Tyler Kenney is the Web Content Assistant at Desiring God.

We know from Scripture that God doesn't simply want our service. "I desire mercy and not sacrifice," says Jesus, quoting Hosea 6:6. He doesn't care for our religious rituals in and of themselves.

He tells us what he wants instead: mercy. Steadfast love. Bleeding hearts, both toward him and toward our neighbor. Read Scripture for any length of time, Old or New Testament, and you'll see that this is what God has always desired of his people.

What I like so much about this poem from George Herbert is that he knows this desire in God's heart, and he pleads for him to act on it. In place of wrath and rod, he asks for God to "discipline" him with love. Gentle love, he tells God, will release his own heart to love him in return.

He seems to have learned the principle of 1 John 4:19 by experience: "We love because he first loved us."

Discipline

Throw away thy rod,
Throw away thy wrath:
                         O my God,
Take the gentle path.

For my heart's desire
unto thine is bent:
                         I aspire
To a full consent.

Not a word or look
I affect to own,
                         But by book,
And thy book alone.

Though I fail, I weep:
Though I halt in pace,
                         Yet I creep
To the throne of grace.

Then let wrath remove;
Love will do the deed:
                         For with love
Stony hearts will bleed.

Love is swift of foot;
Love's a man of war,
                         And can shoot,
And can hit from far.

Who can scape his bow?
That which wrought on thee,
                         Brought thee low,
Needs must work on me.

Throw away thy rod;
Though man frailties hath,
                         Thou art God:
Throw away thy wrath.

(George Herbert: The Complete English Works, 174-175)

A week from today we'll be streaming our next live session of Ask Pastor John. If you aren't familiar with the way we've been doing these recently, this is an event where John Piper hears and answers a variety of questions in front of a live viewing audience.

Where do the questions come from? They come from you! Anybody can submit a question, and the question can be about anything. Just make sure it's less than 140 characters, though, since you have to send it through Twitter (and don't forget to include the hashtag #apj with it).

The event will run from 7:00pm to 8:30pm Central Time—primetime—March 31st on our live events webpage.

This could be a great opportunity to gather friends, family, roommates, or neighbors to ask and hear what God might have to say through Pastor John as he seeks to represent God's word.

The video from the Friday night message John Piper gave at Mars Hill Church last month is now available. You can download it or watch it right here in your browser:

As mentioned a couple weeks ago, the Sunday morning message he gave at Mars Hill—"Be Killing Sin or Sin Will Be Killing You"—is also available. In fact, I'll just embed it here too:

There. Thanks so much to Mars Hill Church and The Resurgence for processing and making all this media accessible!

This July Baker Books will be releasing Jesus: The Only Way to God, a short paperback by John Piper on the need for people to hear and believe the name of Jesus in order to be saved.

You can buy one (or more) from us in advance at the special price of just $4.99 each. Just call 888.346.4700 on a weekday between 8 and 5pm Central Time. We'll ship your order in July, immediately after they come in.

Here's the blurb:

If the evangelical church at large was ever too confrontational in its evangelism, those days are gone. In our shrinking, pluralistic world, the belief that Jesus is the only way of salvation is increasingly called arrogant and even hateful. In the face of this criticism, many shrink back from affirming the global necessity of knowing and believing in Jesus.

In Jesus: The Only Way to God, John Piper offers a timely plea for the evangelical church to consider what is at stake in surrendering the unique, universal place of Jesus in salvation.

Suspected Islamist militants stormed an office of a U.S.-based, Christian aid agency [World Vision] in Pakistan on Wednesday, killing six Pakistani aid workers after singling them out and then blowing up the building. (Read full article from Reuters)

From the World Vision website:

Please pray for World Vision's staff members in Pakistan, and the friends and loved ones of those who were attacked. Pray for God's protection on our workers there, and pray that our relief and development efforts in this country can continue soon.

D. A. Carson's new book Scandalous just arrived in our mailbox from Crossway. As you can see in the image above, the title is written in woodgrain letters spattered with blood, illustrating the scandal (and the subtitle): The Cross and Resurrection of Jesus.

