Grace on Display

Resources on the Cross

Resurrection Day is just around the corner. It certainly presents great opportunity to reach the CEO church attenders of Grand Prairie (Christmas and Easter Only). For that I am thankful, and look forward to the opportunity to share the Gospel. For Christians, Resurrection Sunday is a time to further strengthen our commitment to love, serve, declare, meditate on, etc… Jesus' death, burial and resurrection. It's not that March 24^th, 2008 is more special than any other Sunday, or that we are less committed to the Gospel the rest of the year (as we tend to be regarding the birth of Christ), but we take time to remember specific events of the final week of Jesus' life. So here are a few cross-centerd resources that I can recommend:

This is a combination of The Cross Centered Life and Christ Our Mediator. C.J. Mahaney has made it his goal in life to pass on his passion for the cross and I can't think of a better resource to recommend as we approach Resurrection Day. Though I've read it before, I am taking the time to read it again over the coming weeks. There are more technical books that I'll could recommend that deal with substitutionary atonement and are heavier reading, but Living the Cross Centered Life is very readable, engaging and thoughtful. You'll be reminded to rejoice at the unique benefits for believers because of Christ's work on the cross. There is great opportunity to pause and reflect on the depth of the love our Lord for us and the immense pain he bore. It is a great reminder of why I love Jesus. So, in addition to reading and re-reading the Gospel accounts, read this book.

 

J.S. Bach is usually my favorite composer. He was intentional with every note from a musical standpoint, but even more so from a theological standpoint. I can't think of any other work of his that this is more true of than his St. Matthew Passion (you can purchase the physical cds or purchase mp3s for immediate download). It does focus on the passion of Christ- his suffering- so make sure and follow up with something on the resurrection. In addition to the cd set, you'll want to click here to find some background info. and a side-by-side translation of the lyrics (courtesy of the Minnesota Public Radio site). This is the best recording that I've heard. So, in addition to reading and re-reading the Gospel accounts, listen to this.

 

My top recommendation is to pick up your nearest Bible and read eye-witness accounts of Jesus as he bore your sin on the cross. Read it slowly and let the truth of God's word impact your heart and stir your affections for him.

 

How Does He Do That?

We all have people for whom we carry a deep seated respect- often men or women that we have never met and will likely never meet.  There are several that fall into this category in my own life.  My dad, William Carey, John Piper, Adoniram Judson, and Fanny J. Crosby are just a few that I admire very deeply.  Often I read something by them, in some cases hear a sermon they preach and wonder, "How do they do that, and what kinds of things do I need to change in my life to have a relationship with Christ like they do/did?" 

Another such person is C.J. Mahaney.  I was reading his blog today and came across this quote that I thought was worth passing on.  He was discussing the need for pastors to read, but I thought his point was certainly applicable to every believer:

It is the example of a pastor over a period of years and decades that will make a difference in the life of a congregation. And therefore I want to guard my heart from growing familiar with the pastoral world, growing familiar with God’s Word, growing familiar with corporate worship, growing familiar when I am listening to preaching, growing familiar when I am taking communion, growing familiar with God. I want to guard my heart from that. And the best way I can do that is by attending to his Word and applying his Word to my heart on a daily basis. I think that is the most effective way I can serve those I care for and those I have been called to serve and lead.

As we approach the time of year we give special attention to the death, burial, and resurrection of our Lord, let's seize every opportunity to guard our hearts against familiarity with the Gospel.   As C.J. says, "The best way [we] can do that is by attending to his Word and applying his Word to [our hearts] on a daily basis."