grace church | memphis

Instructing a Child's Heart

2008-01-18T12:01:00.001-08:00

Tripp's follow-up book to the Shepherding a Child's Heart (which is the one GC is gladly giving away to every parent...or anyone else in our fellowship who doesn't have a copy!).

Yes, It Is Sort of Like A Military Kid's Address...

2007-11-26T13:31:00.000-08:00

The GC blog just keeps moving! Our new(est) blog address is:

www.gracechurchmemphis.wordpress.com

There are several new posts there already.

Grace Church Sermon Links

2007-11-19T09:31:00.000-08:00

<-- Are now on the sidebar.

Lots-O-Grace Stuff

2007-11-19T09:00:00.000-08:00

Have a great Thanksgiving
No Grace Lunch Fellowship next Sunday, November 25
No Grace Groups next Sunday, November 25
Christ-centered Time Stewardship | 6:30p | Wednesday, November 28 | Marion, AR [RSVP here].
Men's Retreat | Fri-Sat, December 7-8 | New Albany, MS [To guarantee sleeping spot, RSVP by Sat., Dec. 1].
Mr. Richard Owen Roberts | Sunday, December 9* - Wednesday, December 12**

* Sunday morning, December 9, Mr. Roberts will be preaching at Grace Church.
** Sunday evening, December 9-12, Calvary Baptist Church of West Memphis has allowed Grace to use their facility to host sessions each evening with Mr. Roberts beginning at 6:30p (childcare provided).

(pictured: Richard Owen Roberts)

6p-Nigeria Meeting

2007-11-14T04:44:00.001-08:00

What: Discussion and prayer about Grace Church's future involvement for the gospel in Nigeria

When*: 6:00-7:15p

Where: Jordan & Tracy Thomas'

* We believe that we incorrectly announced 6:30p during Sunday's announcements. The meeting will begin at 6p (sharp).

The LORD Gives And The LORD Takes Away

2007-11-13T09:40:00.000-08:00

The following is an article that JT wrote for FBC West Memphis's church newslettter (FBC is Grace's local sponsoring church):
____

“The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away;
May the name of the LORD be praised”
Job 2:21-NIV

Horatio Spafford wrote the famous hymn, “It is Well.” He wrote it out of deep pain and suffering. His son died in 1871. His livelihood was lost in the great Chicago fire. On top of that, all four of his daughters drown in the Atlantic Ocean in a shipwreck in 1873. His wife broke the horrific news to him through her now famous telegram, "Saved alone." His hymn is his response to it all. You know how it goes… “When peace like a river… When sorrows like sea billows roll… Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say… It is well, it is well with my soul.” Spafford knew suffering. More importantly, Spafford knew God (John 17:3).

You can’t sing the biblical meaning of “It is well” without also believing that God is responsible for the suffering. How else can we obey the will of God by “giving thanks in everything” (1 Thess. 5:18)?

It is unlikely that any of us have—or ever will—suffer like Spafford. It is even less likely that we will suffer extensively like Job. But, like Spafford, when the report came to Job that all of his livestock had been stolen or killed, his servants (save three) captured or killed, and that all ten of his children had been killed, Job immediately worshiped God (Job 1:20-21). Worshiped God? For suffering? Yes! Would that be my response? Would it be yours? In an instant, when Job’s world came crashing down, he humbly worshiped and asked, “Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?” (Job 2:10). Accept trouble from God?

Some want to excuse God from pain and loss by believing that He had nothing to do with it? Others will want to “curse God and die” (Job 2:9). Biblically speaking, neither response is appropriate.

This fall at Grace Church we are on a mission to worship God by forgetting about God. I mean we are seeking to forget what we’ve always thought to be true about God…while, on the other hand, we are seeking to embrace—with big-hearted faith—all that God has said to be true about Himself in the Bible. That would be a brief synopsis of our current sermon series: God: The Greatest of All. Please pray for us to know Him (John 17:3) and to believe Him (John 6:29).

Speaking of believing God, have you ever noticed that Job 2:10 concludes by stating, “…In all this, Job did not sin in what he said.” The “all this” is significant because in the previous breath Job attributed both his prosperity as well as his sufferings to…GOD! Also, in Job 1:22, the bible states, “In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing.”

Wait a minute! Did you catch that?

While it may be logical for us to suppose that blessings come from God, while adversity comes from Satan, that line of thought is simply unbiblical (Lamentations 3:38; Amos 3:6; Isaiah 45:7). That is a staggering truth!

When it comes to man’s standard of “fairness,” the world looks horribly backwards. We don’t have to look far to find that the wicked often prosper (Psalm 73), while the righteous often suffer (Just think of Christ’s sufferings! —Hebrews 12:2-3). But “fairness” is the last thing man wants from God. We have all sinned and fallen short of His well-deserved glory (Rom. 3:23). All of us are doing better than we deserve! Do you believe that?

At the very least, the bible demonstrates that God was not a passive bystander in Job’s troubles. Not at all! (Job 1:8, 12; see also, 1:11; 2:5). At the conclusion of Job’s story, after his fortune is restored, the account again clarifies that GOD was the responsible Agent in Job’s sufferings: “All [Job’s] brothers and sisters and everyone who had known him before came and ate with him in his house. They comforted and consoled him over all the trouble the LORD had brought upon him…” (Job 42:11). Did you catch that? The LORD brought “all” of Job’s trouble upon him.

How will you respond to adversity and suffering? Will you (unbiblically) suppose, “God had nothing to do with it?” Or, will you give God the credit for your pains—believing that He is giving you an opportunity to fellowship more deeply with Christ (Phil. 3:10)? More than that, will you continue to worship Him for causing the trials (Job 1:20; Genesis 50:20)? God gives grace for this (1 Pet. 4:11).

Worshiping God. That is the crux of the matter. Even if our life's lot is difficult, the sheer fact that we are not objects of God’s righteous wrath is entirely owing to His grace and mercy. Each person is a monster of iniquity. Only in the gospel of Jesus Christ do we have hope for receiving the favor of God. Are you clinging to Jesus alone for acceptance with God? This life is a vapor, and will be gone tomorrow. Is Jesus your greatest Treasure?

I know this isn’t easy. But it is biblical. And clinging to Christ during trials demonstrates the beauty of Christ to the world. As we cling to Jesus no matter what “sea billows” may roll, God is glorified.

My prayer for you and I is that we, along with Job and Spafford, will respond all of life (including suffering) by worshiping God (Job 1:20)! The thing which ultimately sustained Job was a great view of God (Job 38-42). God is our greatest need. Not comfort. In truth, the good pleasure of God usually works so that most of the Christian’s “rejoicing” is also mingled with deep “sorrow” (2 Cor. 6:10; Ps. 30:5).

Please continue to pray for Grace! We love you all.

Praying with you, for Christ to be displayed in our lives as the Great Treasure that He is, John 3:30

Jordan

The book of Job

2007-11-12T11:36:00.000-08:00

Is basically an exposition of this verse.

Two Conferences

2007-11-08T13:27:00.000-08:00

Please pray for a few men from GC as we are going separate ways this weekend to two different conference.

Nathan and Jordan are at the Miami Pastor's Conference
Bryan and Jim are at the 9Marks workshop

Thank you.

Worship Preparation

2007-11-08T04:42:00.000-08:00

Reading Job would be the very best heart prep.
And, if there is any possible way that you can listen to John Piper read The Misery of God and the Mercy of Job (4 parts; total of about 50 min.) while you follow along in the text as he reads, I trust that your heart will be very ready for corporate Christ-exaltation on Sunday.

Praying For the Nations

2007-11-08T04:41:00.001-08:00

For Vijay, and for the training of Indian pastors. Email snippet:

Please say helo your family members and friends at the Church.

We will be starting our second batch of training program from 12 Nov - 22 Dec 2007. Please continue to pray for the students, teachers and the training programme.

Thanks
Vijay.

