The late Dan Rios, newspaper photographer for San Diego County papers, began saving negatives of those papers when editors decided to discard them. He learned three lessons from his college professor about the negatives: never …
When, way back in the middle 1950’s to middle 1960’s—I crammed a 7-year under-graduate and graduate education into 9 years—I learned the value of preaching, with Lincoln Christian College known for producing Bible Preachers. It consisted of a SINGLE rule: when you preach, preach Christ. Whatever he demanded, said, inferred, claimed, proved…never stop preaching Christ. Never overlook in any text, Old or New Testament, the presence of Christ in prospect or retrospect. Never harden his compassion or soften his authority. Never stop believing a preacher has the highest calling in life. Never let culture intimidate you in weakening or compromising Christ’s Presence as He Lived It! And on and on. But this gives you an idea of what I think of Living, Writing and Preaching Jesus Christ! V
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On Monday of Christ’s Last Week, Greeks who had come to Passover sought Philip with a request, “Sir…we would like to see Jesus” John 12:20-21. Every preacher should have those scripture verses staring up at him from his pulpit top: “Sir, we want to see Jesus.” And whenever the preacher faces the question, “What should I preach?”, the Holy Spirit shouts his command, “Preach Christ!” That’s the ongoing demand the Spirit imposes on every Pastor—and from which he never releases us.
Culture—people—always run the risk of wanting preached only what pleases them; Jesus wants them confronted with TRUTH they need to learn. They may want to hear about an easy discipleship; Jesus instead imposes the burden of self-denial. They may want to be entertained; Jesus urges education in his truth and commitment to his Lordship. They may want a minimum of responsibility; Jesus demands faithfulness to his Word, whatever price we have to pay. They may desire pleasant changes imposed on their behavior; Jesus demands wholesale conversion from self-centered goals to God-centered living. They may want FUN; Jesus settles for nothing less than REJOICING in “The Lord as our strength.” He won’t allow a temporary diversion from the hardships of discipleship; he gives a lasting daily power over them. He had no desire to make us HAPPY; he offers a permanent contentment of faith that in JOY overcomes the world I John 5:4. In summary, Jesus wants preached whatever Gospel truth confronts believers with his LIFE, his CHALLENGES, his TRUTH…so the Holy Spirit can encourage, stimulate and harvest his fruit from human lives. When Henry Ford began building cars, the market said, "build heavy luxury" vehicles. As the Sam Walton of his time, Ford instead built the:
And introduced his Model T--Tin Lizzie:
The reverse is true in today's church. Preachers think that people want simple, light, entertaining, always-amiable, never-controversial, feel good, emotionally-driven messages. Let music carry worship service with preaching as a hand-maiden. What shall the preacher do who aims to stir his own "little grey cells" in order to stir those of his people? And, never forget, people who like to think worship every Sunday in every church. It's certainly worth remembering that no preacher has Christ's depth. Yet common people in his day loved to hear him, listened as he spoke, understood what he said when scholars didn't—because they opened their mind to the Holy Spirit, not filled it with traditions. Read Matthew 21:46, 22:33, Mark 11:18, 12:12, 37, Luke 19:48, 21:38 as a few examples. This writer suggests a solution: preachers devote themselves to studying scripture, not just reading it. That will immediately deepen their thoughts, which will reveal themselves in more THOUGHT FULL messages. And that will TRUST the Holy Spirit to make the meaning clear to the listeners. Jesus trusted the Holy Spirit to do so. Can't we follow his example? Shouldn't we? Preachers often find that the spiritual inspiration they receive preparing a message doesn’t usually translate into the same inspiration listeners receive when hearing it. This writer has been in this ministry for nine years in April, 2021. He has often criticized himself for failing to communicate in preaching the formidable spiritual charge he received preparing for worship.
Until this past week when he suddenly had an epiphany. He realized that the difference is neither mysterious nor unexpected. For a simple reason: it’s the difference in SOURCES. The preacher has the ORIGINAL and listeners the SECONDARY source. Getting the message directly from God in his Word, preachers have the privilege of the Holy Spirit’s First-hand teaching. But any message derived, once filtered through the human vessel, necessarily sounds inferior to what Almighty God gave the preacher through the Holy Spirit. (This writer remembers in Graduate School reading selections from second century church fathers. While not as well acquainted then with New Testament teaching as he is now, the reduction in spiritual power in second century leaders astonished him.) What to do then with the frustration of feeling one’s self an inadequate messenger? First, it’s TRUE. Accept it. It’s natural. It’s inevitable. Do not fear the diminution experienced. Second, do not fear the dilution of God’s Word in its passage through vessels of clay. God knows that HE must protect his Word from our humanity as well as from Satan’s attacks. Isaiah 55:10-11 assures us that any message sent from God will achieve whatever success he determines. The Holy Spirit may depend on us to teach mortals, but he retains for Himself the authority needed to instruct, educate, convince, convict and convert sinners and edify saints. Another promise is included. Each believer shall one day experience all the power God’s Word possesses by being taught First-hand by God’s Son through God’s Spirit. And then…and forever after…each perfected mortal will be far more spiritually charged than any preacher now preparing messages from God’s Word. Amen. The permanent pleasure of reading, studying, preaching, writing and applying to life God’s Word suffuses this preacher’s life. At 84 years the above challenges never fail to summon effort and perseverance. Not a day passes, whether writing a blog, a message or a lesson, but that the privilege inspires.
