Erik Reed's Blog, page 7

10 Preaching Tips (Part I)

I love preaching. There is nothing else in all the world I would rather do with my life than preach Christ crucified and resurrected. I consider myself a student of preaching. I am always seeking to learn and get better at this high calling. If you are reading this, you probably feel this way too. I also believe I have a stewardship to train and help other preachers. This is not because I am the expert on preaching, rather I feel a responsibility to share any knowledge I have acquired to help others.

At my church, The Journey Church, we take training preachers serious. We raise up preachers from within our congregation and give them opportunities to actually do it. We have preaching seminars where we train them and give them chances to practice. We also give these men chances on Sunday mornings and Wednesday night services. Our church is only seven and half years old, but we have raised up and trained 24 different men in our church to preach. In those seven and half years, we have only had one person from outside the church come and preach. We highly value training up men in this way.

I want to share 10 Preaching Tips that I have learned along the way, either from experience or from others. They are not in any particular order, nor are they exhaustive. I hope these tips can help you as you labor to proclaim the excellencies of Christ (1 Peter 2:9) in whatever setting he has you.

1. Pose a Problem and Offer a Solution

Preaching is ultimately about offering a solution to a problem. Proclaiming the good news comes on the heels of sharing the bad news. For example, if your doctor came in the room and said, "Congratulations, I have the injection you need right here. You are going to be just fine." You would probably be caught off guard, a little confused, and questioning why you needed this injection. However, if the doctor would have come and shared with you that you have a serious illness, and if untreated it would lead to your death, then he told you he had the injection you needed, that would be good news.

It is vital when preparing sermons, whether we begin from a text or a topic, we need to answer the question: what problem does this raise in the lives of the people I will be preaching to? I need to show them that they have a very real and serious problem facing them, but praise be to God, my sermon, and (most importantly) the truths contained in it, hold the solutions for that problem. Introducing a problem that everyone faces on the front end of a sermon also serves to catch people's attention. It tells them why they need to be paying attention to what you are about to say. Peter's sermon in Acts 2 demonstrates this approach very well. The people were cut to the heart, asking, "what shall we do?" Peter then gives them the solution (Acts 2:37-38).

2. Anchor Yourself to a Text

Regardless of whether you are teaching through books of the Bible or doing topical series, it is crucial that every sermon be anchored to a text. I understand there may be sermons that bounce around to different passages of Scripture throughout its entirety, but that should not be the norm. A good sermon will be anchored to a text of Scripture.

Why? First, because if Scripture is not central in your preaching, you should reconsider your definition of preaching. We are proclaimers of the Word of God. Faith comes by hearing, and hearing from the word of Christ (Romans 10:17). Jesus prayed that the Father would "sanctify them in the truth, your word is truth. (John 17:17)." It is the God-breathed (2 Timothy 3:16) Scriptures that transform people's dead hearts and make them alive. We should stand on Scripture in our sermons. The second reason to do this, is that having a central text keeps you in between the guardrails while you preach. A text can keep you on track and keep you from getting into the ditch with rabbit-trails and wandering off-topic.

3. Resist the Temptation of Preaching for Approval

I have been preaching for almost ten years and I still have this temptation. It happens very subtly. You find it sometimes in your sermon preparation time. You will be working through ideas and writing your sermon or jotting down notes, and without realizing it, you are thinking about whether people are going to agree with you. "Will they like this?," or perhaps even more subtle, "Will they like me if I say this?," begins to creep into your mind. It can also happen as you are preaching. You start judging people's facial expressions and body language and start trying to appease them, rather than envisioning God's posture to your message.

I recently found out from some friends that a sermon I had preached had offended a few people and they were mad. Their accusation against me was off-base and showed they had not listened to what I actually said. However, I still found myself battling internally over not winning the approval of these people. I knew my message was honoring to God. I knew I could test everything I had spoken against Scripture, yet I was wrestling inside over people not agreeing with me. (Tip #10 will deal more with this)

We must keep in mind that the temptation to preach for approval is not just avoiding saying offensive things so that people will continue to like us. It is not only about preaching in a way that people don't get mad. We also fight the temptation of preaching so that people will think we are really something special. You are preaching for approval when you are subtly thinking, "how many people will tweet this quote?" or "how smart or profound do I sound when I make this statement?" Oh friends, the temptations to preach for approval lie in wait around every corner. May we resolve to preach with a heart to please God.

