My blog will be moving to www.kimberleyfellowship.com. A link to Pastor's Blog is found easily on the main page. I have been posting for the last several months on both of these places and have decided to shut this one down for several reasons. 1. I would like to keep responses in one location. 2. I want to keep the blog associated with our church. 3. I would like to own my blog and have the posts saved on my computer, not with blogger. 4. People will more easily come in contact with our church website, so it makes sense to leave it on there. 5. It takes a lot more time posting on both sites.
You can still RSS feed from the other location, or if you like, you can join a list that received an e-mail when the blog is updated. Just send me an e-mail asking for that.
Check out my new post "How should you have responded to Sunday" here: 'http://www.kimberleyfellowship.com/Site/Blog/Entries/2009/11/10_how_should_you_have_responded_to_sunday%E2%80%99s_preaching.html
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Expository Preaching (part two)
One of the problems that I have found at Kimberley Fellowship teaching expositionally is that we often look at a book of the bible one chapter at a time. When we do this we can fail to see the broader themes that are going on over multiple chapters or the whole book. For example, last week we looked at 1 Corinthians 8 and Paul’s encouragement to place our love for each other over what we consider to be our ethical freedoms. Next Sunday, in chapter 9 we will look at Paul’s treatment of himself as a minister of the gospel. It would be a mistake for us to separate the chapters since 9 is a personal example of the principle Paul was setting up in 8.
Things like inconsistent attendance, poor memories, weeks where guests preach, etc all make it difficult to fully realize the momentum of book. But as a listener there are are things you can do to more fully participate in preaching the Word. You are encouraged to be reading personally the book that is being taught on Sunday mornings. It is a very helpful practice to read from the beginning of the book being studied all the way till the end of the chapter to be preached on that Sunday. Note taking can also be helpful as it gives us some summaries to look back on and refresh our memories. Consistent attendance is obviously my desire, yet I am also well aware that inconsistency in not always do to apathetic hearts. We we are sick or away for even one week consider discussing the passage with someone who was in attendance. I am considering proving notes in a blog post each week that summarizes what was discussed.
“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.” 2 Timothy 3:16-17
Things like inconsistent attendance, poor memories, weeks where guests preach, etc all make it difficult to fully realize the momentum of book. But as a listener there are are things you can do to more fully participate in preaching the Word. You are encouraged to be reading personally the book that is being taught on Sunday mornings. It is a very helpful practice to read from the beginning of the book being studied all the way till the end of the chapter to be preached on that Sunday. Note taking can also be helpful as it gives us some summaries to look back on and refresh our memories. Consistent attendance is obviously my desire, yet I am also well aware that inconsistency in not always do to apathetic hearts. We we are sick or away for even one week consider discussing the passage with someone who was in attendance. I am considering proving notes in a blog post each week that summarizes what was discussed.
“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.” 2 Timothy 3:16-17
Expository Preaching (part one)
Preaching in churches can look a number of different ways as you’ve probably noticed. The experience you’ll have in our church is teaching through a book of the Bible one section at a time and applying the message of those verses to our lives. It is a practice as old as Jesus and the apostle Paul (see Matthew 13:14-17 and Acts 28:23-28 for examples). Many of the most influential preachers in church history have used the messages of scripture as the basis for their content. D Martyn Lloyd-Jones spent 7 years preaching through Romans taking only a verse or two each Sunday. Charles Spurgeon, John Stott, John MacArthur, and Mark Driscoll also teach expositionally.
Alternatives to expository preaching are far outweighing it in recent days. Preachers are more often using personal stories and anecdotes to teach moral lessons. Topical preachers take an issue people have questions about and find verses that help advise. The unfortunate result of such preaching is that the message is limited to the preachers understanding and opinion.
An expository preacher spends hours each week studying what the scripture has to say. If his purpose is to listen to the text and apply it, God’s voice will be heard as the preacher hears it afresh each week. The choice of topics are also governed by God as the books of scripture set this schedule.
