Tag: Local Church

Let’s Do It Again Next Sunday!

by Dale, posted in Church, Easter, Jesus Christ, Joy, Uncategorized

Easter is always a special day! Certainly, the fact that we celebrate the preeminent truth of Christianity, the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, is enough to make much of the day!!!

There are many other elements leading up to and a part of this day of rejoicing:

  • Good Friday Services
  • Choir rehearsals
  • Preparation for guests / many invitations made
  • Easter programs
  • Music ministry
  • Joy-filled congregational singing
  • Resurrection themed sermons
  • The gospel is proclaimed
  • Lives changed
  • Partaking of communion
  • Reading of Scripture and prayer
  • Entering the Sunday morning gathering with a spirit of expectancy and joy
  • Family gatherings and hundreds of pictures
  • Buffet meals and desserts
  • Wearing new spring clothes

Why not? After all, This is the day the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it (Psalm 118:24).

Craig Keener gives us some good insight on this “day.” Psalm 118:22-23 was fulfilled in Jesus’ ministry as He claimed (Mark 12:10-11), so also was Psalm 118:24: the great and momentous day the Lord had made, the day the Psalmist calls his hearers to celebrate, is the prophetic day when God exalted Jesus, rejected by the chief priests, as the cornerstone of His new temple (cf. Eph. 2:20). The verse points to a truth far more significant than merely the common biblical truth that God is with us daily; it points to the greatest act of God on our behalf, when Jesus our Lord died and rose again for us.

Next Sunday, we will corporately gather again and . . . our hearts, minds, bodies, and ministries should be as engaged and intentional as we were yesterday! We will not have all the “pageantry” of Easter, but we’ll still be celebrating the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ because He was raised on the first day of the week! We will proclaim the name of our living Savior in song, conversation, testimony, preaching, and prayer that in all things He will have the preeminence (Colossians 1:18).

So, let’s do it again next Sunday . . . and the next . . . and the next until He calls us Home!!

How To Talk About Your Church (2)

by Dale, posted in Church, Church Membership, Discipleship, Ministry, Speech, Uncategorized

Many, many thoughts were shared yesterday across America about the Sunday church services—the preaching, the music, those born again, the length of the service, the nursery, the interruptions, the coffee and donuts at fellowship time, the bulletin, the temperature in the building, baptisms, the empty pews or full-house, etc.

What were some of your comments?

Last week, I shared the first part of How To Talk About Your Church. Today I want us to consider another familiar statement made about the local church that I hope will encourage and edify.

“I’m not getting fed at our church.“

Certainly it is every pastor’s privilege and responsibility to teach the Word of God (1 Timothy 3:2; 4:12-16; 2 Timothy 3:16-17; 4:2).  This mandate is not to be taken lightly.  We have been commanded to feed the flock of God (1 Peter 5:2) with “good grain” from the Word. 

That being said, the responsibility for your spiritual growth is not the pastor’s. You are to be a student of the Word (Joshua 1:8; Psalm 1:1-3; Hebrews 5:12-14) hiding it in your heart (Psalm119:11) and making it your own in daily application.  As the pastor feeds you, it whets your appetite to grow and know your God more and more.  If your pastor is weak in that area, pray for him.  Pray that his early morning hours will be a time of intimate relationship with God. Pray that Truth will so grip him that on Sundays he will preach from the “overflow.” The hours he spends in sermon preparation is time consuming as well as physically and mentally demanding.  Perhaps he is doing too much in ministry.  Ask him what you can do to lighten his load so he can pray and study.  He has not been “hired” to do the entire soul winning, visitation, discipleship, and administration of the church.  You need to join up with him in teamwork for the Savior.  Meet with your under-shepherd for coffee and pray that you may come to know him, encourage him and be his “Barnabas.”  Remember them . . . who have spoken unto you the word of God . . . . for they watch for your souls, as they must give an account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief (Hebrews 13:7, 17).

