Here is the second video I watched this afternoon also from Mark Dever on the marks of a disciple-making church. You might also check out his related book, Nine Marks of a Healthy Church.
Author: Brian
Follower of Jesus, Husband, Dad, Grandpa, and Pastor
Disciple-Making Pastor
Watched three videos from the Desiring God 2013 Pastor’s Conference this afternoon. All of these are well worth watching if you are a pastor. Here is the first one where Mark Dever gives us four aspects of the ministry of a disciple-making pastor:
Passion Points
Here are some good posts for your weekend reading:
I Bought Some Joy (But Dropped It Down the Stairs) – Tim Challies
My iPhone threatens to be an iDol in my life. It represents so many of the things I value...
How to Have Communion with the Spirit – J.D.Greear
The Christian life is not just about doctrines or spiritual disciplines, but about fellowship with God—koinonia. But how can you experience moments of fellowship with God?
The Abundance of Giving – John MacArthur
God’s Word clearly teaches that our giving is actually a direct pipeline to His blessings.
When My Love Grows Cold – Tim Challies
When my love for the Lord begins to grow cold, I will almost always find that I have not been spending time with him in his Word. When I have not been spending time with him in his Word, I will find that my love has grown cold, or lukewarm, at least.
Hope you have a great Lord’s Day with God’s people loving, communing with, and giving to the true source of all Joy!
Passion News
Here is a collection of articles from the past few months related to the current administration’s attempt to force businesses and non-profits to pay for abortion-inducing contraceptives as part of their insurance package. The last link is a good summary of where we are at.
11/17/12 – Tyndale House Wins Mandate Court Battle – Mickey McClean (World)
11/18/12 – Court Sides with Bible Publisher Challenging Abortion Pill Mandate – Joe Carter (Gospel Coalition)
11/21/12 – Who is Hobby Lobby? – Denny Burk
12/20/12 – Wheaton College Wins Partitial Victory in Religious Liberty Lawsuit – Joe Carter (Gospel Coalition)
12/28/12 – Does Anyone Care What Happens to Hobby Lobby? – Denny Burk
1/7/13 – Courts Issue Contradictory Rulings as Contraceptive Mandate Fines Begin – Melissa Steffan (Christianity Today)
1/8/13 – Why You Should Care About the Hobby Lobby Case – And Be Alarmed – Kevin DeYoung
1/8/13 – Pastor Rick Warren Releases Statement on Hobby Lobby Morning-After Pill Lawsuit – Deseret News
2/1/13 – Obama Administration Tweaks Rules on Contraceptive Coverage – Ted Olsen and Melissa Steffan (Christianity Today)
2/3/13 – The FAQs: Changes to the HHS Contraceptive-Abortifacient Mandate – Joe Carter (Gospel Coalition)
Prayer and Revivals
History is silent about revivals
that did not begin with prayer.
– J. Edwin Orr
What Are We Willing To Risk?
In Acts 4-5, we see the apostles taking risks for the gospel. In Acts 4, when Peter and John had been arrested, the Jewish leaders charged them not to speak any more about Jesus. Upon being further threatened and then released, the apostles convened a prayer meeting to pray for boldness to continue to speak of Jesus. And they continued to proclaim the gospel with boldness and power (4:31, 33). They took risks for the sake of the gospel and multitudes were being saved (5:14).
The chief priests driven by jealousy, arrested the apostles and put them in prison (5:17-18). God sent an angel to bring them out and command them to go into the temple and continue preaching the gospel. And so they did. They continued to take risks for the gospel. After finding the prison empty and the apostles in the temple, the chief priests arrested the apostles again. Standing before the Sanhedrin, the apostles began proclaiming the gospel to the very men who opposed them (5:30-32). They were again taking risks for the gospel. Indeed the Sanhedrin wanted to kill the apostles!
The advice of a Pharisee named Gamaliel saved their lives, but they were beaten for proclaiming the gospel before they were released. And what did they do? They continued to proclaim the gospel (5:42). They continued to risk everything for the sake of the gospel.
Which brings us to the question: What are we willing to risk for the sake of the gospel? Are we willing to risk it all? Risk our lives? Our wealth? Our comfort? Our jobs? Our popularity? Are we willing to risk ridicule and rejection? What are we willing to risk to make use of the opportunities God gives us to share the gospel? What are we willing to risk for the One who gave his life for us?
