Last weeks selection of links worth checking out…

Top 5 Commentaries on The Gospel of Luke

Tim Keller On "The Prodigal God"

The C D E's of Preaching

A Little Bit of Comfort for Machen's Worrier Children

How to Begin a Commentary Collection

Thoughts on Reading the Psalms

Essential Reading Curriculum: Church Youth & Parents

Romans 7: A New Life in the Spirit

10 ways not to measure success

Fruitfulness of Plodding

Top 5 Commentaries on the Book of Numbers

A Word To The Calvinist: Arminians Are People Too!

Quick and Dirty Calvinism

Liberating Ministry from the Success Syndrome

But then I have to count all of people I've met who don't know they have someone to call on. Some seem more than fine, and some seem very lonely. By loving them, we can give them a taste of God's awesome, unfailing and unconditional love.

A lot of people have heard of Jesus, but don't want anything to do with him because people try to force Christ on them and eventually push him out of reach.

Spreading God's love is so much more effective. It has changed and won over lives. By loving instead of preaching, we can help so many more people. Pretty soon, counting the number of people who are saved will be like stars.

That day is coming, and I just can't wait for it.

Why, you may wonder, why are you so pleased and proud as can be?

No need to wonder for long, I'll tell you- in fact, I'll tell the world. In fact, I am, in a sense, telling the world- but you knew that, and you – what's that? Oh, yeah, get to the point.

I am the proudest father in the world today, because my son Jeremy, at 20, just preached his first sermon. Yes indeed, he did. He's been toying with the idea for a long time now, (long in 20-year-old years), about going to Seminary, and studying for ordination in the Episcopal Church. Well, it's been long for us, too, because we've known this for him, about him, and with him, from the first stirrings.

A couple of years ago, before he left home for his first year of undergrad work, he approached our Rector, basically saying, “I think I'm going to go to seminary.” This is the same rector that I approached as well, when I wandered in and said “I think I'm supposed to be a priest.” Apparently, this runs in our family- my brother the already-ordained-minister would not be too startled, I don't think.

Anyway- Jeremy has known this was calling to him for a long time, and has spent the intervening time studying as any college student should, learning about life and love and grades and long-distance relationships and beer and phone home and how to do the laundry. In short, a pretty typical kid, doing very well in school but not so focused he's not fun, either.

So this summer, as he was casting about for employment (cuz I can't cover the full load for four years, much as I wish I could), an opportunity came up that was God's answer to prayers. We had, in our church, been planning on hiring an assistant this year; due to timing, some circumstances with the diocese, and the graduation cycle at the seminary, it wasn't happening. However, it was proposed to our Vestry that our Rector be allowed to hire a summer intern, instead- and he (the rector) felt that Jeremy would be the perfect choice, if Jeremy was willing to serve in this way. Oh, was he ever!

He's been busy, following the Rector's daily routine, meetings and phone calls, pastoral visits and baptisms, assisting at services, helping to plan our summer mission trip. He was involved in Judy's funeral, and in planning for an upcoming wedding.

And, he's been scheduled to preach, twice this summer; today, being the first of the two occasions.

There's something very weirdly incredibly powerful, about sitting in the pews of the church I love so much, watching a normal service underway- until, that is, your own kid, your very own little boy climbs up to the pulpit and begins to speak.

He Was Awesome.

The only way I can describe it, from my point of view anyway. Did you know that my kid was that cool, that he could preach about Rebekah and Isaac and Abraham and the Slave that went to find Rebekah? Well, trust me, he's that cool, he did a great job. Don't even have to take just my word for it- I was told, many many times, after the two services, that he did a terrific job and how proud I can be of him.

Naturally, I agreed, because I am terrificly proud of him. And, know what else is really neat? He's not soo big, that this afternoon, in the winding down, the post-game-stress-relief, so to speak- he can still fall asleep curled up on my bed next to me, as we're talking about it, and he just drifted off.

