“The Preaching of the Word”

By Jay Lockhart

     In the forward for R. Albert Mohler, Jr’s book He Is Not Silent, John MacArthur observed that “Every significant phase of authentic revival, reformation, missionary expansion, or robust church growth has also been an era of biblical preaching.” Mohler quoted John A. Broadus as saying, “Preaching is characteristic of Christianity. No other religion has made the regular and frequent assembly of groups of people, to hear religious instruction and exhortation, an integral part of divine worship.”
     The major thrust of Mohler’s book is that people, including preachers, have lost their confidence in the importance of preaching and the need for restoring biblical preaching to the place God has always intended for it to occupy. God’s charge to Timothy through Paul was “Preach the Word!” (2 Tim. 4:2). There are a number of things that will help us with this.
     First, we must believe that biblical preaching is the proclamation of the very word of God to men. Biblical preaching is not primarily about “getting it over with” or PowerPoint or entertainment or handouts. It is about hearing a word from God.
     Second, we must understand that biblical preaching is to confront people with God’s will for their lives including salvation, worship, service, and godly living. It is designed to confront, encourage, exhort, teach, comfort, challenge, and give hope. In short preaching is to lead to transformation.
     Third, we must understand that biblical preaching is “proclamation through personality,” but proclamation is more important than personality because it allows one to hear what God says.
     Fourth, we must recognize that biblical preaching is a part of divinely authorized worship and it is that part of worship in which we “hear His voice” (Heb 4:7).      Fifth, we must acknowledge that biblical preaching makes a demand: we must teach, hear, believe, love and obey God’s word.
     Sixth, we must know that a congregation of God’s people will never rise above its respect for and acceptance of the proclamation of the word of the Lord. May we all be involved in restoring the preached word to the rightful place God intended. Then, and only then, can we expect restoration, renewal, and revival.

- Jay Lockhart; via The Encourager, the weekly bulletin for the Calvert City church of Christ, Calvert City, KY.  Lance Cordle preaches for the congregation.  He may be contacted through the congregation's website: http://www.calvertchurchofchrist.com

The Catholic Church is not part of THE Christian FAITH

By David Ray Fanning I

The Catholic Church claims it is the only true church when in fact it is not even part of the one true church of the New Testament. Consider the following passages which prophesy about/provide descriptions of the early stages of the Catholic Church: (1) some to DEPART FROM THE FAITH and bind the teachings of celibacy and abstinence from foods, I Timothy 4:1-5 [priests/nuns must be celibate and Catholics must observe Lent, etc.]. (2) the MAN OF SIN, II Thessalonians 2:1-10: (a) the day of Jesus’ coming will not occur unless the falling away comes first [the first full-fledged falling away/denomination was the Catholic Church]; (b) the man of sin/lawless one will exalt himself above all that is called God [the papacy eventually produced the first universal pope/father/head in A.D. 606, namely, Boniface III, violating Matthew 23:9 and Ephesians 1:15-23; furthermore, Catholic Tradition is exalted above the Bible; compare (3) the LITTLE HORN of Daniel 7:15-25 which also refers to the early stages of Catholicism which “change times and law”]; (c) he will sit as God in the temple [“church”, Ephesians 2:21; the papacy claims it can personally remove sins, violating Mark 2:7-10]; (d) he was fully revealed some time after the restraining power of the Roman Empire was removed in A.D. 476 (popes transformed Catholicism into a political power in the 700s); (e) he comes with all power, signs and lying wonders (papacy claims miraculous ability); (f) he deceives (over one billion people follow the pope today). (4) Finally, read about Catholicism as the EARTH BEAST of Revelation 13:11-17. I plead with Catholics to drop Catholicism and become Christians only and added members of the body/church of Christ (Matthew 16:18-19). You will not be able to obtain “the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” until you reject all Traditions/Churches of men (Romans 16:16; Ephesians 4:1-6)!

- David Fanning preaches for the Petersburg church of Christ in Petersburg, TN and, along with Kevin Pendergrass edit the website Defending the Faith, at http://www.defendingthedoctrine.com/index.htm. David may be contacted at davidfanning1@gmail.com

The Lord's Time...

    There was a story in a Rochester, Texas church bulletin about a young man who was working in a large department store, being told by his employer that he would be required to work on Sunday. It so happened that the hours assigned to him would have prevented his attending any of the worship services to which he had been accustomed to attending since childhood.
    The young man informed his employer that he would not be able to continue his work under these conditions, and his employer told him he would have to go.
    A few days later, the young man answered an ad in the paper from a bank which had advertised a vacancy for a teller. In checking the young man’s previous employers, the bank president contacted the department store head and inquired as to the boy’s record and whether he could recommend him. The store manager replied, “Why yes, I will be glad to recommend him. He will make you a good man. I just fired him a few days ago.”
    “Fired him?” the bank president exclaimed. “Why would you recommend a man whom you just recently dismissed from your service?” The store manager explained the circumstances under which the boy was released, and remarked, “I know he will make you a good man for your bank, because if he will not steal the Lord’s time, he will not steal your money.”

