The Shambles

Questions - Grow in Grace and Knowledge

2009-02-18T10:01:00.005-05:00

This was a good article by John Frame. Take a look here. It was convicting.

Pics From Last Term

2009-01-13T15:53:00.004-05:00

Here are some pictures from the College Age Retreat and Drexel University during this past term. It was fun, God was good, and looking forward to this semester (trimester for Drexel). Thanks to Rachel for taking the College Age retreat pics and to whomever took that picture from Drexel.

the challenge

2009-01-13T08:25:00.002-05:00

This year, I have decided to take up a challenge. similar to the systematic challenge, but on a broader scale (and perhaps more manageable).

Over winter break, I was able to sit down and pick up a book to read. (This is something I have not done in a long time.)

Afterwards, I realized how much I had actually enjoyed that time! and missed reading books. Real, physical, have-to-turn-the-page books.

As a result, this year I intend to read 52 books. One per week. Starting January 4.

So far, I've read The Pursuit of God by A.W. Tozer - so I'm on schedule.

I think we should look to be reading a lot more. It's a good usage of time - and plus there are tons of good books out there.

Blogs do not compare.

By far.

1

2008-11-11T14:33:00.003-05:00

Thoughts on the Election

2008-11-05T17:08:00.002-05:00

We must pray that God would change President-Elect Obama's mind and heart on issues of our crucial concern. May God change his heart and open his eyes to see abortion as the murder of the innocent unborn, to see marriage as an institution to be defended, and to see a host of issues in a new light. We must pray this from this day until the day he leaves office. God is sovereign, after all.

Read the whole of Al Mohler's article here.

Devotions

2008-10-04T10:52:00.002-04:00

M'cheyne's bible in a year reading plan is very helpful and will serve you. This website follows that plan and automatically pulls up the verses each day, so that you don't even have to look them up. Easy enough.

Just click here.

Commentary

2008-09-26T16:13:00.004-04:00

This current crisis should also remind Christians that we are not called to be mere economic actors, but stewards. Everything we are, everything we do, and everything we own truly belongs to God and is to be at the disposal of Kingdom purposes. This world is not our home and our treasure is not found here. We are to do all, invest all, own all, purchase all to the glory of God.

Al Mohler has an excellent commentary on the current state of affairs. It's definitely worth reading. Read the article here.

Don't be Ignorant

2008-09-25T22:28:00.003-04:00

I know that we are in college, but we need to keep abreast of what is going on in the economy. Even though the situation is grave, as believers, we should put our trust in God, not our economy. See this as a call to pray to our heavenly Father for the stability of our economy.

Dave Harvey at CCF

2008-09-23T22:49:00.001-04:00

Dave Harvey is speaking at CCF this Thursday. Be inviting people out.

The Gospel Primer

2008-09-23T13:46:00.002-04:00

When my flesh yearns for some prohibited thing, I must die. When called to do something I don't want to do, I must die. When I wish to be selfish and serve no one, I must die. When shattered by hardships that I despise, I must die. When wanting to cling to wrongs done against me, I must die. When enticed by allurements of the world, I must die. When wishing to keep besetting sins secret, I must die. When wants that are borderline needs are left unmet, I must die. When dreams that are good seem shoved aside, I must die.

- Milton Vincent

"4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. 5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."

Philippians 2:4-11

Suffering

2008-09-18T14:32:00.006-04:00

The problem of evil and suffering is a question for many. The Bible touches on this issue in multiple passages. We may not know the exact reason why God allows suffering and evil but there is one thing we can be sure of, God absolutely cares!!! He cares so much that he came down in the likeness of man and suffered to the point of death. Not till you get to the cross of Jesus Christ will you know how far God was willing to go to show us this. Christ on the cross assured us that God cared so much that he was willing to come down and suffer in our place. The issue of suffering and evil is a difficult question, but you can rest assured that God does not ignore suffering. Why did God allow evil and suffering? The answer can't be that he does not care. He came, he walked with us, he suffered, and he was abandoned. Just look at the cross, God cares.

Q&A with Shai Linne

2008-09-16T10:17:00.002-04:00

Check out Lyrical Theology, where Shai Linne is going to answer questions on his blog. So far, there are no questions in his comments section. I thought some of you may have some questions for him--so head on over to his blog.

The Gospel Primer

2008-09-16T10:00:00.002-04:00

God's gifts are all of grace, and there is nothing we can do to earn them. However, the wise believer will make sure he is positioning himself in the spot where God's gracious gifts are located. And the Scripture teaches that all such gifts are located inside the gospel. Hence, the Bible tells Christians to be continuously established and steadfast in the gospel and to refuse to be moved from there (Colossians 1:23).

- Milton Vincent

Obedience

2008-09-15T10:02:00.003-04:00

Jesus is emphatic that obedience to Him will flow out of our love for Him. What this does not mean is that we must obey Jesus so that He will love us. Rather, He has loved us by grace apart from anything we have done and as a result we trust Him, which is the essence of faith. It is because Jesus is perfectly good and loves us that we should logically obey Him if we claim to love Him, as evidence of our trust in Him. If we really believe that Jesus is wiser than us, holier than us, kinder than us, more loving than us, and is for us, then it is foolish to disobey Him.

Mark Driscoll writes more about obedience here.

Driscoll

2008-09-11T14:05:00.001-04:00

The Ultimate Amnesia

2008-09-10T11:06:00.002-04:00

There was one thing that was running around in my mind recently. It started as a nagging thought, but slowly turned itself into a convicting question.

Why is the most important thing in my life the same thing I so often forget?

I’m not referring to my cell phone charger. (Although yes I do forget it often.)

I’m talking about the Gospel – the simple fact that Christ died for my sins – and that such a death should transform my everyday life. That it should bring me joy in knowing God and in being set free from my slavery to sin. That I, as a child of God, am no longer seen as an object of wrath, but an object of love. And that he corrects me because he loves me.

I don’t usually see it in that light. There are many days where I kind of look up into the ceiling and say “Oh yeah, Jesus died for my sins.” Then I go back to doing whatever I want to do, paying attention only to the Things of Nathan. Nathan’s agenda. Nathan’s time. Nathan’s reputation. Nathan’s needs.

Milton Vincent, in his introduction to the book “The Gospel Primer”, writes,

God did not give us His gospel just so we could embrace it and be converted. Actually, He offers it to us every day as a gift that keeps on giving to us everything we need for life and godliness.

If such truth is so important, why don’t I remember it? Why don’t I dwell on it?
Since this question has come up in my mind (and that only through the grace of God), I’ve become more aware of several means of grace that can help me to grow in just remembering.

