just worship

Grace through the whole Bible

2012-01-27T17:00:00.000Z

"The many books of the one Bible are not like the many pennies in the one jar. The pennies in the jar look the same, yet are disconnected; the books of the Bible (like the organs of a body) look different, yet are interconnected... underneath and undergirding all of these, it seems to me, is the motif of God's grace, his favor and love to the undeserving. Don't we see the grace of God in every book of the Bible?

Genesis shows God’s grace to a universally wicked world as he enters into relationship with a sinful family line (Abraham) and promises to bless the world through him.

Exodus shows God’s grace to his enslaved people in bringing them out of Egyptian bondage.

Leviticus shows God’s grace in providing his people with a sacrificial system to atone for their sins.

Numbers shows God’s grace in patiently sustaining his grumbling people in the wilderness and bringing them to the border of the promised land not because of them but in spite of them.

Deuteronomy shows God’s grace in giving the people the new land 'not because of your righteousness' (ch. 9)."

Dane Ortlund, The Grace of God in the Bible (click to read the full list - this is a MUST READ)

video: John Piper - Go

2012-01-26T17:00:00.000Z

Forgotten

2012-01-25T17:00:00.000Z

"God... only forgets when He intends to. This is because His capacity to remember is infinite. He can’t forget anything! That is, of course, unless He means to...
The only thing that God willfully forgets is sin. But how does He actually do that? If His capacity to remember is infinite and infallible, how can He make something disappear from His memory?
He does not magically wish our sins away. Instead, He “remembered” your sins on Christ, and as a result He “remembers” Christ’s righteousness on you! This forgetful act on our behalf is the supreme display of His abundant love. It is incalculably wonderful to consider and to savor."

Dustin Smetona, The Forgetful God

video: seven daily sins

2012-01-24T17:00:00.000Z

Seven Daily Sins Promo from Threads on Vimeo.

dancing?

2012-01-23T17:00:00.000Z

"The Christian not wowed in gospel wakefulness may move like the frightened victim in an old Western, shuffling his feet frantically as the law, demanding he “dance!” fires a six-shooter at his toes. There is compliance but no heart, no rhythm. But the gospel-wakened Christian dances because he’s at the ball. He hears the music of the gospel and cannot help but dance!"

Jared Wilson, Gospel Wakefulness

performance related identity

2012-01-20T17:00:00.000Z

"My identity is also wrapped up in the performance of my children. On the days that they are sweet and obedient and lovely to be around, I do the pageant walk. Head held high, with a bit of a swagger. On the days where they are unkind, disobedient, and all together unlovely, I am angry and depressed.

I have some how decided that my identity the truth about who I am, is tied to my children's performance and their love for me. I have decided that this is the fig leaf I will use to take away my shame and my nakedness. My child's love and obedience is what I have often used as my own good works to make me acceptable before God. I have stopped loving them and started using them...

I must remind myself that my identity is not tied up in my mothering. The truth is I am a terrible mom; this is why I need a Savior... When I am resting in his work, I am free to love my kids the way I've been loved. He does not love me based on my performance, but rather, based on the performance of my Savior. Because of that truth, I can love my children freely and joyfully."

Toddlers, Tiaras and Fig Leaves, Give them Grace

video - Jesus > Religion

2012-01-19T17:00:00.000Z

waiting

2012-01-18T17:00:00.000Z

"Usually our view of waiting is the doctor’s office. We see it as a meaningless waste of time, like a man stuck in the reception area until he has nothing left to do but scan recipes in a two-year-old copy of Ladies’ Home Journal.
Our waiting on God must not be understood this way. The sort of waiting to which we are called is not inactivity. It is very positive, purposeful, and spiritual. To be called to wait is to be called to the activity of remembering: remembering who I am and who God is. To be called to wait is to be called to the activity of worship: worshiping God for his presence, wisdom, power, love, and grace. To be called to wait is to be called to the activity of serving: looking for ways to lovingly assist and encourage others who are also being called to wait. To be called to wait is to be called to the activity of praying: confessing the struggles of my heart and seeking the grace of the God who has called me to wait...
God is never separate from your wait. He is the Lord of waiting. He is the liberal giver of grace for the wait. Because your wait is not outside of his plan, but a vital and necessary part of it, he is with you in your wait... Waiting is not just about what I get at the end of the wait, but about who I become as I wait."

Paul Tripp, God's will for your wait

video - Matt Chandler: David, Goliath and the Gospel

2012-01-17T17:00:00.000Z

what's at the centre?

2012-01-16T17:00:00.000Z

"When the sun is at the center of the system, the planets and moons don’t cease to exist. In fact, they exist more securely, more beautifully, in their proper positions and proportions. With God at the center of your universe of worship, with the gospel at the center of your life, all other good gifts—people and pleasures, thoughts and things—take their proper place and proportion in our lives. They are more pleasing and enjoyable because they give the pleasures they are designed to give, and no more."

Jared Wilson, Gospel Wakefulness

entitled to grace?

2012-01-13T17:00:00.000Z

"The minute we think that anybody owes us grace, a bell should go off in our heads to alert us that we are no longer thinking about grace, because grace, by definition, is something we don’t deserve. It is something we cannot possibly deserve. We have no merit before God, only demerit. If God should ever, ever treat us justly outside of Christ, we would perish. Our feet would surely slip."

Read the full illustration of this principle by RC Sproul here

video - this is church

2012-01-12T17:00:00.000Z

This Is Church from Igniter Media on Vimeo.

God speaks

2012-01-11T17:00:00.000Z

"God speaks to you every time you read the Bible. Personally. Intimately.

I read my Bible regularly because I have to. Not “have to” in the sense that someone might criticise me if I don’t or that God will get miffed with me. But “have to” in the same way I have to eat food every day. This is how I live.

Without God’s word in my life, I too readily get preoccupied with myself, my fears, my insecurities, my reputation. Without God’s word I’m so much more vulnerable to temptation. I need God’s word to realign my heart day by day towards Jesus. I need that medicine for the soul, that battle speech, that love song. And I need it every day."

Tim Chester, Hearing God speak

video - Paul Tripp: change through marraige

2012-01-10T17:00:00.000Z

Paul Tripp - On how he's changed through marriage from Crossway on Vimeo.

got enough points?

2012-01-09T17:00:00.000Z

A friend of mine recently told a silly story about a man standing at the gates of heaven waiting to be admitted. To the man’s utter shock, Peter said, “You have to have earned a thousands points to be admitted to heaven. What have you done to earn your points?”
“I’ve never heard that before, but I think I’ll do alright. I was raised in a Christian home and have always been a part of the church. I have Sunday school attendance pins that go down the floor. I went to a Christian college and graduate school and have probably led hundreds of people to Christ. I’m now an elder in my church and am quite supportive of what the people of God do. I have three children, two boys and a girl. My oldest boy is a pastor and the younger is a staff person with a ministry to the poor. My daughter and her husband are missionaries. I have always tithed and am now giving well over 30% of my income to God’s work. I’m a bank executive and work with the poor in our city trying to get low income mortgages.”
“How am I doing so far”, he asked Peter.
“That’s one point,” Peter said. “What else have you done?”
“Good Lord…have mercy!” the man said in frustration.
“That’s it!” Peter said. “Welcome home.”
My friend who used this silly illustration ended it by saying, “Teach the law. The Psalmist called it perfect. Teach it until people recognize their inability to keep it and cry out for mercy. Mercy always comes running.”

