ClearNote Church of Indianapolis - For if the war-horn gives out an uncertain note, who will get ready for the fight? 1 Corinthians 14:8

Helpful Quotes About Prayer

Joseph Bayly — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 15:21:05 +0000

These quotes come from "The Hidden Life of Prayer" by David M'Intyre. Let them be an encouragement to you to learn to "pray without ceasing". (With thanks to Malorie.)

"The Lord filled me with desire, and made me feel that I must be as much with him alone as with souls in public."

"I should count the days, not by what I have of new instances of usefulness, but by the times I have been enabled to pray in faith, and to take hold upon God."

Marriage Is Greater Than Love

David Abu-Sara — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 15:15:38 +0000

"‎Love is a temporary madness. It erupts like an earthquake and then subsides. And when it subsides you have to make a decision. You have to work out whether your roots have become so entwined together that it is inconceivable that you should ever part. Because this is what love is. Love is not breathlessness, it is not excitement, it is not the promulgation of promises of eternal passion. That is just being "in love" which any of us can convince ourselves we are. Love itself is what is left over when being in love has burned away, and this is both an art and a fortunate accident.

Education That "Makes a Difference"

Joseph Bayly — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 03:03:14 +0000

When we see people harming themselves, we normally split into two groups. Some of us think they must be dumb. The rest of us think they simply haven't been educated enough. Whichever camp you fall into, you tend to think the same way about all self-destructive behavior. Quick, what does a drug addict need? What does a man need who has a miserable home-life because he works too much? What does the man who can't hold a job down because he's always drunk need? What do Africans who are sleeping around and getting AIDS need?

Muslims Persecuting Christians

Joseph Bayly — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 16:24:07 +0000

Here is an excellent article outlining the mounting danger of being a Christian in any Muslim country. Some people are shocked that this "religion of peace" would ever lead people to perform such violent acts of intolerance. Others point out that similar things have been done by those who claim to be Christians in the past. But rarely do you see a news article simply outlining the facts as they currently stand, country to country.

A Conference On Pastoral Care

Joseph Bayly — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 17:20:50 +0000

The upcoming ClearNote Pastors' conference is going to be on pastoral care. I'm very much looking forward to attending, and I would encourage all pastors and elders who can to attend. It is one month from now, February 23-24, and the cost is only $50.

Should Christians Get Vaccinated?

Joseph Bayly — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 21:05:24 +0000

I was listening to a Christian radio station today as I drove. (It's a long story.) Anyway, there was a talk program on. It soon became clear that the topic was raising children, and the author being interviewed was describing how to handle angry outbursts like throwing toys down the stairs, slamming doors, etc. He was explaining the importance of finding out what your child is feeling in order to determine why they behaved in that way. Rather than discipline them for the wrong behavior, find out why they behaved that way and help them to evaluate whether their response was good.

I Didn't Raise My Daughter to Be a Wife and Mother!

Joseph Bayly — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 17:18:59 +0000

This sad, anti-Christian refrain is repeated over and over by Christian parents of Christian college students, attending Christian churches with Christian grandparents firmly nodding their heads in agreement. Of course, rarely is it worded so clearly. But the truth will out, as God has promised, and sometimes in desperation, these parents come right out and say what they mean.

So let me ask a question. What exactly did you raise her to be? A beach ball. A dog. A frog. A log. A poodle. A noodle. A doodle. (Bob, would you please leave?)

Praying for God's Mercy on the United States

Joseph Bayly — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 18:57:23 +0000

Earlier this month was the 10 year anniversary of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. As I drove to church that morning, a man was standing on a bridge over I-465, holding a huge flag. He was still there when I drove back home from church. I saw one church that had filled its lawn with American flags. The rallying cry became, "We will never forget."

Homeschool Blindspots

Joseph Bayly — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 18:52:19 +0000

Joshua Harris (yes, that one so memorably connected with a certain book about kissing, er, I mean dating), has posted an excellent article written by Reb Bradley about temptations faced by homeschooling parents. It certainly is perfectly tailored to homeschoolers, but every father or mother in the country would benefit from reading this article, regardless of whether their children are homeschooled, public schooled, private schooled, or out of school. And if you aren't a parent yet, but you might be someday, then you'll benefit too.

Why Marriage?

