An interview with Ryan Kelly was recently featured on AM1000 here in Albuquerque and 94.7 FM in Santa Fe. In his two part interview with Ryan, CrossTalk host, Massimo Lorenzi, asked Ryan about his conversion, his years in ministry, and his work at Desert Springs Church.They also discussed a number of topics, including the gospel, discipleship, The Gospel Coalition, Clarus, church membership, and what to look for in choosing a church.

Ryan has hundreds of hours of sermons available online, but I’m not aware of audio for an extended conversation like this in an interview format, so I’m glad CrossTalk conducted this interview.

You can download the mp3 files from this interview at CrossTalk’s site:

• CrossTalk: Interview with Ryan Kelly, Part 1
• CrossTalk: Interview with Ryan Kelly, Part 2

You can tune in to CrossTalk on AM1000 here in Albuquerque on Sundays at 7:00 AM and 1:05 PM. Also, you can download other segments from CrossTalk online or subscribe to the CrossTalk podcast.

The Gospel Coalition’s National Conference was held from Tuesday through Thursday of this week. The theme was “They Testify About Me: Preaching Jesus and the Gospel from the Old Testament.” Conference audio is now available for download.

• Session 1: R. Albert Mohler, Jr.: “Studying the Scriptures and Finding Jesus” (John 5:31-47)
• Session 2: Tim Keller: “Getting Out” (Exodus 14)
• Session 3: Alistair Begg: “From a Foreigner to King Jesus” (Ruth)
• Session 4: Panel Discussion: Preaching from the Old Testament
  Panel: Tim Keller, John Piper, Crawford Loritts, Don Carson, Bryan Chapell
• Session 5: James MacDonald: “Not According to Our Sins” (Psalm 25)
• Session 6: Conrad Mbewe: “The Righteous Branch” (Jeremiah 23:1-8)
• Session 7: Matt Chandler: “Youth” (Ecclesiastes 11:7-12:14)
• Session 8: Mike Bullmore: “God’s Great Heart of Love Toward His Own” (Zephaniah)
• Session 9: Don Carson: “Getting Excited about Melchizedek” (Psalm 110)

Early on Thursday morning, a session was added, “God: Abounding in Love, Punishing the Guilty.” According to Collin Hansen, this event was “prompted by recent events that have cast doubt on evangelical teaching about the love of God, Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross, and judgment for sin.” Audio from D.A. Carson’s special address is available, as well as audio from the panel discussion which followed, including Kevin DeYoung, Tim Keller, Stephen Um, and Crawford Loritts.

This week, from Tuesday through Thursday, The Gospel Coalition’s national conference will take place in Chicago. For those who would like to be there but can’t make it, there’s good news. You can still watch the nine plenary sessions via live stream hosted at Desiring God Live.

Here’s the schedule (times converted to Mountain Time):

Tuesday, April 12

• 1 PM R. Albert Mohler Jr., “Studying the Scriptures and Finding Jesus” (John 5:31-47)
• 3 PM Tim Keller, “Getting Out” (Exodus 14)
• 6 PM Alistair Begg, “From a Foreigner to King Jesus” (Ruth)
• 7 PM Tim Keller, Ligon Duncan, Crawford Loritts, Don Carson, Bryan Chapell, “Preaching from the Old Testament”

Wednesday, April 13

• 8:30 AM James MacDonald,  “Not According to Our Sins” (Psalm 25)
• 6 PM Conrad Mbewe, “The Righteous Branch” (Jeremiah 23:1-8)
• 7 PM Matt Chandler, “Youth” (Ecclesiastes 11:7-12:14)

Thursday, April 14

• 8:30 AM Mike Bullmore, “God’s Great Heart of Love Toward His Own” (Zephaniah)
• 10 AM D. A. Carson, “Getting Excited about Melchizedek” (Psalm 110)

What’s happening in Japan is a reminder to all of us that the present order is out of order. The new creation has dawned in Christ, but creation still groans for the completion of God’s work. Until that time, we pray to our Creator-God, who made this world and is sovereign over it. We pray to Him for the physical rescue, recovery, and comfort of many hurting people. And we pray for the spiritual rescue of many through the gospel of Jesus Christ. In Christ, God entered this very world, with all of its trouble. He knows suffering and He has known it for our sake. John Piper gives us an example of how to pray in a time like this: “We cry for mercy for Japan. Mercy, Father. Not for what they or we deserve. But mercy…May every heart-breaking loss—millions upon millions of losses—be healed by the wounded hands of the risen Christ.”

And as we pray, we also move. We move to help the way that is best from the place we are at: by giving to those who can best leverage our resources for the good of Japan and the glory of God.

As is the case with most disasters around the world, we do not have direct partners on the ground in Japan, but we have friends who do.  We have decided as a church to funnel any giving to Japan for disaster relief through the following organizations. If you would like to give through DSC to these organizations, please use a missions envelope and designate “Japan Relief.”  Or, if you’d prefer, you can give to these organizations directly online at the links below.

