Tozer: the truth about exposition –

Posted on October 11, 2011 Written by Mark McIntyre 1 Comment

I received an email containing the quote from A. W. Tozer and thought it worth sharing:

Sound Bible exposition is an imperative must in the Church of the Living God. Without it no church can be a New Testament church in any strict meaning of that term. But exposition may be carried on in such way as to leave the hearers devoid of any true spiritual nourishment whatever. For it is not mere words that nourish the soul, but God Himself, and unless and until the hearers find God in personal experience they are not the better for having heard the truth. The Bible is not an end in itself, but a means to bring men to an intimate and satisfying knowledge of God, that they may enter into Him, that they may delight in His presence, may taste and know the inner sweetness of the very God Himself in the core and center of their hearts.

via CQOD—Tozer: the truth about exposition.

Where is the crowd? – Sermon on the Mount Series #1

Posted on October 10, 2011 Written by Mark McIntyre 3 Comments

At the end of Matthew chapter 4, we are told that “great multitudes followed [Jesus]—from Galilee, and from Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and beyond the Jordan.”

Wherever Jesus went, he drew a crowd. Certainly some of the draw was his ability to heal. I’m sure that others followed out of a desire to see a miracle. Word must have traveled about the man who attended a wedding and turned water into wine.

Jesus’ response to the multitudes was to sit down and teach them (Matthew 5:1), a record of that teaching is found in Matthew chapters 5-7 and is referred to as the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus taught and the crowds listened and marveled at his teaching.

My question is this, why do we not see similar crowds today? Is it because people aren’t as needy? In the physical sense this may be true. With modern medicine many of the cures that can be affected would seem miraculous if seen by Jesus’ contemporaries. Yet, the spiritual hunger is just as prevalent today as 2,000 years ago.

Here are some questions church leaders should be asking:

Are they staying away because our message is not clear? In 1 Corinthians 14:8 Paul asks, “and if the bugle gives an indistinct sound, who will get ready for battle?” The point being that unless our message is clear and can be understood, people will not respond to it. If we are emulating the world and modifying the clear teaching of Scripture just to make it palatable to the surrounding culture, we are making an indistinct sound.

Are they staying away because our message is clear but not given in love? Paul tells us in Ephesians 4;15 to “speak the truth in love.” Without love, the truth is just a club to beat people down. Did you ever notice that the “sinners” were the ones who flocked to Jesus? They didn’t feel condemned by him, even when he made strong pronouncements about the consequences of continued rebellion against God. He spoke some very hard truths, but did so in love. The people were drawn by the love.

Are they staying away because our living does not match our message? I’ve been exposed to churches which preach grace but the pews were full of judgmental, cliquey people. James tells us in James 2:14-26 that “faith without works is dead.” In other words, our living must match our message. Our living must bear evidence of our faith. If not, then we have nothing to offer a world who desperately needs to be shown a better way.

Are they staying away because we haven’t reached out to them and asked them to come? People are more likely to visit if they are invited and have someone to show them the way around. A marquee out front may draw a few people in, but there is no substitute for a personal invitation.

I realize that numbers don’t tell the whole story and that there are very large religious gatherings where the Biblical message is being distorted. A church could be seeking God, seeing changed lives in those who attend, yet remain small. Size is not the ultimate test.

That being said, if the local church is not growing, that church needs to examine itself and determine if repentance and change are necessary. The lack of growth may say more about the church than it does about those who remain on the outside.

What I learned about the church from a cruise ship

Posted on October 8, 2011 Written by Mark McIntyre 1 Comment

I recently returned from a cruise to Bermuda from the Baltimore harbor. It was my first experience of being on the open ocean during the day where there is a 360° view of nothing but water and an occasional ship. To be on that ship in relatively calm weather, with the blue sea all around was a pleasant experience.

There were two things that I observed on that cruise that I think relate to how the church should function.

The ship is intended to traverse the ocean but not remain there.
Everyone on the ship knew his purpose and contributed to the success of the voyage.

No matter how pleasant the experience of sailing on the ocean was, that ocean is not my home. Humans cannot live in the ocean, we are sojourners who are on the ocean for the purpose of getting to somewhere else. The ship is not intended to remain on the ocean indefinitely, it must continue on to its intended destination.

I observed on the ship that every one of the crew members knows what he needs to accomplish to make the trip a success. Some were focused on passenger comfort, some on passenger safety and others were busied with keeping the ship moving in the correct direction. Everyone on staff knew their purpose. They were trained and assigned to do the individual tasks that make the voyage a success.

There is an old time gospel song that says, “this world is not my home, I’m just a passin’ through, my treasures are laid up somewhere beyond the blue . . .” This captures the idea of the first point. We are designed for eternity and we must strive to remember this. We are here for a few years and are proceeding to a destination. While we may enjoy the voyage, it is important to remember that the enjoyment must be secondary to maintaining momentum and remaining on course.

We also need every person trained and assigned to do the necessary tasks to accomplish the goal. Why is it that we understand this in business, the military or on an ocean vessel, but we think that there is something wrong with providing structure in the church? If the eternal destiny of the souls that are impacted by the church are at stake, shouldn’t we be more vigilant in training workers?

Yes, I understand that the ultimate responsibility for the outcome is God’s but God gives us the privilege and responsibility to use our gifts and brains to accomplish his purpose for us. Leaders in the church have the responsibility to train the members of the church, “equipping them for the work of ministry.” (Ephesians 4:11-12).

God has given his church a mission. That mission is to make disciples (Matthew 28:19-20). Like the ship’s crew, each member of the church must contribute to the success of this mission. Each member of the church also needs to keep in mind that while we may enjoy our circumstances along the way, like the ship, we need to maintain progress and move toward our destination.

As the world around us crumbles into chaos, the church needs to stay the course to be used by God to accomplish his purpose with every member contributing the success of the journey.

When the storm hits

Posted on September 29, 2011 Written by Mark McIntyre Leave a Comment

The disciples were freaked out by the wind and the waves. They were on the lake at the bidding of their master but it didn’t seem to be working out so well. These men, some of whom were experienced fishermen, were convinced that they were going to die.

You can find this story in Matthew 8:23–27, Mark 4:35–41 and Luke 8:22-25. Matthew tells us that the boat was being swamped by the waves. Mark adds that the boat was being filled with water. Luke informs us that the disciples were in jeopardy.

What was Jesus doing while all this was happening? He was asleep in the back of the boat. The disciples are doing what they were told to do, they are facing death and the one who told them to do it is asleep!

Can you relate to this? I sure can. We do what we think is right, we follow the instructions of the one who claims control over human history and sometimes it looks as though it will end badly. We are looking for comfort and Jesus seems to be asleep. We echo the disciples’ question, “don’t you care that we are perishing?”

I am convinced that even while he slept, Jesus was in control of the situation. His apparent unconcern about the storm caused the disciples to be alarmed. Yet he was master even when his mastery was not immediately on display.

The disciples’ perception did not match reality. They did not see the entire picture and, often, neither do I. I get caught up in the here-and-now. I get caught up in my own search for safety and comfort. I get caught up in a whiny self-focused funk that prevents me from seeing the way God is moving behind the scenes to accomplish his purpose.

Jesus may have been asleep in that boat. Jesus may appear to be distant and uncaring right now, but he still maintains control and his will cannot be thwarted by incompetence or disobedience. He stilled that storm on the lake and he will eventually still the storm that is around us right now. All I need to do is trust in the one who has proved trustworthy.

Maranatha.

Tozer: the truth about exposition –

Where is the crowd? – Sermon on the Mount Series #1

What I learned about the church from a cruise ship

When the storm hits

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