Mon 18 Aug, 2008
After getting my MP3 player a few years back , (I must confess it is not an iPod) I began to use it for listening to sermons and messages from various sources. Piper, MacArthur, Discoll, Azurdia, Duncan and Ferguson were all played in heavy rotation. Added to this was a few of the professors at seminary Gamble, Prutow and O’Neill. The podcast was my best friend. I listened while at work, walking the dog, even cutting the lawn. I bought one of those little FM transmitters so I could listen to the messages in my car. I listened so much that my wife told me she thought I had regressed 25 years and become a teenager. The white earbuds almost became permanently attached to my ears. Add to this my veracious appetite for good books. Not only was I studying Greek at seminary but I was reading books from Carson, Piper, Dever, Spoul, and my all-time favorites, the Puritan paperbacks from Banner of Truth.
But for all the good that I was getting out of these resources, messages and books had become an idol. In all of this I was learning new ideas and perspectives but they were coming at the expense of my spiritual disciplines, especially individual scripture study. Not that I was not in the Bible, my studies at school “required” that. But I was not searching and wrestling with the text in my personal devotions. This fact was lovingly pointed out by my wife.
So in order “kill” this sin, the MP3 player was put away and as much as it killed me to do so, I decided to read no other book but the Bible for 6 months. This post happens to be the 6 month anniversary of that decision. Did I make it through? Yes, but not with the temptation to fall back. Most notably, having attended Together for the Gospel in April 2008, I received a year’s worth of reading materials from authors like Piper, Mohler, Dever, and others.
I did read one complete book, Carson’s The Cross and Christian Ministry which my pastor asked the men on our church’s leadership team to read as part of our discipling process. I also read portions of books (about 40) for reference in my seminary paper for the book of Acts. I did also listen to a few messages. However, the result of this 6 month process was a deep examination of my heart.
This AM, the Holy Spirit encouraged me with an article from The Briefing, an evangelical monthly magazine from Australia. In it on the last page was an article by Nathan Walker entitled, iPod, iSermon, iRighteous?. In it he cautioned readers to avoid the sin I had waded into. The encouragement was that the Holy Spirit had shown him there was such a danger and by God’s grace, through the magazine, this danger would be pointed out to others. As Paul the Apostle wrote in 1 Corinthians 10:13 “No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.” (ESV) I walked through this temptation and the associated sin and it was only by God’s grace through my wife that it was pointed it out. Now Walker has encouraged thousands of readers about this temptation and it is my prayer that others would see the temptation, heed this advice and avoid the sin that can come from this temptation. Discernment provides the way of escape.
So here is the application of God’s grace in my life regarding what I learned. I hope it is an encouragement to you. Good books and messages should be read and listened to. However they should not supplant one’s own personal devotions and study. Be on guard if you make statements like “Well according to {insert favorite preacher or author here}…” more than statements like “According to God’s word…”
One other thing. Read The Briefing from Matthias Media. It is filled with challenging articles that are not purely informational or theological. The articles are informative, hard hitting and convicting, yet written in a conversational style and always pointing your back to God’s word and Gospel application. Its well worth the $40 ($30 for an e-copy). I love Modern Reformation magazine for its information on modern culture and ecclesiastical issues but I equally love The Briefing for it’s focus on application.
