​What does a healthy church look like? And can an unhealthy church get healthy in just 100 days? I’ve read lots of books on “healthy church.” This is not one of those books. I know publishers let me read a lot of books before they’re published so that I could promote it. (I know they check how many people actually click on the link and pre-order the book). I also know they get mad when I tell people the book is whatever and to save their money. But I recommend this book for any pastor. This book is not for someone not in ministry. It will be useless to you. But for the pastor or elder, it’s the most practical book I’ve seen, and you could implement it in your church right away. And if you're in ministry, you know Karl Vaters is an expert on this topic. Book comes out March 3rd!
 
What’s the best way to summarize this book? It’s like a 100-day devotional book. Except, it’s not for personal use; it’s for the Church Leadership Team. And it’s more like a manual than like a quiet time devotional. That’s the format.
 
The purpose of this manual is to outline practically and specifically all the things that the church must be doing to be healthy. Some things the church may be doing fine, while other practices may have been ignored. This is not a theology book of thoughts and purposes, nor is it like a business book of strategies or church growth. It is a rigorous undertaking by some key leaders of the church to make sure the church has healthy purposes and practices by the end of 100 days. Each day and important leadership meeting is carefully thought out with purpose and ideas. For example, Day 93 is Launch Day (of project) and Day 94 is Assessment. Each day includes “Today’s Big Idea” “Key Verse” “Passage of the Day” and “Thoughts to Consider.” Every single day. There are also about 8 major meetings that are also detailed. Within the 100 days, important issues are tackled, like mission, church culture, culture shift, intentional projects, evangelism, discipleship, spiritual gifts, leadership training, etc.
 
The last 20 pages of the book covers how to assess after these 100 days have been completed. There are also forms, takeaways, and conversation starter worksheets for the big all-day meetings. Yeah, this is more of a practical handbook, not just an ideas book.
 
I haven’t taken my own church on this 100-day ride, so I can’t say how well this works. That’s the only way to properly evaluate this book, because it shouldn’t be judged merely on its ideas. There are no new ideas in this book, just like many books out there on physical health are not new ideas. However, does this book work well in the real church world? This book/manual looks well thought out, and practically detailed. Apparently, it has also been used in the real world several times, so it does work in some contexts. Will it work in mine? Will it work in yours? It’s still a good book to pick up. So check it out.

I would like to thank Moody Publishers for an advance copy of this book.

R.C. Sproul’s latest book comes out tomorrow (Jan 21st)! I know what you’re thinking – “Didn’t he pass away recently?” Yes, but Growing in Holiness comes out of his previous lectures. The publisher sent me the book over a month ago, but it’s been crazy busy at church! So I finally got around to finish reading it 2 days before my review is due and the book gets published.
 
I wish he had “written” this book earlier, because it’s one of his most practical books, and probably the best book on the topic of Sanctification. That’s the real topic of this book, not “holiness,” although that topic is covered in depth as well. I wouldn’t call this a sequel to his bestseller Holiness of God because you don’t have to read it to dive into this book. But I do recommend you pick that up soon as well (link on the bottom). Anyway, that book covers holiness, while this new book covers the practical question, “How do I get to holiness?”
 
But this is not some ridiculous Things to Do manual. He doesn’t spell out in minute detail how to pray or study the Bible or embark on some spiritual endeavor. That’s not what I mean by practical. Before there can be actual “running towards the goal,” this book shows the overarching theological understanding of relevant Scripture. Then Sproul shows how to apply that in your personal race. He talks about the typical obstacles to our Christian walk, like worldliness, conforming to culture, our fleshly desires, Satan (spiritual warfare), and feelings of inadequacy.

Not every page is great. Chapter 3 was boring and Chapter 4 was unnecessary. Although I agree with everything he wrote, I think it helps only minimally for sanctification. The rest of the book is awesome in his usual clarity. It's a little ironic that he's writing about sanctification when his own process has been completed.
​
 It’s a very good book. Highly recommended.

​I would like to thank Baker Books for an advance copy of this book.

