Saturday, September 1, 2012
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
Amazing
The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.
~Psalms 19:1
When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him? ~ Psalm 8:3-4
Praise him, sun and moon, praise him, all you shining stars! ~ Psalm 148:3
~Psalms 19:1
When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him? ~ Psalm 8:3-4
Praise him, sun and moon, praise him, all you shining stars! ~ Psalm 148:3
For the eyes of the Lord
move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose
heart is completely His. ~ 2 Chronicles 16:9a
Monday, July 23, 2012
Preaching...
Preaching has to be one of the toughest, most complicated, difficult areas of full time ministry. Not only do you have members from your congregation who don't approve of how you do things, but the spiritual warfare from outside the church has to be outrageous as well. In case you read this blog and choose to think I’m attacking pastors let me tell you up front that’s not true. I understand that God clearly calls men from all walks of life to communicate His gospel to people everywhere.
So here's where I get confused. A couple of years ago I spent a few days in Orlando at the Southern Baptist Convention’s Pastors Conference. No I’m not a pastor but it was open to the public and the lineup of preachers was pretty phenomenal. In two days I listened to 12 different speakers, and left wanting to move overseas and adopt an entire village of orphans. Maybe that’s a little exaggeration but the speakers were great and I left motivated to proclaim the Word. The speakers preached wonderful, challenging sermons to a convention center filled with thousands of preachers.
On the way home I was talking with a buddy of mine and something came up that I haven’t been able to forget. Why is it that our most gifted communicators travel the country week after week speaking to millions of people who already know Jesus?
I know that sounds extremely arrogant so please try and ignore the feeling to punch me in the face and listen to the root of my point. It seems to me that a preacher in America has arrived at the pinnacle of success when they are being fought over to preach at conferences, cruises, weekend retreats, conventions, seminaries and other churches. We advertise these events based on which dynamic speaker we were able to bring in, and 90% of the time these events are filled with people who already know Christ. When a preacher get's really popular we even create conferences based on which preachers can be there and what they can bring to the table. It just seems so weird to me and I'm not sure I can find that model anywhere in scripture.
I remember sitting at the convention and thinking I wish they could broadcast this all over Orlando for everyone to hear. I wish these guys could go to India and Africa and use their God given gifts to preach to the unreached people groups of the world. And better yet I wish just a small percentage of the men in America who feel called to preach would preach in areas that have the most need or have never heard. But sadly that doesn't happen very often.
No, I'm not against conferences. It's exciting and convicting to hear great communicators share the Word of God. I'm also not against preachers using their gifts to encourage, challenge, and proclaim Christ to His followers because clearly that is a fundamental aspect of the church. All I'm saying is that churches need people who will speak truth from the pulpit, but the nations need men who are called to preach that same truth as well. Preachers who are willing to use their gift in unfamiliar territories and in dangerous situations for the sake of reaching those who have never heard.
It's amazing to think that every single word in Scripture was breathed by God to men and recorded for all of us to read. Not just those placed in charge of leading our churches but those sitting in the pews as well. Every man (or woman) of God has complete access to the Spirit of God as well as the Word of God. What more do we need in order to be made complete and equipped for every good work. The word work in this verse is referring to the work of the Father and is used over 150 times in the New Testament. It is also the same word used by Jesus in John 17:4 in the holiest prayer ever prayed, I glorified You on the earth, having accomplished the work which You have given Me to do.
Obviously our work is very different from that of Christ but ultimately our work is tell the world about His work. My prayer is that we will all be able to stand before the throne one day, give Him thanks for His sacrifice, and say with confidence that we accomplished the work he gave us to do. Maybe the real question is not so much why do our most gifted communicators travel the country speaking to people who already know Jesus, but why don’t we all spend more time sharing with those who have never heard?
So here's where I get confused. A couple of years ago I spent a few days in Orlando at the Southern Baptist Convention’s Pastors Conference. No I’m not a pastor but it was open to the public and the lineup of preachers was pretty phenomenal. In two days I listened to 12 different speakers, and left wanting to move overseas and adopt an entire village of orphans. Maybe that’s a little exaggeration but the speakers were great and I left motivated to proclaim the Word. The speakers preached wonderful, challenging sermons to a convention center filled with thousands of preachers.
On the way home I was talking with a buddy of mine and something came up that I haven’t been able to forget. Why is it that our most gifted communicators travel the country week after week speaking to millions of people who already know Jesus?
I know that sounds extremely arrogant so please try and ignore the feeling to punch me in the face and listen to the root of my point. It seems to me that a preacher in America has arrived at the pinnacle of success when they are being fought over to preach at conferences, cruises, weekend retreats, conventions, seminaries and other churches. We advertise these events based on which dynamic speaker we were able to bring in, and 90% of the time these events are filled with people who already know Christ. When a preacher get's really popular we even create conferences based on which preachers can be there and what they can bring to the table. It just seems so weird to me and I'm not sure I can find that model anywhere in scripture.
I remember sitting at the convention and thinking I wish they could broadcast this all over Orlando for everyone to hear. I wish these guys could go to India and Africa and use their God given gifts to preach to the unreached people groups of the world. And better yet I wish just a small percentage of the men in America who feel called to preach would preach in areas that have the most need or have never heard. But sadly that doesn't happen very often.
No, I'm not against conferences. It's exciting and convicting to hear great communicators share the Word of God. I'm also not against preachers using their gifts to encourage, challenge, and proclaim Christ to His followers because clearly that is a fundamental aspect of the church. All I'm saying is that churches need people who will speak truth from the pulpit, but the nations need men who are called to preach that same truth as well. Preachers who are willing to use their gift in unfamiliar territories and in dangerous situations for the sake of reaching those who have never heard.
It's sad, but even as I write this I'm convicted that I share in
that same responsibility and rarely do I act as if I do. At the end of the day
if we are born again followers of Jesus Christ then we are all filled with the
same Spirit of God. If we listen to His commands and allow Him to speak through
us then we are just as capable of sharing the Word as someone who’s been to
seminary and preaches every week. I’m not quite sure why but as members of the church we tend to leave
the duties of sharing the gospel to the pastors, elders and deacons. In
reality it is a required part of every believer’s walk with Christ and it is of
utmost importance that we understand the task. I like what Paul writes in 2
Timothy 3:16-17 when he says, All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching,
for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of
God may be complete, equipped for every good work.
It's amazing to think that every single word in Scripture was breathed by God to men and recorded for all of us to read. Not just those placed in charge of leading our churches but those sitting in the pews as well. Every man (or woman) of God has complete access to the Spirit of God as well as the Word of God. What more do we need in order to be made complete and equipped for every good work. The word work in this verse is referring to the work of the Father and is used over 150 times in the New Testament. It is also the same word used by Jesus in John 17:4 in the holiest prayer ever prayed, I glorified You on the earth, having accomplished the work which You have given Me to do.
Obviously our work is very different from that of Christ but ultimately our work is tell the world about His work. My prayer is that we will all be able to stand before the throne one day, give Him thanks for His sacrifice, and say with confidence that we accomplished the work he gave us to do. Maybe the real question is not so much why do our most gifted communicators travel the country speaking to people who already know Jesus, but why don’t we all spend more time sharing with those who have never heard?
Romans 10:14-15
How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!"
How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!"
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