4. Keep the Cross & Resurrection of Christ in View

In our preaching seminar we teach the guys that if any good Jew, Mormon, Jehovah's Witness, or Muslim can say "Amen" to your sermon then you did not press the cross and resurrection of Christ to the forefront well enough. It does not matter what text or topic we are dealing with, we must do as Spurgeon said, "make a beeline to the cross." One of the greatest dangers we face in a sermon is to stand and make a lot of great points about life, truth, and any number of things, but never get to the good news of Christ.

We are not self-help counselors. We are heralds for the King. We have an announcement to make to the world from the King of Kings. That message: "Jesus Christ is Lord; he died in our place and rose from the grave. Salvation is in him alone. Repent and believe the good news." When doing sermon preparation, keep asking yourself the question, "Am I establishing the necessity of trusting the finished work of Jesus, through his death and resurrection?" If your sermon does not need to hit on those points,  you need to throw away your sermon.

5. Preach with Heightened Affections

The preaching and teaching that inspires me the most is affection-driven preaching. When I can smell that a guy loves the Lord and loves proclaiming the gospel, I love his kind of preaching. We are preaching the most glorious truths in all the universe. How could we ever preach them in a dull manner? How in the world is it possible to preach truths so glorious and a message so good as the gospel in a boring way? A guy can stand up all day long and talk about true things, but if his demeanor does not match the realities of what he is proclaiming, I don't believe him. Either the truths he is proclaiming are not as glorious as he says or he does not believe the glorious truths that he proclaims. I hope you get the gist of my point. Yes, tell me what is right and true and what I should believe, but show me how much you love these things! Show me these things are eternally important. Let me feel the gravity of these truths in your voice, body language, and affections.

I certainly do not suggest that anyone should fake affections. So this leaves us with a constant challenge. We need to be spending time with the Lord. We need to prepare our hearts just as thoroughly as we prepare our content. We need to work our affections up to a fervent pitch before stepping into the pulpit. These truths matter too much to be read like a menu at a restaurant. Exhort them as if you truly believe them and their implications.

 Which of these tips are most helpful to you? I'd love to hear your feedback.

This is Part I of 10 Preaching Tips. I will post the second half of this list Wednesday.

Our Sovereign King

"...and he upholds the universe by the word of his power." (Hebrews 1:3)
Is God truly and completely sovereign over the world? This is a much debated topic. Unfortunately, this topic is debated most heavily by Christians. What should be an easy consensus, that Christ is sovereign over all things, is highly controversial.

Why is this topic so heated? One reason is that we just like to debate. Many people just enjoy having something to disagree about and enjoy playing contrarian on a number of issues. A second reason for debate is that we immediately begin over analyzing and concluding unnecessary things. For example, someone will say, "well, if Christ is completely sovereign over all things, then free will is not real." That is not true. The Bible never teaches that free will is not real. In fact, the Bible teaches clearly that everyone makes decisions and that these decisions and choices matter. However, the Bible teaches clearly that our God reigns. He is not constrained by any outside force. He is sovereign.

This topic should be one of great comfort for the believer, not one for arguments. There are many applications to our lives that this doctrine holds:

1. This doctrine grounds our confidence in the wisdom of God. If God is sovereign, and He "does all things according to the counsel of his will (Ephesians 1:11)," then we should submit ourselves to the wisdom of God.

2. This doctrine eliminates fear about tomorrow. If our God reigns over the universe, and everything in it, then we should not fear today, tomorrow, or next week. Our God controls the future. If we are in Christ, then we can be certain that future has our good in mind (Romans 8:28).

3. This doctrine eases temptations to worry about things I cannot control. We like to control things, but we actually control very little. This doctrine eases our temptation and need to try to control everything around us. God is sovereign, not us.

