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Christ Conduit Podcast, Wednesday November 25, 2009

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Opening Song: Give Thanks to God, for Good Is He

Give thanks to God, for good is He, His grace abideth ever;
To Him all praise and glory be, His mercy faileth never.
His wondrous works with praise record, His grace abideth ever;
The only God, the sovereign Lord, whose mercy faileth never.

His wisdom made the heavens be, His grace abideth ever;
He spread the earth above the sea, His mercy faileth never.
Praise Him Whose sun doth bring the day, His grace abideth ever;
The moon and stars His might display, whose mercy faileth never.

He helped us in our deepest woe, His grace abideth ever;
He ransomed us from all our foes, His mercy faileth never.
Each creature’s need He doth supply, His grace abideth ever;
Give thanks to God, enthroned on high, whose mercy faileth never.

Scripture: Psalm 136:1-9

1 Give thanks to Yahweh, for he is good; for his loving kindness endures forever.
2 Give thanks to the God of gods; for his loving kindness endures forever.
3 Give thanks to the Lord of lords; for his loving kindness endures forever:
4 To him who alone does great wonders; for his loving kindness endures forever:
5 To him who by understanding made the heavens; for his loving kindness endures forever:
6 To him who spread out the earth above the waters; for his loving kindness endures forever:
7 To him who made the great lights; for his loving kindness endures forever:
8 The sun to rule by day; for his loving kindness endures forever;
9 The moon and stars to rule by night; for his loving kindness endures forever:

Message

Everyone is probably familiar with the situation I'm about to describe. Your sitting at a table with your family and friends on Thanksgiving Day. Before you start eating all the great food in front of you, somebody invariably says: "Hey. Let's go around the table and have each person tell us what they're thankful for." One person says: "I'm thankful for all this food." Another says: "I'm thankful for my family." Another says: "I'm thankful for my friends." One dude invariably jumps up and says "I'm thankful for football!" or else he names a specific football team he likes, especially if they're playing well this year. And around they all go, each one saying what he or she is thankful for. But how many people are going to say: "I'm thankful for God." Or what about: "I'm thankful that Jesus Christ died for me." We should all be thankful for this truth. Jesus Christ did in fact die for each one of us, and He rose from the dead to sit at the Father's right hand for all eternity. And we should be thankful for God Himself, because without Him, we would never have been created. Today, and as you sit around the Thanksgiving table tomorrow, and every day of your life, consider God to be the one you are most thankful for. Tell Him so every day. Tell your friends and family just how thankful you are for God, not just for the things He's done for you, but also because He's God.

Prayer

God, we thank You for being God. We thank You that without You, the world would not exist. We thank You that You are loving, kind and merciful. We thank You that You sent Jesus Christ to suffer and die to save us all from our sinful lives. We give You all the praise, and we will never stop thanking You, because You're God and You deserve all the thanks we could ever give You for that. In the name of Jesus we pray. Amen.

Further notes

Unless otherwise specified, scripture passages in this podcast are quoted from the World English Bible, a copyright free modern English translation of the Holy Bible. The translation is reliable and accurate, but it is still in progress. Please visit the web site and consider helping where you can if the Holy Spirit moves you. If you feel unable to contribute to the translation, please pray for the translators, the editors and all those who help in other ways.

Due to the Thanksgiving holiday, there will be no Christ Conduit Podcast for Thursday or Friday. It will resume on Monday November 30. Enjoy your holiday and be blessed in the name of Jesus.

If you were blessed by this podcast, please help me share it with the world. Freely you received, so freely give. Matthew 10:8. Have a blessed holiday in the name of our LORD and Savior Jesus Christ, and may His Light shine through you wherever you go.

check baby 123

this is just another test....

:)

Sermon Evaluation Question

Lee Shelton IV posted this great sermon evaluation question he heard on a recent broadcast of the WhiteHorse Inn:

Whenever you hear someone preach, ask yourself this question: Why did Christ need to suffer and die on a cross in order for this sermon to make sense? And pastors, it wouldn't hurt for you to ask yourselves the same question.

