Georgetown University: Wednesday, January 11th at 9:00pm in Bulldog Alley (Leavey Center)

American University: Tuesday, January 17th at 9:00pm in the Kay Center

George Mason University: Monday, January 23rd at 8:00pm in the SUB 2 Ballroom

The University of Maryland: Thursday, January 26th at 8:00pm in the STAMP Prince Georges Room

Check out: http://www.gatheringonline.org/sermons/

Enjoy!

If you have not registered, be sure to register ASAP!  The cost is $100 ($75 for Freshman/Transfers) and that covers transportation from campus, food, lodging, and everything else we’re doing.  Don’t miss the chance to get away for a weekend with all of the Gathering campuses.

Also, we do have scholarship money available.  WE DO NOT WANT MONEY TO BE THE REASON THAT YOU DO NOT GO!  If you want to apply for a scholarship, e-mail Allan at allan.mccullough@mcleanbible.org.

To register, CLICK HERE.

I have to confess that I struggle with consistent biblical community in my life. My participation in community looks more like little spurts rather than a lifestyle of “doing life together” with other believers. There are many months where community is of highest importance in my life. These are times that I am intentional about having weekly, if not daily, gospel-centered conversations with other believers whom I know will stir my affections for Christ and hold me accountable to godliness. And there are other times where life just gets busy and community keeps getting pushed to next week over and over again and eventually becomes less of a priority in my life than it ought to be.

One of my favorite authors and speakers, Paul David Tripp, says that sin, in its very DNA, is “anti-social.” Because God designed us to be relational beings, our sin nature, which is always rebelling against how God designed us, will cause us to avoid and often times run from healthy relationships. Paul Tripp explains this by saying that you are carrying something within yourself that seeks to destroy your relationships. Satan wants you isolated and alone.

Therefore, we, as followers of Christ, have no choice but to be pro-active in pursuing community. If we are not, Satan will begin to make this a stumbling block in our lives. For me, that most often looks like this: when I begin to do life all by myself, I quickly become anxious and frustrated. I feel like I’m simply going through the motions of my faith and I wonder why God seems so silent. There is a direct relationship to my anxiety level and the amount of biblical community in my life. Fortunately, the flip side of that is that when I am intentional about spending time with people who truly love the Lord and talk about it with each other, I find reason to celebrate. They remind me of how amazing God is and how blessed we are for his grace on our lives. My time with the Lord becomes richer, my worship becomes more genuine, and my yearning to learn deepens.

You may be thinking right now that when you get together with other Christians on campus, they don’t talk about God or the gospel, they don’t pray together and really they don’t look all that different from a group of friends who are not believers. Well, let me challenge you on this. I do not believe that God has placed you in your current community for you to decide that they are not worth it and that you should go find community somewhere else. Building the Body of Christ takes time, it takes prayer, and it starts with you. If all you bring to your community is a judgmental heart then you are hindering their ability to be united and to grow in this area. If you are so seriously concerned and maybe even passionate about having biblical community that it merely drives you to be negative about how your current community does not add up, then your attitude is merely self-serving and consumeristic. I want to challenge you stick it out for the semester. Join a community group in the Gathering and prayerfully push your group to become the body of Christ that God desires them to be.

We love you and are praying for you as you begin to grow in this area of your life in Christ. We pray that the community of the Gathering will be strengthened in order to bring glory to God on your campus. We also pray that the Lord will use your community to draw you closer to him and to change you into his likeness. God is faithful and will complete the good work he started in you.

IF YOU REGISTER FOR THE FALL RETREAT BEFORE THIS SATURDAY (SEPT. 17) BY MIDNIGHT, YOU WILL BE ENTERED INTO A DRAWING WHERE ONE PERSON WILL BE SELECTED TO RECEIVE A FULL REFUND ON THEIR REGISTRATION COSTS!

THAT’S RIGHT – FREE FALL RETREAT REGISTRATION!

Just remember though, in order to be eligible, you must be registered for the retreat before midnight on Saturday!

Registration is $100 per person (for Freshman/Transfer students it is $75) which includes transportation, all meals, and lodging.  We will be leaving at 5:30pm on Friday from your campus and returning to Campus by 3:00pm on Sunday.

TO REGISTER – CLICK HERE

I lived in Virginia for 24 years. For all those years, I only lived in two different counties. This summer, I moved to a house in Berwyn Heights, Maryland. I’m now almost two hours from my hometown. The past couple weeks mark a significant time of transition in my life. If you are reading this post and you feel homesick, I know how you feel. Although it seems classes just started yesterday, you may already be dreaming of winter break. Some of you, like me, may even be battling feelings of loneliness. My desire is to remind you that God is faithful.

Last fall semester, I was like a freshman at University of Maryland. I’d never seen College Park before and I wandered around campus with a bewildered look on my face. The campus was huge in comparison to my alma mater George Mason. Thankfully, God provided me with a tour guide named Mike Juday. Mike had been on staff with the Gathering at Maryland but God called him to go plant a church in Ohio. Before leaving, Mike introduced me to many students, explained the UMD culture and ignited my excitement to minister to college students. God is faithful.

In the midst of the fall semester, I began praying specifically about staying on with the Gathering UMD for more than a year. I was very uncertain about my future and was still very new to full-time vocational ministry. During winter break, I decided that God was indeed calling me to stay more than a year. Even more so, I sensed that God desired for me to live in Maryland and minister more directly to the students. By spring semester, God answered my prayer and I received a one-year extension to continue with the Gathering at UMD. God is faithful.

