Living Christ's Presence: The APTAT Approach to Faith

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In our journey of faith, we often grapple with the question of how to live a life that is not merely human but infused with the divine presence of Christ. This is especially true when it comes to preaching, which is an act of worship and a spiritual endeavor shaped by the Holy Spirit. [00:00:14]

Living the Christian life means finding a way to live so that it's not you who live, but Christ who lives, and he makes the link, the life I live, I live by faith. So somehow by trusting Christ in his word, Christ becomes the one who lives in and through my faith-driven life. [00:01:32]

By the grace of God, I am what I am, and his grace towards me was not in vain, but I worked harder than any of them, nevertheless, it was not I, but the grace of God that was with me. I worked harder than anybody, it wasn't me, it was the grace of God with me. [00:02:19]

Admit, I admit I can't preach, I can't breathe, I can't feel, I can't think, I can't save, I can't sanctify, I can't reconcile, I can't heal, I can't bring back any prodigals, I can't do anything of any eternal value here that I want to do, period. [00:05:14]

You pray, what do you pray for? Changes from Sunday to Sunday, some things change, some things don't. God, in 30 seconds I'm going to be up there, and I ask now that you would give me fullness of your Holy Spirit, fill me, give me boldness, give me humility, give me love for this people. [00:06:23]

Trust, and I don't mean vague trust in a good God, which he is and we should feel it. I mean specific trust in a particular promise, and you need to find promises that you store in your mind that are perfect for this moment. Fear not for I am with you, be not dismayed. [00:08:03]

He who did not spare his own son, but gave him up for us all, will he not with him freely give us all things? Now here's why that promise is so precious always, including right now five seconds before I go to preach, because it makes the fulfillment of all the promises dependent on the blood shedding of Jesus Christ. [00:09:21]

I admit, can't do anything, I pray for what I need, I trust a specific promise, and now I have arrived in the pool, I'm going to act, I'm going to talk, and if God is merciful in answering my prayers, I will not think much about John Piper in the next 45 minutes. [00:11:12]

You act, trusting a spirit of trust, but your mind is totally engaged in this subject matter and those people. You're looking into their eyes, you're looking into that reality, and you are thrilled with the conjunction of that moment. These people are hanging on that reality, and you deliver. [00:12:53]

You thank God, you thank him that you're alive, you're breathing, you thank him that you didn't have a meltdown, you thank him that he's going to do something with that message. So A-P-T-A-T, aptat 30 seconds before I go up to preach, has been my strategy for trying to act the miracle of preaching. [00:13:34]

I worked harder than anybody, it wasn't me, it was the grace of God with me. That's what we have to take into preaching, so we say I didn't do that, I did it but I didn't do it. How do you do that? Well, I mean, what's the process of experiencing that? [00:02:37]

Let him who serves serve in the strength that God supplies so that in everything God will get the glory through Jesus Christ to whom belongs the dominion forever and ever. So three passages that describe the Christian life as being lived and yet not being lived, being us and yet not being us. [00:03:04]

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