4. This doctrine propels us to prayer. Far from eliminating our need to pray, this doctrine grounds are hopes in prayer. Our God sits on the throne. He is over all things. If there is someone to appeal to for our needs and to bring our fears to, it is the One who rules over everything. The sovereignty of God catapults us into prayer.

5. This doctrine comforts us in life's bitter trials. When I know and understand that God is in control, I can face anything that comes my way, even suffering. If God does not remove me from my suffering, than He has a loving and wise plan for my suffering. I am comforted in those moments, even when I hurt.

At the end of the day, this doctrine is not for arguing about, it is an anchor for our lives. I want to assert something to everyone reading this, especially the person who professes faith in Christ and belief in the Bible, yet does not believe God is totally sovereign: every true believer holds the doctrine of God's sovereignty. Every single person believes it. How can I make that claim? Because at the end of the day, every believer holds the belief that Christ is returning to consummate the kingdom of God and set it in place for all of eternity. Every believer holds the belief that we will be raised from the grave to live forever with God. If we believe that, then it is the doctrine of God's sovereignty that supports that belief. Without holding to God's complete sovereignty, we have no confidence or guarantee that God can actually do what we say is going to happen. We have no certainty that Christ will return to put his enemies under his feet. We have no guarantee we will be raised from the grave. It is the sovereignty of God that grounds our hope in these things. So every believer holds this doctrine. On our knees we all hold to God's sovereignty, it is why we pray at all. It is only when many rise to their feet that they become "smarter" and begin to question it. Let's rejoice in this wonderful truth and build our lives around it.

A sermon I taught on this topic: The Sovereignty of God Over All Things

The God of All Comfort

This life is full of so many ups and downs. It is undoubtedly easier to live in those "up" moments, but it is not always better. God can and does use our "down" moments to draw us near to Him. These "down" moments lead us to pray more pointedly, more fervently, and more desperately. Those are good things. When we are in those "up" moments we can easily get by without prayer (not in reality, but in our own minds), without any fervency or desperation.

My family and I have learned this through all the trials we have experienced with our son, Kaleb. As a kidney transplant patient, he is on medications that suppresses his immune system, so he can get sick easily. Any time he is not feeling good, it is easy to be catapulted into one of those "down" moments. This is just the reality of being a parent who loves your child.

But I have learned personally, that these moments cause me to rely more on God than I was before. I have learned that our God personally comforts those in affliction. 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 says, "Blessed be the God and Father or our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all of our afflictions..."

Friends, it does not matter what you are facing today; our God comforts in ALL our afflictions. I am comforted; that does not mean I am always comfortable. But I am comforted. I have peace, even when I am desperate. Thank God for the trials you face; these pains bring you closer to Him and make you more dependent on Him than we often are without the trials. Keep in mind the suffering of our Lord Jesus Christ. Our Savior knows the agony of pain. He knows what we face. And he is our Mediator and Intercessor. He can sympathize with our weaknesses (Hebrews 4:15) and he promises to give us sufficient grace for our trials (2 Corinthians 12:9). Run to him, friends.

A Chain-Smoking Pregnant Woman vs Abortion: Which is Morally Reprehensible?

I want to write briefly on something I was pondering recently on abortion. I want to address the fickle and subjective use of logic happening regarding abortion. Inevitably there will be someone who reads this and wants to immediately dismiss my argument because they will reference the very very very few abortions that happen to save the life of the mother. I am not arguing against that. I am addressing the abortions (which are the majority) in which only the child's life is in danger, because it has a mother and/or a father that does not want them, and does not want the responsibility of caring for them. This is about the inconsistent logic that continues to be displayed in our culture regarding abortion.

