Vintage Church

Mark Driscoll and Gerry Breshears

EDITOR'S NOTE: The following is an excerpt from Vintage Church: Timeless Truths and Timely Methods by Mark Driscoll and Gerry Breshears (Crossway).

CHAPTER ONE
WHAT IS THE CHRISTIAN LIFE?

Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him. Colossians 2:6

Jesus. If one word were to be chosen as the most important word in the history of the world, it would be the name Jesus.

God preached the first gospel to our parents, Adam and Eve, shortly following their sin in Genesis 3; he promised that Jesus would come. From that day onward, God inspired his prophets to reveal in great detail the events surrounding the coming of Jesus.¹Consequently, for roughly a few thousand years God's people longed for Jesus' arrival.

Jesus came into history in the most humble manner. He was born roughly two thousand years ago in a barn to a poor, young virgin woman named Mary. Although he was God, Jesus' first earthly throne was the feeding trough of an animal, which was used for his crib.

Jesus' unparalleled humility is one of his most shocking attributes.² Our culture believes that pride is our greatest friend although it is the reason why Satan himself was kicked out of heaven. Pride covets the success of others and is about self--my glory, my arrogance, and my independence. Our culture, tragically, considers pride a virtue rather than a vice. Conversely, Jesus came in great humility and lived his life in great humility. Before repeatedly and emphatically declaring himself to be God,³ Jesus spent the first roughly thirty years of his life in relative obscurity in a humble town with humble parents working a humble job as a carpenter.

Our Intercessor in Time of Need

by: Alan Bullock

When you consider the weakness and failing of modern man, is it any wonder that God sent Christ to die for our sins?  He saw to it that a Mediator bridged the great divide between the holy and unholy, thus securing our access to Him so that we might come with assurance to the throne of grace (1 Timothy 2:5).While still living behind the Iron Curtain, my wife Anoosh was attending a large secular University studying linguistics.  Many of her professors were Communists and disliked the fact that Anoosh was an outspoken Christian.  Before her graduation and final exam, they planned to find a way to cause her to fail by asking her questions on her philosophy exam that she couldn’t possibly answer. Our Cornerstone
Unmarred and multi-hued Cornerstone,
Holy One of Israel sits upon His throne.
The spotless Lamb, slain for humanity,
Intercedes for us in His glorious Divinity.
In Him, no stained soul of imperfection,
Our Father of lights of infinite perfection,
Shining bright upon His opulent throne,
The Rose of Sharon calls us His very own.
Oh Great God of peace and Holy love!
The Messiah Incarnate, Sacrificial Dove;
Wondrous Redeemer, ransomed Son,
Because of Calvary, our victory won.In addition to studying, Anoosh prayed and asked God to deliver to her the answers to the questions they would ask.  That night in a dream God did exactly that.  During the exam the next day she was able to answer every question correctly because the Lord had given her the answers. The professors were amazed and two of them ultimately became Christians because of Anoosh’s faithful witness and outspoken faith in Christ.

While Christ isn’t there as our Santa Claus, ready to shower us with presents or provide a solution to every small issue that may arise, He is always there to intercede during times of adversity.  He is most certainly there when He knows the outcome will touch lost souls, leading them into the Kingdom and bringing glory to the Father.

Take heart, dear friends.  To this day Christ continues to insure our blessedness as He stands in the gap on our behalf.  He is able to do far more abundantly than we can ask or think (Eph 3:20-21).  What strength, what love and what hope!

Who is he that condemns?  Christ Jesus, who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us (Romans 8:34).

Hope in Christ gives us a spiritual confidence and conviction that there is a better tomorrow.

http://www.daystar.com/devotions/our-intercessor-in-time-of-need/