Tag: John Stott

John Stott, one of the greatest Christian leaders of the last century, has died this week aged 90. I’ve personally been impacted by his ministry and was saddened to hear of his death. Yet so encouraged by his faithful service and thankful that he is now with Jesus, which is better by far! Earlier this year I read his final book The Radical Disciple. Simple, precise, challenging. Throughout the book he actually spoke about it as his final book. He knew he didn’t have many years left in him, so deliberately wrote this as a farewell book.

We’re currently using Stott’s Basic Christianity as the part of the material in our Confirmation Classes at St Faith’s. It’s good stuff!

His book The Cross of Christ has probably had the most profound impact around the world in enabling Christians to see the multi-faceted jewel that is the Death of Jesus.

I’ve enjoyed reading some obituaries and tributes this week on the life and ministry of Stott.

Here’s a few:

• From All Souls Langham Place (his home church)
• From Sydney’s Archbishop Peter Jensen
• Mark Thompson for the Anglican Church League
• Mark Thompson on his own blog
• Justin Taylor from The Gospel Coalition
• Justin Taylor on Stott’s magnum opus
• Christianity Today
• New York Times
• The Telegraph (UK)

Michael Jensen Facebooked this not long after his death, “Please, you evangelicals out there: don’t say ‘RIP’ for John Stott. It’s a prayer for the dead!” I’ve been uneasy with RIP before, but didn’t know it was a prayer for the dead. Another fella in the comments that followed Jensen’s status quoted Stott (2 Timothy commentary). Check this:

“One of the most searching tests to apply to any religion concerns its attitude to death. And measured by this test much so-called Christianity is found wanting in its black clothes, its mournful chants and its requiem masses. Of course dying can be very unpleasant, and bereavement can bring bitter sorrow. But death itself has been overthrown, and ‘blessed are the dead who die in the Lord’ (Rev. 14:13). The proper epitaph to write for a Christian believer is not a dismal and uncertain petition, ‘R.I.P.’ (requiescat in pace, ‘may he rest in peace’), but a joyful and certain affirmation ‘C.A.D.’ (‘Christ abolished death’)”

Brilliant. John Stott 1921-2011 C.A.D.

Chatted to a guy at a 21st last night for about an hour and a half. I’d been praying that I’d be bold and take the opportunity to chat to him… one of the speeches was gold! It really lead well into a discussion. It was tragic to chat to this guy. The last thing he said was that even if I could 100% convince of the truth of the claims that Jesus makes about himself, he’d rather just stand before God and take his own punishment. Tragic. Row found this quote from John Stott (The Cross of Christ) today. The last sentence (in bold) pretty much summarises this chap. Pray for him that God would give him ears to hear.

The doctrine of substitution affirms not only a fact (God in Christ substituted himself for us) but its necessity (there was no other way by which God’s holy love could be satisfied and rebellious human beings could be saved). Therefore, as we stand before the cross, we begin to gain a clear view both of God and of ourselves, especially in relation to each other. Instead of inflicting upon us the judgment we deserved, God in Christ endured it in our place. Hell is the only alternative. This is the ‘scandal’, the stumbling-block, of the cross. For our proud hearts rebel against it. We cannot bear to acknowledge either the seriousness of our sin and guilt or our utter indebtedness to the cross. Surely, we say, there must be something we can do, or at least contribute, in order to make amends? If not, we often give the impression that we would rather suffer our own punishment than the humiliation of seeing God through Christ bear it in our place.

Yesterday I got my mobile phone back from 3 months using a loan phone. This photo was taken last night. 7 warm fuzzies to the first person or reptile to correctly identify the car I was driving…

I’ve just been reading through the opening chapters of CJ Mahaney’s book Living the Cross Centered Life

“The Cross is the blazing fire at which the flame of our love is kindled, but we have to get near enough for its sparks to fall on us.” John Stott

“The gospel cannot be preached and heard enough, for it cannot be grasped well enough…Moreover, our greatest task is to keep you faithful to this article and to bequeath this treasure to you when we die.” Martin Luther

“For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” 1Corinthians 1:18 ESV

“But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.” Galatians 6:14 ESV

May our boast be only in the cross.