Author: Brian

Follower of Jesus, Husband, Dad, Grandpa, and Pastor

Are You Devoted?

On By BrianIn Church Life1 Comment

So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls.  And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. – Act 2:41-42

Yesterday at church we looked at the example of the early church, which I believe is a good example for us today.  At the beginning of this new year, consider your commitment to the church.  How would you answer the following questions?

Have you received the good news of salvation that Jesus offers?  Jesus died for our sins and rose to give us a new life.  He calls us to repent (turn) from our sins and trust in Jesus as our Savior.  Have you received this good news?

Have you been baptized?  Notice it followed directly after salvation.  Indeed it is an outward expression of our faith in Jesus.  In baptism we identify ourselves with him and what he has done for us.  Have you been baptized?

Have you committed yourself to a local church?  Again it followed directly after baptism: they were baptized and then added to the church.  Not only added, but as v42 reminds us, they were committed.  Many seem to want to follow Jesus apart from the local church, but the Scriptures indicate that we are to commit to a local church.  Have you?

Are you devoted to the apostles’ teaching?  Note the context is the church.  Are you committed to gathering with the church each week to hear the Word of God taught?  Or do you only come occasionally?  Do you come with an attitude of anticipation?  Are you devoted?

Are you devoted to the fellowship?  Fellowship speaks of a relationship.  Are you committed to cultivating your relationship with your brothers and sisters in Christ?  Do you gather regularly with each other?  Are you caring for each other?  Are you bearing with each other, and forgiving when needed?  Are you devoted?

Are you devoted to the breaking of bread?  This most likely refers to the Lord’s Supper.  Do you gather with your church to celebrate together Christ’s sacrificial death for you?  Are you seeking to keep the remembrance of Christ central in your life?  Are you devoted?

Are you devoted to the prayers?  Again, the context is the church.  Are you committed to gathering regularly to pray together with fellow believers?  Is this a priority in you life?  A regular event?  Are you devoted?

Go through those questions again.  Do you need to grow in your devotion this year?  In what ways?  What changes will you start to make this week?

Passion Points

On By BrianIn PASSION Points

Happy New Year!  As we begin a new year, I have decided that Web Weekly is a serious misnomer since it is anything but weekly.  So we are renaming this periodic collection of worthwhile posts.  Passion Points keeps that great alliteration, and describes well what I want to do – share points from others related to the Three Passions theme.  So enough with introductions, here are some important posts to check out:

We’ll start with some good summaries of the gospel from Scotty Smith posted by Tullian Tchividjian.  Then a reminder from Sinclair Ferguson (via Tchividjian again) that the gospel should drive our sanctification.  But what does sanctification look like?  Kevin DeYoung shares these ten visible signs of sanctification from J. C. Ryle.  DeYoung further discusses why we do not seek holiness, and 20 motivations for holiness from 2 Peter.  May the gosepl drive us forward in holiness this year, or to put it another way: may the saving effects of Christ’s passion lead us to grow in our passion for God and compassion for people.  Amen.

Learning To Trust Again

On By BrianIn PASSION Quotes1 Comment

When you stop trying to control your life and instead allow your anxieties and problems to bring you to God in prayer, you shift from worrying to watching.  You watch God weave his patterns in the story of your life.  Instead of trying to be out front, designing your life, you realize you are inside God’s drama.  As you wait, you begin to see him work, and your life begins to sparkle with wonder.  You are learning to trust again.

– Paul E. Miller in A Praying Life

Top Books From 2010

On By BrianIn Book Look

I am a reader.  I recognize not everyone is, but I am.  And I find that reading good Christian books is a great help to me as I seek to grow in my walk with Christ.  There are other ways to grow, but reading certainly can be a powerful method.  Each year I try to read some books that will challenge me and spur me on.  So here are five books I read in 2010 that challenged me, and that I would recommend for your consideration as you seek to grow in the Lord.


You Can Change – Tim Chester. 
Chester gives a great overview of the Biblical principles related to growing in holiness, and then suggests practical ways to apply the principles to help you turn away from sin and toward the Lord. 


