There will be no services at Grace Church this week in Memphis, due to our All-Church Labor Day Retreat. Services will resume Sunday, September 12th...
This is a meditation I wrote a couple months ago (but never posted) after seeing a man try
to shoot and kill another man right in front of my house from about 15
feet away. Miraculously, no one was hurt.
So what if you had no idea you were in the bullet's path. Dead is dead.
"What might have been" became irrelevant the instant the trigger was
pulled...
This Sunday completes our series of looking to Jesus from the minor
prophet Joel. Come prepared to meet with the Lord and with one another
in prayer, Word, song, Lord's Supper, and fellowship.
Here are a few statements to help spur our thoughts for Sunday in Joel 2:28-3:21
This Sunday completes our series of looking to Jesus from the minor
prophet Joel. Come prepared to meet with the Lord and with one another
in prayer, Word, song, Lord's Supper, and fellowship.
Here are a few statements to help spur our thoughts for Sunday in Joel 2:28-3:21
The gospel demands to inform the way the believer understands everything.
Believing the gospel is different than thinking right thoughts about a few things. Believing in Jesusthe Lord is to embrace the Lordship of Jesus over all of you. This, of course, includes the way you
process an understanding of false beliefs and pagan worship practices.
The gospel demands to inform the way the believer understands everything.
Believing the gospel is different than thinking right thoughts about a few things. Believing in Jesusthe Lord is to embrace the Lordship of Jesus over all of you. This, of course, includes the way you
process an understanding of false beliefs and pagan worship practices.
Lord willing tomorrow morning we continue our short series in Joel worshipping Jesus in ch. 2:12-27. As you continuing preparing your hearts for tomorrow consider these three statements.
While in the midst of God's remedial judgment, He commands us to
return to Him and the only way we may do so is through Jesus Christ (v12-13)
The only acceptable disposition of returning to the LORD is
repentance that is moving towards God and faith in the Lord Jesus
Christ (v12-17)
Those who come to God through Jesus Christ will be eternally satisfied with Jesus (v18-27)
Lord willing tomorrow morning we continue our short series in Joel worshipping Jesus in ch. 2:12-27. As you continuing preparing your hearts for tomorrow consider these three statements.
While in the midst of God's remedial judgment, He commands us to
return to Him and the only way we may do so is through Jesus Christ (v12-13)
The only acceptable disposition of returning to the LORD is
repentance that is moving towards God and faith in the Lord Jesus
Christ (v12-17)
Those who come to God through Jesus Christ will be eternally satisfied with Jesus (v18-27)
Beginning this Sunday we are set to embark on a three sermon journey
through the minor prophet Joel. I would encourage you from now until
Sunday to read this short, yet profound Word of the Lord asking the Spirit to show you Jesus. Come ready for congregational prayer at 9a on Sunday!
Beginning this Sunday we are set to embark on a three sermon journey
through the minor prophet Joel. I would encourage you from now until
Sunday to read this short, yet profound Word of the Lord asking the Spirit to show you Jesus. Come ready for congregational prayer at 9a on Sunday!
Tuesday Night from 6p-8p Uptown is hosting it's 5th Annual National
Night Out. It will be taking place at Uptown Park (the big green lawn
in front of my house).We are encouraging GCer's to take this
opportunity to come out and meet others living in Uptown to hopefully
begin some relationships for the purpose of commending Christ.
Below is a quick blurb from an email sent out about the National Night Out...
Tuesday Night from 6p-8p Uptown is hosting it's 5th Annual National
Night Out. It will be taking place at Uptown Park (the big green lawn
in front of my house).We are encouraging GCer's to take this
opportunity to come out and meet others living in Uptown to hopefully
begin some relationships for the purpose of commending Christ.
Below is a quick blurb from an email sent out about the National Night Out...
The fam is getting away for a few days for some R&R. Pray for us, as we will you.
Be
sure to ready your souls for John 14 and John 16 the next two Sundays
as Bryan and Jim preach on the Person and Work of the Holy Spirit. I
believe these are important sermons for the church at this time in our
life together. Come hungry...by feasting much on Jesus in those texts daily.
Lord
willing Nathan will begin a three part series on Jesus in Joel the
following Sunday. Three weeks from now...three chapters in Joel...three
sermons...think the Lord might be trying to say something about a good
place to hang out in the Word between now and then? Just sayin'.
The fam is getting away for a few days for some R&R. Pray for us, as we will you.
Be
sure to ready your souls for John 14 and John 16 the next two Sundays
as Bryan and Jim preach on the Person and Work of the Holy Spirit. I
believe these are important sermons for the church at this time in our
life together. Come hungry...by feasting much on Jesus in those texts daily.
Lord
willing Nathan will begin a three part series on Jesus in Joel the
following Sunday. Three weeks from now...three chapters in Joel...three
sermons...think the Lord might be trying to say something about a good
place to hang out in the Word between now and then? Just sayin'.
This Sunday marks the conclusion of our sermon series on Christ's
supremacy in the Christian life. Our text was chosen as the last in
the series because it is the apex -- both now and forevermore.
The greatest expression of God's love to us is to give us a greater
view of Jesus. Having more of Him revealed to our souls is the great
incentive for our loving obedience to all His commands. That's the
message of John 14:21.
To prepare for Sunday:
Pray like mad that we'll have ready hearts this
Sunday
Pray that we'll receive greater manifestations of Jesus, Who
is the Christian's Infinite Reward
This Sunday marks the conclusion of our sermon series on Christ's
supremacy in the Christian life. Our text was chosen as the last in
the series because it is the apex -- both now and forevermore.
The greatest expression of God's love to us is to give us a greater
view of Jesus. Having more of Him revealed to our souls is the great
incentive for our loving obedience to all His commands. That's the
message of John 14:21.
To prepare for Sunday:
Pray like mad that we'll have ready hearts this
Sunday
Pray that we'll receive greater manifestations of Jesus, Who
is the Christian's Infinite Reward
Big time domestic dispute across the street
from my house last night. Join us in praying for King Jesus to move
powerfully in the broken homes and people of this city. He is enough to
overcome every form of sin-wrought brokeness.
Remember that tonight the church is scheduled to walk and
pray through this broken community. Let's flood these streets
with big prayers and the powerful gospel.
Big time domestic dispute across the street
from my house last night. Join us in praying for King Jesus to move
powerfully in the broken homes and people of this city. He is enough to
overcome every form of sin-wrought brokeness.
Remember that tonight the church is scheduled to walk and
pray through this broken community. Let's flood these streets
with big prayers and the powerful gospel.
Pleasing Jesus requires preferring (wanting) Him above all
else. If Christ is your highest preference, then the
constraining ambition of your life will be to please to Him in all
respects...on earth, or in heaven.
Pleasing Jesus requires preferring (wanting) Him above all
else. If Christ is your highest preference, then the
constraining ambition of your life will be to please to Him in all
respects...on earth, or in heaven.
I cannot sufficiently express how encouraged I am by the
outpouring of your love and support for Mrs. Effie yesterday. After the
church's lunch fellowship, she spoke with amazement about the ways God
is evidently at work in and through the church body. Thank you for
showing her the love of Christ. Let us continue to pray for and minister
to this suffering friend. Lord willing, I'll see you at the funeral
service this evening. Pray that the gospel will comfort and tranform. ~
Jn. 3:30, Jordan
I cannot sufficiently express how encouraged I am by the
outpouring of your love and support for Mrs. Effie yesterday. After the
church's lunch fellowship, she spoke with amazement about the ways God
is evidently at work in and through the church body. Thank you for
showing her the love of Christ. Let us continue to pray for and minister
to this suffering friend. Lord willing, I'll see you at the funeral
service this evening. Pray that the gospel will comfort and tranform. ~
Jn. 3:30, Jordan
Grace Church Members, please read
the important note about a special collection needed this Sunday.
"But thanks be to God, who
always leads us in triumph in Christ, and manifests through us the sweet
aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place. For we are a fragrance of
Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are
perishing; to the one an aroma from death to death, to the other an
aroma from life to life And who is adequate for these things? For we are
not like many, peddling the word of God, but as from sincerity, but as
from God, we speak in Christ in the sight of God." 2 Corinthians
2:14-17
Sunday's text doesn't tell the Christian what he ought to be, but what
he already is...
Grace Church Members, please read
the important note about a special collection needed this Sunday.
"But thanks be to God, who
always leads us in triumph in Christ, and manifests through us the sweet
aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place. For we are a fragrance of
Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are
perishing; to the one an aroma from death to death, to the other an
aroma from life to life And who is adequate for these things? For we are
not like many, peddling the word of God, but as from sincerity, but as
from God, we speak in Christ in the sight of God." 2 Corinthians
2:14-17
Sunday's text doesn't tell the Christian what he ought to be, but what
he already is...
When the Christian
encounters God in a text like Sunday's sermon text, Philippians
1:20-21, we're shaken to the core.
There's a difference in reading the verses, and encountering
God as you reckon with what is said, and how your life squares with the
truth contained therein.
"Is this
true of me?", is the kind of question we ask. "Can I say, with God as my
witness, that the one thing I want more than any other thing is 'Christ
exalted in my body.'" And, not stopping there without adding, "whether
by life or by death." In the privacy of our hearts, with God alone as
our witness, can we with sober joy say, "For to me to live is Christ,
and to die is gain!"
As a means of
preparing your heart for tomorrow, I encourage you to linger in the
presence of Jesus in Philippians 1, especially vv. 20-21.
God willing, tomorrow morning, we'll be
holding up Jesus for all to see, and to delight in. Come ready to have
Him "exalted in your body."
As you
ready your soul, consider also...
9a
Prayer Meeting - We'll be looking at Genesis 4-6, and highlighting
what the text teaches us (1) about God, and (2) those He's pleased to
dwell among.
I felt compelled to share a bit of my
personal journal publically so others could join in praying with me.
Would you?
"I will lift up my eyes to the mountains; from where shall my
help come? My help comes from the LORD, Who made heaven and earth"
(Psalm 121:1-2).
Lord, I don't know how to respond. But I'm persuaded that You
do. Please help.
What do I do? What does Grace Church do?
Lord, You know that most of our flock commutes in for
Sunday services. Therefore most of the church members have their
"own parishes" they are burdened for and are seeking to reach.
But, still, we meet in the heart of the city, on the edge of a
neighborhood that is full of brokenness. I'm at a loss. I don't know
what to do. Just this week...
A twenty-something-year-old mom of four confessed to two of our
pastors that she has been selling her body "to put her babies in
pampers, and to try to keep them fed."
I was given the name and phone number of a fifty-something year
old lady, who, when I called, wept because her son was shot and killed
last week and she has no money to bury him.
A nine-year-old little girl choked back the tears as she
explained the hopelessness of her home life.
It appeared that multiple drug deals went down near my house.
A ten-year-old neighbor told me she "had got saved" at a camp,
but when I asked, had no idea Jesus rose from the dead.
When asking about Matthew 5:48, my thirteen-year-old neighbor
told me with blushing face he couldn't read.
This is only a sampling of the brokenness I've encountered, and
the week isn't over. I'm at a loss, Lord Jesus. "Can these bones live?"
"Lord, You know!"
Thank you for praying. Our help comes
from the LORD, Who made heaven and earth!
I felt compelled to share a bit of my
personal journal publically so others could join in praying with me.
Would you?
"I will lift up my eyes to the mountains; from where shall my
help come? My help comes from the LORD, Who made heaven and earth"
(Psalm 121:1-2).
Lord, I don't know how to respond. But I'm persuaded that You
do. Please help.
What do I do? What does Grace Church do?
Lord, You know that most of our flock commutes in for
Sunday services. Therefore most of the church members have their
"own parishes" they are burdened for and are seeking to reach.
But, still, we meet in the heart of the city, on the edge of a
neighborhood that is full of brokenness. I'm at a loss. I don't know
what to do. Just this week...
A twenty-something-year-old mom of four confessed to two of our
pastors that she has been selling her body "to put her babies in
pampers, and to try to keep them fed."
I was given the name and phone number of a fifty-something year
old lady, who, when I called, wept because her son was shot and killed
last week and she has no money to bury him.
A nine-year-old little girl choked back the tears as she
explained the hopelessness of her home life.
It appeared that multiple drug deals went down near my house.
A ten-year-old neighbor told me she "had got saved" at a camp,
but when I asked, had no idea Jesus rose from the dead.
When asking about Matthew 5:48, my thirteen-year-old neighbor
told me with blushing face he couldn't read.
This is only a sampling of the brokenness I've encountered, and
the week isn't over. I'm at a loss, Lord Jesus. "Can these bones live?"
"Lord, You know!"
Thank you for praying. Our help comes
from the LORD, Who made heaven and earth!
For more than a year
several men from Grace Church have been preaching regularly at Brickey's
prison in Arkansas.
There are many men in the prison who have
repented of thier crimes against man, and against God, and are walking
with Jesus. There are many more who have yet to come to Christ, but
perhaps have been brought there by God to hear the gospel and be saved.
Please
pray for Jeff, Joel, Joel, Bryan, Nathan S, Dave, and Jordan as we
preach. One of us preaches almost every Sunday evening, or goes along
with the preacher for prayer support. Pray also for the 1,600+ inmates
who are able to choose to come to the services.
As we know from many examples in Scripture, God is often pleased to change the world starting in a prison cell. Joseph. Daniel. Paul. Jesus Himself spent His last night on earth in a cell.
Remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them... - Hebrews 13:3a
For more than a year
several men from Grace Church have been preaching regularly at Brickey's
prison in Arkansas.
There are many men in the prison who have
repented of thier crimes against man, and against God, and are walking
with Jesus. There are many more who have yet to come to Christ, but
perhaps have been brought there by God to hear the gospel and be saved.
Please
pray for Jeff, Joel, Joel, Bryan, Nathan S, Dave, and Jordan as we
preach. One of us preaches almost every Sunday evening, or goes along
with the preacher for prayer support. Pray also for the 1,600+ inmates
who are able to choose to come to the services.
As we know from many examples in Scripture, God is often pleased to change the world starting in a prison cell. Joseph. Daniel. Paul. Jesus Himself spent His last night on earth in a cell.
Remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them... - Hebrews 13:3a
Uppermost in the Christian's interests is Christ Himself. We desire
Jesus. The Christian loves that Jesus prayed that our salvation would eventually
crescendo into our being with Him in heaven in order that we may see His glory (John
17:24).
To ready your soul for Sunday, I'd recommend:
Asking the LORD to fill you, and each one in our church family,
with the fulness of His Holy Spirit.
Steeping your soul in Psalm
27. Particularly verses 1-2, 4, 8, 14.
Praying for me as I prepare to preach. Please. I need to be
changed by seeing Christ and worshipping Him.
Being actively involved in the corporate prayer meeting (Read
Genesis 3, arrive ready to pray accordingly).
Not treating preparation to worship Jesus like a check-list, but like
getting ready to adore your first love with other saved sinners who
love Him also.
Uppermost in the Christian's interests is Christ Himself. We desire
Jesus. The Christian loves that Jesus prayed that our salvation would eventually
crescendo into our being with Him in heaven in order that we may see His glory (John
17:24).
To ready your soul for Sunday, I'd recommend:
Asking the LORD to fill you, and each one in our church family,
with the fulness of His Holy Spirit.
Steeping your soul in Psalm
27. Particularly verses 1-2, 4, 8, 14.
Praying for me as I prepare to preach. Please. I need to be
changed by seeing Christ and worshipping Him.
Being actively involved in the corporate prayer meeting (Read
Genesis 3, arrive ready to pray accordingly).
Not treating preparation to worship Jesus like a check-list, but like
getting ready to adore your first love with other saved sinners who
love Him also.
Next week, Fellowship Bible Church of Little Rock is scheduled to bring a group of 95 people to minister in Memphis. Two
of their days are devoted to assisting Grace Church advance the gospel
in Uptown.
One of
my best friends, Tim Caldwell, is the Student Pastor at FLR and will be
leading the team as they minister. Would you pray for their efforts, and
if available, join us in the work?
TUESDAY, JUNE 15 --- A group of 15-25 from FLR will
spend most of the day in Uptown sharing the gospel, prayer-walking,
doing some light labor to bless our neighbors, and gathering prayer
requests for Grace to pray for and follow-up on.
THURSDAY, JUNE 17--- The entire FLR group of 95
will spend the morning in Uptown canvassing the neighborhood with Grace
Church flyers, prayer-walking, playing basketball, and sharing Christ.
Then, from 2-5PM, they will host a block party at Greenlaw Community
Center under the banner of Grace Church. This will help spread
awareness of Grace in the community, and will help us build
relationships with our neighbors. If you're able, come and serve and
share Christ!
Grace
Church, if you are available, especially Thursday from 2-5 for the block
party we'll see you at Greenlaw Community Center.
Next week, Fellowship Bible Church of Little Rock is scheduled to bring a group of 95 people to minister in Memphis. Two
of their days are devoted to assisting Grace Church advance the gospel
in Uptown.
