We’re all too prone to take God’s grace for granted. Perhaps especially as we perceive ourselves to be climbing the ladder of formal theological training.

At the heart of the danger of seminary is coming to treat lightly the grace of God. But a healthy experience of seminary will do precisely the opposite.

The Centrality of Grace

Grace is no peripheral thing in Christianity. God’s astoundingly lavish favor toward us terribly undeserving sinners, because of Jesus, is at the very center. Lose our taste for grace and we have no good business calling ourselves Christians, much less putting ourselves forward as leaders in the church.

But here’s the catch: We can’t just make ourselves sta…

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The following article appeared in the January 14 issue of WORLD Magazine. To learn more about WORLD, check out www.worldmag.com. You can also read it on the iPad or Kindle.

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Web of Grace

CHINA | A burgeoning presence on the internet is helping Christians spread the Word in China | by Angela Lu

China's Christian surge is likely to continue in 2012, with teaching via the internet contributing to it. Type "democracy" or "Tiananmen Square" into Baidu.com, the popular search engine in China, and a message will pop up informing you that you cannot access the page. But type "Christianity" into the same search engine, and you'll be flooded with links to church websites, personal blog…

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Because of the amazing mercy of God described in Psalm 106 we can cry out with hope, “O Lord, help me when you save your people” (verse 4). And what does he help us do? Obtain the fullest blessing of God: “Blessed are they who observe justice, who do righteousness at all times!” (verse 3).

So what acts of justice and righteousness in the cause of Christ-exalting life can we do?

In my sermon last Sunday (January 22, 2012), I answered with five words: Supplication, Consideration, Education, Legislation, and Proclamation. I promised I would try to unpack them more fully. Here goes.

Supplication

It was years of prayer-filled action that brought an end to abortions at Regions Hospit…

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Pastor John:

Here is my answer to the question, "How do pro-life Christians honor a pro-choice president?"

1. Humbling ourselves

We will honor you, Mr. President, by humbling ourselves under the mighty hand of God (1 Peter 5:6) and acknowledging that we are ourselves sinners and in need of mercy and forgiveness from God. We are not infallible. We are open to new light on this and every issue. We are not the final judge in this matter. God is. We stand before the cross of Christ on level ground with you, not above you, utterly dependent on mercy and seeking to live by the will of Christ.

2. Acknowledging God's image

We will honor you by acknowledging that you are a man, created in the…

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Pastor John:

Christians — people who bank their hopes on Jesus and spend time with Jesus and obey Jesus — should stand up in public and tell God's truth as they see it without worrying that secular listeners may not even agree with our most basic assumptions.

Isn't it amazing how Peter and John respond to the rulers [Acts 4:13–20]! The rulers tell them to get out and not to speak in the name of Jesus any more. Then in verse 19–20 they say, "Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge; for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard."

One of the great obstacles to our speaking out in public about the truth as we see it with Jesu…

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Pastor John:

On December 19 eight of us from Bethlehem were among the 92 arrested while participating in a rescue at Planned Parenthood on Ford Parkway in St. Paul. [We] simply sat in front of the door to say by our action: without violence we will do what we can to stop child-killing here today.

Is that remarkable? Not very. But here’s something that is:

Liberty Ann Hinkle was born 3 and ½ months premature March 1987. She weighed 1 lb. 3 oz. She lived. I have a picture of her when she was born and one a year later. She is sitting up and smiling with a very lady-like bonnet.

Last week in St. Paul a woman 21 weeks pregnant paid to have the medical people kill her baby. What was…

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Pastor John:

Five things you can do:

1. Submit yourselves to God

Submit yourselves to God. Draw near to him. Live by the power of his grace. Let him shape your desires rather than the world and the feisty, self-centered temperament of our culture. Let your life and your mouth bear witness to the real delights of knowing and trusting and obeying and being shaped and guided by the Creator of all things who loved us and gave himself for us. Be a Christian—and a visible and audible one. The world needs you so badly.

2. Pray earnestly and regularly

Pray earnestly and regularly for awakening in the churches that will spill over in city-wide and nation-wide and world-wide evangelization of …

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January 18, 1987, John Piper preached a sermon to expose the evil of abortion. Since this sermon he has preached against abortion every year on the Sanctity of Life Sunday, which correlates with the dark anniversary of Roe v. Wade.

39 years and 50 million babies killed since this Supreme Court decision, what exactly does it say?

Pastor John:

When the American Medical Association was formed in 1847, abortion was commonly practiced "before quickening." But through the efforts of the A.M.A. and anti-obscenity crusaders and (ironically) feminists, abortion became illegal every where in the U.S. by 1900. Abortions went underground or out of the country.

The key reversal of this legal si…

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J. C. Ryle’s strategy to reverse the destructive effects of drunkenness point to possibilities in our battle against abortion.

Ryle was the first Bishop of Liverpool, England, starting in 1880 and ending with his death in 1900. He found that one of the great destroyers of family and society was drunkenness. There were 2,402 drinking houses in the city in 1884. One for every 229 inhabitants.

His strategy to change this was “an amalgam of preaching and social aid.” He urged the preachers of his town to “boldly denounce the great sin of the day.” And he lent his voice and energy to numerous reforms (like alternative evening amusements, women’s shelters, non-alcoholic coffee bars, and licen…

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We are children of the light. Abortion is a work of darkness. The apostle Paul said, “Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them” (Ephesians 5:11).

Our aim, by the power of the Holy Spirit, in the name of Jesus Christ, through the authority of his word, is to glorify God by making much of his image in the unborn, and his mercy in forgiving sinners.

We would like to give you a free eBook based on three sermons I preached on abortion. We hope it helps you speak out. Please feel free to download it, print it, copy it, and share it with as many people as you like.

Here’s a sample sentence:

God is calling passive, inactive Christians today to engage…

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