This relatively little book has five chapters, each one eyeing the scandal through a particular passage of Scripture:

1. The Ironies of the Cross: Matthew 27:27-51a
2. The Center of the Whole Bible: Romans 3:21-26
3. The Strange Triumph of a Slaughtered Lamb: Revelation 12
4. A Miracle Full of Surprises: John 11:1-53
5. Doubting the Resurrection of Jesus: John 20:24-31

If you're looking for some reading to help prepare your heart and mind for Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday next month, this looks like a great choice.

Check out Crossway's Scandalous page for more, such as browsing the entire book online or downloading a sample.

Mars Hill Church has posted the Sunday morning sermon John Piper gave there last week: "Be Killing Sin or Sin Will Be Killing You."

Today's Ask Pastor John answers a question closely related to Piper's post this morning: What happens to infants who die?

Watch his answer, or read the transcript below. (You can also download the video or download the audio).

For more on this subject, see our article "What happens to infants who die?"

The following is an edited transcript.

What happens to infants who die?

I think they're all saved. In other words, I don't buy the principle that says that children born into "covenant families" are secure, and children born into "non-covenant families" aren't. I don't go there.

My reason for thinking they're all saved is because of the principle in Romans 1 where Paul argues that all people know God, and they are "without excuse" because they do not honor him or glorify him as God.

His argument is that they are without excuse because they know things, as though accountability in the presence of God at the Last Judgment will be based, at least partly, on whether they had access to necessary knowledge.

And God says they've all got access to knowledge, because they can look at the things he has made and see his power and deity. But they suppress that knowledge instead of submitting to it, therefore they're all condemned.

So I ask the question: OK, is the principle being raised there that, if you don't have access to the knowledge that causes you to be held accountable, therefore you will not be accountable? And I think that's the case.

I think babies and imbeciles—that is, those with profound mental disabilities—don't have access to the knowledge that they will be called to account for. Therefore, somehow in some way, God, through Christ, covers these people.

So that, in a nutshell, is why I think all children who die in infancy are elect and will be, through Jesus Christ, saved in ways that I may not know how, as God honors this principle of accountability.

If your pastor asked you not to talk about the doctrines of grace, what would you do?

Here's John Piper's video response to that question, followed by an edited transcript. You can also download the audio or download the video.

If you were a member of an Arminian church, and your pastor asked you not to talk about the doctrines of grace, what would you do?

I would ask him what he means: "Do you mean at home with my kids? Do you mean in conversation when somebody asks me? Do you mean Sunday school on the doctrine of salvation? What do you mean?"

And if he said, "All of the above," I would leave the church. I mean, I wouldn't necessarily do that immediately. I would say, "Whoa. So you're forbidding me from doing what the Bible requires me to do, namely, to speak the truth in love. Since I can't follow Christ here under your leadership, you're asking me to leave."

But I would say, "Could we just study and pray about this?" And if he's willing to engage in any kind of process, I don't want to encourage people to leave. I don't want to encourage people to walk away from their churches. I want them to work at being there and ministering and caring and being unified as much as possible.

But if all of that comes to naught, I think something as much as, "You may not speak about the things that are very dear and precious and central to your understanding of the gospel," that would probably mean you need to find another church.

Last December John Piper led a discussion with Doug Birdsall, Christopher Wright, and Lindsay Brown—three significant leaders in the Lausanne movement—about a number of missions-related topics.

They considered questions such as

• What is the Lausanne Movement?
• What are the 6 major issues facing the global church today?
• How does the cross of Jesus Christ address these issues?
• What are your dreams for Lausanne's Cape Town 2010 conference?

The video is about 50 minutes. Watch it below, or download the audio or video.

John Piper spoke several times this past week on the west coast. The video will be available soon, but the audio is already in:

• "Why God Makes Much of Us," delivered last Sunday night at Mt. Sinai Missionary Baptist Church in Los Angeles, CA. It was followed by a Q & A session with urban pastors. (You can read a brief review of both of these sessions at Bobby Scott's blog.)
• "Why God Makes Much of Us," the chapel message given on Monday at Westmont College in Santa Barbara, CA.

