April 19, 2023
Leadership Notes
It’s time for a little spring cleaning of notes and ideas tucked away in and on my desk.
* God bless Riley Gaines and Martina Navratilova for standing up for fairness in women’s sports. I cannot believe politicians and sports journalists {many of whom are men} are so weak-minded on this issue. Genesis says, male and female, God created them. Followers of Jesus Christ will stand firm on that truth.
* While most churches in the United States are small, most Christians worship at large churches. The 2020 Faith Communities Today survey found that about 70% of worshippers attend the top 10% of churches. God bless little churches like Covenant having a huge impact for Christ in the communities in which they live and serve.
* “There are men running governments who shouldn’t be allowed to play with matches.” {Will Rogers} Same yesterday, today, and tomorrow.
* Remember…no one makes you angry. You decided to use anger as a response.
* I love our conversations before and after worship on Sunday mornings. There is so much love, affection, and kindness in this church.
* In a commentary on peddlers of the {false} prosperity gospel, Albert Mohler wrote, “Mere Happiness Cannot Bear the Weight of the Gospel.”
* Wesley Hunt observed, “One of the greatest threats facing our children are politicians who believe they have the right to treat their future like a blank check. America has a SPENDING PROBLEM.”
* In a similar vein, while the most powerful governments on earth can’t stop a virus from spreading, they say they can change the earth’s temperature if we pay more taxes.
* Which begs the question, can you care about the climate without panicking about the climate? Perhaps the world is not ending. “In the beginning, God created…” And only God can take away.
* God’s electing grace keeps me calm and centered in Christ. Simply put, the elect of God are those whom God has predestined to salvation. Ephesians 1:3-14 and Romans 9 are great passages for insight into God’s electing grace. Remember, as a follower of Jesus Christ, your name was written down in The Lamb’s Book of Life from before the foundation of the world. As Jesus said in John 6:44 {please read all of John 6:37-45}, “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him.” There is blessed assurance in knowing that those whom God chooses to save cannot be lost. God is Creator and Sovereign Lord.
And now, your Moment of Spurgeon:
“All God’s mercy to a sinner is gratis. He never sells, he always
gives. He asks no payment. He acts from no motives raised or
suggested by anything in us, but because he will have mercy on
whom he will have mercy, and he will have compassion on whom
he will have compassion.”
But wait, there’s more. A Bonus Spurgeon:
“If I had but one sentence that I might utter to you believers, I
think I should make it this: live nearer to Christ.”
With Much Love and Affection
Richard
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