Tuesday, April 1, 2008

Self Disposal Not Self Improvement


These are some books I'm reading. I will be posting exerts from them. Hope you enjoy and leave your comments. Here is the first.

"Christs' cross was the sinners cross; not of course in the matter of atonement Godward, but in the taking of the of the old-creation life to the cross so that the believer could be delivered from the power of sin- and that, not by conquering it but by dying to it."

- The Centrality of the Cross, Jessie Penn-Lewis

God's solution has always been self disposal not self improvement. So much of what is taught today in church is self help. Psychology is good and very helpful, leadership is of much value, business principals are in great demand. Should we really teach these things from the pulpit? Should we give so much attention to learned "skills"? What would you think if attended a church and the sermon topic was "How to buy a house" or "How to grow tulips"?

Surely we would say that this preacher has diverted from the integrity of Scripture and gotten off track. Unless of course you were in the market for a house or trying to grow tulips.

-PST

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

I don't think I have ever sat in on a "self help" sermon that you described, but I know when I started attending church again the sermons I heard as a teenager going to church w/my grandmother had changed drastically!!! Thankfully a change for the better!!! A few years back when I first attended Victory I think it was the untraditional yet interesting sermons that mainly caught my attention, but later on down the line the subject matter got a more serious, more into the heart I think and at first I felt mislead like wow how did this happen I didn’t sign up for this, but then I think the Lord and his word started growing in me because I can look back now and say...man that was just what I needed!!! God is good!!!

Steve Trevino said...

Yeah, i think I like that description.

I have an untraditional yet interesting attention grabbing but more serious later on down line style. :)

Anonymous said...

I dont think that I have ever sat through one of the self help sermons that you described, I remember going to church at a very young age, and it wasnt untill I started going to Victory Family, that, I started understanding the sermons. The HS has talked to me through your sermons.

Anonymous said...

LOL...I hope my comment wasn't taken out of context...I always take your sermons serious...and I love them!! I 'm glad the Lord inspires you to inspire us!!! You deliver Gods word with great conviction and devotion!!!