1. Memorizing scripture (especially passages that give an overview of Gospel truth)
2. A Gospel Primer by Milton Vincent – Short book. FULL of the good stuff ☺
3. Asking somebody to preach the Gospel to me

Guys, it’s so easy for us to throw around the words Gospel-centered and grace and cross and all those other phrases we can just pull out. But it’s seriously life-changing stuff! We need to keep discovering the many implications of the Gospel. And there are many.

Never forget it.

Why?

Because it is the most important thing.

________________________________________________________________

Many thanks to Nathan Lee for this post!

College Age Retreat

2008-09-08T10:18:00.001-04:00

Announcements

2008-09-05T12:57:00.002-04:00

Come out to this. It's open to all College Students. Bring your own food and hang out.

Image from: http://farm1.static.flickr.com/199/488778276_30f61a838e.jpg?v=0

Bible Memorization - Ephesians

2008-09-05T09:43:00.003-04:00

If you are interested, some of us will be working on memorizing the following verses. You are welcome to join in.

Some tips.

1. Memorize a verse a day. No more, no less. Begin here.
2. Repeat the verse(s) you memorize the following day as you memorize a new verse.
3. Be loud. Don't just read. Read it ten times aloud, then recite it aloud10 times.
4. Thank God that you have his word to memorize. It's an amazing gift.

If you have any other suggestions feel free to comment. I'm sure there are many other good strategies.

1Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To the saints who are in Ephesus, and are faithful in Christ Jesus:
2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, 4 even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love 5 he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, 6 to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. 7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, 8which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight 9 making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ 10as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.
11In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, 12so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. 13In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, 14who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.
15For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, 16I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, 17that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, 18 having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, 19and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might 20that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. 22And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.

This is the word of the LORD.

Defeater Beliefs

2008-09-02T15:24:00.002-04:00

Our purpose with these defeaters or doubts is not to ‘answer’ them or ‘refute’ them but to deconstruct them. That is, to “show that they are not as solid or as natural as they first appear” (Kevin Vanhoozer). It is important to show that all doubts and objections to Christianity are really alternate beliefs and faith-acts about the world. (If you say, “I just can’t believe that there is only one true religion”—that is a faith-act. You can’t prove that.) And when you see your doubts are really beliefs, and when you require the same amount of evidence for them that you are asking of Christian beliefs, then it becomes evident that many of them are very weak and largely adopted because of cultural pressure.

Recently, I’ve been listening to several messages by Tim Keller on evangelism, and this morning, read an article called Deconstructing Defeater Beliefs: Leading the Secular to Christ. Tim Keller explains a defeater belief as the following: “Belief-A that, if true, means Belief-B can’t be true.” As an example, a defeater belief may go something like this: because Christianity is exclusive, it cannot be true. When many defeater beliefs are widely held, there is a “cultural implausibility-structure.”

Tim Keller argues that in order to overcome this implausibility structure, we must start with a compelling and appealing presentation of the gospel. But, additionally, we must deconstruct their faulty worldview. Having done so, we must return to the gospel and clearly show a need for the truth.

What I appreciate about Tim Keller is his awareness of cultural thought. Like Paul in Acts 17, we need to be aware of culture and offer them hope where their worldview fails. For example, our culture has a concern for unity in diversity—emphasis is placed upon acceptance. “Contemporary people ask: How can we get past exclusion and exclusivism? How can we live at peace in a pluralistic world? How can we share power rather than using power to dominate one another? How can we embrace the ‘Other’—the person of a sharply different viewpoint and culture?” What we, as Christians, must do, is respond with grace, but truth. Tim Keller does it this way. “Jonathan Edwards (again, a man ahead of his time) recognized that if your highest love and greatest is your nation, your family, your career, even your religious performance, then you will disdain other nations, families, classes of people, and other religions. If anything but God is our “highest good” (i.e. if we make anything an idol) then we have to demonize or at least exclude some part of creation. But if God is our ultimate good, then we are free to develop deep love for (what Edwards calls) “Being in general.”

Keller does an excellent job of explaining this in much greater detail here. Additionally, here are three sermons that communicate Keller’s heart in evangelism.

Quote

2008-08-29T09:33:00.002-04:00

I got this off Tim Challies' blog from one of his newest posts. It's from the book "The Religious Affections" by Jonathan Edwards. You can read the post here.

“A true saint, when in the enjoyment of true discoveries of the sweet glory of God and Christ, has his mind too much captivated and engaged by what he views without himself, to stand at that time to view himself, and his own attainments. It would be a diversion and loss which he could not bear, to take his eye off from the ravishing object of his contemplation, to survey his own experience, and to spend time in thinking with himself. What a high attainment this is, and what a good story I now have to tell others!”

New Theism

2008-08-25T23:42:00.004-04:00

We are not called upon to make God plausible to the modern mind or the postmodern age. The God of the Bible cannot be accommodated to the secularist assumptions of so many modern people. The "God of our friends" fits easily into this modern secular framework and is easily received by a postmodern culture. The God of our friends neither wills nor acts.

In other words, only "the God of our fathers" can save.

Al Mohler has an excellent article, reflecting on Mitchell Silver's book, A Plausible God. Read the whole article here. It's a good reminder that we are called to communicate the truth in its entirety. As Mark Dever once said, where God has been clear and certain, we cannot choose to be uncertain. I pray that as we head out onto the campus this fall, God will give us all grace to speak of Him boldly, compassionately, and humbly.

Naturalism

2008-08-24T23:19:00.005-04:00

I enjoyed reading this article. I found it in Justin Taylor's blog. If you want to understand the progression and some history on the rise of Naturalism then read ahead. It's pretty long but worth the time.

Birkett writes,

"The problem with an argument for God's existence based on the intricacy of the natural world is that it depends on the human's evaluation of how good the secondary cause are. If a human viewer decides that, actually, the secondary cause look pretty convincing on their own, then that person may well decide that there is no need for a first cause. The 'first cause' becomes not a cause at all, but an unnecessary speculation.

With William Paley, scientific theism was alive and well. It might seem that
God was firmly part of the understanding of the natural world. Paley's
argument, however, effectively restricted and reduced the role that the
creator was understood to have. What is a true statement of the Bible
(God has created a world in which parts work together ingeniously)
was turned around into an argument (we know God exists because we can
observe a world in which parts work together ingeniously)." Her later statement

which Birkett mentions paved the way for the naturalistic view point held today by many.

At the Clash we learned that God needs to be the foundation which you build the rest of your "house of knowledge". This articles helps to reaffirm this. We begin with God when trying to understand the world, not the other way around or else our foundation will crumble.

Click here to read the rest.

Thabiti and NA

2008-08-21T17:00:00.003-04:00

"We’re all theologians. We’re either good or bad, hungry or lazy, grudging or joyful, accurate or sloppy theologians. But we are theologians. And I hope Healthy Member encourages the average Christian to not be afraid of the word “theologian,” to embrace it as their new birthright, and to take some practical steps in deepening their knowledge of God. For it’s as we know God more deeply, that our daily lives are changed more radically."

