Wish List for the Reformed Institute of Ministry (RIM) Library

I am coming up with a list of important Biblical and theological books for our Reformed Institute of Ministry. Here are some of the titles that I come up with arranged according to topic or subject. Bible commentaries are not yet included here. I hope to come up with another list of books on commentaries later.

Introduction to Theology
1. Manual of Christian Doctrine – Louis Berkhof
2. The Christian Life – Sinclair Ferguson
3. What Is Reformed Theology – R.C. Sproul
4. Essential Truths of the Christian Faith – R.C. Sproul
5. Concise Theology – J. I. Packer
6. Our Reasonable Faith – Herman Bavinck
7. The Marrow of Theology – William Ames
8. A Body of Divinity – Thomas Watson
9. Introduction to Systematic Theology – Cornelius Van Til
10. Dictionary of Latin and Greek Theological Terms – Richard Muller
11. Reformed Dogmatics: Prolegomena (Vol.1) – Herman Bavinck
12. The Doctrine of the Knowledge of God – John Frame

Systematic Theology
1. Systematic Theology – Louis Berkhof
2. Reformed Dogmatics – Heinrich Heppe
3. Reformed Dogmatics - Herman Hoeksema
4. Systematic Theology – Charles Hodge
5. Outlines of Theology – A.A. Hodge
6. Selected Shorter Writings – B.B. Warfield
7. Collected Writings of John Murray
8. Institutes of the Christian Religion – John Calvin
9. Institutes of Elenctic Theology – Francis Turretin
10. Reformed Dogmatics – Herman Bavinck
11. Christians Reasonable Service – Wilhelmus a Brakel
12. The Christian Faith - Michael Horton
13. A New Systematic Theology of the Christian Faith – Robert L. Reymond
14. A Puritan Theology – Joel Beeke & Mark Jones
15. Reformed Confessions Harmonized – Joel Beeke & Sinclair Ferguson

Doctrine of God (Theology Proper)
1. Reformed Dogmatics: God and Creation (Volume 2) – Herman Bavinck
2. The Doctrine of God – John Frame
3. The Existence and Attributes of God – Stephen Charnock
4. The Providence of God – Paul Helm
5. Knowing God – J. I. Packer
6. Attributes of God – A.W. Pink

Doctrine of Man
1. Created in God’s Image – Anthony Hoekema
2. The Christian View of Man – J. Gresham Machen
3. Calvin’s Doctrine of Man – T. F. Torrance
4. Not the Way It Supposed to Be: A Breviary of Sin – Cornelius Plantinga

Doctrine of Christ
1. Reformed Dogmatics: Sin and Salvation in Christ (Vol. 3) – Herman Bavinck
2. The Person of Christ – Donald MacLeod
3. The Work of Christ – Robert Letham
4. The Person and Work of Christ – B.B. Warfield
5. The Cross of Christ – John Stott

Doctrine of the Holy Spirit and Salvation
1. Redemption Accomplished and Applied – John Murray
2. Saved by Grace – Anthony Hoekema
3. The Holy Spirit – Sinclair Ferguson
4. The Atonement – Leon Morris
5. The Gospel of Free Acceptance in Christ – Cornelis P. Venema
6. Accepted and Renewed in Christ – Cornelis P. Venema

Doctrine of the Church
1. Reformed Dogmatics: Holy Spirit, Church and New Creation (Vol 4) – Herman Bavinck
2. The Church – Edmund Clowney
3. The Glorious Body of Christ – R. B. Kuiper

Doctrine of the Last Things
1. The Promise of the Future – Cornelis Venema
2. The Bible and the Future – Anthony Hoekema
3. A Case for Amillennialism: Underatanding the End Times – Kim Riddlebarger
4. The Last Things – Herman Bavick
5. The Meaning of the Millennium: Four Views – Robert G. Clouse
6. The Bible on the Life After – William Hendriksen
7. The Man of Sin – Kim Riddlebarger

Biblical Theology
1. The Shadow of Christ in the Law of Moses – Vern Poythress
2. The Christ of the Covenants – O. Palmer Robertson
3. The Christ of the Prophets – O. Palmer Robertson
4. Biblical Theology – Geerhardus Vos
5. The Unfolding Mystery: Discovering Christ in the Old Testament – Edmund Clowney
6. A New Testament Biblical Theology – G.K. Beale
7. The Drama of Scripture: Our Place in the Bible Story – Michael Goheen and Craig Bartholomew
8. Promise and Deliverance (4 Vols.) – S.G DeGraaf
9. The Coming of the Kingdom – Herman Ridderbos
10. Paul: An Outline of His Theology – Herman Ridderbos
11. Jesus and Israel: One Covenant or Two – David E. Holwerda

Covenant Theology
1. Economy of the Covenants Between God and Man (2 vols.) – Herman Witsius
2. Redemptive History and Biblical Interpretation: The Shorter Writings of Geerhardus Vos – Richard Gaffin
3. The Christ of the Covenant – O. Palmer Robertson
4. Christ and the Covenant – J. Mark Beach