Tullian Tchvidjian, You must have1000 points to enter heaven

plumblines

2012-01-06T17:00:00.000Z

"The gospel is not just the diving board, it’s the pool. Christians grow not by going beyond the gospel, but deeper into the gospel.
People are the mission.
Jesus commanded us to make disciples, not converts.
Discipleship happens in community."

The first 4 of JD Greear's 35 plumblines

video - Isaiah 53

2012-01-05T17:00:00.000Z

Streetlights - Isaiah 53 - Othello from ALERT on Vimeo.

why doesn't God reveal himself more clearly?

2012-01-04T17:00:00.000Z

‘Why doesn’t God reveal himself more clearly?’

‘What would you like? How would you like God to reveal himself? Would you like God to write something in the sky? “The heavens declare the glory of God” (Psalm 19:1). Would you like God to send you a message? He has given us the Bible. Would you like God to come in person? Jesus is God among us.’
‘Jesus said: “Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father” (John 14:9). Why not take a look at Jesus by reading a Gospel. See what you make of Jesus.’

Tim Chester, Apologetic Sound Bites

video - god's face

2012-01-03T17:00:00.000Z

God's Face from HeadHeartHand Media on Vimeo.

the lens of grace

2012-01-02T17:00:00.000Z

"Some of us–whether we have experienced real unfairness or not–look at all of life through this lens of fairness. We are always assessing what we really deserve. We are always aware of other people’s successes or failures. We are always cognizant of whether we get recognized or ignored. We see the whole world and experience all of life through this lens of fairness—always sizing up, always calculating, always feeling like we are owed something by our friends, by our family, and by God.But there’s another way to look at the world, another way to experience life, and that’s through the lens of grace. With these glasses on you’ll reckon that most days are a whole lot better than you deserve. And on the really hard days, you’ll fight to believe that God is working even this for good. With the glasses of grace, you’ll smile when other people succeed. Instead of experiencing life as a series of disappointments and occasions where you were not given the treatment you deserve, you’ll experience life as a gift. You’ll see grace all around you."

Kevin DeYoung, The glasses of grace

read the bible

2011-12-31T15:00:00.000Z

Why not read through the entire bible next year? Youversion.com has a lot different bible reading plans to choose from here, all of which are compatible with their online and mobile phone apps, keeping track of your progress as you go.

most read posts of 2011 #1 - death and life

2011-12-30T17:00:00.000Z

death and life from michael hall on Vimeo.

most read posts of 2011 #2 - Matt Chandler: of first importance

2011-12-29T17:00:00.000Z

most read posts of 2011 #3 - internal change

2011-12-28T17:00:00.000Z

"Just as external moralistic changes cannot transform the human heart, so external changes to a church’s programs or structures cannot revitalize a church. You might as well try to bending a metal rod without first heating it. It will either resist change altogether, or simply snap in two.

Internal change in the believer happens only through the preaching of the gospel. People become willing to extend themselves to reach others as they learn more about God and what he has done."

JD Greear, 5 factors that brought life to a dying church

most read posts of 2011 #4 - grace will...

2011-12-27T17:00:00.000Z

"Grace will turn your life upside down while giving you a rest you have never known. Grace will convince you of your unworthiness without ever making you feel unloved.
Grace will make you acknowledge that you cannot earn God’s favor, and it will remove your fear of not measuring up to his standards. Grace will confront you with the fact that you are much less than you thought you were, even as it assures you that you can be far more than you had ever imagined. Grace will put you in your place without ever putting you down.
Grace will enable you to face truths about yourself that you have hesitated to consider, while freeing you from being self-consciously introspective. Grace will confront you with profound weaknesses, and at the same time introduce you to new-found strength. Grace will tell you what you aren’t, while welcoming you to what you can now be. Grace will make you as uncomfortable as you have ever been, while offering you more comfort than you have ever known."

Paul Tripp, The most transformational word (read the full article here)

most read posts of 2011 #5 - nothing at all

2011-12-26T17:00:00.000Z

“There is a righteousness which Paul calls “the righteousness of faith.” God imputes it to us apart from our works — in other words, it is passive righteousness… So then, have we nothing to do to obtain this righteousness? No, nothing at all! For this righteousness comes by doing nothing, hearing nothing, knowing nothing, but rather in knowing and believing this only — that Christ has gone to the right hand of the Father, not to become our judge, but to become for us our wisdom, our righteousness, our holiness, our salvation! Now God sees no sin in us, for in this heavenly righteousness sin has no place. So now we may certainly think, “Although I still sin, I don’t despair, because Christ lives, who is both my righteousness and my eternal life.” In that righteousness I have no sin, no fear, no guilty conscience, no fear of death. I am indeed a sinner in this life of mine and in my own righteousness, but I have another life, another righteousness above this life, which is in Christ, the Son of God.

Christians never completely understand [this] themselves, and thus do not take advantage of it when they are troubled and tempted. So we have to constantly teach it, repeat it, and work it out in practice. Anyone who does not understand this righteousness or cherish it in the heart and conscience will continually be buffeted by fears and depression. Nothing gives peace like this passive righteousness. The troubled conscience has no cure for its desperation and feeling of unworthiness unless it takes hold of the forgiveness of sins by grace, offered free of charge in Jesus Christ, which is this passive or Christian righteousness”

Martin Luther, Commentary to the Galatians

video: advent - god with us

2011-12-24T12:00:00.000Z

Advent: God With Us from The Village Church on Vimeo.

Advent part 4 - A better king and a better outcome

2011-12-23T17:00:00.000Z

This is a guest post by Paul Lintott

Isaiah 11v1-9

The prediction here of a coming king, one who would come from the stump of Jesse, is a prediction that Jesus would come as the heir to the throne of king David and would appear from a kingly line that seemed to have been all but destroyed. That being so the arrival of Jesus on the scene some 750 years later proved to be an exciting moment of hope for Israel as the prophecy of a better king seemed to be coming true. But as is so often the case the expectation and the reality were not exactly in line. You see the king here is going to bring judgement. His mission to be the better king starts with bringing justice to bear on those who behave wickedly. So we think of the baby born in a stable, the king of all kings, and we think of his work of compassion and healing, and all that is true but it is only part of the picture we have of his work. This Spirit filled and enabled king will use his supernatural insight, his divine wisdom and knowledge, to bring perfect justice to bear. And then, once he has done that and only when he has done that will he establish his eternal kingdom of peace in its fullest form.

What does that mean?
It means the prophecies about Jesus in many parts of the Old Testament squash together the wonderful work that Jesus has done, is doing and is yet to do so that we get a big picture overview of the work of this magnificent king.
And that means this Christmas as we celebrate the birth of the king we would do well to remember that his wonderful work is to save, yes, it is to bring hope and joy, yes but it is also to bring justice and judgement to a world that desperately needs it. And looking into the future we get a view of a new heavens and a new earth where this king has done his work and there diversity and peace and most importantly we will all know Him.

The first Christmas begins the earthly part of his mission but he's not finished with us yet.

video - the story of Christmas

2011-12-22T17:00:00.000Z

making a list and checking it twice?

2011-12-21T17:00:00.000Z

"Certainly we have a hard time determining if someone is naughty or nice. It’s not as simple as, “All Christians go on the nice list and all those other guys, the heathens? Clearly, they deserve a spot on the dreaded naughty list.”
The Bible makes it simple though: we all make the naughty list. None is righteous, no, not one (Romans 3:10). That’s bad news.

