Jesus is Better

Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.” ~ John 6:68 NIV

It’s been awhile since we did a video post from The Verge Network, but this one fits well here. The speaker is Halim Suh, Pastor of Teaching and Theology at The Austin Stone Community Church in Austin, Texas.

If you’re interested in hearing a full sermon by Halim, here’s a link to one from last year’s Advent season titled Jesus, the True and Better Adam.

Here’s the song he was referring to; let these words soak in and complete your devotional time today:

O, Church of Christ Rejoice

Come People of the Risen King by Kristen and Keith Getty and Stuart Townend:

Performed by Stuart Townend.

Performed by Kristen and Keith Getty

Come, people of the Risen King,
Who delight to bring Him praise;
Come all and tune your hearts to sing
To the Morning Star of grace.
From the shifting shadows of the earth
We will lift our eyes to Him,
Where steady arms of mercy reach
To gather children in.

REFRAIN
Rejoice, Rejoice! Let every tongue rejoice!
One heart, one voice; O Church of Christ, rejoice!

Come, those whose joy is morning sun,
And those weeping through the night;
Come, those who tell of battles won,
And those struggling in the fight.
For His perfect love will never change,
And His mercies never cease,
But follow us through all our days
With the certain hope of peace.

Come, young and old from every land –
Men and women of the faith;
Come, those with full or empty hands –
Find the riches of His grace.
Over all the world, His people sing –
Shore to shore we hear them call
The Truth that cries through every age:
“Our God is all in all”!

Come, people of the Risen King,
Who delight to bring Him praise;
Come all and tune your hearts to sing
To the Morning Star of grace.
From the shifting shadows of the earth
We will lift our eyes to Him,
Where steady arms of mercy reach
To gather children in.

REFRAIN
Rejoice, Rejoice! Let every tongue rejoice!
One heart, one voice; O Church of Christ, rejoice!

Come, those whose joy is morning sun,
And those weeping through the night;
Come, those who tell of battles won,
And those struggling in the fight.
For His perfect love will never change,
And His mercies never cease,
But follow us through all our days
With the certain hope of peace.

Come, young and old from every land –
Men and women of the faith;
Come, those with full or empty hands –
Find the riches of His grace.
Over all the world, His people sing –
Shore to shore we hear them call
The Truth that cries through every age:
“Our God is all in all”!

The Right Type of Name-Dropping

Here’s a bonus post for today, the first of two.

Carlos Whittaker:  After standing in a room tonight with a hundred or so AMAZING people who all are “somebody”, I realized again… It’s not who you know…It’s Who you serve. At the end of the day it is not about getting “the deal” At the end of the day it’s not about writing “the song” At the end of the day it’s not about meeting “the man” At the end of the day it’s not about your church hitting “that number” At the end of the day it’s not about speaking at “the conference” At the end of the day it’s not about writing “the book” At the end of the day it’s not about losing “those pounds” At the end of the day it’s not about being invited to “that party” At the end of the day it’s not about being on “the list” At the end of the day it’s not about opening for “that band” At the end of the day it’s not about dating “that girl/guy” At the end of the day it’s not about hitting “those stats” At the end of the day it’s not about getting “that award” At the end of the day it’s not about selling “that number of copies” At the end of the day it’s not about creating “the perfect sermon series” At the end of the day it’s not about solving “that problem” At the end of the day it’s not about preaching “that message” At the end of the day it’s not about shmoozing “those reps” At the end of the day it’s not about everyone lifting “those hands” At the end of the day it’s not about praying “that prayer” All that crap is just crap. It does not matter. It is not your identity. It will ALL go away. But what will not go away is that moment that you stopped believing all your self righteous lies and found your identity in Christ alone. Not the deal, the song, the man, that number, the conference, the book, those pounds, that party, the list, that band, that girl/guy, those stats, that award, that number of copies, the perfect sermon series, that problem, that message, those reps, those hands, or that prayer. It is about Christ in you the hope of Glory. So let’s make a deal. For today, myself included, let’s not drop one name, not unless it’s His.

Carlos Whittaker blogs at Ragamuffin Soul. See this post here, or check out the rest of the blog with this link.