Alan and I are so blessed to be a part of a wonderful, Truth teaching church! I cannot tell you how much I have learned since I moved to here a little over two years ago. If you know me, you know that I love missions, and this Body does, too! Our Pastor is truly a TEACHER! He doesn't just stand at the pulpit, yelling condemnations or going the opposite, telling us how wonderful we are... he simply teaches TRUTH.
For the past 18 months or so, most Sunday nights have been devoted to going verse by verse through Romans. Last night we went through Romans 11:25-36. It has been neat to learn more about God's chosen people, the Israelites, and Paul's true desire for them to truly worship their Messiah. Pastor often includes in his notes for us quotes by other Bible scholars. Please don't neglect to read the scripture; it stands alone and is fully capable of teaching, but here are a few quotes that I just loved from last night:
"The older theology tended to produce character... By the end of the twentieth century, we have become God's demanding little brats. In church, we must be entertained. Our emotions must be charged... We must be offered amusing programs- we gave up a lot to become Christians and what little teaching we do get mucst cater to our pragmatic, self-centered interests. The preaching must be filled with clever anecdotes and colorful illustrations, with nothing more than passing references to doctrine: "I want to know what this means for me and my daily experience!" We have forgotten that God is a monarch. he is the King by whom and for whom all things were made, and by whose sovereign power they are sustained. We exist for His pleasure, not He for ours; we are on this earth to entertain Him, please Him, to adore Him, to bring Him satisfaction, excitement, and joy. Any gospel which seeks to answer the questions, "What's in it for me?" has it all backwards." ~Mike Horton
"Don't ask Him to cram His plan into your puny mind, because then God would be limited by your understanding." ~Adrian Rogers
"Almighty God, just because He is almighty, needs no support. The picture of a nervous, ingratiating God fawning over men to win their favor is not a pleasant one; yet if we look at the popular conception of God, that is precisely what we see. [Today's' Christianity has put God on charity. So lofty is our opinion of ourselves that we find it quite easy, not to say enjoyable, to believe that we are necessary to God. But the truth is that God is not greater for our being, nor would He be less if we did not exist. That we do exist is altogether of God's free determination, not by our [deserving] or divine necessity." ~ A.W. Tozer
These made me think... hope they make you, as well.
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