Sep 09

When I Think About My Jesus….

Posted in: Church Planting, Harmony Church, Greenville, Music

This is the video from Sunday night. We gave all the married couples a gift certificate to a restaurant and told them to go on a date. Some of the rest of us watched their kids at an event we lovingly called “Trailer Park”. We grilled hot dogs, had crafts, played video games, reenacted David and Goliath, etc. But this….this is worship. With a capital “W”. You have to wait in the video when little Joey (sitting on the couch playing the conga) has his turn. Great stuff.

It’s a beautiful sound hearing kids sing about Jesus, to Jesus, for Jesus.

By the way, as I’m watching it again, it strikes me how different it is from our normal M.O. on Sunday ams, and even during Echo Group. It’s just another example of adapting the Gospel to culture, isn’t it? Kids culture is quite different, that’s for sure.

I really hope that the couples enjoyed their date night….I know that the rest of us enjoyed our night!

To Church Leaders:
What is your community doing to invest in your families? Let’s hear it!
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Sep 07

The Gifts of the Holy Spirit: Expounded

Posted in: Teaching, Harmony Church

This morning, I gave an introduction to the Holy Spirit’s working. I didn’t have time to expound on what He does in the church body, and I think it’s vitally important that I at least give a short run through of how He works in His people, if for no other reason than for Spurgeon’s quote that we read this morning. Here’s a list of the gifts that He gives the body, where they are found in Scripture, and what they actually are:

Discernment (1 Corinthians 12:10)

  • This gift helps the possessor determine the spiritual source of an action or teaching, whether it is divine, demonic, or human in origin and nature.
  • One with this gift should guard himself or herself from pride, otherwise he/she and his/her observations will be disregarded.
  • Examples in Scripture include when Jesus rebukes Peter (Matthew 16:23), or when Paul recognizes the slave girl’s inspiration in Acts 16:16-18.

Word of Knowledge (1 Corinthians 12:8)

  • The Holy Spirit reveals information about the present or the past that would be impossible to know without divine inspiration.
  • It is usually helpful in intercession, counseling, or pointing out hidden sin in someone’s life.

Word of Wisdom (1 Corinthians 12:8)

  • The Holy Spirit reveals a measure of insight which has not been acquired via experience. It usually comes to solve a problem in someone’s life, or to silence the opposition.
  • Jesus uses divine wisdom in particular when the Pharisees attempt to trap Him about paying taxes “Who’s image is on the coin?”

Gifts of Healings (1 Corinthians 12:9)

  • Helpful in confirming the preaching of the Gospel.
  • A special gift given to few believers, though all believers are to lay hands and pray for the sick. Praying for the sick is not dependent on healing gifts.

Faith (1 Corinthians 12:9)

  • Helps the believer supernaturally persist in prayer and conviction.
  • Different than ordinary faith in the sovereignty of God.
  • Needs special grace in leading a balanced life because of the heavy emphasis on prayer.

Prophecy (1 Corinthians 12:10, Romans 12:6)

  • This gift is communication from God to a local body of believers. Prophecies are to be judged by others, particularly by someone with the gift of discernment.
  • Prophecies must always line up with Scripture.
  • “One on one” prophecies are not needed: we are all a part of the royal priesthood: we have direct access to the Father. Prophecies are to the assembly, not the individual.
  • A prophecy should always edify, encourage, or comfort (1 Corinthians 14:3)
  • Agabus and Philip’s daughters are both examples of this gift (Acts 11 and Acts 21, respectively)

Gift of Tongues (1 Corinthians 12:9)

  • The gift of tongues is to bring a message directly from God. It is a partner gift with interpretation, to be used together with it.
  • It is not for all believers, and is a particular gift for particular people whom the Holy Spirit designates as receivers of the gift.
  • It is not to be abused in public worship, so as to not cause confusion among non-believers.

