knowledge AND living...

The aim of no passage of Scripture is that we should simply know what it says without the knowledge translating into discipleship and worship.

- Marcus Honeysett

quote from "A hole in the fuel tank?" a really good article that I was sent...

The Table

The Table

Lord's Communion -

Saint's sweet union.

Flesh that's broken -

One loaf our token.

Blood-remission -

A vine's fruition.

Christ-believing -

Flesh-blood receiving.

Grace invis'ble -

Myst'ry spiritual.

Christ's ordaining -

Christian proclaiming.

Sign and sealing -

Gospel-revealing.

Self perishing -

Brothers cherishing.

Blest sacrament* -

A Church commitment.

MCC - 1/26/10

 

 Lk 22:18-20; Acts 2:42; 1 Cor. 10:16-17, 21; 11:17-34

*For the proper use of the word sacrament, consider Calvin's Institues, book 4, chapter 14.

the curse of Muslim lands according to a grand mufti

“Suicide operations have become a curse of Muslim lands." - Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Aziz Al-Asheikh

This quote comes from the sermon preached at the hajj in November.  Two interesting articles on the topic: a news article from that day and an opinion article from this month.

A Greater Liberty to Win

A Greater Liberty to Win

“In Flanders fields,” the poem goes,
The poppies grow among the rows;
The souls there laid for freedom died
"Uphold the torch” was what they cried.

In greater cause, my life I’d give:
That souls f’rever in heav’n’d live.
In peace I’ll sleep, for Jesus said,
“My Church I will raise from the dead!”

No failure then can we conceive:
Each sheep in Jesus will believe.
The death of death, sin, and hatred
Yields life eternal and sacred.

On God's own plan we now focus,
Proclaim'ng His eternal purpose.
The vision's His, and not our own:
Nations rejoice before His throne!

MCC – 1/22-23/10

This article was very interersting on the China-Google spat.  It considers the broader issues of the Chinese rise toward superpower status as well as the question of the difference it will make whether China is faced outward or inward.  Interesting...

There is no such thing as a private glory of God! 

He is the God of the nations, and he means for his fame to be spread among the nations. 

- John Piper

quotes from Baxter's "The Reformed Pastor"

"All creatures, as such, are broken syllables; they signify nothing as separated from God."

"Theology must lay the foundation, and lead the way of all our studies."

"To see and admire, to reverence and adore, to love and delight in God, as exhibited in his works - this is the true and only philosophy..."

"It is a most high and noble part of holiness, to search after, behold admire, and love the great Creator in all his works.  ... The book of Job, and the Psalms, may show us that our physics are not so little kin to theology as some suppose."

So far as a man is not emptied of himself, and of his own righteousness and goodness, in whatever form or shape, so far he is of a legal spirit. - Jonathan Edwards, Religious Affections

a more beautiful Church

"O Thou True Light of all lights, as Thy grace, through the true faith, has enriched Christians before unbelievers, so they are bound to demonstrate the true faith to unbelievers.... The holy Church, which consists of the souls of just catholic men, would be far more beautiful if there were men acquainted with different languages who would go through the earth, that unrighteous and unbelieving men might hear the praises of Thy glorious Trinity and of Thy blessed humanity and of Thy painful passion.

~Raymond Lull

(found in George Smith's Short History... pg 108.)

Hebrews 10, 1 John 1-2, Confession, and Forgiveness

The past two weeks, two sermons have been preached at Providence that provide a much richer and, I believe, more accurate understanding of 1 John 1:6-2:2 than I have previously heard preached.  The first sermon was based on Hebrews 10 and dealt with the extent of our forgiveness in Christ.  The second was based on 1 John 1-2 and gave the positive message of that passage.  These are very helpful messages, and are available either from provcast.org or from the Provcast podcast on iTunes.

About a month ago, I posted a link to another resource on this topic.  These resources dovetail together rather well.