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!
I 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.
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.
Stephen was preaching the gospel. There arose opposition, and these men disputed with him, “but they could not withstand the wisdom and the Spirit with which he was speaking” (Acts 6:10). He was full of the Spirit and wisdom, and it showed. His opponents gathered false witnesses and brought him before the Sanhedrin. The high priest asked if the charges were true, and Stephen begins to speak to them from the Scriptures. He was full of the Word, and it showed.
We too must be full of the Spirit and wisdom and the Word so that we might use the Word in the face of persecution or even simple discussion of the gospel with others. We must be ready to give an answer to everyone who asks us for a reason for the hope that is in us (I Peter 3:15). Are you ready like Stephen was?
We must be full of the Spirit and wisdom and the Word in our temptations so that we might follow the Spirit’s leading and wisely discern which verses to use against them. Are you, like Jesus, well equipped with verses to throw in the devil’s face?
We must be full of the Spirit and wisdom and the Word in our trials so that we can follow the leading of the Spirit and wisely discern where we might find encouragement and strength from God’s Word. Do you have an arsenal of verses at your disposal to use in times of trial?
If we are going to stand when the opposition comes against us – whether persecution, temptation, or trial – we must be full of the Spirit, wisdom, and the Word. Are you?
Last week we looked at three areas where we should be full. We should be full of the Spirit, full of wisdom, and full of faith. But how do we get full? How can we be filled? This is not something we can do on our own. Each of these things comes from God, and so if we are going to be full we must look to God.
Thanks for mercies past receive,
Pardon of our sins renew;
Teach us, henceforth, how to live
With eternity in view:
Bless thy word to young and old,
Fill us with a Saviour’s love;
And when life’s short tale is told,
May we dwell with thee above.
– John Newton from the Olney Hymns
When the members of the early church were given the task of choosing seven men to make sure the church’s widows were fed, the apostles gave some important criteria (Acts 6:1-7). These men must be of good repute, and they must be full. They must be full of:
It must be recognized that these seven men came from the membership of the church. The only way leaders could be chosen is if the members were growing in these areas, which means we all should be growing in these areas. Looked at another way, leaders are to be an example to the church so that all of the church might follow their example, and so we too should follow their example and seek to grow in these areas.
Are you living in the power and leading of the Spirit, showing his fruit in your life?
Are you discerning between right and wrong and choosing to do what is right?
Are you growing in your faith in God for salvation, and trusting him in your trials?
Are you being filled?
Are you full?
