TwelveTwelve: The Leader Blog of North Wake Church

Where is Church Planting in the Bible The majority of Christians I meet like the idea of church planting conceptually but would never give serious consideration planting one themselves. One reason many Christians do not more readily consider planting churches is that they are unable to pinpoint a biblical foundation for church planting. They simply do not know the Bible commands Christians to start new churches. Church planting is important because the church is important Farming matters because food matters. Hospitals matter because people matter. Church planting matters because the church matters. Not everyone sees it that way, though.

When Jerry and I first moved to this area, we were about a year into our marriage. Like many young couples, we thought it would be a great idea to get a puppy. Being poor and firm believers in rescue pups, we headed to the Wake County Animal Shelter. We walked the aisles and saw many pups that could have come home to be part of our family, but long story short, instead of leaving with one puppy, we brought home two full-grown collies, whom we promptly named Lady and Bootsie. They were the most amazing dogs, and though

Read: Romans 5:1-11 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. 6 For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For one

For the Ones Who Cannot Rest Read: Romans 4: 13-25 13 For the promise to Abraham and his offspring that he would be heir of the world did not come through the law but through the righteousness of faith. 14 For if it is the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs, faith is null and the promise is void. 15 For the law brings wrath, but where there is no law there is no transgression. 16 That is why it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his offspring—not only to the adherent of the law

Justification by Faith Alone: An Old Testament Truth Read: Romans 4:1-12 What then shall we say was gained by Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh? 2 For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. 3 For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.” 4 Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due. 5 And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness, 6 just as David also speaks of the blessing

Read: Romans 3:21-31 21 But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— 22 the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. 26 It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that

He Helps Us Want the Path of Peace Read: Romans 3:9-20 9 What then? Are we Jews any better off? No, not at all. For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin, 10 as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one; 11 no one understands; no one seeks for God. 12 All have turned aside; together they have become worthless;  no one does good, not even one.” 13 “Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive.” “The venom of asps is under their lips.” 14 “Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.” 15 “Their feet are swift to shed

One of our hopes for these meditations is that they would be a preparation for our hearts for the sermon on Sunday.  The sermon this week is on Romans 3: 1-8, a rich, complicated passage that, frankly, gave me quite the battle as I attempted to narrow its meaning down to a page or two.  But embedded in that passage is a verse from Psalm 51 (verse 4), and that Psalm is where I decided to land for a moment.  I pray this look at David’s prayer will open us up to Paul’s words.  See you on Sunday.  Psalm