Explaining the Gospel to Children

2007-11-06T19:25:00.000-08:00

Every believing parent is concerned for the salvation of his or her child(ren). The article linked below is a helpful one for me. And, the book pictured to the left is the best and most biblical counsel I've come across on the subject thus far.

Good (negative) point from the article to keep in mind:
"Too many ministries to children equate every positive response with a real conversion."

Good (positive) point from the article to keep in mind:
"Certainly children are limited in their ability to understand spiritual truth, but so are adults. Very few people intellectually understand all the gospel truth at the moment of salvation. Fortunately, the essential truths are basic enough that even a child can understand. Jesus Himself characterized saving faith as childlikeness (Mark 10:15). True belief is not a function of advanced intellect, sophisticated theological understanding, or complex doctrinal knowledge."

You can read the short article here.

(article HT: TC)

Here I Stand

2007-11-01T10:06:00.001-07:00

Although their outcomes were different, Luther at Worms reminds me of Esther before Xerxes, which is our sermon text for Sunday (Esther 4:11; 5:2-3).

Worship Preparation: "Spread & Go" Offering This Sunday

2007-11-01T05:21:00.000-07:00

Most churches call it a "love offering." That's a great name, because it implies that we love to give of the resources the Lord has given to us in order to aid the work of advancing the kingdom of Christ in the world.

Our vision at Grace is to glorify God by treasuring Jesus Christ and spreading His eternal joy. Our mission is to guide people to faith in Jesus Christ; grow together in biblical maturity; and go to our neighbors and the nations.

So the "love" offerings taken at Grace are intricately tied to our vision and mission of spreading eternal joy by going to the whole world with the gospel of Christ.

This Sunday, we will have the special privilege of hearing briefly from Rev. Daniel Seidu, from Ghana, West Africa. Daniel is the pastor of God's Glory Baptist Church (great name!), and is passionate about reaching his people--The Wala people--with the gospel.

Come prepared to give towards the ministry of reaching the Wala people for Christ!

Lunch Prayer

2007-10-31T07:42:00.001-07:00

I'll appreciate your prayers today as I speak during lunch for a bible study at a law firm downtown.
JT

Song For the Day

2007-10-31T07:09:00.000-07:00

Click here.

Luther, Ten Years Later

2007-10-31T05:41:00.001-07:00

1527: The Ten Year Anniversary of the Reformation*

James Swan

“Those who are in the teaching office should teach with the greatest faithfulness and expect no other remuneration than to be killed by the world, trampled underfoot, and despised by their own…… Teach purely and faithfully, and in all you do expect not glory but dishonour and contempt, not wealth but poverty, violence, prison, death, and every danger.” (Martin Luther, Works 12.220-221)

On October 31, churches throughout the world celebrate the nailing of Martin Luther’s Ninety-Five Theses to the Wittenberg Chapel door. The event represents the outpouring of Christianity unshackled and blossoming. Like Hilkiah finding the Book of the Law, the thirty-four year old Luther proclaimed the doctrinal “solas” to the world: scripture alone, Christ alone, grace alone, faith alone, and the recognition that all of life is lived to the glory of God alone. For over five hundred years, these biblical truths reclaimed by the Reformation have transformed individual lives and entire societies. Truly, churches do well to celebrate the victory of the Reformation.

But like all victories, we tend to overlook the struggles involved. We may even romanticize the Reformation. We see the triumphs, and think that God blesses particular individuals like Luther with great growth and success, while the rest of us struggle through our Christian lives with failures and hardship. Just ten years after the posting of the Ninety Five Theses, we find the forty-four year old Luther one of the most famous men in Europe. In 1527, he preached sixty sermons, lectured to students, wrote one hundred letters and fifteen tracts, and spent time working on his translation of the Old Testament. He did all this while having the responsibilities of a husband, father, minister, teacher, and political advisor. One can find this productivity throughout all of his life. We think God must have blessed Luther by making his life easier so he could concentrate on God’s work.

But a closer look at Luther in 1527 shows some surprising details. Scholars mark this as the year Luther’s health increasingly began to deteriorate. It is recorded that he had several fainting spells, even fainting during a sermon. Luther, a man who loved to preach, had to stop preaching for a while. He also complained of intense pain in his chest, accompanied by painful buzzing in the ears. It had become so severe that it was thought he was about to die. News of this spread quickly, and fear gripped the people of Wittenberg. An entire deathbed scene of “Luther’s last words” was recorded in which Luther, surrounded in bed by his closest companions, voiced a deep concern for his pregnant wife and infant son: “Lord God, I thank Thee for having allowed me to be a poor beggar on earth. I leave no house, property, or money. But you gave me a wife and children, I commend them unto Thee. Feed, instruct, and preserve them as Thou hast preserved me, O Thou Father of children and widows.”

Luther recovered, but his physical condition continued only to become worse from this point. This physical weakness brought on serious bouts of depression. This melancholy would accompany Luther throughout his life. As he struggled with failing health, he would at times wish for death to release him from the pain brought on by intense headaches, dizziness, arthritis, digestion problems, infections, and uric acid stones, to name only some of his maladies. In his pain, he questioned whether or not God had abandoned him. He wrote to Melancthon, “I spent more than a week in death and hell. My entire body was in pain, and I still tremble. Completely abandoned by Christ, I labored under the vacillations and storms of desperation and blasphemy against God. But through the prayers of the saints [Luther’s friends] God began to have mercy on me and pulled my soul from the inferno below.”

Some may be surprised to read these words by Luther. How could a man who stood alone against the Catholic Church and Roman Empire show such a lack of faith? My belief is that Luther was like all of us. We at times stand strong, and at other times we cry out to God to increase our faith. Where Luther lacked faith in 1527, he also displayed it remarkably in other instances. The plague ravaged Wittenberg that same year. Many of Luther’s friends died, and his students and colleagues fled for their lives. Luther’s son even became ill for a time. Luther though felt “public servants, preachers, mayors, judges, doctors, policemen, and neighbors of the sick who have no one to take care of them are on duty and must remain.” He did not begrudge those who fled, “for to flee dying and death and to save one’s own life is a natural instinct implanted by God and is not forbidden.” But for Luther, fleeing the plague was not an option. He turned his house into a makeshift hospital, where he and his pregnant wife took care of the dying. The house was quarantined, remaining so even after the plague subsided.

This was the year 1527 for Luther, the ten-year anniversary of the Reformation. How many of us in Luther’s place would question whether or not God was chastising us for sin? How many of us would question whether or not we were missing God’s will for our lives? How many of us would wonder why we were not successful in our Christian ministry? Luther though, expressed profound understanding for all these trials: “The only comfort against raging Satan is that we have God’s Word to save the souls of believers.” In all these trials, Luther clung to that Word, and its promise that it would see believers through the difficulties of life, and that it alone showed us Christ and our salvation, the only really important thing. Luther best expressed this at the end of the troubled year 1527, by penning, “A Mighty Fortress is Our God.” Luther expresses that in our trials, God will be victorious, and so will we:

And though this world with devils filled should threaten to undo us,
We will not fear, for God has willed his truth to triumph through us.
The prince of darkness grim? We tremble not for him.
His rage we can endure, for lo! His doom is sure.
One little word shall fell him.

* This was sent to me via email this morning from a pastor friend in AR; Originally posted @ Alpha and Omega Ministries

Disputation on the Power and Efficacy of Indulgences

2007-10-30T12:33:00.000-07:00

Commonly known as The 95 Thesis, were posted by Luther 490 years ago.

Worship Follow-Up...

2007-10-30T07:30:00.000-07:00

Maybe a new feature on the GC blog? We'll see how it goes...

In Sunday's sermon, Nathan highlighted three requests which Moses brought before the LORD in Exodus 33 (which serve as a great template for praying for GC!):

LORD, let me see Your ways, that I may know You
LORD, let us have Your presence
LORD, show me Your glory

And, I was especially struck by this line in Sunday's sermon...

"The same Moses who went before Pharaoh, and crossed the Red Sea, also bows low and worships God without presuming on His grace. We too must beg God to come with us."

