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In a recent issue of SBC Life, Charles Lowery shared the story of two men who were sleeping on a houseboat one night. For some reason, the boat broke away from its moorings and drifted into the open sea. The earlier riser went outside and saw that they were drifting with no land in sight. Excitedly, he yelled, "Joe, get up quickly, we ain't here anymore!" As Lowery notes, "In the church world, I'm afraid that for too many, we ain't here anymore." With all the change that buffets us — in and out of the church — it's easy to become anxious and fear that "we ain't here anymore." Perhaps it will help us to remind ourselves periodically that
Michael
Duduit, Editor There will not be an issue of PreachingNow next week; the next issue will be dated July 26. Click here to visit "I Was Just Thinking" for insights and observations about faith and culture issues.
Why the Ten Commandments matter In his book Written in Stone: The Ten Commandments and Today's Moral Crisis (Crossway), Philip Graham Ryken observes, "Good teaching on the law and the gospel has never been more badly needed than it is today. We are living in lawless times, when disrespect for authority has led to widespread disdain for God's commandments. People are behaving badly, even in church. "Part of the problem is that people don't know what God requires. Even among Christians there is an appalling lack of familiarity with the perfect standard of God's law, and of course the situation is far worse in the culture at large. This ignorance undoubtedly contributes to the general lowering of moral standards in these post-Christian times, but it does as much damage to our theology. People who are ignorant of God's law never see their need for the gospel. As John Bunyan explained it, 'The man who does not know the nature of the law cannot know the nature of sin. And he who does not know the nature of sin cannot know the nature of the Savior.'" (Click here to learn more about Ryken's book.)
Can evangelistic preaching be expository? In the book Give Praise to God: A Vision for Reforming Worship (P&R Publishing), Mark Dever writes, "Expositional preaching is all about giving God's people God's word. It is preaching in which the point of the biblical passage is the point of the preacher's message. This is what it means to preach expositionally — to expose God's word. "Christians are obviously to be fed with God's word. As our Lord said to the tempter: 'Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God' (Matt. 4:4; Luke 4:4) . . . Non-Christians too, though, need God's word. Those who do not yet believe the gospel need to be told of their hopelessness apart from Christ. They need to have God's word presented to them; they need God's Spirit to convict them of their own sin and desperation. Being so liable to God's judgment, they need to hear of God's grace. "All this can happen through expositional preaching. Through such biblically faithful sermons, non-Christians can have Satan's lies exposed, God's truth revealed, their own hearts searched, and Christ's grace magnified to them." (Click here to learn more about the book Give Praise to God)
Preaching Truth Conferences Start Aug 25 in Denver A new round of our one-day preaching conferences — using the theme "Preaching Truth in a Whatever World" — will begin with the first event on Thursday, August 25 at Riverside Baptist Church in Denver, CO. Speakers for this event will be Dr. Michael Duduit, Editor of Preaching magazine (and Preaching Now), and Dr. Jim Shaddix, Pastor of Riverside Baptist and former Dean of the Chapel at New Orleans Baptist Seminary. The schedule for several additional cities is still being confirmed, but here are dates and areas we're ready to announce:
These conferences will provide five exciting hours of insights on biblical preaching today, presented by the editor of Preaching magazine and a variety of additional pastors and teachers. Visit our information page (www.preaching.com/truth) for more information or to register.
Staying in church won't reach people Speaking to Southern Baptists at their annual convention in Nashville, SBC President Bobby Welch cited "facility-based evangelism" as "the assumption that the world can be won to Christ if only more non-Christians would come to church." But "that's not New Testament evangelism. And that's not what you see in the model of Jesus." Holding up a flat dead frog he pulled from a plastic bag in his coat pocket, Welch said a concrete truck had flattened the frog on the road in front of his house after it headed in the wrong direction, moving away from a pond near his house. "Just because that frog is a big croaker and high hopper don't mean he's goin' in the right direction," Welch quipped. He then held up several smaller dead frogs and said, "You know where I found these little dead frogs? Following this big dead frog." Welch — pastor of First Baptist Church in Daytona Beach, Fla. — said the frogs symbolized the SBC's stagnant baptismal numbers. "This frog belonged in the deep but he hopped in the street, and that's where his end came . . . If you're destined for deep water, you better go that way." In his sermon, "Deep Water Doings," Welch read from Psalm 107:23-24, saying those who "do business in great waters . . . see the works of the Lord and His wonders in the deep." Welch also read from Luke 4, the account of Jesus' disciples who cast their nets in the deep and caught so many fish that their nets tore. "Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a great catch," Welch said. When the disciples did that, they beckoned to shore for others to come and help pull up the breaking nets that were full of fish. Welch said the passage reveals, "Jesus' personalized, simplified, systematic theology for soul-winning." He explained that Jesus had to "catch followers," and the followers had to "catch faith," and the faithful were the ones who caught the fish and who dared to go out into the deep. Relating the two Bible passages to evangelistic and baptismal results in the SBC, Welch said it was not until the disciples left the beach and obeyed God to go into the deep water that they caught more fish than they could bring into their boats. Churches are "fishing far too close to the shore" and it will kill evangelism, Welch said. "It's bleeding us to death today." (Baptist Press, 6-23-05) (Welch recently published a book called You The Warrior Leader: Applying Military Strategy For Victorious Spiritual Warfare (Broadman & Holman); click here to learn more about the book.)
