The Prodigal

In my previous post I recommended a book & sermon series on the parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32).  Below is another "version" of the same parable, this time in the form of a song and visual.  This video was featured at the recent NEXT 2010 conference.






The Prodigal
By Meghan Baird and Ryan Baird
As recorded on Sons & Daughters


You held out Your arms, I walked away
Insolent, I spurned Your face
Squandering the gifts You gave to me
Holding close forbidden things
Destitute, a rebel still, a fool in all my pride
The world I once enjoyed is death to me
No joy, no hope, no life

Where now are the friends that I had bought
Gone with every penny lost
What hope could there be for such as I
Sold out to a world of lies
Oh to see Your face again, it seems so distant now
Could it be that You would take me back
A servant in Your house

You held out Your arms, I see them still
You never left, You never will
Running to embrace me, now I know
Your cords of love will always hold
Mercy’s robe, a ring of grace
Such favor undeserved
You sing over me and celebrate
The rebel now Your child

© 2009 Sovereign Grace Worship (ASCAP)

Summer Kick Off Recap

We had a good turnout for the summer kick-off last night.  It was good to see several new highschool grads join us!  We enjoyed burgers & fellowship and I shared a brief introduction to the summer study on parables.  As a way to continue the parable theme, I gave away a copy of John MacArthur's book "A Tale of Two Sons," which is about one of the most well-known parables in our Bible - the prodigal son.  Drew Savary was our winner!
For the rest of you, I want to commend Pastor MacArthur's sermon series on this parable (from which the book is derived).  You can listen or download the 3-part series here for free.  I can assure you that this will be one of those sermon series that you'll always remember.  Consider MacArthur's description of the parable:

Of all Jesus’ parables, this one is the most richly detailed, powerfully dramatic, and intensely personal. It’s full of emotion—ranging from sadness, to triumph, to a sense of shock, and finally to an unsettling wish for more closure. The characters are familiar, so it’s easy for people to identify with the prodigal, to feel the father’s grief, and yet still (in some degree) sympathize with the elder brother—all at the same time. The story is memorable on many levels, not the least of which is the gritty imagery Jesus invokes. The description of the prodigal as so desperately hungry he was willing to eat husks scavenged from swine food, for instance, graphically depicts his youthful dissolution in a way that was unspeakably revolting to His Jewish audience.
Read more here.

I'll be posting more links, quotes & articles related to the parables & other helpful topics all summer, so come back often.  In fact, the best way to keep up with the blog is to subscribe by email.  It's easy, spam free and you'll only get emails when the blog is updated.  Click here to subscribe.

NEXT 2010 Conference Audio

I just downloaded all 7 sessions from the recent NEXT conference hosted by Sovereign Grace Ministries.  I'm almost done listening to Josh Harris' opening message entitled, "What are You Built On?"  In this message, Josh reminds us of the importance of sound doctrine (keep in mind that this conference is focusing on the primary doctrines of the Christian faith:  the doctrines of God, Scripture, Sanctification, Church, etc.)  but also challenges us to be sure that our doctrine is not an end in itself, but rather the means by which we get to Christ.  Doctrine is a pointer.  The Point is Christ.

"You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me..." John 5:39

The other reason I'm highlighting this message is because Josh is preaching from one of Jesus' parables (the wise and foolish builders in Luke 6:46-49).  By now you should know that the parables will be our focus this summer during 222, so let me commend these messages to you and especially Josh's opening message from this well-known parable.

Lastly - while poking around on the NEXT website I discovered their monthly webzine.  Looks like some great articles & resources here - not to mention the incredible graphics!!

2010 Summer Study | PARABLES

This Thursday, June 3rd, we'll kick off our summer study with a cook out at the home of Michael & Naomi Hamline. Please RSVP with the survey in the sidebar or visit our 222 Facebook event page. All you need to bring is your appetite!  We'll have hamburgers, chips, dip, etc.  You'll also want to try Aaron's "Special Sauce" on your burger.  Good stuff.
Our summer study will begin the following Thursday, June 10th at 6:30pm.

Click image to enlarge.
Email for directions & more info.

Win Free Registration to the NEXT 2010 Conference (Formerly Na)

This is for registration only, you'd still have to buy your own plane ticket. :)

Click here for details.

2.22 will resume in June

2.22 Will take a temporary hiatus until the end of May.
We will have a summer kick-off fellowship at the end of May and then begin our summer Bible study on Thursday, June 3rd.

Please watch this blog for further details.

God's Word on Our Work

From our study tonight about God's Word on Our Work, here are a list of helpful passages that give us instruction on how to conduct ourselves while under employment.

• Ecclesiastes 9:10
• Ephesians 4:28
• Ephesians 5:15-17
• Ephesians 6:5-7
• Colossians 3:17
• Colossians 3:22-23
• 1 Thessalonians 4:9-1
• 2 Thessalonians 3:8-12
• 1 Timothy 5:8
• 1 Timothy 6:1-2, 6-10
• Titus 2:9-10
• 1 Peter 2:13-25

How Many Wills of God?

Here's the John Piper article referenced in our study on Decision Making and the Will of God. Below is a short snippet.

The most compelling example of God's willing for sin to come to pass while at the same time disapproving the sin is his willing the death of his perfect, divine Son. The betrayal of Jesus by Judas was a morally evil act inspired immediately by Satan (Luke 22:3). Yet in Acts 2:23 Luke says, "This Jesus [was] delivered up according to the definite plan (boule) and foreknowledge of God." The betrayal was sin, and it involved the instrumentality of Satan; but it was part of God's ordained plan. That is, there is a sense in which God willed the delivering up of his Son, even though the act was sin.

Fall Book Study

This fall we will be going through Gary Friesen's book, Decision Making and the Will of God. You can find out more about the author and sample the first two chapters of this book at his website, gfriesen.net.

It'd be ideal to secure your own copy of this book for our study, but even if you don't, you'll still benefit greatly from the weekly teaching.

Also, remember that the first Thursday of each month will be a special, off-site fellowship night. We'll announce the location each month.

Who are You to Judge?

On July 2nd we looked at Paul's command to stop judging one another found in Romans 14. From this chapter we considered five principles to keep us from sinfully judging:

1. Welcome the Weak
2. Make Up Your Mind
3. Build Up the Believers
4. Firm Up Your Faith
5. Glorify God

Listen to the message on judging:

RIGHT CLICK to Download

Part 2 on this subject of judging was taught on July 16 from 1 Corinthians 4. Listen to "Who are You to Judge (Pt 2)" below. (lest you get confused, the opening illustration for Part 2 is the same one used in Part 1)

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