So, he's still my little boy, and I think I like that part, too.

Some of my backslidden friends came and visited who i haven't seen for years and were crying even in their seats. We laid hands on almost more than a 100 people and the power of God fell and delivered many which was awesome to see. 

For future reference, I need to work on structuring my message and sermon better. If there is anyone who can help me in this area, I would appreciate it tremendously. Please drop me an email or comment on this post!

Well, that is it, I am tired and hungry. Going to bed.

In His Love

Leon du Preez

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"I may not have many more opportunities of preaching, and I make up my mind to this one thing, that I will waste no time upon secondary themes, but when I do preach it shall be the gospel, or something very closely bearing upon it.  I will endeavour each time to strike under the fifth rib, and never beat the air.  Those who have a taste for the superfluities may take their fill of them, it is for me to keep to the great necessary truths by which men's souls are saved.  My work is to preach Christ crucified and the gospel, which gives men salvation through faith. I hear every now and then of very taking sermons about some bright new nothing or another.  Some preachers remind me of the emperor who had a wonderful skill in carving men's heads upon cherry stones.  What a multitude of preachers we have who can make wonderfully fine discourses out of a mere passing thought, of no consequence to anyone.  But we want the gospel.  We have to live and to die, and we must have the gospel. Certain of us may be cold in our graves before many weeks are over, and we cannot afford to toy and trifle: we want to see the bearings of all teachings upon our eternal destinies, and upon the gospel which sheds its light over our future."

- Charles Haddon Spurgeon, The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit Vol. 28 (1882) (Carlisle, PA: Banner of Truth, 1971), 200.

No man can give the impression that he himself is clever and that Christ is mighty to save. (James Denny, from The Supremacy of God in Preaching, John Piper.)

Laughter seems to have replaced repentance as the goal of many preachers. Laughter means people feel good. It means they like you. It means you have moved them. It means you have some measure of power. It seems to have all the marks of successful communication - if the depth of sin and the holiness of God and the danger of hell and need for broken hearts are left out of account. (John Piper, The Supremacy of God in Preaching, p. 59)

This message was preached by Pastor Tony Bazen on June 4th.

Click on the title above to listen to the message.  Right click and select “save target as” to save file to your computer or your mp3 player.

This message was preached by Pastor Tony Bazen on June 10th.

Click on the title above to listen to the message.  Right click and select “save target as” to save file to your computer or your mp3 player.

This message was preached by Pastor Tony Bazen on June 10th.

Click on the title above to listen to the message.  Right click and select “save target as” to save file to your computer or your mp3 player.

Matthew 18:1-35

This is the fourth of five sermons which Matthew records of those which Jesus preached. The first is the Sermon on the Mount chapters 5-7; the second is in chapter 10 which is the the Commissioning of the Twelve; the third was the Parables of the Kingdom; now the fourth which is the Sermon on a Childlike faith.

There are five qualities of humility which we see in chapter eighteen:

I. TRUSTING THE LORD BECAUSE WE HAVE NO RESOURCES OF OUR OWN (vv. 1-5).

II. HARMING OR OFFENDING ONE OF THESE HUMBLED ONES IS A SERIOUS OFFENSE (vv. 6-9).

III. CARING FOR THE OFFENDED ONES AS A SHEPHERD DOES HIS SHEEP (vv. 10-14).

IV. DISCIPLINE AND RECONCILIATION OF AN OFFENDING OR OFFENDED BRETHREN (vv. 15-20).

V. THE HUMBLED CHILD; A FORGIVEN CHILD; A FORGIVING CHILD (vv. 21-35).

-Tim A. Blankenship

While graduation speakers, usually the highest ranking student in the class, may put more time into their valediction, the words, like endings on a letter, are quickly forgotten; few remember what a validictorian said, or whether you ended your letter with a "sincerely yours" or a "very truly yours."