The media from his Friday night message at Mars Hill Church is forthcoming.

Next month the Christian Alliance for Orphans will host Summit VI—a conference for believers who are committed to adoption, foster care, and global orphans.

Featured speakers include John Piper, Al Mohler, and Steven Curtis and Mary Beth Chapman. Steven will also lead the music.

Alongside the plenary sessions there will be more than 50 workshops about the various ways you and your church can lead, partner, and encourage others in the demonstration of the gospel through orphan care.

See the conference webpage for more details or to register.

Here's a video invitation from John Piper for you to come:

Registration is now open (just $25!) for our regional conference next month at Willingdon Church in Vancouver, Canada.

The dates are April 9-10 and the theme is "What Jesus Demands from the World." It will immediately follow the reFocus Canada event earlier that week.

Join us for two days of worship, teaching from John Piper, and fellowship with other believers.

• To see the full schedule and get travel details, visit the conference webpage.
• To learn more about the theme, you can read the invitation as well as buy or download the book it comes from.

These were added recently, which puts our total of online Spanish resources at about 480. Thanks again to Alice, our translations volunteer, for getting them on the web!

Praying in the Closet and in the Spirit
Orando en el Aposento y en el Espíritu
(Sermon, January 3, 2010)

You Have the Words of Eternal Life
Sólo tus Palabras Dan Vida Eterna
(Sermon, December 20, 2009)

It Is the Spirit That Gives Life
El Espíritu Es el Que Da Vida
(Sermon, December 13, 2009)

They Will All Be Taught of God
Y Todos Serán Enseñados Por Dios
(Sermon, December 6, 2009)

Skeptical Grumbling and Sovereign Grace
Murmuraciones Escépticas y Gracia Soberana
(Sermon, November 29, 2009)

The Excellence of Jesus Christ (with Spanish translation)
(Event message, November 22, 2009, audio and video only)

Behold, Believe, Be Raised
Miren, Crean, Sean Resucitados
(Sermon, November 22, 2009)

Do Not Labor for the Food That Perishes
Trabajad, no por el Alimento que Perece
(Sermon, November 15, 2009)

Twelve Baskets of Bread and the Walk on Water
Doce Cestas de Pan y la Caminata Sobre el Mar
(Sermon, November 8, 2009)

The All-Providing King Who Would Not Be King
El Rey Proveedor que No Sería Rey
(Sermon, November 1, 2009)

The Legacy of Antioch
El Legado de Antioquía
(Sermon, October 25, 2009)

If You Believed Moses, You Would Believe Me
Si Creyeran en Moisés, Creerían en Mí
(Sermon, October 4, 2009)

Jesus Christ As Denouement in the Theater of God
Jesucristo como el Desenlace en el Teatro de Dios
(Event message, September 27, 2009)

The Love of Human Praise As the Root of Unbelief
El Amor a la Alabanza Humana como la Raíz de la Incredulidad
(Sermon, September 20, 2009)

Who Is This Divided Man? Part 6
¿Quién es Este Hombre Dividido? Parte 6
(Sermon, August 26, 2001)

Who Is This Divided Man? Part 5
¿Quién es Este Hombre Dividido? Parte 5
(Sermon, August 19, 2001)

Who Is This Divided Man? Part 4
¿Quién es Este Hombre Dividido? Parte 4
(Sermon, August 12, 2001)

Who Is This Divided Man? Part 3
¿Quién es Este Hombre Dividido? Parte 3
(Sermon, June 24, 2001)

Who Is This Divided Man? Part 2
¿Quién es Este Hombre Dividido? Parte 2
(Sermon, June 3, 2001)

Who Is This Divided Man? Part 1
¿Quién es Este Hombre Dividido? Parte 1
(Sermon, May 27, 2001)

United with Christ in Death and Life, Part 3
Unidos a Cristo en la Muerte y en la Vida, Parte 3
(Sermon, September 8, 2000)

In today's Ask Pastor John, John Piper answers a question that some athiests, like Christopher Hitchens, have raised in their arguments against Christianity (about 5:25 into this video). If you prefer reading his answer instead of watching it, an edited transcript is included below.

