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The Imperatives
Series | Repentance
There is only one approach to receive His generous gifts offered in verse 18. There is only one path to escape spiritual poverty, shame, and blindness. There is only one source of fulfillment, honor, and sight. There is only one program to exchange indifference and ignorance for intensity, only one way to avoid being spit out of Christ’s mouth: repentance.
Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent.
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The Instruction
Series | Repentance
Sin not only offends God, it ruins us. It not only robs God of His glory, it also steals our joy. Sin makes us soul-poor. Sin exposes our shame. Sin blinds us. Therefore, the restoration of spiritual prosperity begins as we abandon sin, renounce self-sufficiency, and seek all our good in Christ.
I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see.
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Tripping
I started posting briefly about our annual trip to the Shepherds’ Conference in 2006, did so again in 2007, as well as 2008. We’ve taken a group from our church since 2003, and each year I drive (through the night) with a group of the guys from our one28 staff for life-on-life joy. Though my MacBook Air couldn’t be thinner or lighter, really, I’ll be traveling without it for the next week.
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The Instruction
Series | Repentance
As He did with each of the previous six churches, Jesus asserted His knowledge of the congregation’s condition, then leveled the following formal charge against the Laodiceans.
I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.
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To the Church in Laodicea
Series | Repentance
Yesterday I suggested that things are not good and that if Jesus visited us today, He might confront us much like He confronted the Laodicean church in Revelation 3:14-22.
Exiled on Patmos island for preaching the gospel, the apostle John wrote the book of The Revelation of Jesus Christ from a vision he received from the Lord around AD 90 (a little less than 60 years after Christ’s ascension).
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Things Are Not Good
Series | Repentance
Things are not good. Nations are at war, babies are being aborted, businesses are collapsing, and people are sad, lonely, and empty. Yet it would be difficult to prove those realities based on how we’re acting. We’re still making jokes, buying lattes and Big Macs, renting movies and downloading music, and otherwise acting like everything is fine. It doesn’t really make sense; indifference to the problems, or ignorance that there are problems, won’t fix the problems or make them go away.
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Repentance Retreat Audio
Series | Repentance
All six sessions from the 09SR are now online. Each link includes a downloadable mp3 and the very rough draft version of my notes, especially for those interested in the quotes by Augustine. My plan is to start blogging through the series soon.
Session 1 - Be Zealous and Repent
- The Need for Repentance Session 2 - The Journey of a Restless Heart
- A Life of Repentance: Augustine of Hippo Session 3 - Toward True Joy
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2009 Snow Retreat Audio
All six sessions from the 09SR are now online. Each link includes a downloadable mp3 and the very rough draft version of my notes, especially for those interested in the quotes by Augustine. My plan is to start blogging through the series soon.
Session 1 - Be Zealous and Repent
- The Need for Repentance Session 2 - The Journey of a Restless Heart
- A Life of Repentance: Augustine of Hippo Session 3 - Toward True Joy
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Ordination Service
The elders of Grace Bible Church ordained me Sunday, January 18. I am grateful to all those who worked so hard to make the entire evening special, and humbled by the many testimonies of affirmation. I’m posting the slideshow, as well as the audio of the service, for those (like my mom, and some who were not able to attend) that may be interested.
Sorry, your browser is outdated and does not support the audio element.
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My 2009 Resolutions
I’ve been marinating much in 1 Timothy 4:11-16 since Eric Alexander took it as his text at the 2003 Shepherds’ Conference. My recent ordination also put the passage back on my mental front burner. Verse 16 strikes at the core of my responsibility: “pay close attention to yourself and to the teaching”; I do desire for my “progress to be evident to all” (verse 15).
My flock benefits most when I grow personally, and according to Paul, my salvation and the salvation of those who hear me depends on it.
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Repentance Clips and Quotes
Ian Lugg created the following video for our snow retreat on Repentance last week. It moves my affections every time I watch it, and since many people have asked for the quotes, I’ve included those below for prolonged marination.
Quotes In order:
Repentance stands, then, in opposition to all our former prejudices against the divine character; and in opposition to that sin-extenuating, self-justifying, law-hating, God-blaming disposition which reigns in every impenitent soul.
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Advance by Retreat
I intended to have my new year’s resolution post up by now (yes, I’m aware that it is January 25th). It obviously hasn’t happened, nor will it happen for at least another week, the reason being, we leave tomorrow for our annual snow retreat. I’m teaching this year on Repentance: Seeing Sin for What It Is, so I’ve been preparing sermons for the last month and trying to coordinate the details of taking 125 people away for five days.
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Image-Bearing Resolutions
The making of New Year’s resolutions can be a complete waste of time. Some goals are cheap or petty, while goals that are worthwhile may be ruined by selfish motives. It seems like many don’t follow through on their commitments much past the first few weeks of January, if they make it that far.
Nevertheless, I make resolutions. At the end of 2006, I wrote:
While the making and breaking of New Year’s Resolutions can be the epitome of vanity and meaninglessness, and even though most resolutions are typically temporal and banal, I think there is something constructive for Christians in considering the progress of their faith and then making commitments to pursue Christ in specific ways.
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In Praise of a Quite Gratuitous Ornament
In my preparatory reading for our upcoming snow retreat, I came across this celebration of beards by Augustine in The City of God.
There are some things, too, which have such a place in the body, that they obviously serve no useful purpose, but are solely for beauty, as e.g….the beard on [a man’s] face; for that this is for ornament, and not for protection, is proved by the bare faces of women, who ought rather, as the weaker sex, to enjoy such a defense.
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The Day YouTube Turned Off the Water
I received the following email Sunday afternoon.
Dear seankhiggins,
Video Disabled
A copyright owner has claimed it owns some or all of the audio content in your video Water. The audio content identified in your video is Water by Kristy Starling. We regret to inform you that your video has been blocked from playback due to a music rights issue.
What can I say? The quality of our production must have started to pilfer the profits.
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My 2008 Resolutions in Review
Having reached 2009 (Happy New Year!), I need to lay down my 2008 resolutions so I can build new ones on top.
My first resolution for last year was to build more structure into my supplication struggle. (You can read here to see why I’m calling prayer a struggle). I desired to be more devoted to scheduled, private prayer times and more diligent during those hours. I also made a renewed commitment to corporate prayer (whether in one28 or with family or with the Thursday Friday morning guys).