Crossway Book Review: Disciplines of a Godly Young Man by R. Kent and W. Carey Hughes

This father/son combo serves as a practical guide designed specifically for young men to aid them in pursuing a life of godliness. The key text throughout the book is 1 Timothy 4:7-8, "But have nothing to do with irreverent and silly myths. Rather, train yourself in godliness, for the training of the body has a limited benefit, but godliness is beneficial in every way, for the present life and also for the life to come."

The book is set up around twelve "disciplines" of the Christian life: purity, friendship, mind, devotion, prayer, tongue, work, perseverance, church, giving, witness, and ministry. It is both an easy read and clearly written. It is not heavily theological and is helpful for the young man who is either brand new in the faith or for a young man who has never been a reader.

THE GOOD

1)The Hughes' have delivered on their intent to be practical. There are lots of helpful things they have to say in the area of application. The young man will glean many ideas that will help him jump start his walk with Christ.

2)Each section ends with a series of questions designed to help the reader dig deeper in the area of that particular discipline. This makes this book ideal for a small group study and discussion. In fact, I personally think the book's primary value is in the area of small group ministry.

3)The book is designed to be an "entry level" type book and is very easy to read. It will not intimidate the new believer or the young man who is part of the "non reader" group that the book mentions.

THE BAD

1)There is little explanation of the gospel in this book. It is never clearly stated that godliness is the result of Jesus Christ's substitutionary atonement on the cross. If fact, there are times when the book seems to imply that Jesus' primary work on the earth was to serve as our example to follow in disciplining ourselves.

2)The Hughes warn about the danger of legalism but go on to give a list of over 100 items in their book. They try to explain that this is not legalism, but it comes across as very confusing.

3)The message of the book boils down to "try harder". Throughout the book there is a reference to discipline being like going to the gym and the reader is on numerous occasions are exhorted to employ "spiritual sweat". The cloud of witnesses of Hebrews 12 are even said to be cheering "you can do it!" to believers down here on earth (p. 125). It would have been good to see "you can't do it, but that's ok because Jesus did it for you!" which serves as the true motivation for godliness.

Overall Disciplines of a Godly Young Man is a mixed bag. The Hughes have a lot of good things to say about disciplining your mind and church attendance, for example. However, the book is mostly self effort and not a reliance upon God's grace. Trusting in God's race as you discipline your life is not mentioned until the final three pages, almost as an afterthought. As I already mentioned, this book would make an excellent book to handle in a study group, and I recommend it for that purpose.

Top Ten #3:The Holiness of God by R.C. Sproul

I continue my "top ten" book series with the book that changed forever the way I looked at God. R.C. Sproul's The Holiness of God first awakened me to the supreme greatness of the Lord many years ago. This book is an exposition and explanation of Isaiah 6:1-8, focusing in on Isaiah's vision of the Lord in the temple. It was from R.C. Sproul, not DC Talk, where I first learned about really being a "Jesus Freak."

Sproul points out that it is God's holiness, not His love or wrath, that most centrally describes His character. His love is a holy love. His wrath is a holy wrath, etc. Everything about God can be summed up in that one word which the seraphim repeatedly cry out "Holy, Holy, Holy!" This book is a must for EVERY Christian. It is also great for a small group study. There is a DVD series as well.

Top Ten #2: Through Gates of Splendor by Elisabeth Elliot

Every culture has its stories. Every Christian generation has its martyrs. We all have stories that inspire us and challenge us. Very few, however, transform hearts as the story of five men speared to death in the Ecuadorian jungle by a savage tribe...and how the story didn't end with their deaths.

Jim Elliot is near the top of my list of "not Bible people" that I can't wait to meet once I get to heaven. His four friends, Nate Saint, Roger Youderian, Ed McCully, and Pete Fleming are right up there with him. Nikki first introduced me to the story of their families very early in my Christian faith. This is one story that every Christian MUST know. We have received many more details in recent years through the work of Nate Saint's son, Steve and a documentary and a feature film have been made to continue to tell the story. It was Elisabeth Elliot, however, that stands as the one who first captivated Christians everywhere with God's work among the Waodoni.

The love of the five men, who refused to fight back when attacked, for the Waodoni (then known as Aucas)so that they might know Jesus is amazing...the willingness of the families of these men to continue the work among the same people who murdered their family members is the stuff of Holy Spirit inspired legends.

