Sunday Quotes!

I rarely preach a sermon without including at least one quote from a theologian or a pastor (dead or alive) who has already said something much better than I can. So, as a new "blog feature", I'm going to start giving out these quotes on Mondays as a way to encourage us all at the beginning of each week. Enjoy!

"We are shown first, in this passage, what true Christians must expect to meet in this world--hatred and persecution. If the disciples looked for kindness and gratitude from man they would be painfully disappointed... Persecution is the lot of all really godly people at this very day. Ridicule, mockery, slander, misrepresentations still show the feeling of unconverted people against the true Christian... In public and in private, at school and at college, at home and abroad, "all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution." (2 Tim. 3:12.) Mere churchmanship and outward profession are a cheap religion, of course, and cost a man nothing. But real vital Christianity will always bring with it a cross." -JC Ryle

"Though we say this world is vain and sinful, we are too fond of it; and though we hope for true happiness only in Heaven, we are often well content to stay longer here on earth. But the Lord sends afflictions one after another to quicken our desires, and to convince us that this world cannot be our rest. Sometimes if you drive a bird from one branch of a tree he will hop to another a little higher, and from thence to a third; but if you continue to disturb him, he will at last take wing, and fly quite away. Thus we, when forced from one creature-comfort, perch upon another, and so on. But the Lord mercifully follows us with trials, and will not let us rest upon any; by degrees our desires take a nobler flight, and can be satisfied with nothing short of Himself; and we say, 'To depart and be with Jesus is best of all!'" -John Newton

Things We Hold Dear: God-Centered Worship

Not all "worship songs" are created equal. Some popular ones seem to focus more upon the people who have gathered than upon the Glorious Savior. We think this is a serious mistake of priorities. At Servant's Heart Fellowship we are committed to singing God-centered songs. This doesn't mean we never sing songs that mention people in them, but it does mean that we purposefully place all our attention upon God and His amazing salvation.

We are careful to select songs that are centered on God. The reason? Well, in the words of David: "Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised, and his greatness is unsearchable." (Psalm 145:3)

There is no one else that this can be said about. Only God is greatly to be praised. Only His greatness is unsearchable! Remembering this incredible truth produces passionate, God-centered worship - something we hold dear.

Suffering, Who Needs It?

Let me be very honest. I don't like suffering. Not in any of its various forms - illness, persecution, or pain. I don't like sickness (I'm not a quiet patient - just ask my wife). Or suffering for making poor decisions. And I certainly don't like suffering of any kind that involves pain. Why is this, you ask? The answer is selfishly simple: I am a person who struggles with being in control. I know it's sinful, but it is true. I love "ordering my day" around those things that I want to accomplish, and when suffering (in any form) bumps into my neat schedule and disrupts it I can get _______________. (You fill in the blank)

Suffering reminds me that I am not in control. Suffering has a way of smashing my "I'm in control" illusion like nothing else can. How do we correctly respond to suffering - regardless of how it arrives? What is a biblical perspective for suffering? And how can we prepare ourselves in advance for suffering?

We'll answer these questions this Sunday as we continue our 1 Peter study. We're back in chapter 3, verses 13-22. See you Sunday!

Celebrating Palm Sunday

I just started reading Jesus, Keep Me Near The Cross, a collection of sermons by twenty-five theologians and pastors, some contemporary and some over 500 years old. In the introduction, editor Nancy Guthrie writes the following:

"I've often found myself in churches that made more of Mother's Day than Palm Sunday, with little focus given to entering into the passion of Jesus in an intentional and meaningful way as Easter approached. Too many years I've found that I have rushed from Palm Sunday into Easter morning, from palm branches to the empty tomb, without giving my mind and my heart over to thoughtful contemplation of the cross."

I can totally relate to what she writes. I'm not sure why, but Palm Sunday is sadly overlooked in some churches. We're doing our part to try to correct this. At Servant's Heart Fellowship we worship with very large palm branches on Palm Sunday. We hand them out to everyone (yes, even to children!) and wave them around during our singing. It's quite a sight. Some even hold a branch in each hand and end up looking like they are directing traffic at an airport. Why do we do this? The answer is really simple: We always want to make much of Jesus Christ and Palm Sunday gives us yet another opportunity to draw our attention toward our Crucified, Risen, and Glorious Savior!