Now I (and you) should go and listen to the WhiteHorse Inn.

Christ Conduit Podcast, Tuesday November 24, 2009

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Opening Song: Since Jesus Came Into My Heart, 1st-3rd verses

What a wonderful change in my life has been wrought
Since Jesus came into my heart!
I have light in my soul for which long I had sought,
Since Jesus came into my heart!

Since Jesus came into my heart,
Since Jesus came into my heart,
Floods of joy o’er my soul
Like the sea billows roll,
Since Jesus came into my heart.

I have ceased from my wandering and going astray,
Since Jesus came into my heart!
And my sins, which were many, are all washed away,
Since Jesus came into my heart!

Since Jesus came into my heart,
Since Jesus came into my heart,
Floods of joy o’er my soul
Like the sea billows roll,
Since Jesus came into my heart.

I’m possessed of a hope that is steadfast and sure,
Since Jesus came into my heart!
And no dark clouds of doubt now my pathway obscure,
Since Jesus came into my heart!

Since Jesus came into my heart,
Since Jesus came into my heart,
Floods of joy o’er my soul
Like the sea billows roll,
Since Jesus came into my heart.

Scripture: Revelation 3:20-21

20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, then I will come in to him, and will dine with him, and he with me.
21 He who overcomes, I will give to him to sit down with me on my throne, as I also overcame, and sat down with my Father on his throne.

Message

Jesus is knocking at the door of your heart. Hope is knocking at the door of your heart. Eternal life is knocking at the door of your heart. How long will you wait? How long will you refuse to answer? How long will you let Jesus stand there patiently waiting to come in and dine with you?

Jesus came to Earth for each one of us individually. He came and lived as a man. Then He suffered torture and death, the likes of which we can never imagine. All this to bear the sin of each and every person who has ever lived and each and every person who will live on Earth until His glorious return who will accept His gift of salvation which He gives freely to all who will ask for it.

So now it's up to each one of us. Jesus stands at the door of each and every heart today. He's looking for somewhere to stay. He's looking for a home in you right now. What will you do? Will you let Him in or will you turn Him away? Will you let Jesus come in and dine with you so you can dine with Him or will you eat the fat of the world until you die and it's too late? Make your choice today. Choose to live forever with Jesus Christ as LORD of your life and sit on His throne for all eternity. You won't be sorry. In fact, you'll see this as the best decision you ever made, and you'll be right.

Prayer

Jesus, I hear You knocking at the door of my heart. I know You've been standing there waiting patiently for a long time for me to let You in. LORD, I believe You were tortured and killed, and that You rose from the dead and now live so that I may live forever with You. I believe You and only You can save me from the life of sin that I have lived up until now. LORD, come in to my heart now. I open the door wide to let You in. Live with me, eat with me, breathe in me and live through me in all that I do. In the lovely and glorious name of Jesus I pray. Amen.

Further notes

Unless otherwise specified, scripture passages in this podcast are quoted from the World English Bible, a copyright free modern English translation of the Holy Bible. The translation is reliable and accurate, but it is still in progress. Please visit the web site and consider helping where you can if the Holy Spirit moves you. If you feel unable to contribute to the translation, please pray for the translators, the editors and those who help in other ways.

If you were blessed by this podcast, please help me share it with the world. Freely you received, so freely give. Matthew 10:8. Have a blessed day in the name of our LORD and Savior Jesus Christ, and may His Light shine through you wherever you go.

I'm at it Again!

So I bought Christless Christianity by Michael Horton for a friend's birthday. Needless to say I couldn't in good conscience give him a book that I either A. Have not read, or B. Am not reading. That being said, I bought myself a copy too--and oh, I'm reading it concurrently with Jerry Bridges' book The Gospel for Real Life. For those of you who follow my Twitter stream, you know this is a blatant violation of my 1 book at a time rule I initiated last week or so. In the interest of transparency, I'm failing that challenge. Now you know. That is all. Now back to the book-which one is the question. 

