New Year Gospel Resolutions

OK -

It has been awhile since I have posted, but want to say something about New Years resolutions. I really do not believe in them because they are for the most part self centered. I do want to take a different approach as we head into the New Year.

Attached I have given the Resolutions of Jonathan Edwards, a Reformed thinking, theologian, and pastor from the 18th Century. Read these and allow the Lord to convict you. You will come t the realization that our spirituality is small and we have so much to learn in life. Notice, too that these resolutions were written over the course of time in 1723. There goes New Years Resolutions. The lesson here is that we should always strive to grow closer to Jesus, not just for the New Year.

The reality of these Resolutions is their focus - they are not self centered but they focus on a life desiring the Cross of Jesus. May our lives also reflect Jesus Christ as we journey through 2011.

The Resolutions of Jonathan Edwards

The Harvest is Ready

Distractions

Inspiring Leadership

Fresh Journey

I cannot explain it, but I feel like a new chapter in my walk with Jesus is opening. One that is going to be filled with growth, discovery, fruit, and focus. I kinda feel like I am rediscovering new avenues to following Jesus. Now, some of you are thinking, "what is he talking about? Is Bruce into something off the wall and not Orthodox?" I will answer your questions and concerns with a resounding - NO!

Recently in my life, I have come to the conclusion that I really do not know that much. You are probably thinking, "It is about time Bruce, I could have told you that years ago." As funny as that may sound and how much we can joke about that - and it is funny. What I mean is this. I have served several churches in my career and have been on numerous interviews for various positions within the church. At some of these interviews, I was not true to who I was and what I believed. I tried to say what the church wanted to hear when it came to my own personal Theology. Of course I did not receive an offer to partner with those churches - a good thing! There were times, however, that I was true to my personal Theology and it did not line up with the perspective church. I did not receive and invitation to these church either - also a good thing.

I have always leaned into a Reformed or Covenant Theology personally. I have a great education path that I would not change for the world. But here is my recent personal revelation - I do not know as much as I should regarding a Reformed / Covenant Theology. I know the basics, but I am being challenged to go deeper by the Lord. So, in a way I am at a cliff ready to immerse myself in such a rich and biblical Theology.

My journey now has a new freshness about it and it is exciting. Along the path already are great organizations that have shaped me and will continue to shape me. I think of ministries such as PRMI / Ligonier / Monergism / The Gospel Coalition / RCA to name only a few. These are linked to the right. Check them out

Exciting days are ahead of me and also for Grace Church. The amazing thing is that I have been praying for this to happen. Who says that God does not answer prayers - only in His timing! So, here we go. Let the journey continue...

Disciple: Goes Out

Series : Disciple

Scripture : Matthew 10: 5-15

When Jesus looked at the crowds that were following Him - He had compassion on them. He then told His disciples that the harvest is plentiful and to seek the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers. Today, a disciple of Jesus goes out and serves the community and also verbally shares the Hope found in Jesus. The two go hand in hand. When you serve and share, you will receive opposition to the message of Jesus - that is OK because we are not responsible for the results - Jesus is. All we have to do is to be faithful to the message, because there is a huge harvest field in front of us. A Christian goes on a mission trip, but a disciple is a missionary. This is how. 


Notes

Disciple: Breaks Bread

Series : Disciple

Scripture : Acts 2: 42-47

Community. Fellowship. These are not just "buzz" words around churches, they should be a way of living that penetrates every level and area of a local community of faith from the small groups, to the ministry teams, to the Sunday Morning worship and even on the Governance level. Community and fellowship is much deeper that just sharing a meal together or participating in a fun event and creating a welcoming atmosphere. It is about accountability, love, nurture, and living out the "Biblical One-Another's" A disciple of Jesus should look others and not just focus on themselves. 