- Author Unknown; via the Belvedere Beacon, the weekly bulletin of the Belvedere church of Christ, Belvedere, SC.  Ken Chumbley preaches for this congregation, and he may be contacted at their website: http://www.belvederechurchofchrist.org 

Check Your Ears

By Joe Chesser

    Henry David Thoreau wrote, “It takes two to speak the truth – one to speak, and another to hear.”  In a similar vein of thought, Walt Whitman said, “To have great poets, there must be great audiences.”
    Most preachers and teachers take their job of sharing the truth of God’s word very seriously.  They work hard at selecting and preparing the lessons they present.  And that’s what we should expect from them.  We should want preachers who are trained and well grounded.  We want preachers and teachers to “preach the word” (2 Timothy 4:2) and to “speak the truth in love” (Ephesians 4:15).  Yet, what we often hear in the pulpits and class rooms across the nation and around the world has little to do with the word of God.  In its place are instructive and entertaining presentations on politics, economics, psychology, and current events.  Audiences love it, but God is not in it.
    Who’s at fault – the preachers or the audiences?  Actually, both are.  Preachers need to “preach the word” whether the audiences want to hear it or not.  Or, as Paul put it, “in season and out of season” (2 Timothy 4:2).  The purpose of preaching and teaching is to help the audience confront God and His expectations of them as the scriptures reveal. This involves correcting, rebuking and encouraging (2 Timothy 4:2).  Audiences may not want it, but they certainly need it.
   As a general rule, audiences prefer things that “tickle their ears” (2 Timothy 4:3). Because of that, audiences share the blame for preaching and teaching that satisfies, but doesn’t nourish, feels good, but doesn’t help them draw closer to God.  Audiences will demand that they hear what they want to hear. And if they don’t, the speaker will be presented with the ultimatum, “Tell us what we want to hear, or we will find someone who will!”
    But, even if the preacher or teacher is presenting sound doctrine, as Thoreau expressed, the truth has to be heard.  Great audiences not only demand that truth be taught, they also understand that they have the responsibility to actually listen to it. While audiences should expect lessons to be well prepared and presented, the preachers and teachers should expect their audiences to be well prepared to hear the word of God.  No matter how good the lessons are, if people don’t have “ears to hear,” it does little good. Jesus spoke of people whose hearts were calloused as people who “hardly hear with their ears,” as people who won’t allow God to heal them (Matthew 13:14-16).  Audiences need to let God speak to them through preachers and teachers no matter what style of teacher he may be.  Great audiences, great listeners come prepared to learn.  If you are not “getting anything out of the classes and sermons,” you might want to check your ears.

- Joe Chesser preaches for the Fruitland church of Christ, Fruitland, MO.  He may be contacted through the congregation's website: http://www.cofcfruitland.com/ 

Be Kind to One Another

By Patrick Hogan

     On an internet message board I frequent, one of the members includes the following comment in his signature: "Be kinder than necessary, because everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle." Every time I read this statement it makes me think about how true it is. Some people hide their struggles more effectively than others, so it is sometimes very easy to forget that everyone we meet is fighting his or her own battle.
     To one who is struggling, a kind word or a kind deed can make a tremendous difference. Many of us have been there. We have faced discouraging situations and didn't quite know what to do. At just the right moment someone either sent us a note of encouragement or performed some other kind gesture that lifted our spirits and enabled us to continue with renewed determination. Jesus' admonition, "Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them" (Matthew 7:12) can find real application in our daily lives. It can make a real difference in the lives of others when we put it into practice.
     Something else that comes to mind when I think about the statement "Be kinder than necessary ..." is the fact that I shouldn't limit myself to looking for people who are struggling in order to show kindness. I should make it my goal to be kind to everyone I meet. After all, they are struggling with some battle and my kindness toward them can make a difference.
     As we go about our daily lives, coping with our own battles, let's remember that others may be facing difficulties that we cannot really comprehend. they may never tell anyone and they may never show any indication that they are struggling. However, if we are kinder than necessary, we can affect their lives in a positive way.

