Deus Misereatur

The Word Became Fresh: How to Preach from Old Testament Narrative Texts Dale Ralph Davis Mentor (A Christian Focus Publications imprint) Geanies House Fearn, Tain Ross-shire IV20 1TW Scotland, UK www.christianfocus.com ISBN: 9781845501921; November 2006; $16.99 5 out of 5 stars: Fresh and Friendly Many people seem to be intimidated and unsettled by the Old Testament. Even among Christians most plainly avoid reading it all the way through. They may glance at little snippets here and there; refer back to it when reading some text from the New Testament that mentions an Old Testament passage; or paste a heartwarming verse from Joshua, the Psalms or one of the prophets on their wall plaques. But truth be told, most Christians find the Old Testament, and especially the narratives, perplexing. And so do many preachers. Ask yourself two questions: (1) when was the last time you heard a sermon series or Sunday School series that walked the congregation t...

Sunday morning: O Lord God, who draws near to your people, that we may draw near to you; we come in confidence to pray for your World and your Church. We pray for the nations of this earth, which rage and rush maddeningly against your healthy boundaries, trying to gain the upper hand over you and one another. In place of their fuming and fury, bestow and work into them peace, justice and civility. Almighty God, grateful for the country where we have been born; we long to see our leaders and fellow-citizens walking in ways that tend toward peace, integrity and fairness. Guide the elections and the voters to select the right people for the good of our country and the peace of your Church. We pray for our U.S. Military personnel as they serve this country, may they do so honorably. Comfort them when depressed and worried. Preserve their families from unnerving stress. And provide for them all things necessary for their well-being. Lord, until your Son returns to right a...

Rulers: Gospel and Government by Charles M. Garriott My rating: 4 of 5 stars In a highly politicized age like ours, it's rare to find Christian people who simply want to serve Christ by serving Government leaders. Most Jesus-followers I know have serious difficulty in separating their personal political views from their ultimate politics - the Kingdom of God. Over the centuries several pastor-scholars have sought to distinguish between the two realms, from St. Augustine's "The City of God" to Herman Dooyeweerd's Sphere Sovereignty. At times the Church has conflated one earthly reign or other with God's reign; and at other times, at least for a few portions of Christ's Church, the two reigns have been so divided that there has been almost no interface. All of this leaves Christians wondering how they can minister, as disciples of Jesus taking the Gospel of Jesus into the world for Jesus, to civil leaders. "Rulers: Gospel and Government" edited...

[ If you find this set of prayers useful, or a portion beneficial, please use them. You have my full permission. Mike ] ---- We give thanks to you, O God; we give thanks, for your name is near. We recount your wondrous deeds. At the set time that you appoint you will judge with equity. Even when the earth totters, and all its inhabitants, it is you who keep steady its pillars. Truly it is not from the east or from the west and not from the wilderness that there comes lifting up, but it is you, our God, who executes judgment, putting down one and lifting up another (Psalm 75.1-3, 6-7). Glory to you, O Lord God, the most high! Lord Jesus, who took the woman that had the disabling spirit for 18 years, and set her free at your word, “Woman, you are freed from your disability;” who liberated that daughter of Abraham whom Satan had bound for eighteen years, loosening her from bondage on that Sabbath day (Luke 13.11-16); grant the same for those for whom we pray – those facing surgery; ...

For the Glory of God: Recovering a Biblical Theology of Worship Daniel I. Block Baker Academic Baker Publishing Group 6030 East Fulton Road Ada, MI 49301 www.bakerpublishinggroup.com Hardback – ISBN: 9780801026980; e-book – ISBN: 9781441245632; August 2014; $34.99 Reviewed by Rev. Dr. Michael Philliber. 4 Stars out of 5 Measured Examination In numerous aspects, the subject of “Worship” is tired and tuckered out. The “Worship Wars” have ground on for decades with no real resolution. Simultaneously, the Christian music industry continues to shape what is, and isn’t, sung in churches via Christian Radio and chart-topping hits. Also many popular and prosperous churches have moved to a Burger King - “Have it your way” – approach to Christian worship, as evidenced by everything from voluntary communion to multiple “worship services” conducted concurrently in the same building, each catering to niche populations. It seems that the whole subject of worship is no longer worth wrestli...

{Here is the final sermon in this series. The audio link can be here } ---- Revival and Reformation Pt 22 2 Chronicles 34 Even now, Lord God, we ask for a heart like Josiah’s, a heart that is tender and humble before you; a heart that is ready to hear and respond to your word, just like our Lord Jesus! Amen. O how we despise an arrogant cuss. But to be arrogant is actually an American passed-time – It makes big bucks, it makes many companies powerful and profitable, it gets people their own reality TV shows, it sells products and gets folks elected to office. It works! But is it really of value to God? Does it impress him to have his little creatures strutting about asserting their pleasure, their power, their prestige, and their preeminence? NO! You and I know it intuitively, and we know it from the Scriptures, that God hates arrogance and pomposity (Proverbs 8.13). So what is it, then, that pleases God? Humility. But what is humility? I think we have a picture of it h...

LORD God, you are the Holy One of Israel who has promised that “in returning and rest” we shall be saved; “in quietness and in trust shall be” our strength. Grant us to lay aside our rootless rambling and turn to your resilient reliability and to find our strength in quietness and trust. Help us, Lord God, bind up the brokenness of your people and heal the wounds inflicted by your blows (Isaiah 30.15, 26). O Lord, hear our prayer. Lord Jesus, who brought health and wholeness to ten lepers; grant the same for those for whom we pray – those closer to the door of death than we may even know, those crushed in heart and soul, those hobbled by physical feebleness or emotional exhaustion, and those shattered by the hammer of afflictions – that they may come, like the one Samaritan leper who returned to you, and give you praise (Luke 17.11-19). O Lord, hear our prayer. Lord our God, we acknowledge that our nation often turns things upside down. But shall the potter be regarded as the cla...