I personally began preaching expositionally as a pastor to high school students and found it to be effective. As a college student my pastor (and now father-law) told me that if I preach out of my own experiences and understanding I will exhaust them and have nothing left to say, but I will never be able to exhaust what is in the Bible. It has also come from my personal spiritual life. Christ began regenerating me when reading the epistles in high school. Since then I have read through books of the Bible applying their truths to my life.
The experience of the listener ought to focus on the text and then the heart. Working through the verses with the pastor is the listeners work. This involves shifting from weighing whether he or she agrees with the pastor to studying the verses to discover what God says. Once we have discovered this, open up your heart to apply this message to your life. Since preaching is done to a group, the application will be directed in a general sense. It is the listeners responsibility to deeply apply this application into their whole being.
“For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart” Hebrews 4:12
Alternatives to expository preaching are far outweighing it in recent days. Preachers are more often using personal stories and anecdotes to teach moral lessons. Topical preachers take an issue people have questions about and find verses that help advise. The unfortunate result of such preaching is that the message is limited to the preachers understanding and opinion.
An expository preacher spends hours each week studying what the scripture has to say. If his purpose is to listen to the text and apply it, God’s voice will be heard as the preacher hears it afresh each week. The choice of topics are also governed by God as the books of scripture set this schedule.
I personally began preaching expositionally as a pastor to high school students and found it to be effective. As a college student my pastor (and now father-law) told me that if I preach out of my own experiences and understanding I will exhaust them and have nothing left to say, but I will never be able to exhaust what is in the Bible. It has also come from my personal spiritual life. Christ began regenerating me when reading the epistles in high school. Since then I have read through books of the Bible applying their truths to my life.
The experience of the listener ought to focus on the text and then the heart. Working through the verses with the pastor is the listeners work. This involves shifting from weighing whether he or she agrees with the pastor to studying the verses to discover what God says. Once we have discovered this, open up your heart to apply this message to your life. Since preaching is done to a group, the application will be directed in a general sense. It is the listeners responsibility to deeply apply this application into their whole being.
“For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart” Hebrews 4:12
Friday, October 30, 2009
October 31
While I’ve carved pumpkins, purchased candy and helped prepare my children for Halloween, I have been most interested with thoughts of the 500th anniversary of the great reformation that will no doubt be celebrated on Halloween day just 8 years from now.
October 31, 1517 was the day that monk, professor and reformer Martin Luther addressed evils in the church. He presented his position in a document that has come to be know as the 95 thesis’. While the reformation is a movement that had been set into motion a hundred or more years earlier, it is October 31st that will generally be associated with its advent. In this document, Luther advocated for ‘sola fide’, that justification is by faith alone. He urged the church to stop preaching an practicing a belief that our right standing before God is achieved by our actions. Since this is at the core of what we believe, halloween provides something of greater significance to consider.
October 31, 1517 was the day that monk, professor and reformer Martin Luther addressed evils in the church. He presented his position in a document that has come to be know as the 95 thesis’. While the reformation is a movement that had been set into motion a hundred or more years earlier, it is October 31st that will generally be associated with its advent. In this document, Luther advocated for ‘sola fide’, that justification is by faith alone. He urged the church to stop preaching an practicing a belief that our right standing before God is achieved by our actions. Since this is at the core of what we believe, halloween provides something of greater significance to consider.
Friday, October 16, 2009
(I, not the Lord)
Concerns about the apostle Paul's teaching in 1 Corinthians 7 on marriage are sadly ignored by many Christians. Much of this is because of our desire for things outside of what is good and right. What is more, is that I am greatly disturbed by some do not believe Paul is writing scripture in parts of this chapter because of his expression in verse 12 "(I, not the Lord)" and in verse 25, "I have no command from the Lord, but give my judgement." The troubling belief is that Paul is offering his own advice about marriage, but since he was single we should just ignore him. My concern for this position is great for it requires Paul in all his letters to clarify to us whether he is writing God's words (as in 7:10) or his own words (as in 7:12 & 25). Scripture is fully human and fully divine, fully inspired in all verses.
