Profound Common Sense!

June 13, 2014 in General with Comments Off

There are purists that get mad at me when I use THE MESSAGE version of the Bible in my preaching.  These are people that are so bent on defending a version of the Bible that they forget the essence of the Bible.  Today , I read an epistle in The Message that reminded me why I love the way it reads.  Now don’t get me wrong….I’ve read a lot of The Message and what happens for me is I got to get through 6 silly paraphrases before I get to the “knock out of the park” one. And I’m willing to read through silly to get to profound.  Today I got to one those home run passages.

 

It stood out to me because it’s about communicating the Word of God.  It was Paul’s prayer and desire on how to communicate this incredible message.

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Which one is it for you: “DOWNLOAD & LISTEN” OR “BE STILL & KNOW”?

March 10, 2014 in General with Comments Off

We have an information overload today of not just secular information but also Christian.  You can download and watch any preacher and any church instantly.  I grew up in a time where there were no cassettes, CDs, MP3s and  podcasts.  Today, you can have the latest sermon minutes after the final amen.  There is nothing wrong with that unless it is REPLACING INSTEAD OF ENHANCING.

 

There are a number of books by AW Tozer that have affected my life.  One of those is “THE SET THE SAIL”

 

The whole thesis  of the book is to make sure you SAIL AND DON’T DRIFT.

Here is what Tozer says from the beginning…

 

 

“Sail, Don’t Drift : I find the greatest thing in this world is not so much where we stand, as in what direction we are moving. To reach the port of heaven, we must sail sometimes with the wind, and sometimes against it, but we sail, and not drift, nor live at anchor.”

 

 

Then Tozer speaks a foreign language to us today.

It is a language that we ministers don’t hear and don’t practice enough , if not at all.

 

Read his words….they are profound, they are simple and they are convicting.  Even at the end Tozer turns doctor and tells you how to get rid of ulcers.


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WHO IS RUNNING YOUR CHURCH? REALLY?

March 7, 2014 in General with Comments Off

 

Revelation 3:20 is an oft quoted passage to those people that are not Christians.

 

“Behold I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him and he with Me.”

 

Though this sounds like Jesus knocking on the door of a lost heart….it couldn’t be further from the truth.  This is a letter to His church, Laodicea.  It’s not to non Christians but to Christians.  He is knocking on the door of His church.  My question is WHY IS JESUS ON THE OUTSIDE AND THEY ARE STILL DOING CHURCH THINGS ON THE INSIDE?

 

This is eery.  

 

Jesus is knocking on the believers heart asking to come in.



Truth has no expiration date.  When true truth is preached , it will ring true even decades later for later generations.

 

Sometimes there will be something I will read that will speak with such power and conviction as it did when it came from the pulpit it was meant for.  It can have the same value and the same authority for us today if truth has no expiration date.

 

The question that is addressed below is basically “who is leading the church”?  Are we preaching what God wants us to preach or are we preaching what people want to hear? 

 

 Is the form the church is practicing today been dictated by sinners or by Scriptures?  

 

This is amazing from  the great Westminster preacher Bible expositor Dr Martyn Lloyd-Jones.  It’s over 4 decades old and it speaks with power and conviction today of what was happening to the church then. But it sounds just like what is happening today.


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