Category: PASSION Resources

Passion Points

On By BrianIn Holidays, PASSION Points1 Comment

Here are some good posts for your Easter Weekend reading:

9 Things You Should Know About Holy Week – Joe Carter (via Gospel Coalition)
Holy Week is the week before Easter, a period which includes the religious holidays of Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday. Here’s what you should know about the days that commemorate the Passion of Christ…

Take Time to Stop – Trevin Wax
The best way to celebrate this week is to sense the stopping of time, and to remember the moments at the heart of our faith. To simply marvel at the Word of God and what these precious events mean. To listen for the Old Testament echoes, to catch the Old Testament overtones and familiar melodies that resound through the Gospel writers’ symphony of the cross. To look at Jesus – the One crucified in our place, who loved us and died for us.

Christ Forsaken – Joel Beeke (Ligonier)
The great High Priest enters Golgotha’s Holy of Holies without friends or enemies. The Son of God is alone on the cross for three final hours, enduring what defies our imagination. Experiencing the full brunt of His Father’s wrath, Jesus cannot stay silent. He cries out: “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?”

Why the Resurrection Changes Everything – Matthew Barrett (via Gospel Coalition)
Because Christ is risen, we, as those who are in Christ, have every assurance that our labor in sharing this gospel of the risen Christ is not pointless or without purpose, but will matter for all eternity. Therefore, do not forget this Easter that the resurrection of Christ changes everything. Without it, we have no gospel, no salvation, no saving message, and certainly no future hope.

Hope you have a great weekend celebrating the death and resurrection of Jesus.

He is risen.  He is risen indeed!

The Thief and Us

On By BrianIn Book of Luke, Holidays

The thief on the cross gives us a good look at the cross and at ourselves.

His Crime and Ours (v32) – Luke calls him a criminal or lawbreaker.  In Matthew, he is called thief or rebel.  His crime is ours.  We too are all lawbreakers – breaking the law of God.  We are thieves.  God created us to live for his glory and we live for our own – stealing God of the glory he deserves in our lives.  We are rebels against our Creator.  This is our crime.

His Sight and Ours (v33) – The thief is hung on a cross next to Jesus.  If the thief turned his head he could see the suffering of Jesus.  He could see Jesus’ back ripped open from the lashings.  He could see Jesus’ head pierced by the thorns.  He could see Jesus’ agony as he hung on the cross striving for breath.  May his sight be ours.  It is good for us to stop and see the suffering of our Savior, to remember what he endured for us.  May this be our sight.

His Need and Ours (v34) – The thief hears the words of Jesus as he asks the Father to forgive those who hung him there.  This was the thief’s need too – to be forgiven of his sins.  To be forgiven of his crimes, his law-breaking, his thievery, his rebellion.  His need is ours.  We too need to be forgiven for our disobedience and rebellion.  We too need to have our sin and guilt washed away.  This is our need.

His Mocking and Ours (v35-38) – The thief hears the rulers and soldiers mocking Jesus.  In Matthew 27, we read that both criminals joined in the mocking.  Before he repented, this thief ridiculed Jesus like all the others.  Perhaps his mockery was yours.  At one time you mocked, you ridiculed, you scoffed at Jesus being your Savior.  Was this your mockery?

His Change and Ours (v39-40) – As they hang there the on those crosses, the other thief continues to mock, but something happens to the thief we are considering.  He has an incredible change of heart.  He stops ridiculing Jesus and starts rebuking the other thief.  What brought such a change?  Grace.  God graciously changed his heart.  His change is ours.  We too were changed by God’s grace.  This is our change.

His Sentence and Ours (v40) – The thief was under a sentence of condemnation.  He was dying for what he had done.  His sentence was ours.  We too were under a sentence of condemnation for our sins.  The wrath of God laid heavy upon us – we too deserved to die.  This was our sentence.

His Confession and Ours (v41) – The thief confesses that he is a criminal, a sinner.  He confesses that he deserves the punishment he is receiving.  His confession is ours.  We too confess that we are sinners deserving God’s punishment.  This is our confession.

His Cry and Ours (v42) – The thief cries out for Jesus to remember him.  This is a cry of faith.  He can do nothing to save himself, and so he looks to Jesus.  He puts his trust in Jesus.  His cry is ours.  We too cry out to God in faith, trusting in him alone to save us.  This is our cry.