One of
my best friends, Tim Caldwell, is the Student Pastor at FLR and will be
leading the team as they minister. Would you pray for their efforts, and
if available, join us in the work?
TUESDAY, JUNE 15 --- A group of 15-25 from FLR will
spend most of the day in Uptown sharing the gospel, prayer-walking,
doing some light labor to bless our neighbors, and gathering prayer
requests for Grace to pray for and follow-up on.
THURSDAY, JUNE 17--- The entire FLR group of 95
will spend the morning in Uptown canvassing the neighborhood with Grace
Church flyers, prayer-walking, playing basketball, and sharing Christ.
Then, from 2-5PM, they will host a block party at Greenlaw Community
Center under the banner of Grace Church. This will help spread
awareness of Grace in the community, and will help us build
relationships with our neighbors. If you're able, come and serve and
share Christ!
Grace
Church, if you are available, especially Thursday from 2-5 for the block
party we'll see you at Greenlaw Community Center.
20 folks returned to Memphis today from Grace's third annual
Urban Boys Camp. Our 2010 theme was "Scripture Alone," and the main
sessions covered the content, authority, God, delimma, and good news of
Scripture.
Thank
you for praying! God was delighted to hear and answer your cry. In
summary...
Background, ole blue; not picrtured, Brent; taking picture, Creek.
Those
God Brought to Life
Two
young men (Terry & Justin) understood and believed the gospel.
Others are being tilled up by the gospel, and are contemplating the truth of
Jesus. Perhaps several of them were converted too? Continue praying for
fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ.
Jesus
changed 11 who changed the world. What could God do in Uptown with 13
who abandon themselves to Christ's Lordship? Let's pray believing!
Sunday marks the beginning of a seven-part sermon series that will
focus on
the Christian's Greatest Treasure, the Lord Jesus.
Our first
sermon in the series is titled, "Jesus: The Christian's Ardent Love."
Fundamental to true faith is a love for Christ, Whom we haven't seen.
But
take heart Christian, one day very soon, we will see Him (1
Corinthians 13:12)!
Be warming your heart at the fire of
God's Word as you ready your soul for the Lord's Day. Our text will be 1
Peter 1:1-9, particularly the opening phrase of verse 8: "...Though
you have not seen HIm, you love Him..." Amen!
Sunday's prayer
meeting will also mark the beginning of a journey of praying through
Genesis as a
congregation. This week, we'll focus on the opening two chapters.
Marinate
there as well, and come ready to seek the Lord's face together at 9a.
I
appreciate your prayers. I beg you for them.
With love, in Christ,
John 3:30
Jordan
If you would also familiarize yourself with the songs we'll sing,
that would be a great way you can serve the body of Christ. We are all
helped when our brothers and sisters sing out!
In Christ Alone
My Song is Love Unknown
There is a Fountain Filled with Blood (Lord's Supper)
Sunday marks the beginning of a seven-part sermon series that will
focus on
the Christian's Greatest Treasure, the Lord Jesus.
Our first
sermon in the series is titled, "Jesus: The Christian's Ardent Love."
Fundamental to true faith is a love for Christ, Whom we haven't seen.
But
take heart Christian, one day very soon, we will see Him (1
Corinthians 13:12)!
Be warming your heart at the fire of
God's Word as you ready your soul for the Lord's Day. Our text will be 1
Peter 1:1-9, particularly the opening phrase of verse 8: "...Though
you have not seen HIm, you love Him..." Amen!
Sunday's prayer
meeting will also mark the beginning of a journey of praying through
Genesis as a
congregation. This week, we'll focus on the opening two chapters.
Marinate
there as well, and come ready to seek the Lord's face together at 9a.
I
appreciate your prayers. I beg you for them.
With love, in Christ,
John 3:30
Jordan
If you would also familiarize yourself with the songs we'll sing,
that would be a great way you can serve the body of Christ. We are all
helped when our brothers and sisters sing out!
In Christ Alone
My Song is Love Unknown
There is a Fountain Filled with Blood (Lord's Supper)
For
needed background on why we've been led to take another direction and
have invited John Snyder to come preach for the next two weeks, see the previous post.
How Should We Ready our Souls for Sunday?
You are strongly encouraged to employ significant measures these days in seeking the Lord's face.
Diligence in spending time with God through prayer and Scripture mediation, ...
Thoroughgoing repentance from all known sin & indifference toward Christ, and...
Clustering with others in the church to seek the Lord's face...
This should describe the norm this week.
As you do so, you will want to marinate carefully in the sermon texts.
We will be looking together at those piercing Old Testament and a New
Testament examples of God's extraordinary nearness, and the
consequences of being ill-prepared.
Our only hope for any favorable meeting between ourselves and God is
to be clothed in Jesus Christ. Run to the gospel! Look to Jesus!
For
needed background on why we've been led to take another direction and
have invited John Snyder to come preach for the next two weeks, see the previous post.
How Should We Ready our Souls for Sunday?
You are strongly encouraged to employ significant measures these days in seeking the Lord's face.
Diligence in spending time with God through prayer and Scripture mediation, ...
Thoroughgoing repentance from all known sin & indifference toward Christ, and...
Clustering with others in the church to seek the Lord's face...
This should describe the norm this week.
As you do so, you will want to marinate carefully in the sermon texts.
We will be looking together at those piercing Old Testament and a New
Testament examples of God's extraordinary nearness, and the
consequences of being ill-prepared.
Our only hope for any favorable meeting between ourselves and God is
to be clothed in Jesus Christ. Run to the gospel! Look to Jesus!
Recently there have been several indications of God's unusually gracious
dealings with the Grace Church family. As a result the elders sense the
need to modify our original preaching plan for (at
least) the next two Sunday's.
The Known Change
Instead of continuing our Hebrews' series, the elders have invited
Pastor...
Grace Church is looking to hire a church member
as a part-time
Administrative Assistant.
If you are interested, you should find all the
necessary information to see if you're really interested :) on this PDF
job-description and application.
Grace Church is looking to hire a church member
as a part-time
Administrative Assistant.
If you are interested, you should find all the
necessary information to see if you're really interested :) on this PDF
job-description and application.
If God spares our lives until Sunday, Grace Church plans to give our
attention again to Hebrews 2:1-4. That means the same passage will be
our focus for the fifth time in six weeks. Don't let
our reason for our lingering in these verses be lost on you.
The warning in the text is as severe as any in the Bible. The command is as
clear as any in the Bible. The incentive is as beautiful as any
in the Bible.
The updated title for the sermon is, "So Great a
Salvation."
Until then, steep your soul in Hebrews 2:1-4 while
asking the Spirit to reveal Christ to you.
Pray that the
Holy Spirit will be pleased to save sinners and sanctify saints.
If God spares our lives until Sunday, Grace Church plans to give our
attention again to Hebrews 2:1-4. That means the same passage will be
our focus for the fifth time in six weeks. Don't let
our reason for our lingering in these verses be lost on you.
The warning in the text is as severe as any in the Bible. The command is as
clear as any in the Bible. The incentive is as beautiful as any
in the Bible.
The updated title for the sermon is, "So Great a
Salvation."
Until then, steep your soul in Hebrews 2:1-4 while
asking the Spirit to reveal Christ to you.
Pray that the
Holy Spirit will be pleased to save sinners and sanctify saints.
Pray for the fulness of the Spirit's power among us tomorrow!
From
Hebrews 2:3b-4:
God the Son came and announced salvation, and accomplished
redemption through His cross and resurrection.
God the Father set His sign and seal on the gospel by
raising Christ from the dead, and affirming the apostles proclamation of
the gospel through signs and wonders.
God the Holy Spirit distributed confirmation of the gospel
through conversions, establishing churches, and many supernatural
phenomena according to His own will.
As Hebrews 2:3 teaches, neglect this God-validated salvation and
never escape.
Pray for the fulness of the Spirit's power among us tomorrow!
From
Hebrews 2:3b-4:
God the Son came and announced salvation, and accomplished
redemption through His cross and resurrection.
God the Father set His sign and seal on the gospel by
raising Christ from the dead, and affirming the apostles proclamation of
the gospel through signs and wonders.
God the Holy Spirit distributed confirmation of the gospel
through conversions, establishing churches, and many supernatural
phenomena according to His own will.
As Hebrews 2:3 teaches, neglect this God-validated salvation and
never escape.
Today,
"Good Friday," is the
memorial of Christ's loving sacrifice. Please, please, do not go to
hell.
While He died on the cross, Jesus endured the wrath of God for your
sin so that you would have Him as your God forever,
escaping by His mercy alone the hell you deserve. That's the loving
truth.
Take three minutes to read this quote, and the rest of this post.
"God
has had His own purposes in the
creation of every man and every woman. God wants us to know the new
birth from above. He wants us to know the meaning of salvation. He wants
us to be filled with His Spirit. He wants us to know the meaning of
worship. He wants us to reflect the glory of the One who has called us
into His marvelous light.
If
we fail in this respect, then it
would have been better had we never been born!
After
we are born from above, there
is no turning back. We are responsible, we are accountable. How utterly
tragic to be a barren fig tree, having the outward show of leaves and
growth but never producing any fruit! How terrible to know that God
intended us to mirror His beautiful light and to have to confess that we
are shattered and useless, reflecting nothing!
Be
sure we will be aware of our
loss,
my friend. We will be aware of it. The most startling and frightful
thing about us as human beings is the eternal consciousness that God has
given us. It is...an ability to feel. Hell would not be hell if it were
not for the awareness God has given men and women. If humans were just
to sleep through hell, hell certainly would not be hell." ~ A.W.
Tozer, Whatever Happened to
Worship, p. 99-100.
This is the good news that God will save you--the gospel.
You can
be saved today.
God is.
And in His mercy, God is willing
to save even someone as sinful and wretched as you. If you do not see
yourself as rebellious sinner against God you cannot be saved.
Though
you are His enemy, God purposed
to save you, and gave His only Son to endure the wrath you deserved for
sinning against Him. Jesus is this Son.
Jesus
is God Himself. He died as a
substitue for you. That means the crushing you deserve God instead
exhausted upon Jesus as He was crucifed as a sacrifice in place of
sinners. Do not feel sorry for Him. God planned it this way. Worship
Jesus.
After
dying and being buried, on the
third day Christ's lifeless body was again filled with life and He rose
from the dead. This is true even if all the world refused to believe so.
Jesus is Lord.
Jesus'
resurrection is God's sign and seal that Christ's
sacrifice for sinners, like yourself, has been accepted by God as a full
payment. In other words, God will save you if you will have Christ's
sacrifice in place of your eternal damnation. Why wouldn't you have
Christ?
This
means you must believe that Jesus
is God, and that in His death and resurrection, Jesus proved His ability
to save you. In such belief, you must necessarily turn to God as your
Lord and your most-desired Treasure. This, of course, requires turning
away from sin, the ultimate form of sin being self-love. Until you are
made willing to repent from yourself, you are not ready to be saved by
Jesus. Salvation happens simultaneous with true repentance and belief in
the gospel.
Will
you take sides with God against
yourself? Will you agree with God that you, even moreso than your sinful
actions, are the biggest problem? Will you agree with God that there
will be no salvation or eternal life for you if you will not believe in
Christ as your righteousness, Lord, and Savior?
If you
will have Christ as your Lord in
this fashion, He will have you. He will save you. Do you believe? Trust
Christ. Entrust yourself to Christ. All of yourself. Holding nothing
back, cast yourself only on the Lord Jesus. You will never regret doing
so.
If you
will have Jesus as your Lord,
there's no question that God will see to it that you make greater
progress in love and obedience to Christ. An obvious fruit of such love
will be submitting yourself to the authority of God's Word--the Bible.
Obedience to God will surely yeild full involvement of yourself in
helping
God's people seek God and obey His Word. That, of course, means you
should fully belong to a bible preaching church, not simply showing up
and acting religious. No one is suggesting that all churchy people are
truly saved. Indeed, many are not. But those who have Christ and embrace
Him as more precious than life, will be eager to grow in Him with His
people.
I pray
that--because of belonging to
the risen Lord Jesus Christ through faith--you will not despise for
eternity the day you were born.
Contact us if you would like to talk to a
pastor about God's good news of
salvation. We would be
delighted.
Today,
"Good Friday," is the
memorial of Christ's loving sacrifice. Please, please, do not go to
hell.
While He died on the cross, Jesus endured the wrath of God for your
sin so that you would have Him as your God forever,
escaping by His mercy alone the hell you deserve. That's the loving
truth.
Take three minutes to read this quote, and the rest of this post.
"God
has had His own purposes in the
creation of every man and every woman. God wants us to know the new
birth from above. He wants us to know the meaning of salvation. He wants
us to be filled with His Spirit. He wants us to know the meaning of
worship. He wants us to reflect the glory of the One who has called us
into His marvelous light.
If
we fail in this respect, then it
would have been better had we never been born!
After
we are born from above, there
is no turning back. We are responsible, we are accountable. How utterly
tragic to be a barren fig tree, having the outward show of leaves and
growth but never producing any fruit! How terrible to know that God
intended us to mirror His beautiful light and to have to confess that we
are shattered and useless, reflecting nothing!
Be
sure we will be aware of our
loss,
my friend. We will be aware of it. The most startling and frightful
thing about us as human beings is the eternal consciousness that God has
given us. It is...an ability to feel. Hell would not be hell if it were
not for the awareness God has given men and women. If humans were just
to sleep through hell, hell certainly would not be hell." ~ A.W.
Tozer, Whatever Happened to
Worship, p. 99-100.
This is the good news that God will save you--the gospel.
You can
be saved today.
God is.
And in His mercy, God is willing
to save even someone as sinful and wretched as you. If you do not see
yourself as rebellious sinner against God you cannot be saved.
Though
you are His enemy, God purposed
to save you, and gave His only Son to endure the wrath you deserved for
sinning against Him. Jesus is this Son.
Jesus
is God Himself. He died as a
substitue for you. That means the crushing you deserve God instead
exhausted upon Jesus as He was crucifed as a sacrifice in place of
sinners. Do not feel sorry for Him. God planned it this way. Worship
Jesus.
After
dying and being buried, on the
third day Christ's lifeless body was again filled with life and He rose
from the dead. This is true even if all the world refused to believe so.
Jesus is Lord.
Jesus'
resurrection is God's sign and seal that Christ's
sacrifice for sinners, like yourself, has been accepted by God as a full
payment. In other words, God will save you if you will have Christ's
sacrifice in place of your eternal damnation. Why wouldn't you have
Christ?
This
means you must believe that Jesus
is God, and that in His death and resurrection, Jesus proved His ability
to save you. In such belief, you must necessarily turn to God as your
Lord and your most-desired Treasure. This, of course, requires turning
away from sin, the ultimate form of sin being self-love. Until you are
made willing to repent from yourself, you are not ready to be saved by
Jesus. Salvation happens simultaneous with true repentance and belief in
the gospel.
Will
you take sides with God against
yourself? Will you agree with God that you, even moreso than your sinful
actions, are the biggest problem? Will you agree with God that there
will be no salvation or eternal life for you if you will not believe in
Christ as your righteousness, Lord, and Savior?
If you
will have Christ as your Lord in
this fashion, He will have you. He will save you. Do you believe? Trust
Christ. Entrust yourself to Christ. All of yourself. Holding nothing
back, cast yourself only on the Lord Jesus. You will never regret doing
so.
If you
will have Jesus as your Lord,
there's no question that God will see to it that you make greater
progress in love and obedience to Christ. An obvious fruit of such love
will be submitting yourself to the authority of God's Word--the Bible.
Obedience to God will surely yeild full involvement of yourself in
helping
God's people seek God and obey His Word. That, of course, means you
should fully belong to a bible preaching church, not simply showing up
and acting religious. No one is suggesting that all churchy people are
truly saved. Indeed, many are not. But those who have Christ and embrace
Him as more precious than life, will be eager to grow in Him with His
people.
I pray
that--because of belonging to
the risen Lord Jesus Christ through faith--you will not despise for
eternity the day you were born.
Contact us if you would like to talk to a
pastor about God's good news of
salvation. We would be
delighted.
Sunday's text will be John 3:1-21, a familiar text, but a text
nonetheless loaded with amazing truths. Sometimes we can be guilty of
reading through texts haphazardly because we have read or quoted them so
many times. We assume we have gleaned their meaning and no longer need
to diligently study such passages.
Sunday's text will be John 3:1-21, a familiar text, but a text
nonetheless loaded with amazing truths. Sometimes we can be guilty of
reading through texts haphazardly because we have read or quoted them so
many times. We assume we have gleaned their meaning and no longer need
to diligently study such passages.
“He who hath not being from
another, cannot but be always what He is:
God is the first Being, and independent Being; He was not produced of
Himself,
or of any other, but by nature always hath been, and, therefore, cannot
by
Himself, or by any other, be changed from what He is in His own nature.
