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XL ’ent News 1

September 2008

2 Timothy 2:2And the things which you have

heard from me in the presence ofmany witnesses, these entrust tofaithful men, who will be able to

teach others also.

X L M i n i s t r i e s , I n c

June 2018Volume 26 Issue 2

www.xlministries.org newsletter@xlministries.org

Do not seek from anywhere else what Christ alone can provide. While that sounds obvious, countless people find their lives entangled in webs of bitterness because they seek joy from sources other than Christ. Even for mature believers, discouragements from the disappointments of life can lead to despair because of this fundamental mistake. This despair is the symptom of joy sought from the wrong source. Paul felt the exhortation to rejoice in the Lord was worth frequent repeating (Phil. 2:18; 3:1; 4:4). The emphasis here is that it is in the Lord alone that we have our basis for rejoicing. The reminder that Christ is the single source of all joy is an essential which must continually be emphasized.

Part of the danger of seeking joy from the wrong source is that it can happen subtly and is a trap into which people often unknowingly fall. Believers know not to look for joy in sin. Therefore, this tends to not be the cause of much hidden danger. But there are many good things that God gives people which they can erroneously begin to mistake as the source of their joy. This is where the danger lies. While the possibilities are endless, some examples could be career, family, or even ministry. Each of these is a blessing from God, who is the giver of every good gift (Jas. 1:17). The error comes when the gift is mistaken as the source of joy instead of the giver. These

things are avenues of joy but can only rightly be enjoyed in their connection to Christ. As soon as the gifts begin to be looked to for joy over the giver of the gift, a sure recipe for disappointment has begun.

God alone is pure, holy, and worthy to be the source of joy. The effects of the Fall are extremely far reaching (Gen. 3). Because of the Fall, heaven cannot be expected on the current earth. The best that can be en-joyed in this world still has the taint of sin. God alone is pure. When God gives blessings on this earth, at no point is His intent for His children to now move from Him as their source of joy to the given blessings. In fact, this is part of His gracious and intentional design for the lives of Christ’s followers (Ps. 65:4; 73:28). Foremost among the intentional effects is that it brings Him the glory

that rightly belongs to Him alone.

Further, it protects Christians from an unhealthy love for this present world (1 John 2:15). Everything in this present world, including each individual, is subject to the effects of sin. This recognition not only keeps the follower of Christ from an unhealthy love for this present life, but naturally leads to a purifying longing for the life to come (1 John 3:2-3).

Rejoice in the Lord Alwaysby

Brandon Caron

God alone is pure, holy, and worthy to be the source of joy.

Continued on page 2

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XL’ent News Page 2

Additionally, a person’s source of joy is something that they increasingly build up a dependency upon throughout their life (Matt. 6:21). This tendency is good when Christ is maintained as the object of joy. However, the same ten-dency combined with any other object is destined for dis-appointment. God’s desire for the Christian is a growing understanding of dependence upon Him and recognition of the all-sufficiency of Christ. In not allowing true joy to be found outside of Himself, God is graciously protecting His people from the dangers of false hope in anything other than Himself and keeping them connected to their source of life.

Bitterness, despair, and disappointment are so often the result of people losing sight of Christ as the ultimate source of joy. When unmet expectations rob the Christian of joy, it is a sign that the follower of God is looking to the wrong source. The gifts God gives in this life are avenues of joy but He always remains the source. This intentional design gives God the glory that He alone deserves, pro-duces a sanctifying hope for the life to come, and keeps the Christian dependent on Christ alone. As Paul reminds his readers in Philippians 4:4, “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!”

Continued from page 1

Bitterness,despair, and

disappointmentare so often theresult of people losing sight of Christ as the

ultimate sourceof joy.

~ 2019 XL Training ~

We had a wonderful time this past February as we spent time together in the Word, training, and fellow-ship.

Please mark your calendars for the 2019 XL Minis-tries Training on February 14th and 15th at Country-side Bible Church in Southlake, Texas. The theme of this year’s training is Shepherding with Excellence. We will consider topics such as The Shepherd and His Soul, The Shepherd and the Chronically Ill, The Shep-herd as Protector, and Shepherding Difficult People, as well as a number of other topics.

The XL Training will again coincide with Country-side’s annual Bible Conference which, in 2019, will focus on parenting, grand-parenting and mentoring. Tedd Tripp will be the featured speaker.

Again, it is always good to reconnect and encourage one another on to love and good deeds. Please plan on joining us.

X L M i n i s t r i e s , I n c

XL’ent News Page 3

Expository Apologetics:Answering Objections with

the Powerof the Word

by Dr. Voddie Baucham Jr.(Crossway: Wheaton, 2015)

Reviewed by Vikram Pimplekar

Expository Apologetics is written by pastor and ed-ucator Dr. Voddie Baucham Jr. The book contains 9 chapters, and may be divided into 2 sections:

1. Introduction to expository apologet-ics (ch. 1-4) — what it is.

2. Application of expository apologet-ics (ch. 5-9) — how it is done.

It is expository because it is based in Dr. Baucham’s commitment to expository preaching and it is apologetics because it is essentially about an-swering objections. The book is about the nature and practice of apologetics and is based on the presup-positional apologetics model. The book is addressed to every believer, whether involved in preaching and teaching God’s Word or not. It will be especially beneficial to the preacher and teacher as he uses the method to apply to the passage under study.

Dr. Baucham writes that expository apologetics is about three things (p. 20):

1. It is about being biblical - objections are an-swered with the power of the Word;

2. It is about being easy to remember – if wecan’t remember it, we won’t use it in everydayencounters;

3. It is about being conversational - we should beable to share truth in a manner that is natural,reasonable and winsome.

Preachers and teachers of the Word of God are to be involved in expository apologetics as they increas-ingly address a congregation that is bombarded with postmodern philosophy. In expositing 1 Peter 3:15, one of the classic texts used by Christian apologists, Dr. Baucham writes “we must know what we believe, we must know why we believe it and we must also be willing and able to explain that belief to others in a

winsome manner.” Well said!

How can we be better expository apologists? Answer: By learning the Creeds, Confessions and Catechisms (Chapter 5). These are biblical truths presented in succinct manner. If we familiarize ourselves with the basic categories of questions and the key biblical texts that address them, we will be well equipped to engage in expository apologetics.

Dr. Baucham concludes the book by walking us through a framework of expository apol-ogetics, addressing the issue of same-sex marriage (Chapter 8 - The Expository Apologetic Waltz). This framework, I believe, can be applied to any contentious issue: Step 1 — Show them their worldview is inconsistent. Do this by listening careful-ly, summarizing generously and opposing gently;

Step 2 — Show them where they may be using some truths that originate in Scripture, but they do not understand them correctly in con-text. Do this by finding the source (the biblical source for the truth they are attempting to argue) and by citing the source (where in the Bible is it found);

Step 3 — Show them what the real thing looks like. Do this by explaining why the Christian worldview is true and better and why it mat-ters.

In conclusion, this book will prove extremely benefi-cial for believers, especially those who are involved in a teaching and preaching ministry. It will help as they think through and engage with the objections that the congregation faces on a daily basis in their workplaces and neighborhoods.

The book is about the nature and

practice of apologetics and is

based on thepresuppositional

apologetics model.