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We take very seriously the privilege you allow us to come into your study or home with this newsletter each week. That's why I want to take a moment to share with you some exciting developments that are coming. First, we are now working on a redesign of the look of PreachingNow as well as our website, Preaching.com. We have a team of talented folks working to make the newsletter and website an even greater tool for effective preaching. In the coming months you'll be astounded at the changes you'll find, along with increased access, new tools, interactive resources and more. Preaching.com will truly be the center of the web for those who preach. Of course, none of this comes without a price; in order to continue providing these services free of charge, we must create ways to offset the costs we incur. As a result, we are going to work with some carefully-selected advertising partners to help make these resources available to you. In the next few days, you'll be getting an email from us notifying you that we would like to forward messages to you from our ministry and advertising partners no more than once per week. If you enjoy receiving PreachingNow as a free newsletter, we hope that you will allow this brief interaction with you. If you would prefer not to receive these messages we will make sure that your preference is respected. You will simply need to use the unsubscribe link at the bottom of that email and we will make sure you do not receive messages from our ministry or advertising partners. You will continue to receive your email newsletters as normal. Our commitment to protecting your email address and personal information has not changed. These will never be sold or distributed to third parties. Partnering with you is a joy and a calling. These current efforts will enable us to expand our service to you in some new and exciting ways. So hang on! Michael
Duduit, Editor Because of the International Congress on Preaching in Cambridge (April 17-19), there will be no PreachingNow sent the next two weeks. Your next issue will be dated April 24. Very, very, very, very last call: if you'd like to attend the International Congress on Preaching in Cambridge, England, visit the website today at www.preaching.com/icop. And start packing quick!
Let the Stone Preach In his sermon "The Stone Rolled Away" (based on Matthew 28:2), Charles Spurgeon talked about the message preached by the stone which was rolled away from the garden tomb where Jesus had been placed after the crucifixion. "As men of old set up memorial stones, and as at this day we erect columns to tell of great deeds of prowess, so that stone rolled away was, as it were, before the eyes of our faith consecrated that day as a memorial of Christ's eternal victory over the powers of death and hell. They thought they had vanquished Him; they deemed that the Crucified was overcome. Grimly did they smile as they saw His motionless body wrapped in the winding sheet and put away in Joseph's new tomb. But their joy was fleeting; their boastings were but brief, for at the appointed moment He who could not see corruption rose and came forth from beneath their power. His heel was bruised by the old serpent, but on the resurrection morning he crushed the dragon's head. 'Vain
the stone, the watch, the seal, "Brethren beloved in Christ, as we look at yonder stone, with the angel seated upon it, it rises before us a monument of Christ's victory over death and hell, and it becomes us to remember that His victory was achieved for us, and the fruits of it are all ours." Christ is risen! He is risen indeed!
Visionary Leadership In his book Survival Skills: Leading Your Church in a Changing World, Stan Toler quoted a church leader who obviously was seminar-weary: "I have a mission; or is it a vision; or are they goals? Oh, who cares! God will sort it all out in His will." But leadership without a definite vision is like a luxury car without an engine. The shiny materials are all there, but the drive is missing. Stan writes: "Vision is like a thumb in the Christian leader's back. It encourages you to take bold steps toward Spirit-directed goals. It is not only the scaffolding of God's will for your life; it activates and focuses the skills of your fellow laborers. As you give people a clear picture of where they could be, they'll be more apt to head in that direction. What is visionary leadership? *
It is directional. It points to definite places, times, and
tangible results. The Swiss psychologist Carl Jung said, 'Your vision will become clear only when you can look into your own heart. Who looks outside, dreams; who looks inside, awakes.' So look inside. See the resurrection power of the Holy Spirit that not only gives energy enough to awaken you, but direction enough to guide you." (Click here to learn more about the book Survival Skills)
Reading the Bible Pays! In a recent issue of PreachingNow I made reference to Jonathan and his armor-bearer. In response, David Kitley (one of our UK readers) sent me a fascinating story which appeared in the book The Bible as History but was originally told by Francis Schaeffer in his L'Abri lectures: That Saul was a tactician of a high order has recently, after 3,000 years, been demonstrated anew. One example, unique in its way, shows how accurate the Bible is even in the smallest details and how reliable are its dates and information. We owe to Major Vivian Gilbert, a British army officer, this description of a truly remarkable occurrence. Writing in his reminiscences he says: "In the First World War a brigade major in Allenby's army in Palestine was on one occasion searching his Bible with the light of a candle, looking for a certain name. His brigade had received orders to take a village that stood on a rocky prominence on the other side of a deep valley. It was called Michmash and the name seemed somehow