Energizing Word-David O. Cofield

Sermon Notes from Sunday, January 22, 2012

2012-01-23T17:30:00.001-06:00

This past Sunday was the third message in the new series on the church with a message "The Church is Built on Fellowship" from I John 1: 1-3. Click here to see the notes.

The God of Grace in Every New Testament Book by Justin Taylor

2012-01-20T06:00:00.000-06:00

Matthew shows God’s grace in fulfilling the Old Testament promises of a coming king. (5:17)

Mark shows God’s grace as this coming king suffers the fate of a common criminal to buy back sinners. (10:45)

Luke shows that God’s grace extends to all the people one would not expect: hookers, the poor, tax collectors, sinners, Gentiles ('younger sons'). (19:10)

John shows God’s grace in becoming one of us, flesh and blood (1:14), and dying and rising again so that by believing we might have life in his name. (20:31)

Acts shows God’s grace flooding out to all the world--starting in Jerusalem, ending in Rome; starting with Peter, apostle to the Jews, ending with Paul, apostle to the Gentiles. (1:8)

Romans shows God’s grace in Christ to the ungodly (4:5) while they were still sinners (5:8) that washes over both Jew and Gentile.

1 Corinthians shows God’s grace in favoring what is lowly and foolish in the world. (1:27)

2 Corinthians shows God’s grace in channeling his power through weakness rather than strength. (12:9)

Galatians shows God’s grace in justifying both Jew and Gentile by Christ-directed faith rather than self-directed performance. (2:16)

Ephesians shows God’s grace in the divine resolution to unite us to his Son before time began. (1:4)

Philippians shows God’s grace in Christ’s humiliating death on an instrument of torture—for us. (2:8)

Colossians shows God’s grace in nailing to the cross the record of debt that stood against us. (2:14)

1 Thessalonians shows God’s grace in providing the hope-igniting guarantee that Christ will return again. (4:13)

2 Thessalonians shows God’s grace in choosing us before time, that we might withstand Christ’s greatest enemy. (2:13)

1 Timothy shows God’s grace in the radical mercy shown to 'the chief of sinners.' (1:15)

2 Timothy shows God’s grace to be that which began (1:9) and that which fuels (2:1) the Christian life.

Titus shows God’s grace in saving us by his own cleansing mercy when we were most mired in sinful passions. (3:5)

Philemon shows God’s grace in transcending socially hierarchical structures with the deeper bond of Christ-won Christian brotherhood. (v. 16)

Hebrews shows God’s grace in giving his Son to be both our sacrifice to atone for us once and for all as well as our high priest to intercede for us forever. (9:12)

James shows us God’s grace by giving to those who have been born again 'of his own will' (1:18) 'wisdom from above' for meaningful godly living. (3:17)

1 Peter shows God’s grace in securing for us an unfading, imperishable inheritance no matter what we suffer in this life. (1:4)

2 Peter shows God’s grace in guaranteeing the inevitability that one day all will be put right as the evil that has masqueraded as good will be unmasked at the coming Day of the Lord. (3:10)

1 John shows God’s grace in adopting us as his children. (3:1)

2 and 3 John show God’s grace in reminding specific individuals of 'the truth that abides in us and will be with us forever.' (2 Jn 2)

Jude shows God’s grace in the Christ who presents us blameless before God in a world rife with moral chaos. (v. 24)

Revelation shows God’s grace in preserving his people through cataclysmic suffering, a preservation founded on the shed blood of the lamb. (12:11)

The God of Grace in Every Old Testament Book by Justin Taylor

2012-01-19T06:00:00.000-06:00

Dane Ortlund:

While the Bible is not uniform, it is unified. The many books of the one Bible are not like the many pennies in the one jar. The pennies in the jar look the same, yet are disconnected; the books of the Bible (like the organs of a body) look different, yet are interconnected. As the past two generations’ recovery of biblical theology has shown time and again, certain motifs course through the Scripture from start to end, tying the whole thing together into a coherent tapestry–kingdom, temple, people of God, creation/new creation, and so on.

Yet underneath and undergirding all of these, it seems to me, is the motif of God’s grace, his favor and love to the undeserving. Don’t we see the grace of God in every book of the Bible?

Here is his OT list:

Genesis shows God’s grace to a universally wicked world as he enters into relationship with a sinful family line (Abraham) and promises to bless the world through him.

Exodus shows God’s grace to his enslaved people in bringing them out of Egyptian bondage.

Leviticus shows God’s grace in providing his people with a sacrificial system to atone for their sins.

Numbers shows God’s grace in patiently sustaining his grumbling people in the wilderness and bringing them to the border of the promised land not because of them but in spite of them.

Deuteronomy shows God’s grace in giving the people the new land ‘not because of your righteousness’ (ch. 9).

Joshua shows God’s grace in giving Israel victory after victory in their conquest of the land with neither superior numbers nor superior obedience on Israel’s part.

Judges shows God’s grace in taking sinful, weak Israelites as leaders and using them to purge the land, time and again, of foreign incursion and idolatry.

Ruth shows God’s grace in incorporating a poverty-stricken, desolate, foreign woman into the line of Christ.

1 and 2 Samuel show God’s grace in establishing the throne (forever—2 Sam 7) of an adulterous murderer.

1 and 2 Kings show God’s grace in repeatedly prolonging the exacting of justice and judgment for kingly sin ‘for the sake of’ David. (And remember: by the ancient hermeneutical presupposition of corporate solidarity, by which the one stands for the many and the many for the one, the king represented the people; the people were in their king; as the king went, so went they.)

1 and 2 Chronicles show God’s grace by continually reassuring the returning exiles of God’s self-initiated promises to David and his sons.

Ezra shows God’s grace to Israel in working through the most powerful pagan ruler of the time (Cyrus) to bring his people back home to a rebuilt temple.

Nehemiah shows God’s grace in providing for the rebuilding of the walls of the city that represented the heart of God’s promises to his people.

Esther shows God’s grace in protecting his people from a Persian plot to eradicate them through a string of ‘fortuitous’ events.

Job shows God’s grace in vindicating the sufferer’s cry that his redeemer lives (19:25), who will put all things right in this world or the next.

Psalms shows God’s grace by reminding us of, and leading us in expressing, the hesed (relentless covenant love) God has for his people and the refuge that he is for them.

Proverbs shows us God’s grace by opening up to us a world of wisdom in leading a life of happy godliness.

Ecclesiastes shows God’s grace in its earthy reminder that the good things of life can never be pursued as the ultimate things of life and that it is God who in his mercy satisfies sinners (note 7:20; 8:11).

Song of Songs shows God’s grace and love for his bride by giving us a faint echo of it in the pleasures of faithful human sexuality.

Isaiah shows God’s grace by reassuring us of his presence with and restoration of contrite sinners.

Jeremiah shows God’s grace in promising a new and better covenant, one in which knowledge of God will be universally internalized.

Lamentations shows God’s grace in his unfailing faithfulness in the midst of sadness.

Ezekiel shows God’s grace in the divine heart surgery that cleansingly replaces stony hearts with fleshy ones.

Daniel shows God’s grace in its repeated miraculous preservation of his servants.

Hosea shows God’s grace in a real-live depiction of God’s unstoppable love toward his whoring wife.

Joel shows God’s grace in the promise to pour out his Spirit on all flesh.

Amos shows God’s grace in the Lord’s climactic promise of restoration in spite of rampant corruption.

Obadiah shows God’s grace by promising judgment on Edom, Israel’s oppressor, and restoration of Israel to the land in spite of current Babylonian captivity.

Jonah shows God’s grace toward both immoral Nineveh and moral Jonah, irreligious pagans and a religious prophet, both of whom need and both of whom receive the grace of God.

Micah shows God’s grace in the prophecy’s repeated wonder at God’s strange insistence on ‘pardoning iniquity and passing over transgression’ (7:18).

Nahum shows God’s grace in assuring Israel of good news’ and ‘peace,’ promising that the Assyrians have tormented them for the last time.

Habakkuk shows God’s grace that requires nothing but trusting faith amid insurmountable opposition, freeing us to rejoice in God even in desolation.

Zephaniah shows God’s grace in the Lord’s exultant singing over his recalcitrant yet beloved people.

Haggai shows God’s grace in promising a wayward people that the latter glory of God’s (temple-ing) presence with them will far surpass its former glory.

Zechariah shows God’s grace in the divine pledge to open up a fountain for God’s people to ‘cleanse them from sin and uncleanness’ (13:1).

Malachi shows God’s grace by declaring the Lord’s no-strings-attached love for his people.

To read the NT list, too, click here.

Sermon Notes from Sunday, January 15, 2012

2012-01-18T08:37:00.001-06:00

I have started a new series on messages entitled "This is not your Grandfather's Church.....It's Your Father's." This is, of course, a take-off on something not being your grandfather's car, etc. But I'm proposing this as we don't need to talk about the church as any generation or culture. The church did not belong to our grandfather or our father. It belongs to our Heavenly Father.

This past Sunday was the second in the new series with a message "The Church Is Built on Relationships" from Matthew 16:13-20. Click here to see the notes.

Prayer "Work" by Jay Adams

2012-01-17T06:00:00.000-06:00

Thank You, Lord,
__for the work You have given
__me to do.
__Few things satisfy so much
__as to know
__when night falls
__that by Your goodness
__I have been able
__to pursue some task
__to a satisfactory conclusion.
Forgive me
__for complaining,
__for protesting,
__for stalling
__along the way.
And enable me to complete
__today’s projects
__in a manner
__that pleases You,
That at the end of this day
__Christ may be glorified,
__and I may be able
__to stretch my weary limbs
__with that tired,
__but satisfied feeling
________As I give thanks again.
_____________In Christ,
______________Amen

Difference between success and fruitfulness

2012-01-13T06:00:00.000-06:00

This is a quote from Henri Nouwen.

"There is a great difference between successfulness and fruitfulness. Success comes from strength, control, and respectability. A successful person has the energy to create something to keep control over its development, and to make it available in large quantities. Success brings many rewards and often fame.

Fruits, however, come from weakness and vulnerability. And fruits are unique. A child is the fruit conceived in vulnerability, community is the fruit born through shared brokenness, and intimacy is the fruit that grows through touching one another's wound. Let's remind one another that what brings us true joy is not successfulness but fruitfulness.".

New Sermon Series on the Church Begins 1-8-12

2012-01-11T14:50:00.003-06:00

I am starting a new series on messages entitled "This is not your Grandfather's Church.....It's Your Father's." This is, of course, a take-off on something not being your grandfather's car, etc. But I'm proposing this as we don't need to talk about the church as any generation or culture. The church did not belong to our grandfather or our father. It belongs to our Heavenly Father.

This past Sunday was the first in the new series with a message "The Church Was Built On Revelation" from Matthew 16:13-20. Click here to see the notes.

The church's 21 day fast begins this Sunday

2012-01-05T06:00:00.000-06:00

As a church we begin our third consecutive year of observing a 21-day (January 8-29) fast devoted to the reading of the Word of God, prayer and fasting.

This year, we do not have any particular focus that we urging our church family to devote themselves. Instead, with two years under our belt, we are giving the freedom for the church to observe this in the way they are led by the Spirit.

Fasting - freedom to fast one meal a day, full fast, Daniel fast, or however God leads.

Reading of the Word - I am encouraging the church to consider reading only God's Word in these 21 days (except for reading that you must do for work or school).

Prayer - to spend extra time in prayer during these days.

Here are some helpful web sites on the subject:

The Daniel Fast website: http://Daniel-Fast.com

The Daniel Fast Blog: http://DanielFast.WordPress.com

Jentezen Franklin Ministries: www.JentezenFranklin.org

The Fasting Movement: www.TheFastingMovement.com

Campus Crusade for Christ Info on Fasting

Zero Tolerance

2012-01-04T06:00:00.000-06:00

When Shayla McKnight applied for a job for an online printing company, she was surprised to learn that they had a zero-tolerance policy for gossip. The employees are encouraged to confront one another, instead of gossip about their fellow employees. If employees are caught gossiping, they are reprimanded, and if they continue, they are fired.

Long before this kind of policy was ever implemented by a company, God spoke of His own zero-tolerance policy for gossip and slander among His people (Lev. 19:16). Idle talk that foolishly or maliciously spreads rumors or facts about another person was forbidden.

Solomon said that speaking badly of others could have disastrous effects. It betrays confidence (Prov. 11:13), separates close friends (16:28; 17:9), shames and saddles you with a bad reputation (25:9-10), and perpetually fuels the embers of a quarrel (26:20-22). People rarely can undo the damage their untrue words have done to a neighbor.

Let’s ask the Lord to help us not to engage in harmful talk about others. He wants us to set a guard over our mouths so that we’ll instead speak all the good we know about everybody.

Many things that others say
Are not for us to tell;
Help us, Lord, to watch our tongue—
We need to guard it well. —Branon

Destroy gossip by ignoring it.

(This original article appeared October 27, 2011 of "Our Daily Bread" Click here to see the original.)

Resisting Temptation

2012-01-03T06:00:00.000-06:00

Temptation is a powerful tool, but we can overcome it.

C.S. Lewis wrote in Mere Christianity (New York: Macmillan, 1952):

"A silly idea is current that good people do not know what temptation means. This is an obvious lie. Only those who try to resist temptation know how strong it is. After all, you find out the strength of the German army by fighting against it, not by giving in. You find out the strength of a wind by trying to walk against it, not by lying down. A man who gives in to temptation after five minutes simply does not know what it would have been like an hour later. That is why bad people, in one sense, know very little about badness. They have lived a sheltered life by always giving in. We never find out the strength of the evil impulse inside us until we try to fight it; and Christ, because He was the only man who never yielded to temptation, is also the only man who knows to the full what temptation means - the only complete realist."

"For since He Himself (speaking of Jesus) was tested and has suffered, He is able to help those who are tested." Hebrews 2:18

"For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tested in every way as we are, yet without sin." Hebrews 4:15

"The Land of Beginning" - Dedicated to 2012

2012-01-02T06:00:00.001-06:00

I wish that there were some wonderful place

Called the Land of Beginning Again

Where all our mistakes and all our heartaches

And all of our selfish grief

Could be dropped like a shabby old coat by the door

And never be put on again.

I wish we could come on it all unaware

Like the hunter who finds a lost trail

And I wish that the one whom our blindness has done

The greatest injustice of all

Could be at the gates like an old friend that waits

For the comrade he's gladdest to hail.

We would find all the things we intended to do

But forgot, and remembered too late;

Little praises unspoken, little promises broken

And all of the thousand and one

Little duties neglected that might have perfected

The day for one less fortunate.

It wouldn't be possible not to be kind

In the Land of Beginning Again

And the ones we misjudged and the ones whom we grudged

Their moments of victory then

Would find in the grasp of our loving handclasp

More than penitent lips could explain.

For what had been hardest we'd know had been best

And what had seemed loss would be gain

For there isn't a sting that will not take a wing

When we've faced it and laughed it away,

And I think that the laughter is most what we're after

In the Land of Beginning Again.

So I wish that there were some wondered place

Called the Land of Beginning Again

Where all our mistakes and all our heartaches

And all of our selfish grief

Could be dropped like a shabby old coat at the door

And never be put on again.

Louise Fletcher

With Confidence We Welcome 2012

2012-01-01T06:00:00.004-06:00

It is with great confidence we welcome 2012. Confidence for the future? YES - even though most of the time we think of the future as uncertain and with questions. But listen to Charles Haddon Spurgeon describe the comfort and security we have because of the sovereignty of Christ:

"I am sure there is no more delightful doctrine to a Christian, than that of Christ's absolute sovereignty. I am glad there is no such thing as chance, that nothing is left to itself, but that Christ everywhere hath sway. If I thought that there was a devil in hell that Christ did not govern, I should be afraid that devil would destroy me. If I thought there was a circumstance on earth, which Christ did not over-rule, I should fear that circumstance would ruin me. Nay, if there were an angel in heaven that was not one of Jehovah's subjects, I should tremble even at him. But since Christ is King of kings, and I am his poor brother, one whom he loves, I give all my cares to him, for he careth for me; and leaning on his breast, my soul hath full repose, confidence, and security."

So with confidence in the sovereignty of our dear Lord who is my Saviour and God; I welcome 2012.

Bible Reading Plans for 2012

2011-12-30T06:00:00.000-06:00

Many Christians take the beginning of a new year to evaluate their Bible reading habits, and then change or begin a Bible reading plan.

Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. — Psalm 119:105

For your convenience, we've compiled a list of Bible reading plans for you to choose from. Maybe this year you will read more of the Bible each day. Perhaps you'll slow down your reading and instead spend more time considering what you read. Whatever it is you're looking for in a reading plan, you should find it below.

52 Week Bible Reading Plan

Read through the Bible in a year, with each day of the week dedicated to a different genre: Epistles, The Law, History, Psalms, Poetry, Prophecy, and Gospels.

Duration: One year | Download: PDF

5x5x5 Bible Reading Plan

Read through the New Testament in a year, reading Monday to Friday. Weekends are set aside for reflection and other reading. Especially beneficial if you're new to a daily discipline of Bible reading.

Duration: One year | Download: PDF

A Bible Reading Chart

Read through the Bible at your own pace. Use this minimalistic, yet beautifully designed, chart to track your reading over 2012.

Duration: Flexible | Download: PDF

Chronological Bible Reading Plan

Read through the Bible in the order the events occurred chronologically.

Duration: One year | Download: PDF

The Discipleship Journal Bible Reading Plan

Four daily readings beginning in Genesis, Psalms, Matthew and Acts.

Duration: One year | Download: PDF

ESV Daily Bible Reading Plan

Four daily readings taken from four lists: Psalms and Wisdom Literature, Pentateuch and History of Israel, Chronicles and Prophets, and Gospels and Epistles.

Duration: One year | Download: PDF

Every Word in the Bible

Read through the Bible one chapter at a time. Readings alternate between the Old and New Testaments.

Duration: Three years | Download: PDF

Historical Bible Reading Plan

The Old Testament readings are similar to Israel's Hebrew Bible, and the New Testament readings are an attempt to follow the order in which the books were authored.

Duration: One year | Download: PDF

Professor Grant Horner's Bible Reading System

Reading ten chapters a day, in the course of a year you'll read the Gospels four times, the Pentateuch twice, Paul's letters four to five times, the Old Testament wisdom literature six times, the Psalms at least twice, Proverbs and Acts a dozen times, and the OT History and Prophetic books about one and a half times.

