Kaleo - the blog of Erick Cobb

Unbelievers: Neither Avoid Them Nor Judge Them

"I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people - not at all meaning the sexually immoral of this world, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world.....For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge? God judges those outside.". I Corninthians 5:9-10, 12-13a

11th Anniversary!

Natasha and I are off to Coronado for our 11th anniversary.  Now, because we have two small kids when we go on vacation without them we just want to sleep in, eat good food, read, and spend time with each other.  No other activities needed.  I am amazingly blessed to be married to Natasha.  She has been the most important spiritual influence in my life - more than any writer, preacher, or pastor.   

Here's what we will be attempting to read:

Natasha's Books-

Crazy Love, Franis Chan - I read it first and it is awesome (no extra charge for awesomeness btw)

Through Painted Deserts, Donald Miller - he's a crackup

The Fruitful Life: The Overflow of God's Love Through You, Jerry Bridges - bet it will be good, it's Bridges!

My Books-

George Whitefield vol 2, Arnold Dallimore - I'm hoping to finish a three year reading saga with this great two volume bio

Surprised by Hope, N.T. Wright - I'm hoping to get fresh passion for the resurrection, heaven and the mission of the church on earth.  So far it has been great.  [Note: This is not an endorsement of Wright's theology as a whole]

Outgrowing the Inward Church, C. John Miller - This one is to help me help you (and me) to be more intentional about evangelism.

The Language of God, Francis Collins - I'm looking forward to hearing how the head of the Human Genome Project has become more certain about the existance of God by what he has seen in science.

With a few others thrown in just in case, as you can see in the picture.  And of course there is Wired, Paste, and The Economist to catch up on.

Religious Americans: My Faith Isn't the Only Way

I saw this in our local paper this morning: "Religious Americans: My Faith Isn't the Only Way"

It looks like we need to talk with a lot of church-going unbelievers about Jesus being the only way of salvation.  As Piper once said it is "a truth that makes either converts or enemies".  It may be that a discussion about this with a church-going unbeliever would cause them to see that they don't understand the greatness of the cross and the Gospel.  Seize the opportunity.  A few of the key verses are: John 14:6, Acts 4:12, I Timothy 2:5.

You can also download a message called "Exclusivity" from The Reason for God site to see how Keller dealt with this objections.

Living Acts 17

Here are a few resources that I have personally found really helpful in trying to live out Acts 17:

First, I have often given friends, clients and family the audio Who is This Jesus? (it is free to download - 1st on the page).  I put it on a CD for them and ask them to listen to it and offer to go to coffee or lunch to discuss it.  It is about the historical evidence for the resurrection.  The reality of the resurrection of Jesus was what the apostles consistently gave as the reason why we ought to believe the Gospel.

Secondly, if they have particular objections and are readers I give then Tim Keller's The Reason for God (and once again set up a time to meet to discuss it).  I have given this to clients, collegues and family that are readers.  For those who are not likely to read a book you can download the messages (that have similar content) from The Reason for God website.

Now, to tune yourself up to engage people with the Gospel I would highly recommend two books:

The Heart of Evangelism, Jerram Barrs - This books is great for teaching you how to build bridges, show respect and truly understand those you are called to reach (very much in the spirit of Acts 17).  If you're not a reader get the same content as a podcast here.

The Reason for God, Tim Keller - This book will help you learn how to answer objections to the Christian faith in a consistently Gospel-centered way (in the first half) and how to explain the difference between the Gospel and religon (in the second half).  The second half will minister deeply to your own soul.  If you're not a reader there is an audio book version. 

The best preparation for sharing Christ is being electrified by the Gospel in your own heart (I Peter 3:15a) and for that you can't do better than: Centrality of the Gospel (free PDF), The Cross of Christ (John Stott), and Transforming Grace (Jerry Bridges).

He promised to go with you, live the mission!

Ever-Increasing Joy In Heaven

Did you know that there is Ever-Increasing Joy in Heaven? 

You really must listen to this message by Sam Storms.  If you ever feared the idea of living forever or wondered if Heaven might be boring - or even if you haven't - you have got to listen to this message.

Taking Their Faith, but Not Their Politics, to the People

Check out this very fair NYT article featuring The Journey Church.

Pilgrim's Progress Audio - Free! - This Month Only

Christian Audio is giving away the Pilgrim's Progress on audio (download) - this month only.

If you have never read (or listened to) The Pilgrim's Progress (John Bunyan, 1678), repent of your backsliding and start listening to it today!

Also check out John Piper's excellent audio biography of John Bunyan.

Why John Piper Doesn't Take Potshots at Fundamentalists

Why John Piper Doesn't Take Potshots at Fundamentalists

Well that's no fun :)    But I guess he's probably right....