For more of Piper's thoughts on this subject, see the sermon, "The Conquest of Canaan."

The following is an edited transcript of the audio.

Why was it right for God to slaughter women and children in the Old Testament? How can that ever be right?

It's right for God to slaughter women and children anytime he pleases. God gives life and he takes life. Everybody who dies, dies because God wills that they die.

God is taking life every day. He will take 50,000 lives today. Life is in God's hand. God decides when your last heartbeat will be, and whether it ends through cancer or a bullet wound. God governs.

So God is God! He rules and governs everything. And everything he does is just and right and good. God owes us nothing.

If I were to drop dead right now, or a suicide bomber downstairs were to blow this building up and I were blown into smithereens, God would have done me no wrong. He does no wrong to anybody when he takes their life, whether at 2 weeks or at age 92.

God is not beholden to us at all. He doesn't owe us anything.

Now add to that the fact we're all sinners and deserve to die and go to hell yesterday, and the reality that we're even breathing today is sheer common grace from God.

I could make the question harder. As it was stated, it doesn't feel hard to me, because God was stated as the actor.

My basic answer is that the Old and New Testaments present God as the one who has total rights over my life and over my death.

"The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord" (Job 1:21). How he takes away is his call. He never wrongs anybody.

How would you state it to make the question harder?

The part that makes it harder is that he commands people to do it. He commanded Joshua to slaughter people, okay? You've got human beings killing humans, and therefore a moral question of what is right to do.

The Bible says, "Thou shalt not murder," yet God says to Joshua, "Go in and clean house, and don't leave anything breathing! Don't leave a donkey, child, woman, old man or old woman breathing. Wipe out Jericho."

My answer to that is that there is a point in history, a season in history, where God is the immediate king of a people, Israel, different than the way he is the king over the church, which is from all the peoples of Israel and does not have a political, ethnic dimension to it.

With Joshua there was a political, ethnic dimension, God was immediate king, and he uses this people as his instrument to accomplish his judgment in the world at that time. And God, it says, let the sins of the Amorites accumulate for 400 years so that they would be full (Genesis 15:16), and then sends his own people in as instruments of judgment.

So I would vindicate Joshua by saying that in that setting, with that relationship between God and his people, it was right for Joshua to do what God told him to do, which was to annihilate the people.

But that's much more complex morally than saying that God does it. He can cause a flood and kill everybody on the planet except 8 people and not do a single one of them any wrong. But he didn't ask anybody else to do that. It gets difficult when he uses others.

An example of this right now is that God has given the sword to the government (Romans 13:4). Therefore I believe the government has a right to take a rapist and a murderer and to put him in jail. Or to kill him.

I think capital punishment is consistent with Genesis 9 and consistent with God's character, because of the value of man: "The blood of a man shall be shed for taking the blood of a man" (Genesis 9:6) But that's very different than saying that anybody can go around killing people.

So God has his times and seasons for when he shares his authority to take and give life. And the church today is not Israel, and we are not a political entity. Therefore the word we have from the Lord today is, "Love your enemy. Pray for those who abuse you. Lay your life down for the world. Don't kill in order to spread the gospel, but die to spread it."

Just a reminder that John Piper is preaching tonight at Mars Hill Church in Seattle.

The event is sold out, but no worries—they are streaming it live online.

It starts at 7pm Pacific time. (If you don't know what time that is where you live, here's the math.)

Missions is not the ultimate goal of the church. Worship is. Missions exists because worship doesn’t. Worship is ultimate, not missions, because God is ultimate, not man. When this age is over, and the countless millions of the redeemed fall on their faces before the throne of God, missions will be no more. It is a temporary necessity. But worship abides forever.