Duration: Ongoing | Download: PDF | Facebook: The 3650 Challenge

Robert Murray M'Cheyne Bible Reading Plan

Read the New Testament and Psalms twice and the Old Testament once.

Duration: One or two years | Download: Website

Straight Through the Bible Reading Plan

Read straight through the Bible, from Genesis to Revelation.

Duration: One year | Download: PDF

Tabletalk Bible Reading Plan

Two readings each day; one from the Old Testament and one from the New Testament.

Duration: One year | Download: PDF
App: Accessible in the Ligonier App (iPhone / iPad & Android)

The Legacy Reading Plan

This plan does not have set readings for each day. Instead, it has set books for each month, and set number of Proverbs and Psalms to read each week. It aims to give you more flexibility, while grounding you in specific books of the Bible each month.

Duration: One year | Download: PDF

Two-Year Bible Reading Plan

Read the Old and New Testaments once, and Psalms & Proverbs four times.

Duration: Two years | Download: PDF

In addition to your daily Bible reading, if you're looking for devotional material that will help you understand the Bible and apply it to daily living, consider Tabletalk magazine. Try it out for three months absolutely free.

Disappointment - His appointment

2011-12-29T06:00:00.000-06:00

“Disappointment—His appointment,”
Change one letter, then I see
That the thwarting of my purpose
Is God’s better choice for me. —Young

(This poem appeared October 26, 2011 in "Our Daily Bread"

Why Discomfort Is Good For You - By Michael Hyatt

2011-12-28T06:00:00.000-06:00

Think you have big goals? Think again. Several years ago, I read an article in Wiredmagazine about a long-distance runner named Dean Karnazes.

Photo courtesy of ©iStockphoto.com/skodonnell

Get this:

He ran fifty marathons in fifty states on fifty consecutive days.
He once ran 350 miles in three days—without stopping and with no sleep.

He’s run the Badwater Ultramarathon seven times. It starts in Death Valley, 250 feet below sea level and concludes, 135 miles later, halfway up Mt. Whitney, at 8,360 feet. He won the race in 2004 on his fifth attempt.
He runs 100 to 170 miles a week.
He couldn’t find time to run 4–6 hours a day, so he began sleeping less. He currently only sleeps four hours a night.
His resting heart rate is 39 beats per minute!

I was so inspired by the article, I bought his book, Ultramarathon Man: Confessions of an All Night Runner and devoured it. I then made a commitment to run my first ever half marathon. I have run one per year ever since.

In another interview in Outside magazine, Dean makes an important point that many of us have forgotten:

Western culture has things a little backwards right now. We think that if we had every comfort available to us, we’d be happy. We equate comfort with happiness. And now we’re so comfortable we’re miserable. There’s no struggle in our lives. No sense of adventure. We get in a car, we get in an elevator, it all comes easy. What I’ve found is that I’m never more alive than when I’m pushing and I’m in pain, and I’m struggling for high achievement, and in that struggle I think there’s a magic.

This rings true for me. I think there are three reasons why you and I should embrace discomfort, whether we deliberately choose it, or it simply happens to us.

Comfort is overrated. It doesn’t lead to happiness. It makes us lazy—and forgetful. It often leads to self-absorption, boredom, and discontent.
Discomfort can be a catalyst for growth. It makes us yearn for something more. It forces us to change, stretch, and adapt.
Discomfort is often a sign we’re making progress. You’ve heard the expression, “no pain, no gain.” It’s true! When you push yourself to grow, you will experience discomfort.

A few weeks ago, I started participating in a Pilates class with Gail. It sounded easy enough. Boy, was I wrong. It has proven to be incredibly challenging. I hurt when I am doing it, and I am sore afterwards.

But that’s the very reason I love it. I feel like I am making progress and becoming stronger with each class.

The bottom line is this: you can either be comfortable and stagnate or stretch yourself—become uncomfortable—and grow. You may think that comfort leads to happiness. It doesn’t. Happiness comes from growth and feeling like you are making progress.

Stop The Hop

2011-12-27T06:00:00.000-06:00

by Steven Furtick

Looking back at 2011, I’ve decided to post some of my top viewed blog posts of the year that really seemed to make an impact in people’s lives. Check this out.

Stop the Hop

One of the things that really troubles me about the church today is the phenomenon of church hopping and church shopping. It’s a consumeristic mindset towards the body of Christ that grieves the heart of God.

It’s time for us to stop the hop. This isn’t Christianity. Jesus didn’t die so we could sample different churches like varieties of meat on a party platter. Jesus died to establish His church as the most powerful entity on the planet.

We are alive at the greatest time in history for the advance of the gospel. We have so much going for us.

We have the ability.
We have the resources.
We have the people.

What we don’t have is them committed to a place where they can actually be used for their God-ordained purpose.

If this generation doesn’t make the impact it should, it won’t be because it didn’t have the resources. Or even the passion. It will be because it was too busy hopping to different churches to stop and commit to one where its resources and passion could actually find an outlet.

The church is the change the world is waiting for. God help us if we keep the world waiting for us while we try to find the perfect church for us.

If you’ve fallen into the trap of church hopping, let me encourage you: embrace your place somewhere where God can use you. At the end of your life, God’s not going to be impressed or pleased that you saw what He was doing at ten different churches. He’s going be more pleased that you were a part of what He was doing at one church.

And you’re never going to find the perfect one, so give up looking. If the church you’re visiting doesn’t have what you’re looking for, it might be because God wants you to provide it.

Let’s all commit together to begin a campaign to stop the hop.
Find a place to get planted. Embrace it. And start changing the world.

The question of our day isn’t if God wants to do incredible things through the church. The question is will we be in place to experience it?

The Day After Christmas - Dr. Vance Havner

2011-12-26T06:00:00.002-06:00

Dr. Vance Havner (1901-1986) shares the following,

The day after Christmas
Is a day of broken toys, opened boxes,
Torn packages, threads of ribbon galore,
The surprises all over, thank yous all said.
A long time coming and so soon gone!
But, when Jesus Christ is born in your hearts,
There are no sad days after,
No waiting a year,
No putting away the thank yous
For another twelve months.
Every day is Christmas
When the Savior lives within,
The same today as yesterday.
Each day brings fresh gifts from above,
Not a holiday but a holy day.
And we are not merely the recipients,
We give because He gave,
We love because He loved,
And we want to share Him with everybody.
Once-a-year Christmas
On the calendar is precious,
But there is no ‘day after’
When we cannot say, ‘Christ dwelleth in me.’

My favorite Christmas blog entry - December 24, 2007

2011-12-24T20:15:00.000-06:00

Christmas officially begins for me at the Christmas Eve service (not in October when the malls all decorate for Christmas). Then when you drive home from the service, you realize all the malls, grocery stores and gas stations are closing down. No more making money. The only ones working are those who are offering compassion to the sick and hurting. The only ones on the road are those who are going to and from gatherings. How quiet. You really get the sense of a "Silent Night."

Then you have your family. Everyone who can possibly be there is there. There is always a high priority for "being home for Christmas." Hopefully, no one is missing. No one is in a hurry. Sit, laugh, eat, watch a movie, share memories, look at old pictures, talk sports (no politics, it's Christmas), meet potientially new family members, welcome new babies to their first Christmas, sing a carol or "Christmas in Dixie". What a time. You want to put it in a bottle and capture it.

Is this not the closest thing to Heaven on earth? There will come a day when work will be over. Do you remember those words by Bill Gaither?

The market place is empty,
No more traffic in the streets,
All the builders' tools are silent,
No more time to harvest wheat;
Busy housewives cease their labor,
In the courtroom no debate,
Work on earth is all suspended
As the King comes thro' the gate.

My wife actually has that song on my cell phone ringtones. The King is coming and all of God's family will be home. Not for just a day-or-two; but all eternity. And not only for those who are alive. But the family from Adam to Abraham to John. Mom and Dad will be there. And no one will be in a hurry. The music will be "heavenly" and you talk about a meal God will spread for His children.

Yes, Heaven will be like Christmas. Except for two things - in Heaven, there will be no sadness. No tears for those who are missing. No more tears period. And in Heaven, Jesus will be the center of attention. He will be receiving the gifts of crowns, the bowed knees and shouts of praise. He gave His life and paid the way for everyone who would believe in Him to come home for eternity. And everyone there will realize they didn't get there by their merits or money; its all about what Jesus did.

Thank you Lord for a foretaste of Heaven this Christmas. It was after John saw Heaven and experienced it that he cried "Come, Lord Jesus!" I join my voice with Him and say, "Maranatha." And we wait for Christmas 2008 or "to be really home for Christmas." You decide Lord! Either way is fine with me.

(Originally posted December 24, 2007)

"You're Going to Have a Special Baby" - told by children

2011-12-24T06:00:00.000-06:00

The Christmas Story' (2010), as told by the children of St Paul's Church, Auckland, New Zealand. Anyone is welcome to show this film publicly, but not change it in any way, nor make money out of it.

Jesus, Joy of the Highest by Keith and Kristyn Getty

2011-12-23T06:00:00.000-06:00

The Name of Jesus

2011-12-22T06:00:00.000-06:00

by Kevin DeYoung

Over the past 2000 years, more people on planet earth have known the name of Jesus than any other name. Since 33 AD, over 8 billion people, by one estimate, have claimed to be followers of this Jesus—or Jésus or Isus or whatever the Christ is called in your language. Billions more have heard of his name. Presently, the name of Jesus can be found in over 6000 languages and more are being added every year.

On the one hand, it’s strange that this single name has dominated the last 2000 years of world history, especially Western history. For most of us, Jesus has a sacred ring to it; it sounds holy and divine. But this wasn’t the case when Mary and Joseph followed the angel’s instructions and gave their baby his name. Granted, it had a special meaning, but it was not an unusual name. The first century Jewish historian Josephus mentions at least twelve different people he knew with the name Jesus, including four High Priests. In Acts 9 we read of the Jewish false prophet, Bar-Jesus. In Colossians 4, Paul mentions one of his fellow workers, Jesus, called Justus. And some ancient manuscripts of the gospel of Matthew call the robber released by Pilate, Jesus Barabbas, which can be translated, ironically enough, “Jesus Son of the Father.”

Jesus was a common name, like Jim or John or Jerry. When Mary and Joseph called their son Jesus, there were no prayers in his name. No one used it as a swear word. No one sang songs about this name, just like there is no religion I am aware of that sings songs to Jim (except that he’s not to be messed around with). We don’t name our sons John with the expectation that over the next 2000 years 8 billion people will pray in his name. We don’t croon, “Jerry, Jerry, Jerry, there’s just something about that name!”

But common as it was, Jesus was “Jesus” by design. In Greek it is Iesous, in Aramaic, the language Jesus spoke, Yesu. Both are derived from the Hebrew, the name is Yeshua or Joshua. Joshua is made up of two parts: Ya which is short for Yahweh, and hoshea which means salvation. Hence, Mary and Joseph give their little baby the name Jesus, “Yahweh is salvation.”

Which he was. And is. Through Christ alone. Ever since the first Christmas, Jesus has been more than just a name. It’s been our only comfort in life and in death, our only hope in a hopeless world. When you believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, you may life in his name (John 20:31). There is, in fact, no other name under heaven given among men whereby we can be saved (Acts 4:12). So naturally, whatever we do, in word or deed, we ought to do in the name of the Lord Jesus (Colossians 3:17). For God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (Philippians 2:11-12).

But let’s be clear: the name of Jesus is not a magic wand. Chanting it does not give one special powers. The power in the name is the person behind the name. In the Old Testament, names meant something. They were more than badges of identification. They often told others who you were and what purpose God had for your life. So Adam was the first man. Eve was the mother of all living things. Abraham was the father of many nations. Benjamin was the son of his father’s right hand. Moses was drawn out of the water. Peter was the rock. Barnabas was the son of encouragement.

And what about Jesus?

“And you shall call his name Jesus,” the angel told Joseph, “for he will save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21). More than a great teacher, more than an enlightened man, more than a worker of miracles, more than giving us meaning in life, more than a self-help guru, more than a self-esteem builder, more a political liberator, more than a caring friend, more than a transformer of cultures, more than a purpose for the purposeless, Jesus is a Savior of sinners.

“The name of Jesus charms our fears and bids our sorrows cease; tis music in the sinner’s ears, tis life and health and peace.” That’ll sing. “All hail the power of Jesus’ name! Let angels prostrate fall. Bring forth the royal diadem, and crown him Lord of all.” That’ll work too.

I guess there really is just something about that name.

No, not just something: make that everything.

This article originally appeared in the December issue of Tabletalk.

12 Reasons for Christmas by John Piper

2011-12-21T06:00:00.000-06:00

“For this I was born and for this I have come into the world, to bear witness to the truth” (John 18:37).
“The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil” (1 John 3:8; cf. Hebrews 2:14–15).
“Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick; I came not to call the righteous, but sinners” (Mark 2:17).
“The Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost” (Luke 19:10).
“The Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45).
“God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons” (Galatians 4:5).
“For God so loved the world that whoever believes on him shall not perish but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world but that the world through him might be saved” (John 3:16).
“God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him” (1 John 4:9).
“I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly” (John 10:10).
“Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is spoken against . . . that the thoughts of many may be revealed” (Luke 2:34ff).
“He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed” (Luke 4:18).
“Christ became a servant to the circumcised to show God’s truthfulness, in order to confirm the promises given to the patriarches, and in order that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy” (Romans 15:7–8; cf. John 12:27ff).

Christmas and the King of Kings by Doug Hibbard

2011-12-20T06:00:00.001-06:00

“The Lord is King forever and ever…” Psalm 10:16

It is not enough to think of Jesus as King of the world by virtue of creation. It is crucial to think of Him also as the coming King of God’s People. That has two things that need to be considered: the Kingdom of Israel and the Kingdom of God.

To consider, first of all, the Kingship of God over Israel, we must look back at the Old Testament. Beginning with Exodus, we see God as the King of Israel in opposition to Pharaoh, King of Egypt. Pharaoh has oppressed the Israelites and they have cried out to God. God sends Moses, not to rule over Israel, but to be His spokesman to Pharaoh. The whole showdown is a 15^th Century BC equivalent of a showdown between powers.

What Pharaoh does not grasp is that he is not the Superpower in the situation. At the time, Egypt is the power in the Mediterranean region, exerting influence around the area, up the Nile, and as far away as the Iberian Peninsula. He has known no king that can stand up to him. Typically, the ambassador that comes before Pharaoh is there to seek his favor, to request peace and mercy from the great one.

Moses is not that ambassador. He comes, not on his knees to beg, but on his feet to bring a warning. On his feet to deliver a demand. On his feet, representing the King of Israel with a basic statement: let His people go or else. Then, God follows through on the “or else.” He is the King there. In the following centuries, God leads the people of Israel in battle, provides for their needs, corrects their religious failures, and provides human leadership to guide them to Him. In the course of that time, a human line rises to represent Him, but not to supplant Him.

That line is headed by the man David, and his descendants are promised to rule Israel for ever. God provides a promise that He will establish David’s throne forever. Yet that promise cannot be fulfilled in merely human terms. That King must be one who will never surrender the throne due to death. There can be no stopping this Kingdom. It is, however, important to recognize that when Jesus came, it was not an empty question that the Magi asked “Where is the born king of the Jews?” (Matthew 2:2) Jesus is born as King of the Jews, first and foremost.

This is not the limit of His Kingdom, however. Starting with Rahab in Joshua, moving forward through Ruth, and on to the Centurion of Luke, Cornelius in Acts and the whole of the Roman Empire in the years after the Resurrection, the reader of the Bible sees God as King over all those who call upon Him. It is not an empty call in Romans 10 to confess that “Jesus is Lord:” this is a statement affirming His kingship above all. It is a statement of loyalty to Him and His Kingdom.

This Christmas, let us not fail to honor Him as the King. We owe our complete allegiance to Him, our devotion. He is the King of His people. Let us remember that.

Philippians 2:9-11 (ESV)

“Therefore God has highly exalted him

and bestowed on him the name that is above every name,

so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,

in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,

to the glory of God the Father.”

(Click here to see the original post).

Sermon Notes from Sunday, December 11, 2011

2011-12-13T16:58:00.001-06:00

This past Sunday I completed the portion of Romans that we have been studying together since Labor Day. The notes from December 11, 2011 of the message "The Doxology of Theology" from Romans 11:33-36 are here.

How To Meet the World's Greatest Need: Answer 3 Questions

2011-12-13T05:43:00.000-06:00

by Ronnie Floyd (see at the end for biographical information)

"While we might bemoan the events occurring in the world today, we need to see these moments as God moments. This is a special defining moment for the church to become awakened spiritually, resulting in an awakening of telling every person in the world about Jesus Christ and making disciples of all the nations."

SPRINGDALE, Ark. (BP) -- Research suggests that only 11 of every 100 people in the world claim Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior. About 50 percent of the world's population presently has no realistic opportunity to hear the Gospel and the percentage is growing. Every minute, 120 people are born, likely to live their entire lives and never hear the name of Jesus, not even once.

What is the greatest need in the world today? Awakening! We need to see an awakening of proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ throughout the earth. We must go places we've never gone to, talk to people we've never talked to, and share Jesus where His name has not yet been spoken. Our last great hope in this world is to experience an awakening of the Great Commission.

Consider three brief questions that I believe must be answered if we are going to meet our world's greatest need:

1. How should we define the Great Commission?

It really is a clear vision: Tell every person in the world about Jesus Christ and make disciples of all nations. The challenge is getting people to realize that the Great Commission is about more than going "over there." It is also about reaching people "right here." It is not an either-or for Christ-followers, but a both-and!

In fact, Jesus shows us in Acts 1:8 the progression of how we are to fulfill the Great Commission. "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." Jesus starts where the listeners were and moves farther away. Notice it is not progressive in a chronological sense. He never uses the word "then." We are not intended to go here then there, but here and there. We are to be witnesses for Jesus locally, nationally and internationally, all at the same time.

