At the heart of The Gospel Coalition (TGC) are three foundational documents, one of which is a statement of shared doctrinal belief. In getting acquainted with TGC, we recommend reading the Confessional Statement which provides a basis for unified gospel partnership among the leaders and churches in network through TGC.

The following section entitled, “Creation of Humanity,” provides a good example of how this statement means to unify us around both historic commitments and timely concerns:

We believe that God created human beings, male and female, in his own image. Adam and Eve belonged to the created order that God himself declared to be very good, serving as God’s agents to care for, manage, and govern creation, living in holy and devoted fellowship with their Maker. Men and women, equally made in the image of God, enjoy equal access to God by faith in Christ Jesus and are both called to move beyond passive self-indulgence to significant private and public engagement in family, church, and civic life. Adam and Eve were made to complement each other in a one-flesh union that establishes the only normative pattern of sexual relations for men and women, such that marriage ultimately serves as a type of the union between Christ and his church. In God’s wise purposes, men and women are not simply interchangeable, but rather they complement each other in mutually enriching ways. God ordains that they assume distinctive roles which reflect the loving relationship between Christ and the church, the husband exercising headship in a way that displays the caring, sacrificial love of Christ, and the wife submitting to her husband in a way that models the love of the church for her Lord. In the ministry of the church, both men and women are encouraged to serve Christ and to be developed to their full potential in the manifold ministries of the people of God. The distinctive leadership role within the church given to qualified men is grounded in creation, fall, and redemption and must not be sidelined by appeals to cultural developments.

When you have a moment, read the entire document.

This post is second in a series of posts introducing DSC to The Gospel Coalition (Read Part 1).

Many of us are familiar with the work of The Gospel Coalition (TGC), a network of likeminded churches and church leaders promoting gospel-centered ministry formed by D.A. Carson and Tim Keller in 2007. Three founding documents explain well the heart of the coalition’s work: A preamble, a confessional statement and a theological vision for ministry. In the preamble, entitled, “The Gospel for All of Life,” we find this helpful summary the coalition’s aim:

We are a fellowship of evangelical churches deeply committed to renewing our faith in the gospel of Christ and to reforming our ministry practices to conform fully to the Scriptures.

…Our desire is to serve the church we love by inviting all of our brothers and sisters to join us in an effort to renew the contemporary church in the ancient gospel of Christ so that we truly speak and live for him in a way that clearly communicates to our age.

At Desert Springs Church, this is our desire as well.

The month of August brings to Desert Springs Church three new connections with TGC. First, we are listed on TGC’s “Church Directory,” a directory of churches that embrace the coalition’s foundational documents. We are pleased to announce, as well, that our pastor-teacher, Ryan Kelly, has been appointed as a Gospel Coalition council member. In addition, we are in the early stages of beginning an Albuquerque Regional Chapter.

With news of these connections, this is a good time to get aquatinted with TGC. We recommend reading Collin Hanson’s recent article on why he’s excited about TGC, and watching the above video.  Also, we will publish a series of posts over the next several weeks introducing you to TGC’s confession, theological vision for ministry and the resources they provide to support the church in the living out and spread of the gospel.

We were privileged to have Ed Stetzer preaching for us on Sunday, July 18th. He preached from 1 Peter 4:8-11, “Empowering All God’s People for Mission.” If you missed it, please do take the time to listen.

Dr. Stetzer is President of LifeWay Research (SBC) and is LifeWay’s Missiologist in Residence, where he oversees a large team of Christian researchers examining the health of churches worldwide. He has planted, pastored, and revitalized numerous churches; and he has trained pastors and church planters around the world. He holds two master’s degrees and two doctorates, and has written several books. Dr. Stetzer is frequently cited or interviewed in news outlets such as USA Today and CNN.

In short, he is one of this generation’s leading thinkers in the areas of evangelism, church planting, and culture, so, again, it is a great privilege for us to have him preach for us. He’ll be preaching from Invite a friend to join you that Sunday.

If you’d like to spend some time getting to know Ed and his work some more, here are some things to check out:

• You can click over to his blog for all kinds of stats, studies, and articles
• Specifically, you may want to read a series of blog posts on what it means to be “missional”
• You can watch Ed faithfully preaching the gospel and mission on TBN of all places
• You can watch him teach on “The New Media” at R.C. Sproul’s Ligonier Conference
• Or, you may want to pick up one of Ed’s books and start reading

Fred Zaspel was recently at DSC, preaching a wonderfully helpful message on suffering in the book of Job. His outline alone was, frankly, worth memorizing:

1. Suffering often comes as the result of an unseen conflict in the spiritual world.
2. The inadequacy of human reasoning in the presence of tragedy and suffering.
3. God is sovereign and supreme over Satan and our suffering.
4. We must read this book as Christians.

From an article on the same theme, Fred expounds this last point like this:

Throughout the book Job feels lost, lost in maze of unanswered questions. Chiefest of his concerns is his desire for God. This is why we hear him say things like, “O that I knew where I might find Him!” “O that I had someone to go to Him for me!” And so on.

And it is right here that we find ourselves giant steps ahead of him. He searched for a mediator, someone Who could speak for both parties. We have that mediator, and we know Him. He is Jesus Christ. Job wanted someone Who would not only plead his case, but sympathize with Him. We have Him, and He is the One who “was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.” He is “touched with the feelings of our infirmities,” and so He invites us to come boldly before His throne of grace and there find “grace to help in time of need.”

At this point there is a world of difference between us and Job. We have the revelation of Christ, Who has told us and shown us His great and undying love. He has told us that through Him we have direct access to the Father. And He has told us that we may and should come to Him with every problem we face, and there find Him not only sympathetic, but full of grace & mercy perfectly suited to our specific need.

With that advantage over Job, Job’s faith is all the more remarkable. And ours is all the more reasonable.

If you missed it, please take the time to listen to the whole of Fred’s message; or, even if you did hear it, read through the article version. I know how I need these truths impressed upon my remembrance and affections more and more. Lord, work in us such that we might suffer well!

For those of you who missed it, last Sunday night Fred Zaspel gave a very helpful exposition of Romans 9, which was followed by a Q&A.  As promised, we’re providing several suggested follow-up resources here for those wanting further study of Romans 9 and the related doctrines of election and predestination.

Entry-level Books on God’s Sovereignty in Salvation:

• Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God, by J. I. Packer
• The Doctrines of Grace, by James Montgomery Boice and Philip Graham Ryken
• Putting Amazing Back in Grace, by Michael Horton
• Chosen by God, by R. C. Sproul
• Election and Free Will, by Robert Peterson
• Chosen for Life, by Sam Storms
• Willing to Believe, by R. C. Sproul

John Piper’s Sermons on Predestination and Romans 9:

• Those Whom He Predestined He also Called, Pt 1 and Pt 2
• The Absolute Sovereignty of God: What Is Romans Nine About?
• Unconditional Election and the Invincible Purpose of God
• The Fame of His Name and the Freedom of Mercy
• The Freedom and Justice of God in Unconditional Election
• How God Makes Known the Riches of His Glory to the Vessels of Mercy
• God’s Ultimate Purpose: Vessels of Mercy Knowing the Riches of His Glory

Mark Driscoll’s Sermon Romans 9:

• Sermon Video
• Q&A Video
• Notes