Today's Word

[Judy Harder]

Today's Word for Pastors...

May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word.
2 Thessalonians 2:16-17

Today's Preaching Insight...

Evangelistic Invitations Require Added Clarity

In an interview, Greg Laurie points out the need to clarify the evangelistic invitation. He says: "People are certainly more biblically illiterate today. Consequently, I explain terms and stories more than I would have 20 years ago. For example, 'you need to repent and come to Christ tonight. By that, I mean you must turn from your sin and put your faith and trust in Jesus as your Savior and Lord. The word means that you cling to him and rely on him.' I define my terminology as I go, often explaining it two or three ways so the congregation knows what I mean.

"Then, I make sure it's clear. I repeat the invitation. Then I repeat it again. Often I initiate the invitation at the beginning of the message by offering some introductory remarks: 'Tonight I'm going to give you an opportunity to come to Christ. I'm going to invite you to get up out of your seat, walk down this aisle and make a stand to put your faith in him. So think about what you're going to do.' Halfway into the message I may say, 'And that's why I'm going to ask you to get up out of your seat in a few moments and make a decision concerning Jesus Christ.' That way, when I get to the actual invitation they know its been coming."  (from PreachingToday Sermons newsletter, 10/23/02)

Today's Extra...

Persecution

In his "Breakpoint" column, Charles Colson observes: "For nearly three decades, Indonesia's Christians have endured one outrage after another at the hands of their Muslim neighbors. In 1975, Indonesia invaded and annexed East Timor, killing hundreds of thousands of East Timorese Christians. Twenty years later, as East Timor gained its independence, the government again did nothing as more Christians were slaughtered.

"In the mid-nineties, Indonesia's Christian Chinese were made the scapegoat for the country's economic woes. Again, the government stood by as Christian businesses, homes, and churches were looted and burned. And in the last few years, an Islamic militia, the Laksar Jihad, has declared war on Christians living on the islands of Sulawesi and the Moluccas. The militia, which includes members from Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Albania, and Bosnia, has attacked Christian villages and forced Christians to either convert to Islam or be beheaded.

"And Indonesia's government has been joined in its silence by Western governments — until, that is, the victims were Western tourists."

[Judy Harder]

Today's Word for Pastors...

Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.
Luke 6:38

Today's Preaching Insight...

Ordering the Sermon

In an article on "The Theology of Sermon Design" in the Sept-Oct 2007 issue of Preaching, Dennis Cahill writes, "Karl Barth, in his volume 'Homiletics,' states, 'There is no need, then, to consider the problem of what should come first, second, and third. The preacher has only to repeat what the text says' Barth rejects introductions, conclusions, and sermon divisions out of his theological conviction that humanity can do nothing to make the Word of God effective and should not try to do so, perhaps because of his dislike for the artiness of the sermons of his day. For Barth, sermon form only served to obscure the Word of God. Preachers, he argued, need not make much of the issue of sermon form.

The problem with this line of reasoning is that the biblical preachers and writers did have a concern for design. Long ar­gues that the New Testament writers were intentional in their rhetorical design and that New Testament preaching was based on the preaching of the synagogue, which was complex in its communication strategy.

Consider the difference between Paul's sermon in Acts 13 to a largely Jewish audience in the synagogue and his sermon in Acts 17 to a Gentile audience in the Greek marketplace. In Acts 13 Paul's sermon is filled with Old Testament references and theology. In Acts 17 Paul takes a very different approach, appealing to an altar to 'an unknown God' and quoting from Greek poets, while not using a single quotation from the Hebrew Scriptures. These two sermons reflect different audiences and thus different rhetorical designs. They are designed differently, but they are designed.

Form is inescapable. Even if one simply reads the text, issues of design must be considered."

Today's Extra...

Relationship with Christ

In My Utmost for His Highest, Oswald Chambers wrote, "There is only one relationship that matters, and that is your personal relationship to a personal Redeemer and Lord. Let everything else go, but maintain that at all costs, and God will fulfill His purpose through your life. . . . Always remain alert to the fact that where one man has gone back is exactly where anyone may go back . . . Kept by the power of God - this is the only safety."

[Judy Harder]

Today's Word for Pastors...

A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones.
Proverbs 14:30

Today's Preaching Insight...