Why does Paul use these expressions then? Instead of an indication that Paul is moving from divine to human authorship he is likely making reference in 7:10-11 to a known saying from the historical Jesus. While Jesus lived he said many things, not all of them are recorded in the gospels (as John makes clear in John 21:25). Luke makes reference to the saying "it is more blessed to give than to receive" in Acts 20:35. It is likely that a document containing such expressions existed and was drawn upon by Matthew, Mark and Luke in the writing of their gospels as many of their stories are duplicates. So Paul is giving married couples the very words of Jesus to guide their decision. He could be drawing on Matthew 5:31-32, or another record or Jesus' teaching on divorce.
When he comes to verse 12 then, Paul is answering a specific question of a believer married to an unbeliever. This question was not asked of Jesus as the church was yet to be founded. So Paul cannot provide another quote, but gives his own council, which is on par with every other word Paul has recorded in scripture. As Peter assures us, in all of Paul's letters he speaks scripture (2 Peter 3:15-16). In 1 Corinthians 7:25, Paul makes the case for his words by being trustworthy by the Lord's mercy. Paul's words in this chapter are God's words to us. Will we listen?
Why does Paul use these expressions then? Instead of an indication that Paul is moving from divine to human authorship he is likely making reference in 7:10-11 to a known saying from the historical Jesus. While Jesus lived he said many things, not all of them are recorded in the gospels (as John makes clear in John 21:25). Luke makes reference to the saying "it is more blessed to give than to receive" in Acts 20:35. It is likely that a document containing such expressions existed and was drawn upon by Matthew, Mark and Luke in the writing of their gospels as many of their stories are duplicates. So Paul is giving married couples the very words of Jesus to guide their decision. He could be drawing on Matthew 5:31-32, or another record or Jesus' teaching on divorce.
When he comes to verse 12 then, Paul is answering a specific question of a believer married to an unbeliever. This question was not asked of Jesus as the church was yet to be founded. So Paul cannot provide another quote, but gives his own council, which is on par with every other word Paul has recorded in scripture. As Peter assures us, in all of Paul's letters he speaks scripture (2 Peter 3:15-16). In 1 Corinthians 7:25, Paul makes the case for his words by being trustworthy by the Lord's mercy. Paul's words in this chapter are God's words to us. Will we listen?
Thursday, October 15, 2009
'brothers' in 1 & 2 Corinthians
The term ‘brothers’ is used 36 times in 1 & 2 Corinthians. The ESV translates this directly from ‘adelphoi’. With the rise of gender-inclusive language over the past two decades there has been a greater need to clarify the translation of this word. While some translations have opted to be inclusive in the text (ie: ‘brothers and sisters’ as translated by the TNIV and NLT) it is best to keep the text pure and understand how this word should be understood.
Adelphoi often refers to the family bond between two males from the same mother. In the gospels, this is the usual sense (Matthew 4:18, John 7:3), but not the only (Matthew 25:40). In 1 Corinthians, only once does the word have this force (9:5 when Paul refers to the half-brothers of Jesus). So what does it mean 35 other times?
In his correspondence with the Corinthians, Paul uses the term ‘adelphoi’ to refer to the whole church. Several indicators have led to this conclusion. First, Paul is writing a letter with the understanding that it would be read aloud to the entire church. Second, it is obvious that Paul is not writing to a group of biological brothers (1:2). Third, Paul uses other terms to address them that do not have a male quality (ie: 3:16, 4:14, 7:8, 7:25).
