What would you give or do to have a meal with Jesus?
What about with one of his trusted inner circle of disciples? His special chosen ones?
What about with one of his other disciples or Paul? His special chosen ones?
What would you give? Give up? or do for that?
Then Why do we find it so hard to practice hospitality to one of His Chosen in the church?
His special Chosen ones!
Showing posts with label Church; Ministry. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Church; Ministry. Show all posts
Friday, January 6, 2012
Monday, March 8, 2010
Who do we aim to evangelise for fruitful evangelism?
Hi Friends,
Just last night I saw an intriguing video on evangelism. It was well done and did its job in provoking me to think and consider all those who don't know about Jesus, have not been challenged about Who Jesus is and their relationship to Him, and indeed some of the planet who haven't even heard his name.
On that level it challenged me. But also at another level it challenged me to rethink some evangelistic attitudes that I have held for quite a while, attitudes which I freely admit I have held due to my culture.
Here in our Australian culture the men are notoriously slack and have to a large extent abandoned their responsibilities as leaders in the family. Not the least when it comes to any sort of spiritual matter. This is seen reflected in our churches where it is mainly women and young children who are coming to church Sunday by Sunday.
One way I was challenged in ministry to change this was to specifically aim my evangelisitic efforts at men. The thinking was that if you got the men, then you would "get" the wife and the children.
Now I am being challenged to aim instead specifically at the children. The statistics given last night if my memory is sound were that 50% - 60% of people become Christians as a child. Now this statistic in itself is a debateable thing. These children may make a decision about Jesus at that age, but my experience tells me that very few of them continue to live as disciples of Jesus onwards through their adult years. There seems to be a major dropping out in the late teenage years. Perhaps that just reflects how poorly we have been doing discipleship and addressing their questions and preaching meaty sermons.
Not only that, but we can wonder how much worldly philosophies are at the back of desires to "market" our evangelistic efforts to a certain age set. Certainly Communism has shown that if you indoctrinate a child, you are likely to have a devoted follower as an adult. I believe it was Marx or somebody who said "give me a child till they are 5 and I will have a committed communist for life" - or something like that.
Now I can understand the frustration that can lead many to aim at children in their evangelistic efforts. So many adults have warped ideas about Christianity and Jesus' teachings that you seem you are hitting your head against a brick wall.
It's so much easier to get young children and teach them what the bible really says and watch the Holy Spirit work in their lives.
However we need to be careful about these worldly philosophies. We are certainly not about indoctrination! We are about people hearing who Jesus is - and challenging them about being his disciples.
But what about this method of targeting children? Is it biblical? Are we trying to build the Kingdom of God or recognizing that God is building the KOG and calls us to proclaim the good news?
Is evangelistic method a non-truth issue and are we free to improvise in who we are reaching?
Perhaps in some situations it's just a matter of what seems at present to be the emphasis. We have a lot of children in our area and we need to reach them with the gospel, I would just crucially add and be open to talking that same gospel message to their parents, and to talk that same gosple message to all we encounter.
As Matt 28 says as you are going about your life, make disciples....
Remember it's God's business to convict and change, but we need to realise God calls us to make disciples, those that follow Jesus.
What do you guys think on this?
In Christ,
Gary
Just last night I saw an intriguing video on evangelism. It was well done and did its job in provoking me to think and consider all those who don't know about Jesus, have not been challenged about Who Jesus is and their relationship to Him, and indeed some of the planet who haven't even heard his name.
On that level it challenged me. But also at another level it challenged me to rethink some evangelistic attitudes that I have held for quite a while, attitudes which I freely admit I have held due to my culture.
Here in our Australian culture the men are notoriously slack and have to a large extent abandoned their responsibilities as leaders in the family. Not the least when it comes to any sort of spiritual matter. This is seen reflected in our churches where it is mainly women and young children who are coming to church Sunday by Sunday.
One way I was challenged in ministry to change this was to specifically aim my evangelisitic efforts at men. The thinking was that if you got the men, then you would "get" the wife and the children.
