Those who recognize their weaknesses are made strong. Those who recognize their inadequacies are made adequate. Those who realize their helplessness receive divine help. This is the sovereign design and infinite genius of God. Finite men must preach in the power that only an infinite God can provide.
– Steven Lawson in The Kind of Preaching God Blesses
Rocky Mountains near Ouray, CO
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 important posts to ponder regarding the recent Equality Town Hall:
Beto O’Rourke’s Plan to Destroy Churches – Joe Carter (TGC)
The #EqualityTownHall Was Loud and Clear: The LGBTQ+ Community, Beto, the Equality Act, and Evangelicals – Ed Stetzer (CT)
Democrats Are Going to Regret Beto’s Stance on Conservative Churches – John Inazu (Atlantic)
The Cultural Left Bares Its Teeth: An Open Threat to Churches and Christians Who Hold to Biblical Conviction – Albert Mohler
Those who recognize their weaknesses are made strong. Those who recognize their inadequacies are made adequate. Those who realize their helplessness receive divine help. This is the sovereign design and infinite genius of God. Finite men must preach in the power that only an infinite God can provide.
– Steven Lawson in The Kind of Preaching God Blesses
Q/A#13A
Q: What do the first and second commandments teach us?
A: The first and second commandments teach us to love God by making him first in our lives and imaging him correctly.
You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself a carved image…” – Exodus 20:1-4a (ESV)
For Further Reflection
Exodus 19-20, Matthew 22:37-40
Our Response
Put God first
Image God correctly
Here are some good posts for your weekend reading:
Maintaining Confidence in the Process – Tim Challies
The Christian life has a way of challenging us, of cutting against our haste. It challenges us that the ordinary state of affairs when it comes to spiritual growth is slower than we’d like it to be and slower than we thought it would be. It challenges us not to expect shortcuts, but to accept slow gains. It challenges us to have confidence in the process.
4 Reasons to Stop Grumbling – Cassie Watson
The Bible shows that grumbling has been a problem for humans for a very long time—and that it’s not acceptable for Christians. Here are four biblical reasons why we should stick a lid on our complaints.
5 Actions of Faithful Evangelists – William Boekestein (CC)
As a Christian you want other people to get saved. You know that God uses means in the salvation of others and you want God to use you but you might not know how. Here are five actions of faithful evangelists.
Your Church Needs You to Sing – Nick Aufenkamp (DG)
So, when the music starts this weekend, don’t underestimate what happens as you sing. You are engaging your heart, teaching those around you (and receiving teaching), and declaring God’s faithfulness. The simple act of lifting your voice in song may well be the most significant way you serve your church this Sunday.
Hope you have a great Lord’s Day singing with your local church!
Here are some good posts for your weekend reading:
Get to the Cross and Never Leave – David Mathis (DG)
For Christians, true worship and “real sanctification” not only flow from the purchase of the cross, but also draw strength from conscious faith in the crucified Christ. We know our former selves to be crucified with him (Romans 6:6). “I have been crucified with Christ,” Paul says. “It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20). So also for us: “Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires” (Galatians 5:24). “Far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world” (Galatians 6:14).
What Sins are You Killing Today? – Peter Adam (TGC)
It is not enough to stop doing what is wrong: you have to learn the habit of doing what is right. But you cannot start doing what is right, unless you kill off what is wrong!
Overcoming the Fear of Evangelism – Eric Davis (Cripplegate)
For those who like me have experienced butterflies in the stomach at times when you think about speaking the gospel to the lost, here are a few things that help me….
The Ministry of Presence – Tim Challies
I want to speak of the outsized value of the ministry of presence. The ministry of presence is the ministry of being there—of simply gathering with the church on Sunday. This may seem like a little thing, but it matters. It matters a lot. It’s genuinely a ministry. It’s genuinely a means of serving other Christians.
Hope you have a great Lord’s Day with the Lord and His church!
Here are some good posts for your weekend reading:
How To Distinguish True Zeal from False Zeal – Tim Challies
While zeal is a noble trait, it must be properly directed, for not all zeal is good. Here are some pointers on distinguishing true from false zeal….
4 Ways to Grow in Self-Control – David Qaoud (GR)
I’ve argued before that self-control is one of the biggest indicators of Christian character. Without it, you’ll eventually ruin your life and legacy. With it, you can thrive and be a blessing to others around you. You’re probably convinced of the need for self-control. But how do you get it?
3 Overlooked Ways to Do Pre-Evangelism – Randy Newman (TGC)
Here are three strategies for pre-evangelism that might help your friends move from “Are you crazy? Christianity is ridiculous, narrow-minded, homophobic, and stupid!” to “Well . . . maybe I need to rethink this” to “OK, I’ve not been fair in the ways I’ve pigeonholed religious people” to “All right, I’ll take a look at that book about God you gave me.”
He Must Increase; Our Churches Must Decrease – Jared Wilson (FTC)
There is one thing that the churches experiencing historic revival have in common: they seemed overrun with the sense of the glory of God. They preached the gospel and the response was, as some describe, that “glory came down.”
Hope you have a great Lord’s Day glorifying our great God!
We are here and there and everywhere. We are distracted. We are preoccupied. We can’t focus on the task in front of us. We don’t follow through. We don’t keep our commitments. We are so busy with a million pursuits that we don’t even notice the most important things slipping away.
– Kevin DeYoung in Crazy Busy
Q/A#13
Q: What summary of instructions did God give us in the Old Testament to live morally upright?
A: God gave us the Ten Commandments.
And God spoke all these words, saying, “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.” – Exodus 20:1-2 (ESV)
For Further Reflection
Exodus 19-20, Matthew 22:37-40
Our Response
Obey with gratitude
Love God and people
Brian J. Mikul 