Historical Theology
1. The History of Christian Doctrines – Louis Berkhof
2. Historical Theology – William Cunningham
3. Historical Theology – Geoffrey W. Bromiley
4. Historical Theology – Alister E. McGrath
5. The Christian Tradition - Jaroslav Pelikan

Bible Interpretation
1. Let the Reader Understand – Dan McCartney and Charles Clayton
2. Principles of Biblical Interpretation – Louis Berkhof
3. Exegetical Fallacies – D.A. Carson
4. Gospel-Centered Hermeneutics – Graeme Goldsworthy
5. Goldsworthy Trilogy – Graeme Goldsworthy
6. According to Plan – Graeme Goldsworthy
7. Knowing Scripture – R.C. Sproul
8. How to Understand Your Bible – T. Norton Sterett and Richard L. Schultz
9. How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth – Gordon Fee and Douglas Stuart
10. Handbook on the New Testament Use of the Old Testament – G. K. Beale

Christian Ethics
1. The Ten Commandments – J. Douma (trans. Nelson Kloosterman)
2. The Doctrine of the Christian Life – John Frame
3. Principles of Conduct – John Murray
4. Evangelical Ethics – John Jefferson Davis

Apologetics and Cultural Engagement
1. Always Ready – Greg Bahnsen
2. Presuppositional Apologetics Stated and Defended – Greg Bahnsen
3. Reasons of the Heart – William Edgar
4. Apologetics for the Glory of God – John Frame
5. Christian Apologetics – Cornelius Van Til
6. The Defense of the Faith – Cornelius Van Til
7. Warranted Christian Belief – Alvin Plantinga
8. Christian and Culture Revisited – D.A. Carson
9. Lectures on Calvinism – Abraham Kuyper
10. The Gagging of God – D. A. Carson

Missions and Evangelism
1. Tell the Truth – Will Metzger
2. Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God – J.I. Packer
3. An Introduction to the Science of Mission – J. H. Bavinck
4. Introducing World Missions – A. Scott Moreau, Gary B. McGee, Gary R. Corwin
5. Let the Nations Be Glad – John Piper
6. Go and Make Disciples – Roger Greenway

Church History
1. The Church in History – B. K. Kuiper
2. Church History in Plain Language – Bruce L. Shelley
3. Sketches from Church History – S. M. Houghton
4. The History of the Christian Church – Phillip Schaff

Church, Church Government and Offices
1. Biblical Church Government: The Church Fulfilling Its Calling – Frank H. Walker
2. Biblical Church Government – Kevin Reed
3. Order in the Offices: Essays Defining Roles of Church Offices – Mark R. Brown, editor
4. Paradigms in Polity: Classic Readings in Reformed and Presbyterian Church Government – eds. David Hall & Joseph Hall
5. Church and Its Polity – Charles Hodge
6. The Glorious Body of Christ – R. B. Kuiper

Ministers, Elders and Deacons
1. The Christian Ministry – Charles Bridges
2. Lectures to My Students – Charles Spurgeon
3. With a Shepherd’s Heart – John Sittema
4. Called to Serve: Essays for Elders and Deacons
5. Biblical Eldership: An Urgent Call to Restore Biblical Church Leadership – Alexander Strauch
6. The Elders Handbook: A Practical Guide for Church Leaders – Lester De Koster and Gerald Berghoef
7. The Deacons Handbook: A Manual of Stewardship – Lester De Koster and Gerald Berghoef
8. The Shepherd Leader: Achieving Effective Shepherding in Your Church – Timothy Z. Witmer

Biblical Preaching
1. Christ-centered Preaching – Bryan Chapell
2. Preaching the Whole Bible as Christian Scripture – Graeme Goldsworthy
3. Preaching and Preachers – Martin Lloyd-Jones
4. Between Two Worlds – John R. W. Stott
5. The Supremacy of God in Preaching – John Piper
6. Feed My Sheep: A Passionate Plea for Preaching – Joel Beeke, John MacArthur, etc.
7. Preaching Christ from the Old Testament – Sidney Greidanus
8. Biblical Preaching – Haddon W. Robinson
9. The Preacher and Preaching – Samuel T. Logan
10. He Is Not Silent: Preaching in a Postmodern World – R. Albert Mohler

Church Education
1. Foundational Issues in Christian Education: An Introduction in Evangelical Perspective – Robert W. Pazmiño
2. Christian Religious Education: Sharing Our Story and Vision – Thomas H. Groome
3. Rediscovering Catechism: The Art of Equipping Covenant Children – Donald Van Dyken

Church Worship, Liturgy and Discipline
1. Biblical Worship – Kevin Reed
2. Corporate Worship in the Reformed Tradition – James Hastings Nichols
3. Worship Revised and Extended Edition: Reformed According to Scripture – Hughes Oliphant Old
4. Reformed Worship: Worship That is According to Scripture – Terry Johnson
5. With Reverence and Awe: Returning to the Basics of Reformed Worship – D. G. Hart and John R. Muether
6. Scripture and Worship: Biblical Interpretation and the Directory of Public Worship – Richard Muller and Rowland Ward
7. Christ-centered Worship: Letting the Gospel Shape our Practice – Bryan Chapell
8. What to Expect in Reformed Worship: A Visitor’s Guide – Daniel Hyde
9. Handbook of Church Discipline – Jay Adams
10. Calvin’s Doctrine of the Word and Sacrament – Ronald Wallace