The good news is that, despite our list making tendencies and legalistic leanings, the list was crushed by the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes. He is the only one who made the list. Because he made the list, we are given the gift of him. His righteousness, his perfection, and his “niceness” are bestowed upon us with list-shattering grace."

Jen Smidt, Jesus Ripped up Santa's List

video - Jesus and santa

2011-12-20T17:00:00.001Z

Jesus and Santa from Igniter Media on Vimeo.

Advent part 3 - The Return of the King

2011-12-19T17:00:00.000Z

This is a guest post by Ben Parker

Isaiah 9v2-7

Christmas has not been the same since they stopped bringing out Lord of the Rings films. For three years every Christmas would involve numerous trips to the cinema to sit through hours and hours of orcs, hobbits and wizards fight over the fate of middle earth. If that doesn’t make you feel festive then nothing will. The final (and longest) instalment is called the Return of the King and revolves around Aragorn (Son of Arathorn) returning to Gondor to take his rightful place as king. As he returns there is the obvious conflict between the current Warden of Gondor (Denethor) and Aragorn as Denethor sees his power and influence passing away. You see the great news of a king returning is also the news which brings confrontation and hostility.

So we come to Isaiah 9 and we read these words and songs start ringing in our ears as we hear this great news of a child who is born. A child who will bring joy, a child who will bring peace, a child who will bring justice and stability and righteousness. We hear of this child who will be called Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace and our minds flash forwards to the Christmas story to visions of a baby sat in a manger surrounded by an ever increasing sea of talking animals and we feel suitably festive and a little bit religious and ready to make the most of the coming yuletide.

I can’t help but feel that when we read Isaiah 9 our minds are maybe racing to the wrong place. You see it is true that Jesus’ birth represents the birth talked about here but it’s not easy to see this king in the weakness and ignominy of the stable. Some wise men saw it and brought him gifts for a king. Herod saw it and tried to kill this rival but generally the birth itself looks unthreatening and is easily ignored. If our minds simply go from Isaiah 9 to Jesus’ birth and then stop there I’m not sure the connection is obvious. No to see just how wonderful Isaiah 9 is we have to keep reading.

You see Isaiah 9 is fulfilled in Jesus’ life. When Jesus starts his ministry he starts it by declaring the Kingdom of God is at hand, repent and believe in the gospel. Now gospel simply means good news. So do you see what Jesus is saying right at the start of it all? He’s saying the good news of Isaiah 9 is here. This kingdom which was promised all those years ago is now at hand and Jesus’ great call is to enter that kingdom. Isaiah 9 reminds us that Jesus did not come simply as an inspiring example of how to be a generally decent kind of bloke but he came as the king of a kingdom and he called people to it.

So we return to where we started. Aragorn returned and he claimed his rightful position as king. He ultimately brought victory to Gondor and through that came peace and prosperity. The king was here and he offered light in darkness, peace in conflict, justice and righteousness in what had become corrupt and self seeking. But when a new king is on the scene then kingdoms will inevitably collide and power will not be given up easily.

It’s maybe taken me a long time to get there but here’s the heart of Isaiah 9 and it’s what should go through our minds every time we hear these words read or sung this Christmas. Christmas is the time when we remember the moment when the Kingdom of God burst into our world. It is a great kingdom, a kingdom of peace, joy, justice, righteousness, prosperity and stability. It’s a kingdom run by a king who can be legitimately called ‘Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.’ This kingdom is here but it stands against all other kings and all other kingdoms. Jesus repeatedly says you can’t serve him and other things so either Jesus is the king or something else is. Either you’re a part of his kingdom, or you’re not. So I don’t know what the king of your life is – Maybe it’s you? Maybe it’s family? Maybe it’s success? Maybe it’s popularity? Maybe it’s money? I don’t know, but Isaiah 9 reminds us of what Jesus repeatedly said. There is a new kingdom, a better kingdom but if you’re going to be a part of that you do not need to go to church a few times, you don’t need to give a bit of money away, you don’t need to get a bit of religion in your life but you need leave the kingdom you’re in now, you need to reject the king you follow now and you need to find a new kingdom, with a new king and new values and become part of a new people, the people of God. If at Christmas you’re not confronted with a radically different kingdom which forces you to choose your allegiance then you have failed to understand Isaiah 9 and failed to understand Christmas and failed to understand Jesus at all. The good news of the return of the king and a new kingdom must also be the good news which strikes terror into every other king in our lives or it is not good news at all, in fact it’s not even news.

Advent part 2 - Abraham – tried, tested, but not found wanting!

2011-12-16T17:00:00.000Z

This is a guest post by Kieran Banks

Read Genesis22, particularly v15-18:

And the angel of the LORD called to Abraham a second time from heaven and said, “By myself I have sworn, declares the LORD, because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore. And your offspring shall possess the gate of his enemies, and in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice.”

A film weused to love watching when my daughters were younger was A Knight’s Tale. It’s all about the commoner, William Thatcher,(Heath Ledger) who wants to ‘change his stars’ and alter his fortune, which hedoes, but not without opposition. In the form of Count Adhemar,’ (RufusSewell), Thatcher is repeatedly teased with the words, ‘You will be tried, you will be tested, and you will be found wanting!’

In Ch. 22 ofGenesis Abraham is most certainly tried and tested. Think of the years spentwaiting for the Lord to come through on his promise to provide him with a son.Given his age when the promise was first made (Gen 12) it will have seemedalmost a tease by the Lord; now Abraham is confronted with the apparent reversalof that promise – he is to take his son and sacrifice him! How on earth mustAbraham have felt? As he walked the 45 miles to Mount Moriah (3 days) he willhave deliberated in agony; when asked, “Where is the Lamb for a burnt offering?”a sharp spear, surely, was being driven into his own side. What is he to do?The challenge that confronted him is the challenge believers are confrontedwith every day: the challenge to trust God, completely!To live not according to how things appear, but what God has promised. This wasAbraham’s option, as can be seen in the incidental detail telling the enquiringservants at the bottom of the mountain: “I and the lad will go…we will worship…andwe will come back,” and the moredirect assertion that God would provide. What we see here is not blind optimismattempting to reconstruct reality but a robust faith in the God who can raisethe dead if he has to (Heb 11v19).

And look atwhat such faith gave rise to: not the bare survival of one son, but the appearanceof the true Son, Jesus Christ (Gal 3v16), who one day, through costly conflict,would conquer and ‘take possession of the gates of his enemies’ (Gen 22v17) bythe cross. It gave rise not just to the survival of a family but descendantsmore numerous than the stars in the sky and the sand on any beach; a trulyinternational family as through the gospel the gentiles are adopted into it. Thetruth is if Abraham could have seen the fruit of his obedient faith, in the waywe can, he would have been staggered! But that’s the point passages in Hebrewsand James make which comment on Abraham's faith – we can see the outcome of hisfaith, and should therefore be encouraged to trust this same God completely. He is the true hero of thestory. Abraham (v14) names the place of sacrifice not, ‘Abraham believed’ but ‘TheLord will Provide,’ or Jehovah-Jireh.‘Jireh’ means ‘see’ as in seeing the need and providing for it. God providesfor the need of all his own that trust him completely, with their salvation,their future’s, and with their very selves. This Christmas, whatever oursituation, however we feel in respect of situations that confuse and confoundus, let us to look to Abraham’s God knowing that, as he saw Abraham’s need, hesee’s our need and along with Christ, will give us everything needful for ourgood and his glory.

In A Knight’s Tale, Thatcher was tried andtested, but not found wanting.Neither was Abraham, and neither was Jesus – and neither will we if we entrustourselves completely to the God who always see’s us, and has and will providefor us.