It is universally accepted that a pregnant woman who smokes cigarettes, abuses alcohol, or shoots up heroine is doing a morally reprehensible thing. It disgusts us that a woman carrying a child would do such things. I have never heard anyone excuse these behaviors as acceptable. 
However, I have some questions, particularly those in the pro-choice camp:
**shouldn't it be the woman's right to choose what kind of healthcare she provides herself?**isn't it a woman's right to do whatever she wants, after all, it is her body?**on what grounds would we argue that her actions (wild partying) are morally reprehensible? 
I hope you get the gist of my questions? These are the same questions asked by those who want to justify abortion. But doesn't the woman who may be abusing different substances while pregnant have the same case to make as the woman going to the abortion clinic? Instead of having rights over her body, the pregnant drug abuser, chain-smoker, or alcoholic is looked at as a monster. 
Now don't get me wrong, I believe it is absolutely morally reprehensible for a pregnant woman to be on drugs or alcohol while pregnant, but I also believe it is just as indefensible for her to walk down to the abortion clinic. It appears the logic of many in our culture is that a pregnant woman smoking crack, cigarettes, or getting drunk regularly is morally despicable, but a woman going to the abortion clinic is exercising her choice (rights). What is despicable is our vile logic. 
It is time for us to wake up to the gross inconsistencies of our culture. 

Spiritual Slumps

Sports fans are accustomed to hearing about slumps. Basketball players have shooting slumps. Baseball players have hitting slumps. A slump for them is a season of time in which they have a difficult time making a shot or getting a hit. 
Slumps are common in sports. It is unrealistic to think you can constantly make shots or get hits. So when players go through this, we often here the antidote prescribed, "they need to shoot their way out of the slump" or "they need to keep swinging the bat until they hit their way out of the slump." 
The idea is that they need to keep going through the habits and routines of their craft, be it shooting a basketball or hitting a baseball, until they get out of the slump. 
In the Christian life, we also experience slumps. It is not uncommon for us to go through spiritual slumps. During these times our relationship with God feels stagnant, stifled, and unproductive. These seasons can make it difficult to pray, read the Bible, or gather with the church in corporate worship.
So how do we get out of these slumps? Is there an antidote for overcoming these times?
The same advice given to sports players would be my advice for getting out of a spiritual slump. You need to "hit" your way out of it. You need to "shoot" yourself out of these slumps. What do I mean? You need to keep going through the habits and routines of our spiritual disciplines, until we get out of the slump. 
The greatest thing we can do during our spiritual slumps is start pouring ourselves into the Word of God. We need to read and reflect and rejoice at God in His Word. We need to pray. Pray without ceasing and with a fervency that God would awaken our cold hearts to Him. We need to gather with the church for worship. We need to be singing the praises of God and hearing sermons from the Bible. 
James 4:8 tells us "Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you..."
The promise of this verse is that if we will make a move toward God, He will make a move toward us. If we are in a spiritual slump, the antidote is to run hard after God. God is not elusive, He is not hiding from us. 
So if you are currently in a spiritual slump, or soon find you are, shoot your way out through prayer and Scripture reading until you are out. 
Question: how often do you find yourself in spiritual slumps? What things have you found helpful for getting out of them?

