The Blessing of Christ-centered Family Ministry

A few years ago I had the opportunity to briefly share at an event for the volunteers in the Family Discipleship Department at Bethlehem Baptist Church and reflect on the blessing that it was to grow up in a children's and youth ministry that was Christ-centered and gospel focused. I recently came across what I said, and it reminded me how grateful I am that the gospel was declared to me and my peers continuously from a young age, and that Sunday school was never a game or a ploy to get people in the door. It wasn't about fun, it was about Jesus. And that provided more pleasure than any activity could. My leaders weren't still kids at heart. Rather they were gospel saturated role models that I could look up to and strive to imitate as Paul commanded the Corinthians to imitate him. I owe much of who I am to the what I was taught as a child and teen at Bethlehem and am grateful I was taught that God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him.

Here is what I said to the group:

My name is Sam Dahl, and I had the blessing of growing up here at Bethlehem and graduating in 2008. My family began attending the summer before my third grade year despite my resistance. It was hard to change churches and leave the friends that I had, but God knew exactly what He was doing. Looking back, I am so grateful for every year spent here and for the many people that have influenced me along the way. I want to share with you three blessings God has given me through the Family Discipleship Department that helped to build me up in the Lord and draw me closer to Him.

My Introverted Pastor

Recently at a gathering of the local chapter of TGC Twin Cities, Pastor John Piper discussed how he loved people as an introvert. As a fellow introvert, I was greatly encouraged to read his comments.

I have been tempted to think from time to time that because I don't love to hang out with people all the time, I can't be as effective in whatever ministry God calls me to. Being with people is exhausting! It's been easy to believe that I just have to grit my teeth and endure the life of an extrovert.

Reading how Pastor John loved made me reflect back on my time under his leadership. I was blessed to attend Bethlehem Baptist Church from 3rd grade through high school and God used his teaching to change my life and make me more like Christ. Thinking back on my years there, I feel loved by my pastor. I don't just remember feeling loved then, I still feel loved today. I felt John Piper's love for me and for his congregation through the way he loved God and the way he loved God's Word.

I have never seen anyone so joyful in who God is. It radiates from him and for years I couldn't figure out how God could bring that kind of pleasure to someone. But Pastor John wasn't chipper; he was also acutely aware of the severity of sin. Therefore deeply moved by his Savior and satisfied in Christ. He was so joyful in God because the gospel was real to him. And God used him to make the gospel real to me.

I also felt John Piper's love for me in how he loved God's word. When I was younger, I wasn't that interested in his sermons, but I saw how important the Bible was to him. It wasn't that important to me. I thought it was boring. But Piper's love for the Scripture was captivating. Because he was so excited about it, I wanted to know what was so exciting. He treated it as what it really is: the actual words of God. He helped me see that glorious reality. He helped me see the gospel that it contained. God used him to instill in me a love for the Bible.

I never hung out with Pastor John. I think I spoke to him just twice in my 10 years at the church. But I feel loved by him. He showed me the glorious Christ and proclaimed to me Christ's Word. He loved me well by giving me something beyond himself. He held out to me God and God's Word. He showed me love that was greater than the love that he could give because he showed me Christ. And that is a love that will last for eternity.

My prayer as an introvert is that I can love others like Pastor John loved me: by showing them a glimpse of the glorious truths of the gospel of Christ found in the Scripture. Sometimes that will mean hanging out with people. Sometimes it will mean time in solitude. But it always means beholding and proclaiming Christ as all satisfying. Thank you Pastor John for loving me well.

ERLC Sports March Madness Tourney Challenge is about to begin! Can't wait to be crowned king of the office.

The Wrath of God

God’s wrath is His just response to the sinfulness of man. In His wrath, God does not sin but carries out His holiness, righteousness, and justice through this appropriate reaction to rebellion against Him. God’s wrath can be manifested in various forms from the withdrawing of protection from other nations (as He did with Israel in the Old Testament) to the giving over of one to his own sinful desires (as Paul describes in Romans chapter 1). 

If God’s wrath were not a reality, the gospel would not be sweet. The reason that Jesus Christ had to live a perfect life, die, and rise again is because sin was a problem. If God were not angry with sin, there would not be a need for a Savior; there would not be a need for rescue. But God is angry with sin and yet, He is also the initiator and giver of salvation for those He is angry with. Christ is the propitiation for our sins (1 John 1:2), not only removing the wrath of God, but turning it into favor. If God were not wrathful, Christ’s propitiation would be nonsensical. The wrath of God is an important point of theology that cannot be sacrificed on the altar of warm fuzzy feelings about a god that so many people want to believe. God’s wrath is a magnificent and glorious attribute but because of Christ, not something that we His children need to fear. For us, God’s wrath is a magnifying glass for His grace, which He freely lavishes on His children (Ephesians 1:8).