Ministry Leadership

Pure Religion

What do we mean when we ask for that “old time religion”? From a strictly chronological view, “old time religion” is relative. Depending on what people want to emphasize, they think of “old time” as starting at different points. Some are thinking of fiery preaching, so “old time” to them is the era of their favorite preacher. Some are thinking of music, so “old time” to them represents Fanny Crosby’s days. Some are thinking of other issues—such as modesty or abolishing liquor, so “old time” to them is whatever was the peak moment for that issue. We could reasonably conclude that in the not-too-distant future, people will look back to 2012 and think of today as “old time.” So if we want the “old time religion,” I suggest we look back to the first century and notice how James defined pure religion that pleases God:

The Three-Pronged Purity of Religion

We want people to know and obey the truth we preach, but we must not stoop to unscriptural methods to accomplish that purpose.

Purity of Motives in Preaching

God’s work should never be done to seek vainglory. There is only One who deserves glory—the Lord Jesus Himself.

Helping Hurting People

We cannot overlook the truth, however, that Jesus also physically touched many people’s lives when He walked on this earth as the God-man. The gospels are filled with stories of Jesus helping and healing brokenhearted, sick or afflicted people. They knew Jesus not only as Redeemer but also as Healer. His ministry was one that continually dealt with hurting people.

Churchquakes: Keeping Unity in the Local Church

“To live above with saints we love, that will be glory. To live below, with the saints we know, that’s a different story.” Whether it be your family, friendships, or church, the Word of God can guide you to peace and unity.

Ministry Toolbox: Keeping It Personal

The modern model of the office of a pastor seems to be that of a spiritual executive. The vision is of a man sitting in his office, reading reports, conducting meetings, and issuing instructions. It is true that if we are to “look well to the state of our flock,” inspection and direction are necessary. But the Bible model is one of service. The word “minister” literally means “servant.” The larger and more complex our ministries become, the easier it is to do more “executing” and less serving. How can we keep it personal? Here are a few thoughts:

The End of the Commandment

As a man and his wife were traveling across the desert by camel, a terrible sand storm came up causing the man to be separated from his wife. He desperately started searching for her on camelback, but could not find any trace of her. After several days, the man was separated from his camel in another sand storm. He was devastated and thought, “How will I ever find my dear wife without my camel?”

Truth Transfer

Christianity is never more than one generation from extinction. Regardless of our personal fervency for the Lord, if we fumble the baton transfer, we lose the race. Fumbling our faith is not an option.

Christ-Honoring Music

But these are all the wrong questions—at least the wrong starting questions. If we desire to be consecrated followers of Jesus, we must evaluate music with a different set of questions: Does this music glorify Jesus? Does it draw us closer to Jesus? Does it make us more like Jesus?

The Blessings and Blight of Blogging

For all of the benefits that I have received from blogging, however, there are a few bloggers that are giving the rest of us a bad name. These fellows do not offer “apples of gold in pictures of silver.” Rather, they are bad apples.
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