That
which is not may as well assume to itself a being, as he who hath and is
all
being, have the least change from what He is.” Steven Charnock, The Existence
of God, 319
“He who hath not being from
another, cannot but be always what He is:
God is the first Being, and independent Being; He was not produced of
Himself,
or of any other, but by nature always hath been, and, therefore, cannot
by
Himself, or by any other, be changed from what He is in His own nature.
That
which is not may as well assume to itself a being, as he who hath and is
all
being, have the least change from what He is.” Steven Charnock, The Existence
of God, 319
Through discipleship I was taught not to have a "quiet time."
Rather, Clyde pressed upon me to set as a daily goal to "spend time with God." There
is a difference. I'm so glad someone loved me enough to help me see the
difference, and to repent of my self-made "quiet time" efforts...
Through discipleship I was taught not to have a "quiet time."
Rather, Clyde pressed upon me to set as a daily goal to "spend time with God." There
is a difference. I'm so glad someone loved me enough to help me see the
difference, and to repent of my self-made "quiet time" efforts...
For this reason we must
pay much closer attention to what we have heard, so that we do not
drift away from it.- Hebrews 2:1
Will the Spirit prove His indwelling presence in our lives by
compelling us to give heed to the gospel, or will we be content to drift
away from Christ to our own destruction?
As a means of preparing
your heart to gather tomorrow with God's people, consider embracing the
following:
Spend your last moments on Saturday night pleading with God to
ready your soul for Himself, and ask God to cause you to expect to meet
Him in the corporate gathering in the morning.
Pray through Psalm
139:23-24, confess lack of Christlikeness as the Spirit leads, and
pray for true conformity to Christ's image.
Participate in the corporate prayer meeting.
Draw no lines with God in terms of how much Lordship He may
excercise in your life.
For this reason we must
pay much closer attention to what we have heard, so that we do not
drift away from it.- Hebrews 2:1
Will the Spirit prove His indwelling presence in our lives by
compelling us to give heed to the gospel, or will we be content to drift
away from Christ to our own destruction?
As a means of preparing
your heart to gather tomorrow with God's people, consider embracing the
following:
Spend your last moments on Saturday night pleading with God to
ready your soul for Himself, and ask God to cause you to expect to meet
Him in the corporate gathering in the morning.
Pray through Psalm
139:23-24, confess lack of Christlikeness as the Spirit leads, and
pray for true conformity to Christ's image.
Participate in the corporate prayer meeting.
Draw no lines with God in terms of how much Lordship He may
excercise in your life.
I've been intending to write a post on church-planting via discipleship as Christ's call to world-evangelization. Instead, I'll share an article that says the things I was intending to say, only better than I could.
Church models aside, this is the passion of my heart. Pray that I
will never become weary of 1-on-1 discipleship. Pray the same for
yourself! Matthew 28:18-20!
Multiplication Growth
The period from the death of Christ until the end of the first
century was the most fruitful in the history of the church. During
these few decades, Christianity...
I've been intending to write a post on church-planting via discipleship as Christ's call to world-evangelization. Instead, I'll share an article that says the things I was intending to say, only better than I could.
Church models aside, this is the passion of my heart. Pray that I
will never become weary of 1-on-1 discipleship. Pray the same for
yourself! Matthew 28:18-20!
Multiplication Growth
The period from the death of Christ until the end of the first
century was the most fruitful in the history of the church. During
these few decades, Christianity...
Pray. Ask the Lord to bring several unconverted friends' names to your heart. Pray earnestly for their salvation.
#2 | FRIENDS
Invite your friend(s) to come to church with you at least one Sunday between March and May. Preferrably more than that.
#3 | GRACE
The preaching pastors are committing to the body to be seeking the
Lord's face to preach as clearly and simply the whole gospel each
Sunday, including the bible's instruction for how one must respond.
Pray for us!
#4 | LUNCH
When you invite your friend to church, arrange also to host him/her/them for lunch the Sunday they attend.
#5 | MEMBERS
Invite a fellow Grace member/family to join you for lunch to help with
meal preparations, build a new relationship, pray, and to help commend
Christ during the lunch conversation. Don't let living far away stop
you from being involved. Talk to someone else in the body, and figure
it out together.
#6 | GOSPEL
Launching from the morning's sermon, or however you can get there,
turn the conversation toward the gospel. Explain God's Jesus-centered
saving truth. Welcome questions and dialogue. Lovingly call for
repentance and faith. Seek to arrange 4 to 5 times in the next 2-3
months to read the gospel of Mark (independently) and talk about it (together).
#7 | REPEAT
Repeat the entire process until God says stop (i.e. When you get to heaven).
Pray. Ask the Lord to bring several unconverted friends' names to your heart. Pray earnestly for their salvation.
#2 | FRIENDS
Invite your friend(s) to come to church with you at least one Sunday between March and May. Preferrably more than that.
#3 | GRACE
The preaching pastors are committing to the body to be seeking the
Lord's face to preach as clearly and simply the whole gospel each
Sunday, including the bible's instruction for how one must respond.
Pray for us!
#4 | LUNCH
When you invite your friend to church, arrange also to host him/her/them for lunch the Sunday they attend.
#5 | MEMBERS
Invite a fellow Grace member/family to join you for lunch to help with
meal preparations, build a new relationship, pray, and to help commend
Christ during the lunch conversation. Don't let living far away stop
you from being involved. Talk to someone else in the body, and figure
it out together.
#6 | GOSPEL
Launching from the morning's sermon, or however you can get there,
turn the conversation toward the gospel. Explain God's Jesus-centered
saving truth. Welcome questions and dialogue. Lovingly call for
repentance and faith. Seek to arrange 4 to 5 times in the next 2-3
months to read the gospel of Mark (independently) and talk about it (together).
#7 | REPEAT
Repeat the entire process until God says stop (i.e. When you get to heaven).
Nothing will so enlarge the intellect, nothing so
magnify the whole soul of man, as a devout, earnest, continued
investigation of the great suject of the Deity. Would you lose your
sorrow? Would you drown your cares? Then go, plunge yourself in the
Godheads's deepest sea; be lost in his immensity; and you shall come
forth as from a couch of rest, refreshed and invigorated. I know
nothing which can so comfort the soul; so calm the swelling billows of
sorrow and grief; so speak peace to the winds of trial, as a devout
musing upon the subject of the Godhead.
Nothing will so enlarge the intellect, nothing so
magnify the whole soul of man, as a devout, earnest, continued
investigation of the great suject of the Deity. Would you lose your
sorrow? Would you drown your cares? Then go, plunge yourself in the
Godheads's deepest sea; be lost in his immensity; and you shall come
forth as from a couch of rest, refreshed and invigorated. I know
nothing which can so comfort the soul; so calm the swelling billows of
sorrow and grief; so speak peace to the winds of trial, as a devout
musing upon the subject of the Godhead.
“Let us mark…how Christ indicates that when His joy abides in us our joy is full (John 15:11).
Joy depends much less on what we have, than on
what we are. You may give me this and that, and everything that can be thought
of, yet in my soul there be no wave of joy.
But change
me inwardly; make me like
Jesus; let me, like Him,
hate wickedness and love righteousness with the whole force of my nature; let
me abide, like Him, in the
Father’s love; let my heart, like His,
flow over with loving feelings on every side; let me, like Him, delight in doing God’s will, and in finishing, day
by day, the work given me to do; let me, like
Him, live in expectation of the glory that is to be revealed when He
appears with His holy angels, when His redeemed are all gathered from east and
from the west, from the north and from the south; then shall not my joy be
pure, deep, and real? Shall my joy not even now be unspeakable and full of
glory?”
William Garden Blaikie’s, The Inner Life of our Lord, 97-98.
“Let us mark…how Christ indicates that when His joy abides in us our joy is full (John 15:11).
Joy depends much less on what we have, than on
what we are. You may give me this and that, and everything that can be thought
of, yet in my soul there be no wave of joy.
But change
me inwardly; make me like
Jesus; let me, like Him,
hate wickedness and love righteousness with the whole force of my nature; let
me abide, like Him, in the
Father’s love; let my heart, like His,
flow over with loving feelings on every side; let me, like Him, delight in doing God’s will, and in finishing, day
by day, the work given me to do; let me, like
Him, live in expectation of the glory that is to be revealed when He
appears with His holy angels, when His redeemed are all gathered from east and
from the west, from the north and from the south; then shall not my joy be
pure, deep, and real? Shall my joy not even now be unspeakable and full of
glory?”
William Garden Blaikie’s, The Inner Life of our Lord, 97-98.
As you ready your soul to join God's
people in worship, I encourage you to marinate in our sermon text,
Hebrews 1:7-9. As you're in those verses, ask the Holy Spirit to work
powerfully among us for true conversions and Christian growth.
Reckon with four God things said about Jesus in these verses...
As you ready your soul to join God's
people in worship, I encourage you to marinate in our sermon text,
Hebrews 1:7-9. As you're in those verses, ask the Holy Spirit to work
powerfully among us for true conversions and Christian growth.
Reckon with four God things said about Jesus in these verses...
I pass along this illustration from Ray Ortlund Jr's guidebook on modern revival, When God Comes to Church,
with the ambition of provoking all who will read it to seek to apprehend
more of Christ. Or, as the Apostle Paul said...
I pass along this illustration from Ray Ortlund Jr's guidebook on modern revival, When God Comes to Church,
with the ambition of provoking all who will read it to seek to apprehend
more of Christ. Or, as the Apostle Paul said...
God the Father commanded all of the angels to direct their worship toward Jesus during His incarnation. That's the sum of Hebrews 1:6, and it
has profound implications for our understanding of Jesus, and it must
inform our response to Him. Are you a worshipper of Jesus Christ?
I believe that God created man to join the angels in the
ceaseless worship of Jesus. If you belong to Christ, you will one day soon be
welcomed into that very experience, the glories of which will never
end.
The gospel is inexhaustible. We are saved by Jesus and
instantaneously granted the ability to appropriately worship the Triune
and only God forever.
That's a snapshot of where we're headed on Sunday.
The best means I can think of to prepare your soul for being under God's Word with the people of Grace this Sunday is to worship Jesus now.
See you Sunday, Lord willing, Phil. 3:3 (look it up)
God the Father commanded all of the angels to direct their worship toward Jesus during His incarnation. That's the sum of Hebrews 1:6, and it
has profound implications for our understanding of Jesus, and it must
inform our response to Him. Are you a worshipper of Jesus Christ?
I believe that God created man to join the angels in the
ceaseless worship of Jesus. If you belong to Christ, you will one day soon be
welcomed into that very experience, the glories of which will never
end.
The gospel is inexhaustible. We are saved by Jesus and
instantaneously granted the ability to appropriately worship the Triune
and only God forever.
That's a snapshot of where we're headed on Sunday.
The best means I can think of to prepare your soul for being under God's Word with the people of Grace this Sunday is to worship Jesus now.
See you Sunday, Lord willing, Phil. 3:3 (look it up)
Jubilee is the next church set to spawn from the TCT vision of Bethlehem Baptist
Church. You can click here to listen, read, or watch John Piper and John Erickson (Pastor, Jubilee)
tagteam to explain the vision. In his segment, Piper includes a
brief history of Bethlehem's 185 years of church planting, including
Grace Church.
Pray for Jubilee. Pray for many more churches to emerge in the days ahead!
Jubilee is the next church set to spawn from the TCT vision of Bethlehem Baptist
Church. You can click here to listen, read, or watch John Piper and John Erickson (Pastor, Jubilee)
tagteam to explain the vision. In his segment, Piper includes a
brief history of Bethlehem's 185 years of church planting, including
Grace Church.
Pray for Jubilee. Pray for many more churches to emerge in the days ahead!
Services at Grace have been cancelled for tomorrow due to icy
conditions. Since most services are cancelled for tomorrow we would
encourage you to consider a few options.
Consider using tomorrow's planned time at Grace for you or your family to pray, sing, and read/discuss portions of scripture.
If you live in close proximity (sledding distance) with other GC'ers consider getting together at someone's home to worship in prayer, scripture, and fellowship.
Listen to a recent sermon at Grace or one you've recently missed.
Eat whatever you were supposed to bring for lunch:)
Services at Grace have been cancelled for tomorrow due to icy
conditions. Since most services are cancelled for tomorrow we would
encourage you to consider a few options.
Consider using tomorrow's planned time at Grace for you or your family to pray, sing, and read/discuss portions of scripture.
If you live in close proximity (sledding distance) with other GC'ers consider getting together at someone's home to worship in prayer, scripture, and fellowship.
Listen to a recent sermon at Grace or one you've recently missed.
Eat whatever you were supposed to bring for lunch:)
Be praying for our guest preacher, Bro.
Steve Smith, and all who will attend Grace this coming Sunday. Steve is
my father-in-law, and to the little people who live under my roof, he's
better known as "Pawpaw."
Introducing Steve - The Most Godly Man I Know
Steve wouldn't want me to publish this, but he doesn't even know how to turn on the internet, so I'm safe :).
Steve is the most godly man I know. I've watched him for the past 17 years...
Be praying for our guest preacher, Bro.
Steve Smith, and all who will attend Grace this coming Sunday. Steve is
my father-in-law, and to the little people who live under my roof, he's
better known as "Pawpaw."
Introducing Steve - The Most Godly Man I Know
Steve wouldn't want me to publish this, but he doesn't even know how to turn on the internet, so I'm safe :).
Steve is the most godly man I know. I've watched him for the past 17 years...
Sunday I preached on the theme that He Who is Christ's Father is
also the Father of all who come to Him through Christ. Astonishing
reality! Oh to live more in its light!
In clear connection, a dear sister in our congregation sent Spurgeon's entry from today's Morning & Evening as a further application of this truth. Amen! I couldn't help but post it here for you all. Enjoy!
Morning, January 26
Matthew 6:26 - "Your heavenly Father"
God's people are doubly His children, they are His offspring by
creation, and they are His sons by adoption in Christ. Hence they are
privileged to call Him, "Our Father which art in heaven." Father! Oh,
what precious...
We will be hosting a Foundations of Grace Seminar on Saturday February
6th from 9a-3p. Foundations of Grace is an informal seminar outlining
the vision, mission, and ministries of Grace Church. Essentially it is
a meeting on what we are about, or more appropriately stated--who we
are about.
Foundations of Grace serves as a prerequisite for those...
We will be hosting a Foundations of Grace Seminar on Saturday February
6th from 9a-3p. Foundations of Grace is an informal seminar outlining
the vision, mission, and ministries of Grace Church. Essentially it is
a meeting on what we are about, or more appropriately stated--who we
are about.
Foundations of Grace serves as a prerequisite for those...
Dear Christian (who hasn't felt God draw near in a long time),
Can
you remember what it used to be like? Do you reminisce of a day gone by
when God's manifest presence was the atmosphere in which you lived?
What's changed?
Have we moved beyond the intitial passion to
taste God through His Word and beyond a fervency in prayer because
we've gotten more sophisiticated in our idea of godliness? If so...
Dear Christian (who hasn't felt God draw near in a long time),
Can
you remember what it used to be like? Do you reminisce of a day gone by
when God's manifest presence was the atmosphere in which you lived?
What's changed?
Have we moved beyond the intitial passion to
taste God through His Word and beyond a fervency in prayer because
we've gotten more sophisiticated in our idea of godliness? If so...
I'm gearing up to preach on the theme of intercessory prayer tonight
for my final meeting with Worden Baptist. I was encouraged and exhorted
when I came across Spurgeon's counsel via today's timely First Importance post:
"Nothing pleases our Lord better than to see his
promises put in circulation; [God] loves to see his children bring them
up to him, and say, Lord, do as thou hast said. We glorify God when we
plead his promises." - Charles Spurgeon, Morning & Evening, January 15
Would you plead one or more of God's promises for those of us who will gather tonight?
I'm gearing up to preach on the theme of intercessory prayer tonight
for my final meeting with Worden Baptist. I was encouraged and exhorted
when I came across Spurgeon's counsel via today's timely First Importance post:
"Nothing pleases our Lord better than to see his
promises put in circulation; [God] loves to see his children bring them
up to him, and say, Lord, do as thou hast said. We glorify God when we
plead his promises." - Charles Spurgeon, Morning & Evening, January 15
Would you plead one or more of God's promises for those of us who will gather tonight?
Every person's lineage reaches back to our first parents, Adam and Eve.
The one humanity is fractured by sin
Every person has been thoroughly infected with Adam's sin.
Therefore, apart from Christ, we are at enmity with God and with one
another.
The one true God has provided forgiveness and grace in Jesus
In mercy, God sent the perfect Man to redeem sinful men. "For there
is one God, and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus"
(1 Timothy 2:5).
Heaven will consist of all types of men
Before us stands the fixed future reality that heaven will be
populated with men and women who have been redeemed by the blood of
Jesus. God will save His people and will fulfill all of His promises to
them through Jesus, including eternal life. The heavenly population
will be comprised of all types of men. Not men that are
fundamentally different than one another -- for we are all human, and
we are all sinful. But men from every corner of God's earth -- those
from every "tribe, tongue, people, and nation" (Revelation 5:9).
