That is the question that I have been repeatedly asked by family, friends, colleagues and members of my congregation ever since the events of this past Tuesday night. In our mid-week service, I attempted to answer that question, not only to put people's fears to rest, but to remind them of Who ultimately governs the affairs of men.
First of all, let me say that as I sat and watched the events of election night I was both amazed, as well as honored to watch history take place right before my very eyes. To think that in almost a generation and a half we have watched this country go from treating black men as slaves to electing them as the leader of the free world, is nothing short of astounding. I went out and bought a paper Wednesday morning so that I would have a piece of history not only for myself, for to pass down to my son. I told him, "Son, always remember this night, because you have watched history unfold before your very eyes."
Loving, and knowing history the way that I do, I can proudly say that I am proud to be a citizen of the United States of America. I applaud President-elect Barak Obama for his promotion to the highest office in the world. Although I DID NOT vote for him, not because of his race, but because of his political views, there is no doubt that he ran a masterful campaign down to the minutest of detail. Furthermore, while others played the "race card" throughout the campaign, I never heard or saw him play the race hand.
My concern is not from a political or racial standpoint. I do not have a prejudice bone in my body, and I do not cling to a party as a security blanket. If you were to track my voting record, you would find that I have voted more Republican than Democrat; however, I have several bones to pick with the Republican party for NOT doing the jobs they were elected to do. From President Bush all the way down to my local politicians, they have let me down, they have let my family down, and they have let my nation down.
The concern that I have is from a MORAL standpoint. One of the reason I did not vote for President Obama is because of his views regarding abortion and same sex marriage. If one were to study history, they would find that the success of a nation is not determined economically, militarily, or politically; but, it is determined MORALLY. Every great power that has risen and fallen, did so because their moral foundation crumbled beneath them; be it Persia, Assyria, Babylon, Rome, or the United States of America.
Our recent economic woes, while due in part to poor leadership and decisions, are the result of cracks in our moral foundation. For example, politicians talk about finding a way to fix Social Security, so here's a thought: ABOLISH ABORTION! Since 1973, we have murdered more than 65 million babies. Fast forward 35 years and most of those would have been involved in the work force and paid into Social Security for 17 to 18 years. There is your solution for Social Security.
Thus, everything is directly linked to morality. There is no way around it. Why? It is because that is the way God set things up. "Blessed in the nation whose God is the Lord." (Psalm 33:12) It's one thing to have the words, "In God We Trust" on our currency, but when our lifestyles contradict those words, our currency becomes worthless.
We cannot take God out of our school system and not expect guns, violence, illiteracy and drugs. We cannot take God out of our judicial system and not expect abortion, same sex marriage, and assisted suicides. We cannot God out of our economic system and not expect stock market crashes, foreclosures, and the possibility of another Depression.
So, to answer the question, "What do we do now?' I have only one answer. As God's people, we do what we should have been doing all along, and that is awake out of our sleep, stand for truth, be salt and light instead of sugar and spice, and with a backbone like a saw log we refuse to back down, back away or back up.
As Christians, we have a mandate to pray for the "powers that be" which are "ordained of God." (Romans 13:1) Although you may not have voted for him, you and I have a responsibility to pray for President Obama. We must pray that God will work in his heart, and open his eyes to truth. We must pray that his liberal agenda in the Senate does not follow him to the White House. We must pray that he will lead this nation morally, so that he may lead this nation economically, politically, militarily and judicially.
I have placed his name at the top of my personal prayer list, and I hope that you will do the same. As the blood-bought, born-again people of God, we can still stand for right and pray for those who are wrong. Because at the end of the day, we know that regardless of who is in the White House, Jesus is still on the throne, and "the king's heart is in the hand of the Lord; as the rivers of water, he turneth it whithsoever he will." (Proverbs 21:1)
May God bless President Barak Obama, may this nation turn back to God, and may God's people awake from their sleep and not only recognize their responsibility to live as citizens of this country, but as citizens of another country.