This writer preaches Biblical messages: that is, Biblical throughout, not Biblical as pegs on which to hang homiletical points. Biblical in that he first explains a text in its historical context, addressing people of its time and circumstance. Then, true to the historical context, draws lessons for everyday life. A formula that produces a consistently Spirit-filled appeal. For no Biblical context exists for its time that doesn’t also apply forcefully for all time, including ours. He presently preaches a series on Heaven. While feeling unqualified to deal with such a mystical, mysterious subject, he finds new insights with every effort. That encourages continued study and prayer: study to understand, prayer to spiritually illuminate the understanding. Having a practice of strict Bible-filled messages, everyday life and historical personalities serve as illustrations. Personal illustrations are sparingly used for a simple reason: their very nature has a limited impact, while God has broadcast examples throughout history. In the lives of believers and skeptics, the obedient and rebellious, the righteous and the wicked. They serve as examples of truth to be embraced, falsehoods to be avoided, and interpretations to be corrected. Why reap pecks of personal examples when long tons of instruction await the harvest of history? Remember a singular illustration. After Alexander Campbell had debated skeptic Robert Owen to a standstill, and Owen’s unbelief had nothing more to say, Campbell began a defense of Christianity. It went on for 12 hours, interrupted only to give listeners short breaks before continuing. Twelve hours BEYOND doubt, hopelessness and human corruption he went...to faith in God, hope in Christ and the certainty of a new body and mind when the Returned Christ opens the New Jerusalem with its new heavens and earth to God’s people Revelation 21-22. Only people of FAITH reap those spiritual rewards. Believers in Christ know that death closes our eyes to this world only seconds before God opens them to HIS. Just as God closed Saul’s eyes on the Damascus road to his limited Jewish perspective before opening his mind to the eternal, limitless majesty of the Glorified Christ. Amen. Fini Consider random thoughts about tithing.
Having been a tither since before I accepted Jesus as Savior, it’s been a pleasure to be a tither plus love offering-giver serving him as Lord. I continue teaching tithing plus to this day, including the past eight years to a Senior’s church. Now I do it through offering devotionals where I did it previously through quarterly messages. I’ve never understood why preachers suddenly lose their nerve when the subject of giving surfaces. Since God SO loved that he GAVE Jesus, how can Christians love God so LITTLE by refusing to PAY him the Biblically-honored tithe? Since Abraham is our spiritual ancestor, and he paid the tithe, Genesis 14:18-20, Christians can’t pay God less. Since Hebrews 7:1-10 teaches that Levi collected tithes from Israel for the Aaronic priesthood, and through Abraham Levi paid tithes to Melchizedek, a type of Christ, Christians owe tithes to God. Since Jesus himself indirectly taught tithing, Matthew 23:23-24, Christians can’t overlook his example by stressing our need to be just, merciful and faithful. Consider an approach the following offering devotional emphasizes. Truth Taught, Whatever the Response. In Acts 11:27-30 we learn that New Testament prophets could preach, explain and exhort, roles preachers have today. They could also foretell the future, a role outside our pay scale. We notice that Agabus in Antioch of Syria provided the information of a famine in Judea, but made no recommendation. Someone else in the Antioch church, one of the elders or likely Paul or Barnabas, understood the opportunity, privilege and duty the information entailed: receive an offering and send it to Jerusalem to show our compassion. Like Agabus, a preacher as prophet of God’s word must tell you what God says on any subject—including tithing. And has the right to urge compliance. Nevertheless, after sharing the truth, and urging obedience, leaves to each individual the right of choice. The Holy Spirit, not preachers, reserves the right to enforce obedience. The Christians in Antioch, moved to compassion by the information shared, gave “each according to his ability”...no communal living existed in Antioch. After hearing what God says about tithing, will we let the Spirit move us to obedience? Christians will develop a lot of habits they’ll have to break as they grow in discipleship. If they learn to tithe, and become committed to faithfully paying it, they’ll have made one habit they’ll never have to break. End Part III Consider random thoughts about the Lord’s Supper.