Read the whole thing here.

Frozen in Grand Central

2008-08-19T22:26:00.001-04:00

This looks fun.

Awareness Test

2008-08-18T19:50:00.004-04:00

Fun test, check it out. Click here

Reflections from Don't Waste Your Life

2008-08-18T11:30:00.002-04:00

The normal Christian life is one that boasts only in the cross—the blazing center of God’s glory—and does it while bearing the cross. “Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:27). Bearing the cross is the means by which we are increasingly liberated to boast in the cross. Suffering is God’s design in this sin-soaked world (Romans 8:20). It portrays sin’s horror for the world to see. It punishes sin’s guilt for those who do not believe in Christ. It breaks sin’s power for those who take up their cross and follow Jesus. And because sin in the belittling of the all-satisfying glory of God, the suffering that breaks its power is a severe mercy. Whatever makes us more and more able to enjoy making much of God is mercy. For there is no greater joy than joy in the greatness of God. And if we must suffer to see this and savor it most deeply, then suffering is a mercy. And Christ’s call to take up our cross and join him on the Calvary road is love (Piper, 62).

Do you see suffering as mercy? Too often, I don’t. I pursue the hassle free, comfortable, and easy path. In John Piper’s words, I adopt the avoidance ethic. “One of the marks of this peacetime mind-set is what I call an avoidance ethic…In peacetime we tend to ask, What can I do to be more comfortable? To have more fun? To avoid trouble and, possibly, avoid sin? If we are going to pay the price and take the risks it will cost to make people glad in God, we move beyond the avoidance ethic. This way of life is utterly inadequate to waken people to the beauty of Christ. Avoiding fearful trouble and forbidden behaviors impresses almost no one. The avoidance ethic by itself is not Christ-commending or God-glorifying. There are many discipline unbelievers who avoid the same behaviors Christians do. Jesus calls us to something far more radical than that” (Piper, 118).

Jeff Purswell also spoke about this at the Clash. Living for Christ is not just about avoiding sin. It’s about devoting our lives for the cause of the Kingdom. It’s about boasting only in the cross. It’s about risking everything for Christ. It’s about suffering for God’s glory. It’s about glorifying God by enjoying Him forever.

A friend of mine recently told me of an encounter she had with a 70-year-old woman. After sharing her life story, which involved devoting much of her life to a Christian school overseas, this woman said the following: “I have no regrets.”

What does it mean to live a life that is not wasted? What does it look like to finish the race well and be as the 70-year-old who can say that she has no regrets? Really, what does it mean to say with Paul, to live is Christ and to die is gain?

“We waste our lives when we do not pray and think and dream and plan and work toward magnifying God in all spheres of life” (Piper, 32). As I step into another academic year, I want to be aware of what it looks like practically to take up my cross, to boast only in the cross, and to live for Christ in all areas of my life.

CLASH 08!

2008-08-11T14:43:00.003-04:00

During this past week, a few of us from Cov. Fellowship attended the Clash 08, a world view conference put on by Sovereign Grace Ministries. It included lectures from Dr. D.A. Carson, Dr. Iain Duguid, Jeff Purswell, and Nathan Sasser which laid a biblical foundation for reflections on philosophy, science, political theory, art, music, culture, vocation, apologetics, and more.

Getting to spend a week learning, thinking, and fellowshipping about God's word and the implications it has on us as Christians was well worth the time. Also, pastors were readily available to answer questions including the conference speakers. Here's a fun picture (that's Jeff Purswell in the middle).

Justifying Faith

2008-06-05T10:54:00.004-04:00

John Piper wrote this in his book Future Grace:

...the faith that justifies is a faith that also sanctifies. And the test of whether our faith is the kind of faith that justifies is whether it is the kind of faith that sanctifies...The main concern with this book is to show that the battle against sin is a battle against unbelief. Or: the fight for purity is a fight for faith in future grace. The great error that I am trying to explode is the error that says, "Faith in God is one thing and the fight for holiness is another thing. You get your justification by faith, and you get your sanctification by works. You start the Christian life in the power of the Spirit, you press on in the efforts of the flesh. The battle for obedience is optional because only faith is necessary for final salvation." Faith alone is necessary for justification, but the purity that confirms faith's reality is also necessary for final salvation.

rick

Good Music

2008-06-04T16:54:00.003-04:00

Shout out to Shai! This youtube video is an audio clip from the Way of the Master radio program. In it they break down some of Shai Linne's songs from his new album, The Atonement. Todd Friel sings nothing but praise of Shai's music and how it glorifies God through accurate solid theology. Let us rejoice with him as his music becomes more popular among Christians and hopefully others.

rick

Free Download

2008-06-03T01:37:00.002-04:00

Pretty neat: Pilgrim's Progress Audio Book
Just click to purchase the download version and upon checkout enter, JUN2008

I have always wanted to read this book, but haven't found the time yet. Maybe I'll take a 10.5 hour road trip and listen to it all.

(HT: Justin Taylor)

Masculinity and Desire

2008-06-02T11:44:00.004-04:00

This post probably has nothing to do with what you originally thought when you read the title. This post is actually about New Attitude and what I encountered on the trip. First is the topic of masculinity. I managed to grab this shot of an unnamed upcoming senior pastor at Covenant Fellowship while in the Philadelphia Airport. So this is some advice to guys. If you are going to serve your wife by taking her luggage for her at the airport, first check what she brought everything in. It's worth the investment to get your wife a bag that looks cool and not quite so girly.

The second topic of this post is on desire as it pertains to the word of God. During the fifth session of New Attitude 2008 Eric Simmons talked about why we diligently believe and study the scriptures. His first point was that we do this because they reveal Jesus Christ. At the end of that point he made this statement, "Perhaps I don't diligently study God's word because I love something else more." This may be a very simple and obvious statement but it's one the should demand our time in considering. If I do not diligently study God's word what is it that I love more, that demands my attention? And what do I need to do to change my priorities? This is a question I plan on spending some time asking myself and evaluating where I need change.

rick

Pursue Her

2008-05-16T17:00:00.000-04:00

I just read an outstanding article from Boundless Webzine writer Drew Dyke entitle Pursue Her and I thought it was worth sharing it with everyone. This article is mainly directed at men. Below is a taste of the article, I'd encourage all guys to read the whole thing.

This article isn't about fairytales. I bring them up only to highlight what I see as a growing problem in the church: young Christian men unable (or unwilling) to actively pursue a potential spouse. Rather than saddling up the proverbial stead, many guys seem to be languishing in the tower, waiting for their princesses to stumble upon them.

If that's you, then I have some no-nonsense advice — it's time to man-up and take the lead in the romance department. And don't hide behind the whole too-holy-for-love façade. When you meet "the one," pursuing her with all your heart is the most spiritual thing you can possibly do...