​We all believe that the 10 Commandments still apply, even today, in the age of the New Covenant. Of course, not for salvation, since we are saved by faith. But “Thou shalt not commit murder,” “Thou shalt not commit adultery,” even “Thou shalt not covet” is relevant today (while the eating of lobsters or wearing of polyester is not). And yet, we consider the Fourth Commandment as unimportant. Oh, we don’t disagree with it, and we’ll even defend it against the pagans. But just as we don’t send someone to jail for lying, we’ll quickly look the other way when anyone breaks the Fourth Commandment: “Thou shalt keep the Sabbath Day holy.”
 
Robert Morris’ new book (which comes out today), Take the Day Off argues quite effectively the importance of obeying this command. This is not another typical book on how we all need rest or how to find rest in an increasingly busy world. He does touch upon those two topics, but this book is about the theological implications and how obeying or disobeying affects us personally. Morris is also such a prolific writer that it feels like you’re having a conversation with him at the pulpit instead of listening in on a theological seminar.
 
Morris is not a strict Sabbatarian (like the Seventh Day Adventists), but he believes in taking out a literal one day out of the week to rest and fellowship with God, and it doesn’t have to be on a Sunday, either. This is by far the best book I’ve read on the Sabbath. It is highly Biblical (unlike many self-help type books on Christian resting) and highly practical (unlike many theological books on the 10 Commandments covering the Sabbath). In addition, Max Lucado's foreward is also awesome!
 
If you find yourself too busy to read a book, stop what you’re doing and order it right now and read this book. It will be your first step to obeying the Forgotten Commandment.

I would like to thank FaithWords Publishers for an advance copy of this book.

Alright, this one might get me in trouble, because I could see a lot of people getting triggered about this. My channel gets about 800 views per day and about 10 comments, and usually 1 comment is someone mad that I share the gospel on Uber. So that's about 7 angry people per week.

Yes, I get their permission to record, and half the time, they actually see their own faces on the screen. No one goes home angry or upset. In all of my videos and interactions, I am polite and respectful. I keep an open mind. Many times they thank me for the conversation. A few bloggers have commented that I don't preach or teach enough. I admit that's true, but if I came off all preachy in the beginning, I know they wouldn't listen. So I listen instead. I wait for them to ask questions. Sometimes they do, and I share the gospel. Sometimes they don't, and they leave the car without the gospel, and some people comment that I've failed. That's possibly true.

But one thing that's not true is that I'm forcing a religious conversation or rudely invading their personal space. I have high ratings in Lyft and Uber, and I only drive 5 hours per week. The Mormons I had a debate with actually tipped me $8. because even that was a friendly debate.

I met an actor for one of my favorite shows, Supernatural. Gabriel Tigerman. He was on for 2 episodes. He got really interested when I told him I was an exorcist for 2 years. We don't really use that term. It's actually called "Deliverance Ministry" which is basically casting out demons (exorcism). We had a good conversation, but I didn't get the conversation deep enough about faith. I should've done better with that. But I don't think you can rush everything. I probably should've gotten his contact info so we could continue our discourse some other time. I have to work on that. I'm also planning on puttings tracts and contact info in my car that I could pass out.I still think it's a good video to learn from, even though I had to drop him off before I got to the Gospel part.

I first learned to do "random EV" in college. I joined a Christian ministry called KCM at UC Berkeley, and they taught us to pair up and just go talk to people. It was the most nerve-wracking thing I had ever done up to that point. The idea of just walking up to strangers and start a conversation is the stuff of nightmares. It's worse today in the multimedia digital era where people text each other messages while sitting at the same table, liking each other's food-stagrams before eating the very food they took pictures of.

We're afraid of being judged. We're afraid of looking or feeling awkward. We're afraid of putting ourselves in situations that are not managed or formatted or Instagrammable.

That's one of the main reasons I started driving for Uber. For the first 2 months, I didn't even evangelize. I was just getting used to talking to random strangers about random things. As an introvert, that's a huge leap. I know I know - I'm a pastor who speaks in public at least twice a week. I have to meet new people and get outside my comfort zone. I've done that for years. and I've gotten better at it. But I'm not comfortable. That's what being an introvert means.

