Powerful day at North Side. We focused our worship gathering on James 4:6-10. 6 But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” 7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Be wretched and …
In this sermon clip from The Gospel Coalition 2015, Voddie Baucham reminds us that we need Christ more than our example but as our “federal head”— this allows sinners like us to be both forgiven and declared righteous.
One reason God does not answer our prayers is because we offer faithless requests. Sure we might pray to him but our faith in his ability to answer those prayers is tragically minimal.
The 2015 ERLC Leadership Summit addressed “The Gospel and Racial Reconciliation” to equip Christians to apply the gospel on these issues with convictional kindness in their communities, their families, and their churches. This event was held in Nashville on March 26-27, 2015.
When it comes to race, our churches must reflect the united kingdom of Christ more than the divided states of America.
I haven’t gotten to watch all the videos from this event, but what I have seen has been so biblical, passionate, and helpful. One message was from pastor, author, and rapper Trip Lee. He does a great job in the video above talking about “Calling the Next Generation to Racial Reconciliation.”
Some great tips he shared:
Don’t treat people who are different too differently.
Don’t assume stereotypes.
Try not to flock to the people who look like you all the time.
Intentionally seek to understand people.
Persevere through difficulty and growing pains.
Don’t give up when it’s hard.
Ask yourself if you have unfair assumptions and fight against them.
Keep the conversations going.
We are not just looking for blacks and whites in the same room, we want blacks and whites in the same family – through Jesus.
All the videos from the @ERLC summit on the gospel and racial reconciliation now online and available: ERLC.com/videos
What a fantastic day working through James 4:1-6: 4:1 What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? 2 You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask.3 You ask and do not receive, because …
John Piper does not slow down or back off. In his message at the Gospel Coalition this week, he talked about how Messiah-people should live. We do not use the ways of the world to make a buck or win a soul. -John Piper
I prayed that God would grow me in my prayer life this year. I had no clue how he was going to answer it, but I have sat in amazement at what he has done. Through emphases at the church, the opportunity to help develop a Bible study curriculum on prayer, and my time in Scripture, Jesus has been teaching me …
Yesterday, I was able to submit a 124-page document to LifeWay for the upcoming curriculum entitled, “The Battle Plan for Prayer.” Working alongside the Kendrick Brothers, we have developed a Bible study on prayer that has changed my life for the better! If it impacts people a fraction of how the Word has impacted me during this process, lives will …
I absolutely love the passage that we focused on today as a church family: James 3:13 Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom. 14 But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. 15 This is not the wisdom that comes down from …
So, it’s been an exciting week in the Agnew household. After an incredible Easter weekend, we got to celebrate Gloria’s birthday on Monday. After about a week of wrestling with the effects of pollen, I decided to go to the doctor to discover that I have an upper respiratory infection. Don’t worry – I’ve been told I am only contagious if …
It’s been almost a week since “The Word” happened and I am still failing at finding the appropriate words to describe the weekend. I have sat down so many times to try and summarize what took place, and I have walked away each time completely aware of my inability. It is hard to put thoughts into words when God does something. …
I was blessed to go to college with dear brothers who are making an impact for Christ all over the world. It is wonderful to stay in touch with these guys and hear what they are doing. One such dear friend is Jeremiah Hambrick. Ever so godly, talented, and humble, Jeremiah and his family are committed to the Great Commission. …
I can remember the day this picture was taken. I was holding my newborn daughter, Gloria, in the backyard while our friend Paige did a photoshoot for our family. We were near the two trees in the backyard that hold up the hammock. As I extended her forward, I thought of how my hand surrounded her entire head and it …
This has been an unforgettable Easter weekend! I am so humbled at what Jesus did among us. “The Word” was simply amazing. More on that in another post. Overwhelmed. Sunday morning was absolutely ridiculous. We had two packed services, and I have already heard about many receiving Christ today and this weekend! It is amazing to see Jesus at work! …
We’ve been asked if it is OK for members of other churches to come to “The Word.” The answer is a resounding “yes!” BUT, we do want you to know something: By joining us in worship, we are NOT going to try to lure you to come back on Easter Sunday or any other Sunday. If you are involved in …
If you haven’t missed 1 Sunday in the last year, you have already heard 11 of the 16 songs we will be leading at “The Word.” As we went through different studies at the church, we have introduced these songs along the way. Hopefully, that will translate into you singing out tonight and Saturday! That also means that you have …
We have been asked: “Should I bring my child to The Word?” “Are children allowed?” The answer is an emphatic “yes!” Here’s what parents need to know: We do not have nursery because there is no way to plan for how many would come. We have made the service so that any age can come and would benefit from attending. …
We are 3 days away from “The Word!” We will be doing a live recording on April 3 and 4 at 7PM at North Side Baptist Church. Writing songs at key points throughout the biblical narrative is a complex process. The three songs I was hesitant to begin were based on Creation, Passion week, and Revelation. “What a Savior” was …
The sense of entitlement is crippling our culture and stifling our churches. We can reach a truly freeing place when we accept that God doesn’t owe us anything. [This sermon is in a series of messages I make available for a traveling college team.]
