In preaching through the book of Colossians at my church, we have come to Colossians 3:5: “Put to death therefore what is earthly in you…” Precious little is written or taught these days on how to put sin to death. But thankfully, our forebears spent some ink on this issue—the most notable work being John Owen’s marvelous treatise On the Mortification of Sin.

Even the most educated scholars find Owen’s writing style to be dense. J.I. Packer states that Owen is “heavy and hard to read;” and an earlier biographer observed that Owens “travels through (his subject) with an elephant’s grace.” I pray that some of the more daring will read Owen’s work firsthand, because despite its cumbersome nature, it is some of the finest theological writing in the English language. But for those who don’t wish to do so, I am posting below my summary outline of Owen’s treatise. This outline was organized for preaching, so it is not exactly correlative to Owen’s layout. However, it does preserve the general logical flow of the original. For those who prefer a more thorough and analytical outline, including some of the more memorable quotes from Owen’s pen, you can download my 12-page reading summary in PDF format.
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Why Must We Mortify Sin?

• Because sin is always active
• Because unmortified sin weakens and darkens the soul
• Because unmortified sin hardens others to the gospel

What Does It Mean to Mortify Sin?

What It Does Not Mean

• To mortify sin is not to utterly destroy it. (That’s Jesus’ job, not your job.)
• To mortify sin is not to outwardly forsake its practice. Those who do this are just “more cunning; not more holy.”
• To mortify sin is not to have a quiet, sedate nature. “Some men have an advantage by their natural constitution… they are not exposed to unruly passions and tumultuous affections as many others are.” This does not mean they have mortified sin.
• To mortify sin is not to divert it. “He that trades sensuality for Pharisaism has not mortified sin… He has changed his master, but he is a servant still.”
• To mortify sin is not to experience “occasional conquests” against it.

What It Does Mean

• A habitual weakening of sin.
• A constant fighting against sin.
• Success. Victory over sin!

How Do We Mortify Sin?

4 General Principles

• You must set your faith on Christ. (Fill your soul with the consideration of who Jesus is and what he’s done for you)
• You must rely on the Holy Spirit. “A man may easier see without eyes and speak without a tongue, than mortify a sin without the Spirit.”
• You must be truly converted.
• You must intend universal obedience. If you don’t intend to obey God in every area, you don’t hate sin; you hate the particular sin that is bothering you. Which means you don’t love Christ; you love yourself. A particularly strong, besetting sin commonly issues from a careless, negligent spiritual life in general.

9 Specific Directives

1. Get a clear and abiding sense upon your mind of the guilt, danger, and evil of your sin.
2. Load your conscience with the guilt of your besetting sin.
3. Long for deliverance from the power of sin. “Longing, breathing, and panting after deliverance is a grace in itself, that has a mighty power to conform the soul into the likeness of the thing longed after… Unless you long for deliverance you shall not have it.”
4. Consider whether you are prone toward a particular sin because of your personality or disposition. This should awaken your zeal. “So great an advantage is given to sin and Satan by your temper and disposition, that without extraordinary watchfulness, care, and diligence, they [sin and Satan] will prevail against your soul.”
5. Consider what occasions your sin uses to exert itself, and watch against them all.
6. Fight strongly against the first actings of your lust. “Sin is like water in a channel – once it breaks out, it will have its course.”
7. Dwell on thoughts that humble you and remind you of your sinfulness.
8. Know the warning signs of particularly dangerous sin patterns: persistent, habitual sin; secret pleas of the heart to leave sin alone; giving into sin without struggle; ignoring the conviction of the Holy Spirit; avoiding sin because you fear punishment. If a lust has any of these symptoms, it cannot be dealt with by an ordinary course of mortification; it requires extraordinary measures.
9. Do not speak peace to yourself before God speaks peace to you.

Be killing sin, or it will be killing you.

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If you’re a church planter, chances are you’re wasting money.

The Sales Pitch

Let’s be honest: this is America, home of free-market capitalism. There is money to be made from church planters. And so a whole church-planting industry is ready to tell you that if you’re going to do it right, you probably need:

• a club-ready sound-and-light system
• a few Macs with top-of-the-line video editing software (might as well throw in an iPhone so you can Twitter your sermon prep)
• a top-end website with content management
• a children’s ministry setup that rivals a corporate daycare
• a trade-show-style display booth for all your visitors’ information
• industrial signage for both the inside and the outside of your venue
• a custom trailer to haul it all in

Most new church planters fall for this sales pitch like Tony Romo in the playoffs.

