We Love God!

God: "I looked for someone to take a stand for me, and stand in the gap" (Ezekiel 22:30)

One does not have to remove all consequences for sin (i.e., to pardon) in order to forgive. It may be just and necessary for an offender to suffer consequences for wrong, but the motive of the one imposing or requiring the consequences cannot be malicious. We are not permitted to desire the ultimate harm of the offender. The gospel always provides hope, always seeks restoration. Even when the criminal is sentenced, and we properly rejoice to see justice done, the Christian also desires to see the offender recognize the sin, repent, and know spiritual restoration. Forgiveness does not require pardon from consequences; it requires an absence of malice (i.e., no desire for the person’s spiritual harm) even in the application of those consequences. We may well desire justice, but desires for personal revenge or spiritual damage are not our right as Christians.

Bryan Chapell

1. Make the Word of God central. 2. Make ongoing Gospel living central. 3. Make clear the corporate implications of repentance and faith in genuine life-on-life relationships. 4. Draw a line between covenanted members and nonmembers. 5. Have a shared burden among the elders to model discipleship. 6. Have regular congregation times when God’s work of discipleship is publicly shared and celebrated. 7. Pray openly and regularly for God to create a culture of discipleship. 8. Add application to sermons about biblically caring for one another. 9. Realize the importance of the congregation to be together. 10. Pray for humility. 11. Promote good books that help make disciples and train disciplers. 12. Have conversations that are spiritually enriching. 13. Discourage rigid rules and formal discipling systems. 14. Avoid people having an over dependency on one person. 15. Avoid discipling people from the opposite gender, but encourage discipleship relationships that cross age and race. 16. Avoid making discipleship a specific ministry as compared to having it permeate the culture both within and outside of the church.

Mark Dever

We Love God!

God: "I looked for someone to take a stand for me, and stand in the gap" (Ezekiel 22:30)

Cheesy Spinach Pinwheels

January 27, 2023

CATEGORY	CUISINE	TAG	YIELD
Dairy		Appetizers, Cheese, Ready-rolls	16	Appetizers

INGREDIENTS

1		Refrigetaed crescent rolls
8		Fresh Spinach leaves
6	T	Garlic herb cream cheese
		softened

INSTRUCTIONS

Heat oven to 350~. Unroll dough into 2 long rectangles. Firnly pree
perforations to seal. Spread with cream cheese to within 14" of  edges;
top with spinach leaves. Starting at shortest side, roll up  each
rectangle; press edges to seal. Cut each roll into 8 slices.  Place,
cut side down, on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 350~ for  12-18
minutes, or until golden brown. Immediately remove from cookie  sheet.
Serve warm.  NOTE: 1). To make ahead, prepare, cover, and refrigerate
up to 2  hours; bake as directed. 2). To reheat, wrap in foil; heat at
350~  for 5-10 minutes.  From Gemini's MASSIVE MealMaster collection at
www.synapse.com/~gemini

A Message from our Provider:

“Perhaps it takes a purer faith to praise God for unrealized blessings than for those we once enjoyed or those we enjoy now. #A.W. Tozer”