I invite you to interact with Sunday's sermon also by supplying a comment below.
JT

Dealing Responsibly With Anxious Souls-#8

2007-10-29T08:47:00.000-07:00

To some of the Lord's redeemed children it has been granted to live with reoccurring doubts about their salvation.

Still others--who are not truly the Lord's--have been enabled to coast through life with a firm confidence that their day of reckoning will prove favorable in His presence, when in fact, that day will be horrifically the opposite.

Why, then, does the spectrum of soul-confidence yield such disparity? And where must we turn to find a responsible soul-physician to diagnose the real problem and prescribe the right solution?

Last night I did something I've never done before; I listened to two different TV preachers deliver their 'sermon.' In separate broadcasts, both men successfully provided terribly unbiblical and destructive soul-care to his hearers (what's new?).

The blame for their heresy will one day soon be laid at each's doorstep.

The first, a white guy (from Houston), recounted "God's blessing" to his church--because of his faith--that came by way of Bank of America loaning $65 million to his congregation so they could "finish" their meeting-facility "the right way." The first bank (which had little faith) from which he sought the loan wouldn't even come off of $25 million, excuse me, "just 25 million."

As this 'preacher' continued to emphasize, we too should have a "fatted calf" mentality rather than a "starving calf" mentality. The first bank, he said, "Had a calf that hadn't eaten in six months" [insert big smile here]. But I, on the other hand, should expect God's material blessings because "God is waiting to pour out His blessings on me if I will but trust Him." [insert even larger smile here]. Therefore, I should stop saying, "I can't afford it," but should start saying, "I can't afford it...right now."

Implication: Go take out a loan from whatever bank will give it to you for whatever you really really really want to have...because God wants you to have it too. This is salvation.

The second TV 'preacher,' a swole African American guy who could easily kick my tail, challenged his hearers to be like the lame man to took up his pallet and walked. His invitation admonished his hearers to be like the healed lame man who was the only one in the room with Jesus who had enough self-will to change himself. [insert long sigh here].

Implication: If you want spiritual healing, you will have to muster up the determination to heal yourself and Jesus will be happy with you for doing so. This is salvation.

After that, I couldn't handle it any more. I turned the TV off and went to bed. As I lay there, I thought about and prayed for the people of Grace Church. "Are we giving the gospel to them?" "Who's right? The TV guy, or the things we're teaching at Grace?" "How can we know?" "Are any of our people feeding on the sort of mess I heard on TV?" "Do any of them have a false confidence about their salvation?" "Do I?"

Then, the Lord brought to mind three of the sources for false assurance mentioned in the Bible. Do any of the following fit you?

1. Knowing the Bible may give an unbeliever a false assurance of his salvation.

The end of John 5 unfolds an encounter between Jesus and the Jews. The Jews wrongly believed that their diligent "searching of the Scriptures" would grant to them eternal life. And search they did! We would be hard-pressed to find someone in our day more familiar with the Old Testament than a 1st century Jew--especially the Pharisees. However, the Jew's false-confidence of their salvation was stemming from their knowledge of the Bible.

2. Supernatural spiritual experiences may give an unbeliever a false assurance of his salvation.

Jesus told us that "many" will recount to Him, on the day of their judgment, the supernatural spiritual experiences they have enjoyed as reason for their acceptance with God. Even though meaningful spiritual experiences happen to us, it is not reason enough to believe we are the Lord's. (Receiving material blessings would fit into this category).

3. A reformed spiritual life may give an unbeliever a false assurance of his salvation.

For many, the alteration of lifestyle, the turning over of a new leaf, or the success of oath-keeping ("God, I promise I will never again...") gives to some an assurance of their salvation that is faulty. The bible has something to say about this sort of person (see here also). Like the second TV preacher taught, this would be the category that a person with a great deal of "self-will" could find a false assurance of his salvation.

Lord willing, the next post in this series will seek to highlight to the Bible's remedy for soul-anxiety, by pointing to the Bible's only ground for legitimate assurance of salvation.

Two Questions for Reformation Day

2007-10-29T07:30:00.000-07:00

1. Do you know why this is being offered at this price?
2. If you don't already own it, why haven't you already clicked on the previous link to order it?

For Those Who Tend To Procrastinate (Like Me):

2007-10-29T07:26:00.001-07:00

You are right on schedule (for two more days).

CP Talk

2007-10-24T20:30:00.000-07:00

Please pray for JT on Thursday morning as he speaks for a church planters gathering for 30-40 planter guys who are scattered around the US.

The Value Of Meditating On The Person Of Christ

2007-10-20T09:47:00.001-07:00

This quote provides even more incentive to continue enjoying our Grace Group journey with Owen who is helping us to consider Christ.

Taken from The John Owen Centre For Theological Study.

For We Cannot Stop Speaking What We Have Seen And Heard

2007-10-20T08:48:00.000-07:00

Recently, two counties in NC have banned officials from invoking "Jesus' Name" in their prayers. Councilman D.J. Haire had the following response:

"I am a child of God first," he said. "I like being an elected official, but I'm not going to manipulate the Word of God to satisfy them."

His response sounds a lot like two other guys I've read about.

Although Haire's life is not at stake for his stand, he even sounds a bit like the guy in this picture: Anyone have a guess as to who the one depicted as the speaker in this picture is? And where he is at?).

October, 21 - Worship Preparation

2007-10-19T07:21:00.000-07:00

Meditate on Hebrews 12.

Bad news: "God is a consuming fire!"
Good news: "Our God is a consuming fire!"

John 17 - Effects Of Christ's Obedience On His Own

2007-10-12T08:14:00.000-07:00

(Click image for larger view)

Notice the effect (Highlighted in gold) that the obedience of Christ to the Father has on those who are His own.

Is Christ's obedience having this effect in your life?

John 17 - Christ's Obedience To The Father

2007-10-12T06:48:00.000-07:00

(Click image for larger view)

Throughout His prayer, Christ acknowledges that He has obediently accomplished "all that the Father has given Him to do."

The highlights in this image show specifically what Christ obediently accomplished.

"...even so through the obedience of One the many will be made righteous." (Romans 5:19)

John 17 - The Father's Love for Christ, And For Those Whom He has given to Christ

2007-10-11T13:51:00.001-07:00

(Click image for larger view)

It is because of statements like the ones highlighted in this image that the Bible is an inexhaustible storehouse of God's rich blessing to us His Son.

Heaven itself will not suffice to unfold to us the depth of the blessings contained in these few highlighted statements!

Loved by the Father JUST AS He loves His only begotten Son--Jesus Christ!?!!!?

(Appropriate response = profound humility, and gospel-inspired, glad-hearted praise!)

John 17 - Christ's Emphasis on Knowing Him as The One "Sent" by the Father

2007-10-11T11:39:00.001-07:00

(Click image for larger view)

Multiple Choice:

Eternal life is...

A: Knowing the only true God

B: Knowing the only true God, and Jesus Christ

C: Knowing the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom He has sent.

John 17 - Gifts To Christ From The Father

2007-10-11T11:26:00.000-07:00

This image shows the various blessings that Christ acknowledged in John 17 as being gifts to Him from the Father. Worship!

(Click image for larger view)

John 17 - Christ's Ten Specific Requests

2007-10-11T11:14:00.001-07:00

(Click image for larger view)

* Note: I have updated this image. After looking at it again (and again), I see ten specific requests made by Christ. The former image showed only eight.

This image shows the ten specific requests for which Christ prayed in John 17. Staggering!

Repetitions In John 17 - Worship Preparation

2007-10-11T09:51:00.001-07:00

This image shows some of the major repeated phrases in John 17 (ESV). I highlighted these repetitions about a year ago, and have been looking at them again this week in preparation for Sunday's sermon.

For Grace-goers, I commend this document to you as a means of preparing your heart for worship this weekend.

The petitions Christ makes in this chapter are utterly Amazing!

