(by: jt)
A great observation from the ‘parable of the soils’ by John Piper:
“When you hear preaching or read your Bible take hold of it like a miser taking hold of gold and silver. Take hold of it like a pearl of great price and a treasure in a field. Take hold of it like a drowning man seizes a float. Fight off every word-destroying demonic bird and burning affliction and deceitful desire. Then you will “have” and “more will be given.” You will bear fruit with patience.”
Read the whole thing
Most of you know about and use these already. But, I’m surprised how many folks I talk with who don’t know about (or haven’t taken time to figure out how to use) these great resources:
Another great quote from Spurgeon via Bryan’s staff devo this week:
“Oh! my brethren, there is nothing that can so advantage you, nothing can so prosper you, so assist you, so make you walk towards heaven rapidly, so keep you head upwards towards the sky, and your eyes radiant with glory, like the imitation of Jesus Christ.”
(by: Rick C.) 
* Rick is a member of Grace who has walked with the Lord longer than Grace’s pastors have been alive ;-).
Jordan: Rick, from your perspective, would you give us your thoughts on how the Nature of God is central to being enabled to live the Christian life?
Rick: Our God is immutable, He says “I change not“, but it is God’s nature to change us. In 2 Cor. 3:18, Paul says ‘as we behold the glory of the LORD we are being transformed into the same image’.
Jordan: If the Nature of God is so central to being transformed into Christ’s likeness, would you suggest ways that anyone reading this could start using the Bible to learn more about beholding God in the fullness of His Nature?
Rick: It is his nature to use obedient, submissive, redeemed men to preserve His name and to proclaim it to a new generation. At Grace, for example, we have seen…
It is our God’s nature to declare with authority who He is. This he does through His preached and read Word. It would be helpful to carefully consider each of these passages.
Jordan: Since those are examples of how you have seen God’s Nature through worshiping Him with Grace Church, is there anything that makes you certain that focusing on God’s nature with the congregation has been nourishing for you?
Rick: The corporate prayer, singing, pastoral prayer, scripture reading, sermon, and offering are all God-centered. So there is always a banquet table set before us like in Song of Solomon 2:4. No pot lucks here. Every service we feast on the Bread sent from heaven. A central aspect of God’s Nature is to feed His children.
Jordan: What is the most important thing that comes to your mind as you contemplate the Nature of God?
Rick: Our God is a jealous God, Ex. 34:14, and he is jealous for His Name.
Jordan: What would you say to the popular suggestion that everyone “connects” with God in his or her own way?
Rick: Well, it’s the One True God’s Nature that only after one’s regeneration does He allow us to respond to his attributes as we should.
Jordan: So, why do you love God?
Rick: I love our Triune God because He has made me glad that He changes not, and that He changes me.
Jordan: Thank you Rick for stirring us up with these thoughts!
* If this interaction rouses your interest, or seems unfamiliar to you, it would be our joy to dialogue with you more about how lasting joy can be found in your life as you live with all your might to glorify God by treasuring Jesus Christ and spreading His eternal joy!
During this week’s staff devotion, ‘The quotable Pastor Bryan’ led us from Acts 4 (imagine that!), and made this profound statement:
➢ For our own sake, we should imitate Christ…because if we are becoming Christlike, we are becoming Christlike.
Well said! Is that not the incentive above all incentives?
“…For in subjecting all things to him, He left nothing that is not subject to him. But now we do not yet see all things subjected to him. But we do see Him who was made for a little while lower than the angels, namely, Jesus, because of the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, so that by the grace of God He might taste death for everyone.” — Hebrews 2:8-9 (NASB)
UPDATED
(by: jt)
A few weeks ago three young singles from Grace attended the New Attitude conference in Louisville, KY.
As part of Grace’s Summer of Spreading, I’ve asked these young ladies to give us a sampling of how we all could apply the teaching of the gospel to daily life.
