What is the Church and Evangelism - Philip Jensen

The following 8 points come from a message by Jensen entitled "A Fresh Understanding of Gospel Growth"

1. The Church gathers to hear the Word of God, the Gospel.
2. The Gospel that saves people is the same Gospel that causes us to grow.
3. But the reason the Church gathers is not to preach to outsiders but to preach to the saved. The Church is the gathering of the saved.
4. While, if any outsider attends, he should hear the Gospel and under the kindness of God may be saved.
5. The outsider should see, if he should come in, that we are Christ's people by our love for one another.
6. The powers of the heavenly places see the victory of Christ in our unity (Ephesians 3:10).
7. And as a Church, we are always open to newcomers, not for argument but for welcome, as God has welcomed us (Romans 4:13).
8. Our prayers and the people who are growing in godliness will be going out into all the world to preach the Gospel to others.

- "the Church is the springboard of the Gospel"

Where Does My Help Come From?

Some days the problems and heartaches seem bigger than life itself. In those times I need to remind myself of the Truth which is found in the God-breathed Word! Psalm 121 is especially helpful.

I lift up my eyes to the hills.
From where does my help come from?

My help comes from the Lord,
who made heaven and earth.

He will not let your foot be moved:
he who keeps you will not slumber.

Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither
slumber nor sleep.

The Lord is your keeper;
the Lord is your shade on your right hand.

Our God, who created all things is a certain and sure Help. Thanks be to Him!

Precious Blood

The Following Song is One of my favorites

The Precious Blood

---

Words and music by Peter Gagnon
As recorded on Valley of Vision

Lyrics

Before the cross I kneel and see
The measure of my sin
How You became a curse for me
Though You were innocent
The magnitude of Your great love
Was shown in full degree
When righteous blood, the crimson spill
Rained down from Calvary

Oh, the precious blood
That flowed from Mercy’s side
Washed away my sin
When Christ my Savior died
Oh, the precious blood
Of Christ the crucified
It speaks for me before Your throne
Where I stand justified

And who am I that I should know
This treasure of such worth
My Savior’s pure atoning blood
Shed for the wrath I’d earned
For sin has stained my every deed
My every word and thought
What wondrous love that makes me one
Your priceless blood has bought

A crown of thorns, pierced hands and feet
A body bruised, and Mercy’s plea

© 2005 Sovereign Grace Worship (ASCAP).

ESV Study Bible

I have been eagerly waiting its arrival. It looks great. Check it out at http://www.esvstudybible.org/

The Lion and the Lamb

Last week I had the joy to spend several days in Calgary at a Retreat Centre, studying that grand manuscript called Revelation. Since then, my mind has continually returned to the many pictures that John paints for us.

One such picture comes from chapter 5. John weeps because no one is found worthy to open the scroll. Listen to the comforting words of the elder. "Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals."

At that moment, the tears would have slowed and John would have slowly raised his head to see this Lion - a King! The elder said that this King was a descendant from Judah and therefore he must be an ancestor of King David. And yet the elder said he was a Root of David - how could he be both a descendant and an ancestor?

As the questions raced through John's mind his eyes looks through the tears, and sees coming from the "between the throne" not a Lion but a Lamb - a Lamb that was slain, and by His blood we "were ransomed"!

Can you picture this scene? Oh what a King we worship! Yes, a King from David's lineage. Yes, a King that stepped down from Heaven's throne room. Yes, a King that is more than a man - but also God Himself. And yet, a King that became a sacrificial Lamb so that our sins though they were as scarlet could become white as snow!

Lord "Worthy are you to take up the scroll and to open its seals". Thank You!

I am currently in Burnaby BC enjoying spring like weather and a tremendous conference. Bruce Ware fed our soul last night and this morning. John Neufeld is a blessing to our MB Conference and the greater community! And I look forward to hearing DA Carson and R. Kent Hughes in the coming hours! Lord willing I will post more in the days to come.

I am but Nothing!

In a recent blog, Justin Taylor quoted Boice -

I have always thought that the very best statement of secular humanism is to be found in the Bible, in the Book of Daniel. Nebuchadnezzar was king in Babylon at this time. One day, when he was walking on the roof of his royal palace he looked out over the great capital city of his empire and took unto himself all the glory for its existence. He said—this is the classic statement I referred to—"Is not this the great Babylon I have built as the royal residence, by my mighty power and for the glory of my majesty?" (Dan. 4:30). Nebuchadnezzar was saying that the great city of Babylon and its empire, which he admired (and desired) more than anything else in the world, was from him (he "built" it), through him ("by my mighty power") and for him ("for the glory of my majesty").

