Cut Satan’s throat with his own sword
‘When the devil tells us we are sinners and therefore damned, we may answer, “Because you say I am a sinner, I will be righteous and saved.” Then the devil will say, “No, you will be damned.” And I will reply, “No, for I fly to Christ, who has given himself for my sins. Satan, you will not prevail against me when you try to terrify me by telling me how great my sins are and try to reduce me to heaviness and despair. On the contrary, when you say I am a sinner, you give me armor and weapons against yourself, so that I can cut your throat with your own sword and tread you under my feet, for Christ died for sinners. My sin is on his shoulders, not mine. So when you say I am a sinner, you do not terrify me but comfort me immeasurably.’
-Martin Luther, commenting on Galatians 1:4
Read more
(GSiV: Luther; Key materials on gospel grace )
The Prayer Life that Matters Most
‘This is why it’s good that Jesus is praying for us. He’s the best pray-er of all; the one whose prayers matter most and do the most good. This is true because Jesus always prays for us (Heb. 7:25) and knows what we need (Heb. 2:17, 18; 4:14–16). He always prays in faith, with perfect knowledge of our needs, and in complete accord with the will of God—all of which are essential components of effective prayer (see Mark 11:24; James 5:15; 1 John 5:14).’
Read the whole thing here
Hopeful in Christ
‘You are sovereign, engaged, and trustworthy… whether we’re talking about the promotion that didn’t happen, or the car wreck that did; the bad cells that came back [from the doctor], or our prodigal that hasn’t (yet), job-related challenges or soul-sapping relationships. You’ve given us more than sufficient reasons to have hope–even to overflow with hope.’
-Scotty Smith, Heavenward: TGC
Read the whole thing here
(GSiV:Ray Ortlund; Jerry Bridges; Scotty Smith)
Peace
“Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.” John 14:27
“And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:7
“These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.” John 16:33
“Now may the Lord of peace Himself continually grant you peace in every circumstance. The Lord be with you all!” 2 Thessalonians 3:16
“The LORD bless you, and keep you; The LORD make His face shine on you, And be gracious to you; The LORD lift up His countenance on you, And give you peace.” Numbers 6:24-26
(GSiV: Peace)
Prayer: How Praying Together Shapes the Church
‘What is the role of corporate prayer in the church?
‘Prayer is as necessary to the Christian as breathing is to the human body–but it often doesn’t come quite as naturally. In fact, prayer in the church often gets subtly pushed to the side in favor of pragmatic practices that promise tangible results.
‘This book focuses on the necessity of regular prayer as a central practice in the local church–awakening us to the need and blessing of corporate prayer by examining what Jesus taught about prayer, how the first Christians approached prayer, and how to prioritize prayer in our congregations.’
-John Onwuchekwa
Discover more here.
(GSiV: Prayer; Anxiety meets prayer; Praying as a Calvinist; Unity; Prayer resources)
Sự cầu nguyện là điều tối quan trọng đúng không?
Ông Phao-lô đã nói: “Hãy…cầu-nguyện không thôi….” [“cầu nguyện không ngừng”]
Và Hê-bơ-rơ 4:14-16 chếp rằng: “Do đó, vì chúng ta có một thầy tế lễ thượng phẩm vĩ đại đã vượt qua các tầng trời là Đức Chúa Jêsus, Con Đức Chúa Trời, nên hãy giữ vững những điều chúng ta xưng nhận. Vì chúng ta không có một thầy tế lễ thượng phẩm chẳng có thể cảm thông sự yếu đuối chúng ta, nhưng có một thầy tế lễ bị cám dỗ đủ mọi cách như chúng ta, song chẳng phạm tội. Vậy, chúng ta hãy vững lòng đến gần ngôi ân điển, để nhận được sự thương xót và tìm được ân điển giúp đỡ chúng ta kịp thời.”
Vậy, ý trọng tâm ở đây không phải là sự cầu nguyện là điều tối quan trọng, vâng cầu nguyện quan trọng, nhưng Đức Chúa Trời thì quan trọng hơn. Sự cầu nguyện không phải là tập trung chính, nhưng là Đức Chúa Trời. Chúng ta không cần tìm kiếm sự kinh nghiệm, tìm kiếm một trải nghiệm nhưng tìm kiếm chính Đức Chúa Trời và nước Ngài. (Ngài sẽ cho chúng ta nhiều kinh nghiệm kèm theo).
Anxiety meets prayer
What are we to do when we feel anxious, then we pray but continue to be anxious? In a recent article Robinson gives some biblical clarity for these issues:
1. The Command not to Be Anxious
2. The Promise of a Certain Kind of Peace
‘We do well to remember that the kind of peace God promises isn’t a freedom from anxiety so that we can build our own kingdom. God’s peace comes so that we can hold fast to His word, worship Christ, and press on in mission!’
– Carl Robinson
Read the whole thing here
(GSiV: Prayer)
Praying as a Calvinist
- ‘When we understand Calvinism in our hearts, and not just our minds, we’ll find ourselves humbly drawing near the throne of grace in our times of need.’
- ‘Real Calvinists pray for help in the pursuit of holiness.’
- ‘Calvinism doesn’t render our prayers meaningless. On the contrary….’
-J.A. Medders
Read the whole thing here
Prayer mirrors the gospel: Miller
‘Prayer mirrors the gospel. In the gospel, the Father takes as we are because of Jesus and gives us his gift of salvation. In prayer, the Father receives us as we are because of Jesus and gives us his gift of help. We look at the inadequacy of our praying and give up, thinking something is wrong with us. God looks at the adequacy of his Son and the delights in our sloppy, meandering prayers.’
-Paul Miller, A Praying Life loc 797-801.
(GSiV: Prayer; Ân điển, chứ không phải những quy tắc / Grace not rules;
QUYỀN NĂNG CAO CẢ CỦA ĐỨC CHÚA TRỜI Ở VIỆT NAM (Ê-phê 1:4-5) 