Post-Game Message Review: "Discipleship 101: Living in Light of the Gospel"

Main ideas from last night's SNF teaching on Discipleship...

1. Chrisitan discipleship is not primarily about performance and practices (what to do as a Christian), but about identity (discovering who I am as a forgiven and adopted child of the King).

2. "Being precedes doing" / "Being empowers/motivates doing"

3. Four key elements of Christian Discipleship:

- The priority of theology

- The significance of relationship

- The necessity of friends

- The centrality of grace

4. When Jesus says "follow me," he leads us to the cross.

5. Being a disciple (follower, learer) of Jesus ultimately is about learning what it means to live in light of the gospel/cross/grace.

 

Christ Conduit Podcast, Monday November 23, 2009

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Opening Song: Take My Life and Let It Be

Take my life, and let it be consecrated, Lord, to Thee.
Take my moments and my days; let them flow in ceaseless praise.
Take my hands, and let them move at the impulse of Thy love.
Take my feet, and let them be swift and beautiful for Thee.

Take my voice, and let me sing always, only, for my King.
Take my lips, and let them be filled with messages from Thee.
Take my silver and my gold; not a mite would I withhold.
Take my intellect, and use every power as Thou shalt choose.

Take my will, and make it Thine; it shall be no longer mine.
Take my heart, it is Thine own; it shall be Thy royal throne.
Take my love, my Lord, I pour at Thy feet its treasure store.
Take myself, and I will be ever, only, all for Thee.

Scripture: Romans 12:1-2

1 Therefore I urge you, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service.
2 Don't be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what is the good, well-pleasing, and perfect will of God.

Message

When we ask Jesus to save us from sin, we are believing that He can do it. But in addition to this, we are offering ourselves as a living sacrifice to God and asking for an entire life transformation. You see, too many people think that salvation is just something we get from God and then we go on about our business as usual, just as we did before we were saved. But that's not what it's all about. Salvation implies repentance from our sinful lives. And repentance doesn't just mean "I'm sorry". Repentance is that transformation that says "I'm sorry, and I'll do whatever I can, with God's help, not to ever commit any sin again". That's not to say that we won't ever slip back into old habits and old ways of doing things that are not pleasing to God. But it does mean that we look to God to be transformed by the renewing of our minds, so that we will no longer want to displease Him. So how do we really repent of our sin and renew our minds so that we are constantly transformed into a living sacrifice to God? It's really quite simple. All we need to do is seriously study the Bible, which is the living breathing Word of God, pray constantly, and praise and honor Him in all that we do. In other words, we should have a constant dialogue with God through prayer, through praise and through His Word. In doing so, we will present our bodies as a living sacrifice to God at all times, and He will transform us by constantly renewing our minds and using us to do His perfect will.

Prayer

Father God, we thank You for saving us from sin by the blood of Jesus Christ. We thank You that You don't see our past sin because of the blood. We thank You that You transformed us into a new creation when we accepted salvation. Now we once again offer ourselves as a living sacrifice to You. LORD, we sacrifice our old habits and old lifestyle and purify ourselves once again in the blood of Jesus Christ. Continue to transform us now and for the rest of our lives and conform us to Your perfect will. In the powerful name of Jesus we pray. Amen.

Further notes

Unless otherwise specified, scripture passages in this podcast are quoted from the World English Bible, a copyright free modern English translation of the Holy Bible. The translation is reliable and accurate, but it is still in progress. Please visit the web site and consider helping where you can if the Holy Spirit moves you. If you feel unable to contribute to the translation, please pray for the translators and editors, as well as those who help in other ways.

If you were blessed by this podcast, please share it with as many people as possible. Freely you received, so freely give. Matthew 10:8. Have a blessed day in the name of our LORD and Savior Jesus Christ, and may His Light shine through you wherever you go. Be transformed in Jesus' name.

