We have scheduled a baptism service on Sunday July 23rd at 9:30 am.  It will take the place of your Grace Groups that morning and will be held at the Smotherman’s. 

Now all we need is believers in our body who desire to obey their Lord in being baptized.  This is an incredible opportunity to joyfully proclaim the praises of your Savior, to worship Him with simple obedience, and to edify your fellow beleivers. 

Talk to your Grace Group Elder if you are interested and they will begin to walk you through the process of preparing for this time.

By God’s grace the youth ministry meeting last night was an encouraging and exciting time as we thought through our future ministry to youth.  For those of you who missed the meeting here is a summary of what we covered.

For those of you who were there here are a couple of statements that will help refresh your memory.

(more…)

Spurgeon has some great words on the battle of the Christian we find in Romans 7 and posted here.  Check out this appetizer:

Ah! if they knew the heart of those men, if they could read their inward conflicts, they would soon discover that the nearer a man lives to God, the more intensely has he to mourn over his own evil heart, and the more his Master honors him in his service, the more also doth the evil of the flesh vex and tease him day by day.

As believers we are fighting those things we do not want to do.  I am so encouraged by Paul’s words of victory, “Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!”  May we fully lean on His grace as we seek to live for Christ in all we do.

Jesus came to seek and to save the lost. What an amazing truth. Holy God seeking out His enemies, not to destroy them as they deserve, but to show mercy. To save them. We invite you to listen as Josh Winans helps us to see the heart of Christ for those who are lost. He still seeks the lost today, and draws lost sinners to Himself through the preaching of the glorious gospel, preached through the likes of you and me!

 

 Luke 18:35-19:10 [37:33m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

I have just finished rereading D.A. Carson’s classic work, “The Cross and The Christian Ministry.”  I thought I would share a couple of nuggets that were challenging and encouraging to me.

Speaking of Paul’s description of the cross as the power of God and the wisdom of God Carson writes…

This is both deliciously ironic and entirely appropriate.  It is ironic because what the world dismisses with a shudder is nothing less than God’s means of bringing blessing the world cannot otherwise obtain.  It is appropriate because all of the world’s rebellious self-centereness is precisely what ensures that it cannot understand the cross, while God’s wise plan of redemption hinges on God Himself taking self-denying action to bring about the consumation of His authority.

and again later

…I fear that the cross, without ever being disowned, is constantly in danger of being dismissed from the central place it must enjoy, by relatively preipheral insights that take on far too much weight.  Whenever the periphery is in danger of displacing the center, we are not far removed from idolatry.

and 

He [Paul] cannot long talk about Christian joy, or Christian ethics, or Christian fellowship, or the Christian doctrine of God, or anything else, without finally tying it to the cross.  Paul is gospel centered; he is cross-centered.

The cross is central in God’s plan as He works in such a way so as to bring glory to Himself alone.  Nothing in my hands I bring, simply to the cross I cling.

Over at Together for the Gospel Mark Dever recently wrote a post on faithfulness and relevance in ministry.  This is a difficult balance as we “seek to be all things to all men,” (1 Corinthians 9:20-22) while at the same time seeking to “guard what has been entrusted” to us (1 Timothy 6:20, see also 2 Timothy 3:14-4:4).  Dever’s observations and statements are helpful and thought-provoking. 

I think the most basic practical division among evangelical pastors today may be between those who pursue faithfulness and assume relevance and those who pursue relevance and assume faithfulness.

I  know I have found the above statement to be quite true in my expierence.

