Passion Points

Here are some good posts for your weekend reading:

3 Things To Consider Before That Next Big Sin – Tim Challies
John Owen has a challenge for you. Before that next big sin you are pondering, he wants you to simply consider three things…

4 Things That Happen When You Study Leviticus More Than 10 Years – Jay Sklar (TGC)
In my experience, at least four profound things happen when this book begins to seep into your soul…

Someday It Will Be Worth It – Mark Altrogge (Blazing Center)
You won’t be disappointed. Keep believing in Jesus. Keep hoping in him. Keep clinging to him and abiding in him. Don’t give up, no matter how bad the pain gets. You won’t be put to shame. Keep rejoicing and giving thanks in all things. You can’t imagine your reward and the joys that await you.

Preparing for Sunday Worship – Jason Helopoulis
We believe our engagement in corporate worship is essential, so we should also expect to prepare even as we expect the pastor and musicians to prepare for their participation in the Sunday morning service. How can you prepare for worship?

Hope you have a great Lord’s Day prepared for corporate worship of our great God!

Passion Points

Here are some good posts for your weekend reading:

God’s School of Waiting – Jeff Robinson (TGC)

You Might Be An Idolater If… – Stephen Altrogge (Crossway)

7 Marks of a Deeply Deadly Sin – Tim Challies (from John Owen)

20 Ways to be Refreshing in the Local Church – Jason Helopoulos

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

Church Connections

Here are some good posts on church membership that I wish every Christian would read:

What Is Church Membership? – Jonathan Leeman (9Marks)

Is Church Membership Really Required – Ricky Jones (TGC)

6 Reasons to Be a Faithful Member of a Local Church – Paul Tautges

Twelve Reasons Why Membership Matters – Jonathan Leeman (9Marks)

Passion Points

Here are some good posts for your weekend reading:

Teaching Children the Ten Commandments – Michael Snow
Michael shares the Ten Commandments in rhyme from the McGuffey readers.  Looks like a good way to teach young children – maybe it could be put to music.

Gentleness Is Not an Option – Dane Ortlund (via Jared Wilson)
[G]entleness is essential to Christian living. It is not an add-on. It is . . . one of the few indisputable evidences of the Holy Spirit alive and well within someone.

Sobering Up: The Prerequisite to a Good Prayer Life – Darryl Dash
Sobering up means that we see reality as it really is; that we recognize that time is short; that we give up any thoughts of trying to live or serve apart from the enablement that only God can offer.

The Tone Deaf Singer – Tim Challies
We sing best when that gospel is dwelling richly within us. God is not looking at the quality of our tone or the perfection of our pitch. He is looking at the heart. 

Hope you have a great Lord’s Day praising our Lord from your heart with your local church!

Tinkering with the Church

GodInTheWastelandIt is one of the remarkable features of contemporary church life that so many are attempting to heal the church by tinkering with its structures, its services, its public face. This is clear evidence that modernity has successfully palmed off one of its great deceits on us, convincing us that God himself is secondary to organization and image, that the church’s health lies in its flow charts, its convenience, and its offerings rather than in its inner life, its spiritual authenticity, the toughness of its moral intentions, its understanding of what it means to have God’s Word in this world.

– David Wells in God in the Wasteland

Passion Points

Here are some good posts for your weekend reading:

5 Great Reasons To Memorize Scripture Today – Tim Challies (from Donald Whitney)
There are few areas of the Christian life where there is a wider gap between what Christians want to do and what Christians actually do than in this area: memorizing Scripture.

A Simple Method To Organize Your Prayers – Tim Challies
Christians have created many patterns and systems to help them as they pray. One of my favorites is John Piper’s model of praying…

Spiritual Disciplines, Legalism, and Laziness – Trevin Wax (with Donald Whitney)
When I consider my own spiritual life, I can’t help but think about certain practices and disciplines that the Lord has used to shaped me over the years.

A Gospeled Church – Jared Wilson
You cannot grow in holiness and holier-than-thou-ness at the same time. So a church that makes its main thing the gospel, and when faced with sin in its ranks doesn’t simply crack the whip of the law but says “remember the gospel,” should gradually be seeing grace coming to bear. 

You see above two posts interacting with Donald Whitney whose revised version of Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life just came out.  Highly recommended!

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