So begins Let the Nations Be Glad, John Piper's biblical defense of the supremacy of God in missions. The third edition was just released, containing revisions and expansions throughout, as well as new material on the prosperity gospel. (Download the Introduction, "New Realities in World Christianity and Twelve Appeals to Prosperity Preachers")

Also available are the altogether-new Let the Nations Be Glad DVD and corresponding Study Guide. The DVD, which is divided into six 30-minute sessions, is a great tool for conveying the book's message to more than one person at a time. The Study Guide adds to the DVD experience by leading its readers to interact with the material firsthand and in group discussions.

Because we believe in the value of these resources for small groups, we've packaged them into two discounted sets in our store:

1. Let the Nations Be Glad Group Special
   (1 DVD, 12 Study Guides - $89.99)
   
   
2. Let the Nations Be Glad Group Special with Books
   (1 DVD, 10 Study Guides, 10 Books - $179.99)

In his latest post, Albert Mohler reviews Tiger Woods' recent public address, calling it "a remarkable statement of confession." Nonetheless, he is careful to also point out "the radical distinction" between the standard that Woods' newly reclaimed Buddhism calls him to and the salvation Jesus provides.

Indeed, Buddhism teaches the aim of emptying the self of all desire. As [Stephen] Prothero observes, “Buddhists observe that suffering arises from a 12-fold chain of interlocking causes and effects. Among these causes is craving. We crave this woman or that car because we think that getting her or it will make us happy. But this craving only ties us into an unending cycle of misery, because even if we get what we want there is always something more to crave — another woman or another man, a faster car or a bigger house.”

[...]

Christianity speaks honestly of desire and affirms that wrongful desires can and do lead to sin, destruction, and death. Nevertheless, Christianity does not teach that all desire is wrong. Indeed, the Bible affirms that God made us to desire Him. Even in our sinful state, something within us cries out for our need — and desire — for divine forgiveness and redemption.

Christianity does not teach that we should (or could) empty ourselves of all desire, but rather that we should desire the salvation that Christ alone has accomplished for us — the salvation that leads to divine forgiveness and the restoration of relationship we should surely desire. Once we know that salvation, our desire for God is only increased and pointed to eternity.

A couple days ago, John Piper gave his recommendation for a book he recently finished: Same Kind of Different As Me.

For what it's worth, here are some of the books the rest of us at DG are reading.

Theology & Christian Living

• Counterfeit Gods
• Crazy Love
• Dug Down Deep
• Finally Alive
• Future Grace
• Holiness
• Notes From The Tilt-A-Whirl
• The Prodigal God
• Puritan Papers, Volume 1
• Spiritual Depression
• Unpacking Forgiveness

Biblical Studies

• God's Ultimate Purpose
• The Meaning of the Pentateuch

Church Life & Practice

• The Church
• Prophetic Etiquette
• Total Church
• The Trellis and the Vine
• When Helping Hurts

Prayer & Devotional Life

• The Hope of Glory
• A Praying Life
• Precious Remedies Against Satan's Devices

Marriage & Family

• Adopted for Life
• The Exemplary Husband
• Gospel-Powered Parenting
• Love That Lasts

History & Biography

• Jonathan Edwards: A New Biography

• Lives of the Three Mrs. Judsons
• Lloyd-Jones: Messenger of Grace
• Monkey Business: True Story of the Scopes Trial

Apologetics

• Life Is a Miracle
• The Reason for God

Fiction

• Atlas Shrugged
• The Gripping Hand

• The Lord of the Rings
• Peace Like a River
• Remembrance of Things Past, Volume 1

Business & Success

• Getting Things Done
• Linchpin
• Making Things Happen
• The Medici Effect
• Purple Cow

Economics

• SuperFreakonomics

Sociology

• Outliers
• The Tipping Point

?????

• A Big Little Life

Past reading lists:

• 45 Books DG Staff Are Reading Right Now (June 2009)
• 50 Books DG Staff Are Reading Right Now (April 2009)
• Our Favorite 2007 Reading (January 2008)

A couple weeks ago we concluded our Pastors Conference with a question and answer session featuring all of our conference speakers. As always, there was a handful of questions that we ran out of time for.

The following two questions about missions were addressed to Bob Blincoe, which he has now graciously answered in writing:

What is the connection between a gospel that is relevant to all people at all times, and the need to contextualize the gospel to a specific people you are trying to reach?

