"Quote" of the Week

"I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called." Ephesians 4:1

I do not intend to spend any time at all proving to you the general truth that God is sovereign in His world. There is no need; for I know that, if you are a Christian, you believe this already. How do I know that? Because I know that, if you are a Christian, you pray; and the recognition of God's sovereignty is the basis of your prayers. In prayer, you ask for things and give thanks for things. Why? Because you recognize that God is the author and source of all the good that you have had already, and all the good that you hope for in the future. This is the fundamental philosophy of Christian prayer. The prayer of a Christian is not an attempt to force God's hand, but a humble acknowledgement of helplessness and dependence. When we are on our knees, we know that it is not we who control the world; it is not in our power, therefore, to supply our needs by our own independent efforts; every good thing that we desire for ourselves and for others must be sought from God, and will come, if it comes at all, as a gift from His hands.

Nor, again am I going to spend time proving to you the particular truth that God is sovereign in salvation. For that, too, you believe already. Two facts show this. In the first place, you give God thanks for your conversion. Now why do you do that? Because you know in your heart that God was entirely responsible for it. You did not save yourself; He saved you. Your thanksgiving is itself an acknowledgement that your conversion was not your own work, but His work. You do not put it down to chance or accident that you attended a Christian church, that you heard the Christian gospel, that you had Christian friends and, perhaps, a Christian home, that the Bible fell into your hands, that you saw your need of Christ and came to trust Him as your Savior. As you look back, you take to yourself the blame for your past blindness and indifference and obstinacy and evasiveness in face of the gospel message, but...you would never dream of dividing the credit for your salvation between God and yourself. You have never for one moment supposed that the decisive contribution to your salvation was yours and not God's.

There is a second way in which you acknowledge that God is sovereign in salvation. You pray for the conversion of others. In what terms, now, do you intercede for them? Do you limit yourself to asking that God will bring them to a point where they can save themselves, independently of Him? I do not think you do. I think that what you do is to pray in categorical terms that God will, quite simply and decisively, save them: that He will open the eyes of their understanding, soften their hard hearts, renew their natures, and move their wills to receive the Savior. You ask God to work in them everything necessary for their salvation...Thus, by your practice of intercession, no less than by giving thanks for your conversion, you acknowledge and confess the sovereignty of God's grace. And so do all Christian people everywhere.

Packer, J.I. Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God. Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press. 1991. 11-17

"Quote" of the Week

"God's sovereignty and man's responsibility are taught us side by side in the same Bible; sometimes, indeed, in the same text. Both are thus guaranteed to us by the same divine authority; both, therefore, are true. It follows that they must by held together, and not played off against each other. Man is a responsible moral agent, though he is also divinely controlled; man is divinely controlled, though he is also a responsible moral agent. God's sovereignty is a reality, and man's responsibility is a reality too. This is the revealed antinomy (mystery) in terms of which we have to do our thinking. " -J.I. Packer

NASHVILLE MISSION TRIP

We had a great mission trip to Nashville, TN. Our youth worked with Unity Covenant Church in Ashland City, TN. They loved the church because of its laid back style and feel. UCC is a great church that is being used by God to reach a group of people that have been overlooked by other churches in the community. They have Celebrate Recovery at their church which is an excellent ministry for those struggling with addiction, a biker ministry which has enabled them to minister to ex-cons--many who are struggling with drug and alcohol addiction and they also provide special services for those in law enforcement because they work odd hours and are often busy during Sunday morning service.

It was a great learning experience for the youth. They got to see a church that is different from the norm, but biblical in function.