(Click on the image for a larger view)

Dealing Responsibly With Anxious Souls-#7

2007-10-10T10:27:00.000-07:00

Letter to a soul seeking Jesus – No. VI

Go up, leaning on Jesus

Dear friend,

I have heard of you from ______, and have been praying for you, that your eye may rest on Jesus, and that your soul may lie in perfect peace under His blood shed for the sins of many. I have been thanking my Father, too, for dealing so bountifully with you. “He is the Father of mercies, and the God of all comforts.”

I will give you a sweet verse to meditate upon: “Who is this that cometh up from the wilderness, leaning upon the beloved?’” (Song viii. 5). Do you think this is your position? Truly this world is a wilderness if you have seen it rightly. It is a place of guilt and shame. Every natural heart is a wilderness—a dead place without a drop of living water; and then all natural hearts put together make up a wilderness world. The whole world lieth in wickedness.

There are few that know and love Jesus, and these few are panting to get more of the living water. But if you have truly fled to Jesus, you are coming up from the wilderness. Now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. “The night is far spent, the day is at hand.”

Have you found Jesus truly? Do you feel willing to be all vile, all hell-deserving in yourself, and to let God’s dear Son be all your shield and righteousness? Oh, make sure of this.

Never mind what man thinks of you. I would not give a straw for the opinions of men, as to whether I was safe of no. It is not what man thinks of us that will cover us on the judgment day. Oh no! You must be in Jesus, sitting at His feet, allowing Him to wash your stains away, allowing Him to enwrap your guilty soul in divine righteousness.

If you were lying at the bottom of the sea, no eye could see your deformities; so when the infinite ocean of Immanuel’s righteousness flows over the soul, you are swallowed up as it were in Christ. Your blackness is never seen, only His fairness; and thus a God of truth can say, “Behold thou art fair; behold thou art fair, My love. Thou art all fair, My love; there is no spot in thee” (Song iv. 1-7).

Keep this always in memory; and when guilt comes on the conscience, as it will, lie down again beneath the righteousness of Jesus. Never lose sight of this. Jesus must be seen by the Father instead of our guilty soul. It is not change in our black soul that is to be our covering. You must leave self, and stand in your Elder Brother. Hide behind Him. Let the Father’s eye fall on Him, not on you. This is what Jesus wants. He died to be a shelter for such as you. This is what the Father wants; for He is not willing that any should perish. If you are seen by the Father a naked, guilty sinner, you must die; there is no help for it. But if Jesus appear for you—if you hide in His wounds like the dove in the clefts of the rock, and under His snowy raiment—then the Father Himself loveth you, and how you are coming up from the wilderness.

Every hour that strikes, that is an hour less between you and glory. Oh, do not grieve to part with the world if you are in Christ! And hour with Christ will make up for all your griefs and pains. Half and hour in the presence of our God will make us forget a lifetime of agony.

“Leaning on her beloved!” Is this the position of your soul? Do you feel empty, weak, and helpless? And do you see Him mighty to save, able to save to the uttermost? “His legs are like pillars of marble.” This is Christ’s glory, that He justifies sinners who have no righteousness, and sanctifies souls that have no inborn holiness. Let Jesus bear your whole weight.

Remember, He loves to be the only support of the soul. He is a jealous Saviour. He wants to be entirely trusted. There is nothing that you can possibly need but you will find it in Him. “All my springs are in Thee.” Do you want righteousness? He has the spirit of a weaned child to give you (Ps. cxxxi.). Do you want love? He is the fountain of love: all the promises of God in Him are yea and in Him amen.

I am sure, if you get a glimpse of Him, you would lay your head in His breast and die there. May the Spirit anoint your eyes to see Him more and more, and soften your heart to lean on Him. Those that have leaned on Him through the wilderness shall sit with Him on the throne (Rev. iii. 21).

Farewell, dear soul! The Lord feed you sweetly, as He feeds the flowers, by silent drops of dew.—Ever yours, etc.

Memoir and Remains, pp. 303-4.

Does The US Really Need More New Churches?

2007-10-05T10:37:00.000-07:00

Decide as you watch this video. Then, pray.

(HT: Missional Thoughts)
Planting in Cooper/Young; Memphis

Dealing Responsibly With Anxious Souls-#6

2007-10-05T10:13:00.000-07:00

Letters to a soul seeking Jesus – No. V

Be found in Christ

December 8, 1841

Dear friend,

I send you another line to tell you of Him who is altogether lovely. I have a very dear boy in my parish who is dying just now. He said to me the other day, “I have just been feeding for some days upon the words you gave me: ‘His legs are like pillars of marble set upon sockets of fine gold’ (Song v. 15); for (said he) I am sure He is able to carry me and all my sins.”

You may say the same, if your eyes have been opened to see the beauty, fulness, freeness, and compassion of the Lord Jesus. Nothing but the hand of God can open your eyes to see your lost condition as it truly is. Flesh and blood cannot reveal Him unto you, but my Father.

Oh, call upon Him to do this for you! A spiritual discovery of yourself and of Jesus is better than a million of worlds to you, and to me also. Remember, you cannot be fair in yourself before God. Song i. 6 must be all your prayer: “Look not upon me.” Take yourself at your best moments, you are but a vile worm in Jehovah’s sight, and so am I. Remember you may be “perfect in Christ Jesus.” Allow yourself to be found in Christ.

Oh, what will come of you if you are found in yourself? Where will you appear? You will shrink back, and call on rocks and mountains to fall upon you and cover you. But if you are hiding in Jesus—if your eye and heart are fixed upon His wounds made by our sins—if you are willing to be righteous in His righteousness, to lie down under the stream of His blood, and to be clothed upon with the snowy fleece of the Lamb of God—then God will love you with His whole soul exceedingly.

The pure, full love of God streams through the blood and obedience of Jesus to every soul that is lying under them, however vile and wretched in themselves. Have you tried—have you tasted the holy love of a holy God? Thy love is better than wine. It is better than all creature love or creature enjoyments.

Oh, do not love—oh, do not die, out of this sweet, sweet, sin-pardoning, soul-comforting love of God! Remember, Jesus is quite willing to gather you under His wings (Matt. xxiii. 37). Put that beyond all doubt. Remember, also, the present is your only time to be saved (Eccles. ix. 10). There is no believing, no repenting, no conversion in the grave—no minister will speak you there. This is the time of conversion. We must either gain you now, or lose you for ever. Oh that you would use this little time! Every moment of it is worth a world.

Your soul is very dear to me—dearer far to Jesus. Look to Him and you will be saved.—Ever yours, etc.

Memoir and Remains, pp. 301-2.

T4G '08

2007-10-04T12:36:00.000-07:00

Early bird registration ends October 31!

MSBA - Monday, 15th @ 6p

2007-10-04T12:19:00.000-07:00

Jordan will be part of a panel of Mid-South church planters during Monday evening's Mid-South Baptist Association annual meeting at Whitehaven Baptist Church.

He's Got The Whole... World... In His Hands

2007-10-04T12:14:00.000-07:00

Click image for larger view. Bow heart to pray.

HT: Joshua Project

Jesus, How Precious Thou Art

2007-10-03T14:16:00.000-07:00

After reading McCheyene's comments in the previous post about the preciousness of Christ, I was reminded of a short poem I wrote several years ago when meditating through Hebrews.

The term "precious" has lost much of its meaning in our day. It is most often used as an adjective describing an infant--and rightfully so. But "precious" also refers to that which is "valuable," or in many cases, "priceless." With that in mind, here's the poem, and the verses it is built off of:

Jesus, how precious Thou art
To man, the visible invisible GOD
To GOD exact holiness of heart;
Jesus, how precious Thou art.

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And, I hope that you can see in the following verses where I gleaned the substance for the short poem:

Hebrews 1:3--"And [Jesus] is the radiance of [God the Father's] glory and the exact representation of His nature..."

That's where I got the, "To man, the visible invisible GOD" part.

Hebrews 1:9--(The Father says of the Son)--"Thou has loved righteousness and hated lawlessness..."

That's where I got the, "To GOD, exact holiness of heart" part. It is worth noting that the Bible says "sin is lawlessness." And, Christ fulfilled the entire law (i.e. Christ is sinless, or perfectly Holy!)!