Having said that, it may seem strange that I am preaching on the valediction which Paul gave in his letter to the Ephesians.  After all, he has stopped teaching and it is just a "goodbye."  Well, in the "old days," it seems that a goodbye was a real valediction.  So, we will actually spend some time looking at how Paul says goodbye.  I think when we are done, you will see that it was much more than a ";sincerely yours."

1) We can avoid these topics entirely.

Many preachers select this option. They say things like, "Controversy has no place in the pulpit." This attitude is somewhat understandable, yet irresponsible. Christians cry out for guidance regarding the controversial subjects. Therefore, the church must not remain silent.

This path is the path of the coward. Preachers must not be cowards.

2) We can preach one view dogmatically.

In this case, if preaching on predestination, for example, the preacher adopts a dogmatic Calvinistic position (or a dogmatic Arminian position) and preaches his position with great boldness and great passion. I believe that this is to misuse the pulpit, which as John Stott says is for "the exposition and application of God's Word, and neither for the ventilation of private opinions, nor for the pretension that we have the infallibility of a biblical prophet and apostle." Furthermore, this is deceitful because it gives the congregation the impression that there is only one view for Bible-believing Christians to hold, which is certainly not the case.

This path is the path of the prideful. Preachers must never be prideful.

3) We can present the differing views and do so humbly.

This, I believe, is the best solution by far. First, the preacher should expound with courage and clarity the biblical precepts which are plainly revealed in God's Word. Secondly, the preacher should summarize fairly the different views which Bible-believing Christians might hold, along with arguments used to buttress each conclusion. Next, the preacher should certainly feel free to indicate which position he holds as his own and why. Finally, the preacher should leave the congregation free to study the Scriptures for themselves and make up their own minds.

The brothers immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea, and when they arrived they went into the Jewish synagogue. Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so. Acts 17:10-11 (ESV)

For more information on this subject, pick up a copy of Between Two Worlds, by John Stott.

"If the text is in the driving seat then the purpose of the text in the context is the purpose of the text in my congregation."

"All good preaching is dialogical."

1. We need to have Confidence in the Word Preached

In Colossians 1:28 Paul's pastoral aim is to "present everyone perfect in Christ." Only verses earlier, however, the apostle expounds how he will do this. Paul will "present the word of God in all its fullness" (Colossians 1:26). The only way to present our people perfect in Christ is to first present the word of God to them.

Jackman's contention was that perhaps the main reason we don't have confidence is simply laziness. Preaching is hard work, or in the words of Paul, "laboring" and "struggling." "If you don't want to work hard" Jackman said, "don't go into the ministry."

2. We need to have Diligence in our Preparation

David Jackman recommended four stages by which he prepares sermons in around 8 hours. He did confess however, to having done some of the commentary legwork three months in advance!

i) exegesis (2 hours) - what does the text actually say?
ii) exposition (2 hours) - what does this text mean? what is its significance?
iii) strategy and structure (2 hours) - how can I best put this sermon together?
iv) writing up your notes (2 hours)

3. We need to have Expectation that is borne out of prayer

With this, Jackman no doubt struck a nerve with all preachers present: "If we're honest, we spent a lot more time in the preparation than in the praying."

You can check out the simply excellent website of Dr. White by hitting up www.aomin.org or just scrolling down and clicking the link in my sidebar. [I like James White...he's smart LOL]

if the medium so effects the content of what is being communicated, and in television it certainly does, does PPT have a similar effect on the content of preaching? i have certainly heard preachers (i should say i have seen) use PPT and preach. (i have seen some not use PP and not preach, but that is beyond the scope of these questions). what i am wondering about are those that use PPT and seem to have trouble preaching because of it.

here are a couple of observations: 

topical preaching (of the superficial sort) existed long before power point. but PP seems to have given topical preaching new life. together they give too much power to the preacher to formulate his own agenda. his listeners absorb everything he says (and nothing he won't or can't) because it must be true, after all there are four easy points and they all start with T.

instead of scripture being brought to bear on us, the power point presentation is. but we have too much control over how that comes to us. in other words, we have a much greater ability to cast the message in the light that suits us. we can use soft colors and goofy fonts. we can use cheesy clip art. we can use a slow dissolve fade out to illustrate what life is like without God. we can leave our bibles at home, because everything we need is on the screen.

which leads to another observation: we are used to being told what to do, buy, think and a host of other things from a screen. PP functions the same way. only Scripture should be given this place among God's people.

