December 1, 2006

Confidence in the Word of God

As the world moves further away from the principles of the word of God, and many in religion are seeking guidance and direction from other sources, we need to be reminded of the power of the word of God. The Hebrew writer said, “The word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12). In writing to the saints in Rome, Paul spoke of his confidence in the gospel: “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek” (Romans 1:16).

In spite of these reminders of the power in God’s word, many view simple Bible study and plain Bible teaching as being foolish. Paul spoke of this attitude in his letter to the church in Corinth: “For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God” (1 Corinthians 1:18).
Continue Reading

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: , ,
November 1, 2006

Quenching the Spirit

Near the close of Paul’s first epistle to Thessalonica, he gave several brief exhortations. One of these was the instruction, “Do not quench the Spirit” (1 Thessalonians 5:19). What does it mean to “quench the Spirit”? The Greek word that is translated quench means to extinguish, or put out. This makes us think of extinguishing a fire. The word of God is compared to a fire elsewhere as Jeremiah described it as “a burning fire shut up in my bones” (Jeremiah 20:9).

We should also remember that the gospel is “the power of God for salvation” (Romans 1:16). To “quench the Spirit” is to remove the power from the gospel. After all, the revealed word is the product of the Spirit (2 Timothy 3:16; 1 Corinthians 2:10-13; John 15:26-27). The gospel is designed to convert the lost and edify the saved. Quenching the Spirit prevents these things and, ultimately, will cause us to forfeit our salvation. So we should look at how we are to preach so as not to quench the Spirit. How do we “quench the Spirit”?
Continue Reading

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: , , , , , ,
October 5, 2006

“Now Concerning the Collection” – Part 1: Introduction

Collection Plate

While Paul was journeying back to Jerusalem, he stopped in Miletus and “sent to Ephesus and called to him the elders of the church” (Acts 20:17) and reminded them of the work he had done among them in preaching the gospel. He was able to confidently say that he was “innocent of the blood of all men” because he “did not shrink from declaring to [them] the whole purpose (counsel, KJV) of God” (Acts 20:26-27). This was his responsibility as a gospel preacher – to preach the word of God without holding anything back. By doing this, he was “innocent of the blood of all men.” Conversely, he would stand guilty before God if he failed to teach anything that was necessary and “profitable” (Acts 20:20).
Continue Reading

Filed Under: SERIES: Now Concerning the Collection Tagged With: ,
October 1, 2006

A Preacher and His Support

God’s intention is for those who devote their time to the preaching of the gospel to receive financial support for their work. Paul taught this in his first letter to Corinth: “So also the Lord directed those who proclaim the gospel to get their living from the gospel” (1 Corinthians 9:14).
Continue Reading

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: , ,
October 1, 2006

The Purpose of Preaching

Man with Open Bible

From the beginning of the New Testament we read about preaching. First we see John the Baptist “preaching in the wilderness of Judea” (Matthew 3:1). A little while later “Jesus began to preach” (Matthew 4:17) and went “throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom” (Matthew 4:23). Jesus commanded His disciples on different occasions to go out and preach the gospel (Luke 9:1-6; Mark 16:15; Acts 1:8). Throughout the New Testament, this is what we see – the gospel being preached. Though men may see this as foolish, this is what God desires (1 Corinthians 1:18-21).

God designed preaching to accomplish certain things. Let us notice the purpose of preaching.
Continue Reading

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: , , , , ,
April 1, 2006

Positive Preaching

Sometimes we hear people describe a sermon preached as either “positive” or “negative.” The word of God does not use these terms to describe preaching. So to get an idea what these descriptors mean, we need to look to modern dictionaries. That which is positive is “marked by or indicating acceptance, approval, or affirmation” (Merriam-Webster). Conversely, “negative” would indicate “denial, prohibition, or refusal” (Merriam-Webster). Upon looking at these definitions, it is no wonder why people generally prefer “positive” preaching.
Continue Reading

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: ,
January 1, 2006

Church Growth in the New Testament

The churches of men have come up with many devices to produce numerical growth. They cater to man’s desires in order to draw them into their number. They have activities, host events, and make every sort of “ministry” they can think of that will appeal to people. Instead of looking to the denominations for how to produce church growth, we should look to the New Testament. Paul said when we preach and teach the gospel, God is the one who gives the increase (1 Corinthians 3:6). Therefore, all we can do is follow His plan. What caused the New Testament church to grow?
Continue Reading

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: , , , , , , ,