Disciples of Jesus, Part 1
  El Matrimonio Es Para Tener Hijos..Discípulos De Jesús, Parte 1
• Marriage Is Meant for Making Children...Disciples of Jesus, Part 2
  El Matrimonio Es Para Tener Hijos..Discípulos De Jesús, Parte 2
  

Bulgarian

• Be Careful Lest the Light in You Be Darkness
  Внимавай да не би светлината в тебе да е тъмнина

Russian

• If You Can Be Godly and Wrong, Does Truth Matter?
  Если можно быть благочестивым, но заблуждаться, то важна ли истина?

Spanish

• Not in This or That Mount, but in Spirit and Truth
  Ni en Este Monte ni En Aquel, Sino en Espíritu y en Verdad
• Is There a "Lord's Day"?
  ¿Existe un “Día del Señor”?
• We Will All Stand Before the Judgment of God
  Todos Compareceremos Ante El Tribunal De Dios
• Do Not Destroy the Work of God
  No Destruyas la Obra de Dios
• The Kingdom of God is Righteousness and Peace and Joy in the Holy Spirit
  El Reino de Dios es Justicia, Paz y Gozo en el Espíritu Santo
• Welcome One Another to the Glory of God
  Recibíos Los Unos A Los Otros Para La Gloria De Dios
• All Things Subject to the Risen Christ
  Todas las Cosas Sujetas al Cristo Resucitado
• How to Be Spiritually Minded
  Como Tener Una Mentalidad Espiritual
• The Goal of God's Love May Not Be What You Think It Is
  La Meta del Amor de Dios Puede No Ser La Que Tú Crees Que Es
• Let All the Peoples Praise Him
  Que Todos los Pueblos le Alaben

Japanese

• You Will Never Be Thirsty Again
  二度と乾くことはない
• The Tragic Cost of Her Cavernous Thirst
  途方もない深い渇きの悲惨な代価
• The Prodigal's Sister, Part 1
  放蕩息子の妹, パート1
• The Prodigal's Sister, Part 2
  放蕩息子の妹, パート2
• The Prodigal's Sister, Part 3
  放蕩息子の妹, パート3

Spanish

• God So Loved the World, Part 2
  De tal Manera Amó Dios al Mundo, Parte 2
• You Will Never Be Thirsty Again
  No Tendrás Sed Jamás
• Subjection to God and Subjection to the State, Part 1
  Sometimiento a Dios y Sometimiento al Estado, Parte 1
• Subjection to God and Subjection to the State, Part 2
  Sometimiento a Dios y Sometimiento al Estado, Parte 2
• Subjection to God and Subjection to the State, Part 3
  Sometimiento a Dios y Sometimiento al Estado, Parte 3
• Subjection to God and Subjection to the State, Part 4
  Sometimiento a Dios y Sometimiento al Estado, Parte 4
• Love Is a Fulfilling of the Law, Part 1
  El Amor es el Cumplimiento de la Ley, Parte 1
• Love Is a Fulfilling of the Law, Part 2
  El Amor es el Cumplimiento de la Ley, Parte 2
• Love Is a Fulfilling of the Law, Part 3
  El Amor es el Cumplimiento de la Ley, Parte 3

Bulgarian

• Signs and Wonders and Suffering
  Знаменията, чудесата и страданието
• Consequences of Forgiven Sin
  Последиците от простения грях
• He Must Increase, I Must Decrease
  Той трябва да расте, аз трябва да се смалявам

Spanish

• Use the Inspired Scriptures to Rejoice in Hope
  Regocíjese en la Esperanza que Le Brindan Las Escrituras
• Boiling for Christ
  Hirviendo por Cristo
• Lavish Giving, Loving Guests, Living Christ
  Compartiendo Pródigamente, Amando a los Huéspedes, Viviendo en Cristo
• Bless Those Who Persecute You
  Bendecid a Llos Que Os Persiguen
• Live Peaceably with All, If Possible
  Si Es Posible, Estad En Paz Con Todos
• God's Wrath: "Vengeance Is Mine, I Will Repay," Says the Lord
  La Ira de Dios: "Mía es la Venganza, Yo Pagaré," Dice el Señor
• The Present Effects of Trembling at the Wrath of God
  Las Consecuencias Actuales De Temblar Ante La Ira De Dios
• When Is It Right to Repay Evil With Pain?
  ¿Cuándo es Justo Pagar el Mal Con Dolor?
• Christ Overcame Evil With Good—Do the Same
  Cristo Venció El Mal Con El Bien, ¡Haga lo Mismo!

Some new additions to our website are welcomed with centerstage attention. Others creep onto the scene from behind the curtain. Here are three recent "creepers" you might've missed:

• Four more years of Piper's church newsletter articles (Taste & Sees): 1986, 1987, 1988, and 1991
• The transcript of "Let Your Passion Be Single"
• Audio and video from the new seminar, "The Pleasures of God"

Watch John Piper explain the Bible study method called "arcing" and why he uses it.