In
heaven what began to dawn at Pentecost will be fully consummated. The
curse of Babel will be wholly reversed. Man will have God as his
everlasting treasure, not through his own self-effort, but through the
gospel condesencion of our Loving God applied immediately to every
inhabitant by the Holy Spirit.
Therefore, you must answer two questions about your existence
Will you be part of that happy multitude?
And will you risk all to seek to lead others to be there with Christ, with you?
For Sunday
Pray for
Faith and every grace necessary to "consider others more important than yourself".
Pastor Bryan as he prepares to preach Romans 1:1-6
Gospel faithfulness in every relationship -- For edification and evangelization
(Please pray for me also as I preach Sunday-Wednesday at Worden Baptist Church in Worden, AR).
Pray against
Every impulse within you, assumed or named, stated or implied,
that would allow you to suppose that you are inherently better than any
person, in any place in the world, from any culture, at any level.
Ethnocentrism (and we are all prone to this sin more than any of us have ever begun to realize!)
Every person's lineage reaches back to our first parents, Adam and Eve.
The one humanity is fractured by sin
Every person has been thoroughly infected with Adam's sin.
Therefore, apart from Christ, we are at enmity with God and with one
another.
The one true God has provided forgiveness and grace in Jesus
In mercy, God sent the perfect Man to redeem sinful men. "For there
is one God, and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus"
(1 Timothy 2:5).
Heaven will consist of all types of men
Before us stands the fixed future reality that heaven will be
populated with men and women who have been redeemed by the blood of
Jesus. God will save His people and will fulfill all of His promises to
them through Jesus, including eternal life. The heavenly population
will be comprised of all types of men. Not men that are
fundamentally different than one another -- for we are all human, and
we are all sinful. But men from every corner of God's earth -- those
from every "tribe, tongue, people, and nation" (Revelation 5:9).
In
heaven what began to dawn at Pentecost will be fully consummated. The
curse of Babel will be wholly reversed. Man will have God as his
everlasting treasure, not through his own self-effort, but through the
gospel condesencion of our Loving God applied immediately to every
inhabitant by the Holy Spirit.
Therefore, you must answer two questions about your existence
Will you be part of that happy multitude?
And will you risk all to seek to lead others to be there with Christ, with you?
For Sunday
Pray for
Faith and every grace necessary to "consider others more important than yourself".
Pastor Bryan as he prepares to preach Romans 1:1-6
Gospel faithfulness in every relationship -- For edification and evangelization
(Please pray for me also as I preach Sunday-Wednesday at Worden Baptist Church in Worden, AR).
Pray against
Every impulse within you, assumed or named, stated or implied,
that would allow you to suppose that you are inherently better than any
person, in any place in the world, from any culture, at any level.
Ethnocentrism (and we are all prone to this sin more than any of us have ever begun to realize!)
Lord willing tomorrow morning we will spend our time together in 1 Corinthians 1 honing in more specifically in verses 17-25.
So often when Pauls letters to the Corinthians are mentioned people
immediately think of a church with serious issues. Although Paul does
address numerous issues in these Holy Spirit inspired scriptures, he preceedes the words of teaching, rebuking, and correcting with a crystal clear picture of what he was sent to do--preach Christ and Him crucified.
As a means to help prepare our hearts for tomorrow consider this outline:
Lord willing tomorrow morning we will spend our time together in 1 Corinthians 1 honing in more specifically in verses 17-25.
So often when Pauls letters to the Corinthians are mentioned people
immediately think of a church with serious issues. Although Paul does
address numerous issues in these Holy Spirit inspired scriptures, he preceedes the words of teaching, rebuking, and correcting with a crystal clear picture of what he was sent to do--preach Christ and Him crucified.
As a means to help prepare our hearts for tomorrow consider this outline:
Hebrews 1:5 quotes Psalm 2:7 to make the point that Jesus (not angels) is the Son of God.
Because of the author's quotation, our primary text this coming Lord's Day will be the second Psalm. I highly encourage you to steep your soul in this magnificent chapter!
John Calvin summed up Psalm 2 this way:
"Let this, therefore, be held as a settled point, that
all who do not submit themselves to the authority of Christ make war
against God."
Suffice it to say that fighting against God is a very very bad idea.
To join God's side, one must "Kiss the Son", and "take refuge in
Him" (Psalm 2:12). Be doing that and your heart will be warm for
worship this Sunday, and beyond.
Hebrews 1:5 quotes Psalm 2:7 to make the point that Jesus (not angels) is the Son of God.
Because of the author's quotation, our primary text this coming Lord's Day will be the second Psalm. I highly encourage you to steep your soul in this magnificent chapter!
John Calvin summed up Psalm 2 this way:
"Let this, therefore, be held as a settled point, that
all who do not submit themselves to the authority of Christ make war
against God."
Suffice it to say that fighting against God is a very very bad idea.
To join God's side, one must "Kiss the Son", and "take refuge in
Him" (Psalm 2:12). Be doing that and your heart will be warm for
worship this Sunday, and beyond.
"And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of
the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book,
and to loose the seven seals thereof. And
I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts,
and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain,
having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God
sent forth into all the earth."
As a three-year-old church plant, Grace Church has been unusually
blessed to have been able to meet in the same location since our first
meeting.
Most new churches are accustomed to bouncing from place to place...often! One of our sister TCT churches has moved eight times in five years. One of their pastors recently told me that their motto is, "If you can find us, you can worship with us."
If you were at Grace yesterday morning, you experienced our (good and growing) predicament. We need more space.
You have the solution? Let us know.
But...before flooding us with the address of every vacant property you've ever seen in Memphis, push it through this filter:
Our desire is to be (1) As close to the river as possible, and (2) as close to the North end of Downtown as possible.
All Osteen jokes aside, that means we're wanting to be as close to the pyramid as possible. Got a key?
Please pray with us about this good dilemma. We trust that our Lord will both guide and provide.
As a three-year-old church plant, Grace Church has been unusually
blessed to have been able to meet in the same location since our first
meeting.
Most new churches are accustomed to bouncing from place to place...often! One of our sister TCT churches has moved eight times in five years. One of their pastors recently told me that their motto is, "If you can find us, you can worship with us."
If you were at Grace yesterday morning, you experienced our (good and growing) predicament. We need more space.
You have the solution? Let us know.
But...before flooding us with the address of every vacant property you've ever seen in Memphis, push it through this filter:
Our desire is to be (1) As close to the river as possible, and (2) as close to the North end of Downtown as possible.
All Osteen jokes aside, that means we're wanting to be as close to the pyramid as possible. Got a key?
Please pray with us about this good dilemma. We trust that our Lord will both guide and provide.
Who knew? Looks as if Justin was willing to write the prelude to this week's "worship prep" post for us. Justin's advice
is simple, and when applied with worship and prayer, life-changing.
Who knew? Looks as if Justin was willing to write the prelude to this week's "worship prep" post for us. Justin's advice
is simple, and when applied with worship and prayer, life-changing.
May it never be (accurately) said of us that
we are/were a prayerless people. For a sustained life of prayer though,
we must have solid grounding in God's revelation.
What you'll
find below isn't very technical or novel, but its sure has helped me to
want to grow more as a true Christ-like intercessor. Perhaps you'll be encouraged by these thoughts too...
No one does missions perfectly. But that's no excuse to refrain from
supporting the work of those who are imperfectly making an attempt.
A Personal Challenge
Unless
you can develop and execute a better plan between now and this
Christmas to accomplish the following list, I want to strongly
encourage you to pray about how sacrifically the Lord would have you support global missions through the Lottie Moon Christmas offering. Here's a sampling of where the funds will go (100% of the LM offering goes toward the work of cross-cultural missions)
Support the livelihood and ministries of 5,500 missionaries serving Christ's cause around the world...
No one does missions perfectly. But that's no excuse to refrain from
supporting the work of those who are imperfectly making an attempt.
A Personal Challenge
Unless
you can develop and execute a better plan between now and this
Christmas to accomplish the following list, I want to strongly
encourage you to pray about how sacrifically the Lord would have you support global missions through the Lottie Moon Christmas offering. Here's a sampling of where the funds will go (100% of the LM offering goes toward the work of cross-cultural missions)
Support the livelihood and ministries of 5,500 missionaries serving Christ's cause around the world...
Our attention in Sunday's sermon will be devoted to the final phrase
of Hebrews 1:3, which describes God as "the (enthroned) Majesty on high."
Prepare your heart to worship the Lord with His people this coming Lord's Day by seeking His face now.
Pray earnestly for God to reveal Himself and revive us to rejoice in Him (see Psalm 85:6).
Participate in the 9AM corporate prayer meeting.
Ready your heart to hear from God through the body...and to allow them to hear from Him through you. We
will spend a few moments after the sermon allowing the congregation to
share a word of exhortation and application that will reinforce the
truth of the sermon to our hearts. This Sunday's is our second
"application sermon" in our Hebrews' series. After each of the
application sermons in our series, we have planned for these "after
meetings."
Pray also for Pastors Bryan & Nathan who will be preaching at Calvary Baptist on Sunday AM & PM respectively.
Our attention in Sunday's sermon will be devoted to the final phrase
of Hebrews 1:3, which describes God as "the (enthroned) Majesty on high."
Prepare your heart to worship the Lord with His people this coming Lord's Day by seeking His face now.
Pray earnestly for God to reveal Himself and revive us to rejoice in Him (see Psalm 85:6).
Participate in the 9AM corporate prayer meeting.
Ready your heart to hear from God through the body...and to allow them to hear from Him through you. We
will spend a few moments after the sermon allowing the congregation to
share a word of exhortation and application that will reinforce the
truth of the sermon to our hearts. This Sunday's is our second
"application sermon" in our Hebrews' series. After each of the
application sermons in our series, we have planned for these "after
meetings."
Pray also for Pastors Bryan & Nathan who will be preaching at Calvary Baptist on Sunday AM & PM respectively.
This Thanksgiving morning I was reviewing memory in Hebrews.
As I was doing so,
the Lord dealt with my heart in several fresh and kind ways that
prompted spontaneous thanksgiving for the people of Grace Church...
This Thanksgiving morning I was reviewing memory in Hebrews.
As I was doing so,
the Lord dealt with my heart in several fresh and kind ways that
prompted spontaneous thanksgiving for the people of Grace Church...
I've been preparing a series of short posts on Grace's newest
international missions partnership -- this time, India. (I haven't
forgotten that I still owe a Nigeria update too! Stay tuned).
First, though, it seems helpful to me to re-introduce Grace's vision for local and global missions.
Although this post is more lengthy than most, I hope our church
members will read it with care, prayer, and a heart for engagement in
healthy discussion that will sharpen our understanding and heighten our
involvement in God's glorious work.
Grace's Plan for World Missions IS the Advance of the Local Church
Because of the teaching of the New Testament, Grace's primary "spreading" efforts for our city and for the unreached world are one
and the same. That is, our goal is to see local churches strengthened,
and new churches planted...
Lord willing, this coming Sunday Grace Church will be focusing on
the truth that "Jesus made purification for sins" (Hebrews 1:3).
In
his systematic theology, Wayne Grudem has some helpful questions for
application regarding Christ's atoning work. Enjoy, and proceed with
care...
If the ultimate cause of the atonement is found in the love and
justice of God, then was there anything in you that required God to
love you or to take steps to save you (when he looked forward and
thought of you as a sinner in rebellion against Him)?
How does your answer to the previous question help you appreciate...
Lord willing, this coming Sunday Grace Church will be focusing on
the truth that "Jesus made purification for sins" (Hebrews 1:3).
In
his systematic theology, Wayne Grudem has some helpful questions for
application regarding Christ's atoning work. Enjoy, and proceed with
care...
If the ultimate cause of the atonement is found in the love and
justice of God, then was there anything in you that required God to
love you or to take steps to save you (when he looked forward and
thought of you as a sinner in rebellion against Him)?
How does your answer to the previous question help you appreciate...
Lord willing, a four-person team from Grace will be leaving tomorrow morning for ministry in Hyderabad, India. Please pray for our team, and for those they will seek to serve.
Lord willing, a four-person team from Grace will be leaving tomorrow morning for ministry in Hyderabad, India. Please pray for our team, and for those they will seek to serve.
This Sunday and next, Pastor Bryan will be preaching on Christian
conversion. The first sermon will focus on faith, the second on
repentance.
Here's a great couple of Sunday's to invite a
co-worker, family member, neighbor, fellow gas station fueler, mayor,
grocery store check-out person, waitress, classmate, barber, mechanic,
meter reader, pizza delivery guy, trash collector, doctor,
telemarketer, store greeter, random pedestrian, the person in the
parking garage ticket booth, barista, mailman (or lady), or someone
like that.
This Sunday and next, Pastor Bryan will be preaching on Christian
conversion. The first sermon will focus on faith, the second on
repentance.
Here's a great couple of Sunday's to invite a
co-worker, family member, neighbor, fellow gas station fueler, mayor,
grocery store check-out person, waitress, classmate, barber, mechanic,
meter reader, pizza delivery guy, trash collector, doctor,
telemarketer, store greeter, random pedestrian, the person in the
parking garage ticket booth, barista, mailman (or lady), or someone
like that.
The commercialism of Christmas is already upon us. Don't be hypnotized.
you "need" this
The shiny things on the shelves in the store aisles, or online, will be carefully wrapped in the package of necessity. "You need this. He needs that. She should have those...
Please read Charles Spurgeon's testimony carefully. I will be reading it to Grace Church this morning.
Sincerely, in Jesus, John 3:30
Jordan Thomas
Personally, I have to bless God for many good books; I thank Him for Dr. Doddridge's Rise and Progress of Religion in the Soul; for Baxter's Call to the Unconverted; for Alleine's Alarm to Sinners; and for James's Anxious Enquirer;
but my gratitude most of all is due to God, not for books, but for the
preached Word,-and that too addressed to me by a poor, uneducated man,
a man who had never received any training for the ministry, and
probably will never be heard of in this life, a man engaged in
business, no doubt of a humble kind, during the week, but who had just
enough of grace to say on the Sabbath, "Look unto Me, and be ye saved,
all the ends of the earth."
Lectio Divina is Latin for divine reading,
spiritual reading, or "holy reading," and represents a traditional
Christian practice of prayer and scriptural reading intended to promote
communion with God and to increase in the knowledge of God's Word. It
is a way of praying with Scripture that calls one to study, ponder,
listen and, finally, pray and even sing and rejoice from God's Word,
within the soul.
There may be some other kooky things that I'm unaware of about this
teaching, and if so, I'm not advocating for that stuff. But if its only
what the paragraph above advocates, then
I'm absolutely all for it.
Meeting with God by hearing from Him in the Bible. Yes! I'm for that. As a matter of fact, that's exactly what I
was trying to promote in last week's sermon!
Lectio Divina is Latin for divine reading,
spiritual reading, or "holy reading," and represents a traditional
Christian practice of prayer and scriptural reading intended to promote
communion with God and to increase in the knowledge of God's Word. It
is a way of praying with Scripture that calls one to study, ponder,
listen and, finally, pray and even sing and rejoice from God's Word,
within the soul.
There may be some other kooky things that I'm unaware of about this
teaching, and if so, I'm not advocating for that stuff. But if its only
what the paragraph above advocates, then
I'm absolutely all for it.
Meeting with God by hearing from Him in the Bible. Yes! I'm for that. As a matter of fact, that's exactly what I
was trying to promote in last week's sermon!
To man, Jesus is the visible invisible God -- "He is the radiance of God's glory" (Hebrews 1:3). To God, Jesus is exact holiness of heart -- "He is the exact represenation of God's nature" (Hebrews 1:3).
That's where we're headed in Sunday's sermon. Contained in these two
truths are the foundation of all that matters and all that truly helps.
Pray with all your might that God would meet us and work powerfully
among us this coming Lord's Day. Here's the best way you can be
preparing your heart:
"They looked to Him and were radiant, and their faces shall never be ashamed." - Psalm 34:5
As
a compliment to our journey through Hebrews, I'm sharing a few of
Clyde's poems from time to time that fit with the truths we're
contemplating on Sunday's (Here's the first one I shared).
Here's the second installment, which has been
posted a few times previously. Make it your prayer. Enjoy!
As
a compliment to our journey through Hebrews, I'm sharing a few of
Clyde's poems from time to time that fit with the truths we're
contemplating on Sunday's (Here's the first one I shared).
Here's the second installment, which has been
posted a few times previously. Make it your prayer. Enjoy!
If you are hungering to delve more into seeing Jesus in all the
Scriptures, the passages below would be a great place to begin spending
time in meditation/memory.
Luke 24:13ff
John 1:43-45
Acts 2:25ff
Acts 17:1-3
Acts 28:23
Romans 1:1-2
1 Corinthians 15:1-4
2 Timothy 3:14-16
Hebrews 1:1-2
As you think and pray over what these texts have to say about Jesus
being revealed in all of Scripture, you will want to branch out into
cross-references...until you have included every verse in the Bible.