Dealing Responsibly With Anxious Souls-#5

2007-10-03T11:52:00.000-07:00

Letters to a soul seeking Jesus – No. 4

Taste that Christ is precious

Dear friend,

It is written, “Unto you who believe He is precious;” and if you are a child of God, you will know and feel what the words mean (1 Pet. ii. 7).

At one time Christ was “like a tender plant” to you, and like “a root out of dry ground.” You saw “no form nor comeliness in Him, no beauty that you should desire Him.” At that time you were at ease in Zion—you had no concern for your soul. Do you remember that time? Is it otherwise with you now? Have you been pricked in your heart by the Holy Spirit? Have you been made to see how impossible it is for man to be just with God? And has the Spirit drawn away the veil from the fair face of Immanuel, and given you an unfeigned glance at the brow that was crowned with the thorns, and the cheek from which they plucked off the hair? Has the Spirit opened a window into the heart of Jesus, and let you see the fountain-head of that love that “passeth knowledge”? Then you will be able to say, “To me He is precious.”

If you see plainly that all your standing before God is in Him, that He is your foundation-stone, your fountain, your wedding-garment, then you will feel Him to be precious. Most people refuse to come to Christ. Read Luke xiv. 16-24—“They all with one consent began to make excuse.” Why is this? Just because they do not see and feel that He is precious.

But oh, if you, my dear friend, feel that He is your only righteousness—your only fountain of living water—your High Priest—your Shepherd—your Advocate, then you will say, “He is precious!” You will never say, “Have me excused.”

I carry to you the sweet invitation, “Come, for all things are now ready.” Jesus is ready to wash and clothe you in His own blood and righteousness. The Holy Spirit is ready to come into your heart and make it new. The Father is ready to put His arms round your neck, and kiss you (Luke xv. 20). The angels are ready to give thanks for you, and to love you as a sister for eternity. Now, will you come, for all things are ready?

Are you now saying in your heart, “I cannot but believe I am the chief of sinners, and Jesus offers to be my refuge, my Mediator, my all in all; I feel He is precious”? Oh, dear friend, I trust you do. This only will make you happy in living, and blessed in dying. This is a poor dying world. Man that is born of a woman is of few days and full of trouble. There is no part here that death cannot take from us. But if you have Christ, you have the only imperishable portion!

Oh, may the Holy Spirit give you a firm hold of Jesus! Then we shall meet in that sweet place, where there shall be no more death, neither sorrow nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain. The Lord deal kindly and gently with you, both soul and body. Farewell, dear friend.—Ever yours, etc.

Memoir and Remains, pp. 300-1.

DG Conference Theme Song

2007-10-02T11:17:00.001-07:00

Our friend Marc Heinrich wrote the theme song for this year's Desiring God National Conference. Enjoy!

The Most Important Thing To Be Attended To Is This...

2007-10-02T11:12:00.000-07:00

“... according to my judgment the most important point to be attended to is this: Above all things see to it that your souls are happy in the Lord. Other things may press upon you, the Lord's work may even have urgent claims upon your attention, but I deliberately repeat, it is of supreme and paramount importance that you should seek above all things to have your souls truly happy in God Himself!

... For the first four years after my conversion I knew not its vast importance, but now after much experience I specially commend this point to the notice of my younger brethren and sisters in Christ: The secret of all true effectual service is joy in God, having experimental acquaintance and fellowship with God Himself.

But in what way shall we attain to this settled happiness of soul? ...I answer, This
happiness is to be obtained through the study of the Holy Scriptures. God has therein
revealed Himself unto us in the face of Jesus Christ.

George Muller

Dealing Responsibly With Anxious Souls-#4

2007-10-02T08:58:00.000-07:00

Letters to a soul seeking Jesus – No. 3

Joy in believing

Dear friend,

I send you another line to tell you Jesus is the way. I would like much to hear how your weak body prospers, and whether your soul is resting under the apple-tree (Song ii. 3); but till some opportunity occurs, I must just content myself with committing your soul and body into the hand of Jesus, your faithful Creator (1 Pet. iv. 19).

We are now looking forward to another communion season, and I am busy instructing young persons for that holy and blessed ordinance. I think you said you were a good deal impressed at our last communion, and wished that you had been one of those seated at the table: perhaps you may never be permitted to sit at the table on earth; perhaps your first communion may be in glory.

There is a text in Rom. xv. 13, which expresses all my desire for you: “Now that you may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.” You see here who is the author of conversion—“the God of hope.” He must open your heart to attend to the things that are spoken. The truths that are presented to you will not convert your heart; the God of hope must breathe on your heart and water it oft. Then see how He give you joy and peace—“in believing.”

When Jesus revealed Himself to Thomas (John xx. 28), Thomas cried out with joy, “My Lord and my God!” If Jesus reveal Himself to you in all the glory of His person, the completeness of His work, and the freeness of His love, you too will be filled with appropriating, joyful faith, and will cry, “My Lord and my God!”

It is a difficult thing to explain what it is to believe—I suppose it is impossible. But when Jesus unveils His matchless face that was buffeted and spit upon, then the soul joyfully clings to Him. This is believing, and this is joy and peace in believing. The truest, purest joy flows from a discovery of Jesus Christ. He is the hidden treasure that gives such joy to the finder (Matt. xiii. 44). Do you think you have found that treasure? Touching question! For if not, you are poor indeed.

But how much joy may you have in Christ? “The God of hope fill you with all joy.” You need not be afraid to take the full joy that Jesus gives. If you really come unto Christ, you come unto the love of Jehovah, and that is a filling love. The love of the creature does not fill the heart; but God’s love coming full upon the soul gives fulness of joy (1 John i. 4). It is holy love, sovereign love.

I have been interrupted several times in writing this little note. I will not be long in writing you again. Do decide the question of your eternity. One thing is needful! Have you closed with the great Mediator? Have you got saving knowledge of Jesus? Then only will death lose its power, and the grave become the bed of peaceful rest.

There is a land of pure delight,
Where saints immortal reign;
Infinite day excludes the night,
And pleasures banish pain.

Lean all your care for time and eternity on Jesus; that is the softest of all pillows—the bosom of our guardian Immanuel.—I am, ever yours, etc.

Memoir and Remains, pp. 298-9.

Pray

2007-10-01T09:13:00.000-07:00

This coming Sunday at Grace we will revel in our great God...Who hears us when we pray! This link outlines a prayer concern you can take to the LORD now.

Dealing Responsibly With Anxious Souls-#3

2007-10-01T08:58:00.000-07:00

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Letters to a soul seeking Jesus – No. 2

Seek the righteousness of Christ

Dear friend,

I was glad to hear of your safe arrival, and that your health had not suffered by the voyage. I trust the Lord is dealing gently with your frail body, so that your mind may get leave freely to fix itself on Jesus Christ and Him crucified. Above all, I pray that the Holy Spirit may sweetly and silently open your heart, to relish the way of salvation through the blood and obedience of Immanuel. Through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins, and by Him all that believe are justified from all things (Acts xii. 38, 39).

You would be deeply concerned to hear that your room-mate, -------, has been so suddenly and awfully called away. Should it not be a solemn warning to you? Oh that you may be even now clothed in the righteousness of Jesus! So that, if you were called away, you may meet God in peace, and hear Jesus say, “Enter thou into the joy of thy Lord.” In yourself you never will stand righteous before Jehovah. Ps. cxliii. 2 answers your case. “Enter not into judgment with me,” must be your cry.

In your nature, in your past life, in your breaking of the holy law, in your contempt and neglect of Jesus, in your indwelling sin, God can see nothing but what He must condemn. Oh that you would be of the same mind with God about your own soul! Do not be afraid to look upon its loathsomeness; for God offers to clothe you in Jesus Christ. “By the obedience of one shall many be made righteous” (Rom. v. 19). There is only one in all the world on whose face God can look and say, “He is altogether lovely.” Jesus is that one. Now God is willing that you and I should hide in Jesus.