To learn more about arcing, and even to start doing it yourself, check out Bible Arc. Andy, my friend who put the site together, has added a number of new improvements recently, including:

• instant parsing of Greek words
• a section for sharing and rating arcs
• the ability to easily email your arc to others
• the Hebrew OT
• a Spanish translation

*                *                *

For more Q&A with John Piper, check out Ask Pastor John. New episodes are posted 3 times a week.

What does it mean to lose heart?

To lose heart is to lose our courage or lose the will to go on. It means to be utterly spiritless and worn out, to throw in the towel. It is more than discouragement. It's discouragement to point of quitting the race before it is over.

God forbid that any of us should throw in the towel of our gospel ministries! We are those who do not lose heart! We do not throw in the towel of displaying the glory of God to the world! To throw in the towel of the gospel is to have believed in vain, to make shipwreck of our faith.

There are glorious promises that tell us that if we have indeed received this ministry that we will indeed not lose heart (John 10:27-30 for one). No power of hell, no scheme of man can ever pluck us from his hand.

How do we keep from being among those who just give up?

We do it by fixing our eyes on the God-centered realities that describe us:

But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. (2 Corinthians 2:14)

For we are not, like so many, peddlers of God’s word, but as men of sincerity, as commissioned by God, in the sight of God we speak in Christ. (2 Corinthians 2:17)

Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God. (2 Corinthians 3:5)

Surely there are times when it is wise to consider changing the way and type of ministry that we are doing. But we should be very slow to interpret our present difficulties as an indication that we should quit.

Therefore we do not lose heart. Despite all the difficulties we do not throw in the towel. For though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed day by day.

Here are my notes from Bruce Ware's message this morning at the Children Desiring God conference. The audio will be posted next week, Lord willing.

“There is None Besides Me”: Biblical Foundations for the Centrality of God

There are three themes from Isaiah 40-46 that demonstrate that God is exclusively and incomparably God.

1) God as Creator (Isaiah 40:18-26)

Implications:

• As Creator of all, God is independent of all that he has made. He doesn't need the world or you or me. His creation adds nothing to him. We cannot make God better or enrich his life. He is the Provider, we are the needy recipients.
• As Creator, God is rightful owner of all that he has made.

Application:

If we understand this rightly we should fall before God with a deep sense of humility and dependence before him. This is how to fight pride: by remembering the greatness, supremacy, and all-sufficient fullness of who God is. We have nothing we we can claim as our own that we have rights over or can take credit for.

2) God as Redeemer (Isaiah 43:1-13)

Implications:

• As Redeemer, God is rightful owner of his people. This was an implication of him being Creator. It's also an implication of him being Redeemer. Those redeemed by him are twice his people. They are doubly owned.
• As Redeemer, God demonstrates his selecting and particular love for his people. There is a lavish display of his goodness that God reserves for those whom he chooses with his electing love, though they are no more deserving of it than others.

Application:

This should make us respond with trust and confidence in God. He is for us. Can you believe it? We not only owe him our allegiance because he created us. We also owe it to him because of his great redeeming love for us. And we ought to gladly give it!

3) God as Sovereign Ruler over Good and Evil (Isaiah 44:24-45:7)

Implications:

• As Sovereign Ruler, God reigns over nature and nations. God not only makes everything; he also controls what they do. Whether sudden catastrophes or the installation of kings, all is in total control.
• As Sovereign Ruler, God rules over good and evil. We are usually OK with affirming the first. But Scripture is clear: he has absolute control over evil too. But just because God controls both good and evil doesn't mean that he is both good and evil (see Psalm 5:4; 1 John 1:5). God is good and wise in regulating everything that happens, even evil.

Application:

This truth should cause us to respond to God with hope and strength. Because everything is ordained by a wise and loving God, we can remain hopeful and strong in the midst of suffering.

Taken from notes on Piper’s message at the Children Desiring God conference.

1. Indoctrination

By indoctrination I mean putting thoughts into a child's head without a due concern that they should have good reasons for believing them. Whenever we teach children we must be concerned that we don't simply indoctrinate them.

To want to have truth go into a child's head is a very good thing. But you should also take care that while you are putting truth into their heads you should also try to give them a process they can test it with. Don't just give the what and the why behind it; also give the how.

2. Contextualization

Let's take a little people group called three-year-olds, for instance. If I only use words they don't know, they obviously won't learn anything. But if I only use words they do know, they won't learn anything either.

So contextualization isn't the most important thing with kids. The most important thing is concept creation. Children need to be given new categories of thought in order to learn.

Read the rest of the notes from this message.

All the audio and video from The Pastor As Scholar and the Scholar As Pastor is now available.

• Piper's message (audio, video, manuscript)
• Carson's message (audio, video, manuscript coming soon now available.)
• the discussion that followed (audio, video)

The Henry Center, who hosted the event, appreciates the generosity of sponsors BibleMesh, Moody Press, Crossway, Christian Focus, and Coffee Ambassadors who helped make it happen.

