Skip to content ↓

The Basics Conference – Jerry Bridges

Here I am in Cleveland to take in The Basics conference. I drove up here with my friend Jason and after an early start we arrived just around noon. We ate at a local restaurant and I continued my strategy (borrowed from Thabiti Anyabwile) of always asking the server just to bring me whatever she thinks I’d enjoy. So far it has proven a good strategy. I recommend trying it!

The conference began at 3 PM with a round of seminars. Like last year, I led a seminar dealing with blogging (“Blogging Your Ministry”) though this time we did more of an interactive Q&A format. Though it may not make much sense to a person simply listening to the recording, I think it was a reasonably valuable time. I enjoyed it, at the very least! Tomorrow I’ll tackle discernment in a second seminar.

The conference proper began an hour later with Alistair Begg welcoming the 600+ attendees. He made a point of pointing out that this year they asked for each person’s denominational affiliation…and that we were true post-modernists with almost half of those in attendance being undeclared! The attendees come from 35 states and 9 countries. It is truly a diverse crowd.

After Begg’s welcome, Jerry Bridges provided the first of his addresses. In all the conferences I’ve been to, this is the first time I’ve ever heard Bridges speak. He is a natural fit for this event. The subject of this conference is “Preaching the Gospel to Ourselves” and it will focus on the gospel in the heart and mind of the pastor. When people think of preaching the gospel to ourselves I’m sure many think of Bridges who, in his terms, “paparazzized” this term, borrowing it from another preacher.

He began by saying that we tend to slip into the understanding that the gospel is addressed only to sinners. We can forget that we are practicing sinners—sinners every day in thought, word, deed and motive. Hence we need to continue basing our lives on the gospel and need to continue to preach the gospel to ourselves. This is the foundation on which he will build his messages.

This talk started by introducing his two all-time favorite books. The first is The Apostles’ Doctrine of the Atonement by George Smeaton and the second is Communion with the Triune God by John Owen (and here he recommended the modernized version edited by Kelly Kapic and Justin Taylor). As he gave this message, by his own admission, he broke the first rule of homiletics by quoting extensively from another person. And the man he quoted is John Owen. Because the talk was based around extended quotes, I was not able to really do a whole lot to encapsulate them (understanding Owen is hard enough—transcribing him is near impossible). So I’ll refer you to the audio if you’d wish to learn more…and will try to do a bit better with the remaining messages!


  • A La Carte Collection cover image

    A La Carte (April 22)

    A La Carte: Pope Francis / Yes, Jesus was crucified with nails / The mystery of “the call” / Just a little bit / The last of the four / John outran Peter / Kindle deals / and more.

  • Will You Be a Pillar?

    How do we lead in a culture shaped by performance, individualism, and platform? Platforms to Pillars by cultural commentator Mark Sayers offers a biblical alternative to the platform mentality that dominates our society. Drawing from the ancient world, Sayers challenges Christians to become pillars—people who provide strength and support for others, who live with character…

  • The Tallest Trees

    The Winds Blow Hardest Against the Tallest Trees

    Through the weekend had many questions about Christian leaders who fall. And I expressed that just as the winds blow hardest against the tallest trees, so temptations may press hardest against the leaders who rise the highest. Just as floods press against shallow roots, so seductive desires rise up against those whose fall would bring…

  • A La Carte Collection cover image

    A La Carte (April 21)

    A La Carte: Toxic servant leadership / Taking our stress to the Lord / The problem with habits / Is it wrong for Christians to choose cremation? / Why does your church meet in a house? / Big book and Kindle deals / and more.

  • Expectations

    Why We Ask So Little of God

    Most Christians expect little from God, ask little, and therefore receive little, and are content with little. Though the Bible calls us to pray and though it promises that “the prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working,” we can still have very modest expectations of what God will accomplish through…

  • A La Carte Collection cover image

    Weekend A La Carte (April 19)

    A La Carte: Why man needs God / Why nails matter / Kids’ picture books / MLK’s famous letter changed a DC church / How to mentor / A tearless eternity / and more.