Kevin DeYoung has a great blog post about the not-so-glorious task of being a faithful church member versus choosing the more en vogue, but less biblical path of setting out on your own and seeking to change the world through radical action.  Here’s the first paragraph:

It’s sexy among young people — my generation — to talk about ditching institutional religion and starting a revolution of real Christ-followers living in real community without the confines of church. Besides being unbiblical, such notions of churchless Christianity are unrealistic. It’s immaturity actually, like the newly engaged couple who think romance preserves the marriage, when the couple celebrating their golden anniversary know it’s the institution of marriage that preserves the romance. Without the God-given habit of corporate worship and the God-given mandate of corporate accountability, we will not prove faithful over the long haul.

Read the rest here.

Here is a great quote from D.A. Carson on prayer in Luke 18, which we’ve been studying recently in our sermon series on Luke:

By itself, of course, this parable could be taken to mean that the longer and louder one prays, the more blessings one gets—a kind of tit-for-tat arrangement that Jesus himself elsewhere disavows (Matt. 6:5-15). But the last verse (18:8) focuses the point: “However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?” The real problem is not with God’s unwillingness to answer, but with our faithless and lethargic refusal to ask.  (D.A. Carson, For the Love of God, Vol. 1. March 4)

If you want to read more from Carson, this quote is taken from a devotional that he wrote, titled For the Love of God, Vol. 1.  Each day’s devotional reading is posted online at this blog or you can download the entire book for free by clicking here.

That’s what Jesus says in this Sunday’s passage, Luke 18:18-30 — the story of the rich, young ruler. Despite his riches and religious accolades, the story ends with the man going away sad, confused, and lost. Jesus then tells the disciples that rich people getting saved is about as easy as shoving a fat camel through the eye of a needle.

Invite a friend this Sunday as we talk about how God does the impossible.

Here’s a little something to encourage those of you who fight depression about owning a mini-van. At DSC, I bet we could go toe-to-toe with about any church for most mini-vans per capita. And then we have that runner-up demographic of twenty-somethings with one or two kids, still resolved to never give into the sliding back doors and three dozen cup holders. If that’s you, take a look at your inevitable future.

HT: 22 Words

We just wrapped up Clarus ’10 with Wayne Grudem and Randy Alcorn. The theme was “Between Heaven and Earth” and touched upon various topics such as, suffering, heaven, business, ethics, government, and economics. The audio for the eight different sessions, including two Q&A sessions, is now online (for free). If you weren’t able to attend some or all of the sessions, let me encourage taking the time to listen. Some good, helpful, thought-provoking stuff!

• Business for the Glory of God: The Bible’s Teaching on the Moral Goodness of Business, with Wayne Grudem
• The God Who Brings Good Out of Bad: Suffering, Evil, and the Promise of Heaven (Rom. 8:14ff), with Randy Alcorn
• Business Ethics: Working, Buying, and Selling according to God’s Moral Standards, with Wayne Grudem
• Investing in Eternity: Financial Stewardship and Eternal Rewards, with Randy Alcorn
• Panel Discussion 1, with Randy Alcorn and Wayne Grudem
• The Bible’s Solution to World Poverty: 50 Factors within Nations that Determine Their Wealth or Poverty, with Wayne Grudem
• Panel Discussion 2, with Randy Alcorn and Wayne Grudem
• Keep Your Heart with All Vigilance (Prov. 4:23), with Wayne Grudem (Sunday AM service at DSC)