To Whom It May Concern thoughts about life as I see it

Advance ‘09 Notes Day 2

Here are just some of the notes that I was able to write down while listening to these men:

Ed Stetzer: Keys to Understanding the Church and Kingdom [Listen Here]

• "Challenge to the missional. Adopt an unreached people group."
• "Get over your man-crush on Mark Driscoll & love the church you are in, not the church in your head."
• "We are the only continent in the world where the church is not growing."
• "Too many people are believing in their stuff instead of their Savior."
• "A church without a kingdom mission is as useless as a systematic theology textbook at Joel Osteen's church, and I think he'd be okay with me saying that."
  
• "Recent research claims that 44% of the unchurched said Christians get on their nerves.  44% of the Christians I know get on my nerves!"
  

J.D. Greear: Planting is for wimps: Revisiting a Church around the Gospel [Listen Here]

• "Religious people love recognition, they love the praise of people."
• "Religion makes us horribly inefficient evangelists."
• "Religious people substitute religious rituals for a love for God."
• quoting D.A. Carson, "Error is truth out of proportion."
• "Religious people reduce God to a set of duties."
  
• "Religious people elevate religious things over loving others."
• "Religious people don't show mercy because they think that when other people mess up, they get what they deserve."

Eric Mason: The Ultimate Shepherd [Listen Here]

• "We have a lack of patience in the church."
• "I have changed from calling God his royal highness to his flyness."
• "The subtlety of false humility can often make us focus on ourselves instead of our Redeemer."
• "Christians are more mad at the church than they are lost people."
• "We have made the doctrine of Depravity an idol. There is a subtlety to false humility that takes the focus off God." wow
  
• "We can't wish for stuff in our context that the gospel hasn't done to us yet."

Mark Driscoll: Ministry Idolatry [Link Here]

• "When you idolize things you also demonize those who disagree with you." i.e. Calvinism, Armenianism
  
• "Religion is what people do for God. Regeneration is what God does in, through, for, with and in spite of people."
• It's not about "seven steps to this, a sermon about how to be all you can be, [or] live your best life now," he said. "It's about Jesus."
• "Much of what constitutes Christianity is not what we do but what we receive.  That's how you become a Christian – you stop doing and you receive what Christ has done."
• "It's weird when 20yr old guys try to sound like John Piper, its even weirder when they try to dress like him."
• "Idols are often good things turned into God things, which is a bad thing."
• "It's a shame that some denominations denounce alcohol but idolize gluttony.  I won't name any denominations."
• "Comfort food can be a form of idolatry."
• "Repentance is not what you preach, but what you practice."
• "Some churches present Jesus as a great idol giver. 'Come to Jesus and he'll give you _____.'"
• "For some, uniqueness and creativity becomes their idol."
• "If you don't repent, you're a heretic."
• "Some of you guys are heretics."

John Piper: Let the Nations be glad: Part 1 [Link Here]

• "If Jesus isn't known the Holy Spirit won't make up for that. He's not a preacher."
• "Missions is not being invited. If there's someone to invite you, it's not a mission field."
• "'Nations' doesn't mean 220+ political states, but 16,000+ ethnolinguistic peoples."
• During Q&A, the panel was asked how can leaders who see Piper, Driscoll, and other leaders as idols be seen more as people: "People are only impressive from a distance. If you think too highly of me, just talk to my wife."
• "The human heart was made for pursuing God's global mission, not merely being missional in your city"
• "Just as one man (Adam) undid humanity, so God's remedy for all peoples—everywhere—is the one man Jesus."
• "This is such a tragic thought in the West- We don't need to send missionaries anymore, just send your money and watch the movies."

I hope you guys are able to get a little something from these notes.  I sure did.