Tag: Church

Ascension Sunday

On By BrianIn Holidays

Tomorrow is an important day.  Most know it as Mother’s Day, but it is also Ascension Sunday.  Though often overlooked, the ascension is an essential part of the work of Christ.  Consider just four results of the ascension:

  • The Spirit has come (John 16:5-7)
  • Jesus reigns over all (Ephesians 1:20-23)
  • Jesus intercedes for us (Hebrews 7:25)
  • Jesus is preparing a place for us (John 14:3)

For a further look at the ascension, you might consider the following:

Hope you have a great day celebrating the ascension of our Lord and Savior!

Conference Considerations

On By BrianIn Church Life1 Comment

Last week I attended the RHMA Small Town Pastors’ Conference in Illinois with my wife.  Here are a few take-home points:

  • I am useless on my own, but God can use me.
  • I need to seriously pray for situations instead of rashly attacking problems in my own strength.
  • I must minister out of love, not anger.  Regular forgiveness is essential.
  • I must trust God in times of opposition.

Prayer Warrior – April

On By BrianIn Prayer Guides

Praying for your Church:

  • Revival in our church, a passion/hunger for God
  • Hearts in awe of God’s glory and amazed by God’s love
  • Growing disciples, increasing maturity
  • Full of the Spirit, wisdom, and faith
  • Full of the Word and prayer
  • Point to Jesus, not ourselves
  • Devout: fearing God, giving generously, praying continually
  • Faithful to the Lord with steadfast purpose
  • Trust in God’s sovereign plan for our lives
  • Fellowship – Growing care/love/unity, Growing generosity
  • Growing passion for evangelism and missions
  • Opportunities and boldness to share the gospel
  • God’s willing instruments to point others to Jesus
  • Great many people added to the Lord this year
  • Guests to come to our Worship Service and the Spirit to draw them to Himself
  • Church-wide evangelistic opportunities
  • Missionaries: walk with God, opportunities, health, safety

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

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!

Passion Points

On By BrianIn PASSION Points

Here are some good posts for your weekend reading:

Toward a Theology of Church Unity – Kevin DeYoung

Why Did God Use Spurgeon? – Chris Castaldo
There is one thing on which many Christians today agree–we need genuine revival…

Why Pastors and Elders Need Your Prayers – Kevin DeYoung

Six Ways To Encourage Your Pastor – Charles Stone
Being a pastor is a high calling, yet pastors often face loneliness and discouragement...

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

Passion Points

On By BrianIn Church Collection, PASSION Points

As you prepare to gather with Christ’s church tomorrow, here are some good posts to consider:

We Weren’t Created For Isolation (Short Video) – Brad House (via Crossway)
We weren’t built for isolation, we were created for community. And community isn’t ultimately about us, it’s about God. The church should be the most compelling expression of community in our culture. It should stand in contrast to the counterfeit community that costs us nothing.

The Difference Between Church as Individual Divers and Church as an Organic Body – Richard Lovelace (via Justin Taylor)
No individual, congregation or denomination of Christians is spiritually independent of the others. . . .

Church as an Oasis of Grace – Trevin Wax
Our churches ought to be filled with people who have gospel-focused conversations, where we bring the gospel to bear on every inch of life, hold one another accountable, rebuke one another in love, and encourage one another in grace.

Can I Grow in Holiness Without the Local Church? (Short Video) – David Powlison (via Desiring God)
The role the local church plays in our sanctification….

May we approach church tomorrow in a more Biblical way as we seek to worship our great God together!