Knowing that God called me to go to Maryland, I began looking for a house in the College Park area. I contacted a handful of people in other ministries asking about housing, I looked at online listings, and even looked at all the postings in the student union. By the end of the spring semester, I hadn’t signed a lease nor found any roommates. Thankfully God answered that prayer in His timing. This summer, I found a great house within ten minutes of the campus and three godly housemates. I moved in just before this semester began. God is faithful.

By now, you should notice that God provided for my needs. He faithfully answered my prayers and led me each step of the way. Even with His provision, I still find myself doubting His faithfulness. Even though I am excited to be in Maryland and ministering to college students, I think God is unfaithful. Even though I have a roof over my head and three brothers in Christ to live with, I doubt God’s faithfulness. I feel alone and wonder why I ever left Virginia. I am in transition.

God is faithful. My desire is to explain that regardless of how I feel or think about transition, God remains faithful. In Psalm 73:25-26, it says “Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”  The gospel tells me that I am in transition and God is faithful. I’m learning that my struggle from Virginia to Maryland is merely a reflection of the transition going on in my heart. The beauty of the gospel is that God is transforming my heart from worship of myself to worship of Himself. Although I am unfaithful in worship of my Creator, God is faithful to continuously change my heart. My desire is pray continuously for a clean heart like David did in Psalm 51:10 “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.” Although my flesh feels lonely and my heart may feel homesick, God is my strength and my portion forever. I trust that God will provide for my needs and direct me this fall semester, because He is faithful.

That’s what life is. A blink. It will be over in just a little while. I took a class in college that discussed time management extensively and I would like to share a few quick thoughts with you about what I learned!

After sleep, work/school, hygiene, travel and eating are scheduled into one’s day, the average person has only 3 hours left in their day. And did you know that the average person wastes 2 hours every day? So essentially, “that only leaves 1 hour for anything that actually makes life worth living”(Dr. Duane Wood- my professor).

So then the question arises, what makes life worth living? Do I live my life looking at those 21 hours as unimportant and simply live for the 3 hours that I can spend doing “ministry”? I believe that is an incredibly unsatisfactory way to live life. Instead, realize that you can bring glory to God through everything that you do. “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men… You are serving the Lord Christ.” (Colossians 3:25)

Stop and think about Jesus Christ. He lived a crazy busy life here on earth, and yet, He took specific times during seasons of intense ministry to withdraw to a desolate place and pray.

I take several lessons from this. One, schedule time to rest and become rejuvenated for ministry. Two, never become so scheduled that you fail to see the people that God places in your path and instead view them as interruptions. And three, never become married to your schedule. As James points out, boasting in tomorrow is arrogance for we do not know what tomorrow holds. But I know who holds the future. And Psalm 139 says that He planned out every day of my life before one of them even happened. So what is my conclusion?

Trust Him today. Seek Him today. Live a life that is sensitive to the Holy Spirit. And whatever you do, don’t worry about tomorrow. God’s got it covered.

One of the things I’ve discovered in my own faith journey is that as Christ followers, God is constantly placing circumstances in our lives that point us back to Him.  This initially sounds like it would be an amazing thing (which it is) and maybe even an easy process (which it isn’t). Unfortunately, because of sin, this “re-centering” back on Christ is counterintuitive and difficult. As most of you all know, Allan’s talk this week is defining what the gospel really looks like and how our lives are powered or transformed by this gospel. He goes on to reference Romans 1:25 which talks about how (b/c of sin) we naturally serve ourselves (creation) rather than the creator. So, we as sinful people have such a natural inclination to advance ourselves and our own agendas, that we are in constant need of the Lord’s discipline in our lives to bring us back to Him. This was so crucial in my own life when I realized it because it reminded me of how much I really did need the Lord to often keep me uncomfortable and fully reliant on Him, as opposed to relying on my own strengths and giftings. These things the Lord has allowed us to go through ultimately for His glory. So, when others see our lives and how we handle difficulties by glorifying Him in the midst of them, Christ looks more beautiful to this lost and dying world that we live in. It’s the first week of school for many of you, but God is at work in your lives. He loves you and He knows just what you need to draw you closer to Him.

For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God.
-Romans 8:18-21

Throughout this summer as I’ve been getting ready for welcome week at AU, the Gathering staff has become a sort of think-tank reevaluating how we operate and how we want to go about encouraging community on campus.  Through all of this, we’ve come up with a model for community that we believe God has led us to.  But this summer, I memorized a verse that really changed the way I think about planning for the Gathering.

Psalm 127:1 says, “Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain.”  

It reminds me of how I can do anything just to do it, hoping for God’s blessing, but unless God has led us in that direction, it holds no value.  It is so tempting to try to do better, work harder, and accomplish more with my own strength, all the while hoping that God will bless it.  However, it is so rewarding and refreshing when we run after something we know God has led us to and is working through.  It has been a summer of constantly putting the Gathering in God’s hands, knowing that He will work through it.  I’m so blessed to be a part of this ministry, and can’t wait to see what this semester holds!

GEORGE MASON UNIVERSITY
Monday, August 29, 8:00pm in the JC Bistro
(Did you see that, Mason?  Your service is NOW ON MONDAY AT 8:00PM.  IT IS NO LONGER WEDNESDAY AT 9PM.)

AMERICAN UNIVERSITY
Tuesday, August 30, 9:00pm in the Kay Center

GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY
Wednesday, August 31, 9:00pm on the Leavy Esplanade.
(We’re going outside Georgetown!  Pray for nice weather.)

UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND
Thursday, September 1, 8:00pm in the STAMP Atrium
(Did you see that, UMD?  Your service is NOW AT 8:00PM AND NOT 9:00PM.)

We hope to see you there this week.  I (Allan) will be starting a new series called GOSPEL.COMMUNITY.RESTORATION.  This is a series that you are not going to want to miss.

