What Kind of Preaching?

What kind of preaching is needed by the church? Do the Lord’s people need to hear dissertations on Chinese proverbs written by Confucius? Not unless they are simply used to illustrate a scriptural point. Is preaching on the ‘pet peeves’ or ‘hobbies’ of the preacher what the children of God need to hear from the pulpit? Sometimes, maybe, if they are scripturally motivated. Should the sermon be presented in such a way as to send the entire audience home feeling good about themselves? Occasionally, yes. However, if the preacher always preaches ‘sunshine’ and never preaches ‘rain,’ he is not preaching the whole counsel of God, because the whole counsel of God contains both ‘sunshine’ and ‘rain.’ Does the church of Christ need to hear sermons that are presented by way of entertainment? In other words, sermons that are ‘preached’ using drama or stunning visual effects. NO. That is not preaching! A scriptural sermon can sometimes be illustrated with the use of humor, or visual aids that are not used for the express purpose of entertainment. The occasional ‘preacher story’ is useful as an illustration, but should never take the focus of the sermon away from the Holy Scriptures. Many of the ‘sermons’ that are ‘preached’ in the religious world are nothing more than fluff and are of less value than a “poke in the eye.” At least with a “poke in the eye” you might learn not to play with sharp objects, but with many ‘sermons’ you learn absolutely nothing that is of value.

What kind of preaching is needed by the church? Bible preaching! What kind of preaching teaches the whole counsel of God? Bible preaching! What kind of preaching uplifts those who are spiritually downtrodden, or brings down those who are “puffed-up”? Bible preaching! The preaching of the Word of God is what the children of God need to hear most! Only the Gospel has the ability to meet the spirituals needs of all men, women and children. The Gospel is THE POWER OF GOD unto salvation for those who are lost in sin and for those who are found in the Lord’s church. No other preaching will suffice other than the preaching of God’s Word.

Preaching God’s word is what causes those who hear it preached to have faith. Romans 10:17 says, “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”  The gospel has the power to save mankind from sin, Romans 1:16 “I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth.” But it must be preached and heard for that power to have any effect. How can anyone believe the gospel if they do not hear the gospel? Romans 10:14 “How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?” What happens when there is a preacher, but he does not preach the gospel? NOTHING. Yet that is exactly how it is with many ‘preachers.’ They preach all right, but they do not preach the gospel of Jesus Christ. Many preachers go to God’s Word looking for scriptures that seem to support their theological suppositions, and fail to treat the Bible in a holistic manner. They dissect it in order to get what they want out of it instead of looking at the Bible as a whole and get out of it what is there and to preach it as God’s message rather than their own.

If the gospel, the whole gospel and nothing but the gospel is preached then those who hear it cannot help but benefit from it! It may not always make them feel good about themselves, just as pain doesn’t make a person feel too good. Pain oftentimes, though, serves as a warning against physical harm. For instance, you feel pain when you get your hand too close to the fire and you jerk it away. But what if you felt no pain and you were to stick your hand in the fire? You would be standing there feeling good about yourself while your body caught fire and you burned to death. Sometime the gospel warns us in a similar fashion. If there were never any pain caused by the preaching, then many people would be just standing pat, thinking that everything was fine, while all the while they were burning to death spiritually! The whole counsel of God includes such painful warnings. It must be preached!

The best formula for what true preaching ought to be is found in the Bible. In Nehemiah 8:5-8.

“And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people; (for he was above all the people;) and when he opened it, all the people stood up: And Ezra blessed the LORD, the great God. And all the people answered, Amen, Amen, with lifting up their hands: and they bowed their heads, and worshipped the LORD with their faces to the ground. Also Jeshua, and Bani, and Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodijah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, and the Levites, caused the people to understand the law: and the people stood in their place. So they read in the book in the law of God distinctly, and gave the sense, and caused them to understand the reading.”

In this passage, we note that Ezra read from God’s Word to the entire nation of Israel. He was standing before such a large audience that he needed 13 other men to help him reach them all. (I guess they couldn’t find a portable PA system.) Ezra and his helpers read the scriptures to the audience distinctly, so that all could hear. They also gave the audience the sense – they helped them to make the proper application of God’s message to their lives. And they presented God’s message in such a way as to allow everyone who heard it to understand its meaning. That was preaching! That is what the people in that day needed to hear! Why would people today need to hear anything different!? Preaching the gospel means to preach the GOSPEL!