PPT can hide laziness in study. "don't sell the steak, sell the sizzle."

one more: ESPN, CNN all do it better. its not, i don't think, because they are better technicians. it is because they have invested millions of dollars into equipment. rather than try to do a poor imitation of that, if we are going to use it, it should be simple, unassuming, unobtrusive. if the text does not want to go into a PPT presentation don't try to force it. 

what do you think?

Since March 28 (when I began using this type of journal), I have written just over 130 pages in my 240-page Moleskine. How has this helped my walk with Christ in general and my sermon preparation specifically?

1. I begin reading the text from which I shall preach devotionally. Journaling helps me to read the passage personally so the Word can soak into the fabric of my being. If I expect my people to come before God in his house and soak in the Word being preached, I must put myself before God beforehand so his Word will soak into me. This practice of journaling has really transformed this. I am not merely reading the Bible so I can get 'stuff' for my sermon. I'm seeing what Howard Hendricks notes in his book Living By the Book that Bible study is for life-change. With this, I am fully engaged in the "so-what factor" -- I always leave room in my entries to seek God in apply His Word, i.e., application, i.e., the 'so-what factor.' "This is what the Bible says? Great! So what?" I am able to prayerfully brainstorm some implications.
2. I think better with pen and paper than I do in front of a computer. In a post at another blog I run, I noted: "Speaking of Moleskine: I am hooked, and I have Joe Thorn to blame for it. I was a Mead Composition Notebook guy, but found that the paper, the wide ruled nature of the layout, and the ease with which it falls apart made me begin to look for other options. So, I tried a Moleskine, and now I love it and am hooked on journaling, especially when it comes to sermon preparation. I find that if I write out my research in this journal rather than type it out on a computer, I absorb the content a bit more and the sermon becomes more personal to me as well."
3. It's portable. I do laptops, but dude are they a burden to carry, especially around an airport. But, if I need to travel and do some sermon preparation, I take my ESV Personal Size Bible, my Large Ruled Moleskine Notebook, my Large 18-Month Moleskine Planner, my Zebra F-301 0.7 mm fine point pen, photocopies of sections of commentaries from which I will be preaching, stick them in a manila envelope, and I am set. Then, when I get to a computer, I can just start typing.
4. It actually helps my penmanship. Computers not only hinder my thinking, but also kill my penmanship. I am just stunned at how sloppy my writing became.
5. It leaves a legacy. For more on this, I would recommend reading through Don Whitney's Simplify Your Spiritual Life. He notes that in 100 years, your relatives may not know about you at all --- except if you journal.

Do any of you journal as part of your sermon preparation? If so, what are some methods you use? We can always learn from each other.

- Teaching Bible classes
- Preaching sermons
- Home Bible studies
- Following up and visiting with visitors
- Visiting hospitals and nursing homes
- Weddings and funerals
- Prayers
- Counseling
- Elders meetings
- Organizing
- Office management
- Changing the church sign
- Mission trips
- Helping to lift the other end of something heavy in the middle
   of the day when everyone else is working
- Arranging tables and chairs in the fellowship room
- VBS
- Keeping the directory updated
- Delivering groceries to the needy
- Unload trucks after hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, etc
- Answering the questions people ask
- Radio program
- Cleaning the church building
- Eating BBQ with the guys at the "Shed"
- Keeping the website updated
- Picking up church kids when they get sick at school
- Changing the batteries in the wireless microphones
- Going to camp in the Summer
- Mowing the church lawn
- Loving your wife and children
- Preparing power points
- Cleaning the baptisty
- Making, printing and folding the bulletin
- Working the room and eating last at potlucks
- Meeting the plumber at the church building
- etc. etc. etc.