His Hope and Ours (v43) – Finally the thief hears the promise of Jesus that gives him hope.  Jesus promises that the thief will be with him in paradise that very day.  His hope is ours.  In the midst of trials and in the face of death, our hope is that we will one day be with Jesus in paradise with no more suffering or pain or death.  This is our hope.

In the thief we see ourselves.  We see our crime, our mocking, our sentence, and our need of forgiveness.  We see our Savior’s suffering, our change by grace, our confession, our cry of faith, and our hope that comes through the cross of Jesus.

Some Easter Posts

On By BrianIn Holidays, PASSION Collections

My top-viewed post for the last few weeks has been an Easter timeline and map that I found a few years back, which you can find here.

Also worth reviewing are 10 Questions to Ask at Easter Gatherings from Donald Whitney.

And then this brief video is worth watching every year too: It’s Friday…But Sunday’s Coming!

Book Look: John Newton

On By BrianIn Biography/History, Book Look

NewtonI recently read John Newton: From Disgrace to Amazing Grace by Jonathan Aitken.  It was an enjoyable and easy to read look at Newton’s life.  Aitken takes us from the foul-mouthed slave trader to the country parson to the city pastor and mentor.

I have read other biographies on Newton, but I learned some things here.  Newton kept journals and wrote many letters, and Aitken has clearly dug into them, using them to flesh out Newton’s life.  I found particularly interesting Newton’s relationship with William Wilberforce throughout Wilberforce’s drive to end the slave trade.  Through Newton’s letters, we also learn much about his loving relationship with his wife Polly.

As a Christian, I was amazed again by God’s incomparable grace that saves people who are blatantly against God.  I was challenged by Newton’s personal devotional habits and his never ending wonder at God’s grace.  As a man, I was challenged by his love for his wife – and his ability to communicate it to his wife.  And as a pastor, I appreciated learning about his ministry – with lots of good ideas for today.

If you are looking for a good introduction to Newton, and want to be encouraged in your Christian life, marriage, or ministry, this is a good book to take up and read.

Prayer Warrior-March

On By BrianIn Prayer Guides

Praying for your Church

  • Revival in your church, passion/hunger for God
  • Worship – Heart worship, Joyful singing, Cheerful giving, Passionate prayer, Powerful preaching, Appropriate response
  • Growing disciples, increasing maturity
  • Full of the Spirit, wisdom, and faith
  • Recognition of God’s presence
  • God’s grace to overcome bitterness and sinful patterns
  • Hearts of love toward those who are different
  • Gripped by the sacrifice of Jesus for us
  • Prayer – Growing priority and passion for prayer, Prayer Services
  • Word – Sunday School, Children’s ministry, Youth ministry
  • Fellowship – Growing care/love/unity, Fellowship activities
  • Growing passion for evangelism and missions
  • Opportunities and boldness to share the gospel
  • Growing willingness to take risks for gospel
  • People to be saved in our spheres of influence
  • Guests to come to your Worship Service and the Spirit to draw them to Himself
  • Easter outreaches
  • Your missionaries

Be Thou Exalted

On By BrianIn Prayers1 Comment

O God,
Be Thou exalted over my possessions.
Nothing of earth’s treasures shall seem dear unto me
if only Thou art glorified in my life.

Be Thou exalted over my friendships.
I am determined that Thou shalt be above all,
though I must stand deserted and alone
in the midst of the earth.

Be Thou exalted above my comforts.
Though it mean the loss of bodily comforts
and the carrying of heavy crosses,
I shall keep my vow made this day before Thee.

 Be Thou exalted over my reputation.
Make me ambitious to please Thee
even if as a result I must sink into obscurity
and my name be forgotten as a dream.

Rise, O Lord,
into Thy proper place of honor,
above my ambitions,
above my likes and dislikes,
above my family,
my health
and even my life itself.

Let me decrease that Thou mayest increase;
let me sink that Thou mayest rise above.

– A. W. Tozer, 1897-1963

Successful Ministry

On By BrianIn PASSION Resources1 Comment

Here is the third video I watched this afternoon from the Desiring God 2013 Pastor’s Conference.  This one is from Kent Hughes on redefining the successful ministry.  I had the opportunity to hear him speak on this topic at a RHMA conference a few years back, and the content is still very important for pastors to wrestle with.  You might also consider his book on the same topic.