The Preacher’s Voice series: Click | View Series

There are primarily four areas of concern when it comes to the use and care of the preacher’s voice:

• Strain
• Tension
• Digestion
• Immune Health

Strain

Preaching is not the only thing preachers do. They teach, counsel, speak at different events, and have casual conversations. You might see your preacher at a sports event yelling with excitement on Saturday, but then he’ll be preaching on Sunday. Or you may see your bi-vocational rock star preacher jamming on Saturday, but then preaching Sunday morning, which contradicts all principles of healthy voice care. Whether jamming or preaching your voice needs to rest and recover.

Strain is the number one killer of the preacher’s voice, and the number one cause of strain is lack of a proper night’s sleep. When we sleep, the brain recovers from the previous day’s activity, as does the voice. Relaxation, gentle conversation, and proper rest and recovery of the voice are essential elements for planned healthy voice projection like preaching.

Tips to Preventing Voice Strain

• Rise early and drink warm liquid, such as water with fresh lemon juice.
• Do not have a large meal before speaking.
• Exercise early and lightly on the day of preaching.
• Do not nap before public speaking.
• Stay calm and avoid strain the night before preaching.
• Do some light public speaking before preaching.
• Pronounce words clearly and distinctly; mispronounced words cause strain.
• Keep room temperature water with you and sip throughout preaching.
• Do not force excitement; let it come naturally.
• Adequately test the PA system before preaching.
• Do not use excessive bass in the PA system.
• Change up your pace during the message.
• Rest your voice after preaching.

Preach Jesus clearly, firmly, and lovingly, with conviction, grace, and action. Mostly, preach in faith with a loud and healthy voice.

To be continued

Rain City Hymnal

The first offering from Re:Sound is the Rain City Hymnal. Listen online and get the record from the Re:Sound website. Find out more.

The Preacher's Voice: Click | View Series

The focus of this series is to understand the importance of preserving the health of a preacher's voice.

The Preacher Needs Energy

The preacher needs an incredible amount of energy to meet the preaching demand. I have heard through the years that preaching is not a difficult task, and that it doesn't require much energy. This is based upon the fact that most preachers are overweight, unfit, and indulge in poor eating habits. However, I believe that this results from the stress of the job itself.

Quick Energy Fixes

Sustained intake of carbohydrates with constant adrenalin output can be a vicious cycle. In cases like this, the preacher looks for quick energy fixes to keep on going, and often these choices are loaded with sugar and stimulant agents, like caffeine. If the tank is empty, an octane booster won't fill the tank. It will just give a bad message to the complex regulating systems of the body that metabolize and burn calories.

Burn Off Those Calories

Billy Graham once said that before a preaching event he would have a carbohydrate meal the night before and a steak dinner afterward. Fitness, however, was an essential item on his list. He ate this way with the understanding that consuming higher calories required exercise to burn those calories. He didn't just rely on the sweat produced from his preaching.

Preacher, if the greater omentum (Latin for the fat mesh of the tummy) is gaining momentum (gaining more weight), then you are consuming more than what you are sweating off! This increases the risk of poor health and takes away from your voice energy in more ways than one.

Unfit Preachers are like Unfit Doctors

Would you listen to an overweight and unfit doctor giving you health advice on diet, cholesterol, sugar management, and exercise? An unfit preacher demonstrates poor discipline with his health, and he similarly hampers the effectiveness of communicating the disciplined life of the Christian.

If the evangelical message is to be taken seriously, the preacher must strengthen his voice through the support of healthy disciplines.

To be continued.

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The Preacher's Voice: Click | View Series

The focus of this series is to understand the importance of preserving the health of a preacher's voice. Practical points will be given to protect and enhance the preacher's vocal ability. We will also discuss the importance of health and energy, vocal preservation, elements that may compromise the voice, and actions required to enhance the vibrancy and longevity of it.

"The Voice"

In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea… For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah when he said, "The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord; make his paths straight.'" Now John wore a garment of camel's hair and a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey. Matthew 3:1-4

John the Baptizer came in the verve and passion of the Old Testament prophet Elijah. He was the voice of one crying in the wilderness, heralding the message that Jesus Christ, the greatest preacher of all time, was coming with an evangelical thrust that would not be ignored.

