So, how do we break into the lives of people who are immersed in this postmodern reality? How do we reach them for the gospel? Do we offer therapeutic entertainment to draw them in? Nope. Instead, we do the unthinkable in our modern age. We preach.
There’s more to a pulpit than a link to the past. Pulpits aren’t about tradition. They’re not about the “way we’ve always done it.” Pulpits are about building the church on the Word of God.
It is inevitable in a lifetime of preaching that we shall all make mistakes in our preaching.
“We believe” the creed has us say, and this belief begins where the gospel story and our worship ought to begin, with the one who has no beginning (or end): God himself.
It is quite possible that in years of rote recitation, the creed has appeared dry to us and flat. But let’s look at it again, perhaps with fresh eyes.
Marvel at the power of the risen Jesus today to subject all things to himself. Marvel that one day, at his coming, he will use this power to transform your body into a body like his. Marvel that today your citizenship is in heaven where Christ rules—or if it’s not, put it there today.
In Ephesians 2 Paul takes us down to the Death Valley of the Soul and then up to “the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.” The journey’s contrast will enhance our appreciation for what we have in Christ and will influence the way we live.
After observing the Sabbath (Friday evening through Saturday evening) at Bethany, Jesus arose Sunday morning to enter the city of Jerusalem. It was March 29, AD 33—the first day of the last week of his earthly life.
Staying a Christian in seminary means seeing the Bible as more than just a textbook. Delighting in God through taking in his word isn’t an annual, monthly, or even weekly event for the healthy Christian, but a daily rhythm.
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