Glory of Christ Fellowship

Several years ago, Josh Reeves, Pastor of Redeemer Church in Round Rock, Texas, developed a resource entitled, “100 Practical Ways to Engage your Neighborhood.” The idea behind this resource is to help Christians add gospel intentionality to everyday life, to help lovers of Christ live as missionaries in their own neighborhoods. Several weeks ago I began the process of posting these ideas 10 at a time. Not every idea will work for everyone, but please pray over each list and ask the Lord to help you identify one thing you can do each week. And if none of the ideas on a given section of the list works for you, then let it inspire you to think of something else. Whatever the case may be, ask Jesus to enable and empower you to join him in the joy-producing, God-exalting quest of seeking and saving the lost in our neighborhoods. Here’s the tenth part of the list: Extended neighborhood – The Regular Spots in your City (continued) 91. When you can, support local businesses and

Are you a provocative parent? That is a provocative question, isn’t it? Today we are going to dive in and explore some top ways parents might be guilty of provoking their child to anger and violating Ephesians 6:4.  Lou Priolo is very helpful at this point. Below I included his list of 25 ways parents provoke their children to anger. However, his top two are the most unexpected and the two I want to give further explanation for. Here they are:  Not having marital harmony . Relationship between husband and wife must be the priority relationship in the home. We have to distinguish between normal quabbles between husbands and wives that wouldn’t be considered a lack of marital harmony. In fact, it can be healthy for a child to witness tension between parents and then seeing them resolve it in the Lord. However, if there is a lack of harmony over time and your marriage is characterized more by disunity rather than unity, this puts an unfair burden upon a child and

Several years ago, Josh Reeves, Pastor of Redeemer Church in Round Rock, Texas, developed a resource entitled, “100 Practical Ways to Engage your Neighborhood.” The idea behind this resource is to help Christians add gospel intentionality to everyday life, to help lovers of Christ live as missionaries in their own neighborhoods. Several weeks ago I began the process of posting these ideas 10 at a time. Not every idea will work for everyone, but please pray over each list and ask the Lord to help you identify one thing you can do each week. And if none of the ideas on a given section of the list works for you, then let it inspire you to think of something else. Whatever the case may be, ask Jesus to enable and empower you to join him in the joy-producing, God-exalting quest of seeking and saving the lost in our neighborhoods. Here’s the ninth part of the list: Extended neighborhood – The Regular Spots in your City (continued) 81. Find your local bank representative and

Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. “Honor your father and mother” (this is the first commandment with a promise), “that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land.” Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. - Ephesians 6:1-4 Last blog entry parents were encouraged not to use Ephesians 6:1 as a whip to demand obedience from them. This poses the problem that I need to address in this blog: is it right for a parent to expect obedience from their child if it is God who addresses them?  If we look at Ephesians 5:22-33 we see that wives submit to their husbands in the Lord. We would not say that a husband has the right to demand a wife’s submission and we would look to the fact that the command is given by God to the wife. Thus, her submission cannot be demanded by her husband because it is between the wife and God as to how she exercises her submission. This beg

Several years ago, Josh Reeves, Pastor of Redeemer Church in Round Rock, Texas, developed a resource entitled, “100 Practical Ways to Engage your Neighborhood.” The idea behind this resource is to help Christians add gospel intentionality to everyday life, to help lovers of Christ live as missionaries in their own neighborhoods. Several weeks ago I began the process of posting these ideas 10 at a time. Not every idea will work for everyone, but please pray over each list and ask the Lord to help you identify one thing you can do each week. And if none of the ideas on a given section of the list works for you, then let it inspire you to think of something else. Whatever the case may be, ask Jesus to enable and empower you to join him in the joy-producing, God-exalting quest of seeking and saving the lost in our neighborhoods. Here’s the eighth part of the list: Extended neighborhood – The Regular Spots in your City  71. Start a Study Group at a local place that needs bu