He received a diversified response from his listeners: casual hearing, deep conviction, total rejection, and complete acceptance. He received both applause and thumbs down (or the traditional Roman thumbs up) from the common crowd, his own people, politicians, and religious leaders.

Bugs and Honey?

John needed to be in great health to have the energy in spirit, soul, and body to herald this world-changing event. The world was never the same after John proclaimed Jesus as the answer to all of the world's conflicts. He required nutritious and sustaining food for this athletically demanding message. Preacher, so do you!

No way would your pastor agree to eating bugs and honey as a main staple of his diet before preaching, unless there was some odd behavioral thing going on. Well, John didn't either. According to some New Testament experts, John's diet in the rough and arid terrain consisted of dates, date honey, and bread cakes that were made from the bean of the locust tree. This seems to make more sense. This diet would provide immediate energy to meet the exhausting task of preaching to the masses the message of the Messiah.

To be continued.

Rain City Hymnal

The first offering from Re:Sound is the Rain City Hymnal. Listen online and get the record from the Re:Sound website. Find out more.

Church leadership is complicated. It must start with deference to Jesus as the Chief Shepherd and ultimate head of the body (Eph 5:23). He’s in charge, and we need to submit our plans and leadership to him.

Human Leadership: Elders

In addition, the Holy Spirit appoints human overseers who must follow Jesus’ leading (Acts 20:28). The highest office of leadership in a church is that of elder (1 Tim 3:1–7).

The elders must fulfill a wide range of responsibilities and address a variety of issues which grow in complexity as a church grows in size. The law of the land, for example, is extraordinarily complicated for large churches, and the elders must ensure that operations remain in compliance (2 Cor 8:20–21).

A Trinity of Complexity

The complexity must be dealt with in order to ensure a healthy and fruitful church. Therefore, the elders must organize in order to properly govern, manage, and shepherd the church as an organization and as a people. Every church needs these three functions to develop in concert:

• Govern: An overseeing body must ensure that proper systems and controls are in place to promote wise stewardship of all the resources entrusted to the organization’s care. Resources include the mission, leaders, finances, and people.
• Manage: Delegated leadership is responsible for day-to-day decision-making and operations oversight.
• Shepherd: Pastoral care includes preaching, teaching, counseling, and discipling the people of the church.

Case in Point

Here is how this plays out at Mars Hill: our Board of Directors is responsible for the governance of the church; our executive elders, department heads, and campus pastors are responsible for the management of different components of the church; and our shepherding is led by the campus pastors and their elder teams.

Specialized

As a church organization grows, leaders become more and more specialized. Each elder at Mars Hill has a general obligation to govern, manage, and shepherd, but typically specializes in one of these three areas (Rom 12:4).

Our aim as church leaders is to build an organization under the authority of Jesus and his Word, governed diligently, managed faithfully, and shepherded with great care for its people.

Jamie Munson is Lead Pastor of Mars Hill Church. Find him on Twitter and Facebook:

• twitter.com/jamiemunson
• facebook.com/jamiemunson

Re:Train

We are launching The Resurgence Training Center (Re:Train) to prepare leaders for ministry locally and around the world. Additional details and downloadable application form here.

There are two ways to read the Bible. We can read it as law and threat, or we can read it as promise and assurance.

If we read the Bible as law, every page will feel like God glaring at us: “If you ever . . . .” And since we are all law-breakers at heart, the Bible will crush us. Even the promises will come across as law: “God will bless sinners—well, the ones who deserve it.”

If we read the Bible as promise, every page will be hope from God. It will breathe new life into us. Even the commands will be sweetened with grace: “God will bless sinners—yes, sinners who break these laws.”

Which way of reading of the Bible is correct?

The apostle Paul explains: “The law, which came 430 years afterward, does not annul a covenant previously ratified by God, so as to make the promise void. . . . God gave it to Abraham by a promise” (Gal 3:17-18).

Here is Paul’s point. If we want to know whether we should read the Bible through the lens of law or promise, we can start reading on page one and see which comes first. And in fact, promise comes first—God’s covenant with Abraham in Genesis 12. The law is a later sidebar, in Exodus 20. The category “promise” is the larger, wraparound framework for everything else.

