There are lots of differing thoughts concerning Jesus of Nazareth. Some say there was no such person. Robert M. Price of the Jesus Seminar, says, ‘It is quite likely that the central figure of the gospels is not based on any historical individual… If you could travel back through time to first century Nazareth, you…
God the Father
Some years ago, at our church’s softball practice, there were a number of small children of some of the players present. One of them, not yet two years old, kept pointing and saying, ‘Daddy!’ It was very cute. The problem was that the man he was pointing to was not his daddy. We Christians frequently…
The Trinity
For a long time I have thought, ‘I need to preach on the Trinity.’ The trigger for that was this: when I was in a church conference and heard a pastor, in his prayer, thank the Father for ‘coming to earth to die for our sins’, and I thought, ‘The Father did not die. The…
Acts 2 & 4 Vital Signs
Last week I listened to a sermon that was prompted by the pastor’s being regularly asked, ‘So, how’s your church doing?’ That is a good question, and it is one that deserves more than a glib, off-the-cuff answer. If someone was to ask you, ‘How’s your church doing?’ what are the things that you would…
The Holy Spirit, Part 1
We have been walking through the book of Acts in recent weeks, wanting both to understand and experience what it means to be the church of Jesus Christ on mission. And right in the first chapter we came upon Jesus’ commission to his followers in chapter 1:8 – And you will receive power when the…
Acts 3:1- 4:4 A beggar is healed
On vacation, our family stayed in a cabin near Mount St. Helen’s in southern Washington. My wife’s brother and his family were in the cabin next door, and that morning the eleven of us gathered around the picnic table and read God’s Word and prayed together. When I later commented to my little girl that…
Acts 2:14-41
Here’s a question and answer that might surprise you: ‘Pastor, how do you know that Jesus is Lord?’ My answer: ‘I don’t.’ The truth is, I don’t know. But I believe he is. In fact, I believe strongly enough to make Jesus’ Lordship the center and foundation of my whole life. And considering we only…
Advent : Zechariah
The old man climbed the steps from the courtyard and entered the doors of the temple. There was a barely perceptible stoop to his shoulders as he advanced the sixty feet across the floor of the room, the Holy Place, passing by the seven-fold candlestick on his right, and the table of showbread on his…
The Grand Story
Conviction 3: The knowledge of the Bible and of the story it tells is necessary to effective, Biblical preaching. Later that day something even more unsettling happened. During afternoon rest period I was flipping through the magazines provided for us, when all at once I reached for the Bible that I kept on my nightstand…
What Preaching Is
Conviction 2: The Bible, in its entirety, is God’s testimony concerning his son Jesus. Preaching the Word is indispensable to Christianity (John Stott, Between Two Worlds).c Sunday after Sunday, two pastors stand before their respective people and deliver a message. They have spent many hours in the study in preparation. Afterwards, their listeners approach them…