October 17, 2024
Love for the Word Empowers Preaching
When it comes to preaching, our effort begins and ends with drawing near to God and his Word so he can speak through us with a message that is so much more than we could ever create on our own.
Articles for tag: Hebrews 4:1
‘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. . . .
March 8, 2021
Mar 14 | Application
David Faust writes: Awe is a stepping-stone toward wisdom. “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge” (Proverbs 1:7).
February 22, 2021
Feb 28 | Application
By David Faust In August 1960 I had a close encounter with John F. Kennedy. It happened during a family vacation to Washington, D.C. I was 6 years old and JFK was a senator running for president of the United States. Our country was less security conscious then; there was easier access to government leaders. I was standing with my parents and my brothers on the steps outside the Capitol when JFK walked out. I still have a photo that shows one of my older brothers and my dad listening while Senator Kennedy chatted casually with the group standing there.
February 27, 2019
Preach the Word: How to Embrace Biblical Preaching in the 21st Century
By Chris Philbeck In âThe Urgency of Preaching,â Southern Baptist Theological Seminary president Albert Mohler begins by asking, âHas preaching fallen on hard times?â The August 28, 2017, blog post goes on to talk about the centrality of preaching in the New Testament church and whether or not that has been diminished in a day when, using Mohlerâ™s words, âsome contemporary preachers now substitute messages intentionally designed to reach secular or superficial congregationsâmessages which avoid a biblical text, and thus avoid a potentially embarrassing confrontation with biblical truth.â Some have called this âneeds-based preaching.â And some promote needs-based preaching as
October 12, 2018
God’s Grace to Make Decisions
E2: Effective Elders Blog Editor’s Note: Each Friday we publish a new blog post from our partners in ministry, E2: Effective Elders. We publish it here simultaneous to E2’s posting on their site. The leaders of E2 write an article for our print and online magazine every month as well. Those articles are full of wisdom and practical help for elders. Please check them out! _____ By Dick Wamsley I was beginning my eighth year as dean of students and professor of pastoral care at Nebraska Christian College. The college was in the first phase of a leadership transition. The president
February 27, 2018
Proclaiming His Death
By Dick Wamsley “For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes” (1 Corinthians 11:26). TCM (Taking Christ to Millions) is an international training institute in Austria, where theological graduate students from countries in eastern Europe, Russia, the Middle East, and central Asia converge for concentrated study to help them reach their people for Christ. One student at the institute describes how the church he serves in one of those closed countries observes the Lord’s Supper each week. The adults meet at an appointed time each week at a restaurant for
September 26, 2017
When Truth Speaks
By Shawn McMullen “Demetrius is well spoken of by everyone””and even by the truth itself. We also speak well of him, and you know that our testimony is true” (3 John 12). We don”t know much about the disciple named Demetrius. He”s mentioned only once in the New Testament, in John”s third letter. Some suggest he was the courier who delivered John”s letter to Gaius, but that”s speculation. We do know one thing about him. He enjoyed a good reputation among his brothers and sisters in the church. John described him as “well spoken of by everyone.” It seems everyone
December 14, 2016
God Understands
By Jim Tune A friend of mine has a daughter who struggles with an eating disorder. His friends are sympathetic, but found it hard to understand. One day he attended a support group for fathers of children with eating disorders. I”m not alone anymore, he thought. These people know what I”m going through. They didn”t have to say a word. He felt understood and validated. If you”ve ever gone through a hard time””and I know you have””then you know how helpful it is to find others who have been through the same thing. God, of course, is not like us.
July 15, 2016
Bring It to the Table
By Nancy Karpenske “Bring it to the table.” You might hear the phrase in any one of several settings. A project manager where you work might say, “Bring it to the table.” He means you have an idea or a concern that should be examined and discussed. Until a problem is “brought to the table,” it can”t be solved. The Lord”s table is a safe place. You can bring your messiness and brokenness. You can bring your problems and worries. One of the most comforting descriptions of Jesus (although originally offered as a criticism) was, “He eats with sinners.” Sometimes
June 2, 2016
Moving from the Method of Meeting to the Mess of Meeting
By Susan Lawrence Encouragement for anyone who sometimes finds church a troubling place. If we insist on avoiding the messiness, we may miss the greatest blessing. Let us think about each other and help each other to show love and do good deeds. You should not stay away from the church meetings, as some are doing, but you should meet together and encourage each other. Do this even more as you see the day coming. If we decide to go on sinning after we have learned the truth, there is no longer any sacrifice for sins (Hebrews 10:24-26*). Encouraging each
November 30, 2015
Lesson for December 6, 2015: The Lord’s Day (Exodus 20:8″“11; 31:12″“16)
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 November 29 issue of The Lookout magazine, and is also available online at www.lookoutmag.com. ______ By Mark Scott A certain workaholic said, “Thank God it”s Monday.” But even the most aggressive workaholic needs rest. Out of eternity God carved time and made days, weeks, months, seasons, and years. Habit is a great liberator””learning the rhythms of God gives proper pacing to our lives.
December 12, 2013
‘Happy Incarnation Day’
By Matt Proctor Your theology of the incarnation matters. It affects how you view your body, your problems, your ministry””and your celebration of the holiday before us. Your theology of the incarnation matters. Santa Claus thought so. Saint Nicholas, the bishop of Myra in Asia Minor in the early fourth century, is the historical basis for the Santa myth. Born to a wealthy family, Nicholas used his entire inheritance to help the poor, sick, and children in need. Stories of Saint Nick describe him saving young women from slavery, providing grain in a famine, and sparing innocents from execution. It”s
February 14, 2011
Breathing Space in the Spiritual Journey
By Jan Johnson I felt the pressure building as I griped at my son for breaking his lunch box. A few days before, my husband, Greg, had been laid off for the third time, and every time something broke or wore out I felt my tightly bound panic cut loose. I needed to quiet myself before I heaped more shaming, unfeeling words on my family. I felt drawn toward my bedroom, so I finished preparing lunch and slipped on to my bed””not to sleep, but to pull out an untidy spiral notebook and spread my grief before God. God, I”m
December 23, 2007
“˜Carols” for any Season of Suffering
By Matt Proctor Max Lucado tells of Mrs. Smith, an elderly widow who loved her parakeet Chippy. His songs brightened her lonely days. One day while vacuuming, Mrs. Smith noticed Chippy”s cage was dirty. Opening the little door, she inserted her vacuum hose . . . when the phone rang. As she turned to pick up the phone, the hose shifted slightly and””slurp!””sucked poor Chippy down into the sweeper”s bowels. Horrified, Mrs. Smith dropped the phone, tore open the sweeper bag, and dug through the dirt until she found the now-brown little feathered lump. Chippy wasn”t breathing, so she did
October 28, 2007
How Should We Celebrate?
By Bob Russell About These Articles This article and its companion, “How Should We Celebrate?,” are excerpted fromBob Russell”s closing sermon at the North American Christian Convention in Kansas City, July 6. Bob reviewed the biblical examples of celebrating what God has done, and then he highlighted some of what God is doing among us today.   First, celebrate the past but don”t dwell on the past. Over the years I watched a number of people become a part of Southeast Christian Church in Louisville who would say, “This is a breath of fresh air. I dropped out of church because it
