An exhortation to fellow sinners, like me. We need to remember that sanctification (i.e. growing in holiness and Christlikeness) is all the work of God in us. But, we also need to remember that we play an active part, in yielding and placing ourselves under God’s means of grace.
Leaving a church should be a last resort. Find out why you may need to stick it out in a church where you’re not completely happy. It may just be the time to re-commit yourself and get to work!
I am a big believer in the old adage “To fail to plan is to plan to fail.” For that reason, I try to set goals for growth each year. Because I pastor a local church, and I have a family, and I live life daily, I don’t always achieve my personal goals, but I don’t allow that to stop me from setting them.
I recently preached a message on the Parable of the Soils from Mark 4. As much as I could, I tried to get the congregation to understand that we all, even believers, are susceptible to various levels of resistance to the Word of God.
One of the essentials of my ministry is communicating the importance of meaningful church membership. It has been on my radar since before I entered the pastorate, and has been the subject of many posts, sermons, newsletter articles, committee discussions and private talks since becoming the Pastor of a local church.
A few months back I took a poll via the Twitterverse and Facebook asking whether or not my friends/followers supported the role of women deacons. I asked this question for two reasons: (1) I was working on a sermon on biblical church government, and (2) had recently overheard some pastors in my local Baptist association … Continue reading
Being a local church pastor is not for the faint of heart nor for those lacking perseverance. It is a position that requires great patience and endurance. The results of your ministry are not instantly seen. You don’t see the “fruit of your labors” for years, even decades. You have to settle in for the … Continue reading
I have always appreciated and benefitted from the work of Mark Dever and the entire 9Marks crew. They’ve produced another great eJournal on the office of Deacon. You can find it here… Read it, and pass it on. You’ll be blessed!
A healthy church understands the importance of, and practices, meaningful church membership. It is through active, meaningful membership in a local church that Christians live out the commands of Scripture.
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 … Continue reading
I am taking my church through a new study on Sunday evenings. I am utilizing these three books in developing this study. So far, the first two messages have been well received. Many in attendance have remarked that these messages should be preached in the Sunday morning service. I agree. Last Sunday evening, I spoke on … Continue reading
Today, on Tweetdeck, I came across a link to a video of a 12 year old girl. In the video she gives a speech that she would later give at her school’s speech competion. Her topic was abortion. Needless to say, school officials were not pleased. I, however, was not only pleased at her topic … Continue reading