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Posts Tagged with Preaching

When Those Who Preach Don’t Know God

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Today (October9, 2014) at 5 p.m., mountain time, we will know what the courts will say in regard to Idaho’s defense of marriage. In the mean time I’ve received messages like this in response to my calling the church (Eastside Baptist) to prayer.

“OK, well in my place of worship my pastor fully supports gay rights. I’m a bisexual Christian I married a man when I was 19 and that man cheated on me and divorced me and with man or woman I’m happy and God is happy to call me his child and is proud that I spread love throughout the state.. So keep your rude remarks to yourself.. Same sex is here to stay and God is proud of his same sex children.”

When I’m in conversation with someone that goes here I recognize immediately that this person has found a church that will make them feel good about their sin. But the greatest tragedy in this conversation is when she said… “in my place of worship my pastor fully supports gay rights.” As a result of that kind of apostasy, the people begin to assert other lies about God being proud to have practicing bisexuals spread love throughout the state.

She has great capacity to spread love throughout the state as a converted repenter, no longer in the practice of depravity. When the grace of God rests on a persons life it is the result of a costly grace. Few people want to submit to that kind of grace, they want a cheap grace that doesn’t call them out of the sin they are in.

I don’t doubt that she believes what she’s saying. There is little doubt she is passionate about her belief, more so than many professing conservative “Christians”. The problem is that it is a belief based on lies.

In his sermon “Backsliding”, Richard Owen Roberts says:

“The religious leaders had joined the backsliding hosts. The priests failed to ask, “Where is the Lord?” Those responsible for handling the law did not know God. The pastors also transgressed against the Lord, and the prophets joined the forces of Baal. Thus, all the religious leaders engaged in activities totally devoid of spiritual benefit.”

7 “I brought you into the fruitful land
To eat its fruit and its good things.
But you came and defiled My land,
And My inheritance you made an abomination.
8 “The priests did not say, ‘Where is the LORD?’
And those who handle the law did not know Me;
The rulers also transgressed against Me,
And the prophets prophesied by Baal
And walked after things that did not profit.
Jer 2:7-8 (NASB)

Preachers, be sure this Sunday, when we speak the oracles of God that we don’t spew a spiritual poison that makes our hearers twice as fit for hell as we would be for such blasphemy.

Three Minutes To Get Their Attention

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DirectMailMail targeted to pastors is among the most interesting advertisements I get. Likely because I’m a pastor. It is interesting how direct marketing really is direct. I just received an advertisement claiming that “70% of people give a preacher 3 minutes or less to get their attention.”

Wow, that’s a lot of pressure.

It’s possible that’s true. I don’t find any science data to back up this claim, but if it’s true, what should I do? Show a clip from a popular movie? Tell a story? Give every one in the audience a $5.oo bill? Or maybe as Martin Luther was once pressured to tap a good barrel of beer so people would come with all their hearts and hear?

I suppose every public speaker should give careful consideration to how they speak. I want to be a clear communicator and help the listener hear and engage with God. But not as a circus leader.

On to the better news of this direct mail… If it only takes three minutes to get their attention, it won’t matter if I preach for 45 – 50 minutes this coming Sunday.

I like Luther’s reaction to people pressuring him to give them what they want… “The gospel is like unto the rain which, falling upon a river, produces little effect; but descending upon a dry, thirsty soil, renders it fertile.”

 

COBAJUVE: Jesus is Enough

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I’m looking forward to laboring with these brothers at West Valley Baptist Church in the SLC area for the next three days. If you are in the area I would enjoy seeing you. Registration begins at 10am, I speak at 1:15pm on Thursday. Again on Friday and Saturday morning.

COBAJUVE

the Foolishness of Preaching

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Living in a day such as ours, preaching seems like such a silly thing to do when there are far more winsome ways (in our eyes) to win souls. Will the word of God be changed for us? May it not be so.

“Dear brethren, if we are going to win souls, we must go in for downright labor and hard work. And, first we must work at our preaching. You are not getting distrustful of the use of preaching, are you? (“No.”) I hope you do not weary of it, though you certainly sometimes must weary in it. Go on with your preaching… preacher, stick to your preaching. In the great day, when the [master-roll] be read, of all those who are converted through fine music, and church decoration, and religious exhibitions and entertainments, they will amount to the tenth part of nothing; but it will always please God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. Keep to your preaching; and if you do anything beside, do not let it throw your preaching into the background. In the first place preach, and in the second place preach, and in the third place preach…

