LPBC Weekly Email- 12.15.14

Dear LPBC,

Yesterday, we had a wonderful gathering at LPBC. To God be the glory!

We gathered to praise our gracious God.

As we go through the Gospel of John, we specifically thought more about Jesus being God’s gift to the world from chapter 4. It is there we see how Jesus gives eternal life. He causes eternal life to spring up inside all who repent and believe.

Jesus calls us to go and proclaim this good news to the world. I pray we will call people to repent and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. I pray we will worship God in spirit and in truth. I pray that we will be the kind of people who have true faith that takes God at His word. I pray that people will see the life of God in us and ask us to share with them.

Here are a few announcements to go over this week-

1. Budget Proposal- Church members can pick up a copy of the 2015 proposed church budget from Regina’s office. This will be voted on in January. Please see me or the deacons if there are any questions.

2. Lessons and Carols- Dec 21^st- Lessons and Carols- An Advent Celebration- @6PM – Please pray for this event and invite friends to come as we celebrate and proclaim Jesus.

3. Financial Giving- Dec 28^th – This is the last Sunday to give on record with the church for 2014.

4. No Potluck in January.

Comments

John Stott on the "old man" and the "body ruled by sin" in Rom 6 v 6

There are, in fact, two quite distinct ways in which the New Testament speaks of crucifixion in relation to holiness. The first is our death to sin through identification with Christ; the second is our death to self through imitation of Christ. On the one hand, we have been crucified with Christ. But on the other we have crucified (decisively repudiated) our sinful nature with all its desires, so that every day we renew this attitude by taking up our cross and following Christ to crucifixion. The first is a legal death, a death to the penalty of sin; the second is a moral death, a death to the power of sin. The first belongs to the past, and is unique and unrepeatable; the second belongs to the present, and is repeatable, even continuous. I died to sin (in Christ) once; I die to self (like Christ) daily. It is with the first of these two deaths that Romans 6 is chiefly concerned, although the first is with a view to the second, and the second cannot take place w...

Boice: “... the federal way of dealing with us was actually the fairest and kindest of all the ways God could have operated. ”

Adam had been appointed by God to be the representative of the race so that if he stood, we too would stand, and if he fell, we would fall with him. Adam did fall, as we know. So death passed upon everyone. “But isn’t that terribly unfair?” someone protests. “Isn’t it cruel for God to act in this fashion?” ... the federal way of dealing with us was actually the fairest and kindest of all the ways God could have operated. Besides, it was the only way it would later be possible for God to save us once we had sinned. In other words, federalism is actually a proof of God’s grace, which is the point the passage comes to (vv. 15 ff.). It was gracious to Adam first of all. Why? Because it was a deterrent to his sin. God must have explained to Adam that he was to represent his posterity. That might have restrained him from sinning. A father who might be tempted to steal his employer’s funds (and would if only he himself were involved), might well decide not to do it if he kne...

Repackaging the gospel? It's more like obscuring the gospel!

Preface : I recognize this post may make me unpopular with some, but I think it is an important issue to blog about here. I’ve had time to reflect on this video and in my opinion, I think what is in this video raises some questions. This gentleman featured below is slotted to speak at the SBC's 2020 Pastors' Conference and it prompted me to think more about this illustration. I want to note that I don't know him and I have no personal issue with him. I assume he is a brother in the LORD. Having said that, I see some significant issues here that relate to this type of preaching being clear on the gospel of Jesus Christ. In fact, it appears to be obscuring it in my observation. Concern: Should the SBC or churches, in general, be in the habit of holding this up as a good and healthy example? Let's think about it some together. (Watch this clip below here first.) Context: The clip was posted to stand on its own a...

Search This Blog