Reposted from Wycliffe.org   Perhaps God has placed a desire in your heart to pray for missionaries everywhere, or maybe for one particular missionary. Either way, God has a great plan to use you to help complete his mission of making his name known among the nations as you participate through prayer. Use these seven points to fuel your prayers for missionaries and Bible translation work around the world.  Pray for Open Doors “Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message” (Colossians 4:2–3a, NIV).  Open doors can’t be taken for granted. Many missionaries work in countries that are difficult to access or in areas that are resistant to the gospel. But open doors include more than just access to nations and people groups. Individuals’ hearts also need to be open and receptive to God’s truth. So pray… That God will open doors of ministry, blessing partnerships and friendships.  That those wh

            I will extol you, my God and King,       and bless your name forever and ever.             Every day I will bless you       and praise your name forever and ever.             Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised,       and his greatness is unsearchable.             One generation shall commend your works to another,       and shall declare your mighty acts.             On the glorious splendor of your majesty,       and on your wondrous works, I will meditate.             They shall speak of the might of your awesome deeds,       and I will declare your greatness.             They shall pour forth the fame of your abundant goodness       and shall sing aloud of your righteousness.             The LORD is gracious and merciful,       slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.             The LORD is good to all,       and his mercy is over all that he has made.             All your works shall give thanks to you, O LORD,       and all your saints shall

Several years ago, Josh Reeves, Pastor of Redeemer Church in Round Rock, Texas, developed a resource entitled, “100 Practical Ways to Engage your Neighborhood.” The idea behind this resource is to help Christians add gospel intentionality to everyday life, to help lovers of Christ live as missionaries in their own neighborhoods. Several weeks ago I began the process of showing these ideas 10 at a time. Not every idea will work for everyone, but please pray over each list and ask the Lord to help you identify one thing you can do each week. And if none of the ideas on a given section of the list works for you, then let it inspire you to think of something else. Whatever the case may be, ask Jesus to enable and empower you to join him in the joy-producing, God-exalting quest of seeking and saving the lost in our neighborhoods. Here’s the fifth part of the list: Neighbors – Your Immediate Neighborhood (continued) 61. Invite a neighbor to a local sporting event 62. Start a g

Bless the LORD, O my soul!       O LORD my God, you are very great!                   You are clothed with splendor and majesty,                   covering yourself with light as with a garment,       stretching out the heavens like a tent.                   He lays the beams of his chambers on the waters;                   he makes the clouds his chariot;       he rides on the wings of the wind;                   he makes his messengers winds,       his ministers a flaming fire.                   He set the earth on its foundations,       so that it should never be moved.                   You covered it with the deep as with a garment;       the waters stood above the mountains.                   At your rebuke they fled;       at the sound of your thunder they took to flight.                   The mountains rose, the valleys sank down       to the place that you appointed for them.                   You set a boundary that they may not pass,       so that

What is truly astounding in this passage is that Paul doesn't just address the child's obligation to his or her parents but he also outlines the parents obligation to the child. This is lost on us but would not have been to Paul's original audience who were trying to do life in a Roman context. Don't forget it was the Romans who devised the cross as an instrument of execution that also maximized agony. I'm trying to show you that Romans loved power, control, and authority. Paul summoning children to obey their parents would have been cheered in a Roman context but any address to parents that pointed out their obligation to their children would have been the proverbial scratched record with music coming to a deafening silence at a party. In other words, the Roman world would have heartily affirmed the call to children obeying parents but the call to restrict parental domination over the child would have been countercultural, upsetting even to the Roman househo

Several years ago, Josh Reeves, Pastor of Redeemer Church in Round Rock, Texas, developed a resource entitled, “100 Practical Ways to Engage your Neighborhood.” The idea behind this resource is to help Christians add gospel intentionality to everyday life, to help lovers of Christ live as missionaries in their own neighborhoods. Several weeks ago I began the process of posting these ideas 10 at a time. Not every idea will work for everyone, but please pray over each list and ask the Lord to help you identify one thing you can do each week. And if none of the ideas on a given section of the list works for you, then let it inspire you to think of something else. Whatever the case may be, ask Jesus to enable and empower you to join him in the joy-producing, God-exalting quest of seeking and saving the lost in our neighborhoods. Here’s the fifth part of the list: Neighbors – Your Immediate Neighborhood (continued) 51. Frequent a local gym or recreation center 52. Find a pa