The following articles have been selected because they are informative, instructive, entertaining, or simply interesting. Articles appearing in Your Friday Five do not represent an endorsement.
His Ways Are Not Your Ways, By Dane C. Ortlund
Expectation VS. Reality
We tend to project our natural expectations about who God is onto him instead of fighting to let the Bible surprise us into what God himself says. Perhaps nowhere in the Bible is that point made more clearly than in Isaiah 55. “There is nothing that troubles our consciences more,” said John Calvin on this passage, “than when we think that God is like ourselves.”
Why Pastors Should Use More Historical Illustrations in Sermons, By Sam Rainer
I once attempted to use an example from accounting in my sermon. No one understood me, and the accountants in the church said I mixed up my terms. Apparently, debits and credits are not as straightforward as I thought, which is why—I guess—accountants have jobs.
Great Commission Statistics that Should Concern Us, By David Platt
The ultimate purpose of God is to bring people from all nations to enjoy and exalt Him in all of His glory. The plan for accomplishing this purpose is the Great Commission, and the Great Commission will be complete when disciples have been made and churches have been multiplied among every people group. And that’s what every Christian and church should be living for.
The Importance of Respecting a Church’s Legacy, By Kyle Bueermann
One of the “Essential Characteristics of Effective Replanters” that the Replant Team has identified is respect for a church’s legacy. At times this can feel like walking a tightrope between not wanting to idolize the past and moving a church toward the future God has for her, but it’s an important part of the replanting process.
Mother’s Day: Capitalizing on an Unexpected High Attendance Sunday, By Aaron Earls
Everyone knows Christmas and Easter are the times when churches see higher than normal attendance, but another Sunday also draws a crowd for some churches—Mother’s Day.