From One Degree to Another

Phil Auxier's Blog

Connect

E-Mail & Gospel Correction…

by

A good word from C.J. and James MacDonald. The intro:

It’s hard enough for a pastor to pour out his heart by preaching God’s Word, then submit to the critique of members standing in line to shake his hand. But what pastor doesn’t dread opening his e-mail account on Monday or Tuesday morning? Why do certain Christians feel the need to review the pastor’s Sunday morning “performance”? This discouraging weekly experience is enough to dull whatever excitement you have to head into church in the morning.

But in this era increasingly dominated by digital communication, pastors are hardly alone in struggling to discern how to use e-mail. When was the last time you sent a message you eventually or even immediately wished you could take back? How often do others misunderstand you? In this video, James MacDonald and C. J. Mahaney confess mistakes they’ve made when using e-mail as a means of correcting others. And they lay out some ground rules for how to employ digital communication for the glory of God and the good of Christ’s church.

Weekend Recap – Reformation Day.

by

I hope everyone enjoyed a Happy Reformation Day in corporate worship today. I had the honor and privilege of speaking at Calvary Baptist Church in Lenexa, KS on Christ Alone (that sermon is online here). It was a blessing and a joy to be with old and new friends on this great day. I hope all left worshipping and exulting in Christ.

My sermon focused on Colossians 2:6-7 and on the call to live for Christ alone by receiving Him as Lord, continuing in the Gospel and walking in Him. I hope all here were edified and built up.

We are back in the room resting this afternoon. Looking forward to a fun evening and then returning back to Hutch tomorrow.

Walking in Wisdom…What about Halloween?

by

Still thinking about the implications of last week’s sermon on walking in wisdom toward outsiders, I found these two posts helpful…

Jesus Is Not Afraid of Halloween – This post gets at some great gospel insights and specifically concludes that Halloween is a door for Gospel truth.

Halloween for the Christian Family? – This post from Sojourn Kids wrestles with the use of this holiday, but then gives some great missional insight.

Whatever you conclude on this volatile issue, we must look to incarnate Christ in all of society.

Weekend Recap – Missional

by

Yesterday’s sermon, A Missional Church, from Colossians 4:5-6 is online. In the closing appeals of the book of Colossians, Paul is enfleshing what the church should look like. In 4:2-4, we saw that they are to be God-dependent: A Praying Church. This week, we see that they are to advance the message of Jesus with wisdom: A Missional Church. Next time, we will see that they are to act a certain way towards one another: A Community Church.

The focus yesterday, though, was on how we can contextualize this message with outsiders. I hope you found it helpful and can use the truth presented from God’s Word to advance the Gospel in ways that don’t detract from the message.

Helpful Wisdom for Parents…

by

on guarding sabbath for our children…

An excerpt:

My oldest son started high school this fall. At his orientation the counselors took a portion of the program to speak to parents about the greatest challenge they see students face in school. I expected to hear about poor study habits or substance abuse, but to my initial surprise, these were not at the top of the list. Apparently, the greatest challenge presenting itself in the office of the high school guidance counselor is a growing number of kids struggling with anxiety and depression. Can you guess why? A combination of over-scheduling and sleep deprivation, linked to two main contributors: electronics use and extracurricular activities. We were encouraged as parents to go home and talk to our teenagers about setting boundaries in both these areas. Parents across the auditorium scribbled notes furiously as the counselors outlined some suggestions: limit texting, monitor bedtimes, cut back on team practices. I couldn’t help but think to myself: tonight there will be many demonstrations of teenage angst when mom shows up with her new list of suggestions.

Read and profit yourself…

Avoid Vain Repetition in Prayer…

by

…from the DG Blog…

In chapter nine of When I Don’t Desire God, John Piper introduces a memorable and helpful acronym for what to pray before reading Scripture: I. O. U. S.

* Incline my heart to you, not to prideful gain or any false motive. (Psalm 119:36)
* Open my eyes to behold wonderful things in your Word. (Psalm 119:18)
* Unite my heart to fear your name. (Psalm 86:11)
* Satisfy me with you steadfast love. (Psalm 90:14)

The article has more. Read and benefit.

Devoted to Prayer…

by

Today’s sermon, A Praying Church, from Colossians 4:2-4 is now online. The sermon surveyed 4 elements of a praying church:
1) She makes prayer her habit
2) She perseveres in prayer
3) She prays gratefully
and 4) She advances the Gospel through prayer.

While we should not minimize our role in taking the Gospel to unbelievers (See next week’s passage Colossians 4:5-6), we often fail to realize the amazing Gospel-advancing work that is ours in prayer as we pray for what I called: open doors, open lives and open mouths. So, join your church in advancing the Gospel through one means: prayer.

Update on Gabe…

by

This AM, I asked for prayer for Gabe, who was having surgery this AM…

Well, we are back home and everything went well. He is doing well, although a little more fussy than normal. We are grateful to God for the wisdom He’s given doctors, the servant’s heart modeled in the nurses and staff and for God’s sustaining grace in this particular providence. Join us in praising God and continue to pray for Gabe’s recovery. Thanks.

Pray for Us…

by

This Lord’s Day, we will be looking at Colossians 4:2-4. Among other things, this passage will encourage us to be a praying church.

Today, would you pray for my family. Gabe has to have surgery on a bump under his eye (1 stitch to remove it, but he does require anesthesia). Pray for him and us…

We anticipate all going well, but would appreciate your prayers. Thanks!