The deepest message of the Bible is the grace of God for sinners. The Bible presents itself this way. The laws and commands and examples and warnings are all there. Let’s revere them. But we can read them with this as our foremost thought: “Jesus obeyed it all. He died for all my failure. And now he is changing my heart. I can read this page of the Bible with hope in his grace.”

It's possible that your preaching is killing your church plant.

Don't freak out. This is the Resurgence, after all. We are absolutely committed to the powerful, masculine, authoritative preaching of God's Word. I'm not going to ask you to trade preaching for sharing, prayer labyrinths, or finger painting, but I am going to argue that your teaching style must fit the size dynamics of your church in order to be effective.

You're Not Preaching to Thousands

Preachers like Piper, Keller, Driscoll, and Chandler speak to thousands each week, and it's great to learn from those guys. But if you're trying to preach like those guys, you're probably making a mistake. Because let's be honest: you're not preaching to thousands.

I spoke with a church planter recently who couldn't understand why his core group of 30 wasn't bringing anyone to church. Answer? Because it's awkward to sit in a room with a few dozen people and get yelled at through a big sound system! It just doesn't fit the environment. I met another guy a few years ago (a Baptist brother, stereotypically) who was setting up a big wooden pulpit in his living room every week so he could preach to his core team of seven people.

Confusing the Practice with the Mode of Preaching

These well-meaning men have confused the practice of preaching with a particular mode of preaching. To preach is to authoritatively communicate the word of God. The normal mode of preaching in larger churches is to stand before the people, Bible open, with a microphone and a message.

But you can also preach sitting on a stool among 20 or 30 people. You can even preach from the couch in your living room if you have a core team of seven. You shouldn't ignore God's call to "preach the word" (2 Tim 4:2), but you should contextualize your preaching for the size dynamics of your church, especially if you ever want your church to grow.

Tailor Preaching to the Size of Your Church

People have an innate sense of what "fits" in a certain setting. You don't expect arena rock at a coffeehouse. Similarly, you don't expect a pulpit and lots of yelling in a small church plant. What will grow your church in the early stages is not the formality or power of your preaching, but rather how accessible and engaging it is.

Tailor your preaching for the size dynamics of your church. Think of venues where 25 to 75 people gather—coffee shops, college classes, house-show concerts—and then aim for that sort of feel.

Engage the audience in dialogue by asking questions, inviting feedback, and answering objections. Build your sermons around missional conversations you're having during the week. Three things will happen: non-Christians will feel honored and welcomed; Christians will learn how to have authentic gospel dialogue with outsiders; and your church will grow.

Preach Like Spurgeon When Your Church Gets Bigger

Here's a good rule of thumb (don't make it a law, but take it for what it's worth): if you have less than 80 people in your church, you shouldn't be preaching in the same way as the guys you podcast. I know Spurgeon is your hero, but don't worry, you can preach like him when your church gets bigger. For now, restrain your inner Whitefield and preach in a way that fits your context.

And hey, Baptist dude: if you wonder why your church hasn't outgrown your living room yet, I might have an answer.

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This Sunday, June 14th, by God’s grace and enabled by technology, I will be simultaneously preaching four sermons in eight locations scattered across two states. As I prepared these various sermons it dawned on me what a truly amazing day we live in for the proclamation of the gospel.

At Mars Hill Ballard in Seattle, the four services there will be watching a video playback of a sermon on 2 Peter 2:1-10a, titled "Doctrine from False Teachers (Part 1)." At the other six Mars Hill campuses scattered in and around Seattle they will be watching a video playback of the sermon on 2 Peter 1:16-21, titled "Doctrine from True Teachers," captured the previous Sunday at Mars Hill Ballard.

Simultaneously, I will be preaching two sermons live at the Crystal Cathedral in Southern California on Jesus as God and Jesus on the Cross (summarized from the book Death by Love), to be played back on television to millions of people around the world on the “Hour of Power” show. Additionally, these four sermons will also be online for viewing by tens of thousands of additional people.

To consider the amazing multiplication effects of technology on the preaching of the Scriptures is mind-boggling and humbling. In it all, the words of 1 Corinthians 9:22-23 ring ever true, saying, “I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some. I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings.”

