As Jesus’ influence increased, His family attempted to hinder His ministry. Jesus taught that sometimes doing the will of God will incur the opposition of your physical family and secure the support of your spiritual family.
Weekly Wisdom [07.20.18]
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VERSE OF THE WEEK
The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance [Ps. 16:6].
The Danger of Ministry Overcompensation
The problem in ministry is when leaders overcompensate a weakness so much that it creates another weakness.
Discipleship Strategy for Your Family
Within the family contains one of the greatest opportunities for discipleship and one of the greatest challenges for consistency. Your family members provide you the greatest opportunity to encourage and to discourage spiritual growth.
What’s the Unforgivable Sin?
Jesus taught that there is a specific sin that is unforgivable by God. What is that sin and how do we avoid it?
The Mission [Fuge 2018 Louisville]
I had the privilege to serve as the camp pastor at the Fuge Camp at Southern Seminary in Louisville on July 9-13, 2018. Here is the outline of the sermons I preached. Pray these notes drive you to reflect on the truths of God’s Word as it propels us to His mission!
Weekly Wisdom [07.13.18]
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VERSE OF THE WEEK
So, being affectionately desirous of you, we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you had become very dear to us [1 Thess. 2:8].
Write God Your Letter of Excuse
Determining God’s will is a challenging endeavor. Ascertaining whether your potential leading is self-inflicted or divinely-prompted is a serious task.
Oftentimes, we have a hunch about a direction but we stop cold in our tracks. Either the challenge seems too daunting or our inabilities are too obvious for us to proceed. Feeling led to do one thing, we resist the urge and come up with numerous excuses of why we shouldn’t continue.
The Disciple’s Job Description
As the crowds increased around Jesus, He intentionally drew closer to fewer people as He appointed twelve disciples to be His apostles. As Jesus called the original Twelve to specific tasks, He calls us to follow Him in the same way today.
Weekly Wisdom [07.06.18]
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VERSE OF THE WEEK
no longer as a bondservant but more than a bondservant, as a beloved brother—especially to me, but how much more to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord [Philemon 1:16].
Chapter Listing for New Marriage Book
I am still working on the edits on a new book on marriage. It is titled, What God Has Joined Together. The book focuses on 31 short chapters of specific issues that attempt to separate a marriage.
My prayer is that these specific chapters will help strengthen and protect marriages. One of the most difficult things about this project was coming up with the list of needed chapters. What do you include? What do you leave out?
God’s Plan for Your Family
God’s plan for your family is not complex. We make it that way, but it is truly simple. This is the plan:
God wants to reconcile the world to Himself through Christ-following parents who disciple their own children to multiply gospel transformation to all people.
It’s Always the Right Time to Do the Right Thing
Religious leaders opposed Jesus while He was doing good on the Sabbath day because it broke their manmade rules. The follower of Jesus must realize that it’s always the right time to do the right thing.
The Mission [Fuge 2018 North Greenville]
I had the privilege to serve as the camp pastor at the Fuge Combo Camp at North Greenville University on June 25-30, 2018. Here is the outline of the sermons I preached. Pray these notes drive you to reflect on the truths of God’s Word as it propels us to His mission!
Weekly Wisdom [06.29.18]
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VERSE OF THE WEEK
But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me [2 Cor. 12:9].
Fasting Isn’t a Spiritual Diet
One of the most neglected spiritual disciplines is fasting. The Scripture is full of instructions and examples of fasting and yet the practice is often absent in the Church.
Too often, people think of fasting as a spiritual diet. Desiring to lose a few pounds, someone will skip a meal and say they are fasting. If you aren’t spending the time seeking the Lord, that’s not fasting – that’s a diet. Fasting is so much more than abstaining from a meal for your figure’s sake.
Jesus’ Prayer for His Church
When Jesus spoke of His Church, He spoke of a people and not a building (Matt. 16:18). We are not called to come to church but to be the Church. In John 17, we get insight into how Jesus prayed for the universal Church and how that applies to each expression of a local church. Our hearts should be comforted …
Jesus Doesn’t Fit Into Your Box
The religious leaders of the day became increasingly frustrated because Jesus didn’t minister in the way they deemed appropriate. We must stop trying to fit Jesus into our religious boxes and realize that He came to do something new.
Weekly Wisdom [06.22.18]
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VERSE OF THE WEEK
So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him [2 Cor. 5:9].
Why the Prodigal’s Father Was on the Porch (Instead of the Pig Pen)
Everyone who has grown up in church knows the prodigal son story very well (Luke 15:11-32). The drifting son has the love of his father and subsequently, everything else he could ever ask for. One day, the drifting son decides he wants his father’s inheritance now (aka – I wish you were already dead). His father gives it to him and he spends it lavishly.
He lives a life of sin for some time – the ESV calls it “reckless living.” He wastes all his money away until he gets a job feeding slop to pigs, and he is so low that he becomes jealous of what the pigs get to eat and wishes he was in their situation rather than his.
That’s about as low as it goes.
Open Your Home for Ministry
As Jesus gathered disciples, He befriended sinners in home settings. Acknowledging the needs of those around us, we should open our homes and open our hearts to minister to those in close proximity to us.
