Post a Video on Myspace and you may become a Rockstar

I was listening to the radio today when I heard the coolest story from a guy from Charlotte who works at a Home Depot in Steele Creek and is now the lead singer for Boston on their summer tour after being discovered on the internet.  Check the story out!

Preaching is…

I hesitate to even draft this blog, but for my benefit and hopefully for those of you who read it I hope my reflexions are of some value.  I have recently been discouraged with men within the church who hold the title of “pastor” and have failed to uphold the integrity of the pulpit.  Below are some things that I have noticed that have caused me to increasingly become more and more discouraged.

1)  The hip term “communicator” has seemed to replaced the word “preacher”
2)  The absence of a pulpit on most stages of churches. (maybe at least have a clear one)
3)  Lack of true, authoritative expositional preaching from the Bible
4)  Failure of pastors to make a stand on issues, but instead are so easy to dismiss issues as ‘grey matters’ 

So what Preaching is…
1)  The primary task is to FEED the flock by leading them to green pastures.
2)  A TRUE Sermon calls for a verdict, a call for change in someone’s life, behavior, thought, and belief 
3)  It is a characteristic of Christianity — we are the only religion that has preaching
4)  In the NT,  it’s proclamation of good tidings — a person receiving a message from God.
5)  It is through a chosen person with natural gifts that can be developed to meet the needs of humanity.
6)  A sharing of the message of God, NOT just a public speech. 

I see the authority of the preached word of God being diminished from within the church.  Church has always been about feeding the FLOCK and not the Goats.  We must realize that we have no authority to change another person’s life, no matter how hip or crafty your sermon is, only the Holy Spirit can do that — BUT as a pastor you must ask the Holy Spirit to make the passage alive to you so that you can preach clearly to your church.  

“Become what you preach and then preach Christ in you” – James Stuart Stewart.  Throughout history the spirituality and spiritual life of the visible church  have been linked to the quality of preaching.  

So, pastors take hold of the gift that God has given you,
don’t be afraid to preach
take authority in your role 
ask God to speak to you and have scripture become more alive to you than it has in your life
don’t preach for emotions sake but preach TRUTH
take a stand – even on tough issues
Take a Sunday off to refresh
Spend more time in sermon preparation
Take a seminary class for refreshment and knowledge
PREACH and take pleasure in your role as more than just a communicator…you are a PREACHER
Renew your respect and awe for the pulpit
Preach the CROSS, Preach the WORD, Preach the GOSPEL — i know we all want to be culturally relevant, but scripture is alive, our saviour is alive, and the CROSS, WORD, and GOSPEL is life-changing NOT being hip.

 

**I would like to thank and give credit to Dr. John Oliver, Professor of Homiletics at RTS for his heart and passion for the preached word of God**

WOW!! What a Way to Thank Your Staff

 

Ever wondered how to thank people who work with you, for you, volunteer for you, or anyone who you are leading?  Check out what this Chicago based company decided to do.

Happy Thanksgiving!