Christian and Reformed Spirituality
1. Puritan Reformed Spirituality – Joel R. Beeke
2. Calvin’s Doctrine of the Christian Life – Ronald S. Wallace
3. Christian Spirituality: Five Views of Sanctification – Donald L. Alexander

Grateful or Grumbling?: How Sound Theology Keeps Us from Worrying

(this is an article written by Pastor Steven J. Cole in October 1997)

Helen Keller, born blind and deaf, wrote, “I have always thought it would be a blessing if each person could be blind and deaf for a few days during his early adult life. Darkness would make him appreciate sight; silence would teach him the joys of sound.”

Her words lead me to ask, Do we truly appreciate each day as God’s gracious gift to us? Are we filled with gratitude for the many blessings He gives us? It’s so easy to slip into a grumbling, negative attitude, frustrated by the problems and irritations we face, not seeing even these things as sent from the hand of a loving God. As His redeemed people, our lives should daily overflow with gratitude for His gracious salvation, even in the midst of trials (see Col. 1:10-12; 2:7).

I just finished reading a wonderful section in [John] Calvin’s Institutes in which he argues that God’s providence rules over every aspect of His creation. Even inanimate powers, such as sun, moon, and stars, wind and rain, obey His every command. As he puts it, “It is certain that not one drop of rain falls without God’s sure command” (1.16.5). He reminds us that not even a sparrow falls to the ground without the Father’s will. How much more, then, does He care for us!

I just read this yesterday. This morning during my quiet time, a small gray junco flew into the window outside where I was sitting and fell to the ground. It stayed there for a few minutes, so I went outside and picked it up. It seemed to be alive, but stunned by the impact. It sat on my finger for a few minutes, blinking as if it was trying to come back to full consciousness. I tried to put it on the limb of a tree so the cats would not get it, but it took off over my shoulder. I thought it had flown off and I was about to go back in the house when I realized that it was sitting on my shoulder. Finally, after a few more minutes, it flew off into a tree, seemingly okay. Having just read Calvin on God’s providence over such trivial happenings, I rejoiced in the loving care of God for all His creatures, especially for my family and me.

After citing many biblical references that show God’s fatherly care for His people, Calvin concludes, “Indeed, the principal purpose of Biblical history is to teach that the Lord watches over the ways of the saints with such great diligence that they do not even stumble over a stone [Ps. 91:12]” (1.17.6). In the next section, he applies this to the theme of gratitude: “Gratitude of mind for the favorable outcome of things, patience in adversity, and also incredible freedom from worry about the future all necessarily follow upon this knowledge [of God’s providential care].” He goes on to show how God’s servants should relate every incident in life, even everyday common blessings, to His beneficent care. He concludes the section, “Admonished by so many evidences, [the Christian] will not continue to be ungrateful” (1.17.8). The beauty of Calvin’s teaching here is how he relates all of life, even the so-called trivial and commonplace happenings, to the providential care of the loving Sovereign of the universe. As he states, “If you pay attention, you will easily perceive that ignorance of providence is the ultimate of all miseries; the highest blessedness lies in the knowledge of it” (1.17.11).

In a “Peanuts” cartoon, Lucy and Linus are looking out the window at a steady downpour of rain. “Boy,” said Lucy, “look at it rain. What if it floods the whole world?”

“It will never do that,” Linus replies confidently. “In the ninth chapter of Genesis, God promised Noah that it would never happen again, and the sign of the promise is the rainbow ”

“You’ve taken a great load off my mind,” says Lucy with a relieved smile.

“Sound theology,” states Linus, “has a way of doing that!”

Precisely! Sound theology should make us grateful people, not just once a year at Thanksgiving time, but every day, in every incident, no matter how trivial. And our grateful lives should radiate the loving care of God to a world filled with gloom. Are you growing in gratefulness, or groveling in grumbling? Maybe you’d better re-focus on your theology!

Why A High View of God Is Necessary?

(taken from the Preface to A. W. Tozer's "The Knowledge of the Holy')

The message of this book....is called forth by a condition which has existed in the Church for some years and is steadily growing worse. I refer to the loss of the concept of majesty from the popular religious mind. The Church has surrendered her once lofty concept of God and has substituted for it one so low, so ignoble, as to be utterly unworthy of thinking, worshiping men. This she has done not deliberately, but little by little and without her knowledge; and her very unawareness only makes her situation all the more tragic.

The low view of God entertained almost universally among Christians is the cause of a hundred lesser evils everywhere among us. A whole new philosophy of the Christian life has resulted from this one basic error in our religious thinking.

With our loss of the sense of majesty has come the further loss of religious awe and consciousness of the divine Presence. We have lost our spirit of worship and our ability to withdraw inwardly to meet God in adoring silence. Modern Christianity is simply not producing the kind of Christian who can appreciate or experience the life in the Spirit. The words, "Be still, and know that I am God," mean next to nothing to the self-confident, bustling worshiper in this middle period of the twentieth century [this was in 1961 when Tozer wrote this book, but the message he's sounding is still very timely].