Please pray that I serve well, by God’s grace making much of Jesus. Please do also pray that God uses this combination of big opportunities to regenerate people as the Holy Spirit applies the gospel of Jesus Christ to them.

Pastor Mark:

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In Vintage Church chapter eleven we answer the question, "How Can a Church Utilize Technology?" This chapter includes a succinct summary of technological innovations in the history of the church such as pews and seats, electricity, organs, and the Internet. We also discuss the things churches need to consider regarding their use of technology. An example of this is the following excerpt from Vintage Church pages 274-275:

In addition to using technology in the corporate worship service, the church also benefits from taking full advantage of the opportunity for its preaching and other resources to become "sticky" to a larger audience for a longer period of time, thereby multiplying its influence. This includes use of the Internet, which has become the new front door for churches and the place people visit before showing up at any physical location....

Admittedly, not a lot of pastors are interested in the specific details about new technology. However, consider why it matters to churches. First, nearly everyone is on the Internet. Second, while on the Internet people are primarily looking for content and connection—two specialties of the church. In short, technology gives the church an opportunity to provide gospel content and relational connection to more people than ever before....

I offer this chapter as something of a field guide for those churches that want to wisely determine how to utilize various technologies for the benefit of the gospel. In offering specific counsel I am well aware that much of it will quickly become dated as innovation continues, but I offer it nonetheless in hopes of being helpful. My point is not that our church is cool and yours can be too, but that there are some great new ways to reach more people for Jesus that are worth considering for every church.

Vintage Church:

In this book, Mark Driscoll and Gerry Breshears discuss the essentials of what it means to be a biblical church. Find out more.

A Sermon for Christian Ministry Leaders
on the Assigned Text of 2 Timothy 2:14–26

The audio and video from this message is available free at The Gospel Coalition.

This blog post is intended to serve as an outline for my message at the Gospel Coalition. Because of the seriousness of the text that was assigned to me some months ago, I have prepared what is, for me, a very thorough outline. Rarely do I use notes of any length but I felt it would be helpful to post these notes because there are likely too many points (40ish) for attendees to capture. Nonetheless, I want to also stress that the message likely will deviate from the notes at certain points.

Before beginning, I want to give a few thanks. First, I want to thank the Gospel Coalition in general, and Don Carson and Tim Keller in particular, for the grace they have extended to me. Not being part of a denomination has the great benefits of freedom and independence, but also the downside of a lack of extended friendships and people to learn from. Part of this lack has been made up for thanks to the wonderful brothers I enjoy in the Acts 29 Church Planting Network. Still, the relationships I have enjoyed with mainly older pastors in the Gospel Coalition also have been used by God to help me learn and grow.

Second, I want to thank God for the text he had assigned to me in his providence some months ago. It has proven to be a timely section of Scripture for my own sanctification. In his kindness, God allowed this to be one of the easiest messages I have ever prepared for—I literally prayed one night and woke up the next with the sermon in my mind and typed it out in rough form in just over an hour. Third, my message will not be a full exposition of the text, but rather a word from a pastor to ministry leaders in hopes of serving them as they serve God’s people.

Introductory Comments on 1 and 2 Timothy

Paul and Timothy were as close as a father and son (Phil. 2:22; 1 Tim. 1:2; 2 Tim. 1:2). These men are virtually inseparable throughout the New Testament; they work closely together (Acts 18:5; 19:22), co-author books of the Bible (2 Cor. 1:1; Phil. 1:1; Col. 1:1; 1 Thess. 1:1; 2 Thess. 1:1), and serve God side by side (1 Cor. 4:17; 16:10; Rom. 16:21). Occasionally, however, they were separated because Paul would send Timothy on important missions to straighten out problems that arose in various local churches (e.g., 1 Thess. 3:1–6).

One of these occasions included Paul’s sending of Timothy to untangle a host of knots in Ephesus, where heretics and false teachers were devouring the church. During their separation, Paul wrote his friend two very personal letters of instruction and exhortation—1 and 2 Timothy. The two letters are very similar in many respects but do have some important differences.