If you would like to know more about the Gathering and who we are, check out the video below:

I’m very excited to announce that we have just launched our new website at the Gathering!  Our hope is that this will be an easy place for you to get the information you need about the Gathering.  So, explore a little and take a look around.  We are still working through some different things and have much content to add.  So, be sure to check back often as we continue to work on it.

Also, I want to encourage you to subscribe to this blog.  Starting next week, our staff will be posting a new blog three times per week.  We’ll be addressing a range of different topics on it.

Thanks!

Allan

For Your Name – Will Pavone

Will Pavone is currently a Pastor on staff with Frontline but used to be the Worship Leader for the Gathering back in the day.  This album is all original and insanely gospel-centered.  Download it here.

Introducing the City Harmonic – The City Harmonic

This is a new EP that just came out.  Really unique sound but what I really love about it are the simple lyrics.  One song “Manifesto” is simply quotes from the Apostle’s Creed and the Lord’s Prayer.  Definitely worth the $4.99 on iTunes.  Download it here.

You can sign up at gatheringonline.org

As you read this today, me (Allan), Nick Jones, and Rachael Jankowsky will either be on our way or in Haiti for a three-day vision/planning trip. A few weeks ago, we decided along with World Hope International that in order to be sure that the Gathering was serving the community of Percin in the most God-glorifying way, we needed to go down there to meet with various groups of people to plan our the long-term vision of the Gathering-Percin partnership. As most of you are aware, the Gathering has been sending teams to Percin for about three years now. We even had a team on the ground in Percin when the major earthquake hit in January 2010.

As of now, our hope is to spend quality time with the World Hope Haiti Staff, including Thony and Larousse. We have a meeting setup with Pastor Gesner, the pastor of the small Baptist church in Percin. We will be meeting other Pastors in the Petit Goave area, community leaders, and anybody else who would like to help us frame this vision. Our hope and prayer is that through this partnership, we will be able to help provide physical relief but more importantly help build a strong church in Percin that is continually developing disciples of Jesus Christ.

Would you please take the time, possibly even multiple times per day on July 5-7, to pray for Nick, Rachael, and I. Please pray for the following:

-Pray that God would give us wisdom as we try and discern this partnership
-Pray that we would listen and learn well
-Pray for Thony and Larousse of WHI Haiti and they would guide us well
-Pray for safety, health, logistics, and a safe return
-Pray for Rachael as she will be moving to Haiti permanently in August and that all of her funds would be raised and her role in Haiti will be more defined.
-Pray for John Allision who is on staff with WHI and will be accompanying us on the trip. Pray that he would represent WHI well and give us good guidance.
-Pray for Pastor Gesner and that we would develop a special relationship with him.
-Pray for the church in Percin continually!
-Pray that we would return with a solid long-term vision and specific plans for the next 18 months worth of Gathering trips to Percin.

We really do appreciate and need your prayers. If you would like to get updates on what is going on down there on our trip, I suggest you follow the following Twitter accounts:

-@GatheringHaiti
-@AllanMcC
-@GoNickJones
-@RJankowsky

I will be posting a post-trip blog when we get back in a few days.

Over the past three years, the Gathering has developed a Global Impact Partnership with World Hope International and a small village in Petit Goave, Haiti called Percin.  We’ve been sending teams of College Students to this small village multiple times a year for three years.  In Hi sovereignty, God has obviously led us to this partnership because these people have become so precious to us.  Our staff team, many volunteers, and many of our students have developed personal relationships with the people who live in this village.  We even had a team on the ground there when the Earthquake hit a year and a half ago and for the first time a former Gathering student, Rachael Janjowsky, will be moving there to be a full-time missionary.
Lately, we have been working with World Hope International to develop a more intentional plan for the future of this partnership.  This has culminated in the decision to take a 3 day vision trip to Haiti to develop this plan.  The trip is set to be July 5-7, 2011.  As of now, Allan McCullough, the Pastor of the Gathering, Nick Jones, the Worship Pastor of the Gathering, Rachael Jankowsky and John Allison, Director of Church Relations for WHI, will be on the trip.  The goal of this trip is to plan out the long-term vision of the Gathering’s partnership with Percin and specifically plan the next 18 months worth of Gathering trips to Percin.  Our goal is for each trip to Percin to aid in accomplishing the following:
1.  Support a WHI Program in The Village.  This would be something like building houses, micro-finance, education, etc…

2.  Spiritual Development of both the Children and Adults of Percin.  This is VBS programming for Children and Bible Training for Adults

3.  The Building Up of the Church in Percin
On this trip, our plan is to meet with the World Hope Haiti Staff, Thony Querette (WHI Country Director), Pastor Jesne (a Pastor in Percin), focus groups of adults in the village, various weslyan pastors in Petit Goave who own guest houses that we stay in, community leaders in Petit Goave, and various others in Port-au-Prince that are involved in the development community.
All we need to raise to make this trip happen is $1800.00.  This covers airfare, in-country travel and lodging, translators, and food for all involved on the trip.   This trip is very critical to the Gathering’s long-term missions strategy.  Our Haiti partnership has become one of our largest growth engines on our college campuses and something that is extremely important to our students.  So, we really feel the need for this vision trip to ensure that our partnership is advancing the Kingdom of God in Percin.
Please consider giving to support this vision trip to Haiti.  If you would like to make a financial donation in support of this trip, please CLICK HERE. By clicking on the link, you will be asked to create a login ID and provide us with your information. You can then login and make a contribution by entering the amount, team, and payment information.  To donate to this specific trip, be sure to select “GI – Haiti (Gathering).”  By creating a login ID, you will NOT be added to any mailing lists or promotional materials.
All contributions for Global Impact short-term mission teams are tax deductible and non-refundable. Due to IRS stipulations, you (the donor) are acknowledging that you are releasing control of how this contribution will be utilized for the team.  However, if the team is successful in raising their financial goal, all excess funds will be applied to either the needs directly related to the ministry of this trip or to fund additional mission needs within the Global Impact ministry.  In the unlikely event that a trip is cancelled, funds raised by the team will help cover any cancellation costs for the trip.  Any remaining funds will be donated to efforts in the country with the partnering ministry and/or help to fund additional Gathering Haiti Trips.

