All Things Expounded » Christian Living

One Thousand Thoughts About Church…#717

mark — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 10:58:09 +0000

“Paul’s church planting plan was pretty straightforward: 1) I preached the Gospel to you, and 2) I opened my heart to you (2 Cor. 6:11-13).” – Nick Batzig

One Thousand Thoughts About Church…#718

mark — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 00:17:34 +0000

“The essential parts of worship we are at no loss to discover, clearly indicated as they are in the history of the Apostolic Church. Praise and Prayer, with the reading and exposition of Scripture, together with the celebration of the Sacraments, are repeatedly referred to as those exercises in which the early Christians engaged. With such worship, though in more elaborate form, the church has always been familiar.” – Robert Johnson

One Thousand Thoughts About Church…#719

mark — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 12:48:04 +0000

“Not only from the individual heart does God require ascriptions of praise and expressions of confidence, but from the organized congregations of His people, He desires to hear the voice of adoration, contrition, and supplication. The cultivation of such worship, and the offering of it in a manner acceptable to God, is a work worthy of the Church’s most earnest care.

It is to be expected therefore, that in the Word of God there shall be found the principles…which possessing Divine authority, shall carry with it the assurance of its sufficiency for the ends aimed at, and of its suitability to the requirements of the Church in every age.” – Robert Johnson

One Thousand Thoughts About Church…#720

mark — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 09:59:07 +0000

“According to Scripture, however, membership in the local church is not merely desirable, but necessary. In the New Testament, we see a recurring pattern: the Word is preached, people profess faith, and they gather locally into congregations ruled by Christ through a government He has appointed (Acts 2:47, 14:23; Titus 1:5). Believers are commanded to give due submission to the elders (1 Thessalonians 5:12,13), and the elders are charged with the oversight of believers’ souls (Hebrews 13:17). This set of commands assumes that believers and church leaders have an acknowledged relationship with one another. This relationship comes into existence when a believer commits to join the church. Therefore, when the Scripture calls Christians to delight in the church, it calls them to delight not only in the worldwide church, but also in the local church of which they are members.” – Guy Waters

One Thousand Thoughts About Church…#721

mark — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 22:07:17 +0000

“Give yourself to the church. You that are members of the church have not found it perfect, and I hope that you feel almost glad that you have not. If I had never joined a church till I had found one that was perfect, I should never have joined one at all; and the moment I did join it, if I had found one, I should have spoiled it, for it would not have been a perfect church after I had become a member of it. Still, imperfect as it is, it is the dearest place on earth to us.” – Charles Spurgeon

One Thousand Thoughts About Church…#722

mark — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 12:35:41 +0000

“The Lord’s Supper demonstrates that Christ’s blood spilled and body broken on the cross are at the center of our fellowship. We are not united with one another unless we are first incorporated into Christ…Participating in one loaf makes us one people…We have one meal, the symbol of one table, going out to multiple people, but it is singularly the Lord’s table.” – Mark Dever

One Thousand Thoughts About Church…#723

mark — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 11:28:26 +0000

“Is it not abundantly clear … that the New Testament church is now the true Israel, in whom and through whom the promises made to Old Testament Israel are being fulfilled?” – Anthony Hoekema

One Thousand Thoughts About Church…#724

mark — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 11:26:21 +0000

“And I say unto thee, thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church: and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” – Jesus in Matthew 16:18 (KJV)

One Thousand Thoughts About Church…#725

mark — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 01:54:20 +0000

“[T]he purity of the church is not an unattractive prudishness but rather a wonderful, winsome, haunting, compelling beauty that Christians are called to reflect in their churches.” – Mark Dever

One Thousand Thoughts About Church…#726

mark — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 13:03:36 +0000

“According to I Peter 4:10, all Christians are stewards, but ministers especially must be trustworthy. We teachers of God’s Word will be held to a stricter judgment (see James 3:1). Ministers are like bankers, entrusted with a great deposit. We ministers of the Word must be faithful in our work because of the great value of what has been committed to us.” – Mark Dever

One Thousand Thoughts About Church…#727

mark — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 12:45:30 +0000

“Corporate worship is designed to help you see the desperate need inside and outside of you that necessitated the manger, cross, and tomb.” – Paul Trip

One Thousand Thoughts About Church…#728

mark — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 12:27:43 +0000

“New Testament passages clearly teach that the elders have a general responsibility to lead and oversee the affairs of the church. That’s a broad, all-embracing responsibility. Given their primary focus on teaching and attending to the spiritual needs of the flock, elders shouldn’t allow administration to swamp those priorities. Yet on the other hand, they shouldn’t abdicate leadership either. In general, the extent of their involvement will vary depending on how closely the matter at hand relates to the ministry of the Word and spiritual oversight.” – Bobbie Jamieson

One Thousand Thoughts About Church…#729

mark — Sun, 04 Dec 2011 11:57:44 +0000

” God is honored when his word is so expounded to the people, that they not only hear the sound with the ear, but receive the meaning of it in their understandings, and feel its power in their hearts. God has graciously provided men who are able so to expound and exhort; and every church ought to seek the help of such gifts.” – J.L. Dagg

Booklog (November 17 – November 28, 2011)

mark — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 12:02:17 +0000

In this period I’ve completed:

Keeping the Sabbath Wholly: Ceasing, Resting, Embracing, Feasting by Marva Dawn (204 pages): Enjoyed it. I wouldn’t follow it in everything nor agree with everything said, but its full of helpful thoughts on theory and practice regarding setting apart the Lord’s day as a day of rest, refreshment, and feasting.
Family Fang by Kevin Wilson (320 pages): Conflicted about this one, I can’t recommend it but also can’t dismiss it either.

This places the running total for books(*) completed in 2011 at 94.

* Note: I regard paper, audio, and electronic books to be rightfully considered books.

One Thousand Thoughts About Church…#730

mark — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 02:55:48 +0000

“Corporate worship is designed to remind you that this universe has a center. It is a God of glorious wisdom, authority, power and grace.” – Paul Tripp