June 20, 2010 | A Pastor's Heart
In last week’s
column, two unchurched guests named Zach and Nikki dropped in on Parker Hills
one random Sunday morning. Mildly curious about the Bible, they were attracted
by the inscription on the church sign: “Bible based, Christ centered.” They
concluded from this description that an easy way to learn what the Bible says
about Jesus would be to watch how people worship Him at PHBF.
...
June 13, 2010 | A Pastor's Heart
Out for a casual drive one Friday evening, Zach and Nikki happen upon a church
building they’ve never seen before. “Parker Hills Bible Fellowship,” Zach
observes from the sign. “Bible based. Christ centered. Hmmm… Sounds like a good
start, if you’re gonna be a church.” But Nikki’s not so impressed: “What, are
we looking for a church now? I thought we were just driving around.” “Hey, I’m
only...
June 6, 2010 | A Pastor's Heart
Today
marks a major change in the weekly rhythm of meetings at Parker Hills. Our
previous schedule included three meetings on Sunday morning; but beginning
today, we’re bringing the Lord’s Supper into our worship service and making it
a regular part of that weekly gathering. Why?
First,
we’re making this change for the sake of our members’ spiritual growth. Similar
to the way God uses...
May 30, 2010 | A Pastor's Heart
In
last week’s column, we noted that preaching and the ordinances (i.e., baptism
and the Lord’s Supper) have historically been the two identifying marks of a
true church. If you think about it, these two marks are very closely related. Here’s
how I would say it: the ordinances make the results of preaching visible. How so?
God
always creates and ...
May 23, 2010 | A Pastor's Heart
What’s the
difference between a church and a gathering of random Christians? Could we call
it “church” if we’re gathered with others in a small group? Is the youth group
sort of a little church? We could probably discuss these questions endlessly
(and some people do!), but for the purpose of this column I want to use church
history as my reference point. Christians throughout history have used...
May 16, 2010 | A Pastor's Heart
How do we
determine what are appropriate expressions of worship to God? Anyone who reads
the Scriptures honestly will know the importance of the question. God rejected
Cain’s offering (Gen 4), He almost destroyed the Israelites for worshiping Him
in the wrong form (Ex 32), He killed two of Aaron’s sons for offering
unauthorized fire (Lev 10), and He derided His people for what He called
“...
May 9, 2010 | A Pastor's Heart
Over
the past few months, the elders have made some changes to our 11 AM Sunday
worship gathering, and we’ll probably make a few more in the months to come. So
you might be wondering, with respect to our worship service, how do we
determine what’s appropriate and what’s not?
On the
one hand, the wrong kind of worship provokes God’s wrath throughout the
Scriptures. Acceptable worship can be a...
May 2, 2010 | A Pastor's Heart
There’s
a chapter in one of my books on pastoral ministry entitled “Brothers, Fight for
Your Life.” Know what it’s about? Not temptation or spiritual warfare. Nor
about personal priorities, spiritual disciplines, or time management. Conflict
resolution? Nope. Exercise? No. Joy? Not really. Each of these is important,
but none is the focus of this chapter. “Brothers, Fight for Your Life” is a...
April 25, 2010 | A Pastor's Heart
Proverbs is a precious book to me. Its teachings are practical,
memorable, and accessible. Many people are drawn to this book more than to others
in the Old Testament because of its personal focus and its relative disinterest
in covenants, rituals, and cultural peculiarities. Of course, I would agree
with all that; but actually, none of those is my main reason for loving this
book. For me, it’...
April 18, 2010 | A Pastor's Heart
As
a natural follow up to our recent journey through the book of Luke, today we
begin a 2-week mini-series on outreach. Both sermons will come from guest
speakers who are experienced practitioners of the truths they will share. We
have asked Dan Faulkner, the director of Camp Elim, to address the subject of
local outreach, equipping us with ideas for how to be witnesses right here in
our own...
April 11, 2010 | A Pastor's Heart
If the resurrection is a lie,
Christians are pathetic. If this life is all we’ve got, Christianity is worse
than false; it’s tragic. “If our hope in Christ is only for this life, we are
more to be pitied than anyone in the world” (1 Cor 15:19 NLT). Why would Paul
say that? Doesn’t he know that Jesus offers peace, joy, meaning, prosperity,
and everything else that makes up your best life now?...
April 4, 2010 | A Pastor's Heart
What if Christianity turns out to be a total sham? What if there is no
resurrection, and your faith is good only for what it offers you in this life?
Would Christianity still be a good life to choose? Considering all the
immediate benefits to being a Christian, some might say, “Sure, Christianity is
the best way of life, even if there is no life after death. It gives me hope,
peace, confidence...
March 28, 2010 | A Pastor's Heart
Palm
Sunday: the day Christians remember the triumphant entrance of Jesus into
Jerusalem on the Sunday before His death and resurrection. As He rode along,
the festive crowd shouted: “Blessings on the King who comes in the name of the
Lord!” (Lk 19:38 NLT) For Jesus, it was the deliberate and self-conscious
fulfillment of a five-hundred year old prophecy from Zechariah: “Rejoice
greatly, O...
March 21, 2010 | A Pastor's Heart
Over 250 years ago today, John
Newton found God. Better said, God found him. Early in the morning hours of March 21,
1748, a violent sea woke Newton from sleep. Fearing that his ship was sinking, he
attempted to rush up the ladder onto the deck but was met by the captain
commanding him to go back and get a knife. Horrified, Newton watched as the
crewman who climbed the ladder in his place was...
March 14, 2010 | A Pastor's Heart
Benefit #10 that the Lord brought into my life through the burglary at our house: I’ve
developed a much deeper appreciation for how my sin affects God. Here’s what I
mean. One afternoon I was complaining to God about how violated I felt by this
crime—someone breaking into MY house, taking MY things, creating significant
inconvenience for ME. And suddenly I realized how ironic this whole...