Should a pastor believe in God? According to a recently released report, there may be hundreds of Anglican clergy in the UK who do not believe in God, while less than two-thirds believe in miracles. According to the report (entitled Fragmented Faith), in which over 9,000 were surveyed, one in 33 clerics doubts the existence of God. According to a story in the British website Christian Today, that means "that within the 9,000 strong clergy, there could be as many as 300 Church of England clergy who are not entirely convinced of the existence of God. This is compared to the 97% of lay members who still testify the existence of God. "There are other signs of a possible schism between a rather conservative-looking laity vis a vis a liberalising clergy. While 62% of the laity believe in the Virgin Birth compared with only 60% of the clergy, only 60% of the clergy believe that Jesus turned water into wine, 5% less than the laity. "Lay members are far more anchored in the traditional teaching of the Scriptures with regards to homosexuality also; this issue revealing the greatest split. Whilst one third of the clergy support the ordination of homosexuals as priests, only one quarter of the laity thought the same. Similarly, nearly one third of all clergy members support gay bishops within the Church, a massive number compared to those of the laity who hold the same view, less than one fifth. "The clergy were also more liberal when it came to sex between two people of the same gender, with 56% of the laity believing it to be wrong compared to only 48% of clergy, indicating that the issue is far from laid to rest." (Click here to read the full story.)
ILLUSTRATION: Forgiveness The scene is a courtroom trial in South Africa. A frail black woman stands slowly to her feet. She is over seventy years old. Facing her from across the room are several white security police officers. One of them, Mr. van der Broek, has just been tried and found guilty in the murders of first the woman's son and then her husband. He had come to the woman's home, taken her son, shot him at point-blank and then burned the young man's body while he and his officers partied nearby. Several years later Mr. van der Broek and his cohorts returned to take away her husband as well. For months she heard nothing of his whereabouts. Then, almost two years after her husband's disappearance, Mr. van der Broek came back to fetch her. How vividly she remembered that night. She was taken to a river bank where she was shown her husband, bound and beaten but still strong in spirit, lying on a pile of wood. The last words she heard from his lips as Mr. van der Broek and his fellow officers poured gasoline over his body and set him aflame were, "Father, forgive them. . ." Now the woman stands in the courtroom and listens to the confessions of Mr. van der Broek. A member of South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission turns to her and asks, "So what do you want? How should justice be done to this man who has so brutally destroyed your family?" "I want three things," begins the old woman calmly, but confidently. "I want first to be taken to the place where my husband's body was burned so that I can gather up the dust and give his remains a decent burial." She pauses, then continues. "My husband and son were my only family. I want, secondly, therefore, for Mr. van der Broek to become my son. I would like for him to come twice a month to the ghetto and spend a day with me so that I can pour out on him whatever love I still have remaining in me." "And finally," she says, "I would like Mr. van der Broek to know that I offer him my forgiveness because Jesus Christ died to forgive. This was also the wish of my husband. And so, I would kindly ask someone to come to my side and lead me across the courtroom so that I can take Mr. van der Broek in my arms, embrace him and let him know that he is truly forgiven." As the court assistants come to lead the elderly woman across the room, Mr. van der Broek faints, overwhelmed by what he has just heard. And as he struggles for consciousness, those in the courtroom, family, friends, neighbors — all victims of decades of oppression and injustice — begin to sing, softly but assuredly, "Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me." (Craig A. Smith, Sermon Illustrations for an Asian Audience, Manila: OMF Publishing, 2004)
Illustration correction In the June 28 issue of PreachingNow we included an illustration about George C. Boldt and the creation of the Waldorf-Astoria hotel. Although much of the story is accurate, we have since learned that many of the details included in the story are incorrect. For a more accurate picture, visit the page at the Snopes.com website: www.snopes.com/glurge/waldorf.htm When a story seems to be too good to be true, Snopes.com is a good place to check. Thanks to Robin Rader of the Salvation Army School for Officer Training for sending this correction.
