Have you ever noticed that the story of Mary and Martha (Luke 10:38-42) comes right after the parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37)? There is a purpose in that — the authors of the gospels arranged their material very carefully, with thought and intention. The connection between the two is not hard to see. […]
Archives for September 2011
Piper: God's 4 Purposes for Mission
God’s purpose is to be known: “That your way may be known on earth” (v. 2) God’s purpose is to be praised: “Let the peoples praise you” (v. 3). God’s purpose is to be enjoyed: “Let the nations be glad and sing for joy” (v. 4). God’s purpose is to be feared and reverenced: “Let […]
Piper on God's Strange Path to Save All the Nations
Piper’s quick summary of God’s path, through Abraham and Israel, to save all the nations: God chose Abraham and said “I will bless you to be a blessing, and through you all the nations of the earth shall be blessed” (Genesis 12, 15). Psalm 67 is a realization and praying into reality of that promise […]
Platt: 3 Reasons We Must Go to the Unreached with Urgency
“Let’s apply these truths to the unreached.” “There are 6,000 plus people groups with little or no access to the gospel. Over 2.5 billion people. Why must we give our lives, losing them if necessary, to spreading this gospel? Why must we go to them with urgency?” 3 reasons: 1. The knowledge of God in […]
Platt on God's Remedy for Sin
A summary of Platt on God’s remedy for our sin: How can a holy God look at a guilty sinner and say: “Innocent”? We rightly expect God to justify the innocent and condemn the guilty. And none are innocent. So how can God call the guilty innocent? Jesus’ death is the payment for sin. All […]
David Platt on Total Depravity
“Everything in all of creation responds to God, until you get to man and we have the audacity to look him in the face and say ‘no.’ From this sin, we see lostness all over this book (Isaiah). What does it mean to be lost? It means to be cut off from God. To live […]
Louie Giglio's Mashup of Stars Singing "How Great is Our God"
Louie Giglio brought in some amazing illustrations from astronomy to illustrate the supremacy of God. Apparently, the electromagnetic radiation that quasars emit translates into sound. “Stars don’t just shine; they also sing.” So he put some quasars up on the screen and then the sound their signals reduce to. Then he did this for some […]
"God is Bigger Than We Think He Is"
Louie Giglio: There is a ripple effect of the gospel that is undeniable. It doesn’t lead us to just contemplate what happened to us, but proclaim what Christ has done. God is bigger than we think he is. I don’t know how big you think he is, but he’s still bigger than that. God is […]
Louie Giglio: Why We Exist
“This world is messed up to an amazing magnitude. But in the midst of this there is a God, who is great beyond our wildest imagination. “And he has linked arms with us and given us marching orders if you will, and we are not at our leisure tonight. We are here under the mandate […]
4 Types of Mercy
All seen in the parable of the Good Samaritan: Advocacy Assistance Finances Spiritual Here’s the interesting thing: When we think of showing mercy and serving others, we don’t often think of advocacy. But it is often a critical, and simple, form of mercy. Just advocating for the person — taking up their cause, defending them, […]