resto[re]pair

Apr 30

“Worship isn’t about how I feel like responding but rather about simply being obedient to what I was created to do – to worship. It is the natural response for disciples as they relate upward to God.” — When Worship Becomes an Addiction by David Walker

Apr 24

[video]

Apr 23

“Jesus, free me from pettiness, defensiveness, spiritual arrogance and a lack of love for people really different than me” — @ScottyWardSmith

Monday Meditation

36 Incline my heart to your testimonies, and not to selfish gain! 37 Turn my eyes from looking at worthless things; and give me life in your ways. http://esv.to/Ps119.36-37

Apr 21

“It is against the dark backdrop of our sinfulness that the beauty of the Gospel shines so brilliantly.” — Jerry Bridges

Apr 19

Three Lessons Learned About Gospel Transformation

From Jerry Bridges’ book The Transforming Power of the Gospel:

The internal warfare between the flesh and the Spirit that Paul described in Galatians 5:17 is the normal Christian life. Regardless of how much we grow spiritually, we will all our lives experience the conflict between the desires of the flesh and the desires of the Spirit.
The more we grow in Christlikeness, the more sin we will see in our lives. It isn’t that we are sinning more; rather we are growing more aware of and more sensitive to sin that has been there all along. The Holy Spirit does not reveal all our sins of the heart to us at once. Instead He brings us along gradually as He works to transform us into the image of Christ.
Spiritual transformation requires of us what I call dependent responsibility. All the moral commands and exhortations of Scripture assume our responsibility. We cannot “just let Jesus live His life through me.” No, we are responsible. At the same time, we are dependent on the Holy Spirit to both do His own work and enable us through His power to do the work we must.

I pray that you are encouraged as you read this today.

Mar 30

“Despite all appearances to the contrary, we believe that this church is catholic (universal), because it is not a communion of friends I chose for myself, but a family that God has chosen from all of eternity in his Son. The world carves humanity into niche demographics, segmenting its ever-narrower markets. However, in the electing, redeeming, and renewing grace of the Triune God, a new society is being called into being whose catholicity is determined by only one demographic niche: namely, that it consists of those who are “in Christ” and no longer “in Adam.” To update Paul’s list in Galatians 3:28, we may say that in Christ there is neither Boomer nor Buster, Republican or Democrat, Wal-Mart or boutique shopper. We are one and catholic not because we have the same playlists on our iPods or because we share the same experiences, hobbies, and stages of life, but because we are in Christ.” — Michael Horton, Renewing the Great Comission

Mar 17

“A number of things can affect us emotionally when we’re singing together: a cool guitar riff, a bombastic pipe organ, fresh arrangements, skillful musicianship, a dynamic choir, being with people we love, well-executed transitions, intentional lighting. But being moved emotionally isn’t always the same thing as actually worshiping God. Worshiping God requires knowing God, which requires truth. That means that before I think about the arrangements, lighting, transitions, video clips, drum patterns, vocal harmonies, or a hundred other possible elements, I need to make sure that I’m seeking to communicate truth that is biblical, substantive, Christ-exalting, and understandable.” — Bob Kauflin from What I Learned From Aristotle About Leading Congregational Worship