...God created you to be a pursuer. So next time God brings a godly woman into your life, don't sit around twiddling your thumbs. The love of your life could be passing you by!

Rick

Christ The Only Way

2008-05-16T13:50:00.001-04:00

Really great video by R.C. Sproul

(HT: NA Blog)

Second Saturday!

2008-05-06T15:30:00.002-04:00

It's that time of the month again. This Saturday, May 10th the church will be hosting our Second Saturday event. It's a great time to come out serve the community through acts of service, mercy and evangelism.

This month the college ministry is sponsoring the laundromat outreach. We'll take bags of quarters to local laundromats and paying for the users. This opens up great conversation and opportunities to share the gospel. It's one of my favorite outreaches.

So what do you have to do. Don't go to your local laundromat on saturday and hope we show up to pay. Rather meet at the church by 9:30 and lets go out together to serve the community and share the glorious love of Christ.

Rick

Vital Life

2008-05-02T10:32:00.003-04:00

Spring Vital Life classes are this Saturday from 9-12. They look like they will be outstanding so I wanted to highlight two of them.

Life's Bewildering Turns: How Do I Glorify God Now?
Bill Patton
When A Christian's journey takes an agonizing detour; when he finds himself hopelessly far from life's happy, expected path; when he wonders how he can possibly go on; where does he turn? Gleaning lesson from the lives of four Biblical characters, we will study how the gospel transforms u in the midst of life's bewildering turns. This class can serve you if you have experienced a bewildering turn, or if you anticipate a change in season of life in the near future.
Register Now

Get Wisdom! Understanding and Applying The Book of Proverbs
Andy Farmer
The book of Proverbs may be one of the most widely read but commonly misunderstood books in the Bible. Is life really as simple as Proverbs seems to make it appear? Why is it that one proverb can say one thing and another seems to say the opposite? Where's the gospel in Proverbs?This class will help you understand and appreciate the unique place this book has in God's holy word. It will help you get wisdom not only from proverbs, but get the Wisdom behind the book of Proverbs as well.

If you haven't signed up yet it's not too late, just sign up at the door for $5.

Rick

Free From Condemnation

2008-05-02T10:23:00.001-04:00

“Because of the gospel’s power, you can be completely free of all condemnation.

Not mostly free; completely free.

Don’t buy the lie that cultivating condemnation and wallowing in your shame is somehow pleasing to God, or that a constant, low-grade guilt will somehow promote holiness and spiritual maturity.

It’s just the opposite! God is glorified when we believe with all our hearts that those who trust in Christ can never be condemned. It’s only when we receive his free gift of grace and live in the good of total forgiveness that we’re able to turn from old, sinful ways of living and walk in grace-motivated obedience.”

- C.J. Mahaney, The Cross Centered Life, 39, 40

HT: firstimportance

The Gospel and Relationships

2008-04-23T23:49:00.000-04:00

Our very own Joseph Stigora and Erin Sutherland have written posts for the New Attitude blog recently on relationships, one article for girls and one for guys.

Enjoy,
Rick

CJ Mahaney Speaking

2008-04-23T10:28:00.002-04:00

CJ Mahaney will be coming to preach at Covenant Fellowship Church this Sunday, April 27th. CJ has a unique gift for communicating the gospel in a way that brings application to our lives. This is a great opportunity to invite a friend out to church.

rick

Portraits of Hope

2008-04-22T15:55:00.004-04:00

Spread the word. Portraits of Hope 2008 will be taking place this Friday.

Where: Covenant Fellowship Church
When: Friday, April 25 2008
Time: 7:00 PM

If you plan on attending be sure to visit the website and register so they know how much food to provide. Even if you don't have $1000 to spend on a photograph there will be smaller prints for sale that look outstanding as well. Be sure to come and tell others, especially your rich neighbors and relatives.

rick

Together for the Gospel

2008-04-22T15:41:00.004-04:00

Last week was the Together For The Gospel (T4G) 2008 conference. It was an amazing conference. I recommend that everyone listen to the messages given by RC Sproul, John Piper and CJ Mahaney. They're available for free if you follow the link. Also check out all the books we were given for free!

Rick

Second Saturday

2008-04-11T14:07:00.003-04:00

Second Saturdays are monthly mornings of outreach, packed with various community service, mercy, and evangelism opportunities. Show up and join in an outreach, or fill out an “Outreach Work Order” online to create an outreach of your own!

WHEN
The second Saturday morning of each month, rain or shine, year-round. Saturday 4/11/08.

HOURS
9:30 AM to 1:00 PM

WHERE
Meet in the church lobby

There’s also a free pizza lunch at 1:00 pm in the lobby.

Come out tomorrow and do some outreach and mercy at the church. See you tomorrow.

rick

Pray For Those Who Preach

2008-04-09T10:49:00.001-04:00

This is a great article about praying for our pastors.

Rick

(HT: JT)

Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed

2008-04-03T12:52:00.003-04:00

This looks like an interesting new movie coming out with Ben Stein. See the preview below.

Meditations

2008-04-01T10:26:00.003-04:00

I've been reading the book of Acts in my quiet time and this is one of the passages that I have been struck by lately.

...and when they had called in the apostles, they beat them and charged them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. Then they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name. And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they did not cease teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ. -Acts 5:40-42

Lately I've been noticing how I can easily find contentment in things of this world rather than Christ. God used this passage to point it out to me as I read how the apostles rejoiced that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name of Christ. Talk about making little of yourself and much of God.

Free Scripture Songs

2008-03-28T14:17:00.000-04:00

These are from Mark and Stephen Altrogge (Here).

rick

What Americans Call Sin

2008-03-27T16:37:00.000-04:00

This is a sad list. More people consider not saying anything if a cashier gives you too much change sin than they do having an abortion. Seeing numbers like this freshly reminds me of why we need to share the gospel with such a lost world...they need a savior.

WHAT AMERICANS CALL SIN

• Adultery: 81%

• Racism: 74%

• Using "hard" drugs, such as cocaine, LSD: 65%

• Not saying anything if a cashier gives you too much change: 63%

• Having an abortion: 56%

• Homosexual activity or sex: 52%

• Not reporting some income on your tax returns: 52%

• Reading or watching pornography: 50%

• Gossip: 47%

• Swearing: 46%

• Sex before marriage: 45%

• Homosexual thoughts: 44%

• Sexual thoughts about someone you are not married to: 43%

• Doing things as a consumer that harm the environment: 41%

• Smoking marijuana: 41%

• Getting drunk: 41%

• Gambling: 30%

• Not attending church or religious services regularly: 18%

• Drinking any alcohol: 14%

Source: Ellison Research, August 2007, based on 1,007 adults through a representative online panel ad adjusted to be demographically representative of the USA Margin of error: ±3.1 percentage points. (Full Article)

rick

Soccer Skills

2008-03-26T12:03:00.001-04:00

(HT: Stephen Altrogge)

I'm Back!

