In light of Sunday’s sermon about the State of the CommUnion and the growing role that Home Groups play at DSC, here is a great message by John Piper, titled “No Condemnation in Christ Jesus, One Body in Christ.”  The main thrust of what Piper says here is that we, the church, are one body in Jesus Christ with special ways of serving each other, but this is all “pie-in-the-sky theory without smaller groups.” Here is one classic Piper-esque quote:

Oh, that God would turn our small groups into invincible platoons of faith and love and witness and service. Oh, that when the next calamity strikes perhaps nearer to home, every suffering and grieving saint at Bethlehem would be surrounded by a band of wounded healers lavishing the many-colored grace of God on each other and pressing on!

Read the rest here.

Just like Ryan preached about the Pharisee’s self righteousness on Sunday, we’re all guilty of justifying ourselves instead of trusting in the promise of the gospel.  Here is part of an article from C.J. Mahaney about fighting against that tendency.

Remember the passion for Jesus you had? Remember the joy and overwhelming gratitude to God that came from knowing your sins were forgiven?

Now think about your Christian life today. Have you moved on to other things? Maybe you’re primarily focused on fighting lust, or pursuing godly relationships with the opposite sex, or battling pride, or cultivating patience.

If so, life is probably quite different for you now. Perhaps you often lack joy, or wonder why you can’t make greater progress in spiritual maturity, or feel condemned when you sin. So you study your Bible more, or attend another small-group meeting, or serve in new ways at church, or read the latest book.

All these practices are good. Some are vital. But let me suggest the likely root cause of your problems: Perhaps you have simply drifted from the message that saved you. If you lack passion for God, if you sometimes wonder where the joy went, then consider: Are you still clinging to the gospel? Whether you grew up in church or were saved on the streets, you were saved by the same simple message: Christ died for your sins.

Read the rest here.

Josh Harris:

Acts 20:28 tells us that Jesus obtained the church with his own blood. Is this what your love for the church is based on? If it’s anything less than it won’t last.

• Don’t love the church because of what it does for you. Because sooner or later it won’t do enough.
• Don’t love the church because of a leader. Because human leaders are fallible and will let you down.
• Don’t love the church because of a program or a building or activities because all those things get old.
• Don’t love the church because of a certain group of friends because friendships change and people move.

Love the church because of who shed his blood to obtain the church. Love the church because of who the church belongs to. Love the church because of who the church worships. Love the church because you love Jesus Christ and his glory. Love the church because Jesus is worthy and faithful and true. Love the church because Jesus loves the church.

(HT:  Pure Church)

Here is a great little article from John Piper explaining from the Bible what some of God’s purposes are in natural disasters.  Although the article was written in response to an earthquake back in 1999, God’s Word holds true now just as it did then.

“…when the earth shakes under your feet there is a dramatic sense that there is no place to flee. In most disasters the earth is the one thing that stands firm when wind and flood are raging. But where do you turn when the earth itself is unsafe? Answer: God.”

Read the rest.

Jonathan Dodson has a good post that should be passed around on why Christians should bring their Bibles to church (assuming they live in a country where they can own a Bible).  His main points are:

1. It allows the Bible to make up your mind about meaning, not you make up your own mind about the meaning.
2. It allows you to read the Bible in context.
3. It helps you avoid confusing the medium for the message.

Some good quotes from his piece:

• Follow the argument of Scripture, not just the argument of the preacher.
• When we read in context we get to see the Bible, not in bits and pieces, but as an awe-inspiring whole.
• Reading in PowerPoint prevents us from seeing the Bible as complete thoughts that hang together in context.

Read the whole thing.