Weekly Update 01/18/2022
Afternoon,
In preparing for Sunday, I read Chris' sermon on Acts 18 over the weekend. I found it to be faithful, clear, persuasive, and applicable. A few hours later, unfortunately, inches of slush ensured that none of us would hear that sermon until this coming Sunday. Do be praying for Chris as he continues to meditate upon Acts 18 and Corinth.
We'll also be observing the Lord's Supper together this weekend. Speaking of, one of our former interns asked me a question last week about the Lord's Supper. In studying the issue he asked about, I returned to John Hammett's excellent book on the church. Hammett writes that the best word to describe the significance of the Lord's Supper is renewal. He then outlines three aspects of that renewal. The first aspect of renewal is to Jesus Himself. As we eat in faith, the Spirit nourishes us, helping to renew our devotion to Christ. The second aspect of this renewal is to the church itself. When we consider the body rightly as Paul instructs, that means we consider both Christ's broken physical body and his body that remains on earth, the church. The third aspect of this renewal is our renewal to Christ's mission on the earth, as we "proclaim the Lord's death until he comes" (1 Cor. 11:26). (See Hammett, Biblical Foundations, 282ff). Why write all that? Because when we gather on Sunday, we're praying that the Lord accomplishes all three aspects of renewal as we partake of the Supper together. This is no ordinary meal that we look forward to.
And speaking of God's mission, tomorrow night the Ladies will meet to continue through Andy Johnson's book on that important subject. How might South Woods continue to be involved in what God is doing to hallow His name in all the earth?
At the same time, our teenagers will begin chapter 1 of Greg Gilbert's Why Trust the Bible? Studying this particular issue over the years has repeatedly deepened my faith in the God of the Scriptures. For example, how many manuscripts do we have of other historical books, like Caesar's Gallic Wars? Nine or ten. And how many manuscripts of the New Testament? Over 5400. Gilbert's book is a fascinating study, thinking about how God preserved His word so that we might hear from Him. What mercy.
We look forward to seeing many of you tomorrow night at 6:30!
Matt
In preparing for Sunday, I read Chris' sermon on Acts 18 over the weekend. I found it to be faithful, clear, persuasive, and applicable. A few hours later, unfortunately, inches of slush ensured that none of us would hear that sermon until this coming Sunday. Do be praying for Chris as he continues to meditate upon Acts 18 and Corinth.
We'll also be observing the Lord's Supper together this weekend. Speaking of, one of our former interns asked me a question last week about the Lord's Supper. In studying the issue he asked about, I returned to John Hammett's excellent book on the church. Hammett writes that the best word to describe the significance of the Lord's Supper is renewal. He then outlines three aspects of that renewal. The first aspect of renewal is to Jesus Himself. As we eat in faith, the Spirit nourishes us, helping to renew our devotion to Christ. The second aspect of this renewal is to the church itself. When we consider the body rightly as Paul instructs, that means we consider both Christ's broken physical body and his body that remains on earth, the church. The third aspect of this renewal is our renewal to Christ's mission on the earth, as we "proclaim the Lord's death until he comes" (1 Cor. 11:26). (See Hammett, Biblical Foundations, 282ff). Why write all that? Because when we gather on Sunday, we're praying that the Lord accomplishes all three aspects of renewal as we partake of the Supper together. This is no ordinary meal that we look forward to.
And speaking of God's mission, tomorrow night the Ladies will meet to continue through Andy Johnson's book on that important subject. How might South Woods continue to be involved in what God is doing to hallow His name in all the earth?
At the same time, our teenagers will begin chapter 1 of Greg Gilbert's Why Trust the Bible? Studying this particular issue over the years has repeatedly deepened my faith in the God of the Scriptures. For example, how many manuscripts do we have of other historical books, like Caesar's Gallic Wars? Nine or ten. And how many manuscripts of the New Testament? Over 5400. Gilbert's book is a fascinating study, thinking about how God preserved His word so that we might hear from Him. What mercy.
We look forward to seeing many of you tomorrow night at 6:30!
Matt
Posted in Weekly Updates