I love celebrating on Palm Sunday. Actually, I love celebrating every Sunday. Can’t help it! James 3:1-12 guided our services today. It is all about taming the tongue. In putting the service together, I tried hard to fill our time with our mouths declaring God’s Word and his praise and therefore, we shouldn’t use our mouths after the service to …
Pastors need encouragement and motivation too. At times throughout my ministry, I have benefited from the pastoring of other pastors. It is an incredible thing to be able to learn from one another, encourage one another, and be led by one another to catch an idea to implement within our local congregations. I have been asked by other church leaders if it …
As Easter is days away, I thought you may enjoy an Easter and disco inspired church sign: THE BEE GEES AREN’T THE ONLY ONES STAYING ALIVE – HAPPY EASTER!
In the day and time in which we live, we often feel the need to defend ourselves. When someone accuses us of acting a certain way, we are prone to go on the defensive. One excuse I hear a lot is, “that’s just the way I am.” When handling a situation in a particular fashion, someone will defend themselves in …
As believers, we need to dedicate ourselves to the study of the Bible. When I actually started studying and memorizing Scripture in college, everything changed. One of the most foundational verses of Scripture for me was Joshua 1:8: This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you …
What a powerful day of worship. Rainy day outside, joyful day inside! Both services have been growing as of late and it’s been so great to meet some new people and hear their stories. This week, we sang: Friend of God – North Side Worship (The Time Is Now) Enter His Gates – North Side Worship (The Word) You Alone …
As a pastor, I know the successes and frustrations of leading a church. North Side has had its share of challenges over the years. I have yet to regret when we have followed the Bible on how to do church. It’s been amazing to watch God’s grace over our congregation. In the social media world, I also will get questions …
“Why do bad things happen to good people?” I’m asked this question a lot. Job asked that as well. I’m also asked who is responsible for our troubles. Is it God? Satan? Others? In this sermon, I focus on Job 23:8-13 and discuss this issue. [This sermon is in a series of messages I make for a collegiate athletic team while they …
We had a great time this weekend at the Parenting Teenagers Workshop. In our area, many churches come together during Disciple Now weekend for the times of worship and fellowship. As I talked with Ben Hjalmer, I asked how we could make this a more family-equipping weekend. What normally happens in Disciple Now is some great discipleship moments for teenagers but …
I have heard so many encouraging words concerning the songs from “The Word.” The song we wrote to cover the epistles has been a really unique part of it. We took 1 line from all 21 epistles and constructed the song around it. Yesterday, as we sang, the video flipped through the Bible to each new book. I have had …
I am worn out and so energized all at the same time! What a wonderful day to be the church! As we are approaching “The Word,” we are using a lot of the songs from the project to teach them to our congregation. I was so encouraged that people weren’t disappointed by it but it is causing them to be …
This clip is from “Knowing Jesus” a couple of years ago. So thankful for those nights and makes me excited about the coming nights of “The Word” April 3-4. Family devotion times have been really great lately. To be reading Scripture with your children and have them begin to sing songs from those passages that your church wrote for theological …
Perspectives on Family Ministry is an incredible read. I have been annoying my wife with all these great quotes! Edited by Timothy Paul Jones, he enlisted three pastors who are all carrying out family ministry in different ways within their congregations. Here are some of the top quotes from his introductory section: “…in the future churches would begin to ‘build …
Preaching from Eph. 2:1-10, I address the issue of how good you have to be for God to love you. I often hear people say, “I sure do hope that when I die I have been good enough to get into heaven.” It is scary that those words come out of the mouths of those who have been in church. …
Special, special day as we addressed the sin of favoritism found in James 2:1-13. We began our services with “The Word” Creation song entitled “Let There Be.” After a few announcements, we sang “Lay Me Down” and “No One Like Our God” (from “The Word”). Jeff then came up and led us in a prayer time for persecuted Christians around …
This video captures the song “It Is Finished” from our “Knowing Jesus” project. Watching it made me so thankful for what God did through that project and anticipatory of “The Word” coming our way quickly!
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