I find that an exceedingly close walk with God is necessary for the maintaining of fervour in intercession.
– Charles Simeon
Author: Brian
Follower of Jesus, Husband, Dad, Grandpa, and Pastor
Sermon Songs: Isaiah 25
A stronghold in our trials here
A refuge in our need
He’ll swallow death and wipe our tears
With richest food will feed
Behold our God who does great things
Come wait upon the Lord
With joyful, grateful hearts let’s sing
For all his love outpoured
– From a sermon on Isaiah 25
(To the tune of “O For A Thousand Tongues To Sing”)
Ministry Monday
Here are some good posts on ministry:
Tools for Spiritual Cardiology – Josh Vincent (TGC)
Very helpful questions to address doubt.
4 Reasons Why Some Preachers Get Better and Others Don’t – Hershael York (Sermon Central)
Instead of Building Your Platform, Build Your Character – Derwin Gray
Passion Passages
Passion Habits
And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed.
– Mark 1:35 (ESV)
Passion Points
Here are some really good posts for your weekend reading:
15 Beautiful Benefits of the Word of God – Kristen Wetherell (Unlocking the Bible)
If you’re wondering how to come to the Word today, consider these 15 beautiful benefits of Scripture…
Five Specific Prayers for the Unsaved People in Your Life – Todd Benkert
There are people all around you who need Jesus. He wants to use you to reach them. Here are some of the specific ways you too can pray for people the in your life who need Christ…
The Repentant Heart is a Renouncing Heart – Trevin Wax
The repentant heart renounces any attempt to justify its sin; it humbly acknowledges sin’s existence and its sentence. The repentant heart renounces self-sufficiency; it knows its beating is a gracious gift of God…
Disillusionment with the Church – Jason Helopoulos
I would contend that many of our disillusions with the church are based upon a wrong ethic. We misunderstand the true nature of fellowship in the gospel community. And therefore, we wrongly apply the ethic of other communities to the church.
Hope you have a great Lord’s Day!
Communion with God
Communion with God discovers the excellence of his character, and by beholding him the soul is transformed. Holiness is conformity to Christ, and this secured by a growing intimacy with him.
– David McIntyre in The Hidden Life of Prayer
Sermon Songs: Isaiah 13-24
Our God reigns, brings desolation
Because of mankind’s sin
Defiled, devoured, dire destruction
The wicked will not win
Our Lord will reign with righteousness
With power and glory
With justice, love, and faithfulness
For all eternity
He’ll reign over a mighty throng
The redeemed of the earth
We’ll sing for joy a glorious song
Proclaiming His great worth
– From a sermon on Isaiah 13-24
(To the tune “O God Our Help In Ages Past”)
Ministry Monday
Here are some good ministry posts to consider:
Why Pastors Should Go On More Walks – Brandon (ProPreacher)
The Value of a Tired Soul – Dave Dunham (TGC)
How Does A Younger Pastor Seek To Disciple Older Members? – Brian Croft
Passion Passages
The Lord’s Passion For Us
For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die—but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
– Romans 5:6-8 (ESV)
Passion Points
Here are some good posts for your weekend reading:
How to Grow Spiritually – William Boekestein (Ligonier)
Participating in preaching, baptism, the Lord’s Supper, and prayer must regulate the routine of any healthy Christian.
When We Best Learn the Bible – Jen Wilkin (DG)
But sound Bible study is rooted in a celebration of delayed gratification. Gaining Bible literacy requires allowing our study to have a cumulative effect — across weeks, months, years — so that the interrelation of one part of Scripture to another reveals itself slowly and gracefully, like a dust cloth slipping inch by inch from the face of a masterpiece.
What Is Your Mud Pie? – Tim Challies
It is one of C.S. Lewis’ most powerful and most enduring illustrations: An ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. It is a vivid illustration and one that is simple enough to see in the lives of other people—those people who settle for lesser pleasures when the greatest of all pleasures awaits. But I, at least, find it far more difficult to see in my own life. You may find it just as difficult. It is worth asking: What is your mud pie?
Success is Dangerous – Jared Wilson
We all prefer success to failure but, really, success is more dangerous. In failure, we know we rely totally on God’s approval and sustaining arm. In success, it is easy to begin looking around, surveying all the territories claimed, all the peoples gathered, all the ministry renown redounding, and we think, “Well, lookee here. Look what has been built with my talents, my gifts, my skills, my strategies, my visions, my sweat, my sacrifice.”
Hope you have a great Lord’s Day with your local church worshiping our great God!
Brian J. Mikul 