Baptists Committed to World Evangelism

Can you imagine spending long, exhausting days plowing and preparing a vast  field?  Can you imagine then carefully planting your crops and waiting for weeks to see that crop begin to sprout and grow ever so steadily?  See yourself pulling weeds, keeping away the birds and small animals that would love to feast on the tender new shoots.  As the heated summer days give way to the cool fall, you know harvest time is nearing.

The following points come from here. Click to read the original article. The pastor and congregation are ‘stretched’ to preach on and hear about subjects that would not be normally chosen; The preacher and hearers are immersed in one book of the Bible for many weeks and months; It helps to keep passages in context; It teaches people how to read and study their Bibles; It provides a balanced diet and prevents pastors from sticking to their ‘hobby horses’; The pastor does not need to agonize over his choice of text each week; There does not need to be so much introduction and background given each week; The overall argument or narrative of the book is better grasped and understood; It helps people to see the overall plan of Scripture; It encourages people to prepare ahead by reading and thinking about the passage; It emphasizes the centrality and authority of Scripture.

Another devotional from A W Tozer Acts 20:26–27 This is one of the marks of our modern time—that many are guilty of merely “nibbling” at the truth of the Christian gospel. I wonder if you realize that in many ways the preaching of the Word of God is being pulled down to the level of the ignorant and spiritually obtuse; that we must tell stories and jokes and entertain and amuse in order to have a few people in the audience? We do these things that we may have some reputation and that there may be money in the treasury to meet the church bills.… In many churches Christianity has been watered down until the solution is so weak that if it were poison it would not hurt anyone, and if it were medicine it would not cure anyone! Lord, don’t ever let me be guilty of watering down the truth or playing to the crowds, concerned about my “reputation” or “money in the treasury.” Amen. Tozer, A. W.

Reading passages like the one that follows can be very painful for a preacher! Put on your seat belt before beginning the reading. Warning the following content may be hazardous to your current preaching style! Not only do we need to make the text visible in corporate worship; we need to go swimming in it! The process of exposition plays out in the sermon as the preacher presents, explains, and expounds facts or ideas with commentary and interpretation. This is the very heart of the pastoral sermon. As the pastor engages the listeners with the text of the Bible, he exposes them to the only thing that possesses the ability to change their lives. Picturing the sermon as a body of water, I have often likened this engagement to the activity that goes on in a backyard swimming pool

2 Timothy 4:17 “Notwithstanding the Lord stood with me, and strengthened me; that by me the preaching might be fully known, and that all the Gentiles might hear: and I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion.” Paul is at the end of his life.  He is ready to die.  Many things have gone wrong in his life.  He is imprisoned for preaching the gospel.  He is going to die for his faith

The following is a great article for all of us that preach! Do we preach the Bible? Do we have real authority when we preach? This passage comes from the book mentioned at the end of the quotet.

The following is taken from a message by D L Moody. Read it and enjoy the great grace of the Lord Jesus Christ! I can imagine when Christ said to the little band around Him, ‘Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel,’ Peter said, ‘Lord, do you really mean that we are to go back to Jerusalem and preach the gospel to those men that murdered you?’ ‘Yes,’ said Christ, ‘go, hunt up that man that spat in my face, tell him he may have a seat in my kingdom yet. Yes, Peter, go find that man that made that cruel crown of thorns and placed it on my brow, and tell him I will have a crown ready for him when he comes into my kingdom, and there will be no thorns in it. Hunt up that man that took a reed and brought it down over the cruel thorns, driving them into my brow, and tell him I will put a scepter in his hand, and he shall rule over the nations of the earth, if he will accept salvation.

a devotional by A W Tozer Acts 4:13 The contemporary moral climate does not favor a faith as tough and fibrous as that taught by our Lord and His apostles. The delicate, brittle saints being produced in our religious hothouses today are hardly to be compared with the committed, expendable believers who once gave their witness among men. And the fault lies with our leaders. They are too timid to tell the people all the truth

We have covered one Good Excuse to miss the OG Summit (December 29-31),  here is the first Bad Excuse: Bad Excuse #1: Santa Won’t Like It From the offices of S. Claus International RE: Dear Santa CC: elfboss@pole_union.net “Dear Johnny, I hope this letter finds you well. I am writing to inform you that I have received your recent correspondence requesting a Nintendo 3DS game system for Christmas, but unfortunately I will be unable to oblige. It brings me no joy to write a letter like this, but it has come to my attention that you and your family are planning only the briefest celebration of Christmas, choosing instead to attend the “Our Generation Missions Summit” IMMEDIATELY after the 25th.

If you read this blog for any period of time at all (yes, I’m talking to YOU mom!), you will probably remember the Our Generation Missions Summit being mentioned pretty frequently. The Summit is a yearly event hosted by Vision Baptist Church (our sending church) in Gatlinburg TN, and essentially it is a gathering of like minded Christians who have a passion to see this world evangelized in our generation. That doesn’t mean that we think that the entire world is going to accept Christ, just that we believe it is our duty and privilege as Christians to dedicate our lives so that everyone hears the Gospel, and we absolutely believe that is possible! Imagine a multi-church missions conference with reports of what God is doing in China, Ireland, Peru, Argentina, Bolivia, India, Thailand, Spain, North Africa, South Africa, Egypt, Burkina Faso, and more, combined with a crash course week of intense global evangelism training for every church member. Every year we work hard at getting the word out about the Summit, because every year we see first time attenders walk away transformed by a global vision for God’s fame, and that’s just addictive! The Summit will be held December 29-31.