"I Used To Be A Christian, But...." And The Importance Of Questions In Evangelism: Of course, I am not saying everyone who tells you that sort of story is lying, confused, or only rejecting the gospel because they don’t understand it. Some have heard the gospel and have knowingly rejected it. That’s a real situation you’ll come up against. And that’s fine–God works in those situations too. I’d still encourage you to do feel free to do a little digging in your evangelistic encounters. A key question can make a world of difference.

Scripture Is About Our Shame: Because of sin, shame stalks us all. But from the beginning God has committed himself to abolishing shame by covering, cleansing, and including us.

Seven Things I Believe Jesus Would Say To The LGBT Community: I write this simply wanting to begin another denominational conversation, for I have read a great deal, thought and prayed long and hard on this and still do not see clearly either the biblical norms and how they actually apply, nor the way to really reach out in love and effectiveness to those caught within these sinful practices... May the following seven things begin to move us to thinking and action. The Lord seems to say in his word to all sinners, and that includes those in the LGBT community.

6 Types Of Grace: You see, God’s grace is the most powerful force in the universe, so I would have to argue that it's the most beautiful word in the universe. It reaches you where you are and takes you where God wants you to be. It has the power to do something that nothing else can do: transform you at the causal core of who you are as a human being - your heart.

A Secret Life Of Sin: “Nobody just falls out of a tree. They climb up in it, move around a bit, and then fall out.” Indeed. And here’s an implication: Where a secret life is present, a secret prayer life is absent.”

How The Gospel Changes Everything: Each of these texts refers to the gospel of what God has done for us in the life, death, and resurrection of Christ and each text applies that gospel truth to the particular problem noted. These, then, are just a handful of the ways that the gospel affects all of life, all of ministry, and everything we seek to be and do and accomplish as Christians and as local churches.

The Church And The LGBT Community: Is There A Way Forward?: There are many Christians who are leading the way on these points. I’m thankful for Jonathan Merritt’s piece in CT, telling his story of same-sex attraction and how it led to an encounter with God’s grace. On the progressive side, Andrew Sullivan has led the way in arguing for a truly tolerant society that makes room for traditional religious belief.

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The Following blog is written by Brandon Adent

WHY DWELL ON DEATH?

This coming Friday, we’ll be meeting to celebrate and remember Christ’s crucifixion. We know that Easter is only three days later. To dwell on death seems so morbid. Why would we spend a Friday night in remembrance of the God who died when we know that He lives?

The implications of Good Friday are enormous; there’s really no end to them, and it’s impossible to fully understand the depth of them. Here are just a few reasons that Good Friday is worth celebrating.

IT IS FINISHED

Jesus, the Son of God, came to this world with a mission. He was born in squalor and raised in the middle of nowhere (John 2.45-46). Taking the trade of His earthly father, Joseph, the Maker of the Universe lived and worked unknown to anyone outside of Nazareth for most of His life (Mark 6.3). 

Then one day, Jesus stood in the synagogue of His hometown. He opened and read from the scroll of Isaiah, and declared Himself to be the one to proclaim good news to the poor, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and to set free the oppressed (Luke 4.18).

On that first Good Friday, after hours of agony under the full weight and fury of the wrath of God, Christ used His final breaths to announce that He had done what He came to do:

It. Is. Finished!

If you are in Christ, you are free. Your sentence and ransom have been paid. The sins that chained you to the dungeon of despair have disintegrated to nothing, and you have nothing to fear in death.

                        Fully absolved of these I am:

                  From sin and fear and guilt and shame 

THE CURTAIN IS TORN

There used to be a curtain.

The high priest, the one chosen to represent the nation of Israel in God’s presence, only entered the Holy of Holies once a year to offer sacrifice, wearing bells and a rope around his ankle so that the attendants could pull him out should they not survive their encounter with God. This sacred space was set apart by a thick curtain to ensure that no one would accidentally find themself in God’s presence unprepared.

The Apostle Matthew records that as Christ screamed out His victory and breathed His last, that curtain was torn in two, from top to bottom.

Can you imagine witnessing this moment? It’s almost comical to comprehend, visions of an unsuspecting priest diving for the ground, rising to his knees to find that he’s miraculously still alive.

In that moment, Christ became the Great High Priest. If you are in Christ, the implications are astounding. He pleads for us, and prays for us. He is our advocate, and our intercessor. And because of what Christ has done on Good Friday, we can approach the throne with confidence (Hebrews 5), knowing that it’s in Christ’s power that we stand.

WE REMEMBER

On the night before He was betrayed, Jesus had gathered His disciples to celebrate the Passover meal. Jesus took bread and wine, saying that bread represented His body broken, and the wine His blood spilled, and instructed His disciples to eat and drink in remembrance of Him.

Passover was the day that the nation of Israel remembered when God had set them free from captivity to the Egyptians. Similarly, the sacrament of communion, instituted by Christ just before His death and practiced by the church for millennia, remains an act of remembrance.

The elements have no saving power. They are just bread and juice.

However, they do serve as a reminder of Christ’s saving power, and redeeming His people from their sins. The elements are God’s grace to us, to give us a reminder of an event that took place long ago, that none of us have seen, but those who are in Christ know to be true.

WE RESPOND

On Good Friday, we meet to remember and respond to who God is and what He’s done. We’ll sing to and about Him, hear His Word taught, and go to the table in remembrance of Him. We’ll leave knowing that He’s alive, but, Lord willing, aware of the cause and effects of His death on the cross.

Please consider joining us Friday, April 3rd 2015 at 6 PM for our Good Friday service. 

