Jaming on Prayer

In Process

"Discipleship is the process of becoming a genuine follower of Jesus Christ. We don't complete the process this side of eternity, but it is a continual learning of who Jesus is and striving to be like Him. Discipleship combines teaching, studying, circumstances of life and Holy Spirit revelation to transform us into His image."

               - Ron Edmondston @ Church Planter Weekly

Remember Two Things

“My memory is nearly gone, but I remember two things: That I am a great sinner and that Christ is a great Savior.”

— John Newton, quoted by Jonathan Aitken in John Newton: From Disgrace to Amazing Grace  (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 2007), 347

HT: Of First Importance

Worth a Look

Some links worth a look:

Why Doesn't God Always Heal the Sick? - Sam Storms

Warning About Fake Facebook Pages Asking for Money

Is God's Presence Limited to Scripture? - Rachel Held Evans

Church Should be a Taboo Free Zone

Idols Beneath it All

From a sermon by Tim Keller entitled “A World Full of Idols” (March 29, 1998) referencing Acts 17:16 -  "Now while Paul was waiting for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him as he saw that the city was full of idols. "

What did he see? He saw idols under everything.

You say, “Of course he saw idols.” He was distressed because he saw idols. Go to Athens today, you’ll see idols everywhere. There’s Aphrodite, the goddess of beauty. There’s Ares, the god of power and war. There’s Apollo, the god of music and art. There’s Bacchus, the god of fraternities. You can go to all of these and say, “Of course, they were out there. They were statues. Everybody can see them.”

But that’s not what the word “see” means. The text could easily have used a simple Greek word for “see,” blepo [βλέπω] or something for “just take a look.” But the word Luke uses to describe what Paul was doing there is the word theoreo [θεωρέω], the word “to theorize” or “to get underneath.” This is the key to working out how to be a Christian in the public world.

Paul saw that underneath all the art, underneath all the business, underneath all the government, underneath all the philosophy, were idols. The real problem with the world is not the bad things, but the good things that have become the best things. He saw what we should see, and this is how it changes the way we do things, that under every personality are idols, under all psychological problems are idols, under every culture are idols, under all moral problems are idols, under all social problems are idols, under all intellectual problems are idols. …

Rather, you have to say, “Jesus Christ is my glory, is my beauty, is my goodness, is my righteousness, is my love, is my meaning.” Then what happens? You’re going to do things differently than other artists. You’re going to dance differently than other dancers. You’re going to do business differently than other businessmen and women.

Hat Tip: Tony Reinke 

The Real Monsters

Though St. John saw many strange monsters in Revelation, he saw no creature so wild as one of his own commentators.

- GK Chesterton

Jaming the Gospel

A 4 minute "sermon jam" from Matt Chandler on "what is the gospel."  Good stuff!

Home Renovation

One of my favorite C.S. Lewis quotes:

“Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you understand what He is doing. He is getting the drains right, and stopping the leaks in the roof, and so on: you knew that those jobs needed doing and you are not surprised. But presently He starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably, and does not seem to make sense. What on earth is He up to? The explanation is that He is building quite a different house from the one you thought of — throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards. You thought you were going to be made into a decent little cottage: but He is building a palace. He intends to come and live in it Himself.”

— C. S. Lewis  Mere Christianity(London: William Collins, 1970), 172

HT: Of First Importance

Saying Amen

I can only say Amen to these words from Kevin DeYoung:

"The word amen is not Christianese for “prayer over.” It means something much more beautiful and significant.

I had a friend in college who thought because of our freedom in Christ we shouldn’t say “amen” to conclude our prayers.  So he started ending his prayers with “groovy” (you would have thought I was in college in the 1970s). He thought it was pretty cool, a little bit of needed rebellion against tired old Christian cliches. But amen is not the same as groovy.  Amen means “let it be, “so be it,” “verily,” “truly.”  When you finish your prayer with “Amen” you are saying, “Yes Lord, let it be so. According to your will, may it be.” It’s a final note of confirmation at the end of our prayers.

More than that, the Heidelberg Catechism reminds us that “amen” is also an expression of confidence. “Amen” means “This is sure to be!” It reminds me of this good news: “It is even more sure that God listens to my prayer, than that I really desire what I pray for” (Question and Answer 129). God is gracious to hear our prayers much better than we pray them. “Amen” bears witness to our desire for God’s purposes to be done and to God’s promise that they will. Your style may be groovy, but your prayers deserve an “amen.”"

The Dark Side of Mother's Day

In churches all over America tomorrow morning, a moment will be taken to honor all the mothers in the congregation. That is certainly a good thing, something to be encouraged. However, pastors and church leaders, let's also remember and publicly acknowledge the darker side of Mother's Day.

1. Some people in your audience tomorrow will be mourning the loss of their mothers, and in some cases the loss may be fresh, raw and extremely painful. We need to acknowledge the pain of those who may be in mourning.

2. There may be some in your congregation who did not have good mothers. Due to alcoholism or drug addiction, or their own history of abuse, some women aren't good mothers, and in turn hurt, neglect and abuse their own children. We need to acknowledge the pain of those present in church tomorrow who hurt from abuse, neglect or abandonment from their mothers. They need to be helped to walk through grief, anger and forgiveness.

3. It is possible that there are women in your audience who are suffering from infertility; desperately wishing to be mothers but unable to conceive. Mothers Day can be painful for them, and for their husbands. Don't forget them tomorrow. A public compassionate word of encouragement and support may mean all the world to them.

Let's all praise and honor our mothers, and the mothers of our children. But let's not forget those who hurt on Mother's Day.

See also: When Mother's Day is Hard