The list is actually longer but some are already recoiling at this list. I tend to over simplify things but ministry to me boils down to our determined yet feeble efforts to, "love the Lord our God with all our heart... soul... mind and... strength... and... love our neighbor as our self."

When preaching becomes a profession it turns into a job description. Preachers then decide that there are things that are not a part of their "job". The "ministering servant" morphs into the "ministering executive." Obviously no one can do all of the things in the list and at the same time do half of them well. Preachers have often been asked to fill way too many shoes at the same time. While that is an issue to be dealt with the greater issue is whether the preacher is willing to wear whatever shoes needing to be worn in order to love God and neighbor, and thereby build the Kingdom of God here on planet earth.

Our hero once said, "do just as I have done to you." Not after he had preached to hundreds and thousands. Not after having calmed a raging storm or walked on water. But after He had washed the feet of proud ministers who thought such service was beneath them.

Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going back to God, rose from supper. He laid aside his outer garments, and taking a towel, tied it around his waist. Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples' feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around him. He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, "Lord, do you wash my feet?" Jesus answered him, "What I am doing you do not understand now, but afterward you will understand." Peter said to him, "You shall never wash my feet." Jesus answered him, "If I do not wash you, you have no share with me." Simon Peter said to him, "Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!" Jesus said to him, "The one who has bathed does not need to wash, except for his feet, but is completely clean. And you are clean, but not every one of you." For he knew who was to betray him; that was why he said, "Not all of you are clean."
When he had washed their feet and put on his outer garments and resumed his place, he said to them, "Do you understand what I have done to you? You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you. Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.   John 13:3-17

It horribly skews the meaning of the cross when contemporary prophets of self-esteem say that  the cross is a witness to my infinite worth, since God was willing to pay such a high price to get me. The biblical perspective is that the cross is a witness to the immensity of the sin of my pride. What should shock us is that we have brought such contempt upon the worth of God that the very death of his Son required to vindicate that worth. The cross witnesses to the infinite worth of God and the infinite outrage of sin. (John Piper, The Supremacy of God in Preaching, p. 35)

Actually there are two kinds of occupations. One occupation, in the material world, is sense gratification, and the other occupation is spiritual activity — to satisfy the Lord by His glorification. Those who engage in sense gratification are called demons, and those who spread the glorification of the Lord or satisfy the transcendental senses of the Lord are called demigods.
sb.3.22.2

While it is necessary to have this sense of discrimination that I should be associating with this person for my spiritual well-being whereas I should be giving this person my association for their spiritual well being, I think it is imperative to understand the proper mood by which to make these distinctions. Having a negative, hateful attitude towards non-devotees is beneficial for no one. Of course we have to feel some sort of disdain for sense gratification to affirm why we made the choice to fight against sensual urges and attempt to pursue self realization.  Yet at the same time we need to always be in the mood of compassion, in the mood of wanting to bring everyone out of the dark well of material life and into the blissful realm of Krishna consciousness.  In the words of Jesus, "hate the sin not the sinner."

In order to do this we must have compassion and the transcendental vision to understand this person is a spirit soul, a former inhabitant of Goloka Vrndavan who due to taking a turn down the wrong path has come here and lost their way back home.  We have to be willing to look past the externals of the situation. LIke when we are out on sankirtan and approach someone who is drunk, or smoking, or not-very conservatively dressed, or is eating something abominable etc. Instead of condemning this person we have to focus on whatever good we see in them even if its just the fact they are a spirit soul and try and help them get back on the right path. We have to hate the disease this person has yet love the diseased in the sense of wanting to bring them back to health.

