Given to Prayer and The Ministry of The Word

February 26, 2013 in Expositions, Ministry with 2 Comments

The beginning of Acts chapter six invites us to one of the first disputes within the early church. It seems interesting that this problem occurs after the initial persecution of the church (Acts 4), and after the turmoil of sinning saints (Acts 5). If Satan cannot destroy the church with persecution from without, and if he cannot destroy it with sin in its members, then he will try to do it within the leadership of the church (Acts 6:1-7). 

An issue arose from within the leadership of the church that the Hellenist widows were not being taken care of. The Hellenist Jews thought that the Apostles were overlooking the poor and needy. Now, we must understand that the Hellenist Jews were Greek speaking Jews and were not native Palestinian Jews. The Palestinian Jews spoke Aramaic and held true to more traditional views of Judaism. The Hellenistic Jews used the Septuagint Old Testament which was translated into Greek and the Palestinian Jews used the Hebrew Translated Old Testament. The Hellenist Jews and Palestinian Jews had for many years been divided, and now their dissension was seeping into the church.

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John Did No Miracle

February 13, 2013 in Ministry with 0 Comments

John 10:41-42 And many resorted unto him, and said, John did no miracle: but all things that John spake of this man (Jesus) were true. And many believed on him there.

“John did no miracle.” Today, your ministry is considered sub-par if miracles are not being performed. However, John did no miracle. Notice that the word miracle is singular, and not plural. Not one miracle. Yet, I have come to the conclusion that John’s ministry was supernatural. No, sickness was not healed. Blinded eyes were not opened. Deaf ears were not unstopped. The lame did not walk. The dead did not come back to life. John worked no miracles. Yet, John did preach.

John did no miracles, but his life was a miracle. John’s parents were stricken with age and his mother was barren (Luke 1:7). His parents did not work any miracles either, but they were considered righteous before the Lord, which is supernatural in itself.

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Do Not Throw Your Pearls Before Swine

February 8, 2013 in Expositions with 6 Comments

Matthew 7:6 -Do not give what is holy to dogs, and do not throw your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces. (NASB)

In Matthew chapter seven Jesus gives us the balance between right judgment and wrong judgement. We are to show humility in Spirit, and yet display power of Spirit. Taking the speck out of your brother’s eye first begins by removing the log that is in your own eye (Matthew 7:5). We are to first confess our own sin so we can clearly see the sin in our brother’s eye, and therefore help him remove it. Clear vision begins by removing our own hindered vision. Fuzzy vision is usually caused by the timber of the log that is jammed in our own eye. 

Then Jesus gives a striking illustration about casting what is holy and precious to dogs and pigs. Keep in mind that the beginning of chapter seven Jesus is dealing with judgement; good judgement and bad judgement. Context is vital when interpreting scripture.

So who are the dogs and who are the swine? Keeping what is holy and precious from being trampled first begins by examining who to keep it from.

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Charles Haddon Spurgeon

January 30, 2013 in Ministry with 2 Comments

 

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Charles Haddon Spurgeon June 19th 1834-January 31st-1892

Today, January 31st, 2013 has been 121 years since the death of Charles Haddon Spurgeon. He was known and is still known as the “Prince of Preachers.” Spurgeon began preaching at a the tender age of 15. In 1854 Charles Spurgeon took over the pastorate of the New Park Street church in London. He had preached more than 600 sermons before he was 20 years old. When the young pastor arrived to his new pastorate the congregation had just over 200 members, but in just a short matter of time the congregation grew too large for the existing building. The church would hold services in the 5,000 seat Exeter Hall and the 8,000 seat Surrey Gardens Music Hall until they finally moved into the infamous Metropolitan Tabernacle. By the end of his life Spurgeon had grown the congregation to well over 5,300 people. Mr. Spurgeon would often ask the congregation not to attend the next Sunday’s service, so that newcomers waiting outside could come in.

Charles Spurgeon was a preacher. He encouraged young preachers to “make the pulpit your first business.” He said he would rather be a preacher of the Gospel than the angel Gabriel. When asked what made him so successful behind the pulpit Mr. Spurgeon replied with “my people pray for me.” Charles Spurgeon was a man of prayer, study and great preaching. He was a soldier for Gospel truth who boldly preached the truth as he saw it in Scripture.

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Let No Man Despise Your Youth

January 28, 2013 in Expositions, Ministry with 12 Comments

Let No Man Despise Your Youth

1 Timothy 4:12 Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity. 

Paul penned his letter to Timothy while he was chained in a prison cell in Rome. Timothy, meanwhile, was left to oversee the churches that were in Ephesus. This was no small task for the young preacher. Ephesus was a hub for revival; it was at that time home to the largest Christian population in the world. Yet, Paul felt that Timothy was qualified to be in charge and to make sure everything was done in decency and in order, while Paul was in prison for the sake of the Gospel. Timothy was Paul’s protégé, and often times he would send Timothy to go and check on several churches on his behalf (1 Cor. 4:17, 16:10, Phil. 2:19, 1 Thess. 3:2). However, Timothy was not just to check on the church in Ephesus, he was to set things in order.

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