Defined by the Cross

Here's  a needed piece of good counsel - Define yourself by what Jesus did on the cross, not what you do on Sunday.

"Though we all know this is true, we often struggle to believe it when it counts. To see change happen, we must do what it takes to write this gospel truth on our hearts, so that it is ready when we need it most. As we grow in our ability to use the gospel in daily life, we will be better equipped to fight the enemy’s lies."

The context was a discussion of preachers who evaluate their ministry success by attendance numbers, but the advice is good for any of us.  Our self definition and identity must be sourced in Him and His actions, not our own actions (good or bad). 

This is a freeing thought!

From:  Justification by Attendance « Church Planting for the Rest of Us:

Tripp on Grace

Quotes From Paul Tripp on the Grace of God:

The unrelenting power of transforming grace is greater than the unyielding idolatry of your wondering heart.

Jesus did for you what you couldn’t do, so that you could give to him what you couldn’t give apart from his grace-your whole heart.

Face it, you and I don’t need to be tweaked, you tweak a poorly written sentence, you and I need to be radically rebuilt by grace.

Grace frees you from the weight of the law, not so you would despise the law, but so you would use the resources of grace to keep it.

Grace frees you to live horizontally what you’ve given vertically. While others hope to get, you can celebrate what you’ve been given.

Grace calls you to abandon your reliance on you because God knows that true righteousness only begins when you come to the end of yourself.

Grace: No love greater, no forgiveness more complete, no hope more secure, no peace more permanent than are found in Jesus.

Grace tells you all the things about you that you don’t want to face, while assuring you that they have all been covered by the cross.

Grace doesn’t excuse your sin, rather it pays the price for what is inexcusable.

Grace means you don’t have to hide what’s already been forgiven, or fear what’s already been defeated, or earn what’s already been given.

From Timmy Brister's Paul Tripp on Twitter on Grace

Multiple Site Churches: Yea or Nay?

To Multi-Site, or not to multi-site? That is the question!

Here's a discussion on that topic by Mark Driscoll, James MacDonald (pro) and Mark Dever (con) - Multiple Sites: Yea or Nay? – The Gospel Coalition Blog

Multiple Sites: Yea or Nay? Dever, Driscoll, and MacDonald Vote from Ben Peays on Vimeo.

Mark Driscoll and James MacDonald have employed a multiple-site strategy at their growing churches. Mark Dever holds only one service at Capitol Hill Baptist Church. How do these three pastors justify their contrasting positions biblically? Watch Driscoll and MacDonald seek to convince Dever to go multisite as he asks them pointed questions about the wisdom of their churches’ approach.

More resources on the Mult-Site decision from the Gospel Coalition.
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Seek Not to Be Attractive

"A Church that seeks to be particularly attractive is already on the wrong path, because the Church does not work for her own ends, she does not work to increase numbers and thus power. The Church is at the service of another … she serves to make the proclamation of Jesus Christ accessible." – Pope Benedict XVI

Hat tip: The Boar's Head Tavern