30 Truths from the 2011 Ligonier National Conference (by Stephen Simpson)

John Piper & RC Sproul (Ligonier Ministries)

I just returned from the 2011 Ligonier National Conference.  My heart is full.  My soul has been lifted.  My brain is bursting at the seams.  Allow me to share 30 truths that I came home with.  Some of these may seem obvious.  Others may not make any sense at all.  Either way, they all made an impression on me and may prove beneficial for you.

1. Our doctrine of God informs all of our other doctrinal beliefs.  (RC Sproul)
2. Our holy God has an unholy opponent.  His attack is against the inerrancy and infallibility of Scripture.  (Steve Lawson)
3. We are not free to alter or change the Word of God.  We are God's messengers - not God's editors.  (Lawson)
4. There is no good news (salvation) without bad news (sin & judgment).  (Lawson)
5. If Jesus was not fully human, then He would not be fit to be our Savior.  He would be a Super-man and not a Saving-man.  (Sinclair Ferguson)
6. Jesus died, not only for the guilt of our sins, but also for the shame of our sins.  (Ferguson)
7. Jesus is still the God-man and will continue to be so throughout all eternity.  (Ferguson)
8. "Let this cup pass from me" was a perfectly holy request of Jesus.  It would have been unholy for Jesus to have desired divine separation from Almighty God.  (Ferguson)
9. When Jesus was crying out "My God, my God, Why have you forsaken me" God was softly saying "If ever I loved thee, My Jesus 'tis now." (Ferguson)
10. The most powerful preacher in the pulpit is the Calvinist Expositor who is also an Evangelist.  (Lawson)
11. Lawson on Preaching:  Read the text.  Explain the text.  Apply the text.  Have a short porch to a long house.  (ie.  have a short introduction to a long sermon)
12. If there ever was time when there was nothing, then the only thing that would be here not is nothing. (Sproul)
13. Whatever suffering we are called to endure is for God's glory and our sanctification.  (RC Sproul Jr.)
14. God does not simply 'allow' us to suffer.  He goes 'shopping' for us and chooses what suffering we will experience.  He chooses to bless us with suffering because He has a single-minded purpose of making us more like Jesus Christ.  (Sproul Jr.)
15. The current trend is to make the church just like the world.  Instead, we should pattern our worship after the worship in heaven (Rev. 4:1-8).  (Lawson)
16. We must plumb the depths of Scripture to reach the heights of heaven.  (Lawson)
17. In today's church, we try to remove the fear of God instead of instilling it and preaching it.  (Lawson)
18. The unwasted life lives to show that Jesus is more precious than life.  (John Piper)
19. The value of God's glory is reflected in the degree to which I treasure and enjoy it.  God doesn't get any glory if I find Him boring.  (Piper)
20. Since Eden, we have all been cosmic fugitives seeking places to hide from God.  (Sproul)
21. God is only honored by our emotions when they are rooted in truth.  (from a Q & A with Sproul & Piper)
22. John Piper on Missions:  There are only 3 kinds of people - Goers, Senders, & the Disobedient.
23. More Piper on Missions:  There are no closed countries.  You can always get in - you just can't always get out.
24. Too often we think that we are pleasing God when in reality we are only pleasing ourselves.  (Robert Godfrey)
25. The holiest people on earth only have a small beginning in the obedience that God commands.  (Godfrey)
26. It is evil to not pursue joy in God. (Piper)
27. There is no perfect theology - only a perfect book.  (Piper)
28. 'Feeling' loved by God when you are not 'Savingly' loved by God is a very dangerous thing.  (Piper)
29. Our hearts are desire-factories.  (Piper)
30. God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him.  (Piper)

Fellowship: It's Much More Than Just Supper Together (by Peter Brock)

In Stephen J. Lawson's book about expository preaching entitled, Famine in the Land, he describes the multifaceted impact of the apostles teaching as found in Acts 2:42-47. One aspect that he addresses from the passage is that of "energized fellowship" as found in verse 42, "And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers." On page 46 of his book Lawson writes, "These two activities - the apostles teaching and fellowship- are closely related, suggesting that the the apostles biblical preaching directly impacted the quality of the new believer's' personal relationships. Koinonia, the Greek word translated "fellowship," means "association, communion, fellowship, close relationship." It denotes "the unanimity and unity brought about by the Spirit." Lawson goes on to explain how biblical preaching promotes pure fellowship. "As God's Word purged and purified their (early Christians) hearts, the quality of their love for each other grew even stronger" "A Word-fed church will be a fellowshipping church."
As believers, our fellowship with one another is rooted in the truth of God's Word. The more we learn about our jointly held relationship with Jesus Christ, the deeper, fuller and purer will be our fellowship with other believers. May we be marked as those who engage in true, Scripture-fed fellowship. May we be identified by Holy Spirit empowered unity rooted in God's truth.