Category: Church Life

Acts Articles – Prayer 01

On By BrianIn Book of Acts, Church Life, Habit of Prayer

After seeing Jesus ascend into heaven, the disciples return to Jerusalem to wait for the coming of the Spirit (Acts 1:12-14).  They wait with the women who had supported Jesus and visited his tomb.  They wait with Mary, the mother of Jesus.  And they wait with Jesus’ brothers who did not believe during Jesus’ life, but have come to believe since the resurrection.  In all there are around 120 people waiting. 

Jesus ascended 40 days after the resurrection.  We know the Spirit will come on Pentecost – 50 days after the resurrection.  So what do these 120 followers of Christ do while they wait for 10 days?  They have an extended prayer meeting!

All these with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer. – Acts 1:14a

Notice their example:

  • They prayed with one accord.  They were united in prayer.  They were of one mind, joined together in crying out to God.
  • They were devoted to prayer.  They continued in it.  They were persistent, persevering, constant, busy in prayer.

And what were they praying for?  The context suggests they were praying for the coming of the Holy Spirit.  Jesus had promised that the Spirit would come.  And indeed they are waiting in Jerusalem for the Spirit to come.  Certainly the Spirit was on their minds. 

All of this suggests two applications for us today:

  • As they were devoted to praying together in one accord, so we should be devoted to praying together in one accord.  Each church should unite together in devoted prayer.  Our prayer services should be highly attended, and whenever we gather we should be quick to pray together.
  • As they prayed for the Spirit to come to empower them to be Jesus’ witnesses, so we should pray for the Spirit (who has already come) to empower us to be Jesus’ witnesses.  How might our churches (and communities) change if this became our united prayer?

Healthy Small Town Church

On By BrianIn Church Life

At the RHMA Small Town Pastors’ Conference, Ron Klassen suggested the following six key health indicators from Colossians for a healthy small town church:

1. Respected People’s Commendation (1:1-6) – Do other Christians look at our church with high regard?

2. Twin F’s: Faithfulness and Fruitfulness (1:2, 6) – Are we faithfully doing the right things so that we are fruitful; that is, so lives are being changed?

3. Healthy Relationships (1:4, 8) – Do the people love one another in the Spirit?

4. Faithful Leaders (1:7) – Are the leaders faithful in their service?  Marks of a faithful leader include: making the teaching of the Word a priority (1:6-7), being a servant (1:7, 4:12), being a prayer warrior (4:12), being a hard worker (4:13), and being committed to doctrinal purity (4:12).

5. Commitment to Discipleship (2:6-7) – Is the church committed to going, baptizing, and teaching?

6. Commitment to Progress (1:28) – Is there a desire for the church and its people to mature?

How well does your church meet these key health indicators?  In which indicator does your church particularly need to grow?  Of course no church is perfect, but is your church moving in the right direction?  Regardless, what steps might you take to help it move in the right direction?

 

Pray For Your Pastor

On By BrianIn Church Life, Habit of Prayer

You ought to pray for those whom the Holy Spirit has made overseers over you.  This is what Saint Paul begs again and again of the churches to whom he writes…surely, if the great Saint Paul, that chosen vessel, that favorite of heaven, needed the most importunate prayers of his Christian converts, much more do the ordinary ministers of the gospel stand in need of the intercession of their respective flocks.

– George Whitefield
(Taken from George Whitefield Daily Readings edited by Randall J. Pederson)

Loving Christ’s Church

On By BrianIn Church Life, Revival

How lovely is your dwelling place, O LORD of hosts!
My soul longs, yes, faints for the courts of the LORD;
my heart and flesh sing for joy to the living God.
Even the sparrow finds a home,
and the swallow a nest for herself,
where she may lay her young,
at your altars, O LORD of hosts,
my King and my God.
Blessed are those who dwell in your house,
ever singing your praise!
– Psalm 84:1-4

May we too desire to gather with God’s people as his temple
to praise the living God, to rejoice in his name. 
May we

long

faint

hunger

thirst

to come together into his presence!

 And they devoted themselves to
the apostles’ teaching
and the fellowship,
to the breaking of bread
and the prayers.
– Acts 2:42

This was not an after-thought
an “if we have time”
an “if there is nothing else going on”
a Sunday morning only affair.
No, they

devoted

committed

prioritized

these four things.
It was central to their lives.
It was an important part of their new lives in Christ.

  Restore us, O LORD God of hosts!
  Let your face shine, that we may be saved!
– Psalm 80:19

  Restore us again, O God of our salvation,
  and put away your indignation toward us!
 Will you be angry with us forever?
  Will you prolong your anger to all generations?
 Will you not revive us again,
  that your people may rejoice in you?
 Show us your steadfast love, O LORD,
  and grant us your salvation.
– Psalm 85:4-7

May we join the psalmists in their cry
for restoration and revival.
May we pray for his love and grace
to be poured out upon us
that we might be saved from our lukewarmness
and find all our joy in Him.

Father, revive your people.
Let us rejoice in you.
Let us delight in gathering together in your presence.
Let us devote ourselves to your church.
  Restore us, O LORD God of hosts!
  Let your face shine, that we may be saved!
Amen.

