Tag: Christian Life

Sermon Songs: The Spirit (Ephesians Version)

On By BrianIn Sermon Songs

The Spirit seals and guarantees
Our wondrous salvation
The way to God the Spirit frees
That we to God might run
By Him we are God’s dwelling place
The Temple of our Lord
God’s truth He reveals to our race
Take up His Holy Word

The Spirit strengthens each of us
Surrounds us with God’s love
Unites God’s people in Jesus
To serve our God above
So let us live humbly as one
From sins that grieve Him flee
Follow His lead as Christ has done
Live each day prayerfully

© 2025 Brian J. Mikul

(Sing to tune of “We Sing the Greatness of Our God”)

Our Prevailing Purpose

On By BrianIn PASSION Reflections

My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. 
– I John 2:1a (ESV)

John is the patriarch of the church, the last remaining apostle.  He writes to the church with the affection of a father for his little children, and he has a purpose in his writing – that we may not sin.

Is that your purpose?  To not sin? 

Is that your goal?  Your desire?  Your ambition?  To not sin?  To stop sinning?

Our world, of course, has other goals: to be comfortable, to be healthy, to be happy.  And comfort, health, and happiness are wonderful blessings.  I like those things too, but they are not our purpose, our goal.

Our purpose here is that we would not sin.

Is that your purpose? 

When you are uncomfortable, is your prevailing purpose to pursue comfort, or to not sin in your discomfort?

When you are unhealthy, is your prevailing purpose to get healthy, or to not sin in your unhealthiness?

When you are unhappy, is your prevailing purpose to get happy, or to not sin in your unhappiness?

Our trials and struggles are not an excuse for sin, but rather opportunities to overcome temptation and not sin.

Is that your goal in whatever you face today? 

Is that your prevailing purpose? 

Blog Reboot

On By BrianIn PASSION Reflections

For many years this blog has been called Three Passions with the tagline: Because of Christ’s PASSION for us, we will live with a PASSION for God and comPASSION for people. And this remains an important theme for me. But there are other important themes that I have been focusing on too – idolatry, Sabbath, rest, identity, culture, wonder, family worship, small town church ministry, and more. And so this blog is getting a fresh look with a fresh tagline: For the Christian, For the Small Church.

For the Christian
I hope this blog will encourage Christians in their walk with the Lord. Through regular reflections, quotes, songs, studies, recommended resources, and collections of posts from others (Saturday Strands), I hope this blog will spur you to follow Christ.

For the Small Church
I have been a small-town pastor for over 20 years, and so I am also writing this blog to encourage small town pastors and churches in their important ministries. I want to share ministry ideas, songs, studies, resources, and posts from others that have been helpful to me, that I pray might also be helpful to other small-town church ministries too. Larger churches might find much that is helpful too, but I am writing with the small-town church in mind because that is what I know.

For a while I considered writing two blogs – one for Christians and one for small town churches, but the reality is that there would be too much overlap. For example, I hope that my Sermon Songs would both encourage individual Christians and provide a possible closing song for small town churches. The Bible Journey studies could be used by an individual Christian on their own or in a group, as well in a small-town church Sunday School or group.

So welcome to the new blog. I hope that you will be encouraged, and that God would be glorified.

Devoted Goals

On By BrianIn Habit Miscellaneous, Holidays

This past Fall our church looked at five habit of growth to which we should be devoted. Then during advent, we looked at being devoted to the gospel. Below is my attempt to pull it all together with the goal of applying our study to our lives during the coming year. I believe these would be good questions for any Christian to ponder as we look at a new year, a new month, and a new week.

Annual Goals (Review at least monthly)

Gospel: What habit will I begin this year to better remember, focus on, and live out the hope, peace, joy, and love found in Jesus?

Worship: What habit will I begin to better prepare my heart to come into God’s presence for corporate worship each Sunday? 

Prayer: What is one way I would like to grow in prayer this year? 

Word: What portion of Scripture (Old Testament, New Testament, Book(s) of the Bible, etc.) will I commit to read and meditate on throughout this year? 

Fellowship: In what ways will I partner with my church family this year in serving, giving, and prayer?

Outreach: What habit will I begin to become more watchful for opportunities to share the gospel this year? What will I do to become better prepared to share the gospel this year?  Who might I specifically pray for to receive salvation this year?

What might distract me from these goals, and how can I overcome that?
How can I live out these goals as expressions of love instead of pride?

Monthly Goals (Review at least weekly)

Gospel: What might I do to better grasp some aspect of the gospel this month, and let that aspect of the gospel better grasp me?

Worship: Is there an area in my life that I need to start submitting to God this month, and what will I do about it?

Prayer: What promise or attribute of God will I incorporate into my prayers this month?

Word: What passage of Scripture will I memorize this month?

Fellowship: What practical need in my church family will I seek to help with this month?  Who can I get together with this month around a meal?

Outreach: What practical need do I see in my workplace, neighborhood, or community that I could seek to meet this month?  How might God lead me to help with this month’s church outreach activity and/or outreach/missions project? How do I specifically need to pray for my missionaries this month? 