Now I am being challenged to aim instead specifically at the children. The statistics given last night if my memory is sound were that 50% - 60% of people become Christians as a child. Now this statistic in itself is a debateable thing. These children may make a decision about Jesus at that age, but my experience tells me that very few of them continue to live as disciples of Jesus onwards through their adult years. There seems to be a major dropping out in the late teenage years. Perhaps that just reflects how poorly we have been doing discipleship and addressing their questions and preaching meaty sermons.
Not only that, but we can wonder how much worldly philosophies are at the back of desires to "market" our evangelistic efforts to a certain age set. Certainly Communism has shown that if you indoctrinate a child, you are likely to have a devoted follower as an adult. I believe it was Marx or somebody who said "give me a child till they are 5 and I will have a committed communist for life" - or something like that.
Now I can understand the frustration that can lead many to aim at children in their evangelistic efforts. So many adults have warped ideas about Christianity and Jesus' teachings that you seem you are hitting your head against a brick wall.
It's so much easier to get young children and teach them what the bible really says and watch the Holy Spirit work in their lives.
However we need to be careful about these worldly philosophies. We are certainly not about indoctrination! We are about people hearing who Jesus is - and challenging them about being his disciples.
But what about this method of targeting children? Is it biblical? Are we trying to build the Kingdom of God or recognizing that God is building the KOG and calls us to proclaim the good news?
Is evangelistic method a non-truth issue and are we free to improvise in who we are reaching?
Perhaps in some situations it's just a matter of what seems at present to be the emphasis. We have a lot of children in our area and we need to reach them with the gospel, I would just crucially add and be open to talking that same gospel message to their parents, and to talk that same gosple message to all we encounter.
As Matt 28 says as you are going about your life, make disciples....
Remember it's God's business to convict and change, but we need to realise God calls us to make disciples, those that follow Jesus.
What do you guys think on this?
In Christ,
Gary
Saturday, December 19, 2009
Some things that contribute to making a good sermon
I often reflect upon what makes a good sermon, not only because I sometimes preach but because I also hear a lot of other sermons.
I have already spoken of failures in preaching by looking at the book 'Why Johnny can't preach' but here I want to draw together a few biblical principles and some practical observations about what contributes to a good sermon.
First and foremost, apart from prayer and reading carefully the text, I would say that the preacher wants to consider the passage before him in careful detail. This means taking account of the meaning of the words in the verses, what the background of the passage is and it's grammatical context. So as the preacher does his homework on the passage, he is asking if there are some things that are not clear here, or whether there is some doctrine being addressed here, and implications arising from that and so on. But what is kept in mind and this is the major point I am making here, is that in your study of the passage and preaching of it, it is not enough merely to read out the verse and assume everybody understands what is being said there. As we read in Neh 8:8 the scribes read the verses, making it clear and gave the meaning so that the people could understand what was being read.
What is then required in giving their meaning is to understand the verses in their immediate context and to the original hearers. We must not just jump to some application we think arises from the passage for us today. Indeed we must teach the people of God what the passage actually means by showing what it meant to the original hearers.
As a practical consideration here, so many Commentaries fail to clearly indicate the argument being put forward in a passage, or what the point being made is and how the surrounding context reinforces that point. Many go into great detail as to the meaning of words but fail to show how it all contribute to the point being made in the passage. I am not talking about application here but the meaning of the passage. I have found that John MacArthur's "commentaries" actually are a good example of a commentary that helps you understand the words in a verse but also how it contributes to the point being made. They are not technical commentaries I suppose, as they could be better described as expository sermons dealing in depth with the passage, but they are indeed helpful.
