Sunday, December 28, 2008

Holy Jealousy

Almighty God,

Come O God, come. Come to us and anoint us with your good Spirit. You have promised that you will draw near to those who draw near to you. You will exalt him whose heart is humble. You will do whatever we ask when we petition you in your name.

So hear our prayer today: Let us abide in your presence. Let us find a home at your side and a place at your feet.

O how we envy the angels, for they stand before you night and day. We are jealous of those saints who have passed from this earth and do now worship you in heaven. For they gaze upon your holiness and bask in your infinite splendor.

But though we cannot have the fullness of what they have, we pray that we might be able to partake of a portion of it. We pray that your presence would still be manifested among us. O that we might taste of the heavenly kingdom and worship you in the power of your grace.

For this we pray in Jesus' name. Amen.

Confessing our Conformity

Dear God,

As we come before you we recognize that we are unsuited for your presence. We are defiled with sin and stand in need of a cleansing that only you can give.

You have every right to chase us away—to run us out of your good presence like Adam before us. Indeed, if we were cast out into the outer darkness, you would be justified in your actions.

But we know that you accept the one whose heart is penitent and you show mercy to the brokenhearted. He who has nothing you make rich, and you eye is ever on the poor in spirit.

And as we turn to you now we pray that you might pardon us for looking so much like the world: for taking their views, for following their idols, for imitating their ways and embracing their pride. Too often we have been the world’s twin, rather than its greatest enemy.

Do cleanse us from this filth and lift us out of this mire. We pray that you would give us instead a zeal to pursue your law; to be conformed to the image of your Son; to mimic the angels in heaven. No longer do we wish to be a friend of the world, but instead we desire to be a threat to it.

Dear God, let us be holy, even as you are holy. Amen

Tuesday, December 9, 2008

New Study on the Church

What do you know about the Church? If you are like most people, not much.

That is why CRF is embarking on a new study on the doctrine of the church (otherwise known as ecclesiology) in its Sunday evening study (6:30 p.m.).

It has been said that "Protestant theology has concerned itself largely with salvation truth to the neglect of the doctrine of the church." Indeed this is true. Many can speak of Jesus, but most do not know a thing about what Jesus says regarding his bride.

Moreover, it is important in a day when the church is governed more by pragmatism and personal affinities than by God's Word that we turn to the Bible to find out what the church should be and do.

The study will begin by looking at the attributes of the church, which are outlined in the Nicene Creed: I believe in one, holy, catholic and apostolic church. Then we will consider other pertinent topics, such as the marks of of a true and false church, the mission of the church, church government and sacraments.

All along the way we'll be diving into contemporary issues such as the ecumenical movement, the church growth movement, and the issue of social action. Practical questions (such as, when is it right to leave a church? what is my role as a member of a local church? and do para-church ministries have biblical authorization?) will also be addressed throughout.

Faith Lessons for CRF's Tuesday Night Men's Group

The men of CRF have begun what looks to be a great series of videos from Ray VanderLaan and his Faith Lessons series. In the Dust of the Rabbi is the title of the videos we will be watching each Tuesday night at 6:00. If these videos are anything like the earlier ones from the Faith Lessons series, then they are sure to be excellent.