Today in Blogworld 03.06.14

Mike Leake

How to Count It All As Loss

I appreciate the practicality of this post.

Should You Observe Lent?

Christians around the world began their observation of Lent yesterday. Micah Fries, in a well-balanced articles, asks whether or not we ought to observe. Nathan Finn also shares why he does observe Lent.

Jesus, Friend of Sinner But How?

I’ll let DeYoung speak for himself: “Jesus was a friend of sinners not because he winked at sin, ignored sin, or enjoyed light-hearted revelry with those engaged in immorality. Jesus was a friend of sinners in that he came to save sinners and was very pleased to welcome sinners who were open to the gospel, sorry for their sins, and on their way to putting their faith in Him.”

7 Mistakes We Make in Women’s Bible Study

I’ve never really been in a women’s bible study so I’ll have to take her word for it. Ladies is this spot on?

This is a phenomenal story of God’s grace:

(HT: Nick)

31 Days of Purity: Day Six

Mike Leake

Day Six: Resting in God’s Forgiveness

And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. (Colossians 2:13-14)

Every sin that you have ever committed has been put on record. Every sexual sin. Every lustful thought. Every shameful action. Every dark secret. Everything. And just one of those God-belittling sins is sufficient to cast you into hell for eternity. This is your record of debt. What a sobering, terrifying thought!

Yet it is equally true that if you are among those whom God has “made alive together with Christ,” the record is no longer yours. That record of debt that stands against you is cancelled. You are no longer in debt. You will not endure even the smallest measure of the wrath of God against you, because Jesus already endured it all. He paid your debt in full. There is not one sin on your record of debt (past, present, or future!) that has not been paid by Jesus. Rest in that today. Rest in that every day.

Father, because you accepted Christ’s sacrifice on my behalf, I am forgiven. I ought to have a record of debt that would separate me from your goodness for all eternity. Yet, in Christ I am debt-free. Thank you for accepting his payment of my debt. Thank you that even while I was a helpless and hopeless sinner, Christ died for me. Thank you for not requiring that I clean myself up in order to obtain your forgiveness, because I know I could never make myself clean enough. But you can. Help me, Father, to rest in your forgiveness as I fight this sin.

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Mike Leake is associate pastor of First Baptist Church of Jasper, IN. He and his wife, Nikki have 2 children (Isaiah and Hannah). Mike is the author of Torn to Heal and regularly blogs at http://mikeleake.net

Today in Blogworld 03.05.14

Mike Leake

Shouldn’t I Love God More By Now?

I love this answer by J.D. Greear. No wonder it’s an update of John Newton’s answer to the question.

Your Default Preaching Tone

I’m not sure what mine is. But Peter Mead lists a few options.

Legalist!

I appreciate how Dan Doriani shows us that there are different types of legalism.

The Danger of Daily Devotions

There are dangers that come with knowledge.

I always appreciated Dr. Johnson when I had him in class. It’s not surprising then that I appreciate his answer here on depression:

(HT: David Murray)

Why Our 31 Days of Purity Challenge is Not Related to Lent

Mike Leake 2 Comments

On March 1st, over 2,000 men joined us in our 31 Day Purity Challenge. During the month of March we are committing ourselves to pursuing purity as we pray and meditate on God’s Word.

On March 5th, Christians all around the world will begin observing Lent. Until Easter Sunday these believers will abstain from certain pleasures in an attempt to prepare themselves for the celebration of Easter.

The timeliness of this purity challenge begs the question, “is this challenge related to Lent?” I will answer that question today.

What is the purpose of Lent*?

At it’s most basic, Lent is a time of intentional and disciplined time of repentance and reflection, while waiting upon the celebration of Easter. The Lenten season begins with Ash Wednesday. On that day observers mark their foreheads with ash as a symbol of their humanity and mortality as they long for the resurrection of Jesus and with it our own resurrection.

To observe Lent many believer abstain from certain pleasures to help them focus on the Lord. Some abstain from eating meat. Others will abstain from certain pleasures like chocolate or television.

While Lent can morph into something almost sacramental (a means of obtaining the Lord’s blessing) for most it is simply a time of dedicated reflection and self-discipline.

What is the purpose of the 31 Day Purity Challenge?

This 31 day prayer challenge is actually only one in a long line of prayer challenges (see here for the others). And yet this one is a bit different than the other challenges. In order to really pursue sexual purity there comes a time when you’ve got to simply stop indulging (see here).

While we encourage guys to detox we are also encouraging them with daily prayer, meditation on God’s Word through devotionals, and ultimately to pursue accountability in the local church. We fully realize that purity is a life long pursuit. As Tim said in his launch, this is no magic talisman that will ward of sin. But we do believe that a concentrated effort to join together with other men to pray and study the Word can be used greatly by the Lord.

Our aim is to supplement local churches and to be a morsel of bread on the road to healing in Jesus.

How do they differ?

The difference is quite simple really. At the end of Lent those that gave up chocolate can once again joyously eat a Snickers candy bar. But at the end of this 31 days we aren’t asking men to go back to a life of impurity. You aren’t temporarily fasting for the sake of reflection. You are detoxing for the sake of pursuing freedom from sin in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Don’t treat this 31 days of Purity like Lent. You aren’t looking to April 1st as a day when you can finally indulge in sexual immorality again. You are looking for April 1st as a day when you will once again commit yourself to the lifelong battle of pursuing purity. It’s my prayer that you look back upon this 31 days as a time when the Lord planted deep roots in your heart to deepen your love for Him, to mature you, and to help in your battle for purity.

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*I’m indebted to my friend Tom, in helping me explain the purpose of Lent.