Weekly Wisdom [06.15.18]
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VERSE OF THE WEEK
His divine power has given us everything required for life and godliness through the knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. [2 Pet. 1:3].
These Aren’t the Calvinists You’re Looking For
In Star Wars Episode 4, A New Hope, Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi uses a Jedi mind trick on a group of stormtroopers to protect the safety of this ragtag group of heroes. As he waves his hand upon the investigative soldiers seeking to identify if the robots in the back seat are the ones on the most-wanted list of the Empire, he changes their mind with the iconic phrase:
“These aren’t the droids you’re looking for.”
The stormtroopers are forced to believe him and they continue on to safety.
Sometimes, I wish I could wave my hand around and get people to think differently. Especially, when it comes to ministry. Let me explain.
How to Live Happily Ever After
I mentioned a few days ago, that I am in the editing phase of a book on marriage. I have been so encouraged by those who read the premise of the book and have been praying for me and motivating me to finish it. It will prayerfully serve as a biblical and practical resource to help equip marriages. The thought was to call it “What God Has Joined Together” and each chapter would be a particular item that could possibly separate the marriage.
We Need Forgiveness More Than Healing
When Jesus forgave a man who came looking for healing, He revealed our need and His authority. As we attempt to bring people to Jesus, we must seek to address their greatest need – their need for forgiveness.
Weekly Wisdom [06.08.18]
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VERSE OF THE WEEK
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God [2 Cor. 1:3-4].
Who Are the Pharisees in the Southern Baptist Convention?
It is true that in any arena of life, people have the capacity to position themselves intentionally or inwardly hope that they will rise to a certain platform. While we wish that was untrue in relation to ministry, it unfortunately exists there as well.
As a pastor, I see the attempts around me and notice the trends inside me to advance our personal agendas. But as someone who teaches the truth for a vocation, obviously, I should beyond such trivial pursuits. When I teach from the Bible, I should be able to come from a grounds of moral and leadership superiority and yet I often discover that quite the opposite is true.
Sometimes the religious leaders are the problem.
The Black Eye of the Southern Baptist Convention
My denomination is caught in a divisive moment at a critical time.
In recent months scandals and controversies have swirled around certain pastors, presidents, and professors within the Southern Baptist Convention. While some controversies have been front-page catastrophes and others have been suspiciously quiet departures, it appears as if someone is cleaning house. Some claim that institutions are cowering before cultural pressure and others claim this to be a day of divine reckoning.
God’s Favorite Style of Church
Every Christian has their favorite style of church. We all tend to gravitate towards a type of church that meets our desired preferences. Have you ever thought about God’s favorite style of church? God’s favorite style of church is a lifestyle church. Be the Church 01 – God’s Favorite Style of Church Jesus’ Great Commission provides a template for a …
Jesus Isn’t Afraid of Your Mess
Moved with pity, Jesus touched and cleansed a leper who lived on the fringes of society. With the needs around us, we must be willing to place ourselves into messy situations in order to see redemption in others.
Weekly Wisdom [06.01.18]
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VERSE OF THE WEEK
But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified [1 Cor. 9:27].
Early Riser
Jesus prioritized time with His Father early in the morning to prepare for the day’s assignments. If we are to follow His example, we must carve out intentional time for spiritual growth.
Weekly Wisdom [05.25.18]
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VERSE OF THE WEEK
For who regards you as superior? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it [1 Cor. 4:7]?
New Book on Marriage
I have more book ideas than I have time to write them. While I enjoy writing books, it is a difficult process that takes a lot of time and an unknown amount of effectiveness. I’ve got a notebook with many ideas that have been started yet unfinished. Years ago, I couldn’t shake a particular book concept that kept moving up the prioritized list.
It would be a biblical and practical resource to help equip marriages. The thought was to call it “What God Has Joined Together” and each chapter would be a particular item that could possibly separate the marriage. I liked the idea so much I tried to get someone else to write it, but eventually, I could see my burden for it was pushing me to work on it personally.
Pray Through Psalm 20
Praying through the psalms is a process that keeps your prayer life fresh and your prayer requests specific. Using God’s Word, you can articulate your prayers keeping in line with God’s will. As you read, you take a phrase and flesh out ways to pray that scriptural truth. The method I use to pray through a daily psalm is to …
Ministry Can Happen Anywhere
Jesus ministered at religious gatherings and at relational gatherings. If we understand the power of God, we will live in such a way that acknowledges that ministry cannot be hindered by a time, place, or situation.
Weekly Wisdom [05.18.18]
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VERSE OF THE WEEK
The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance, but everyone who is hasty comes to poverty [Prov. 21:5].
10 Bible Verses on Pride
Some will say that pride isn’t only evil but the root of every type of evil. No wonder the Bible talks a lot about it.
Here are 10 Bible verses to read, study, or memorize to fight against pride.
3 Vital Concepts Regarding Marriage and Money
One of the greatest sources of conflict in marriage is finances.
Money isn’t the root of evil. The love of money is the root of evil (1 Tim. 6:10). Money alters the way people think and act. People think, say, and do unexpected things when it comes to the increasing accumulation of wealth.
Jesus Uses Ordinary People
Jesus called ordinary men to follow Him into an extraordinary work. As disciples of Jesus, we must also redefine our purpose to become fishers of men and join Him in His work to reach others.