Notes

The Biblical One-Another’s

Love one another (John 13: 34)

Be devoted to one another (Romans 12: 10a)

Honor one another (Romans 12: 10b)

Accept one another (Romans 15: 7)

Teach one another (Romans 15: 14)

Greet one another (Romans 16: 16)

Serve one another (Galatians 5: 13)

Bear one another’s burdens (Galatians 6: 2)

Be compassionate to one another (Ephesians 4: 32)

Submit to one another (Ephesians 5: 21)

Forgive one another (Colossians 3: 13)

Encourage one another (1 Thessalonians 5: 11)

Spur one another toward love (Hebrews 10: 24)

Live in harmony with one another (1 Peter 3: 8)

Offer hospitality to one another (1 Peter 4: 9)

Kingdom Contributer

Disciple: Wash Feet

Series : Disciple

Scripture : John 13:3-17

A disciple of Jesus should not think too highly of themselves. They should also not think to low of themselves either. We are to look outside of ourselves and serve one another. The world tells us we should look out for #1, but following Jesus we look at how we can serve others. We follow Jesus' example as he washed the feet of the disciples, we are to wash each others feet. 

Notes

Disciple: Go Fishing

eries : Disciple
Scripture : Luke 5:1-11

For a follower of Jesus, reaching out is not an option, we are commanded to do so. We do not need to do this without any tools, we have some items in our tackle box as we go and catch people - Just like Jesus told us to do.

Notes

Disciple: No Christians Allowed

Series : Disciple
Scripture : Various

God never called anybody to be a "Christian" - He did however, call us to follow Him with our whole lives. Being a Passionate Follower of Jesus means we do several things; this sermon scratches the surface to these things.

Notes

Pastor: Theologian

PDC Theology: Discipleship

PDC Theology: Evangelism

PDC Theology: Ministry

PDC Theology: Fellowship / Community

Some Links:
www.truefaced.com/blog/
www.billtell.blogspot.com
www.boscafe.com

Easy Theology

I love reformed theology. It is a theology that keeps me thinking and growing. It was RC Sproul who just quoted Spurgeon on his radio broadcast this past week that reformed theology is biblical theology. I believe this. I do not have it all figured out nor will I ever. You can tell I believe in this theology by just looking at me links to the right – most of them are from a reformed perspective. I also serve in a reformed church and am loving it. Now, I am still learning and there are things with this theology that I have a hard time believing – and that OK. I will continue to search the scriptures and grow. What I will not do is combine different theological perspectives to create my own theology that fits my needs and fancy.

I am starting to see this more and more with church leaders and pastors today. They are copying programs and calling it a philosophy of ministry, they are committing pulpit plagiarism and feeding their flock from somebody else’s table (more about this in a future post), and they are wishy-washy when it comes to theology. I do not think the Lord wants us to have everything figured out – but He does desire us to grow, learn, lead, and become the theologians in our respected ministry contexts.

To illustrate this I want to share a story. I was traveling with some pastors a few years ago when the topic of Dispensationalism and Covenant theology came up. The Senior Pastor of a church said that neither was right and neither was wrong, but proper theology is a combination of the two. Specifically he believed in a covenant theology right up to the point about various spiritual gifts being available in the 21^st Century. Then he switched to a dispensationalist theology saying that only a select few are available.  I sat there thinking that you cannot cherry pick from different theological camps and create your own theological melting pot. At that moment I really felt sad for the congregation he leads because he really does not know what he believes theologically and all of spiritual leadership is born out of this. The by-product of this or what this leads to is cheap grace and easy believism, something that is plaguing the American Church.

This happening more and more in the North American Church and you see it with all theological views and standpoints. I am not sitting here telling you that I have it all figured out, because I don’t! In fact I am the least to tell someone that they are wrong because I have such long way to go. I am just writing down some thoughts and observations I have seen in the North American Church, and putting out this challenge – know what you believe, why you believe it, and lead out of the Lord teaching you and shaping you.

“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Matthew 28: 18-20

Remember: Baptism

Series : Remember
Scripture : 1 Peter 3:18-22

The infant baptism and believer baptism debate has been going on for hundreds of years. What has been lost in recent years is the theology of baptism into the family of God. Baptism does point in three directions that we can reflect on no matter what your theology is. Because baptism is a sign of this, we need to be good stewards of God's Grace. 

Notes

PDC Theology: Worship

Theology: Purpose Driven Church

More about the Purpose Drive Church