With Eyes to the Hills from whence Cometh My Help,
Pastor Steve
Friday, November 7, 2008
Thursday, October 30, 2008
PRACTICE WILL NEVER MAKE PREACHING PERFECT
This blog is quite different from previous blogs in that I want to answer some questions that I have been recently asked regarding sermon preparation/delivery. First of all, let me say that the things I will share certainly do not reflect the fact that I have a monopoly of the art of preaching or preparation. These just represent things that have come to me, both natually, as well as those I have had to work at.
1. PLAN It OUT! By that I mean, don't open up the Word and decide to preach on whatever your index finger lands. Have a systematic approach to preaching. I love to preach through books of the Bible. Truth is progressive; thus, by the time you are at the conclusion of the book, you have built upon the truth presented in the opening of the book. Also, sermon series are an excellent way to avoid the pitfall of random thoughts. Although I am not an avid fan of topical series, they do serve a purpose in the right setting. Whether it is a book or a series, plan toward it. Map it out. Know where you're going; how you're going to get there; and, how long it will take.
2. PLOW It IN! In other words, when God settles on your heart what to preach, allow the plow of the Holy Spirit to plant it deep within your soul. Allow the truth of the passage to sink in. Meditate upon it. Dwell upon it. Feast upon it. Fill yourself so full of it that it overflows when you give it to your people. God forbid that we, as preachers, take the most exciting Book of history and BORE PEOPLE WITH IT! However, you cannot properly give out what you have not personally taken in. Thus, may it never be said that we went to the pulpit unprepared. God honors the study of His Word. I believe the anointing of the Spirit begins in the study.
There are a variety of options, and preferences in this area. Some preachers are "note-free" preachers who take no notes with them to the pulpit. Other preachers, like myself, take a manuscript to the pulpit. To be honest, I wish I were more able to be "note free," but I have become so accustomed to having my notes, that I would be handicapped. However, I would say this, if you use notes in your preaching, don't let them sound like the script of a telemarketer. Make it flow. Know where you are. Know where you're going. Know how you're going to get there.
3. PRAY It THROUGH! This is the hardest part of sermon preparation. For me, I'm not often willing to take the time to pray over my sermon. But, I have found the difference to be eternal in the sermons that I have prayed over, and the ones I have not. Something that I have made a personal practice is, that once my study is complete, before I go to the pulpit to deliver the message; I take my sermon notes, I hold them up, and I offer them as a sacrifice to God. I ask Him to leave out what He wants to leave out, and to put it what He wants to put in. I give it back to its rightful owner, and say with Moses, "Lord, I don't want to go out there if you don't go with me." The BIG preacher can do far better than we little preachers.
Referring back to sermon notes, although many of my sermons will contain a number of pages, I am not totally dependent upon them in the pulpit. I have looked over them many, many times before I preach; and, when I pray, I ask God to brand them into my heart and mind. I don't want to limit God to my sermon notes. There have been many times, while preaching, when God has given me something not in my notes. This is often referred to as "pulpit inspiration." Whatever the case may be, I believe it is the direct result of prayer.
4. PREACH It FORTH! Once you have labored over a passage, and have allowed the Holy Spirit to cultivate it deep within your soul; and, once you have prayed God's blessing upon it; go forth into your pulpit with a backbone like a saw-log and PREACH, PREACHER, PREACH! I mean, LET IT RIP! Leave nothing in the pulpit, or on the platform. As Richard Baxter said, "Preach as a dying man to dying men." Spurgeon was right when he said, "The purpose of preaching is not to explain a subject but to acheive an object. Preachers have become so wrapped up in 'content' that we've forgotten about "intent."
I once heard Chuck Swindoll say that preaching is 4 simple things: PRESENTATION, APPLICATION, ILLUSTRATION, INVITATION. While every preaching must hone his own skills to develop his own plan, personality, and preparation; I believe there is one common denominator: little preachers cannot make it without the BIG preacher.