Transforming Grace– Jerry Bridges
Bridges takes you on a Biblical tour of God’s amazing grace that touches every part of our lives.  This was my third time through it – well worth it!


The Praying Life– Paul Miller
Miller shares not only Biblical principles but his personal struggles and growth with prayer.  It will challenge you to approach prayer in a whole new way.


Counterfeit Gods– Timothy Keller
Idolatry wasn’t just something from long ago – it is alive and well today.  Keller helpfully explores the gods of love, money, success, and power, as well as helps us identify our own hidden gods.


This Momentary Marriage– John Piper
Piper helps us think Biblically about marriage, and how that should affect our own marriages.  Also includes chapters on singleness and parenting.

Resolution Principles

On By BrianIn Holidays

After evaluating the past year and considering how you would like to grow in the new year, it is time to write down your resolutions for the coming year.  The biggest problem with new years resolutions is that they often are never accomplished.  While I do this every year, my record is rather spotty on follow-through.  So let me share ten principles I am learning along the way when it comes to new years resolutions:

  1. Be specific.  “Growing in your walk with God” is a great desire, but how will you do it?  You need to write out exactly how you want to grow in the coming year.
  2. Be realistic.  If you have never had a quiet time with God, resolving to start spending two hours each day is probably not realistic.  Take small steps.
  3. Keep it short.  The longer your list, the harder it will be to carry through.  The shorter your list, the more you can focus on making each one happen.
  4. Be Biblical.  Make sure your requests agree with the Scriptures.  How has he challenged you to grow recently as you have been in his Word?
  5. Be prayerful.  Ask God how he wants you to grow.  Ask him to guide you as you evaluate and ponder.
  6. Be committed.  I just read in I Timothy 4 that we should train ourselves for godliness.  We make resolutions to guide this training.  But we must commit to carry through.  Training will require some real effort on our part.  Commit to work hard to do what you resolve to do.
  7. Be grace-dependent and grace-empowered.  While we must train ourselves, God is the one who changes people.  You need his help.  Seek his help regularly in prayer.  At the same time recognize that he will help you.  His grace will empower you.  We need not walk defeated.
  8. Be grace-filled.  Change is a struggle.  You will fail.  Remember the cross covers all your sins.
  9. Review regularly.  If you write your resolutions down and never come back to them, you have wasted your time.  You must regularly review them and recommit to fulfill them.
  10. Be flexible.  As you review your resolutions, be flexible enough to change strategies along the way that aren’t working.  If your life situation changes during the year, be ready to adjust your resolutions.  Perhaps God challenges you to add one or postpone one during the year.  Life changes – be ready to make changes to your resolutions as you go.

May God help us to grow and change for his glory this year!

Jonathan Edwards’ Resolutions

On By BrianIn Biography/History, Holidays

In the last two posts I have given some suggestions of questions to ask to evaluate our lives and ponder changes we might want to pursue for the coming year.  Another way to profitably evaluate ourselves and consider the coming year is to look at other people’s resolutions.  Perhaps some of their resolutions might suggest ways we want to live in the coming year.

Jonathan Edwards recorded 70 resolutions not simply to guide one year but to guide his life.  Below are a sampling.  All 70 can be found here.

1. Resolved, that I will do whatsoever I think to be most to God’s glory, and my own good, profit and pleasure, in the whole of my duration, without any consideration of the time, whether now, or never so many myriads of ages hence. Resolved to do whatever I think to be my duty, and most for the good and advantage of mankind in general. Resolved to do this, whatever difficulties I meet with, how many and how great soever.

2. Resolved, to be continually endeavoring to find out some new invention and contrivance to promote the forementioned things.

3. Resolved, if ever I shall fall and grow dull, so as to neglect to keep any part of these Resolutions, to repent of all I can remember, when I come to myself again.

4. Resolved, never to do any manner of thing, whether in soul or body, less or more, but what tends to the glory of God; nor be, nor suffer it, if I can avoid it.