A second but I believe related point to this endeavour is for the preacher to "rightly divide the word of truth" as Paul says in 2 tim 2:15. some translate it "correctly handle the word of truth". Most commentators point out here that it is highlighting the important role Timothy has in teaching God's Word, yet I think Gordon Fee is probably more accurate when he puts the words in their context of standing against the false teachers who are quarreling about words. Now this does not mean that the meaning of the words of Scripture aren't important. He is not saying we must have unity at all cost so don't quarrel about words. Elsewhere Paul tells us elders are to refute error, so it cannot mean that Paul is telling Timothy just to ignore what is going on. Indeed the prior verse Paul instructs Timothy to warn them about quarreling about words. Chapter 3 is a lengthy onslaught against the false teachers and Paul lays out for all how certain people in the Church have been targeted by them. As Fee points out, Timothy is to stand against their error, but his disposition is to be markedly different to that of the false teachers. This will result in, as chapter 2 tells us, that he is not ashamed, unlike the false teachers, because he correctly handles the word of truth, and that is the kind of workman you are to be.
And being such a workman is hard work!
As Homer A Kent Jr says on this passage:
Perhaps you have other points your could add to those above. Why not share them with us.
God bless,
Gary
I have already spoken of failures in preaching by looking at the book 'Why Johnny can't preach' but here I want to draw together a few biblical principles and some practical observations about what contributes to a good sermon.
First and foremost, apart from prayer and reading carefully the text, I would say that the preacher wants to consider the passage before him in careful detail. This means taking account of the meaning of the words in the verses, what the background of the passage is and it's grammatical context. So as the preacher does his homework on the passage, he is asking if there are some things that are not clear here, or whether there is some doctrine being addressed here, and implications arising from that and so on. But what is kept in mind and this is the major point I am making here, is that in your study of the passage and preaching of it, it is not enough merely to read out the verse and assume everybody understands what is being said there. As we read in Neh 8:8 the scribes read the verses, making it clear and gave the meaning so that the people could understand what was being read.
What is then required in giving their meaning is to understand the verses in their immediate context and to the original hearers. We must not just jump to some application we think arises from the passage for us today. Indeed we must teach the people of God what the passage actually means by showing what it meant to the original hearers.
As a practical consideration here, so many Commentaries fail to clearly indicate the argument being put forward in a passage, or what the point being made is and how the surrounding context reinforces that point. Many go into great detail as to the meaning of words but fail to show how it all contribute to the point being made in the passage. I am not talking about application here but the meaning of the passage. I have found that John MacArthur's "commentaries" actually are a good example of a commentary that helps you understand the words in a verse but also how it contributes to the point being made. They are not technical commentaries I suppose, as they could be better described as expository sermons dealing in depth with the passage, but they are indeed helpful.
A second but I believe related point to this endeavour is for the preacher to "rightly divide the word of truth" as Paul says in 2 tim 2:15. some translate it "correctly handle the word of truth". Most commentators point out here that it is highlighting the important role Timothy has in teaching God's Word, yet I think Gordon Fee is probably more accurate when he puts the words in their context of standing against the false teachers who are quarreling about words. Now this does not mean that the meaning of the words of Scripture aren't important. He is not saying we must have unity at all cost so don't quarrel about words. Elsewhere Paul tells us elders are to refute error, so it cannot mean that Paul is telling Timothy just to ignore what is going on. Indeed the prior verse Paul instructs Timothy to warn them about quarreling about words. Chapter 3 is a lengthy onslaught against the false teachers and Paul lays out for all how certain people in the Church have been targeted by them. As Fee points out, Timothy is to stand against their error, but his disposition is to be markedly different to that of the false teachers. This will result in, as chapter 2 tells us, that he is not ashamed, unlike the false teachers, because he correctly handles the word of truth, and that is the kind of workman you are to be.
And being such a workman is hard work!
As Homer A Kent Jr says on this passage:
Do I achieve this? Am I good at this? I do not consider myself a great preacher, but I do put in the hard work and try to follow the above principles so that I too will not be ashamed!"Simpson says 'it enjoins on every teacher of the Word straight forward exegesis.' There must be discernment between the various subjects taught in Scripture: salvation and service, the Jew and the church. Interpretation and application must be clearly treated. Attention must be paid to the dispensing of the word, the use of wisdom and tact.The Holy Spirit will guide God's workman, but there is latent here much need for precise and earnest labour."