…Why, there is no end after all to the power of the tongue! Look at the power of fire, a single spark might give a city to the flames; even so, the Spirit of God being with us, we need not calculate how much, or what we can do: there is no calculating the potentialities of a flame, and there is no end to the possibilities of divine truth spoken with the enthusiasm which is born of the Spirit of God. Have great hope yet, brothers, have great hope yet, despite yon shameless midnight streets, despite yon flaming gin-palaces at the corner of every street, despite the wickedness of the rich, despite the ignorance of the poor. Go on; go on; go on; in God’s name go on, for if the preaching of the gospel does not save men, nothing will. If the Lord’s own way of mercy fails, then hang the skies in mourning, and blot out the sun in everlasting midnight, for there remaineth nothing before our race but the blackness of darkness. Salvation by the sacrifice of Jesus is the ultimatum of God. Rejoice that it cannot fail. Let us believe without reserve, and then go straight ahead with the preaching of the Word.” Charles Spurgeon (the Soul Winner; p. 94-95)

 

Two For The Price Of One

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As I continue my read through “the Soul Winner” by Charles Spurgeon I found this ‘two for the price of one’ nugget in the middle of chapter four. This has been a most helpful chapter for me and one that I highly recommend to all my preaching friends. But don’t miss the other value here.

While I didn’t like everything that Spurgeon had to say about “the kind of sermons that are most likely to convert people” I have taken to heart what I think he was saying with interest.

He broke this chapter down into

  • Firstly, they are those sermons which are distinctly aimed at the conversion of the hearers.
  • Secondly, if the people are to be saved, it must be by sermons that interest them.
  • The third thing in a sermon that is likely to win souls to Christ is, it must be instructive.
  • Fourthly, the people must be impressed by our sermons, if they are to be converted.
  • Fifthly, I think that we should try to take out of our sermons everything that is likely to divert the hearer’s mind from the object we have in view.
  • Sixthly, I believe that those sermons which are fullest of Christ are the most likely to be blessed to the conversion of the hearers.
  • Seventhly, brethren, it is my firm conviction that those sermons are most likely to convert men that really appeal to their hearts, not those that are fired over their heads, or that are aimed only at their intellects.
  • Lastly, brethren, I think that those sermons which have been prayed over are the most likely to convert people.

Now, as you read over the matters of interest in this chapter, make sure to discipline yourself to not interpret what Spurgeon had to say on each of these topics for soul winning sermons. He was not suggesting a formula. He was not suggesting seeker sensitivity. He  was not suggesting emotionalism. Read the chapter in it’s fullness and be encouraged and challenged.

Now, back to the “two for the price of one” thought or the “one-two punch.” On the fifth matter of interest, and one that was most important for me to read because of how easy it is for me to distract myself and the hearer, there was this additional jewel of insight. Like most of the book has been.

“The best style of preaching in the world, like the best style of dressing, is that which nobody notices.”

That was a stunning way to start this section out, but the illustration of what he meant by this was priceless. He went on to talk about a conversation of a husband and wife. The wife was unable to attend a particular event that the husband attended, upon his returning home the wife asked about how another woman was dressed. His answer was, “I did not notice at all how she was dressed; anyway, there was nothing particularly noticeable in her dress, she was herself the object of interest.”

Then Spurgeon went on to bring this conversation between husband and wife back to the topic of interest, the way the sermon should work…

“That is the way that a true lady is dressed, so that we notice her, and not her garments; she is so well dressed that we do not know how she is dressed, and that is the best way of dressing a sermon. Let it never be said of you, as it is sometimes said of certain popular preachers, “He did the thing so majestically, he spoke with such lofty diction, etc., etc., etc.” (the Soul Winner; p.51)

This was a grand way of stating this. It is true, isn’t it? Women, do you not know this about the way you dress? Preacher, do you not know this about the way you preach?

Women, don’t you know that your skin tight clothing may likely distract most men in your presence from you to your body? Preacher, don’t you know that your clever joke you heard at the last conference you attended that everyone laughed at may likely distract most hearers from your sermon this coming Lord’s Day?

Women, don’t you know that your low cut blouse may likely distract most men in your presence from seeing the glory of God and only the glory of you? Preacher, don’t you know that your fancy-talking ways may likely distract most hearers from hearing of the glory of God and be impressed with the glory of your intellect?

Women, don’t you know that your jeans with the strategically ripped holes may likely distract most men in your presence, period? Preacher, don’t you know that your trendy use of technology may likely prove to the hearers that you only know how to use technology, period?

Well, there you have it. The best “two for the price of one” deal I have found today. Women, be careful how you cloth your body. Or do you not know this? Or do you know this and you do it anyway? Preacher [and by preacher, I mean me] be careful how you clothe your sermon this week.

 

Arise, Church!

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It is a good day to be the church.

