Food for Thought

I recently came across this interesting picture from a postcard that churches can sent out to people. I think that it's very thought provoking, not only along the lines of it's original intent, but also for what it means to the individual Christian.

The way that I see it is that it's a call to an awakening; a process of self-examination for Christians attending churches and pastors alike.

Christian: Do you give God the leftovers of your day, grabbing a bite of the Bible when you have time, or are you taking the time to feast on the riches of God's Word?

Pastor: Do you fee your flock the Word of God or are you giving them just enough of a "rush" to get through to the next service where they will come back and hear the next feel good message?

We cannot neglect our spiritual bodies and expect to be a healthy and growing Christian, much like the fact that we can't neglect our physical bodies and expect to be healthy.

To quote an old church sign,

7 days without God's Word, makes 1 weak.

Because Truth matters,
George

Called and Equipped for Service

The following is from an email list that I belong to. It was taken from J. P.'s Inspirations.

The reading deals with a call to ministry, something that I am dealing with on a personal level. I have known that I have been called to the preaching ministry, but have had difficulty in dealing with it in as far as discerning the next step. In the mean time, I am seeking God's will and am doing the last thing that He told me to do until I have know what the next step is. (thanks Dr. Blackaby)

The article reminds me of some of the "simple" truths of the calling such as:

• God's ways are not our ways / His thoughts are not our thoughts
• He chose us (we did not choose Him)
• He will equip us for what He has called us to.
• To obey is better than sacrifice

Humanly speaking, we see Moses was an unlikely candidate to be called as the one to lead the Children of Israel out of Egypt. There was a price on his head in Egypt and he was in exile. Yet, we see God's ways are not our ways, nor His thoughts our thoughts. Moses was chosen by God. Even though he felt he was not qualified to be their leader, God equipped Him with all he needed to carry forth His will and set God's people free.

We are also unqualified for the mission which the Lord calls us. Jesus will remind us that He chose us, we did not choose Him. (Jn. 15: 16). He will supply all we need to enable us to successfully work for Him. By His Spirit and Word, we are led and spiritually fed. As God gives us spiritual food and leads us, we are also to share with others.

If we let the Lord's will be done in our lives and follow Him, we shall have success in all we attempt in His service. Success in the eyes of God, is different than in the eyes of men. To obey is better than sacrifice, and God rewards our faithful obedience.

Remember that God told Moses, "I will be with you" and still tells us these same words today. If we listen closely, we can hear the Lord speaking to our hearts. He will never leave or forsake us. He will always be there, even until the end of the age. Whatever God has called us to do, God will go before and prepare the way. If we are called to share God's Word with others, the Lord will bless us as we seek and let Him equip us for the task. He alone is able supply the spiritual food to sustain souls that they might grow in His grace and knowledge.

We have God's blessed assurance and can claim every promise He has given us. We give thanks for the ever abiding presence of the Holy Spirit and God's help in our lives each day.

What an incredible article that was. It was succinct, but contained all that one needs to hear regarding a calling.

Thank you Lord for your leading.

Because Truth matters,
George

How do you give your life to Jesus?

How do you give your life to Jesus? That is a question that I came across while on Love Worth Finding's Web site. I so enjoy listening to Adrian Rogers even though he has gone home to Heaven. Anyway, I came across this and wanted to post it, so for those who don't know or who are struggling to put it into words, here you go...

Admit Your Sin: First, you must understand that you are a sinner. The Bible says, “All have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).

Abandon Self-Effort: You cannot save yourself by your efforts. The Bible is very clear that it’s “not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us” (Titus 3:5). Again, “By grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God; not of works, lest any man should boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9).

Acknowledge Christ’s Payment: You must believe that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, died for your sins. The Bible says, “God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). That means He died in your place. Your sin debt has been paid by the blood of Jesus Christ, which “cleanseth us from all sin” (1 John 1:7).

Accept Him as Savior: You must put your faith in Jesus Christ, and Him alone for your salvation. The blood of Christ does you no good until you receive Him by faith. The Bible says, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved” (Acts 16:31).

Jesus Himself said, “I am the way, the truth and the life; no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me” (John 14:6). It couldn’t be any clearer than that. Now, if you would like to give your life to Jesus, then pray, “Oh God, I’m a sinner. I’m lost, and I need to be saved. I know I can’t save myself, so right now, once and for all, I trust You to save me. Come into my heart, forgive my sin, and make me your child. I give You my life. I will live for You as You give me strength.”

If you will make this your heartfelt prayer, God will hear and save you! Jesus has promised that He will not turn away anyone who comes to Him in faith (John 6:37). He will make you a child of God, if you will turn to Him (John 1:12). Will you trust Him today?

Amen!

Because Truth matters,
George

Mc Churches - I'm NOT Lovin' it

Mc Churches... what???

I've been reading some blogs lately and it seems like an overarching theme is "experience". People need experiences. Worship programming promote experiences.

More and more lately, from what I've been seeing, music is designed for the experience of the "unchurched". Stages (without pulpits) are now elaborate sets designed for culturally relevant, messages trying to convey Truth veiled in worldy themes of secualr movies or television shows.

Bigger, louder, more comfortable, "bring your latte from our food court and socialize" services are "crafted" to make people (man-centered approach) comfortable. I mean, if you don't give people what they want, they won't come to church, right?