The word that usually refers to male siblings is now being used to refer to a church. Why doesn’t Paul use the expression ‘brothers and sisters’? Probably the most natural reason is because it is the same word root. In the greek language words are either masculine, feminine or neuter. This usually has nothing to do with sexuality (ie: ‘night’ is feminine, yet is is a time of the day). However, in the case of ‘adelph’ the ending changes the gender. Adelphoi means brothers and Adelphai means sisters. It would seem redundant to use the masculine and feminine forms in the 35 uses of the word.
In our reading of the text of 1 & 2 Corinthians, we understand Paul to be addressing the whole congregation of believers when he uses the word ‘brothers’.
Those of you who don’t enjoy such technical work haven’t read this far. But the implications of this are huge. Was the letter written to just the men of the the church, or to the men and women? I am preaching and applying this to all of us because I believe this to be Paul’s intended audience. And we must be careful to gain this application from the text itself, not from broader to be gender inclusive.
Adelphoi often refers to the family bond between two males from the same mother. In the gospels, this is the usual sense (Matthew 4:18, John 7:3), but not the only (Matthew 25:40). In 1 Corinthians, only once does the word have this force (9:5 when Paul refers to the half-brothers of Jesus). So what does it mean 35 other times?
In his correspondence with the Corinthians, Paul uses the term ‘adelphoi’ to refer to the whole church. Several indicators have led to this conclusion. First, Paul is writing a letter with the understanding that it would be read aloud to the entire church. Second, it is obvious that Paul is not writing to a group of biological brothers (1:2). Third, Paul uses other terms to address them that do not have a male quality (ie: 3:16, 4:14, 7:8, 7:25).
The word that usually refers to male siblings is now being used to refer to a church. Why doesn’t Paul use the expression ‘brothers and sisters’? Probably the most natural reason is because it is the same word root. In the greek language words are either masculine, feminine or neuter. This usually has nothing to do with sexuality (ie: ‘night’ is feminine, yet is is a time of the day). However, in the case of ‘adelph’ the ending changes the gender. Adelphoi means brothers and Adelphai means sisters. It would seem redundant to use the masculine and feminine forms in the 35 uses of the word.
In our reading of the text of 1 & 2 Corinthians, we understand Paul to be addressing the whole congregation of believers when he uses the word ‘brothers’.
Those of you who don’t enjoy such technical work haven’t read this far. But the implications of this are huge. Was the letter written to just the men of the the church, or to the men and women? I am preaching and applying this to all of us because I believe this to be Paul’s intended audience. And we must be careful to gain this application from the text itself, not from broader to be gender inclusive.
Friday, October 9, 2009
Retirement Calling
"You may have heard that retirement can kill you. Men and women die of boredom, for lack of intellectual challenge, or from the deafening silence that can accompany a spouse’s death. Depressed saving accounts may represent another motivation to stay gainfully employed. Even if times were better, you might simply prefer staying active in your career, maintaining a position of influence that you’ve worked hard to reach."
You can read rest of this great article on retirement here: www.ligonier.org/tabletalk/2009/10/1198_Don't_Retire_We_Need_You"
It is an excellent challenge to a congregation like ours that is a pairing of young families and those ready to or already retired. The demographic of Kimberley matches our congregation and probably won't change as Kimberley continues to attract this demographic. Instead of battling against this trend, Chediak's article is a beautiful picture of how these two worlds can work really well together. There are many examples in our church of how this is working well, I hope this encourages more of it. And for you on the younger side of this pairing, the article is good challenge for you as well, so read on.
You can read rest of this great article on retirement here: www.ligonier.org/tabletalk/2009/10/1198_Don't_Retire_We_Need_You"
It is an excellent challenge to a congregation like ours that is a pairing of young families and those ready to or already retired. The demographic of Kimberley matches our congregation and probably won't change as Kimberley continues to attract this demographic. Instead of battling against this trend, Chediak's article is a beautiful picture of how these two worlds can work really well together. There are many examples in our church of how this is working well, I hope this encourages more of it. And for you on the younger side of this pairing, the article is good challenge for you as well, so read on.
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