This is the missional vision model we have adopted at Cross Church where I pastor: "Reaching Northwest Arkansas, America, and the world for Jesus Christ." The Great Commission is the task of reaching every person in the world with the life-changing power of the Gospel and helping them grow in their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

2. How can I see my church awakened?

We need to see a major global spiritual awakening in the church of Jesus Christ. We need a global spiritual shaking to occur all around the world. In seeking the catalyst for this spiritual movement, we need to:

-- Wake up to the need itself. The world has seen too long what the arm of the flesh will do in and through the church. We need the world to see what God will do in and through the church. Business as usual has to stop and stop immediately. We need to experience a mighty spiritual movement of God.

-- Prioritize prayer. When we pray, it demonstrates that we are depending on God. When we do not pray, it shows we are depending on ourselves. Prayerless worship services will develop prayerless churches. Prayerless churches will operate in the power of the flesh, rather than the power of the Spirit.

-- Act on fulfilling the Great Commission NOW. Yes, this is our NOW moment. We can no longer delay in capturing our communities with the Gospel or proclaiming the Gospel to the ends of the world. Spiritual awakening will occur when the church is doing Gospel work. Acts 1:8 affirms that spiritual power is commensurate with our commitment to taking the Gospel to people and places where the Gospel has never been before.

3. How can I make the Great Commission more personal to me?

One of the reasons many churches do not have an emphasis on the Great Commission is that the members and leadership of those churches are not personally committed to it themselves. Each Christ-follower must own the Great Commission!

To awaken the Great Commission personally, we each need to ask ourselves three questions:

-- Do I know Jesus intimately? Developing an intimate relationship with Jesus will create a deep desire to fulfill the Great Commission. It works the other way too. The more passionate you are about the Great Commission, the more intimately you will know Jesus.

-- Do I love Jesus passionately? There is no better way of becoming passionate, intimate Christ-followers than through prayer and the Word of God. Despite our best efforts, awakening the Great Commission will lack its full effectiveness if we do not follow biblical principles and cover everything in prayer. Pray for a personal rediscovery of your passion for Jesus and a Great Commission awakening will surely follow.

-- Do I share Jesus constantly? Knowing Christ intimately and loving Him passionately will always lead to sharing Him with others. These three ideas are inseparable. To know Christ is to love Him; to love Him is to share Him.

Never has there been a better time to live than today. While we might bemoan the events occurring in the world today, we need to see these moments as God moments. This is a special defining moment for the church to become awakened spiritually, resulting in an awakening of telling every person in the world about Jesus Christ and making disciples of all the nations.

I am believing God for a global spiritual awakening. This is our last great hope!

Ronnie Floyd is senior pastor of Cross Church (crosschurch.com) in northwest Arkansas, with campuses in Springdale, Pinnacle Hills and Fayetteville, and the author of a newly released book, "Our Last Great Hope."

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Billy Graham's Sermons on line

2011-12-11T05:47:00.000-06:00

More than 1,600 of Billy Graham's sermons dating back to 1949 are now available in audio format online.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (BP) -- The sermons -- available at www.BillyGraham.org -- are categorized by year, location and topic.

The messages include everything from Graham's famous Los Angeles crusade in 1949 to his comments at President Lyndon Johnson's 1973 funeral to his sermons in Baltimore and New Orleans in 2006.

"Mr. Graham's messages have inspired millions around the world and will continue to do so with the release of this audio library," said Ken Barun, senior vice president of communications for the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. "With more than 2 billion users on the Internet, his messages can now be accessed by many more for easy listening and sharing. Our ultimate goal is to continue Billy's mission of using whatever means possible to spread the Gospel."

The website and audio files are compatible for desktop computers and smartphones.

Billy Graham's sermon archive

Compiled by Michael Foust, associate editor of Baptist Press.

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A Reminder of Who You Are in Christ

2011-12-10T06:00:00.000-06:00

A Reminder of Who You Are

You are God’s child
John 1:12
You are a friend of Jesus
John 15:15
You have been justified
Romans 5:1
You’ve been united with the Lord and are one with him in Spirit
1 Corinthians 6:17
You’ve been bought with a price…you belong to God
1 Corinthians 6:19-20
You’re a member of Christ’s body
1 Corinthians 12:27
You’ve been chosen by God and adopted as his child
Ephesians 1:3-8
You’ve been redeemed and forgiven of all your sins
Colossians 1:13-14
You are complete in Christ
Colossians 2:9-10
You have direct access to the throne of grace through Jesus
Hebrews 4:14-16
You are free from condemnation
Romans 8:1-2
You cannot be separated from the love of God
Romans 8:28
You are free from any condemning charges against you
Romans 8:31-34
You’ve been established, anointed, and sealed
2 Corinthians 1:21-22
You were washed…you were sanctified. You were justified in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God
1 Cor 6:11
You are hidden with Christ in God
Colossians 3:1-4
God started this work in you, and he will bring it to completion
Phil 1:6
You are a citizen of heaven
Philippians 3:20
You haven’t been given a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and a sound mind
2 Timothy 1:7
You are born of God, and the evil one cannot touch you
1 John 5:18
You are a branch of Jesus Christ, the true vine, and a channel of his life
John 15:5
You have been chosen and appointed to bear fruit
John 15:16
You are God’s temple
1 Corinthians 3:16
You are a minister of reconciliation
2 Corinthians 5:17-21
You are seated with Jesus Christ in the heavenly realm
Ephesians 2:6
You are God’s workmanship
Ephesians 2:10
You can approach God with freedom and confidence – not because of your obedience, but because of Jesus’ obedience
Ephesians 3:12
When you are faithless, he will remain faithful, because he cannot deny himself
2 Timothy 2:13

Wednesday Night (12-7-11) Notes from Galatians 6:11-18

2011-12-08T11:50:00.002-06:00

I finished our Wednesday night study of the book of Galatians last night. Here are the notes "Glory Only in the Cross" from Galatians 6:11-18.

Sermon Notes from Sunday, December 4, 2011

2011-12-05T10:57:00.001-06:00

I am about to finish the series through Romans 9-10-11 but yesterday's sermon was "The Salvation of Israel" based from Romans 11:25-32. Here are the notes. I will complete this series this coming Sunday.

Worship Is.....

2011-12-02T04:00:00.000-06:00

7 Things That Worship Is…

by Perry Noble

#1 – Repentance - Where there is no repentance there may be an emotional experience, but it’s not worship! Worship does not become worship until it IMPACTS the WAY WE LIVE!

#2 – Intellectual – We’re called to worship the Lord with our minds by renewing it and fixing it on Him. (Colossians 3:1-2)

#3 – Emotional- Worship is overwhelming when we realize how deeply we were entrenched in sin, how helpless we were and how incredible it is that Jesus would rescue us. (The reality of Romans 5:8 BLOWS ME AWAY!)

#4 – Intentional- No one accidentally follows Christ…if we are going to worship Him, it will be done purposefully!

#5 – Relational – Worship impacts every relationship we have, it is impossible to be a fully devoted worshipper of Christ and be a jerk to your wife or try as often as possible to take advantage of the opposite sex.

#6 – Financial – Until following Christ has impacted our finances in a sacrificial way we are not followers of Christ. Would you like to see the primary object of your worship…look at your checkbook!

#7 – Unconditional – (and NOT situational!) Worship is consistent, 24/7, not just when I feel good or God is giving me all that I want. If we worship only when things are good, we do not worship God…we worship a genie!

Bible Reading Plans

2011-11-29T10:29:00.004-06:00

As the church finished "Radical" by David Platt in November, one of the challenges was to read the Bible through in a year. Here are four plans you might use to read the Bible through.

Here is the page off our church's web site where you can find the following four documents:

KINGDOM-Bible-Reading-Plan- (every day you read from the Law, the Prophets, the Writings and the New Testament)

Chronological Bible Reading Plan – reading chronologically

Read the Bible for Life – same as above but is sightly different format

Two-Year-Bible-Reading-Plan of reading the Bible Through

Also, you may wish to use Operation World as a tool to pray through the world. Go to www.operationworld.org.

Alabama-Auburn Thoughts November 25, 2011

2011-11-25T20:38:00.002-06:00

Seems every year I write before the Alabama-Auburn football game. This may be my last time to do so. I am 51 years old and I am becoming less and less enthused by college football at Alabama and Auburn. I have never been the biggest football fan (love basketball much more), but I am becoming less and less of whatever level of a "fan" I was.

And to be hones as I look back over the years, I may have only "liked" the game out of dislike for the other team more than a love for the other team. I mean, I was raised in the state of Alabama and that is what every boy and girl has to do. I found myself enjoying Alabama-Auburn football more when I lived in Louisiana (where I came to like LSU).

Let me give you a few reasons why I am becoming less a "fan":

1. This is no longer a sport - it is a rivalry and bragging rights more than a game.

If it was a sport first, then I might it enjoy it better. But in this state, this game and the two college football teams are more than a sport -

2. Anything that can take my joy or cause my grief as a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ needs my careful attention. Enough said for believers and un-believers wouldn't understand.

3. The college football game is so corrupt. Oh, come on - you think I'm wrong. Let me just name...Cam Newton, Gene Jelks, Logan Young, Bobby Lowder. And anyone who does not believe that players are being paid and extra benefits are given are simply naive - yes, at YOUR university.

4. College football is now about money, first and foremost. If not, then why on earth is Texas A&M and Missouri coming into the SEC? And the B.C.S. - .... And for coaches in a public, educational institution being paid what they are and they still want to talk about a "student-athlete" - give me a break.

And I made the statement from our pulpit in 2011 that the best thing that could happen to the state of Alabama spiritually (see #5 below) would be for Alabama and Auburn to go into the game tomorrow 0-11. One person said that the success of their football team added millions and millions of dollars to this state, thus it would be bad on the economy for that to happen. My point made....

5. Alabama-Auburn is becoming very close to idolatry in this state. The last two years of national championships and Heisman winners have accelerated this process. It has always been seen as a religion, god and church. Now it is worse than ever. Many believers identify with one of the two schools more than they do with Jesus.

Conclusion: here is a thought - why don't Alabama and Auburn (and most of college football as far as that goes) go professional and withdraw from their school's campuses. They don't have to be the NFL - just a junior league. Then they can pay the players, pay the million of dollars to their coaches, stop the hypocrisy of a "student-athlete" and be what they are .... something else than a college sport. In fact, most of the "fans" of Alabama and Auburn football never attended that school as a student. Perfect for a "professional" status.

Sermon Notes from Sunday, November 20, 2011

2011-11-22T07:40:00.002-06:00

Here are the sermon notes from Sunday's message "God is Not Finished with Israel" from Romans 11:1-10. Click here.

Four Reasons to Passionately Pursue God by John Piper

2011-11-21T04:37:00.000-06:00

Pastor John Piper in 1984:

Why do I insist that you must go hard after God, or, which is the same thing, why must we go hard after Christ? Here are four reasons:

1. In Order to Know Him

First, we must go hard after Christ in order to know him. Philippians 3:7–8: "Whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord." Paul went hard after Christ, forsaking all the things people normally boast about; and he did it in order to know him.

Why? Because knowing Christ is a value that surpasses everything else. The evidence of conversion is whether you become a Christian Hedonist. Christian Hedonists always go hard after the highest value. They sell everything joyfully for the buried treasure and pearl of great price (Matthew 13:44–45). We must go hard after Christ, because not to means that we don't want to know him. And not to want to know Christ is an insult to his value and a sign of spiritual stupor or deadness in us. But when you go hard after Christ, to know him, the reward is your joy and his honor.

2. To Confirm Our Justification

Second, we must go hard after Christ to confirm our justification. Justification refers to the wonderful act of God in which he forgives all our sins and imputes to us his own righteousness through our faith in Christ. Philippians 3:8–9, "For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish in order that I may gain Christ, and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith."

Philippians 3:9 is clear: the righteousness Paul pursues is based on faith. But he is pursuing it! As a Christian he counts all things as loss in order to have this righteousness. The faith which justifies is a faith which forsakes earthly values and pursues Christ. If justification depends on faith, and if forsaking the world as rubbish is necessary for having the benefits of justification, then it is plain: saving faith is not merely a one-time decision for Christ, but is an ongoing preference for Christ over all other values. The pursuit of Christ is the evidence of genuine faith in Christ as our treasure. Therefore, we must go hard after Christ in order to confirm our justification.

3. Because We Are So Imperfect

We must go hard after Christ because we are so imperfect. Philippians 3:12, "Not that I have already obtained or am already perfect; but I press on to make it my own." We must go hard after Christ because we are so deficient. A failing student should pursue a special tutor. Nearsighted people should pursue an optometrist. People with strep throat should take antibiotics. Alcoholics should pursue a support group. Young apprentices should follow their master at his work.

Not to go hard after Christ means that either you don't trust his power and willingness to change your imperfections, or that you want to cling to your imperfections. In either case, Christ is scorned and we are lost.

4. Because He Has Made Us His Own

The final reason why we must go hard after Christ is that he has gone hard after us and, indeed, has by faith made us his own. Philippians 3:12 again: "Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own." This sentence explodes the false logic which says that if Christ has found us, we need no more seek him. If he has laid hold of us, we need not press on to lay hold of him.

Paul reasons exactly opposite to this: I press on in order to gain Christ, because Christ has already gained me. Paul's conversion was not a cage to hold him back but a catapult into the pursuit of holiness. The irresistible grace of Christ overcoming Paul's rebellion and saving him from sin did not make Paul passive, it made him powerful!

Adapted from Going Hard After the Holy God.

Sermon Notes from Sunday, November 13, 2011

2011-11-15T16:37:00.001-06:00

I continue preaching through Romans 9-10-11 this past Sunday, November 13 dealing with the question of why "Israel was Rejected." The text is Romans 10:16-21. Click here to get the notes.

Wednesday Night Notes from Galatians

2011-11-15T16:33:00.002-06:00

I continue the teaching through Galatians on Wednesday nights. Here are the notes from Wednesday, November 9 "Limit of Freedom - Love" from Galatians 5:13-16.

Reaching the unchurched requires relationships

2011-11-09T05:34:00.002-06:00

by Jon Walker as published from Saddleback on 11-9-11 here. (When you see things in italics and bold below, that was added by me for emphasis - David).

“When Jesus heard this, he said, ‘Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do.’ Then he added, ‘Now go and learn the meaning of this Scripture: “I want you to show mercy, not offer sacrifices.” For I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners.’” Matthew 9:12-13 (NLT)

A friend of mine once belonged to a cult, and he told me he never once felt fear when he told people about the things he believed. But, after becoming a Christian, he said he was filled with fear when he began sharing his faith.

It’s a powerful reminder that we do not struggle “against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” (Ephesians 6:12 NIV).

The enemy doesn’t want us to share our faith, and so he fights us with fear. But God does not give us his spirit to make us slaves again to fear; he fills us with his spirit to show us we are his children and that he is “Abba, Father” (Romans 8:15-16).

Some interesting research by Sam Rainer of Rainer Research suggests that only five percent of the unchurched in America are likely to be highly resistant to the Gospel, antagonistic toward Christians, or belligerent in their conversations with and about Christians. At five percent, Sam says these “hardcore unchurched” account for about 8 million people, but he estimates the other 152 million who are unchurched are far more open to hearing the Gospel.

That being the case, we’re more likely to find people open to the Gospel than not, and the things we often fear will happen will only happen — if they happen — with a very small minority of those outside the Church.

When it comes to reaching those most resistant to the Gospel, Sam says we need to be prepared to defend our faith and to deal directly with misperceptions about Christianity. We also need to be sensitive to their hurt and anger.

Most of all — and this is true with anyone we want to talk to about Jesus — we have to develop relationships with those outside the Church. When the religious leaders expressed a concern that Jesus was making friends with the unchurched, Jesus said, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do. . . . For I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners” (Matthew 9:12b, 13b NLT).

During your prayer time today:

• Ask God to reveal to you two people he wants you to talk to about Jesus.

• Ask him to prepare their hearts for hearing the Gospel.

• Also, ask him to prepare your heart for talking to them.

Then, in faith, step past your fears and believe Jesus is already at work creating a “divine appointment” for you to talk to them. Now, watch for the way he answers your prayer.

May God anoint you this week as you share your faith.

Jon Walker’s new book, In Visible Fellowship: A Contemporary View of Bonhoeffer's Classic Work “Life Together,” is an explanation of why every believer needs to be involved in a small group and why small groups put flesh on the Body of Christ.

Sermon Notes from Sunday, November 5, 2011

2011-11-07T06:00:00.000-06:00

Here are the sermon notes from yesterday's message "The Call" from Romans 10:11-15. Click here.

Sermon Notes from Sunday, October 23 and 30, 2011

2011-11-01T09:37:00.002-05:00

Here are the sermon notes from the past two Sundays:

October 23, 2011 "Paul's Desire Expressed and Explained" Romans 10:1-4

October 30, 2011 "Simply Faith" Romans 10:4-10

Wednesday night (10-19-11) notes from Galatians 4

2011-10-20T12:39:00.000-05:00

I continue the teaching through Galatians on Wednesday nights. Here are the notes from last night "Paul, the Pastor" from Galatians 4:12-20.

My Lord, I did not choose You

2011-10-18T09:02:00.002-05:00

This past Sunday, as we finished Romans 9, Bro. Adam Casey led our church in this great hymn. Read through the words:

1. My Lord, I did not choose You,

For that could never be;
My heart would still refuse You,
Had You not chosen me.
You took the sin that stained me,
You cleansed me, made me new;
Of old You have ordained me,
That I should live in You.

2. Unless Your grace had called me
And taught my op'ning mind,
The world would have enthralled me,
To heav'nly glories blind.
My heart knows none above You;
For Your rich grace I thirst.
I know that if I love You,
You must have loved me first.

Sermon Notes from Sunday, October 16, 2011

2011-10-17T16:38:00.001-05:00

Here are the sermon notes from yesterday, October 16, 2011 "God is Glorified" from Romans 9:23-33. Click here.

Wednesday night (10-12-11) notes from Galatians 4

2011-10-13T16:16:00.003-05:00

I continue the teaching through Galatians on Wednesday nights. Here are the notes from last night "Sons of God" from Galatians 4:1-11.

Some quotes of interest:

‎"I've always believed that the local church is the hope of the world." Bill Hybels. Organizational, I believe that, too. So, pastors be encouraged today. God has placed you over the greatest organization in the world.