ILLUSTRATION: Time, Preparation Henri J.M. Nouwen tells this story: "Often we're not as pressed for time as much as we feel we're pressed for time. I remember several years ago becoming so pressed for time . . . that I took a prayer sabbatical . . . No teaching, lecturing, or counseling — just solitude and prayer. The second day, a group of students . . . asked, 'Henri, can you give us a retreat?' "Of course at the monastery that was not my decision, but I said to the abbot, 'I came here . . . to get away from that . . . These students have asked for five meditations, an enormous amount of work and preparation. I don't want to do it.' "The abbot said, 'You're going to do it.' "'What do you mean? Why should I spend my sabbatical time preparing all those things?' "'Prepare?' he replied. 'You've been a Christian for 40 years and a priest for 20 . . . Why do you have to prepare?' "The question . . . is not to prepare but to live in a state of ongoing preparedness so that, when someone who is drowning in the world comes into your world, you are ready to reach out and help." ("Time Enough to Minister" by Henri J.M. Nouwen. Leadership, Spring 1982)
Summer savings on sensational subscriptions! Take advantage of Preaching's summer subscription sale. If you're not a current subscriber, act now and you'll receive a full year of Preaching for just $29.95 (a $10 savings), plus a free copy of our new book Conversations on Preaching, and a special bonus gift: a gift card for a free six-month subscription to Preaching you can give to a fellow minister who isn't a current subscriber. This offer is only good until August 1, and it is only available to new subscribers (as a way to introduce you to Preaching). To take advantage of this offer, call us (toll free) at 800-288-9673, or go to: www.preaching.com/summeroffer. (Canadian and International postage charges will still apply where applicable.)
ILLUSTRATION: Salvation No one knew how old he really was, but when folks went to see him play baseball, they were sure they were looking at the greatest pitcher ever. Leroy "Satchel" Paige, however, had two strikes going against him: His age and the color of his skin. Paige played ball during the Jim Crow era, and was relegated to the Negro Leagues, because the owners of major league baseball teams had a so-called gentlemen's agreement among themselves, choosing to allow only white players in the game. By the time the racial barrier in the major leagues was broken in 1947, Paige was just a ghost of his former self. He played as a "rookie" in 1948 when he was well past 40 years old, and his career at the big-league level lasted less than five years. But in 1971, Major League Baseball atoned for some of its past injustices when Satchel was voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Jesus told a parable in Matthew 20 about the owner of an estate who went out early one morning to hire workers to harvest his fields. Some workers were hired on the spot, some were hired at noontime, and others weren't hired until three in the afternoon. But at the end of the day they were all paid the same wages. The parable illustrates God's generosity regarding salvation. In the same way, anyone can receive the priceless gift of eternal life, even if some haven't been in the fields very long. Satchel Paige arrived at the baseball vineyard late in life, through no fault of his own, and through generosity his place in the Hall of Fame was made secure. When we get to heaven, we will see some there who became Christians as children, and others who arrived at the vineyard late. But thanks to the generosity of God their place in heaven will be secure. (Submited by Hugh Poland, Kingwood, TX; summarized from Called Up by Dave Dravecky, Zondervan, 2004. Click here to learn more about the book Called Up.)
ILLUSTRATION: Sin, Awareness Some people have a tough time recognizing themselves as sinners. Joel Hunter tells of a friend who "once found himself in a conversation with a prison inmate who was serving time for robbery. My friend mentioned that he had recently read in the paper about a man who had robbed a house and killed the family. 'You know,' the inmate replied, 'it's people like that who give robbery a bad name.' "When my friend remarked that he didn't know it had a good name, the prisoner explained that his kind of robbery wasn't so bad because he only stole from rich people and he never harmed them. This is a guy who should be reminded of his own sinfulness every time he hears the metallic slam of the cell door, yet he can tell you with a straight face why he's not so bad. Although he could recognize sin in theory, he could not (or would not) see it in himself." (from The Journey to Spiritual Maturity: The Challenging Road)
ILLUSTRATION: Adventure, Inconvenience G.K. Chesterton once observed, "An adventure is only an inconvenience rightly considered. An inconvenience is only an adventure wrongly considered."