Three Locations (click for directions)- MBC Tysons, SoHo Coffee & Tea at Dupont Circle, College Park

For ALL the details, check out gatheringonline.org

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER!

Gathering Summer Bible Studies will begin on Tuesday, June 7th at 7:30pm and will occur every Tuesday through the months of June and July.

This year, we will offer Bible Studies at three different locations:

NORTHERN VIRGINIA – McLean Bible Church Tyson Campus, 8925 Leesburg Pike, Vienna, VA

DUPONT CIRCLE – SoHo Coffee & Tea, 2150 P Street, NW

COLLEGE PARK - On UMD’s Campus, Check gatheringonline.org for room

Well, the Gathering is officially done for the Spring 2011 semester!  So, wither you are in the middle of exams or finished already.  I wanted you to know that for the Summer, we have taken down our normal website and put up a summer micro-site that highlights all the information you need to know for this summer.  Be sure to check it out!

GatheringOnline.Org

GMU
Wednesday, May 4, 9pm in Dewberry

UMD
FRIDAY (NOT THURSDAY), May 6, 8pm (NOT 9PM) in the Nyumburu Amphitheater

I wanted to post some video for you from our worship.  We had such a fun night as Louis, Micah, Tara, Jacqueline, Jonathan, and Caleb led us in worship.  Check it out!

All My Fountains – By Chris Tomlin

Looks like we’re going to get lots of rain tomorrow.  We are postponing our Gathering Spring Cookout one week to our rain date.  So, it will be Saturday, April 23 from 2-7 in Picnic Grove #1 of Rock Creek Park, Intersection of Beach Dr. NW & Tilden St. NW.

See you there!

American University, April 19 – If interested, contact Natalie ~ natalie.bingham@mcleanbible.org
George Mason University, May 4 – If interested, contact Nick ~ nicolaas.jones@mcleanbible.org
Georgetown University, April 27 – If interested, contact Whitney ~ whitney.stockett@mcleanbible.org
University of Maryland, May 6 (Friday) – If interested, contact Pete – pete.berlin@mcleanbible.org

Last week, I downloaded the a new worship album called “God of Victory” done by Michael Bleecker and the worship team from the Village Church in Dallas, TX. This is an amazing Gospel-Centered album. I love worship songs that in the midst of the music and catchy melodies are wonderful truths and doctrines. I really encourage you to download it here. This is definitely an album that will stir your affections for Christ.

I wanted to show you the lyrics to the title track, “God of Victory”

V1
O God have mercy, reveal to me my sin,
The guilt the shame the darkness, innate within
The blood of Jesus washes and makes me clean
Condemned now I’m pardoned, once bound now I’m free,
now I’m free

Chorus
To the God of victory All glory be to One Who’s conquered all
Every tongue will sing To the Risen King oh the wonder of it all
Just to think that You love me a wretch like me
Aloud I will rejoice

V2
O Father of my spirit, O King of all my days
Lead me to repentance, by Your amazing grace
O may my sin be bitter, so Christ will be sweet
I trust in your promise, life eternally, life eternally

Bridge
Sing it loud, shout it out, rejoice, rejoice Jesus, is King, victorious
Sing it loud, shout it out, rejoice, rejoice Jesus, is King, victorious

GREAT QUESTION!

However, don’t worry.  We’re getting there.  Through the first four chapters of Galatians, Paul is intentionally explaining the freedom we have through grace by what Jesus did on the cross.  We must understand that there is NO WORK that we can do that pleases God.  The only human that has pleased God is His Son Jesus.  That is what the Gospel is about.  The righteousness of Jesus given to us, a bunch of sinners.

So, do not worry.  We are going to talk about how one lives a holy life driven and motivated by grace.  Paul addresses this in Galatians 5.

However, as your pastor.  I do not want ME to be your primary motivator to live a holy life.  I want the Gospel to be what motivates you.  So, for now, we’ll stay at the Apostle Paul’s pace and when we get to Galatians 5, we’ll talk about grace-driven effort and discipline to live a Holy Life.

-American University: Tuesday, March 29, 9pm in the Kay Center
-George Mason University: Wednesday, March 30, 9pm in the JC Cinema
-Georgetown University: Wednesday, March 30, 9pm in Bulldog Alley
-University of Maryland: Thursday, March 31, 9pm in the Activity Room next to Terp Zone

Hope to see you there!

Click here to download.

Many of you are probably aware of the theological firestorm that has been set off by a new book by Rob Bell, Pastor of Mars Hill Bible Church in Grand Rapids, MI, called Love Wins: A Book About Heaven, Hell, and the Fate of Every Person Who Ever Lived.  You may know Rob Bell by his Nooma videos and some of his other popular books such as Velvet Elvis, Sex God, and Jesus Wants to Save Christians.  Bell is very popular amongst young evangelicals because of his creative teaching style, appreciation for culture, and, let’s be honest, his hipster persona.  According to Urban Dictionary, that would mean he:  “…values independent thinking, counter-culture, progressive politics, an appreciation of art and indie-rock, creativity, intelligence, and witty banter…” and don’t forget the thick-rimmed glasses.

