Tag: Discipleship

Resurrection Reflections Weekend

On By BrianIn Holidays1 Comment

Friday: Returning – With the Lord

Read I Thessalonians 4:13-18

Prayer: Father, thank you for the assurance that those who die in the Lord will one day be raised even as Jesus died and was raised. Thank you for the hope that one day we will be with our Lord forever. Amen.

Reflect/Discuss: How does the assurance that you will one day be with your Lord encourage you?

Praise: Sing “When We See Christ”

Saturday: Reborn – Hope in your Inheritance

Read I Peter 1:3-4

Prayer: Father, thank you for your great mercy to me that you have caused me to be reborn to living hope through Christ’s resurrection. Thank you for the certain and unending inheritance that awaits me. Amen.

Reflect/Discuss: How might remembering your unending inheritance in heaven diminish your pursuit of temporary earthly treasures?

Praise: Sing “What A Day That Will Be”

Sunday: Ransomed – Praise to the Lamb

Read Revelation 5:1-14

Prayer: Father, thank you for the Risen Lamb who has ransomed me by his spilt blood. Help me to praise him today with a heart full of gratitude. To you and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever. Amen.

Reflect/Discuss: How has reflecting this week on the many benefits of Christ’s resurrection helped you to join the heavenly beings in worshipping the Lamb?

Praise: Sing “Crown Him With Many Crowns”

Resurrection Reflection Thursday

On By BrianIn Holidays1 Comment

Resurrected – Victory over Death

Read I Corinthians 15:20-23, 50-58

Prayer: Father, as Christ has been raised, so one day we will be raised. We will be changed. Our perishable mortal bodies shall be made imperishable, immortal. Death will be no more. Thank you for this promised victory over death through Jesus Christ our Lord. Until that day, help me to live and labor for you. Amen.

Reflect/Discuss: How does the assurance of victory over death affect your thoughts and emotions at the prospect of facing death one day?

Praise: Sing “Because He Lives”

Resurrection Reflection Wednesday

On By BrianIn Holidays1 Comment

Reigns – Submit to your King

Read Ephesians 1:19-23

Prayer: Father, by your great power that now works in me you raised Jesus from the dead, and have made him King over all and Head of your church. Help me to submit to my life to my Risen King. Amen.

Reflect/Discuss: What rule and authority and power and dominion do you see on this earth today? How does Jesus’ higher and greater reign encourage you?

Praise: Sing “All Hail The Power Of Jesus’ Name”

Resurrection Reflection Tuesday

On By BrianIn Holidays1 Comment

Raised – Live your New Life

Read Romans 6:1-4

Prayer: Father, as Christ died, so in Christ I too have died to sin. Help me to not live that way any longer. As Christ was raised, so you have raised me to a new life in Christ. Let me live this new life you have purchased for me through Jesus. Amen.

Reflect/Discuss: How has Jesus changed your life?

Praise: Sing “O To Be Like Thee”

Resurrection Reflection Monday

On By BrianIn Holidays1 Comment

Received – Embrace the Gospel

Read I Corinthians 15:1-7

Prayer: Father, thank you for the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ – that he died for my sins, was buried, and rose from the dead. Thank you that he demonstrated his resurrection by appearing to your early disciples. Thank you for the opportunity to receive this good news and have my sins forgiven. Amen.

Reflect/Discuss: What is the gospel? Have you received it? How do Christ’s many appearances encourage or strengthen faith?

Praise: Sing “One Day”

Resurrection Sunday Reflection

On By BrianIn Holidays

Easter Sunday: Rejoice – Celebrate His Resurrection

Read Luke 24

Prayer: Father, what glorious news! The tomb is empty! He is not here, but has risen! Let me join with your disciples in joyous worship and praise to you. Amen.

Reflect/Discuss: What evidence does Jesus give of his resurrection, and how does that strengthen your faith and joy?

Praise: Sing “Christ The Lord Is Risen Today”

Passion for Things

On By BrianIn Idolatry1 Comment

Yesterday, I mentioned the need to overcome our passion for things and replace it with a passion for God.  At root is the question of what we value most and where we place our trust – in things or God.  If the answer is things – then we commit idolatry.  Consider the words of the Psalm 135:15-18:

“The idols of the nations are silver and gold, the work of human hands.  They have mouths but do not speak; they have eyes but do not see….  Those who make them become like them, so do all who trust in them.”

John Piper, in his book, When I Don’t Desire God, comments on these verses with insightful words:

“Make and trust a blind idol, and you become blind.  Apply that principle to the modern world, and think of the idols of our own day.  What do we make and what do we trust?  Things.  Toys.  Technology.  And so our hearts and affections are formed by these things.  They compress the void in our hearts into shapes like toys.  The result is that we are easily moved and excited by things….”

