Month: February 2012
You shall not murder
On Sunday evening we are going to be looking at the 6th commandment ‘You shall not murder.’ – Exodus 20:13. It’s a commandment that directly relates to many of the big issues in our society today including abortion, euthanasia / assisted suicide, as well as war, law and punishment.
These areas are so emotive because many are living in the shadow of past actions – either our own or of people dear to us, and we know the pain that facing these issues brings.
As we’ll be dealing with the commandment in general we won’t be able to say all that ought to be said about each of these issues.
That makes the series of posts that have been written on the Good Book Company blog this week on abortion most helpful and I’d recommend them to you. They have been written by Andrew Nicholls, an ex-doctor who is currently a pastor in Kingston.
Andrew starts with helpful pastoral insight when thinking about this issue. Then there’s a post on why we might think the unborn child is already a precious human life, followed by posts thinking how we might go about caring for those thinking about having an abortion and those who have previously had an abortion.
Somebody stole eternity – and it’s killing us.
Here’s a clip of what those going to New Word Alive in sunny Prestatyn later this year have to look forward to. It’s Paul Tripp, one of the main speakers at this years conference, talking about eternity and how we all live as though we don’t believe in it. The clip is taken from a DVD of a book entitled Forever: Why you can’t live without it.
So try not to focus on the moustache too much and enjoy.
iPiper
For those of you who like John Piper and have an iPad or iPhone you can now download the new Desiring God App for all things iPiper. The App includes blog posts, audio, video and books and looks really well produced.
They also state somewhere that there will be a version available for Android if there is enough interest shown.
The Desiring God App from Desiring God on Vimeo.
WWDD?
It seems that the ruling to ban formal council prayers will be overturned within a week. But there is a danger in Christians merely looking to Eric Pickles and Baroness Warsi to come to our rescue.
Regarding the ruling over the Bideford Council perhaps we need to ask ourselves ‘What would Daniel Do?’
Now when Daniel learned that the decree had been published, he went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem. Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before. – Daniel 6:10
Messengers, Watchmen & Stewards Talks
Phillips Jensen’s talks from the South East Gospel Partnership Leaders’ Conference, Messengers, Watchmen & Stewards are now available to listen to or watch online.
Working with Workers
Thanks to Dan Smith for putting me onto this great little web site. It’s a simple guide to Christian midweek meetings and services happening in the city of London.
What is Evangelism?
Last night we were thinking about the mission of the church. Just what has the Lord Jesus called us to do as his church, what is our vocation, our calling?
Below is a video of Kevin DeYoung and Greg Gilbert discussing this issue, and you can find a link to the book they have recently written on ‘What is The Mission of the Church?’ here.
The Mission of the Church from The Gospel Coalition on Vimeo.
Revelation 1:1-8 – The Coming King
God, Manhood and Ministry – Q & A
I’ve not worked out how to get this video to appear as part of this post but anyone with 60 minutes to spare would profit from watching / listening to this Q & A from the recent Desiring God Leaders’ Conference. By clicking on the link above you can watch or listen to the session streamed online or download it to your iPod for listening to while you’re traveling to and from work.
Below is a list of the questions answered by the panel along with when they appear in the session.
00:50 — What is biblical femininity? (Wilson, Patrick)
05:12 — Does Christianity have a feminine feel? (Piper, Loritts, Patrick)
11:25 — How can fathers best care for their daughters? (Wilson, Patrick, Loritts)
15:44 — How do we know to apply strictness or mercy? (Wilson, Piper, Loritts)
24:55 — How do we model Christ in parenting foster children? (Piper, Wilson)
28:40 — Lessons for courage, boldness, and wisdom. (Atallah)
30:56 — How does Christian worship threaten the pattern of this world? (Wilson)
33:43 — How does masculinity relate to our worship music? (Piper, Wilson)
40:45 — What are strategies for building godly men? (Loritts, Patrick)
43:45 — How do we surround ourselves with godly men? (Patrick, Loritts, Wilson, Atallah)
52:53 — Counsel for fathers who want to rebuild relationships. (Wilson, Loritts, Piper, Patrick)
WHATEVER IS COMMENDABLE 