Here we go…
The theme verse for NA was:
“Your words were found, and I ate them, and your words became to me a joy and the delight of my heart.” – Jeremiah 15:16
Here are some helpful words that the ladies have to share with us…
- “Jeremiah penned these words about the authoritative and infallible Word of God. He found ‘joy’ and ‘delight’ in the words of the Lord. The theme of New Attitude this year was delighting in and obeying God’s Word. From the pulpit, we were admonished to reexamine our attitudes toward the Bible and to let it shape us- in all areas of life.”
- “Jeremiah’s prayer indicates a zealous love for God’s Word, but this love did not come by Jeremiah’s own doing. He did not love God’s Word to earn his standing before God. He loved God’s Word because God redeemed him and caused Jeremiah to love Him. What great grace!”
- “By His Spirit, through means of Scripture, God changes us. He has fashioned His Word to be used in our lives: in our times of anxiety, sorrow, joy, etc. Our souls need not a single exhortation but continual exposure to the Gospel.”
May we all heed Luther’s words:
“The call is: watch, study, attend to reading. In truth, you can not read too much Scripture, and what you read, you can not read too carefully, and what you read carefully, you can not understand too well, and what you understand well, you can not teach too well, and what you teach well, you can not live too well…the devil…the world…and our flesh are raging and raving against us. Therefore, dear sirs and brothers, pastors and preachers, pray, read, study, be diligent…this evil, shameful time is not the season for being lazy, for sleeping and snoring.”
NEWLY ADDED: “One promise [John Piper] stated that stuck out to me was Romans 12:19 “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” This promise encourages me to not hold on to bitterness.”
NEWLY ADDED: “Wrath will be paid in hell or by the cross. It also deeply convicted me; because when I say I can’t forgive someone I might as well be telling God that hell….isn’t enough, and the cross….isn’t enough. May I be quick to forgive.”
NEWLY ADDED: “Finally, a question Mahaney asked, “Do you perceive God as full of affection to you?” Well, yes. As Owen said, “The greatest sorrow and burden you can lay on the Father, the greatest unkindness you can do to him is not believe that he loves you.” I do want to put more time into studying adoptive grace, and God’s love towards us, our love towards him, and our love towards others.”
If you’re interest is piqued to dig a bit deeper, you might want to etch out time to listen to some of the audio for yourself.
Conference Audio:
- Ripping, Burning, Eating: A Right Response to God’s Word—Josh Harris • Saturday, May 24
- The Authority of Scripture—Mark Dever • Sunday, May 25
- Bible Q&A—Al Mohler • Sunday, May 25
- The Troubled Soul: God’s Word and Our Feelings—C.J. Mahaney • Sunday, May 25
- What’s the Point?: Growing in Vision for Diligent Study—Eric Simmons • Monday, May 26
- William Tyndale: A Life Transformed By God’s Word—John Piper • Monday, May 26
- Fighting for Faith with God’s Word—John Piper • Monday, May 26
- God as Father: Understanding the Doctrine of Adoption in God’s Word—C.J. Mahaney • Tuesday, May 27
Thanks for stirring us up ladies!
To God alone be the glory…
Keep praying, giving, going!
(by ns)
The ladies of GC will be gathering together at our house this evening at 6:00p for Biblical fellowship. The men of the church will be providing the ‘daddy day care’ so that the ladies can utilize this time to spur one another on in Christ-likeness. This has proven to be so beneficial to the soul of my wife (and mine too when she recaps for me); along with countless others who have attended; so we encourage you to make every effort to come.
If anyone needs directions to our house, please email me.
Romans 8:32 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?
From John Piper:
Ask yourself an honest question: How intensely outraged are you over your belittling of God compared to the engagement of your emotion when your child is hurt, or your leg is cut off, or you lose your job, or some physical thing happens? Everything in you rises to say, “No!” How often does your heart say “No!” with the same emotional engagement at your own sin?
HT: TR