Eternal Father of My Soul
Eternal Father of my soul,
let my first thought today be of You,
let my first impulse be to worship You,
let my first speech be Your name,
let my first action be to kneel before You in prayer.
For Your perfect wisdom and perfect goodness:
For the love with which You love mankind:
For the love with which You love me:
For the great and mysterious opportunity of my life:
For the indwelling of Your Spirit in my heart:
For the sevenfold gifts of Your Spirit:
I praise and worship You, O Lord.
Yet let me not, when this morning prayer is said,
think my worship ended and spend the day in forgetfulness of You.
Rather from these moments of quietness let light go forth,
and joy, and power, that will remain with me
through all the hours of the day;
Keeping me chaste in thought:
Keeping me temperate and truthful in speech:
Keeping me faithful and diligent in my work:
Keeping me humble in my estimation of myself:
Keeping me honorable and generous in my dealings with others:
Keeping me loyal to every hallowed memory of the past:
Keeping me mindful of my eternal destiny as a child of Yours.
Through Jesus Christ my Lord. Amen.
– John Baillie, 1886-1960
The Lord’s Supper
Our church looked at the significance of the Lord’s Supper yesterday from I Corinthians 11:23-26. As we think about what the Lord’s Supper is all about, at least four things come out of the passage.
- It is a meal of remembrance. We are to eat and drink in remembrance of Jesus. Specifically we remember his suffering and death for us. And we remember his great love that led him to make this sacrifice on our behalf. And so our time around the table is a somber, reverent time of remembrance. We dare not partake in a flippant, careless manner.
- It is a meal of affirmation. “This cup is the new covenant in my blood” (v25). The Lord’s Supper is then a covenant meal. In participating we affirm our place in the new covenant. We affirm our relationship with God thru Jesus. We affirm that our sins are forgiven through Jesus. We affirm our new life in the Spirit. We affirm our faith in Jesus. And so only believers should partake of the Lord’s Supper, for only believers can affirm these things.
- It is a meal of proclamation. In eating and drinking we “proclaim the Lord’s death” (v26). It is a visible tangible proclamation of his death and hence the gospel. We proclaim the gospel to each other as we partake. And we proclaim the gospel to any unbelievers who may be present as they see the central importance of Christ’s death.
- It is a meal of anticipation. We “proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes” (v26). As we remember his death we recognize that he did not remain dead, but rose, ascended, and is one day returning. We look forward to the day when we will partake of a new meal – the wedding feast of the Lamb (Revelation 19). We look forward to the day when we will be with the Lord forever, and there will be no more suffering or pain or death or sin.
Passion Points
Here are some good posts for your weekend reading:
Toward a Theology of Church Unity – Kevin DeYoung
Why Did God Use Spurgeon? – Chris Castaldo
There is one thing on which many Christians today agree–we need genuine revival…
Why Pastors and Elders Need Your Prayers – Kevin DeYoung
Six Ways To Encourage Your Pastor – Charles Stone
Being a pastor is a high calling, yet pastors often face loneliness and discouragement...
Hope you have a great Lord’s Day praising the Lord with your local church!
Prayer Warrior-February
Starting this month, I am creating a prayer insert for my church with suggested requests for our church, prayer quotes, a prayer from the Bible, and a prayer from history. I thought I’d share them here on my blog too. Quotes and prayers will come later, but here are some suggested prayers for you to pray for your church in February. May we grow to be prayer warriors!
Praying for your Church
- Revival in your church, a passion/hunger for God
- Worship – Heart worship, Joyful singing, Cheerful giving, Passionate prayer, Powerful preaching, Appropriate response
- Grow in your fear of God – leading to obedience
- Grow in your integrity and honesty
- Prayer – Growing priority and passion for prayer, Prayer Services
- Word – Sunday School, Children ministries, Youth ministries
- Fellowship – Growing care/love/unity, Growing generosity toward one another, Fellowship activities
- Growing passion for evangelism and missions
- Opportunities and boldness to share the gospel
- Grow in your witness > share gospel, pray for gospel to go forth, be filled with the Spirit, lives of generosity and integrity (that attract people to the gospel)
- Growing willingness to take risks for gospel
- People to be saved in your spheres of influence
- Guests to come to your Worship Service and the Spirit to work in their lives
- Missionaries: walk with God, evangelism opportunities, growing maturity
Brian J. Mikul 