- Patrick Hogan serves as a minister and elder of the Shady Acres church of Christ, in Sikeston, MO.  He may be contacted through the church's website at http://www.shadyacreschurch.com 

John 16:13-14 & The Spirit

By Ty Nicol
     It's important to bear in mind that this passage is particularly about the Holy Spirit and not about Jesus or the Father, so it becomes almost a job description. The passage has nothing to say about his person hood and nature (though there are implications here), but about how he will go about his business, which, in this text, is to develop the meaning and further the purposes of Jesus Christ.
     Those who would urge us to "go back to the simple teachings of Jesus" should pay attention to this text. The apostolic witness and the development of the truth about Jesus Christ should not be ignored-especially in light of such a passage. Jesus does not think that what the Spirit will do in them was a step backward. To ignore the Gospels would be tragic in every way that something can be tragic, but to dismiss the NT epistles would be no less catastrophic. The Gospels are more than "simple" historical records of slices of Jesus' life, but the epistles teach us the meaning of much that we read in the Gospels.
     These verses should give warning to preachers/teachers that ceaselessly talk to believers about the believers. The central responsibility of the church is to proclaim the glory of God in Jesus Christ. Its business is not to look ceaselessly at its own image. The business of its leaders and ministers of the Word is to take of Christ's and give it to the church for the world, to the glory of God.
     Ministers of the word are to feed the church of God with the word of the Spirit of God in keeping with God's eternal purposes. It's not in looking within that we'll find courage and strength and joy and purpose and outreach. If we gain these and more we'll gain them in being astonished by his grace and power and faithfulness and joy-filled holiness.

- Ty Nicol; via THE SOWER, a weekly publication of the Arthur church of Christ, Arthur, IL. Ron Bartanen, who serves as minister and editor, may be contacted through the congregation's website: http://www.arthurchurchofchrist.com

Abusing the Lord's Supper

By Bill Jackson

    In looking into 1 Corinthians 11, we have these words from the apostle to help us see Corinth’s condition as regards to worship:
1. Coming together for the worse (v. 17).
2. Coming together in a divided state (v. 18).
3. Coming together with an allegiance to men (v. 19).
4. Coming together with no thought as to the significance of the supper (v. 20).
5. Coming together in mixing their common meal items in with worship (vv. 21-22).
6. Coming together with no discernment of the body of the Lord, and thus their participation was in an unworthy manner (vv. 27-29).
    The apostle indicates a great spiritual sickness in their midst, with some of them actually “in death” (v.30). The wonderful privilege of worship was being abused, perverted and mishandled. We must continually examine ourselves (II Cor. 13:5), in this and in every way, that we insure that our worship will be in spirit and in truth (John 4:24).
    But we want to speak of the abuse of the Lord’s Supper in our own time, and in some particular ways wherein we should now stop and examine ourselves with a determination to improve. We make mention of these points regarding the abuse just noted:
1. We abuse the Lord’s Supper when there is no anticipation of worship. The Christian is a worshiper, and worship is to be a great and continual part of his life. Yes, “exhort one another” (Heb. 10:25). The Supper is mentioned as a rallying cause of the saints on the first day of the week (Acts 20:7). If the Supper is meaningless to us as we think of it, and as we approach the observance of it, it will be meaningless as we partake as well.
2. We abuse the Supper if we have the view that “this is all that matters.” There are five avenues of worship, and if five are necessary, then all five are important. There has been too much of an attitude that says, “Just so I get the Lord’s Supper!” For all its importance, it is not ALL IMPORTANT! It is fruitless to be half-hearted in all other worship, and then to try to be of a spiritual mind when it is time to observe the Supper.
3. We abuse the Supper if we think that observance somehow makes up for the time misspent in sin, indifference and carelessness. Not one word is said in the New Testament about the Lord’s Supper affecting “cleansing” for the disobedient child of God! If he is unfaithful to God, he is in no better position to partake of the Lord’s Supper than he is to sing or pray. Without making proper correction in life, he only adds sin to sin in going through the motions of Lord’s Supper observance.
4. We abuse the Supper if we so spend the week or weekend in fun and games, perhaps on vacation, and just barely squeeze in time to make a service, arriving late and nearly to the point of exhaustion, and we do manage to “get the Supper.” Body and mind in such shape for worship is needed to worship “in spirit” — with spirit and understanding (I Cor. 14:15). It is an abuse of all worship, and not just the Supper, when I can BARELY find an hour to give to God!
5. Finally, one of the most flagrant abuses is on the part of those who willfully absent themselves on Sunday mornings, and then will rise to partake on Sunday evenings as if some matter beyond their control blocked them that morning. We know that sicknesses and emergencies arise, but we are thinking of the willful absence, and then the Sunday evening partaking, as if God would subsidize the negligence. This is an abuse of the purpose and intent of the Lord’s Supper — a memorial with significance for Spiritual people!
     May we examine ourselves in this avenue of worship, and in all others, that we will truly worship God in spirit and in truth (John 4:24), and that our coming together be for The Better! (I Cor. 11:17).

- Bill Jackson (Deceased); via the Belvedere Beacon, the weekly bulletin of the Belvedere church of Christ, Belvedere, SC.  Ken Chumbley preaches for this congregation, and he may be contacted at their website: http://www.belvederechurchofchrist.org [Brother Chumbley made this appropriate note: "These words from the late brother Jackson should be kept in mind as regards to the Lord’s Supper that we partake in a worthy manner (I Corinthians 11:27)]