Tag: Christianity

Prayer Warrior-March

On By BrianIn Prayer Guides

Praying for your Church

  • Revival in your church, passion/hunger for God
  • Worship – Heart worship, Joyful singing, Cheerful giving, Passionate prayer, Powerful preaching, Appropriate response
  • Growing disciples, increasing maturity
  • Full of the Spirit, wisdom, and faith
  • Recognition of God’s presence
  • God’s grace to overcome bitterness and sinful patterns
  • Hearts of love toward those who are different
  • Gripped by the sacrifice of Jesus for us
  • Prayer – Growing priority and passion for prayer, Prayer Services
  • Word – Sunday School, Children’s ministry, Youth ministry
  • Fellowship – Growing care/love/unity, Fellowship activities
  • Growing passion for evangelism and missions
  • Opportunities and boldness to share the gospel
  • Growing willingness to take risks for gospel
  • People to be saved in our spheres of influence
  • Guests to come to your Worship Service and the Spirit to draw them to Himself
  • Easter outreaches
  • Your missionaries

Be Thou Exalted

On By BrianIn Prayers1 Comment

O God,
Be Thou exalted over my possessions.
Nothing of earth’s treasures shall seem dear unto me
if only Thou art glorified in my life.

Be Thou exalted over my friendships.
I am determined that Thou shalt be above all,
though I must stand deserted and alone
in the midst of the earth.

Be Thou exalted above my comforts.
Though it mean the loss of bodily comforts
and the carrying of heavy crosses,
I shall keep my vow made this day before Thee.

 Be Thou exalted over my reputation.
Make me ambitious to please Thee
even if as a result I must sink into obscurity
and my name be forgotten as a dream.

Rise, O Lord,
into Thy proper place of honor,
above my ambitions,
above my likes and dislikes,
above my family,
my health
and even my life itself.

Let me decrease that Thou mayest increase;
let me sink that Thou mayest rise above.

– A. W. Tozer, 1897-1963

Six Clear Commitments for the Church

On By BrianIn Book of Acts, Church Life

In Acts 6:1-7, we see six clear commitments of the early church.  These same commitments should be true of our churches today as well:

  • Unity – The occasion behind this passage is a real threat to unity.  Diverse backgrounds, neglect, and complaining all threaten the church.  The apostles deal decisively with the problems to preserve unity in the church.  So should we.
  • Caring Fellowship – The early church was daily feeding widows in need.  Acts 2 tells us they gave to anyone in the church who was in need.  Plus they met regularly in homes.  They cared about each other in tangible ways, and so should we.
  • Prayer and the Word – The apostles wouldn’t neglect prayer and the Word.  Indeed throughout Acts, we see prayer and the Word continually.  These were central to the early church, and they should be central in our churches today.
  • Diverse Roles – If the church was going to commit to caring fellowship and the Word and prayer, it became clear that diverse roles were necessary.  Some needed to focus on caring for people’s physical needs, while others focused on people’s spiritual needs.  Diverse roles are just as important today.
  • Active Membership – The full number of the disciples assembled for essentially a business meeting to deal with the issue at hand.  They were involved in choosing the seven.  These same disciples were devoted to the ministries of the church (Acts 2:41-42).  We need an active membership today.
  • Qualified Leadership – The apostles gave clear guidelines for choosing the seven.  This was not a popular vote.  Each leader had to have a good reputation, and be full of the Spirit and full of wisdom.  We need leaders like that today as well.

As the early church lived out these six commitments, the gospel continued to spread.  May God help our churches to live out these six clear commitments, and may the Lord cause the gospel to spread through us today!

Passion Points

On By BrianIn PASSION Points

Here are two good posts for your weekend reading.  Both are packed with a lot to ponder and apply.

The Glory of God: Quotes – Trevin Wax
Contains several good quotes on God’s glory.  Here is one:
“The work of God in the cross of Christ strikes us as awe-inspiring only after we have first been awed by the glory of God.” – Matt Chandler

Church Was Great! Let’s Not Talk About It – Colin Marshall (Gospel Coalition)
We’ve just heard the Word read and proclaimed, sung the praises of our great God, and petitioned him for mercy in our time of need. And then we spend our time afterward talking about last night’s movie, the game, the hobby, the state of the nation, or whatever. Anything but the great truths of the gospel we’ve just heard and by which we’re saved. Why do we do this?

Hope you have a great Lord’s Day pondering God’s glory and actually talking about the things of God!

Successful Ministry

On By BrianIn PASSION Resources1 Comment

Here is the third video I watched this afternoon from the Desiring God 2013 Pastor’s Conference.  This one is from Kent Hughes on redefining the successful ministry.  I had the opportunity to hear him speak on this topic at a RHMA conference a few years back, and the content is still very important for pastors to wrestle with.  You might also consider his book on the same topic.

Passion Points

On By BrianIn Idolatry, PASSION Points

Here are some good posts for your weekend reading:

I Bought Some Joy (But Dropped It Down the Stairs) – Tim Challies
My iPhone threatens to be an iDol in my life. It represents so many of the things I value...

How to Have Communion with the Spirit – J.D.Greear
The Christian life is not just about doctrines or spiritual disciplines, but about fellowship with God—koinonia. But how can you experience moments of fellowship with God?

The Abundance of Giving – John MacArthur
God’s Word clearly teaches that our giving is actually a direct pipeline to His blessings.

When My Love Grows Cold – Tim Challies
When my love for the Lord begins to grow cold, I will almost always find that I have not been spending time with him in his Word. When I have not been spending time with him in his Word, I will find that my love has grown cold, or lukewarm, at least.

Hope you have a great Lord’s Day with God’s people loving, communing with, and giving to the true source of all Joy!

Passion News

On By BrianIn Current Collection

Here is a collection of articles from the past few months related to the current administration’s attempt to force businesses and non-profits to pay for abortion-inducing contraceptives as part of their insurance package.  The last link is a good summary of where we are at.

11/17/12 – Tyndale House Wins Mandate Court Battle – Mickey McClean (World)

11/18/12 – Court Sides with Bible Publisher Challenging Abortion Pill Mandate – Joe Carter (Gospel Coalition)

11/21/12 – Who is Hobby Lobby? – Denny Burk

12/20/12 – Wheaton College Wins Partitial Victory in Religious Liberty Lawsuit – Joe Carter (Gospel Coalition)

12/28/12 – Does Anyone Care What Happens to Hobby Lobby? – Denny Burk

1/7/13 – Courts Issue Contradictory Rulings as Contraceptive Mandate Fines Begin – Melissa Steffan (Christianity Today)

1/8/13 – Why You Should Care About the Hobby Lobby Case – And Be Alarmed – Kevin DeYoung

1/8/13 – Pastor Rick Warren Releases Statement on Hobby Lobby Morning-After Pill Lawsuit – Deseret News

2/1/13 – Obama Administration Tweaks Rules on Contraceptive Coverage – Ted Olsen and Melissa Steffan (Christianity Today)

2/3/13 – The FAQs: Changes to the HHS Contraceptive-Abortifacient Mandate – Joe Carter (Gospel Coalition)