Gift of Interpretation (1 Corinthians 12:10, 14:27)

  • This gift is required to verify the gift of tongues. Prophesy by tongues and interpretation of tongues are two separate gifts, to be used in partnership, by two separate people, so as to verify the legitimacy of the message given.
  • The message in tongues is then translated into the common, local language, to be understood by the assembly.

Gift of Teaching (Romans 12:7)

  • A person with this gift has insight to the matters of Scripture, and their daily living that exceeds normal understanding of Scriptures.
  • They can communicate the Truth of Scripture clearly, systematically, and effectively.

Apostleship (Romans 1:5)

  • A person with this gift is a servant to the kingdom, who plants new churches in a region.
  • He has extraordinary capacity for cultural adaptation.
  • He is not self-selected, but ordained to the task.

Other, more straightforward gifts include the following: serving, giving, mercy, leadership, administration, miraculous powers (raising the dead, healing the sick, etc.), encouragement, and evangelism.

Questions, comments, concerns?

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Sep 02

Shalom in the Home: Gospel-Centered Marriages

Posted in: Teaching, Harmony Church, Culture, Greenville

This is the second part in the Shalom in the Home blog series (intro here). So what does a marriage that is centered on the Gospel look like?

Since a marriage is comprised of a man and a woman, I think it would benefit us greatly to define what a Gospel-centered man and Gospel-centered woman are. Let’s turn to Scripture first, then we’ll turn to some practical examples. Here we go:

Gospel-Centered Men

  • Gospel-centered men lead the home in providing for his family [’keeping the garden’] (Genesis 2:15)
  • Gospel-centered men lead the home in worship [’walking with God’] (Genesis 2)
  • Gospel-centered men lead the home in protection. (Genesis 2:24)
  • Gospel-centered men lead the home in romance. (Genesis 2:25)
  • Gospel-centered men lead the home in self-sacrifice (Ephesians 5:25)
  • Gospel-centered men repent of their constant pride. (Proverbs 5:21-23)
  • Gospel-centered men persevere in their marriages, jobs, and ministries. (2 Timothy 2:2-7)
  • Gospel-centered men are to care for their wives sexually (Proverbs 5:18-20)
  • Gospel-centered men should create culture that they are willing to die for (Genesis 1:28)
  • Gospel-centered men should be strong and let all we do be out of love (1 Corinthians 16:13-14)
  • Gospel-centered men should love their wives graciously, sacrificially, and redemptively. (Ephesians 5:25-33)

Practical Advice for Men

That last point I want to focus on for a bit. What does it really mean to love your wife as Christ loved the church? It means that we love her graciously, that is, regardless of her performance and what she does for us. It means that we love her sacrificially, which means that we constantly lay down our desires and ourselves for her good. It means that we love her redemptively, which means that we love her in a way that cause her to transform into a more Christ-like woman.

A quote from Gary Ricucci:

The more we learn about the grace and love of God displayed in the gospel, the better we can demonstrate such grace and love to our wives. Husbands, we are called to sacrifice for the sake of our wives, and the Gospel of Jesus Christ is our example and motivation. And when we sin or fall short of what we are called to, we appeal for forgiveness to a God who loved us and gave Himself for us. The role of a husband doesn’t begin at the altar-it begins with the atonement….at the cross.

Gospel-Centered Women

Practical Advice for Women

  • Maintain a great relationship with Jesus.
  • Encourage your man. He feels defeated more often than you think.
  • Pray for your man. He needs it.
  • Take care of your man sexually. He wants it.
  • Keep your man priority above ministry and family.
  • Lovingly submit to him as long as he submits to Christ.

What does this mean in marriage?

It means that a marriage between a man and a woman should be a shadow of the relationship between Christ and the church. Just as Christ has loved us, His Bride, transformationally, sacrificially, and regardless of our works, Gospel-centered men are to love their wives the same. And just as we, the Church, submit to Christ out of love for Him, seeking to do His will to work towards His glory and our joy, wives are to lovingly submit to their loving husbands, in order for joint joy to be obtained.