In his excellent book The Art of Preaching Old Testament Narrative (Baker Books), author Steven D. Mathewson says: "While Old Testament narratives focus more on action, the people involved supply the reason for our interest in stories. A rabbinic saying quips, 'God made people because he loves stories.' Perhaps the reverse is also true - God made stories because he loves people. Our interest in stories rivets us to the characters. We even identify stories by characters' names: the story of Ruth, the David story, and the Judah-Tamar story. Interpreting Old Testament stories requires us to pay attention to the characters and how they develop. Because plot is primary, our analysis should attempt to specify the function of characters in relationship to the plot."

Today's Extra...

Television

The majority of Americans (62%) believe that the quality of television programming is getting worse yet, the average TV viewer is spending more time than ever in front of the tube, according to a new poll by The Associated Press and AOL Television. "There's a divide between our opinions and our behavior here," said Robert Thompson, director of The Bleier Center for the Study of TV and Popular Culture at Syracuse University. "Americans check off all the boxes on a survey saying TV stinks with one hand, but they've got the other hand on that TV remote," Thompson said. "They're complaining, but they're still watching."

The study, which was based on interviews with 1,204 adults from Aug. 24-26, revealed that 13 percent of Americans watch more than 30 hours of television each week and 27 percent watch at least 21 hours. This shows an increase of five percent from a similar study taken in 2005. Interestingly, those who watch a lot of television and those who watch very little all agree that the quality of programming is declining.

When asked which new shows they were looking forward to watching, only seven percent of viewers could name one. The poll also found that 28 percent of Americans would like to see more news on television compared to 17 percent in 2005. The ABC show, "Desperate Housewives" was seen as "most offensive," getting more votes for unpopularity than even "Jerry Springer" and " South Park." When asked which show they would most like to see cancelled, nine percent chose CBS's "Survivor." The returning show that Americans are looking forward to the most is CBS's "CSI," being named by 47 percent of respondents. (The Pastor's Weekly Briefing, 9-21-07)

[Judy Harder]

Today's Word for Pastors...

As God's fellow workers we urge you not to receive God's grace in vain.
2 Corinthians 6:1

Today's Preaching Insight...

You Can't Take it With You

You can't take it with you! Or can you? A colleague recently told me about an interesting sight he witnessed. From the vantage point of a busy intersection, a funeral was in full procession. My friend, the captivated onlooker, watched the passing parade: a freshly washed funeral coach, limousines and the assortment of cars and SUVs of relatives and friends all with their headlights beaming. There was nothing out of the ordinary here except what coincidently happened to be following the last car in the procession — a U-Haul truck!

Some people do actually live and die as if they will be able to take it with them. Like the pharaohs of ancient Egypt, many long for an after life; even if it does resemble a "Temptation Island" one. In the gospel of Luke 12:13-21 there is recorded a story about a man who lived and died as if he could take all of his beloved possessions and honors with him. Instead of loading U-hauls and building pyramids however, he was building bigger barns. He lived for the day at hand.  He thought that this world would be enough....

Jesus put His finger on the problem of the one who was concerned about getting his fair share. His problem was covetousness! Greed is no respecter of persons. Greed has the pervasive ability to trickle down from the boardroom to the break room. The Bible says much about the dangers of how greed can divide and conquer our heart. We cannot serve two masters. We cannot serve both God and riches (Matt. 6:24).

(To read the entire article "The World is Not Enough" by Joe Alain at Preaching.com, click here)

Today's Extra...

Storms, Crisis

An old sea captain was quizzing a young naval student. "What steps would you take if a sudden storm came up on the starboard?"He replied, "I would throw out an anchor, Sir.""What would you do if another storm sprang up aft?" asked the captain. "I'd throw out another anchor, Sir.""But what if a third storm sprang up forward?""I'd throw out another anchor, Captain.""Wait a minute, son," said the Captain. "Where in the world are you getting all those anchors?"The young man replied, "From the same place you're getting all those storms."Personal storms or crises have a way of showing up unexpectedly. The person without some anchors can get blown away. The best anchors on earth are these: dependable friends; a stable, loving family; a church home; and a personal relationship with the One who is...

[Judy Harder]

Today's Word for Pastors...

See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.
Hebrews 12:15

Today's Preaching Insight...

You Would Think

You would think that when you are doing the things of God, everything would turn out right.

