Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Holy Spirit Makes all the Difference

This guy definitely has the Holy Spirit living inside him...Matt Chandler Update

Thursday, January 14, 2010

Who's coming with me?

This idea came from teachings on spiritual warfare by David Platt.

In the late 1940's the U.S. Navy commissioned the S.S. United States it was the world's most technological and state of the troop carrier ever built. This carrier cost around 80 million dollars (which is ridiculous, in the 1940's), it could carry 15000 troops, it could travel anywhere in the world in just 10 days........But, it never carried troops, it never saw battle, and it was never used for what it was truly intended for. Instead this carrier became a luxury liner for the wealthy. And as a luxury liner it could only carry 2000 passengers, it had 2 full movie theatres, 4 dining salons, 3 full bars, 9 elevators and was the first boat that came fully equipped with aircondition in every room.

As you can imagine there would be a drastic difference in the faces of the soldiers heading to war, as opposed to the wealthy patrons comfortably enjoying the ride until they get to their destination. If this boat is heading to war, then all the money going towards the boat will be thrown into defenses and weapons, compared to the money that ensures comfort and enjoyment for the passengers. The pace of the boat heading to war is much faster as it has an urgent mission to fulfill, compared to the pace that does not want to make the ride uncomfortable for the passengers.

As the church, I am convinced that we have forgotten that there is an eternal battle with real lives and souls that are hanging in the balance. And we have replaced this mindset with a comfortable enjoyable trip that includes attending church a couple times of week and trying not to do some sin this culture has labeled as "real" bad.

That being said, I want my life to be in constant pursuit of Holiness, that is sold out for the Gospel, and engaged in a real eternal spiritual battle that understands the truth of God's wrath and how it effects the people around me.

If you want to check out more about this teaching you can download the videos at http://www.brookhills.org/media/schurch/angels-demons-and-spiritual-warfare/


Monday, January 4, 2010

Enjoy Passion (even though we couldn't go)

So we couldn't make it to Passion 2010 cause we just didn't have the money but you can watch the sessions right now for a limited amount of time. Set aside some time if you can...

Renewing Yourself Spiritually in 2010

Although we are already into the new year, I wanted to encourage you to consider some new disciplines for the new year as a means of spiritual renewal. I hesitate to call them resolutions because too often that word has become synonymous with failure, because so many fail to stick to their resolutions. So call them what you like, but here are some suggestions for how to use some of your personal time in 2010 for God's glory.

1. Read through the Bible in a year: There are some great resources available here that offer a variety of reading plans to consider for this year. In addition this page offers some great ways to keep up with your reading plan. And if those don't satisfy you, this page offers even more interesting resources for making the goal of reading the entire Bible this year possible.

2. Read 12 books this year: This may sound crazy but it is very doable. It's only one book a month and would be a great way to fill your mind with things that are consistent in Phil. 4:8. Plus there are books like What is a Healthy Church Member?, How Good is Good Enough?, Not Even a Hint and Seeing and Savoring Christ that are pretty short and very easy to read in a month's time.

3. Focus on Real Heroes: Remember our discussion in Philippians 2? We are called to honor men and women who give their lives for the Gospel. Use this year as a time to focus on men and women who have shaped and are currently shaping this world with the Gospel. Read a biography about them, pray for them and strive to be like these spiritual heroes. As Christians we should know more about David Brainerd, Dietrich Bonehoffer, and Amy Carmichael then we do about Tiger Woods, the Jonas Brothers, Taylor Swift or the Georgia Bulldogs.

Friday, January 1, 2010

Spiritual Warfare

We had a wonderful evening at the Secret Church Lock-In on Wednesday. Again, if you would like to go back and watch the videos on Spiritual Warfare again check out www.secretchurch.org. I also want to encourage you to listen to Brody's (from Snowbird) sermon on Spiritual Warfare and Victory in Christ. It is a nice follow up to everything we just learned.