Holding Forth the Word of Life,
Pastor Steve
1. PLAN It OUT! By that I mean, don't open up the Word and decide to preach on whatever your index finger lands. Have a systematic approach to preaching. I love to preach through books of the Bible. Truth is progressive; thus, by the time you are at the conclusion of the book, you have built upon the truth presented in the opening of the book. Also, sermon series are an excellent way to avoid the pitfall of random thoughts. Although I am not an avid fan of topical series, they do serve a purpose in the right setting. Whether it is a book or a series, plan toward it. Map it out. Know where you're going; how you're going to get there; and, how long it will take.
2. PLOW It IN! In other words, when God settles on your heart what to preach, allow the plow of the Holy Spirit to plant it deep within your soul. Allow the truth of the passage to sink in. Meditate upon it. Dwell upon it. Feast upon it. Fill yourself so full of it that it overflows when you give it to your people. God forbid that we, as preachers, take the most exciting Book of history and BORE PEOPLE WITH IT! However, you cannot properly give out what you have not personally taken in. Thus, may it never be said that we went to the pulpit unprepared. God honors the study of His Word. I believe the anointing of the Spirit begins in the study.
There are a variety of options, and preferences in this area. Some preachers are "note-free" preachers who take no notes with them to the pulpit. Other preachers, like myself, take a manuscript to the pulpit. To be honest, I wish I were more able to be "note free," but I have become so accustomed to having my notes, that I would be handicapped. However, I would say this, if you use notes in your preaching, don't let them sound like the script of a telemarketer. Make it flow. Know where you are. Know where you're going. Know how you're going to get there.
3. PRAY It THROUGH! This is the hardest part of sermon preparation. For me, I'm not often willing to take the time to pray over my sermon. But, I have found the difference to be eternal in the sermons that I have prayed over, and the ones I have not. Something that I have made a personal practice is, that once my study is complete, before I go to the pulpit to deliver the message; I take my sermon notes, I hold them up, and I offer them as a sacrifice to God. I ask Him to leave out what He wants to leave out, and to put it what He wants to put in. I give it back to its rightful owner, and say with Moses, "Lord, I don't want to go out there if you don't go with me." The BIG preacher can do far better than we little preachers.
Referring back to sermon notes, although many of my sermons will contain a number of pages, I am not totally dependent upon them in the pulpit. I have looked over them many, many times before I preach; and, when I pray, I ask God to brand them into my heart and mind. I don't want to limit God to my sermon notes. There have been many times, while preaching, when God has given me something not in my notes. This is often referred to as "pulpit inspiration." Whatever the case may be, I believe it is the direct result of prayer.
4. PREACH It FORTH! Once you have labored over a passage, and have allowed the Holy Spirit to cultivate it deep within your soul; and, once you have prayed God's blessing upon it; go forth into your pulpit with a backbone like a saw-log and PREACH, PREACHER, PREACH! I mean, LET IT RIP! Leave nothing in the pulpit, or on the platform. As Richard Baxter said, "Preach as a dying man to dying men." Spurgeon was right when he said, "The purpose of preaching is not to explain a subject but to acheive an object. Preachers have become so wrapped up in 'content' that we've forgotten about "intent."
I once heard Chuck Swindoll say that preaching is 4 simple things: PRESENTATION, APPLICATION, ILLUSTRATION, INVITATION. While every preaching must hone his own skills to develop his own plan, personality, and preparation; I believe there is one common denominator: little preachers cannot make it without the BIG preacher.
Holding Forth the Word of Life,
Pastor Steve
Friday, October 24, 2008
IT'S COLD IN HERE
On a recent trip to fulfill a preaching obligation, I flew to Indianapolis, Indiana. Our arrival was a few minutes ahead of schedule, so when I came off of the airplane one of the first things I saw was a bookstore. Now, anyone who knows me knows that one of my great weaknesses is my love for books. I would miss a meal to buy a book. I do not have the need for any more books, because there are currently 4500 volumes that fill my library/study. However, I just can't help but "get in the flesh" whenever I see any type of bookstore.