If you are hungering to delve more into seeing Jesus in all the
Scriptures, the passages below would be a great place to begin spending
time in meditation/memory.
Luke 24:13ff
John 1:43-45
Acts 2:25ff
Acts 17:1-3
Acts 28:23
Romans 1:1-2
1 Corinthians 15:1-4
2 Timothy 3:14-16
Hebrews 1:1-2
As you think and pray over what these texts have to say about Jesus
being revealed in all of Scripture, you will want to branch out into
cross-references...until you have included every verse in the Bible.
Those who've been around Grace any length of time know that we're
not the biggest on "how to" sermons, although we pray that every sermon is immensely practical. Kent Hughes said it well, "Christ is the most practical thing on earth."
We're decidedly a verse-by-verse
kind of people. This week, however, will be sort of unique, though I
pray completely expositional.
Because we want to be "doers of the Word, not hearers only," we'll
be taking a dozen or so of our sermons throughout Hebrews to focus
primarly on life application.
Because the opening verses of the
Hebrews begins with the exclaimation, "God spoke," we will use this
Sunday's sermon to focus on "How to Hear from God." There's nothing
more important! As someone has said, "We need to hear from God more
than He needs to hear from us." The question is, are you hearing from
Him? If so, how? If not, why?
Einstein said, "I want to know God's thoughts...the rest are
details." If only Mr. Einstein would have peered into the pages of the
Bible with a repentant heart and a desire to see the Lord Jesus Christ!
Instead, he wrote:
One of the most precious promises in all of Scripture is found in John 14:21. Jesus speaking:
"He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one
who loves Me; and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I
will love him and will disclose Myself to him."
Looking to Jesus is the Christian's chief duty, and also his highest
delight. Better still, Jesus is more ready to make Himself known than
anyone is to find Him.
In the verse Christ gives two conditions which lead to one consequence, which is ultimately rewarded by the fulfillment of three magnificent promises...
What is revealed of Christ in these verses that most stirs your affections to fix your gaze upon Him?
Discuss the
sufficiency of Jesus for believers in His roles as Prophet, Priest, and Prince.
How may we be certain that
we are hearing from God?
What does it mean that God made the
world “through” Jesus? How will this inform how I see God, Jesus, and
the world?
Discuss and apply the truth that the Son of God (Who is Heir of all, Creator, Sustainer, One who reveals God) is the very One Who sacrified Himself for our sins. In what ways will this truth stimulate us to look to Jesus for our every need?
What is revealed of Christ in these verses that most stirs your affections to fix your gaze upon Him?
Discuss the
sufficiency of Jesus for believers in His roles as Prophet, Priest, and Prince.
How may we be certain that
we are hearing from God?
What does it mean that God made the
world “through” Jesus? How will this inform how I see God, Jesus, and
the world?
Discuss and apply the truth that the Son of God (Who is Heir of all, Creator, Sustainer, One who reveals God) is the very One Who sacrified Himself for our sins. In what ways will this truth stimulate us to look to Jesus for our every need?
One Person perfectly
communicates God to man. One Person will rightfully inherit all things. One Person sufficiently represents man before God. And all three
perfectly meet in One Person. His Name is Jesus!
That's the main message of the opening three verses of Hebrews, and will be our theme this Sunday at Grace.
Warm your heart in His presence by meditating on Who He is, and thanking Him for what He has done.
One Person perfectly
communicates God to man. One Person will rightfully inherit all things. One Person sufficiently represents man before God. And all three
perfectly meet in One Person. His Name is Jesus!
That's the main message of the opening three verses of Hebrews, and will be our theme this Sunday at Grace.
Warm your heart in His presence by meditating on Who He is, and thanking Him for what He has done.
Having
considered several worthy options, the elders have agreed that this
year's Christmas sermon from yesteryear will once again come from the
pulpit of Jonathan Edwards, a message entitled, The Excellency of Christ...
Having
considered several worthy options, the elders have agreed that this
year's Christmas sermon from yesteryear will once again come from the
pulpit of Jonathan Edwards, a message entitled, The Excellency of Christ...
My father in the faith & discipler, Clyde Cranford,
was riddled with serious illnesses, especially the last ten years of
his life. His struggle became a blessing to many in a variety of ways.
How so?
When Clyde couldn't sleep because of physical
discomfort, he would lie awake and pray, and think, and sometimes
write. In his final year on earth, really in a matter of a few months,
he wrote a collection of poems that he titled, In the Night Watches, because that's when they came to him.
As
a compliment to our journey through Hebrews, I'll share a few of
Clyde's poems from time to time that are fitting with the things we're
contemplating. Here's the first. Enjoy!
My father in the faith & discipler, Clyde Cranford,
was riddled with serious illnesses, especially the last ten years of
his life. His struggle became a blessing to many in a variety of ways.
How so?
When Clyde couldn't sleep because of physical
discomfort, he would lie awake and pray, and think, and sometimes
write. In his final year on earth, really in a matter of a few months,
he wrote a collection of poems that he titled, In the Night Watches, because that's when they came to him.
As
a compliment to our journey through Hebrews, I'll share a few of
Clyde's poems from time to time that are fitting with the things we're
contemplating. Here's the first. Enjoy!
The plan is to overview the message of Hebrews this Sunday. In short that would be, "Look to Jesus."
As
a heart primer for Sunday, I would like to encoruage you to consider (maybe write
down) what it would practically look like to heed that counsel.
Meaning, what is the fleshing-out of "look to Christ"?
The plan is to overview the message of Hebrews this Sunday. In short that would be, "Look to Jesus."
As
a heart primer for Sunday, I would like to encoruage you to consider (maybe write
down) what it would practically look like to heed that counsel.
Meaning, what is the fleshing-out of "look to Christ"?
In the past couple of weeks I've been re-reading and meditating upon
Colossians and thinking about the personal benefit to my soul this book
has been and I've come to realize that in "completing" Colossians tomorrow I'm really only that much closer to being ready to "really" preach through this book. Colossians is rich and loaded with Christ.
Tomorrow night (Friday) we will be having a Grace Party at FBC West Memphis from 6:30-9p in their Recreation Center. All are invited to come
participate in hearing testimonies about the work of the Lord in the
hearts of His people; along with fellowshipping, eating, and playing
some games together. Food will be provided. Bring clothes for wallyball, basketball, etc.
Tomorrow night (Friday) we will be having a Grace Party at FBC West Memphis from 6:30-9p in their Recreation Center. All are invited to come
participate in hearing testimonies about the work of the Lord in the
hearts of His people; along with fellowshipping, eating, and playing
some games together. Food will be provided. Bring clothes for wallyball, basketball, etc.
Thanks to all who prayed for Bryan and I during our trip to Nigeria.
We
made it home to our (much missed!) families last evening. A more
informative post of the (indescribly wonderful) trip will come soon.
For now, it's off to MN to fellowship with good friends, enjoy the
quarterly meeting with fellow TCT pastors, and attend the DG
conference.
Continue praying for Kirk who will begin his return from E. Europe later tonight (I think).
"Tell of His glory among the nations, His wonderful deeds among all peoples" - 1 Chronicles 16:24
Thanks to all who prayed for Bryan and I during our trip to Nigeria.
We
made it home to our (much missed!) families last evening. A more
informative post of the (indescribly wonderful) trip will come soon.
For now, it's off to MN to fellowship with good friends, enjoy the
quarterly meeting with fellow TCT pastors, and attend the DG
conference.
Continue praying for Kirk who will begin his return from E. Europe later tonight (I think).
"Tell of His glory among the nations, His wonderful deeds among all peoples" - 1 Chronicles 16:24
Lord willing, our good friend Anthony Mathenia (twitter, blog)
will be preaching at Grace the next two Sunday's, and will be covering
the entire book of James. His sermons are divided up as the book
naturally lends itself to division:
Gospel Results: James 1-2
Gospel Expectations: James 3-4
Steep your soul in the text daily (takes about 15 minutes to read
the entire epistle), and pray fervently for God to speak to you, and
all who will gather with Grace.
Also, please pray diligently, moment by moment throughout each day, without ceasing, for two church-impacting trips taking place during the next two weeks:
Two of our pastors who will be in Nigeria Sept 11-20.
One of our members who will be traveling Sept 13-20 to get more
well acquainted with the people and the places to which the Lord has
called his family to serve for the next several years.
Lord willing, our good friend Anthony Mathenia (twitter, blog)
will be preaching at Grace the next two Sunday's, and will be covering
the entire book of James. His sermons are divided up as the book
naturally lends itself to division:
Gospel Results: James 1-2
Gospel Expectations: James 3-4
Steep your soul in the text daily (takes about 15 minutes to read
the entire epistle), and pray fervently for God to speak to you, and
all who will gather with Grace.
Also, please pray diligently, moment by moment throughout each day, without ceasing, for two church-impacting trips taking place during the next two weeks:
Two of our pastors who will be in Nigeria Sept 11-20.
One of our members who will be traveling Sept 13-20 to get more
well acquainted with the people and the places to which the Lord has
called his family to serve for the next several years.
What were those
verses we were encouraged to memorize at the retreat?
How many members
does Grace have?
Is it the women's or men's week for Fellowship of the
Burning Heart?
It sure would be nice to have a quick word of
encourgement to draw my attention back to Christ.
For these reasons, and more, you can find help via Grace's twitter
feed, where we'll be supplying regular exhortations for the heart, and reminders about
upcoming events. There's some thoughts there already
from which you might profit?
It can be found in three places:
GC's homepage (you'll have to click through to see it if you're reading this on RSS).
What were those
verses we were encouraged to memorize at the retreat?
How many members
does Grace have?
Is it the women's or men's week for Fellowship of the
Burning Heart?
It sure would be nice to have a quick word of
encourgement to draw my attention back to Christ.
For these reasons, and more, you can find help via Grace's twitter
feed, where we'll be supplying regular exhortations for the heart, and reminders about
upcoming events. There's some thoughts there already
from which you might profit?
It can be found in three places:
GC's homepage (you'll have to click through to see it if you're reading this on RSS).
Thank you for allowing me to have a
sabbatical for the past eight weeks. The time was rich indeed! Thank
you for praying for me during those days. Keep it up...
Thank you for allowing me to have a
sabbatical for the past eight weeks. The time was rich indeed! Thank
you for praying for me during those days. Keep it up...
Remember that Grace will not be meeting in Memphis this coming Sunday, September 6. Lord willing, we'll see everyone back
at Bridges on Sunday, September 13 with a ready heart to worship our
Lord Jesus.
On our newest church card you will find the weekly sermon texts and
titles, the weekly corporate prayer texts, along with other pertinent
information between now and December 6.
Remember that Grace will not be meeting in Memphis this coming Sunday, September 6. Lord willing, we'll see everyone back
at Bridges on Sunday, September 13 with a ready heart to worship our
Lord Jesus.
On our newest church card you will find the weekly sermon texts and
titles, the weekly corporate prayer texts, along with other pertinent
information between now and December 6.
Grace Church will not be meeting at Bridges on Sunday. The members of Grace Church will be attending a Labor Day Weekend Retreat in Arkansas, and will be meeting there for worship on Sunday morning. We hope you will be worshipping our King Jesus with other believers in Memphis, and look forward to seeing you on Sunday, September 13th at our regular time.
Charles Wesley penned the following hymn in 1747. Though I have not found the hymn's reference, it seems obvious that it was birthed from Mr. Wesley's meditation on Ephesians 4:11-16 (this morning's sermon text). It is a rich body of words...
Charles Wesley penned the following hymn in 1747. Though I have not found the hymn's reference, it seems obvious that it was birthed from Mr. Wesley's meditation on Ephesians 4:11-16 (this morning's sermon text). It is a rich body of words...
Once again we are offering our Foundations of Grace seminar for those
who would be interested in pursuing membership at Grace or desire to
know more about the church and our desire for Christ to be preeminent
in all things.
Once again we are offering our Foundations of Grace seminar for those
who would be interested in pursuing membership at Grace or desire to
know more about the church and our desire for Christ to be preeminent
in all things.
Independent Presbyterian Church will be hosting a Marriage Conference this fall (Sept. 11-13). Paul David Tripp will be speaking on the theme: "What Did You Expect? Redeeming the Realities of Marriage." All of the information for the conference is posted here.
A few weeks ago our church sent Jordan on an eight week sabbatical. In an effort to preserve this unique time for Jordan to seek the face of the Lord,
our elders sought to temporarily relieve him of pastoral and preaching
duties. However, we thought it would be helpful for those praying to
get a weekly snapshot of how the sabbatical is being spent and some
specific ways to pray for him during this time. Here is what he sent
earlier today:
A few weeks ago our church sent Jordan on an eight week sabbatical. In an effort to preserve this unique time for Jordan to seek the face of the Lord,
our elders sought to temporarily relieve him of pastoral and preaching
duties. However, we thought it would be helpful for those praying to
get a weekly snapshot of how the sabbatical is being spent and some
specific ways to pray for him during this time. Here is what he sent
earlier today:
Something eternally seismic happened at the cross of Christ, and the empty tomb.
Through His death and resurrection, Jesus "purchased for God from every tribe, tongue, people and nation"
a redeemed church. Those who were formerly alienated from God, and
therefore, His enemies, were bought with the invaluable blood of
Jesus--God's own Son, and infused upon converstion with the capacity to
bring glory God's great Name!
The saving work of Jesus is so significant and powerful and life-tranforming that the Scripture says that "the church" will redound the same degree of glory to God "forever and ever" as Jesus--His own perfect and
glorious Son--has always and will always bring to Him.
"You shall call His name Jesus because He will save His people from their sins." - Matthew 1:21
As you prepare your heart for worship tomorrow through the preached Word of God, ask yourself three questions from this verse:
Who is Jesus?
What did He come to do?
Am I one of His people?
Pray with all your heart that people will be converted tomorrow
under the preaching of the gospel! Pray that your heart, and the hearts
of all who will gather with us, will be "fertile soil" for the Word and
will of God to be received with much joy.
In
May 2009, Tyler began a one year Pastoral Apprenticeship with Grace
Church. The program is designed to give the apprentice a focused year of
guidance in three areas: (1) personal holiness, (2) exposure to pastoral ministry, and (3) theological
development.
Please be praying for Tyler, and for the pastors as we
pour into him!
By the looks of this picture, it's clear that he's having fun!
Brothers and Sisters, my heart is burdened for the furtherance of the gospel. We as a faithful family have, by grace, done well to proclaim the gospel, but let us excel still more.
On the Day of Pentecost Peter stood before thousands of folks from all over the place and preached that David wrote Psalm 16, "Because he was looking forward to the resurrection of the Christ" (cf. Acts 2:31).
Lord willing, in this coming Sunday's sermon we will be seeking to peer into Christ's glory in, through, and during the life and
writings of David. I covet your prayers. And I look forward to
worshipping with you!
Believer, bring a ready heart to revel in the gospel
And bring a lost friend with you to hear about the Savior
Summer is a great time for many. What will this summer be remembered for when you look back?
Imagine: Even if you had big plans to enjoy a long-anticipated
vacation, nothing would be greater than someone introducing you to
Jesus for the first time. That would make for the greatest summer ever!
You'll
be able to come up with plenty of ideas to commend Christ. Here's a few
simple thoughts that come to mind that may get your juices flowing.
More, it may lead to your great joy of being able to lead someone to
faith in Jesus this summer!
That would be a great (and telling) goal for all of us. Justin Taylor wrote:
"...wouldn't it be great if those who knew us best could honestly say, "It is so easy to edify him. It doesn't take much. It doesn't need to be the best
sermon ever preached or the most excellent song ever composed or the
most powerful book ever written or the most theologically eloquent
statement ever uttered. Just the simplest truth was enough to refresh
his heart in Christ."
I thought it might be helpful to supply the upcoming sermon texts here so you can prepare your heart for the Word each week. My sickness a few weeks ago has pushed back the remaining sermons in our series one week each.
I look forward to worshipping Jesus with you this coming Lord's Day!
June 21 - Christ Revealed from David to the Incarnation | Acts 2:22-41 (Yes, this text has changed since the publication of our church card).
June 28 - Christ Revealed through the Incarnation | Matthew 1:21
July 5 - Christ Revealed in the Church Age & Eternity | Ephesians 3:20-21
Last evening, Rick Cupples, one of Grace's elders, urged the other elders to "pester God" through intercession for several pressing needs in the body. I'd like to invite all who read this blog to join us in "giving God no rest" regarding one of these needs.
There's a family in our congregation that has been approved to
serve as missionaries through the International Mission Board. The only
thing left between them and the mission field is the sale of their
house. The catch is that for them to be "on schedule" the house needs
to sell in less than two weeks! Let us "wear God out" by "calling on Him day and night" to work for His glory!
No,
we don't presume to know for certain the Lord's timing in this matter.