I close with a reminder.  The local church consists of sinners.  It is a spiritual hospital for a sin-sick, mentally-hurting, heart-broken, doubting, discouraged, worn-out society.  For every issue of life, Christ and His Word is the answer, the remedy.  Therefore, point to Christ first in all things in the church (Colossians 1:15-19).  It is His Church. He died for it (Ephesians 5:25).

By the way, a lost world is watching and listening to us.  Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers (Ephesians 4:29).  What have you said about your local church this past month?  What have you said about your Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ?

See you Sunday!

Prayer Points – Day of Prayer

by Dale, posted in Christian Living, Prayer, Prayer Advances, Renewal, Revival, Uncategorized

First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. (1 Timothy 2:1-4)

Praises

1. God is in complete control (Is. 45:7)

 2. Our Father knows all our needs (Matt. 6:31-33)

3. Nothing can separate us from His love (Rom. 8:37-39)

4. God uses calamity to turn people to Him (Is. 19:22: Hab. 3:2-6)

5. God’s ways are deep and wise (Ps. 92:5,Is. 40:13-14)

6. The LORD is with us (Ps. 46:1, 11)

The World

1. God’s word to have free course and be glorified (2 Thess. 3:1)

2. Seekers to find true shepherds and not false ones (Jer. 50:6, Mark 6:34)

3. Powerful witness of gospel media (Acts 1:8)

4. Repentance of world leaders (Jonah. 3:6, Dan. 4:37)

5. Wisdom for leaders in making decisions (Prov. 21:1, 1 Tim. 2:2)

6. Mercy: Delivering lives and limiting the pandemic (Amos 7:1-6)

7. Specific places: NYC, USA, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, etc. (Ps. 46:10)

8. A realization of the destructive nature of sin in our world (Rom. 5:12)

Those in Need

1. Strength, wisdom, love, and protection for health workers (Ps. 145:9)

2. Healing for those who are sick (Matt. 8:16-17)

3. Income for those who have lost work (Eccl. 5:19)

4. Sustaining of ministries hampered by the lockdowns (Ps. 90:17)

5. Sustaining of persecuted Christians in poor areas of the world (Heb. 13:3)

Spiritual Growth

1. Renewed perspective on God’s priorities for our lives (Ps. 90:12)

2. Pursuit of God more than entertainment (1 John 2:15-17)

3. Devoted time to Scripture memory and meditation (Ps. 119:11)

4. Devoted time to private prayer and corporate prayer (Matt. 6:6, 18:20)

5. Hunger and thirst for righteousness (Matt. 5:6)

6. Purity for God’s people stuck at home (Ps. 119:9-10)

7. Spiritual strength to rise and work (1 Cor. 15:10, Col. 1:29)

8. Growth in faith and endurance (Jam. 1:2-4)

9. Joy and thanksgiving (1 Thess. 5:18, Ps. 92:1)

Families

1. Parents refocusing on their calling to their family (Eph. 6:4)

2. Husbands & wives serving one another spiritually (Gen. 2:18, 1 Pet. 3:7)

3. Families bonding in seeking God together (Ps. 133:1, 1 Chron. 16:10-11)

4. Children learning from their parents’ godly responses (Prov. 23:26)

5. Edifying activities & positive spirits for children stuck at home (Col. 1:9-12)

6. Salvation of unsaved loved ones (1 Cor. 7:16)

Pastors and Missionaries

1. Increased closeness to God Himself (Ps. 73:25)

2. Abounding grace for new and overwhelming challenges (2 Cor. 9:8)

3. Wisdom to re-plan for the rest of the year (Prov. 16:3)

4. Wisdom & Discernment to feed, lead, & protect their people (1 Pet. 5:1-4)

5. Boldness and faith to show people their sin (Is. 58:1, Jer. 23:22)

6. Opportunities to powerfully testify of Christ (Acts 4:33)

7. Protection from attack (2 Thess. 3:2)

8. More laborers sent out to the uttermost parts (Matt. 9:38; Acts 8:1-4)

Local Churches

1. Good online connections and edifying communication (Heb. 10:25)

2. Fellowship for isolated Christians (Ecc. 4:12)

