I started reading John Pipers book: Spectacular Sins and Their Global Purpose in the Glory of Christ. I decided that I wanted to take the time to blog about it as I recall in the past when I have blogged about books I have remembered more. The quotes in these blogs are all by Piper from the book, unless otherwise indicated.
The general thought of the intro was that things are too soft in the church in the west. We are being coddled:
"It seems to me that Christians in the West are being coddled. We suffer little in the name of Christ. Therefore, we read the Bible not with a desperate hunger for evidences of God's triumph in pain, but with a view to improving our private pleasures."
Part of the problem is that we are missing the Bible:
"What is missing is the Bible. I mean the whole Bible, with its blood and guts and sins and horrors—and all of it under the massive hand of God."
We mostly know the nice parts of the Bible that looks good on hallmark cards. But those parts of the Bible alone won't get us through hard times.
Times are coming when we will actually be persecuted like the church is in other places in the world. When those times come, we will not want to hear "felt needs" sermons. "The aim of this book is not to meet felt needs, but to awaken needs that will soon be felt, and then to save your faith and strengthen your courage when evil prevails"
We will want to know that God is in control and rules over all things, including the suffering of his children.
To say these things is all about love. It is what we need to hear, and so it is loving to say them, although it may seem harsh and overdramatic.
If interested, this whole book can be downloaded free from the Desiring God website at: http://tinyurl.com/cy5blb
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