How many of us who preach and teach truly rely on the Holy Spirit in preparation for preaching and in the presentation? I have nothing against commentaries and good resources for understanding the meaning of words, the text, and the context. At times I use them to help in preparation. Where I find the greatest help is in sincere appeal to the Holy Spirit that He will give me spiritual insight and wisdom to correctly apply the text, first to myself and then the audience.
Paul makes a very important distinction in his first letter to Corinth. “And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual. The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned” (1 Corinthians 2:13–14). We must realize the danger of preaching or teaching with “human wisdom.” This never accomplishes God’s work in the persons addressed and there will be no spiritual growth. We must also realize that if the Spirit is not working in the other person, it will be impossible for them to accept the Word of God presented, no matter how hard we try. As preachers, we must be concerned first that the Spirit is unhindered in us so our communication is filled with His power.
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Many will stand before a congregation tomorrow to preach. The question is; where do they get their inspiration and what is the authority for what they say? There are many times I have stood to preach with trembling knees and a quaking heart because I knew I had not spent enough time in prayer and seeking the Spirit for what He wanted me to say. I am afraid that many who have preached for years become too self-confident. I have been there! Effective preaching takes place when we are first convicted by what we are going to say.
Jonathan Edwards made this resolution when he was in his twenties: “To study the Scriptures so steadily, constantly, and frequently that I may find, and plainly perceive myself to grow in the knowledge of the Word.” (Sereno Dwight, Memoirs of Jonathan Edwards, 1974, page 21). John R. W. Stott gives a quote from John Wesley in his book Between Two Worlds, page 32; “O give me that book! At any price give me the book of God! Let me be a man of one book.” How much we value the Bible will be seen in how it controls what we say and do – ALL THE TIME! Let it constantly challenge us before preaching, during preaching, and after we preach. One of the subjects I touch on often is the Authority of Scripture (Lesson 1 in God’s Plan for His Disciples). The reason I bring this up again is because of my blog post yesterday. As I pondered the crisis we face with church leaders accepting a standard of conduct Scripture clearly condemns, I ask myself the question, ‘what other areas of weakness make us think we can violate what God requires of us and not be held accountable?’
I suggested yesterday that somewhere intimacy with God has been broken. But there is another area that comes to mind. We expect those in the church to respect the authority in leaders (Hebrews 13:17), but do we as leaders freely submit to authority? Here is how Paul refers to it. “But we have renounced disgraceful, underhanded ways. We refuse to practice cunning or to tamper with God’s word, but by the open statement of the truth we would commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God” (2 Corinthians 4:2). That last phrase shows Paul’s accountability to God, and it must be ours. Scripture, God’s Word, holds us to a godly standard by virtue of its authority. Paul tells Timothy, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16–17). If these four functions are not taking place in our lives, you can be certain that sin is lurking in the shadows. As news came to my attention the last few days of prominent leaders of ‘mega churches’ being asked to step aside from their position because of inappropriate relationships with women who are not their wives, my heart feels broken. News like this causes me to first examine the details of my own life and ministry before God “to see if there be any grievous way in me” (Psalm 139:24).
This is not a blog pointing the finger at anyone, but rather a question of what leads anyone in leadership to think they can act in a way that brings dishonor on our Savior’s name and be casual about it or avoid a thorough process of repentance and cleansing. I turned to a book that often challenges me on these issues by J. Oswald Sanders, Enjoying Intimacy with God, page 53. “All sin ruptures fellowship, destroys intimacy with God, produces a sense of guilt, and involves the sinning person in painful temporal and eternal loss. David made no attempt to clothe his prayer (Psalm 51) with flowing rhetoric, for it is simply a series of brokenhearted sobs. The magnitude of his sin is not toned down but is freely acknowledged. Hear the broken sobs, expressed in vivid verbs: ‘Have mercy! Cleanse! Blot out! Wash! Purge! Hide Your face from my sins! Create! Do not cease! Renew! Restore! Save! Open my lips!’” Not only is this a genuine revelation of his heart in repentance leading to forgiveness, it provides an example for us to take the same path. Shallow confessions and repentance does not help restore the joy of intimacy with God and its powerful benefits. We received a request today for printing more books in Myanmar – 700 God’s Plan for His Disciples and 200 God’s Plan for His Church. Our Brother there (a true Timothy) has persevered in training disciples and leaders despite the difficult and dangerous conditions. The spiritual growth he has seen over the last year proved that Peter’s words are true.
