Nov 11, 2014
Nov 9, 2014
Nov 4, 2014
Amazing Grace Ladies Breakfast
It's that time again!
Amazing Grace Ladies Breakfast
Saturday, Nov. 8 @ 9:30
Little Daddy's Restaurant
22250 Eureka Road, Taylor
~All Ladies Invited~
~Bring a friend~
Nov 3, 2014
Spurgeon Quote
"Prayer is the never-failing response of
the Christian in any case,
every plight."
Charles Spurgeon
Nov 2, 2014
Jesus Is King
Jesus Is King
In Martin Luther's hymn "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God," the great Reformer penned these memorable words: "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." One little word. One little word is all that stands between Satan and his complete destruction.
Satan may rule as prince in this world, but his reign is fragile. He can reign only as long as the King permits. We see a powerful glimpse of his fragile power in one of Jesus' greatest miracles.
Jesus and His disciples have sailed across the Sea of Galilee and landed on the far shore. They have arrived at a place inhabited by one of the most pathetic and tragic figures we could ever imagine - a man oppressed by not only one demon, but an entire legion of them. He has been driven far beyond the brink of insanity. He lives in the tombs outside the town. He runs naked through the hills, crying out in agony, bashing and bruising himself with rocks, attacking anyone who passes by. Chains cannot hold him; friends and family cannot restrain him. He is under the full control of the powerful Prince of Darkness.
And then Jesus arrives. The very moment Jesus sets foot on the shore, this man comes running. He comes running, naked and bleeding and unkempt, and falls down at Jesus' feet. He falls down in submission, in terror. One of those demons cries out and says, "What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I adjure you by God, do not torment me." And just like that, the tables have turned. The powerful demons are quaking in fear of One infinitely more powerful.
I recently taught this story to children and told them this: Imagine you are outside playing when the neighborhood bully comes your way. He walks up to you, shakes his fist in your face, and says, "I am going to pound you." You know he is too strong for you, so you grit our teeth and prepare to get hurt. But then suddenly his eyes grow wide, his expression changes - is it fear? - and a bead of sweat trickles down his face. He raises his hands in surrender, backs away, turns around, and runs.
What happened? You turn around. and just a little bit behind you, you see your dad. He is marching toward you and toward that bully. He is rolling up his sleeves. He is coming to your defense. That bully is powerless in the presence of someone much stronger than he is.
And this is exactly the situation we find here. The demons, who had held such power over this man, are utterly powerless in the presence of Jesus. With a word, just one little word, He drives them from that man, He sends them into a herd of pigs, and they are destroyed. And He does it all to prove this: Satan may be the prince of this world, but Jesus is the King.
by Tim Challies, who is author of the blog Challies.com and a pastor in Toronto. He is also author of The Discipline of Spiritual Discernment and The Next Story: Life and Faith after the Digital Explosion.
This article was taken from Tabletalk Magazine, November, 2014
Oct 31, 2014
Oct 28, 2014
Charles Spurgeon Quote
"The dirty fingers of sin
leave marks on our
cleanest clothes."
Charles Spurgeon
Oct 26, 2014
Oct 19, 2014
Holy, holy, holy ....
Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts!
All the earth is filled with His glory!
Isaiah 6:3
Oct 17, 2014
Oct 12, 2014
Oct 9, 2014
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Oct 3, 2014
Sep 22, 2014
Sep 18, 2014
Thoughts on a Call to Worship
By , September 17, 2014
While simple liturgies have some advantages, there are good reasons to consider including liturgical elements that have been used in church gatherings for centuries. One of those is the call to worship.
