Grace and sovereignty

Posted on September 1, 2012 Written by Mark McIntyre 1 Comment

To avoid stress and burnout in pursuit of our calling, we must rely on the sovereignty of God. We cannot do it all, but we must do what God calls us to do.

Please God alone

My greatest struggle in being part of the church has been when leaders possessed a certitude about how things should be done that borders on presumption. If I have learned one thing about humanity, it is that we are all inherently flawed. I have ample evidence in myself and others of the depravity of man. We are broken and that brokenness affects everything that we touch. As a result, we should have a healthy distrust of ourselves and a confidence in God alone.

On having ears to hear

In western culture we are subjected to a constant barrage of noise and information. We have talking heads on the radio in the car. Music streams into stores as we shop. The television provides incessant babble if we allow it. The stream of information is unrelenting and we cannot possibly take it all in. We have to be selective in our listening.

In several places in the Gospels, Jesus make the statement, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” My paraphrase of this would be, “you’ve got the equipment required to hear, now use it and listen up.”

Humility in church leaders

Before removing a fence, a wise man will seek to understand why it was put there in the first place. When I look at many churches today, I wonder if they have ever heard this proverb. What I see is a forsaking of anything that could be considered traditional coupled with a full embrace of […]

Good News Elevator Speech

In recent years, the business world has coined the phrase “elevator speech.” Sellers are encouraged to be able to explain their product offering to someone in the elevator in the 20 seconds or so it takes to get to their floor. Most people who have been in the church for a while have been taught […]

The balance between worship, service and fellowship

The Balance For a church to be healthy, each believer must have opportunity to participate in worship, service and fellowship. Some definitions are in order. First, when I refer to worship, I am speaking of the activities of the congregation when we come together on Sunday morning. We worship through singing and the teaching of […]

Grace and sovereignty

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