Applying the Gospel

Applying the Gospel: "

Yesterday I preached on “Gospel-Growth” from Colossians 1:6-8. At the end of the sermon I worked through four questions that help us apply the gospel in various life situations (see list below). This is not the only way to think about gospel application, but it is a good start. Your ability to answer these questions depends on your understanding of the gospel and your expectations about what the gospel can accomplish. You will gain more insight if you ask and answer these questions in community.

1. How does the gospel confront the way you think and feel about a particular situation in your actual life?

The gospel is a body of truth, a revelation from God that sets forth the good news about what God has done in His Son Jesus. In a nutshell, this is “the grace of God in truth” declared in the gospel: A holy God created the world and everything in it. The first people had perfect fellowship with God, but they rebelled against God and fell into sin. And everyone after them has done the same. We are all under sin. We are separated from God and we deserve His eternal wrath. But God, because of His great love, offered up His own Son as a sacrifice for sin. God poured out His wrath against our sin on Jesus, who bore it on our behalf so that God could accept us. Jesus got what we deserve (shame, loneliness, beating, wrath, death), and we get what He deserves (favor and life eternal). God forgives sin and reconciles sinners to Himself so that we can worship and enjoy Him forever, as we were made to do. We did nothing to earn this immeasurable act of love. It is from beginning to end a work of God’s grace. So what truths about our salvation in Jesus confront the way we think and feel about our identity, worth, rights, expectations, performance, fears, needs, etc.?

2. How does the gospel convict me of sin with regard to that situation?

In every circumstance, even when we are wronged, we still bring something to the table. The gospel forces us to humbly consider our own thoughts and actions and attitudes. So how do you need to repent of the ways in which your sin has come to light in this situation?

3. How does the gospel comfort me in this situation?

The grace of God is not to overlook sin, but rather to forgive sin and empower us to turn from sin and trust in the hope of the gospel. So what realities set forth in the gospel enable us to rest in God’s provision, hope in Jesus’ coming, trust God’s character, experience His love and mercy, etc.?

4. How does the gospel challenge me in this situation?

The gospel is not only a body of truth, but also a power let loose in the world that transforms people and communities. It prevails upon your very identity to change you from the inside out. The gospel doesn’t merely instruct you about how to obey God. Rather, it changes you and makes you the kind of person who obeys God. It challenges you to expect supernatural change in your life and in those around you, the kind of fruit that cannot be accounted for apart from God’s divine activity. And this vision compels you to action. So what does the gospel challenge you to expect and do in this situation?

Situations addressed in the sermon: Job loss, Unforgiveness, “Mom Identity”, Frustration that things aren’t going your way, You don’t want to confess sin, You’re in great need, You’re a perfectionist.

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Her Cup Runneth Over

Some say the cup is half full, others half empty. My daughter just wants to play with the cup.

Explanation: At six and a half months old, my daughter has plenty of toys - toys that play music and toys that do stuff when you press buttons. She has toys she can chew and toys she rattle. She has more than enough toys. So what is her new favorite thing in the world? A clear plastic cup. If the clear plastic cup happens to contain water, that's a bonus, but the cup itself is particularly exciting.

So, when somebody asks you if you're a cup half full or cup half empty type of person, just respond by saying "A cup! Oh boy!" That should send the right message.

On a related note, as she is trying really hard to move across the room, I was debating whether it would be cruel or helpful to put a plastic cup, a cell phone, and a pair of glasses (three of her most desired objects) on the floor a few feet away from her. I'm thinking it would be just the motivation she needs. Then again, as soon as she starts crawling, we have some serious baby-proofing to do. Maybe I'll just let her learn on her own.

SEVGİLİYE DOĞUM GÜNÜ KOLTUK PASTA

Discipleship Starts at Home, Part 2

Discipleship Starts at Home, Part 2: "

Discipleship Starts at Home Series [Part 2 of 2]: Click | View Series

Start Early

You can and should teach your children basic Christian beliefs and how to memorize Scripture. This can be both fun and educational. You can choose short Scriptures to begin teaching your children. As you continue to learn the Scriptures, you can use longer passages such as the Ten Commandants and 23rd Psalm for when you and your children feel ready to go deeper. You can also use a short family catechism with questions and answers for you to discuss together that will help your children learn basic Christian doctrine.

