Weekly Wisdom [06.22.18]

Need some Weekly Wisdom?  Here are my favorite resources of the week.

VERSE OF THE WEEK

So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him [2 Cor. 5:9].

BOOK OF THE WEEK

Faithful Preaching: Declaring Scripture with Responsibility, Passion, and Authenticity by Tony Merida

What is a preacher? What is preaching? Pastor Tony Merida asks these foundational questions to arrive at this overview of his widely anticipated book, Faithful Preaching:

“Faithful preaching is the responsible, passionate, and authentic declaration of the Christ-exalting Scriptures, by the power of the Spirit, for the glory of the Triune God. Expository preaching is the best approach for accurately explaining and applying God’s Word, and for maintaining a God-centered focus in preaching. It also offers wonderful spiritual benefits to both the preacher and congregation. To be faithful expositors today, we must avoid the common problems associated with expository preaching such as boredom, irrelevancy, and Christless messages. Faithful preachers will usher the people through the text passionately and authentically, pointing them to Christ.”

  1. Therefore, I simply propose that faithful preaching is the responsible, passionate, and authentic declaration of the Christ-exalting Scriptures, by the power of the Spirit, for the glory of the Triune God (6).
  2. Expository preaching as a sermon process means that exposition deals with the in-depth study of the text for the purpose of communicating the message intended by the original author (7).
  3. Even though I believe there is some liberty in the form of the sermon, I believe the best way to grow healthy disciples is by moving verse by verse through books of the Bible (10).

PODCAST OF THE WEEK

Does Scripture Forbid Entrepreneurs from Raising Big Money? by Ask Pastor John

“Hello, Pastor John! First Timothy is really an exhortation against false teachers and problems in that church because of them. Knowing then that 1 Timothy 6 deals with false teachers, I’ve always had a hard time fully understanding verse 9 about ‘desiring to be rich.’ I’m an entrepreneur and business owner, and with my business, I want to fund myself and my team in order to do missions together. Therefore, I desire to raise a lot of money. Is this contradictory to the Bible? Is it in a context of greed or desiring money as ultimate? What does it mean to be rich, and to what level does this cover? Is there a godly way to pursue a lot of funding?”

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

RESOLVED, never to lose one moment of time; but improve it the most profitable way I possibly can. –Jonathan Edwards

SONG OF THE WEEK

I had the privilege to minister at NGU Fuge with I Am They.  I have always enjoyed their music. “My Feet Are on the Rock” is a fantastic song.

POST OF THE WEEK

10 Books Every Christian Should Read by Tim Challies

believe that of all the questions I receive, the most common relate to books. What are some books I ought to read? Can you recommend a book on thissubject or that subject? What should I read next? I’m happy to answer such questions, but thought I might be able to answer a bunch at once by suggesting 10 books that every Christian ought to read.

TIP OF THE WEEK

Have a Church Work Week.  You know what happens when you don’t clean out your garage over time?  1 week it isn’t that big of a deal, but as months pile up, it gets out of control.

What about a church in which hundreds of people share spaces over decades?  Every once in a while, it is important to evaluate your space and assess your inventory.  We spent a week and invited volunteers to join our staff to do some things that needed to be done on campus.  It was an incredible way to get a lot done, save a lot of ministry money, and allow many people with differing skills to serve their church family.  Plus, it is lots of fun!