Saturate yourself with the Gospel: Wednesday August 17th.

NYGREN VACATION TIME!

Me and my family will be on vacation from August 18th through the 27th. We're doing a road trip out west to the Rockie Mountains for camping, fishing, and relaxing. I won't be blogging until after I get back on the 27th, so I would like to leave you with some links for you to access some great sermons and reading material to help you keep the Gospel central. 

TRY A SERMON A DAY!

If you really want to advance your understanding of the Gospel, then let me encourage you to listen to a sermon a day until I get back to blogging again. I am not saying that you ought to attempt to listen to all the material I have available here; these are just some suggestions. But pick something on this blog and go with it. If every day is too challenging, try every other day. These men know how to preach the Gospel and do so with humility and reverence. You will be amazed at how liberating it is to saturate yourself with Gospel Truth every day!  

VISIT MY POLL

You can check out the poll to let me know if you intend on listening to a sermon a day as I suggest. If the poll is closed, you can still post the answers in the comments section. And if you do make an effort to listen to a sermon a day and don't follow through, no big deal! Don't think of this as some sort of mandate, I'm not like that. It's just a suggestion to help you better understand the Gospel and it is for your benefit that you take advantage of the "Means of Grace" God has provided.

SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS

If you would like to share what's on your mind, it would be cool to know what you read or listened to and if it helped it bring you Gospel clarity and renewal. Once again, post your thoughts in the comments section. If you attend The Crossing, then how does the preaching there compare to the preaching suggested on this blog post. 

 NEWCOMERS CAN CHECK OUT PRIOR POSTS

If you are a newcomer to this site who attends The Crossing, or you left The Crossing, or got kicked out the backdoor, or anyone else for that matter, you can review some of my prior postings too! 

 ARE YOU A CHRISTIAN? REALLY? HOW DO YOU KNOW?

This first link is a four part series called What is a biblical Christian? A very important question to ask if you are not sure if you are really a Christian. It calls for self examination to see if you are a genuine Christian or not.

Here is the text that describes the series... 

• This is the first series that Pastor R. W. Glenn preached when he arrived at Redeemer in the fall of 2002. His overarching concern was that his new congregation would not have a false sense of assurance. Nothing could be worse than facing the Day of Judgment only to be surprised by the Lord's verdict. This four-part series calls believers to test themselves to see whether they are in the faith so that they may face the Judgment with confidence. 

 Here's the second sermon in the series, Heaven and Hell  preached by R.W. Glenn. Very powerful preaching that ought to humble sinners to dust! Understand what it means that God is Holy, Holy, Holy. You do not want to be in the presence of Holy God on Judgment day if you are still in your sins! If you missed the first part you should be able to access it in the link provided. 

 WHAT'S THE GOSPEL GOT TO DO WITH IT? ANSWER? EVERYTHING!

The Gospel_and_the_world-foundations_for_a_christian_worldview  is another series that is relevant to The Crossing. Eric Dykstra is obsessed with the unbiblical notion that if you are a Christian, then your ministry and service must be lived out only in the context of devotion to The Crossing church. That is simply not true. If you decide to listen to this series, then you will have a biblical understanding of what it really means to serve God and live out your Christian faith in every facet of your life; it involves much more than just being involved in church ministry.  

This sermon series is preached by R.W. Glenn. Here is the text that describes that series...

• The title tells it all - the gospel of Jesus Christ gives us the only perspective on life in the world that coheres with reality! This brief five-part series lays the groundwork for a  thoroughly biblical approach to life in a very good, yet fallen world.

THE RADICAL GRACE OF JESUS

Here are two sermons by Tullian Tchividijian,  Pictures of Grace: Part Two and  Pictures of Grace: Part Three. If you missed Part One, then you can  find it on the links. This series takes some of the stories of Jesus in the Gospels and gives you great insight on the radical grace as taught by the Lord Jesus. This is fantastic, soul sanctifying, heart changing Gospel preaching! 

READING THESE POEMS REMIND ME SO MUCH OF ME AND HOW UNWORTHY I AM AND HOW GREAT GOD IS IN SAVING   PITIFUL SINNERS LIKE MYSELF

Here is a collection of puritan poems from the devotional book, Valley ofVision. (Don't let the word "poem" scare you) these are just a few examples from the book. This is deep, thoughtful, convicting, yet liberating stuff that embodies the essence of the Gospel. Check it out!  Try one. You can buy the book online. 

JOHN PIPER FROM BETHLEHEM BAPTIST CHURCH RIGHT HERE IN MINNEAPOLIS

This is a quick, easy read from John Piper. Quest for Joy/ John Piper  Great stuff and full of Gospel Truth. He also has this series recorded and you can listen to the entire series if you want to get the full gravity of what he is teaching. Quest For Joy-sermons by John Piper

[And just a note on John Piper, he is a very animated, bold, and lucid preacher. He uses colorful analogies and unpacks Gospel Truth in ways that will keep you captivated. You really should give this man a try!] . 

EAT SOME SOLID FOOD...

Here's another recent blog post from Solid Food Media, Gospel Shame. It's a simple short, Gospel centered post from R.W. Glenn.

LISTEN TO THIS LINK OR GOD WILL JACK YOU UP!
Now this is interesting.  Haven't listened to this one yet but I'll bet it's a hoot.  This is from the "Fighting for the Faith" radio program. And they play one of their broadcasts that covers a few interesting Christian related topics, but one thing in particular in the title of the broadcast  web page is this written in bold letters ERIC DYKSTRA: SUBMIT OR GOD WILL JACK YOU UP! So everyone out there, I am warning you right now, you better listen to this link or God will jack you up! 

I NEED YOUR HELP! 
God's people are called to contend for the faith and protect it from errors, Jude writes in Jude 1:3-4(emphasis added), "Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints. For certain men have crept in unnoticed, who long ago were marked out for this condemnation, ungodly men, who turn the grace of our God into lewdness and deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ."

......That means we proclaim the Gospel and refute heresies, false gospels, and false teachers. This blog is about spiritual warfare and our weapons are the Word of God, among other things, Ephesians 6:10-17. If you are a follower of this blog who has a history with The Crossing and you want to help engage in the war on Truth, or any other Christian who is concerned with what is going on at The Crossing, then please help get the word out about this blog. We can also do ministry in other ways too. I want to stop this cancer from spreading, and by God's grace I think we can all make an impact on the growth of The Crossing church. I have a couple of ideas and I am also open to any suggestions you might have. 

SO LONG FOR NOW...

That should be enough to keep you busy for awhile and should help you keep the Gospel central while I am on vacation. Don't forget to take the poll!