Our quadrennial Church Planting Conference is coming February 21-24. We invite you to take part in some or all of the events of this week.
The Church Planting Conference Brochure gives you all the details.
Hope to see you there!
I am the good shepherd. I know My own and My own know Me, just as the Father knows Me and I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to My voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. -John 10:14-16, ESV
Title: Words to Winners of Souls
Author: Horatius Bonar
Publisher: P&R Publishing
ISBN: 0-87552-164-9
Pages: 59
Reviewer: Dennis McKinsey
Summary of the Book
Horatius Bonar takes the reader on a brief but convicting tour of the reader’s soul. The language is elegant but direct. He begs the reader to plead with God to transport his soul from the spiritual desert to the verdant pasture where the Good Shepherd leads. The Christian’s soul is then filled to abundance so that he is able to reach out to the lost sinner and to the lukewarm disciple. The serious reader will learn what it means for the Lord to come in to the Christian’s heart to “eat with him, and he with me” (Rev. 3:20).
Overview of the Chapter Contents
Chapter 1: Importance of a Living Ministry – “If souls are not won, if saints are not matured, our ministry itself is vain” (p. 4).
Chapter 2: The Minister’s True Life and Walk – “Our position is such that we cannot remain neutral. Our life cannot be one of harmless obscurity. We must either repel or attract—save or ruin souls!” (p. 14).
Chapter 3: Past Defects – Submission Involves Renunciation (p. 21)
Chapter 4: Ministerial Confession – Selections from the acknowledgment of the sins of the ministry drawn up by the Church of Scotland in 1651. For example, “letting people die in reigning sins without warning” (p.33).
Chapter 5: Revival in the Ministry – “It is a living ministry that our country needs; and without such a ministry it cannot long expect to escape the judgments of God” (p.51).
Recommendation
Why should one read this book? Do you want to minister for the Lord? Do you want to see fruit in your ministry? Are you concerned about the souls of others? Do you want God to use you to edify other believers? Is your life contributing toward the spiritual progress of others? Would encouragement to pray strengthen your soul? Are you pursuing lost souls? Does your heart pant for the things of God? Then read this book.
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Purchase the book here.
Dennis McKinsey is an elder of Heritage Bible Church and until recently has served as the teacher in the Ambassadors Sunday School class.
Here’s an article worth reading dealing with the question, “How do you initiate Gospel conversations?” A summary of the answers:
Read the whole thing here.
This week’s two-minute clip comes from the sermon, “Nothing is Too Hard for Jehovah,” and is part of Pastor Brooks’ series on the book of Genesis. It was preached January 27, 2002. The text is Genesis 18:1-16.
1 And the Lord appeared to him by the oaks of Mamre, as he sat at the door of his tent in the heat of the day. 2 He lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, three men were standing in front of him. When he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them and bowed himself to the earth 3 and said, “O Lord, if I have found favor in your sight, do not pass by your servant. 4 Let a little water be brought, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree, 5 while I bring a morsel of bread, that you may refresh yourselves, and after that you may pass on—since you have come to your servant.” So they said, “Do as you have said.” 6 And Abraham went quickly into the tent to Sarah and said, “Quick! Three seahs of fine flour! Knead it, and make cakes.” 7 And Abraham ran to the herd and took a calf, tender and good, and gave it to a young man, who prepared it quickly. 8 Then he took curds and milk and the calf that he had prepared, and set it before them. And he stood by them under the tree while they ate.
9 They said to him, “Where is Sarah your wife?” And he said, “She is in the tent.” 10 The Lord said, “I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife shall have a son.” And Sarah was listening at the tent door behind him. 11 Now Abraham and Sarah were old, advanced in years. The way of women had ceased to be with Sarah. 12 So Sarah laughed to herself, saying, “After I am worn out, and my lord is old, shall I have pleasure?” 13 The Lord said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Shall I indeed bear a child, now that I am old?’ 14 Is anything too hard for the Lord? At the appointed time I will return to you, about this time next year, and Sarah shall have a son.” 15 But Sarah denied it, saying, “I did not laugh,” for she was afraid. He said, “No, but you did laugh.”
16 Then the men set out from there, and they looked down toward Sodom. And Abraham went with them to set them on their way. 17 The Lord said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do, 18 seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him? 19 For I have chosen him, that he may command his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing righteousness and justice, so that the Lord may bring to Abraham what he has promised him.” 20 Then the Lord said, “Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great and their sin is very grave, 21 I will go down to see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry that has come to me. And if not, I will know.”
Here is this week’s Taste of His Grace: 100203 – Nothing is Too Hard for Jehovah (1 minute, 57 seconds)
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The full sermon is available here.
What is A Taste of His Grace? Read more here.
HT: Michael Boyle
“The Goodness of God”
Exodus 33:18-19 & 34:5-7
Dan Brooks, Pastor Sunday, January 31, 2010
Note: Just one service due to inclement weather.
Introduction: The fruit of the Spirit includes goodness. With reference to people like us, the term speaks of “more than chrēstótēs (5544), gentleness, kindness, a mellowing of character. It is character energized, expressing itself in agathón (18), benevolence, active good.”[1]
This particular term is not used in the NT with reference to God, but God is revealed to us throughout the Bible in His goodness. Beginning with God’s goodness will be helpful to us in understanding the goodness that the Spirit produces in His people.
God’s goodness is His energized character, the activity which is the result of all His moral perfections. It is difficult to comprehend the goodness of God in some respects, but if you begin to think of His goodness as encompassing all of His moral perfections and if you think of His goodness as the active expression of those moral perfections, then you are on your way to understanding and appreciating something of the magnitude of God’s goodness.
I. GOD’S GOODNESS IS REVEALED IN HIS MORAL PERFECTION (EX 33:19; 34:6-7).
A. The perfection of His character.
1. The request: Ex 33:18 Please show me your glory. (more…)
This Sunday we have an unusual opportunity. Not only will the Heritage family be joined by the Grace Bible Church congregation, but together we will witness the premiere of the second episode of Dispatches from the Front from Frontline Missions. (Learn more here.) This one is called “A Bold Advance.” Focusing on Christ’s work through David H., our missionary to Albania, this hour-long presentation opens “windows for the kingdom,” through which you’ll see how God is calling people of every nation to Himself.
The staff had the privilege of previewing the video two weeks ago. We watched God’s hand at work with great joy. By the end of the DVD we sat in reverent silence. No one moved for a couple of minutes as we considered what God had just revealed to us about Himself and His work. It was that powerful.
You can watch the trailer online to get a taste of what you’ll see Sunday.
Here are a couple of thoughts as you prepare for worship this Lord’s Day:
One last recommendation: bring your checkbook. We will be showing the hour-long presentation, but there are many extras on the DVD that we won’t be able to show. You won’t want to miss the half-hour interview with David H. that is one of the extras on the DVD. So bring your checkbook and plan to take a copy (or two!) home with you to watch and to share.
May God glorify Himself in our congregation as we watch Him at work.
But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to His own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by His grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life. The saying is trustworthy, and I want you to insist on these things, so that those who have believed in God may be careful to devote themselves to good works. These things are excellent and profitable for people.
-Titus 3:4-8, ESV