We know now that many of the Waodoni, once known for being killers, send their own missionaries for Jesus to other tribes. We know that some of the children and grandchildren of the slain missionaries were baptized by the very men who murdered their dads and grandfathers. It was Through Gates of Splendor where I first saw God's heart for missions. It was through this book that I first truly understood that in Jesus, we have a cause that truly is worth paying the ultimate price. It is reported that the five men were asked if they would use their guns if the Aucas attacked. They answered, "No, we are ready for heaven, they are not." It is from Jim Elliot that we get one of our most beloved quotations from the 20th Century, "He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose."


Related works:

Shadow of the Almighty

Jungle Pilot

Top Ten #1: Knowing God by J.I. Packer

I should say at the outset that the intent of this series is aimed at Christians who WANT to grow in their faith. If you are looking for quick fixes, these books are not for you. They can be hard and convicting, but they are the books God used to shape my life and ministry in the early years of my walk with Jesus. If you have never been a serious reader, these books will serve as a great foundation to your personal growth and library. If you are someone who has never been a reader, I won't lie to you, it takes great work to grow in theology...but it is worth it!

My goal for each post is to not just give you a "top ten" list, but rather to give you one book that God used to open my eyes and heart and really made a difference in my life in one specific area. For each post I will share the book as well as how the book impacted me in that particular area. Up fist, Knowing God By J.I. Packer.

Knowing God was a lot of things for me. It was the first book that I used to do public teaching of any kind. I used Packer's chapter on Daniel 3 to teach at a Bible study group of students at Montreat College in North Carolina. This was a huge step for me. It was this night that I was sure that I wanted to answer God's call into the gospel ministry. That was the Spring of 1996.

I don't intend to break down each of these books in detail. For most, like in the case of Knowing God, it has been years since I last read them. Perhaps this series will lead me to work through them all again. But my purpose is to give the the "Aha!" moment that each book gave me. With Packer it was simple: The God of the Universe is KNOWABLE and desired to have a relationship with me!

I don't know if you've ever really thought about the heaviness of that statement. God is knowable. Let me say that again, God is knowable! Through the death and resurrection of His Son Jesus, we can KNOW God. We live in a world crazed with celebrity worship. A culture where people would do anything to get a glimpse of Lady Gaga or President Obama or Justin Bieber. Most of us will never even see these people in person much less know them personally. Packer taught me that this isn't true with God. He is greater than all the celebrities of history combined, with an infinite amount of greatness to spare, and we can know Him!

If you've never read Knowing God by J.I. Packer, you have robbed yourself of a great blessing. Get it. Read it.

Our Test of Faith

Back in November, our son Luke was diagnosed with an atrial septal defect in his heart. This means he has a hole between his two atrial walls. It is a moderate sized hole, about 1.5 cm in diameter.

Luke is scheduled to have a procedure done on January 27th to attempt to close the hole. This will be a catheter procedure where the doctor will try to place a device in the hole to close it up.

Please pray that this procedure will work. If it doesn't, they will have to to in and repair the hole surgically. We are fighting hard to give Luke over to the Lord each day. Pray that these next few weeks will be gospel filled for our family. Pray for Nikki, that God will visit her mightily in the weeks to come and that He will be her peace, and mine.

Book Reviews in 2012

I am excited to announce that starting in 2012 Our Sovereign Joy will be an official book reviewing blog for Crossway Books. I will be reviewing one book per month for Crossway. I hope and pray that this will be a blessing for your and will assist you in your walk with Jesus. For His glory!

Christmas Gifts and the Grace of God

Sometimes you hear people say that they don't want Christmas to be about presents when it comes to their kids. Of course the kids usually aren't the ones who come up with this idea. I don't think we have to throw out the gift giving at Christmas time. Not only that, but I think Christmas CAN be about the gifts. Let me explain.

Have you ever considered that Christmas gifts are the perfect opportunity to teach your kids about the grace of God? They are. Do you know the difference between Santa and Jesus (besides the fact that one is real the other is not)? Santa gives presents based on merit. He gives to kids who have been good. Jesus gives to people who are not good, who are unlovable, who deserve hell. Jesus knows all that and loves people anyway. We can't earn His love and we can't do anything to make Him not love us.

Here is the application: give your kids gifts at Christmas based on your love for them...nothing else. Teach them that you desire to give them gifts solely because you love them. Tell them that you love them no matter what they do, good or bad. Then tell them that by sending Jesus, that's exactly how God loved us.

Merry Christmas!