Roger Sowder

God Can Use You for His Glory!

2011-09-26T13:20:00.000-07:00

In Jared Wilson’s blog The Gospel-Driven Church, he writes about Moses' encounter with God in Exodus 3-4:

1. Who am I to go for you? Never mind who you are. That’s irrelevant.
2. Who are you for me to go for you? I am GOD.
3. What if they don’t believe me? It’s not your accomplishments you’re testifying to, but mine. Here, have some miracles.
4. Me no talk good. I use junk and jackasses all the time.
5. Send somebody else! I’ll send somebody with you, not instead of you.

Jared goes on to make some brief application for us today on how to glorify God.

So now we can make 5 basic assumptions about the way God uses Christians to bring glory to himself. Here are the basic qualifications to be used by God:

1. First, be a nobody.

2. Secondly, don't worry about your accomplishments or ability to persuade: what God has done -- namely, in the historical good news of Jesus Christ -- is a powerful persuasion all its own, and the Spirit will control who it stirs.

3. Thirdly, know God.

4. Fourthly, be unimpressive on your own.

5. Fifth, don't go it alone.

5 Paradigm-Shifting Books

2011-09-26T13:19:00.000-07:00

5 Paradigm-Shifting Books

Michael Horton recommends five influential books that can change the way we think and live:

Athanasius, On the Incarnation of the Word
Luther, Lectures on Galatians
Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion
“The Heidelberg Catechism“
Sproul, The Holiness of God

How Big is Social Media?

2011-03-30T13:51:00.000-07:00

There are so many ways of connecting with each other it can, at times, be overwhelming. Social media is always changing -- from facebook to tweeter, how we interact with others is being driven by the rise of new social media. I recently came across an excellent video by Erik Qualman, Social Media Revolution. It has been recently updated to highlight the growing change in numbers. It is a must watch for anyone wanting to do intentional ministry and have an impact in the kingdom.

http://www.socialnomics.net/2010/05/05/social-media-revolution-2-refresh/

LEADERSHIP

2011-03-29T11:35:00.000-07:00

This is a great blog for becoming more of an intentional leader. This post is a great read: http://michaelhyatt.com/five-consequences-of-a-life-out-of-balance.html

MISSIONS KimyalBible (10minute)

2011-03-29T11:19:00.000-07:00

What a treasure God's Word is! Amazing. Let the whole earth be filled with His glory.

S M Lockridge Preaching - What a preacher!

2011-03-28T15:29:00.000-07:00

Preach the Gospel to Yourself!

2011-03-28T10:05:00.000-07:00

Sometimes we get into a rut by looking at ourselves and our performance more than looking at Jesus and what He accomplished for us on the cross. We all need constant reminders of the gospel.

You hear the phrase, “Preach the Gospel to yourself.” But what’s the actual content of that message that you need to hammer into your head?

Here’s what I’ve been preaching to myself lately from Peter’s first letter --- 1 Peter 1:3-5

There’s a lot in this passage but a couple of things stand out. God has given us a new birth – a new start. And this new birth is anchored in a living hope of the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. And Peter goes on and writes that this new birth also has with it “an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade.” This inheritance is kept in heaven. And God says he is protecting and shielding you.

You don’t need to depend on your position, your prosperity or your promotions – pleasures or popularity. We all run after that stuff because we measure ourselves against others to see how we are doing.

When I put the music to the lyrics of the gospel and start singing about the joy of the Lord – then, I begin to see again what Jesus has already done for me at the Cross. The gospel changes us because the focus is not on what I need to do, but what Jesus has already done for me. The difficult thing is to think less of myself and my performance and more of Jesus and His performance.

It is a thing that is “done.” We must preach the gospel to ourselves at every step – hitting the refresh button a hundred times a day – God has given us new birth. God has set aside an inheritance for us. God has shielded us with His power. Martin Luther put it this way in Lectures on Romans, “To progress is always to begin again.”

Real spiritual growth and progress is daily returning to the fountain of grace and reminding ourselves of all that Jesus has done for us.

Remember: Spiritual growth does not happen by behaving better, but by believing bigger in a big Savior, Jesus and all that He has given to us.

The Gospel Changes Everything

2011-03-28T09:10:00.000-07:00

Lil’ Wayne. Rolling Stone recently interviewed Lil’ Wayne about being in jail. Lil’ Wayne somehow got religion in the slammer! Well, not the whole, real thing with Jesus, grace and faith. But he commented on reading the entire Bible cover to cover for the first time. Yes! I’m talking about Lil’ Wayne.