You certainly sense when you read the book of Acts that it becomes one of the dilemmas the apostle Paul faces.  We've encountered his conversion in Acts 9.  We've seen the gospel spread across the world.  He's gone on these very specific mission trips on behalf of God.  He has taken the gospel in the places that God has directed him.  He has followed God's leading.  He has gathered an offering to go back to Jerusalem.  When he delivers it to the temple he's arrested.  There's a riot.  He's about to get beaten when he appeals to the centurion as a Roman citizen and is taken out of the crowd and away from the beating.  Then there's this rather interesting comment.  In the midst of all this apparent chaos, Paul hears Jesus say to him in Acts 23:11 "Take courage!  As you have testified about me in Jerusalem, so you must also testify in Rome."

Strange way to get to Rome.  And yet, reflective of the kinds of things that Paul has been hearing from God in Acts 9, Acts 22.  We'll hear it again in Acts 26.  He reflects on it in 2 Timothy 4 when he talks about his own relationship with God, that he was destined to be the apostle to kings, to Gentiles; that he would speak in God's behalf in places that no one else could speak.  And yet, here he is, under arrest.

You'd think if you were doing things for God, everything would turn out right.

(To read the entire article, "When God Doesn't Make Sense" by Chuck Sackett at Preaching.com, click here)

Today's Extra...

Kindness

While taking a routine vandalism report at an elementary school, a police officer was interrupted by a little girl about 6 years old. Looking up and down at the uniform, she asked, "Are you a cop?"

"Yes," the officer answered and continued writing the report.

"My mother said if I ever needed help I should ask the police. Is that right?"

"Yes, that's right," the officer told her.

"Well, then," she said as she extended her foot, "would you please tie my shoe?"

[Judy Harder]

Today's Word for Pastors...

The righteous man leads a blameless life; blessed are his children after him.
Proverbs 20:7

Today's Preaching Insight...

White-Water Episodes

What is God saying to the church at Philadelphia and to you and me this morning? "Keep on paddling!" I know it is scary. I know it can be turbulent. Some of you are facing incredible white water episodes right now. Remember that God does not ask us not to be afraid. He gives us permission to shake like leaves, but He says, "Keep on doing what I tell you. Keep on paddling! As you do, the day will come when you break through to smooth sailing."

Very quickly, let me give you a couple of things to remember when you face white water episodes. Every one of us has times when we can get paralyzed by fear. If you say you have never been terribly afraid, I will say you are a liar or a fool. So, here are some ideas for handling the white water with God.

Here is number one: embrace the challenge before you. In 1 Samuel 17:32, David said to Saul, "Let no one's heart fail because of Goliath: I will go out and fight with him."

Do you remember the Bible story? Goliath, the giant, was threatening the army of Israel. Not one of the Hebrews wanted to deal with him. They all stood around kicking their sandals in the dust. David said, "Well, somebody has to fight him, so I will." When you face a problem, take it on! It does no good to stand around kicking your feet in the dust. It does no good to stick your head down between your legs. It might work in a bomb shelter, but it is not going to work in life. In addition, it does no good to stand up in the back of the canoe and say, "I want to go home!" You can't leave life...

Number two: embrace the weakness that is within you. It is OK to be weak. It is OK not to have all the answers. It is OK to be scared. Letting it be okay to have moments of weakness in a paradoxical way opens your life to strength. In 2 Corinthians 12:10, Paul says, "When I am weak, then I am strong." Why could he say that? He was one of the most powerful and effective human beings ever to walk the face of the earth. He could say that because he discovered that when he was weak, shaking and not having all the answers, he was willing to listen to God and the people of God, and get the advice and direction he needed.

(To read the entire article "When God Opens a Door" by Steve Wende at Preaching.com, click here)

Today's Extra...

Fatherhood

Just around the time of the inauguration of President Obama, the daughters of outgoing President Bush wrote an open letter to the Obama daughters. They gave all kinds of advice to the girls about enjoying all that life in the White House can offer. The Bush twins encouraged the girls to go to ballgames, receptions and cultural events. The letter extolled all the blessings of being a president's daughter. But, at the end of the letter there was an intensely personal and touching admonition. Jenna and Barbara wrote:

"And finally, although it's an honor and full of so many extraordinary opportunities, it isn't always easy being a member of the club you are about to join. Our dad, like yours, is a man of great integrity and love—a man who always put us first. We still see him now as we did when we were 7: as our loving daddy. ... He is our father, not the sketch in a paper or part of a skit on TV. Many people will think they know him, but they have no idea how he felt the day you were born, the pride he felt on your first day of school, or how much you both love being his daughters. So here is our most important piece of advice: remember who your dad really is."