Perhaps you have other points your could add to those above. Why not share them with us.
God bless,
Gary
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Some Guidance for young pastors
What is important in the ministry of a new pastor? What goals should he have for his ministry, what should be his focus and what areas should he expend his energies on?
These are important questions and sadly ones that are not really reflected upon and counsel sought at the beginning of one's ministry. Just this weekend I was talking to a pastor who had been in ministry for over 15 years and the last 7 odd as a senior pastor of a large growth church. He was on long service and reflecting on his ministry. Especially having moved to an already growing church how does he direct and focus them towards biblical goals. His dilemna was not have a "history" with them from the start, the kind of deep relationships that really should characterize our ministry lives.
I reminded him that a pastor should be torn betwen two poles, that of being in his study and engrossed in the Word of God, writing sermons and Bible studies and contrasted to this, at the other pole being out with people, talking to them, fellowshipping and guiding them and building personal relationships.
Of course I have heard ministers say you should not form close relationships with your flock, that you shouldn't have friendships among the people you minister to, but I believe this is nonsense. I have seen it at it's extreme where people have told me they have never stepped inside of the rectory / manse, let alone had a meal there! How tragic.
One of the traits of an elder is that he be hospitable, that he be hospitable towards strangers, and my point is that if his heart is like this towards strangers then surely it is the same with his people.
But consider how the apostle Paul acted towards those he'd evangelised and taught. I see deep love and care and comitment to them. He talks to them as friends.
So what a pastor has is two foci - the Word of God and people.
In his ministry two major involvement are preaching the Word of God faithfully week after week and caring for people, building relationships. They primarily are worthy of expending his energy upon.
Of course his family is a priority and indeed they are part of his ministry and part of "his flock" and so spending time with them isn't something he should feel guilty about of have to justify time wise. In act it's helpful to block out periods for them specifically, just as he would for any other people he ministers and builds relationships with.
But you say, ministry has so much other things that creep in. True but you need to be discerning and make true priorities. For example we have administration to do, but it should never crowd out the other two foci.
something we all need to reflect upon
Gary
These are important questions and sadly ones that are not really reflected upon and counsel sought at the beginning of one's ministry. Just this weekend I was talking to a pastor who had been in ministry for over 15 years and the last 7 odd as a senior pastor of a large growth church. He was on long service and reflecting on his ministry. Especially having moved to an already growing church how does he direct and focus them towards biblical goals. His dilemna was not have a "history" with them from the start, the kind of deep relationships that really should characterize our ministry lives.
I reminded him that a pastor should be torn betwen two poles, that of being in his study and engrossed in the Word of God, writing sermons and Bible studies and contrasted to this, at the other pole being out with people, talking to them, fellowshipping and guiding them and building personal relationships.
Of course I have heard ministers say you should not form close relationships with your flock, that you shouldn't have friendships among the people you minister to, but I believe this is nonsense. I have seen it at it's extreme where people have told me they have never stepped inside of the rectory / manse, let alone had a meal there! How tragic.
One of the traits of an elder is that he be hospitable, that he be hospitable towards strangers, and my point is that if his heart is like this towards strangers then surely it is the same with his people.
But consider how the apostle Paul acted towards those he'd evangelised and taught. I see deep love and care and comitment to them. He talks to them as friends.
So what a pastor has is two foci - the Word of God and people.
In his ministry two major involvement are preaching the Word of God faithfully week after week and caring for people, building relationships. They primarily are worthy of expending his energy upon.
Of course his family is a priority and indeed they are part of his ministry and part of "his flock" and so spending time with them isn't something he should feel guilty about of have to justify time wise. In act it's helpful to block out periods for them specifically, just as he would for any other people he ministers and builds relationships with.
But you say, ministry has so much other things that creep in. True but you need to be discerning and make true priorities. For example we have administration to do, but it should never crowd out the other two foci.
something we all need to reflect upon
Gary
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