W’ve been going through the first 11 ch’s of Genesis in our Tuesday morning Men’s Bible study. Below is an excellent, but also short, overview of the entire book:

Here are a couple of resources pertaining to Sunday’s sermon from John 17:20-26 on Christian unity.

What Is Christian Unity? — An article by John Piper

Some questions for reflection:

1. Of the many things that Jesus could pray for his followers in John 17, why do you think he made it a point to pray that “they may all be one”? 
2. Some might that a focus on Christian unity would distract from reaching those who don’t know Christ as Savior. How does the end of 17:21 say that Christian unity benefits those outside the Christian faith?
3. What is the correlation between Jesus prayer for oneness, and his command in John 13:34-35?
4. How could you personally help to maintain and promote Christian unity?

Charles Spurgeon: “Where the Spirit of God is there must be love, and if I have once known and recognized any man to be my brother in Christ Jesus, the love of Christ constraineth me no more to think of him as a stranger or foreigner, but a fellow citizen with the saints.”

A prayer and reflection for Christian unity from the apostle Paul in Romans 15:5-7– May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live insuch harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, that together youmay with one voice glorify ^bthe God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.

Wednesday night, February 1st, 6:30-7:30pm, in the Grace Bible auditorium we’ll be providing  a “Grace Equip” seminar on the subject of marriage.

Marriage is a way of life given by God to put the gospel of Jesus on display, and provide a husband and wife with help, comfort, companionship, and love. There are few things more wonderful than a biblical marriage. But at times, there are also few things more difficult. Our marriages will fail without God at the center of them. We need God’s Grace in order to make it work.

In our time together, we’ll be looking to God’s Word and discussing practical steps to strengthen our marriages. You can come as a couple or come by yourself, Married or unmarried. The only prerequisite is that you’re seeking God’s will for your life and marriage. Bring a Bible, pen, something to take notes on, and be ready to smile. In keeping with Grace Bible’s approach, this time will be biblical, relational, and fun:)

I hope all of my church family and friends will take just a few minutes to watch this video. Tim Keller has been a great help to me and so many people, and then this video puts together some of his most simple, but VERY helpful observations on religion and the gospel. CHRISTIANS YOU NEED TO KNOW THIS STUFF. Get equipped. Check it out…

This week marks the 10 year anniversary of the iPhone. Does it seem like that happened fast??? I remember the first time I saw an iPhone. I was a youth pastor, and a student was showing off his shiny new caseless iPhone on a youth trip. My first thought was that it looked REALLY COOL, and breakable, and expensive, and hard to hold on to, and…breakable. I remember being fearful that my student’s mom was gonna kill him (or me) if his new phone was broken on our youth trip! A few years later I’d have my own iPhone, and just a few hours later, we would disassemble a restaurant booth to try and retrieve my student’s new iPhone, because, you guessed it, he dropped it. BUT, good news is it didn’t break!

iPhones have been life changing for our culture. So many conveniences afforded to us as the push of a button! So many ways to stay in contact with people we love! Access to so much great entertainment and information right in the palm of our hands! But have we become too dependent on our iPhones? Have we become LESS relational by trying to keep up with too many people and activities? Has so much instant access made us less patient with the people we love?

This week I did something that I haven’t done in a couple of decades. I bought an alarm clock. Weird right? Why would I need an alarm clock, when there’s one on my iPhone? Here’s the deal, I’ve formed a bad habit of making the last thing I look at before I go to sleep, and the first thing I look at when I wake up, my phone. I’ll even scroll through sports scores in the middle of the night when I wake up. But what’s wrong with that? Nothing really. Except for the fact that I use to spend my last waking moments talking to God about the day’s events. I use to talk to God in the morning before I saw the weather, the news, or social media too. I use to spend more time talking to my wife in the morning and at night rather than scrolling through timelines and newsfeeds. Those things were better. So, I’m moving my phone charger across the room, and I’ve invested in an old school alarm clock instead of using the one on my phone. I could still hear my phone ring if someone called with an emergency, but it’s much less accessible. No big deal, just a small adjustment that also serves as a reminder of my priorities.

Maybe the iPhone is all good for you! Or who knows, maybe you’re still rocking one of those gigantor bag phones from the 90’s wouldn’t even fit on your night stand. But if you’re like me these simple questions might be worth asking:

1. Does my iPhone negatively effect my relationship and time with God?
2. Does my iPhone negatively effect my relationship and time with my spouse?
3. Does my iPhone effect my relationship and time with my kids?
4. Am I less patient with people than I was before I started using an iPhone?
5. What, if any, adjustments do I need to make to use my iPhone in a healthy god-glorifying way?

I’m sure there are more/better questions than these. What would you add?

Here are a couple of resources pertaining to yesterday’s sermon from John 17:1-5.

