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Do you want to glorify God?
“The one who offers thanksgiving as his sacrifice glorifies me.” Psalm 50:23
So often we are seeking our own glory. And do you know something? We hardly ever give thanks to God when we are seeking our own glory. They are contrary to one another.
The person that gives thanks to God is one that has a heart that overflows with a gratefulness for all that God has done. They want God to receive the glory he deserves.
The person who withholds thanks to God is one that has a heart that overflows with a desire to see their self glorified.
Youth Mentoring
Do you have time to give to someone who has probably never had anyone give them that? Do you want to be a listening ear to a kid who has probably never had one? Our youth mentor program exist to bring you into the life of youth from two communities in Gaithersburg where the children need someone to care, to come along side of them and be a positive influence, to be there to encourage and care, to give them hope. If you are interested in learning more please contact Drew Garfield at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
Process-fill out the Youth Mentor Application and YM Background Check
Commitment-1 year, minimum of 4 hrs a month interacting with kids, helping out with activities
George Whitefield
The Bible calls us to read Christian biography. You’re like, “what are you talking about?” I’m talking about Hebrews 13:7, “Remember your leaders, those who spoke the Word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith.” Reading, studying, and applying truth discovered in Christian biographies is a way of applying Hebrews 13:7.
Over the past few months I have been deeply provoked and consistently entertained by reading “George Whitefield: The Life and Times”, by Arnold Dallimore http://tinyurl.com/qoeyrw You .can also listen to a biographical sermon given by John Piper on Whitefield here: http://tinyurl.com/cnwn28.
John Foster wrote, “…if a list could be made from the experience of all nations and ages, of the twenty men that have produced the greatest effects, by means of their single personal influence, it is highly probable that the name of Whitefield must there hold a place.”
D. M. Lloyd-Jones has said, “…wherever he went he moved others to greater zeal and activity. His whole personality conveyed the impression of a man who knew his God and at the same time had a loving concern for the souls of men.”
Whitefield has left me with a deeper zeal and love for God every time I have read about him. I trust that God will do the same for you as you read of this giant in the faith.
The Ultimate Foolishness
...believe that there is no God.
The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” Psalm 14:1
Now I don’t have explicit biblical testimony to back this up, but consider all the evil ways that come from not believing that there is a God who is holy and who will call each of us to give account on the last day. The awareness of the fierce love and fierce wrath of God drives out foolishness like nothing else.
Now for those of us who do believe in the God of the Bible, let that permeate every facet of your life—let the reality of God and his future return drive out foolishness from your life. Live as if God exists and that he is holy and loving and that he will one day return to judge and to rescue.
- Braden
RTS on iTunesU
Reformed Theological Seminary offers a very full list of courses online for free through iTunesU. I’ve listened to several of the Biblical studies courses and some of the various lectures. I particularly enjoyed the seminar (under ‘RTS Seminars and Lecture Series’) entitled ‘The Calvin I Never Knew’ by Dr. Frank James. He completely undermines the false claim that John Calvin has done more to hurt missions than anyone else. Apparently Calvin trained and deployed so many church-planting pastors that something like 2000 churches were planted in 7 years under his discipleship and at least two of them had attendance in the thousands and had to go to multiple services!
- Braden
Reading Romans
I just began reading through a new book of the Bible for my personal devotions: Romans!
My goal with the OT is to read through it once a year, but I approach the NT differently. I’ve adopted John MacArthur’s plan of reading small sections of Scripture for 30 days. So for Romans I’m going to read 3 chapters each day for 30 days until I’ve reached the end. I have found this method of reading to be particularly helpful in knowing and internalizing the Scriptures.
D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones is personally walking me through the letter with his commentary set. He writes, “Romans has, possibly, played a more important and a more crucial part in the history of the church than any other single book in the whole of the Bible.” That’s a strong statement. He shows how it was instrumental in some of the giants of the faith: Augustine, Luther, Bunyan, and more. I would highly recommend you buy it here.
- Jon
Dr. You
I saw this quote here: http://theologica.blogspot.com/2009/05/bonhoeffer-on-difference-between.html
Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a German pastor and theologian who died opposing Hitler, wrote the following in his book Life Together:
The most experienced psychologist or observer of human nature knows infinitely less of the human heart than the simplest Christian who lives beneath the Cross of Jesus.
The greatest psychological insight, ability, and experience cannot grasp this one thing: what sin is.
Worldly wisdom knows what distress and weakness and failure are, but it does not know the godlessness of man. And so it does not know that man is destroyed only by his sin and can be healed only by forgiveness. Only the Christian knows this.
In the presence of a psychiatrist I can only be a sick man; in the presence of a Christian brother I can dare to be a sinner.
The psychiatrist must first search my heart and yet he never plumbs its ultimate depth. The Christian brother knows when I come to him: here is a sinner like myself, a godless man who wants to confess and yearns for God’s forgiveness.
The psychiatrist views me as if there were no God. The brother views me as I am before the judging and merciful God in the Cross of Jesus Christ.
- Braden
a theist
Our friend Curt Allen (Voice) has put out another album titled a theist.
It’s a digital album that you can preview here.
Or you can purchase it on Amazon or on iTunes. Type in “a theist” in the search bar.
Memorizing God
I want to know God better. He stands in a class by Himself. His beauty is irresistible. His grace is incomprehensible. His power is uncontainable. His love is unmistakable. His justice is unquestionable. He is God and He is the greatest reality there is. Do you know Him?
Over the past few weeks I’ve been getting to know God better with my wife and a number of guys in our ministry. It’s pretty simple. The goal is to grow in our knowledge of God by memorizing particular attributes of God. To this end we are memorizing definitions from Wayne Grudem’s Systematic Theology, and some of the verses that have shaped these definitions.
This past week was the eternity of God: God does not have a beginning, end, or succession of moments in His own being. God sees all time equally vividly, yet God sees events in time and acts in time.
We memorized Psalm 90:2, Ex 3:14, 2 Peter 3:8, and Galatians 4:4-5.
The omnipresence of God is next and we’re going to memorize Psalm 139:7-10 and 1 Kings 8:27.
Look for more attributes here on the blog in the future.
- Jon