All three messages by Jonathan Dodson on discipleship and the panel discussion to conclude our men’s retreat are now available on the audio portion of our website.
To listen to session one – Making Disciples – click here.
To listen to session two – Multiplying Disciples – click here.
To listen to session three – Maturing Disciples – click here.
To listen to session four – Panel Discussion – click here.
Of course the take away question of this post in light of Recharge 2011 is . . .
Our Oxford Club for Men group resumes this Saturday, December 10, at 7 AM, at the church office, with our ongoing study of Richard Phillips’ book The Masculine Mandate. Newcomers are always welcome!
After breakfast (bring your own please) we will discuss chapter 12, The Masculine Mandate in the Church.
Here is a sample from that chapter to whet the appetite:
So it is the Word of God–by grace of God taught, heard, understood, and applied–that accomplishes all progress within a church. From this, one conclusion is abundantly clear: any Christian man who wants to serve the Lord, in any role and at any level, must begin by devoting himself to God’s Word. A man who is weak in the Word of God will be of little use for service, for we cannot truly serve God effectively in our own knowledge and strength. But God’s Word stirs up in us the faith and spiritual strength needed to serve Him (p. 137).
Today’s message from John 13:21-30 is now on the web. You can listen to the audio here.
Here’s how I summarized the flow of the message:
As we come to the Table of the Lord this morning, feast your eyes on and give your tastes to the beautiful Savior. Having heard the preached Gospel, we now have it made visible in the elements of the bread and the cup. What amazing, devoted love would for the joy set before Him, despise the shame, endure the cross, and lay down a life so sweet, so pure, so divine? The love of Jesus. Do you see this beauty in all its distress, in all its devotion, in all its determination? Will you not go the way of Peter and John and move toward Jesus to rest your all on Him or will you go the other direction into the night, not just the dark night over the Mt. of Olives that fateful evening in John 13, but the pitch black night of sin’s evil that refuses His friendship and loves something, someone more than Him.
Last Sunday, November 27, marked the beginning of Advent, traditionally the beginning of the church calendar year. The word advent comes from the Latin adventus meaning coming. Advent focuses our worship for the four weeks which precede Christmas on the significance of Christ’s incarnation. Christians began to organize worship around various seasons of the year as early as the second century. In more liturgical churches the entire calendar often revolves around these seasons of the year.
At OGC we celebrate a tradition in Advent worship involving the lighting of an Advent wreath. Each Sunday before Advent, as well as on Christmas Eve, different individuals/families lead us in the lighting ceremony with appropriate readings from Scripture. An Advent wreath communicates many powerful things. Its circular form stands for the eternity of God. The burning candles represent Christ, the light of the world, (John 8:12). The evergreens in the wreath speak to eternal life. The use of colored candles originated in Eastern Germany prior to the Reformation. Traditionally, the three purple candles symbolize the penitence due from sinners at the prospect of Christ’s coming. The single pink or rose candle calls for joy at the idea of the Son of God incarnate. And the white candle in the center, of course, points to Jesus Christ in all His purity and power.
May I encourage you this year, as in previous years, to form an intentional strategy for making the most of this coming Advent season? Without a plan we can easily fall prey to a worldly tis-the-season-to-be-frantic kind of December that leaves us at best exhausted and at worst resentful.
Here are some suggestions to that end:
Refuse to abandon time for reflection, worship, and contemplative disciplines. Mary, the mother of our Lord, excelled as one who kept all these things and pondered them in her heart (Luke 2:19). Determine to hold a tenacious line against the tyranny of the urgent and give yourself to the priority of seeing the unseen and eternal (2 Cor. 4:18).
Beware temptations to covetousness and greed which surround the cultural trappings of Christmas. Jesus warns in Luke 12:15Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses. Madison Avenue bombards us daily with just the opposite message. Ask God to help you not let the world squeeze you into such a treacherous mold (Rom. 12:2).
Zealously call to mind the words of Jesus as quoted by Paul in Acts 20:35 – It is more blessed to give than to receive. Consider creative ways to practice giving that go beyond the material. Bless someone with the gift of words of encouragement, time spent in fellowship, ministering to a need. Alter your Christmas budget this year in terms of what you normally spend on yourself, family, and friends and give toward a worthy global missionary enterprise or some charitable cause.