I remember being less inclined to use a call to worship after reading Harold Best’s thoughts years ago in his insightful book, Music Through the Eyes of Faith:
There can only be one call to worship, and this comes at conversion, when in complete repentance we admit to worshiping falsely, trapped by the inversion and enslaved to false gods before whom we have been dying sacrifices. This call to true worship comes but once, not every Sunday, in spite of the repeated calls to worship that begin most liturgies and orders of worship. These should not be labeled calls to worship but calls to continuation of worship. We do not go to church to worship, but, already at worship, we join our brothers and sisters in continuing those actions that should have been going on – privately, familially, or even corporately – all week long. (p. 147)
Yes, there is only one call to worship. But since we planted Sovereign Grace Church of Louisville nearly two years ago, we’ve begun each meeting with a call to worship. Why? Here’s the way we’ve thought through it as a pastoral team.
Every Beginning Says Something
There are different ways of letting people know the meeting is starting. Some churches run a countdown video. Others have the band kick in to the first song (our practice for decades). Some churches find it effective to have some kind of warm up song before the meeting actually starts. They may or may not invite the congregation to sing along. Some churches begin with a friendly welcome by a leader, and other churches open with announcements. But every beginning communicates meaning, sets an atmosphere and leads people to expect something. The church is the ekkelsia, the “called out ones.” When we gather as God’s people we are being called away from other pursuits to worship God together in a specific place and time. We can worship God indirectly as we play soccer through good sportsmanship and serving others. But we worship him more directly on Sunday mornings as we gather to sing, pray, hear God’s Word preached, and share the Lord’s supper.
A call to worship tells us the meeting has begun, but it communicates much more than that. It emphasizes the primacy of God’s Word, who has called us together, and what we’ve come to do.
The call to worship God can only come from God himself. Few things make that clearer than starting our meeting with Scripture. While we can certainly read it from our phone or iPad, it communicates something more focused and lasting when we read from a physical Bible we hold in our hands.
A call to worship reminds us that coming together isn’t our initiative. We didn’t think this up. God is the one who has called us out of the world to rehearse the gospel in his presence for his glory and our good through the power of his Spirit. That should encourage us to engage fully with God because we come by invitation, not presumption, through the substitutionary death of Jesus Christ.
Finally, we come together for a specific purpose. After a week when we’ve been tempted to worship money, relationships, control, sensuality, and ourselves, a call to worship God wakes us up to the fact that we are sojourners and exiles in this world (1 Peter 2:11), that there is one true God, that he deserves to be exalted in our minds, hearts and wills, that he calls us together so that we might build each other up, and that that’s what we’ve gathered to do.
Finding the Right Scriptures
We typically use verses that are brief and immediately understandable, like Ps. 111:1-2 or Ps. 95:1-3. The Psalms are a common source for a call to worship, but we use other passages as well, including Is. 55:1; Phil. 2:9-11; Is. 35:3-6; and Lam. 3:22-23. It’s wise to use Scriptures that not only exhort us to worship God, but give a reason why. It can be helpful to briefly comment on the call to worship but it shouldn’t require a teaching. And psalms calling for judgment on the wicked may not stir your congregation to faith. The topic of the call to worship can be drawn from the previous week’s sermon/theme, point towards the message that’s going to be preached that day, or simply be a broader exhortation. We always make sure that the first song flows thematically out of the call to worship.
A Place for Variety
The call to worship can be done by a senior pastor, another pastor, or the lead musician. This past Sunday we had the whole congregation read Psalm 33:1-5. Whoever does it, it should be done confidently, passionately, and audibly. Projecting the call to worship or printing it in the bulletin can emphasize its importance. At times we’ve also had a musical call to worship, using songs like Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing, 10,000 Reasons, or Praise to the Lord the Almighty that are rooted in Scripture.
What if No One is There?
A typical church has about half its members there when the meeting actually starts. We want to do everything we can to help people see that both the church and they themselves are affected negatively when they’re not present at the call to worship. Regular reminders can help, whether from the lead musician, service leader, or pastor. We’ll also typically have the band play briefly before the actual call to worship, just to alert people that the meeting is about to start.
It can take time to help people see the importance of being there at the start of the meeting, but it’s worth the effort. Every moment God’s people gather together in his presence can be of eternal significance. Let’s not waste them.
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