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ILLUSTRATION: Decisions, Urgency Two men — Joe and Tom — were sharing a hospital room. Joe turned to see that Tom was covered with bandages from head to toe. Joe asked, "What do you do for a living?" Tom said, "Well, I used to be a window washer." Joe asked, "When did you give it up?" Tom replied, "Halfway down."
ILLUSTRATION: Complaining "When we complain, 90 percent of the people don't care and don't want to hear it; the other 10 percent probably feel a secret satisfaction that we are getting what we deserve." (Stanley C. Baldwin, A Funny Thing Happened on My Way to Old Age; click here to learn more about the book.)
ILLUSTRATION: Birthdays, Confusion, Men and Women A man asked his wife what she'd like for her birthday. "I'd love to be six again," she replied. On the morning of her birthday, he got her up bright and early and off they went to a local theme park. What a day! He put her on every ride in the park: the Death Slide, the Screaming Loop, the Wall of Fear — everything there was! Wow! Five hours later she staggered out of the theme park, her head reeling and her stomach upside down. Right to a McDonald's they went, where her husband ordered a Big Mac for her along with extra fries and refreshing chocolate shake. Then it was off to a movie — the latest Star Wars epic, and hot dogs, popcorn, Pepsi Cola and M&Ms. What a fabulous adventure! Finally she wobbled home with her husband and collapsed into bed. He leaned over and lovingly asked, "Well, dear, what was it like being six again?" One eye opened. "You idiot, I meant my dress size!"
"The best thing about the future is that it comes only one day at a time." (Abraham Lincoln)
LeaderLinks is a new web-based publication for Christian leaders. The July-August issue is now available at www.leaderlinks.com, and features a variety of great articles, leadership resources, and more. Interested readers can also go to the site (or just click here) and subscribe to LeadingNow, a monthly e-mail newsletter featuring ideas and resources for Christian leaders. LeaderLinks is a publication of American Ministry Resources, which is the publisher of PreachingNow, Preaching magazine and preaching.com.
ILLUSTRATION: Talent A police dog responds to an ad for work with the FBI. "Well," says the personnel director, "You'll have to meet some strict requirements. First, you must type at least 60 words per minute." Sitting down at the typewriter, the dog types a perfect document at 80 words per minute. "Also," says the director, "You must pass a physical and complete the obstacle course." This perfect canine specimen finishes the course in record time. "There's one last requirement," the director continues. "You must be bilingual." With confidence, the dog looks up at him and says, "Meow!"
Top
10 Surprises in the new movie "War of the Worlds"
10. Alien Oprah burns Tom Cruise's face off for jumping up and down on her hover couch. 9. After spending 30 years with Richard Dreyfuss, aliens go nuts, invade. 8. Lance Armstrong defeats aliens by 8 minutes, 32 seconds; France asks for do-over. 7. One year after war ends, California jury acquits aliens; fans celebrate. 6. Alien leaders foiled when pressured to set pull-out date of troops on Earth. 5. Aliens originally landed in peace, but incensed when fast food order messed up AGAIN at drive-thru. 4. E.T. seen leading alien invasion, says Elliot has spammed him like a bazillion times by forwarding stupid Funnies over the years. 3. Aliens busted at security at airport when they forget to take off belt and shoes. 2. Aliens invade after hearing "Alf" interviewed from his cell at GitMo. 1. Aliens claim eminent domain; Supreme Court yells "DOH!" (From Mikey's Funnies; Copyright 2005 Dave Tippett. Permission is granted to send this to others, with attribution, but not for commercial purposes.)
And finally . . . This item is about as "finally" as you can get. When James Henry Smith died of prostate cancer recently, the family wanted to recognize his life-long passion for the Pittsburgh Steelers. So in preparing for the viewing, the funeral home built a small stage and arranged furniture as it was in Smith's home on game day Sundays. Then, according to a July 6 Associated Press story, "Smith's body was on the recliner, his feet crossed and a remote in his hand. He wore black and gold silk pajamas, slippers and a robe. A pack of cigarettes and a beer were at his side, while a high-definition TV played a continuous loop of Steelers highlights. "I couldn't stop crying after looking at the Steeler blanket in his lap," said his sister, MaryAnn Nails. "He loved football and nobody did (anything) until the game went off. It was just like he was at home."
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