Sola DeoGloria

video - incarnation

2011-12-15T17:00:00.000Z

Christmas in the Valley of Vision Trailer from The Austin Stone on Vimeo.

God invading earth

2011-12-14T17:00:00.000Z

"The danger in the seasonal celebration is that we cave to sentimentality and rote nostalgia and thus forget that the meek and mild baby in a manger was nothing short of the opening salvo in the kingdom of heaven revolution consisting in God personally invading earth.

We will toss around words this month like "spirit," "grace," "peace," and "hope." The Bible will not let us have these ideas merely as ideas, as things. They are personal."

Jared Wilson, Don't Thingamatize Christmas

video - nativity

2011-12-13T17:00:00.000Z

Retooning the Nativity from Igniter Media on Vimeo.

Advent part 1 - so much more

2011-12-12T17:00:00.000Z

Genesis 3: 8–19

⁸And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the coolof the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden. ⁹But the LORD God called to the man and said to him, "Where are you?"¹⁰And he said, "I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself." ¹¹He said, "Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?" ¹²The man said, "The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate." ¹³Then the LORD God said to the woman, "What is this that you have done?" The woman said, "The serpent deceived me, and I ate."¹⁴The LORD God said to the serpent, "Because you have done this, cursed are you above all livestock and above all beasts of the field; on your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life. ¹⁵I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspringand her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel." ¹⁶To the woman he said, "I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing; in pain you shall bring forth children. Your desire shall be foryour husband, and he shall rule over you." ¹⁷And to Adam he said, "Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you, 'You shall not eat of it,' cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life; ¹⁸thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field. ¹⁹By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return."

Isn't this a bit of a depressing reading for Christmas? Surely we want to be hearing something about the goodness of humanity, the brotherhood of man, something that fits in with the idea that Christmas brings out the best in us. That's what we want to hear at Christmas because Christmas has become about pretending things are better than they are. This is exactly what Ben Preston, editor of the Radio Times, says in the Christmas issue of his magazine:

"Sometimes we really need a good Christmas. Time to hunker down with friends and family - to indulge ourselves and keep troubled times at bay. This is such a Christmas."

We imagine and plan for the ideal time with friends and family, trying to ignore that there's something wrong with the world. But there is something wrong, and even if we can push it to the back of our mind for a day or two, it's still there.

This reading diagnoses that problem. Like Adam and Eve, we try to become like God, we try to make the world revolve around us and it doesn't work. We are not keen on the idea that the problem is down to us so, again, we follow the pattern set by Adam and Eve and we shift the blame. It's my partner/parent/kid/boss/friend/government's fault, if they would change, the problems would go away. Except it can't change anything - we toil and then die, and God says that is because of our rebellion against him.

The message of Christmas is so much better than pretending than everything is better than it is. It is so much more than forgetting about your problems for a few days. It's much more than a bit of a celebration to make us feel better. It's more than reminding us about the importance of family. It's more than a chance to slow down a bit and relax. It's better than all of that because God has a solution to the problem. God reveals His plan in verse 15 - the woman's offspring who would have his heel bruised but would crush Satan's head - Jesus. In response to Adam and Eve's rebellion, and in response to ours, God did not cut us off but sent Jesus - born to a virgin, died on a cross, raised 3 days later conquering Satan, sin and death. That's the good news of Christmas.

love enough to get involved

2011-12-09T17:00:00.000Z

"Sin kills; it destroys; it brings death. We tend to forget this. If we saw a friend drinking poison, we wouldn’t hesitate to knock the cup from their hand. If we saw a friend stepping close to a pit of rattlesnakes, we’d yell and push them out of harm’s way. Help us hate sin enough and love our friends enough to get involved. Better to risk the awkwardness, anger, messiness, and defensiveness than to watch another life or marriage simply go down."

Scotty Smith, A Prayer about Caring for Sin-Entangled Friends

video - advent conspiracy 2011

2011-12-08T17:00:00.000Z

[AC] Promo 2011 from Advent Conspiracy on Vimeo.

light of the world

2011-12-07T17:00:00.000Z

When Jesus attends the feast of tabernacles in John 7-8, light was one of the big themes of the festival.

“Men danced through the night, holding burning torches in their hands and singing songs and praises. the Levitical orchestra cut loose, and some sources attest that this went on every night of the feast of tabernacles, with the light from the temple shedding its glow all over Jerusalem.” Carson

As they did this, the Jews likely brought to mind the rich imagery of God as light throughout the Old Testament:

Genesis 1:3 God said, "Let there be light" - remembering God's creating and sustaining power.
remembering the light from the pillar of fire that guided their ancestors into freedom (Exodus 13-14)
Psalm 27:1 The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? - remembering that God brings security and drives out fear
Psalm 119:105 Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. - remembering how God guides
Isaiah 42:6b-7 ... a light for the nations, to open the eyes that are blind,
to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, from the prison those who sit in darkness - remembering that brings sight to the blind, freedom to the prisoner - God saves!
and looking forward to a future when "The sun shall be no more your light by day, nor for brightness shall the moon give you light; but the LORD will be your everlasting light, and your God will be your glory" (Isaiah 60:19)

In this context, Jesus stands up and says, "I am the light of the world, whoever follows me will not walk in darkness but will have the light of life" (John 8:12). This is a massive claim. Jesus is saying that all of those things that the Jews were remembering as they lit their candles and torches find their fulfillment in him. Creating and sustaining power? Look at Jesus. Freedom, protection, security and the absence of fear? Look at Jesus. Guidance, salvation and a glorious eternal future? Look at Jesus.

Uncertain? Insecure? Afraid? Lost? Broken? Separated from God? What you need is Jesus.Religious practices are not the light of the world. Jesus is the light of the world. Follow Him.

video - feeling detached from God?

2011-12-06T17:00:00.000Z

Dr. David Powlison - On feeling "detached from God" from CCEF on Vimeo.

concerned about sin?

2011-12-05T17:00:00.000Z

"The reality is that the Spirit convicts of sin. One piece of evidence of kingdom life is that you will see more sin, not less. Outside the kingdom of heaven, there is no concern about sin. That doesn’t mean that unbelievers are so bad; it means that they are indifferent to the fact that their sin is against God. They hide the more shameful sins, but they don’t do battle with them. When you are brought into the kingdom of light, you both see sin and, for the first time, get in a battle with it. The battle means you are alive."

Edward Welch, Running Scared: fear, worry and the God of rest

does God really know best?

2011-12-02T17:00:00.000Z

"Until you actually experience something outside of your own control, it’s easy to trust God. It’s easy to trust him when everything happens exactly as you want it to when you want it to. Until something happens (or, in this case, does not happen) outside of your control, you haven’t really been challenged to trust God. Then it’s a shock to realize how little you do. Do you really believe God knows best when you’re approaching 37 and everyone else is working on their second, third or fourth child? It’s easy to say you trust God, but it takes a lot longer to actually mean it—and mean it to the point where you can honestly say that whatever God’s will is, you are content to accept it. And while this end point is the Lord’s work, you also have to work hard to get there. There is no way to circumvent or hasten the learning process."

Karen Galvin, The Joy of Infertility

video - develop a love for God's glory

2011-12-01T17:00:00.000Z

deluded?