Until this deadline passes, however, we beseech you join us in praying
fervently for God to sell their home!
Rick also reminded us that
the Great Commission is God's Great Commission. He must therefore be
the One who sees to it that it is accomplished. The work is His, the
joy is ours. Thank you for praying with us!
"The Lord works all things together for good to those who love Him and are called according to His purpose" (Romans 8:28).
Genesis is "the book of beginnings." Much, if not all, that is
foundational to our understanding of God, and His Christ-centered plan
to redeeem sinners, finds its origin in the book of Genesis. Steep your
soul in the pages of Genesis!
Or, maybe a more clarifying set of questions would be this:
How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher? How will they preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news of good things." - Romans 10:14-15
My guess is that most of us have some pretty ugly feet, not because we don't have the "good news of good things", but rather we aren't "bringing" it to those around us.
As parents we are desperately needy (usually more often than we're
aware) for God to enable us to point our children toward Christ by being accurate reflections of Him.
Not
even Mary and Joseph, the earthly parents of Jesus, set the example
perfectly. We're all flawed, and we all need help. As we seek the
Lord's face, He will provide...
In one week's time, I attended two Christian concerts. I think that doubles my life-long total.
Last Friday, several Grace folks took 15 inner-city boys to the Don't Waste Your Life tour concert, and last night I joined another crew of Grace Church-ers at the Shane and Shane concert.
Needless to say, they were very differnt approaches, but both pointed clearly to the Jesus of the Bible.
I guess you can tell which picture is from which concert?...
That's the title of Voddie Baucham's sermon that I read yesterday morning. It is an excellent call to every believer whether single or married. Highly recommended! Here's the PDF when you have time to read it yourself.
As I read, I rejoiced over God's kindness to Grace Church.
Though we're a small congregation, we've been blessed with many children. Oh that He will grant us the grace to be faithful with our calling to evangelize and disciple them well!
While home sick this morning instead of worshipping with GC, I
prayed for God to move in power through Romans 10, and read a sermon by
Voddie Baucham.
may I make a humble proposal to the members of Grace Church from my sick-bed?
Anytime we have to miss church, or are assigned to work in the
nursery, let's seek to listen to the sermon online (or your techno
audio gadget) as soon as we're able...
Abraham lived roughly 2000 years before Jesus was born in Bethlehem.
Yet, according to Jesus, Abraham saw Christ's day, and upon seeing Him,
was glad. How so? Because, "before Abraham was born," Jesus IS...
Now that Grace Church has walked through the first four parts of our current nine-part series titled, "Toward a Christ-Centered Theology of the Bible," I thought it might be helpful to give a brief word of review to help us all know where we've been, and to peek forward to where we're heading.
Thus far, we've seen:
That Jesus believes the entire Bible is about Jesus (Luke 24)
That Jesus is revealed in Scripture as God, existing co-eternally with God (John 17)
That Jesus is revealed in Scripture as the Creator and Sustainer of all things (Hebrews 1)
That Jesus was enjoyed, promised, and portrayed in the days of Adam as the only Mediator between God and man (Genesis 3)
Christmas and Easter are easily the two most popular dates in the
Christian Church. Tommorrow represents another important, but far
lesser known date - Ascension Sunday.
Christ ascension is
important to our salvation because He, "...will come in just the same
way as you have watched Him go into heaven." Christians are looking for
the physical, bodily, return of Jesus Christ!
Jesus ascended to heaven 40 days after His resurrection from the
dead, which means He would have ascended on a Thursday. Throughout
history though, since churches have met on the Lord's Day, they've
celebrated Christ's ascension the following Sunday, which this year, is
tomorrow.
Think about the significance of Christ's ascension in the following verses...
As those who are preparing to attend Grace Church tomorrow morning seek to ready hearts, here are a few suggestions.
Read Hebrews 1:1-4 aloud a few times by yourself, and with all
who are part of your household. Discuss and pray about what is revealed
in the text
Participate in the 9am corporate prayer meeting
Consider the following truths about Jesus that are put forth in the passage
Jesus Reveals God
Jesus Sustains His Creation
Jesus Redeems Sinners
See you in the morning, Lord willing
(Please also pray for me
this afternoon. I'll be preaching at a special event at the truck stops
in West Memphis. For those who might not know, West Memphis, AR is
truck-stop capitol of the world -- Being the city where Interstate's 55
and 40 intersect).
Grace Church has been exponentially blessed by the prayers, love,
support, and encouragement from many other churches, individuals, and
organzations.
This week the people of Grace sent specific words of
thanks to them. Now, I want to express public gratitude to the Lord for them as well.
In these first two-plus years of our existence, Grace Church has been enabled to come this
far because of God's kind provision in answer to your prayers, and
through your generous support. Thank you all! "May the Lord indeed bless and
keep you..."
Below you will find summaries of how several churches and
organizations have blessed us. These summaries were also displayed last
Sunday for the people of Grace so they too could join in giving God the
glory for the ways He's used each of them to serve and support us.
Immediately after Sunday's sermon, Jim Suggs and I were talking
about the immutability of Christ's divine nature.
One truth that landed
on us heavily is the good news that we can be saved because Jesus is
God, and therefore He doesn't change! See Malachi 3:6 compared with Hebrews 13:7. Amen!
While we coast through life, our physical body serves us incessantly. Ligaments holding bones in place, veins transporting blood to each
part, bones keeping structure supported, lungs receiving and
discharging oxygen and carbon dioxide.
And all of this, most of the
time, while we are completely unaware of the variety of the ways our
body serves us...
An important truth to realize is that Jesus believes the entire Bible is about Jesus (e.g. Luke 24).
In
order to get a grasp on the Bible, we must see it as one Book. As we
see the Bible as one book with One Author, we find its unifying theme.
His Name is Jesus!
Please pray for those who are planning to go this weekend. There's still a few spots left if you are interested. If so, let us know. Here's your prayer list...
The blog has been a bit slow lately due to our Pastor's Pray &
Plan retreat, Treasuring Christ Together Church Planting Network
meetings in North Carolina, and a great anniversary get-away with my
bride :).
Just wanted to put something up here so the world wouldn't
think the pastor's retreat was in Hawaii!
Many have found the profit of reading books in community. Not
necessarily reading the book aloud together, but discussing and
processing what you have read with others who are reading the same
material.
Such investment will round your apprehension and develop your ability to articulate and apply the good of what you've read...
We invite you to join the people of Grace this week as we walk with Christ to the cross.
Each day you will find selected readings on this guide that show the events that happened in Christ's life during the week leading up to His crucifixion and resurrection.
Thank you ladies for allowing me to walk with you through our Lord's Sermon on the Mount for this year's retreat. Thank you to all who prayed. Christ is King.
God
has been at work in the lives of Theopolis Lyons and Deirdre Lathan,
two friends from downtown Memphis that the Lord has recently connected
to Grace Church.
Theopolis and Deirdre want all of the Grace family and friends to know you are invited to celebrate with them as they exchange covenant vows of marriage.
"The Doctor," is the way many referred to, and still refer to, the
great preacher, D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, who was formerly pastor of
Westminster Chapel, London, now in heaven.
In preparation for our upcoming women's and men's retreats, I'm walking through Lloyd-Jones' sermons on Matthew 5-7. Can someone say "sledge hammer!" (Contrary to the look of his photo, his sermons make it appear that he was a divinely happy man). I digress...
Where did you get the title of this post?
The title of this post is a quote from Lloyd-Jones' introduction to the second of his volumes dealing with the Sermon on the Mount.
I'm writing because I want to agree with "The Doctor"...
Yesterday I wrote a five-sentence update about Grace Church for Bethlehem's worship bulletin. Those who know me, know that I have a hard time
saying anything in five sentences or less, let alone a two-year update!
A dear brother in our congregation, Brandon Sheridan, is suffering
from a rare blood disorder. Please join us in prayer for he and his
young family.
Recently Brandon wrote an urgent appeal for our church to be the church for his family during this trying time:
"Starting next Tuesday, I will begin another round of
chemotherapy...We are thankful for your prayers and your
encouragement!!
Grace
Church I implore you, as did our beloved pastor, to come along side and
”one another” the Sheridans. I long for the LORD’S grace in your
life!! We need you Grace Church Family; with the affection of Christ
Himself we LOVE YOU!"
We've been a bit slow on the blog around here lately. In part that's
been because we have been out in our community for the past three days
commending Christ to our neighbors.
We are thankful to the
Lord that the team from Shade's Mountain came to serve alongside the
folks of Grace this weekend in Uptown. We are also thankful that the
Lord answered our prayers for good weather during all of the outdoor
events. Here's a few recap thoughts from the weekend, in radom order...
In a variety of times during the weekend, I was encouraged to see
quite a few folks from Grace engaging in evangelistic converstaions
with people from the neighborhood. When I saw you and overheard your
conversations, I prayed for God to step in. I'm sure others did the
same. I trust the Lord answered.
We praise the Lord that Laura was able to go home on Saturday, and
has been feeling well. She has been back to see her blood specialist,
and is awaiting the results of the tests taken then. Thank you all once
again for your prayers!
Yesterday
there was talk about being discharged today, but the doctors have
decided to keep Laura at least through tonight (Friday) because of the
current parasite count in her blood, and because the malaria continues
to cause symptoms (mainly fever). As an added item for prayer, one of
the side-effects of the medication is an almost total loss of hearing.
Pray for God's peace.
The Minton's also recounted a sweet time
they shared together in 2 Corinthians last evening, as they were
praising the Lord for His pleasure to demonstrate His strength in their
weakness. The Lord provided an assurance to both Joel and Laura's
hearts that His purposes are always for their good.
Please be praying for Laura Minton who has been diagnosed with malaria,
and is being cared for at Baptist East Hospital. She too, as you may
remember, was on the same trip to Nigeria where Kelly contracted malaria.
Laura is feeling well, and her parasite count appears to be low (a good
sign). The doctors have started her on a seven-day prescription regimen
with hopes that she could return home as early as Friday of this week.
We will keep you updated as new information comes.
"Some trust in chariots, and some in horses, but we trust in the Name of the Lord, our God." Psalm 20:7
As was mentioned a couple of week's ago, the elders are eager to
receive recommendations from the congregations for the office of
deacon.
Members of Grace, don't hesitate to let your elders
know who you see among us (1) already serving like a deacon :), and (2)
who appears to be qualified biblically to serve in the office of deacon
(1 Tim. 3:8-13).
We'll allow several weeks, or perhaps a couple
of months. But, as you pray about the matter, we're happy to hear your thoughts sooner rather than later.
***Set your clocks forward one hour on Saturday night so that you
don't show up for service thinking it is time for prayer or for service
and wonder why I'm already in (v6) of Colossians 2:1-15***
This Sunday, Lord willing, we will spend our time together worshipping Christ in Colossians 2:1-15. Here is a snapshot of things Paul says about Jesus in our text.
There's a lot going on in March around Grace. Here's a quick glance to help keep all our ducks in a row.
March Sermon Texts
The elders have done a bit of sermon shuffling since we published the most recent church card. To prepare your heart for the preached word, here are the texts for the remainder of the month.
Lord willing, this coming Sunday, Grace will take a one-week break
from our journey together in Colossians in order to consider what the
bible has to say about deacons--An important aspect of every church's
health.
The elders feel that this sermon needs to come now in the
anticipation of moving toward identifying deacons in our congregation,
and officially recognizing them as such. Would you pray with us that
we would all be sensitive to the Lord's will in this important matter?
Thanks to everyone for keeping others informed while I was
incoherent. I honestly can't remember much for about 3 days. I do know
I am thankful for my family who have laid everything aside so I may
seek my health again. Which this "simple thank you" does not do justice
for my gratitude...
"Pour out Your wrath on the heathen that do not acknowledge
You--and on the families that do not call upon Your name!" Jeremiah
10:25
We wonder how many of our readers have seriously
pondered these awe-inspiring words! Observe what fearful threatenings
are pronounced against those who disregard family worship! How
unspeakably solemn to find that prayerless families are here coupled
with the heathen, who do not acknowledge the Lord.
Sunday afternoon our small group took up a specific prayer request for each other. Namely, that we would pray that each one of us would take advantage of the opportunity to share the entire gospel with
an unconverted person before our group cycle ends in May. Oh to see many people born again in the next few months!
Would you join us in praying this for each person in each Grace Group?
This Sunday, Lord willing we will be worshipping the preeminence of Christ in reconciliation from Colossians 1:19-23. I encourage you to prepare your hearts with these statements about Christ:
It was the Father's good pleasure for all His fullness to dwell in Christ.
Through Christ all things are reconciled to Himself.
Peace with God comes from the blood of the cross of Christ.
Christ has reconciled His people in His body through His death in order to present them before God as holy, blameless, and above reproach.
Kelly is in ICU at
Baptist-East in Memphis. She was admitted thursday night with malaria,
which she contracted in Nigeria. She was put on medication for that.
However her body had been put through so much trauma that she developed
pneumonia quickly Saturday and was put in ICU...
Last week prior to beginning the Colossians series I encouraged the
children in a few ways (most of which are already doing this) in hopes
that they would listen to the sermon when they sit in "big Church" (as
a child this is what I called church with the adults). One of these
ways was to count every time you heard Christ mentioned and then report
to me after the sermon was over.
This week, Lenarious, a young boy from our surrounding neighborhood
attended Grace. He didn't come with anyone, he just came! Evidently Kirk B.
encouraged him with this because as soon as the sermon concluded he
came straight to me and said "200. You mentioned Christ 200 hundred
times today". I then asked him if there was anything that stuck out
during the sermon today, to which he replied "Christ".
'The one true goal or resting place where doubt and weariness,
the stings of a pricking conscience, and the longings of an unsatisfied
soul would all be quieted, is Christ Himself. Not the church, but
Christ. Not doctrine, but Christ. Not forms, but Christ. Not
ceremonies, but Christ; Christ the God-man, giving His life for ours;
sealing the everlasting covenant, and making peace for us through the
blood of His cross; Christ the divine storehouse of all light and
truth, 'In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge
(Colossians 2:3); Christ the infinite vessel, filled with the Holy
Spirit, the Enlightener, the Teacher, the Quickener, the Comforter, so
that "of his fullness we have all received, and grace for grace" (John
1:16) This, this alone is the vexed soul's refuge, its rock to build
on, its home to abide in till the great tempter be bound and every
conflict ended in victory.'
“To speak faithfully of the
wrath of God, very often what we most urgently need are tears. A few
years ago on a radio talk show with a large audience in Chicago, the
host asked several guests to discuss whether anyone could be saved
apart from Jesus. Three pooh-poohed the idea in graphic terms. The
fourth was a Jewish-Christian believer on the faculty of Moody Bible
Institute. His ethnic background was known by everyone there, so when
it was his turn to speak, the host baited him by asking him if he
thought his fellow Jews could be saved apart from Christ. This
Christian brother began to weep, and then to sob quietly,
uncontrollably. After a minute or two, the host said that he had never
heard a more compelling reason to become a Christian. So we teach the
wrath of God, for faithfulness to Scripture demands it; and we follow
Jesus and learn to weep over the city.”
(From: D. A. Carson, “The Wrath of God,” in Engaging the Doctrine of God, ed. Bruce McCormack, (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2008), 63.)
May God increase our tears, love, and action for the lost and hurting!
I apologize for being so long in updating you. As you read
on, you will discover why we have had limited internet access. For you
PRBCers (Kurt's church) ... here is an email with four points.
This Sunday evening from 4:30-6p at Bridges we will be
having a Grace Party.
January 22, 2009 marks the first year
anniversary of the death of Amber Mathenia. We have asked her mother,
Laura Donovan, and her sister April Sawyer (also my wife) if they would
be willing to give testimony about the kindness of the Lord that has
been lavishing upon them in the past year in Christ.....
On behalf of the other brothers, a sincere "thank you" to all who
prayed for us as we were away seeking the Lord's face, asking for His
direction for the next months of Grace's life, and enjoying one
another's company during this weekend's Pastor's Pray & Plan. It
was a sweet time of fellowship and even deeper bonding and unity. Thank
you again for praying!
Between Friday afternoon and Sunday morning, we were sustained by
the Lord to engage in approximately 30 hours of intense prayer,
devotion, planning, and discussion.
The weekend the elders will be away for a "Pray and Plan" retreat. We're not taking a break from you, but a break for you. We're going away for several days to seek the Lord's face in an extended way on behalf of Grace Church.
Two Foundations seminars will be coming soon. If you are interested
in learning more about Grace, or interested in pursuing covenant
membership, please let us know if you will be joining us for either seminar.
Jim's
sermon yesterday--"A God-Centered Vision of Vocation"--was remarkable. Once it is posted on our site, you
will serve yourself well to have a careful listen (might be a week or so before it's up?).
I'm planning to try to snag a
copy of the book Jim referenced several times, and thought others might also want to track it down too. Here it is: God at Work.