I don’t say this to make fun of Rob Bell (there is nothing wrong with being hipster or wearing thick-rimmed glasses) but more so to point out, culturally, who he is most effectively communicating to.  This is a culture that is prevalent in the young evangelical community and is heavily concentrated amongst the young adult generation in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area.  Rob Bell has become a rock star in the evangelical community because he is asking and attempting to answer all of the questions that young people are asking about Jesus and Christianity that some older generations have refused to deal with.

So, if you are familiar with Rob Bell, than you probably know that yesterday (March 15), he released his new book.  The twitter feeds and blogs have been going crazy.  The controversy behind this book is that Bell supposedly makes a theological case for what many Christian scholars would call Universalism.  That is, the theological doctrine that all human beings, despite their beliefs or the way they lived their lives, will be “saved.”

Well, since Rob Bell is a widely read author and pastor who has incredible influence, I felt that it was important for me as the Pastor of the Gathering to grab the book, give it a read, and write out my thoughts and opinions of the claims made by Bell and state what we as The Gathering believe concerning these issues.

My goal is to give some brief commentary on his theological claims.  However, this must be stated first: This book is different than any other book that Bell has written.  This book is a “theological position paper.”  By that, I mean that he is stating a theological truth and giving a defense behind that truth from many different perspectives: theological, biblical, historical, etc…  Bell is not attempting to provide inspiration or encouragement but rather trying to convince the reader to believe and adhere to the theological stance he has taken regarding Heaven, Hell, and the Fate of Every Person Who Ever Lived.  The reason I feel the need to clarify this is because when someone sets out to write a theological position paper, especially when your attempting to convince the masses of a controversial topic, much research is needed.  In this type of work, you need to be able to not only provide support for your position from many different perspectives and sources, but you also need to be able to explain why other views are inadequate.

When I set out to read Bell’s book last night, I had prepared myself for what was going to be a brilliantly written theological position paper that was going to be dangerously compelling and would require some serious work to explain how Bell’s position is a departure from Christian orthodoxy.  About three hours later when I finished the book, I was sorely disappointed.  This was a poorly written book that barely cited any credible sources, asked more questions than provided answers, and seemed to be more full of provocative one-liners than actually stimulating conversation over important theological issues.  When I was done reading this book, I felt the same frustration as I do every four years during the Presidential Primaries where the only thing you can find on TV are politicians who have a lot to say but there doesn’t seem to be any content behind their words.  This is Rob Bell’s book.  It is a 200 page paper that could have been reduced to about 15 pages and if it was turned in to any credible academic institution, it would be given the grade of “Incomplete.”  It’s important to recognize the lack of scholarship behind such a controversial book because it immediately reduces the credibility of the book whether you agree with his theological position or not.  There is obvious use of scriptures out of context.  There is a skewed perspective on history.  There are relevant scriptures intentionally left out.  So, in this review, my aim is not to dismantle all of Bell’s claim.  Someone has already done this and did quite a good job.  If you would like to read a full-scale theological, biblical, and historical manhandling of everything Bell wrote about, be sure to read Kevin DeYoung’s (Senior Pastor at University Reformed Church in East Lansing, Michigan) review entitled: God Is Still Holy and What You Learned in Sunday School Is Still True: A Review of “Love Wins.” You can get the 20 page review in PDF version by clicking here.  Kevin DeYoung’s review falls in line with what we at The Gathering believe regarding Rob Bell’s claims.

With that lengthy introduction, let me get into what I wanted to say regarding the book.  The first half of the first chapter of the book is excellent.  It asks some amazing questions that need to get asked and answered within the evangelical community.  For example:

“If the message of Jesus is that God is offering the free gift of eternal life through him – a gift we cannot earn by our own efforts, works, or good deeds -  and all we have to do is accept and confess and believe, aren’t those verbs?

And aren’t verbs actions?

Accepting, confessing, believing – those are things we do.” (11)

This is a great question.  It is a question that is often avoided in the pulpits.  It’s a question that the young adult generation wants to be addressed and not danced around.  It’s the question that, I believe, is the driving force behind why Bell wrote this book.  The notion that Rob Bell is attacking needs to be attacked.  Whatever it is that is causing him to question Christian orthodoxy needs to be questioned.

Over the last few decades, a very subtle and sneaky works-based gospel has creeped its way into evangelical circles slowly shifting the focus of the gospel away from the work of Christ and onto the work, joy, experience, destiny, purpose, and fulfillment of man.  Sin was redefined as simple immorality and the Gospel became our escape from the consequences.  This resulted in a cheapening of the gospel to a fundamentalist works based system that turned some churches into exclusive clubs rather than the institution that expresses and ministers the love of God – the gospel of Jesus Christ.  Obviously, many people have gotten burned, shunned, and treated as if they were too great of sinners to be saved by Jesus.

This is the trend within evangelicalism that Rob Bell is lashing out against.  And, again, I will say that this trend needs to be fought, lashed out at, and preached against.  It is here, that I agree with Rob Bell.

It is Rob Bell’s answer to the question and his solution to the problem where we begin to walk in completely opposite directions.

Bell defines Sin as a rejection of God’s love, Heaven as a surreal life of embracing God’s love (not a place), and Hell as a refinement period to force you to embrace God’s love, both in this life and/or the next.  Therefore, the love of God always wins in the end because the eventual fate of every person who ever lived, is heaven.  If you want to avoid “hell” you just need to accept “our God-given goodness and humanity” (73) during this current lifetime. So, all sin really is, if Bell has a doctrine of sin at all, is a rejection of this goodness and a rejection of God’s love.  Bell’s theology is quite easy.  Accept your God-given goodness and God’s love and heaven immediately becomes a realty in this life and the next.  Reject your God-given goodness and God’s love and hell will become a realty in this life and the next.  However, while one is experiencing hell, “God’s love will eventually melt even the hardest of hearts [postmortem].” (108) It is a simple theology.  A vague theology.  And a flat out unbiblical theology.  However, it is theology that is more inclusive and a theology, in Bell’s mind, that is a remedy to the works based gospel that has emerged in the evangelical community which has caused so much damage.

