Head-dibs

“There are many Christians to-day who are doing things that are not pleasing to God, and leaving undone things which would be pleasing to God. When you speak to them about these things they will confront you at once with the question, "Is there any command in the Bible not to do this thing?" And if you cannot show them some verse in which the matter in question is plainly forbidden, they think they are under no obligation whatever to give it up; but a true child of God does not demand a specific command. If we make it our study to find out and to do the things which are pleasing to God, He will make His study to do the things which are pleasing to us. Here again we find the explanation of much unanswered prayer: We are not making it the study of our lives to know what would please our Father, and so our prayers are not answered. Take as an illustration of questions that are constantly coming up, the matter of theater going, dancing and the use of tobacco. Many who are indulgi...

"Many a church is praying for a revival that does not really desire a revival. They think they do, for to their minds a revival means an increase of membership, an increase of income,an increase of reputation among the churches, but if they knew what a real revival meant, what a searching of hearts on the partof professed Christians would be involved, what a radical transformation of individual, domestic and social life would be brought about, and many other things that would come to pass if the Spirit of God was poured out in reality and power; if all this were known, the real cry of the church would be: 'O God, keep us from having a revival.'" R.A. Torrey, "How to Pray" ( scroll down for the online book )

Someone pointed me to some church planting resources a while back, among which was the following article by Dr. Tom Cheyney. Tom serves as the Strategic Resourcing Manager within the Church Planting Group of the North American Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention, and is responsible for developing world-class resources for partnering churches, church planters, and those who work with them. Tom’s “article” is meant to be motivational, “20 REASONS WHY YOU SHOULD PLANT CHURCHES.” I will warn you from the beginning: some of Tom’s reasons for planting churches are hardly reasons at all; therefore, be prepared for my responses which I feel are offered in the same tone as his. I think it sad that something as important as church planting is treated so lightly, so I am simply responding (reacting?) to Tom’s “article,” not criticizing. Tom’s 20 Reasons are BOLD. ************ 20 REASONS WHY YOU SHOULD PLANT CHURCHES The apostle Paul said: “ The man who plants and the man who wate...

“Early one morning in the Chicago Avenue Church prayer room, where several hundred people had been assembled a number of hours in prayer, the Holy Spirit fell so manifestly, and the whole place was so filled with His presence, that no one could speak or pray, but sobs of joy filled the place. Men went out of that room to different parts of the country, taking trains that very morning, and reports soon came back of the out-pouring of God's Holy Spirit in answer to prayer. Others went out into the city with the blessing of God upon them. This is only one instance among many that might be cited from personal experience. If we would only spend more time in prayer, there would be more fullness of the Spirit's power in our work. Many and many a man who once worked unmistakably in the power of the Holy Spirit is now filling the air with empty shoutings, and beating it with his meaningless gesticulations, because he has let prayer be crowded out. we must spend much time on our kne...

"There is no comparison whatever between what will be effected by good preaching and what will be effected by constant personal work. Take a church of one hundred members; such a church under an excellent pastor would be considered as doing an exceptionally good work if on an average fifty were added annually to this membership. But suppose that that church was trained to do personal work, and that fifty of the one hundred members actually went at it. Certainly one a month won to Christ by each one would not be a large average. That would be six hundred a year instead of the fifty mentioned above. A church of many members, with the most powerful preaching possible, that depends upon the minister alone to win men to Christ by his preaching, would not accomplish anything like what would be accomplished by a church with a comparatively poor preacher, where the membership generally were personal workers." R.A. Torrey, "How to Work for Christ." Find all three volumes her...

Dr. David Soper, in God Is Inescapable , suggests that basically the difference between a prison and a monastery is just the difference between griping and gratitude. Undoubtedly this is true. Imprisoned criminals spend every waking moment griping; self-imprisoned saints spend every waking moment offering thanks. Dr. Soper says that when a criminal becomes a saint, a prison may become a monastery; when a saint gives up gratitude, a monastery may become a prison. —Ray O. Jones Tan, P. L. (1996, c1979). Encyclopedia of 7700 illustrations : A treasury of illustrations, anecdotes, facts and quotations for pastors, teachers and Christian workers . Garland TX: Bible Communications.

Charles Dickens said that we are somewhat mixed up here in America. He told an audience that instead of having one Thanksgiving Day each year we should have 364. "Use that one day just for complaining and griping," he said. "Use the other 364 days to thank God each day for the many blessings He has showered upon you."

“Our spiritual cravings are not strong enough to give life to the mighty conflicts of prayer. They are not absorbing enough to stop business, arrest worldly pursuits, awaken us before day, and send us to the closet, to solitude, and to God; to conquer every opposing force and win our victories from the very jaws of hell.” E.M. Bounds on “Hezekiah, the Praying King,” in Prayer and Praying Men .

"The egg's no chick by falling from the hen; Nor man a Christian, till he's born again. The egg's at first contained in the shell; Men, afore grace, in sins and darkness dwell. The egg, when laid, by warmth is made a chicken, And Christ, by grace, those dead in sin doth quicken. The egg, when first a chick, the shell's its prison; So's flesh to the soul, who yet with Christ is risen. The shell doth crack, the chick doth chirp and peep, The flesh decays, as men do pray and weep. The shell doth break, the chick's at liberty, The flesh falls off, the soul mounts up on high But both do not enjoy the self-same plight; The soul is safe, the chick now fears the kite. But chicks from rotten eggs do not proceed, Nor is a hypocrite a saint indeed. The rotten egg, though underneath the hen, If crack'd, stinks, and is loathsome unto men. Nor doth her warmth make what is rotten sound; What's rotten, rotten will at last be found. The hypocrite, sin has him in pos...

