Preparing for corporate worship: Tim Challies to preach

“For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, ‘Abba! Father!’” (Rom. 8:14-15). We will gather this Sunday as fellow adoptees. As I understand it, Paul uses the word “sons” here to refer not to males but to Christians who have an inheritance like sons at this time. We are all adopted, and yet we all have an inheritance. We have all the riches by virtue of a Sovereign God choosing to adopt us into His family and become a tenderly loving and dear Father to us. From what I understand, “Abba” was the name a small child in this part of the world called his father. It would be like us saying, “Daddy.” May we recognize as we meet together this Sunday we were all spiritual orphans who were rescued by the eternal Father, and may we give Him the glory in adoration, thanksgiving, humble confession of sin, and intercession for one another.

In corporate worship this Sunday, we will have the privilege of hearing Tim Challies preach. His family and he plan to worship with us Sunday, and he was kind enough to agree to preach.

Tim is associate pastor of Grace Fellowship Church in Toronto, an author of three books, co-founder of a Christian publishing company, editor of a book review website for Christians, and a greatly respected blogger. In fact, his blog is one of the most influential on the web for evangelical Christians. I have checked on it regularly, usually daily, in recent years. His spiritual discernment is a great aid to many. You may access his blog here.