Rejoice as you share Christ's Sufferings
"But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed" (1 Peter 4:13)
A short video for encouragement in seeing the faith of these dear Christians.
Open Your Eyes from Chris Weatherly on Vimeo.
Thinking of Planting a Church?
Redeemer City to City recently recommended 61 books for church planters. Check out their reading list to view their recommendations.
Light yourself on fire (passion in ministry)
In his book Letters to My Students, Charles Spurgeon tells about a young man who came to see him and said, "I am profoundly impressed by the ministry that God has given you. I am thrilled by the responsiveness of people to your teaching and preaching of the Word of God. That is what I long for myself. What do you suggest I do?" Spurgeon replied, "Young man , I suggest that you go out and light yourself on fire and people will come to see you burn."
The Secret to Spiritual Leadership
Over the past thirty years I have studied the lives of God’s greatest spiritual leaders from Abraham to Billy Graham. It is my conclusion and conviction that prayer is the timeless, and often overlooked, secret to high impact spiritual leadership.
Certainly courageous acts, fearless faith, spiritual gifts, and anointed abilities help make leaders spiritually influential. I agree that credible integrity, fervent passion, clear purpose, and wise plans are important.
It is good to cast your vision, identify your values, and build your team.
But the common denominator of great spiritual leaders and dynamic spiritual influencers down through the ages lies in their prayer lives.
HT: Dr. Dave Early
How are you doing as a disciple maker?
If you ever wonder how you're doing as a disciple - and a disciple maker, George Barna offers ten simple questions that we should thoughtfully consider:
1. Are you certain that your eternal salvation has been determined by your confession of sins and your acceptance of Christ's gift of forgiveness?
2. Do you consistently (emphasis mine) obey Jesus' teachings?
3. Do you always love other people in practical ways, especially fellow followers of Christ?
4. Have you put the attractions and distractions of this world in their proper place and focused on knowing, loving, and serving God?
5. Do you carry the burdens of following Jesus with joy?
6. Do you live in such a way as to show others what the Christian life looks like?
7. Do you relate to other Christians consistently, in a spiritual setting and for spiritual purposes?
8. Are you sharing your faith in Christ with those who have not embraced Him as their Savior?
9. Are you helping other believers to grow spiritually?
10. Do you consistently seek guidance from God in all you do?
The essence of these questions is simple: When you are true disciple of Jesus Christ, you will bear fruit worthy of a follower of the risen Lord. These questions are just mere reminders of the importance of maturing in the Christian faith. None of us would score a perfect ten every moment of every day; we all fall short some times. But as Paul instructed us, we must keep our eyes focused on the goal.
George Barna, Growing Disciples, (Colorado Springs, CO, WaterBrook Press, 2009), 28-30.
The Lord delights in the prayer of the upright
The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord, but the prayer of the upright is His delight. Proverbs 15:8 (NASB)
This week continuing in our sermon series in Mark we saw in chapter 9:14-29 Jesus calling his disciples to prayer. Pastor Nathan stated, "Lack of prayer is lack of believing in God and more believing in self...We must see that God calls us to Himself...He must be enough...We must trust...we must believe."
So how can our prayer be the Lord's delight? Our prayers show the depths of our poverty, yet the riches of His grace, therefore God delights in the prayers of the upright. The prayers of the upright are those that look to His majesty and not just His might.
May we turn away believing in ourselves and towards deeper faith in Christ, "rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, devoted to prayer" (Romans 12:12).