Put On Christ

"But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires." (Rom. 13:14)
The book of Romans is one of the greatest books in all of the Bible. It is a well of great gospel-rich truths of what God has done for sinners through His Son, Jesus Christ. It is also practical for instructing us in our daily living as believers. One of those practical instructions is found in the verse mentioned above, a verse that Augustine, perhaps the greatest western theologian ever, read in 386 A.D. and was born-again on the spot. 
Paul writes for believers to "put on the Lord Jesus Christ." This is a powerful metaphor for us to consider. Every day before we leave our homes we "put on" clothes, coats, jewelry, hats, and different items. Paul says we are to "put on the Lord Jesus Christ. We are to put on Jesus like a garment. We are to consciously wear him as we go. We should consider ourselves naked until we have robed ourselves with him. But what does it mean to "put on the Lord Jesus Christ?"
First, it is to remind ourselves that it is his righteousness that clothes us with acceptance before God. In Christ alone, and his righteousness, are we pardoned before God and looked upon as holy. It is not our holiness or by our works, but totally his, that reconciles us before the Father. Reminding yourself that you belong to God, and are loved by Him, not because of your works, but because the works of Jesus for you, is a great way to begin each and every day. It is also a good hourly reminder as your day unfolds.
Second, it to remind ourselves that we must abide in him daily for power to overcome Satan, our flesh, and the temptations of this world . Jesus says in John 15 if we abide in him, and his word abides in us, we will bear much fruit. Apart from him we can do nothing. We put on Christ to remind ourselves that if we are ever detached from him, the Vine of God, we will wither and die. 
But Paul is not finished. After instructing us to "put on the Lord Jesus Christ," he adds, "and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires." This is vital to catch. We begin by robing ourselves in Christ and his righteousness. Then we choke out the flesh, which naturally breeds and gives birth to sin. We war against the desires of the flesh, not by gratifying what it wants, but starving it out. By not making provisions for our flesh, we are choking out the fountain and source from which sin flows. What does it mean to "make no provisions for the flesh?" 
First, it is to minimize your exposure to things that would provoke or breed sinful desires. If you have struggles with lust, do not put yourself in situations where temptation to lust will be prominent. If the computer tempts you to engage in inappropriate material, then put filters on your computer. If you struggle with gossip, commit yourself to lead conversations wandering down the road of gossip toward other topics.
Second, it is to immediately confess and repent of sin when we recognize its existence in our lives. One of the ways that we quit making provisions for the flesh is when we recognize sin in our lives, we confess it before God, and we quit doing it. We repent. We stop engaging in it, and we turn to Christ for strength. 
This verse is a command, but it is written in as a metaphor for powerful effect. Paul wants us to see how to live our daily life in Christ. He instructs us to "put on Christ," remind yourself of the righteousness that is yours in the Son of God. He warns us to "make no provisions for the flesh, to gratify its sinful desires." This command instructs us to turn from those things which would lead us astray. Left to ourselves, we will wander into sin. We wear garments of flesh, and these garments want and crave sin. To suppress these garments, we must wear something over them. We put on Christ. We are to robe ourselves in the majesty of the King from Nazareth.
This is how a Christian daily prepares themselves to start the day. Resolve to never leave your house naked; put on Christ. 

The Illogical Logic of Abortion

We have all been gripped the last several days by the news of the women and young child held captive in Cleveland, Ohio for the last decade. Ariel Castro, the perpetrator whose guilty of this heinous act, went beyond kidnapping on his ten year depraved joy ride. Castro reportedly raped these women at will, and forcefully aborted the babies in the wombs that he filled.

However, the irony of watching the news channels talk about this story, is that no focus is being put on these aborted children. Michelle Knight, one of the young women abducted, had at least five pregnancies aborted as a result of this barbaric act. This is a travesty. There are more than three victims in this story, there are at least eight victims, if not many more. Yet, when the news channels discuss and report what has happened, we do not hear the babies aborted referred to as victims. In fact, when Castro was charged, the charge of murder was missing from his rap sheet.

Here is my question: Why is the media, politicians, and advocacy groups not protesting that little to no focus is being put on these babies as victims in this crime, and why is Mr. Castro not being charged with their murder? 

There is only one answer: political reasons. For political purposes, the media is not focusing on the babies as victims. They are not outraged that Castro was not charged with their murder. Why not? Because they know that while the babies are victims and Castro is guilty of murder, if they say so, they will then have to face the question concerning why every abortion does not fall into this category. That is why! The illogical logic of abortion will quickly be exposed if they acknowledge what has happened in Cleveland, OH is a crime and the babies are victims. 

What is the difference between what happened in the dark corners of a basement in Cleveland and what happens in clinics on your local street corners? Some will say, "well, it is different because women who go to clinics WANT to have an abortion. These women in Cleveland DID NOT WANT an abortion. That is what makes it different." But this logic is terrible. So what we are saying is that if you don't want your baby it's legal to kill it, but it's NOT murder? But if you did want your baby, and someone causes its death, then IT IS murder? Really? That is what marks the difference between a child living or dying these days, whether we want it or do not want it?

