Man, These Are Great Lyrics!

You know, there are just not many people writing songs with as theologically adept words as there used to be. Joseph Hart wrote many wonderful hymns, but I was just listening to IG's version of, "Come, Ye Sinners" while I was studying and was arrested by this verse again:

Come, Ye Sinners (Jordan):

"Let not conscience make you linger,
Nor of fitness fondly dream;
All the fitness He requireth
Is to feel your need of Him.
This He gives you, this He gives you,
'Tis the Spirit's rising beam."

There is such wonderful hope in the Gospel!

Benedictions...

A few years ago I developed a strong urge to incorporate a final benediction into our meetings for corporate worship at Grace Fellowship Church. This had never been a part of my ministry, probably out of reaction to some of the rote renditions I had lived under in the past.

It is now a great joy to me to speak one of these blessings over the sheep allotted to me each week. It is exciting to read them with meaning and to bless my people with the very words of Scripture.

I got to wondering. Do you have a benediction at church? And are there any we have missed on our list?

Just reading this list will bless you...

The Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you;
the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.

Now to him who is able to strengthen you
according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ,
according to the revelation of the mystery that was kept secret for long ages
but has now been disclosed and through the prophetic writings has been made known to all nations,
according to the command of the eternal God,
to bring about the obedience of faith
— to the only wise God be glory forevermore through Jesus Christ! Amen.

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing,
so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.

May the God of peace be with you all.

The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.

Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling
and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy,
to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord,
be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority,
before all time and now and forever. Amen.

And my God will supply every need of yours
according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.
To our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen.

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brothers. Amen.

Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable,
always abounding in the work of the Lord,
knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ
and the love of God
and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit
be with you all.

Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

Peace be to the brothers, and love with faith,
from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Grace be with all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with love incorruptible.

And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. To our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen.

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.

May the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all... so that he may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints.

Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely,
and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.

May... our God may make you worthy of his calling and may [He] fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith by his power, so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace, comfort your hearts and establish them in every good work and word.

Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in every way. The Lord be with you all.

The Lord be with your spirit. Grace be with you.

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.

Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.

Peace to all of you who are in Christ.

Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.

Lady Jane Grey and Reformation Day

For the first time in my annual Reformation Day series I am going be delivering a biographical sketch of a woman. Having already taught on Calvin, Luther, Zwingli and Hubmaier, I thought it would be great to see what role women played in this movement of God.
A month or so ago I emailed my friend Michael Haykin to ask his suggestion on who that study should be on. His reply? "Oh Lady Jane Grey. No doubt about it."
So I did what you are about to do and ran over to Wikipedia to find out who that was!
After lots of reading I cannot wait to share her life with the folks at GFC on Sunday night. I will try to post the paper here afterwards if I can. I have a terrible time posting Word files to this blog though.

For My Friends in Louisville, Kentucky

Williams Syndrome Web Watch: Louisville Benefit for Williams Syndrome Association:

"'Check your diets at the door and enjoy a sampling of 10 desserts to raise funds for the Williams Syndrome Association. The all-day benefit will be from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Thursday at Sweet Surrender Dessert Cafe in Crescent Hill.

Williams Syndrome is a rare genetic disorder characterized by physical and developmental disabilities. It occurs in about one out of every 7,500 births.

During the day a 10-inch cake and other prizes will be raffled, with proceeds to benefit the association.'"