What Kind Of Head?

On By BrianIn Church Life

And he is the head of the body, the church.
He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead,
that in everything he might be preeminent.
– Colossians 1:18

My wife and I attended the Church Ministries Conference in Grand Rapids this past weekend.  The speaker for the general sessions was Jim Jeffery, president of Baptist Bible College and Seminary.  In one session he spoke about the church as a Body with Christ as the Head.  As he discussed the verse above, he asked this probing question:

Is Christ the functioning head of your church or merely a figure head?

In other words, are we seeking and submitting to his leadership, or is he merely some kind of mascot?  Is he really preeminent in our church?  Does his will take first place among us?  Or are we running the show all the while paying him lip service? 

Good questions…

Book Look: Fresh Encounters

On By BrianIn Book Look

Fresh Encounters by Daniel Henderson is an articulate and passionate call for the church to come back to corporate prayer.  Henderson answers common misconceptions about corporate prayer and shows how corporate prayer is both the expectation of the New Testament and the example of the early church.  Yet his call is not to some boring long-winded prayer meeting for endless requests.  Rather, he maps out his vision for a more God-centered worship-based time of prayer.  And he shows church leaders how to move to a greater prayer emphasis in the church, complete with numerous corporate prayer plans and ideas.  Highly recommended.

Health To Serve

On By BrianIn Habit of Stewardship

And he arose and left the synagogue and entered Simon’s house. Now Simon’s mother-in-law was ill with a high fever, and they appealed to him on her behalf. And he stood over her and rebuked the fever, and it left her, and immediately she rose and began to serve them.
– Luke 4:38-39

Simon’s mother-in-law was sick, unable to serve.  Then Jesus healed her, and as soon as she was well, she began to serve.  She used her new health to serve Jesus. 

Has God given you health in this period of your life?  If so, what are you doing with it?  Are you using it to serve Jesus?

Perhaps your health is limited.  Are you using what health you have to serve Jesus?

Don’t waste your health.  Use it to serve the Lord.

 

Prayer Convictions

On By BrianIn Prayer Quotes

What are the convictions of a praying leader, a praying believer, and a praying church?  In summary:

  • God is worthy, far beyond the attraction of anything this world offers.
  • I am needy, in spite of my apparent self-sufficiency and earthly prosperity.
  • Jesus Christ invites me to seek Him and will empower me by His grace to endure in my pursuit.
  • Jesus longs for His church to be a house of prayer, and I will faithfully contribute to that vision.
  • Jesus’ glory in and through the church to the world will be my determined passion.
  • God is a rewarder of those who seek Him diligently.

 – Daniel Henderson

Who Needs Who?

On By BrianIn Church Life, Heart

“Hear, O my people, and I will speak;
O Israel, I will testify against you.
I am God, your God.
Not for your sacrifices do I rebuke you;
your burnt offerings are continually before me.
I will not accept a bull from your house
or goats from your folds.
For every beast of the forest is mine,
the cattle on a thousand hills.
I know all the birds of the hills,
and all that moves in the field is mine.
If I were hungry, I would not tell you,
for the world and its fullness are mine.
Do I eat the flesh of bulls
or drink the blood of goats?
Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving,
and perform your vows to the Most High,
and call upon me in the day of trouble;
I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me.”
– Psalm 50:7-15

God did not need their sacrifices.  Every animal already belonged to him; indeed the entire world is his.  Nor did he eat and drink their sacrifices.  And if he was hungry, he didn’t need their help.  God didn’t need their sacrifices.

Nor does God need us.  He doesn’t need our service.  He doesn’t need our ministry.  He doesn’t need us at all.  He can accomplish his will without us.  God doesn’t need us.

But we do need him.  He tells us to call upon him in the day of trouble.  In the midst of the trial, the struggle, the temptation, the pain, the sickness, the loss – we are to call upon him.  We need his help.  And he will help us.

He doesn’t need us.  We need him.  He doesn’t need us, but he does want something from us.  Thanksgiving.  He wants us to be thankful for his help.  He wants us to glorify him, honor him, praise him for all that he has done for us.  In other words, he wants our hearts.  He wants grateful hearts. 

And grateful hearts will sacrifice and serve, not because God needs those things, but because we want to do those things.  And that is what God wants – not mere actions but our wanting to sacrifice and serve in gratitude to him and for his glory.

Passion Points

On By BrianIn PASSION Points

The last few weeks we have focussed on just one issue for Passion Points.  As a result, a lot of good posts have piled up.  Here they are – happy reading!

First, on the issue of pride.  Gospel Centric gives us a self-diagnostic test with fifty fruits of pride to see if we are in fact proud.  From Gospel Centric we also get five things to know about pride and 10 thoughts on overcoming pride.  Meanwhile Thabiti Anyabwile gives us what I would consider the secret for overcoming pride.  And John Piper gives us a good song about thinking much of God instead of ourselves.

Second, some good posts on the gospel and sanctification.  Josh Moody gives us good definition of the gospel – which includes a new life now.  Jared Compton discusses how the gospel is good news now – how changes our lives.  Crossway gives us thoughts on how to fight for personal sanctification.

Third, three more good posts on various issues:

Hope you have a great weekend!

Praying in Community

On By BrianIn Prayer Quotes

In our culture of rugged individualism we have come to the conclusion that it is better to pray alone than with others.  Unfortunately, most of us never learn to do either one very well.  Like most disciplines of the Christian faith, we learn best to pray alone when we have been taught in community….We need to create a new sense of community in prayer to help people rise above their individualistic bent.

– Daniel Henderson

Passion Quotes

On By BrianIn Idolatry, Idolatry Quotes, PASSION Quotes

Here are a few more quotes – this time on the gospel and idolatry.

The Gospel

Tim Keller: You’re more sinful than you ever dared believe; you’re more loved than you ever dared hope.

Tullian Tchividjian: When you trust in Jesus, your identity and worth is no longer based on what you can accomplish but on what Jesus accomplished for you.

Tullian Tchividjian: The gospel is meant to bring us to the end of ourselves so that we finally place our meaning, purpose, and sense of well-being in Jesus.

Idolatry

D.A. Carson: The heart of all idolatry in the world is the de-Godding of God.

 Louie Giglio: Worship should really matter to you – whatever you worship, you become.

Passion Points – Family

On By BrianIn Family Collection, PASSION Points

In keeping with the theme of the last few posts, here are some good links on marriage and the family.

First, Jared Wilson gives some direction for a grace-driven marriage.  Justin Taylor gives some thoughts from John Piper on the husband’s call to lead in reconciliation after the inevitable quarrels of marriage.

You might also check out some helpful booklets on marriage from RBC Ministries that you can view on-line:

Building Blocks To A Strong Marriage

What Is The Promise of Marriage?

Abigail & Leah: Living In A Difficult Marriage

When The Flame Flickers: Rekindling Intimacy In Your Marriage

Finally, here are some helpful links related to some family issues recently in the news:

Albert Mohler gives some helpful commentary on President Obama’s recent announcement that the Justice Department will no longer defend the Defense of Marriage Act.  You might also consider John Piper’s reaction.

Meanwhile, Joel Northrup, a high school student in Iowa, refused to wrestle  against a girl in the state championship wrestling tournament.  Despite there being good moral reasons for Northrup to take this stand, much of the media has lambasted him.  Albert Mohler and John Piper again give helpful commentary on this clash of worldviews related to the family.