it's okay to plod...

Sanctification is a process—an extremely slow process—for us all. Comprehending truth, applying truth, mortifying indwelling sin, cultivating the fruit of the Spirit—it’s a process that usually takes place by small increments over a lifetime. Normally, people don’t grow dramatically as the result of a single sermon or sermon series.

CJ Mahaney, SG blog, Ordinary Pastors, Part 8

God changes lives..

God is present in power in the church, changing lives and enabling an obedience that would otherwise be unattainable. The Holy Spirit is not a theological abstraction but the manifestation of God’s presence in the community, making everything new. Those who respond to the gospel have entered the sphere of the Spirit’s power, where they find themselves change and empowered for obedience.

Richard B. Hays, The Moral Vision of the New Testament (T & T Clark, 1997)

HT:OFI

Love the Church because Christ Loves the Church

I thought this post by Josh Harris about loving the church was a good follow up to Peter Privitera's message Remain this past Sunday and the exhortation to love others.

We should love the church because Christ loves the church and because Christ loves the church, we can turn and ask for help to love the church.

Plodders are Revolutionary

Here is an excellent article by Kevin DeYoung about the "Glory of Plodding" in the local church.

Kevin also has a great message at Next 2010 about the church. You can listen to it here.