I can tell you that there is not a perfect church this side of heaven… We are imperfect people who at times… many times, leads to an imperfect church. Yesterday I let my emotions get to me. There were things that just frustrated me to the point that I wanted to raise up my hands and say “I GIVE UP” and to say “I JUST DON’T CARE” I continued to be self adsorbed in my emotions… my needs… my wants that I completely forgot the very reason I was there… The very reason we meet together.  Then suddenly I looked up and saw it… I saw the reason I was there. I saw the central figure of our worship… I saw the Communion Table and I was instantaneously convicted of my sin. You see folks I made Church about me whether my frustrations were warranted or not IT DOESN’T MATTER. It’s about Him and Him alone. Not about “ME” or “I”… my felt needs.. my desires and as my Pastor said in his really good sermon in 1 John ” It’s not about our agendas” it’s not what we want. It’s about Him and Him alone. Then after that it’s about “OTHERS”

Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; 4 do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. Philippians 2:3-4

There can be no joy in the life of the Christian who puts himself above others and who sinfully puts himself above Christ who is all in all… So Communion was coming and I prayed and prayed and confessed my sin to the One true God who is just to forgive 1 John 1:9 and I partook in Communion and remembered what Christ did for me. I remembered the cross and His suffering… I realized Church isn’t about me it’s about the one who saved me. People are just that- “People” who are imperfect… but not Christ. “Christ is all in all.” Colossians 3:10-11 1 Corinthians 15:28

Lord, may I live that all may see
The love of Christ revealed in me;
And help me flee all sin and shame,
Lest others scoff at Your dear name. -D J De Haan

For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen. Romans 11:36

That’s what I learned in Church yesterday

God, the Gospel, and Glenn Beck… A Mormon television star stands in front of the Lincoln Memorial and calls American Christians to revival. He assembles some evangelical celebrities to give testimonies, and then preaches a God and country revivalism that leaves the evangelicals cheering that they’ve heard the gospel, right there in the nation’s capital. By Russell D. Moore

The Submissive Wife… Earlier this year, Mark Oden preached a controversial sermon to his congregation in southeast England. He titled his message “Marriage and Women,” which included a plea for the wives in his congregation to “submit to their husbands.” In the aftermath, some irate wives—along with their disgruntled husbands—vowed never to attend the church again. AND The Loving Husband: A Portrait of Christ… Jodi is fed up with her husband. She refuses to cater his every need and put up with his abusive treatment any longer.“My husband has been a dominating spouse since the day I met him,” Jodi says. “Frank treats me like a slave.” Both by John MacArthur

Hellfire and Brimstone: Interpreting the New Testament’s Descriptions of Hell…The New Testament graphically and horrifically describes hell. And that raises a thorny question: How should we interpret those dreadful images? May we simply label them “metaphors” to soften their bite? By Andrew David Naselli

Beware of “Professional Weaker Brethren”… My daughter, Katelynn, who is eleven, wants to start wearing make-up. I have a rule: No make-up at all  until she is twelve. My wife does not agree with me. She thinks I am being legalistic. I can’t help it. That is just the way I think. By C Michael Patton

If you missed Ben’s post yesterday He writes “I thought I would post some more of my own music.  Here is the first in a four movement set for Oboe, Cello and Piano.  Hope you enjoy”. Oboe, Cello and Piano

I’m driving along yesterday, going to my next stop and a car zooms ahead of me… I noticed some writing on the cover of the spare tire rack… speeding up to try to see what I thought I saw… Well the picture says it all. Would love to hear your thoughts?

There isn’t a Sunday that goes by I don’t look forward to going to church… to get refreshed by the word of God being taught and by the fellowship of other believers. There was a lot that happened this Sunday…. I will be co leading a new Study starting on September 12th… based on the story in Luke 15 the Prodigal Son, which I’m very excited to get going … but also sad that I will be leaving the Philippians study for a few Months.

We started to really promote this new study of the Prodigal Son… it’s going to be rich in truth… and my prayer is that people will put aside their presuppositions and come and learn the amazing story and truth behind this parable… This is Christ most memorable and most powerful parable. It is going to be based on the book by John MacArthur… A Tale Of Two Sons… which is rich in truth. As one writer and reviewer said ” consistent, methodical exposition of the passage and one that never misses an opportunity to provoke application.” Every body knows this story about the loving father and the prodigal son… But what about the oldest brother . Who is he? who does he represent in this parable? We will look into the cultural and historical aspects of this parable and the ending will surprise you and my even shock some… though the parable gives us an open ending… looking at it deeper will give us the answer.

We barely started to touch on these verses in Sunday school… Philippians 2:12-13 So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling;for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.

We clearly have a responsibility here to work out our Salvation. The “So Then” draws our attention back to Philippians 2:5-8 to the Lord’s example of humility and obedience…  Paul now says… So then, my beloved… Here is a summary that leads to the “So Then”… conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ… make my joy complete by being of the same mind… do nothing from selfishness… let each of you regard one another as more important than himself… do not merely look out for your own personal interests… Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus… We must do something Philippians 2:12 is clear on that, but it would be impossible without God in us Philippians 2:13… and that’s next week… And that’s what I learned in Church yesterday.

Prettifying’ Darwin — A Timely Look at a Losing Strategy… The American literary critic Frederick Crews once spoke of defenders of evolutionary theory who attempt to make Darwinism appear more congenial to the Christian faith than it truly is. These defenders, Crews wrote, present a vision of Darwin and Darwinism that “is often prettified read the rest Here- By Albert Mohler

The Ministry of Rebuke Three parts… There are two kinds of Christians: those who like to rebuke and do it often and those who are scared to rebuke and never do it. The irony is both kinds of Christians are prone to sin. Read part 1 here… part 2 here… part 3 here- by Kevin DeYoung

Discerning Between Joy and Happiness… “Don’t worry—be happy!” From popular music to a cultural slogan, this adage is stated in the form of an imperative. It reflects the idea that happiness can be evoked by an act of the will read the rest here-by R.C. Sproul

Above Reproach… A small item I read in the news twenty years ago has stuck in my mind ever since. The Rockdale County High School Bulldogs basketball team of Conyers, Georgia, won their first-ever state championship in March of 1987, rolling over all their opponents. After eighteen years of coaching the team without a championship, coach Cleveland Stroud was ecstatic read the rest here-by John MacArthur

Give Us Men Who Know the Truth! Steve Lawson

To Judge or Not to Judge? (1 Corinthians 5)