familiar. Eventually he found it in 1 Sam. 13 and read there: 'And Saul, and Jonathan his son, and the people that were present with them, abode in Gibeah of Benjamin but the Philistines encamped in Michmash.' "It then went on to tell how Jonathan and his armour-bearer crossed over during the night 'to the Philistines' garrison' on the other side, and how they passed two sharp rocks: 'there was a sharp rock on the one side, and a sharp rock on the other side: and the name of the one was Bozez and the name of the other Seneh' (1 Sam. 14:4). They clambered up the cliff and overpowered the garrison, 'within as it were an half acre of land, which a yoke of oxen might plough.' The main body of the enemy awakened by the melee thought they were surrounded by Saul's troops and 'melted away and they went on beating down one another' (1 Sam. 14:14-16). Thereupon Saul attacked with his whole force and beat the enemy. 'So the Lord saved Israel that day.' "The brigade major reflected that there must still be this narrow passage through the rocks, between the two spurs, and at the end of it the 'half acre of land.' He woke the commander and they read the passage through together once more. Patrols were sent out. They found the pass, which was thinly held by the Turks, and which led past two jagged rocks -- obviously Bozez and Seneh. Up on top, beside Michmash, they could see by the light of the moon a small flat field. The brigadier altered his plan of attack. Instead of deploying the whole brigade he sent one company through the pass under cover of darkness. The few Turks whom they met were overpowered without a sound, the cliffs were scaled, and shortly before daybreak the company had taken up a position on 'the half acre of land.' "The Turks woke up and took to their heels in disorder since they thought that they were being surrounded by Allenby's army. They were all killed or taken prisoner. "And so", concludes Major Gilbert, "after thousands of years British troops successfully copied the tactics of Saul and Jonathan." (From The Bible as History by Werner Keller, published by Hodder and Stoughton, London 1956. Quoted by Francis Schaeffer in his lectures at L'Abri, Huemoz, Switzerland in the late 1960s.)
Three 'Preaching Truth' conferences set for May A new series of Preaching Truth in a Whatever World events are planned for May 2007. These one-day preaching conferences explore strategies for effective biblical preaching in a postmodern world. Led by Preaching editor Michael Duduit and a variety of guest speakers, these conferences offer a valuable time of insight and refreshment for those who proclaim the Word. Preaching Truth conferences will be held in the following cities: Columbia,
SC -- May 8 For more information or to register, call (800) 288-9673, or visit the website at www.preaching.com/truth
ILLUSTRATION: Easter In his book If I Should Die Before I Live, Joe Lomusio writes: "If I were to ask you to describe Easter without using any words, and you could only use punctuation marks, which punctuation mark would you choose to describe this Easter for yourself? "Maybe this Easter is a comma for you. It makes you stop, pause, think, and listen, but that's about it. Perhaps today is a downer -- a big bold period. You thought you'd feel excited, but instead it seems to be more like empty ritual. You feel like you're not on the inside, but on the outside . . . an onlooker. It was day when life felt like a period for Jesus' disciples. He was dead. He was buried. An end to expectations. "But wait -- news of an empty tomb . . . the period is no longer a period, it's a question mark. That's worse than a period. Now they're beginning to doubt. Where is He? They're perplexed. the guards are gone, the stone is rolled away. He is not there. And if not there, where? An angel speaks, 'Why do you seek the living One among the dead? He is not here, but He has risen. Remember how He spoke to you while He was in Galilee, saying that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and how He must be crucified, and the third day He must rise again?' "Of course they remembered! The periods are gone. The question marks are removed. There is one massive exclamation point! That's what Easter is all about . . . an exclamation of gratitude and of praise for the resurrection Jesus Christ and for the salvation His victory over death brought to us."
ILLUSTRATION: Influence, Boldness In his Turning Point Daily Devotional for March 27, David Jeremiah writes, "The words influence and influenza are cousins. Leslie Flynn points out that the word influenza was introduced into English in the mid-1700s, apparently coming from the Italian who attributed the origin of his malady to an influenza di freddo (influence of the cold). We are, by our very natures, very contagious people--our influence tends to spread to others as easily as the flu. Our attitudes are "catching." When you're cheerful, those around you become more joyful. When you're forgiving, those closest to you become more merciful. And when you're brave, those around you grow more courageous. Have you ever felt a little timid about doing something for the Lord, but a "fired-up" Christian nearby just plowed right in? Didn't it make you a bit bolder, too? Boldness is a biblical quality that's mentioned about twenty-five times in the Bible, especially in the book of Acts where, in the face of persecution, the disciples preached the word boldly. Guard your attitudes for the sake of others, and let your boldness be infectious." (www.turningpointonline.org)
ILLUSTRATION: Knowing God After Mark Twain had made his triumphant tour through Europe, where he was honored by great universities and kings, his daughter said: "Daddy, I guess pretty soon you will know everybody except God." The
truth is, it doesn't matter who you know or how many you know. Ultimately,
knowing God is the only relationship that matters for eternity.
