Tag: Sunday

The Lord’s Day

On By BrianIn PASSION Quotes

BriefHistorySundayThe Lord’s Day…was taken as a celebration of the three great events of salvation history.  It was first of all the day of the resurrection of the Lord and therefore the beginning of the new creation.  It was also the very first day of the first creation, and therefore a time to rejoice in the goodness of God’s bounty.  And it was the eighth day of the week, and therefore a day of hope pointing to the consummation of all things.

– Justo Gonzalez in A Brief History of Sunday

Passion Points

On By BrianIn PASSION Points

Here are some good posts for your weekend reading:

Using Self-Examination for Spiritual Formation – Joe Carter (TGC)
The Christian life requires frequent self-examination to ensure we are overcoming sin and growing in obedience.

Fears and Fleeting Faith – Tim Challies
…there is no situation beyond God’s knowledge, no condition beyond God’s control, no circumstance beyond God’s power. The one who holds us in the storm is the very same one who holds the storm.

3 Mistakes to Avoid When Helping the Hurting– Dave Furman (TGC)
No one wants to be like Job’s friends. We have hurting people in our lives, and we want to help them, but how do we manage to not make fools of ourselves? And how can we actually help hurting people without discouraging them even more?

The Best Day of the Week…for Your Kids – Nick Kennicott (TCC)
Here are eight ways we can help our children view Sunday as being the best day of the week…

Hope you have a great best day of the week!

Passion Points

On By BrianIn PASSION Points

Here are some good posts for your weekend reading:

How Do You Know You’re Repentant? – Jared Wilson
We name our sin as sin and do not spin it or excuse it, and further, we demonstrate “godly sorrow,” which is to say, a grief chiefly about the sin itself, not just a grief about being caught or having to deal with the consequences of sin.

3 Reasons Why You Aren’t Allowed To Be Theologically Dumb – Chris Martin (ME)
When you love God with your heart but not your mind, you end up loving the god of your imagination, not the God of the universe.

Theological Black Holes – Tim Challies
And this is one of the reasons God places us in church communities where we are surrounded by people who are that much wiser and that much more mature than we are.

Making the Most of Sunday – Joe Thorn (TCC)
As we look forward to what God will do among us as we gather let’s remember that there are three ways to get the most out of your Sundays with the church: prepare, participate, and reflect….

Hope you make the most of the Lord’s Day this week as you gather with your local church!

The Test

On By BrianIn Church Life, Habit of Stewardship, Heart3 Comments

Summer is here.  And with summer comes numerous activities that compete for our time.  And some of those activities are on Sunday mornings, competing for our time with the Lord and his people.  It may be a game, a race, a family get-together, a trip to the beach, a work picnic, or any number of other things.  Each alternative Sunday morning activity represents a test.

  • It is a test of our priorities.  Will we choose what Christ offers or what the world offers?  Will we choose Christ or that activity?  Which will be first?  Which will take the priority?  The early church devoted themselves to coming together for the Word and prayer.  Paul risked his life to plant and build up local churches.  Will we share their commitment?  Our world is filled with idols that many people worship, but on Sunday mornings the church gathers to declare that there is one true God.  We gather to celebrate the gospel of Jesus Christ.  We gather together to worship the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.  What could possibly be more important than that?
  • It is a test of our attitude.  We could come every Sunday to church, but with the wrong attitude.  We could come bitter because we really want to be doing something else.  We could sit through the sermon impatiently, hoping it will end soon so we can go and do what we really want to do.  Or we could gather expectantly, excited to see what God might do among us.  We could gather joyfully to worship the Lord through singing and prayer and His Word.  What is our attitude?
  • It is a test of our witness.  Like it or not, church is a public expression of our commitment to Christ.  Our neighbors see if we leave for church each week.  Our families see if we are committed or not.  If we don’t have a strong commitment to church, it communicates to others that Christ really isn’t that important to us.  And if it isn’t important to us, why should it be important to them?

So this summer when those alternative activities come up, go to church.  Tell your family you will be late to that family get-together.  Tell your coach you can’t make the game.  Save that trip to the beach for another time.  You already have plans for Sunday morning.  You have a prior commitment.  Make church a priority, with a good attitude, as a good witness for Jesus.