This loss of the concept of majesty has come just when the forces of religion are making dramatic gains and the churches are more prosperous than at any time within the past several hundred years. But the alarming thing is that our gains are mostly external and our losses wholly internal; and since it is the quality of our religion that is affected by internal conditions, it may be that our supposed gains are but losses spread over a wider field.

The only way to recoup our spiritual losses is to go back to the cause of them and make such corrections as the truth warrants. The decline of the knowledge of the holy has brought on our troubles. A rediscovery of the majesty of God will go a long way toward curing them. It is impossible to keep our moral practices sound and our inward attitudes right while our idea of God is erroneous or inadequate. If we would bring back spiritual power to our lives, we must begin to think of God more nearly as He is.

Theology of the Reformers: A Review

(This is my review of Dr. Timothy George's Theology of the Reformers)

In a time such as ours when many books and journal articles have already been written about the life and works of Protestant Reformers, particularly about Luther and Calvin, Timothy George's yet another volume on the subject deserves commendation. This book is well-researched, especially its frequent reference and quote of the primary sources. It is also carefully written that scholars, pastors, students of history, and interested Christians from every status and station in life can easily understand and appreciate.

Dr. Timothy George himself is Dean and Professor of History and Historical Theology at the Beeson Divinity School. As one of the most respected historians in the evangelical world, Dr. George is the author of more than 20 books and a hundred of journal articles, and editor of The Reformation Commentary on Scripture with InterVarsity Press. He has been active in the evangelical dialogue with the Roman Catholic Church. He is also a favorite conference speaker among many Baptist denominations and evangelical organizations on history and theology. He holds the Th.D. From Harvard University.

In Chapter One, which is the Introduction, one of the first issues that Dr. George tackles in this book is the matter of periodization of the Reformation. How does one rightly situate the Reformation? Is it at the end of the Middle Ages or at the beginning of the modern era? The author puts it nicely and correctly by saying that “it is best to see the Reformation as an era of transition, characterized by the emergence of a new kind of culture which was struggling to be born even as the old one was still passing away” (17).

Dr. George also addresses the issue of perspectives in Reformation studies. In other words, the question that every historian should ask in studying a particular period in history, say, the Reformation, is this: “How should one approach that period of history?” Every historian has his own idea and perspective on history. One may view it from a socio-economic or socio-political lens while another may focus on the religious or cultural side of it.

In this book, while he recognizes the complexities in studying the Reformation period, Dr. George rightly views it, through the 'eyes' of the Reformers themselves, essentially as ‘a religious event.’ Not that everything is religious, but the author asserts that one cannot properly understand the Reformation without taking it mainly as a religious matter that is deeply concerned with theological issues with significant implications on social, cultural, political, and economic life of that period and the succeeding ones.

The book beautifully weaves the life and theology of three Protestant Reformers and one Radical Reformer of the sixteenth century: Martin Luther, Huldrych Zwingli, John Calvin, and Menno Simons. Most of the information written in the book are not totally new to students of history, particularly Reformation history, as these data have been around for centuries and are now available in different formats (books, articles, CD-ROMs, internet, movies, etc.). However, George has his own way of retelling them in a refreshing way that enables the reader not only to appreciate these 'human vessels' with great spirituality and courage but also to thank the Lord for raising up such men in such a period of great anxiety.

George notes in Chapter Two that the prevailing anxieties of Late Middle Ages, just right at the eve of the Reformation include death, guilt, and emptiness or meaninglessness. And he can think of no other person in that period that epitomizes the hopes and fears of that age than Martin Luther himself, whom he rightly described as “just like everybody else, only more so” (23).

Luther, as a perceptive and sensitive soul that he was, understood the hopelessness and helplessness of the human race before a righteous and holy God. Thus, Luther's restlessness has providentially been used by God to ignite the fire of the Reformation. This Reformation spread and affected many parts of Europe that not even disease or death, nor sword nor Satan can stop the burning passion of the Reformers to proclaim the blazing sword of the Spirit that cuts the heart of sinners, on the one hand, and brings healing and comfort to their weary souls, on the other hand.

It is amazing how Dr. George can put together such a dramatic life and Word-centered and Spirit-powered theology as Luther's in 56 pages in Chapter Three. George characterizes Luther's theology as 'at once biblical, existential, and dialectical' (56). So Luther was not a kind of theologian who delights in speculation and speaks or writes above the head of his listeners and readers. He was an ardent Biblical scholar and theologian who carefully explains and applies the Word of God to the believer's daily life, which affects their eternal destiny. Luther then was concerned not only with the welfare of the people whom he ministered but also with the glory of God who called him to teach and preach the glorious gospel of his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

While Dr. George recognizes the enormity and profundity of Luther's literary output, no one can deny that to the Reformer of Wittenburg justification by faith alone is the central summarizing doctrine of the Christian faith, “the article by which the church stands or fall” (62). George ends his chapter on Luther by reminding the readers that this Augustinian monk was a man with warts and vices. Yet in spite of his many weaknesses Luther has left us with “his spiritual insight into the gracious character of God in Jesus Christ, the God who loves us and sustains us unto death and again unto life” (106).

