Passion Points

On By BrianIn PASSION Points

Well, it has been a busy week, and I didn’t have anything prepared ahead of time, so blogging has been a bit light.  Should be better next week.  In the meantime, here are some good posts to consider for your weekend reading:

Is “Communion with God” a Small Thing for Today’s Evangelicals? – J. I. Packer (via Justin Taylor)
We do not spend much time, alone or together, in dwelling on the wonder of the fact that God and sinners have communion at all; no, we just take that for granted, and give our minds to other matters.

The Price of a Feel-Good Faith – Thomas E. Bergler (via Kevin DeYoung)
If we believe that a mature faith involves more than good feelings, vague beliefs, and living however we want, we must conclude that juvenilization has revitalized American Christianity at the cost of leaving many individuals mired in spiritual immaturity.

The One Indispensible Rule for Using Social Media – Kevin DeYoung
You represent Christ in a real way even if it is in the virtual world. Most people will know that you go to church, what church you go to, and that you claim to be a Christian. So let’s all think before we post. If we go by the name of “little Christ” we ought to be careful to show a little more Christ.

Hope you have a great Lord’s Day with God’s people worshipping our great King!

Growing Dim?

On By BrianIn PASSION Quotes

Will you pause for just a moment and consider where your eyesight may be growing dim?  Are you blinded to God’s daily blessings because you’re too focused on financial concerns, health issues, or frustrated relationships?  Have you stopped seeing people as important and instead stare persistently at possessions, power, and pleasure?  Are your eyes so preoccupied by your comfort that they have grown too tired to look at your life and your circumstances from God’s perspective?
– Gary Thomas in Holy Available

Ministry Moments

On By BrianIn Ministry Moments

Here are some encouraging posts for pastors of smaller churches:

The Kingdom of God in the Middle of Nowhere – Trevin Wax

Thank God for Smaller Churches and Their Leaders – Thom Rainer

Rural Ministry Is Not Second Rate – Jared Wilson

I’d love for more young guys to nail Starbucks and the corner pub and shopping malls and public transportation to the cross and go plant and pastor where you’re more likely to hear a cow moo than a car honk. Country folk are real folk.
And they need the gospel too.
– Jared Wilson

Declaring the Glory

On By BrianIn Declaring the Glory1 Comment

On Mackinac Island, Michigan

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

Passion Points

On By BrianIn PASSION Points

Here are some good posts for your weekend reading:

4 Results of Christ’s Ascension – R. C. Sproul (via Tim Challies)
Goes well with our focus in Acts this week!

Theological Primers: The Attributes of Scripture – Kevin DeYoung
Four important characteristics of Scripture for our lives.

What Christians Do When They Believe and Feel about the Word of God Rightly – Kevin DeYoung
Seven responses to the Word according to the Psalms.

A Quiet Place, A Quiet Hour, A Quiet Heart – David McIntyre (via Tim Challies)
Three essentials for a powerful prayer life.

Hope you have a great Lord’s Day praising our ascended Lord, responding to His Word, and seeking Him in prayer!

Acts Articles – Prayer 01A

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

Yesterday I suggested two applications from the example of 120 disciples who devoted themselves to praying in one accord for the Spirit to empower them as witnesses.  But are we supposed to follow their example?  Is this recorded for us to imitate or is it recorded simply to tell us what happened?

Alan Thompson in his book, The Acts of the Risen Lord Jesus, suggests one helpful way forward.  He suggests that something mentioned once is probably to be taken as merely descriptive.  But if Luke mentions something repeatedly, that it is probably to be taken as prescriptive; that is, it is a pattern in the early church that should be a pattern for the church today (see p25-27).

So then, the 120 disciples were devoted to praying together for 10 days.  Do we need to devote ourselves to praying together for 10 days?  Probably not since this is the only occasion that we read of a 10 day period.  And indeed this ten day period between the Ascension and Pentecost (these two great works in salvation history) is unrepeatable.  That is not to say, we couldn’t commit to pray together for 10 days – it may be a great thing to do.  But it is not prescribed for us to do it.

