27 Point from Acts 29 (8-14)

(this post is a continuation post from a few days ago)

8. (for pastors) Have a weekly questioning time of accountability with your staff on the areas of sin, attitude, moral purity, discipleship, evangelism, family, etc...

9. Memorize more scripture, especially passages like 1 Corinthians 15:1- & 1 Timothy 1:13-14

10. Preach Jesus. 1 Corinthians 2:1-5

11. Preaching Prep & Scheduling Ideas: when is your most creative time? when is your most reflective time? when do you study best? when is a good time to plan your preaching?

12. Determine the Open-handed and Closed-handed theology you will hold for your church and its leaders, and then determine the same for what churches and organizations you will partner with.

13. Healthy theology should be the main driving force in your church, not pragmatism.

14. 4 Stages of the Bible ("the EPIC of the Gospel")
a. Creation
b. Fall
c. Redemption
d. Consumation

mark driscoll

last week i got the opportunity to meet one of my favorite pastors in the country. His name is Mark Driscoll and he pastors Mars Hill Church in Seattle, WA. the name "Mars Hill" comes from Acts 17 where Paul stands before the heathens and declares to them who God really is.

I love driscoll for a number of reasons, but i'll list a couple here:

1. He preaches Jesus like no other person i've ever heard. He is incredibly bold and unashamed and immensely gospel/Jesus-focussed.

2. He has an amazing knowledge of Scripture and Theology, yet at the same time he is very relevant to our modern culture.

3. He has a special gift from God of communication.

4. He's freakin funny.

If you've never heard him preach, you have to check him out. here's their website link http://marshillchurch.org/

one of the greatest quotes i've ever heard

its been a long time since i've heard this quote...too long. a couple days ago i was on perry noble's blog, and i read this quote and was awestruck with the thought for most of the day. here it is:

"What would you be willing to attempt for God if you knew you couldn't fail?"

wow! think on that for a while.

27 Points from Acts 29 (1-7)

this past week i attended a church planting conference called "Acts 29." it is a network of churches/pastors that are all about Jesus and making His name and gospel great in our world through planting gospel-centered churches. Here are 1-7 of the 27 points that were really impactful for me personally.

1. The mission of the church is to live out and spread the epic gospel of Jesus to the world.

2. The mission and the church are one entity. they are not separate.

3. Everyone (even me) has parts of their soul that desperately need to be rescued by the gospel, by Jesus.

4. Dead mentors are the best. they don't care about what you think, and they aren't worried with pleasing you. so, read!

5. Gospel-centered theology is meaningless without living a gospel-centered life.

6. Preach the gospel to yourself daily, and return to the source of the flame...the cross.

7. Memorize the gospel, Meditate on the gospel, Pray the gospel, Sing the gospel, Remember the gospel, Study the gospel, Practice the gospel.

iPhone

doesn't everybody have a crazy huge urge to drop your current cell phone contract and go get an iPhone today....or am i the only one?? what is it about the phone that has me so captivated?? it's ridiculous! in my mind, i've almost justified paying $400 for the thing. am i losing it?? wow.

possible application...when we're consumed and captivated by something, we'll go to all kinds of crazy measures to obtain it, no matter the cost, b/c we value and treasure it.

hmmmm...

theater church

yesterday i attended a good church here in charlotte called Mosaic Church. the interesting thing about their ministry is that they hold their sunday worship gatherings in a movie theater at the mall. wow! i would say its been effective for the gospel in reaching the people here in the north suburbs of charlotte. praise God!

...you just have to be careful not to put your head back and get too comfortable:)

one book, one sitting

yesterday i was reminded of one of my favorite things to do. i love to sit down and read through and entire book of the Bible in one sitting, undisturbed. if you've never done that, it's quite fascinating.



have you ever received a letter from someone and skipped the first three paragraphs, read the fourth, and then skipped the remaining two?? of course not. or, have you watched the show "24" in the middle of the season without seeing the previous shows?? you'd be completely lost. however, we do that most of the time with the Bible. i'm not saying you have to read an entire book of the Bible every time you open it. but, if you want to get the whole point of the author, and see how the logic unfolds, it's best to read the entire thing through at one time. i know thats kinda hard to do with Isaiah or Deuteronomy, but its great for books like Ruth, Daniel, Jonah, Galatians, Colossians, Philippians, and the other short epistles.



i read Galatians all the way through yesterday, and it really strengthened me. also, it was pretty cool to understand Paul's points and arguments and instructions. Galatians is the bomb! its all about Jesus and His triumph in the gospel!



try it this week some time!

without faith...

today, i was reading along in one of the many books i'm reading (or trying to read) right now called "Chazown." i know, kind of a crazy title for a book...and it doesn't even seem english. well, you're right. the term is the hebrew word for "vision" in the OT. so....while i was reading along, something triggered my mind (Holy Spirit) with the thought of faith, and i was immediately taken to a familiar passage for me in the Bible, found in the book of Hebrews. Chapter 11 verse 6 says this,

"And without faith it is impossible to please him (God), for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him."

in my mind it was like a scene change in a play, where the curtains are opened and you can see the next set. in a moment, immediately i realized my current situation & faith, and i was struck to the core with the thought of pleasing God. i'm sure you can imagine your current situation and your faith also.

i soooo want faith in everything i do, to never wander or stray or become weak in my faith...but, the truth is, i'm there way more than i wish to be. i haven't found the formula to strong faith yet, but i beg and plead with God to strengthen my faith in Him to the point where i'm confident, unmoveable, firmly planted like the tall tall cedar tree...where no wind can shake or move me.

guys only

ok fellas....this may be a weird post for the afternoon of labor day, but more than likely it will be relevant to you in a matter of minutes or hours. for some reason we have this great drive put in us by God for visual and physical satisfaction found in the opposite sex. it is great within the context for which God created it...marriage. however, lust is coveting the forbidden. when we desire something that is not ours, we lust. there is one great help for me w/my struggles w/lust, etc. it is found in the Bible in Galatians 5:16. it reads, "walk in the Spirit, and you will not fulfill the lust of the flesh." almost always when lust enters my mind and begins to control me, it is because i am not walking in the Spirit. i am not letting the Spirit control my mind. walking in the Spirit comes from deep meditation and communion with God & the Word. notice the progression also...walking in the Spirit must come first, and then we will not fulfill the lust of the flesh. i hope this is encouraging to you. i hate when i fall into lust because it is robbing God of His glory in my life, and also because it has the power to ruin God's plan and goals for my life. lust is not worth the loss of all that. keep it real bro's and fight for joy...in God, not lust.