And yet these things never satisfy.  For as Augustine wrote, speaking of God: “You have made us for yourself, and our heart is restless until it rests in you.”  When we delight and trust in things, our hearts are formed towards those things, but are hearts remain restless.  We need to redirect our gaze on Christ, reset our desire upon him, place our trust in him.  If trusting in idols makes us like idols, if looking to things makes us like things, then looking to God will make us like him – and we will find rest for our souls. May God help us reset our gaze upon him.

Persecution Coming?

On By BrianIn Idolatry

One of the most provocative statements at the conference I attended Monday was the suggestion that within 15 years the church in America would face persecution.  In a world with many ways to God, many “truths,” and many lifestyles, how long will our culture tolerate our message that Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life?  In many ways, we are back in the world of the early church with many gods, many spiritualities, and many ways of life.  And when the early church’s message rubbed against another way of life (think of Paul in Ephesus in Acts 19), there was persecution.  What to do?

One answer is simply to do what Jesus told us to do and “let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16).  While persecution may come from our message, our actions of love may reduce that persecution.  (I should stop here, and say that we should love others because they are made in the image of God and we were created to love.  Receptivity to the gospel and possible lessening of persecution are primarily results.)

Another answer is to start seasoning our message with love.  Not that we compromise the message, but too often our approach to speaking the message seems to be arrogant and in your face.  There is a humble way to share the message, and this is the path of Jesus.

But what to do when persecution comes?  Jim Grier, who suggested that persecution was coming, also suggested that the church wasn’t ready.  To get ready, he said, we need to give up our addiction to material wealth, our idolatry to consumerism.  It reminds me of Achan in Joshua 7 who by his testimony saw and coveted.  And there is a lot to see today, and hence a lot to covet.  And so we see, we covet, and we buy.  This is the American way of life.  But our desire is to be set on God and his Kingdom, not on material things.  Again in the words of Jesus, we are to lay up treasure in heaven, not on earth.  Ask yourself this question: if you had to choose between a comfortable life with your material things and a persecuted life with God, which would you choose?  We know the right answer, but would we really make that choice?  Now is the time to end our passion for things, and start living with a passion for God, so that if persecution comes, and that choice is forced upon us, our hearts will be bent to make the right choice.

Rash Words

On By BrianIn Virtue Miscellaneous

In the book of Judges, Jephthah rashly vows to offer up whatever first comes out of the door of his house if God will give him victory over Israel’s enemies.  God gives the victory, and as Jephthah nears home, his daughter – his only child – comes out the door to greet him. Rash words.

My son has been using the word “never” a lot lately, like “I will never come to the table to eat again” – which of course isn’t true.  Rash words.

Our president compared his bowling to that of the Special Olympics.  Apparently the champion Special Olympics bowler has bowled 5 perfect games since 2005.  Rash words.

I say something unkind to my wife or in an unkind tone.  Rash words.

Bottom line: We can get on Jephthah’s case or the president’s case, but all of us are guilty at times of rash words.  Oh, how we need to guard our tongues if we are going to live with compassion for people!

Teaching the Next Generation

On By BrianIn Family/Single Life

In the sermon this morning we were looking at the book of Judges.  One of the points came from Judges 2:10.  Joshua’s generation passed away, and “there arose another generation after them who did not know the Lord or the work that he had done for Israel.”  What a tragedy!  Somehow Joshua’s generation failed to pass on their faith.  God’s commandments were lost.  Despite all of Moses’ instructions to teach the next generation (see for instance Deut 6), they failed to do it.  The results were the time of the Judges, a corrupt depraved time summarized by the last line of the book: “Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.”  That last line sounds incredibly similar to the approach to morality in our country today.  And the failure to pass on their faith parallels our day too as some statistics say up to 88% of evangelical youth will abandon their faith by the time they finish college.  For further statistics and an interesting analysis, see link

What to do?  Three suggestions: First, parents need to recognize that they have the primary responsibility to teach their children (see Deut 6:5-9 and Ephesians 6:4).  They cannot expect the church to do this for them – it is their responsibility. Many families have a daily family worship time with their children to teach the Bible and pray together.  (See the Center For Biblical Spirituality link in the Recommended Sites list for a great intro book on this idea.)

Second, the church must partner with the parents to help them to teach their children.  Children and youth ministries are important to reinforce what the children are learning at home.  The positive example of other Christians in the church fleshs out what the Christian life looks like.  The church must teach parents the Bible with some depth so the parents can then teach their children.  The church needs to offer parents practical suggestions, ideas, and resources to equip parents to fulfill their role.

Third, parents and churches need to pray, pray, and pray some more.  All of the above will not guarantee that children will follow the Lord.  Ultimately the decision is between the grown child and the Lord.  So we need to pray.

If we have a passion for God and compassion for children, we must teach the next generation for their joy and God’s glory!