It is my argument that it is always a good day to be the church. Earlier this week ChristianAudio announced their free audio book download for the month of March would be “The Normal Christian Life” by Watchman Nee. Where there may be some controversy surrounding his life and especially what became of his teaching when he died in the early 70s, there is no doubt that there is value to the church today. I highly recommend this book to you for consideration.

My intent is not to write about this book, my intent is to speak about this good day for the church and to borrow Nee’s title of this classic book The Normal Christian Life for a moment. I promise to give it back, but it is a good title for consideration.

The normal Christian life is (should be) radically different than the normal American life.

The normal American’s life is expected to be a life of relative ease and marked with a type of common blessedness in comparison to the overwhelming majority of the rest of the world. Over the past couple of centuries, Christians have grown to love this ease of life and have forgotten that the Bible speaks of a normal life that is a marker of true believers.

I fear this is because we have lost the preaching of the Gospel in our land. The Gospel, the biblical Gospel is counter to the secular norm. This secular norm is attractive to the carnal man because it affords him ease of life and the pursuit of pleasure in temporary life and no craving is given to the carnal man for eternal matters.

The carnal man longs for the matters of this world and they are never satisfied until satisfied. He rules his life based on what he is born for. He argues that those who stop him or speak against him are attempting to keep him from being who he was born to be. Demanding, even though he wouldn’t admit that he is like this, that his (created) god would not make him with these cravings unless he meant for him to be satisfied in them.

“for natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised .” (1 Cor 2:14 NASB)

The spiritual man, on the other hand, has been regenerated.

How does a carnal man become a spiritual man? He must be regenerated. He must be born again. In other words, his carnal (old man) must be put to death. Then, he must be given a spiritual nature (new man) that has been made new.

We hear far too often of persons being brought into the kingdom of heaven without being “put to death”. As Charles Spurgeon puts it,

“we hear of persons being healed before they have been wounded, and brought into a certainty of justification without ever having lamented their condemnation, we are very dubious as to the value of such healings and justifyings. This style of things is not according to the truth. God never clothes men until He has first stripped them, nor does He quicken them by the gospel till first they are slain by the law. When you meet with persons in whom there is no trace of conviction of sin, you may be quite sure that they have not been wrought upon by the Holy Spirit.” (the Soul Winner, p.13)

We need gospel preaching, not simply preaching about the gospel.

Too often, the preaching about the gospel leads to emotionalism. Story’s that move even the carnal man, because emotionalism usually touches the temporary. It touches and moves a man, but it doesn’t generate new birth. He’s been part of something that his carnal nature understands and he compartmentalizes the experience as common to all people. But when the doctrines of the gospel is preached or shared, the carnal man is confronted with his offense to God that must be dealt with. Either he must reconcile this offence on his own merit and face the wrath of God without the blood covering of Christ or he must be put to death first, then regenerated by the work of the Holy Spirit and covered by the blood covering of Christ and live.

There will always be true Gospel preaching, may there be an increase of Gospel preaching today. Preacher, look to your bible. Our duty is not to excite the carnal man, our duty is to preach a gospel that first offends, then rescues. We are not called to produce hypocrites. We are called to take this gospel to the nations.

“To make proselytes, is a suitable labor for Pharisees: to beget men unto God, is the honorable aim of ministers of Christ… To introduce unconverted persons to the church, is to weaken and degrade the church; and therefore an apparent gain may be a real loss. (the Soul Winner, p.5)

Arise! preacher, to your post! You and I must continue to aim at men whose hearts are not yet broken of their love for the things of this world and then we must keep on preaching Christ crucified until they are rescued from the sure condemned condition.

“A far greater work must be done before a man is saved.” He must see his condition without Christ. This work is only done with gospel proclamation.

The ‘normal Christian’ sticks to the Gospel. The ‘normal Christian’ is hated by the unregenerate. The normal Christian sticks to the Gospel.

Robbing the Cross of Its Power

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“I have no desire to rob the cross of its power. The preaching of the cross is, I know, nonsense to those who are involved in this dying world, but to us who are being saved from that death it is nothing less that the power of God.” 1 Corinthians 1:18 (Phillips)

It is hard to explain the temptation that haunts this pastor to rob the cross of its power.

Here’s what I mean by that.

First, it is clear throughout Scripture that the primary, and really only, work of the pastor (and church he pastors) is the preaching of the cross. Yet the old nature is constantly at war with the message of the cross. The cross is a never ending message that the old nature must be crucified, his desires and passions are null and void or power. The cross is a message of foolishness and nonsense if the old nature has any hope of surviving.

If this pastor has any duty that has any real power, it is the cross of Christ.