The middle of the spectrum is where each of us intends to be–the right balance, the perfect combination of utter faithfulness to the Gospel and piercing relevance in its presentation. 

and finally…

I remember taking a walk with Don Carson once, and Don remarking something to the effect that the first generation has the Gospel, the second generation assumes the Gospel, the third generation loses the Gospel.  I am concerned that too many people who have the Gospel are lazy with it, compassionless, and not sufficiently motivated to spread it.  I fear that this is me.  Pray for me and Capitol Hill Baptist Church in this.  On the other hand, there are those who in the name of evangelism, simply assume that everybody sufficiently understands the Gospel, and will alter everything to make the non-Christian feel more at home in their public services.  (WHO EVER SAID THAT MOST OF THE CHURCH’S EVANGELISM SHOULD BE DONE THROUGH OUR PUBLIC SERVICES?!)  They give themselves to pursue relevance thinking that THAT is their major challenge, assuming that holding on to the Gospel itself is comparatively easy.

Consider what you and I will do to the Gospel message in our churches if we continue to change the “presentation” of the Gospel until we begin to get a response.

Pursue faithfulness and relevance.  Know that the Gospel is always relevant.  NEVER assume the Gospel.

By God’s grace may we follow this exhortation both as a church and as individuals.  Feel free to share thoughts on how these two issues are practically balanced and brought to work together for God’s glory.

Download the latest sermon by Josh Winans on the book of Luke. What begins with Peter’s boasting, “Behold, we have left our own homes and followed you”, ends with Jesus revealing His coming suffering, death, and resurrection. What a great precursor to sharing communion together as we reflect on the promises that are ours in Christ, and as we see the extent to which Jesus went to reconcile us to the Father.

 

 Luke 18:28-34 [45:01m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

In our last text from Luke 18:18-27, we saw Jesus use questions as a strategy to expose a man’s heart. Alan Shlemon from Stand to Reason has some great thoughts on that strategy. Here is a sample.

The Columbo tactic is a simple, yet powerful tactic. It involves
asking questions to productively advance the conversation. It puts you
in control of the conversation in a disarming manner. Although there
are many types of Columbo questions, its most modest application is
to help you gain information.

(more…)

The following quote by J.I. Packer was posted by Justin Taylor over at Between Two Worlds. 

“. . . whereas to the Puritans communion with God was a great thing, to evangelicals today it is a comparatively small thing. The Puritans were concerned about communion with God in a way that we are not. The measure of our unconcern is the little that we say about it. When Christians meet, they talk to each other about their Christian work and Christian interests, their Christian acquaintances, the state of the churches, and the problems of theology—but rarely of their daily experience of God. Modern Christian books and magazines contain much about Christian doctrine, Christian standards, problems of Christian conduct, techniques of Christian service—but little about the inner realities of fellowship with God. Our sermons contain much sound doctrine—but little relating to the converse between the soul and the Saviour. We do not spend much time, alone or together, in dwelling on the wonder of the fact that God and sinners have communion at all; no, we just take that for granted, and give our minds to other matters. Thus we make it plain that communion with God is a small thing to us. But how different were the Puritans! The whole aim of their ‘practical and experimental’ preaching and writing was to explore the reaches of the doctrine and practice of man’s communion with God.”
         Packer, A Quest for Godliness, p. 215 (chapter 12).

I for one find that this issue of communion with God is both an immense struggle that pushes me daily to the cross and an important measure of my day to day pursuit of Christ. 

Did I joyfully dwell on God and the things of God throughout my day?  Was I constantly praising, thanking, and lifting up my sould to my God today?  Was I aware of God’s grace, God’s constant presence, and the reality of my access to God’s throne today?  Did I take time to relish and simply enjoy the beauty and truth of the gospel?  Was I as an individual- my whole being- God-centered as I went about my daily routine today?

Here is a challenge- sometime this week ask another believer about their communion with God.  It may take some explaining but by God’s grace it will pay off.  May God grant sweet fellowship as we together pursue Christ.

An mp3 download of Josh Winan’s sermon on the rich young ruler is available. With the provocative title, “How to avoid eternal life”, the sermon is a call to forsake our works as a means of earning eternal life, and to embrace Christ’s finished work of atonement on the cross. Salvation is impossible if we bank on our own merits, but there is hope! “The things that are impossible with people are possible with God.”

 

 Luke 18:18-27 [40:31m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download