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Raising Obedient Children

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As a man struggling to subdue my sinful nature married to a wife in the same struggle, seeking to raise 2 boys who have somehow managed to learn how sin (shocking isn’t it?) I found this post over at The Resurgence, Raising Obedient Children, helpful. The points they cover are:

1. We are confident in our God-given parental authority.
2. We never count to three.
3. We model it ourselves to authority figures in our lives.
4. We try not to exasperate our children (Ephesians 6:4).
5. We use appropriate forms of punishment.
6. We are convinced that it really is worth the effort.

Enjoy.

Weekend Preview (5/23) – Growth & Mission

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This video will be referred to in the opening of my sermon. In the AM, we will be looking at Colossians 2:18-19. The verses end with “growing with a growth that is from God.” There’s lots of huff and puff about church growth that isn’t rooted in the Bible. It seems that Paul is under the impression that growth from God is related very closely to holding tight to Christ as the Head. We will conclude our time Sunday morning with the Lord’s Supper.

In the PM, we will meet in Small Groups, continuing our study of the Gospel Centered Life curriculum. This week we are on Session 7 – Mission.

Weekend Recap – Substance & Sacrifice

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The sermons from this past Lord’s Day are up and online…

In the AM, we looked at Colossians 2:16-17 and how Christ is more substantial for our justification than health or religion. The sermon was called Substance. The big question I gave at the end of the sermon was: “Why be content with the shadows when you have substance available?”

In the PM, we gathered to look at Sacrifice, Jesus in the OT story of the institution of Passover in Exodus 12:1-13. What stuck out to me was how Jesus was the perfect protection and provision for sinners.

Weekend Preview – Substance & Sacrifice

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This Lord’s Day, Lord-willing, we will be looking into Colossians again (specifically Colossians 2:16-17) and how Jesus is the substance over against all kinds of expressions of justification. Plan to come Sunday AM ready to boast in the Gospel.

On Sunday PM, we continue our walk through the OT, looking for sightings of Jesus and are in Exodus 12, and how the Passover implementation points to Christ. If possible, read through this chapter and prepare your heart to worship Jesus.

Education, Graduation and A Guest

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On Sunday, June 6, our special guest at Crestview will be Pat Nurre, who is a geologist and will be speaking on creation type issues. I was very excited and interested when I opened up the latest World Magazine and found an article entitled It’s The Pronouns, Stupid about religious expression at graduation with Pat Nurre, his wife Vicki and their daughter Kathryn. Evidently they took a case to the Supreme Court about religious expression at graduation. The article fills out the details. It’s a good read.

On Eschatology

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If thed lead eitorial from the latest Southern Baptist Journal of Theology is any indication of the issue itself, there is much help to be gained by its consumption. In this editorial, Thinking Biblically and Theologically about Eschatology, Stephen Wellum writes how we shouldn’t run from eschatology, as we often do for the wrong reasons. We should pursue it because:

In truth, eschatology, properly understood, is nothing more than a thorough study of God’s great act of redemption in Jesus the Christ. Eschatology, then, not only presents us with the Bible’s meta-narrative, it also unpacks how that grand story is centered in Jesus. How our Lord was not only anticipated and predicted in the OT, but how, in our Lord’s coming he has literally ushered in and inaugurated the “last days.” By his incarnation and life, supremely his death, resurrection, ascension, and Pentecost, God’s promised plan of salvation has been accomplished, and now we await and anticipate the consummation of that plan in the glorious appearing of the King of kings and the Lord of lords (see Eph 1:9-10; Phil 2:6-11; Rev 4-5; 19:1-21). When eschatology is presented in this way, not only is it true to the Scripture, it is also able to move us to action, obedience, worship, and service. Such eschatology will never leave us merely satisfied with this world, but it will orient us towards the future where the church will rightly learn to cry afresh with the church of all ages, “Come, Lord Jesus” (Rev 22:20).

A Table of Contents is also available for a peak, but Wellum’s editorial is fantastic (and only 2 pages). Enjoy.

Free Kid’s CD – Jesus Came To Save Sinners

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Following Matt Chandler’s Twitter Feed, I came across this new worship project for children released Sunday. The Village Church (the church Chandler pastors) has done a project for kids entitled Jesus Came To Save Sinners. Best of all, this project is available as a free download on their site (or you can ITunes or Amazon it for a cost). Here’s their description of this project:

“Jesus Came to Save Sinners” contains five original songs that teach children about the character and nature of God and His plan to save sinners through Jesus Christ. These songs correspond with the five foundational truths – Jesus Came to Save Sinners, God is Good, God is in Charge of Everything, God Wants to Talk with Us, God Made Everything – taught each weekend in our preschool ministry, The Little Village. The mission and vision of The Little Village is “to partner with parents to build a firm spiritual foundation for their children.” Our hope is that these songs will be an effective tool in engaging your children with the truth of who God is as you endeavor to obey the biblical call to bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. (Ephesians 6:4)

I would encourage you to take advantage of this amazing resource.

Praying for the Persecuted Church

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On Saturday, I received my latest edition of Voice of the Martyrs magazine, calling us to be praying for the needs of the persecuted church. There’s even an online map showing the areas of greatest need. Let’s pray for perseverance and boldness for Christians among these nations.

On a related note, David Platt does Secret Church which is one outlet for tapping the needs of the persecuted church. The website says:

When we think of “church” in America, we think of going to meet at a building, singing, praying and hearing a message from a Pastor or teacher. But in many places around the world, “church” meets in a home, an apartment, even in secret. These small groups of Christ-followers often meet for many hours in study, prayer and fellowship, as it is dangerous to travel to “church” and they want to make the most of their time together.

Secret Church is our “house church,” where we meet periodically for an intense time of Bible study–lasting 4-6 hours–and prayer for our persecuted brothers and sisters across the globe. This is not for the uncommitted or faint at heart. But if you desire to know God more deeply through His Word, and know His Church more fully around the world, then please join us for Secret Church.

God will use this focused time of study to enrich our knowledge of His Word as we gain understanding of the state of His Church and our persecuted brothers and sisters around the world. The objective of Secret Church is for you to pass along what you learn to others, so that you can make disciples of Christ–both locally and globally.

Check out the resources. But above all…PRAY!