Talking to people, and eventually, talking to people about Jesus, is a skill that needs to be developed and practiced like almost everything we do that we want to get good at. It's taken this introvert some time and lots of practice, but now I regularly talk to people at bus stops, supermarket checkout lines, malls, parks, Costco, etc. Now, I almost never have a camera with me to record those interactions out there, but I have several cameras in my car when I Uber / Lyft. So I made this video montage of uber scenes so people can get some tips on How to Turn Regular Conversations into Spiritual Conversations about Faith. 

Enjoy! and don't forget to Share on Facebook and Like.

​What’s it like to go on a mission trip with David Platt? What would he write in his journal? That’s exactly what you'll see in his latest book (to be published in September). This is not a theological treatise nor a book on Christian living. You are reading into his mission journal on his trip to the Nepalese Himalayas. You’ll be walking in his shoes (without the blisters) as he hikes up the trails and meets interesting people, and everyone that he meets has a back story.
 
This is just one mission trip, not a collection of several. On the one hand, you can go on your own mission trip and have similar experiences. The conversations that he has with the natives and gospel workers, the things he learns from God in his quiet times, the lessons he learns each day – they are not that uncommon in the mission field. Yet, on the other hand, imagine going on a trip with one of the best mission team leaders. to the most remote parts of the Himalayas. That makes this book worth reading.
 
His motivation for writing this book is laid out in the last chapter. After you read this, you’re supposed to say to yourself, “Something needs to change!” And you need to practically change something in your life to address the questions that he asks in this book, such as, “How can so many people go to hell?” or “What can I do to help the physical and spiritual needs that are laid bare in this world?
 
He wants people to take these needs seriously and take real steps to make a difference. This book doesn’t lay out any steps or offer any practical advice. That’s not the point of this book. It’s supposed to get people to start thinking. I’m not sure if he really accomplishes this goal with this book. At any rate, at the least, it was good, pleasure reading.

I would like to thank Multnomah Publishers for an advance copy of this book.

by Michael Hare. You know how a math nerd likes a book of intricate math problems or a chess enthusiast likes a book of chess strategies, or a word nerd loves solving cross-word puzzles? This book is kind of like that, or all of those. In addition to great principles and strategies for solving church problems, this book is full of real life examples, or problems that need to be solved. It's like a ministry puzzle book for ministry nerds. Some of the problems, I smile, because I remember going through them, and solving them in similar ways. Other problems remind me that the playing field is huge, as intricate as the people involved. Unlike math, each problem is unique, based on history, culture, personalities, intergroup fighting, intragroup fighting, intrapersonal, etc, and there are multiple solutions.
 
Here's a small exerpt:
The board recommended a congregational meeting for resolving a controversial issue. It started out okay, but then several people started talking at the same time, then it came to yelling at each other. Others joined in, and it got pretty ugly. Within a month, the church split and about a third of the congregation went down the street and started a new church.
 
Sadly, this example is all too common, so there are actually many books that address church conflict. This book, in my opinion is the best one. It has great principles for solving any church conflict, including a workbook section to work on your specific issues at church. I recommend this book for anyone in fulltime church ministry. A necessary book for any senior pastor or executive pastor.

I would like to thank Moody Publishers for an advance copy of the book.

5 Points of the Gospel
 
Sometimes people ask me:
          What’s the best way to share the Gospel?
                   I mean, where do you start?
 
Of course I have to talk about Jesus, but do I talk about sin first?
I should start with God, right?
          Do I talk about the Trinity?
          What about Noah’s Ark? Abraham? David?
          What do I include and what can I skip?
                   Is there a certain order?
 
I’ve shared the gospel many many times,
          and almost every time, I do have a outline or a checklist in the back of my head
 
and that’s the purpose of this video.
          I’m sure many of you know the gospel,
                   but it becomes a challenge – how do I share the whole gospel
-what if you only have 5 minutes.
 
