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MacDonald on the Love of God

This Sunday we will be discussing the love of God and what a wonderful doctrine it is!  One of my favorite pastors, Dr. James MacDonald, was once interviewed on the subject.  Here is what he had to say:

MacDonald on Divine Sovereignty

One of my favorite pastors is James MacDonald who serves in Chicago, IL.  He has had a major influence in my life and I have had the joy of meeting him and even visited his church once.  I highly recommend his book Gripped by the Greatness of God in which he walks us through a number of passages in Isaiah and discusses how what the text says about God affects us today.  What we believe about God is central to all that we are and believe.

One of the chapters in the book is on the Sovereignty of God.  MacDonald, like myself, holds to a high view of God's Sovereignty.  Therefore, MacDonald suggests that Divine Sovereignty means:

• God is the Ruler of all.
• God answers to no one.
• God can accomplish whatever He wants – in all things.
• God sees history from beginning to the end.  No obstacle or adversary can hinder His plan from happening.
• God is afraid of nothing.  Ignorant of nothing.  Needing nothing.
• God always knows what’s best, and He never makes a mistake.  (69)

MacDonald then adds the following:

Sovereignty means God is in control of it all.  He’s over things we see and things we don’t see.  Stuff we understand and stuff that if we even glimpsed it for a second would blow us away. Sovereignty means it’s all His.  Nothing can stop what He purposes from happening.  Not people, events, or time.  Get it?  What God plans, He delivers.  What God wants, God gets – His way and His timing, on time, every time.  That applies to what you’re going through today . . .  (69)


For more:
GBC - Charles Hodge on Sovereignty 
GBC - God's Sovereignty Defined:  AW Pink on God's Sovereignty 
Theology - Jim Wallis and Open Theism 
Theology - The Sovereignty of God 
GBC - Weekly Recommendation - "Restore My Soul" 

Weekly Recommendation - "Restore My Soul"

About a year ago, Amanda and I traveled to Chicago in order to attend Harvest Bible Chapel whose senior pastor is Dr. James MacDonald. I first came across Dr. MacDonald after listening to his radio program Walk in the Word. MacDonald was preaching a sermon on Luke 2 and the story of Simeon. I was immediately hooked. Since that moment during my senior year in high school, I have had a number of opportunities to hear and meet Dr. MacDonald in person. To this day, he remains a huge influence in my life.

While at Harvest Bible Chapel, I picked up one of his books, "Restore My Soul: A Fresh Look at Psalm 23." Before we left Chicago, I had read the entire book!

The book, as the title suggests, covers Psalm 23, verse-by-verse. But James has an interesting style. As a pastor, he cares as much as about the original meaning of the text as he does how it applies to one's life. So while he spends time dealing with textual issues, background, and the meaning of the text, he immediately applies it to our lives. MacDonald has an amazing ability to write as if he was writing to me. MacDonald is ready to both exhort the reader to repentance and to encourage the reader to persevere.

Although the book may be hard to find, I strongly encourage you to find it. Among the many books I read each week as we continue to walk through Psalm 23, this is one of my favorites. Keller gives great insight into what it is like to be a shepherd. Lucado gives great illustrations for the text. But MacDonald provides great instruction that springs from the text.

I strongly recommend this book and I encourage everyone to not limit their study of Psalm 23 to just Sunday mornings as we walk through this infamous Psalms. But continue to study, apply, and live this Psalm and we will live in peace in the midst of a chaotic world.

For more:
Official Website
Straight Up Blog
Book Review - "Gripped By The Greatness of God" (probably my favorite book by MacDonald)
"Why James MacDonald Is Not Emerging"
McDonald: I Want the Whole Gospel