It was a church with an incredibly rich history. Founded by the apostle Paul along with Priscilla and Aquilla, it was first pastored by Timothy. And Jesus’ beloved disciple John was probably its “Pastor Emeritus.” It was the recipient of a letter from the apostle Paul that was rich in elegance and theology (and her […]
Read More It left its first loveWho has influenced you for the cause of Jesus Christ? Who has been a dominant, guiding influence in the progress of your faith? The list is invariably substantial (and my best guess is that in heaven when our eyes are opened to the vastness of the expanse of God’s grace, the list will be greater […]
Read More Sunday Leftovers (5/2/10)Ministry is often perceived to be for “ministers” only — for pastors. Individuals in the church might “help” or “serve,” but real ministry is for the paid “professionals,” the thinking goes. Yet as Ephesians 4 demonstrates, ministry is for everyone. At GBC, one of the core values that we affirm and encourage is “every member […]
Read More Sunday Leftovers (4/25/10)In my lifetime, I have moved more than 1000 miles seven times, and numerous more times locally. There are many benefits as well as detractions to such a nomadic existence. When we moved prior to my sophomore year in High School, I became aware of a new difficulty — how do you choose a new […]
Read More An effective churchThis morning, concluding a message on Ephesians 4:13 — a consideration of how we might work to see spiritual maturity developed in all our relationships — I offered a number of implications of that text. They are as follows — This is going to influence the way we structure ministry — we will always value […]
Read More Sunday Leftovers (4/11/10)Jesus said, “If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it from you; it is better for you to enter life crippled or lame, than to have two hands or two feet and be cast into the eternal fire. If your eye causes you to stumble, pluck it […]
Read More How far will you go in your battle against sin and pride?Echoing the thoughts of the privilege of ministry and service from last Sunday are two comments from pastors from other centuries: If anyone, therefore, appears before you who is in need of your kind services, you have no reason to refuse him your help. Suppose he is a stranger; yet the Lord has pressed his […]
Read More Our duty and privilegeTitle: The Trellis and the Vine Authors: Colin Marshall and Tony Payne Publisher: Matthias Media, 2009; 196 pp. $19.99 Recommendation (4-star scale): Several years ago a friend of mine told me about his “rule of three” regarding the purchase of books. No matter how much someone would praise and affirm the qualities of a given […]
Read More Book Review: The Trellis and the VineAl Mohler has had several thought-provoking posts recently: “Starting Something You Cannot Finish” “An Amazing Article on Abortion…” “The Kindle Experience…” (Would you read an electronic book?) Reflections on Tiger Woods — “The Travail of Tiger Woods” (Mohler) “Hunting Tiger Woods” (Mahaney) “The Seduction of Power — the Tiger Woods Story” (Witherington) “Tiger and the […]
Read More Grab bagJim Petersen, Church Without Walls: The history of the church, from God’s perspective, is a history of the Holy Spirit using little people. It consists of a mustard seed here and there, some yeast hidden in dough or a seed in the ground. Not many wise or influential people are included. Rather, it has been […]
Read More Today’s Quote – Ministry (Petersen)David Wells, The Bleeding of the Evangelical Church: [In today’s church,] The importance of theology is eclipsed by the clamor for management skills, biblical preaching by entertaining story-telling, godly character by engaging personality, and the work of the ministry by the art of sustaining a career. I believe that these are all unhappy exchanges.
Read More Today’s Quote – Church (Wells)The easiest thing to do when seeing immaturity and weakness and failure in ourselves or in other people is to quit. The hardest thing to do when seeing immaturity and weakness and failure in ourselves or in other people is to continue with Christ. The hardest part about ministry is not the what or the […]
Read More Sunday Leftovers, 8/30/09After writing yesterday’s book review, I remembered a seminar entitled “The Pastor and His Community: How the Gospel Informs Our Mission beyond the Church” that Mark Dever did at a pastor’s conference earlier this year. Both the audio and his notes are available. While he may not have been as definitive about how these principles […]
Read More The church in communityTitle: Unfashionable: Making a difference in the world by being different Author: Tullian Tchividjian Publisher: Multnomah Books, 2009; 204 pp. $17.99 Recommendation (4-star scale): This morning I was in a meeting at the church when an unknown man came to my office door, introduced himself and said that he had a financial need — could […]
Read More Book Review: UnfashionableHoward Hendricks (answering the question, “Do you have any words of wisdom for our graduates?”): Don’t believe your press reports. It bothers me that many students go out and are successful, which is the beginning of their failure. They believe that it’s them, when it’s not. This is why I would say to someone, ‘Use […]
Read More Today’s Quote – Graduation (Hendricks)
Words of Grace 