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Men’s Retreat Wrap Up – Good Fellowship/Teaching

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The Men’s Retreat is a wrap.

Last night, we went to Trotman’s Farm and were able to eat some great grilled animal (ok, just hot dogs, brats and hamburgers, but it was still grilled animal). We then watched Mark Driscoll’s sermon Marriage and Men and were greatly challenged. I developed application questions. From there we hung out by the fire.

Today, things got started with breakfast (some good Starbucks’ Espresso Roast, meat, eggs, pancakes, potatoes, etc.) Then, we did a team building activity aiming at showing how much more effective we can be as men when we receive the insight of others. It was a great weekend and really encouraging.

Ash on Preaching (5)

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Continuing my series of posts, appreciating Christopher Ash’s book The Priority of Preaching, here are two quotes from p.64 on why we need preaching:

Every Scripture calls us today in some manner to repent and believe afresh, for the Christian just as much as the non-Christian.

If teaching is like a signpost which explains clearly to us where we ought to go and how to go there, preaching is like a friendly but firm shove from behind to get us started on actually going there and to keep us moving.

I coupled these together so that the push mentioned in the bottom quote would have a context. But, what a picture this is and what grace from God to give us preaching for such a reason. I hope you are encouraged as you consider listening to God’s Word this coming Lord’s Day.

Weekend Preview – 5/9/10

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As we prepare for the Lord’s Day this weekend, we will be looking at Colossians 2:13-15 in the AM service (PM Services will be cancelled for Mother’s Day). The focus will be on how God has made us spiritually alive in Christ. Here’s an excellent quote from Peter O’Brien, NT Scholar extraordinaire, on the truth of this passage:

Christ is the One whom [the Colossians] received as Lord. Let them continue to live in Him, for He is the One in whom the entire fullness of the Godhead dwells, the One in whom they had been made full, the person in whom they have been incorporated in death, burial, resurrection. It is in Him they have been raised and given new life. What really matters, then, is Christ and Christ alone.

Well said. Plan coming to focus on all that really matters, then, this Lord’s Day.

Ash on Preaching (4)

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As I’ve mentioned Christopher Ash’s book The Priority of Preaching really affected me, so I am blogging some thoughts/quotes that stuck out to me. Another one is found on p.61:

We need repeated preaching, because by nature we will never repent and believe. We will ‘move on’ from the simple gospel of daily repentance, daily taking up the cross, daily faith, to a supposed higher life, a more sophisticated life, some kind of super-spiritual life in which repentance and faith are too ordinary and simple to be practiced. This is what will happen unless we sit under faithful preaching.

What really stuck out to me in this was how I need preaching. We don’t tend to think in those ways. Many of us think that our Bible reading is sufficient and what Ash is communicating here is that while that is good, the preached word wields a power that the Spirit uses to keep us centered in the things that really matter. I know I need this. I need sermons I am preparing to affect my heart so that I don’t keep up the same. We need preaching. It matters for our “todays”.

That Befuddling Bible…

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Kevin DeYoung offers some practical advice on What To Do When The Bible Baffles:

To begin with, we recall the sovereignty of God. God wrote the Bible and he inspired the hard texts. He breathed out his revelation through Paul. And he willed it so that some things in Paul’s letters would be hard to understand. Hard texts are still God’s texts. They must be hard for a reason.

What to do next? We embrace our finitude. We admit we are not terribly smart, nor all that clever, and so we pray. As the Irish theologian McHammer said, “You’ve got to pray just to make it today.”

And as we pray we work. “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men” (Col. 3:23). So we pour over words and sentences. We read commentaries. We talk to other Christians. We interpret Scripture by Scripture. We ask God for breakthroughs. He wants to teach us. Remember, Paul wrote to slaves and the uneducated, those without wisdom, influence, or nobility (1 Cor. 1:26). They could learn and so can we.

Don’t give up on hard texts or hard doctrines. Don’t settle for platitudes or for bewailing “I’m not theologian.” We must not give up on understanding the Bible without a fight. As C.S. Lewis once remarked, “God is no fonder of intellectual slackers than any other slackers.” We are all tempted to shy away from life’s difficulties, be they hard people or hard texts. But consider the wisdom of Proverbs: “Where there are no oxen, the manger is clean, but abundant crops come by the strength of the ox” (14:4). In other words, oxen make messes, but they also help with the harvest. If you never think through difficult Bible passages, your life may be simpler, but it won’t be stronger.

God gave us brains so we could be obedient with them. And he has spoken to us in the Bible so he might be more easily known, even when some things are hard to understand.

Give yourself to work, then. Too often we want deep theological truths spoon-fed to us. As the old King James says…”Study to show yourself approved unto God.”

Unsearchable Ways by Arwen Eastman

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This past Lord’s Day (5/2/10) in the AM service, Arwen Eastman, Kaley Eastman and Molly Sundquist sang this song, Unsearchable Ways, written by Arwen for the offertory. Here’s the lyrics:

Sometimes I don’t understand what You do
And sometimes the pain of the unknown just stings me
And sometimes my questions just cloud up my mind
So I don’t even know what I feel

But I remember Your Word
And the promise You give
That everything will work together for my good

Chorus

So I praise You, Lord
Oh I praise You, Lord
Yes I praise You for all Your unsearchable ways

And You surround me with loved ones But they don’t know what to say
Or just how to comfort my wounds
But I know You are the Healer, and my great Redeemer
And You never gonna fail to glorify Your name

So I remember Your Word
It says You’re in control
I know that sovereignly You give and take away

Chorus

So I praise You, Lord
Oh I praise You, Lord
Yes I praise You for all Your unsearchable ways

Bridge

You are so far above me
And yet You would love me
In spite of my wavering faith

So as Your beloved child
I want this weighty trial
To point back to You and Your grace!

