I begin each Session meeting with a devotional. September’s had to deal with holiness but ended up talking about church membership. I read from Hebrews 12: “Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord” (Heb. 12:14). My emphasis was on the need to strive for […]
Continue Reading... Comments Off on ReMembershipA church that works properly is characterized by loving fellowship. Paul is addressing individuals. No doubt those who read his letter would think of certain slackers and freeloaders. Names and faces would come to mind. But Paul is not just writing just to those derelicts. He is writing to the church. He is speaking […]
Continue Reading... Comments Off on Snack Foods and Sanctification (2 of 2)“Busy bodies, not busybodies.” That’s what the Apostle Paul stresses as he winds down his second letter to the Thessalonians. This is what he says: “For we hear that some among you walk in idleness, not busy at work, but busybodies” (2 Thess. 3:11). Evidently, there were a number of people in the church […]
Continue Reading... Comments Off on Snack Foods and Sanctification (1 of 2)(Note: This message finished a sermon series through 1 Thessalonians. It lays out matters of importance for every local church.) Last Sunday we concluded our study of Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonians, looking at chapter five, verses 23-28. Paul doesn’t introduce new material in this final section but he does emphasize some things […]
Continue Reading... Comments Off on Christ’s Message to His ChurchYou know how wives want to hear that their husbands love them? They want to know their efforts to make a house a home are recognized. They want to be appreciated. That’s the case for guys as well. Sure, they have chores and those things they are expected to do. But still, they appreciate […]
Continue Reading... Comments Off on Pastor Appreciation MonthOur land is filled with churches that dabble in prayer. At worst, prayer is present as a perfunctory practice, like grace before a meal or token prayer with our children before bed. At best, it is alive in weekly prayer meetings and the nagging sense of guilt and grief that we should be doing […]
Continue Reading... Comments Off on Growing into Houses of PrayerI heard someone once quip that it was wrong for Christian sports fans to say that they were #1. God is first. Neighbor is second. The best they could be was #3. Somehow, I don’t think there will be a big market for foam fingers with three fingers raised and imprinted with “We’re #3.” […]
Continue Reading... Comments Off on A Pastor’s First ConcernWhat does your church do to mobilize its members for personal evangelism? A pastor friend of mine said the approach of most churches is to have their members memorize the pastor’s phone number. While a case could be made that the pastor of the local church is the chief evangelist, for him to be […]
Continue Reading... Comments Off on Equipping in Evangelistic Prayer