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Wisdom For Decisions For Gospel People

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I’ve been thinking a lot lately about “lesser” things that easily drift into priorities for many who claim to love the Gospel.  I’m thinking of people who claim the Gospel is the priority for them getting caught up in Facebook arguments about political issues or a host of other things.  We all have things that can easily turn us from our priorities (remember there’s warning in Hebrews 2:1-4 to not drift from our priorities).  I really appreciated the wisdom unpacked by Ray Ortlund in his sermon from 3/12/16 entitled “Boldly Free” from Galatians 2:11-14.  (You might remember that has to do with Peter and Paul disagreeing about Gospel application to a situation).  Here’s what Ray says in 16:10-17:35 marks…

We’re seeing how the Apostle Paul thought about everything.  When Paul was working through the issues of life, for him it wasn’t simply the question of right vs. wrong, or of wise vs. foolish, or of effective vs. inefficient and so forth.  Those are all legitimate questions, they all have their place.  But, Paul was simply thinking in a deeper way, in a different way.  Here’s how Paul was thinking moment by moment: here I am poised at this decision, I’m at a fork in the road, I’m going to go one way or the other.  How can this decision I’m going to make right now, whatever it’s about, align most clearly with the Gospel?  What difference does justification by faith alone make in my life right now with this decision I am facing.  So, Paul didn’t simply ask himself “What’s the right thing to do?”  He certainly didn’t ask himself, “What’s the popular thing to do?”  The real question for all Gospel people always is this: “what course of action is in the closest alignment with the grace of God and the purpose of the cross?” (Emphasis mine)

Get it?  The question at the end here is the calibration for our decision about a situation: “what course of action is in the closest alignment with the grace of God and the purpose of the cross?”  I hope you start thinking about your life, especially if you’re a believer, in this way.  The world desperately needs a people set apart to this kind of reality.  Will you showcase the grace of God and the purpose of the cross in your actions?  Listen to Ray’s sermon for more insight into this.

Resources for Men, Mothers With Young Children, and Small Groups

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Ray Ortlund spoke at the Church at Brook Hills Men’s Conference recently.  Here’s a link to audio/video of those sessions.

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GoThereFor had an encouraging article on Leading a (very) small group and I found it encouraging for those who have small groups with a smaller number of people.

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And, GoThereFor also had a nice read encouraging mothers of young children to persist in attending that women’s Bible study they often dread.  Good thoughts.

 

You’re Free From This World

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Privileged to listen to this sermon from Ray Ortlund, Jr on Revelation 7:9-10 entitled You Can Touch The World.   The coming reality believers will know and experience in glory should matter today in the here and now.  Here’s a sample from this sermon:

“…Our future changes our present.  We can get up by faith today and walk out of the mental prison of fearful self-concern.  You can be free from the grim and lonely fight for survival, because if you love Jesus, your future is as big as heaven.  And until you’re there, God’s purpose for you now is as big as the world.  In you shall all the families of the earth be blessed.

“…so there’s nothing small and inconsequential in Jesus, not even you.  If you feel broken, and disqualified, and excluded–actually it’s better that way–we don’t need, boy, we do not need, more victorious Christians scolding defeated sinners.  We need broken Christians in constant repentance confessing their sins and telling others where they can take their sins: to Jesus the Savior of the world, because He can take it.  He can take it all.

“…so whoever you are, you can touch the world.  And you don’t need this church to tell you how.  You have the command of Jesus to disciple the nations.  You have the power of the Holy Spirit.  You have the wisdom of God in the Bible.  You have God’s great plan with His purpose supporting you, His smile approving of you, His throne of grace available to you through prayer.  You can touch the world.

(Starting at the 20:09 mark and ending on the 22:09 mark)

The Church, The Future Generations and Revival

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Here’s an important question answered from Ray Ortlund’s When God Comes to Church:

“Do we want to guarantee that our children will run in the opposite direction of our most cherished biblical convictions?  All we have to do is sterilize our churches.  Make them rigid, unresponsive, grim.  Require of our ministers that they play the role of scolding, scowling Reverend Eat-Your-Peas. Treat the gospel as a theological system only, rather than also as a personal remedy.  Use the Bible as ammunition for “culture wars” rather than as food for life.  Withdraw from the historical situation in which God has placed us.  Build up the walls, reinforce the barriers and make certain that no experience gets in here.  Ignore the fact that “doctrine only” is not itself a biblical doctrine.

“But do we want our children to embrace our biblical convictions with joy?  Let our churches become environments fertile with revival potentialities.  Let’s shape our churches with deliberate intention that their content and tone may encourage our children, and all others, in true experience of God.  Let our convictions open up to their eyes a glorious vision of God and to their hearts the succulent pleasures of God.  We cannot trigger a divine visitation on our churches, but it is our responsibility prayerfully to offer our Lord a church steeped in the gospel and tenderly responsive to his presence.  His Spirit’s blessing should not have to work against the logic and ethos we create.

(pp. 16-17)