2008-03-26T12:02:00.001-04:00

So lately things have been slacking, ever since I got engaged and had to get ready for the college New Orleans trip. But now I'm back and ready to keep posting. First big news, the wedding date is set, July 12th! Now some updates about our NO trip.

It was a great experience, we all survived the 22 hour car ride in a 15 passenger van and had great opportunities to serve the Sovereign Grace Church there, Lakeview Christian Center. We did tons of yard work to clean up properties for people who called the church asking for help. Everyone was very grateful for the help we gave and it was amazing to see how simply serving the community in this way has opened opportunities for the church to share the gospel and connect with their neighbors. I've done community service before but I found this to be one of the most fruitful experiences I've ever had. Look for a slideshow of pictures that will on the side of this page soon.

Also this week a group of students from Drexel are down at a conference in Panama City Beach, FL. Please pray for them, here's how:

…for traveling safety (
…for boldness in sharing God's Word with others
…for an openness to what God has for us to learn and to the ways He wants us to grow
…for the Holy Spirit's work upon those we will encounter
…that those planning and leading the trip would be following God's heart for the trip
…that we would use the week to grow us in community and fellowship

Don't Waste Your Easter!

2008-03-18T09:24:00.006-04:00

In the spirit of John Piper's Don't Waste Your Life...

Easter is a great opportunity to invite our unbelieving friends out to church events like the Good Friday service or Easter Sunday. Though many of our friends do not go to church, many are willing to go on Easter (and Christmas...aka C & E'rs). Maybe they go out of obligation or tradition or for another reason - regardless, why not make the most out of this weird c&e'r phenomenon and invite them to Covenant. I challenge you all to invite at least one person to church this Friday and one to church this Sunday (or both to both)!

This is also a perfect (and probably the easiest) time to dialogue with our friends about spiritual things. To get into a spiritual conversation using Easter you could merely ask one of the following:

Do you celebrate Easter? Why? Why not?
What's the big deal about Easter anyway?
Do you believe that Jesus actually rose from the dead as Christians say he did?
Are you participating in lent? Why? Why not?
Do you like the easter bunny? (that's not a joke)

Take heart, the gospel is unstoppable!

1 Corinthians 2
1 And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. 2 For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. 3 And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, 4 and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, 5 that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.

Bulletproof Vest Evangelism (or not)

2008-03-18T09:14:00.001-04:00

Nathan Lee's story!

Biology vs.Spirituality: Fight for holiness

2008-03-13T10:45:00.002-04:00

Article: The Sad Tale Of Eliot Spitzer, and What it Tells Us (and What it Doesn't)

Excerpt...

We must have the Spirit, men, and we must strive for holiness, both personally and in the embrace of the local church.

(HT: Justin Taylor)

Are you trying to be something?

2008-03-10T09:34:00.001-04:00

I just listened to a sermon by Matt Chandler, lead pastor at the Village Church in Texas (a Acts 29 church), called Foot-Washing. It was essentially about Christian service for Jesus. One of his points was explaining how God loves service that's done in private. He contrasted public service with private service by contrasting his churches parking team and the preaching team. He said that no one will ever thank the parking team, but the preaching team will always get emails thanking them for their service. Then he said something really convicting to me:

We’ve got far too many people trying to become something and not enough people trying to become nothing.

Are we serving humbly, trying to count others as more significant than ourselves?

Matt then referenced Philippians 2:1-11

1 So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, 2 complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. 3 Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. 4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. 5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

CJ Mahaney

2008-03-07T19:36:00.002-05:00

Come out to Covenant Fellowship Church to hear special guest preacher and author, C.J. Mahaney. C.J. leads Sovereign Grace Ministries (sovgracemin.org). He also serves on the Council of the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals and the board of CBMW. Some of his books include Humility: True Greatness; Sex, Romance, and the Glory of God. He also contributed to Dear Timothy: Letters on Pastoral Ministry, and to two additional volumes in the Foundations for the Family Series (Crossway).

*First-time guests will get a free copy of CJ’s book, Living the Cross Centered Life.

rick

Piper on the Prosperity Gospel

2008-03-05T12:55:00.000-05:00

(HT: Justin Taylor)

Great Quote

2008-02-29T23:35:00.003-05:00

So Rick asked me to post on the blog today... I did, just not till later...

I have been reading through Stott's commentary on Romans and have found it to be immensely helpful in my study of that book. Notably, his insight into the general themes found in the book, topics that I can have trouble finding, have been particularly helpful.

I don't underline, highlight, or write in the margins of any books that I own. Until I ran across this passage in Stott's commentary. Here Stott is talking about Paul's use of the phrase "The righteousness of God" in Romans 1:16.

"It seems legitimate to affirm, therefore, that 'the righteousness of God' is God's righteous initiative in putting sinners right with himself, by bestowing on them a righteousness which is not their own but his. 'The righteousness of God' is God's just justification of the unjust, his righteous way of pronouncing the unrighteous righteous, in which he both demonstrates his righteousness and gives righteousness to us. He has done it through Christ, the righteous one, who died for the unrighteous, as Paul will explain later. And he does it by faith when we put our trust in him, and cry to him for mercy."

Be encouraged by this faithful proclamation of what the Gospel of Christ is, and means for us now.

Clogged Hard Drives

2008-02-29T13:49:00.001-05:00

D.A. Caron has a very insightful article on how we ought to do evangelism in our post-everything culture. Click here for the full article.

Dr. Carson essentially expounds how Paul evangelized to the Athenians in Acts 17:22-31.

excerpts:

Today we are dealing with a major worldview clash. People are not empty discs on which we seek to write new files of truth. Rather their hard drives are clogged with other files. There are some things they need to unlearn because the files they already have on their discs have so many bits that clash with the files (designed by Scripture) that we want to write on them. This communication process takes time and energy.

He goes on to say...

Paul at the Areopagus in Athens has established an entire frame of reference before he gets to Jesus. He has challenged the Greek worldview with his JudeoChristian worldview. If he had presented clichés like 'Jesus died for your sins' before he had established the appropriate frame of reference, people would necessarily have misunderstood what he was saying.

We too, today, in our biblically illiterate society need to establish this biblical framework. This might take five minutes, five hours or five years, but at some stage we have to do it.

The Mom Song!

2008-02-29T12:07:00.001-05:00

So apparently this has been floating around for a while but I just found it and this is a creative video. JMac, I think you'll like this. Enjoy!

Good Poetry

2008-02-27T10:37:00.001-05:00

This is a poem by Karsten Piper entitled Luke 18.25. I didn't understand it at first until I got to the last line, it brings it all together. Check it out.

rick

Big News!