[Judy Harder]

Today's Word for Pastors...

Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.
Matthew 24:35

Today's Preaching Insight...

Sing Much Anymore?

One day Chirpy's elderly owner decided to vacuum her parakeet's cage. Just then the phone rang. While reaching for the phone, she inadvertently lifted up the vacuum hose and sucked Chirpy all the way through the tube and into the dust bag.

Frantically, she tore open the bag, pulled out her beloved bird and gently rinsed him off under the faucet. Not satisfied with soaking the wet songbird, she turned on her blow dryer and carefully blew him dry.

Later, when someone inquired about Chirpy, she admitted "Well, he doesn't sing much anymore."

Would you wonder? Sucked in, washed up, and blown dry! That's enough to steal the song from the stoutest of songbirds.

Can you relate to that? Just when you conclude that it cannot possibly get any worse, it suddenly does. However, that seems to be when the God of the Bible appears often time, in an unexpected place with a strange name like Bethel, Peniel, or Shechem. Sucked into a crippling circumstance, we find ourselves rinsed off in a paralyzing experience, only to experience being blown dry by God's gentle grace.

(To read the entire article, "Sucked In, Washed Up, Blown Dry" by Wayne M. Warner on Preaching.com, click here)

Today's Extra...

Preaching

A family asked a preacher to come to their home for dinner after church. The child of that family was quite precocious. To encourage conversation the mother asked the little girl how she liked the service. The girl replied, "I liked it, but the sermon was a little long." About that point the child remembered the preacher was present, got embarrassed and tried to restate her point more politely. She said, "Actually, it wasn't really so long, it just seemed long."

[Judy Harder]

Today's Word for Pastors...

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.
2 Timothy 3:16

Today's Preaching Insight...

Made for Ministry

So you don't feel called to be a minister? Well, listen first to Ephesians 2:1-10 (ESV) from God's Word.

And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience—among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ— by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

I want to tell you how my Aunt Eva got my goat. Once upon a time I owned a goat. Buck, believe it or not, was so big that I could ride him, which I often did. I grew to really love my pretty white goat. Aunt Eva, on the other hand, never really got attached to Buck like I did. One day when our azalea bushes and magnificent bridal wreath spirea were in full bloom, both prized by Aunt Eva almost as much as she prized me, Buck had a hunger pang. He proceeded to eat all of those azaleas along with the spirea next to them. Once discovered, Buck was history. The last time I saw Buck, he was in the back of a trailer headed to who-knows-where. Buck was a fine animal other than that episode, and I thought he was a pretty good goat. But on that fateful day, Aunt Eva declared that Buck was "good for nothing."

Christians are to be good for something. But we can also appear to be "good for nothing." In fact, Jesus said that when we stand before Him on Judgment Day, some will be like sheep and others like goats. The sheep in Matthew 25, who will be on Jesus' right hand at the place of sonship, are true believers who manifested their faith in tangible expressions of love to others. Jesus says that these sheep will have fed the hungry, given drink to the thirsty, provided hospitality to the homeless, clothing to the naked and visited the sick and those imprisoned. Jesus identifies Himself with the needy.

(To read the entire article, "You Were Made for Ministry" by Michael Milton at Preaching.com, click here)

Today's Extra...

Bible

A man said he was an army sergeant stationed in Europe and his job was to help get the chapel ready for services on Sunday. He himself never attended, but he got everything ready for the chaplain. One day he opened a box. It was full of books called Good News for Modern Man. He said to himself, "I'm a modern man. I'll read this." As he read it he kept thinking, "This sounds a lot like the Bible." That was the beginning of his conversion. The Bible is truly a book for modern people. A young man said to his pastor: "I live in the jet age. Those people in the Bible rode camels. What do a bunch of camel drivers have to say to me?" It's a legitimate question, but it's a question we can answer: the basic issues of life (sin, guilt, hope, faith, grief, death) have not changed. Those camel...