2011-11-30T17:00:00.001Z

John 8:13a

So the Pharisees said to him, "You are bearing witness about yourself; your testimony is not true." 14Jesus answered, "Even if I do bear witness about myself, my testimony is true

Jesus does not appeal to a “higher authority” because there isn’t one! We think we can decide whether we accept Jesus authority or not but that’s not a decision we can make. We are under his authority because everything and everyone is! If we claim otherwise we are deluding ourselves.

Accepting Jesus' authority sets us free because we are no longer relying on ourselves to work everything out. How am I supposed to be an expert on life when this is my first time through?! Isn't it much better to rely on the Author of life?

video - the meaning of marriage

2011-11-29T17:00:00.000Z

The Meaning of Marriage Trailer from Redeemer City to City on Vimeo.

pointed past your sins

2011-11-28T17:00:00.000Z

"When you belong to the King, how can you discern the difference between the Devil’s condemnation and the Spirit’s conviction? How can you determine if you are in the bogus courtroom or the real one? In the real courtroom: you know your good deeds are not enough your hope is in Christ alone for your deliverance when convicted of sins, you are pointed past your sins and on to Christ the last word is always hope. In the Devil’s counterfeit: the attention is all on your sins you stand and fall on your own behavior you are alone without an advocate questions are raised about the extent of God’s forgiveness. Christ alone, Christ alone—that is your defense."

Edward Welch, Running Scared: fear, worry and the God of rest

internal change

2011-11-25T17:00:00.000Z

"Just as external moralistic changes cannot transform the human heart, so external changes to a church’s programs or structures cannot revitalize a church. You might as well try to bending a metal rod without first heating it. It will either resist change altogether, or simply snap in two.
Internal change in the believer happens only through the preaching of the gospel. People become willing to extend themselves to reach others as they learn more about God and what he has done."

JD Greear, 5 factors that brought life to a dying church

video - Isaiah 53

2011-11-24T17:00:00.000Z

get your facts straight

2011-11-23T17:00:00.000Z

John 7:40-44 (NLT)

⁴⁰ When the crowds heard him say this, some of them declared, “Surely this man is the Prophet we’ve been expecting.” ⁴¹ Others said, “He is the Messiah.” Still others said, “But he can’t be! Will the Messiah come from Galilee? ⁴² For the Scriptures clearly state that the Messiah will be born of the royal line of David, in Bethlehem, the village where King David was born.”⁴³ So the crowd was divided about him. ⁴⁴ Some even wanted him arrested, but no one laid a hand on him.

Some of the crowd did not have their facts straight. They were dismissing Jesus because they thought he should have been born in Bethlehem... which he was. They didn't believe in him because they thought he should have been an ancestor of David... which he was. A bit of investigation would have cleared up the confusion. Instead, they based their opinions on what they thought, or what they have heard, and they walk away from Jesus.

How often do we do this? Almost everyone, christian and non-christian, has an opinion on Jesus, but what are those opinions based on? Usually it's something a parent said, or a snippet of a story remembered at Sunday school, or the opinion of someone on TV, or something that we'd like to be true. People are rejecting a Jesus that is nothing like the real Jesus. Let's get our facts straight. Read the gospels, let Jesus speak for himself

video - the perfection of beauty

2011-11-22T17:00:00.000Z

shai linne - "The Perfection of Beauty" ft. Blair Linne (Official Trailer) from shot by esso™ on Vimeo.

abiding in what?

2011-11-21T17:00:00.000Z

"How many believe that they are abiding in Jesus when in fact they are abiding in religion? They abide in their denominations, church traditions, confessions, and creeds. They abide in the teachings and liturgies and sacraments of their religious fathers. These have their place, but only to frame the vine in which we abide. Abiding in religion can easily become a substitute for abiding in Christ. The Pharisees abided in religion. The medieval Catholic church abided in religion. the Reformed church can so easily abide in Calvin. The Brethren church abided in separation from the world. The heavy shepherding of the charismatic movement abided under control. The liberal church has made a virtue of abiding in the world. the Pietistic tradition made a virtue of abiding in their devotions. The place of abiding is Jesus Christ"

Simon Ponsonby, The Pursuit of the Holy

Pharisees need the gospel

2011-11-18T17:00:00.000Z

"... the problem is that I dislike Pharisees so much that sometimes I forget that they need the gospel too. You see Pharisees are just like everyone else who hasn't been reconciled to God through Jesus' death - they are just people looking for something with which to make sense of, and bring some meaning to, life. As such they need to hear the good news of a relationship with God which makes sense of why we're here and brings meaning into life. They need to hear the good news of forgiveness which frees us from moral superiority and constantly trying to appear good. They need to be rescued and changed by Jesus' death. They need to repent of their Pharisaism."

Ben Parker, Pharisees need the gospel too

video - matt chandler: the gospel wins

2011-11-17T17:00:00.000Z

How is the gospel underestimated today? - Matt Chandler from Together for the Gospel (T4G) on Vimeo.

popularity vs truth

2011-11-16T17:00:00.000Z

John 7:2-9 (NLT)

² But soon it was time for the Jewish Festival of Shelters, ³ and Jesus’ brothers said to him, “Leave here and go to Judea, where your followers can see your miracles! ⁴ You can’t become famous if you hide like this! If you can do such wonderful things, show yourself to the world!” ⁵ For even his brothers didn’t believe in him.
⁶ Jesus replied, “Now is not the right time for me to go, but you can go anytime. ⁷ The world can’t hate you, but it does hate me because I accuse it of doing evil. ⁸ You go on. I’m not going to this festival, because my time has not yet come.” ⁹ After saying these things, Jesus remained in Galilee.

Jesus' brothers appear to be encouraging him to do more public miracles and boost his popularity. Jesus responds with a reminder that he accuses the world of doing evil. We are told in v5 that his brothers didn't believe in him so whether their comments were meant seriously or sarcastically we can't be sure but , in the same way, we often assume the role of Jesus' public relations officer. The miraculous food and healings will impress people but the talk of sin and evil is a bit of a turn off, so maybe he (or we) should keep that quiet. It doesn't seem very loving to talk about sin.

But choosing popularity over truth is not loving, it is selfish. If a parent returns home to their kids going crazy and their spouse needing support in disciplining them, but instead chooses to give them ice cream and ignore the behaviour that has caused the distress - that is a choice of popularity over truth. It is not loving the children, it is the parent loving themselves by taking the easier option, it is the selfish choice.

Jesus was not, and is not, universally popular. But he loves us too much to choose popularity over truth.

video - god at work

2011-11-15T17:00:00.000Z

God at Work - Bob Koonce from Harvest Bible Chapel on Vimeo.

the Pharisees' holiness

2011-11-14T17:00:00.000Z

"The Pharisees' holiness made much of rules - Jesus' holiness made much of God
The Pharisees' holiness made much of themselves- Jesus' holiness made much of others
The Pharisees' holiness made much of externals, like washing hands- Jesus' holiness made much of internals, like washing the heart
The Pharisees' holiness kept company with the scrupulously clean - Jesus' holiness kept company with the notoriously wicked...
The Pharisees' holiness focused on form - Jesus' holiness focused on substance...
The Pharisees' holiness led them to be murderers - Jesus' holiness led him to martyrdom"

Simon Ponsonby, The Pursuit of the Holy

our hearts are all the same

2011-11-11T17:00:00.000Z

"I moved the conversation away from Ryan’s lifestyle and toward the common brokenness and rebellion of all of humanity. I told him the real issue wasn’t his gender confusion. It was his sin. He wanted to hear that he was worse than the guy next door. I told him that he wasn’t. I took out my Bible and made him read out loud some of the famous verses about sin. I focused on the fact that all have sinned, that all have turned away from God, that everyone needs to be reconciled to their Creator. Our external sins may be different, but our hearts are all the same. Then I took it a step further: I told him about my own sin...