Not-yet-Christ followers should be able to look at our marriages and see something greater. They should look at the man and see a leader who imitates Jesus, and they should look at the woman and see someone who has been lovingly wooed by Jesus, who treats men who look like Him in the same way she treats Jesus, and who loves such men…particularly and especially her husband.

What do you think? Where do you line up?

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Sep 02

The Spiritual Disciplines

Posted in: Teaching, Harmony Church

This past Echo Group, we discussed Spiritual Disciplines, with regard to Christ. Here are a few resources for you:

Check out this past post on Spiritual Discipline Resources. It includes resouces for study, fasting, etc.

Here are some more resources and recommendations:

Old Testament Verses for Extended Meditation

New Testament Verses for Extended Meditation

Podcasts Worth Listening To

Desiring God Sermon Audio (link)
Mars Hill Sermon Audio (link)
Mars Hill Church Teaching and Preaching (link)
The Resurgence Heidelberg Project (link)
The Village Church Sermon Audio (link)

Further Links, Tips, Tricks, and Products for Spiritual Disciplines

  • A list of 66 online devotional resources has been listed here: (link)
  • Here are the notebooks I use for journaling (link). You can pick them up locally at Barnes and Noble.
  • I use Pilot G2-07 pens for journaling.
  • Here is a link to creating your own journaling Bible (called a ‘blank Bible’) [link].
  • If you’re ready to get down and dirty with your devotions and theological reading, dive into the Puritans. The Banner of Truth publishes “Puritan Paperbacks” which are cheap and awesome. You can find them on Amazon (link) or on the Banner of Truth website (link).
  • Good am/pm devotionals? Try Spurgeon’s Morning and Evening (link) or Winslow’s Morning and Evening (morning: link) (evening: link ). You can get more for free at CCEL (link), which is a phenomenal resource.
  • Get into a habit of doing the disciplines. It doesn’t have to be everyday, but it should be continuous and regular. Make it a treat for yourself as well (coffee at St. Arbuck’s or a nice bath works for me… :) )

If you need any more info, let me know. Questions, comments, suggestions?

1 Comment
Aug 29

Shalom in the Home: An Introduction

Posted in: Teaching, Harmony Church, Culture, Greenville

I’m going to start a 5-part blog series on Gospel-centered families, aptly titled Shalom in the Home. Forget the rabbi. Shalom in the New Testament (usually translated as ‘peace’) is the, ahem, harmony, that comes from being submissive to Jesus, His Gospel, and His Kingdom. It is holistic in nature, and all-encompassing in reach. This means that our marriages, children, and legacies are to be harmonic as well. So what does that look like? To be honest, I’m still trying to find out. I have very little life experience. All I know is what Scripture teaches, and what the Spirit has given me in the vision for Greenville and Harmony Church. It’s all I got. It’s going to have to be enough. So starting very soon, I will try to address the following:

They won’t be all-encompassing. They won’t bring up if-then statements like “If your children don’t listen, then do this…” It won’t be a very specific series. But it will provide us with a foundation to work towards. In this post, I do want to address the “why” question: why do we at Harmony focus so hard on the family?

Because it is the foundational unit of the Kingdom of God. It is the cell of the body of Christ. For those of you who haven’t been through our partnership material, you should know that at Harmony we don’t think you can be a Christian alone. God exists in community. He calls to Himself a people. He redeems individuals, only so that they may be a part of a community. And I vaguely remember something about Him saying that it is not good for man to be alone.

This is a passion of mine, and I hope it shows. I dearly want to see marriages, families, and legacies that erupt and emerge from people loving and pursuing Jesus.

Harmony, we are a young church. We can, as Barney Fife says, nip it in the bud, for the most part. If we get it set in our minds and hearts what God would have us do with our families, we can turn this city upside down.

I’m looking forward to it.

How about you?

Comments?

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