I'm not speaking this because I have fully realized or practice this, but merely because I am aspiring to do this and can attest to the benefits of one doing this. Vaishnava compassion has touched my life in many ways. The first example I ever saw of this sort of compassion and unconditional love was from my beloved Spiritual Master.

When I came to this movement, I was not very clean in my habits. I had 3 out of the 4 regulative principles down, but the no intoxication one did not sit well with my lifestyle. I was a hippy, what can I say? As a member of the counter culture generally speaking intoxication, especially ingesting hallucinogenics, was seen as a path towards enlightenment, towards opening doors which are once opened can never again be closed. I do believe that these experiences led me to where I am today in the sense of making me fed up with material life, to understand that drugs don't lead to any permanent realizations or spiritual elevation  and to open my mind up to hear other viewpoints and seek ancient knowledge in sacred texts. Is it a pre-requisite for anyone coming to Krishna consciousness to go down the experimental path which I traversed?  Absolutely not. In fact I wish I had some idea of what moderation was at the time and could have understood the adverse affects ingesting these substances have on ones physcological well-being in the future.

Anyway the point is that even though at the time of my beginning to chant Hare Krishna and read Srila Prabhupada's books I did not even think of marijuana as an intoxicant it was just part of the daily life right beside eating and sleeping,  still my spiritual master encouraged me to practice Krishna consciousness. He never told me , " You're nonsense, you must give this up to be a devotee."  No doubt he made me aware of the regulative principles and encouraged me to come up to proper standard but, never did he condemn me or my behavior. By his love and his guidance, he made me want to come up to the proper standard. I wanted to please him.

I still remember one thing he said about my drug use namely, " this  is not required for spiritual advancement" . He also relayed that by doing this I am calling death very near. Never did he bring out the fifth canto and tell me , "if you continue to do this you are going to go straight to Hell and suffer in this way." He always acted out of compassion and to this day that is what keeps me here. The fact that until meeting His Grace Sriman Sankarshan das Adhikari, I had never experienced real unconditional love, compassion and felt that someone cared for me so much. Its hard to describe but I think perhaps those of us who have taken shelter of another devotee can relate to this feeling and if you haven't experienced this I encourage you to seek out a devotee and take shelter so you will know what I am talking about. One simple way to do that is to go to www.backtohome.com and experience first hand that which I have.

Anyway the point of my writing this is really just to say that we have to spread the love which has brought us here to where we are today. We have to learn to see everyone as "future devotees" as  His Grace Vaisesika Prabhu and countless others have show us by their example.

Hare Krishna.

Taking the theme, the Word, the idea or concept and then allowing it time to ruminate within. It's a fine balance between making sure it's what God wants to say and not what I think God wants to say. Maybe there is a set formula, something I should be doing - if there is can someone let me know.

I like to see the whole thing in front of me so I can see the journey that the series will take people on. That is vital. So, plenty of plain paper, lots of scribbles of thoughts, ideas, stories and verses attached to the theme or main areas within it. It's difficult to explain but I guess as long as it makes sense to me.

I then carry that stuff with me all the time, chewing over it, praying over it, making the message part of me, talking it out loud - goodness knows what people driving by me think. Doing this gives me time to get Gods view on what is in my heart to share. I am of the opinion that if what I am going to preach is real to me, then it helps me connect with those who will hear it and it makes it more real to them.

Preaching is not about me - its about equipping people with the right tools to walk their Christian life well, wherever they do life. This series on the Words of Jesus (see previous post) is going to be amazing but with a series like this, the burden of responsibility has already begun to kick in - bringing the right word, making it relevant to peoples circumstances whilst challenging them too, speaking the truth and allowing God to have His way.

Update: getting excited about delving in the Red Letters - the Words of Jesus. It's interesting to think about what His words are full of, how they challenged when they were first heard and continue challenge today.