... The conversation did turn a corner, because Ryan finally began to realize that his lifestyle was a secondary issue. Here I was, a happily married minister, telling him that my heart was as dirty and sinful and broken as his. The only difference was that I was trusting in Jesus to make me right with God and transform my heart, and he wasn’t...
... The gospel is not the ABC’s of Christianity; it is the A to Z of Christianity. When we forget the gospel, we cheat our disciples. We give the impression that being a follower of Jesus means becoming less broken, less sinful, less hopeless. So we create a caste-system-Christianity: there are the really broken people (unbelievers), the pretty broken people (young believers), and the people who have learned to pretend they’re not broken (mature believers). Not only is this blatantly unbiblical, it is contrary to common sense. Jesus said that those who are forgiven much will love much (Luke 7:47). The mature Christians are not those who are less broken, but those who realize the depth of their brokenness and are clinging all the more tightly to Jesus."

Bob Thune, How to disciple a transsexual - part 1

video - uncover

2011-11-10T17:00:00.000Z

This is a resource designed for students but, whatever context you're in, it looks like a useful way of opening up the bible with your non-christian friends.

anxious idolatry

2011-11-09T17:00:00.000Z

Jereboam was a servant of Solomon, and God decided to make him king over the (divided) nation of Israel (1 Kings 11:26-40). Jereboam went from nothing to ruling a kingdom and it was a gift from God, he had done nothing for it. You would think that, of all people, Jereboam would realise that everything has been given to him by God, and that knowledge would lead to a life marked by trusting and following Him out of heart-felt gratitude. Unfortunately, once he had the kingdom, he starts to worry about losing it and comes up with his own plan to make sure he will keep it (1 Kings 12:25-33). Before long this has ended up in nationwide idolatry - encouraging the people to worship 2 golden calves and setting up his own religious feasts and rituals.

It's easy to look at Jereboam and recognise his stupidity, but we do exactly the same thing! Everything we have is a gift from God. Your spouse, your house and your salvation are all gracious gifts from him. When we forget that, we start to worry about losing those things and hatching our own plans to control and keep them. Before long, we are worshiping and sacrificing at the golden calves of approval, finances or our own moral performance. Don't be stupid! God gave you the gift in the first place, worship the giver, not the gift.

video - seeker group

2011-11-08T17:00:00.000Z

Stories of Renewal: David and Phil from Redeemer Video on Vimeo.

exalting yourself

2011-11-07T17:00:00.000Z

"You demonstrate the sin of pride whenever you put yourself before others. Your pride bubbles to the surface when you balk at the inconveniences of life. How dare something rebel against the egocentric universe your rule over? Pride lies behind every sin, for in the moment you choose it, you deny God and exalt yourself...

... Life, breath, and all of God’s provisions for your life are acts of his kindness and are truly wonderful, and yet they all seem to disappear when the small inconveniences of life appear."

Joe Thorn, Note to Self

it was absolutely terrible...

2011-11-04T17:00:00.000Z

"There were people in the choir who, when I would stand up to preach, would get up and walk out. People would sit in the front row and just stare me down as I preached. It was extremely uncomfortable. People would grab me in the hallway between services and say, "You're ruining this church, and I'm going to do everything I can to stop you." I would come out to my car and it would be keyed. Some people would stop at nothing to intimidate.They put petitions on car windows during the worship service. They started an anonymous blog, which was very painful. Here we were trying to build consensus and there's this anonymous blog fueling rumors and lies. The blog almost ruined my wife's life. Anonymous letters were sent out to the entire congregation with accusations and character assassinations. It was absolutely terrible...

I opened up my Bible. In the reading plan I was following, it so happened that the day's passages included the first chapter of Colossians. As I read those verses, my eyes were opened. My true situation came into focus. I'd never realized how dependent I'd become on human approval and acceptance until so much of it was taken away in the roiling controversy at Coral Ridge.

In every church I'd been a part of, I was widely accepted and approved and appreciated. I'd always felt loved in church. Now, for the first time, I found myself in the uncomfortable position of being deeply disliked and distrusted, and by more than a few people. Now I realized just how much I'd been relying on something other than the approval and acceptance and love that were already mine in Jesus.

I was realizing in a fresh way the now-power of the gospel—that the gospel doesn't simply rescue us from the past and rescue us for the future; it also rescues us in the present from being enslaved to things like fear, insecurity, anger, self-reliance, bitterness, entitlement, and insignificance. Through my pain, I was being convinced all over again that the power of the gospel is just as necessary and relevant after you become a Christian as it is before."

Tullian Tchividjian, Interview in Leadership Journal

video - God's mercy in my misery

2011-11-03T17:00:00.000Z

Jesus + Nothing = Everything: Chapter 1 from Crossway on Vimeo.

Substitute

2011-11-02T17:00:00.000Z

sub·sti·tute:
    a person or thing acting or serving in place of another.
    to put (a person or thing) in the place of another.

The heart of the message of the cross is substitution. Jesus took our place. This is reinforced again and again in Isaiah 53:

    v4 surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows
    v5 he was wounded for our transgressions
    v5 he was crushed for our iniquities
    v5 upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace
    v5 with his stripes we are healed
    v6 the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all
    v8 he was cut off out of the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people
    v11 he shall bear their iniquities
    v12 he bore the sin of many

"The concept of substitution may be said, then, to lie at the heart of both sin and salvation. For the essence of sin is man substituting himself for God, while the essence of salvation is God substituting himself for man. Man asserts himself against God and mputs himself where only God deserves to be; God sacrifices himself for man and puts himself where only man deserves to be. Man claims prerogatives which belong to God alone; God accepts penalties which belong to man alone." John Stott, The Cross of Christ

video - stories of renewal

2011-11-01T17:00:00.000Z

Stories of Renewal: Chrissie Zepf from Redeemer Video on Vimeo.

ordinary mission

2011-10-31T17:00:00.000Z

"Jesus didn’t run projects, establish ministries, create programs, or put on events. He ate meals. If you routinely share meals and you have a passion for Jesus, then you’ll be doing mission. It’s not that meals save people. People are saved through the gospel message. But meals will create natural opportunities to share that message in a context that resonates powerfully with what you’re saying...

..Meals bring mission into the ordinary. But that’s where most people are—living in the ordinary. That’s where we need to go to reach them. We too readily think of mission as extraordinary."

Tim Chester, A meal with Jesus

gospel community is couter-cultural

2011-10-28T17:00:00.000+01:00

"...belonging to a gospel community is counter-cultural. It doesn’t come naturally, because:
We are sinners. We like to put ourselves first, to do what is easiest and most comfortable for us.
We are individualists. We tend to see ourselves as having a “me-and-God” relationship, not an “us-and-God” one.
We are consumerists. We are a “cinema generation”—turn up, be served, go home.
We are home-owners, not home-sharers. Our houses are where we shut the door on the rest of the world, not places we share with the rest of the church...
... gospel community needs intentional building—requires leading, modelling, scaffolding. We can do church in a way that encourages and supports being together, sharing together, praising and witnessing together—being true community—or we can do church in a way which actually reinforces our natural individualistic consumerist tendencies...

... Gospel teaching in gospel community is where we’ll see gospel growth. It’s worth being as intentional about planning and building community as we are about planning and preparing our teaching."