Make corporate worship a non-negotiable priority, even if you travel. David spoke of the sanctuary as the place where He saw God uniquely in His power and glory (Psalm 63:2). Ask the Lord to reveal hidden sins in you that grieve His Spirit and hinder your fellowship. Every time you see a purple Advent candle pray for a spirit of insight into the depths of your depravity and give yourself to confession and repentance. But don’t stop there! Ask God to fill you with a spirit of rejoicing and celebration. Every time you see a rose candle offer up praise and thanksgiving for some treasured aspect of Christ in His incarnation and all He has won for you in regeneration, justification, adoption, sanctification, glorification, etc.
Determine to bring Advent worship into the fabric of your home. Heads of households – let us function as believer priests on behalf of our families and lead in Advent devotions that serve to focus our spouses and our children upon things that truly matter this Christmas. Let us watch less in the way of endless Christmas specials devoted to the inane and trivial and read more of the Word that extols the Christ of God and listen more to the music that declares His praises and fellowship more with the people that embrace His Lordship and witness more to the lost who languish without His hope.
Say No more and Yes less so that the obligations of the season do not run away with you. Stay in control of your calendar. Prioritize ruthlessly as best you understand given God’s priorities for you. If you struggle to do that on your own, ask someone else to hold you accountable and give you counsel about what you should and should not commit to during this last month of the year.
Arm yourself with Paul’s promise in Phil. 4:13 that in Christ you can do all things – including making the most of Advent. This may prove especially true for you if you have experienced some significant loss this year or if you are battling some form of depression for whatever reason. Navigating the demands of the holiday season cannot be accomplished in one’s own strength. It takes the power and all-sufficient grace of Christ (2 Cor. 12:9).
May He grant us ever-increasing amounts of grace to sing these words of the hymn writer and mean it:
Let all mortal flesh keep silence, and with fear and trembling stand; Ponder nothing earthly minded, for with blessing in his hand,
Christ our God to earth descendeth, our full homage to demand.
Got this from Peacemakers last week. Meant to post it last week but things got away from me. It’s such good stuff I decided to post it this week. Not your average Thanksgiving fare.
As usual, Paul [in Philippians 4:2-9] urges us to be God-centered in our approach to conflict. Moreover, he wants us to be joyfully God-centered. Realizing we may skip over this point, Paul repeats it: “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!” What on earth is there to rejoice about when you are involved in a dispute? If you open your eyes and think about God’s lavish goodness to you, here is the kind of worship you could offer to him, even in the midst of the worst conflict!
O Lord, you are so amazingly good to me! You sent your only Son to die for my sins, including those I have committed in this conflict. Because of Jesus I am forgiven, and my name is written in the Book of Life! You do not treat me as I deserve, but you are patient, kind, gentle, and forgiving with me. Please help me to do the same to others.
In your great mercy, you are also kind to my opponent. Although he has wronged me repeatedly, you hold out your forgiveness to him as you do to me. Even if he and I never reconcile in this life, which I still hope we will, you have already done the work to reconcile us forever in heaven. This conflict is so insignificant compared to the wonderful hope we have in you!
This conflict is so small compared to the many other things you are watching over at this moment, yet you still want to walk beside me as I seek to resolve it. Why would you stoop down to pay such attention to me? It is too wonderful for me to understand. You are extravagant in your gifts to me. You offer me the comfort of your Spirit, the wisdom of your Word, and the support of your church. Forgive me for neglecting these powerful treasures until now, and help me to use them to please and honor you.
I rejoice that these same resources are available to my opponent. Please enable us to draw on them together so that we see our own sins, remember the gospel, find common ground in the light of your truth, come to one mind with you and each other, and restore peace and unity between us.
Finally, Lord, I rejoice that this conflict has not happened by accident. You are sovereign and good, so I know that you are working through this situation for your glory and my good. No matter what my opponent does, you are working to conform me to the likeness of your Son. Please help me cooperate with you in every possible way and give you glory for what you have done and are doing.
The sharing of many of our people in our thanksgiving service for their gratitude to God in easy and hard providences alike this year is now on the web. You can listen to the audio here.
As was copied in our bulletin this morning, here is the Puritan Valley of Vision prayer for praise and thanksgiving:
O MY GOD,
Thou fairest, greatest, first of all objects,
my heart admires, adores, loves thee,
for my little vessel is as full as it can be,
and I would pour out all that fullness before thee in ceaseless flow.
When I think upon and converse with thee
ten thousand delightful thoughts spring up,
ten thousand sources of pleasure are unseal,
ten thousand refreshing joys spread over my heart,
crowding into every moment of happiness.
