 |
|
| |
| If you haven't read the article in yesterday's Charlotte Observer, or whatever local paper you subscribe to, about Franklin Graham's recent comments concerning China, you really should. Mr. Graham is calling for Christians to cease from any "illegal" missionary activity during the Olympic Games. He also praised the Chinese government for improved relations with churches who had registered with the government. This was really a slap in the face of the underground church in China, in my opinion. thankfully, organizations such as the Southern Baptist Convention and Voice of the Martyrs, just to name two, disagree with Graham and intent to be "rebellious" and continue their planned "illegal" activity. Graham defended his commitment to evangelism by stating, "I am the head of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, so of course I'm for evangelism." That's about as good as the morons saying that they are a Christian Church just because Jesus Christ is in their name.To say the least, I am very disappointed.
|
| |
| |
Reason #2: To avoid hobby horses
Without systematically preaching/teaching through books of the Bible on a regular basis, any preacher, no matter how committed to the Word, will eventually fall back into preaching "hobby horses."
 I remember listening to one preacher preaching four straight sermons during Advent and in each sermon hit the climax with the application to tithing. OK, this isn't the place to debate tithing's place in the New Testament, but one thing was clear: none of the passages he was supposed to be preaching on had anything to do with tithing! Actually, all four sermons were unrelated and topical in nature. By sticking to systematically preaching through books of the bible, the preacher is forced to deal with topics, truths, and issues as they come up in the text. This does two things. One, he is certainly going to cover a much broader number of things that God wants his people to hear. Two, he will guard against falling back into his hobby horse, whatever it is. For some, it's giving. For others, it may be end times. The Bible has a lot to say about a lot of different things. The treasure of God's word is infinite. Preaching hobby horses will only rob God's people from hearing the depth of what God wants to say to them through His word.
Part 3: I preach books of the Bible to teach God's people how to study the Bible.
|
| |
| |
I stopped on the way home from work at a local gas station to get a fountain drink, a regular practice for me. Before purchasing my carbonated beverage...well, I had to go, so I did. While in the restroom, a very impossible not to notice structure loomed over the urinal. It was one of those real classy condom dispensers. Talk about a way to impress the ladies! Anyway, this multicolored, overpriced instrument of fornication had a huge warning on the front. It talked about how this brand of condoms are a great way to seriously reduce the risk of contracting STD's such as AIDS. Then this sentence grabbed my attention:
"THE ONLY COMPLETELY EFFECTIVE METHOD OF AIDS PREVENTION IS ABSTINENCE BEFORE MARRIAGE AND A MONOGAMOUS RELATIONSHIP AFTER MARRIAGE."
Wow, what a novel idea...
|
| |
| |
 You may painfully remember the movie "Dude, where's my car?" If you do, I am really sorry. But that makes me think of a more important question, namely, "Hey, dude, where are all the dudes?" One thing that has disturbed me greatly recently is that when I talk to women in their mid 20's, they are GREATLY disappointed by the lack of "dudeliness" is their prospective dates or spouses. Too many guys today are living their teenage years well into their 20's, 30's, and even their 40's. They still live with mama and sleep with Star Wars sheets on their bed. Young men today would not even think about pursuing a woman like men have done for ages. It no longer matters whom asks whom out. In fact, most women tell me that they are the ones that usually initiate relationships. When the guys do ask, they say something like, "If I were to ask you out, what would you say?" or worse, they get the woman's friend to ask if she is interested in the guys. Men, this sucks. You suck and you need to get some balls and wake up. Where are all the men? Doesn't anyone actually want to be a man anymore? Not a surprise, this is as much as a problem among "Christians" as non-Christians. One reason may be that we have neutered Jesus. We'll talk about that next Monday.
|
| |
| |
In his book, Promises Kept: The Message of the New Testament, Mark Dever writes:
"When was the last time you attended church with the edification of others the primary concern of your heart? Or do you usually anticipate what you personally will find most helpful, like whether a hymn or prayer moves you, or whether you will get out on time, or whether you speak to the right people afterward? When was the last time you were genuinely concerned about the edification of others around you? Not in the sense of whether they liked this or that hymn, but in the sense of whether they are being built up in the faith? Do you seek out your close friends after the service or do you look around for visitors and unfamiliar faces? Do you pray before and during the service that God would particularly use the time you have together on Sunday as a church family to work in the hearts of both you and others?"
p. 180
|
| |
|