Posted in Jack McNiel | Tagged , , | Comments Off on What Kind of Preaching?

John 5 – Miracle on the Sabbath

The Pool of Bethsaida means house of mercy. It was situated near the northeast corner of Old Jerusalem and it was where the multitude of sick, were located. In vs. 3b-4, while these verses are not believed to be part of Scripture, they do describe the popularity of this place and why so many were gathered there (vs. 7). Nevertheless, this was where Jesus went over to heal a man and used this miracle for the basis of a message to the people and for an illustration of the grace of God upon the tragic spiritual state of the nation (Jn. 5:6, 40).

Now, John noted that the man had been ill for thirty-eight years and Jesus knew about the man (Jn. 2:23-24) and asked him if he wanted to be healed. But, instead of saying “Yes!” he began to make excuses. Unfortunately, he had been in this sad condition for so long. Well, the Lord healed him through the power of His spoken word and commanded him to do the very thing he was unable to do, arise. After this, Jesus moved away, not healing anyone else (vs. 13). But there was a problem: Jesus performed this miracle on the Sabbath Day and did so on purpose (Jn. 9:1-14), which got the attention of the religious leaders because a Jew was prohibited from carrying a burden (vs. 8).

But, in vs. 16-18, the Jewish leaders did not prosecute the man who broke the law; they persecuted Jesus. See, it was the Sanhedrin who was to investigate any new teacher, less a false prophet come in among them. For example, they had looked into the ministry of John the Baptist (Jn. 1:19ff). Now as for Jesus, he had healed a demoniac on the Sabbath (Lk. 4:31-37) and so, the Sanhedrin was already suspicious. And later, Jesus would again challenge the legal traditions of the scribes and Pharisees (Matt. 12:1-14). So, when they confronted Jesus with His unlawful conduct, He simply replied that He was doing only what His Father was doing and in saying this, he claimed to be equal with God, which is the theme of John (Jn. 1:1). Well, the Jewish leaders now accused Jesus of blasphemy, by which the penalty was death and it is here that the official persecution of Jesus began, ending with him being hated (Jn. 15:18-25) and was crucified while the good deeds that He performed were often ignored by the leaders.

Now, Jesus is about to prove his sonship to the Father (vs. 19-47). First, he claimed to be equal with God (vv. 19-23) and instead of denying their accusation, He endorsed it! Jesus claimed to be one with His Father in His works and so, if healing a man on the Sabbath was a sin, then the Father was to blame! Jesus did nothing of Himself (Jn. 8:28; 10:30). And, not only did the Father show the Son His works and enable Him to do them, but the Father also shared His love (Jn. 5:20; 3:16, 35). Thus, the blind religious leaders could not see what Jesus was doing, because they did not know the Father or the Son. And then on top of that, in vs. 21, Jesus claimed to have power to raise the dead which was another blasphemous thing in the eyes of the Jewish leaders; they gave that power to God alone. But, Jesus was referring to His gift of spiritual life to the spiritually dead (vs. 22-23), which is amplified in vs. 24-29, speaking of all those resurrected and their spiritual conditions.

What a tremendous claim Jesus maid to the Pharisees: if you do not honor the Son, you are not honoring the Father! The “religious” people, who say that they worship God, but who deny the deity of Christ, have neither the Father nor the Son! Apart from Jesus Christ, we cannot know the Father, worship the Father, or serve the Father. And as Jesus speaks to them, Jesus introduced His words with the solemn “verily, verily” (Jn. 5:19, 24-25) meaning, “what I am about to say is important!”

