Passion News

On By BrianIn Current Collection

With the Supreme Court hearing two cases last week about same-sex marriage, this issue continues to be huge.  As Christians, we need to think carefully about this issue.  Happily, a lot of good thinking and writing is being done.  Here are some posts for your consideration:

Marriage in the Dock – Albert Mohler
This is a helpful introduction to the Supreme Court and same -sex marriage.
For Christians, the issue of marriage is not merely a legal or constitutional issue. The Bible reveals marriage to be the sacred union of a man and a woman for a lifetime. The goods of marriage are revealed to be intimacy, union, companionship, friendship, procreation, children, and a host of related gifts. Christians must see marriage as essential for human flourishing and not open for human negotiation.

Why the Arguments for Gay Marriage Are Persuasive – Kevin DeYoung
A very helpful look at the issues behind the issue.
I don’t think the arguments for gay marriage are biblically faithfully, logically persuasive, or good for human flourishing in the long run, but they are almost impossible to overcome with most Americans, especially in younger generations….it fits in perfectly with the dominant themes and narratives shared in our culture. Gay marriage is the logical conclusion to a long argument, which means convincing people it’s a bad idea requires overturning some of our most cherished values and most powerful ideologies….

A Few Things to Consider Before Supporting Gay Marriage – Kevin DeYoung
By recognizing gay unions as marriage, just like the husband-wife relationship we’ve always called marriage, the state is engaging in (or at least codifying) a massive re-engineering of our social life. It assumes the indistinguishability of gender in parenting, the relative unimportance of procreation in marriage, and the near infinite flexibility as to what sorts of structures and habits lead to human flourishing.

Read the Fine Print Before Supporting “Marriage Equality” – Trevin Wax
As the Supreme Court considers the merits of adopting or banning same-sex marriage, many politicians are voicing their support for changing the law.  But just as smart shoppers know to look beyond an advertisement to read the fine print, Americans should look beyond the surface issues to the surprising details no one is discussing….

Bracketing Morality – Albert Mohler
The “seismic shift” on the issue of homosexuality is a profound moral revolution as well. And yet, what makes this moral revolution so vast in consequences and importance is this: the moral dimension has virtually disappeared from the cultural conversation….

Five Gay Marriage Myths – Robin Phillips at Salvo
Not sure if I agree with everything here, but there are some good points to consider.
The issue of same-sex marriage is often framed in terms of a choice between either preventing or allowing gay people to get married. When the issue is framed in these terms, that is usually a good indication that the person has fallen victim to another key myth. The reality is that legislation to introduce gay marriage would not remove a ban on same-sex couples getting married because no such ban exists. There is no more of a ban on same-sex couples getting married then there is a ban on two-wheeled unicycles or square triangles. The very nature of what marriage is necessarily excludes same-sex unions.

Channels of Your Grace

On By BrianIn Prayer Quotes

O Lord,
may we each be full of the Spirit,
full of the gospel,
full of your compassion for people –
sinners who need a Savior.
May we each bear your touch today
and in days to come!
Please help us to be channels of your grace
to all those around us.
Thank you for your willingness to use us
to reach others.

– R. Kent Hughes

Prayer Warrior – April

On By BrianIn Prayer Guides

Praying for your Church:

  • Revival in our church, a passion/hunger for God
  • Hearts in awe of God’s glory and amazed by God’s love
  • Growing disciples, increasing maturity
  • Full of the Spirit, wisdom, and faith
  • Full of the Word and prayer
  • Point to Jesus, not ourselves
  • Devout: fearing God, giving generously, praying continually
  • Faithful to the Lord with steadfast purpose
  • Trust in God’s sovereign plan for our lives
  • Fellowship – Growing care/love/unity, Growing generosity
  • Growing passion for evangelism and missions
  • Opportunities and boldness to share the gospel
  • God’s willing instruments to point others to Jesus
  • Great many people added to the Lord this year
  • Guests to come to our Worship Service and the Spirit to draw them to Himself
  • Church-wide evangelistic opportunities
  • Missionaries: walk with God, opportunities, health, safety

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!

Passion Points

On By BrianIn PASSION Points

Here are some good posts for your weekend reading.

First are two good posts from Kevin DeYoung related to Stephan in Acts 7:

If You Expect Fruit Without a Tree, You’re Nuts
How To Prepare For Hostility

And then a couple on selfishness:

Six Types of Selfishness – R. W. Glenn
Don’t Worry, No One Will Remember You – Trillia Newbell (via Gospel Coalition)

Hope you have a great Lord’s Day!

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.

Passion News

On By BrianIn Current Collection

Here are some good posts regarding some important recent news items:

Massachusetts Eliminates Gender Distinctions in Public Schools – Gospel Coalition
The long and short of it is that a boy can now claim to be a girl and shower with the girls, and the girls will be disciplined if they complain….

Arkansas Adopts Restrictive Abortion Law – NY Times
New law prohibits abortion after 12 weeks, but the lawsuit is coming….

Why Should Evangelicals Care About the Contraceptive-Abortifacient Mandate? – Gospel Coalition – Good overview for those who have missed past posts on this important issue.

An Evangelical Looks at Pope Benedict XVI – Russell Moore
With the choosing of a new pope yesterday, here is a helpful reflection on the last one.