May I never regret, Lord, the fire You let me walk through
For I know that it’s making me pure
And may I never lose sight of my purpose in life
To give all You give me back to You

So I’ll remember Your Word
It says Your ways are good
So I know You have a perfect reason for this time

Chorus

So I praise You, Lord
Oh I praise You, Lord
Yes I praise You for all Your unsearchable ways

And I’ll praise You, Lord
(praise You for all Your unsearchable ways)
Oh, I’ll praise You, Lord
(praise You for all Your unsearchable ways)
Yes, I’ll praise You, Lord
(praise You for all Your unsearchable ways)

I’LL PRAISE YOU FOR ALL YOUR UNSEARCHABLE WAYS

I asked Arwen a couple of things about the song:

1) Arwen, God seems to give you songs occasionally for the benefit of the body of Christ, how does this happen?

When we know God’s Word, He is so faithful to remind us of what it says to comfort, encourage, and exhort us. This is often how I write music…God reminds me of His Word, and sometimes reminds me in the form of rhyming lyrics. I try to make songs generic enough that they can apply to situations that others may be facing as well as my own.

2) What specifically prompted this song?

God has blessed us in the last 6 months with two pregnancies that only lasted a few months each. While this situation seems to be devastating from a human perspective, we know that God’s ways are so much higher than ours, and we know that all of our trials are part of His perfect plan. Everything He does is for His glory and our benefit, so how can we not praise Him?

3) Anything else you are working on now?

Well, I always have a line or two bouncing around in my head, and if it seems song-worthy I might write it down, but nothing specific at the moment!

Thanks, Arwen, not only for this great song, but also for answering my questions.

Ash on Preaching (3)

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Continuing my series of posts on Christopher Ash’s book The Priority of Preaching, we come to a quote on p.57…

This has implications for the size of churches. It places a question mark over the ambition of church leaders to see their churches grow and grow, and suggests that planting new churches or reinvigorating smaller existing churches may reap relational dividends in terms of how well those with pastoral oversight can know their people.

This quote comes in a section where pastors are encouraged to be with a specific people week by week, spending time with people. Ash’s point is not against church growth, but on a deeper level, calling readers to realize that by knowing our people and their knowledge of us, we can preach in ways that engage our people better.

This is yet another reason why I believe pastors should be moving all the time, seeking to pad their resumes or getting more money at a bigger church. Check your motives. God may call us to faithfully give His Word to a group of people for good reasons. We should do this with joy, honoring our Master. Be faithful to this calling.

Weekend Wrap Up: Jesus, Our Everything

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Enjoyed a great Lord’s Day boasting in Jesus…

In the morning, new classes started in our Adult Sunday School. My morning message from Colossians 2:11-12 pointed to how we are likened to Jesus in His death, burial, and resurrection. The sermon, Gospel Likeness, is now online.

The PM service went well, too. We looked at how the OT story of the Exodus (God’s deliverance of His people out of Israelite bondage) pointed to Jesus. That sermon, Jesus, Our Deliverer, is also online. One highlight from the evening was singing “All I Have Is Christ” with the people of Crestview. It was a great cap on the day. Here’s a video in which you can hear it for free:

All I Have Is Christ from Sovereign Grace Ministries on Vimeo.

Thanks to Justin Taylor for giving links to the music as chord chart or 4 part harmony.

Mission, Vision and What Not…

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I’ve been doing some thinking lately about our church, vision, purpose, mission, etc. The graphic above represents some doodling about such ideas. Our church’s purpose statement can be found on our website:

Recognizing that all people were created for the glory of God, our purpose is to exhort people to saving faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and to encourage Christians to live passionately for God, by glorifying and enjoying Him as the goal of their lives.

While this is a great statement, it is a bit wordy. So, I’ve been thinking about how this can be put in a nutshell. Boil it down to its bare essence. What are we getting at?

glorifying God. (everyone is made for this purpose and is to live to this end)
proclaiming the Gospel. (Jesus has given us an amazing message to spread)
everywhere. (this is where we take the amazing message of the Gospel: to all people everywhere. There is no place that doesn’t need the Gospel.)

or another way…
glorifying God. (our vision)
proclaiming the Gospel. (our mission)
everywhere. (our goal)

putting it in the language of our purpose statement…
glorifying God. (…and to encourage Christians to live passionately for God, by glorifying and enjoying Him as the goal of their lives.)
proclaiming the Gospel. (…our purpose is to exhort people to saving faith in the Lord Jesus Christ…)
everywhere. (Recognizing that all people were created for the glory of God…)

I’m still continuing to think about these things. I do know one thing: God has given us a mission during our days here and it is spreading this message–making disciples of all nations. I realize as a pastor, I need to be stoking the flames that lead in this way. Hopefully, these ideas will be lived out and move from paper to action, not only in my life, but in the life of the church.