November is a month for seeing family in far-flung places. For two pastor friends of mine, that far-flung place is Greenville. Both accepted an invitation to preach at Heritage during their visits. Here’s some help to pray for them and make the most of their visits.
Andy’s Sunday with us, November 22, includes a special session at 11am on a timely topic: “Lust: Seven Reasons You Should Not Indulge in Pornography.” See the last header for an invitation and instructions concerning children.
Welcome An Old Friend of Our Church, Andy Naselli
On November 22, we’ll welcome Andy Naselli back to preach and to teach a whole-church elective for us.
For those newer around here, Andy has a storied history with our church. With roots in the area, Andy has been friends to pastors and elders from our church for years. Bob Jones University is where Andy earned his first of two PhDs (the other, from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School). While Andy worked as editor on the NIV Study Bible, he was a member at one of our plants, Grace Bible Church in Moore. When Heritage was looking for a preaching pastor, Andy put Heritage in touch with my family. Read my previous introduction to Andy for some more links and insights.
Andy is Professor of Systematic Theology and New Testament at Bethlehem College and Seminary in Minneapolis, MN. Since the last time he joined us, Andy planted Christ the King Church in Stillwater, MN, in 2025.
Andy is a whole-Bible, whole-life Christian, professor, and local church pastor. Which means over time he preaches and writes on about everything. Here are a few links to get acquainted:
- A short clip, “What is the strongest Argument for Calvanism in Two Minutes“
- A short book for teens, Help! I Want to Be a Manly Man
- An interview at the Masters Seminary on the conscience, “The Conscience, Preaching, and the Christian Life“
- A book on reading by Canon Press, How to Read a Book: Advice for Christian Readers
One of Andy’s unique expertise is reading and writing — no surprise. Andy writes a lot, which makes him the best kind of person to help the rest of us read well. Something that’s getting harder to do given our digital age. Here’s some help from Andy’s recent trip to New Saint Andrews College:
- “How to Read at Different Levels,” a lecture on reading well for college students
- “You Read Weird,” an interview with Doug Wilson in which they discuss reading, writing, and attention spans in the digital age. Along the way they discuss Andy’s writing process, which includes input. He references his book, Predestination: An Introduction, a book he wrote while on sabbatical in Greenville with input from our elders.
- “How to Read the World (and Books Too),” a discussion with Joe Rigney and Jared Longshore
On November 22, Andy will preach from Genesis 16, “Tempted to Get a Good Thing the Wrong Way: Sarai, Hagar, and Abram.” Read ahead and pray for this old friend.
Meet Greg Gilbert, A New Friend for Our Church
I have admired Greg for many years — like an older brother in pastoring. We share many convictions about Scripture and ministry. The difference is he’s holds them more smarter. Greg and I overlapped in Louisville where we studied for pastoral ministry at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. We met in 2010 when Greg was on staff at Capitol Hill Baptist Church and I was in D.C. for a Weekender, a several-day event for pastors to learn and observe church life.
On that trip I signed up for a dinner group with Greg over the topic of social justice. Greg and I got an hour together that weekend over the topic. He sketched out some of his thinking on a marker-board, material for a book he published a year later with Kevin DeYoung, What Is the Mission of the Church?: Making Sense of Social Justice, Shalom, and the Great Commission. You can’t complete our pastoral internship without reading this book.
On that same trip, I was in the car with a friend of Greg’s when this brother got a call with word that Third Avenue Baptist Church called Greg to be their lead pastor. That was good news for that Louisville church. Greg has served as as Senior Pastor at Third Avenue Baptist Church now for going on seventeen years. In recent years, Greg joined up with friends to form ACME, which stands for Association of Churches for Missions and Evangelism. If you’re moving across the country and ask me for a church recommendation, ACME will be one site I check for churches that prioritize the kinds of things we love here: expository preaching, elder-led congregationalism, congregational singing, church-centered missions, etc.
Greg has written many books. If you’re one of our members who visited and joined since 2018, you’ll recognize one book in particular: Who Is Jesus?, a short book published by Crossway and 9Marks Ministries. We have given this book to hundreds of visitors at this point. Two related books include, What is The Gospel?, and Why Trust the Bible?. Greg introduces this trilogy of books here.
Greg is meek and fierce, the combination you get in a man convinced that God is great. Just the vision a church needs in their preacher. And just what we need to mark those who write on such important questions. Here are a few videos of Greg speaking to some of the books he’s written for the church. The first video is his story.
- A video on the story of Greg’s life and ministry
- A video in which Greg answers the question, Can Women Be Pastors?, based on a short book he wrote for 9Marks Ministries
- An interview where Greg answers the question, Can We Trust the Bible?
- A baby Gilbert preaching to students at Wheaton answering the question, What Is the Gospel?
Our paths have crossed numerous times over the years. Now it’s time for Greg to be our friend as a church.
On November 29, Greg will preach from Luke 7:1–17, “Absolute Authority, Astonishing Mercy.” Read ahead, pray for our church, and welcome him with your attention.
Plan to Join Us for An Elective on Lust, November 22
At 11am on November 22, Andy will teach a session, “Lust: Seven Reasons You Should Not Indulge in Pornography.”
Childcare for nursery and preschool will be available. Make plans to join. If this is not your battle right now, you may be tempted. Given our destructive desires and the predatory nature of the world, each of us must be ready to help a brother or sister to walk worthy of their calling.
Here’s Andy’s goal:
Brothers and sisters, my goal in this sermon is to embolden you to say no to pornography by God’s grace. I don’t have time in one sermon to comprehensively address how to deal with pornography. My burden is to motivate you not to indulge in it.
I am particularly burdened to motivate men to consistently kill the sin of lust. Brothers, if you are not consistently killing the sin of lust, then in this sermon I am metaphorically taking you firmly by the shoulders, looking you directly in the eyes, and soberly warning you: “Wake up! Do you realize what the consequences are for indulging in pornography?!”
From there, Andy will state and expound seven reasons not to indulge. This teaching is material for a sermon Andy will preach to his own church in the months ahead.
What about children? Parents, make a judgment call. They are welcome. Church is a place where we talk about and learn about sins even before we’re tempted to indulge them. Expect from Andy what you’d hear from me were I preaching or teaching on texts such as Matthew 5:27–30; Ephesians 5:3–6; 1 Corinthians 6:9–11, 19–20; Proverbs 5:15 and 6:32.
Here’s what Andy plans to say to his congregation when he preaches this in April.
I think it is important for our church and our parents to teach our children about God’s good design for men and women and to warn them about how they may be tempted to break God’s law. I’d rather our children hear from us first before they hear enticing lies from a friend or a book or a movie.
If you are a young child, you may be thinking, “What are you talking about?” I encourage you to talk to your Dad and Mom about this so that they can explain more to you in an age-appropriate way. Here’s what you should know, children:
God designed marriage to be between one man and one woman, and God reserves a special gift of intimacy exclusively for a husband and wife. There are romantic ways that God wants a husband and wife to touch each other and enjoy each other. That’s good and beautiful, but it’s only for a husband and wife.
A lot of people break God’s law by taking pleasure in stuff that only a husband and wife should take pleasure in. One of the ways people break God’s law is by looking at pictures of a naked person they aren’t married to. In this sermon I am warning God’s people not to break God’s law like that.
If you have any questions, please ask your Dad and Mom. And when your Dad and Mom warn you about breaking God’s law, don’t be a fool. Listen to your Dad and Mom.
With the help of these two brothers, may the Lord grow us all in the grace and knowledge of Jesus.
