I nice article on the mindset we need to have to go to worship: Oh, Behave! Conduct Worthy of the Gospel in Corporate Worship – The Gospel Coalition Blog.
Category: Theology
Why You Can’t Change Your Church
I found the following series of articles on the 9 marks blog very helpful. If you are not the Pastor or one of teh church leaders, there is not much you can do to actually implement change in your church. This is the bottom line of these blog posts. The author explains why and then shows what a member can do and how he can live with those things he can’t change.
Why You Can’t Change Your Church (Part 1 of 4)
Why You Can’t Change Your Church (Part 2 of 4)
Don’t Settle for Your Mediocre Preaching – The Gospel Coalition Blog
Paul Tripp calls preachers not to be content with mediocre preaching: Don’t Settle for Your Mediocre Preaching – The Gospel Coalition Blog.
The State of Preaching, Tim Challies
This is excellent food for thought from Tim Challies on The State of Preaching. Although this is written from a North American Perspective, the same points are sadly valid in France also.
Christ centred ministry
“The care of pastors for their flock will be proportional to their care for the Lord. By the Lake of Galilee Jesus had examined Peter about his love for him. Only as he confessed his love for Christ was Peter charged to shepherd the flock of Christ. Love for Christ will kindle compassion for Christ’s scattered sheep, the little ones for whom he died. Lucas Cranach’s altarpiece painting in Wittenberg shows on the right side Luther preaching, and on the left side the people listening. In the middle Cranach has represented Christ on the cross. The painting was evidently intended to show that worship centres on the preaching of Christ crucified. The people see not the preacher, but Christ. No doubt we should read that picture from the other side as well. The preacher must present Christ; more than that, to know his people, he must know Christ, He must serve the flock in the light of the cross. Their calue to the Lord is the price of his blood.”
Edmund Clowney, The message of 1 Peter, IVP, BST series
How is Judges relevant to us?
The following quote are the closing paragraphs of Daniel I. Block’s [amazon_link id=”B004T0AB3S” target=”_blank” locale=”UK” container=”” container_class=”” ]commentary on Judges (New American Commentary, B&H publishing[/amazon_link]). I use it for a series of Bible studies, alongside [amazon_link id=”1845501381″ target=”_blank” locale=”UK” container=”” container_class=”” ]Ralph Davis’ commentary.[/amazon_link] Daniel I Block’s commentary is  brilliant, full of contemporary applications and theological insight. It is written in an American context, but I think it applies to both British and French context.
Human heroes in the Book of Judges are few and far between. Continue reading “How is Judges relevant to us?”