Spiritual Disciplines of a Healthy Church – Preaching Ministry
Teaching Notes for Session Titled: The Preaching/Teaching ministry of the local church MARK: A healthy church understands the preaching ministry not as an independent cluster of sermons, but as a body of work intended to transform the people of God. The preaching ministry of the elders is the primary means by which God saves and grows His people in the local church. What Preaching Is Preaching Defined Don Whitney says, “Preaching is the proclamation of God’s truth by any and every legitimate means.” It is done in various venues, such as Sunday School, private discussion, public debate, print media, and of course from the pulpit. Paul wrote in 1 Cor. 1:21, “it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who...
Read MoreRedemption Through His Blood
I am currently participating in a book study group, going through John Stott’s “The Cross of Christ.” I have found this book nourishing my soul and bringing to my mind vivid images of the work of Christ on the Cross. In Chapter 7 Stott provides four images of salvation: propitiation, redemption, justification and reconciliation. As the Easter season approaches, I have felt drawn to the Cross in a fresh way by focusing on each of these images. This study entails my research on the Redemption image. Redemption re-dem´er, re-demp´shun , pa-rak, “to tear loose,” “to rescue,” , pa-dha-h, ga’al; , agora-zo, referring to purchase, lutrou-mai, from lu-tron, “a ransom”): (International Standard Bible...
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