Some ministries in the church have a "romantic" edge to them. An
attractiveness. They have appeal. They are the roles that carry some
inherent sense of affirmation. It feels good to feel appreciated.
That's not necessarily wrong. Though, we should always find our
identity only in Christ.
My heart is stirred yet again after reading Edward's manuscript this
morning for the umpteenth time this month. In the first preparation
post for this coming Sunday, I described the famous sermon, "Sinners in
the Hands of an Angry God," as devestatingly helpful. Is that a strange concept for you? I hope not.
Before
you or I will ever come to Jesus, we must feel our need. We must feel
devestated...with no place else to turn. We must be stripped bare of
our pride before we will let go of the notion that we are able to earn
God's favor, and emptied of the self-rigteousness that makes us feel as
if we don't need His favor.
The need is present if we feel it
or not. As we sit under the preaching of the truth of Scripture, our
need for Jesus is pronounced. We hear it. We feel it.
When we realize how impoverished, how needy, we are, we will come empty-handed to Jesus. And when we come, He will save.
We hear that that the "fire and brimstone" preachers are all about
hate, and no love. What could be more loving than God sending someone
to plead with us to avoid imminent destruction and telling us how to
find escape?
Sunday, Jonathan Edwards will be the guest preacher at Grace Church and will love us in exactly that way!
Because this will be the Sunday before Christmas, this week is
unique. Because I'll be preaching an old old sermon, that makes things
even more interesting. In that light, I'll be sharing multiple
preparation posts.
The first three pictures are of Pastor Correct (planting in the bush) and Pastor Mammon (planting in the city), the two church-planters being supported by Grace. Pastor Mammon is the one pictured with his family.
The fourth picture is of Pastor Nathan and Pastor Ephraim, Grace's God-given "man of peace" who has been indescribably helpful as we've sought to join the Lord's work in Nigeria.
Realizing there are many of you who read this blog but do not
attend Grace Church, I thought some of you might be interested in
knowing what our Sunday gathering place and people look like.
Lots of churches give away cheesy stuff to draw in the crowds. This Christmas we're giving away cute little dudes.
Rick's sermon last Sunday was phenominal. If you missed it, you will
serve your soul well to have a listen.
There's something indescribably
wonderful about sitting under someone's preaching who describes God to
us. When someone knows God well and talks to us about his God, it is obvious
that he is speaking of One and with Whom he has an ongoing
relationship.
Far different than speaking about One that is distant and unknowable, the refreshing waves of His enjoyed nearness are the incessant overtones of the message. That's Rick's preaching. Nothing fancy. No bells or wistles. Just God. His God. The One true God, and Jesus Christ Whom He has sent.
Family traditions are great. Even little things "the way we always
do it" can make for sweet memories generation after generation. If you
don't already have a tradition for family devotions in your home during
Advent season, let me encourage you to begin this year.
The resource I'm linking below is the one our family is following this
season. It is a ready-made guide for this year's Advent season. Those
who are more creative than me might have fun crafting your own guide.
Be intentional. Be Christward. Be worshippers. Be joyful. Behold the
One, the Son, of God.
“If I could hear Christ praying for me in the next room, I would not
fear a million enemies. Yet distance makes no difference. He is praying
for me. " - Robert Murray M’Cheyne, ed Andrew Bonar (Carlisle, PA: Banner of Truth: 1960), 179
One of our new elders, Rick Cupples, will be preaching this Sunday.
Pray for him. Pray for us all. Pray that we will be imitators of our
praying God.
"God is the one Being in the entire universe for whom
self-centeredness, or the pursuit of his own glory, is the
ultimately loving act. For him, self-exaltation is the highest
virtue. When he does all things "for the praise of his glory," he
preserves for us and offers to us, the only thing in the entire
world, which can satisfy our longings. God is for us, and therefore
has been, is now and always will be, first, for himself. I urge you
not to resent the centrality of God in his own affections, but to
experience it as the fountain of your everlasting joy." - John Piper
"Be informed that we will cut your heads and leave your dead bodies
with no organs and no heads in your stores and houses. We know your
houses and we know your family. We will kill you one after the other.
Depart the Muslim areas."
Black Friday is a product of, and contributing factor towards, Christless American consumerism. The Advent Conspiracy is an attempt to fight the cultural sin that sweeps away millions into into its ocean of stupid debt. Join the conspiracy!
Some people say big things about things are actually small. They overexaggerate. But then, sometimes, people don't overexaggerate. They are spot-on. Like when Tozer said in The Knowledge of the Holy, "Every man's greatest need is a greater view of God." That's true. That's not wow-factor talk. Nothing is more important than God. Nothing is more needed than knowing Him through Christ.
That lead me to suggest a great Christmas gift. Samuel Rutherford's The Loveliness of Christ.
Get it. Give it away. It's not a 'normal book'. It can be read in about
1 hour.
"This is Nathan again. All is well and we are very much
encouraged in the Lord. We are set to leave for the bush tomorrow.
Thank you for your prayers and your family sends their love."
A couple of attempted explanatory notes:
"...tomorrow..." = Wednesday, I think. Originally, the plan was
that the team would head toward the bush on Tuesday, but the way I
interpret Nathan's text is that they will now head that direction
tomorrow. If anyone knows something different than that, please let us
know.
"...your family..." = Beautiful. I think Nathan is referring both to the team and to the Nigerian believers. Amen, they are our family!
Continue praying fervently for the Nigeria mission team. Remember
that tonight (Tuesday) they will begin sleeping in the "bush" (three
nights). This, I trust, will be tremendously profitable in the advance
of meaningful partnerships and the expanse of the gospel.
Please
pray also for today's TCT Network meeting that I'm a part of in
Minneapolis. This meeting (all day yesterday and today) has been
devoted to dreaming, planning, and praying through the Lord's
intentions to use us to become a church planting movement. So far today
we've heard visions from planters aiming at planting reproducing
churches in St. Paul, San Deigo, and South Africa (and reaching into
the pre-modern portions of the African Continent).
Oh Lord, let the nations rejoice and be glad in Jesus!
"This is Nathan Sawyer...we have arrived in Nigeria and
are awaiting our luggage...not sure how much we will be able to
communicate...thx for your prayers."
Amen. May Jesus be embraced by, and advanced through, the team!
The sufficiency of the God-Man, Jesus Christ, is the theme of the current meetings at Grace, and He is the theme
song of all who know Him as Lord. From
the far-reaching corners of the expanse of galaxies, to the intricate
detials of sub-atomic particles, Christ sustains everything, and
everyone, by the word of His power.
Oh my soul, can He not fill you with His limitless sufficiency?
If you are in the Memphis area, I hope you will join us Wednesday evening at 6:30PM at Bridges for the final (application) sermon in the series, "The Majesty & Glory of Jesus Christ."
With a praying heart for God's Self-revelation, gaze upon the beauty
of Christ in the Word. Here are the songs that will be used in
corporate worship tomorrow morning:
Nine and 1/2 reasons Grace is hosting "The Majesty and Glory of Jesus Christ" Services beginning this Sunday morning through Wednesday evening (details here).
Grace Church has been walking together through Mark's gospel
and we now want to take several days to gaze in concentrated fashion
upon the glorified beauty of our King in hopes of being more conformed
to His image (Romans 8:29-30).
The greatest form of evangelism is giving people God in the
Person of Christ in the power of the Spirit, so to that end we are
trusting that as we invite others to come with us to these services,
some will be converted (Isaiah 45:22).
As part of Grace's ongoing church health series, and being
strategically arranged at the end of the gospel of Mark--where we've
seen the Great Disciple-Maker at work--Nathan Sawyer will seek to
unfold from Paul's second letter to Timothy the biblical foundation and
practical application for life-on-life discipleship. Pray for him. Pray
for all who will hear.
“If you want rest come to Christ in
Gethsemane, to Christ on Calvary, to Christ risen, to Christ ascended.
If you want rest, O weary souls, ye can find it nowhere until ye come
and lay your burdens down at his dear pierced feet, and find life in
looking alone to him.”
The cross and tomb of Jesus. The locations where the two most
important events in the history of the world were accomplished. We'll
visit there Sunday, Lord willing. My prayer is that you and I are there
now!
Suggestions to prepare your heart & your family:
Read the text
Attend corporate prayer at 9:00
Sing through the songs that will be part of Sunday's corporate worship
thank you so much for your reply and prayers. by the
grace of god vijay is doing well and good. we are hoping that to day he
will be discharged. and after this we need to take him to heart and
lungs specialist for compleate checkup so please pray for him
continuesly and also pray that god will meet our all needs.
Below is a portion of an email I received Sunday morning about two
hours before Grace's prayer meeting. My heart sunk. Strangely, in that moment, I was moved by the Spirit to reaffirm belief in the sovereignty and goodness of God. Vijay is a God-centered missionary to his own people in India. He loves
Jesus. I feel compelled to invite you all to join his team of
intercessors. Please pray...
The cross and resurrection of Jesus are the focal events of the entire
Bible (and history of the world!). God has always had this great expression of His glory and our good in
mind.
Lord
willing, this Sunday at Grace we will look deep into the heart of God
through the lens of Mark 15. There, if our eyes are opened, we will see
love that surpasses knowledge. Pray that we will know this unknowable love.
In the history of the world, lots of people have been crucified.
Only Jesus had all of the wrath of God for His sinful people dumped on Him while being crucified.
"Here is love, vast as the ocean; lovingkindness as a flood. That
the Prince of Life, our ransom; shed for us His precious blood."
Dan Cruver will be preaching on the theme: "The Beauties of Spiritual Adoption". Be warming your heart at the fire of God's adopting love for us (wow?!?!?!) as you prepare to gather with God's people this Sunday.
Also, pray for Pastor Bryan who will be preaching at New Beginnings Community Church where our friend Sam Murrell pastors. Pray also for Pastor Nathan Sawyer who will be preaching again at Unity Baptist Church.
Finally,
make every effort to be part of Grace's first Elder Ordination and
Installation Service this Sunday evening at 6PM. You may view the
program below...
Join
us this coming Sunday evening, October 12, at Bridges at 6PM for a
special ordination and installation service for Grace's two newest
elders--Rick Cupples & Jim Suggs. You will not want to miss this
special event in the life of Grace Church. This service is open to all.
Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the
Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God,
which he bought with his own blood.- Acts 20:28
A
question... So, if I want you to have full joy in Jesus, and your joy
in Him comes in part from serving me, then my self-service is not a sinful
thing, right? Whatever the conclusion, I cautiously submit to you this
thought from Thabiti:
Hey, have you prayed for or encouraged your pastor today? At the risk
of sounding self-serving, could I suggest that every Christian church
member consider one of their main ministries the ministry of
encouragement for their pastors and elders. I received an email from
one brother stating that he knew of over 20 pastors leaving the
pastorate in one region of the U.S. I've had opportunity to interact
with at least three pastors experiencing deep struggle. That doesn't
include the normal battles for encouragement, joy, and perseverance
that are just normal to pastoral ministry. So, have you prayed for your
pastor(s) today?
I am continuing to rejoice in Sunday's affirmative vote from the
people of Grace Church proving the Lord's will to add Rick & Jim to
the eldership team.
Here's an email I sent to the membership last week as a means of trying to help prepare us for Sunday's vote:
Grace and peace to you all in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!
From the "events" list (on the left of this page)...
Send Needed Materials to Nigeria
Grace's
Fall 2008 Nigeria Mission Team will be gone November 14-24. They will
be taking three tubs full of requested donations along with them.
Between now and November 9th you have the opportunity to consider
donating some of the items that our Nigerian friends have identified as
their greatest material needs.
Pastors in Nigeria are in need of:
Clothes
Blankets
Theological books and helps
Shoes
Writing material for their children
Because space is limited, please only bring these requested items. Crates will be set-up at church each week
for people to bring these items. The last Sunday for you to bring these
materials will be Nov. 9th.
The 40/40 Prayer Vigil consists of 40 days of prayer from September 24
to November 2, 2008, culminating in 40 hours of around the clock
intercession during the last 3 days of the Vigil. The Vigil focuses
first on personal spiritual revival. It then covers an expanding circle
of prayer concerns, from the church to the nation.
Instead of joining the thousands of arm-chair pundits lamenting the
state of our nation, join the prayer challenge to seek the face of God
for your own soul, your church, and your nation.
"If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and
pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear
from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land." - 2 Chronicles 7:14
Concerning the potential addition of two new elders in Grace Church--Rick Cupples and Jim Suggs--every
member is urged to continue diligently in prayer for the Lord to
confirm His will through the vote of His people this coming Sunday
morning.
A personal note:
Dear Rick & Jim,
On behalf of the current elder team, and the entire congregation, I want to issue a public "thank you" for the many ways the Lord has used the both of you to shepherd our souls. You have
been "elding" us all apart from the motivation of officially holding
the office of overseer. We would not be hard-pressed to list a
multitude ways that our love for Christ has grown because of your
influence on us. Thank you. We join you in looking upward in
anticipation of receiving the unfading crown. May the Lamb Who was
slain receive the reward of His sufferings!
To the elders among you, I
appeal as a fellow elder, a witness of Christ's sufferings and one who
also will share in the glory to be revealed: Be
shepherds of God's flock that is under your care, serving as
overseers—not because you must, but because you are willing, as God
wants you to be; not greedy for money, but eager to serve; not lording
it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock. And
when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory
that will never fade away." - 1 Peter 5:1-4 (NIV)
Jim Suggs and I have spent the last two days at the TCT church planter's network meetings. I love these brothers! Our times
together are always so remarkably fruitful. Our cups are jammed full of
blessings. Now, we are preparing to go to the Desiring God National
Conference to get filled up again. Wow.
The Psalmist prayed similarly:
12 How can I repay the LORD for all his goodness to me?
13 I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the LORD.
Reminder: Dan Cruver will be preaching at Grace Church on October 12. The day before, he and Jason Kovaks will co-lead a seminar in Tupelo. Check it out here.
God's primary methodolgy for the
global glorification of His Name, the edification and equipping of His
saints, and the evangelization of the lost is the establishment of more
Christ-exalting churches.
So pray for church planters. Pray for more of
them to be thrust out into the harvest of the world.
Pray also
for four specific church planters: Nathan, Joey, Justin, and Drew. They
are in preparations to be sent out two by two from North Wake Church to the Washington
D.C. area and to Tampa, FL. I have the joy of spending
today with them in hopes of encouraging them in their great work.
That's the answer to the chatechism question that my 7, 5, and 4 year old children recite almost everyday (The two year old simple says, "God").
The question is: "Can God do all things?"
Obviously there is a clear sense in which it would be accurate to say "All things are possible with God!" We certainly believe that! But there is also a sense in which the "all things" must be clarified with Biblical parameters. Can God do all things? To put it bluntly, a wrong answer would be, "Yes, God can do all things." There are things God cannot do.
Its about 7:15 on Saturday morning. She walks up to the tables and
racks not really needing anything, just looking. You engage her in a
conversation. Soon into the talk you ask if there are any
ways you can pray for her. She briefly shares that her children are having a
hard time with their father. There, at the table, with her permission,
you pray for her family on the spot.
As long as it takes to cover the passage adequately! I
do not think the length of the sermon is as important as its content.
At times I have preached fifty minutes and it has been ten minutes too
long. Other times, I have preached an hour and twenty-five minutes and
it has been just right. The important thing is to cover the main point
so that people are convinced of its truth and comprehend its
requirements. If you have nothing worthwhile to say, even twenty
minutes will seem like an eternity to your people. If you are
interesting, they will stay with you.
As part of an almost daily routine I checked the news early this morning, and caught only a small caption of the horrible train collission in LA. During today's sermon I mistakenly suggested that I thought the crash might have happened in Britain.
Why would you ask? We at Grace are realists. While anticipating eternity, we are a people who live in the now. Nope, we're not "worried about tomorrow," much less November! That's fine and good, but there's a difference between worry and anticipation, right?
Life
Choices is committed to saving the lives of precious babies as well as
the lives of their mothers, fathers, and family members. We know that
life only comes from knowing Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. Help us
make an eternal difference for the kingdom by Walking for Life and
recruiting sponsors to ensure that the life-affirming work continues -
John 3:16. We know that all of us are going to have to go the extra
mile this year with the concerns of the present economy, but our
Heavenly Father owns all the riches we need for abundant life - John
10:10. Thank you for serving and giving.
I deeply regret that I am just now blogging this year's Walk for Life event!! It is NOT too late to get involved. If you are free this Saturday at 10:00AM (or not!!) you can make a difference in the life of an unborn child (and his or her family!).
Call Beth McCalman at (901)388-1172 to find out how to obtain your
pledge form before Saturday, or to let her know you will be registering
at the event.
Sent today from a friend in India (posted with permission):
Urgent Prayer Request:
Violent attacks against Christians in the eastern state of Orissa
continued [for an] 11th day. There is a progom being carried out
against Christians in the Indian state of Orissa by right wing hindu
organisations led by Viswa Hindu Parishat (VHP) and the Rashtiya
Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) .