(Story from Franklin Kirksey)
ILLUSTRATION: Children, Rough A little girl asked her mother, "Can I go outside and play with the boys?" Her mother replied, "No, you can't play with the boys;they're too rough." The little girl thought about it for a few moments and asked, "If I can find a smooth one, can I play with him?"
"Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go." (T. S. Eliot)
On the preacher's bookshelf . . . Kregel has just released Preaching With Variety by Jeffrey Arthurs of Gordon-Conwell Seminary. One of the great needs of preaching in our day is to let the biblical text speak with its own voice, rather than trying to stuff it into a predictable, pre-digested package. In this excellent book, Jeff Arthurs offers valuable and practical insights that will help any preacher better communicate biblical truth with freshness and faithfulness. In When God Comes to Church (B&H Publishing), Steve Gaines talks about how the church can be revived through a renewed sense of the presence of God in worship. Gaines -- who succeeded Adrian Rogers as senior pastor of Bellevue Baptist Church in Memphis -- writes, "The need of the hour today is for our houses of worship to be filled once again with His presence. We must jettison our performance mentality, understanding that everything we do -- every song we sing, every prayer we pray, and every sermon we preach -- is primarily for the Lord and His pleasure." (Click on the title to learn more about the book or order from Amazon)
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ILLUSTRATION: Being Prepared It was a cold winter day. An old man walked out onto a frozen lake, cut a hole in the ice and dropped in his fishing line. He was there for almost an hour, without even a nibble, when a young boy walked out onto the ice, cut a hole in the ice not far from him. The young boy dropped his fishing line and minutes later he hooked a Largemouth Bass. The old man couldn't believe his eyes but chalked it up to plain luck. But, shortly thereafter, the young boy pulled in another large catch. The young boy kept catching fish after fish. Finally, the old man couldn't take it any longer. "Son, I've been here for over an hour without even a nibble. You've been here only a few minutes and have caught a half dozen fish! How do you do it?" The boy responded, "Roo raf roo reep ra rums rrarm." "What was that?" the old man asked. Again the boy responded, "Roo raf roo reep ra rums rarrm." "Look," said the old man, "I can't understand a word you're saying." The boy spit the contents of his mouth into his hand and said, "You have to keep the worms warm!"
"Christianity begins where religion ends . . . with the resurrection" (Herbert Booth Smith)
Wisdom from military trainers (part 2) "You've never been lost until you've been lost at Mach 3." (Paul F. Crickmore, test pilot) "The only time you have too much fuel is when you're on fire." "Blue water Navy truism: There are more planes in the ocean than submarines in the sky." (from an old carrier sailor) "When one engine fails on a twin-engine airplane you always have enough power left to get you to the scene of the crash." "Without ammunition, the USAF would be just another expensive flying club." "What is the similarity between air traffic controllers and pilots? If a pilot messes up, the pilot dies; If ATC messes up . . . the pilot dies." "Never trade luck for skill." "Airspeed, altitude and brains. Two are always needed to successfully complete the flight." "Mankind has a perfect record in aviation; we never left one up there!" "Flying the airplane is more important than radioing your plight to a person on the ground incapable of understanding or doing anything about it." "The Piper Cub is the safest airplane in the world; it can just barely kill you." (attributed to Max Stanley, Northrop test pilot) "There is no reason to fly through a thunderstorm in peacetime." (sign over squadron ops desk at Davis-Monthan AFB, AZ, 1970) "If something hasn't broken on your helicopter, it's about to." "You know that your landing gear is up and locked when it takes full power to taxi to the terminal." As the test pilot climbs out of the experimental aircraft, having torn off the wings and tail in the crash landing, the crash truck arrives, the rescuer sees a bloodied pilot and asks "What happened?" The
pilot's reply: "I don't know. I just got here myself!"
(attributed to Ray Crandell, Lockheed test pilot)
And finally . . . This fake volcano suddenly got delusions of grandeur. The Edgewater Hotel and Waterpark (there's a combination for you) in Duluth, Minn., has a 20-foot plastic volcano that suddenly started belching black smoke and shooting flames -- not part of the regular show. Guests were sent fleeing to the parking lot in bathing suits and bare feet, according to a March 31 AP article. They waited out the unexpected eruption in nearby restaurants. Firefighters put out the fire, apparently caused by a malfunctioning internal speaker, but not before part of the volcano melted. All was not lost, however. After guests returned to their rooms, the hotel treated them to free ice cream.
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