“How Great is our God” by Chris Tomlin is my favourite worship song at the moment. Fortunately the church I attend rarely sing it so I’ve not had a chance to get overloaded on it yet!
For those who like me think this is a tremendous song the following videos of it from You Tube are worth viewing and enjoying:
How Great is our God - video 1
Some preachers like to preach verse by verse as they deliver their sermons. Steven Mathewson has written this article called “Verse-by-Verse Sermons That Really Preach” on this subject which looks at both the advantages and disadvantages of using this approach.
This is a short book written for new Christians to help them grow in their walk with Christ. The book has ten chapters covering topics such as: Reading the Bible, Prayer, The Power of the Holy Spirit, Resisting tempatation and witnessing to others.
Although each chapter is short and can be read through very quickly there is so much to be gained from each one. Every chapter has plenty of Scripture references to help the reader grow in their relationship with God and ensure all topics are biblically based.
One of the themes running throughout the book is the encouragement for the reader to give their all to God and serve Him with all their heart.
This is also an ideal book to be used in conjunction with an Alpha course if you are thinking of running one.
Today is Maundy Thursday the day before Good Friday when we will be specifically remembering Christ’s crucifixion.
It occurred to me during our service tonight though that without the events of Maundy Thursday there would have been no Good Friday. On the evening before he was crucified, Jesus shared the Passover meal with his disciples as he prepared to face his last night on earth before his death. He then went into the garden of Gethsemane and spent time in prayer with God praying “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.” (Luke 22:42 ESV)
Three times Jesus wrestled in prayer by himself, as his disciples kept falling asleep and could not keep watch with him. Matthew suggests that he spent 3 hours in prayer. Jesus then arose from his knees determined to follow God’s path to Calvary. If he had not made that decision then Good Friday could not have happened. What a momumentous night that was for the human race!
Some preachers like to preach their way through a book of the Bible and develop a series based on it. Craig Brian Larson has written an article entitled “Getting the Most from the Sermon Series” which looks at the advantages of preaching like this.