For example, in both letters Paul is gravely concerned both about the condition of the church and Timothy. In 1 Timothy, however, Paul is primarily concerned with the well-being of the church, and secondarily concerned with the well-being of his friend Timothy. In 2 Timothy, though, the tone and content of the letter reveal that Paul’s concerns have flipped as he became primarily concerned with Timothy’s welfare, and though he is still obviously pained by the troublemakers in the church, they are treated as a secondary matter. Because of this, 2 Timothy is one of the most personal, intimate, reflective, emotional, and pastoral sections of the entire Bible.

Additionally, 2 Timothy is likely the last letter that Paul penned and may have been written only days before he was murdered by beheading at the hands of the megalomaniac, Emperor Nero (4:6–7). Rather than going out with his head down and voice trembling, 2 Timothy is a courageous, triumphant final shout from Paul about his coming entrance into God’s kingdom (4:18), where he would receive his final reward for being a faithful minister of the gospel who did not flinch, even in the face of death (4:7–8).

To help you enter into the passion and beauty of Paul’s final letter, it will be helpful for you to see Paul sitting alone in a dark, dank cell, rubbing the aching joints on his body, scarred by frequent beatings, and not whining about his lot or cursing God for his demise, but rather maintaining his steely-eyed gaze, determined to leave this world with his boots on and head high, singing the praises of his Lord Jesus. Indeed, they chopped off his head because it was the only way to silence him.

Before dying, Paul wrote 2 Timothy to express his deep affection for his faithful friend and co-laborer of fifteen years and to ensure that his ministry would continue after his death by younger Christians, who would take the baton from his hand and run their lives for Christ, pulling people in their wake as Paul had.

3 Kinds of People

1. Positives do gospel things in gospel ways for gospel reasons, bringing health, working for good, and being a blessing because they want the gospel to win. Few people are positives, and remaining one is difficult because it requires dealing with even negative people and negative situations in positive ways.
2. Negatives do ungospel things in ungospel ways for ungospel reasons, bringing sickness, division, and trouble because they want to win. Sadly, although negatives are not usually the majority, they are often vocal, determined, and well-networked, and therefore, as Charles Spurgeon said, much like bees who swarm into a painful threat.
3. Neutrals are unsure, confused, fearful, and caught in the middle. They need to be cared for by a positive shepherd or they will turn into negatives. Most people are neutrals and are swayed by the friends they keep, leaders they follow, and information they believe, and they need to grow in discernment and pursue wise friends.

20 Kinds of Negatives

1. Success Jealousy Negatives
2. False Witness Negatives
3. Misinformed Negatives
4. Personal Dislike Negatives
5. Take-Up-Offense-for-Another-Person Negatives
6. Missiological Negatives
7. Single-Issue Voter Negatives
8. Little World Negatives
9. Chain of Command Negatives
10. Tradition Negatives
11. Unforgiving Negatives
12. Plank-Speck Negatives
13. Diotrephes Negatives (3 John 9)
14. Distrust Negatives
15. Control Negatives
16. Critic Negatives
17. Warrior Negatives
18. One-Handed Negatives
19. Gossip Negatives
20. Theological Negatives

Responding NOT Reacting

Because God is both sovereign and good, he can and does use even the negatives for positive purposes. Perhaps the most classic example of this is Joseph’s positive declaration to his negative brothers in Genesis 50:20, saying, “As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.”

In 2 Timothy 2:14–26, Timothy is dealing with the following:

Negatives

• Hymenaus and Alexander were the chief negatives.
• Other varying kinds and degrees of unnamed negatives are also involved.

Neutrals

• Many people were neutrals, as the negatives were “upsetting the faith of some” (2 Tim. 2:18).

Positives

• Paul is the positive speaking into Timothy’s life and ministry, seeking to help him stay positive and not go negative, lest the neutrals only have negatives to influence them and the entire ministry becomes negative and toxic.