George then deals with the life and theology of Zwingli in Chapter Four. Zwingli, born on New Year's day of 1484 just 51 days after Luther, was aptly described as “both a pastor and patriot, a theologian and a politician” (111), whose “early development,” according to the author “was shaped by two factors which continued to influence his thought throughout his career: Swiss patriotism and Erasmian humanism” (110). As a preacher, Zwingli is famous for his departure from the traditional lectionary preaching to lectio continua which brought him through the Bible, beginning from the Gospel of Matthew (except the Book of Revelation, whose canonicity he doubted).

In spite of his shorter life, lesser corpus of theological work and disagreement with Luther on the Lord's Supper, his stature and spiritual courage as an early Reformer is comparable with Luther. George summarizes the heart of Zwingli's spiritual pursuit with one of the Zurich Reformer's last admonition: “Do something bold for God's sake” (160). This better explains his desire in life and ministry which is “to bring every realm of life, church and state, theology and ethics, magistracy and ministry, individual and community, into conformity with the will of God” (161).

John Calvin's life and theology is the subject of Chapter Five. Though a second generation Reformer, Calvin did not lack the spiritual zeal and motivation that Luther and Zwingli possessed. Moreover, Calvin was humble to acknowledge Luther's significant role in the battle for truth against the Roman Catholic Church. Calvin has “addressed Luther as his 'most respected father' and later declared: 'We regard him as a remarkable apostle of Christ, through whose work and ministry, most of all, the purity of the gospel has been restored in our time'” (166).

I like the way Dr. George gave tribute to Calvin's unique and great achievement by saying that the Genevan Reformer has labored “to take the classic insights of the Reformation (sola gratia, sola fide, sola scriptura) and give them a clear, systematic exposition, which neither Luther nor Zwingli ever did, and to adapt them to the civic setting of Geneva” (166). His teachings, however, did not only stay in Geneva but spread throughout Europe and the rest of the world and read, studied and assessed by many. Many who understood him and embraced his teaching loved him and tried to emulate him and his heart to please and serve God by the power of the Spirit.

But Calvin did not lack fierce critics and detractors who misread, disliked, disagreed with and despised him. I agree with George's assessment that “[f]ew people in the history of Christianity have been as highly esteemed or as meanly despised as John Calvin” (167). In all his preaching and theologizing Calvin never sought his own glory but the glory of God. “His life's goal,” writes George “was to be a faithful servant of the Word of God” (248), whose witness still shines “as a means of illumination to point men and women toward the adoration of the true God, whose glory is revealed in the face of Jesus Christ” (248).

In Chapter Six, George sympathetically describes the life and works of the Dutch Anabaptist leader Menno Simons. George is able to locate the purpose and life goal of this courageous Radical Reformer set forth in his Foundation Book wherein he says, “This is my only joy and heart's desire: to extend the kingdom of God, reveal the truth, reprove sin, teach righteousness, feed hungry souls with the Word of the Lord, lead the straying sheep into the right path, and gain many souls to the Lord through his Spirit, power and grace” (303). His hard journey in the faith which brought him through many years of struggle and persecution did not cause Menno to waver from this ideal (303). His work has been carried out by his followers – the Mennonites and others - who are sympathetic to his ideals and “are still moved by his piety, courage and hope” (303).

George closes the book in Chapter Seven with the enduring validity and significance of Reformation theology in our time. I think George has done a very fine job in writing this book to remind his Christian readers, especially Protestants and Evangelicals, not to set aside the theological fruits of the sixteenth century Reformers but to treasure them by taking those Biblical truths to address the unique issues that we face, emulating at the same time the Reformer's passion and diligence “to listen reverently and obediently to what God has once and for all said (Deus dixit) and once and for all done in Jesus Christ” (310). What I also like about Dr. George's presentation of the life and theology of each Reformer was that it was balanced, dealing not only with the particular Reformer's numerous achievements but also his many imperfections.

It is sad that in spite of the many literature on the Reformation and Reformational theology that were published recently (thanks to popular authors like R. C. Sproul, Michael Horton, John Piper, John MacArthur, and others), it is still observable that some, if not many, Evangelical churches are oblivious, to some degree, to the essence and implications of the Reformation to the life of believer and the Church today.

Moreover, though there is a resurgence of Calvinism among youth today (see Christianity Today [CT] September 2006 issue), Emerging Church (see CT February 2007 issue) and Pentecostalism (see CT April 2006 issue) are also asserting their influence among many evangelicals who are not fond of good theology, particularly Reformational theology. There has also been several joint efforts between Evangelicals and Roman Catholic and between the Lutherans and Roman Catholics to 'bridge the gap' and 'heal the wound' cause by the Reformation, which often times undermine rather than promote the doctrines recovered or re-discovered by the Reformers.

I hope that books like Timothy George’s Theology of the Reformers would be put in the hands of pastors and church leaders so that they may be spurred to better understand the theology of the major Reformers who sought to conform their doctrines to the Word of God no matter how unpopular they may have been to the culture around them. I believe books like this one can play important role to open the hearts and minds of pastors and Christian leaders whom God can use to further His reforming work in the Church today by His Word and Spirit.

