Wittmer points out that this might not play very well on the Larry King show (click here).
Here is a post that will help you better pray for your pastor(s) and his preaching.
Kevin DeYoung has written about the different sections of the figurative choir that preaching needs to address. This points to one of most challenging aspects of pastoral ministry and preaching. We need to constantly address a very wide range of people.
I’m no expert in preaching, neither in its theory nor in the actual doing of it. But one thing I’ve learned is that there are different kinds of people in the congregation who need to hear different sorts of things. Obviously, no sermon can be all things to all people. We must stick with the theme presented in the text. We must preach within our own personalities. Most of all, we must trust the Spirit to preach a better sermon to each heart than the one we deliver.
But still, there’s wisdom in considering what different segments of the church may need to hear. The Puritans were masters at this, often dissecting the congregation into different categories and applying the word accordingly. Early in my ministry I developed a fourfold schema that has served me well. In every sermon I try to remember that I’m preaching to the weary, the wandering, the lazy, and the lost. You may have different categories, but I find these four helpful for keeping my sermons fresh, relevant, and not too lopsided in any one direction.
The Weary
These faithful saints need compassion and encouragement. They are fighting the good fight, but they are struggling in some way. Maybe their kids are wayward, or the test results were not hopeful . . .
Read the rest here.
How about a True or False question? See if you can get this one right.
True or False, God can do anything but fail?
One more time, True or False, God can do anything but fail?
The answer is “False.” There is a long list of things that God cannot do. Generally, the things that God cannot do all fit into one category; God cannot do anything that is untrue to himself.
Understand, no one or nothing outside of God limits God. But, God is limited by His own character. For instance, God cannot be unholy because God is Holy. God cannot lie, because God is truth and to lie. God cannot be unloving, because God is love.
And, get this. God is just. And, He cannot be unjust. This is very important to understand because the Bible tells us that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. And, because God is just, he cannot and will not overlook sin – - not even one sin.
This means that when we stand before God, he will not allow any to come into Heaven based on their own merit.
So, the most important question for human beings becomes, how can we ever hope to go to be right with God? And, the answer to that question is only through the righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ. Salvation is found only in Him.
How about reading John 3 really carefully today?
For a very limited time, you can order an excellent introduction to Jonathan Edwards at 50% off. Click here.
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A few years ago, I mentioned in a sermon that Jonathan Edwards was the greatest theologian in the history of North America.
I added that given that the historic roots of our church are in New England Congregationalism, this should be of particular interest to our church.
As soon as church was over, someone approached me with an interest in reading Edwards. And, at that point, I hesitated. It was ironic. The guy who had just recommended that our people should know about Edwards paused before recommending a particular book.
My reason for hesitation was that I knew the lady had not read very much theology. And, I also understood that Edwards can be hard to follow. I was concerned that if she ordered something like Religious Affections, that she would quickly be overwhelmed.
Thankfully, my answer would now be different. Owen Strachan and Doug Sweeney have edited an accessible and affordable set of books that will introduce you to the thought of Edwards in a way that is far more accessible than diving directly into one of his books.
Do keep in mind that this sale ends on Monday, August 2.
I suppose it is no surprise that the economy is affecting church staffing. It reminds me again to be so thankful for how God has provided for our church.
When Tim Ryan was called to an urgent meeting last year to discuss his duties as children’s minister at West Shore Evangelical Free Church, he knew something was amiss.
"This is really hard. I don’t know how I can do this," said executive pastor John Nesbitt, who helps lead the 2,500 attendee megachurch in Mechanicsburg, Pa.
The church, part of the Evangelical Free Church of America, had been growing rapidly but giving was down and well below projections as the recession weighed on members. So Mr. Ryan was losing his job, as was another pastor.
While the economy appears to be recovering from the worst downturn in generations, more clergy are facing unemployment as churches continue to struggle with drops in donations. In 2009, the government counted about 5,000 clergy looking for jobs, up from 3,000 in 2007 and 2,000 in 2005.
Church staff are feeling the pinch, too. In an October survey, about one in five members of the interdenominational 3,000-member National Association of Church Business Administration said they had laid off staff amid the recession.
The official unemployment rate among clergy sits at 1.2%, far below the national average jobless rate, but layoffs can be particularly painful for ministers. Churches aren’t subject to unemployment taxes, so laid-off employees can’t collect the benefits available to other workers.