As I browsed around, I never really saw anything that struck my fancy. But, as I was walking out, I noticed a little shelf near the register. It was filled with different "religious" books, most of which would only serve as a good means of fireplace material. However, there was one book that jumped off the shelf at me. The book is entitled, "The Outward Focused Life: Becoming a Servant in a Serve Me World." The author is Dave Workman, senior pastor of Vineyard Church in Cincinnati, Ohio.
As always, I browsed through the table of contents to see if there was good reason to purchase the book. Some things I saw intrigued me, but I laid it down and said to myself, "If it's here when I come back to fly home, I'll pick it up." Well, guess what? When I arrived back at the airport, 6 days later, there was ONE copy of the book left. I don't know if it was divine intervention or not, but I purchased the book.
The book is filled with over 250 pages of life/church experiences of a pastor. By the time I landed back home in Jacksonville, 2 hours later, I had finished the entire book. To say that the book interested me would be a grave understatement. The book absolutely engulfed me. There was no great doctrinal, theological, or expostional content to the book, it is simply a book about being the greatest the kingdom of God. It is about being a SERVANT.
Pastor Workman and I would certainly disagree on several doctrinal issues, but there was one common denominator that we both share; and, that is, that one of the things greatly lost in the church today is servanthood. The average Christian, as well as the average church, has become so wrapped in themselves that they cannot see the need to reach, help, and love others. The lives of most Christians are governed by the unholy trinity of 'Me, Myself, and I."
But, when God saved us, He did much more than give us a little "fire insurance policy" to escape hell. When God saved us, He did much more than give us the "blessed hope" of a home in Heaven. When God saved us, He enlisted us in His army of saints, soldiers, and servants.
Pastor Dave told of a time he went to a fast-food restaurant. As he walked thru the door, he quickly noticed the cold temperature of the room. He ordered his food, paid the cashier, and as he waited on his food, he noticed that everyone in the dining area was eating their food with their coats on. He mentioned to the girl at the counter, "It's awfully cold in here, don't you think?" She replied, "It how we like it back here." He said, "Yes, but everyone is eating with their coats on." She looked at the dining area, looked back and him and said, "It's how we like it back here."
A great spiritual lesson is paralleled anytime a church or a Christian exists with the attitude, "It's how I like it back here." Many Christians fail to appropriate all of the resources of God's grace, and become everything God wants them to be, because they like it just where they are. They have reached the place of contentment; thus, they have purchased their tickets for the destination of complacency, callousness, and coldness.
Many churches fail to be the lighthouse of their communities, because they do things based on "how they like it in here." As a result, people fill our seats, and sit through our services every week WITH THEIR COATS ON! If this attitude continues, before long there will not be anyone in our church except those who think that it's NORMAL TO BE MISERABLE! All the while our cities, counties and communities remain unreached, unchurched and unsaved.
Now, please do not get me wrong, I am talking about watering down the gospel, or seeking to become like the world to win the world, because they would defeat the purpose. We have seen what the "purpose driven, seeker friendly church" produces; wormy, weak, and worldly believers. What I am talking about is that the church has become an expert in the field of having church and doing church, but has forgotten the mandate of BEING church. As R. G. Lee well said many years ago, "The church has become social clubhouses rather than spiritual lighthouses; museums that minister to the saints, rather than hospitals that minister to sinners; a group of political organizers, rather than a group of spiritual agonizers; keepers of the aquariam, rather than fishers of men."
We have forgotten that it is not about us, it has never been about us; nor, will it ever be about us. God has not called us to be high society, He has called us to be Heavenly Servants. When was the last time we reached out to help someone, not because of what we could get out of it; but, because we saw them through the eyes of Jesus? Remember, people are sitting in our church, and living in our communities with their coats on; so, let's go warm them up.