My Journey in the Christian Faith

My goal in sharing with you this story is to thank God and His providence in leading me in my journey as a follower of His Son, Jesus Christ, and to thank as well those whom God has used in helping me grow in the faith. In my other article, “The Testimony of God’s Grace in My Life,” I shared with you how I came to a saving knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Here I would like to relate my growth in the Christian faith highlighting some people who helped me and those ones that I want to help me along the way.

People Who Helped Me Grow in the Faith

God has sovereignly and uniquely strengthened me in the faith using people who are devoted first to Him. My brother, Melchor, first modeled to me the Christian life. His example of faithfulness to God challenged me to stay strong in the faith. He was one of the few people who was concerned for my spiritual growth early in my Christian life back in 1987.

When I was still new in the Christian faith, he would always bring me to a Pentecostal church every Sunday and let me join in every lecture and seminar the church was offering. Though he never taught in any of those lectures I still consider him as my 'teacher'. After the class he would talk to me and try to explain further what the teacher had said. He would also compare notes with me and ask me if I have more questions. He also became my first discipler because he modeled to me how to study the Bible and pray privately and publicly. In the first year of my Christian life he served as my personal discipler.

I was also a college freshman when my brother took care of me as a new Christian. The following year I started involving in a Christian fellowship inside the campus. There I have experienced continuous spiritual growth as I attended Brother Elmo Velasco’s Bible study group. Three times a week he would lead a small group Bible study. There were five of us who would regularly attend his group and he became a discipler to us. He taught us the basics of prayer, fasting, Bible meditation, church involvement and other Christian disciplines.

One time he led us in giving out Bible tracts to other students inside the campus. On another occasion he asked me to enter a room with students waiting for their class. Then he let me share my personal testimony of how I came to know the Lord Jesus Christ. That was my first experience in sharing my faith with other people. It was through his coaching that I became an active witness for Christ in the campus.

I also realized that my skill in leading group Bible studies was first learned from him. He also became a spiritual guide to me. His warm and pastor-like personality served as an example to me on what it means to be a servant-leader of Christ. He also brought me to many trainings and seminars. I felt as if he wanted me to learn many things.

Through the early mentoring of these two people I have gained enough knowledge and understanding on how to live the Christian life. I have learned basic skills in witnessing and leading Bible study out of my relationship with them. On my last year in college, I got involved with Inter Varsity Christian Fellowship (IVCF).

While with IVCF I experienced a tremendous spiritual growth when I joined its month-long leadership training camp known as Kawayan Camp (KC). It was like a mini-Bible school. There I was enabled to strengthen my knowledge of the Holy Scripture and enhance my skill in studying it and in leading Bible studies. It also helped me grasp the basic Christian doctrines and disciplines as we studied the theology and practice of the Christian life, listened to Bible expositions from Genesis 1-3 and lectures on the kingdom of God and other topics relevant to life and ministry as a Christian student.

The camp also helped me come to terms with my struggles in my personhood and relationship with my family. The different lectures by and my personal interactions with the IVCF staff and speakers, as well as my conversations with fellow campers helped me settle some personal issues haunting me in the past. In that camp it was not all lecture and study but also a real and healthy interaction in a community of fellow believers who share the same struggles in life as followers of Jesus Christ.

I brought these knowledge, experiences and skills with me when I joined an evangelical church. Pastor Elvin Mijares, the resident pastor of Caloocan Bible Church, has helped me grow more as a believer. He encouraged me to join a local team of young people who ministers to the high schoolers in a nearby campus. He served as a counselor to me in joining this team. Being my local church pastor I learned from him deep spiritual insights through his expository sermons every Sunday. It was through him that I first learned the rudiments of preaching textual expository sermons. His study habits and discipline in preparing for these sermons provided a model for me on how to do the same.

One of the greatest impacts he had on me as a leader was his love for books and the discipline of reading interactively. He would always lend me his books and I saw how he interacted with the author. He wrote his comments and questions on the margin and highlighted those ideas that he deemed to be important. Because of that I started buying Christian literature for myself and did the same. Also this led me to start reading my Bible in the same manner.

Another influence he had on me is in the area of humility and simplicity. He never projected himself as a super Christian or a perfect pastor or pretending to be somebody who knows a lot. He simply did his best to live out his faith. He did not hide his fears, his angers, his failures and his weaknesses. He cried and poured out his anguish and frustrations in life and ministry in his sermons, as well as during Wednesday prayer meetings. He could manage to laugh also. In fact he laughed a lot and oftentimes aloud. He is so down-to-earth and a light-hearted person.

Although there was no formal commitment for him to mentor me, yet I consider our relationship as that of a mentor-protégé. Oftentimes he allowed me to stay with his family, eat with them and spend time with them. He let me see who he was as a husband and a father. I became a family friend to them as a result. In the process I learned a lot about building a Christian family out of that relationship I had with him and his family.

Pastor Elvin also served as a mentor to me when I joined Inter Varsity Christian Fellowship staff team. With his years of experience with IVCF he provided me the right perspective in this ministry. My interactions with him became an informal way of learning the ups and downs of campus ministry. His perceptions and precautions were seeds of wisdom as I tried to figure out my way through the student ministry.