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Weekly Once-Over:

4 Lesson I Learned About Legacy From My Family: Jesus loves working through families, seeing lives changed and legacies of faith built. And there is no greater gift you can pass on to the next generation than the gift of the gospel.

Is Recreational Marijuana Use A Sin?: Presumably, no one adds marijuana to brownies because it improves their flavor. The reason to add this particular plant to foodstuffs is because of its effect on senses other than taste. However, let's assume that someone really does enjoy and gain some nourishment from eating marijuana leaves. Would that be a sin?

Using Our Gifts To Serve God, Not Ourselves: Did God give us the church as a place to use our gifts? Or did he give us gifts so we could serve the church? The difference might seem subtle, but the way you answer has a profound impact on how you view yourself, your church, and your volunteers.

Rhythms For Family Devotions: How we practice these three rhythms will vary based on our family make-up, the ages of our kids, and the season of our lives. Don’t get discouraged. Don’t get up in your head. Don’t over-complicate it. Look for every opportunity to talk with your kids about Jesus and use family devotions to spawn those conversations. Read together. Sing together. Pray together. It’s that simple.

3 Factors To Consider When Choosing Resources For Family Devotions: Simply put, there is no shortage of crappy so-called "Christian" content in general. Just walk the aisles of your local Christian bookstore if you don't believe me. As parents we need to be careful about the content we put in the hearts and hands of our kids. They need to be Biblically-faithful. Most kids Bibles treat the stories of Scriptures like moral fables, disconnected from the overarching message of God's Word. The resources you choose need to be faithful to Scripture and thus Christ-centered. 

5 Rules For Family Devotions: These rules aren't meant to be restrictive, they're meant to be helpful. I've been praying all week that these posts would be encouraging and help simplify this important practice in your family like they have in mine. I'm praying and trusting that God will use His Word invested into our kids to draw them to Himself.

But Do You Adore Jesus?: What I notice a lot every day in the Christian spheres of social media is just how incredibly adept we evangelicals are at doctrinal criticism, cultural rebuke, theological analysis, biblical exegesis, contending for the faith in apologetic and ethical debates, pithy spiritualbon mots, religious advice, and of course the quoting of Christian leaders present and past, but what seems less prevalent is adoration of Jesus.

Evangelicals Find Themselves In The Midst Of A Calvinist Revival: Evangelicalism is in the midst of a Calvinist revival. Increasing numbers of preachers and professors teach the views of the 16th-century French reformer. Mark Driscoll, John Piper and Tim Keller — megachurch preachers and important evangelical authors — are all Calvinist. Attendance at Calvin-influenced worship conferences and churches is up, particularly among worshipers in their 20s and 30s. But Why?

Reading The Bible Like Jesus: Reading the Bible is difficult work. Or at least it can be if we intend to do more than simply read it for enjoyment or duty. There are many things we have to overcome in order to read effectively: the flesh, fatigue, distractions, time pressures from various sources, cold hearts, clogged ears and so on. Even when we overcome all these obstacles of the world, the flesh and the devil, we still find our Bible reading needs adjustment in order to read as Jesus read.

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Weekly Once-Over is our weekly recap of some great blog posts that we've seen this past week that have been helpful. Our hope is that they would benefit you in someway. Each Thursday of every week you will see a post that has links to different blog posts. 

Why Multiply a Gospel Community
If you have ever led a small community, regardless of what kind, then chances are good you have struggled with the reality of growing. Some communities close their doors and stick with the same people for years on end. Some groups burst at the seams.  Few groups tend to succeed when it comes time to multiply though. Here is some great insights on why the multiplication of our Gospel Communities is so important and needed.

 Outline of John Owen's Mortification of Sin 
This great blog post done by Bob Thune is his attempt to outline John Owen's book "Mortification of Sin." This is a great resource to read and know in regards to fighting sin that dwells deep within us.

 Is Your Child a Christian? 
As parents, we all wrestle with how to answer this question, and I've found there are usually two extremes that need to be avoided. This is a great blog post by Brian Croft on how to navigate this question as a parent.

 Raising Entrepreneurs 
Parents here is another blog about how to foster the entrepreneur spirit that is within your child.

 6 Ways Small Churches Can Love Their Communities 
Here is six tips given by Daniel Darling on how a small church can do outreach within their communities.

In Praise of the Low-Minded Christian 
Jared Wilson does a great job showing the pride of Christians when it comes to looking down on other Christians for what they do. Great blog post to bring conviction and heart change.

"In public and private, in sanctuary and home, may my life be steeped in prayer, filled with the spirit of grace and supplication" - Valley of Vision

Goal for Weekly Once-Over Weekly Once-Over is our weekly recap of some great blog posts that we've seen this past week that have been helpful. Our hope is that they would benefit you in someway. Each Thursday of every week you will see a post that has links to different blog posts. Enjoy!

Weekly Once-Over (6.13.13)

The Puritans on Putting Sin to Death - Mortification of sin was what Paul was talking about when he said to the Colossians, "Put to death therefore what is earthly in you" (Col.3:5). Here are six practical ways the puritans suggest how to put sin to death.

4 Questions to Check Your Church Culture - There's only so much you can learn about a church from their website...Culture is the heart of your church, the atmosphere your church creates...Unfortunately, the culture of a church doesn't always match the confession. Here is a few questions you can ask to know what your church culture is like.

Manhood Restored: How the Gospel Makes Men Whole - With his new book that just came out, Eric Mason does an interview with Desiring God and talks through his book and the purpose, vision and desire for the book. Every guy needs to read this book.

I Am Not In Any Respect My Own - Sam Storms brings to light what Jonathan Edwards recorded for us in his personal Diary, when he talks about renewal of his baptismal covenant. Would that we all might recommit ourselves to the Lord in this way.

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