August 19, 2008
Milton Vincent is the Pastor-Teacher of Cornerstone Bible Church in Riverside, California. He has written a must-read book for every Christian. A Gospel Primer for Christians is a great aid to any follower of Christ. Vincent breaks down the book into 4 different secitons: Reasons to Rehearse the Gospel Daily, A Gospel Narrative - Prose Version, A Gospel Narrative - Poetic Version, and Surprised by the Gospel. Vincent writes in the introduction:
“…this booklet is based on the premise that all Christians should become expert in their knowledge and use of the gospel, not simply so they can share it faithfully with non-Christians, but also so they can speak it to themselves every day and experience its benefits. In fact, if Christians would do more preaching of the gospel to themselves, non-Christians might have less trouble comprehending its message, for they would see its truth and power exuding from believers in indisputable ways.”
We must strive to have the Gospel as “first importance” (1 Cor. 15:3) in our lives as Christians if we are to properly live the Christian life. This book is a great contribution to you cultivating that priority day by day.
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Books, The Gospel, Theology | 
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Posted by Cameron Potts
January 6, 2008
As I made my way through John Piper’s God is the Gospel, there are a number of things that the Holy Spirit convicted me of. One of the main things that was brought to my attention is that I don’t ultimately view the Gospel as the “good news” that it truly is, and I think that there are many in the Church today that do the same thing. A lot of people will say stuff like, “We just have to share the good news” or “Go and preach the good news!” But, do we really believe that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is “good news”? I think that if we did, the majority of our church services, evangelistic efforts, and our own personal relationships with the Lord would be drastically different.
In this book Piper’s overall point is that the Gospel is good news because God is the Gospel (hence the book title). What he means by this is that the news of the Gospel is good because of what it centers around: God Himself. Piper explains throughout the 179 pages of the book that the best thing the Gospel does for us, the most central part of the Gospel, is the fact that our faith in those truths bring us to God; the saving truths of Scripture allow us to come to God and behold Him and, as Piper would say, to “see and savor” who He is. This is the main thread that is woven throughout the book, and Piper shows how this is lived out in various aspects of our lives; I’ll let you read the book for yourself to get all the details.
But why does this matter? Why is it so important to view the Gospel as “good news”? Well, I am convinced that the way that we view the Gospel dictates how its message will be preached and applied in our lives. So if I don’t see that the Gospel is good news because it allows me to behold my God (Isaiah 40:9), if I don’t see that “Christ suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God…” (1 Peter 3:18, emphasis added) then the Gospel won’t be shared, talked about, or lived out in a way that shows that. What you believe about the Gospel determines your behavior towards the Gospel. So without a deep, genuine belief in your heart that the Gospel is true and that the highest purpose of that truth is not to give you salvation, or forgiveness, or justification, but it’s to give you God and all other gifts of the Gospel flow from Him then that won’t be seen in your life. The Gospel is not good news because it makes us comfortable or wealthy, there is no evidence of that in Scripture, but the Gospel is good news because it opens the door for us to do what we’re made for: behold and know the almighty, sovereign, just, gracious God of the Universe. God, thank You that You have brough us to Yourself through the beautiful blood of Christ. Make the Gospel “good news” in the hearts of Your people.
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Books, Devotional, The Gospel, Theology | 
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Posted by Cameron Potts
July 19, 2007
In his book, The Reformed Pastor, Richard Baxter gives some very valuable insight on how many people tend to view the reformation of the Church. Although these words were written over 300 years ago, they still speak volumes of truth to our present-day situation:
“Reformation is to many of us, as the Messiah was to the Jews. Before he came, they looked and longed for him, and boasted of him, and rejoiced in hope of him; but when he came they could not abide him, but hated him, and would not believe that he was indeed the person, and therefore persecuted and put him to death, to the curse and confusion of the main body of their nation…
…And the reason was, because it was another manner of Christ that the Jews expected; it was one who would bring them riches and liberty, and to this day they profess that they will never believe in any but such. So it is with too many about reformation. They hoped for a reformation, that would bring them more wealth and honour with the people, and power to force men to do what they would have them: and now they see a reformation, that must put them to more condescension and pains than they were ever at before. They thought of having the opposers of godliness under their feet, but now they see they must go to them with humble entreaties…O how many carnal expectations are here crossed!”
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Books, Local Church, Pastoral Ministry, Theology | 
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Posted by Cameron Potts
July 17, 2007
Over at the Desiring God blog, Josh Sowin has written a great post on the importance of reading in the life of the believer. I completely agree with Josh when he says, “Our culture has become aliterate. We have the ability to read but not the desire.” He goes on to write:
Reading is one of the best ways to develop our minds. It can help us to know God and ourselves, gain vicarious experience, increase our perception and imagination, train our minds to think critically and logically, and teach us self-discipline.
I encourage you to read this post, and apply the principles presented to your everyday life. At the end of the post, Josh provides some great links to list of books that would be great for any believer to read. Reading isn’t just for pastors and theologians, I see it as an excerise for every believer so that we may better “love the Lord with all our…mind.” Check out the full post here.
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Posted by Cameron Potts
April 17, 2007
Dr. Mohler, president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, has put up a post listing ten solid biographies, each telling the story of a few godly Christian men. Some of the men mentioned are guys such as St. Augustine, Jonathan Edwards, John Calvin, Martin Luther, Martin Lloyd-Jones and a few others. He provides an excerpt and description for each biography, so you can read the post in full here. Here are the ten biographies that Dr. Mohler recommends (I’ve provided a link to purchase each one on Amazon.com as well).
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Posted by Cameron Potts