Mormans are not Christians

2011-10-10T20:12:00.003-05:00

The question of Mormons have been raised in the last few days concerning two Republican candidates who are clearly of the Mormon faith. The question is concerning whether Mormons are Christians. The answer is NO - NO - NO.

Now whether you vote for one of these is your own business, but you need to know that what was said by Dr. Robert Jeffress, Pastor, First Baptist Church, Dallas, TX is right - Mormons are a cult. I'm not here endorsing Governor Perry (as the Dr. Jeffress was), all I am saying is that Jeffress was right in his stance.

Dr. Albert Mohler, President, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, wrote a very good article today and you may read it be clicking here. I would encourage you to read it all.

For more about Mormons, click here and scroll down the page.

Youcef Nadarkhani's Letter to His Church by Trevin Wax

2011-10-04T06:00:00.000-05:00

by Trevin Wax

A letter from Iranian pastor Youcef Nadarkhani who currently faces the death sentence for apostasy. Please continue to pray.

(This message has been translated from Farsi to English.)

Dear brothers and sisters, Salam

In the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ, I am continuously seeking grace and mercy to you, that you remember me and those who are bearing efforts for his name in your prayers. Your loyalty to God is the cause of my strength and encouragement.

For I know well that you will be rewarded; as it’s stated: blessed is the one who has faith, for what has been said to him by God, will be carried out. As we believe, heaven and earth will fade but his word will still remain.

Dear beloved ones, I would like to take this opportunity to remind you of a few verses, although you might know them, So that in everything, you give more effort than the past, both to prove your election, and for the sake of Gospel that is to be preached to the entire world as well.

I know that not all of us are granted to keep this word, but to those who are granted this power and this revelation, I announce the same as Jude, earnestly contend for the faith that was once delivered to the saints.

We are passing by special and sensitive days.They are days that for an alert and awake believer can be days of spiritual growth and progress. Because for him, more than any other time there is the possibility to compare his faith with the word of God, have God’s promises in mind, and survey his faith.

Therefore he (the true believer) does not need to wonder for the fiery trial that has been set on for him as though it were something unusual, but it pleases him to participate in Christ’s suffering. Because the believer knows he will rejoice in his glory.

Dears, the “ judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God? And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?”

Therefore those who are enduring burdens by the will of God, commit their souls to the faithful Creator. Promises that he has given us, are unique and precious. As we’ve heard he has said: “Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you”

How can it be possible for a believer to understand these words?

Not only when he is focusing on Jesus Christ with adapting his life according to the life Jesus lived when he was on earth? As it is said ” O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken: Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory? And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass, than one tittle of the law to fail.”

Have we not read and heard: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. Many attempt to flee from their spiritual tests, and they have to face those same tests in a more difficult manner, because no one will be victorious by escaping from them, but with patience and humility he will be able to overcome all the tests, and gain victory.

Therefore in the place of Christ’s followers, we must not feel desperate, but we have to pray to God in supplication with more passion to help us with any assistance we may need.

According to what Paul has said: In every temptation, God himself will make a way for us to tolerate it.

O beloved ones, difficulties do not weaken mankind, but they reveal the true human nature.

It will be good for us to occasionally face persecutions and abnormalities, since these abnormalities will persuade us to search our hearts, and to survey ourselves. So as a result, we conclude that troubles are difficult, but usually good and useful to build us.

Dear brothers and sisters, we must be more careful than any other time. Because in these days, the hearts and thoughts of many are revealed, so that the faith is tested. May your treasure be where there is no moth and rust.

I would like to remind you of some verses that we nearly discuss everyday, (Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.) but as long as our human will has priority over God’s will, his will will not be done.

As we have learned from him in Gethsemane, he surrendered his will to the father, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.”

What we are bearing today, is a difficult but not unbearable situation, because neither he has tested us more than our faith and our endurance, nor does he do as such. And as we have known from before, we must beware not to fail, but to advance in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, And consider these bumps and prisons as opportunities to testify to his name. He said: If anyone is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.

As a small servant, necessarily in prison to carry out what I must do, I say with faith in the word of God that he will come soon.”However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?”

Discipline yourself with faith in the word of God. Retain your souls with patience. For there is no man that doeth anything in secret, and he himself seeketh to be known openly.

May you are granted grace and blessings increasingly in the name of Lord Jesus Christ.

Yusef Nadarkhani
Lakan Prison in Rasht
2/June/2010

(HT)

The Cumulative Effect

2011-10-02T20:17:00.002-05:00

by Dave Kraft

Over the years I’ve attended many weekend conferences and one-day seminars. I consider myself blessed if I come away with a single idea that significantly impacts me and seems to be the kind of idea that can also be of help and encouragement to lots of other people.

A number of years ago I attended a conference on the east coast. I don’t remember the city, the nature of the conference, or any of the speakers’ names. I am sure I received lots of good information, but can’t remember any of it, except for one idea.

The cumulative effect of small things over an extended period of time…

I can’t give credit where credit is due, as I don’t remember who said it. I even Googled it, but that didn’t reveal the source.

This is one of those life principles that is true in any context, for any person, at any time. It works in all areas of life.

1. Financial - If a person saved just a little bit each month, but did so for a long period of time, having sufficient funds for retirement would not be the issue it is for many people. On the other hand, those who spend just a little more than they make and do it for a long time are amazed at how fast the debt accumulates.

2. Exercise - It is better to exercise 3 times a week for 30 minutes over a long period of time, than to leap into action with a guilty conscience every once in a while.

3. Reading - Most people are hard pressed to find large amounts of time to read, but sincerely want to read. If you are one of those people, try reading consistently for 10-15 minutes every day over a long period of time and you will experience the joy of reading 20-25 books a year. This has been totally doable for me for 25 years.

4. Relationships - It is better to invest consistent but shorter times with those you love week after week after week than a larger block of time once or twice a year.

5. Eating - Eat a little less than you normally do and, if you are consistent over an extended period of time, you will lose weight. Eat just a bit more than your body really needs and do it consistently and you will gain weigh; it sort of sneaks up on you.

6. Intimacy with Jesus- It works as you deepen your intimate walk with Jesus as well. Spending time alone in his presence. Praying, scripture, confessing and repenting works better if you are consistent as opposed to once in a while. He wants to hear from you daily not when you think you can get around to it

The bottom line is that many of us can’t seem to stay consistent with anything over the long haul, which is why our finances, exercise, reading, relationships and weight take a hit. Charles Swindoll said, “The problem with life is that it is so daily;” Funny but true. We live life daily--not monthly, quarterly or yearly.

Look at the six areas listed above (and maybe add some of your own) and determine what you can do empowered by Him and to honor Him as you experience the cumulative effect of small things over an extended period of time. Try it and you may like it, “Sam I am!”

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Revival Theme from Nancy Leigh DeMoss

2011-09-30T14:05:00.002-05:00

For those who follow this blog regularly and for several years know of my love and deep respect for the ministry of Nancy Leigh DeMoss. I daily receive her emails of the transcripts of her radio broadcast "Revive Our Hearts."

This week I was excited to see another favorite speaker, Richard Owen Roberts. I have written of him before on this blog.

He was the guest for three days sharing about how he was called to preach at twelve, his definition of revival and the main manifestation of a real revival.

The transcripts are too long to include here, but I am including the links to each day for you to read. Beside each link is a brief description of some of the topics of that day.

May revival come in our hearts and churches.

The Beauty of Holiness - his definition of revival, his call to ministry at the age of twelve, and the number one way of knowing what is revival is

Reversing the Decline - he shows why revival is possible in our day, further discussion about early influences on his life at the age of twelve, and encouraging parents to realize their nine-ten-eleven year olds have great ability to know God.

More Than Praying a Sinner's Prayer - tells the story of converted church members and how to know you are truly converted.

Sermon Notes from Sunday, September 25, 2011

2011-09-26T17:50:00.001-05:00

Here are the sermon notes from yesterday, September 25, 2011 "Talking Back to God" from Romans 9:14-24. Click here.

Wednesday night (9-21-11) notes from Galatians 2:11-21

2011-09-22T17:06:00.002-05:00

I continue the teaching through Galatians on Wednesday nights. Here are the notes from last night "Standing Up for the Gospel" from Galatians 2: 11-21.

Sermon Notes from Sunday, September 18, 2011

2011-09-18T15:42:00.001-05:00

Here are the sermon notes from today, September 18, 2011 "God is God" from Romans 9:6-14. Click here.

Two sets of sermon notes from Sept. 7 and Sept. 11

2011-09-12T21:43:00.002-05:00

This blog post is catching me up on two sets of sermon notes.

First, from Wednesday night, September 7 from Galatians 2: 1-10. Click here.

Second, I started again preaching through the book of Romans. I have been taking sections of Romans for the past five years and now I am starting chapters 9-11. (Click here to see some past sermons.) This past Sunday (9-11-11) I preached "God's Passion for Israel" from Romans 9: 1-5. click here to see the notes.

Sermon Excerpts from 9-11 Memorials

2011-09-11T06:00:00.000-05:00

From Tim Keller’s 9-11 Memorial Sermon:

One of the great themes of the Hebrew Scriptures is that God identifies with the suffering. There are all these great texts that say things like this: If you oppress the poor, you oppress to me. I am a husband to the widow. I am father to the fatherless. I think the texts are saying God binds up his heart so closely with suffering people that he interprets any move against them as a move against him. This is powerful stuff!

But Christianity says he goes even beyond that. Christians believe that in Jesus, God’s son, divinity became vulnerable to and involved in – suffering and death! He didn’t come as a general or emperor. He came as a carpenter. He was born in a manger, no room in the inn.

But it is on the Cross that we see the ultimate wonder. On the cross we sufferers finally see, to our shock that God now knows too what it is to lose a loved one in an unjust attack. And so you see what this means? John Stott puts it this way: “I could never myself believe in God if it were not for the Cross. In the real world of pain, how could one worship a God who was immune to it?”

Do you see what this means? Yes, we don’t know the reason God allows evil and suffering to continue, but we know what the reason isn’t, what it can’t be. It can’t be that he doesn’t love us! It can’t be that he doesn’t care. God so loved us and hates suffering that he was willing to come down and get involved in it. And therefore the Cross is an incredibly empowering hint. Ok, it’s only a hint, but if you grasp it, it can transform you. It can give you strength.

From John Piper’s 9/11 Sermon:

The way I want to strengthen your hope this morning is not by glossing over how utterly vulnerable we are in our earthly existence, or by deflecting your attention away from the Biblical truth that God’s judgments fall on believer and unbeliever alike – purifying in some cases and punishing in other cases, depending on whether we repent and make Christ our Treasure instead of the idols of this world. I want to stare those realities of vulnerability and judgment square in the face with you and give you real, solid, Biblical hope. Not just hopeful feelings based on naive notions of earthly stability or escape from painful, purifying, disciplinary judgments.

So then, what is this hope and what is the basis for it? I’ll give you my answer, and then show you where I got it from the Word of God.

· Our hope is that nothing can separate us from the love of God in Jesus Christ, not suffering and not even death.

And the two foundations for this hope are the death of Jesus and the sovereignty of God.

· Our Savior and King, Jesus Christ, died and rose again to bear our sins, become our curse, endure our condemnation, remove our guilt, and secure our everlasting joy in the presence of the all-satisfying God.

· And the sovereignty of God over all persons and events guarantees that what Jesus Christ bought for us by his own blood will infallibly become our inheritance.

9/11 Prayer by Max Lucado

2011-09-10T06:00:00.000-05:00

As we remember 9/11, below is an actual prayer that Max Lucado wrote for America Prays, a national prayer vigil held Sat., Sept. 14, 2001:

"Dear Lord, We're still hoping we'll wake up. We're still hoping we'll open a sleepy eye and think, 'What a horrible dream.'

"But we won't, will we, Father? What we saw was not a dream. Planes did gouge towers. Flames did consume our fortress. People did perish. It was no dream; and, dear Father, we are sad.

"There is a ballet dancer who will no longer dance and a doctor who will no longer heal. A church has lost its priest, a classroom is minus a teacher. Cora ran a food pantry. Paige was a counselor; and Dana, dearest Father, Dana was only 3 years old. (Who held her in those final moments?)

"We are sad, Father. For as the innocent are buried; our innocence is buried, as well. We thought we were safe. Perhaps we should have known better, but we didn't.

"So we come to You. We don't ask You for help; we beg You for it. We don't request it; we implore it. We know what You can do. We've read the accounts. We've pondered the stories; and now we plead, 'Do it again, Lord. Do it again.'

"Remember Joseph? You rescued him from the pit. You can do the same for us. Do it again, Lord. Remember the Hebrews in Egypt? You protected their children from the angel of death. We have children, too, Lord. Do it again.

"And Sarah? Remember her prayers? You heard them. Joshua? Remember his fears? You inspired him. The women at the tomb? You resurrected their hope. The doubts of Thomas? You took them away. Do it again, Lord. Do it again.

"You changed Daniel from a captive into a king's counselor. You took Peter the fisherman and made him Peter an apostle. Because of you, David went from leading sheep to leading armies. Do it again, Lord, for we need counselors today, Lord. We need apostles. We need leaders. Do it again, dear Lord.

"Most of all, do again what you did at Calvary. What we saw here on that Tuesday, You saw there on that Friday. Innocence slaughtered. Goodness murdered. Mothers weeping. Evil dancing. Just as the ash fell on our children, the darkness fell on your Son. Just as our towers were shattered, the very Tower of Eternity was pierced. By dusk, heaven's sweetest song was silent, buried behind a rock.

"But You did not waver, O Lord. You did not waver. After three days in a dark hole, You rolled the rock and rumbled the earth and turned the darkest Friday into the brightest Sunday. Do it again, Lord. Grant us a September Easter.

"We thank You, dear Father, for these hours of unity. Disaster has done what discussion could not. Doctrinal fences have fallen. Republicans are standing with Democrats. Skin colors have been covered by the ash of burning buildings. We thank You for these hours of unity.

"We thank You for these hours of prayer. The enemy sought to bring us to our knees and succeeded. He had no idea, however, that we would kneel before You; and he has no idea what You can do.

"Let Your mercy be upon our president, vice president, and their families. Grant to those who lead us wisdom beyond their years and experience. Have mercy upon the souls who have departed and the wounded who remain. Give us grace that we might forgive and faith that we might believe.

"And look kindly upon your church. For 2,000 years You've used it to heal a hurting world. Do it again, Lord. Do it again.

"Through Christ, Amen."

American Airlines Pilot Testifies about 9/11

2011-09-09T12:05:00.002-05:00

This Sunday we remember 9/11. American Airlines Pilot Steve Scheibner signed up to be the pilot on AA 11 but did not make the trip. Hear his powerful testimony. It is a powerful testimony of the gospel of Christ. Listen to the entire 15 minute presentation.

Sermon Notes from Sunday, August 28, 2011

2011-08-30T15:43:00.003-05:00

This past Sunday I concluded the sermon series "A Peek at the Kingdom" using the parables of Matthew 13 as our main text. The one truth that I learned from this study was Jesus was teaching in Matthew 13 what the kingdom would be like between "now and then." Now - the kingdom is here through the indwelling Jesus; then - the futuristic aspect of the coming of the King and His kingdom.

The last message in this series is "Between Now and Then." How do we live in the interim period? You can see the notes here.

Galatians Bible Study Notes August 24, 2011

2011-08-26T12:38:00.001-05:00

I have started teaching through the book of Galatians on Wednesday nights. This past Wednesday night (8-24-11) was the second night. The Bible study is "The Man and the Message" from Galatians 1:1-10. Notes are here.

Never Too Old To Honor Your Parents

2011-08-24T15:07:00.001-05:00

by James MacDonald

If we take the Bible seriously (you do, right?), then we know that finding a way to honor our parents, no matter who they have been, no matter what they have done, is a very significant action. I’m serious. The Bible is filled with stories of people who honored their parents and succeeded and of those who did not honor their parents and failed. If you’re alive, you’ve got parents (even if they are no longer living)—and God’s command is to honor them (see Exodus 20:12).

Now you may think, “If this guy thinks for a moment that I’m going to honor my old man, he has got another thing coming!” Well, let me try to get by your resistance. Honoring our parents does not mean several things.

First, honoring our parents does not mean to go back groveling and seeking their approval (again). Children need to get freed from my-parents’-approval bondage.

Secondly, it does not mean to make yourself vulnerable to their hurtful behavior. Sometimes appropriate boundaries between children and abusive parents are necessary. But the need for that boundary does not free us from the obligation of honoring our parents.

Thirdly, honoring our parents does not mean ignoring or denying the past.

Here is what honoring does mean. It means choosing to place great value upon our relationship with them. It means not kidding myself into thinking that my parents don’t matter to me. It involves taking the initiative to improve the relationship whatever its current condition. And it means recognizing what they have done right. You say, “They haven’t done a lot right.” They have done something right, even if it’s little more than giving you life (that’s big). So, express that recognition. Acknowledge the sacrifices that they have made for you. Honoring includes seeing them as Christ does, with compassion and mercy. It means forgiving them as Christ has forgiven you.

The apostle Paul was right: “When I was a child, I spoke like a child. I thought like a child. I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways” (1 Corinthians 13:11). Tragically, some grownups continue to act like children towards their own parents. When you become an adult, it’s time to stop playing the child role. It’s time to stop going, “He has to say it first. They have to initiate. They’re the ones–.” That has to stop! It’s time to honor your parents. If you are an adult, I-T I-S T-I-M-E! Take the first step. Take responsibility for your relationship with your parents as part of your relationship with God.

Honor our parents because God said so—no matter what age you are. Because His ways lead to freedom. Because words spoken at their funeral always seem way too late.

Some of you may wish you had gotten this message ten years ago. You’ve stood by a casket with a eulogy in hand and desperately wished the person for whom the words were written would wake up and hear them. But they won’t. That opportunity is gone. So do it now. Be the adult. Write or say the words of honor to your parents that you hope your own kids will express to you. God will bless your obedience.

Sermon Notes from Sunday, August 21, 2011

2011-08-22T18:15:00.003-05:00

I preached yesterday the tenth message in the series "A Peek at the Kingdom" from Matthew 13. This message was on the Parable of the Dragnet "The Kingdom Will Have a Separation." Here are the notes.