Several people mentored me while I was with IVCF. Jun Singson is one worth mentioning. He became a Kuya (big brother) to me. He imparted principles and strategies on how to start and sustain group Bible studies among high school students. I remember how he brought me to different high school campuses and introduced me to several key teachers and students whom he was working with. I learned through that experience that having a good relationship with people is an important element in doing the ministry.

Peer counseling was another type of mentoring that I had experienced while with IVCF. Gary Celis, a fellow field staffworker became an accountable partner to me. In times of loneliness and confusion Gary acted as a concerned friend and co-worker. He gave me timely words of encouragement and affirmation. Gary possesses traits of a good counselor. He was willing to listen and accept people in spite of their weaknesses. I can be transparent with him with no fear of rejection. He corrected my misbehaviors without passing any judgment. The relationship I had with him provided the venue for me to grow in my listening and people-skills, which are important in ministry among students.

I would like to mention Kuya Darrell Mortalla as well. He was my IVCF co-worker in Davao City and pastor at Grace Evangelical Free Church. I served the Lord with him in IVCF and Grace EFC and it was a pleasure working with him. His wisdom and wit are both inspiring and contagious. His devotion to the Lord and dedication for His kingdom are genuine. His ability to expound the Scripture and apply it to daily lives is just awesome. He has a kind pastoral heart, too, for the Lord's flock. I was privileged to minister side-by-side with him and to have learned significant lessons in the Christian life and ministry under his mentorship.

Authors Who Influenced and Shaped My Early Christian Life and Ministry

Early in my Christian life several authors helped me get established in the faith. John R. W. Stott, through his acclaimed book Basic Christianity, left an imprint to my soul as I tried to understand the new life I have in Christ. Stott systematically explained man’s universal sinfulness as well his violation of God's law as summarized in the Ten Commandments. Through the simple explanation of the Ten Commandments Stott is able to prove that man is guilty in violating all those commandments and in desperate need of a Savior.

In Christ, Stott argued, God displayed both His justice and love. Man deserves to die because God’s justice requires death as a penalty for his sin and disobedience to the moral law of God. But Christ died in man's stead paying for the penalty of his sin and disobedience.

In Christ’s death God’s wrath was propitiated. Thus man’s sin was atoned for at the cross of Calvary. This is where God showed His holy justice and gracious love – at the cross of Jesus where He died on behalf of sinners like me.

Stott also explained that in Christ’s perfect and obedient life God’s righteous requirement was satisfied. Thus anyone who believes in the finished atoning work of our Lord Jesus Christ will be saved and clothed with the righteousness of Christ.

This is the way God provided for man to be saved and forgiven. Therefore man, by God’s enabling grace, must repent from his sin, ask God’s pardon and believe in the death of His Son as the only means to be reconciled with Him. It was through Stott’s clear presentation of the gospel that the Holy Spirit enabled me to understand my fallenness and God’s unearned favor in Christ.

As I slowly grow in the faith Charles Swindoll, Neil Anderson, and Max Lucado helped me along the way. Swindoll’s Strengthening Your Grip and Growing Strong in the Seasons of Life, Anderson’s Victory Over the Darkness, and Lucado's In the Grip of Grace helped me in my understanding of the Christian life. Though I didn’t fully agree with their teachings, God, in His sovereignty, used these authors in my personal knowledge of Him and the abundance of His grace in Christ at that point in my Christian journey.

Additionally, when I decided to join IVCF I thought I was ready to face the student ministry’s demands and challenges. Life as a student worker is no joke. It is not easy. It is not only taxing physically, it is sometimes draining spiritually and emotionally. I think this is a typical experience for men and women in people-helping ministry.

Two prominent Christian authors mentored me as I struggled in my personal life and ministry among students. The first was Paul Borthwick. His books Feeding Your Forgotten Soul and Leading The Way ministered to me. The former helped me understand what I was going through. It also provided me valuable insights on how to stay spiritually and morally healthy as a student worker. The latter gave me the courage to take the challenge of leadership especially in critical times when faithful and morally responsible leaders are hard to find.

The other author was Bill Hybels. His books Too Busy Not To Pray, Who You Are When No One’s Looking, and Honest to God? challenged me to live the Christian life with the knowledge that God is all knowing, ever present and ever pure. His wisdom deepened my knowledge of the Christian life. His simplicity and very practical approach to life provided me the model to practice the different Christian disciplines more consistently at that point in my Christian journey.

People Who Helped Sharpen My Perspective in Life

My five-year stint with IVCF increased my appetite to read. Shortly after I left campus ministry, four outstanding Christian authors continued to impact my life and understanding of the grace of God as I read their books. The first was R.C. Sproul whose books The Holiness of God, The Soul’s Quest for God, Chosen by God, and Grace Unknown are still very valuable. Sproul is more of a popular theologian and his writings are easy to understand. It is as if he is just talking to me face to face. His passion and skill to communicate Biblical truths is contagious. God has spoken to me through His Word as I read Sproul. To some degree, Sproul has marked me theologically.