“In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 1:6–7). From God’s perspective and in light of eternity, the trials we go through here are “for a little while” and without doubt they can cause grief. What Peter experienced and these brothers and sisters in Myanmar are proving is that God is using them to make our faith genuine. They realize God is working in them something that has far greater value than material things of this earth. Our trials may seem hard as we go through them, but are we letting God use them to strengthen our inner being by the Spirit “working all things according to the counsel of His will” (Ephesians 1:11)? This will bring Him “praise and glory and honor!” As we approach the celebration of Christmas, there is one thing on my mind; how the coming of Jesus to earth brought mankind salvation and how it directly impacts this ministry. Please follow my thinking through these points and Scriptures.
My heart is full of ecstatic joy that your prayers, your interest in the Lord’s work through NFI, and your financial support is toward one end; the pleasure of God in the unreached being saved So many conversations and events around this season of the year point to the birth of our Savior, the Lord Jesus. As I have had moments of quiet reflection, my mind has gone back to the prophecies of Isaiah which he wrote around 700 years before Jesus put His mark of this earth.
One of the aspects of Isaiah’s description of Jesus is that He is called “My Servant” (52:13). Here is the full verse. “Behold, My Servant shall act wisely; He shall be high and lifted up, and shall be exalted.” There was nothing casual or haphazard about His appearance. In fact, Paul says that “Christ Jesus…became to us wisdom from God” (1 Corinthians 1:30). He confounded both the intelligent and the religious elite of His day. How is it then that God’s Son, who is the personification of wisdom as well as being “high and lifted up and…exalted,” is the same One whose “appearance was so marred, beyond human semblance, and His form beyond that of the children of mankind” (52:14)? He is the Suffering Servant that God exalts because of His suffering. Paul is caught up in the majestic beauty and glory of Jesus when he said, “Therefore God has highly exalted Him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name” (Philippians 2:9). It is no wonder that God has intense delight in His Son! His birth cannot be separated from His whole life and eternal existence; the glory Jesus had with His Father “before the world existed” ‘(John 17:5). There is a common saying, ‘you are what you eat.’ This is true in the sense that if we eat unhealthy foods, it will show in unwanted weight, lack of energy, and even illness. The opposite is true to some extent. Eating good foods also has an impact on how we function physically.
There is a strong correlation to what is spiritual. If someone comes to me for counseling, I usually ask about their daily habits of reading God’s Word and prayer. What we take in on a regular basis and our conversations with God will determine how we deal with temptations and the flesh. Matthew Henry said, “The joy of the Lord will arm us against the assaults of our spiritual enemies and put our mouths out of taste for those pleasures which the tempter baits his hooks.” (Commentary on the Whole Bible, Vol. 2, page 1096). Having an appetite for Scripture arms the mind with truth, protects the heart from wandering, and provides a straight path to walk in. Never ignore the Helper (Holy Spirit) when reading. He adds understanding and the ability to apply Scripture practically with wisdom. Matthew must have been deeply impressed with the “voice from heaven” (Matthew 3:17). It was not common for this to take place which meant he and others took special note when it happened. A similar event took place on the Mount of Transfiguration (17:5; Mark 9:7), but the voice came from the cloud. What is critically important is not where the voice came from but what it said.
“And behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”” (Matthew 3:17). The phrase “I am well pleased” is actually one word in Greek (eudokêsa) which means “to take pleasure in.” This is the same word used in Matthew 17. The first was a public proclamation, but the second is a private affirmation to Peter, James, and John. What is the point? No one in all human history had ever heard heaven pronounce that its delight and pleasure rested on one person. This was vital to confirm the ministry of John the Baptist and for Israel to know that God had sent His Son into the world and that heaven was ecstatic with joy. “Earth” may not receive her King as He should be, but heaven will proclaim Him. The voice on the Mount of Transfiguration left a mark on Peter’s soul. “For when He received honor and glory from God the Father, and the voice was borne to Him by the Majestic Glory, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased”” (2 Peter 1:17). Since this is the attitude of heaven regarding God’s Son, how much more should our lives be filled with delight in Him! It will show in how we tell others. Content:
“Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush Him; He has put Him to grief; when His soul makes an offering for guilt, He shall see His offspring; He shall prolong His days; the will of the Lord shall prosper in His hand” (Isaiah 53:10). In my study of how the gospel is rooted in the heart of God, I was directed back to this familiar passage of Scripture that most of us have read many times. What especially caught my attention was the translation of the Hebrew word for “will” חָפֵץ – hã-pês, which literally means “willing, delight or pleasure.” If we insert that meaning in the verse above, it would read ““Yet it was the delight or pleasure of the Lord to crush Him.” How could this be? It would be impossible for me to answer that question, but it has gripped my heart and mind! There was an eternal purpose in the heart of God that so the Christ, through His death will “see His offspring” and “bring many sons to glory” (Hebrews 2:10). This is part of the goal of missions. It is far more that saving souls from hell. It is for the pleasure and glory of God! |
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