Paul, the apostle to the Gentiles, wrote, “I become all things to all people that by all means possible I might save some” (1 Corinthians 9:22). Peter, the apostle to the Jews, could not have written that.

John, at the end of his life, wrote “In the beginning was the Logos” and “The Logos was with Theos.” This is a missionary text, written for the Greek speakers by a Jew. And what do we learn from John? We learn that words already filled with meaning in foreign cultures can be given new meaning if we, the presenters, control the definitions. Thus, “The Logos became flesh and dwelt among us” is about Jesus Christ, not about an inanimate philosophical principal.

And what do we learn from Paul? We learn that we missionaries, if we are going to “win” (kerdos in Greek) peoples of other cultures, must de-Judaize (or de-Europeanize, or de-Koreanize) our presentation of the gospel.

The goal is that the cross of Christ be the scandal about which men and women must decide, without making it difficult for newcomers to face the cross by their need to also accept our culture or language.

How would the world of missions change if every missionary embraced the truth that becoming a missionary is the most enjoyable thing they could possibly do with their lives?

Ah, good question. We are all “in the bread line” to get whatever our Father has for us, because He knows our needs. So let us be eager (eager!) to say “Not my will but Thine be done.”

Some missionaries would go home after they realize that their best future is to be with their families in their home country. That is good; but many more Christians are probably receiving the Father’s bread (I speak now of a missionary calling) and are distressed, being burdened with all the loss and grief they feel in giving up whatever it is that they are giving up.

I can help them a little to have faith, but the Bible and their church leaders are the means of grace for them to remain joyous in believing the “missionary advantage.” Wouldn’t you sell all in order to gain the Great Commission promise of Jesus Christ, “I will be with you to the end of the age?”

John and Noël are in Egypt this week to meet with others in preparation for Lausanne 2010. And since they knew they would be there already, they planned a few other activities as well.

Today they got to tackle one of these other plans and visit several ancient Egyptian historical sites. You can go to Noël's blog for more pictures and thoughts about what they saw.

It's not enough to know that Jesus died on the cross and rose again on Easter morning. People need to know why. They need to know why Jesus was betrayed, why he willingly gave himself into his captors' hands, why he endured their whips and scorn, and why he ultimately died for them. They need to know why he came alive again, and why this true story has everything to do with our lives today.

Don't let those around you just observe another cycle of Easter rituals this year. Give them answers. Tell them why.

To that end, until Easter (or until we sell out) we're offering cases of Fifty Reasons Why Jesus Came to Die and History's Most Spectacular Sin at deep discounts—as long as you agree to give them away for free.

See our Easter Outreach page for more info.

Over the weekend Nathan Wilson, author of the recently released The Chestnut King, wrote a playful piece about why and how he writes for kids. Here's a quote explaining why he intentionally does not shy away from difficult or dark themes:

I want to paint a picture of this world that is accurate (if impressionistic), and I don’t want a single young reader to grow up and look back on me as the peddler of sweet youthful falsehoods. I want them to get a world vision that can grow and mature and age with them until, like all exoskeletons, it must be cast aside—not as false, but as a shallow introduction to things even deeper and stranger and more wonderful (and involving more dragonflies).

It is because I try to write this way that I use so much darkness. Evil is more than a prop. True sacrifice is not a sleight of hand. Laughter in the face of adversity is the first step to profound joy in triumph.

Watch the trailer for his newest book:

A little more than two weeks ago, Bethlehem put 6 of its pastors in the hot seat for an anything-goes question and answer session. The panel included John Piper, Sam Crabtree, Jon Grano, Dan Holst, David Livingston, and David Michael. The audio is now available.

Four days later Paul Tripp gave a 1-hour seminar to the church about finding satisfaction in life, titled "If I Only Had..." You can now listen to or download that as well.

Ray Ortlund writes a short, insightful post about the question that lies at the center of a man's heart, and how a wise wife, by answering it, can "breathe life into her man."

Then he explains how it works the other way around.