Happy Easter

Feeling the Zap

Fellow Pastors: Buy this book!

"What I feel at any given time is not the measure either of the truth itself, nor of its work. A good chef can prepare succulent dishes even when his own nose may be stuffed up and he has no ability to smell the savory odors nor taste the dishes himself. Beethoven still composed and arranged brilliantly after losing his hearing. David was instructed not to number the people lest he see them to be few in number compared to his enemies, and hesitate to wage war as God might require. So it is with us. If we measure our preaching's fire power on the numbering and qualifying of our own chills, goose bumps, glory buzzes -- or whatever else it is we think signals to us that God is at work -- we will be timid, ill-prepared and faithless when such feelings are nowhere to be found."

- Reid Ferguson, The Little Book Of ... Things You Should Know About Ministry, p. 43

Behold Your God

"For the customs of the peoples are delusion; Because it is wood cut from the forest, The work of the hands of a craftsman with a cutting tool. They decorate {it} with silver and with gold; They fasten it with nails and with hammers So that it will not totter. Like a scarecrow in a cucumber field are they, And they cannot speak; They must be carried, Because they cannot walk! Do not fear them, For they can do no harm, Nor can they do any good. There is none like You, O LORD; You are great, and great is Your name in might. Who would not fear You, O King of the nations? Indeed it is Your due! For among all the wise men of the nations And in all their kingdoms, There is none like You. But they are altogether stupid and foolish {In their} discipline of delusion--their idol is wood! Beaten silver is brought from Tarshish, And gold from Uphaz, The work of a craftsman and of the hands of a goldsmith; Violet and purple are their clothing; They are all the work of skilled men.

But the LORD is the true God; He is the living God and the everlasting King. At His wrath the earth quakes, And the nations cannot endure His indignation."

Jeremiah 10:3-10

God is So Good

I want to commend to you

God is So Good, the ministry of John Bishop. If you are not familiar with the Bishops' story be sure to pick up a copy of the DVD from their online store, or stop by John's page at sermonaudio.com and listen to some of his sermons. If you are battling discouragement, health issues, or any of the "thousand natural shocks that flesh is heir to" then give this man your undivided attention. I don't have evangelists in to speak at Grace Bible (there's a discussion all its own!) but I cannot wait to introduce John Bishop to the church family.

Another Important Tool

Time out for a very serious issue: one of the most important tools for the pastor is a great cup of coffee. For all of you road warriors who are still searching for the perfect coffee mug: spill-proof, well-insulated, and actually built to fit into your cupholders, look no further than this beauty.

Sing to Myself a New Song

Douglas Wilson has a tremendous article on sacred music in his blog today. Here's an excerpt to whet your appetite. Be sure to stop here and read the entire post.

"As we sing, certain characteristics should be obvious to all who hear the singing. Our congregational singing should have at least the following characteristics. First, it should be reverent. The flippancy with which some address God is truly frightening. "The Lord reigns; let the peoples tremble! He dwells between the cherubim; let the earth be moved! The Lord is great in Zion, and He is high above all the peoples. Let them praise your great and awesome name -- He is holy" (Ps. 99:1-3). We should note the KJV translation of awesome -- terrible. Moreover, this requirement to be God-fearing was not an Old Covenant thing -- notice Paul's teaching in Philippians, which is to "work out your own salvation with fear and trembling" (2:12). Do not sing to the Lord with your mind somewhere else, or while entertaining various jolly thoughts. Worship of God needs to be acceptable, which means it must be offered in reverance and godly fear. This is because God is a consuming fire (Heb. 12:28-29)."

Amen!

James White on the Trinity

Watched this great clip on the Trinity from James White's blog this morning. He gives a thorough yet simple (as simple as a discussion of the Trinity can get, anyway) explanation of the unique Christian doctrine of the Trinity, over against the charicature held by Muslims.

Real, Old-School Calvinism

Teaching through 1 & 2 Thessalonians & found this insight by Warren Wiersbe. It's amazing how verse-by-verse, expository preaching will keep you in balance.

"But election and evangelism go together. The person who says, 'God will save those He wants to save and He doesn’t need my help!' understands neither election nor evangelism. In the Bible, election always involves responsibility. God chose Israel and made them an elect nation so that they might witness to the Gentiles.
"In the same way, God has chosen the church that we might be witnesses today. The fact that we are God’s elect people does not excuse us from the task of evangelism. On the contrary, the doctrine of election is one of the greatest encouragements to evangelism."

Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, "An Exposition of the New Testament Comprising the Entire 'BE' Series"--Jkt. (Wheaton, Ill.: Victor Books, 1996, c1989), 1 Th 1:8.

We've Got Spirit, Yes We Do! (But Which One?)

2 Timothy 1:7 says, "For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline."

I was reflecting this morning on some past experiences and this verse came to mind. One of the warning signs when you step into any ministry--whether joining a church, visiting another ministry, listening to an evangelist or special speaker, or signing on to work with a church or para-church ministry--there is a warning sign you need to watch for. Over the years I have learned how to spot it. Unfortunately I had to learn the hard way. Several times.

If the people involved in that ministry are driven even a little bit by fear of the man in charge, you need to run--don't walk--away from there. I don't care how many gazillion people they've seen saved and baptized, how many missionaries they support, how many attend their services, etc etc ad nauseam. If you see people freely sharing ideas until they're in the leader's presence, at which time they immediately shut down, get out now. If a man's name is all it takes to win an argument ("Well, Dr. So-and-so would/would not like that.") turn your knees to the breeze. That fear is unhealthy. It is a sign that God is only in control insofar as that man allows Him to be.

It won't seem all that bad at first. That's the nature of a honeymoon. You'll find ways to rationalize things that you see that bother you deep down. Don't do it. Leave now. Get out. Don't even stop to collect your red Swingline stapler from your desk. There's something wrong. Respect for a Godly man doesn't make people clam up. It doesn't produce forced conformity in nonessentials. That's fear. And it's not of God. There's something seriously wrong -- get out before you get hurt.

Pragmatism is another warning sign. I may post on that later, but only if it will get me more readers.

Words Matter as a Matter of Fact

Greg Koukl is one of my very most favoritest apologists. In this clip he makes an important point about the word faith. This is more than just semantic hair-splitting: if you watched the recent debate between the theist Dinesh D'Souza and atheist Christopher Hitchens you saw the normally brilliant D'Souza acquit himself magnificently UNTIL he sold the farm - for no good reason - on the meaning of faith. Watch this clip from Greg Koukl:

Another Tool for the Do-It-All Pastor

Just starting to lay the groundwork for an areawide visitation "campaign" for the church. Basically it's just a systematic invitation for everyone in the area. Since I am the design staff I am always on the prowl for tools to help with both inspiration and implementation. Found this one today, and it has already paid for itself! It is a 3-volume set of books to help with color scheme, typefaces, and overall design. Be sure to check it out!

Clash of the Titans

I have long admired Dinesh D'souza as an articulate, reasonable spokesman for conservatism. I find him doubly admirable as a champion of Christianity. Here he is skillfully debating the ever-bucolic Christopher Hitchens at King's College.