We are heard and accepted, not on the account of our own prayers and services,
but in the beloved Son of God, who maketh intercession for us.
– John Newton
When we use the promises of God as the basis of our intercession,
we are calling God to be faithful – to fulfill his character.
– Tim Kerr
Prayer does change things, all kinds of things.
But the most important thing it changes is us.
– R.C. Sproul
History is silent about revivals that did not begin with prayer.
– J. Edwin Orr
In Acts 2:42, we find the early church devoted to coming together for the apostles’ teaching. The apostles of course were teaching about Jesus from our Old Testament and eventually wrote the New Testament about Jesus, so we devote ourselves to the apostles’ teaching when we devote ourselves to God’s Word, and especially to the teaching about Jesus from the Bible.
Like the early church, we should be devoted to coming together to study God’s Word, so we can learn and know more, and ultimately grow. We should gather to listen attentively and respond appropriately. We should have a real commitment and a real hunger. Our attitude should be that we can’t wait to meet together with God’s people to study the Word.
Is that your attitude? Are you devoted? How might you grow in your devotion to gathering together with God’s people to study His Word?
Recently White Horse Inn and The Gospel Coalition ran a series of posts on youth ministry which are well worth your consideration:
Generation Me and Youth Ministry Today: Part One – White Horse Inn
And so it has become increasingly easy for one to go from the nursery to children’s church to youth group and on to college ministry without having actually belonged to the local church. Young people may still drive with their family to the church campus, but from the parking lot they scatter to their own target-marketed groups. For many, the church is more a cafeteria of ministry offerings than a communion of saints.
Generation Me and Youth Ministry Today: Part Two – White Horse Inn
What we believe, why believe it, and why it matters for our lives: these are always the coordinates that we have to keep in mind together especially as people enter emerging adulthood.
A Brief History of Youth Ministry – Dave Wright (via The Gospel Coalition)
To get an idea of where we have come from, let’s turn back the clock more than a half century. Space here only allows the broadest overview….
MTD: Not Just a Problem with Youth Ministry – Brian Cosby (via The Gospel Coalition)
That a youth ministry “teaches the Bible” does not necessarily mean it teaches the gospel. Many mistake the gospel with moralism—being a good person, reading your Bible, or opening the door for the elderly in order to earn God’s favor. But the gospel is altogether different.
Youth Ministry’s Tendency Toward Legalism – Cameron Cole (via The Gospel Coalition)
Based on my experience in youth ministry, if I had to identify the greatest theological problem in the field, it would be the absence of the gospel in teaching on sanctification.
Youth Need the Church, and the Church Needs Youth – Mark Howard (via The Gospel Coalition) My prayer is that as we minister to a generation starving for meaning, we won’t lose sight of the reality that what these youth need is Jesus, and that he is most fully offered within the community of the church, of which they are a vital part.
Why We Need Youth Ministry – Paul Martin (via The Gospel Coalition)
Jesus modeled one of the best practices for the church. His discipleship did not depend on the latest book, the newest game, or the best icebreaker. Instead, his model relied on the spiritual health of the leader, and his willingness to spend time investing himself, his love, and his truth in them.
Two-Dimensional Youth Ministry – Dave Wright (via The Gospel Coalition)
Several years ago, in trying to simplify my teaching on youth ministry, I boiled it down to two dimensions: content and context.
Sunset over Lake Superior – Grand Marais, Michigan
The heavens declare the glory of God,
and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.
– Psalm 19:1
For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature,
have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world,
in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.
– Romans 1:20
Here are some good posts for your weekend reading:
Christ Is All – Charles Spurgeon (via Trevin Wax)
This is our soul’s grandest desire, that Jesus’ name be lifted high,
and His throne be set up among the people, to the praise of the glory of His grace.
The Gospel of the Holy Spirit – Trevin Wax
Too many evangelicals see the good news that we are saved from sin and from God’s wrath and stop there. We forget that we are saved for a relationship with God (to know Him and love Him) and for His mission (His redeeming work to seek and save the lost). And it’s the Holy Spirit that enables that relationship and empowers us for mission.