20 Ways to Be a Positive from 2 Timothy 2:14–26

1. Positively emphasize what you are for instead of against.
   Remind them of these things (v. 14)
2. Positively use your God-given authority.
   charge them before God (v. 14)
3. Positively invest your words.
   not to quarrel about words, which does no good, but only ruins the hearers. (v. 14)
4. Positively do your best.
   Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved (v. 15)
5. Positively work hard.
   a worker who has no need to be ashamed (v. 15)
6. Positively study harder.
   rightly handling the word of truth. (v. 15)
7. Positively avoid getting drawn into endless arguments.
   But avoid irreverent babble, for it will lead people into more and more ungodliness, and their talk will spread like gangrene. (v. 16-17)
8. Positively warn the sheep about the wolves.
   Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus, who have swerved from the truth, saying that the resurrection has already happened. They are upsetting the faith of some. (v. 17-18)
9. Positively rejoice that God rules the church.
   But God’s firm foundation stands, bearing this seal: “The Lord knows those who are his,” (v. 19)
10. Positively practice repentance before preaching it.
    “Let everyone who names the name of the Lord depart from iniquity.” (v. 19)
11. Positively use your passion to be a better servant.
    Now in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver but also of wood and clay, some for honorable use, some for dishonorable. Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work. (v. 20-21)
12. Positively grow up quickly.
    So flee youthful passions (v. 22)
13. Positively seek righteousness, faith, love, and peace with urgency.
    pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart. (v. 22)
14. Positively grow in discernment.
    Have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant controversies; you know that they breed quarrels. (v. 23)
15. Positively be kind like Jesus.
    And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone (v. 24)
16. Positively harness the opportunity to teach your people.
    able to teach (v. 24)
17. Positively suffer patiently like Jesus.
    patiently enduring evil (v. 24)
18. Positively correct gently.
    correcting his opponents with gentleness. (v. 25)
19. Positively desire good for your enemies.
    God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will. (v. 25-26)
20. Positively use your energy to win converts, not arguments.
    “As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry. For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” (2 Tim. 4:5–7)

Conclusion

1. Who is your Timothy?
2. Who are your Pauls?
3. Who are your Hymenaeus and Alexanders?
4. Who are you Hymenaeus and Alexander to?
5. Are you positive, negative, or neutral?
6. What will your legacy be?

In our own day there are many faithful Reformed Bible teachers carrying on in the legacy of Charles Spurgeon. Among the best known is John MacArthur, a fifth-generation pastor. Like Spurgeon, he has committed his life to Bible preaching and teaching. This commitment extends, as Spurgeon’s did, to leading a school to train people for gospel ministry (The Master's College and The Master’s Seminary, which we have benefited from directly since one of our Mars Hill elders is a graduate), publishing many Bible commentaries, and launching publications. He has also published a long list of books. Among those I found most helpful to me as a newer Christian is The Gospel According to Jesus, which was a seminal book in what has been called the “Lordship Salvation Controversy.” When planting Mars Hill Church, I also gleaned a lot from his books Shepherdology and The Master’s Plan for the Church.

Expository Teaching

Also admirable are his bold stands for the gospel, including appearances on major networks such as CNN, and actually being sued as a church for practicing church discipline because the Bible commands it. MacArthur has always been a strong proponent of expositional Bible teaching through books of the Bible. That idea has definitely caught on among New Calvinists, and it is now the predominant form of preaching in that tribe.

If memory serves me correctly, I was first introduced to MacArthur’s teaching ministry when I heard him on the radio as a new Christian. I went on to listen to literally hundreds of his sermons on cassette (yes, I am old enough to remember cassettes). His radio program recently includes what I believe is a new twist—answering questions from the people in his church. In my opinion, this is some of his richest teaching because he blends his knowledge of the Bible with affection for his people and the occasional insight from his own life and childhood, all of which is quite compelling.

A Bible Preacher and a Calvinist

For many years, MacArthur was not noted as a Calvinist, but rather better known for being a Bible preacher and teacher. In a conversation I had with our mutual friend, John Piper, he said that about fifteen years ago MacArthur started putting Puritan sermons in the back of his books. This prompted Piper to invite MacArthur to the Desiring God Pastors Conference and ask him publicly if he is a five-point Calvinist, to which MacArthur replied, “Yes.” Since that time we have also seen MacArthur mellow out a bit on the cessationist position that some spiritual gifts in the Bible are not for today, which he argued for in Charismatic Chaos. He has gone so far as to welcome C. J. Mahaney—who is both a devoted Calvinist and charismatic—to preach at Grace Community Church and other events. For these and many more reasons, I want to honor MacArthur in our tributes this week.

A Book You'll Actually Read:

Clear, biblical answers to some of the most common questions—all in concise books you'll actually read! Mark Driscoll boils down the big ideas into little books. Find out more.