(ht: Justin Taylor)

Are you: A Pastor/Missionary wanting to become more effective without leaving your ministry? A Ministry worker wanting to upgrade your training without leaving your church? A Business executive wanting to transition into ministry without leaving your career? If you're looking for Seminary level courses from an accredited institution, both focused and broad; courses taught from a multitude of perspectives by a knowledgeable and experienced faculty, then SSM Atlanta is the place for you! Whether you're from Atlanta, or want to obtain a seminary education while you remain in your current ministry or occupation by using our Advancement in Ministry learning track, the CIU Seminary & School of Missions in Atlanta provides top-quality education in a convenient location. Go here for more information . January 14-18, 2008 Courses Genesis to Song of Solomon (BIB 5112) Strategies for Evangelism and Church Planting (ICS 6084) January 21-25, 2008 Courses Prophets (BIB 5113) Prayer and ...

TIME FOR PRAYER: Leisure time is a strange phenomenon. While we seek a break from activity through rest and relaxation, how easily we fill that time with activity. Free time is really not as free as it could be. I’ve not been on a cruise before, but I hear they are the most tiring vacations on the planet because people are kept so busy. It takes me a couple of days just to rest from a regular vacation! If we were to make a list of all things we could do in our free time (TV, movies, internet, sports, reading, yard work, etc.), where would prayer fall in the list? Is prayer a “free time” activity? My main problem with effectual prayer is that, for some reason, I have allowed it to migrate out of meaningful conversation with the Most Supreme, High and Holy God Who Reigns Above All, to a free-time activity. I struggle with prayer time because I am too busy. This makes prayer an optional activity, doesn’t it? Martin Luther did not think so. He is quoted to say that he had so much to do in ...

Here's my oldest son, Johnny, giving me a heart attack . . . johnny long boarding Add to My Profile More Videos

Do you know what the scariest, most troubling, most worrisome words in the English language are? “Uh-oh,” or maybe “oops!” Imagine you are in the doctor’s office getting a physical and as he is listening to your chest, his eyebrows come together as he strains to listen and you hear a slight, “uh-oh” come from his lips. Or imagine you have taken your car to the repair shop and after your third trip down to check on their progress you hear a crashing noise, metal striking metal and a mechanic under your hood is heard to say, “oops!” Neil Postman, in his book, “Amusing Ourselves to Death,” suggests the one phrase that separates everything from everything is, “Now . . . this.” These two words are the most commonly used words in radio and television, indicating that “what one has just heard or seen has no relevance to what one is about to hear or see . . . the phrase is a means of acknowledging the fact that the world is mapped by the speeded-up electronic media has no order or meaning ...

Yesterday at church we were blessed to have Randy Stonehill with us. He played some classic tunes, including the song he co-wrote with Keith Green, “Your Love Broke Through” (which I cried through in it’s near entirety). We could not help but notice smiles creep across the faces of some Emo kids as Randy played his set. Here is a challenging thought on Holiness from Randy (not direct a direct quote, but my notes on what he said): “We have a tendency to go through life telling the Almighty, 'I love you and have a wonderful plan for your life.' God is not obligate or committed to our happiness and this is frustrating for us. He is actually passionate that we understand that HE is THE LIFE—God is more committed to our holiness than our happiness. Happiness is the dream of desperate men. Holiness is the journey of people who are desperate about what’s on God’s heart.” A flashback from Randy for you to enjoy: Sunday night we received some great apologetic training from Charl...

In case you were wondering what happened to the “Five Points Fridays” posts, I have a good explanation. Two weeks ago I did not go out because I had stayed up all night the night before and was just too plain tired to go down to Five Points after working all day. A small team went regardless, and we praise the LORD for all He is doing. This reminds me. When I post these reports, I can only best tell the stories I am directly connected with. While there are as many as 20 team-members who go out doing evangelism, I cannot report everyone’s story. They are strongly encouraged to do their own journaling and/or blogging, but what I give you here is just a small slice of what God is doing. Last weeks “Five Points Fridays” post simply never got written, 'till now. It was clear and very cold. We left CIU with about 13 people, but so many more showed up I think I remember counting almost 24 people total. Since it was so cold it was hard to get people to stop and talk, so my team stayed at S...

"For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified." (Hebrews 10:14) "He has now reconciled [you] in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him." (Colossians 1:22) "Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, as you really are unleavened. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed." (1 Corinthians 5:7) One of the greatest heartaches in the Christian life is the slowness of our change. We hear the summons of God to love him with all our heart and soul and mind and strength (Mark 12:30). But do we ever rise to that totality of affection and devotion? We cry out regularly with the apostle Paul, “Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?” (Romans 7:24). We groan even as we take fresh resolves: “Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has ma...

Cartoon by Dave Walker . Find more cartoons you can freely re-use on your blog at We Blog Cartoons .

We all saw the detestation in Southern California from the wild firesthat came ripping through that area. Hundreds of expensive homes were reduced to piles of smoldering ruins. For many, insurance payments will allow them to replace the structures, but it will not be possible torestore exactly what has been lost. No one can reconstitute the ashes, re-glue the beams, and restore the broken windows making the homes exactly as they once were. Fire has a way of permanently changing things. It is that very property of fire that Jeremiah uses to describe God's Word. The Prophet quotes God as saying, "'Is not My word like fire?' declares the LORD, 'and like a hammer which shatters a rock?'"(Jeremiah 23:29). The point of this illustration, I think, is to demonstrate that God's Word permanently and completely changes the personwho hears it. As fire chemically changes a house, and a hammer permanently changes a rock, so the Word of God permanently alters the per...