Galatians Bible Study Notes August 17, 2011

2011-08-19T07:14:00.002-05:00

I have started teaching through the book of Galatians on Wednesday nights. The first night was "Introduction to Galatians." Notes are here.

40 Years of Preaching

2011-08-15T18:13:00.001-05:00

40 years ago I preached my first message at Second Baptist Church, Boaz, AL. I used Revelation 19:10 "I feel at His feet to worship Him" as my text.

40 years later, I am amazed at how much joy serving the Lord as a preacher/pastor has been. More than I anticipated and deserved.

Thanks to Mom, Dad, my family, precious men of God like Bro. Garmon, Bro. Harold Brown, Second Baptist and Bethsaida Baptist Churches- all who helped me. God has been good.

Marriage: A Mindfield Worth Walking In

2011-08-13T19:14:00.001-05:00

My friend, Tyler Smith, has written a very good article "Marriage: A Minefield Worth Walking In."

He has two videos inserted into the blog that is also worth seeing. Click here to read.

Living in God's Amazing Grace

2011-08-08T14:31:00.001-05:00

by Tim Childers (Pastor, First Baptist Church, Sylacauga, AL and my friend)

God's GRACE is an important to me!! In 1999 I started God revealed the truth about grace, acceptance and forgiveness that is mine through Christ, and my identity and inheritance in the Kingdom of God. I’ll never forget the day God revealed the truth to me. The whole front of my shirt was wet from my own tears of joy! I called Debbie and told her that God had shown me something that I had never heard preached from a pulpit. I also told her that if I determine that it’s the truth, I will spend the rest of my life teaching others about what God was teaching me! Good news folks! It was and is and always will be the truth!
This blog is one of the resources God has given me to share HIS message and MY story! It is a constant theme in my preaching/teaching. As I said, I will spend the rest of my life telling anyone who will listen about the grace of God!
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO LIVE IN THE GRACE OF GOD?

The following statements reflect what it means to live in God's grace. There is great power that results from exchanging your life for the life of Christ in and through you!!

 It means serving God because He has fully and permanently accepted us through Jesus Christ, not because we want to gain His acceptance or become more pleasing to Him through our works.

 It means motivating Christians to live out of love and thankfulness, rather than guilt and duty.

 It means believing firmly in Biblical absolutes and trusting in the life of Christ within to enable us to live by those absolutes, but rejecting attempts to legislate the Christian life through human rules.

 It means unconditionally accepting people at their current level of spiritual growth and development without condoning their sin, just as God does, then encouraging them to grow in an atmosphere of grace.

 It means creating an environment of honesty and transparency that models God's love and acceptance; not ignoring or approving a person's sin, but loving people in spite of their sin with a goal of bringing them to truth about it.

 It means placing the primary emphasis of the Christian life on inner motivations rather than outward behaviors, believing that when inner motivations are right, the right outward behavior will follow.

 It means refusing to deny or minimize the pain that comes into our lives because of our own sins and failures or the sins and failures of others; rather, it means viewing pain as a means of bringing us to an experience of God's grace and life.

 It means following the relational style of Jesus, who accepted and forgave sinful, lost people, even though they may have failed miserably, then through truth and love led them to a better life in Him.

 It means interpreting the Biblical commands as describing a mode of life befitting someone who has already been accepted by God, not as laws that bring us more merit with God.

 It means resting IN the life of Christ and operating from our new identity in Him, not in our own strength, but His.

I am constantly amazed at God’s grace in my life. There is nothing I can do to earn it, I do not deserve it but God gives it to me anyway!! What a great God we serve!

Sermon Notes from Sunday, July 31, 2011

2011-08-04T16:42:00.001-05:00

On May 29, I began a new series of messages on the Kingdom of God as seen in Matthew 13. I'm calling it a "Peek at the Kingdom." The theme of the Kingdom has been a study for a long time, but I am wanting to see it through the lens of Matthew 13.

The notes of the sermon from this past Sunday can be seen by clicking here. This is the message on the parables of the Treasure and Pearl. "The Kingdom of Heaven is Precious and Valuable."

Picture of our Creation Museum Trip Group

2011-07-29T20:16:00.002-05:00

Group picture of our trip this week to the Creation Museum and Cincinnati

Chuck Colson writing on debt crisis

2011-07-27T13:04:00.001-05:00

Chuck Colson has written today about the stalemate in the debt crisis and as always, he is written with great insight. Read here.

Sermon Notes from Sunday, July 24, 2011

2011-07-25T06:00:00.000-05:00

The notes of the sermon from this past Sunday (7-24) can be seen by clicking here. This is the first message on the parable of the soils. "The Kingdom of Heaven is Expanding and Engaging."

Sermon Notes from Sunday, July 17, 2011

2011-07-19T06:00:00.000-05:00

The notes of the sermon from this past Sunday can be seen by clicking here . This is the second message on the actual parables - this one on the wheat and tares. "The Kingdom Requires Patience and Truth."

31 Biblical Virtues to Pray for Your Children

2011-07-18T16:45:00.001-05:00

(Original post here)

by Bob Hostetler

1. Salvation—"Lord, let salvation spring up within my children, that they may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory." (Isa. 45:8; 2 Tim. 2:10)

2. Growth in Grace—"I pray that my children may grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." (2 Pet. 3:18)

3. Love—"Grant, Lord, that my children may learn to live a life of love, through the Spirit who dwells in them." (Gal. 5:25; Eph. 5:2)

4. Honesty and Integrity—"May integrity and honesty be their virtue
and their protection." (Ps. 25:21)

5. Self-Control—"Father, help my children not to be like many others around them, but let them be alert and self-controlled in all they do."
(1 Thess. 5:6)

6. Love for God's Word—"May my children grow to find Your Word more precious than much pure gold and sweeter than honey from the comb." (Ps. 19:10)

7. Justice—"God, help my children to love justice as You do and act justly in all they do." (Ps. 11:7; Mic. 6:8)

8. Mercy—"May my children always be merciful, just as their Father is merciful." (Luke 6:36)

9. Respect (for self, others, and authority)—"Father, grant that my children may show proper respect to everyone, as Your Word commands."
(1 Pet. 2:17)

10. Biblical Self-Esteem—"Help my children develop a strong self-esteem that is rooted in the realization that they are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus." (Eph. 2:10)

11. Faithfulness—"Let love and faithfulness never leave my children, but bind these twin virtues around their necks and write them on the tablet of their hearts." (Prov. 3:3)

12. Courage—"May my children always be strong and courageous in their character and in their actions." (Deut. 31:6)

13. Purity—"Create in them a pure heart, O God, and let that purity of heart be shown in their actions." (Ps. 51:10)

14. Kindness—"Lord, may my children always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else." (1 Thess. 5:15)

15. Generosity—"Grant that my children may be generous and willing to share, and so lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age." (1 Tim. 6:18-19)

16. Peace-Loving—"Father, let my children make every effort to do what leads to peace." (Rom. 14:19)

17. Joy—"May my children be filled with the joy given by the Holy Spirit."
(1 Thess. 1:6)

18. Perseverance—"Lord, teach my children perseverance in all they do, and help them especially to run with perseverance the race marked out for them." (Heb. 12:1)

19. Humility—"God, please cultivate in my children the ability to show true humility toward all." (Titus 3:2)

20. Compassion—"Lord, please clothe my children with the virtue of compassion." (Col. 3:12)

21. Responsibility—"Grant that my children may learn responsibility, for each one should carry his own load." (Gal. 6:5)

22. Contentment—"Father, teach my children the secret of being content in any and every situation, through Him who gives them strength." (Phil. 4:12-13)

23. Faith—"I pray that faith will find root and grow in my children's hearts, that by faith they may gain what has been promised to them." (Luke 17:5-6; Heb. 11:1-40)

24. A Servant's Heart—"God, please help my children develop servant's hearts, that they may serve wholeheartedly, as if they were serving the Lord, not men." (Eph. 6:7)

25. Hope—"May the God of hope grant that my children may overflow with hope and hopefulness by the power of the Holy Spirit." (Rom. 15:13)

26. Willingness and Ability to Work—"Teach my children, Lord, to value work and to work at it with all their heart, as working for the Lord and not for men." (Col. 3:23)

27. Passion for God—"Lord, please instill in my children a soul that 'followeth hard after thee,' one that clings passionately to You." (Ps. 63:8)

28. Self-Discipline—"Father, I pray that my children may acquire a disciplined and prudent life, doing what is right and just and fair."
(Prov. 1:3)

29. Prayerfulness—"Grant, Lord, that my children's lives may be marked by prayerfulness, that they may learn to pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers." (1 Thess. 5:17)

30. Gratitude—"Help my children to live lives that are always overflowing with thankfulness and always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ." (Eph. 5:20; Col. 2:7)

31. A Heart for Missions—"Lord, please help my children to develop a desire to see Your glory declared among the nations, Your marvelous deeds among the peoples." (Ps. 96:3)

Immigration and the Gospel

2011-07-12T06:00:00.001-05:00

On Friday, June 17, 2011, Dr. Russell Moore, Dean of the School of Theology at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Louisville, KY wrote the following "Immigration and the Gospel."

The Christian response to immigrant communities in the United States cannot be “You kids get off of my lawn” in Spanish. While evangelicals, like other Americans, might disagree on the political specifics of achieving a just and compassionate immigration policy, our rhetoric must be informed by more than politics, but instead by gospel and mission.

I’m amazed when I hear evangelical Christians speak of undocumented immigrants in this country with disdain as “those people” who are “draining our health care and welfare resources.” It’s horrifying to hear those identified with the gospel speak, whatever their position on the issues, with mean-spirited disdain for the immigrants themselves.

This is a gospel issue. First of all, our Lord Jesus himself was a so-called “illegal immigrant.” Fleeing, like many of those in our country right now, a brutal political situation, our Lord’s parents sojourned with him in Egypt (Matt. 2:113-23). Jesus, who lived out his life for us, spent his childhood years in a foreign land away from his relatives among people speaking a different language with strange customs.

In so doing, our Lord Jesus was re-living the life of Israel, our ancestors in the faith, who were also immigrants and sojourners in Egypt (Exod. 1:1-14; 1 Chron. 16:19; Acts 7:6). It is this reality, the Bible tells us, that is to ground our response to those who sojourn among us (Exod. 22:21; Ps. 94:6; Jer.7:6; Ezek. 22:29; Zech. 7:10). God, the Bible says, “executes justice for the fatherless and the widow, and loves the sojourner, giving him food and clothing. Love the sojourner, therefore, for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt” (Deut. 10:18-19).

This is much more than a “political” issue, abstracted from our salvation. Jesus tells us that our response to the most vulnerable among us is a response to Jesus Himself (Matt. 25:40). God will judge those who exploit workers and mistreat the poor. No matter how invisible they seem to us now, God hears (Isa. 3:15; Amos 4:1; Jas.5:4).

This is also a question of our mission. There are upwards of 12 million undocumented immigrants in this country right now, and many more in the Latino community who came here legally. If our response to them is to absorb the nativism and bigotry of some elements of society around us, we are showing them a vision of what the Bible calls “the flesh” rather than the Spirit. If our churches ignore the nations around us who are living in our own communities, we will reflect 1970s Bible Belt America rather than the kingdom of God which is made up of those from every tribe, tongue, nation, and language (Rev. 7:9).

It is easy to lash out at undocumented immigrants as “law-breakers,” and to cite Romans 13 as reason to simply call for deportation and retribution. But this issue is far more complicated than that. Yes, undocumented immigrants are violating the law, but, first of all, most of them are doing so in order to provide a future for their families in flight from awful situations back home. Many of them are children (as our Lord Jesus was at the time of his immigration).

And, even given our nation’s Romans 13 responsibility to maintain secure borders, the message our nation sends to those across our borders isn’t clear and univocal. As Southern Baptist leader Richard Land puts it, there are two metaphorical signs on our border: “Keep out” and “Help wanted.”

This isn’t to say that there aren’t real political challenges here. I agree that the border should be secured. I support holding businesses accountable for hiring, especially since some of them use the threat of deportation as a way of exploiting these vulnerable workers. I support a realistic means of providing a way to legal status for the millions of immigrants already here. But there are many who disagree with me, and for valid reasons.

The larger issue is in how we talk about this issue, recognizing that this is not about “issues” or “culture wars” but about persons made in the image of God. Our churches must be the presence of Christ to all persons, regardless of country of origin or legal status. We need to stand against bigotry and harassment and exploitation, even when it’s politically profitable for those who stand with us on other issues.

And, most importantly, we must love our brothers and sisters in the immigrant communities. We must be the presence of Christ to and among them, even as we receive ministry from them. Our commitment to a multinational kingdom of God’s reconciliation in Christ must be evident in the verbal witness of our gospel and in the visible makeup of our congregations.

Immigration isn’t just an issue. It’s an opportunity to see that, as important as the United States of America is, there will be a day when the United States of America will no longer exist. And on that day, the sons and daughters of God will stand before the throne of a former undocumented immigrant. Some of them are migrant workers and hotel maids now. They will be kings and queens then. They are our brothers and sisters forever.

We might be natural-born Americans, but we’re all immigrants to the kingdom of God (Eph. 2:12-14). Whatever our disagreements on immigration as policy, we must not disagree on immigrants as persons. Our message to them, in every language and to every person, must be “Whosoever will may come.”

The new Alabama immigration law does have MAJOR concerns

2011-07-11T06:00:00.003-05:00

The new Alabama immigration law passed in the last session of our legislature has pleased many by being one of the toughest in the nation and has upset many others.

But there is a MAJOR issue with the law that as passed for churches. Dr. Bob Terry, Editor, The Alabama Baptist, wrote about it in the June 30 edition. Read the article here or read the article and all the paper here.

I spoke last week with persons in our state who "watch" the law very carefully and they acknowledged that what Terry wrote about is true. The law that was passed omitted the part of permitting churches to minister to illegal immigrant without fear of government reprisals.

According to my sources, our Governor has been made aware of our deep concern about this omission and whenever the Senate and House convenes again in regular or special session, an amendment will be provided to change this.

Pray that it happens. Churches, pastors, and Christian people should not have to choose between "God and state" in this nation.

Effective Praying by Henry Blackby

2011-07-10T06:00:00.000-05:00

The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. (James 5:16b)

God promises all believers that if we live righteously and pray fervently, our prayers will be effective and produce significant results. How do we treat a promise like this? We might argue, “But I do pray, and nothing happens!” Our problem is that we do not hold ourselves accountable to the Scripture. God’s Word says that prayer ought to accomplish much. If our prayer life is not accomplishing much, what should we do? If we are praying but seeing no results, should we conclude that this promise is untrue? Should we excuse this Scripture as impractical and unrealistic? Or should we examine ourselves to see if we meet its conditions?

James says that fervent prayer avails much. Could it be that we are not as fervent in our praying as we should be? Fervent prayer means we do not quit easily. Fervent prayer means we purposefully spend sufficient time in intercession. Fervent prayer means we cry out to the Father, sometimes in tears, with our heart and soul. Fervent prayer comes as the Holy Spirit assists us in praying with groanings too deep for words (Rom. 8:26).

According to James, our righteousness will ensure effective prayer. God’s standard of righteousness is different from ours, for He looks beyond our actions, even beyond our thoughts, directly to our hearts. How then should we hold ourselves accountable if our prayers are accomplishing little? If nothing happens when we pray, the problem is not with God. The problem is with us, for God’s word is absolutely reliable. If we adhere to what God requires, He will lead us to pray for things that align with His purposes, and God will answer our prayers in a mighty way.

Are you involved in a small group?

2011-07-09T06:00:00.000-05:00

Small groups. Sunday School. LIFE Groups. Whatever you call them, they are absolutely necessary for a follower of Jesus Christ to be involved. Jesus had a small group of 12 that He gave His life to.

Thom S. Rainer in High Expectations: The Remarkable Secret for Keeping People in Your Church, traced new Christians in random churches for five years. Among those who only attended worship, fewer than 20 percent were still active five years later. However, among those who attended both worship and Sunday School, over 80 percent were still active after five years.

If you are not actively participating in a small group, then your spiritual life could be in jeopardy. This Sunday would be a good day to begin. See you at 8:45 a.m. for our LIFE Groups.

Sermon Notes from Sunday, July 3, 2011

2011-07-08T06:00:00.001-05:00

The notes of the sermon from this past Sunday can be seen by clicking here . This is the first message on the parable of the soils. "The Kingdom of Heaven is like Soil."

Strongholds by Henry Blackaby

2011-07-07T06:00:00.000-05:00

"And you shall make no covenant with the inhabitants of this land; you shall tear down their altars." But you have not obeyed My voice. Why have you done this? Therefore I also said, "I will not drive them out before you; but they shall be thorns in your side, and their gods shall be a snare to you." (Judges 2:2-3)

God gave the Israelites specific instructions: Drive the Canaanites out of every corner of the land, and obliterate any vestige of their abominable idol worship. This assignment was challenging! Their enemies had formidable chariots. The Canaanites had seemingly impregnable fortresses that were dangerous and difficult to overcome. The Israelites failed to drive all the Canaanites from the land. Much about the Canaanite lifestyle and religion appealed to the Israelites’ sinful nature. Rather than destroying them and their idolatry, Israel compromised. The Canaanites would prove to be a troublesome distraction to the Israelites. Their idol worship would present a constant temptation.

When you became a Christian, God declared war on sin’s strongholds in your life. Sinful behaviors and attitudes were firmly entrenched in your character, but God commanded you to tear them down. The Holy Spirit pointed out areas of your life that were resistant to God’s will. Were you tempted to merely establish a truce rather than obliterating every sin? Is anger one of sin’s strongholds? If so, it will rise up against you in moments of weakness. Is there a stronghold of lust in your life? If so, you will succumb to it when caught off guard. In careless moments, these strongholds will still tempt you to continue your past sinful behaviors.

Do not underestimate the destructive power of sin. If there are strongholds in your life that you have never defeated, the Holy Spirit is still prepared to bring you complete victory.

(July 3, 2011 devotion - see online)

Exposing the Ten Pillars of Gambling by John MacArthur

2011-07-06T10:40:00.000-05:00

Gambling is a blight on our nation, a cancer that eats away at the souls of millions. In spite of the fact that it increases crime rates, degrades morals, and destroys families, gambling has thrived. Why?