Carl Laferton, Community: the place for gospel teaching

video - the church is not

2011-10-27T17:00:00.000+01:00

The Church Is Not from Young Believer's Broadcast on Vimeo.

silent suffering

2011-10-26T17:00:00.000+01:00

Isaiah 53:7

He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth.

Jesus could have spoken up in his own defense at his trial, as the accusations against him were false and conflicting. Jesus could have spoken a single word and destroyed his opponents, called down armies of angels or brought himself down from the cross. Think about how outraged we feel when we have false accusations made against us. Even though none of them will come anywhere close to this situation, we are desperate to defend ourselves, to set the record straight. Jesus didn't. He remained silent. He chose the cross.

In Acts 8, the Ehtiopian eunuch is reading this passage from Isaiah and doesn't understand it. Phillip, starting from these verses, "told him the good news about Jesus." (Acts 8:35). Phillip probably said something similar to Peter's reflections on the same theme in 1 Peter 2:22-25

He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. 23When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly. 24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. 25 For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.

video - grace comes to you

2011-10-25T17:00:00.000+01:00

B&W: Judah Smith from Young Believer's Broadcast on Vimeo.

are you useful?

2011-10-24T17:00:00.000+01:00

"You have to take the initiative to move toward the people God has put into your life and the people God has sent you to. Most will not come to your church’s worship gathering, most will not seek out your advice, and most will not strike up a conversation with you. You will have to go to them."

"Your usefulness in the lives of others is not dependent on your intellectual or creative abilities, though God will use your talents whatever they are. Your usefulness to God and his people is connected with your dependence on God and his Word and your love for his people."

Joe Thorn, Note to Self

a good law doesn't make people good

2011-10-21T17:00:00.000+01:00

"The letter of the law did nothing to make people love the spirit of the law. It just brought about grudging compliance and tragically comic workarounds that exploited loopholes. A good law doesn’t make people good...
Paul insists that God’s law-revelation has a fundamental problem. It’s not that the law is bad; actually, the law is great. But the problem is that the law won’t change the heart. God’s good law doesn’t make God’s people good. In fact, as Paul goes on to show in Romans 3, the law does something else entirely. In the end, the law makes our sin and hypocrisy crystal clear. It silences every mouth, and holds us accountable to God (Rom 3:19-20). The law doesn’t save us. Instead, it shows up our failure, and points to something greater: the forgiveness and transformation that we find in Jesus Christ, through the word of the gospel and the Spirit of God."

Lionel Windsor - Pet food, pornography and the law (read the full article here)

video - psalm 23

2011-10-20T17:00:00.000+01:00

Psalm 23 from Grace Covenant Church on Vimeo.

violence that brought peace

2011-10-19T17:00:00.000+01:00

Isaiah 53:5

But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed.

This verse makes it clear that we start off in a bad place before god. We have transgressed, rebelling against our creator, wanting to go our own way. We are also in iniquity. We are guilty. Everything we do is twisted and tainted by our selfish, sinful motives. We have not only failed God but also rejected him.

But, amazingly, by the end of this verse we are in a much better position. We have peace - completeness, contentment, restoration of our relationship with God. And we are healed - brought from death into life.

How did this dramatic turnaround happen? It happened because Jesus was wounded, dying a brutal death in our place. It happened because Jesus was crushed and broken so that we could be restored. It happened because Jesus was chastised, taking the wrath that our rebellion deserved.

That is God's great love for us. He suffered violence so that we can have peace. He died so that we can have eternal life.

video: shai linne - Jesus is alive

2011-10-18T17:00:00.000+01:00

grace or karma?

2011-10-17T17:00:00.000+01:00

"Ask yourself, “Am I known as a person of grace or a person of karma? Do people see in me the principle of ‘you get what you deserve,’ or ‘what goes around comes around’?” If this is true of you, then people won’t see Christ in you but will get a good dose of false religion."

Joe Thorn, Note to Self

sin is the problem

2011-10-14T17:00:00.000+01:00

"Sin is in every human heart. It is the villain with a thousand faces. It’s the man who gets a woman pregnant and leaves town. It’s also the reputable family man who cuts down his wife and ignores his kids. It’s the mean-spirited woman who talks bad about everyone, but it’s also the sweet lady who never says an unkind word but harbors all kind of resentment and grudges. It’s the kid who swears at his parents and blows off everyone who tries to help. It’s also the kid who gets straight A’s, keeps curfew, and smiles at church, but is one enormous bundle of pride and self-righteousness...

Sin is preaching and serving and being a good Christian because others will notice and think well of us for it. Sin is talking about other people’s faults more than praying for them. Sin is refusing to give one inch of mercy to those who hurt us, even when we have been given miles of mercy in Jesus. Sin is loving people to be liked by them and helping people so we can be applauded by them. Sin is the laziness that we call a short attention span, the fear of man that we call anxiety, and the ignoring of God that we call busyness...

The Bible says sin is the problem in the world. We are rebellious traitors disloyal to our King. We are ungrateful creatures thumbing our noses at the Creator. We are foolish lovers going after other people and things that don’t satisfy. We have polluted hearts that like what is bad and don’t like what is good, corrupted hearts that seek the glory of self instead of God. Sin is the besetting sin of us all.
Except for Jesus of course. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. For sin may have a thousand faces, but salvation has only one."

Kevin DeYoung, The Villain with a thousand faces (read the full thing here)

video - praise the Lord

2011-10-13T17:00:00.000+01:00

we don't get what we deserve

2011-10-12T17:00:00.000+01:00

Isaiah 53:4

Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God and afflicted.

Often we can look at others and we want God to judge them, we want them to get what we think they deserve for their sin. We want to see God teaching them a lesson. No doubt the majority of the crowd at Jesus crucifixion were doing the same thing with Jesus. They judged that he was being punished by God for what he had said and taught. If that wasn't the case, if Jesus didn't deserve it, if he hadn't done anything wrong then why wouldn't God have protected him from this brutal death?

The reality is that Jesus didn't deserve the cross but he chose it, protecting us from the death we do deserve.

video - buzzin

2011-10-11T17:00:00.000+01:00

Jesus is sitting down

2011-10-10T17:00:00.000+01:00

"The fact that Jesus is sitting means that his work of redemption is finished... because of Jesus’ one sacrifice we have been perfected for all time. “But don’t I still sin, and don’t I need to change?” Yes! But in God’s sight, because of Jesus’ one sacrifice, you are ‘complete’—not lacking anything. In terms of your relationship with him you are perfect. There is nothing more that needs to be done to reconcile you to God. Nothing more that needs to be done to pay for your sin. Nothing more that needs to be done to deal with his wrath. As Christians we need to continually remind ourselves of the cross, but we also need to remind ourselves of Jesus sitting at the right hand of God, because that reminds us that his death on the cross was effective and that we are now perfect in God’s sight."

Peter Orr, What is Jesus doing now (read the full thing here)

you're not the hero

2011-10-07T17:00:00.000+01:00

"The story for every Christian is, “I failed. He’s faithful.” Whenever we tell the story of God’s involvement and investment in our life, the plot line has to be: “I failed. Jesus didn’t.”...

You’re not the hero of your life. I’m not the hero of my life. We’re the villains. Jesus is the hero...

The reality is that we’re all failures and have horrible and bad things in our past. The good news is that—while we can and should face justice and the consequences of our actions in this life—we’re not too far out of the reach of God’s great and saving grace. No one is."