The largest debacle that is created by this fundamentalist, works based gospel inside some of our churches is that it is so pervasive that people have now mistaken this false gospel with historic Christian orthodoxy.  I believe Rob Bell has fallen into this belief as well and so developing a different theological system seems necessary.

The reality is that this works based gospel is not historic Christian orthodoxy but rather a perversion.  So, the answer to Rob Bell’s questions that need to be addressed is actually found in orthodoxy itself.

Christian orthodoxy does not define sin as simple immorality but explains that sin is mans rejection of God as God and has centered his life now around him or herself.  Sin is the reality that God is no longer the object of our worship, but we are.  This rejection of God is universal and it applies to every person who ever lived.  Therefore, we are spiritually dead and our depravity is total (Ephesians 2:1-5).  The punishment and consequences for our sin is an eternity away from God in a place known as hell.  The fate of every person who ever lived is punishment and this punishment is justifiable because we offended and rejected a holy God with unlimited power and unlimited authority.

However, God, being a God of love, decided that he wanted to embark on a mission (Genesis 12:1-3, Galatians 3:8-9) to redeem the world from their egregious act of treason.  The main objective of this mission was to send his Son, Jesus Christ, to become a man and live a life of pure unadulterated worship of God (in other words, a sinless life).  The life that Jesus lived was not eligible for death because he did nothing to earn himself the punishment of death.  Yet, Jesus died.  He died because a divine exchange occurred on the cross where Jesus took our life of sin and gave his life of pure worship.  He lived the life we couldn’t live and took the life we did live (2 Corinthians 5:21).  So, therefore, we receive Jesus’ righteousness and Jesus took the penalty for our sin so that we no longer had to suffer the consequences of our depravity.

So, the question is this: How does one get this gospel to be applied to their life?  Bell would suggest that it is simply through accepting our God-given goodness and humanity. However, the concept of God-given goodness seems to be counter to the doctrine of Total Depravity as clearly articulated in Ephesians 2 among others.  The scriptures are clear that as sinners, we are spiritually dead.  As people who are spiritually dead, do we have the ability to resurrect ourselves to accept God’s love?  Do we have the ability to turn this switch in our minds and heart that initiates this personal relationship with Jesus Christ?  Can we just decide to change our beliefs?

I would suggest that historic Christian orthodoxy would state that becoming a follower of Jesus Christ, having the righteousness of Jesus Christ applied to you, is less a cognitive decision that you make but more so the synthesis of a humiliating realization and a beautiful discovery.  It happens at the point in your life when you “come to yourself” (Luke 15:17a) and realize the offense you have made against a holy God and the utterly devastating and final consequences that accompany that offense.  Yet, at the same time a beautiful discovery occurs that God sent his Son Jesus to pay that penalty for you.  Not because you earned it.  But because He loves you and He is a gracious God.  This humiliating realization combined with a beautiful discovery creates a faith in the work of Christ, not your own, and a life-altering redirection of worship from ourselves to God in every circumstance and phase of our life because we were rescued from the eternal hell that we did in fact deserve.  If you downplay the seriousness of sin and the finality of its consequences, than a beautiful discovery cannot take place.

We must allow the offensiveness of the reality of a place called hell to fuel this humiliating realization and beautiful discovery, not cause us to question the character of God.

This idea of “accepting Jesus” is much different than the works based fundamentalist gospel that finds its motivations in glorifying man.  Historic Christian orthodoxy and the true gospel finds its motivations in giving all glory and worship to Jesus, who “even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive…” (Ephesians 2:5) Orthodoxy is not concerned about man and his eternal joy and fulfillment but rather is concerned about God and Him receiving ALL the glory.  To ask the question if it is “okay” for a God to send humans into eternal punishment is a man-centered, man-glorifying question, not a God-centered, God-glorifying question.  Man lost any shot at having the ability to ask such questions when we told a holy, just God that we would no longer worship Him as we were created to, but we would worship ourselves (Genesis 3).

So, Rob Bell’s attempt to answer all of the questions that have been posed by a perverted works based gospel that has come into some of our churches is simply misguided.  It is fueled by the sinful desire to make man equal with God.  The person who asks the question: “How can a loving God condemn sinners to eternal punishment?” is a person who is trying to make a beautiful discovery without the humiliating realization.  They are trying to find a Jesus that will tolerate sin.

When it all boils down, Rob Bell is lashing out against a man-glorifying works based gospel by creating a more palatable man-glorifying works based gospel.  The motivations haven’t changed.  I understand Bell’s frustration.  But, the bottom line is that the Gospel is about God, not man.

I think we can stick with historic Christian orthodoxy and at The Gathering, that is what we’ll do.

The first book I chose to review is Hudson Taylor’s Spiritual Secret by Dr. and Mrs. Howard Taylor.  The reason is because I just finished reading it!  So, it seems appropriate.  I get the privilege of meeting with a group of pastors every Thursday here at McLean Bible Church and our Senior Pastor, Lon Solomon, asked us to read this for our first meeting.  It is a very quick read and does a fantastic job of not only giving you a survey of the life of Hudson Taylor, but also how his relationship with Jesus Christ was shaped through all of his experiences.