The answer is both simple and profound. Gambling is built on sin. If you clear away the glamour, the twinkling lights, and the jackpot sound effects, you’ll find ten pillars of sin that support the whole enterprise.

In this final post on the subject of gambling, John MacArthur will identify those pillars with precision, cutting through the clutter to bring biblical clarity to the issue. Just click play.

Listen to this 6-minute clip:

Launch Player | Download | Full Sermon

Sunday News Recap

2011-07-03T21:36:00.002-05:00

One of my little habits is I like to DVR several of the news' talk shows on Sunday mornings. I have pretty well stopped listening to Fox and CNN News and will DVR a national news report normally each evening to get "news".

For intellectual talk, (especially since Larry King is gone), I DVR "Face the Nation," "Meet the Press," "This Week with Christiane Amanpour" and "Fox News Sunday." Of those four, "Fox News Sunday" is currently at the bottom of my priorities for I'm growing to dislike Chris Wallace.

Today, there were some interesting comments...let me paraphrase some of them.

George Will (ABC) - concerning immigration. We need to do two things: 1. Secure the borders. 2. Then deal with the 11 million illegals here without deporting them. We can't afford to deport them but America won't accept them here until we secure the border.

George Will - concerning those who come to this country for higher education, he said, "Every American advanced degree should come with a stapled green card," i.e. keep those with advanced degrees in this nation.

Bob Schieffer (CBS) made the best point that I've heard in a long time. He talked about the founding fathers who signed The Declaration of Independence risking their very lives to do so. He reminded us John Hancock wrote his name large so England would be able to see his name if they wanted to kill him.

He then showed a clip of Senator Tom Coburn (Ok) speaking June 14 when Coburn said, "This is the lowest level of votes taken in the Senate in my seven years there and in the past 25. Senators are afraid to vote for they will have to defend their vote. They are more interested in their political careers."

Did you understand that exchange? Our founding fathers were willing to die for a cause; our current senators won't even vote on issues (like the budget) because that will mean they have taken a stand for or against something.

On "Face the Nation," Ohio Governor Kasich said, "There is too much posturing, too much thinking about your party and your self."

Kasich further said about balancing the budget in Ohio, you have to "strip out the politics and look the problem straight in the eye."

Wisconsin Governor Walker said, " We need to think about the next generation, not the next election."

My thoughts: I don't know a Democratic or Republican that I have faith in that would be willing to lose the next election to do what is right. I pray we could elect some people that would change my mind, but I've not seen it yet. Money and political power is ruling Washington.

We need to pray for men and women in Washington to humble themselves and do what is right for this country and the next generation; and not what is right for their political party or what will get them elected next term.

What to do with Sabbath?

2011-06-29T06:00:00.000-05:00

I like this article posting by Micah Fries

Today we considered Jesus’ words concerning the Sabbath from Luke 6:1-11.

How we should treat the Sabbath in the New Testament church? Here are a few short thoughts that might help point us in the right direction. Please do not consider this to be a comprehensive list, but hopefully it can be a concise help to shape the way we approach the Sabbath.

1. Honoring the Sabbath is non-negotiable.
From the beginning of creation, God established a pattern that we see continued through the New Testament as even He took a day for rest & reflection at the end of creation. This pattern of a Sabbath rest is, in my opinion, a non-negotiable. By this, I don’t mean that were one to miss a Sabbath one week they would have somehow broken God’s law and then be subject to judgment/condemnation. Instead I mean that God’s plan for our lives is dependent on a regular pattern of rest, reflection and worship. Don’t neglect this. Take a Sabbath rest.

2. The purpose of a Sabbath is rest & worship.
This is an important point; don’t miss it. Sabbath rest should primarily center around rest & worship. This can be difficult for me. I find myself taking a “day off” only to spend all day at home, but working none-the-less. That’s not Sabbath, that’s just relocating the office. Sabbath is to be a time for rest & worship. However, be cautious that you don’t become legalistic about what this looks like. The Pharisees claimed to reserve the Sabbath for those things, but the regulations that they created turned God’s intended rest & worship time into a time of intense work & stress as one had to diligently work to keep the Sabbath. This is not rest.

3. Sabbath rest won’t Save you, but it just might save you.
Remember that our hope is not in Sabbath, or in any other aspect of God’s law. Our hope is in Jesus Christ, and in Him alone. However, while there is no spiritual salvation built into a Sabbath rest, there may just be a form of physical salvation as God designed our physical bodies for a Sabbath rest. To operate apart from this intent will most generally lead you to physical harm. Enjoy the rest that God intends. This is difficult for me. I don’t like to sit still. However, I have learned that my longevity in life & ministry, as well as my physical upkeep are dependent on my commitment to some form a Sabbath rest. If Jesus could find a way to consistently take rest, I would assume that my schedule is not too important to neglect my rest. Take your Sabbath, don’t feel guilty about it & enjoy the blessings that come with it as a gift of God’s grace to you.

4. Sabbath rest is not dependent on a dictated day.
Finally, be cautious not to become a Pharisee in your practice of the Sabbath. They believed that their hope lay in their ability to strictly adhere to the law. We don’t believe that. We affirm that our hope is in Jesus alone. I firmly believe that there is no dedicated day which one must honor as their Sabbath. Making sure you take a Sabbath, is the key. For me, Sunday is a difficult day to affirm as a Sabbath. While I am thankful for the privilege of worshiping with my Frederick family each Sunday, it is not a day of rest for me. While I worship on Sunday, I usually have to find one other 24 hour period in the week to slow down and allow my body some rest. Truthfully, I’m not very good at this, but I’m trying. Take your Sabbath!

Getting to the Heart of Parenting

2011-06-27T17:32:00.002-05:00

Our church is hosting (via DVD) "Getting to the Heart of Parenting" by Paul David Tripp beginning Wednesday night. Here is a interview with Tripp about this topic from Desiring God.

Click here to watch it.

Read what is happening in Little Rock

2011-06-25T06:00:00.000-05:00

Observations on God's Spirit Leading Us to Prayer

Bill Elliff

Thu, May 12, 2011

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As some of you know, the Lord has graciously led us in five weeks of spontaneous nightly prayer meetings that have lasted 2-4 hours each. This is a mercy drop of revival, but in over 42 years of ministry, I have never been involved in or observed a moment quite like this, and I am humbly amazed and grateful.

And it is a PRAYER MEETING. The agenda every night has been to hear our direction through God's Word, open the microphone, and shepherd all that happens into fervent, travailing prayer. Each night the Spirit of God has graciously directed us, through His Word and the needs of the people, into an arena of prayer.

Several pastors have asked me what is happening in these meetings, expressing a desire for God to do a similar work in their church and community. At the great risk of being misunderstood by having anyone think this could be programmed or manipulated, but also in humble recognition that God uses such moments to instruct and direct us, I offer the following observations about WHAT is happening and HOW God's Spirit seems to be leading in these particular prayer meetings at this particular season.

1. A group of intercessors have been gathering every night—completely un-orchestrated—to pray prior to the meeting. Often they are silently praying around the room. Many times they have entered into spiritual warfare, seeking God's protection from the enemy for the evening's meeting. They also pray for direction, the Spirit's leadership, etc.

2. There is a deep sense and constant awareness that the Spirit of God is the ONLY leader. We are to listen to Him and do exactly as He directs.

3. God has given us a deep faith during these meetings. The more we are led to pray, the more we realize it is God; therefore He has an agenda, a purpose, and we are merely cooperating with Him. Second Chronicles 7:14-15 has become precious to us, as we have been constantly reminded that at this moment, in an unusual way, God's eyes are open to us and His ears are attentive to our cry. I cannot explain this, but it is wonderful to pray in such faith.

4. The Lord has awakened us, it seems, to pray primarily for our city. There has been deep prayer for individuals, but also prayer nearly every night for the pastors and spiritual leaders and churches in our city. Many nights we have gathered around and prayed over pastors who have been attending.

5. I or another one of our pastors has been "shepherding" these evenings. It seems that the Lord will not tell us what is to happen ten minutes ahead, but He gives direction for each moment as we progress through the prayer time. The Spirit of God is a GOOD LEADER if we will just get out of the way, listen, and obey. He can be trusted to lead us in the "paths of righteousness for His name's sake."

6. The Lord has led us nightly to begin with simple, short worship in song, followed by simple singing throughout the evening as He prompts.

7. Each day, God has given us a passage to read and comment on at the beginning of the evening that seems to give a context or direction for what He is doing that night. Sometimes this is more extensive and deliberate than others. There is MUCH biblical teaching that occurs every night in one form or another.

8. We are learning at a far more rapid pace than usual because of the peculiar grace of God, the frequency of our gatherings, the teaching of our pastors and people, and our prompt obedience, which solidifies the truth and digests it into our daily lives.

9. In the first weeks there was a need to constantly remind people to not quench the Spirit by despising what the Lord was directing them to do (1 Thessalonians 5:19-21), but to promptly and humbly do what He says when He says it. Whether He told them to come to the altar, go to a brother and seek reconciliation, come to the microphone to seek prayer for a need (James 5:16), or give something, they should obey Him instantly.

10. We have put the four tenants of the Welsh Revival up on the screen nightly as a good reminder of our posture:

Confess all known sin.
Forsake all doubtful habits.
Obey the Spirit instantly.
Confess [proclaim] Christ boldly.

11. We often begin the evening, after sharing Scripture and exhortation, asking the people to stand and gather in groups to pray for our time together.

12. Nearly every night, the Lord seems to be leading people to the microphone to share. These are often people who would never have had the courage to share, but who realize that they are in a safe and helpful place that is full of God's grace.

13. As people share a need, a confession, a burden, a Scripture, or a word from the microphone, the Lord seems to give direction to me or whoever is facilitating that night. Some of the things He has directed us to do are as follows:

Direct the person to go to the side, and ask people who have a burden to come pray over them immediately.
Call the whole church to prayer over that issue, asking them to pray out loud together or to gather in groups or to join another individual in prayer.
"Teach off of" that moment. Often several people in a row will share regarding the same issue, and we realize that God is calling us to learn something important. If the Lord prompts, I will take a moment, open the Word as He directs, and give further biblical instruction; or one of our other teachers/leaders/elders will come and do the same as they are prompted.
Often, when one person shares a deep need, before we send them aside for folks to pray over them, the Lord will prompt us to ask if there are others with that exact need, and we ask them to stand. One night, when a brother shared of the bitterness in his heart and a desire for release, we issued the call to others, and thirty people immediately stood. This has happened many times. We then invite people to gather around them and pray.

14. We remind people every night and in multiple ways that they are not spectators but participants. They are standing before a holy God who is speaking directly to THEM, and they need to respond and not quench His Spirit.

15. It has seemed important to be aware of how God is directing, i.e., the "theme" that seems to be emerging at times, and call it to the people's attention so that we will not miss what God is saying.

16. There seems to be a natural moment when the Lord begins to indicate that the meeting is drawing to a close, but we do not determine that beforehand. I will admit that I don't always know when to close! On several nights, we have tried to close multiple times, but people came up and pled to share, so we would continue. We do not hesitate to close if we feel led, though, even if there are people lined up waiting to share.

17. We have realized, as one dear leader who visited from Michigan reminded me, that revival is messy! There are awkward moments, confusing moments, and moments when dealing with a "weaker brother" that call for patience, forbearance, and love. We must embrace these and move through them gently. But we have also been led on occasion to turn off the microphone for a moment and privately give some instruction to the one sharing, such as, "Be brief. Don't reflect negatively on anyone. Give God alone the glory, not any man."

18. We have opened the nursery for the smaller preschool children, letting parents bring their children there if they agree to serve; but we have also encouraged parents to bring their children into the meetings. These children have been wonderfully moved and often used to speak to us in precious ways. Many children have been saved.

19. We have not restricted those who come to the microphone confessing their faith in Christ and desiring immediate baptism. Sixty-five people have been baptized in the last five weeks.

20. The first weeks of the prayer meetings were consumed with much personal cleansing. Although this has continued nightly, the last few weeks have been less of that and more of intercession for those outside of our church.

21. We are now seeing multiple churches in our area gathering for prayer in this manner. We had over 500 at our quarterly citywide prayer gathering this week, and it was an unbelievable night of worship and fervent, travailing intercession. This is the first year we have called the city to pray regularly in this manner, and we as pastors are talking about increasing its frequency. Other churches are beginning either monthly or weekly prayer meetings. We are also wondering if God is about to call our lay people to start morning or noon prayer meetings all across our city. We will not manipulate this, but the idea is rising in many hearts.

22. Our Sunday morning services are dramatically changed, hopefully forever. There is no attention to the clock. Our first service has, more often than not, merged into the second with ease, and after the preaching of the Word, we have moved into the same ministry/prayer times that we have been experiencing nightly.

"Who has known the mind of the Lord, that he will instruct Him?" is our honest thought. God is the leader and longs to be so—we simply must let Him. Again, I plead with you not to take these thoughts as prescriptive, for God is gloriously creative and can move in whatever ways He desires. But we do feel that these observations at this particular season may be helpful to others.

May God bless all that we say and do to the reviving of His church, the awakening of the lost, and the rapid expansion of His kingdom!

Visit The Summit Church blog for more details about what God is doing in Little Rock, Arkansas.

Nancy Leigh DeMoss and Tim Keller on Revival

2011-06-24T06:00:00.000-05:00

Collin Hansen interviews Tim Keller and Nancy Leigh DeMoss on revival. Oh, God, give us a hunger for revival.

Lord, Do It Again! from The Gospel Coalition on Vimeo.

Sermon Notes from Sunday, June 19, 2011

2011-06-23T15:15:00.001-05:00

The notes of the sermon today can be seen by clicking here. This is part two of a two part sermon"Jesus is the King of the Kingdom."

"Junk in the Trunk" - T.D. Jakes

2011-06-23T06:00:00.000-05:00

This is classic T.D. Jakes. Watch:

Is Gambling Right - Part V

2011-06-20T07:50:00.001-05:00

The Sin of Putting God to the Test

Here's a third characteristic of gambling. Remember, Gambling involves 1) Something valuable that is placed at risk; 2) Something belonging to someone else that is staked as a prize; and:

3. Gambling involves an element of chance that supposedly determines the outcome. This is a practical denial of the doctrine of divine providence.

God is sovereign over our prosperity. Deuteronomy 8:18 says, "It is [the Lord] that giveth thee power to get wealth."

Hope in sheer fortune is misplaced hope. Faith in "Good Luck" is misplaced faith. It is a kind of idolatry. We are not supposed to hope in such things.

In fact, there is no such thing as sheer, random chance. God is sovereign over all the details of life. The Bible says He even determines every roll of the dice: "The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the LORD" (Proverbs 16:33, NKJV).

There is nothing random in gambling. There is no such thing as Lady Luck, or the goddess of fortune, or Chance as a determinative force. God is sovereign even over the roll of the dice; He is the one who sovereignly determines everything that appears to be random.

That is why in the Old Testament, many decisions were made by drawing lots. And even early in the book of Acts, a replacement for Judas was chosen by lots. That was one way people had of getting guidance from God before canon of Scripture was complete and the Spirit given. (I don't believe it's a legitimate way for you and me to determine the will of God, but that is a totally different matter.)

The drawing of lots in such cases was not "gambling," because there was no transfer of any assets from the loser to the winner.

Someone will surely ask, "If God is the one who determines the roll of the dice, then what's wrong with trusting the Lord for the outcome of a gambling contest? Why not put my money on the spin of a roulette wheel and trust God for the ball to fall in the right place?"

Think about that question seriously. If that were a legitmate means of gaining wealth at all—if such an attitude were a true and warranted expression of authentic "faith" in any real sense—it would actually be better to bet your whole livelihood, your church's assets, and everything you could possibly get your hands on, on a single roll of the dice. Why squander an opportunity to make the most of an act of faith?

But we all know that's a ridiculous question, on the face of it. In fact, the question is not functionally different from the one with which Satan tempted Jesus: "Why don't you jump off the pinnacle of the Temple? You know the Bible says, "He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up."

Remember Jesus' answer? Matthew 4:7: "Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God." That's a quotation from Deuteronomy 6:16: "Ye shall not tempt the LORD your God."

Although we know God determines everything, including every roll of the dice, we are strictly forbidden to put Him to the test.

And furthermore, you cannot pretend to "trust" God for something He has not promised. To speak of trusting God in such circumstances is to twist the meaning of faith. God has never promised to allow you to prosper at a game of chance, so to think that He will is not to "trust" Him, but to presume on Him, and that is sin.

In fact, I don't believe God would ever reward someone by letting that person prosper in an evil activity. When God permits someone to prosper in an evil pursuit, it is actually a prelude to judgment. So if you are a Christian who gambles and you have been winning, that might not be a good thing at all.

Betting on chance events when you know God is the One who determines the outcome is no better than jumping off a building because He has promised to provide you with angelic protection against calamity. To bet money on some kind of game is the moral equivalent of asking God to preserve you when you deliberately put your hand in the fire. Both are ways of putting the Lord your God to the test. And that is a sin. It's also one more reason why gambling is wrong in principle.

Phil Johnson
Executive Director

Is Gambling Right - Part IV

2011-06-16T06:00:00.000-05:00

The following is from "Grace to You" and the ministry of Dr. John MacArthur.

Does ‘Mutual Consent’ Eliminate the Evil in Gambling?
Wednesday, June 08, 2011

We are looking at four essential characteristics in a standard definition of gambling. I have argued that each of the four characteristics involves a violation of one or more vital biblical principles.

In other words, gambling is sinful for more than one reason. It's wrong on several counts. When you gamble, whether you win or lose, you violate God's moral law—quite possibly on multiple levels.

My previous post began this argument by pointing out that if you merely participate in a gambling contest with a desire to win, you are guilty of coveting that which belongs to your neighbor. The tenth commandment expressly forbids that.

Now consider the second of gambling's four distinguishing features. Here is, I believe, the most significant evil inherent in the practice of gambling:

2. In a gambling contest, something that belongs to someone else is placed at stake as the prize. The person who collects that prize violates the eighth commandment: "Thou shalt not steal" (Exodus 20:15).

I began this series of posts by recounting an incident where a college student challenged my views on gambling. He argued that winning a wager is not really the same as stealing, because the winnings are put up as a stake by mutual consent.

