1. You never preach well enough to convert a single person. That is, unless you believe that faith is an ability of man generated to decision by the persuasive abilities of the preacher. But I don’t believe that saving faith is a natural ability of man. Faith is a sovereign grace-gift of God which comes…
Five Lessons for Preachers from the Prince of Preachers
,Everyone loves Charles Spurgeon. Even those who feel compelled to edit the Calvinism from his sermons and writings have shown great appreciation for him as a preacher of God’s Word. Little wonder, Spurgeon is a rare gift of God to the church. His life and labors stand like Mont Blanc over the post-Apostolic landscape of the…
Preaching Stories
,Stories communicate. Just look at your local bookstore. It’s filled with stories. Consider the classic books by Dickens, Lewis, Tolkien, and Sayers. They continue to gain new generations of readers. Their stories communicate. So do the biblical stories. They communicate an eternal message that remains equally true for each generation. The message that the Holy…
Seeing Christ in All the Word: A Framework for Bible Reading
,A few years ago, my wife and I traveled to a western state where I spoke at a ministry gathering. On Sunday, we made our way to a local Southern Baptist Church to join them in worship. While people were welcoming, the pastor’s sermon—to put it bluntly—was not a Christian sermon. He read the Beatitudes,…
Responding to Gathered Worship: With Faith and Hope
,What are You Teaching?
,“I’ve been a Southern Baptist all of my life but I’ve never heard these things. Why didn’t they teach this to me?” The question struck a nerve. I had just finished an hour-long discussion with several people, including the lady who asked the question. We had talked about basic things concerning the Old Testament and…
When Do You Leave a Church?
,It is the conversation with church members every pastor dreads but inevitably comes to every man who has shepherded a local flock: “Pastor, we need to meet with you and discuss our future at the church. We have been praying about transferring our membership to another church.” Naturally, you ask the inevitable question, “Why?” The…