Mark Driscoll, We're the villain, Jesus is the hero (read the full thing here)

video - psalm one

2011-10-06T17:00:00.000+01:00

Psalm One from Grace Covenant Church on Vimeo.

begin again

2011-10-05T17:00:00.000+01:00

"“Rediscovering” the Gospel has given me a joy in God I never experienced in all my years of fervent religion. Now I sense, almost daily, a love for God replacing my love for myself. The jealously that once consumed my heart is being replaced by a desire to see others prosper. I feel selfishness giving way to tenderness and generosity. My cravings for the lusts of the flesh are being replaced by a craving for righteousness, and my self-centered dreams are being replaced by God-glorifying ambitions. A power is surging in me that is changing me and pushing me out into the world to leverage my life for the Kingdom of God.

Growth in Christ is the process of going deeper into the gospel, not in going beyond the gospel. As Martin Luther loved to say, “To progress is always to begin again.” The gospel is able to do produce in our hearts what religion never could: a desire for God. Those who crave righteousness will act righteously; those who love God will keep his commandments. This is the revolutionary power of the gospel: we do what we ought for God as we are captivated by the news of what he has done for us."

JD Greear, How the gospel does what religion cannot (read the full thing here)

video - misunderstanding the gospel

2011-10-04T17:00:00.000+01:00

the goal of marriage

2011-10-03T17:00:00.000+01:00

"the goal of marriage is greater than marriage. The goal of marriage, from God’s perspective, is not that you would reach some mutually agreed-upon plateau of romantic and interpersonal happiness. No, God’s goals are much wider and more beautiful than that. God’s goal is that your marriage would be a major tool in his wise and loving hands to rescue you from claustrophobic self-worship and form you into a person who lives for nothing smaller than his kingdom, his righteousness, and his glory"

Paul Tripp, What did you expect?

worship is...

2011-09-30T17:00:00.001+01:00

"Worship is humble and glad; worship forgets itself in remembering God; worship celebrates the truth as God's truth, not its own. True worship doesn't put on a show or make a fuss; true worship isn't forced, isn't half-hearted, doesn't keep looking at its watch, doesn't worry what the person in the next pew may be doing. True worship is open to God, adoring God, waiting for God, trusting God even in the dark."

NT Wright, via Jared Wilson

sing

2011-09-30T17:00:00.000+01:00

"People sing about the things that capture their hearts and things that give them joy. People sing of heroes, victory, longing, and hope. People even sing as a way to express their sorrow. Does anyone have more reasons to sing than you? As a sinner who has been forgiven, a slave who has been freed, a blind man who has received sight, a spiritual cripple who has been healed—all by the gospel—you have real reasons to be known as a person of song!"

Joe Thorn, Note to Self

video: Lecrae - I Am Second

2011-09-29T17:00:00.000+01:00

I am what I am

2011-09-28T17:00:00.000+01:00

1 Corinthians 15:9-10

For I am the least of all the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace towards me was not in vain.

"I am what I am" is a popular phrase used to excuse almost anything. Yes, I know I gossip/treat my spouse badly/react angrily to criticism/don't pray/don't read my bible/don't go to church if something better comes up... but that's just me, I am what I am! Paul tells the Corinthian church that "by the grace of God I am what I am". Is this justification for our self justification? God is gracious so who cares that I'm not?

That is the opposite of Paul's meaning. He is astounded by God's grace that has taken him from persecuting the church and, as unworthy as he is, has made him an apostle. God's grace transformed Paul from someone trying to kill off the church to someone who would spend the rest of his life planting churches! Paul's cry of "I am what I am" is "can you believe God is so gracious that I am what I am?" not "don't expect me to change".

God's grace towards Paul was not in vain. What about us? It changed him. Is it changing us?

video: Jesus + Nothing = Everything

2011-09-27T17:00:00.000+01:00

Jesus + Nothing = Everything: Intro from Crossway on Vimeo.

today's pharisees

2011-09-26T17:00:00.000+01:00

"Today’s Pharisees might condemn the poor for their excessive drinking, but lift not one finger to ease their pain. Today’s Pharisees might condemn the poor for their laziness, but lift not one finger to provide employment. Today’s Pharisees might condemn the poor for their abortions, but lift not one finger to adopt unwanted children. I’m not defending dysfunctional families, drunkenness, and so on. But we can’t condemn these things at a distance. That’s legalism. We must come alongside, proclaiming and demonstrating the transforming grace of God...
... those who avoid the contamination of sinners are like the Pharisees. Those who earn the label “friend of sinners” are like their Savior"

Tim Chester, A meal with Jesus

How to be missional at work

2011-09-23T17:00:00.000+01:00

Josh Reeves posted 30 ways to be missional in the workplace, including:

Instead of eating lunch alone, intentionally eat with other co-workers and learn their story
Bring breakfast once a month for everyone in your department.
Make every effort to avoid gossip in the office. Be a voice of thanksgiving not complaining.
Start a regular lunch out with co-workers (don’t be selective on the invites).
Ask someone who others typically ignore if you can grab them a soda/coffee while you’re out.
Be the first person to greet and welcome new people.
Make every effort to know the names of co-workers and clients along with their families.
Go out of your way to talk to your janitors and cleaning people who most people overlook.

read the full article here

video - change me

2011-09-22T17:00:00.000+01:00

Lord Change Me from Harvest Bible Chapel on Vimeo.

... in accordance with the scriptures

2011-09-20T17:00:00.003+01:00

1 Corinthians 15:3-4

For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures.

The gospel, the good news about who Jesus is and what he has done, is in accordance with the scriptures. It is not God's plan B, it is not a change of attitude or approach from the Old Testament. From the moment after Adam and Eve sin and God prophesies about the one who will crush the serpent's head to the cry of "worthy is the Lamb who was slain" in Revelation, the gospel is the storyline of the Bible.
If we are not rooted in the biblical understanding of the gospel we are prone to let other things become central. We can't operate on the basis of "it seems to me..." or "surely God wouldn't...".

Jesus death and resurrection on our behalf happened in accordance with the scriptures and that is where we need to look to understand their implications.

video - Matt Chandler: of first importance

2011-09-20T17:00:00.000+01:00

disciple making

2011-09-19T17:00:00.000+01:00

"Disciple-making... refers to a massive range of relationships and conversations and activities - everything from preaching a sermon to teaching a sunday school class; from chatting over the proverbial back fence with a non-Christian neighbour to writing an encouraging note to a Christian friend; from inviting a family member to hear the gospel at a church event to meeting one to one to study the Bible with a fellow Christian; from reading the Bible to your children to making a Christian comment over morning tea at the office"

Colin Marshall & Tony Payne, The Trellis and the Vine

free to lose

2011-09-16T17:00:00.000+01:00

"Because of the gospel, we have nothing to prove or protect. We can stop pretending. We can take off our masks and be real. The gospel frees us from trying to impress people, appease people, measure up for people, or prove ourselves to people. The gospel frees us from the burden of trying to control what other people think about us. It frees us from the miserable, unquenchable pursuit to make something of ourselves by using others...

The gospel frees us from the urge to self-gain, to push ourselves forward for our own purposes and agenda and self-esteem. When you understand that your significance, security, and identity are all anchored in Christ, you don’t have to win—you’re free to lose. And nothing in this broken world can beat a person who isn’t afraid to lose! You’ll be free to say crazy, risky, counter-intuitive stuff like, “To live is Christ and to die is gain”!"

Tullian Tchividjian, It's okay to not be okay (read the full thing here)

Video: Francis Chan on unanswered prayer

2011-09-15T17:00:00.000+01:00