But when someone commits an act that causes hurt to another person, even if he does it with the victim's full permission, the mere fact of prior consent does not necessarily absolve either party from guilt. Lots of crimes are carried out and sins are committed by mutual consent that are nonetheless immoral or illegal. In such cases, mutual consent usually means that the moral culpability in the wrongdoing is shared jointly by both parties. It does not eliminate the guilt of the perpetrator.

A duel, for example, is a contest where one opponent kills another by mutual consent. The fact of the victim's consent does not absolve the victor from the guilt of murder, either in the eyes of God or in the eyes of the state. (I realize, of course, that certain societies have sometimes permitted dueling. That does not alter the immorality of the practice. It is certainly not justifiable by any biblical standard.) Kill someone in a duel in a just and civilized society, and you probably will be charged with murder.

Gambling is to theft what dueling is to murder.

Gambling is stealing by mutual consent. But it is still stealing. It is the taking of that which belongs to your neighbor and to which you have no right. It is not like a gift, which is given willingly and gratuitously. It is a loss he sustains to his hurt, even though he gives his consent to the contest before the die is cast.

Gambling is therefore morally tantamount to stealing. As such, it is a violation of every biblical principle regarding the gaining and sharing of our possessions.

Ephesians 4:28 says, "Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth." That is the spirit of Christianity, and it is the polar opposite of the various sentiments that drive gambling.

Is there no place for a "friendly bet?"

The question of whether penny-ante gambling is a petty sin is quite different from the question of whether it's a sin at all. If it's a matter of principle that makes gambling wrong, and not a particular amount, we ought to recognize that fact and acknowledge it. I'm expressly arguing that gambling is wrong in principle.

But to be clear: I'm not arguing that all forms of gambling are equally egregious. I'm not suggesting that church discipline should be carried out against Christians who play penny-ante poker. It should be fairly obvious that the size and seriousness of the wrong in a gambling contest is proportional to the amount gambled (among other factors).

Just in case that is not clear to someone, however, let me state plainly that I am not trying to portray the guy who plays Texas Holdem for spare nickels as a miscreant on the same level as the guy who foolishly bets the family farm on the spin of a roulette wheel. Gambling, like any sin, is wrong by degrees.

So I will gladly stipulate that the wrong in betting spare change is ordinarily quite trivial. We could probably list a whole lot of similarly trivial sins. I would argue, however, that in no case is it ever wise or even morally justifiable for Christians to practice any sin (even at a level we might all agree is "trivial")—especially for entertainment purposes, or with the express purpose of perfecting one's technique.

Trivial sins are, after all, still sins.

The problem with trivial sins is that when they are tolerated—especially when they are nurtured and defended—they tend to become big and bold. They also breed other sins. A £5-per-week addiction to playing the lottery will feed an awful lot of covetous fantasies.

It's really no wonder crime statistics are always higher wherever gambling is freely indulged in. In a society that caters to people's covetousness by sanctioning a form of larceny, we should not be surprised when other kinds of crime increase as well.

Feed the sins of "trivial" covetousness and thievery, and they will beget more evil. That's why Paul instructed the Ephesians to get as far from the sin of covetousness as they could. Notice that he ranked it along with fornication as the kind of sin that should never be dabbled in at any level: "But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints" (Ephesians 5:3).

Some people think all kinds of covetousness are "trivial," but the apostle often listed covetousness right alongside the most heinous of sins: "Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry: for which things' sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience" (Colossians 3:5-6).

So the sin of covetousness, which lies behind every form of gambling, is in the same category of wickedness as the sin of fornication. What do you think of gambling as a form of "entertainment" now?

Scripture says, "Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have" (Hebrews 13:5). Gambling violates that commandment. And if you should happen to win, you have to add stealing to the list of sins you have committed by your gambling.

Remember, the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, and according to 1 Timothy 6:10, and those who love money tend to stray from the faith and pierce themselves through with many sorrows. The wreckage of many lives destroyed by gambling provides ample proof of that.

Phil Johnson
Executive Director

Is Gambling Right - Part III

2011-06-15T06:00:00.000-05:00

The following is from "Grace to You" and the ministry of Dr. John MacArthur.

Gambling vs. Faithful Stewardship
Sunday, June 05, 2011

I closed the last post with a list of four distinguishing marks drawn from a standard definition of "gambling." All four of these are true of every variety of gambling:

One, something valuable is put at risk. Two, something belonging to someone else is at stake as a prize. Three, an element of chance is involved in determining the outcome. And four, no new wealth is created in the process.

Now, let's devote a few posts to considering each of those features of gambling, one at a time. It is my contention that there's something in each one of them that conflicts with biblical principles. We'll take them in order, starting with the first:

Gambling places something valuable at risk for an illegitimate purpose. That violates the most basic biblical principles of wise and faithful stewardship.

Let me point out first of all that one of the fundamental principles of all biblical stewardship is given to us in the Tenth Commandment, Exodus 20:17: "Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's." It's is a sin to covet anything that belongs to your neighbor. This is not a gray area.

Gambling is covetousness distilled to its very essence

I know people—and in all likelihood you do, too—who claim that they gamble only for entertainment or recreation; not out of greed or covetousness.

But if it's mere entertainment they seek, why not play a game without staking any money on the outcome? Every gambler to whom I have ever posed that question has given me the same answer: "To play a game with nothing at stake is not as much fun." The stake makes the game more "fun" or more "interesting."

As a matter of fact, one commenter made that very point: "Poker simply doesn't work without some money at stake . . . the money at stake adds to the enjoyment of the game." He said he plays for small amounts—so that "the financial losses are not enough to be any more than entertainment money, and the prize not enough to create greed."

Analyze that for a moment. Why would the element of gambling make a game more "fun?" There is only one reason: because the "fun" is derived not from the game itself but from the possibility of winning something that belongs to your neighbor. In other words, what makes gambling "fun" is pure covetousness.

Sorry to be blunt about it, but that is sin.

Note carefully: it's the principle of covetousness that makes that sort of "fun" sin, not the size of the stake. A Christian who thinks it's safe to cultivate covetous desires as long as the sum at stake is small has completely missed Paul's point in 1 Timothy 6:9-11:

But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. But you, O man of God, flee these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness.

Gambling involves an inordinate desire to get something from one's neighbor without a legitimate exchange. So it is a sin on those grounds, even if we said nothing further.

But There's More . . .

Gambling can be a sinful dereliction of the steward's duty for several other reasons as well. Note:I'm not arguing here that every act of gambling is necessarily tainted by all the following sins. But these are all major factors in the complex of evils that commonly accompany gambling. Anyone who practices gambling as a pattern of life is systematically tolerating and even cultivating the sin of covetousness in his or her heart. That person will of course be especially susceptible to many of the corresponding temptations, too:

Slothfulness. Get-rich-quick schemes are practically all foolish and immoral. Solomon wrote this inProverbs 28:22: "A man with an evil eye hastens after riches, and does not consider that poverty will come upon him."

The promise of easy wealth is an overt appeal to slothful desire. Yet most gamblers freely acknowledge that the promise of gaining money quickly and with little effort is one of the major factors that adds to the "fun" of gaming. In other words, gambling fuels both covetousness andsloth.

Foolishness. Listen to Proverbs 22:16: "He that oppresseth the poor to increase his riches, and he that giveth to the rich, shall surely come to want." That's an interesting verse. Most of us will instinctively understand that it is sinful to oppress the poor in order to increase our riches. But the verse also says that you shouldn't just give your money to the rich. Who would give their money away to rich people? People who gamble in casinos are doing it all the time.

Numerous studies have shown that poor people tend to spend a much larger proportion of their income on gambling than people in middle—or upper-income brackets. Gambling is a particular plague on lower-income people, primarily because of its illegitimate promise of getting rich quick.More than one study has demonstrated that the poor bet more than three times the amount wagered by persons in middle-income and upper-income brackets.

Meanwhile, those who are licensed to sponsor lotteries and casino games never lose—they gain enormous wealth by taking money off the top, and by skewing the odds overwhelmingly in their favor.

In other words, money won in state lotteries and other forms of gambling is money taken from the poor. And money lost in such wagers is money given to the rich. So both of the evils condemned in Proverbs 22:16 are fostered by the machinery of gambling. If you want to oppress the poor and give your money to the rich, there is no more systematic way to do it than through gambling.

Profligacy. Gambling is an expensive business. In 1974, statistics showed Americans were betting about $17 billion per year through legal channels. That was an astronomical sum, but it ballooned to $330 billion by 1992. By most estimates, Americans now wager more than $600 billion each year.That's more than we spend on food. It's seriously wasteful by any standard.

A lack of self-control. Furthermore, as the above statistics (and many others) indicate, gambling is seriously addictive. Research suggests that one in every ten gamblers does so compulsively. There are an estimated ten million gambling addicts in the United States alone. And the average compulsive gambler has debts exceeding $80,000. It is a bigger problem than alcoholism. And in areas where gambling is widespread—such as Las Vegas and Atlantic City—the suicide rate is three times higher than the national average.

Miscellaneous concerns. There is the stewardship of time. Gambling consumes people's leisure time with activities that are neither relaxing nor healthy for the body.

We could also talk about gambling's negative impact on philanthropy and charity for the poor.

And there's gambling's destructive consequences for marriage and the family; its detrimental effect on society, the crime rate, and the spiritual climate wherever gambling flourishes. Gambling has been shown to contribute to turmoil and physical abuse in the home, crime and violence in society, and all kinds of personal and psychological disorders in the person who is addicted to gambling.

The effects of gambling are virtually all bad. And no wonder. It is contrary to everything Scripture teaches about wise stewardship.

Phil Johnson
Executive Director

Is Gambling Right - Part II

2011-06-14T06:00:00.000-05:00

The following is from "Grace to You" and the ministry of Dr. John MacArthur.

Gambling: Some Definitions and Distinctions
Wednesday, May 25, 2011

To gamble is to wager on a contest or to play at a game of chance for stakes. When you gamble, you are risking money (or something else of value) on the outcome of something that involves an element of chance, uncertainty, or hazard—for the possibility of winning something someone else has put at stake.

A stake is a prize one person stands to gain through the loss of others.

Simple contest prizes, such as free sweepstakes and door prizes, do not involve gambling if no fee is charged for entry into the contest. Sweepstakes contests sponsored for advertising purposes are paid for by the sponsor. The winner's prize is not financed by the loss of other contestants. Therefore it is not gambling. Nothing is put at stake by the contestants in such events.

Likewise, investing in the stock market is not "gambling," regardless of how much risk is involved. If a stock gains value, all investors earn money. The gains of one investor are not financed by the losses of others. In other words, there are no losers when a stock gains value. When the stock value increases, the economic "pie" grows.

By contrast the size of the economic pie in a gambling contest is fixed. The prize is a pool of money contributed by the players. A casino may take a percentage of that pie off the top, but otherwise, the size of the pie is fixed by the aggregate total of the players' contributions.

Similarly, a farmer who plants seed hoping to yield a crop takes a calculated risk. (If weather or disease destroys the crop, he could lose all he has invested in the crop.) That risk is not, technically, a "gamble," because if the investment pays off, no one loses. Real wealth has been created, unlike in gambling, where no wealth is ever actually created.

In gambling, existing wealth merely changes hands. In other words, one person's gain always comes at the price of hurt caused to others. That is the reason an immoral principle underlies all gambling. (We'll probe this point more carefully before the end of this series.)

One more misconception is worth trying to clear up: You'll often hear someone compare the insurance business to gambling. But although buying and selling insurance involves risk, it is not the moral equivalent of gambling. Assuming risk per se is not gambling. As we know, life is full of risk, and if the act of taking a risk were inherently the same as gambling, you could say that we all gamble every day.

In fact, that is precisely what some who advocate gambling do say. They point out that you take a risk every time you get in an airplane or ride in a car—or walk across the street. You would also face some risk even if all you did was stay in bed trying to avoid risk. Therefore, they say, life itself is a gamble.

But all of that is based on a faulty understanding of what gambling is. Look again at our definitions: To gamble is to play a game of chance for stakes. And a stake is a prize that is obtained at another gambler's expense. Remember: in gambling, whatever one person wins is lost by another.

Furthermore, in gambling, the risk is artificial. It is risk that is created by a game of chance. And the sole purpose for assuming this risk is to try to gain something at someone else's expense.

Now, notice this: all gambling involves four elements: One, something valuable is put at risk.Two, something belonging to someone else is at stake as a prize. Three, an element of chance is involved in determining the outcome. And four, no new wealth is created in the process.

And those four characteristics of gambling are the very reasons gambling is wrong. Each of the essential characteristics of gambling, when combined with the other three, violates one or more biblical principles. In the next post in this series, we'll begin to see why.

Phil Johnson
Executive Director

Is Gambling Right - Part I

2011-06-13T06:00:00.001-05:00

The following is from "Grace to You" and the ministry of Dr. John MacArthur.

Is Gambling OK? Don’t Bet on It
Sunday, May 22, 2011

Is it a sin to gamble? There's not an easy or instantly-obvious prooftext answer to that question. If you are looking for a "Thus saith the Lord: Thou shalt not gamble," you won't find it anywhere. Nothing expressly forbids gambling anywhere in Scripture.

Does that automatically put gambling into the realm of adiaphora, or indifferent matters? I don't think so. I would argue that gambling is a sin, full stop.

A Sin? Are you Serious? Why Would Anyone Believe that in this Enlightened Age?

Here are three reasons that instantly come to mind:

The absence of a single commandment or proof-text against gambling ultimately proves nothing. There are lots of things that are not explicitly mentioned in the Bible that we would probably agree are clearly sinful.

There isn't anything in Scripture that forbids arson, for example. But we know arson is wrong because it violates other biblical principles. It's a violation of the commandment in Leviticus 19:18: "Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself."

As a matter of fact, even thinking about burning down your neighbor's property violates Zechariah 8:17: "Let none of you imagine evil in your hearts against his neighbour . . . [for] these are things that I hate, saith the Lord." So I don't think anyone would seriously argue that arson is OK, just because it isn't named in the Bible as a sin. Ditto with recreational drug use, graffiti-vandalism, and a host of other societal evils.
Gambling is inconsistent with biblical virtue. It is fueled by—and it fuels—covetousness, greed, and materialism. It is associated with crime, vice and corruption, so that wherever gambling exists, crime rates rise. And it is contrary to the biblical work ethic, because it is an attempt to gain wealth without working for it.
Our possessions are not our own to squander. They are given to us as a stewardship, and we will be accountable to God for how we use them. To put God-given resources at risk is to fail in the faithfulness required of stewards.

I once gave that answer to a college student who asked me about gambling in a public Q&A session in GraceLife. He stayed at the microphone while I gave my answer, and I could see he was not satisfied with it. When I finished, he asked if he could respond.

"By all means," I told him. "If that doesn't answer your question, ask a follow-up, and I'll expand on my answer.

Can't You Make a Better Case Than That?

"Well," he said, "I still don't think you have shown that gambling is a sin. Let me reply to your arguments one by one.

"First," he said, "take the example of arson. It is wrong to burn down your neighbor's field or his house only when there is no mutual consent. But suppose he wanted your help burning his field because he wanted to clear the land. Then it would not be a sin for you to set fire to his property.

"As a matter of fact," he continued, "My neighbors had an abandoned building they were going to demolish for a new commercial development. So they allowed some fire department trainees to set fire to the building and practice putting it out. It wasn't a sin for the rookie fireman to set fire to that house, because the owner had given his consent.

"And gambling is always by mutual consent," he said. So it cannot be wrong done against your neighbor, because you have his concurrence before the game of chance begins."

He wasn't finished.

"Second," he said, "gambling isn't necessarily motivated only by covetousness and greed. I like to gamble for recreation and sheer entertainment."

Looking at me, he asked, "What is your favorite form of entertainment?"

"I like to take my sons to a baseball game," I said.

"Fine," he answered. "If you take your family to a baseball game, by the time you bought tickets, paid for parking, and got some food or drinks, you would probably have spent $100 to $150. All that money to watch an athletic contest! You get nothing tangible for your money except maybe a Coke and a large pretzel. The whole game is over in two and a half hours, and you go back home, with nothing to show for the money you spent. It is just entertainment; sheer recreation.

"Now, the form of recreation I prefer is gambling. I can take the same $100 and go to a casino, where I might spend the entire evening playing Blackjack. I get all the Cokes and pretzels I want for free. And if I have a good night, I can play for four or five hours with my $100—twice as long as you spent at your two-and-a-half-hour ball game.

"Furthermore," he said, "I might win, and then I will go home with even more money than I came with. But I don't do it because of greed. I do it because that is what I enjoy, just like you enjoy baseball."

I started to respond, but he held up a finger to signal that he wasn't through yet.

"Now," he said, "Let's talk about the stewardship issue. You went to an athletic event and have nothing permanent to show for the money you spent. I might have more money coming out than I had going into the casino.

"But even if I lose," he said, "I am a disciplined loser, and I always set a specific amount I am willing to lose—never more than about 100 dollars. And if I lose that much, I quit and walk away. That is still less money than you spent on your baseball outing, and it usually buys me several hours of exciting entertainment. Sometimes I even win, so I can even make money through my form of entertainment. Now I ask you, which is better stewardship?"

I took a deep breath and pondered the best way to reply.

But before I could answer, he continued. "There are risks involved in gambling," he said. "But the farmer who spends money to buy seed and plant a field also takes a huge gamble every year. If the weather destroys his crop, he will lose far more than I ever risk. Risk is a normal part of all our lives."

And then he asked me, "Do you have any of your retirement savings in mutual funds?" As a matter of fact, I do, so I acknowledged that fact.

"Well," he said, "you are taking a risk with that money. You yourself are gambling that the market will rise. What if it goes down? You will lose money. So you are gambling that it will go up. Meanwhile, you have put your savings at risk. How in the world can you tell me you think gambling is sinful? You aren't even practicing what you preach. If it is wrong to gamble, it is wrong for you to put your retirement savings in the stock market. And if it is unwise stewardship for me to gamble at cards, then it is also bad stewardship for you to invest money in mutual funds.

"And finally," he said, "My enjoyment of gambling has got nothing to do with my work ethic. In addition to my student class load, I work a full time job during the week and make good money. For me to spend $100 on Friday night at the casino is no more a reflection on my work ethic than for you to spend $150 on Friday evening at a baseball game.