At least 16 people, mostly Christians were killed, churches destroyed and 10,000 Christians were forced to flee their homes as violence spread. One woman was burnt alive.
Any non-member desiring to be assigned to a Grace Group needs to contact us ASAP. This year's group assignments will be unveiled at the Grace Party this Sunday night.
Make plans to party with us. Invite some friends! Great environment to let people get to know folks in the church.
Prepare your heart for the preached Word this coming Sunday. ("The gospel must first be preached to all the nations." - Mark 13:10)
If you are not a member of Grace, and have any inkling of interest in membership, make plans to attend FOG on Oct. 3-4. Covenant members interested in strengthening your
understanding of, and committment to, the Grace Church vision are also
welcome to attend (wink).
Every congregation takes on a culture, or cultures, and that while keeping Jesus the gospel. As the love of God is poured out into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, there are certain irresistible repercussions (like loving our neighbor). May God grant to Grace a culture of adoption, not as the gospel, but as an expression of the gospel!
Grace Church will NOT be meeting in dowtown Memphis this Sunday (Aug 31) due to our all-church retreat. But, I have a feeling that no matter how much we try to get the word out, someone (like a visitor that's never seen this
website) will show up at Bridges ready to meet with the Lord and His
people.
I'm asking a favor and offering a suggestion
Would someone who's staying back in Memphis volunteer to hang out on the sidewalk at Bridges from 8:45-10:15AM to notify eager worshipers of our excursion?
And, for everyone else who'll not be joining us at the retreat, I would encourage YOU ALL to worship with New Beginnings and be blessed by worshipping as my good friend Sam Murrell expounds the Word of God. (And, for anyone who's not baptistically
convinced, then I would encourage you to attend New Beginnings every
week!)
If you are one of the several people or families that have mentioned (or not told us yet) that you'll be driving to the retreat to join us for worship this coming Sunday (31st) please submit a contact letting us know (again!) so we can prepare enough food for everyone. Thanks!
You can click "read more" to see the Sunday schedule.
GraceKids Worker Orientation tonight, Aug. 24 at 6:30. At Bridges. Everyone involved urged to attend.
There will be NO SERVICE for Grace Church in Memphis next Sunday, Aug. 31. If you have not already turned in your GraceKids worker application, please do so at orientation (copies on resource table).
Grace Church Retreat Saturday Aug. 30 - Monday, Sep. 1. If attending, check your email for details.
The Uptown Community Yard Sale has been rescheduled for Sep. 20. Uptown Circle, 7:00am.
The A.M.B.E.R. Adoption Fund goal is $5k by Aug. 31 (next Sunday). Please designate "A.A.F." on check.
GraceKids resumes Sep. 7.
Grace Party Sep. 7 at 5:00pm at Bridges.
Any non-member wanting to be assigned to a Grace Group email Pastor Nathan: nathan@gracechurchmemphis.com.
Grace Groups cycle begins at Grace Party, Sep. 7, and in homes the following week, Sep. 14.
Covenant Members please pick up your copy of the book "What is a Healthy Church Member?" at the resource table.
Two more babies being born this week!! Tucker Chipman (Monday,
Aug. 25), and Jake Kyzar (Tuesday, Aug. 26). Pray for each family. See
Angie Smith if you are willing to help provide a meal for one of these
families.
It was September 2005. Neither the city of Memphis, nor the name
"Grace Church" had been made clear to Bryan, Nathan, or myself as the
location or name of the church that we were called to plant. At the
time, we knew we were called to plant a Christ-centered church
together, we just didn't know where, or what it would be called. The
Smith's and Sawyer's came to Minneapolis so we could meet with some of Bethlehem's staff, attend the Desiring God National Conference, and spend time praying, planning, and dreaming together. The fellowship was precious and priceless.
Grace Churchers... notice on the events tab (to the left) we have changed corrected the date (to the 24th) of the GraceKids Worker Orientation (and corrected the title from "Leader" to "Worker").
Basically, if you are on the "Spiffy Worker Spreadsheets" for
GraceKids or Nursery, then you are urged to be at this orientation.
On October 12, Lord willing, Dan Cruver will be a guest preacher at Grace Church. He will seek to unfold for us
the beauties of spiritual adoption. Pray for him, and for those who
will hear.
Dan recently wrote a tribute in honor of Maria Sue
Chapman and his own son, Daniel. In his tribute, Dan clearly and biblically
expounds the vision of the people of Grace Church. One line in particular stood out to me:
"We asked our God for grace. Grace to let Daniel go for His glory and Daniel's eternal joy."
As far as discipleship is concerned, our first responsibility is to
our own soul, our spouse, and our children. Most of this takes place in the home, and
usually through informal settings that arise during "teachable
moments."
Tracy and I are encouraged and challenged by the
families of Grace. We've seen several ways that parents have been
thoughtfully preparing their children for corporate worship.
This
is the prayer of a man called to be a witness to the nations. This is
what he said to his Lord on the day of his ordination. After the elders
and ministers had prayed and laid their hands on him he withdrew to
meet his Saviour in the secret place and in the silence, farther in
than his well-meaning brethren could take him. And he said:
O Lord, I have heard Thy voice and was afraid. Thou hast called me to an awesome task in a grave and perilous hour.
Attempting to avoid the haughty presumption that we could see all
that Christ sees in Scripture, we are well-served to remember that
Christians have the same Spirit indwelling them as Christ has
indwelling Him.
Other than a few details of the gory events, and providing sufficient
detail to evidence the verifiable historicity of the events, the
gospels have relatively little to say to us by way of spiritual
application of the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus. At times it
feels a little bit truncated to read the crucifixion chapters of the
gospels. The believing heart wants to see the application. Don't fret, that's what the remainder of the Bible is for.
"It was a joy for me to give them the truth about our ourselves from Scripture
and then share the gospel and to see the LORD hit them with [His]
truth. Also, the pleasure of driving to camp with one camper and
talking, then with soft music playing, watch a little boy fall asleep
in a quiet comfortable environment. I guess it really made me look
forward to pouring in to my own son."
Last week when Westminster was running a 50% sale, I used puppy-dog eyes and a little
sweet-talkin' that somehow convinced (not the norm!) Tracy to order
for me a copy of Thomas Shreiner's New Testament Theology. I feel like a kid in line at the ice-cream shoppe waiting for it to arrive!
As I'm anticipating its arrival, here are three questions:
It was the Spring of 2001. D.A. Carson's, The Difficult Doctrine of
the Love of God was assigned reading for a seminary class. I didn't
realize how much I needed to read that book.
While praying about direction for future
sermon series for Grace (And having leanings toward one on the love of God), I felt prompted to pick Carson's treatment up again and give
it another read. It didn't take long to remember why I was so immensely
helped by it the first time.
Take, for example, Carson's balanced explanation of the (oft-heated debate concerning the) Sovereignty of God and the responsibility of man. Carson makes the plea that compatibilism is the only biblical view.
The
main reason we are taking larger chunks of Mark's gospel for our sermon
text each week as we near the end of his evangelistic tract, is mainly
because we want, as much as is possible, with the help of the Spirit in
saved sinners, to get ourselves into the same vein of thinking and
feeling as Mark himself as he draws nearer to his climax...which is
also the climax of all eternity.
Gear up, we are on the brink of the truly amazing... God dies... for sinners... be stunned!
Please be in prayer for Grace Church's first annual Urban Boys Camp,
July 21-23. This year's theme is John 17:3. We're looking forward to
lots of fun, fishing, cooking, cleaning, and dealing with the
challenges of having a group of inner-city guys out in the middle of
nowhere. Especially pray for the four main sessions which will focus on
biblical views of God, man, sin, and salvation. Soli Deo Gloria!
"And this is eternal life, that they know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent." - John 17:3
Grace's summer Burning Heart groups have been a joy for everyone involved. Most groups have recently
completed their reading & discussion of Andrew Murray's, Humility.
As part of the Summer of Spreading Christ, I've asked one of
Grace's members to point our blog readers to Jesus by sharing a
few thoughts about the impact that Murray's book is having on his life.
Our prayer is that the following thoughts will stir you to seek
Jesus--The Humblest of All.
Grab our RSS feed
Grace's squad is still ministering in Nigeria, and would love to be strongly supported by God in answer to your prayers. Carry them into your closet.
getting away for a few days for some R&R. Pray for us, as we will you.
Big time domestic dispute across the street
from my house last night. Join us in praying for King Jesus to move
powerfully in the broken homes and people of this city. He is enough to
overcome every form of sin-wrought brokeness.
) Him above all
else. If Christ is your highest preference, then the
constraining ambition of your life will be to please to Him in all
respects...on earth, or in heaven.
When the Christian
encounters God in a text like Sunday's sermon text, 
I felt compelled to share a bit of my
personal journal publically so others could join in praying with me.
Would you?
For more than a year
several men from Grace Church have been preaching regularly at Brickey's
prison in Arkansas.
Next week, 
20 folks returned to Memphis today from Grace's third annual
Urban Boys Camp. Our 2010 theme was "Scripture Alone," and the main
sessions covered the content, authority, God, delimma, and good news of
Scripture.
tilled up by the gospel, and are contemplating the truth of
Jesus. Perhaps several of them were converted too? Continue praying for
fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ.
We were exhorted Sunday to "put out every inch
of the sail" so that we might catch every gust of the wind of God's
Spirit as He moves among us.
For
needed background on why we've been led to take another direction and
have invited John Snyder to come preach for the next two weeks, see 
Grace Church is looking to hire a church member
as a part-time
Administrative Assistant.
Friendly Reminder...
As you ready your soul to join God's
people in worship, I encourage you to marinate in our sermon text,
Hebrews 1:7-9. As you're in those verses, ask the Holy Spirit to work
powerfully among us for true conversions and Christian growth.
I pass along this illustration from Ray Ortlund Jr's guidebook on modern revival, 
Steve wouldn't want me to publish this, but he doesn't even know how to turn on the internet, so I'm safe :).
Sunday I preached on the theme that He Who is Christ's Father is
also the Father of all who come to Him through Christ. Astonishing
reality! Oh to live more in its light!
On the opening page of Grace Church's latest Prayer Directory, the elders ask the following question:
Little cupids perched on the mantel seem to be a far cry from the awesome angelic beings of Scripture.
Looks like the GC blog wasn't high enough profile for our friend. You can read the Commercial Appeal cover article 
Most new churches are accustomed to bouncing from place to place...often! One of our 
Why is there a picture of Boggle in the worship-prep post?
Take note of a few important features on our newest church card (Click to 
Our attention in Sunday's sermon will be devoted to the final phrase
of Hebrews 1:3, which describes God as "the (enthroned) Majesty on high."
This Thanksgiving morning I was reviewing memory in Hebrews.
Because of the teaching of the New Testament, Grace's primary "spreading" efforts for our city and for the unreached world are one
and the same. That is, our goal is to see local churches strengthened,
and new churches planted...
Lord willing, a four-person team from Grace will be leaving tomorrow morning for ministry in Hyderabad, India. Please pray for our team, and for those they will seek to serve.
rcialism of Christmas is already upon us. Don't be hypnotized.
Dear Anxious Inquirer after salvation,
Those who've been around Grace any length of time know that we're
not the biggest on "how to" sermons, although we pray that every sermon is immensely practical. Kent Hughes said it well, "Christ is the most practical thing on earth."
Lord willing, our good friend Anthony Mathenia (
In
May 2009, Tyler began a one year Pastoral Apprenticeship with Grace
Church. The program is designed to give the apprentice a focused year of
guidance in three areas: (1) personal holiness, (2) exposure to pastoral ministry, and (3) theological
development.
Summer is a great time for many. What will this summer be remembered for when you look back?
...and the entire series is slated be just nine parts long!
Or, maybe a more clarifying set of questions would be this:
As parents we are desperately needy (usually more often than we're
aware) for God to enable us to point our children toward Christ by being accurate reflections of Him.
In one week's time, I attended two Christian concerts. I think that doubles my life-long total.
That's the title of Voddie Baucham's sermon that I 
Grace Church has been exponentially blessed by the prayers, love,
support, and encouragement from many other churches, individuals, and
organzations.
How in the world can I know what's going on at Grace Church?
Eternally significant things have happened in prison--like the writing
of books of the Bible (Colossians, Ephesians, Philippians, Philemon)!
While we coast through life, our physical body serves us incessantly. Ligaments holding bones in place, veins transporting blood to each
part, bones keeping structure supported, lungs receiving and
discharging oxygen and carbon dioxide.
An important truth to realize is that Jesus believes the entire Bible is about Jesus (e.g. Luke 24).
Once again the elders will be taking a few days together to seek
the Lord and His direction for Grace Church. Please pray for us this weekend!
We invite you to join the people of Grace this week as we walk with Christ to the cross.
God
has been at work in the lives of Theopolis Lyons and Deirdre Lathan,
two friends from downtown Memphis that the Lord has recently connected
to Grace Church.
"The Doctor," is the way many referred to, and still refer to, the
great preacher, D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, who was formerly pastor of
Westminster Chapel, London, now in heaven.
We've added the "
On behalf of the other brothers, a sincere "thank you" to all who
prayed for us as we were away seeking the Lord's face, asking for His
direction for the next months of Grace's life, and enjoying one
another's company during this weekend's Pastor's Pray & Plan. It
was a sweet time of fellowship and even deeper bonding and unity. Thank
you again for praying!
Jim's
sermon yesterday--"A God-Centered Vision of Vocation"--was remarkable. Once it is posted on our site, you
will serve yourself well to have a careful listen (might be a week or so before it's up?).
We've recently updated the 
Some people say big things about things are actually small. They overexaggerate. But then, sometimes, people don't overexaggerate. They are spot-on. Like when Tozer said in The Knowledge of the Holy, "Every man's greatest need is a greater view of God." That's true. That's not wow-factor talk. Nothing is more important than God. Nothing is more needed than knowing Him through Christ.
The Nigeria mission team leaves tomorrow evening (Friday) and is scheduled to return next Sunday, November 23.
If you are a Christian today, it has a lot to do with the Lord leading 
For 
Check it
Ten highlights from last night's church Member's Meeting:
Below is a portion of an email I received Sunday morning about two
hours before Grace's prayer meeting. My heart sunk. Strangely, in that moment, I was moved by the Spirit to reaffirm belief in the sovereignty and goodness of God. Vijay is a God-centered missionary to his own people in India. He loves
Jesus. I feel compelled to invite you all to join his team of
intercessors. Please pray...
From the Faith & Ethics Commission 
Concerning the potential addition of two new elders in Grace Church--Rick Cupples and Jim Suggs--every
member is urged to continue diligently in prayer for the Lord to
confirm His will through the vote of His people this coming Sunday
morning.
Jim Suggs and I have spent the last two days at the 
Reminder: Dan Cruver will be preaching at Grace Church on October 12. The day before, he and Jason Kovaks will co-lead a seminar in Tupelo. Check it out 
We at Grace have come to love the truth that...
...That Grace Church would get involved in a community-wide yard sale
Its about 7:15 on Saturday morning. She walks up to the tables and
racks not really needing anything, just looking. You engage her in a
conversation. Soon into the talk you ask if there are any
ways you can pray for her. She briefly shares that her children are having a
hard time with their father. There, at the table, with her permission,
you pray for her family on the spot.
John MacArthur
I'm asking a favor and offering a suggestion
If you are one of the several people or families that have mentioned (or not told us yet) that you'll be driving 
Please Take Note
I hope you are anticipating the 
We're continually trying to update the Grace Church website.
Grace Churchers... notice on the events tab (to the left) we have 
As far as discipleship is concerned, our first responsibility is to
our own soul, our spouse, and our children. Most of this takes place in the home, and
usually through informal settings that arise during "teachable
moments."
For Pastors Only - Prayer of a Minor Prophet
Syllogisms are arguments that lead to obvious conclusions. They work like this: If "A" is true, and "B" is true, then "C" 
Other than a few details of the gory events, and providing sufficient
detail to evidence the verifiable historicity of the events, the
gospels have relatively little to say to us by way of spiritual
application of the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus. At times it
feels a little bit truncated to read the crucifixion chapters of the
gospels. The believing heart wants to see the application. Don't fret, that's what the remainder of the Bible is for.
From "Counselor A":
Last week when 
There was a shooting tonight (Wed) at the corner of 4th and Keel. It is our understanding that at least one person died.
It was the Spring of 2001. D.A. Carson's, The Difficult Doctrine of
the Love of God was assigned reading for a seminary class. I didn't
realize how much I needed to read that book.
The
main reason we are taking larger chunks of Mark's gospel for our sermon
text each week as we near the end of his evangelistic tract, is mainly
because we want, as much as is possible, with the help of the Spirit in
saved sinners, to get ourselves into the same vein of thinking and
feeling as Mark himself as he draws nearer to his climax...which is
also the climax of all eternity.
Grace's Sunday sermon text will be 
Grace's summer 
Attention Grace Church Kids!!