Christ Conduit Podcast, Monday November 23, 2009

(download)

Opening Song: Take My Life and Let It Be

Take my life, and let it be consecrated, Lord, to Thee.
Take my moments and my days; let them flow in ceaseless praise.
Take my hands, and let them move at the impulse of Thy love.
Take my feet, and let them be swift and beautiful for Thee.

Take my voice, and let me sing always, only, for my King.
Take my lips, and let them be filled with messages from Thee.
Take my silver and my gold; not a mite would I withhold.
Take my intellect, and use every power as Thou shalt choose.

Take my will, and make it Thine; it shall be no longer mine.
Take my heart, it is Thine own; it shall be Thy royal throne.
Take my love, my Lord, I pour at Thy feet its treasure store.
Take myself, and I will be ever, only, all for Thee.

Scripture: Romans 12:1-2

1 Therefore I urge you, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service.
2 Don't be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what is the good, well-pleasing, and perfect will of God.

Message

When we ask Jesus to save us from sin, we are believing that He can do it. But in addition to this, we are offering ourselves as a living sacrifice to God and asking for an entire life transformation. You see, too many people think that salvation is just something we get from God and then we go on about our business as usual, just as we did before we were saved. But that's not what it's all about. Salvation implies repentance from our sinful lives. And repentance doesn't just mean "I'm sorry". Repentance is that transformation that says "I'm sorry, and I'll do whatever I can, with God's help, not to ever commit any sin again". That's not to say that we won't ever slip back into old habits and old ways of doing things that are not pleasing to God. But it does mean that we look to God to be transformed by the renewing of our minds, so that we will no longer want to displease Him. So how do we really repent of our sin and renew our minds so that we are constantly transformed into a living sacrifice to God? It's really quite simple. All we need to do is seriously study the Bible, which is the living breathing Word of God, pray constantly, and praise and honor Him in all that we do. In other words, we should have a constant dialogue with God through prayer, through praise and through His Word. In doing so, we will present our bodies as a living sacrifice to God at all times, and He will transform us by constantly renewing our minds and using us to do His perfect will.

Prayer

Father God, we thank You for saving us from sin by the blood of Jesus Christ. We thank You that You don't see our past sin because of the blood. We thank You that You transformed us into a new creation when we accepted salvation. Now we once again offer ourselves as a living sacrifice to You. LORD, we sacrifice our old habits and old lifestyle and purify ourselves once again in the blood of Jesus Christ. Continue to transform us now and for the rest of our lives and conform us to Your perfect will. In the powerful name of Jesus we pray. Amen.

Further notes

Unless otherwise specified, scripture passages in this podcast are quoted from the World English Bible, a copyright free modern English translation of the Holy Bible. The translation is reliable and accurate, but it is still in progress. Please visit the web site and consider helping where you can if the Holy Spirit moves you. If you feel unable to contribute to the translation, please pray for the translators and editors, as well as those who help in other ways.

If you were blessed by this podcast, please share it with as many people as possible. Freely you received, so freely give. Matthew 10:8. Have a blessed day in the name of our LORD and Savior Jesus Christ, and may His Light shine through you wherever you go. Be transformed in Jesus' name.

The Sunday Sauce: Scenes from The Soul Kitchen

Back in August I posted about a family tradition: the Sunday Sauce. Each Sunday my old man would make a homemade pasta sauce. There is lots of Italian blood running through both sides of my family.  Have a read of that post to find about more about the tradition if you like.

Today is Sunday and I needed the plasma. I cooked up a batch of sauce and took a few snaps. As always, the key ingredient was used: music. Nothing like spending an hour or so making sauce with good rhythms and good blues playing in the background.

I have an iTunes playlist I created that I use as the soundtrack to my cooking; its called, 'Blues With a Feeling".  It is a great blend of Blues, Gospel, Country, Soul and R&B...all old, old school. Just the way I like it.