So I’ve been teaching The 5 Points of the Gospel
-so you could share the gospel in 5 minutes, or 2 hours
depending on how much time you have, and what point you need to focus on.
          but yes, there’s a specific order.
                   you can’t talk about Jesus unless you first talk about sin.
              and you can’t talk about sin unless you first talk about God.
          and you don’t have to spend 10 minutes talking about sin if he already agrees he’s a sinner.
 
          and yes, you can share the whole gospel in a 5 minute Uber ride.
 
I’ve been teaching this for 17 years as a pastor,
          but I didn’t come up with this.
          I actually got it from John MacArthur,
                   but I can’t find it in any of his works
          If any of you can find the source, let me know in the comments below.
 
OK, these are the 5 points:
God – Man (or People) – Sin – Jesus – Personal Acceptance
 
So let’s begin.
 
#1: God
Obviously, this is where you start.
Who is God?
Describe who God is. You can describe his attributes [attributes] If you don’t know, you can look it up yourself
Are you on the same page with the person you’re talking to?
          The Christian God is different from Allah or the Mormon God.
Tell him that God is perfect, righteous, holy, and loving.
Tell her that he is wise and good.
In China, I had to make it a point that God is a person.
          yeah, as Americans, we take that as a given,
          But in China, God or a higher power, is commonly seen as a force. – it’s impersonal.
 
But God is a person, with a personality.
          God has feelings, of happiness, anger, compassion, love.
          He forgives. A force can’t do that.
You might just spend a minute on this point, or if you’re talking to an atheist, you may have to talk about his existence, and the proof for that.
But even if he doesn’t agree with you, or you don’t convince him,
          you have to move on to the next point.
It’s not about agreement, but can he understand what you believe?
 
#2: Man (or People)
God created people to have a relationship with him.
We were not made to be robots, but we have a free will to love him, or not.
We were created for a purpose, not the result of chance.
Yes, you can spend a longer time on this, but the point is –
God wants to have fellowship with us, as a father to his children.
God cares about people.
 
#3: Sin
But sin came into this world.
Now, you could talk about how Adam and Eve fell in the Garden,
or you could just talk about yesterday’s news.
There’s sin everywhere.
I’ve rarely met anyone who doesn’t believe in sin.
Everyone knows there’s a difference between good and evil.
          But I have to help define it by saying that sin is anything that’s against God’s will. or say that it’s anything that displeases God.
          use your own language,
                   but the point is that this causes a huge problem:
Going back to the 1st point, God is perfectly holy.
          God is so righteous he has to punish evil.
          God is not the innocent bystander who just watches a thief take a woman’s purse.
          No, God steps in. He punishes evil.
 
Now, this is not where you talk about the age-old debate – the Problem of Evil or the Problem of Pain
          - If God is so loving, why is there pain or evil in the world?
I do have a video that answers that question – but this is not the point where you get into that debate. Stick to the 5 points.
          and try not to get involved in long tangents.
          Once when I was sharing the gospel, this woman asked me to explain to her the Trinity!
          this could’ve been a 10 minute tangent, so I gave a very brief answer and said we could talk about it more later, but let’s get back on topic.
 
In any gospel presentation – you don’t want to get into long tangents – you don’t want to get sidetracked into an academic discussion.
When you’re sharing the gospel, you’re trying to get personal.
          and that makes people uncomfortable.
          so they want to make it an intellectual discussion – an impersonal topic
But in any gospel presentation – you never want to make it a debate:
me vs. you
my ideas vs your statements
don’t let them get you in a debate of whether homosexuality or transgender is wrong.
don’t let them lead you into politics – Obama or Trump or the Wall
 
no, no. move along the 5 points.
 
The main point of the 3rd point is that God loves man – the 2nd point, but God can’t have fellowship with man because he’s too holy and righteous – the 1st point.
This is a great place to quote Rom 3:23 – For all have sinned...
and rom 6:23 – the wages of sin is death...
and the death the Bible speaks of is hell.
So this is a problem – We can’t be with God because of sin.
God must punish the people he loves.
 