What Sanctification Is and Is Not – J. C. Ryle (via Tim Challies)
An inward spiritual work which the Lord Jesus Christ works in a man by the Holy Ghost, when He calls him to be a true believer.
The Church and Idolatry – Jared Wilson (via Ligonier Ministries)
On Sundays, our sanctuaries fill with people seeking worship, and not one person comes in set to neutral. We must take great care, then, not to assume that even in our religious environments, where we put the Scriptures under so many noses, that it is Jesus the exalted Christ who is being worshiped.
Hope you have a great Lord’s Day truly worshipping our great God!
Here’s the joy of the God-empowered life: we can cease expending energy trying to be impressive and instead rest in being used. The reality of being used, by definition, points people back to the One who is using us. Such a ministry glorifies God by relying on God and by demonstrating the reality of God. It recognizes the providence of God, the activity of God, the grace and generosity of God, and the wisdom of God. And there is no greater thrill – absolutely none – than being used to glorify God.
– Gary Thomas in Holy Available
Throughout the book of Acts, the apostles preach about Jesus from the Old Testament. Here a helpful list from Ben Falconer of at least many of the ways the Old Testament does indeed point to Jesus:
He is the promised seed of Adam who would crush Satan’s head (Gen. 3:15).
He is the descendent of Abraham through whom every nation on earth would be blessed (Gen. 12:3).
He is the son of Judah, who reigns eternally as king, whose garments are washed in the blood of grapes, and whose hand is on the neck of his enemies (Gen. 49:8-12).
He is the Passover Lamb who was slain to protect God’s people from the Angel of Death (Exod. 12).
He is the greater son of Israel who came out of Egypt, and He is the great redeemer who brings his people out of a bondage and slavery that is far worse than anything the Israelites experienced there (Exod. 12-14).
He is the true bread from heaven that actually nourishes and feeds his people (Exod. 16).
He is the Rock from whom the only life-giving water flows (Exod. 17).
He is the fulfillment of the Law, perfectly obeying not only the 10 Commandments, but all 613 from the day of his birth (Exod. 20).
He is the One through whom we enter into our lasting Sabbath rest, not just for one day out of seven, but for every day from now through all eternity (Exod. 23:10-12).
He is our great High Priest who offers his very body as an atonement for the sins of his people (Exod. 28-29).
In Acts 2:22-42, Peter moves from preaching about the Spirit to preaching about the work of Jesus and calls for a response. He focuses on four aspects of the work of Jesus:
The work of Jesus is not just trivia; we need to pay attention. The work of Jesus points to Jesus as Lord and Messiah (v36), and calls for a response:
May we pay attention to the work of Jesus and respond appropriately!
Here are some helpful quotes related to sin for us to reflect on…and respond to:
That every person should grow up and do evil can be no coincidence.
It calls for an explanation.
— John Gerstner
Most sin is born out of spiritual blindness – shown in a vast ugly forgetfulness of God.
– Gary Thomas
That’s what sin does – it intoxicates us with a distorted view of reality.
– Gary Thomas
Salvation in sin is not possible; it is always salvation from sin.
— C. H. Spurgeon
Sin has been pardoned at such a price that we cannot henceforth trifle with it.
— C.H. Spurgeon
One of the best ways to build a zero toleration for sin is to become repulsed by it.
– Gary Thomas
Sin forsaken is one of the best evidences of sin forgiven.
– J.C. Ryle
In Acts 2:1-21, we see Jesus send the Spirit to the 120 disciples. It is Pentecost, 50 days after Passover, and all the disciples are together.
Suddenly there is the sound of a mighty wind, and what appears to be fire sits above each one. We often see wind and fire when God comes down in the Old Testament, suggesting that we should see this event as a theophany. God has come down among his people.
They are all filled with the Holy Spirit and begin speaking in other tongues. Crowds begin to gather, and the disciples spill out of the house. Jews from all over the Roman Empire are there, and they hear the disciples speaking in their tongues, and they are amazed. Peter gets up and begins to explain what is happening from the book of Joel.
From his explanation, we can glean at least three reasons that the coming of the Spirit is important for us today:
Brian J. Mikul 