Weekly Goals (Review daily)

Gospel: What aspect of the gospel from my Bible reading or Sunday’s sermon will I meditate on this week?

Worship: In the midst of my current trials and temptations, what attribute of God or aspect of the gospel will I cling to this week to tune my heart to praise Him? 

Prayer: Who and what do I specifically need to pray for this week?

Word: What Biblical truth from my personal reading or Sunday’s sermon do I need to very specifically apply to my life this week?

Fellowship: Who in my church family might God be leading me to care for and/or seek to encourage this week, and how will I do it?

Outreach: How might I better shine as a light with integrity, hope, and love this week? What is one way I might purposefully seek to share the gospel this week?

Passion Points

On By BrianIn PASSION Points

Here are some good posts for your weekend reading:

What A Wonder – Tim Challies
You, Christian, are the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit of God makes his habitation within you. He has joyfully, willingly, come to you so you can be near to him. This knowledge, this wonder, has powerful consequences…

Give Yourself to Constant & Committed Prayer! – Geoffrey R. Kirkland
Every Christian has at his disposal the most mind-boggling wonder. The weakest saint can come before the throne of Almighty God in heaven in simple prayer.

From Flight to Fight: How Christians Struggle with Sin – Greg Morse (DG)
The paths we take from various temptations will differ, but the principle is the same: seek to find refuge in Christ. Passivity will not keep us from tasting the forbidden fruit. So we actively flee to Christ through well-worn paths such as prayer, Bible intake, camaraderie with fellow soldiers, confession, repentance, accountability, and private and corporate worship.

God Knows What You Need in Worship – Nick Roen (DG)
We come together each week — this multifaceted mosaic called the body of Christ — and somehow, God meets us where we are.

Hope you have a great Lord’s Day worshiping the Lord with your local church!

Passion Points

On By BrianIn PASSION Points

Here are some good posts for your weekend reading:

Using Self-Examination for Spiritual Formation – Joe Carter (TGC)
The Christian life requires frequent self-examination to ensure we are overcoming sin and growing in obedience.

Fears and Fleeting Faith – Tim Challies
…there is no situation beyond God’s knowledge, no condition beyond God’s control, no circumstance beyond God’s power. The one who holds us in the storm is the very same one who holds the storm.

3 Mistakes to Avoid When Helping the Hurting– Dave Furman (TGC)
No one wants to be like Job’s friends. We have hurting people in our lives, and we want to help them, but how do we manage to not make fools of ourselves? And how can we actually help hurting people without discouraging them even more?

The Best Day of the Week…for Your Kids – Nick Kennicott (TCC)
Here are eight ways we can help our children view Sunday as being the best day of the week…

Hope you have a great best day of the week!

Passion Points

On By BrianIn PASSION Points

Here are some good posts for your weekend reading:

3 Motivations to Hate Sin – Erik Raymond
Until sin is actually hated for its odious and repulsive character we will not make true progress in godliness.

Kindness Changes Everything – Stephen Witmer (DG)
We open ourselves to the supernatural work of the Holy Spirit when we ask him to produce in us kind hearts that overflow through kind lips.

18 Prayers to Pray for Unbelievers – Tim Challies
A friend asked the question: How do I pray for unbelievers? How do I pray effectively? I trust that every Christian regularly prays for family or friends or colleagues or neighbors who do not yet know the Lord. And while we can and must pray for matters related to their lives and circumstances, the emphasis of our prayers must always be for their salvation. Here are some ways the Bible can guide our prayers.

Why We Desperately Need the Body of Christ – Paul David Tripp (Crossway)
Your walk with God is a community project. The isolated, separated, loner, Jesus-and-me religion that often marks modern church culture is not the religion that is described in the New Testament.

Reflections on Judges 13-16

On By BrianIn OT Reflections

Our passage today focuses on Samson.  He was a man used mightily by God despite his many moral flaws.  Note:

  • Disobedience – The list of Samson’s sins is long. God told Israel not to intermarry with the inhabitants of the land, but Samson did anyway.  As a Nazirite, he was not to go near a dead body (Numbers 6), yet he scraped honey from the carcass of a lion and ate it.  He slept with a prostitute.  He acts out of anger and vengefulness.  He often seems to have a complete disregard for the commands of God.  What about you?
  • Wisdom – Samson often seems to lack in wisdom. He fails to see the potential problems of marrying a Philistine.  He foolishly tells his wife the riddle.  Later, he foolishly tells Delilah the secret of his strength.  Are you making wise choices?
  • Faith – Despite his failings, Hebrews 11 includes him as an example of faith. Samson apparently trusted God to help him as he fought the Philistines.  He looked to God to help him bring the house down upon the Philistines even though it meant his own death.  Are you walking by faith?
  • God’s Sovereignty – Samson’s life points clearly to the truth that God can make use of even our shortcomings for his purposes. Though it was wrong for Samson to marry a Philistine, God used it as an opportunity for Samson to fight them (see 14:4).  God used Samson flaws and all, and he can use us flaws and all.  That is not an excuse for us to be complacent – who knows how much more God might have used Samson if he had been given over completely to God.  But it should encourage us to know that God can bring good even out of our moral failures, and that God can use imperfect people like us.