Gathering for Purpose

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Gathering for Purpose

We were created for community. Our sin draws us into isolation. In our busy day-to-day lives it’s rather easy to get so consumed with everything we have to do that we fail to remember our need for community. When we are struggling, the moment we need community most, we often push those closest away from us. In Hebrews 10:24–25, we are told to consider how we might encourage one another to love and good works. How are we to do this when we begin to neglect to meet together? Hebrews 10:24–25 reminds us of the truth that we need one another to survive. We need the daily, weekly, and monthly encouragement. 

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The Position of Prayer

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The Position of Prayer

These passages of Scripture take place during Jesus’s Sermon on the Mount. He stands on a mountain, and begins to teach people the truths of his gospel, explaining the Beatitudes, how to be salt and light in a dark world, fulfilling the law, dealing with anger, fighting against lust, resisting divorce, loving your enemies, and giving to the needy. Jesus covers some very difficult and relevant topics that hit the issues of that time period, and even today. He already knows what we struggle with, and what we WILL struggle with. Pride is one of these things. Jesus refers to the discipline of prayer, and how Christians are to approach prayer. In this section of Scripture, Jesus models and teaches how we are to pray, and calls it “The Lord’s Prayer.” He teaches against approaching prayer in a prideful way, as the hypocrites and Gentiles do, but rather approaching prayer in a humble and desperate way.

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Returning

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Returning

Lent is a season of returning. During this 40-day season, we are supposed to return to the Lord. For some of us, this means that for too long, we’ve been running away from the Lord. For others, it means we intentionally pause to look to the Lord. Rather than remain focused on everything that is happening around us, we slow down, reflect on our sin and our Savior. But how can we reflect on our sin and Savior without returning to the Lord. The Christian life is a life of continual repentance. During this season, we should be broken over our sin and overjoyed to be found in a loving savior.

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Too Good for Us

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Too Good for Us

Lent is a perfect time to be reminded of God’s love. During Lent we anticipate God’s greatest demonstration of his love—the death and resurrection of Jesus. No other two events have more clearly shown the love of God. We cannot forget that God himself is the source of love. Love is not just an action or feeling of God. Love is actually his nature (1 John 4:8). In Psalm 86 we read of God’s love for us. The psalmist describes God in so many ways: good, gracious, abounding in steadfast love, one who answers, great, doer of wondrous deeds, merciful, faithful, helper, and comforter. No doubt, God is good to us.

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Once Dead

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Once Dead

One of the purposes of Lent is to remind us of our sin and brokenness. While we should not be morbidly obsessed with our sin, especially when we are now in Christ, we should have a healthy understanding of who we were when we were lost in our sin. Ephesians 2:1–3 paints a rather grim picture for us. Prior to Jesus, we were dead in our sin. Dead—meaning no life. What a sad reality. We walked around following the world and pursuing the passions of our flesh. We wanted what we wanted regardless of what God thought about it. Not only were we dead in sin, but we were also “children of wrath.” While God loved us, his wrath burned hot against our sin. You see, God is pure and holy. Sin is the opposite of who God is. The two cannot mix. Therefore when we were dead in sin, we were literally enemies of God.

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Encouragement in Christ

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Encouragement in Christ

Today is Saturday. Tomorrow is Sunday. Sunday is an important day. It’s the Lord’s Day, the day each week the church has gathered to worship Jesus for almost 2,000 years. Two things are very important. First, during this season of Lent we cannot take our eyes off of Jesus. Scriptures like Philippians 2:1–11 are such great reminders of the person and work of Jesus. Paul tells us so much about Jesus. He tells us of Jesus’s divinity (“he was in the form of God”). He shares that, despite his divinity, Jesus chose to humble himself, become human, and come to earth. Jesus humbled himself in the most profound way—execution by means of crucifixion, a death penalty reserved for the worst of criminals. Remember, Jesus was innocent; yet he chose to humbly die for you and I. During this season, let us not forget the sacrifice of Christ, and its glorious result of freeing us from sin.

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The Beginning of Our Brokenness

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The Beginning of Our Brokenness

Yesterday we saw how God’s creation was very good. We saw how we are the pinnacle of creation, being the only thing on the face of the earth created in the image of God. If only the story ended there. Unfortunately we come to Genesis 3 and the beginning of our brokenness. God created each one of us to live in relationship with him; however, that relationship came with boundaries. Think about any relationship you have. You have “rules” that govern and manage that relationship. Surely a relationship with the God and Creator of the universe also has these boundaries. God simply asked the first humans, Adam and Eve, to obey him and not eat from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. In Genesis 3, we meet our adversary, the Devil. The Devil came and tempted Adam and Eve, causing doubt to creep into their minds. The Devil caused them to doubt one of the most significant truths—God’s goodness.

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Remember Who You Are

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Remember Who You Are

When looking at the context and verses prior to Genesis 1:26–31, we see God creating the heavens, land, water, vegetation, evening, morning, the sun, moon and stars, sea creatures, birds, and other various animals. Although these are all great things, only one element was missing: humanity. God saved the creation of humanity as the last element of his glorious design. When looking through Genesis 1, we do not see God referring to any other element of his creation as being made in “our image, after our likeness.” You also do not see God giving dominion to the animals or anything else, but to humanity only. This is not just a coincidence, but it has great purpose and intention for us today.

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Ash Wednesday

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Ash Wednesday

Throughout the history of Israel, fasting was an integral part of religious life. Israelites would fast on several occasions. In Matthew 4:1–11, Jesus is led into wilderness by the Spirit to be tempted by the Devil. In the midst of all of this, Matthew tells us Jesus had been fasting for forty days and forty nights. This moment is so important for Jesus. His ministry has just begun with his baptism in Matthew 3. Rather than run off to begin teaching, healing, and performing miracles, he fasts. He prays. He experiences the wilderness. Notice two very important truths. First, it is the Spirit of God who leads Jesus out into the wilderness. Second, notice that in the face of great temptation, the very thing Jesus does is fast.

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Journey with Vintage Church through "A Time to Return" this Lent Season

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Journey with Vintage Church through "A Time to Return" this Lent Season

Wednesday, March 1st begins the Christian season of Lent. This Lent season, Vintage Church has developed a Lent devotional entitled A Time to Return. This devotional begins on March 1st and will end on Saturday, April 15th. Sundays during Lent are off. The devotional is designed to take you through Scripture, focusing on topics like sin, God's love, Jesus, repentance, our response, and the church. Join us as we walk through this devotional together. 

Below is an introduction to Lent in the devotional. You can download the devotional at the bottom of this post or subscribe to the Vintage Press blog where we'll be posting a devotional each day. Subscribe at vcnola.com/blog. 

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