At SPT, we love the church. And because we love the church we love pastors. After all, pastors are to “care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood” (Acts 20:28). For the pastor to best care for the church—God’s blood bought people—he must have a heart warm to the work. That is, shepherds cannot be merely “going through the motions” on Sunday morning which makes Saturday night incredibly important.
To help pastors in their prep for Sunday, we offer this weekly digest of devotional material. This content is intended to serve you by you reading or listening or watching all or some of it. You decide what is best for your heart as you further prepare for the most important day of the week.
With you in caring for the church of God,
~SPT
WHAT WE BELIEVE, TEACH, AND CONFESS
1689 Baptist Confession of Faith
Chapter 12: Of Adoption
All those that are justified, God vouchsafed, in and for the sake of his only Son Jesus Christ, to make partakers of the grace of adoption, by which they are taken into the number, and enjoy the liberties and privileges of the children of God, have his name put upon them, receive the spirit of adoption, have access to the throne of grace with boldness, are enabled to cry Abba, Father, are pitied, protected, provided for, and chastened by him as by a Father, yet never cast off, but sealed to the day of redemption, and inherit the promises as heirs of everlasting salvation. (Ephesians 1:5; Galatians 4:4, 5; John 1:12; Romans 8:17; 2 Corinthians 6:18; Revelation 3:12; Romans 8:15; Galatians 4:6; Ephesians 2:18; Psalms 103:13; Proverbs 14:26; 1 Peter 5:7; Hebrews 12:6; Isaiah 54:8, 9; Lamentations 3:31; Ephesians 4:30; Hebrews 1:14; Hebrews 6:12 )
[To read the whole confession, go here.]
OVERHEARD
“Be masters of your Bibles, brethren” by Charles Spurgeon
Study the Bible, dear brethren, through and through, with all helps that you can possibly obtain.
Remember that the appliances now within the reach of ordinary Christians are much more extensive than they were in our father’s days, and therefore you must be greater Biblical scholars if you would keep in front of your hearers.
Intermeddle with all knowledge; but, above all things, meditate day and night in the law of the Lord.
Be well instructed in theology, and do not regard the sneers of those who rail at it because they are ignorant of it. Many preachers are not theologians, and hence the mistakes which they make.
It cannot do any hurt to the most lively evangelist to be also a sound theologian, and it may often be the means of saving him from gross blunders.
Nowadays, we hear men tear a single sentence of Scripture from its connection, and cry, “Eureka! Eureka!” as if they had found a new truth; and yet they have not discovered a diamond, but only a piece of broken glass.
Had they been able to compare spiritual things with spiritual, had they understood the analogy of the faith, and had they been acquainted with the holy learning of the great Bible students of past ages, they would not have been quite so fast in vaunting their marvellous knowledge.
Let us be thoroughly well acquainted with the great doctrines of the Word of God, and let us be mighty in expounding the Scriptures.
I am sure that no preaching will last so long, or build up a church so well, as the expository.
To renounce altogether the hortatory discourse for the expository, would be running to a preposterous extreme; but I cannot too earnestly assure you that, if your ministries are to be lastingly useful, you must be expositors.
For this purpose, you must understand the Word yourselves, and be able so to comment upon it that the people may be built up by the Word.
Be masters of your Bibles, brethren; whatever other works you have not searched, be at home with the writings of the prophets and apostles.
“Let the Word of God dwell in you richly.” (Colossians 3:16)
–Charles H. Spurgeon, An All-Round Ministry: Addresses to Ministers and Students (Carlisle, PA: Banner of Truth, 1900/1960), 27-28.
[HT: Tolle Lege]
TWEET
DOXOLOGY
Psalm 42 (Loudest Praise)
Shane & Shane
As the deer pants for the water
So my soul pants for You
All my tears have been my fodder
Day and night my only food
Oh, my soul you feel forgotten
Put your hope in Christ alone
As the deer longs for the water
So my soul longs to be home
Come thou fount of living water
Tune my heart to bless Your name
Streams of trouble never ceasing
Call for songs of loudest praise
As the deep cries out for answers
As Your waves crash over me
Let Your goodness, like a fetter
Bind my broken heart to Thee
In the night Your song is with me
Day by day You hold me fast
Oh, my soul hope in Jesus
You shall praise your God at last
Come thou fount of living water
Tune my heart to bless Your name
Streams of trouble never ceasing
Call for songs of loudest praise
Deep calls to deep
Waves of unbelief
Breakers crash and bring me
Falling to my knees
It goes on and and on
Where is my God
My salvation is in You and You alone
Deep calls to deep
Waves of unbelief
Breakers crash and bring me
Falling to my knees
It goes on and and on
Where is my God
My salvation is in You and You alone
Come thou fount of living water
Tune my heart to bless Your name
Streams of trouble never ceasing
Call for songs...
Come thou fount of living water
Tune my heart to bless Your name
Streams of trouble never ceasing
Call for songs of loudest praise
Call for songs of loudest praise
NOTA BENE
Elect Justice, by Mike Pohlman
Encouragement for Pastors, by R. Scott Clark
The Instagrammable Christian Life, by Thomas Brewer