On Saturday, August 6, 350 men gathered at DSC from four churches for encouragement and help from God’s Word in the man’s fight for godliness. Fighting for Godliness, of course, was the theme for this year’s The Man Conference, hosted by Blaze Christian Fellowship, Desert Springs Church, Mars Hill Church, and Trinity at the Marketplace. Our speakers, Michael Kelshaw and Carlos Montoya, preached sermons worth listening to if you are a man and missed the conference.

Here’s the audio from this year’s theme, Fighting for Godliness:

• “Fighting for the Gospel,” Michael Kelshaw
• “Fighting to be a Godly Husband and Dad,” Carlos Montoya
• “Question and Answer 1,” A.J. Hamilton, Michael Kelshaw, Carlos Montoya
• “Fighting for the Mission,” Carlos Montoya
• “Question and Answer 2,” A.J. Hamilton, Ryan Kelly, Michael Kelshaw, Carlos Montoya

Audio from last year’s The Man Conferences with Dave Bruskas from Marsh Hill Church is available here.

In Sunday’s sermon, “God Speaks in the Book of Ephesians,” Ron provided an overview of what is one of the New Testament’s most theologically majestic books.

Ron began his sermon with an important point: “All the battles that count are spiritual battles.”

Before the fall of humankind into sin there was no such thing as “battle.” Every struggle of every kind is a reminder that we are in a fallen world. For Christians, every struggle is a reminder of what Christ came to end. That’s why Paul begins his letter by reminding his Christian readers about all that God has won for them in Christ. He writes, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places” (1:3).

In the eleven verses which follow, Paul expands on what he means by “every spiritual blessing.” Here’s a list of how God has blessed us “in Christ”:

• “He chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him” (1:4)
• “In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved” (1:5-6)
• “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace…” (1:7)
• “In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory” (1:11-12)
• “In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory” (1:13-14)

If our prayers to God or thoughts about Him are becoming routine, this package of blessings gives us high thoughts and rich words to enliven our affections for Him.

In his sermon, Ron read a quote, “We do not fight for victory. We fight from victory.” That’s significant. All of the spiritual blessings that we know in Christ have been decisively won for us, and enjoying them is the fuel for the fight of the Christian life. That’s why Paul says at the start of chapter 4, “I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called” (4:1).

For more information about our plan to listen through the New Testament in 90 days and for a listening schedule, visit the God Speaks: We listen landing page.

God made men to lead.

For that reason, we are encouraging all of our men to join us for The Man Conference this Saturday at DSC from 9:00 AM – 3:30 PM. The conference is free and details about the theme and speakers are available here.

Strong men are important for the sake of God’s glory in their families and in our church. And strong, biblical men are also important for the church that DSC will plant in Rio Rancho in January, 2012 – what is now less than six months away.

With that in mind, Darrin Patrick, pastor and author of Church Planter: The Man, The Message, The Mission, has a compelling word for our men in this short video:

[RSS and Email readers, click here to view this video]

Partick’s book, along with other important books for men, are available at the Resource Center during the conference and this Sunday.

We’ve been listening through the New Testament together for two months now. Below is a list of links for the month of August. In addition, we will continue to post links to audio daily at the DSC Facebook page.

By way of reminder, DSC’s audio sermon archive is searchable by series and topic. This could be helpful should  you come across an issue in your reading that peaks your interest.

Audio for August

August 1 Catch-up Day
August 2 1 Corinthians 16 – 2 Corinthians 4
August 3 2 Corinthians 5-8
August 4 2 Corinthians 9-12
August 5 2 Corinthians 13 – Galatians 3
August 6 Galatians 4 – Ephesians 1
August 7 Ephesians 2-5
August 8 Ephesians 6 – Philippians 3
August 9 Philippians 4 – Colossians 2
August 10 Colossians 3 – 1 Thessalonians 3
August 11 1 Thessalonians 4 – 2 Thessalonians 3
August 12 1 Timothy 1-5
August 13 1 Timothy 6 – 2 Timothy 3
August 14 2 Timothy 4 – Philemon
August 15 Hebrews 1-5
August 16 Hebrews 6-9
August 17 Hebrews 10-11
August 18 Hebrews 12 – James 1
August 19 James 2-5
August 20 1 Peter 1-3
August 21 1 Peter 4 – 2 Peter 2
August 22 2 Peter 3 – 1 John 2
August 23 1 John 3-5
August 24 2 John – Revelation 1
August 25 Revelation 2-3
August 26 Revelation 4-6
August 27 Revelation 7-11
August 28 Revelation 12-14
August 29 Revelation 15-17
August 30 Revelation 18-19
August 31 Revelation 20-22

For an overview of the plan, visit the landing page or download the brochure.

Just about one month ago now, Fred Zaspel joined us for a Parenting Seminar weekend, “The Word on Parenting.” Over the months of June and July we’ve featured a number of helpful parenting resources, and shortly after the weekend, we posted a list of Fred’s personal resource recommendations to the blog.

Now, if you weren’t able to join us, the seminar audio is available as well. Fred delivered three talks during this time with us, each of them on a different aspect of faithful Christian parenting, and each of them equally important.

• Parenting with a Goal
• Saving our Children
• Directing and Disciplining our Children

On the subject of family worship in particular, there are a number of helpful resources available. John and Neol Piper have published an article they’ve written, called, “The Family: Together in God’s Presence.” You can pick this up in pamphlet form for not cost at the Resource Center, or read it online here. In his series from 2008, Proverbs: Wisdom for the Home, Ryan preached a helpful sermon on the subject, “The Family Together in Corporate Worship.” Finally, Fred Zaspel personally recommends an article by Jim Eliff that he’s found helpful, “The Heart of Family Reformation.”

Click here for more sermons on parenting from DSC.