Tag Archives: David Platt

November 6, 2011 · 11:33 pm

Secret Church


Photo credit: anita

On Friday night, I spent seven hours at our church with a small but enthusiastic group who had gathered for a simulcast by author/pastor David Platt called Secret Church.

We were there for a six hour Bible study, as well as to learn about the harsh realities of the persecuted church around the world.

Pastor David has traveled all over the world to meet with Christians who live in hostile countries. He has met in  small apartments, homes, and even caves to share  God’s Word with those who are desperate to hear it taught. Their time is often limited and there is no time for fluff. Knowing that they could be interrupted at any time and would face certain arrest, these people want to learn as much as they can. Hearing God’s precious Word in all its beauty and power and life is worth any risk.No matter how long Pastor David teaches, they want to hear more. They come hungry and thirsty to hear from their risen Savior.

Would that we in America have that same passion and urgency for Jesus. That is  what He longs for. “Who is he who will devote himself to be close to Me?” declares the Lord. (Isaiah 49:25).

I was so excited to dive into God’s Word for such an extended period of time that evening.

If someone had told the 15-year-old me that I would be jazzed about attending something like this, I would have not believed it in a million years. My first thought would have been “How boring!”

I have come a long way.

Life since then— while wonderful in so many ways— has shown me that His Word is my treasure, my solid rock when my world spins out of control, my constant source of comfort and strength, and a deep, never-ending well-spring of pure JOY. Above all, reading and living those words draws me deeper in love with Jesus. It is where He reveals Himself to me, guides me, speaks to me and shows me His beauty.

Pastor David’s topic was “Marriage, Family, Sex, And The Gospel.” Yes, they are all magnificently and spectacularly connected.

As author Jerry Bridges has written, “The gospel is not only the most important message in all of history; it is the only essential message in all of history.”      

Because of the good news of the glorious Gospel, there is:

*hope for the hopeless
*healing for the hurting
*peace for the storm-tossed
*restoration for the broken
*acceptance for the rejected
*open arms for the prodigal
*courage for the fearful
*beauty for ashes
*total and complete forgiveness for the repentant sinner
*rest for the weary
*strength for the weak
*light for those in darkness
*joy for the despairing
*dignity and honor for the shamed
*abundant fullness for hollow emptiness
*purpose for the aimless
*intimacy and friendship for the lonely
*guidance and direction for the confused
*love for the loveless
*LIFE for the dying

The Gospel is breathtaking and utterly transforming.

The Gospel joyfully proclaims that redemption is possible over every single area of our lives!

I will never get over it as long as I live and I will tell of its wonders as long as I have breath. I will celebrate it for all eternity.

By the time the simulcast ended at nearly 2:00 in the morning, the five of us who were left were utterly saturated in the beauty of His grace.

I loved every minute of it.

The next Secret Church simulcast will be on Good Friday, April 6. 2012.  Mark your calendars and check locations. You will be blessed!

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April 22, 2011 · 5:48 am

Journey To The Cross: Snapshot 5


Years ago, a man from our church recounted to Doug and me about the first time he had met his friend Jimmy. He had been  attending a conference at a local church. As he walked past the sanctuary during a break, he heard the sound of sobbing. Curious, he quietly opened the door and peered inside.

A wooden cross stood imposingly in the center of the altar. There, at the bottom of the cross, lay Jimmy. He was clinging to that cross with both arms and he was sobbing. Deep, heaving sobs.

As our friend would later discover, Jimmy was desperate for God. And he knew the place to find Him was at the foot of the Cross.

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“It is finished.”

Such powerful words.

They are among the last words that Jesus spoke before He died and the  glorious offer of redemption was made to all.

He had endured betrayal, mockery, beatings so severe that He did not even look like a human being, searing pain, shame, ridicule, brutal savagery… and the worst punishment of all: separation from the Father for the very first time as He endured divine wrath on our behalf.

“What happened at the cross was not primarily about nails being thrust into Jesus’ hands and feet but about the wrath due your sin and my sin being thrust upon His soul. In that holy moment, all the righteous wrath and justice of God due us came rushing down like a torrent on Christ Himself. Some say, ‘God looked down and could not bear to see the suffering that the soldiers were inflicting on Jesus, so He turned away.’ But that is not true. God turned away because He could not bear to see your sin and my sin on His Son.

One preacher described it as if you and I were standing a short hundred yards away from a dam of water ten thousand miles high and ten thousand miles wide. All of a sudden that dam was breached and a torrential flood of water came crashing toward us. Right before it reached our feet, the ground in front of us opened up and swallowed it all. At the Cross, Christ drank the full cup of the wrath of God and when he had downed the last drop, He turned the cup over and cried out, “It is finished.” –David Platt, Radical, p. 35-36)

Jesus took my place.

Jesus took your place.

Surely He took up our pain and bore our suffering…He was pierced for our transgressions; He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and by His wounds, we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. —Isaiah 53: 4-6

The cross is a horrifying instrument of torture…but it is  the most beautiful sight in the world to the sinner who realizes their complete and utter bankruptcy before a holy God.

I never want to get over the sheer miracle of what Jesus did for me on the Cross.

If He never does another thing for me, He has saved me from the penalty of my sin! And that means everything!

I am free!

I am forgiven!

I have been redeemed!

Because of the cross:

*I have passed from death to life (John 5:24).

*I am a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17)

*His peace and joy flood my soul (John 14:27; John 16:11)

*I live in Light, not in darkness (Ephesians 5:8)

* my future is secure (Jeremiah 29:11).

*my wounds are being healed by The Healer (Isaiah 53:5)

*all of Heaven has been opened to me (John 14:1-3).

*I need never live in fear (Joshua 1:9).

*I am out of  the enemy’s reach forever (James 4:7).

*I am held safe in His arms (Deuteronomy 33:27).

*I will never be alone (Matthew 28:20).

Because of the cross, I will see His face (Revelation 22:4).

And that is what I live for…the moment that faith becomes sight and I finally look upon the beautiful face of the One who loved me enough to die rather than be without me.

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“The cross is the lightning rod of grace that short-circuits God’s wrath to Christ so that only the light of His love remains for believers.”–A.W. Tozer. 

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“It is finished; the battle is over

It is finished; there’ll be no more war

It is finished; the end of the conflict

It is finished and Jesus is Lord.” —Bill Gaither

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