Christians Churches and Churches of Christ have historically had weekly observance of the Lord’s Table/Communion/Eucharist—all terms referring to the loaf and cup. Some Christian Churches—don’t know how many—but involved in the Church Growth Movement to reach those with no religious concerns—have opted to streamline their weekend services by NOT observing the Lord’s Table in the service. They may offer it in a side room for those habituated to observing it. This writer has never seen the Lord’s Supper as the center of worship. God in Christ IS, SHOULD BE and ALWAYS WILL BE the center of worship. However, observing the Lord’s Table is only the first half of observance. Making it a special, sacred time each Sunday is as necessary. Having heard too many devotional thoughts about the loaf and cup that merely repeat canned ritual, this writer has published two books of original communion and offering devotionals—52 each in each book. If anyone is interested, the books are available at Amazon.com. I also enclose today a communion devotional used a few weeks ago. Note: I used little of all the information in the devotional. Only One Worthy, Exodus 32:30-34; Mark 10:45. Two great men of God: Moses and Jesus. The one servant, the other Master. The servant—Moses, God’s great Lawgiver—offered his own life for sinful Israel—willing to take their place when God threatened to destroy them. God refused the offer. The Master, Jesus of Nazareth, had SAVIOR as the meaning of his NAME. Sent by God for that purpose, he lived 33 years with that destiny in mind: never diverting from it; always focusing on it; and finally completing his role by spending six hours on the Cross, in at least three of them paying the Price to forgive sins. Moses offered his life for Israel without being worthy of the sacrifice. For the first thing he did when coming down Mt. Sinai was to break the Ten Commandments Exodus 32:19. In 33 years Jesus did nothing wrong; AND, indeed, far more difficult, everything right. So when he struggled up Golgotha, God counted him WORTHY to be there, to be nailed there, to suffer there, and to stay there until he achieved God’s purpose for him there. Lest we forget. Hebrews 2:10, 14-15 says that Jesus died to give us hope in his resurrection from the dead. But death didn’t inflict the ultimate sacrifice on him. That occurred on the Cross when he became SIN in order to save sinners. Taking on himself all that had forever been foreign to him, he saved those in whom sin had become a familiar presence. His sacrifice could save sinners by his never being one II Corinthians 5:21. The bad serve God’s purpose against their will: Pharaoh and Judas. The good serve God in agreement with their will: Deborah and Dorcas. The best serve God as leaders of his people: Moses and Paul. But none of them served God as a sacrifice in place of sinners. Only Jesus, the PERFECT person offering the PERFECT sacrifice, could serve God as our SAVIOR. While we honor the service of the good and best people, we worship the Christ as the only perfect Person offering the perfect sacrifice. Amen End Part II Consider random thoughts about preaching.
First, and the only one for today, it seems obvious in many churches of our brotherhood—the Independent Christian Church—that preaching is conditioned more by a conservative ecumenical than a Restoration Movement perspective. We need a return to our spiritual heritage, particularly in regard to the purpose of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper. While much—we can almost say MOST—of the evangelical world’s music, literature and church-growth assemblies are dominated by faith-only brethren, this writer will discuss with anyone, at any time, why baptism is by immersion for the forgiveness of sin. This is powerfully the case when we see it from a vantage point of New Testament chronology. My wife’s husband wrote a book on Miracles of Jesus. He gave me permission to lift page 23 of that book. It offers a clinching proof of baptism’s purpose. Read it and see. In the Fall of AD 57 Paul appeared before a Jewish audience in Jerusalem, an event revealed in Acts 22:6-16. In relating the purpose of baptism, however, he referred to an event in Damascus about AD 35, some 22 years earlier. A Jewish Christian named Ananias came to the blind Saul of Tarsus and told him, “And now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized and wash away your sins, calling on his name.” Seeing the events chronologically clarifies baptism’s purpose. * in AD 35 Ananias administered it to forgive the sins of a repentant Saul. * in AD 57 Paul understood it had been administered 22 years before to forgive his sins, even though he believed in Jesus and had repented of his sins. Which clarifies the meaning of Romans 10:5-11, a passage often used to prove baptism’s irrelevance. Paul wrote Romans in the Spring of AD 57. In the Fall of AD 57 he referred to AD 35, 22 years previous, to explain why he needed to be baptized after having faith in Jesus, after repenting of his sins, after confessing Jesus as God’s Son. While faith, repentance and confession led him to forgiveness, only baptism finalized forgiveness. If Paul remembered baptism’s purpose from 22 years before, it wouldn’t have changed between Spring and Fall AD 57! Since Ananias and Paul both considered him a sinner before being baptized, how can people now claim they’re forgiven before being immersed? If Paul joined faith, repentance and confession with baptism, how dare we separate them? End Part I |
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