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Brampton Blog - Entries tagged "4 pillars"
ThuThursdayFebFebruary18th2010
John Bunyan on Prayer
John Bunyan once said: "You can do more than pray after you have prayed, but you cannot do more than pray until you have prayed" (I.D.E. Thomas, The Golden Treasuary of Puritan Quotations. Chicago:Moody, 1975). If our church is going to "do" some things of eternal impact in our city, it has to start with prayer.
We have seen God to amazing things so far in our body and we seem to be gaining some spiritual momentum which puts us at a cross roads for many decisions that need to be made regarding taking next steps. I truly believe that we are only beginning to see God work in our midst and we need to pray that God will continue to lead us each step of the way as we move forward by faith.
Come join us at our next Church Wide Prayer Meeting next Tuesday February 23rd.
WedWednesdayFebFebruary3rd2010
...but I don't have the Gift of Evangelism!
As I was preparing for the sermon last Sunday, I came accross these encouraging words from Don Whitney for those who think they can't share their faith effectively because they don't have the gift of evangelism.
"some Christians believe that evangelism is a gift and the responsibility of only those with that gift. They apeal to Ephesians 4:11 for support: "It was he who gave some to apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers." While it is true that God gifts some for ministry as evangelists, He calls all believers to be His witnesses and provides them with both the power to witness and a powerful message... Just as each Christian, regardless of spiritual gift or ministry, is to love others, so each believer is to evangelize whether or not his or her gift is that of evangelist".
(Don Whitney, Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life. Colorado Springs: NavPress, 1991. page 101)
In this way, the church is kind of like a National Leage Baseball Team. In the National League, there are no designated hitters, every player has to go to bat. Sure, different players may specialize in specifice areas in the infield or outfield like shortstop, catcher or centre field, but everyone, even the pitcher, has to go bat. In the same way different people in the church are gifted in different ways as encouragers, teachers, helpers etc, which means we serve in different ways, but their is one area of service that no one is exempt from and that's sharing the good news of Jesus Christ with others.
So just like Paul (Ephesians 6:19-20), we all need to be praying for and expecting opportunities to share our faith with boldness "as we ought". So step into that batter's box and swing away.
TueTuesdayFebFebruary2nd2010
The Great Commission
Sharing the good news of Jesus Christ is not optional. We have all been commissioned by Jesus to get out there and tell people about Him. This is not the Great Suggestion, it’s the Great Commission, and just incase you didn’t catch it the first time, in the book of Matthew, God inspired other versions of this solemn charge from His son in four other places.
Matthew 28:19 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."
Mark 16:15 And he said to them, "Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.
Luke 24:46-48 and said to them, "Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things.
John 20:21 Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you."
Acts 1:8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth."
In many ways God has brought “all nations” reaching “to the ends of the earth” here to the city of Brampton. Today, you have been sent as a missionary by simply showing up at work or by walking your child to school or going to the mall. I’m praying for you today that God would give you an opportunity to share your faith with courageous clarity today.
ThuThursdayJanJanuary28th2010
5 Passages that Encourage Me in My Prayer Life
It was great to meet together on Tuesday night to seek the Lord together in prayer. Let's continue this week to develop the discipline of prayer in our lives.
Here are 5 passages from scripture that God uses regulary to encourage me to seek Him in prayer. I hope they encourage you.
Psalm 17:6 I call upon you, for you will answer me, O God; incline your ear to me; hear my words.
Jeremiah 33:3 Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known.
Philippians 4:6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.
Hebrews 4:15-16 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
James 5:16-17 Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth.
TueTuesdayJanJanuary26th2010
No Man is Greater Than His Prayer Life
Why Revival Taries by Leonard Ravenhill
Here's the full quotation on prayer that I referenced in my sermon this Sunday. I hope this challenges you, like it did me, to get on your knees and seek God's face with more fervency and more frequency.
"No man is greater than his prayer life. The pastor who is not praying is playing; the people who are not praying are straying. The pulpit can be a shopwindow to display one's talents; the prayer closet allows no showing off.
Poverty-stricken as the Church is today in many things, she is most stricken here, in the place of praver. We have many organizers, but few agonizers; many players and payers, few pray-ers; many singers, few clingers; lots of pastors, few wrestlers; many fears, few tears; much fashion, little passion; many interferers, few intercessors; many writers, but few fighters. Failing here, we fail everywhere.
The two prerequisites to successful Christian living are vision and passion, both of which are born in and maintained by prayer. The ministry of preaching is open to few; the ministry of prayer-the highest ministry of all human offices-is open to all. Spiritual adolescents say, "I'll not go tonight, it's only the prayer meeting." It may be that Satan has little cause to fear most preaching. Yet past experiences sting him to rally all his infernal army to fight against God's people praying. Modern Christians know little of "binding and loosing," though the onus is on us-"Whatsoever ye shall bind...” Have you done any of this lately? God is not prodigal with His power; but to be much for God, we must be much with God.
This world hits the trail for hell with a speed that makes our fastest plane look like a tortoise; yet alas, few of us can remember the last time we missed our bed for a night of waiting upon God for a world-shaking revival. Our compassions are not moved. We mistake the scaffolding for the building. Present-day preaching, with its pale interpretation of divine truths, causes us to mistake action for unction, commotion for creation, and rattles for revivals.
The secret of praying is praying in secret. A sinning man will stop praying, and a praying man will stop sinning. We are beggared and bankrupt, but not broken, nor even bent.
Prayer is profoundly simple and simply profound. "Prayer is the simplest form of speech that infant lips can try," and yet so sublime that it outranges all speech and exhausts man's vocabulary. A Niagara of burning words does not mean that God is either impressed or moved. One of the most profound of Old Testament intercessors had no language "Her lips moved, but her voice was not heard." No linguist here! There are groanings which cannot be uttered."
Are we so substandard to New Testament Christianity that we know not the historical faith of our fathers (with its implications and operations), but only the hysterical faith of our fellows? Prayer is to the believer what capital is to the business man.
Can any deny that in the modern church setup the main cause of anxiety is money? Yet that which tries the modern churches the most, troubled the New Testament Church the least. Our accent is on paying, theirs was on praying. When we have paid, the place is taken; when they had prayed, the place was shaken!
In the matter of New Testament, Spirit-inspired, hell-shaking, world-breaking prayer, never has so much been left by so many to so few. For this kind of prayer there is no substitute. We do it--or die!
Taken from Why Revival Tarries, by Leonard Ravenhill. Copyright 1959, Leonard Ravenhill. Published by Bethany House Publishers.
http://www.scrollpublishing.com/store/Ravenhill-Revival.html
I hope to see you at our prayer meeting tonight. 7:00 at John Knox Christian School.
WedWednesdayDecDecember30th2009
2010 Read Through the Bible Challenge
I hope everyone had an amazing Christmas with family and friends and I want to wish everyone all God's best in the new year.
As you look ahead to this next year, I want to challenge you to consider making 2010 the year that you finally get around to reading the Bible cover to cover. I'm providing a resource in this entry that has been very very helpful to me in keeping my Bible reading on track. You can download it and get a two day head start.
Book At A Time Bible Reading Plan
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