Sheet Music

Recommended for husbands: Great Sex for the Glory of God, from True Spirituality. 

It's Not What You Know, But What You Do With What You Know

Some people I know lament that they aren't getting better teaching.  You've probably heard the comments: "It's the same stuff, over and over again!  I'm bored.  I wish we learned something new." 

There are two relevant issues at this point. 

First, the way you live the Christian life is the same way you came into the Body -- by faith, in the power of Christ.  So in an important way we will always be working on the "basics."

Second, we don't advance without obedience to what we know.  Oswald Chambers wrote about this:

"Examine where you have become sluggish, where you began losing interest spiritually, and you will find that it goes back to a point where you did not do something  you knew  you should do. When the Spirit of God prompts me to do something, it is imperative thatI do it immediately.  Waiting until a "more convenient time"inevitably produces spiritual drowsiness.  Every time I obey something God tells me, the result is a spiritual"growth spurt".   Conversely, every time I delay obedience, spiritual"downsizing" results."When you know that you should do something and you do it, immediately you know more."

Thanks to John Stanford for sending this out on his AO notes yesterday -- the timing was terrific!

Let us appreciate our history!

John LeBoutillier helps us understand our ancestors:

"One of the key motivators for the early American settlers was their fervent desire to communicate with God directly -- something forbidden by European Christianity in the 17th century. ... America was unique in every way. Yes, vast natural resources and potential great material wealth awaited the settlers. But none of that would have worked without the Guiding Hand of a God who selected a certain type of man and woman to come and become Americans. Today's New Leftists don't want to hear any of this; they are the ones who have ripped the soul out of this country and tried to replace it with Big Government. But if America is to survive -- and if we are to become again a country of happy people -- the American people need to revive their personal relationships with God first. They need to ask God to help them. He will show us the way. He always does."

The Church Calls the Government to Account

The Federalist published this letter (unnamed author): "The 'separation of church and state,' a political notion intended to preclude the establishment of a national religion, is now being used not only to remove references to God from public view, but to preclude Churches from 'undermining' the state by teaching morality contrary to what has become 'legally acceptable' behavior. Not only does this ultimately negate our fundamental right to freedom of religion, it does, in fact, establish hedonism as our national religion."

Nine Ways

John Piper's list of Nine Ways to Know That the Gospel of Christ Is True is worth reviewing,  and sharing with your kids. 

What about tatoos and piercings?

Doug Phillips has a useful commentary on tattoos, body mutilations, and piercings.   There's enough Scripture here to help you think through it.

Getting Started Blogging

    Some readers of this blog has inquired how to get started with their own blog.  There are excellent instructions available at www.blogger.com, but a great tutorial is also available at Feedster.

Atom Feed for This Blog

For those of you using XML feeds to monitor blogs and other web sites, the feed information for this blog is

http://boldandgentle.blogspot.com/atom.xml

Not sure what I'm talking about? Check out this nice introduction to RSS, Really Simple Syndication.  And save yourself time!

 

Seeing Jesus Christ

John Piper had a sermon in April 2001 titled "Know Your Sin."  Here's a fabulous illustration from this sermon:

No, you don't need to experiment with particular sins in order to know the power of sin in your life. Think of it this way. Someone says: How can you really know the power of the temptation to lust – say to look at Internet nudity – if you've never given in and experienced it? Let me give an answer in a parable. There are three men – women, you supply the necessary changes to make the parable fit your situation – and each of the three stands beside a pit of lewdness and sin. Three ropes extend out of the pit, one bound around each man's waist. The strength of this narrow cord is one-hundred-pound test.

The first man begins to be pulled into the pit that looks exciting, but that he knows is deadly. Five pounds of pressure, ten pounds, fifteen pounds. He resists and fights back. Twenty pounds, twenty-five. He digs in his heels with all his might. Thirty pounds, thirty-five pounds, and the rope starts to squeeze and he stops resisting and jumps in. Click goes the mouse button.
The second man begins to be pulled into the pit. Five pounds of pressure, ten pounds, fifteen pounds. He resists and fights back. Twenty pounds, twenty-five pounds. He digs in his heels. Thirty pounds, thirty-five pounds, and the rope starts to squeeze. He says, No! and fights back. Forty pounds, forty-five pounds, fifty pounds, fifty-five pounds. It's harder to breathe as the rope tightens around his stomach and it begins to hurt. Sixty pounds, and he stops resisting and jumps into the pit. Click.

The third man begins to be pulled into the pit. Five, ten, fifteen, twenty, twenty-five pounds of pressure. He resists and fights back. Thirty, thirty-five, forty, and the rope starts to squeeze. He says, No! and fights back. Fifty pounds, sixty. It's harder to breathe as the rope tightens around his stomach and begins to hurt. Seventy pounds and his feet start to slip toward the pit. He cries out for help, and reaches out to grab a branch – shaped like a cross. In the distance he sees his wife going about her business, trusting him; he sees his children playing, and in their hearts admiring him. And beyond them all, he sees Jesus Christ with a gash in his side standing, with both hands lifted and fists clenched and smiling. And filled with passion, the third man holds fast. Seventy-five, eighty, eighty-five pounds, and the rope cuts into his sides and the pain stabs. Ninety, ninety-five and the tears flow unbidden down his cheeks. One hundred and the rope snaps. No click.

Question: which of these men knows the full power of temptation?

If this were a message on lust I would look around this room and say, "Are there any soldiers here? Does anyone in this room have blood on his shirt and scars on his side? Do you know the power of temptation? Or do you just jump in before its power is spent?"