‘Preaching with No Regrets’
Most every preacher will tell you they have a certain number of regrets in their life when it comes to ministry. I certainly do. But I don’t want to have any regrets when it comes to preaching. . . .
Articles for tag: Charles Spurgeon
March 1, 2021
God Does Not Change
Trying to understand God is like swimming underwater to the deepest part of the ocean and back to the surface with one deep breath. “It is a subject so vast, that all our thoughts are lost in its immensity,” said Charles Spurgeon in The Immutability of God. “[It’s] so deep, that our pride is drowned in its infinity. But while the subject humbles the mind, it also expands it.” When talking about and studying God, I have found one of his characteristics more comforting than all of the others: God does not change. We call this attribute immutability. This means
September 22, 2020
5 Lessons from a Flea
By Megan Rawlings The Black Death was caused by bacterium and was initially spread by fleas. Starting in Asia (most likely), it spread to Eurasia and North Africa in the mid-1300s, and eventually the plague killed up to one-quarter of the world’s population in about four years. At least 100 million people died. And to think, it was spread by a pest barely visible to the eye. I will spare you the details, but the symptoms of this virus were devastating, and death usually occurred only weeks, sometimes days, after the first symptoms. It was not uncommon for the ill
May 1, 2020
Lessons from the Bonsai Tree
By Megan Rawlings I have always wanted a bonsai tree. The whole concept absolutely fascinates me. Unfortunately, I was born with a black thumb. When I enter a greenhouse, the plants lean away from me, scared for their lives. It’s so bad, a friend once asked me to come to their house to touch their grass so it would stop growing. OK, so I am not a farmer, but it did not stop me from researching bonsai trees. When You’re Planted in a Small Container Bonsai is an umbrella term for small trees—not dwarf trees—that are clipped and tied in
March 15, 2020
Missionary or Imposter?
By Megan Rawlings “When was the last time you invited someone to church or shared the gospel with them?” The question hung in the air. I was only 20 when I was asked this, but I had been a Christian long enough to know I should have had a quick answer. However, as I stood in front of the pastor who posed the question, I sadly could not remember the last time I had told someone about salvation through Jesus. I was humiliated. I, like most Christ followers, had allowed life in general to suck up all my free time. I
February 6, 2020
We're All in This Together
This article acknowledging the contributions of “denominationalists” received much positive feedback from readers in the weeks following its publication 55 years ago. _ _ _ Our Debt to Denominationalists By James G. Van BurenFebruary 6, 1965; p. 9 We are, much more than we sometimes realize, indebted to denominationalists. By “we” I mean those of us committed to the Restoration ideal, who delight in designating ourselves as “undenominational” and as “Christians only.” By “denominationalists” I mean those who have not been aware, as far as we know, of the sinfulness of denominational divisions and who would be considered by us
June 13, 2016
Lesson for June 19, 2016: The Day of Joy for the Remnant (Zephaniah 3:9″“14, 20)
Dr. Mark Scott wrote this treatment of the International Sunday School Lesson. Scott teaches preaching and New Testament at Ozark Christian College, Joplin, Missouri, and has held preaching ministries in Missouri, Illinois, and Colorado. This lesson treatment is published in the June 12 issue of The Lookout magazine, and is also available online at www.lookoutmag.com. ______ By Mark Scott Have you ever considered God in the role of a tailor? He knows about making something out of remnants””and so did the prophet Zephaniah. Jeremiah, Habakkuk, and Zephaniah formed the triad of prophets whom God used to prepare his people for Babylonian captivity. But way before
December 24, 2012
Have a Mary Christmas
By Victor M. Parachin Although Mary, the mother of Jesus, became an important focus of theology and piety in the history of Christianity, she is seldom mentioned in the New Testament. Mary is never mentioned explicitly in the New Testament letters, and only once each in the books of Acts and Mark. She is involved in two stories in the Gospel of John, but the writer never identifies her by name. Yet, in Luke”s account of Jesus” birth, Mary is a bright and shining star. Luke writes eloquently about the character and strength of Mary, suggesting Mary”s words and actions
August 5, 2012
Surviving Ministry Means Knowing Ourselves
By Rob McCord I believe the pastoral ministry is one of the most exhilarating and rewarding ways one can spend a life. It is an honor and a thrill, an adventure and a delight, full of amazing highs and irreplaceable glimpses of God at work. However, upon entering ministry, I completely lacked understanding of the pain that would accompany it. Pastoral ministry carries with it the potential of psychological, emotional, and even spiritual trauma. It can be dangerous. The statistics regarding pastoral burnout and failure are staggering. The pain and anguish that so many pastors endure is heartbreaking. These servant
July 13, 2012
How Shall We Face the Future?
By Mark A. Taylor “Refreshed in the Future” was Bob Russell’s sermon topic at the closing session of the North American Christian Convention in Orlando, Florida, Friday morning, July 13. And even though he’s a little skeptical about predicting the future, he observed that “one sure way to get attention” is to try. But in spite of future predictions that have not come true (By the 21st century we will will have colonies on the moon) and those that have (Automobiles will be guided by satellite systems), he reminded us of one thing we do know: American culture is growing
February 20, 2011
Keeping Christ at the Center of Our Sermons
By Matt Proctor “This is a great sermon,” said my friend as he handed me the CD. “You”ll enjoy it.” My friend knows me well: I”m a sermon junkie. I love to listen to great preaching. I immediately recognized the preacher”s name on the CD, a well-known minister within our movement who leads a strong, evangelistic church. On my next car ride, I popped in the CD””a message from the Song of Songs. The sermon was clearly tied to the text and packed with great illustrations, appropriate humor, and practical advice for a marriage relationship. When the CD was over
October 27, 2010
Read a Book!
By Matt Proctor I love books. As a kid, I read everything””westerns, science fiction, Laura Ingalls Wilder, and J.R.R. Tolkien. Most kids think Disneyland is “the happiest place on earth,” but for me it was the public library. I was such a bookworm that, when I got in trouble at home, my parents would ground me . . . from reading! It wasn”t until I enrolled at Ozark Christian College that I discovered reading books could actually be a spiritual discipline. Growing up, books were entertainment””a way to feed my imagination, but I had never considered that the right books
October 16, 2005
2005 NACC: President’s Message, “Journey to the Presence”
By Howard Brammer Three regional conferences instead of one national gathering were history-making events for the North American Christian Convention. There has been, and there will continue to be much evaluation of this experiment. Attendance, offering, speakers, flow of the service. And occasionally at a North American there are couple of comments about the music. But the true evaluator and the most important one is this: Did God show up? Did we encounter the Presence of the living God? After bringing the Israelites out of Egyptian bondage, Moses was concerned about the Presence of God. He had a face-to-face encounter