At the end of the message I shared 7 ways to pray for yourself from Jon Bloom. Here is a link to those in case you didn’t get them written down: http://www.desiringgod.org/articles/seven-ways-to-pray-for-your-heart

Here are some questions to think about from John 17:1-5

1. What does it mean to “glorify” someone?
2. How does Jesus asking to be glorified speak to his deity?
3. What do you see in verses 1-5 could only be prayed by Jesus?
4. How could the way Jesus prayed for himself help us pray for ourselves?

It’s just Monday, but I am already looking forward to next Sunday for another time of worship and The Word with my church family! See y’all then.

Ever wondered how David, who’s well known for committing adultery with Bathsheba and a cover up that included murder, could be called “a man after God’s own heart” in the Bible. Below is a 7 minute video that addresses that question very well, in my opinion. Listen close, because there is A LOT of applicable truth in this little video, including an excellent definition for discipleship towards the end. Click below:

Men do you ever have trouble making sense of the world around you, and the circumstances you find yourself in? If so, you’re not alone. Sometimes the best way to diagnose a problem is to go back to where it all started, a point of origin. 

We’re on a break right now from our Tuesday morning men’s Bible study, but we will resume on 1/10/17. When we do, we’re starting a new study “Origins” in Genesis, chapters 1-11.

You may be familiar with Genesis, but I’d like to challenge you to take a fresh look as a man seeking the heart of God and godly living, not just facts about God. 

Here’s a few things we’ll cover in these rich chapters of Scripture: Creation, of course–but also the origin of man, woman, marriage, vocation, evil, redemption, society, races, and nations.

The beginning of Scripture begins where centuries of philosophy have fallen short. In Genesis 1-11 we get answers to “unanswerable” questions: Who are we? Why are we here? What has gone wrong with the world around us? What can be done about it? 

Men, it’s going to be a great study, well worth your time! No slick curriculum, no Sunday School Superstar experience required. Just a Bible, a pen, and a heart for God. I hope you’ll join us, Tuesday mornings, 6-7am, beginning January 10th. 

Recent studies have shown that technology, while it’s made life easier in many ways, has has also made important aspects of life more complicated. There are concerns that the prevalence of smartphones, social media, and other conveniences have decreased our ability to have, and maintain REAL relationships. I don’t want to rail against technology, rather I’d like to point out the absolute necessity of relationships. And not just any relationship, our relationship with God.

Christianity presents God as accessible by faith in Jesus Christ—that we can draw near to God, that God is personable, knowable, and we are to have a RELATIONSHIP with Him. But like other relationships, a relationship with G
od takes time, dedication, and patience. Below are 3 habits, each with a helpful link, that aid us in our relationship with God.

1. Daily Devotional Time — Some refer to this as a “quiet time” Not sure how to do that? Here’s a link to a good explanation and step by step guide.

2. The Worship of God — In one sense we worship God with all of our life. But for the entire history of Christianity, Christians have gathered for “corporate worship.” One author said this “maybe the single most important thing we do” as Christians.  Gathering for worship can be one of the first things to go when we begin to distance ourselves from God relationally. Don’t let that happen to you! Here is a link to 5 Benefits of Corporate Worship

3. The People of God — God uses the voice and friendship of other Christians to help us stay close, and draw closer to Him. The Bible commands believers to “stir one another up.”(He 10:24) This includes, but goes beyond gathering with Christians for weekly worship, and is more likely to happen in small groups and Bible studies. Christians are called to share life, share burdens, and pray for one another, as a big part of our growth and relationship with God. Here’s a link to more on the importance of Christian Fellowship.

There is no app for a relationship with God. Don’t let the very good benefits of technology, cause you to slip away from the GREATEST opportunity there is, a relationship with God!!

I’m sure there are more ways to relate to God than these. What practices and habits do you see as a priority in your relationship with God?

I love to see Christian faith lived out in all areas of life. But as a fan and former athlete, I especially appreciate seeing it in sports.  Sadly, the pendulum often swings in two extreme directions when it comes to opinions on faith in sports:

Extreme 1. If you want to compete well, don’t bring your faith to the field of play. Faith has no place in sports because it makes you weak and less competitive.

Extreme 2. Sports don’t have a place in the life of a Christian. They are a waste of time at best, and at worse, idolatry.

A third, and I believe, more faithful approach, is to see sports as we should see all of life, as an opportunity to glorify God. Christian virtues of humility, servanthood, and selflessness make for GREAT ATHLETES, TEAM MATES and COACHES. The deeper your relationship with Christ, the better you are at your sport! Christians should use the gifts and abilities God has given them, FOR HIM. Play hard, play fair, and play thankful–FOR HIS GLORY.

You may or may not be aware of the origin of the great sport of basketball. Itt was invented with the intent of reaching and molding young men for Christ. Check out this post:

How a Christian invented basketball and made it an evangelization tool 

Food for thought: What abilities or interests do you have in common with others that might be an avenue to influence and reach people with the life-changing message of the gospel of Jesus Christ?