Don’t Believe the Hype

But in case you haven’t yet spent $100k on your “startup costs,” let me suggest that you hit the brakes and consider a crucial point: That’s GOD’S money that you’re spending. You’re going to stand before Jesus and answer for every dime. When many church planters in Africa don’t even own a Bible dictionary, do you really want to argue that the lighting rack was a “must-have?”

Don’t believe the hype. You can plant a missional church with next to nothing. We forked out only $19,000 in startup costs and got everything we needed. Sound system? We bought the most basic thing that would get the job done. Children’s ministry? We asked for donations from Christians and other churches in our city and got almost everything for free. Website? We bought a template for $50, tweaked it a little to make it our own, and hosted it with a local provider for a fraction of the cost of the turn-key church-planting web solutions. Computer and projector? We worked through the IT director at a local university who included our order in his volume purchase and passed the discount along to us.

Don’t Be a Statistic

You know the stats: 80% of church plants fail. Of course I hope your church isn’t one of them. But in your budgeting decisions, you should act as though it could be. If you had to shut things down, would you feel okay about how you’d spent the Lord’s money? Would any of your donors have reason to question your expenses as frivolous? Can you stand eye-to-eye with the family in your church who’s struggling financially and tell them with integrity that you’re spending only what’s necessary?

Don’t Take the Bait

A few months ago a church planter I know had to close up shop. As I scrolled through his fire-sale ad on Craigslist, I couldn’t help but wonder: did he really need all this stuff? If he had allocated funds differently, could he have stayed in the game a little longer and reached a place of viability? It’s not my place to question his decisions; “before his own master he stands or falls” (Romans 14:4). But I’m concerned that lots of young, starry-eyed church planters are easy prey for the salesmen of church-plant capitalism.

You don’t have to be. Stand firm, church planter, and don’t take the bait. We’re 4 years in, and I just now ordered business cards. Letterhead? Maybe next year.

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It's possible that your preaching is killing your church plant.

Don't freak out. This is the Resurgence, after all. We are absolutely committed to the powerful, masculine, authoritative preaching of God's Word. I'm not going to ask you to trade preaching for sharing, prayer labyrinths, or finger painting, but I am going to argue that your teaching style must fit the size dynamics of your church in order to be effective.

You're Not Preaching to Thousands

Preachers like Piper, Keller, Driscoll, and Chandler speak to thousands each week, and it's great to learn from those guys. But if you're trying to preach like those guys, you're probably making a mistake. Because let's be honest: you're not preaching to thousands.

I spoke with a church planter recently who couldn't understand why his core group of 30 wasn't bringing anyone to church. Answer? Because it's awkward to sit in a room with a few dozen people and get yelled at through a big sound system! It just doesn't fit the environment. I met another guy a few years ago (a Baptist brother, stereotypically) who was setting up a big wooden pulpit in his living room every week so he could preach to his core team of seven people.

Confusing the Practice with the Mode of Preaching

These well-meaning men have confused the practice of preaching with a particular mode of preaching. To preach is to authoritatively communicate the word of God. The normal mode of preaching in larger churches is to stand before the people, Bible open, with a microphone and a message.

But you can also preach sitting on a stool among 20 or 30 people. You can even preach from the couch in your living room if you have a core team of seven. You shouldn't ignore God's call to "preach the word" (2 Tim 4:2), but you should contextualize your preaching for the size dynamics of your church, especially if you ever want your church to grow.

Tailor Preaching to the Size of Your Church

People have an innate sense of what "fits" in a certain setting. You don't expect arena rock at a coffeehouse. Similarly, you don't expect a pulpit and lots of yelling in a small church plant. What will grow your church in the early stages is not the formality or power of your preaching, but rather how accessible and engaging it is.

Tailor your preaching for the size dynamics of your church. Think of venues where 25 to 75 people gather—coffee shops, college classes, house-show concerts—and then aim for that sort of feel.

Engage the audience in dialogue by asking questions, inviting feedback, and answering objections. Build your sermons around missional conversations you're having during the week. Three things will happen: non-Christians will feel honored and welcomed; Christians will learn how to have authentic gospel dialogue with outsiders; and your church will grow.

Preach Like Spurgeon When Your Church Gets Bigger

Here's a good rule of thumb (don't make it a law, but take it for what it's worth): if you have less than 80 people in your church, you shouldn't be preaching in the same way as the guys you podcast. I know Spurgeon is your hero, but don't worry, you can preach like him when your church gets bigger. For now, restrain your inner Whitefield and preach in a way that fits your context.

And hey, Baptist dude: if you wonder why your church hasn't outgrown your living room yet, I might have an answer.

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