Joseph Bayly — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 20:03:03 +0000

This is a sermon that I preached at a wedding early this year. I've never had as many people angry at me as I did after the ceremony. But I also had a number of people come up to me and thank me profusely. It has always been the case that the preaching of God's word causes division. And now, the sermon.

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Quarterly Newsletter

Joseph Bayly — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 16:53:19 +0000

One of my failures in the last year has been regular communication, especially with those who are supporting our work financially and in prayer from outside of Indianapolis. In an attempt to remedy that, I've created an email list that is for everybody who wants to keep up with what we are doing. Right now I'm shooting for sending out a quarterly newsletter by email. If you would like to receive it, please sign up here.

Libertarianism Comes Home to Roost

Joseph Bayly — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 21:19:54 +0000

Are you a card-carrying member of the Republican party? The Democratic party? The Libertarian party? The answer to this question doesn't just determine what you think the government should do. Your personal political thoughts also impact your home life as well. This is because both of them are governed.

The F-word

Joseph Bayly — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 17:36:29 +0000

Let's assume for a second that you are reading about a movie, trying to decide whether to let your son go watch it with all of his friends. You find that part of the reason it got a higher rating was because of profanity. Now what do you do? Either you say, "Well, at least it isn't nudity. I guess you can go." Or you go to the parental guide on IMDB or some similar site to find out ...

David Abu-Sara ordained

Joseph Bayly — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 16:01:50 +0000

This past Sunday evening, at ClearNote Church in Bloomington, David Abu-Sara was ordained to the work here in Indianapolis as an evangelist. We have been looking forward to this for some time, and it is a great joy to be able to share the news with those of you who might have missed it.

Calvin, Election and Assurance

Joseph Bayly — Sat, 04 Jun 2011 15:52:56 +0000

Calvin was well aware of the struggles that many people have with election. Most common is the objection, "But that's not fair!" That is not my concern this morning, as it is commonly dealt with elsewhere. Less frequently discussed is the fear that this doctrine sometimes produces in Christians who wonder, "Am I one of the chosen? Did God pick me for salvation, or do I just wish He had."

Commenting on Acts 13:48, "... as many as had been appointed to eternal life believed." Calvin says:

Sermon Not Recorded (5/15/2011)

Joseph Bayly — Sat, 21 May 2011 19:03:14 +0000

The recorder we use works fine... when it is present. :)

The Gospel Is Hidden? And This Is Good?

Joseph Bayly — Thu, 12 May 2011 18:35:26 +0000

In his speech to the nation about the killing of Osama bin Laden, President Obama thanked the men who carried out the operation. Fitting, certainly. What I found fascinating was this response by a commenter on the Huffington Post:

"Good speech, but I'm not overjoyed about the instance of sexist language. ("We give thanks for the men who carried out this operation. ..") I know he doesn't MEAN anything by it but a little vigilance would be nice." --Anannya

read more

Osama bin Laden Is Dead

Joseph Bayly — Tue, 03 May 2011 20:18:05 +0000

A few days ago, President Obama announced to the world "that the United States has conducted an operation that killed Osama bin Laden, the leader of al Qaeda, and a terrorist who’s responsible for the murder of thousands of innocent men, women, and children."

Justice permeated the speech.

"We were also united in our resolve to... bring those who committed this vicious attack to justice."

"I... authorized an operation to get Osama bin Laden and bring him to justice."

read more

Standing in the Gap: Pleading With God

Joseph Bayly — Tue, 03 May 2011 18:27:59 +0000

This post is long-overdue, but the topic has also been on my mind a lot lately. Ezekiel 22:30 says, “I searched for a man among them who would build up the wall and stand in the gap before Me for the land, so that I would not destroy it; but I found no one." We have a number of examples in the Bible of men who stood in the gap before God, pleading with Him to have mercy on His people.

Easter Service Moved!

Joseph Bayly — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 02:33:42 +0000

We had a minor setback this last week, and found out that we would not be able to meet in the YMCA on Easter Sunday. So with some quick planning, we've found a new location and changed the time. We will be meeting in a park for our service, and we will have a picnic right afterwards.

On Good Friday we will be going out in the neighborhoods around the park, inviting people to join us on Sunday. Please pray that God would use this service to call people to him, and that the weather would be nice.