HT: CT
Usually when Stillman Valley makes the news, it’s relative to high school football. But, a recent Christianity Today article used our church and town to illustrate a point about community. In the CT article referenced below, there was even a picture of our church.
Collin Hansen, the author of this article, is the author of Young, Restless, Reformed: A Journalist’s Journey with the New Calvinists
In Switzerland, our family quickly missed our community. We were only there a day or two before our children were dreaming about a hamburger at the Royal Blue (our restaurant in Stillman Valley – - seen in the picture). Keeping up with people on Facebook has its place. But, it just isn’t the same as eating a hamburger and a piece of pie while people you known wander in.
In light of how much we love our town, it was a particular blessing to be part of an article that Collin Hansen wrote for Christianity Today. You’ll find an except below, including a reference to the Valley.
The front porch is back. A growing number of buyers are asking for designs that include the iconic hometown amenity, according to Chicago Tribune interviews with building contractors. Front porches provide families and friends with a place to gather while they keep an eye on the kids. By facilitating small talk, they build local community. And local community is no small accomplishment with so many reasons to stay inside and watch television, surf the Web, or play video games. The front porch’s comeback suggests that some people have found no suitable substitute for knowing their neighbors. . .
. . . As my car cut through corridors of corn on the way to Stillman Valley, Illinois, I noticed a surprising sight over the horizon: vapors emitted by a nuclear plant. The farming in this part of the country is good, but the plant provides much-needed jobs for several small towns in north-central Illinois.
Pulling into town with 20 minutes to spare, I was surprised to see an early-arriving crowd walking toward the Congregational Christian Church of Stillman Valley, more commonly known as the Red Brick Church. Eventually, about 200 of the town’s 1,000 residents filled the pews on a cool summer morning as Pastor Chris Brauns preached about the covenant-making ceremony in Genesis 15.
Read the rest here.
A recent NPR article surveys the rapid spread of Christianity in China. It concludes:
China’s Christians are pushing back the boundaries, and the authorities don’t seem to know how to respond. Recent reports say some leaders of larger unofficial churches are harassed and persecuted and their congregations are prevented from meeting in their previous places of worship.
But in this rural part of China, these young missionaries are operating without hindrance.
After their performance, they climb into a trailer pulled by a tractor, which will take them to their next destination. They are intent on saving souls, one village at a time.
China’s youth once trundled across the countryside spreading communism. Now, they’re spreading God’s word.
See also, D.A. Carson – - How can God allow suffering and evil in the world? and Piper, “When you hug those who are suffering, you need a place to stand.”
Matt Chandler is a young pastor with a brain tumor. There is much to learn from this video.
Zach Nielsen gives these quotes from the video:
“Lauren asked the doctor, ‘what’s best-case scenario and what’s worst-case scenario?’ He said: ‘Best-case scenario is that God heals you… worst-case scenario, honestly, is that you get killed in a car wreck on your way home today.’
“He was the first one to say to me out loud, ‘nothing’s really changed for you – you just get to be aware that you’re mortal. Everyone is, but they’re just not aware of it. The gift that God’s given you is that you get to be aware of your mortality.’
“So if this goes bad for me, if my MRI scan shows that … I have a short amount of time, I can talk to my wife, talk to my children, shoot videos… most guys who die in their 30’s kiss their wife goodbye in the morning and never come home. … At least once a year, for the rest of my life, I get the anxiety of ‘am I going to hear today that I only have a couple years to live?’ … It is a gift.”
HT: Z
Psalms are a wonderful place to get your soul into a “happy state.” This summer, I have been memorizing Psalm 65. The Psalm shows us how we can experience joy when we meditate on how both the power of God and the goodness of God are seen in His creation.
George Mueller was a 19th century pastor who had a great passion for orphans. You can read more about George Mueller on the Desiring God site.
Below is one of his most famous quotes in which he describes the first priority of his daily routine.
I saw more clearly than ever, that the first and great primary business to which I ought to attend every day, was to have my soul happy in the Lord. The first thing to be concerned about was not, how much I might sere the Lord, how I might glorify the Lord; but how I might get my soul into a happy state, and how my inner man may be nourished . . . I saw that the most important thing I had to do was to give myself to the reading of the Word of God and to meditation on it. George Mueller of Bristol