I don’t want to reveal the whole book to you, but let me give you a quick idea of who Hudson Taylor is.  Taylor was born in 1832 in Great Britain into a Christian family.  After his conversion in December of 1849, Hudson Taylor immediately had a passion for preaching the Gospel to those who were lost in China.  It became the clear call on his life to be a missionary in China and everything he did from the moment of his conversion on was for the purpose of this calling.  So, his life’s legacy is the founding of the China Inland Mission Agency which has been responsible for the spread of the Gospel to millions of people in China.

So, I do recommend you pick up this book to read more about Taylor’s life, but I want to spend some time talking about the secret.  Hudson Taylor has always been known for being a man of great faith.  He had the uncanny ability to trust in the promises of God for anything that he needed, whether that was money, food, shelter, or any other need.  We often quote Taylor here at McLean Bible Church when he said, “God’s work done God’s way never lacks God’s supply.”  This sums up the faith of Hudson Taylor, he was a man who fully leaned onto God for all of his needs.  But, this was not the secret!

For all of Hudson Taylor’s life, he endured many trials and hardships and still held onto his faith with a tight grip.  He had countless stories of how God had provided for him in miraculous ways.  However, towards the end of Taylor’s life, there came a moment when his first wife, Maria Jane Dyer, passed away of Cholera.  It was a hardship that came about in Taylor’s life that he never had endured….loneliness.  He says on pg. 180, “Twenty times a day, perhaps, as I felt the heart-thirst coming back, I cried to Him, ‘Lord, you promised!  You promised me that I should never thirst!’”  I believe that it was in this trial in Taylor’s life that he discovered the Spiritual Secret.  God’s promises were being challenged.  Taylor had never had to lean on God in such a way before in his life.  He could endure physical, spiritual, and mental hardship but never had he dealt with such grief and hurt.

What was the secret?  The secret was that Taylor learned that his joy and purpose in life were not grounded in HIS faith in God’s promises, but they were grounded in the faithfulness of Christ.  When everything got stripped away and Taylor was raw before God in deep grief, the only thing that looked beautiful to him was Jesus.  He had discovered that, “My need now is great and urgent, but God is greater and more near.  And because He is and is what He is, all must be, all is, all will be well.” (pg. 202)   This is the secret!  He also said, “If you are ever drinking at the fountain, with what will your life be running over? Jesus, Jesus, Jesus!” (pg. 196)

You know, Jonathan Edwards, the great American theologian who sparked the Great Awakening, believed and preached this secret to be the fruit that would distinguish one as being converted.   He once said, “If you have not a spirit to love God above your dearest earthly friends, and your most pleasant earthly enjoyments; the scriptures are very plain, and full in it, that you are not true Christians.”  The Spiritual Secret is no secret at all!  The more we walk with Jesus Christ in our salvation, the more our affections for Him shall begin to gain dominion over everything, no matter how good and beautiful they are.

This book pushed me to evaluate my own life and ask the question: “Are my affections for the things of this world greater than my affections for Jesus Christ?” See, if the answer to this question in our life is ‘yes’ than there is something going on inside of our heart that is not in agreement with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Remember Ephesians 2:1-5:
“And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience—among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.  But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved.”

There is a bitterness that needs to be felt inside of our heart against our sinful nature and an adoration at the beauty of Jesus Christ and the grace that he had upon us that naturally increases our affections for Christ above all in this world.  I believe this is the process that Hudson Taylor went through and the process that we should be forced to go through as we read this book.

This is definitely a great book to pick up and read!  It will give you some good history on the China Inland Mission, the life of Hudson Taylor, and more importantly how Taylor discovered the Spiritual Secret.

Hey Everyone!

Just wanted to give you an update and let you know that our AU/GT Haiti Team has arrived safely in Port-au-Prince early this morning and are en route to Percin! Please be sure to take some time every day this week to pray for this team, their effectiveness for the Gospel, and their safety. Pray for them by name:

-Sean Lynch
-Natalie Bingham
-Kelsey Linford
-Shelby Jamerson
-Nathaniel Brady
-Nicolaas Jones
-Noah Nance
-Delaney Ozmun
-Whitney Stockett
-Javier Bohorquez
-Jasmine Thomas
-Sheena Austria
-Julian Sesma
-Claire Sherburne

Please also be praying for Thony, our World Hope Liaison and brother in Christ, who will be guiding this team as his wife, Sarah, is due to have their first child this month! Pray for a healthy baby, a healthy delivery, and that God would use this child as much as he has been using Thony and Sarah for the Kingdom in Haiti.

If you are a GMU or UMD student, we’ll see you this week at the Gathering!

Allan

I can’t tell you how excited I am for the Gathering this week. I’m sitting in the Kay Center right now as our team gets ready for the Gathering at AU tonight! If you’re wondering what the deal is this week, here it is:

-TONIGHT (Tuesday Night), 9pm, Kay Center – GATHERING AT AMERICAN UNIVERSITY. John will be starting a brand new series called “Drowning in Sex.”
-Wednesday Night, 9pm, Cinema – GATHERING AT GEORGE MASON. John will be finishing his series called “Drowning in Sex.”
-Wednesday Night, 9pm, Bulldog Alley – GATHERING AT GEORGETOWN. I will be continuing our series in Galatians.
-Thursday Night, 9pm, The Atrium – GATHERING AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND. I will be continuing our series in Galatians.

I hope to see you this week.