When asked what he thought about it, he said:

“It was deep! I liked the parts where some character was once this, but he ended up becoming that. Like he’d be dissing Jesus, and then he ends up being a saint. That was cool.”

That’s great! That’s exactly what the gospel does in a person’s life. It’s what it did (and continues to do) in my life! “Some character was once this, but he ended up becoming that.”

Because the gospel of grace changes everything . . .

I was blind, but now I see.

I was lost, but now I am found.

Leave it to Lil’ Wayne to say something so simple, yet so profound. The gospel changes everything!

Encourage Others in Christ

2011-03-23T11:07:00.000-07:00

When you encourage others in Christ – you increase their faith, their passion and their enthusiasm for the kingdom.

Here are some techniques on encouraging others:

1. Ask their advice. Even though you may feel you have the answers to a problem, ask for their help. This shows others that you value their opinion.

2. Sincerely compliment them. You can surely find something to praise someone about. Take the focus off yourself and throw the spotlight on them for a minute. Show appreciation through notes, cards, emails or recognition.

3. Be more willing to listen than to talk. Pay close attention, and show interest in what they are saying. Ask questions, re-state what they shared . . and just keep quiet for a few minutes!

4. Be interested in the person. Ask them about their kids by name. Really ask how things are going at work. Find what motivates them or what they are passionate about -- and then, ask questions and talk about it.

5. Become a good listener. Generally people do not know how to be good listeners. People usually only remember about half of the information they are told. Do you know why? Because often times we are preparing to say what we want to say instead of listening to what is being said.

You've heard about the person that doesn't really listen. It's like the wife that wanted to check to see if her husband was listening to her. One morning, standing in the middle of the kitchen while her husband was eating a bowl of oatmeal for breakfast and reading the paper, she said, "Honey, are you listening? Do you love me?" No response. She stepped closer and repeated the questions. Still no response . . . and by this time, she was getting angry. Finally, she stepped very close to him and almost shouting she said, "Honey, are you listening? Do you love me?"

Putting down the paper and looking straight up at her, the husband said, "For the third time . . . I heard you and I said, 'I love you!!!'"

This Blog . . .

2011-03-23T10:15:00.000-07:00

. . . will focus on writing about things that have an impact in the Church, Family and Ministry.

LEADERSHIP: I was a church-planter for fifteen years developing new churches for the Presbyterian Church in America. I have led a staff for 22 years and have been a part of creative, dynamic and passionate teams. Leadership is about inspiring, motivating and serving those that you lead. I’m a student of leadership. I know good leadership and will be offering some key principles on leadership -- how you can lead your co-workers, your neighborhood and your family.

FAMILY: As I move into the next phase of my ministry I believe that my ministry will have more of a marriage/family focus. The best gift we can give our children is a dynamic, exciting, biblical marriage. The greatest impact we can have with the people we serve and minister to in our churches, neighborhoods and towns is a marriage/family that ministers grace. Is your marriage and family a grace factory where God takes the raw materials of our hearts and transforms them into something beautiful -- and the finished product that comes from you to others is more of His grace?

MISSIONS: I have a passion for missions! I want to be a part of something bigger than myself and play a part in extending God's Kingdom. Don't you? I've been on many missions trips, encouraging missionaries, teaching with missionaries and sharing side by side with missionaries overseas. Missions is the heartbeat of God. His great love from eternity has a purpose and a destiny designed in bring people to Himself. Are you a part of this world-wide movement of God's grace and spirit in Missions?

COMMUNICATION: From my very first message in 1981 to today, I have have loved communicating and teaching the Bible. I am always thinking about creative ways to make my communication more effective. From my experience and study in Communications at Florida State University to my experience in television and banking, I bring a very unique perspective to teaching and communicating biblical truth. As a former church-planter, I have experience connecting with the next generation in biblical and relevant ways. With practical, real-life applications, insights and humor, multi-media and a simple, conversational style, I communicate with a passion the truths of Scripture.

YOU HAVE TO LAUGH AND HAVE FUN!: I love to have fun, laugh and joke around. And for whatever reason, I come across a lot of meaningless trivia and funny stuff . . . and I love sharing it! I love sitting around with good friends and telling stories and sharing funny, real life snapshots.