Now, Jesus had valid witnesses who support His claim to deity (vv. 30-47). The first was John the Baptist (Jn. 5:30-35), whom the religious leaders had interrogated carefully (Jn. 1:15ff). John knew who Jesus was and faithfully declared what he knew to the people of Israel. John told the people that Jesus was the Lord (Jn. 1:23), the Lamb of God (Jn. 1:29, 36), and the Son of God (Jn. 1:34). The second witness was the working of miracles (Jn. 5:36). You will remember that John selected a few of these “signs” to include in his Gospel as proof that Jesus is the Son of God (Jn. 20:30-31). Why even Nicodemus had to admit that our Lord’s miracles identified Him as “sent from God” (Jn. 3:2). But, since the Old Testament Law required the testimony of two or three witnesses (Num. 35:30; Deut 17:6; Matt. 18:20), the Lord spoke of a third and final witness, which was the Word of the Father (Jn. 5:37-47). The Jewish people highly revered the written Word of God, particularly the Law that was given through Moses, which is why Jesus told them to search the scriptures (vs. 39). Moses heard God’s voice and saw God’s glory, which we have (2 Pet. 1:12-21).

Now, there was something wrong with the minds of these Jewish leaders: they did not see Christ in their own scriptures (2 Cor. 3:14-18; 4:3-6). But there was also something wrong with their wills: they would not trust in the Savior and because they did not have the Word in their hearts, they did not want Christ in their hearts, which is why they would not come to him (vs. 40). And, this was the lack of love in their hearts (Jn. 5:42) and they were not saved (vs. 29, 44). Furthermore their attitude toward God’s Word hindered their faith, but so also did their attitude toward themselves and one another because they loved honor from men (vs. 41).

So, our Lord closed this penetrating sermon by warning the Jewish leaders that Moses, whom they honored, would be their judge, not their savior (vs. 45-46). The very Scriptures that they used to defend their religion would one day bear witness against them. The Jews knew what Moses wrote, but they did not really believe what he wrote, showing us that it is one thing to have scriptures in our hands and our heads, but quite another thing to have them in our hearts. The witness of John the Baptist, the divine miracles, and the Word of God all unite to declare that Jesus Christ is indeed One with the Father and the very Son of God.

Posted in Robert Notgrass | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on John 5 – Miracle on the Sabbath

Why were you born?

Solomon said, “For everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven” (Ecc. 3:1). Have you ever considered, not just the time for every purpose, but the purpose itself? More specifically, have you ever considered the purpose for your existence? Have you given much thought to the question, “Why were you born?”

The ancient Greek philosophers thought about the purpose of life and Paul described their conclusion, “If the dead do not rise, ‘Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die’” (1 Cor. 15:32). This same attitude is reflected in our own society. If there is no God, if there is no resurrection, if there is no accountability on a final judgment day, then all that matters is what is happening right this minute!

This concept of instant gratification underlies sins like robbery, rape, neglect of children, fornication and adultery. All that matters is the present, and little thought is given to the consequences of decisions and actions.

It is reflected in the god of materialism which is worshiped by the majority of Americans. The words of Isaiah describe this attitude. “Yes, they are greedy dogs which never have enough…They all look to their own way, every one for his own gain…‘Come,’ one says, ‘I will bring wine, and we will fill ourselves with intoxicating drink; tomorrow will be as today, and much more abundant’” (Isa. 56:11-12). This attitude is seen in that bumper sticker which read, “He who dies with the most toys wins!”

Another manifestation of the wrong purpose in living is seen in the self-centered lives many live. All that matters is that those around me give me what I demand and always let me have my own way. Even religious people can easily be guilty of this. The priest and the Levite did not help the bleeding man beside the road for they thought that the things they wanted to do that day were more important than the needs of the man before them.

What is the proper view of life? If God did “know you when you were in the womb” (Psa. 139:13-15), what did He see as your purpose when you first saw light and took your first breath? Whatever is the answer to that question is the underlying principle which should govern our decisions and actions until the day of our death?

Before looking at God’s answer as to why you were born, take time to reflect on the underlying principle which molds your decisions. How does God see the reason for your existence? Hear His words, “For I have created him for My glory, I have formed him; yea, I have made him” (Isa. 43:7). He created you for His glory! Are you fulfilling His purpose?

Posted in Dan Jenkins | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Why were you born?

