2009 Shepherds’ Conference Reflections

2009 Shepherds’ Conference Reflections

by | Mar 7, 2009 | Ecclesiology, Featured Articles, Pastoral Ministry, Personal, Preaching

My expectations for encouragement, equipping, and fellowship as well as theological, spiritual, and practical stimulation were all exceeded this past week. I’m exhausted as I write, but overjoyed with the benefits from a fruitful three days at the 2009 Shepherds’ Conference. In an abbreviated,  fashion, here were the highlights for me: Of the three days, Friday was the highlight for me. Every message hit me personally and practically (Phil Johnson, Alex Montoya’s seminar, Steve Lawson, and John MacArthur). Every song, every meal, every conversation, every moment was especially sweet to me that day. You should go and listen (or re-listen) to each of the messages from Friday. I was prepared to return to the flock. Overall: The messages ““ every one of them was used significantly in my heart. I could never communicate it all. John MacArthur stirred up my passions for the authority and sufficiency of the Scriptures. He reminded me of the simplicity, yet profound impact the basics of Scriptural ministry have. He taught me again the value of plumbing the depths and doing your best to make them clear in your preaching. Tom Pennington, challenged me to protect and build the church the way Scripture demands. Rick Holland fixed my ministry focus on Christ and challenged me to make my pursuit of His glory ultimate. Albert Mohler infused my soul with a passion to preach so that the authority of Christ is publicly displayed and obvious. Phil Johnson demonstrated the relevancy of the Scriptures taught in their historical context.  He powerfully demonstrated the implications of the passage (Titus 2:6-8) to the issue of our reverent speech...
2009 Shepherds’ Conference

2009 Shepherds’ Conference

by | Mar 4, 2009 | Featured Articles, Pastoral Ministry, Personal, Preaching

This week I will attend my sixteenth Shepherds’ Conference. I have been attending since 1991, when I was pastoring a church in Texas, and have only missed 2 since then. For a number of reasons, I have found it to be one of the best and most encouraging conferences I have attended in my ministry. It highlights the effective ministry of one local church. Grace Community Church has been pastored by John MacArthur for forty years. His ministry of faithful exposition has permeated the church’s culture and has produced a healthy congregation. I am always encouraged to interact with the members of GCC during the conference. One of the highlights for me in the early years was actually staying in the homes of the members and seeing the fruit of the church’s ministry. It provides exposure to a seminary located on the campus of a local church. One of the key issues that attracted me to study at The Master’s Seminary was the close connection the seminary shares with the church. The seminary is actually located on the church’s campus. Students interact with the pastors of GCC, and a few actually have the opportunity to work at the church and get an inside look. The majority of the professors are involved in pastoring local churches in addition to their teaching responsibilities. Few seminaries can provide this sort of essential connection to the local church like TMS. It highlights the expositional preaching of God’s Word. We will interact deeply and regularly with the Scripture this week. We will hear from some of the best Bible expositors in the country. We...
When Preaching Is Not Central

When Preaching Is Not Central

by | Feb 26, 2009 | Featured Articles, Preaching

A few quick thoughts on what happens when the pulpit and expository preaching loses a place of centrality within the life of the local church: Personal intake of Scripture becomes tiresome Personal prayer becomes little more than religious day-dreaming An atmosphere of worship gives way to a craving for entertainment Truth is replaced with preferences Discipleship is dismissed by the cult of personal excitement Culture becomes central Creativity becomes a mantra Personal desires become dominant Tradition becomes foundational Counseling becomes, at worst, psychological, and at best merely conservative Dr. Laura-type of advice or simply relational Fellowship becomes superficial Unity becomes merely relational Missions becomes nothing more than temporal societal betterment The gospel becomes self-help Discipleship becomes nothing more than a mere decision All this will be true because people, for people’s sake, become the focus and God becomes a servant to their own lust for centrality (2 Timothy 4:1-4) ““ our thoughts are no longer tethered to what God has systematically revealed to us about Himself. In the end, people are not best served where they are most prized. When expository preaching is not central in our life: We ultimately and over time won’t feel fed, satisfied, fulfilled The grass will always look greener in another ministerial field “¦because ultimately, God, truth, and His glory is not what we crave. Or perhaps we are misinterpreting our cravings and feeding them with the wrong things. When expository preaching is not central in the church’s life It will give way to the whims of culture It will be replaced by the mystical It will be sapped of true spiritual power It...
Eleven Reasons Why We Should Love Preaching

Eleven Reasons Why We Should Love Preaching

by | Feb 24, 2009 | Featured Articles, Preaching

Biblical preaching must not be less than central in the ministry of a local church. That was the theme of my sermon this past Sunday evening. By “biblical preaching,” I mean the sort of preaching that is often called expository preaching. It is that sermon that takes a portion of the Bible and reveals the God-intended meaning of that portion of Scripture in such a way that the audience comprehends God’s expectations for their thinking and behavior. It is that sort of preaching that systematically moves through books of the Bible in such a way that the text of Scripture determines the theme of the sermon as well as the sermon’s major structure. In essence it exposes the congregation to the intended meaning of the stated biblical text. When Paul told Timothy to “preach the word,” I believe this sort of preaching is what he had in mind. Timothy was to explicate the meaning of Scripture (3:15-17). He was not called to creatively wow the crowd with slick presentations and stunning oratory (1 Corinthians 2:1-5). He was called to carefully, authoritatively, regularly, publicly expose his audience to the written word of God as it had been delivered to him. The Scriptures were the focus. When systematic preaching through Scriptures is the priority, God and Christ will become the focus. We do have a long rash of preaching that sprinkles the Bible into secular messages, rather than submersing our society into Bible drenched sermons. If Pastors rarely hemorrhage Scripture our congregations will rarely bleed the Bible when cut by the circumstances of life. In other words, I think we should...