I am distraught over the mass genocide of babies in the womb. They cannot voice their rights. Someone has to stand up for them. Are we willing to quit standing in silence because we fear be shamed or ridiculed? As a father of two with one in the womb of my wife as I type, I am disgusted that we have become a nation and culture that is okay with this happening. It reminds me of the German citizens in Nazi Germany, who just sat by as millions of Jews were slaughtered all around them. They may not have been for it, but they were not doing anything to stop it. Have we become that?

Lord, have mercy on us.

Memorizing Scripture (Part II)

"Rather train yourself for godliness."(1 Timothy 4:7)
In yesterday's post, I explored the idea of Scripture memorization being one of the most neglected spiritual disciplines by Christians today. I outlined a handful of reasons why this is the case. Today, I want to state  why  I believe we should commit ourselves to storing the Word of God in our hearts, as well as how  we can begin this profitable habit. 
With all the Bibles available today, why should we memorize portions of Scripture? We already have a Bible everywhere we go considering they are downloaded on our phones, iPads, Desktops, and other devises. So are there any reasons why we should commit Holy Scripture to memory? I believe there are; here are two big ones:
1. Memorizing Scripture causes you to Meditate & Reflect on Scripture. It is impossible to memorize passages without reflecting on the texts. This is one of the most fruitful effects of Scripture memorization. Meditating on His testimonies puts them in your head and your heart. Maturity in Christ comes as we know the Word in our hearts. 
2. Memorizing Scripture Arms & Equips you in Moments of Need. There are times in life when you need an immediate word of wisdom or a comforting word of encouragement. Other times it may be a word of strength to overcome a moment of temptation, sadness, or fear. Having Scripture memorized prepares you for those moments. (see Jesus' encounter w/ Satan in Matthew 4)
Those are a couple reasons why we should memorize Scripture, so how do we begin? I want to offer a few suggestions in the form of both strategies and resources. Here's how to begin:
1. Make Scripture Memorization a Matter of Prayer. Before you jump into some self-willed, flesh-driven effort, go before the Lord and declare to Him your desire to feast more richly on His Word through memorization. Ask Him to give you direction in what to memorize and ask Him to give you power to prevail in both memorization and perseverance. 
2. Start with Manageable Goals. Do not begin with memorizing the book of Romans. Instead, begin with Romans 3:23 or Romans 8:1. The point is to begin with some individual verses before moving into paragraphs, chapters, and books. This does not mean you neglect memorizing bigger portions of Scripture, just not when starting off. 
3. Memorize Practically Helpful Passages. All of Scripture is God's Word, but some passages speak more to the practical needs in our lives. Memorize Scriptures across different categories: God's holiness, God's sovereignty, man's sinfulness, the glory of Christ, the sacrifice of Christ, the resurrection of Christ, the call to faith and repentance, assurances of help from God, prayer, calls to holiness, etc. Find passages that help you with struggles with sins such as lust, worry, anger, or greed. 
4. Get a Memory Partner. Find someone to take the challenge with you and spur one another along. Set deadlines, rehearse passages to each other, give impromptu quizzes, etc. We grow faster in community.
5. Tap into the Overwhelming Number of Available Resources. There are so many apps and different helps to the person who wants to get serious about this. Here are some to check out: A.) Fighter Verses, B.) Partnering to Remember, C.) 32 Ways to Remember Scripture.
Oh that we would be a people that gave our greatest efforts, our most intense training, toward godly things! May God use these posts on Memorizing Scripture call us all to be people who store the Word of God in our hearts so they are available for use in our lives, whenever we need them...which is every moment of every day. 
Give your feedback about the post in the comments section. What things have been helpful to you? 

Memorizing Scripture (Part I)

"I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might no sin against you." (Psalm 119:11)

I recently spoke at a men's event on the pursuit of holiness. One of the practical applications I made to the men was to memorize Scripture. I then took an impromptu survey by a raise of hands of how many of these men were currently engaged in the discipline of Scripture memorization. Not one person raised their hand.