[Judy Harder]

Today's Word for Pastors...

Remember the former things, those of long ago; I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me. I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say: My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.
Isaiah 46:9-10

Today's Preaching Insight...

The View of the Church from Starbucks

Rick Richardson, professor and writer, tells about a pastor named Dan, who realized he was getting stale. So with the approval of his pastoral team, he took a part-time job at a Starbucks coffee shop.

To his surprise, "All 21 people he worked with believed in God. Not one was an atheist ... They were all very positive toward God and spirituality."

Richardson goes on to report:

A second surprise was that all were interested in spiritual things, but not in Christians, Christianity, or the church. No one wanted to hear Dan's proofs for God or invitations to come to church or ideas about salvation. Almost everyone thought they knew what Christianity was about and had decided they didn't want it. They were post Christian. At some point along the way, each of them had experienced a breach in trust related to Christianity. Maybe a Christian friend had been hypocritical or pushy. Maybe when they were young they had attended church and found it boring and irrelevant. Maybe they had watched TV preachers and been turned off. Or maybe they had experienced a tragedy—death or sexual abuse or some other trauma—and felt that God had been distant and uncaring.

Richardson said, "Dan wasn't starting at ground zero, but rather at minus-three or four. ... The biggest thing Dan learned is that people in this generation have a prior question of trust that must be addressed before we can have meaningful spiritual conversations with them."

Pastor Dan had discovered the outside understanding of how the church was viewed by some people.

(To read the entire article, "What Starbucks, Harry and You All Have in Common" by John A. Huffman Jr. at Preaching.com, click here)

Today's Extra...

Conviction

Anne Rice made her name writing very popular books about vampires and other occult themes. Some of them were made into movies. Recently some of her fans were shocked that she had returned to the Catholic faith of her childhood. This has prompted Anne to write books about the life of Jesus.

On Rice's Web site she says, "After years of pondering and searching, the great gift of Faith in Our Lord Jesus Christ as Our Savior came back to me on a December afternoon; and I went home to the church of my childhood, becoming a member and supporter of it with my whole soul." She also reports that while sitting in church she became convicted she needed to use her talent as a storyteller for Jesus. As a result of studying the Bible for these books she said, "I am a believer in every word of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John."

[Judy Harder]

Today's Word for Pastors...

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
Romans 8:28

Today's Preaching Insight...

Leaders Making Leaders

Where did the leaders go? According to a 2009 Barna Group survey, only 2 percent of those who identified themselves as Christians believe they have the gift of leadership.

New Testament leadership was comprehensive. It had its moments of tenderness and messages of tough love. It wept, laughed, warned, condemned and taught real-life lessons; but it always was a step ahead of the congregation. Paul said, "Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ" (1 Cor. 11:1, NIV).

Naturally, if there are followers, there must be a leader. And pastor, you are the designated leader. Leadership training is the organizational backbone of a growing church. "When a group lacks quality leadership, it will tend to languish. Leadership is a social construct. No one leads by himself." New leaders must be trained to take the place of those retired, wounded or missing in action. Your weekly message can be an awesome add-on, a training ground for discipleship and leadership.

Believers caught in the web of a post-Christian culture are seeking far more than three points and a poem. They want to stand on a firm foundation.

Albert L. Truesdale Jr., once said, "With all orthodox Christianity we believe that in spite of notable limitations, the Holy Spirit worked in the life of the Church to create the Creeds. They do now faithfully articulate the Triune God—the Father, Son and Holy Spirit." Let's face it—our parishioners need to know more about God more than anything!

(To read the entire article, "Leading from the Pulpit" by Stan Toler at Preaching.com, click here)

Today's Extra...

Pulling for Others on the Court of Life

"The scoreboard said I lost today," Andre Agassi told the crowd. "But what the scoreboard doesn't say is what it is I have found. Over the last 21 years, I have found loyalty. You have pulled for me on the court and also in life.

"I found inspiration. You have willed me to succeed, sometimes even in my lowest moments. And I've found generosity. You have given me your shoulders to stand on to reach for my dreams, dreams I could never have reached without you. Over the last 21 years, I have found you, and I will take you and the memory of you with me for the rest of my life."

(Andre Agassi to the crowd on Sept. 3, 2006, U.S. Open, Arthur Ashe Stadium, Queens.)