But what about devoting ourselves to praying together apart from the 10 day length?  Is devoting ourselves to praying together merely descriptive, or should we take it as prescriptive.  Three patterns suggest that we should take this as prescriptive.

First, there is a pattern throughout Acts of Christians devoting themselves to prayer together.  It is clearly a regular practice for them.  Why would we think it shouldn’t be a regular practice for us?  And remember that Acts does not give us an exhaustive view of the early church.  Luke merely hits some of the highlights, and apparently Luke thought praying together was important enough to highlight, probably at least in part because he thought we should imitate their devotion to praying together.

Second, if you compare the gospels, the Gospel of Luke has the greatest emphasis on prayer.  Luke clearly wanted his readers to be instructed in prayer, and so it is reasonable that he would continue that instruction into his second volume – the Book of Acts.  Luke is instructing us in how we are to pray by recording for us the practice and teaching of Jesus and the practice of the early church.

Third, there is a perceptible pattern in Acts of the people praying together, the Spirit powerfully working, and the word going forth.  We see it in Acts 1-2 as the 120 pray, the Spirit comes in power, and the word is preached with 3000 people getting saved.  We see it again in Acts 4, as the church prays, the Spirit comes in power, and the people boldly proclaim the gospel.  In Acts 13, the church is praying, the Spirit calls Paul and Barnabas, and thousands will be saved through his missionary work. 

Perhaps we see few people saved today in many of our churches, because we aren’t devoting ourselves to praying together for the Spirit to powerfully work.  Not that we can force the Spirit’s hand, as if he has to act if we pray.  But if we don’t care enough to ask, why would we expect him to act?  If we try to do the ministry on our own without prayer, why would we expect God to bless our ministries?

These three patterns in Luke-Acts makes clear that devoting ourselves to praying together is prescriptive for us.  We are to follow the early church’s example.  What are we waiting for?

Birthed in a Prayer Meeting

On By BrianIn Prayer Quotes1 Comment

What does it say about our churches today
that God birthed the church in a prayer meeting,
and prayer meetings today are almost extinct?
– Jim Cymbala

The apostles had this instinct:  When in trouble, pray. 
When intimidated, pray.  When challenged, pray. 
When persecuted, pray.
– Jim Cymbala

From Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire

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?

Acts Articles – Jesus 01A

On By BrianIn Book of Acts1 Comment

In Acts 1:9-11, Jesus ascends into heaven.  He returns to the Father to reign at his right hand.  We must understand this as a real event.  The disciples really saw this happen.  Indeed, Luke seems to go out of his way to make this clear as he fills the narrative with “seeing: words: looking, sight, gazing, looking (again), and saw. 

And this departure brings about a real change.  For 40 days, Jesus has been appearing and disappearing before the disciples, but this time is different.  As the angels make clear, they won’t see Jesus again until he returns to usher in the fulfillment of the kingdom.  And so today we live in expectation of his return.

As we struggle through the hardships of this life, we have this expectation, this hope that Jesus is coming again.  And when he comes, life will change.  There is coming a day when sin and death and suffering and pain and tears will be no more.  We can endure today because of the hope of what is yet to come.

And yet this expectation also reminds us of our responsibility.  When your employer gives you a task and says he or she will be back later, you had better work on that task.  In the same way, Jesus has given us a task and he is coming back.  Until he does, we need to busy with that task. We need to be busy living as his witnesses, longing to hear the words, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”

All About Christ Or Me?

On By BrianIn Humility Quotes1 Comment

One of the biggest threats to incarnational living is pride.  Instead of manifesting Christ’s presence, we want to showcase our own presence; instead of dispensing Christ’s wisdom, we want to spotlight our own insights; instead of speaking Christ’s truth, we want to spout our own opinions; instead of adopting Christ’s agenda, we want to accomplish our own five- or ten-year plans; instead of building Christ’s kingdom, we want to spread our own “ministry.”
– Gary Thomas in Holy Available