James and John: Sons of Thunder

Sons of Thunder

One of the more curious appellations that we find in the scriptures is the name that Jesus gave to the brothers James and John–Boanerges.  Mark records this moniker in 3:17 “And James the son of Zebedee, and John the brother of James; and he surnamed them Boanerges, which is, The sons of thunder.”  One does not have to wonder as to why Jesus so marked these two brothers.  In Luke 9:51, Jesus is on the way to Jerusalem and he is passing through Samaria to get there.  He sends some disciples ahead to find a place to lodge, but no one wants to put Jesus up because they know he is going to Jerusalem.  (Samaritans and Jews didn’t get along too well in those days.)  James and John suggest the following: “Lord, wilt thou that we command fire to come down from heaven, and consume them, even as Elias did?” (Luke 9:54).

One can certainly understand James and John’s sentiments.  Here is the Lord of the universe in human form.  He has come to earth divesting Himself of His heavenly glory so that he could serve man.  He is on his way to Jerusalem to go to the Passover and he needed a place to stay for one evening.  He had already spent time among the Samaritans (John 4:43) and they would likely have known that he held no ill will toward them and was, in fact, their friend.  But cultural bigotry can be a strong force in influencing people not to aid those of other cultures and this day, the Samaritans were not feeling particularly hospitable.  What bigots!  What racists!  Didn’t they know with whom they were dealing?  Those ungrateful wretches!  Surely the Lord would want them destroyed until nothing was left but a heap of smoldering ashes and cinders!  However, we read, “But he turned, and rebuked them, and said, Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of.  For the Son of man is not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them. And they went to another village” (Luke 9:55, 56).

God does not desire that anyone be lost. We read in Ezekiel 18:32 “For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord GOD: wherefore turn yourselves, and live ye.”  God does not take pleasure in destroying evil people.  There are some today who picture God as some malevolent dictator who sits up in heaven eagerly waiting to press the “smite” button.  Such is not the God that we serve.  Those who eventually will be lost, are lost not because of God, but in spite of God.  Peter writes, “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9).  God wants all men to be saved and so he is patient, kind, and longsuffering.  God is desirous that men repent and live.  James and John’s request to bring down fire upon these Samaritans was out of character with God’s desires for man’s salvation.

Attitude plays a key role in preaching the gospel. Jesus said of James and John, “Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of.”  Their attitudes were not right.  They should have been seeking to forgive these Samaritans instead of condemn them.  This is not to excuse the sin of the Samaritans, but instead to look for ways to bring them out of sin so that they could be saved.  James and John should also have been seeking to humble themselves for the sake of these lost Samaritans.  Humility was a problem with the disciples.  On at least one occasion these two asked to be seated in positions of authority (Mark 10:37).  Jesus taught them that those who serve would be the greatest in the kingdom.  Too, James and John should also have been seeking to sacrifice themselves for the salvation of other souls.  Jesus died for all men while in their sins (Romans 5:8).  The servant is not greater than his Lord (John 13:16), hence, James and John’s attitude should have been one of sacrifice instead of condemnation.  James and John’s request to bring fire down out of heaven was out of character with Jesus mission.

We must realize that Satan is the enemy, not other men. Perhaps in calling down fire James and John felt that they could right a terrible wrong, but they would not have dealt with the true enemy.  Satan was the one who stirred up those national hatreds within the Samaritans.  Destroying a few Samaritans wouldn’t get rid of him.  Satan must be fought on a spiritual level.  He must be fought with teaching and instruction.  Paul wrote to the Corinthians, “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh:  (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)  Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;  And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled” (2 Corinthians 10:3-6).  We avenge disobedience by bringing people to Christ and bringing them to full obedience, not by waging physical war against them.  This is what overthrows the influence of Satan, the true enemy.  James and John’s request was out of character with who the true enemy was.

It is easy for us to be like James and John today.  People wrong us and we feel as if we need to be avenged.  Wrongs come at all levels in our society.  Those in high office are openly criticized for their mistakes in power.  Individuals sue other people for enormous sums of money and win because they are seeking retribution.  It is easy for a Christian to be caught up in the atmosphere of seeking “justice” even to the point of castigating one’s fellow brother in Christ.  But let us ask ourselves before engaging in such “justice”: Are we seeking something consistent with God’s character?  Does our attitude reflect the mission of Jesus to seek and save the lost?  Does our request recognize who the true enemy is?  One other lesson that the sons of thunder teach us is this, even when injustice occurs, it is not always worth pursuing correction.  Are we seeking to call down fire from heaven to consume our enemies?  Let us examine our hearts and motives each and every day in following the Lord to ensure consistency with God’s will in our lives.

