Tag Archives: Spirit’s Power

Seeker Sensitive or Sinner Sensitive? Part 2

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In the last issue I presented what I believe to be the short-comings of the Seeker Sensitive movement. It has been my observation that this movement, though beginning with good intentions, has strayed from the biblical model of evangelism. “Seekers” have become a marketplace and the gospel a commodity, the price of which has been continually lowered to meet the demands of the consumer. The tragic loser is the sinner himself, who has been misled to believe that salvation can be on his terms rather than God’s.

Incarnational Preaching

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Incarnation is most often discussed as a theological term describing God’s Son, Jesus Christ, clothing Himself with humanity. John’s description of the Incarnation is, “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.”1 Jesus was God living temporarily among men in a human body, for the purpose of revealing God and His redemption plan to mankind. Paul’s more vivid discussion of Christ’s incarnation was, “Who being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God; But made Himself of no reputation, and took upon Him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men.”2 

Tremendous Truths from Jesus’ Family Tree

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Some time ago my oldest sister became interested in our family tree. She dug into some old dusty records and family Bibles and traced our family line back to Holland where she found the names of our ancestors for several hundred years. When we turn to the first chapter of the book of Matthew, we find a much greater family tree. It covers not just 200 years, but 2000 years. It is the family tree of Jesus Christ. The Gospel of Matthew was written for the Jews.

The Virgin Birth: A Mystery to Be Cried Aloud

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The virgin birth refers to Mary’s miraculous conception of Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit, without any male participation, so that, though the birth process was not unlike that of other humans, Mary was still a virgin when Jesus was born. This Biblical doctrine should be distinguished from the Roman Catholic tenets of Mary’s immaculate conception and her perpetual virginity (Erickson, 179). The Dogma of the Immaculate Conception According to the dogma of the Immaculate Conception, Mary was “preserved free from all stain of original sin” (Ott, 199).

Motivation for Service in the Local Church

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One of the key questions facing the leadership of a local church is: How does one motivate the believers for service in the church? At the outset, church leaders face problems. They recognize that only fifteen to twenty percent of the believers in a local church are actually serving the Lord in productive ways. It is futile to place the blame on the believers without first analyzing why these believers do not serve, and second, providing creative ways for them to do so.

Ministry in the Local Church

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The scriptural teaching concerning the mission of the body of Christ is most clearly given in Paul’s letter to the Ephesians in chapter 4. Mention has been made of this text often. Ephesians 4:11–12 reads: “And he [i.e., Christ] gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers. For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ.” A direct rendering of the Greek of 4:12 reads: “For the equipping of the saints for the work of service-ministry for the building up of the body of Christ.”

Biblical Foundation for Victorious Christian Living

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There is a great deal of confusion today regarding what is involved in victorious Christian living and what makes it possible. Some of the answers being given out are plainly wrong, and many others are only partially true. It will be in the teaching of the Scriptures that God’s answers will be found. It is not possible in this brief treatment to mention everything which could be said, but a framework will be developed to note God’s wonderful provisions for us in this area of victorious Christian living.

Ministering in the Spirit

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Romans 8:4 “…who walk after the flesh, but after the Spirit.” 1 Corinthians 3:3 “…are ye not carnal, and walk as men?” 2 Corinthians 10:3 “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh.” Galatians 5:17 “For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.” The New Testament etches a mark between the old nature and the new, between the flesh and the spirit (John 3:5,6).

Where is the God of Elijah?

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The exciting days when God worked with fire and God’s servants worked with faith appear to be gone. Elijah’s day was exceptional in that he ministered with boldness and the blessing of God was upon him. He prayed, God answered. He preached, people responded. He acted, kings trembled. He worked, fire fell from heaven. Today our books on preaching and pastoral theology stress such things as marketing, meeting people’s needs, programming the ministry, multi-staff management, mission clarification, organizing for action, interpersonal relationships, financial skills, personality traits of leadership, and similar subjects.

Evangelistic Preaching and Giving Invitations

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Evangelistic Preaching is a legitimate style of preaching that can and should be used today. Evangelistic preaching is not mere emotionalism. It is not a string of sad stories. It is not what some would call exceptional Christian salesmanship. And, it need not be used exclusively. Preachers must preach the whole counsel of God. There should be no question that the content of preaching should be the Word of God. The Scriptural content of a sermon is that which gives it life, substance and vitality.