The psalmist in Psalm 119 is writing about his love, the worth, and the truth of the Word of God. The entire psalm, the longest of all the psalms, and the longest chapter in the Bible, is all about the Scriptures. They are called different things: testimonies, the law, word, commandments, counsel, righteous rules, promises, and precepts. Regardless of what name he gives them, the subject is the same, Holy Scripture.

In Psalm 119:11 the psalmist says that he stores up God's word in his heart. The idea here is memorization. To store is to stock or reserve something so it is available for use. The psalmist says he stores God's word. He stocks it in his heart so that it is available for use. And the context of the entire psalm makes clear that this was not done begrudgingly; he loved and treasured the Scriptures.

Why do we not take time to memorize Scripture? I believe there are many reasons, here are some:

1. We are lazy with our minds. We get bored and distracted very easily. If we have to exercise our mental faculties, many give up and quit fairly quickly.

2. We are too busy. We have too much going on to set time aside to memorize God's Word. The irony is, we fill our days and lives with things less important than feeding on God's Word, and neglect things that will put the rest of our lives in perspective.

3. We are not lovers of the Bible. Not everyone loves the Word. Not everyone is captivated by God's law. Not everyone treasures the Bible. If we do not esteem the worth of the Scriptures, we will never want to devote ourselves to learning, understanding, and memorizing them.

4. We are blind to the benefit. If you don't believe something will benefit you, you will rarely pursue it. You go to work, not because you love it, but because you know it benefits you. You diet, not because you love it, but because it benefits you. You fail to memorize Scripture because you fail to see the benefits.

5. We are uncertain where to begin. Many people get paralyzed by not knowing where to start. The Bible is a big book. What should I memorize? How do I choose verses? These questions can hinder you from ever beginning.

Reflect on your own commitment to memorizing God's Word. Are you actively in the discipline of memorizing Scripture? Which of the reasons mentioned above deter you from it?

Weigh in your thoughts about this post in the comments section. Tomorrow I will post Part II on this topic and outline "why" (the benefits) we should memorize Scripture and "how" (the method) to do it.

To Pastors & Those They Preach To

In a culture increasingly slipping away from biblical truth, pastors must be voices in the wilderness crying out the gospel. But many have slipped into being just another voice in the crowd, another voice that echoes the culture's fall from truth. Christians need to learn how to discern those voices, and understand which are speaking God's truth. Not every person who stands on a stage and mentions Jesus is preaching the gospel. Not every person who reads from their Bible is properly teaching from it. Listen with discernment.
My encouragement to pastors, as you prepare your sermons each week, is make sure that the gospel is so prevalent in your messages, that your congregation is immediately alarmed in instances when they do not hear it. Be sure to saturate your folks with gospel-rich and Christ-centered preaching, so when they encounter false teachers and false teaching, they can spot it. The taste buds and palate of their hearts should be so used to hearing the gospel in sermons, that when they hear sermons missing the gospel or distorting the gospel, it does not sit right with them. It should immediately be a sour and bitter taste in their mouths. They should be instantly asking, "Where is Jesus?! Where is the Gospel?!"
I want desperately for my congregation to have this ability. I want TJC folks to be excellent at discerning a sermon that has the gospel and one that does not. 
My question for us pastors: is our preaching so saturated with the gospel and with Christ exalting truths that our congregations are being taught subconsciously to spot a fraud when they hear it?  
My encouragement to those who listen to sermons is simple: tune in to those who truly preach the gospel and tune out those who do not. Listen for the gospel. Listen for Christ as the centerpiece of the sermon, not a later add-on. Listen and ask yourself, "Is he sticking to the Bible and teaching from it or is he simply spouting off opinion as the Bible goes largely untouched?"
My questions to those who listen to preaching: are you able to discern biblical preaching from false teaching? Can you spot a gospel-less sermon? 
As the cultural war over truth rages on, Christians should be regularly arming themselves with the truth. If we are to stand in our society where truth is attacked, then we must continue to be engaged with the truth. This is why pastors must commit to preaching gospel-centered sermons. And it is why believers must place themselves under gospel-centered teaching. Anything less is compromise of the most destructive kind.