"Gambling is just entertainment for me, and unless you are prepared to argue that all forms of entertainment are sinful, give me better arguments to show that gambling violates the Bible's moral standards, or show me where the Bible says gambling is a sin, I am going to keep visiting the casino."

That's a pretty thorough off-the-cuff reply to my off the-cuff answer to his original question, isn't it? It was obvious that he had spent a great deal of time thinking through these issues. He had heard the standard arguments, and he believed he could answer them all.

Well, OK. Let's Think This Through More Carefully . . .

By then, unfortunately, we were running short on time, and I only had enough time left to give him a quick reply.

I told him first of all that I still believe a sinister principle underlies all gambling, and it is this: for every winner, there are losers. And the winners' gains come at the losers' expense. There is no other way to gain money through gambling. When you win, you are taking that which belongs to another. The winners' profit always comes directly from the losers' pocket. There's something more sinister about that than merely winning an athletic competition, which involves no material loss for the loser.

In other words, gambling is the moral equivalent of stealing. His argument about mutual consent between the players didn't seem to make it OK, because in real life many gambling losses lead to ruin for the loser. Prior consent doesn't eliminate the evil in that.

I also told him I did not completely buy his rationale that gambling might be just a form of pure entertainment—something better by which to pass the time than watching television. While the argument has some appeal at first glance, I pointed out that if there is an immoral principle that underlies all gambling—if gambling per se violates any clear principle of Scripture—then it is wrong on any grounds. To say that you gamble only for entertainment is not really a good defense against the argument that gambling is rooted in greed and covetousness.

For example, what if someone tried to claim it was OK to fornicate because he was doing it only as a form of entertainment? My point was this: if it's wrong to gamble on matters of biblical principle, then it is wrong to gamble in any circumstance, and it is wrong to gamble in anyamount. If there are principles that make gambling a sinful activity, then it is wrong to gamble for "entertainment," and it is wrong whether you are gambling 50 cents or gambling your whole paycheck.

I regretted that we had to end our Q&A session at that point. He went away unsatisfied with my reply, and so did I.

While I still felt all my arguments were biblically sound, I didn't feel I had done enough to highlight the real heart of the matter. And that prompted me to give more thought to the issue of gambling so that I would be better prepared to give an answer if the question ever came up again.

Since then, I have thought through the issues more carefully than ever. I've considered the arguments further. I've taken an even closer look at the biblical data. And I hasten to say that I am even more convinced than ever that gambling is a sinful activity. It is not a valid form of entertainment, and it is not a harmless matter of indifference. It violates a number of biblical principles and therefore ought to be avoided in all its forms.

Hold on; I'm Not Finished Yet

A blog is a great medium for exploring such a questions in careful detail. So in a couple of follow-up posts, I plan to give you a series of biblical arguments showing in further detail exactly why I still believe gambling is a sin.

Stay tuned for more . . .

Phil Johnson
Executive Director

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Sermon Notes from Sunday, June 12, 2011

2011-06-12T13:42:00.001-05:00

The notes of the sermon today can be seen by clicking here. This is part one of a two part sermon "Jesus is the King of the Kingdom."

Watch the Southern Baptist Convention & Pastor's Conference this week

2011-06-12T06:00:00.000-05:00

The Southern Baptist Convention is meeting Tuesday and Wednesday of this week in Phoenix. The Pastor's Conference begins tonight and goes through tomorrow night. You may watch all the convention via the Internet by clicking here and all the Pastor's Conference by clicking here.

Here are links to see the schedule of the two events:

Convention schedule

Pastor's Conference schedule

Sermon Notes from Sunday, June 5, 2011

2011-06-10T06:00:00.000-05:00

The notes of the first sermon can be seen by clicking here.

The notes from this past Sunday "Walking as a Blessed Man" can be seen by clicking here.

Discipleship and the Idols of Familyl and Culture

2011-06-09T09:19:00.000-05:00

Discipleship and the Idols of Family and Culture

by Stephen Um

Much has been written about the cost of discipleship. Even more has been said. And yet, as often as we hear about all that Jesus demands of us as his disciples, we cannot avoid being set off balance when we run into a difficult passage like Luke 14:26-27, 33:

If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. . . . So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple.

Who doesn’t bristle under the sharp language of hate, cross bearing, and renunciation? It seems to cut against everything that makes us who we are. Indeed, it does.

So what is Jesus up to in this passage? Is he really suggesting that we should “hate” our families, and even ourselves, with all that such a stance would entail? On the one hand, we must obviously say “no.” After all, Jesus is the one who perfectly fulfilled the commandment to love your neighbor as yourself, and even calls us to love our enemies. Whatever he means, he is not contradicting himself, and he is not suggesting that we do something that is out of accord with the rest of God’s Word.

But if he is not calling us to hate our families actively, is the cost of discipleship somehow made less than if he were? Again, the answer here is “no.” What Jesus is calling us to is ultimate allegiance. He is essentially saying, “To be my disciple, you must give me preeminence over and (sometimes) against all other relationships.” In other words, our lives should be so submitted to Christ that when we put our allegiance to him side-by-side with other allegiances, the difference is so great that it could be described in the black-and-white terminology of love and hate.

This is a remarkable cost for one to pay, is it not? It seems burdensome, too weighty, almost unbearable. And it is, in fact, all of these things. One wonders if anyone could ever pull it off.

What is remarkable about gospel-centered discipleship is the claim that someone did “pull it off.” Christ, the Son of God, chose to condescend into our world in his Incarnation. Rather than leave us to die as slave-disciples of cruel masters, he left his Father’s side in heaven, renounced all that he had, bore a cross that we deserved, and ultimately gave up his own life for us. In short, in Jesus’ call to radical discipleship, he does not ask us to anything that he has not already done for us. And it is this reality—that our Discipler has given up everything for us—that not only encourages us, but actually empowers us to respond to his call to costly discipleship. Only this kind of God could be worthy of our ultimate allegiance.

The Cost of Discipleship in Cultural Perspective(s)

This call to ultimate allegiance challenges and cuts against the idols of every culture. We might certainly explore this on the micro-levels of nation, ethnicity, neighborhoods, and more. But in this context I’m particularly interested in the macro-level differences between a more traditional Eastern culture and a progressive Western culture. The costly call of Luke 14 challenges both the Eastern and the Western cultural mindset, and is seen clearly in episodes in which Jesus calls his disciples to follow him.

In Matthew 4:21-22 we find James and John in a boat mending their fishing nets, and their father was with them in the boat. It is at this point that Jesus “called them,” and upon hearing this call, the brothers “immediately left the boat and their father and followed him.”

Now, what’s intriguing here is the different ways in which this text could be read. On the one hand, a typical Westerner might look at this passage and see little challenge in a call that results in the leaving behind of one’s father. This is because, in Western cultures, greater allegiance tends to be given to the individual and his vocation, regardless of how it might affect one’s family, community, and others. In stark contrast, a more conservative Eastern culture often places more emphasis on family, community, and corporate solidarity.

Thus, this call, which is a shining example of the kind of commitment that Christ called for in Luke 14, is particularly challenging to more traditional cultures. While society itself, our local communities, and even our families may be demanding that we give our primary devotion to them, the call to discipleship always includes a drastic re-ordering of that which is most precious to us, and may sometimes include a departure from those things that refuse to come under the rule of our new Master.

Equally Challenging for the Progressive West

Interestingly, however, Matthew 4:18-20 gives us a picture that equally challenges the overly individualized Western reader. It is there that we find Peter and Andrew in the middle of their day’s work—fishing. When Jesus sees them, he says, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Notice that the call here is in specific relationship to their vocation. Jesus wants to redefine their entire lives, and he does so by calling them to shift their line of work. Upon hearing the call they immediately leave their nets and follow him.

Such a call might not be all that hard for those in a more traditional culture to hear. After all, they may be accustomed to sacrificing personal ambition and dreams on the altar of community and family. But for the more progressive Western reader, it is almost unfathomable that devotion to Christ might mean that ambition and career-building would need to take a back seat to Jesus.

Let me be clear: I’m not saying that Christ is calling Easterners to leave their families, and Westerners to leave their careers. Rather, I am saying that the call to discipleship is a fundamental redirection of our human existence, a reorientation, an all-embracing turning about of our lives in order that our affections might be placed primarily upon Christ. And, this being the case, the call to discipleship will cut through and across every culture. So, for the progressive, part of the call will be to make sure that Christ is more important than one’s work. We must find our identity in being a disciple of Christ, rather than as disciples of our career development. As for the traditionalist, the challenge may be in making certain that Christ takes precedence in one’s life over and above family, community, and society. We must make sure that Christ is the supreme treasure in our lives.

Whatever the case may be, as disciples of Christ we are challenged to give him our ultimate allegiance, no matter our cultural background or social location. This being the case, our comfort and our energies must be derived from the fact that Christ not only transcends human culture, but he also entered into it. And, having entered into culture, he not only challenges the reigning paradigms, but also promises to redeem all that is broken about them.

Sermon Notes from Sunday, May 29, 2011

2011-06-01T05:00:00.000-05:00

This past Sunday I began a new series of messages on the Kingdom of God as seen in Matthew 13. The theme of the Kingdom has been a study for a long time, but I am wanting to see it through the lens of Matthew 13.

The notes of the first sermon can be seen by clicking here.

One additional word since the sermon on Sunday. I was reading in the Psalms and saw 81:11-13 and these words so fit into as an appendix.

"But my people would not heed My Voice, And Israel would have none of Me.

So I gave them over to their own stubborn heart,

To walk in their own counsels.

Oh, that My people would listen to Me,

That Israel would walk in My ways!"

Ordination for Tyler Smith

2011-05-31T08:26:00.004-05:00

This past Sunday, May 29, I had the privilege of being apart of the Ordination Service for Tyler Smith at First Baptist Church, Anderson, AL. In the picture (l-r) is Pastor J.D. Harrison, First Baptist Church, Anderson; Tyler and myself.

I had the privilege of giving the charge to the candidate. Here are some bullets of the sermon:

* Used Matthew 12:15-21 believing Jesus is the model pastor.

* Jesus was divinely chosen; so is each person to salvation and each pastor for service. John 15:16. The call will be the only thing that will keep pastors in the ministry.
* Jesus had divine consent of the Father's good pleasure; so should each pastor treasure above all else the pleasure of the Father. A pastor can't please everybody, so he should seek to please only one - the Father.
* Jesus had divine control of the Spirit; each pastor can have the fullness of the Spirit in order to walk and be controlled by the Spirit. A Spirit-filled life will lead you to a right relationship personally with God, with your family and to fulfill your most important ministry to the church - to "Preach the Word." (II Timothy 4:2). As Dr. Stephen Olford use to say, "God had only one son and He made Him a preacher." Luke 4:18
* Jesus had divine compassion for the weak and hurting; each pastor should be compassionate toward the weak, the sick, the sinful. II Timothy 2:24
* Jesus had the promise of divine conquest; each pastor is promised a crown of glory. I Peter 5:4. The pastor's ministry can only be judged for success after this life is over; all other judgements are premature.

Tyler has been called to serve as Associate Pastor at Ryker's Ridge Baptist Church, Madison, Indiana. Tyler graduated in December, 2010 with his Master of Divinity degree from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and is currently working on his PhD in Systematic Theology. Our prayers are with him and as Bro. J.D. said in his message Sunday night, "we commend him to the Lord." (Acts 14:23)

A Prayer for our Children-Stormie Omartian

2011-05-20T06:00:00.000-05:00

Stormie Omartian is a best-selling author of several books in The Power of a Praying series. Many of you have read her book relating to praying for a husband, wife, or children.

Charisma magazine has published online a recent article "Breaking Down Ungodly Strongholds." You may read it here.

Also, the magazine republished from her book The Power of a Praying Parent on a "Prayer for Your Children." I include it here.

"Lord, You have said in Your Word that a good man leaves an inheritance to his children's children (Prov. 13:22). I pray that the inheritance I leave to my children will be the rewards of a godly life and a clean heart before You. To make sure that happens, I ask that wherever there is a sinful trait in me that I have acquired from my family, deliver me from it now in the name of Jesus. I confess my sins to You. I ask for forgiveness and restoration, knowing Your Word says, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (I John 1:9). I know that cleansing from sin through confession lessens the possibility of passing the habit of sin on to my child.

Jesus said, "I give you the authority...over all the power of the enemy" (Luke 10:19). If there is any work of the enemy in my past that seeks to encroach upon the life of my child, [name of child], I break it now by the power and authority given me in Jesus Christ. I pray specifically about [name something you see in yourself or your family that you don't want passed on to your child]. Whatever is not Your will for our lives, I reject as sin.

Thank you, Jesus, that You came to set us free from the past. We refuse to live bound by it. Thank you, Father, that You have "qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light" (Col. 1:12). I pray that my son [daughter] will not inherit any sin trait from his [her] earthly family, but will "inherit the kingdom prepared for him [her] from the foundation of the world." (Matt. 25:34). Thank you, Jesus, that in You the old has passed away and all things are new."

Growth of Christianity in the world

2011-05-18T06:00:00.000-05:00

Most of us in the United States think Christianity is declining; but the opposite is actually true. The main difference in the US and other parts of the world - persecution. That's right - where there is persecution, the church is growing.

It is reported by some that Christians in China are reaching 25,000 people for Jesus every day. Christians in Muslim nations meet secretly; yet their churches are growing exponentially.

In 1900 only 2.5 percent of the world's population were practicing Christians. Seventy years later that number doubled to 5 percent. In 2010 the number had more than doubled and reached 12 percent in only 40 years. (Source: Charisma magazine, May, 2011, page 16)

1 out of 8 people worldwide are active, practicing Christians. (Source: www.joshuaproject.com)

In 50 years Chinese Christians grew from 1 million to more than 80 million. (Source: www.joshuaproject.com)

The Rapture will occur next Saturday - REALLY?

2011-05-17T06:00:00.002-05:00

Biblical scholar and theological genius Harold Camping has demonstrated with devastating exegetical precision that the Rapture will occur on May 21, 2011, followed by five months of judgment on earth with the end of the world occurring on October 21, 2011. You can read the tract here, but the logic is brilliant beyond disputation. You can read more here.

He has based his calculations of lunar cycles and the Hebrew calendar.

I remember the 1988 debacle when millions of Christians bought the late Edgar Whisenant's book 88 Reasons Why the Rapture Will be in 1988.

Believers have always had an interest in the end times. When you consider that Heaven is our final destination and a Rapture will end all of our suffering without us having to go through death, it is definitely appealing.

Jesus was barely out of the tomb and the disciples were asking about the end times (Acts 1:7). Jesus did not answer their time-sensitive question, instead he turned their attention to the priority of evangelism and witnessing.

Jesus does not want us to waste time setting dates, predicting Armageddon or making mis-guided "believers" millionaires by buying their books. Instead, share our faith so others can know Jesus now and the future.

Like then, like now - it won't happen. Don't sell your house, your assets, postpone marriages and quit your jobs. Silliness like this hurts us as believers as national news organizations (CNN, ABC, etc) have done stories on this. But use this as an opportunity to speak the truth:

* Jesus is coming again.

* We don't know when.

* But be ready for when He does come.

Read Dr. Al Mohler commentary published here yesterday.

Get ready for a long journey

2011-05-15T21:05:00.002-05:00

Last Wednesday night, May 11, I spoke words of encouragement to our church "To never give up." We must not give up no matter how tough it is or what we are experiencing. We should expect things to be tough; thus be prepared and ready for a long, hard journey.

Ron Walters in Preaching magazine (January, February 2011) shared these examples of how long journeys appear to be a part of life's DNA; God's creation points to it:

* The grey whale navigates 10,000 miles up and down the west coast each year at a speed comparable to a child on a bicycle...because it has to.

* Every year, the Arctic tern is required to relocate 22,000 miles away, roughly the circumference of the earth.

* Desert locusts have been known to cross oceans for a preprogrammed raid.

* The ever-so-slow leatherback turtle must travel 3,000 miles annually for its favorite meal: jellyfish a la carte.

* The monarch butterfly, which can't even fly a straight line and is forever losing momentum to the gentlest breeze, is compelled to migrate 3,000 miles - a trek that takes five generations to complete.

So, no matter the length of the journey, let us "not grow weary in well doing." Don't give up!!!

NOBTS Graduate Recognition Service Sunday, May 22

2011-05-14T08:00:00.000-05:00

Pictured are five of the six men who graduated Friday, May 13 from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary with Certificate degrees at the North Alabama Center meeting at First Baptist Church, Athens.

Pictured (right-left) Geoffrey McClain, Herb Stratham, Steve Slaton, Mike Poff, Mike Johnson and yours truly. The one not pictured is Ed Carpenter.

These men will be honored at a Graduate Service on Sunday, May 22 at 4:00 p.m. at First Baptist Church, Athens with a reception to follow. All family, friends, fell0w-church members, current teachers, professors and interested students are invited to attend.

Congratulations. I am proud of these men for their two year commitment to finish this degree. For more information about our classes, click here.

Sermon Notes from Sunday, May 8, 2011

2011-05-10T09:30:00.002-05:00

Here are the sermon notes from this past Sunday "Our Personal Holiness." Also, I mentioned that I would post some resources that would be helpful in pursuing personal holiness:

Personal Holiness in Times of Temptation by Bruce H. Wilkinson
The Pursuit of Holiness by Jerry Bridges
The Practice of Holiness by Jerry Bridges
The Common Made Holy by Neil T. Anderson and Robert L. Saucy

Preview of Paul Tripp's Parenting Seminar

2011-05-08T14:07:00.003-05:00

Our church family is scheduled this summer on Wednesday nights to watch the DVD series of Paul Tripp "Getting to the Heart of Parenting." This DVD consists of ten 25-minute teaching sessions by Paul Trip recorded at a parenting conference.

If you would like a preview of this resource, then Desiring God Ministries Live will host Paul Tripp on Tuesday, May 10, 6:00 PM (Central) to discuss the content of a new DVD resource, "Getting to the Heart of Parenting."

Tripp explains that parenting is all about the exposure and change of the child's heart. Join us Tuesday for a practical discussion on what this way of parenting looks like whether your children are toddlers or teens.

Tuesday, May 10, 7:00 PM (EDT): Paul Tripp on parenting at www.desiringgod.org/live.