I feel at this moment that He is my righteousness. “This is His name whereby He shall be called, The Lord our Righteousness,” (Jer. xxiii. 6). I feel that the love of God shines upon my guilty soul through Jesus. This is all my peace.

Your tears will not blot our sin; they do nothing but weep in hell, but that does not justify them. Your right views of the gospel will not justify you; you must be covered with a spotless righteousness. Your change of heart and of life will not justify you; it cannot cover past sins—neither is it perfect. Your amended life is still fearfully sinful in Jehovah’s sight, and yet nothing but perfect righteousness can stand before Him. Jesus offers you this perfect righteousness; in Him you may stand and hear God say, “Thou art all fair, my love.” There is no spot in me.

Do you thus look to Jesus? Do you believe the record that God has given concerning Him? Do you receive Christ with open arms? Do you cry, “My Lord and my God;” my Surety—my all?

Dear friend, do not tarry. Eternity may be near. Now is your best time, perhaps your only time, of closing with Christ. How many worlds would a lost soul in hell give for such an opportunity of cleaving to Christ as you have now! “He that has the Son hath life.” This is all my prayer and desire for your precious, precious soul.—Ever yours in the gospel, etc.

Memoir and Remains, pp. 297-8.

TCT Network & DG Conference

2007-09-28T12:01:00.000-07:00

Along with four brothers whom I love--Nathan Kyzar, Jim Suggs, Jonathan Hopper, and Gary Hair--I am in MN today for the TCT Network meeting, and this weekend for the DG National Conference.

We will appreciate your prayers as we are already absorbing much from the LORD!
JT

Dealing Responsibly With Anxious Souls-#2

2007-09-27T19:31:00.000-07:00

When a young lady came inquiring to Robert Murray McCheyene, he dealt--as we now invite you to read--carefully, responsibly, and biblically with her soul. As the GC blog now turns the next six posts in this 'DRWAS' series over to Rev. McCheyene, we share two words of counsel:

Consider your own soul. Have you closed with Christ?
Consider that evangelism--which has suffered much in our culture from slick programization--is truly nothing less than giving Christ to others.

Now, Rev. McCheyene:

______________

Letters to a soul seeking Jesus – No. 1

Seek to know your corruption

Dundee, 1841.

Dear friend,

According to promise, I sit down to talk with you a little concerning the great things of an eternal world. How kind it is in God that He has given us such an easy way of communicating our thoughts, even at a distance!

My only reason for writing to you is, that I may direct your soul to Jesus, the sinner’s friend. “This man receiveth sinners.” I would wish much to know that you were truly united to Christ, and then, come life, come death, you will be truly and eternally happy.

Do you think you have been convinced of sin? This is the Holy Spirit’s work, and His first work upon the soul (John xvi. 8; Acts ii. 37, xxi. 29, 30). If you did not know your body was dangerously ill, you would never have sent for your physician; and so you will never go to Christ, the heavenly Physician, unless you feel that your soul is sick even unto death. Oh, pray for deep discoveries of your real state by nature and by practice! The world will say you are an innocent and harmless girl; do not believe them. The world is a liar. Pray to see yourself exactly as God sees you; pray to know the worth of your soul. Have you seen yourself vile, as Job saw himself? (Isa vi. 1, 5). Have you experienced anything like Ps. li? I do not wish you to feign humility before God, nor to use expressions of self-abhorrence, which you do not feel; but oh, pray that the Holy Spirit may let you see the very reality of your natural condition before God!

I seldom get more than a glance at the true state of my soul in its naked self. But when I do, then I see that I am wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked (Rev. iii. 17). I believe ever member of our body has been a servant of sin (Rom. Iii. 13, 18)—throat, tongue, lips, mouth, feet, eyes. Every faculty of our mind is polluted (Gen. vi. 5).

Besides, you have long neglected the great salvation; you have been gainsaying and disobedient. Oh that you were brought to pass sentence on yourself, guilty of all! Hear what a dear believer writes of himself: “My wickedness, as I am in myself, has long appeared to me perfectly ineffable, and swallowing up all thought and imagination, like an infinite deluge, or mountains over my head. I know not how to express better what my sins appear to me to be, than by heaping infinite upon infinite, and multiplying infinite by infinite. When I look into my heart and take a view of my wickedness, it looks like an abyss infinitely deep, and yet it seems to me that my conviction of sin is exceeding small and faint.”

Perhaps you will ask, Why do you wish me to have such a discovery of my lost condition? I answer, that you may be broken off from all schemes of self-righteousness; that you may never look into your poor guilty soul to recommend you to God; and that you may joyfully accept of the Lord Jesus Christ, who obeyed and died for sinners. Oh that your heart may cleave to Christ! May you forsake all, and follow Jesus Christ. Count everything loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ.

You never will stand righteous before God in yourself. You are welcome this day to stand righteous before God in Jesus. Pray over Phil. iii. 7, 9. I will try and pray for you. Grace be with you.—Your friend in Jesus, etc.

Memoir and Remains, pp. 296-7.

Dealing Responsibly With Anxious Souls-#1

2007-09-26T06:26:00.000-07:00

This new series of posts is dedicated to Christ Jesus, the only Lord and Savior. In these posts, I hope to inspire thought, discussion, and practice around responsible evangelistic soul-care. We all know that leading a thirsty man to a dry riverbed could never satisfy his thirst. But, leading him to the never-failing "Fountain of living waters" will eternally quench his parched soul. So for you, which source will it be? The empty riverbed of man-centered tactics, or the saving oasis of Jesus Christ?

Complaining is easy. Finding solutions is more difficult. This is true even for (especially for?) Christians who are thinking about conversion counseling (i.e. witnessing). Have believers not become notorious for identifying the problems of decisionistic, 'I-can-do-it', Christianity? And rightfully so! Why is it then that guidance for those wanting to faithfully present the gospel, and represent the God of the gospel, have little help on which to lean?

It is one thing to lament the the erroneous theology of easy-believism that has been sweeping our land for quite some time. It is another thing altogether to seek the Lord's counsel in His Word in order to realize His revealed will for dealing responsibly with those whose souls are anxious for a remedy for their sin problem.

Too many are stating man's solution; "Repeat this prayer and you will be saved." Too few are stating God's solution; "Turn to GOD and be saved, all the ends of the earth; for He is GOD and there is no other" (Isaiah 45:22).

What is a child of God to do if he or she wants to lead someone else to faith in Jesus Christ (And every true Christian does desire to be used of God to do lead others to Christ!)? What are we to say in the 'moment of truth' when a soul is desiring to press into the kingdom of Christ, forsake sin and self, and rest in the Savior? What are we to do in that moment? To be certain, it is not the slickness of our words, or the winsomeness of our appeal that saves a soul. Yes, but in evangelism words are necessary. And the blame for wrong words is appropriately laid at our doorstep.

Some who become aware of our God-given responsibility to represent Him faithfully with our words will shrink back from being evangelistic at all for fear they may say the wrong thing. Silence, however, would be a greater crime.

With that, I invite you to join us in letting the hard work begin (er...continue) of finding God-pleasing solutions for our day's man-centered soteriological dilemma.

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First things first: We at Grace Church don't presume to have responsible soul-care figured out. But we are desiring to always be praying and laboring to become better soul-physicians. And God forbid that any of us cop-out of our evangelistic responsibility by employing the 'magic prayer' either to expedite the process, or because we are unwilling to seek counsel from God, His Word, and other faithful soul-physicians.

________________________

The next six posts in this series will come from Robert Murray McCheyne (pictured). And, Oh friend does he ever have God-centered biblical help to offer!

"And this is eternal life, that they know Thee, the only true GOD and JESUS CHRIST whom Thou hast sent" (John 17:3).

Would You Consider Skipping Eating Out One Time for Christ and His Kingdom? (or more?)

2007-09-25T10:24:00.000-07:00

Would you consider it?