A little bit of garlic, a little bit of oregano, a little bit of Booker T. & the MGs, a little bit of Waylon Jennings and a heathy dose of Bettye Lavette.

Perfect

p.s. I made enough for everyone. Come over if you want. Bring wine.

(If you've never heard this Bettye LaVatte song...LISTEN NOW!  The Drive-By Truckers are backing her up)

Christ Conduit Podcast, Friday November 20, 2009

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Opening Song: The Solid Rock

My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness.
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
But wholly trust in Jesus’ Name.

On Christ the solid Rock I stand,
All other ground is sinking sand;
All other ground is sinking sand.

When darkness seems to hide His face,
I rest on His unchanging grace.
In every high and stormy gale,
My anchor holds within the veil.

On Christ the solid Rock I stand,
All other ground is sinking sand;
All other ground is sinking sand.

His oath, His covenant, His blood,
Support me in the whelming flood.
When all around my soul gives way,
He then is all my Hope and Stay.

On Christ the solid Rock I stand,
All other ground is sinking sand;
All other ground is sinking sand.

When He shall come with trumpet sound,
Oh may I then in Him be found.
Dressed in His righteousness alone,
Faultless to stand before the throne.

On Christ the solid Rock I stand,
All other ground is sinking sand;
All other ground is sinking sand.

Scripture: Psalm 46

1 God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
2 Therefore we won't be afraid, though the earth changes, though the mountains are shaken into the heart of the seas;
3 though its waters roar and are troubled, though the mountains tremble with their swelling. Selah.
4 There is a river, the streams of which make the city of God glad, the holy place of the tents of the Most High.
5 God is in her midst. She shall not be moved. God will help her at dawn.
6 The nations raged. The kingdoms were moved. He lifted his voice, and the earth melted.
7 Yahweh of Armies is with us. The God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.
8 Come, see Yahweh's works, what desolations he has made in the earth.
9 He makes wars cease to the end of the earth. He breaks the bow, and shatters the spear. He burns the chariots in the fire.
10 "Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations. I will be exalted in the earth."
11 Yahweh of Armies is with us. The God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.

Message

Troubles will come. They always do. Storms will rage all around us. They always do. But God is our refuge. He stands strong in the middle of the storm and is faithful to carry us out alive and unharmed. Even if the mountains are thrown into the heart of the sea, God is on our side, and those of us who trust in Him have nothing to fear. We can take comfort in the fact that Jesus has experienced everything we will ever face and more, and He made it out alive. Therefore, because He knows all our troubles and everything that can happen to us, He will be with us and will lead us and guide us safely through it all.

Put all your trust in Jesus Christ. There is no other name you can trust. There is no other person you can trust. You can't even trust yourself, because you can't weather life's storms alone. Only God, who is with you at all times can help you weather any storm that comes your way. Put all your trust in Him today and for the rest of your life. God never fails and He will be with you to the end.

Prayer

LORD, we thank You that You are our refuge and strength. We thank You that You are a very present help in trouble. We thank You that You care enough to be with us through everything that happens to us. Help us to know that we can trust You and no one else. Help us to know that You know everything we could ever go through, and You are right there to help us weather all our storms. We put all our trust in You, because without You we are nothing, and without You we would be overtaken by our troubles. Be with us, LORD, now and forever. In the everlasting name of Jesus Christ we pray. Amen.

Further notes

Unless otherwise specified, scripture passages in this podcast are quoted from the World English Bible, a modern English translation of the Holy Bible with no copyright limitations. The translation is reliable and accurate, but it is still in progress. Please visit the web site and consider helping where you can if the Holy Spirit moves you. If you feel unable to contribute to the translation, please pray for the translators and editors, as well as those who help in other ways.

If you were blessed by this podcast, please share it with as many people as possible. Freely you received, so freely give. Matthew 10:8. Have a blessed day in the name of our LORD and Savior Jesus Christ, and may His Light shine through you wherever you go.