Glad to be a Servant,
Pastor Steve
As I browsed around, I never really saw anything that struck my fancy. But, as I was walking out, I noticed a little shelf near the register. It was filled with different "religious" books, most of which would only serve as a good means of fireplace material. However, there was one book that jumped off the shelf at me. The book is entitled, "The Outward Focused Life: Becoming a Servant in a Serve Me World." The author is Dave Workman, senior pastor of Vineyard Church in Cincinnati, Ohio.
As always, I browsed through the table of contents to see if there was good reason to purchase the book. Some things I saw intrigued me, but I laid it down and said to myself, "If it's here when I come back to fly home, I'll pick it up." Well, guess what? When I arrived back at the airport, 6 days later, there was ONE copy of the book left. I don't know if it was divine intervention or not, but I purchased the book.
The book is filled with over 250 pages of life/church experiences of a pastor. By the time I landed back home in Jacksonville, 2 hours later, I had finished the entire book. To say that the book interested me would be a grave understatement. The book absolutely engulfed me. There was no great doctrinal, theological, or expostional content to the book, it is simply a book about being the greatest the kingdom of God. It is about being a SERVANT.
Pastor Workman and I would certainly disagree on several doctrinal issues, but there was one common denominator that we both share; and, that is, that one of the things greatly lost in the church today is servanthood. The average Christian, as well as the average church, has become so wrapped in themselves that they cannot see the need to reach, help, and love others. The lives of most Christians are governed by the unholy trinity of 'Me, Myself, and I."
But, when God saved us, He did much more than give us a little "fire insurance policy" to escape hell. When God saved us, He did much more than give us the "blessed hope" of a home in Heaven. When God saved us, He enlisted us in His army of saints, soldiers, and servants.
Pastor Dave told of a time he went to a fast-food restaurant. As he walked thru the door, he quickly noticed the cold temperature of the room. He ordered his food, paid the cashier, and as he waited on his food, he noticed that everyone in the dining area was eating their food with their coats on. He mentioned to the girl at the counter, "It's awfully cold in here, don't you think?" She replied, "It how we like it back here." He said, "Yes, but everyone is eating with their coats on." She looked at the dining area, looked back and him and said, "It's how we like it back here."
A great spiritual lesson is paralleled anytime a church or a Christian exists with the attitude, "It's how I like it back here." Many Christians fail to appropriate all of the resources of God's grace, and become everything God wants them to be, because they like it just where they are. They have reached the place of contentment; thus, they have purchased their tickets for the destination of complacency, callousness, and coldness.
Many churches fail to be the lighthouse of their communities, because they do things based on "how they like it in here." As a result, people fill our seats, and sit through our services every week WITH THEIR COATS ON! If this attitude continues, before long there will not be anyone in our church except those who think that it's NORMAL TO BE MISERABLE! All the while our cities, counties and communities remain unreached, unchurched and unsaved.
Now, please do not get me wrong, I am talking about watering down the gospel, or seeking to become like the world to win the world, because they would defeat the purpose. We have seen what the "purpose driven, seeker friendly church" produces; wormy, weak, and worldly believers. What I am talking about is that the church has become an expert in the field of having church and doing church, but has forgotten the mandate of BEING church. As R. G. Lee well said many years ago, "The church has become social clubhouses rather than spiritual lighthouses; museums that minister to the saints, rather than hospitals that minister to sinners; a group of political organizers, rather than a group of spiritual agonizers; keepers of the aquariam, rather than fishers of men."
We have forgotten that it is not about us, it has never been about us; nor, will it ever be about us. God has not called us to be high society, He has called us to be Heavenly Servants. When was the last time we reached out to help someone, not because of what we could get out of it; but, because we saw them through the eyes of Jesus? Remember, people are sitting in our church, and living in our communities with their coats on; so, let's go warm them up.
Glad to be a Servant,
Pastor Steve
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