3. Love, grace, forgiveness, mutual care, and increased bonding (Jn. 13:34)

4. Spiritual initiative of members being proactive to edify (Eph. 4:12)

5. Consistent support of pastors and missionaries (2 Cor. 9:11)

6. Increased commitment to one another as a body (1 Cor. 14:12)

7. Unity of God’s people (Jn. 17:21, Eph. 4:3)

Reviving of the Church

1. Deliverance from complacency and spiritual slumber (Rom. 13:11)

2. Alert to the nearness of Christ’s 2nd Coming (Matt. 24:7-8)

3. Revival of corporate prayer & fasting (even while apart) (2 Chr. 20:3-6, 12)

4. Great repentance on individual, local, & international levels (Joel 2:12-17)

5. Formation of prayer groups that will endure beyond this time (Matt. 18:19)

6. Powerful testimonies of hope that impact the panicking world (1 Pet. 3:15)

7. Spirit-empowered boldness in sharing the gospel (Acts 1:8)

8. God manifesting Himself in a mighty way among us (Ex. 33:16, Lk. 11:13)

9. A time of refreshing from the presence of the Lord (Acts 3:19-20)

10. A work of the LORD’s doing, marvelous in our eyes (Ps. 118:23)

“When saints are all alive and instant in prayer, it is the index and token that the Lord will open the windows of heaven and pour them out such a blessing that they shall not have room enough to receive it.” – C.H. Spurgeon

(Compiled by our fellow servant in the gospel ministry, J. B.)

Friday’s Findings

by Dale, posted in Christian Living, Family, Marriage, Men, Parenting, Renewal

As always, here’s a list of links found through the week that may be of help to you to instruct, encourage, strengthen and/or bring a chuckle to your day.

The Needed Couples Retreat – Here’s some thoughts about the need for couples retreats as well as addressing some possible objections.  Anyone recognize the water falls?

What the Election Reveals About Us – An excellent post in view of Tuesday’s national elections.

Doing Hard Things – Every older teen and college & career guy/gal needs to read this.  Excellent, biblical advice for our day!   I linked this during the week on my Facebook page.  Parents, make sure you read it and your teens read it.  Perhaps, read it together at supper.

Why Every Christian Needs a Church Home

The Manhunt – One of my favorite Andy Griffith episodes.  Sit back, relax and enjoy.

Thank you so much for reading my blog.  I am truly grateful that you take the time to do so.  These writing and links are from my heart.  If I can encourage you, point you to Christ, help you, strengthen you, or just put a smile on your face, this blog has been successful.  Thanks for reading!!

Friday’s Findings

by Dale, posted in Christian Living, Church, Discipleship, Evangelism, Family, Parenting

As we close out this week, I’m sharing some links/blogs that have impacted me this week.  I believe they will be of encouragement to you.

 

Christ’s Body: The Mission of the Church —Watch as Jason Ormiston delivers a message that all believers need to hear.  (Bob Jones University Chapel, September 24, 2014)

  • You would also be greatly edified by listening to Dr. Steve Pettit’s messages on Walking in the Spirit.

How I Learned to Win Souls — You will find this practical post by a dear man of God, Dr. Don Sisk, to be a rich blessing in obedience to the Great Commission.  One other feather in his cap is the fact that he is a UK Wildcat fan! 😉

Parenting – Have We Lost Our Way?— How grateful that we have the blessed opportunity to support this family on the mission field.  Here are some very timely questions that need to be answered in regards to modern-day parenting.  If you are a parent, please read and answer with genuine honesty and transparency.  Here is hope for you.

Are You Leeching the Local Church? — Enough said.

Eliminating and Concentrating — Help for busy ladies!