Confession Based upon Isaiah 6:O Lord Most High, You are holy and we are unholy, utterly unworthy of coming into your presence. We have unclean lips and live among a people of unclean lips; and apart from Christ, we are ruined. O Lord, send forth your great mercy once again: cleanse our lips and take our guilt away through the merits of your dear Son, whose death washes aw...

Based upon Psalm 2 Our Father in heaven, we confess that we have too often sided with the rulers of this world and stood as the kings of our own hearts against the cause of Christ in our lives. And yet we give thanks that You have installed Your Son, Jesus, as the head of the church and pray that He would subdue us more and more to his loving rule. Help us by your Holy Sp...

Confession based upon Philippians 2:1-13; Matt. 6:31-33 Heavenly Father, we confess that we have often acted out of selfish ambition in our lives. We have not considered others more significant than ourselves, but instead, we have sought to put our own desires and ambitions first. When given opportunities to look to the interests of others, we have asked "What's in it for...

In 1991, I had my own "Luther Romans 1:17" moment while sitting alone in a pew on a Wednesday night listening to a British missionary explain the true meaning of justification by faith. How I had gone 23 years growing up in Baptist churches (13 of those as a believer) without having it taught to me I can't fathom. But there I sat, tears rolling down my cheeks, finally reco...

I read of a Southern Baptist Church in Florida which is growing through an internet membership. Despite concerns that those who are members via internet will not be able to really connect with the church, Flamingo Road Church is determined to make it work. They insist that they are, indeed, "faithful members" who interact with the church by watching videos and through onli...

What happens when someone argues that their own private times with God are more important than corporate gatherings of the church as a whole?Each of us, I'm sure, have heard those who have questioned the necessity of corporate worship, thinking that it is less "spiritual" than their own private times of reading and meditation.Well, R. Scott Clark, professor of Church Histo...

Confession and Assurance based upon Philippians 3:7-11; 4:10-13, 19-20 Almighty God, we confess that we have often valued the things of this life more than the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus our Lord. Instead of suffering loss for His sake, we have pursued the things which we desire- even good things- at the cost of obedience and faithfulness to You. Instead of ...

In the Washington Post (Sunday, Dec. 10, 2006) article,Did the Three Kings Bear Gift Receipts?, Kevin Hassett examines gift giving from an economist's point of view. He discovers that an economist would say that gift giving is a completely inefficient way of celebrating Christmas. They would claim that a person knows what they want better than you do, and they would point...

This comes from The Banner of Truth Magazine- I don't recall which one. This is really good and maybe a copy should be kept in our Bibles.OUR POSTURE BEFORE THE WORD OF GODTom Lyon 1. IF I FIND SOMETHING WITH WHICH I CANNOT AGREE, I AM WRONG.'Subjection to God's will is not the destruction of man's voluntariness,but if it were, he would be obligated to come under it.For G...

In the introduction to "Give Praise to God, A Vision for Reforming Worship," Philip Ryken describes how the late Dr. James Boice (who died in 2000, and in whose memory the book was written) was (rightfully) troubled by what he saw happening in the contemporary church. Ryken writes:"Given the priority that he placed on honoring God in our worship, Dr. Boice understandably w...