This is why the apostle Paul argues this message to be a stumbling block to the Jews. Until the message of the cross is preached (by the broken messenger) and supernaturally heard (by the spiritually dead soul) then this cross is always in the way of the self-righteous attempting to please God without the cross.

This is why Paul states that this cross message is foolishness or nonsense to the Greeks. Unless the philosopher of this day, the debaters of reason and logic, the intellectual who claims to walk by sight and not by faith then the language of lawbreaking offender of God is simply foolish talk to him. In Athens, Paul (Acts 17) was mocked as being a cock sparrow for preaching the death, burial and resurrection of Christ.

When I step into a ‘Christian’ bookstore or attend a conference I must do so with discipline. There are many clever ideas to duplicated only to prove powerless as a cheap imitation. I must plead with God to destroy any desire of my old nature that wants to rob the cross of its power.

I’ll have to always preach to myself that the preaching of the cross will always be a stumbling block and heard as nonsense and foolish talk to those who are perishing. But I am never given permission to abandon the preaching of the cross. I can’t love the unconverted more than God does and I don’t have a better message to give this soul than the one ordained by God (the cross) that can actually rescue the perishing.

If the church has any power at all, and she does, it is in the preaching of the cross. Why rob the cross of its ordained power to remove stumbling blocks or illuminate the path of sinners of their certain demise.

“The church’s one foundation is Jesus Christ her Lord”. If there is any hope for the perishing it is the preaching of this one foundation. If there is anything this spiritually anemic culture of ours needs it is an invasion of cross preaching churches lead by cross preaching pastors.

Oh that these dry eyes of mine would refuse to be wooed by the wisdom of men and become a fountain of tears asking God for strength to not rob the cross of its power. May the glory of His name be the passion of the church.

Preach Christ or Nothing

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It’s not unusual to read history of churches using a bar as a gathering place for a worship service, especially in the west, but not as a time to get a drink or two. An article that was posted over the weekend at npr.org has some churches thinking that it would be a good idea to bring the two together to attract a younger crowd at a church event called “Beer and Hymns”.

I know that some would defend this as a good idea. I have friends who will think ‘at least they will hear the gospel’ or ‘if just one person finds God this way it can’t be all wrong’ or the favorite ‘Paul became all things to all people so he might save one.’ Of course believers want to see all people everywhere find God. But there is a hellish lie that causes evangelism to abandon the one method sanctioned by God so that man might be saved.

Where in all of the universe does God need to be dressed up and made attractive so that people will come to Him? Nowhere does this happen, except when some thieves in the church read a statistic of church attendance declining and they begin to think God needs help. Once we leave the sufficiency of Scripture we open the door for all kinds of poison.

A statement like this, “I’m not interested, frankly, in making more church members. I’m interested in having people have significant relationships around Jesus. And if it turns out to be craft beer, fine” will become a battle cry against the Lord Jesus Himself and the blind guides leading the way have a crowd of deaf minions waving their banner.

Full NPR article HERE (It will shock most of you. If you have the time, listen to the report too.)

Last week, Scott Brown posted this excerpt from Spurgeon on his blog (www.scottbrownonline.com).

“Mark you, in proportion as the modern theology is preached the vice of this generation increases. To a great degree I attribute the looseness of the age to the laxity of the doctrine preached by its teachers. From the pulpit they have taught the people that sin is a trifle. From the pulpit these traitors to God and to his Christ have taught the people that there is no hell to be feared. A little, little hell, perhaps, there may be; but just punishment for sin is made nothing of. The precious atoning sacrifice of Christ has been derided and misrepresented by those who were pledged to preach it. They have given the people the name of the gospel, but the gospel itself has evaporated in their hands.

From hundreds of pulpits the gospel is as clean gone as the dodo from its old haunts; and still the preachers take the position and name of Christ’s ministers. Well, and what comes of it? Why, their congregations grow thinner and thinner; and so it must be. Jesus says, “Follow me, I will make you fishers of men;” but if you go in your own way, with your own net, you will make nothing of it, and the Lord promises you no help in it.

The Lord’s directions make himself our leader and example. It is, “Follow me, follow me. Preach my gospel. Preach what I preached. Teach what I taught, and keep to that.” With that blessed servility which becomes one whose ambition it is to be a copyist, and never to be an original, copy Christ even in jots and tittles. Do this, and he will make you fishers of men; but if you do not do this, you shall fish in vain.“

Charles Haddon Spurgeon, The Soul Winner, (New York: Cosimo Publications, 2007) p. 227.

This is a powerful reminder from the Prince of Preachers to “preach Christ or nothing.”

I would rather use one way to reach a thousand than a thousand ways to reach one.

 

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