CRASH (Christian Relief, Assistance, Support, and Hope)

CRASH Japan, working closely with JEMA (the Japanese Evangelical Missionary Association), has a large network of experienced volunteers who know the culture and language. CRASH Japan’s 24-hour fundraising goal is $100,000. In the last few years, CRASH leaders have coordinated relief efforts in China, Haiti, Indonesia, New Zealand, and other major disaster areas.

On Monday, March 14th, CRASH sent four survey teams to the Tohoku region by train, car, and motorcycle as early as 12:00 am to assess the damage, find staging grounds, and make contact with local communities to prioritize their needs. Additional survey teams will be sent out later in the week.

CRASH Japan is using funds to purchase vital equipment, such as satellite phones, printers, computers, and wireless routers. This equipment will be used to facilitate communication between the Tokyo command center and cities where infrastructure has been weakened or destroyed. According to Intel Coordinator David Sedlacek, satellite phones are the most crucial tool in making contact with disaster areas and isolating relief needs.

A vast majority of Japan identifies religiously as either Buddhist or Shinto, or both. Only 1.5% of Japan’s population identifies as Christian, but churches all over the country have volunteered their resources in a coordinated effort with CRASH to offer aid to those who are suffering.

According to JEMA President Dale Little, “CRASH is the second-to-none relief network in Japan. No other agency is able to assess the needs on the ground like CRASH, and then take steps toward meeting those needs. The effectiveness of CRASH includes linking closely with local churches in Japan.”

Click Here to Give!

Churches Helping Churches

Churches Helping Churches is a global partnership of church communities who seek to rebuild other churches in the wake of a catastrophic natural disaster.

…Our efforts are intended to provide spiritual support and development aid to the pastors and their churches who are often the de facto leaders in these affected communities, as a complement to the initial waves of humanitarian aid that pour into a country in the wake of a disaster.

Click Here to Give!

As we run from the trouble of this present age, may we flee to Christ for hope in the age to come. Through these organizations, we pray that God will comfort the broken, heal the hurting, and open eyes to see His love and grace in Jesus Christ.

Last week, Ryan was asked by John Starke at the The Gospel Coalition to answer an important question about the convergence of evangelism and the Sunday morning sermon. In this post, John asked Ryan, Is it appropriate for pastors to give evangelistic sermons or is Sunday morning strictly for the edification of believers?

In his third point, Ryan explained the nature in which a sermon can can apply the gospel to both believers and unbelievers:

I believe there is a way to preach the gospel to both believers and unbelievers since the gospel is what both believers and unbelievers need the most. In Romans 1:15, Paul relays that he is “eager to preach the gospel” to them—to Christians. This suggests that the gospel is not only to be preached to unbelievers as “the power of God unto salvation” (v. 16), but also to believers as the centerpiece of the Christian life. Similarly, Paul’s confrontation of Peter’s ethnic hypocrisy centered on the concern that this “conduct was not in step with the gospel” (Gal. 2:14)—i.e., it was inconsistent with the unifying purposes of the gospel. This concept, often called “the gospel for Christians,” is increasingly being enjoyed in articles, books, blog posts, and sermons, so I won’t belabor the point. But let me elaborate on the benefits this model of preaching has for believers and unbelievers.

As an able preacher exposes believers’ sins as a misstep with the gospel, and as he once again unfolds the hope, forgiveness, and freeing power of the gospel, non-Christians are listening in on it all. And they’re not only hearing the basics of the gospel, but are also getting a sense of what it’s like to be a Christian. They’re hearing the ongoing cycle of guilt, grace, and gratitude, which is essential to conversion and sanctification. They’re hearing the kinds of things that are expected of those who follow Christ, how they wrestle with temptation, and that the unshakable grace of God is greater than sin. Such preaching has an inherent protection from a Pollyanna gospel, which promises only peace, acceptance, and joy, since the struggle for sanctification is openly addressed. Such gospel-centric preaching also provides unbelieving listeners with an apologetic for the failings and hypocrisies of Christians they’ve known. Of course, at some point in the sermon, the preacher can more directly address the sin-sickness, pain, and rebellion of blatant unbelief (non-Christians). Then it will be useful to be more thorough and explicit about the facts of the gospel, how salvation was accomplished, and what precisely to do to receive his mercy. In all of this, the preacher has not only shown non-Christians what the gospel is and what the Christian life is like, but has also shown Christians how to talk to non-Christians about the gospel. He has also given his members a reason to invite their non-Christian friends to come next Sunday.

Visit The Gospel Coalition’s Blog for Ryan’s full answer. John’s question to Ryan was part of a larger series of posts on the subject of evangelism at the TGC blog. Read John Starke’s recent post clarifying the lessons he has learned about evangelism in the course of this series.