"God will not allow his Word to rest lightly on the heart of one who longs to experience its life-changing, sin-killing, Christ-exalting power"

2007-09-25T09:27:00.000-07:00

If you want to enjoy the Bible's life-altering affect of Christ-centeredness, then meditate on Scripture, don't speed read!

The following quotation is well worth our attention.
(Taken from pp 199-201 in Signs of the Spirit. I have noted which of the quotes are from Edwards, and which are from Storms.)

"I had then, and at other times, the greatest delight in the holy Scriptures, of any book whatsoever. Oftentimes in reading it, every word seemed to touch my heart. I felt a harmony between something in my heart, and those sweet and powerful words. I seemed often to see so much light exhibited by every sentence, and such a refreshing food communicated, that I could not get along in reading; often dwelling long on one sentence, to see the wonders contained in it; and yet almost every sentence seemed to be full of wonders." (J. Edwards)

"And I have sometimes had an affecting sense of the excellency of the word of God, as a word of life; as the light of life; a sweet, excellent life-giving word; accompanied with a thirsting after that word, that it might dwell richly in my heart." (J. Edwards)

"Do you dwell 'long on one sentence' or skim quickly with only a cursory glance at words on a page? The greatest profit that I gain from Scripture is when I pause to take a word or phrase or sentence and turn it over and over again in my mind, speaking it aloud, perhaps even singing it unto the Lord. Memorize it. Muse on it. Ruminate. Reflect. Cry out to the Spirit for light of understanding. Evaluate your soul and mind and life and leisure time in the light of its truth. Place your thoughts and deeds and desires and daydreams under its authority." (Sam Storms)
"In the way of your testimonies I delight as much as in all riches" (Psalm 119:14).

"I will delight in your statutes" (v. 16).

"My soul is consumed with longing for your rules at all times" (v. 20).

"Behold, I long for your precepts" (v. 40).

"For I find my delight in your commandments, which I love" (v. 47).

"The law of your mouth is better to me than thousands of gold and silver pieces" (v. 72).

"Oh how I love your law" (v. 97).

"Your testimonies are my heritage forever, for they are the joy of my heart" (v. 111).

"Therefore I love your commandments above gold, above fine gold" (v. 127).

"I rejoice at the word like one who finds great spoil" (v. 162).

"My soul keeps your testimonies; I love them exceedingly" (v. 167).
"Those incredible statements from Psalm 119 should never be read in isolation from the rest of the psalm. The reason God's Word resonated with such sweet savor in the soul of the psalmist is because he was committed to seeking the Lord with his "whole heart" (Ps. 119:2, 10) and to meditating on his precepts (119:15) and to fixing his eyes on God's "ways" (119:15). His resolve was to "keep God's law continually, forever and ever" (1198:44). Listen to the psalmist's prayer, repeated over and again: (S. Storms)
"Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law" (v. 18).

"Teach me your statutes!" (vv. 26, 68, 124, 135).

"Make me understand the way of your precepts" (v. 27).

"Graciously teach me Your law!" (v. 29).

"Teach me, O LORD, the way of your statutes" (v. 33).

"Give me understanding that I may learn your commandments" (v. 73; see also vv. 34, 125, 144, 169).

"Teach me your rules" (v. 108).
"If this were our prayer, perhaps then, like Edwards, we would begin to feel 'a harmony' between our hearts and 'those sweet and powerful words' and taste 'a refreshing food' in God's Word and see the 'wonders contained in it.' Rest assured of this: God will not allow his Word to rest lightly on the heart of one who longs to experience its life-changing, sin-killing, Christ-exalting power." (S. Storms).

By The Strength of His Might Not One of Them is Missing

2007-09-24T15:53:00.001-07:00

You've probably seen these images before...but its worth another jaw-drop.

Worship Preparation | Our Living GOD

2007-09-21T10:06:00.000-07:00

Exodus 3, is our sermon text for Sunday, and as you know, is the "burning bush" or "calling of Moses" chapter. And, as you also know, it is about so much more than that--namely the God-initiated revealation of the Name and Character of God (as YHWH).

As you ready your heart for Sunday at Grace, consider the remainder of the Exodus account (all the way through Joshua!), and that the God who reveals Himself, and makes covenant promises to deliver His people from bondage, is the God who sovereignly accomplishes all that He said He would do! Consider most of all our Passover Lamb!

The Heart of the Matter

2007-09-20T06:14:00.000-07:00

We would do ourselves well to pray this...then pray it again and again until it resonates with the deepest of our desires.

"Lord, spare us the insidious ego deception that we love God when really we love being told that we love God. Forbid that our being thanked is the bottom of our joy, rather than Christ being praised." (J. Piper)

John Owen Prayed for Grace Church

2007-09-18T19:29:00.000-07:00

Beginning this coming Sunday, the Grace Groups (small groups) of Grace Church will start going through John Owen's book, Communion With God. Staggeringly amazing in concept, completely soul-satisfying when practiced!

As we are preparing to embark on this study, I was encouraged to find that Rev. Owen prayed for us. Here is the transcript of his summary of the study, and of his petition of the Almighty on our behalf:

"It is with regard to this initial communion [with God] (on earth) that I intend to speak and to show that mutual giving and receiving between God and the saints as they walk together in holy and spiritual peace."

"First I pray that the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who has, by the riches of his grace, brought us from a state of enmity into this glorious fellowship with himself, may give you such a taste of his sweetness and excellence in this communion as to be stirred up to a greater longing for that eternal enjoyment of him in eternal glory" (p. 3).

Amen and Amen!

He Rests

2007-09-18T19:28:00.000-07:00

So rest with Him...IN HIM!

Was He Tired? Worship Preparation

2007-09-12T10:04:00.000-07:00

Take time this week to read and meditate through the creation account in Genesis 1-2. Focus specifically on the first three verses of chapter two.

“Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation.” (Gen 2:1-3 ESV)

The "rest" of God will be one of our main questions this Sunday at Grace. More importantly, we will ask, "So, what was He doing while He rested?" And, "He was doing what? And He was doing it to whom?" Ultimately we want to worship Him because He has said to us, "I will give you rest."

See you Sunday, Lord willing...

Who Is This?

2007-09-12T04:39:00.000-07:00

Who is This, so Weak and Helpless
William W. How

Who is this so weak and helpless,
Child of lowly Hebrew maid,
Rudely in a stable sheltered, coldly in a manger laid?
’Tis the Lord of all creation,
Who this wondrous path hath trod;
He is God from everlasting, and to everlasting God.

Who is this, a Man of sorrows,
Walking sadly life’s hard way,
Homeless, weary, sighing, weeping,
Over sin and Satan’s sway?
’Tis our God, our glorious Savior,
Who above the starry sky
Is for us a place preparing,
Where no tear can dim the eye.

Who is this? Behold Him shedding
Drops of blood upon the ground!
Who is this, despised, rejected,
Mocked, insulted, beaten, bound?
’Tis our God, Who gifts and graces
On His church is pouring down;
Who shall smite in holy vengeance
All His foes beneath His throne.

Who is this that hangs there dying
While the rude world scoffs and scorns,
Numbered with the malefactors,
Torn with nails, and crowned with thorns?
’Tis our God Who lives forever,
’Mid the shining ones on high,
In the glorious golden city, reigning everlastingly.

Who is GOD?

2007-09-10T12:52:00.000-07:00

We all have our ideas about Him...but what does GOD say about Himself?

Grace Church-ers, remember to pray over and pass out these flyers that we made available on Sunday! Go get 'em!

Jordan Thomas - Our Great God

2007-09-10T10:05:00.001-07:00

Another Grace Church member pointed me to this YouTube snippit from the sermon I preached in July at BBC, which was the same text I preached yesterday at Grace...

Our Great God

2007-09-10T06:53:00.000-07:00

"For thus says the high and exalted one,
Who lives forever, Whose name is Holy.
'I dwell on a high and holy place,
and also with the contrite and lowly of spirit,
in order to revive the spirit of the lowly,
and to revive the heart of contrite.'"
- Isaiah 57:15

Paaaaty Tyme

2007-09-06T19:19:00.000-07:00

Remember, this Sunday evening (Sept 9) from 5:30-7p is our Grace Party at Bridges.

