Each year, Sovereign Grace Ministries holds a conference for singles in Louisville, KY. With passionate worship, solid truth, and many resources to spur you on to application of truth, it is worth every penny! The theme of this conference is Humble Orthodoxy--humbly representing the truth of God's Word and the Gospel. See these videos (the latest--just added!) to whet your appetite for the 2008 conference on May 24 - 27, 2008 in Louisville, KY.
2008 Na Promo Video Why New Attitude?
"Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand..."
~I Corinthians 15:1 (ESV)
Hearing What You've Heard
Paul's words as laid out in I Corinthians 15 at basic level communicate, "I remind you of something you've already heard" and even "something you have already believed." Why preach so passionately something already known among this body of believers? Because they, as much as we all do, needed desperately to hear the Gospel again--to be refreshed by the power of the Gospel's transforming grace.
Possible Spiritual Death
We need it, lest we die--the Gospel that is. God has provided all that we need for life and Godliness through the Gospel. In other words, we have no access to the Father or the riches of His mercy (but through the glorious Gospel blood of Christ. He, as our Substitute, has paid the way to the throne of God, and lest we draw near to the throne each day by reminding ourselves of the Gospel we have believed and heard, we cannot keep a clear mind as to the very purpose of our days on earth, and drifting is possible.
Even the Strongest Need It
From weak to the Christian full of faith, we all need to hear the Gospel again every day. Strong saints have met the end of their walk for the Lord when they lost their intimacy with Christ, and all intimacy with Christ begins at the foot of the cross. Nothing else will do, not even other Biblical doctrines, for all guidance from all other Biblical doctrine is pulled into place because of their tie to the cross.
Not to Be Taken Lightly
Our relationship with Christ, our Savior, and the health of it is not to be taken lightly. Are we slowly drifting? Do we think we're not and yet half-hearted interest in God's holy Word or lack of passion in prayer could easily be observed in our times with the Lord? Let this be a gracious yet sobering warning of God's kindness: Our spirits are prone to wander and prone to sin and death lest we immerse ourselves in the Gospel each day.
"Father, what precious life we have been given! Enlarge our hearts to Your Gospel, we pray. May we never minimize it. Reveal lack of passion and heal us, Lord; heal us. May no passion of ours exceed that of the Gospel, and may the Gospel define our passions. Amen."
Challenge and Application Questions
"But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed."
~2 Peter 3:10 (ESV)The deathbed picture is one of the most sobering pictures for all humankind. We all will face it, and all must come to terms with it. One person accurately said, "...one-hundred percent of us die." This is true, and it is simple. But what will our picture be?
Christ reveals to us in Matthew 24 that no one knows the day or hour in which Christ will return, for the Son does not even know--only the Father (v. 36, 42, & 50). He is coming at an hour we will not expect (v. 44). Yet more sobering, He will come like a "thief in the night" (I Thes. 5:2, 2 Peter 3:10, Rev. 16:15.
Given that we all face death, how is this to affect our lives? Perhaps you are thinking by now that this is a rather gloomy read. But actually the Lord shows us gloom in order to reveal to us grace:
Therefore, rather than a mere obligation of fear (though there should be fear of the Lord always), there is the wonderful hope of grace to change and live in light of eternity--that Day when we will all give account (Romans 14:12) and those who believe Him will see His face.
"Father, thank You for revealing Your Son to us. Thank you for the hope of the cross of Christ! You have shown us the depth of our sin, yet what a mystery that you would show of the depth of Your love displayed on Calvary! Who are we that You are mindful of us! O, the mystery of your great love! May we live in light of that day and use the freedom You have purchased for us to ascribe all glory due Your name. Amen."
Next in this series: The Deathbed Picture: What Will Burn?