I bless thee for the soul thou hast created,
for adorning it, sanctifying it, though it is fixed in barren soil;
for the body thou hast given me,
for preserving its strength and vigour,
for providing sense to enjoy delights,
for the ease and freedom of my limbs,
for hands, eyes, ears that do thy bidding;
for thy royal bounty providing my daily support,
for a full table and overflowing cup,
for appetite, taste, sweetness,
for social joys of relatives and friends,
for ability to serve others,
for a heart that feels sorrow and necessities,
for a mind to care for my fellow-men,
for opportunities of spreading happiness around,
for loved ones in the joys of heaven,
for my own expectation of seeing thee clearly.
I love thee above the powers of language to express,
for what thou are to thy creatures.
Increase my love, O my God, through time and eternity.
May God grant us grace to give praise and thanks of similar substance this Thursday and every day.
For one of their recent Church-of-the-Week programs, WTLN, 950 AM, Orlando, chose to feature, as they have done in the past, Orlando Grace. They aired a message from The Graces of Gospel-Shaped Community series called The Grace of Clothing with Humility from 1 Peter 4:19-5:7. You can listen to the audio of that message here.
Before broadcasting the message, they played a recording of an interview with me about my ministry and the ministry of our church. If you missed that program the afternoon of October 30, you can listen to the interview audio here.
My thanks to Bill Rhoden of the radio station for his kindness in making the copy available to us at OGC.
Yesterday’s message in Hebrews 3:1-14 is now on the web. You can listen to the audio here.
As promised, here are my bullet points on the qualities of the godly exhorter and exhorted:
Seven Qualities of a Godly Exhorter
First, gripped by biblical necessity.
Prov. 27:5 – Better is open rebuke than hidden love.
Proverbs 28:23 – Whoever rebukes a man will afterward find more favor than he who flatters with his tongue.
Second, committed to relational proximity.
Prov. 18:24 – A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.
Third, known for spiritual dependability.
Prov. 17:17 – A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.
Prov. 27:6 – Faithful are the wounds of a friend; profuse are the kisses of an enemy.
Fourth, strengthened through vertical security.
Prov. 29:25 – The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is safe.
Fifth, clothed with personal humility.
Prov. 11:2 – When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with the humble is wisdom.
Gal. 6:1 – Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted.
Sixth, aware of situational sensitivity.
Prov.15:4 – A gentle tongue is a tree of life, but perverseness in it breaks the spirit.
Prov. 20:5 – The purpose in a man’s heart is like deep water, but a man of understanding will draw it out.
Seventh, anchored in gospel reality.
Prov. 18:24 – A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.
The Singular Quality of the Godly Exhorted
Committed to favorable receptivity.
Prov. 9:8-9 – Do not reprove a scoffer, or he will hate you; reprove a wise man, and he will love you. Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be still wiser; teach a righteous man, and he will increase in learning.
Prov. 12:1 – Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but he who hates reproof is stupid.
Prov. 13:18 – Poverty and disgrace come to him who ignores instruction, but whoever heeds reproof is honored.
Prov. 15:5 – A fool despises his father’s instruction, but whoever heeds reproof is prudent.
Prov. 15:31 – The ear that listens to life-giving reproof will dwell among the wise.
Here is the video about the persecuted church that we tried to play at the beginning of the message:
That would be how long should someone attend a church before deciding to commit to covenant membership?
Good question. And a pertinent one for the twenty or more folks currently working their way through the latest edition of Discover OGC.
I came across this post by Brian Croft on his blog Practical Shepherding. He asks some other strategic questions that ought to come into play in determining the answer to the timing question. These include:
Is this a church where my family will be regularly fed by God’s Word?
Is this a church where I am convinced the care of my soul will be a priority?
Is this a church where my family will experience meaningful Christian fellowship and accountability?
Is this a church where I can serve God’s people and use my gifts for its benefit?
He concludes most wisely, I think, with this:
There is one essential element that must exist in this process. It is the key to possessing the zeal required in this search. That is, a constant feeling of uneasiness that should exist in you knowing you and your family are not in covenant fellowship with a local church and are not under the authority of undershepherds caring for your souls. The freedom and absence of accountability many experience in the search for a new church can cause a sinful complacency. In other words, you do not ever want to become comfortable being one of God’s sheep who has wandered away from the fellowship of the flock and the accountability of shepherds to care for you, even if that journey at the time feels fun and exciting.
Pray with me that the folks investigating our church at the present time will know from the Lord the answer to these and 0ther crucial questions in their church for a church home.
EAGER FOR PEACE 