Posted in Kevin Cauley | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on James and John: Sons of Thunder

Commission: Think Globally, Act Locally

Think Globally, Act Locally

In 1969, the environmental group Friends of the Earth, had as its slogan, “Think Globally, Act Locally.” The basic message if this slogan was to encourage people to do what they could for the conservation of the entire world’s environment by taking action in their local area to help conserve and clean up the neighborhood environment – all the while maintaining an overall view of the rest of the world. They believed that if people in each locality would take local action to protect the environment then eventually the whole global environment would be restored.

This article, however, is not about saving the physical environment. While the protection and conservation of our natural environment is important, it pales in comparison to the importance of saving the spiritual environment of our world. This can be carried out by thinking globally and acting locally. Christians have been called to, “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age…” (Matthew 28:19-20 NKJV) This is our Great Commission – make disciples of all the nations. How do we accomplish this?

First, begin at home – personal evangelism within your own family. We could begin by focusing our evangelistic effort on our non-Christian children, parents, siblings, or other close relatives. Consider, 1 Timothy 5:8 “But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.” (NKJV) This specific context deals with taking care of physical needs, but in the larger Biblical context, it addresses the spiritual. If we will not see after the spiritual needs of our families then we deny the faith.

Second, work with our friends and neighbors – expanding our efforts gradually – focusing on the need the act locally. Consider Galatians 6:10, “Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith…” (NKJV) What better way to “do good” toward our neighbor than to “make disciples” of them?

Third, become involved in mission work – both at home and abroad. Note that there is little difference between mission work and evangelism. Mission work is part of evangelism with a slight twist. Local evangelism is when we carry out the Great Commission in an area where the church is already established. Mission work or world evangelism when we carry out the Great Commission in areas where the church has not been established or areas where it is in the process of being established. This may include neighboring cities, counties, states and foreign countries. Jesus said to go into all the world. How we accomplish that is left up to us.

The first two steps mentioned that involve thinking globally, acting locally are relatively simple to carry out because we already have the opportunity to teach our family, friends and neighbors. But in what way can we think globally and act locally with regard to world evangelism? Must we each travel to foreign countries? Thanks to recent technological advances, it is no longer necessary to for every one who wants to carry out the Great Commission abroad to travel to foreign countries. Through the internet and even through air-mail correspondence it is now possible for the average Christian to become directly involved in world evangelism without having set foot outside their home. There are numerous programs in the church today in which individual Christians can become involved.

While it is possible for more people to become involved in world evangelism without leaving home, there is still a crucial need for workers to travel overseas and work “hands on” with the local people. In many countries, India for example, there are mission workers with internet access, but the vast majority of the people there do not have this access and many are illiterate and therefore unable to take a correspondence course. Someone has to go to these people directly. This is especially true in India, Africa, Asia and Central and South America. In many places, there are already Christian mission workers in place who simply need our support. Let us note some ways in which we can support our foreign mission workers:

  • Encourage them. Find out which mission works your congregation supports and send emails, cards and letters encouraging their efforts. Correspond with them. Find out their needs. Ask for ways in which you can help and support them further. If you know of any other good mission works – encourage them as well.
  • Pray for them and their families. Prayer is the most effective weapon in the Christians’ arsenal. Put it to work!
  • Send them financial or logistical support. Your local congregation may be sending them money from the church treasury, supported by your contributions, but if you are financially able to do so, perhaps you can send a little extra on your own. Find out their needs for Bibles, songbooks, study guides and things of that nature and have them shipped to them.

A word of caution: Know whom you are dealing with before you agree to help them. There are many false teachers, con artists and scammers ready and willing to take advantage of your generosity. Check references and make inquiries about them. Be especially careful of unsolicited contact. The scammers and con artists often will be the first to make contact.

Yes, you can become a world evangelist. You can think globally and act locally and together we can save the planet, especially the souls of the people on it! It is going to take a sustained, continuous joint-effort, but it can be done. Begin at home – teach your family, friends and neighbors, but remember also those who toil on foreign fields.

Posted in Jack McNiel | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Commission: Think Globally, Act Locally