The apostle Paul, assigned by God to preach the mystery of the gospel to the Gentiles, expressed this responsibility as preaching Christ, Christ alone, and Christ crucified (Colossians 1:26–29). Paul fully comprehended that it is Christ who is the theme of Old Testament prophecy and necessarily the theme of New Testament preaching. For Paul the … Read More
A Foretaste of Heaven on Earth
In our last post, we focused on the church as it relates to God’s eternal plan. In this post, we will look at two additional reasons why I love the church: 3. The Church Is the Most Precious Reality on Earth There’s a third biblical reason I love the church: It is the most precious … Read More
The Church in God’s Plan
In our last post, we looked at the fact that the church is a divinely-ordained institution. Today, I’d like to consider a second reason why I love the church: 2. The Church Is the Outworking of an Eternal Plan In Titus 1:2, the apostle Paul writes of the “eternal life which God, who cannot lie, promised before … Read More
Why I Love the Church
I love the church. I am an inveterate and incurable lover of the church. It thrills me beyond expression to serve the church. Although I am also involved in some para-church ministries, I would not trade my ministry in the church for all of them combined. The church takes first place in my ministry priorities, and … Read More
Fame Vs. Faithfulness
Today concludes our series highlighting five compelling motivations to preach the Word. Motivation 5: Preach the Word Because of the Deceptiveness of the Sensual (2 Timothy 4:3–4) Having reminded Timothy of the ultimate accountability, Paul continued by warning him that faithful preaching will not necessarily be popular preaching. As the apostle explained, “For the time will come when they will … Read More
Where Duty and Privilege Meet
Over the past few posts, in looking at Paul’s words to Timothy in 2 Timothy, we have considered two compelling motivations to preach the Word. Today, we will consider two more: Motivation 3: Preach the Word Because of the Dynamic of the Scriptures (2 Timothy 3:15–17) The faithful expositor is motivated, thirdly, by the nature of the Bible … Read More
The Preacher’s Legacy
Last time, in discussing Paul’s final instructions in 2 Timothy, we examined the first of five reasons to preach the Word. Today’s post highlights a second compelling motivation. Motivation 2: Preach the Word Because of the Devotion of the Saints (2 Timothy 3:10–14) The faithful preacher is also motivated by his love and appreciation for those believers … Read More
Preaching in the Face of Danger
In the verses surrounding 2 Timothy 4:2, Paul provided his protégé with much-needed motivation to stand firm and persevere to the end. For Timothy, the command was clear: preach the Word; and the calling was deadly serious: souls were at stake. In order to equip him for the task, Paul gave Timothy five compelling reasons to persevere … Read More
Shepherding the Flock
The New Testament often depicts spiritual leaders as shepherds of God’s flock. It is an appropriate image, because a shepherd leads, feeds, comforts, corrects, and protects the sheep under his care. Those same responsibilities belong to every church leader. In fact, the word pastor means shepherd. In biblical times, shepherds were without status. They occupied the lower rungs … Read More
Good Soldiers of Christ
On June 12, 1944, just six days after D-Day in World War II, a young lieutenant named Richard Winters led his men to the outskirts of Carentan. As the officer in charge of Easy Company, of the 101st Airborne, he was tasked to clear the large French town of its German defenders. It would be … Read More