There is no other name [than Jesus]
by which men can be saved. 

These words from Acts 4:12 filled the screen in worship as we sang "There Is No Other Name." And it struck me again how incredibly exclusive they are.

I thought to myself, "Man, what a strong thing to say! In singing this, I'm immediately dismissing every other religion in the world. If they could hear me, no doubt I'd offend billions of people." 

Paul commands the Corinthians,

Give no offense to Jews or to Greeks or to the church of God, just as I try to please everyone in everything I do, not seeking my own advantage, but that of many, that they may be saved. (1 Corinthians 10:32-33)

So why would I sing something in worship to Christ that I know is causing others (who I want to be saved!) to be offended?

Here's why: 

Offense is only one result of my singing, not the aim. I'm not singing in order to make other people upset. Nor am I trying to gloat over them or “seek my own advantage.”

We sing "no other name" because it is the truth. And we sing it with joy because it glorifies our Savior. It is a beautiful expression of his worth and our love for him. And to refrain from singing it so as not to offend others would instead be an offense to him.

We show more love for others than we do for Christ if we don’t say that his is the only name by which men can be saved. And that’s wrong! Jesus is our first love.

We shouldn't stop singing humble, honest lyrics to our Savior that happen to offend others. But with our singing, we must also spread the good news that no one needs to remain offended. God is still gathering a choir of people reconciled to him from every tribe and tongue.

The Gospel Coalition's 2009 National Conference begins today in Chicago. But if you didn't get a ticket, no worries. They have gone the extra mile (or miles and miles) to include all of us who can't be there in person.

• All ten of the plenary sessions will be broadcast live on the web, including John Piper's message at 4pm* this afternoon titled "Feed the Flame of God’s Gift: Unashamed Courage in the Gospel" (2 Timothy 1:1-12).

• At their website you'll be able to download the audio and video for each session within a day after it's given. Yes, for free.

• And if you want to see what conference attendees are paging through between sessions, the entire conference program (PDF) is downloadable as well. (Bonus: the program also lists the text for all of the conference hymns.)

(HT: JT)

*Correction made! The talk is at 4pm today, not 2 as initially written. My apologies for the mistake.

Chinese (Simplified)

• Advice to Pastors: How to Help Your People Be More Satisfied in God
  给牧师的建议：如何帮助你的会众以上帝为满足
  

• "All Flesh Will Come and Worship"
  所有的人都必来敬拜
  

• Can the Regenerate Be Erased from the Book of Life?
  已经重生的在生命册上会被涂名吗?

• God's Undeserved Gift to the World: Christian Sufferers
  世界本不应得到的神的礼物：受难的基督徒

• How can Jesus be God and man?
  耶稣为何既是神又是人
  

• If God Wills Disease Why Should We Try to Eradicate It?
  如果神意旨疾病,那我们为何还需试图根除它?

• A Sign: United and Fearless with the Gift of Suffering
  一个证明：在苦难恩赐下的一体与无畏
  

French

• 10 Reasons Why I Am Thankful for the God-Breathed Bible
  10 raisons pour lesquelles je suis reconnaissant d'avoir une bible inspirée par Dieu

Spanish

• All Israel Will Be Saved
  Todo Israel Será Salvo

• All Things Are From God, Through God, and To God. The Glory Is All His
  Todas Las Cosas Son De Dios, Por Dios, y Para Dios. La Gloria es Toda Suya

• Fifteen Pro-Life Truths to Speak
  Quince verdades pro-vida para compartir

• Thoughts on Jesus' Demand to Repent
  Reflexión Sobre el Pedido de Jesús de Arrepentirnos
  

Our resource library continues to grow. Recently we have...

• ...updated the audio (and added video) for two seminars, "Suffering for the Sake of the Body" and "Gravity and Gladness on Sunday Morning."
• ...posted the audio from a recent Q&A with Pastor John on singleness
• ...added 57 translated resources (1 German, 2 Bulgarian, 26 Portuguese, and 28 Spanish).

The last thing Dever left us with at the pastor's conference was a quote by Charles Spurgeon to illustrate how he viewed his role as a shepherd of God's people.

I am occupied in my small way, as Mr. Great-heart was employed in Bunyan’s day. I do not compare myself with that champion, but I am in the same line of business. I am engaged in personally-conducted tours to Heaven; and I have with me, at the present time, dear Old Father Honest: I am glad he is still alive and active. And there is Christiana, and there are her children. It is my business, as best I can, to kill dragons, and cut off giants’ heads, and lead on the timid and trembling. I am often afraid of losing some of the weaklings. I have the heart-ache for them; but, by God’s grace, and your kind and generous help in looking after one another, I hope we shall all travel safely to the river’s edge. Oh, how many have I had to part with there! I have stood on the brink, and I have heard them singing in the midst of the stream, and I have almost seen the shining ones lead them up the hill, and through the gates, into the Celestial City.