This is such an important reminder. It is all about Christ not about us!

David put it this way,

"what is man that you are ^mindful of him, and the son of man that you ^care for him?" (Ps. 22:4).

and

"O Lord, what is man that you ^regard him,

or the son of man that you think of him?

Man is like a breath;

his days are like a passing ^shadow" (Psalm 144:3,4).

Yes, we were saved "to the praise of His glory" (Ephesians 1:12, 14).

Standing In the Rain

Three years ago I preached my first sermon in Vauxhall as the pastor of this local flock. The text was Isaiah 55.

^{10 } “For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven

and do not return there but water the earth,

making it bring forth and sprout,

^ giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,

¹¹ so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth;

it shall not return to me empty,

but it shall accomplish that which I purpose,

and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it."

I must continually remind myself of the promise of this wonderful text. The temptation is to seek life from so many other sources.

God's Word brings life because it points us to the Author of Life and it flows from the source of Life. His word brought life in the Beginning (Genesis 1). It brings life to the bones in the valley (Ezekiel 37). It is the key to real life for the righteous man of Psalm 1. It is the life proclaimed in John 1. And therefore, much like the early apostles the focus of my ministry must be the Word of God, after all, when we stand in the rain the wheat will come to life and the flowers will blossom. In a similar way, churches will come to life where God's Word is proclaimed with passion. People will be transformed when they submit to the Divine Word. My prayer is that we will experience such life in Vauxhall. May the Lord help us to persevere.

Marriage for the glory of God

Albert Mohler has written a great article on marriage on his blog. Here is an excerpt:

It is bad enough that the secular world has discounted marriage into a quasi-legal contract that, like other voluntary contracts, can be made or broken at will. The greater tragedy is the failure of Christians to take marriage seriously. According to the Bible, marriage is not only designed by the Creator as an arena for human happiness and the continuation of the human race--it is also the arena of God's glory, where the delights and disciplines of marriage point to the purpose for which human beings were made.

Marriage is about our happiness, our holiness, and our wholeness--but it is supremely about the glory of God. When marriage is entered into rightly, when marriage vows are kept with purity, when all the goods of marriage are enjoyed in their proper place--God is glorified.

Our chief end is to glorify God--and marriage is a means of His greater glory. As sinners, we are all too concerned with our own pleasures, our own fulfillments, our own priorities, our own conception of marriage as a domestic arrangement. The ultimate purpose of marriage is the greater glory of God--and God is most greatly glorified when His gifts are rightly celebrated and received, and His covenants are rightly honored and pledged.

Read the whole thing at Albert Mohler

Coast to Coast Beauty

And Now Brothers

In Acts 3, Peter preaches his second sermon. This time he gives his audience a scathing rebuke, accusing them of denying Christ, delivering Jesus up and even calling them murderers. But then Peter identifies with the sinners by saying “And now, brothers, I know that ^you acted in ignorance, as did also your rulers."

Why did Peter call them brothers? Because as the crowd condemned Jesus to death, Peter was busy denying his Lord. I think it wise that we learn from Peter. Yes, let us call sin a sin but let us not forget that we are also sinners! We have no room for any self righteous attitudes - we are brothers with those who nailed our Lord to the cross.

Gospel is Alive

I have meditated for some time now on Romans 1:16, 17 which states that the "Gospel is the power of God unto salvation". This is a remarkable thought. It is not our methods. It is not our technology. It is not our gifts and talents. It is not our organizational structure. The power for salvation lies in the Gospel of Jesus Christ!

Last night, Tony Payne (Mattias Media) drew my attention to Colossians 1:5,6 - Here, Paul expands on this idea, speaking as if this Gospel has a life of its own - like a seed that sprouts and grows and eventually bears fruit. This is astounding!

If this is true - then what do I put my confidence in? And what do I spend my energies on? And do I proclaim this gospel even when it seems like foolishness?

Oh Lord increase my faith in the wonder of the Gospel! Lord may your Gospel spread in Vauxhall, Southern Alberta, Canada and to every corner of the globe. After all, it is the "gospel, which has come to (us), as indeed ^in the whole world it is ^bearing fruit and growing. . . " (Colossians 1:5b,6a ESV).