Loving One Another

On By BrianIn All About Love, Church Life

Beloved, if God so loved us,
we also ought to love one another.
– I John 4:11

The more we grasp God’s love for us,
the more we will love God;
and the more we love God,
the more we will love his people.

As Jesus formed this new people for himself,
he gave them a new command:

 A new commandment I give to you,
that you love one another:
just as I have loved you,
you also are to love one another.
By this all people will know that you are my disciples,
if you have love for one another.
– John 13:34-35

We are to love as Christ loved us.
That is an incredible love!
And when we love that way,
people will see a difference in us.
They will be attracted to Jesus.
Oh, that God’s church would be known for its love!

What might this love look like? 
Romans 12:10, Galatians 6:10, and Ephesians 6:18
give us some pointers:

Brotherly affection.

Genuine respect.

Doing good to each other.

Praying for one another.

How would our relationships with one another change
if we consistently lived these out in our churches?

Coming To Worship

On By BrianIn Church Life, Habit Miscellaneous1 Comment

At the Pastor’s Conference I attended last week, Jim Grier discussed worship from Hebrews 12:18-29.  A few highlights to ponder as you prepare to gather with God’s people this Sunday to worship God:

As we gather for worship, we come into the very presence of our God.

It doesn’t matter if the worship is acceptable to us, but if it is acceptable to God.

Acceptable worship is worship with careful reverence, awe-filled fear, and incredible joy.

I wonder how different our Worship Services would be if we could just grasp and live out these three principles.

Perseverance Lessons

On By BrianIn Biography/History, Church Life

Last week I attended a pastor’s conference entitled “Don’t Lose Heart” at West Cannon Baptist Church in Grand Rapids, MI.  What an encouraging two days.  One of the speakers, Joel Beeke, shared several keys to perseverance from the lives of John Calvin and John Bunyan.  Here are some of the “keys” I found particularly helpful:

Love your people.

Remember that God has ways to bless us
even when the doors we would have chosen are closed.

Learn from one another.

God can use a God-fearing wife to help us persevere.

Don’t ignore the reality that we have physical limitations.

Have a pilgrim’s mindset.

Remember your hope of glory.

Saved to Give Thanks To God

On By BrianIn Church Life, God & His Glory

…so that as grace extends to more and more people it may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God.
– II Corinthians 4:15b

Why does God save us?  This verse tells us at least one reason.  He saves us so that we might give thanks to God.  He saves us for his glory.  As more people are saved, more thanksgiving is offered up to God – and he is glorified.  Here is a radical God-centered view of salvation.

A few questions follow:

Are we giving thanks to God?  Are we reminding ourselves and each other of our great salvation so that, continually amazed by his love, we can’t stop praising God?

Are we sharing the good news so more people can be saved and give thanks to God?

And tying those questions together, are we preaching the gospel in our churches?  The gospel needs to be preached because lost people need to be saved, and because saved people need to be continually reminded of what God has done for them so that they will give thanks to God.

If you are his child, his grace has extended to you.  You don’t deserve it.  You are not worth it.  But he loves you.  He chose you.  He died for you.  He forgave you.  He changed you.  He saved you.  So let us join the the Psalmist and:

Enter his gates with thanksgiving,
and his courts with praise!
Give thanks to him; bless his name!
For the Lord is good;
his steadfast love endures forever,
and his faithfulness to all generations.
– Psalm 100:4-5

How To Prepare for Worship

On By BrianIn Church Life

Sunday is coming.  The day when you gather together with other believers to worship God.  Have you ever considered the importance of preparing?  What would it look like to prepare for worship?  A couple of suggestions:

First, get a good night’s sleep.  If you stay up until all hours of the night, it is no wonder you are groggy during the service and struggling to stay awake during the sermon.  God deserves our best.  Get enough sleep so you will be alert and able to give your all.

Second, deal with your sins.  Examine your life.  Are there sins you need to confess to the Lord?  Sin hurts our fellowship with God; deal with them so you can worship God without hindrance.

Third, preview the passage you will be studying together.  If your pastor is working through a book of the Bible, this should be relatively easy.  If not, ask your pastor if he can put the next Sunday’s passage in the bulletin. Reading and pondering the passage ahead of time will prepare you to hear the message.  (It is also a great help for your children, but that is another post.)

Fourth, pray.  Pray that God would speak to you.  Ask God to help you praise him as you should.  Ask him to help you encourage others.  Pray for the pastor, teachers, ushers, musicians, nursery workers, etc.  If possible, meet with some others before the service to pray together for God to work among you.

Fifth, come with expectation.  Come eager to hear the Word.  Come excited to sing praises to God.  Come cheerfully to give your gifts to the Lord.  Come ready to build up others and serve.  Come with expectation of what God might do in you and through you.

Remember that these are suggestions, not laws.  I don’t do all of them every week.  Sometimes some of them just aren’t possible.  But they can help us come ready to worship.  Imagine if we all came ready to worship God together!   Let it begin with you.

How will you prepare for worship this weekend?