Tim Keller - Center Church Webcast, hosted by Zondervan and The Gospel Coalition

This recorded webcast with Dr. Timothy Keller, hosted by Zondervan and The Gospel Coalition. Dr. Keller discusses his book, "Center Church: Doing Balanced, Gospel-Centered Ministry in Your City."

[@rguitarman7]

I'm going to buy the "Center Church" Book. Already blessed with what I am hearing.

[@jeremyoddy9219]

Excellent material. I'm currently going through it for a second time with a second study group.

[@ParkerShinn]

Amazing! So blessed by this.

[@Echobuns]

Amen all the way through.

[@jacksonvandyke]

Here are some notes I took as I went. Sorry for the way this reformatted microsoft word bullets. Great lecture, happy studying everyone!
The current situation: Postmodernism - Christianity is inconsequential, unimportant, and laughable.
o This society is still mad at Christianity and reacting against it.
o Wolf - Western churches have a past they like to boast about and a future that they dread.
o How can we be orthodox, compelling, and adaptive?
• 1. We need to be a particular kind of community.
o Leslie Newbigin: The church continues to behave as if Western culture comes to it for milestones and understands this call to come to Jesus and “be saved”. It does this less and less every year.
o 6 features of this community.
 1. A contrast community - we must be different on sex, money, power, forgiveness and many other ways.
• We must model a different way to be human.
 2. A servant community - the people around the church have to see the church as not just living for themselves but for the other people.
• More than evangelizing to increase us.
 3. A nondivisive, unifying community - we do not justify the existence of our denomination is because “we’re not like them”.
• Be as respectful and cooperative as you can be.
• Story: Man on the island, that’s my church, and that’s the church I have nothing to do with.
 4. A lay-launching community - Driven by members who look to serve others rather than to be consumers who judge the offerings of the church.
• Not dominated by professionals
 5. A suffering community - we need to suffer together, and we will as time goes on.
 6. A prophetic community - a community of the word that calls the world to account.
• In a blue-collar community, my pastoring sets up my preaching.
o In a white-collar community, my preaching sets up my pastoring.
• Christianity is first of all a message that, if believed, will lead to a new way of life.
• The gospel is news, not advice. Advice is counsel that you can choose.
o The gospel is news that Jesus has come back from the dead.
o This has often been recast: Conservative is moralism and legalism
o Liberal approach: God is creating a community that will renew the world and making justice and peace and love. You can join!
• The gospel releases burdens, it does not give more burdens.
• Story: Joshua Chamberlain changed history at Little Roundtop. You can’t communicate this by modeling. You have to use words!
• 2. How then do we persuade people in a post-Christian culture?
o 1. Find something they agree with and then say “if you believe that, why don’t you believe this?”
 Honor-shame culture - resonates with God’s holiness and judgment.
 Individualistic - resonates with God’s love
 Various ways to argue this.
o A. When we fall in love with a woman, do we care less about her purity, care, and cleanliness? No. God has loved us, and desires our best. (Lewis in the Problem of Pain)
o B. Wouldn’t it be great to relate to a God who is a person? Then you need an infallible Bible.
 Haven’t you experienced a relationship where one person completely dominates? If you don’t have an infallible Bible, God will always go along with what you say.
o C. The background of sexuality and gender is the Trinity. God is tri-personal. The union of two people who are unlike each other but who are meant to be together. Marriage as a way of mirroring the trinity by bringing together two halvess of humanity to make a whole.
 “No one’s ever told me what the idea behind sexuality was. They just told me what I can’t do.”
o D. Gehazi receives leprosy for his denial. “Wouldn’t it be interesting if we looked on the outside how we are on the inside?” Authenticity.
• 3. 4 areas in which you have to do this.
o Charity and human love - Christians came up with the idea to love your enemy.
o Justice and human rights - Greeks came up with the idea of the logos, but they believed it was impersonal and we lost ourselves at death. The logos as a person changed the world forever. Anybody can know the logos. (The idea of human rights comes from Christianity.)
o Idolatry and human sin
o Hope and the human future

[@amazingly_bookish]

Thank you so much, Bro! ☺

[@docbainl9504]

Bravo soldier of Christ❤

[@christfemi]

Thank you.

[@ejonesusl]

I'm sorry but Tim Keller is my favorite.