Allan

Gathering City Wide Service
-Friday, Feb. 25
-Dinner at 6:30pm – $8 for food – All proceeds benefit our Haiti Teams – Cash, Check, Visa, MC, and AMEX Accepted!
-Worship Service at 8:00pm
-McLean Bible Church, 8925 Leesburg Pike, Vienna, VA 22182
-Shuttle Running from West Falls Church Metro Starting at 6:00pm

When: Friday, Feb. 25
What: Gathering City-Wide Service and Haiti Benefit Dinner
Time: Haiti Benefit Dinner starts at 6:30pm and the Worship Service will be right after
Cost: To get in to the Haiti Benefit Dinner and enjoy some Chick-Fil-A, it will be $8.  All proceeds will support our partnership in Haiti.
Transportation: Try and carpool over to the church, we’ll also be running a shuttle from the West Falls Church Metro starting at 6:00pm.
Why: A chance to get all of the Gathering Campuses together for a time to eat a meal together and worship the Lord together.  There will be students from AU, Gtown, UMD, and GMU!

You do not want to miss this!

Excited for the Gathering this week.  Just wanted to give you all the information:

-Tuesday, Feb. 8 at 9pm -American University in the Kay Center
-Wednesday, Feb. 9 at 9pm – George Mason University in the JC Cinema
-Wednesday, Feb. 9 at 9pm – Georgetown University in Bulldog Alley
-Thursday, Feb. 10 at 9pm – University of Maryland in the Stamp Atrium

Hope to see you there!

TONIGHT, Wednesday, Feb. 2
-George Mason University, JC Bistro, 9pm, John McGowan will be kicking off the Semester in 2 Corinthians 5
-Georgetown University, Bulldog Alley, 9pm, Allan will be continuing our Gospel Vision Series

TOMORROW, Thursday, Feb. 3
-University of Maryland, Nymburu, 9pm, John McGowan will be kicking off the Semester in 2 Corinthians 5

Hope to see you there!

The Gathering at the University of Maryland is canceled tonight due to the fact that the University has closed and canceled all events.  We will be back for our first service of the Spring 2011 semester next Thursday, Feb. 3 at 9pm.

See you there!

Allan

Our service at the University of Maryland tomorrow (Thursday, Jan. 27), in still on at 9pm in the Atrium.  See you there!

Just to let you know that as of right now, Georgetown University has closed for tonight (1/26).  So, therefore, we are forced to cancel our service for tonight. We will be back in Bulldog Alley next week for the second part of our Gospel Vision Series.

As of now (1:40pm) the Gathering at George Mason University is still ON for tonight.  So, make plans to come on out to the Cinema at 9pm.  We will let you know here if that changes.

Love you guys,

Allan

TUESDAY, JANUARY 25 (tonight)
–American University, Kay Center, 9pm – Allan will be continuing his series called “Gospel Vision”
(Remember, you can watch the replay of the State of the Union address online afterwards)

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 26
–George Mason University, Cinema (JC), 9pm – John will be kicking off the semester with 2 Corinthians 5
–Georgetown University, Bulldog Alley, 9pm – Allan will be continuing his series called “Gospel Vision”

THURSDAY, JANUARY 27
–University of Maryland, Atrium (Stamp), 9pm – John will be kicking off the semester with 2 Corinthians 5

Can’t wait to see all of you!

Would you please commit to praying for us?

If so, click on this link here to sign up for regular prayer requests updates via e-mail.  Type in your e-mail address and then select “Allan McCullough – Director of the Gathering” on the next screen.

I thank you in advance for your prayers.  As Lon also always says, “The Church will move forward on her knees.”

For Christ’s Fame,

Allan

If you go to the Gathering at American University or Georgetown University, this week we will begin a new series called Gospel Vision.  This is a series that is going to be critical for us to get as many people as possible into the seats at a Gathering worship service.  You do not want to miss this.

One thing you can do to start getting ready, is sometime before you come to the service, spend some time in Genesis 1-3.  We’re going to be breaking down much of this text in the first part.

If you go to Mason or the University of Maryland, you guys, somehow, are still enjoying winter break.  So, we’ll be doing this series on your campus to in a few weeks.

Here is the really cool part.  The first two weeks of this series will be done on your campus and then all of us are going to come together for the third part at our annual Gathering City-Wide Service.  More details about City-Wide to come…

I hope you guys make it a priority to be at the Gathering this week.  Be sure to talk to everyone that you know and bring them along.  Facebook it, tweet it, blog about it, etc…  You could even save the graphic above and post it on your facebook.  Let’s get the word out!

Love you guys and see you this week,

Allan

That’s right.  This week at American University and Georgetown University, we will be having our first Spring 2011 Gathering services!  Here’s the info:

–AMERICAN UNIVERSITY – TUESDAY, JANUARY 11 9:00PM IN THE KAY CENTER

–GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY – WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 12 9:00PM IN BULLDOG ALLEY

You’re definitely not going to want to miss the first service of the semester as John McGowan, the Pastor of Frontline, will be coming to preach and help chart the vision for the coming semester.

See you there!

If you didn’t already know, some students and the entire Gathering staff decided to brave the 10 hour road trip so we could come to Passion 2011 in Atlanta, GA.  If you are thinking right now: WHAT?!?  You guys went to Passion?  How come you didn’t invite me?!?

Well, my answer is that we did invite you and you missed out!  God is definitely blessing our students and staff team in an incredible way down here.  It has been a great time to rest, sit under some needed teaching, and worship the Lord with about 22,000 other college students from literally all over the world.

So, if you were not able to make it down here to Atlanta, I have some good news for you.  The Passion team is streaming the main sessions live on the internet and then also posting the past main sessions for you to view.  We have three main sessions left.  So, if you tune in either at 10:45am this morning, 7:00pm tonight, or 10:45am tomorrow morning, you’ll be able to catch the last half of the main sessions live and you’ll always be able to view the past ones later.  If you have nothing really going on in these last few days of Winter Break, I recommend you jump on the computer and join us down here at Passion.

Click here to tune in live: http://live.passion2011.com/