(considering) 8:28

Implications of the Sovereignty of God

recent posts

  • Online Reading (May 6, 2016)

    Fort McMurray: For those who haven’t heard yet, the town of Fort McMurray, Alberta has been victim to a major wildfire. Fort McMurray has huge connections to Newfoundland, and I have many friends and acquaintances who were evacuated. Many who were at logging camps north of the city are being evacuated today through the burned city. The fire is still burning out of control, and the confusion caused has claimed victims. Donations can be made to the Canadian Red Cross, and are presently being matched by our federal government.

    Compassion: Related to the fire, stories like this one and this one, show compassion isn’t dead in Canada quite yet.

    Fallen Leaders: Tim Challies has a great reflection on what we should do about the resources produced by leaders who have since been removed from their ministries in disgrace.

    Bible Reading: TheLook at the Book series by John Piper is great training for people eager to learn how to read the Bible accurately and well.

  • T4G Day 3

    Yesterday’s messages were very good, and powerfully convicting. Though the one I found the best was not a main session, but the breakaway session for Canada. Putting aside the fact that they had little plastic laminated flags on hockey sticks, and they used the newer “official” Newfoundland flag instead of the much older tricolour, it was great to meet people from all accross Canada, and to hear the problems, the way God has been working, and a call to the kind of holiness (and here I mean real, active love for God an neighbour, not the number of Bible verses you memorize and whether your wife wears skirts or not) that will show the world that Jesus is from God, and that His Gospel is real.
    That was the most convicting part, not because I’m opposed to personal holiness in the life of the Christian, but because its often easy to imagine that holiness is irrelevant to the message I try to preach. The fact is, though, that it will be difficult for people seeking real fellowship with the living God to see that if I act in my life as if God doesn’t matter. Worse, I can end up convincing myself that God is small, or a tiny part of my life unless I do battle with the sin that keeps me separate from Him. After all, how can I claim I see him as majestic, awesome and glorious, if I find the sin that opposes that glory so minor… If I treat God lightly anywhere in my life, it means God weighs lightly on me, and that isn’t what the Bible is talking about when we hear about “the fear of the Lord”.
    Right now, and I hope this continues, my prayer after this conference is that I will continue to, “by the Spirit put to death the deeds of the flesh”. May God grant us all repentance.

     

    Soli Deo Gloria

  • T4G Day 2

    One of the cool things about conferences like this is that if you want, you can sit next to a new person each day. For example, before the opening session yesterday I was able to hang out with a few guys from 20schemes, which is a great ministry working to plant churches among the poor in Edinburgh, Scotland. Even before you get to the awesome accents, their ministry work makes for really interesting conversations, it was truly a blessing to sing hymns with them.
    Now we begin Day 2, Mark Dever is getting up now…. here we go, pray for God’s glory to be reflected through him.

     

  • T4G Day 1

    Today begins the first day of the Together for the Gospel conference here in Louisville. Yesterday’s CBMW pre-conference was very good, though a little like drinking from a fire hose. The format of the conference was short 15-30 minute speeches given in rapid fire succession over an entire afternoon. At some point in the near future, I’m going to have to reflect on my notes. As it stands, I’m sure that I’m missing some great thoughts (and maybe a few thoughts I’m going to disagree with later). I have several blog posts in the hopper for the days and weeks after I get back to NL.
    The really good part of this conference though, was that I got to meet with people from all over North America that want to see Jesus made much of in the culture and in our churches. Just seeing that is refreshing, as is the small group of pastors I meet with on Wednesdays. There is a reason that Christians meet together, and it is sweet to spend time with people who desire to see people come to a joy-filled knowledge of the Lord.
    This is where I’d have my greatest criticism of these conferences, but it isn’t a problem of conferences so much as a problem of being Christians and sinners. That problem is that it is so easy to get off the glory, sovereignty and majesty of God, and get lost in looking at the way the world is. I heard it both in the speakers, and in the conversations around me, and after some reflection, I notice it in my own heart. Today as I walk around and listen to speakers and the rest, I pray that I am able to keep God foremost in my affections. You’re welcome to join me in praying for that.

  • Online Reading (April 11, 2016)

    Soccer to Ministry in Canada: Gavin Peacock tells his story

    Is Internet a Human Right: While I generally agree that internet will help people out of poverty, I’m left thinking that if everything is a right, nothing is.

    Spurgeon: Yesterday’s dose of Spurgeon at Pyromaniacs was particularly good.