2008-02-26T16:29:00.004-05:00

This Monday I took Traci to New York City which was part of her Christmas present. We got off of the train in Penn Station and started the day with lunch at Serendipity 3. Then we started walking all through the city checking out attractions and stores along the way. Eventually we ended up in Washington Square at 5PM only to find that the whole park was in a shambles, they were doing construction on the park. This foiled my plans so quickly thinking on my feet I recommended we hop on the subway and catch the sunset over Upper New York Bay from Battery Park. It was there that I told Traci I loved her and proposed. She said yes! Below is a picture from the train ride back.

Rick

PS. I was originally planning on proposing in Washington Square and couldn't help but laugh when I saw that it was such a mess. I really think that God was laughing at me right then and I had no idea what I was going to do. Fortunately we made it there ahead of schedule so I quickly decided to catch the sunset from Battery Park. Everything worked out in the end and I was actually glad I did it there because it was less crowded. The moral of this story is that you should always have a backup plan when it comes to proposing. Guys don't be like me, take note now.

National Resurgence Conference: Text & Context

2008-02-26T14:06:00.001-05:00

Live Video Streaming

University and Christianity

2008-02-26T12:00:00.002-05:00

Ever wonder how you can stand up for the gospel and yet still pass your class when your teacher is openly hostile to Christianity. Here's an article by Gene Veith in Boundless webzine entitled Surviving A Hostile Professor.

You can defend your faith and pass the course. Assuming you want to do both, Veith tells you how.

CANCELED

2008-02-22T11:19:00.002-05:00

Tonights Singles Meeting is officially canceled. Enjoy your Friday night a be safe. If you are looking for something to do you can organized a lot of people and try this.

Thrive

2008-02-21T15:32:00.003-05:00

The newly named singles ministry of the church will be having it's monthly singles meeting tomorrow night at 7:30. Be sure to come check it out, Jared Mellinger is an outstanding teacher. This is a weather pending event so be sure to check back here for updates, I'll post tomorrow about it.

What: Singles Meeting
When: 7:30PM, Friday Feb. 22
Where: Auditorium at Covenant Fellowship Church

The Heart of the Gospel

2008-02-21T09:17:00.003-05:00

I just recently heard a sermon by Shai Linne (yeah, the hiphop artist), called The Heart of the Gospel. This was an expository sermon on Galatians 2:15-21 preached at Epiphany Fellowship in Philadelphia.

Click here to access sermon.

Excerpts:

God by His grace, when we come to him through faith in Jesus Christ, He empowers us to walk uprightly before him. And we praise God for that. But what we have to understand is that our walking upright before him, is not the basis by which he accepts us, even though we are called to walk upright before him. You see the balance – it’s a tricky balance.

Shai continues

We want to walk that fine line between I’m saved by grace, through faith, in Christ. Because I’m saved by grace, through faith, in Christ - I’m now endeavoring to walk uprightly before God, not in a way that would save me, but in a way that would demonstrate that I’m saved. That’s Christianity. That’s what Paul is calling us to. He’s calling us to the freedom of grace. How freeing is it to know that God is not up in Heaven grading us on our performance, because Christ has performed it!

There are so many reasons to obey God; to walk uprightly before him. There is so much joy in obedience!

The Atonement

2008-02-20T10:45:00.008-05:00

Hip Hop artist, Shai Linne, recently released his new CD entitled The Atonement. I just bought the CD and it's outstanding. My favorite track is 15, Atonement Q & A with Stephen the Levite. In this Shai explains the atonement in lyrical theology.

If you don't know Josh or any of the guys at Lamp Mode Recordings they are worth your time. Their new slogan, We Rock Truth All Up In Your Stereo, tells the truth about their music. So hit up the website, buy a CD, and find out how much you actually love hip hop.

Rick

Church Based Campus Ministry

2008-02-20T10:32:00.000-05:00

This is a very helpful sermon from NA 2004.

It will give you Compelling Reasons to take the Gospel to the Campus!

It's very practical.

Men Stand Up

2008-02-19T11:12:00.001-05:00

Mark Driscoll on church planting and specifically men in the church. Watch this.

What To Look For In A Spouse

2008-02-19T11:11:00.001-05:00

Carolyn McCulley on her Radical Womanhood blog references John Piper giving great advice on theological differences and marriage. The article is entitled Should I Date Someone Whose Theology is Different.

Here's a small excerpt:

Q: Should I date someone whose theology is different?

A: Don't ask the minimalistic question. If you only want to know how little you have to agree on together in order to move forward, then you're asking the wrong question.

There should be a robust and common enthusiasm and joy about the gospel. You should also have a similar understanding of the gospel so that you're not always tricking each other by your words. You want to make sure that you have the same definitions for the words that you use.

Accountability Anyone

2008-02-15T12:13:00.001-05:00

This is a great article on accountability, it's purpose and failures. A great read for anyone seeking to grow in holiness.

(HT:JT)

rick

(maybe we'll get a post from Zac next week.)

Top Ten Excuses For Sleeping On The Job

2008-02-15T10:13:00.001-05:00

Here's some Friday fun. Look for a post from Zac later.

10) ''They told me at the blood bank this might happen.''

9) ''This is just a 15 minute power-nap like they raved about in that time management course you sent me to.''

8) ''Whew! Guess I left the top off the Wite-Out. You probably got here just in time!''

7) ''I wasn't sleeping! I was meditating on the mission statement and envisioning a new paradigm.''

6) ''I was testing my keyboard for drool resistance.''

5) ''I was doing a highly specific Yoga exercise to relieve work-related stress. Do you discriminate toward people who practice Yoga?''

4) ''Dang! Why did you interrupt me? I had almost figured out a solution to our biggest problem.''

3) ''The coffee machine is broken...''

2) ''Someone must have put decaf in the wrong pot...''

1) ''.....in Jesus' name, Amen.''

Second Saturday

2008-02-14T13:49:00.000-05:00

A morning of service, mercy & evangelism

Second Saturdays are monthly mornings of outreach, packed with various community service, mercy, and evangelism opportunities. Show up and join in an outreach, or fill out an Outreach Work Order online to create an outreach of your own!

WHEN
This Saturday Feb 16th

HOURS
9:30 AM to 1:00 PM

WHERE
Meet in the church lobby

There’s also a free pizza lunch at 1:00 pm in the lobby.

Looking for a Wife, READ THIS

2008-02-13T15:59:00.005-05:00

I just found a great article on www.boundless.org, a website dedicated to providing godly resources to singles. The article is entilted. What Girls Wish You Knew?, by Suzanne Hadley. Suzanne does a great job of calling men to biblical action. See the brief clip below and then check out the whole article.