But God always had a solution – Point #4: Jesus Christ
This usually takes up the longest time,
          and I’m not going to cover every possible thing you can say about Jesus here in this video.
          You don’t have to talk about the Virgin Birth or his miracles,
but here’s a few essentials you have to cover:
          Jesus is God – you have to say that.
                   he’s not some prophet or holy man.
          He is God.
                   and that’s why he has the power to forgive sins
                   since sin is ultimately a sin against God, only God has the right to forgive sins
          and Jesus was also 100% man. He was born in the flesh.
          This is important, so he could represent us and take our place.
 
In the OT, God set in place a spiritual law of representation.
          Sin must be punished, and the person who sins must die
-because God is holy and righteous.
But God allowed that an animal can take your place.

• that’s why there was an animal sacrifice.

This animal without blemish represented you.
 
You stood before the priest and the altar, and you would confess your sin before God.
you deserve judgment.
          But instead of you, the animal would take your place and die for your sin on the altar.
For thousands of years, this was just a symbol of the Ultimate Sacrifice that was to come.
 
God would send his own Son to die on the cross as the ultimate sacrifice.
and he rose again to prove that he was God.
 
So all those who believe Jesus as Lord shall be saved, for their sins will be forgiven, because of Jesus, the Lamb of God.
 
Now, the sin problem is solved, and man can have fellowship with God once again.
 
But the Gospel doesn’t stop here – there’s a 5th Point.
Up until the 5th point, this is all still intellectual fact.
          It’s what happened in history.
 
but knowing history doesn’t make you a Christian.
 
Even the devil can say, “I believe that Jesus is the Son of God who died on the cross and rose again”
Even Satan can say, “I believe that Jesus died on the cross as the final sacrifice to forgive sins”
-but that doesn’t mean he’s a Christian.
 
Just because someone says that Jesus is God doesn’t mean he’s saved.
          - that’s just a fact.
 
Even Satan believes that Jesus is God, died on the cross, and rose again for the sins of mankind.
and one day, he will even be forced to get on his knees and bow before Jesus.
          and he will even have to say “Jesus is the Lord.”
          and yet there is one thing he cannot say “Jesus is my Lord”
- personal acceptance
Jesus is not just God. But he is my God.
                                                my Savior.
                                                my Lord.
 
Becoming a Christian is not just believing in factual statements.
          It’s about putting your faith and trust in a person. – Jesus.
 
There’s a famous story of a tightrope walker.
With tremendous skill, he was able to walk across the expanse between 2 tall buildings – just on a rope! and then he asked the crowd below him – “Who believes that I could walk across, this time, carrying a man on my shoulders?”
With confidence, many hands went up – “Yes, we believe!”
          and then he said, “If you really believe, Any volunteers?”
                                                                   hmm.
                             big difference between saying you believe
                                      and actually putting your trust in someone.
- that’s faith
 
It’s one thing to say “I believe this man can walk across”
                               “I believe this Jesus can forgive my sins”
But can you actually put your faith in Jesus?
       can you put your life in his hands?
          “Jesus, I believe in you, I believe that you died for my sins and rose again. I believe you are God who forgives me of my sins.
          Be my Lord and be my God. I will follow you. I put my life in your hands”
 
and that’s what makes you a Christian.
 
So there you have it:
God – Man – Sin – Jesus – Personal Acceptance
          - The 5 Points of the Gospel

would be better without all those stories.
 
I don't agree that all 9 are common beliefs. For example, although I know some Christians who cannot forgive themselves, I don't think it's common that many Christians believe that God cannot forgive them. Here's a few points that were presented in the book.
 
1: God won't give me more than I can handle
All of life is more than we can handle; we need God's help to handle it.
Yes, God gives you more than you can handle. It's actually, God won't give you more than He can handle.
 
3: God just wants me to be happy.
This is a weak chapter. He pretty much says God wants us to have joy, there's a difference. OK then, is it "God just wants me to have joy?" That's also a lie. There's a greater purpose than just having joy. Life isn't about me. I was hoping he would approach the lie in this way, but he doesn't.
 
5: Follow your heart
Don't follow your heart. Follow God.
 
9: Believe in Yourself
Yes, I admit it's a common lie, even among Christians. But I think every true disciple can defeat this lie of the self-esteem movement.
 
 Moderately recommended.

​I would like to thank Multnomah Publishers for an advance copy of this book: