God’s servants are sealed as His own
And protected in His sight
Standing before the Father’s throne
Clothed in blood-washed robes of white
We will praise Him, We will serve Him
We are the servants of God
In His presence God will shelter
From all harm and ev’ry fear
Guide us to the living water
Wipe away our ev’ry tear
What a delight, What a great joy
To be the servants of God
To the tune of “Lo He Comes With Clouds Descending”
Here are some good posts for your weekend reading:
Souls Need Songs: How God Shapes Us Through Singing – Hayden Nesbit (DG)
God made our souls for song. Scripture brims with God’s call for his people to sing his praises. Something about singing refreshes and reorients our souls
8 Ways to Measure Your Love for the Bible – Tim Challies
Here are a few ways to measure whether or not you truly love the Word.
Diagnosing & Mortifying the Sin of Complaining – Geoffrey R. Kirkland
Complaining isn’t, however, the real issue. Complaining is the outward manifestation of other heart-sins taking place in that moment. Let’s diagnose complaining. When we complain, we manifest three heart-sins that are all taking place together.
Worshiping a Golden Calf on Sunday Morning is Deceptively Easy – Jared Wilson
On Sundays, our sanctuaries fill with people seeking worship, and not one person comes in set to neutral. We must take great care, then, not to assume that even in our religious environments, where we put the Scriptures under so many noses, that it is Jesus the exalted Christ who is being worshiped.
Hope you have a great Lord’s Day!
Here are some good posts for your weekend reading:
Practical Suggestions for Cultivating Communion with God – Kelly Kapic (Crossway)
Communion with God is a deep need for every human, whether we acknowledge the need or not. Communion with God is how we were made to function, and it is ultimately about a loving and very present relationship with the triune Creator.
Two Gifts You Give To Others in Your Sanctification – Tim Challies
Your sanctification is a gift to others. Your continual growth in holiness is not something you emphasize merely for your own benefit or your own assurance, but something you pursue for the benefit of others.
One Man’s Dream Destroyed Millions – Jon Bloom (DG)
We must confront our own wicked proneness to objectify others and resolve all the more to war against it. We humans have a horrible, sinful tendency to view others as roles — too often expendable “extras” — in the epic moving picture of our story, not souls in the real epic of God’s story. The fallen human nature, unhinged from God’s reality, seeks to construct its own preferred reality. And it uses other people to do it.
Are You a Healthy Church Member? – Thabiti Anyabwile (Crossway)
A healthy church member is someone that, in one sense, shares all the sensibilities of a good pastor. They’re going to have a concern for the spiritual growth of others, they’re going to have a concern for the right teaching of God’s Word, and they will have a concern for the church’s witness to the community, for reaching their neighbors and friends.
Hope you have a great Lord’s Day with your local church!
Here are some good posts for Pastor Appreciation Month:
The Cheap Way to Bless Your Pastor – Kevin DeYoung
3 Reasons Your Pastor Desperately Needs Prayer And Encouragement – Stephen Altrogge
How to Pray for Your Pastor – Melton Duncan (Ligonier)
8 Prayers You Should Regularly Pray For Your Pastor – Stephen Altrogge
Behold the Lamb as He opens, Each of the seals – one through four
Now unleashing the four horsemen, Set to conquer and make war
Bringing famine, Disease, and death
As the Lamb jud-ges the earth
The Lamb reigns now let us trust Him, And endure real suffering
Limits judgment – let us praise Him, Repent and obey the King
He reigns today, And forever
Come and behold: the Lamb reigns
To the tune of “Lo He Comes With Clouds Descending”
Here are some good posts on small town church ministry:
Why I Love the Rural Church – Brandon Pearce (FTC)
3 Challenges of Small-Town Ministry – Donnie Griggs (TGC)
Are Small Churches Less Fruitful? – John Piper (DG)
Here are some good posts for your weekend reading:
Be Patient with Your Slow Growth – Jon Bloom (DG)
Godliness is not your Personality – David Murray
Don’t Speak Up: On the Spiritual Discipline of Silence – Mark Dever (9 Marks)
Sunday is End-Times Warfare – Peyton Hill (FTC)
Hope you have a great Lord’s Day worshiping your great God with your local church!
We may not always be very impressed with the church. All too often, we get frustrated with other Christians. We are embarrassed by what they do, or fail to do. In fact, sometimes they are the hardest people in the world to love. But we should never forget that Jesus loves these people so much that he gave up his life for them.
– Phil Ryken in Loving Jesus More
Behold our God is glorious, Come with awe and endless praise
He created and sustains us, Submit now in all your ways
Come and worship, come and worship, Worship our glorious God
Behold God is fully righteous, Rejoice – wickedness can’t win
We are sinners – woe now to us, Give thanks – Jesus saves from sin
Come and worship, come and worship, Worship our righteous Savior
Behold our Lord God Almighty, Come to Him with every need
He reigns over all completely, To His ev’ry word take heed
Come and worship, come and worship, Worship the Lord Almighty
Behold our God lives forever, Come and ponder your short life
Come with hope that none can sever, A future eternal life
Come and worship, come and worship, Worship our eternal God
To the tune of “Lo! He Comes With Clouds Descending”
This may be the truest test of our love for our Lord: will we go out and love the church that he died to save?– Phil Ryken in Loving Jesus More
Brian J. Mikul 