by Bret Capranica | Feb 20, 2014 | Christian Living, Pastoral Ministry, Preaching
For those who will be attending Summit Woods Baptist Church this Sunday, here are a few ways you could begin preparing your heart for our gathering to hear God’s Word: Carefully Think Read Matthew 13:24-30, 33-36. Make a list that compares the telling of the parable (13:24-33) and the explanation of the parable (13:36-43). List things like the setting of both sections, the characters involved and what they refer to, etc. In one sentence, how would you summarize the main idea of this parable? How does this parable speak to the situation that Jesus has been facing with the fierce opposition surrounding him (Matthew 11-12)? When does Jesus say that expressions of sin and deception will be finally dealt with? How? Prayerfully Meditate Is Jesus referring to how the church is to deal with sin in her midst? How can you tell and why? How would Matthew 18:15-20 fit with what this parable is instructing? Does this parable teach that we should not confront false teaching in the world or apply church discipline? How and why? Think through how this parable should shape the way you think about God and how we should respond to deceptive teachers, false converts, and the general promotion of what is sinful or unbiblical in our world. How should you respond? Why is how Jesus deals with sin and those who promote it painted in such fierce and violent terms? Intentionally Act List ways you could apply this parable to your attitude and actions this week. Use this list as a prayerful reminder this week. How would this parable assist you in praying for...
by Bret Capranica | Feb 19, 2014 | Calvinism, Pastoral Ministry
A friend recently recommended I read Scott M. Manetsch’s book, Calvin’s Company of Pastors: Pastoral Care and the Emerging Reformed Church, 1536-1609. How grateful I am for the suggestion. It is a fascinating look into the spiritual life of Geneva during and after Calvin’s public ministry there. Here are a few thoughts from a portion of the book. From the time of John Calvin’s coming to Geneva until the beginning of the seventeenth century, more than 130 pastors participated in what was referred to as Geneva’s Venerable Company of Pastors. These shepherds sought to oversee not only the ongoing work of the Reformation, but the practical shepherding of the churches in and around the city of Geneva. The following are quotes from the book that I have found interesting as to how these shepherds sought to oversee the flock of God among them. So much is the same, little has changed. Regarding one of the final meetings John Calvin had with his colleagues in ministry: . . . he exhorted his pastoral colleagues to be on guard against all religious innovation in the future. “I beg you also to change nothing and to avoid innovation,” Calvin stated, “not because I am ambitious to preserve my own work. . . but because all changes are dangerous, and sometimes even harmful.” 1 On establishing and maintaining right worship: Calvin identified two principal qualities of authentic Christian worship: it is spiritual and it is dependent upon the divine Word. Worship is “spiritual” in that it originates in the ministry of the Holy Spirit who initiates faith in the Christian man or woman and...
by Bret Capranica | Feb 17, 2014 | Christian Living, Featured Articles
As I recently taught through Matthew 10, I urged my congregation and myself to consider how we could become more intentionally involved in each other’s lives to stimulate each other on to deeper relationships that produce biblical love and kingdom living. Discipleship is inclusive of engaging both non-Christians and Christians with the gospel. Here are a few bullet-point suggestions that would actually work with either. However, for the purposes of this post, let’s consider how you could invest more of yourself, more intentionally in the life of another Christian – or even two or three others regularly meeting together. Discipleship is not about checking off the following points. The following points are merely suggestions of how you could begin to think through ways to interact intentionally with other believers in a growing and ongoing way to develop more significant relationships for God’s glory. I don’t intend to annotate each suggestion. Use them as a beginning point to consider how it could flesh out specifically with you. In future posts I will give a few detailed suggestions for things such as applications questions, books to read, how to discuss a book together, etc. So here are a few suggestions on how to think about getting together with another Christian to encourage each other in more intentional ways. What to Do Converse Over Biblical Truth Read books of the Bible together Read excellent books Ask specific application questions of each other Memorize Scripture together Pray Together Pray about what you are reading Pray about what you are struggling with...
by Bret Capranica | Feb 3, 2014 | Featured Articles, Technology
This past weekend was one of “those” weekends. It used to happen to me so much more frequently. However, I have not experienced it in almost five years: the dreaded laptop crash. I saw it coming over the past few weeks. The reliable and beloved MacBook Pro (2009) was not only slowing down, it was beginning to crawl like an infant. Last weekend, I removed just under 100 gigs of material (apps, docs, pics, music, etc.). Nothing. In fact, the dreaded Mac beach-ball-of-death was showing up on a more frequent basis throughout the week – to the point that it was taking almost as long as a Windows machine to boot, and then with every app I opened, I would have to wait for some 2 to 5 minutes before I could work. Nope. That won’t work. So, instead of trying to relax on my one day off, I spent the afternoon and evening in a last ditch effort to bring back my Mac bliss. I researched articles (on my iPad) on how to speed things up. I purged, I cleared, I dumped, etc., etc. Nothing. No change. At all. I finally came to the conclusion that I would have to do what every Microsoft phone-assistant suggests as a first step: reinstall the OS. Sweat, anger, fear – it all rushed upon me. Honestly, I haven’t felt this in years. I used to go through a Windows laptop every 18 months for a number of years before my Mac conversion. I forgot what it felt like – but the memory was quickly engaged and old feelings flooded back. However,...
by Bret Capranica | Jan 25, 2014 | Featured Articles, Leadership, Marriage and Family, Pastoral Ministry
I had the privilege of attending and speaking at the annual Ironmen Summit, put on by Flint Hills Christian Church in Emporia, KS. Every year has been such a rich encouragement to my heart to bring a group of men and sit together under excellent plenary session sermons and practical break-out sessions that spark excellent conversation for weeks to come. This year was no exception. You can listen to all of the sessions HERE. I was honored this year to be a break-out speaker and join the others (Jack Hughes, Rick Goertzen, Craig Bowen, and Rick Holland) for a plenary question and answer session. My break-out group was a practical session focusing on how to be more thoughtful and practical in shepherding and discipling those in your home. As I promised the men, I have linked to a rough outline of my notes, and a few articles that I have found helpful to stimulate my thinking on being more practical in shepherding our homes. I pray they are helpful to the brothers who attended and any who may be able to make use of them. Leading and Loving Your Flock at Home, Session Notes, Outline A FEW HELPFUL ARTICLES 30 Practical Ways for Pastors to Love Their Wives and Families (great for anyone, not just pastors). God on Marriage, Danny Akin – notes from one of his seminars – good practical material here. 3 Ways to Nourish and Cherish Your Wife – notes from a message from C.J. Mahaney 6 Deadly Enemies of Marriage, Tim Challies Study Your Wife – see page 29 of this pdf on Biblical Productivity...
