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No Cruise Control

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In my sermon today (8/31), I had a part where I spoke of the need to apply truths to our lives. I suggested that there is no cruise control in the Christian life. We love cruise because we can relax and not focus like we might when we are more engaged. But in a passage like I had this morning, telling us to fight against evil forces of wickedness in this world, dress ourselves in the truths of God’s plan, and pray/unite for the sake of the mission. We would prefer an easy option but being a part of God’s plan positions us to do difficult things. A quote I’ve been enjoying from Taylor Bauman lately is “It’s simple, but it’s not easy.” Living for Christ has this flavor to it.

After the service, someone said it reminded them of the “Handle Hard Better” speech from Kara Lawson:

At any rate, I hope all of this encourages you to step into God’s plan. It’s totally worth it.

The Church’s Responsibility in This Particular Time

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responsibility

I was skimming over What Is the Mission of the Church? by DeYoung and Gilbert again, and came across this great quote from J. Gresham Machen.  Think of the Great Depression and the pressure that it put on the church as well as theological liberalism provoking schisms within the church.  What is the church’s responsibility in this new age?

The responsibility of the church in the new age is the same as its responsibility in every age.  It is to testify that this world is lost in sin; that the span of human life — no, all the length of human history–is an infinitesimal island in the awful depths of eternity; that there is a mysterious, holy, living God, Creator of all, Upholder of all, infinitely beyond all; that he has revealed himself to us in his Word and offered us communion with himself through Jesus Christ the Lord; that there is no other salvation, for individuals or for nations, save this, but that this salvation is full and free, and that whoever possesses it has for himself and for all others to whom he may be the instrument in bringing it a treasure compared with which all the kingdoms of the earth–no, all the wonders of the starry heavens–are as the dust of the street.

An unpopular message it is–an impractical message, we are told.  But it is the message of the Christian church.  Neglect it, and you will have destruction; heed it, and you will have life.

(J. Gresham Machen, “The Responsibility of the Church in Our New Age,” in J. Gresham Machen: Selected Shorter Writings, ed. D. G. Hart (Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R, 2004), 376 and quoted in Kevin DeYoung & Greg Gilbert, What Is The Mission of the Church? (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 2011), pp.248-249)

Today, we have presidential election aftermath, the pressure of our economy, and an impulse to give up what the church has always believed (and what the Bible teaches) about a good many issues.  May it never be that we would neglect THE MESSAGE and our responsibility to share that message with those around us.

Weekend Recap – 8/9/15

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Blessed by a great Sunday…  I was able to celebrate 15 years at one church and was very encouraged by all that people shared by way of encouragement.  My sermon continued a short 2 part series on the Church from Ephesians 4:1-16.  This week’s sermon was entitled The Church’s Work and helped show that all that we’re called to do is easily enabled in the Gospel.  I hope it encourages you.

Weekend Recap – 8/2/15

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My 8/2/15AM sermon, The Church’s Vision from Ephesians 4:1-16, is now online.  With a natural break in my 1 John series and mission reports and guest speakers on the horizon, I thought it would be wise to address some church life issues in a short 2 week series.  This sermon, helped refocus us on the church’s vision from God’s perspective: that we be one body with leaders developing ministry action for the body’s maturity.  I hope it proves helpful to you.

Weekend Recap – The Bride’s City

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My 11/17/13AM Sermon, The Bride’s City, from Revelation 21:9-27 is online.  This sermon sought to “wow people with God and who He is.”  I was intrigued of how this city is meant to be a picture of the Lamb’s Bride (read v.9) and sought to press applications in light of this.  Specifically, I want my life to show forth the beauty and perfections of the God who can make such a beautiful city.  I hope this sermon was helpful to others and you, if you choose to listen.

Weekend Recap – Church & Leaders

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My 11/4/12AM sermon, Church and Leaders, from Hebrews 13:17 is online.  In this sermon, I sought to explore how the church at large is to relate to the leaders that God has given her.  Considering their teaching, lives and care for the souls of others should provoke people to put their trust and confidence in leaders for their own advantage.  It was a hard message to give — hoping that I was able to humbly unpack God’s Word and give some contours of thought that might help the people of Crestview glorify God more effectively.

Hope you had a productive Sunday as well.

Weekend Recap – 9/16/12AM

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Yesterday, we had a visiting speaker, Luke T, speaking to us on The Heart of a Sending Church from 3 John 5-8.  He pointed to this text as a way to calibrate our hearts as sending workers into the global harvest.  Specifically, there was a past look to faithfulness, a present passion for faithfulness, and a future commitment to being faithful.  Faithful, faithful, faithful, that is the core message to churches sending workers to the harvest.  There was much rich, Biblical application.  I hope it proved helpful for you.

Links on How Community Can Be Build In the Local Church…

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a friend recommended I look at some of these and I found others this week.

Harvest Bible Chapel’s Culture of Community

Grace Fellowship Church’s Culture of Community

Sojourn Church’s Foundations for One Anothers

Other Churches to Consider

Tim Brister’s Meditations on Grace Saturated Community

These are each great links over an issue that I’m thinking about a lot in these days.  I hope you find them helpful.

Local Church Involvement

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Z quotes Carlos Griego:

Telling people that being part of the local church is optional for the health of the Christian, is like telling a married couple they can replace living together with being friends on Facebook to grow closer and become One as God intends.

Good insight. And as we progress through Colossians, we are seeing that God is at work to renew us as a body in the image of the creator, conforming us to Christ. This new man being renewed is a corporate body of believers as the subsequent commands show. Let’s show Christ is all and in all (Colossians 3:11) by not treating our involvement in the local church as an optional thing.