Engaging in Scripture 2012

What I would like to do here is to try to persuade you to set aside time each week in the coming year to plan—and specifically to plan your life of prayer and devotion and ministry. The bulldozer of God's Spirit often arrives at the scene of our heart ready to begin some great work of building, and he finds that due to poor planning there are piles of disordered things in his way. We're not ready for him.

     In order to make sure that we are ready for the great work that God is ready to do in our church, we will be using the ESV Study Bible reading plan for those who wish to engage in Scripture reading in 2012. We will not be posting the daily readings on our website this year but there will be multiple ways to follow along (RSS, Twitter, print copy).

     The ESV Study Bible reading plan offers four sections of reading everyday:

Psalms and Wisdom Literature

     Some of the greatest poetry of all time, these books are full of Spirit-inspired wisdom, Godly principles, praise and exultation toward our faithful Creator.

Pentateuch and History of Israel
     As we read about God's covenant with Israel and their constant failure to obey it, we gain perspective on our need for a savior. We also see the origin of salvation through faith in Abraham, and countless records of our Lord's miraculous power.

Chronicles and Prophets
     Amidst the turmoil of  Israel's disobedience, the Prophets emerge as God's chosen instruments to point us toward our Messiah and the hope of a new and better covenant.

Gospels and Epistles
     Jesus. Our Savior destroys the power of sin forever. The early Church is filled with the Holy Spirit. Saul of Tarsus is transformed into Paul the Apostle and chosen by God to embolden us to an obedient life in Christ under the freedom of our faith.*

So my plea to you is that you set aside time each week to plan, especially to plan your life of prayer and Bible study. Give some thought how God might want to use you that week in a special way. Plan the letters you need to write, the Bible verses you want to teach your children, the visit you want to make, the book you want to read, the neighbor you want to talk to, etc.

*From the Journey St. Louis Engage Scripture page.

You're Making Me Two Tents? (Sermon from 12/24/11)

Sermon from Metro Atlanta SDB Church on 12/24/11

This message takes a brief look at the celebration of the Feast of Tabernacles from Nehemiah 8:13-18 (with additional background from John 7:1-52; 8:12and Leviticus 23:33-44) and helps us see that the conflict between the temporary and the eternal does not just make us too tense but stems from God making for us two tents. Jesus shows us, helps us, and leads us through the journey of two tents from His birth to His return.

Affection Moves Us to Share (Extended Version)

    This article is found in the January 2012 edition of the Sabbath Recorder:

So, being affectionately desirous of you, we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you had become very dear to us. 1 Thessalonians 2:8 (ESV)

     The book, Real Hope in Chicago, is about a high school coach named Wayne Gordon. He was doing a Bible study after school with some inner city kids in the Lawndale area, which was the second poorest community in the country and having issues with drugs and gangs. God gave him such a desirous heart for that community that he moved to Lawndale.
     The kids urged him not to move there because it would be very dangerous for him but Wayne moved there anyway. He got attacked by one of the gangs and had his house broken into again and again.
He persevered not for himself or a sense of duty but a desire to love these kids, share the gospel, and share his life with them. Those kids asked him to start a church and to be their pastor. I don’t how he did it but his love for the community of Lawndale was so strong that he had the opportunity to witness to the guy that kept breaking into his house. Today, that church has 600 members and has ministered to Lawndale by sharing the lives that the gospel has changed with the brokenness found in the community. In other words, the gospel didn’t just transform the people; it transformed the entire community. Wayne Gordon had lived out the truth of 1 Thessalonians 2:8.

Being Affectionately Desirous

     I love being affectionate with my wife and kids. It indicates my desire to continue my relationship with them. Affection is not always physical. It can be demonstrated in a myriad of ways. One of the best ways to show affection is through clear and true communication. This happens in spoken language but also in body language.

     How do you communicate affection and desire to your community and to people who visit your church? What message do your words convey to visitors and the community? What does your body language convey to visitors and the community? (Think about what your church communicates with others when you don't answer the phone, your website is out of date, or your property sits empty most of the week.)

     I love that I get to see my friends and other church members at church every Saturday. However, I want to make more friends and have more people join the body of Christ. My desire is for others to know the same Jesus that changed my life almost twenty years ago. My affection lets others know that I want them to not just have a relationship with Jesus but with me as well.

Ready to Share the Gospel

     According to this passage, it seems as if the gospel is not just words but also how believing those words can impact your life. It concerns me that many folks cannot articulate the gospel of Jesus Christ well. This does not bode well for being ready to share it.

     If we know Christ, we all have a testimony to share concerning how the gospel saves. If He has been working in our lives, we all have a testimony to live concerning how the gospel transforms. Can you give your testimony to what Jesus has saved you from, saved you for, and saved you to? If you can, then you can speak to the infinite love and grace and mercy of God and live it among those who don't know Him. If you can't, then will you practice? Ask for help from another church member or a pastor if necessary.

But Also Our Own Selves

     The sacrifice of animals for the atonement of sins is no longer necessary for our reconciliation with God with the death of Jesus providing the ultimate and once for all scapegoat for the trespasses of those who abide in Him.

     However, there still is a sacrifice to occur by Christians. Romans 12:1 appeals to us “to present your bodies as a living sacrifice”. While martyrdom and a physical death in defense of our faith qualifies here, I do not believe that Paul is calling us all to die as martyrs. This passage is referring to living your life in such a way that God is ordering the steps and not your self.

     Part of our desire for others to know Christ is to provide them with not just testimony of how the gospel transforms our lives but an example of how that life is lived. Part of sharing our own selves for the sake of the gospel is not necessarily moving to the ghetto but allowing others to see how the gospel impacts your workplace, your marriage, your finances, and your priorities.

     This transparency does not come easily and can open our lives up to attack. This is where we learn to lean upon God and His promises to us. Jesus' ministry would not have been nearly as effective had He never involved Himself in the lives of others but shared the gospel one day in seven.

     ARE YOU READY as churches to be affectionately desirous of your communities, to share the Gospel in word and deeds, and sacrifice your preferences in service of Him? AREYOU READY for God to use your church to bring people to Himself? AREYOU READY to sacrifice your comfort, your preferences, your desires, and even your own self to the glory of God? ARE YOU READY for the gospel of Jesus Christ to take its preeminent place in our pulpits and our lives? ARE YOU READY to not just be Seventh Day Baptist but seven day Christians?