Meet Joe. Joe is your average single Christian guy. Joe is frustrated. He feels like he's doing all the right things to secure a godly woman of noble character, but women just aren't responding. Joe believes women are hung up on some image of the perfect man — part J. Crew, part Jesus Christ — that simply does not exist...As Joe cultivates these characteristics, women will notice. And Joe may realize they're not looking for J. Crew Jesus after all — they're looking for Jesus in him.

rick

With Gifting Comes Resposibility

2008-02-13T10:58:00.009-05:00

Over the past couple of days I have been reading a book entitled "The Making of a Leader," by Dr. J. Robert Clinton... not to be confused with those who lived in the white house... Anyways, one of the major themes of this book that has been impacting my life has been Dr. Clinton's emphasis on how God uses tests throughout our life to help to evaluate our integrity as Christian's, and help us to see where we need to grow.

As I began to think back on my own life and how God has given me the privilege of spending the entirety of my life (up till this point in Covenant Fellowship) in a church that keeps my focus on the cross I became overwhelmed with gratefulness. The Lord was working in my heart even as the heart of Alas and Did my Savior Bleed cries, "Dissolve my heart in thankfulness, and melt my eyes with tears!" All those trials, however painful, and all those blessings were being used to change me and set me apart so that I might glorify God all the more!

In these wonderful moments of spiritual closeness to God I can often times find myself content with merely dwelling in the feeling of the moment. However, I felt God's prick of conviction calling me to apply this view of gratefulness to my life.

Immediately, my mind was drawn to places that I tend to presume upon the Love of the Lord. I began thinking of the opportunities that God has given me in my past through conversations, leadership opportunities, and simple things like temptations to bend the truth. In all of these areas I often times haven't been dissolved in thankfulness of heart in my response. I need to view these events as blessings from the lord and callings to glorify God, rather then chores.

One specific area that I was challenged in is the area of music. I was reminded of how any talent that I have has come to me from God, and He calls for a response. Sadly, there are more times then I can count when I have wished that I could give up music. But this is just a fruit of my wayward heart. Something that I have been telling myself is that it is the Lords will that I want accomplished, not my own. In my life I am now called to use the portion of talent that has been allotted to me to Glorify God to the best of my ability.

And the same goes for you. When God foreknew you who are musically interested before you were born and allotted to you the musical gifting that you have he did not bestow this lightly. With gifting comes responsibility. If you love to sing, use it! If you love to critique music, seek to serve the worship band by giving them valuable feedback! If you love to worship (as you should), then worship with passion! For those of you who love to lead worship in small group settings, why not try to write worship songs, even if they are only for yours and the Lords benefit?

And for those of you who (Somehow) don't relate with anything that I have said, apply these things to a different area that you are interested in your life. God calls us to respond to Him in any opportunity or gifting that He gives us.

Now, do not get what I am NOT saying. Not everyone is called to serve on the worship team on Sunday morning (even if you are the next Rosella Washington!), but everyone has an obligation to pursue in wisdom the gifting that our Father has so generously given to us all to HIS glory! Our church is filled with people that serve heroically in the area of music, people like John Reilly and Caleb Komoroski come to mind... I could go on but Rick told me to keep this short and I'm failing miserably!

But, this doesn't mean that the rest of us just sit around and watch them serve. By no means! Let’s follow those who are older then us and seek to lay our gifting at the feet of the one who originally gave it to us. Lets seize the opportunities that God has given us to sanctify us into His image and seek to lead more effectively in the area's that God has given us. Let us follow Dr. Clinton's advice as he calls us to see these times of our lives as integrity checks that will reveal our true character. Or as Peter puts it in 1 Peter 1:6-7:

In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved with various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith- more precious then gold that perishes though it is tested by fire- may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

Some steps to aid in your application of this are as follows:

1. Review your testimony. What are some times in the past that it is obvious that God was using to change you? How did you respond to these trials/blessings?

2. What are some of the area's that God has given you to serve/lead in? Where are you gifted?
*Ask a friend that knows you well if you’re having trouble finding areas.

3. Now that you have some areas identified, choose an area that you are going to:
*include in your prayer times every morning.
*bring a friend in on to keep you accountable.
*plan to be proactive in for the next two weeks.

For me this means that I will apply myself to finishing a song I'm writing in the next two weeks.

Devotions, anyone?

2008-02-13T09:42:00.007-05:00

So something that has been on my mind a lot lately is this:
I have been so aware of where I consistently fall short, and not so much on the grace of God to cover every one of those shortcomings. I am so grateful for this teaching series on Grace, because I need the reminder that Jesus paid it all, and that is all I need. In worship on Sunday, Dan Welch prophesied about our standing before Christ, and how we can come boldly before the throne of grace! We are not qualified by what we do for God, but by what He has done for us!

One thing I often struggle with is my devotions, and it can turn into a mentality of "what can I give to God?" rather than, "what has God already given to me?" The cycle goes like this: if I've had a devotion, I feel great! But if I don't, I feel as though I am somehow less deserving of God's grace. But God has recently been showing me that it is in my weaknesses that He is most glorified! His grace is not dependent on my faithfulness. I should not be condemned by my inability to pursue God, but rather rejoice in God's faithfulness to pursue me IN SPITE of my weakness!

This morning I read in 2 Corinthians 11:30:

"If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness."

Let me just tell you, that is not my attitude most of the time =) I want to boast about my successes, not my weaknesses. And that is why I also love 2 Corinthians 4:7:

"But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us."

We were never meant to glorify ourselves, we were meant to glorify God. We are those clay jars! Fragile and weak, and yet that is how God shows His all surpassing power! For the praise should go to God alone.

So as we eagerly pursue communion with God on a daily basis, let's remember that we don't do it because of any great strength in ourselves, we do it by the grace of God, and we do it because we are weak and need the help of our Savior! And I pray that I would become more content with weakness, so that I can run with everything that's in me to the strength that Jesus offers!

Sarah

Poll

2008-02-12T11:09:00.000-05:00

For those of you how did or didn't notice, there is a poll on the side of the page asking how many days a week you read your Bible. This is for Chris, he's looking to write a post on college students and Bible reading. So vote your answer to help him in his post.

rick

Mercy and Evangelism

2008-02-11T12:44:00.000-05:00

I attended the Vital Life course on Saturday entitled Mercy Ministry, Not Mercy Fatigue. Doug Hayes spoke and did and outstanding job of not only giving a biblical view of mercy but also answering many questions I had related to evangelism.

I have to confess that mercy ministries are not typically the type of areas I like to serve in. I think there are two reasons for this. The first is my experience with liberal protestantism today. I've encountered too many people who preach only a social justice gospel and either attribute mercy as the only acceptable way to share Christ with others or they straight up deny that Jesus death on the cross was necessary for salvation and only see his life as a model for ours. In this case my tendency is to rebel against mercy ministry because I associate it with this type of Christianity. The second reason is that it's tough, not always strategic and often requires more sacrifice. Neither reason is an acceptable excuse for not doing what God has called us to do.