Another Christian author whom I delight reading is Jerry Bridges. His expositions on holiness, godliness, grace, and sovereignty of God are superb. I have been greatly blessed by God’s wonderful grace in reading Bridges. His books The Pursuit of Holiness, The Practice of Godliness, Transforming Grace, Trusting God, and The Disciplines of Grace are my frequent companions when I want to read and study God’s Word. His impact is in the area of holiness and personal obedience to God. His wisdom empowers me to take holiness seriously. By the power of the Holy Spirit, Bridges’s warnings against legalism and antinomianism save me from trying to earn God’s favor by performance, on the one hand, and from abusing His grace by living licentiously and irresponsibly, on the other hand.

John MacArthur is also a favorite writer. He faithfully expounds the Word of God and communicates clearly to his reader. I especially like his books Ashamed of the Gospel, The Gospel According To Jesus, and Our Sufficiency In Christ which deepened my knowledge of God and understanding of the message and the implications of Christ’s gospel. To a certain degree, these books motivated me and made me more confident in sharing the gospel. Also his book Ultimate Priority led me to a deeper understanding of why and how should we worship God.

J. I. Packer is also very influential to me. When I first read his book Knowing God, it was as if God was talking to me saying, “I gave you my Son for your life and salvation, now live a life of faithful service by my Spirit.” I can't thank God enough for the blessing of His grace to me through Packer's careful and faithful exposition of the Biblical truths he wrote in the pages of that book. It is still one of my favorites and I promise myself to read that book, or at least part of that book, every year.

I am grateful to God for the lives and ministries of these authors. Surely God has used them and is using them still to impact my life with their gospel-centered books. But the other person who really has a great impact in my life as a Christian, especially as a Reformed Christian, is Pastor Nollie Malabuyo. He is the one who introduced me and taught me and my family the Reformed faith back in 1999. He is also responsible in encouraging me to study in a Reformed seminary. The Reformed denomination which I am now a part of was organized partly due to his faithful teaching of the Reformed faith and mentoring.

I also would like to thank the Lord for my seminary professors and mentors at Mid-America Reformed Seminary who taught me how to think Biblically and minister pastorally. My thanks to Dr. Cornel Venema, Dr. Nelson Kloosterman, Dr. J. Mark Beach, Rev. Mark Vander Hart, Rev. Alan Strange, Dr. Peter Wallace, Prof. Blaine Conklin, Rev. Ron Scheuers, Dr. John Sittema, Rev. Paul Ipema, and Rev. Jason Tuinstra. They've been gracious in giving their time and energy to train and mentor young and aspiring pastors like me.

My Personal Commitment

While I have been learning from different people with diverse backgrounds, in various ways and in different degrees, still, Lord willing, I desire to grow more in the knowledge of God and His grace. Lord willing, I would like to take the time to learn some more from the early church Fathers such as Clement of Rome, Ignatius of Antioch, Polycarp of Smyrna, Athanasius, the Cappadocian Fathers, John Chrysostom, Cyprian, Augustine, and others. I also want to be acquainted with the great medieval theologians and their writings particularly Anselm, Thomas Aquinas, and Bernard of Clairvaux.

Definitely I want to be influenced by the Protestant Reformers – Luther, Calvin, Bucer, Bullinger, Ursinus, and others who followed their faith like the English Puritans and the Dutch Reformed theologians. Their knowledge of God, prayer life and passion for godliness are exemplary. Their influence in the past and even in the present is noteworthy. I can see God’s grace and mercy flowing out of their beliefs and behavior. I am not only impressed. I am inspired and challenged by their pursuit to serve and follow Christ. God is blessing me by their words and works.

I also would like to be adequately informed by the writings and theologies of some great Puritans like John Owen, William Perkins, Thomas Watson, Thomas Boston, Richard Sibbes, Jonathan Edwards, and those preachers and theologians in the Reformed tradition like Francis Turretin, Wilhelmus a Brakel, Abraham Kuyper, and Herman Bavinck. I am also interested to explore and study the theologies of the Hodges (Charles and A.A.), B. B. Warfield, Louis Berkhof, Geerhardus Vos, J. Gresham Machen, John Murray, etc.. Then I would surely enjoy the writings of contemporary writers such as my seminary professor Dr. Cornelis Venema, Drs. Sinclair Ferguson, Gregory Beale, Richard Gaffin, Vern Poythress, and Michael Horton, and other Reformed and Evangelical authors.

Ultimately my desire is to read, study, meditate and live out the Bible in order to glorify God. I am also desiring to faithfully study the Christian faith as it is the summarized or expressed in the ecumenical creeds of the Christian Church and the Reformed confessions in order to grow in my knowledge of the Christian doctrines and to be able to live consistently with these Scriptural doctrines serving the Church, body of Christ, and the kingdom of God.

As I grow in my understanding of the Word of God I also desire to be more obedient and devoted to the Lord, living a holy life out of gratitude to His undeserved grace to me in His beloved Son, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I implore the enabling grace of the Holy Spirit as I embark on this lifetime pursuit of knowing God, glorifying and enjoying Him forever. Soli Deo Gloria!