Grace Parties are designed to celebrate Christ and His work. Everyone is welcome.

As we are anticipating the start of a new cycle of Grace Groups (beginning Sept. 16), this Sunday's party will be dedicated to the work of God through our Spring cycle Grace Groups. A few testimonies will be shared too. See you Sunday morning, and again in the evening!

Light refreshments will be available at the party, and I'm sure several will hit dinner spots afterwards (maybe even The Happy?).

God Songs

2007-09-04T09:14:00.001-07:00

Grace Church wants your help.

Would you point us to your favorite hymns or choruses that extol the majesty of God? As you think of such songs, please paste the lyrics in the comments section below. Thank you!

Fall & Winter 2007 Church Card

2007-09-02T12:39:00.001-07:00

Earlier on the GC blog we mentioned the theme of our next sermon series. Below is our church card that details the text for the prayer meeting, the sermon, as well as sermon titles. Pray with us this Fall as we seek to encounter and enjoy GOD: The Greatest of All!

Worship Matters

2007-09-02T11:07:00.000-07:00

Most of you are familiar with this blog, but if not, get familiar!

Worship Preparation

2007-08-30T09:54:00.000-07:00

For those coming to Grace this Sunday, here are a few suggestions for how to prepare your soul. As always, these are "suggestions" not "law." I look forward to "boasting" in the cross of the Lord Jesus with you this Sunday!

Read, and pray through (meditate), Galatians 6:11-18 in as many translations as you can track down.
Thank God for Jesus, and glory in His cross!
Sing something to God (preferably that you are making up on the spot) as you think of the contents of the sermon text. (Joyful noise!)
Thank God for the 16th century Reformation (and for the life of Martin Luther in particular, which, in God's kind providence was an instrumental event in history that contributed to our access to believing the contents of Galatians!).
Listen to, or read, Piper (preaching in Memphis in 2000) on Boasting Only in the Cros s.
Attend, and engage in, corporate prayer at 9a.

Wait For GOD

2007-08-28T08:03:00.000-07:00

For from of old they have not
heard nor perceived by ear,
Neither has the eye seen a God
besides Thee,
Who acts in behalf of the one
who waits for Him.

Isaiah 64:4

TCT Network

2007-08-26T22:07:00.000-07:00

I'm in Minneapolis now for tomorrow's (Monday) Treasuring Christ Together church planter's network meeting.

We will appreciate your prayers as we worship, fellowship, and discuss. These meetings are designed to continue to kindle the doctrinal kinship between the TCT churches, aid practical ministry, and contribute towards our mutual involvement in church planting. Thank you for praying for us!
JT

Embracing The Sovereignty of God

2007-08-24T09:37:00.001-07:00

(HT: Tim Challies; Timmy Brister)

Sunday Lunch

2007-08-24T09:10:00.000-07:00

Remember also, that we will have our monthly GC lunch fellowship this Sunday after the morning service at Bridges. Bring those goodies!

Grace Kids - Saturday, 9a-12:30p

2007-08-23T20:37:00.000-07:00

What: A worshipful equipping session for a new facet of ministry to children that will begin in the life of Grace Church on September 16

When: Saturday, August 25; 9:00a-12:30p

Where: Bridges

Who: Everyone! If you have ever been on our children's ministry rotation, then congratulations! You're on it again!

Carry Another's Load Because Everyone Must Carry His Own Load

2007-08-22T09:23:00.000-07:00

This week's sermon text carries an apparent contradiction (But is no contradiction at all).

“Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” (Gal 6:2 ESV)
“For each will have to bear his own load.” (Gal 6:5 ESV).

May the Lord be glorified as we worship Him in full obedience to His Word.

Note: Here's where I'm at so far (with help from others): Verse two is a command. Verse six is reproof.

Bully

2007-08-22T08:39:00.001-07:00

Thanks mom for sending this comic relief.

What Do You See?

2007-08-22T07:56:00.001-07:00

I'd like to know how many of you are having the same problem as Kurt (who commented here) with the header image on this blog.

So, when you read this post, would you please comment and let me know if you can read the following words at the left side of the header picture in their entirety, or if they are cut off (if cut, how much do you see)?

The words in the picture should read:

"grace church | memphis
glorify....treasure...spread"

PTI 3

2007-08-21T14:38:00.000-07:00

Coming soon.

Wednesday's @ Court Square

2007-08-21T14:06:00.001-07:00

A Theology For the City

2007-08-20T09:07:00.000-07:00

Dr. Bill Pannell will be the speaker this week for the John Perkins lectures (Tuesday, 7p: Creighton).

Dr. Pannell is Special Assistant to the President and Senior Professor of Preaching at Fuller Seminary, and is author of numerous articles and books, including The Coming Race Wars? A Cry for Reconciliation; Evangelism from the Bottom Up; and My Friend, the Enemy. Dr. Pannell’s areas of expertise include race relations, the black church, and evangelism.

Internet Explorer

2007-08-20T06:39:00.000-07:00

Doesn't display the blog properly. Try to use Firefox or Safari.

Baptism & Membership In the Local Church

2007-08-17T08:57:00.000-07:00

The conversation continues:

I might as well go all in too?

First, a bit of personal background. In August of 2005, just two days after arriving at Bethlehem for a one-year residency, I found myself in a five-hour long elders' meeting at which the now widely-known, and hotly-controversial, position paper on baptism and church membership was voted upon (with only one dissenting vote) to go to the congregation for approval (Talk about arrival trial by fire!).

For the remaining year, I sat through scholarly (well moderated) debates on the subject, and only the Lord knows how many hallway and dinner conversations regarding the proposal. From beginning to end, even though I have many paedobaptist friends (who I consider to be the Lord's children), I have not been in favor of the proposal.

Most of all, the fuel for my conviction is the unanimous testimony of the NT which clearly describes the (immersion) baptism of only believers.

Secondarily, two unanswered questions (which if answered, would really help me out, but admittedly, probably not change my mind) also contribute to my lack of support for the idea of admitting "unbaptized" persons into church membership.

So, my to all of my paedobaptist (and baptistic, in favor of accepting "unbaptized" persons into church membership) brothers and sisters, please consider these questions, and consider helping me understand the issue better.

Question 1: If you could not find a faithful Bible-preaching and infant-baptizing congregation in your city, would you join a baptistic church that (1) faithfully preaches the bible, (2) will lovingly, but unabashedly, seek to convince you to change your view on, and practice of, baptism, and (3) would experience a rift in the fellowship of that church because (though the church adopted the position by majority) there remains a certain percentage of the congregation that doesn't comply with the church's position to graft "biblically informed paedobaptists" into its membership?

The foundation of this question is whether or not a desire to love the congregation you are joining plays a part in your desire to be loved by that congregation as one of its members? Admission: I agree that because of a greater good, love does not always equal not hurting someone that you love.

Question 2: If my biblically-informed conscience tells me that paedobaptism is the Lord's pleasure, then how can I (without violating my conscience) join a church where my own child (yet to be born) will not be baptized as an infant? Am I wrong for concluding that someone who comes to church membership under these auspices has a conscience that is not quite as bound in the first place if he or she is willing to join a believer's-baptism-only congregation?

The foundation of this question is whether or not someone's conscience can honestly be bound to a certain conviction from Scripture, but at the same time, not feel incumbent to practice that very conviction? Seems illogical to me, but would love to have a view from one of my paedo friends!

What's Even Scarier Than Being On This Elephant?

2007-08-17T07:36:00.001-07:00

Seeing this during morning family devotion!

GOD: The Greatest Of All

2007-08-16T18:41:00.001-07:00

Our Fall sermon series will be titled, GOD: The Greatest of All.

Beginning on September 9th and continuing through remainder of 2007, Grace Church will begin a series of worshiping together through the portraits of the Great God of the Bible.

Join us this Fall as we seek His face!