Some Practical Ideas

Here are a few practical ideas that may help you disciple your children.

• Find a good children’s Bible.


• Remember to have fun with your children while learning the Bible.


• Keep the time brief to hold the child's attention.


• Recite the verse several times a day in your child's presence so it becomes familiar to them.


• Make flash cards with Scripture on one side and the book, chapter, and verse on the other.


• Put the verse to music or rhythm. Your child will enjoy singing and clapping their hands.


• Think of fun activities to make the verse fun and easy to remember.


• Tell them you are proud of them and have them recite it to someone else, like a grandparent or teacher.


• Pray with your children every day at meals and before they go to bed at night.

The Revolution Begins at Home

If we want a revolution of discipleship in our nation, it will have to begin in our homes. Discipleship begins in our marriages, by loving our spouses with the love of Christ. It happens by teaching, loving, and disciplining our children. When we bring the gospel back in the home, it will spread through our neighborhoods and into the communities where we live. If every family in every church got serious about making disciples in the home, it would change our world.

The great Puritan pastor Richard Baxter knew the importance of family ministry. He said, “We must have a special eye upon families, to see that they are well ordered, and the duties of each relation performed. The life of religion, and the welfare and glory of both the Church and the State, depend much on family government and duty. If we suffer the neglect of this, we shall undo all…. I beseech you, therefore, if you desire the reformation and welfare of your people, do all you can to promote family religion.” Let us not neglect our duty to disciple those who are within our very homes.

Recommended Books

A collection of fantastic reading material on various important topics, used and shared by Pastor Mark Driscoll. Find out more.

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The Wrath and Love of God

The Wrath and Love of God: "

“On the cross the wrath and love of God are both vindicated, they are both demonstrated, they are both expressed completely, and they both shine out and are utterly fulfilled.”

- Timothy Keller, Gospel Christianity 1 (Redeemer Presbyterian Church, 2003), 71.

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A Life of Thankful Discontentment

A Life of Thankful Discontentment: "

“The Christian life should be a state of thankful discontentment or joyful dissatisfaction! We live every day thankful for the amazing grace that fundamentally changes our lives, but we should not be satisfied. Why not? Because, when we look at ourselves honestly, we have to admit that there is still need for personal growth and change. We are not yet all that we could be in Christ. We are thankful for the many things in our lives that would not be there without His grace, but we should not settle for partial inheritance. We should want nothing less than all that is ours in Christ! In this sense, God does not want us to be content with less than what He wants for us. He calls us to continue to wrestle, meditate, look, consider, resist, submit, follow, and pray until we have been completely transformed into His likeness.”

- Paul David Tripp & Timothy S. Lane, “How Christ Changes Us By His Grace” in The Journal of Biblical Counseling (Spring 2005), 20.

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Flip Your Old Deck Boards Before Shelling Out for a New Deck ['home]

Flip Your Old Deck Boards Before Shelling Out for a New Deck ['home]: "

If your deck is looking a little weathered and you're considering replacing the boards, you might want to try this simple trick to see if you can squeeze a few more years of service out of them.

Decking planks aren't cheap. If your deck looks rough, don't rush to replace the wood just yet. Shine a flashlight underneath and see how the underside of the planks looks. Most likely, the side not exposed to the beating rain and scorching sun probably still looks pretty darn good.

It's labor intensive, but prying up the boards and flipping them so that the weathered side is down and the less-aged side is up can give you years more service out of the same old materials. You'll be out some hours of manual labor and—depending on the size of the deck—around $50-60 for new deck screws and some buckets of stain.

Check out the Flickr pool of subsixstudios, frugal deck recyclers, to see how their deck-flipping turned out, and judge for yourself whether a totally new deck is really necessary.

DIY Deck Project [via Re-Nest]

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