Vision...

I thought this was really good from Perry Noble about vision...

Ten Ways To Kill Vision In Your Church
perry noble

#1 – Pray really small prayers…seriously, don’t ask God for ANYTHING big. He DID put an interstate highway through a sea, demolished the walls of Jericho and brought the dead back to life…but I’m sure He doesn’t do things like that anymore! :-)

#2 – Celebrate the past WAY more than you anticipate the future, thus becoming a museum and not a movement!

#3 – Allow those who have never actually done anything for Jesus dictate to you what they believe you can and can’t do for Him!

#4 – Listen and repond to every critic.

#5 – Wait until everything makes perfect sense before you make a decision.

#6 – Spend more time on blogs than you do in your Bible.

#7 – Become more agenda driven than GOSPEL driven!

#8 – Actually believe that EVERYONE must be 100% happy with every detail.

#9 – Vote!

#10 – Become angry/jealous over what God is doing at other places and become hyper focused on all of their problems, thus overlooking your own!

The Church: a team of ministers

I thought this was an intriguing article: Discerning Your Church's Call to Ministry

Enjoy!

Spiritual Progress

I have just read 2 Peter 1:2-11.

The foundation for spiritual progress described in vv. 5-7 is found in vv. 2-4.

The foundation is:
1) Grace & peace multiplied to us
2) the knowledge of God and of Jesus
3) divine power given to us
4) great and precious promises
5) partakers of the divine nature
6) escaped the corruption of the world

These are the reality of what we have been given in Jesus Christ by grace through faith. Therefore, because all of this is by grace through faith, we are enabled to "give all diligence" to "add" to our faith in vv. 5-7.
1) virtue
2) knowledge
3) self-control
4) perseverance
5) godliness
6) brotherly kindness
7) love

Now read 2 Peter 1:8

How is our spiritual progress? Have we become spiritually sluggish (Hebrews 5:11-14)?

New Sermon Series

Next week, Lord willing, I will begin to teach through the book of Hebrews. This is going to be an awesome study and a challenging study. I am definitely looking forward to all that the Holy Spirit desires to teach us through this study.

If you hear the sermons in person or on-line, I pray that you will be edified and built up in your faith in Jesus to love him more dearly and obey him more diligently.

Please pray for my study time to be multiplied that I might rightly divide the word of truth for the good of the body. Pray for the Holy Spirit to illuminate his word that I might learn as I am to learn and prepare as I am to prepare and teach as I am to teach.

This coming week's text will be Hebrews 1:1-4. Pray for God to impress upon our hearts the awesomeness of Jesus.

On the blogs 10/2/09

Here are some good ones from my reading today:

Is the Deacon just a Servant?

Implications from Psalm 23 for Elders, Fathers, and Husbands

Training Pastors in Church

A Few More Thoughts on Church Membership

Enjoy reading!

Just Thinking...

This morning, I'm sitting in a coffee shop in Sanford across from the "train depot" with my son. He is working on school work while I study and prepare to begin a series of messages that will take our church through the daunting book of Hebrews, which will take several months--probably a couple of years, actually.

In the last few days, I have been pondering just how awesome Jesus is and all that he is "for us". This has been so much on my mind that I was actually pumped up to cut my grass yesterday while listening to worship music. This was nothing more than the work of the Holy Spirit in my heart because I HATE cutting grass. Even though, it was a sweet time of worship--it blew me away...

Even during Wednesday night bible study this week, I sensed my emotions rising up in me as we studied Exodus 24 and the reality that the elders of Israel and Moses and Aaron and Nadab and Abihu "saw the God of Israel" and they "ate and drank in His presence". Dude, that is awesome! And, I think about how much closer and sweeter the fellowship is because Jesus has come and He has passed through the heavens as our great High Priest and ever lives to make intercession for us...WOW!

In the modified words of Muhammed Ali--"Jesus is the Greatest"

On the blogs...

Here are few blog posts worth your time today...

What hath Jerusalem to do with Mecca?

Seattle and Human Trafficking

Church Membership and "Special Needs"

Shocking New Abortion Video (Discretion Advised)

Disciple-Making in the Local Church

The Assembled Church in Corinth (To make us think)

Can our bodies make us sin?

The Greatest Fear of a Minister

Christians in a Digital Age (haven't watched the videos, but my guess is they are instructive)

Happy reading and watching!