5. Resolved, never to lose one moment of time; but improve it the most profitable way I possibly can.

6. Resolved, to live with all my might, while I do live.

7. Resolved, never to do anything, which I should be afraid to do, if it were the last hour of my life.

8. Resolved, to act, in all respects, both speaking and doing, as if nobody had been so vile as I, and as if I had committed the same sins, or had the same infirmities or failings as others; and that I will let the knowledge of their failings promote nothing but shame in myself, and prove only an occasion of my confessing my own sins and misery to God.

9. Resolved, to think much on all occasions of my own dying, and of the common circumstances which attend death….

24. Resolved, whenever I do any conspicuously evil action, to trace it back, till I come to the original cause; and then both carefully endeavor to do so no more, and to fight and pray with all my might against the original of it.

25. Resolved, to examine carefully, and constantly, what that one thing in me is, which causes me in the least to doubt of the love of God; and to direct all my forces against it….

28. Resolved, to study the Scriptures so steadily, constantly and frequently, as that I may find, and plainly perceive myself to grow in the knowledge of the same….

More Questions For The New Year

On By BrianIn Holidays

In addition to the ten questions I suggested in my last post, I would encourage you to check out Donald Whitney’s questions to ask for the New Year.  Whitney asks some great questions to help you evaluate your life and ponder the coming year.  The first ten in particular are really helpful.  I have used these questions for the last few years, and also print them out as a bulletin insert for our church each year.

Questions For the New Year

On By BrianIn Holidays

Each year, I take this time to evaluate my life and consider changes/growth I would like to see.  Here are 10 questions related to the Three Passions idea that I am asking that you might find useful as well:

  1. How can I grow in my awareness and understanding of God’s love, mercy, and grace this year?
  2. How can I grow in my relationship with God this year?
  3. How can I grow in my relationship with my family this year?
  4. How can I grow in my relationship with my church family this year?
  5. How can I grow in my relationship with ___________ this year?
  6. In what ways do I need to treat God better this year?
  7. In what ways do I need to treat my spouse better this year?  My parents?  My children?  My siblings?
  8. In what ways do I need to treat my church family better this year?  My pastor?
  9. In what ways do I need to treat my neighbors better this year?  Friends?  Co-workers?  Classmates?
  10. In what ways do I need to treat _____________ better this year?

Book Look: You Can Change

On By BrianIn Book Look

You Can Change – Tim Chester

This was one of the best books I have read this year.  It gives a great overview of the Biblical principles of sanctification, and then helps the reader apply those principles in very practical ways.  It begins by reminding us of the goal of change – to be conformed into the image of Christ.  From there it looks at right motives and method.  The center of the book tackles the issue of idolatry – central to any change we will make.  It concludes with roadblocks that keep us from change, disciplines (including community) to help us change, and a final challenge to press on.  Each chapter ends with reflections, and a section designed to help the reader change in one area chosen by the reader.  So how do you want to change in the coming year?  This book would be a great resource to help and encourage you in the process.

Web Weekly – Christmas Edition

On By BrianIn PASSION Points

Here are some interesting posts as we think about Christmas:

Gospel – Matt B. Redmond reminds us that Christmas is for those who hate it.  Stephen Altrogge reminds us of how the gospel should change our Christmas expectations.  Tullian Tchividjian points out that Christmas is the beginning of our great hope.  Kevin DeYoung shows us why Jesus came.  Chris Brauns points out the problems with the Grinch.

Family – Chris Castaldo gives four practical suggestions for discussing the gospel at family get-togethers.

Carols – I’m not the only one sharing the history and lyrics of old Christmas carols.  Kevin DeYoung looks at Of the Father’s Love Begotten.

History – Kevin DeYoung tells us about the origins of Santa Claus in two parts – Part One and Part Two.

Xmas – R.C. Sproul shows why the X doesn’t take Christ out of Christmas.

Culture – Ross Douthat considers our celebration of Christmas in the context of how we as Christians should interact with our culture.

Humor – A great picture.  The Drummer Boy.  Some must have lawn ornaments.

Hope you all have a merry Christmas celebrating the birth of our Savior!  Next week – posts to help us evaluate our lives as a new year begins.