Here are some of Doug's main points. Mercy is something we are called to do as Christians. God's greatest gift of mercy is the giving of his son for the forgiveness of our sins so we should desire to share this and see it as an act of mercy. We should not see evangelism as the gauge of success. It is easy to become fatigued in mercy ministries when we only see evangelism as the goal and become discouraged when it doesn't always occur. Mercy in and of it self is good and reflects something of God's character. We can rejoice in God's common grace as well as his saving grace.

These are just a jumble of a few points that Doug made but I hope they help to communicate not Doug's, but God's heart for us in showing mercy to others.

rick

Blooper

2008-02-11T12:43:00.001-05:00

The Fruitful Life

2008-02-08T09:52:00.000-05:00

I just started reading the book, The Fruitful Life, by Jerry Bridges. My community group is going the book together and I'm anticipating it a lot. Here's a small portion from the preface about why the book was written.

Another reason for revisiting the fruit of the Spirit is that I often hear a certain possessiveness today about "my spiritual gifts." Certainly, we can be thankful that in the last generation there has been a thriving literature on spiritual gifts. But, again, sometimes there is a self-focus for the gifts. We use "assessment instruments" to nail down what our gifts are and seek to uses them in a way that can tend toward personal fulfillment. The danger is that gifts of the Spirit will be separated from the fruit of the Spirit. This can lead to prideful ambition rather than humble, loving service. Sinclair B. Ferguson writes that the fruit of the Spirit "should be distinguished from the gifts of the Spirit, but ought never to be absent in their exercise. For without love, and the humility which accompanies it...the purpose of the gifts of the Spirit is thwarted."

Why Church?

2008-02-08T09:51:00.001-05:00

This is a great short article on the NA blog about three reasons why people don't commit to a church and a response to those reasons.

Vital Life

2008-02-07T14:44:00.001-05:00

Vital Life Classes are happening this Saturday. You should all try and sign up if you haven't yet. Technically registration has closed but if you email Charity Campbell (ccampbell@covfel.org) and beg she may let you sign up still. The classes cost $5 and go from 9-12. Check it out and sign up.

rick

Pray the Cross

2008-02-07T09:57:00.001-05:00

One question that I often get is, "How can I have more effective prayer times? I find myself getting distracted."

Heres my answer. Start praying by thanking God for his gift of salvation to you. I find that my most effective prayer times are when I start by simply recounting God's redemptive plan and how the salvation which I receive came at the cost of His Son bearing my sin on the cross.

I think one problem we often have is that we view prayer as a mere formality and therefore approach it without emotion or joy. Really it should be a time to engage God, finding joy in what He's accomplished through Christ. It is hard to recount all God has done through Christ and not be affected and amazed.

A note on getting distracted...I find it helpful to pray out loud.

rick

I Am Your Brother!

2008-02-07T09:54:00.000-05:00

Wayne Grudem What?

2008-02-06T11:43:00.000-05:00

This is a hilarious video about Wayne Grudem. After watching this video I feel compelled to catch up on my Systematic Theology reading.

(HT: Jill Prater)

Prayer and Gratitude

2008-02-06T10:05:00.000-05:00

I've recently been reading 2 Corinthians. This book always confuses me so I'm trying to read it slowly and thoroughly. There is a short passage at the beginning of the book that has been making me think a lot lately.

You also must help us by prayer, so that many will give thanks on our behalf for the blessing granted us through the prayers of many. -2 Corinthians 1:11

In this section of the text Paul is asking for the Corinthian's prayers so they can give thanks to God when they receive blessings. I often have a narrow ungrateful view of prayer. When I'm sick I pray that God heals me but by the time I'm healed I usually think of it as sickness running its course, not God healing me. Rather than simply seeing miraculous prayers being answered as from God, Paul is looking to rejoice in God for any blessing he receives through prayer.

I think that all of us can grow in our gratefulness to God by taking note of prayers and rejoicing when God answers them even in small unastonishing ways.

Rick

Some Fun

2008-02-05T10:24:00.000-05:00

These guys crack me up.

Sola Gratia: Only One Gospel

2008-02-04T18:23:00.000-05:00

This past Sunday, Jared Mellinger kicked off our new sermon series called Sola Gratia (grace alone). It will be an expository series going through Paul’s letter to the churches of Galatia (the book of Galatians).

Jared started the series by preaching through the first ten verses of chapter one, while also giving an overview of the whole letter and what was to come in the series.

At first glance, we think this letter does not apply to us, because we don’t believe we need adherence to the Jewish law for salvation; we do believe in salvation through grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. However, as Jared pointed out, the book of Galatians does apply to us. Jared said,

God gave us the book of Galatians because the foolish galatian tendency to drift, from grace, is in every single one of us. If the Christians in Galatia were vulnerable to this drift and if Peter and if Barnabas were vulnerable to that drift, then I think it’s good for us to acknowledge that every one of us is vulnerable to that same exact drift away from a Biblical understanding of God’s grace.

He then referenced the famous hymn, Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing saying,

Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
Prone to leave the God I love;

Personally, I know that I am prone to wander – I know that I am prone to leave God. We must actively flee from our good works; flee from that subtle drift away from grace. When God calls us to flee from something – it is always to flee to something else. We must flee to the Cross of Christ!

Aren’t you glad that, Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing doesn’t end there, but continues?

Here’s my heart, O take and seal it,
Seal it for Thy courts above.

God, in his mercy, will take our hearts and will seal them for his courts above!

Application Questions:

In what ways am I tempted to subtly believe that my acceptance before God is based on something that I do rather than what Christ has done?
Am I growing in my understanding and the appreciation of the Cross? Do you find yourself more amazed by grace the more you advance in your Christian walk?
Am I enjoying the privileges that we have in Christ?

The Shambles?

2008-02-01T17:42:00.000-05:00

I've decided to start a blog. I'm sure some of you are asking why do we need another blog and what is the shambles anyway. First I hope this serves as a wealth of information for all that's going on in the college age ministry at Covenant Fellowship Church. I'm not very good at sending out emails as reminders so this is my personal attempt to bring organization to my life. Also I'll be posting with some other guys who I've invited to join the ranks of my blog team. Be sure to check each week for posts on what God is doing in our lives and on what is being read in Wayne Grudem's Systematic Theology as well.

To answer the second question now...why the shambles? Well, when things are in shambles they are in a state of disarray. I figured that this word most accurately described the lives of most of the college students I know. It also helps to describe the eclectic nature of posts that will be occuring. Leo is also part of the blog team...enough said.

Last, my favorite part of this blog is probably the calendar at the bottom. Check it out, read the instructions, and keep updated on what's going on. Make sure to pass this site on to any college students you know. I'll start posts tomorrow.

Rick