I would argue that they are not going to church anyway.

R.C. Sproul once said

"One of the most dangerous things you can do as
a Christian is to determine your theology by your experience"

How then did we as a culture (I'm beginning not to like that word) fall into this trap? I've heard it said over and over again from numerous seeker-sensitive and emergent pastors that we need to be like the world, read worldly magazines, listen to worldly music and talk like the world. Do people know the meaning of "mac daddy"? Google it and see what you find. It's not for the faint of heart.

Wait! Didn't Paul became all things to all men? Shouldn’t we adopt those forms of music and the accompanying behavior to get the Christian message to the lost, er... unchurched?

Ummm... no.

When Paul “became a Jew to the Jews and a Gentile to the Gentiles,” he didn't adopted cultural expressions that were in conflict with principles he himself insisted elsewhere that we follow as a course of life that is pleasing to God. Actually, he commands us not to adopt or continue in unbiblical practices of the pagans, who are in darkness (Ephesians 4:17-20), but to walk in a manner worthy of our high calling (Ephesians 4:1-2). When he commands us to “let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth” (Ephesians 4:29), he makes no exception for “cultural expression” or “contextualization.”

Here are the verses quoted from above...

Ephesians 4:17-20 says,

So this I say, and affirm together with the Lord, that you walk no longer just as the Gentiles also walk, in the futility of their mind, being darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardness of their heart; and they, having become callous, have given themselves over to sensuality for the practice of every kind of impurity with greediness. But you did not learn Christ in this way,

Ephesians 4:1-2 says,

Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one anotherin love,

Ephesians 4:29 says,

Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear.

Does your walk and ministry line up with the Bible? All of this leads up to the point that I wanted to make about "church methods". One of the hottest methods for growth is that churches try to clone themselves. Their argument is that people will buy into and trust what they are familiar with. While this may be true in the fast-food ecomony of marketing, it does not fly when you hold it up to the light of scripture which plainly tells us that it is the Lord who grows the church, not the "Director of something or another" at a church.

Yes, a church should be involved in church planting, but there is a difference in listening to the Holy Spirit grow a church from the community than in setting up a cookie-cutter representation of themselves (often with shared staff, worship bands, etc.) in a small form of a papacy with a busy pastor that doesn't know his flock at the top of the power pyramid.

Do we really need multiple "campuses"? with names like "The "[Insert name] Church of [Insert your favorite city here], [Insert another city here] Campus"

I think that sometimes people are well-intentioned and fall into the trap of trying to bring about God's will under their own power or for their own gain. Don't get me wrong, I fall into that trap on occasion. Whenever I go on a job interview, I pray for God's will, but admit that it's easy to fall into the trap of trying to will myself on God. "C'mon, God, this would be good..."

Anyway, it seems that we have become a results-only society. Do the ends justify the means? do numbers equate to God's blessing?

The Mormon's have a huge organization, with many seemingly "Christian" people. They live lives that most of us would be envious of (on the surface) yet unless they repent, they are on the fast track to hell.

Speaking of which, what we need is a more Biblical approach to "doing church". We don't need survey-based, market-driven, "our primary 'target' is people 35 and under", culturally relevant and worldy style churches.

I will say that I do like fast food once in a while, but I also know that I cannot have a steady diet of it, because once going down this route, stale reheated meals have a detrimental affect on the body. Likewise, stale reheated, prepackaged meals and experiences based upon personalities aren't good for the body of Christ, either.

There is enough corporate marketing and self-help mumbo-jumbo in the world that we don;t need it seeping into the church poluting what God wants to be Holy and Christ-honoring. We need an honest call to obedience, beginning with repentance for our man-centered ways, so gentlemen, put away your cigars and stop quoting culture, because I'm NOT loving it.

Because Truth matters,

George

Because Truth Matters

What is Truth? I know some people may just read that question and say, "Well, truth is something that's true." It sounds simple enough, but what makes something true?

I used to teach Adult Sunday School at a former church and our class once did a study on Truth. I remember it because of the depth of information that we covered along with the intense Bible study just made everyone's brain hurt; but we did learn a lot from it.

There are things that can be defined and redefined and that still doesn't change the fact that certain things, like Truth stay the same.

There are some misguided people that cast aspersions at others in some self-righteous way of defending their man-centered views and Heaven help you if you disagree with their version of the truth.

It's interesting to note that the word aspersion has it's root meaning as "sprinking". It's interesting as some are in the habit of sprinkling just enough truth with just enough man-centered falsehoood in sermons or gossip, um, I mean conversations with others; or that some "sprinkle" as in dropping viscious, yet veiled ad hominem attacks at others, labeling then as weak-minded, legalistic, divisive or pharisitical. The most recent one that I've read was about the former Slice of Laodicea website. It's horrible the anger that some "Christians" have when others are simply pointing them to the Truth.

OK, so what really matters? The only mirror that we should hold to our face or another person is the Word of God. What you say doesn't matter. What I say doesn't matter. What God says does matter and is the ONLY TRUTH.

The actual topic of Truth would take an entire series to discuss, so I will leave off for now with the fact that Jesus said in John 14:6,

"I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to
the Father but through Me."

This week, I've read about sermons featuring poker, Napolean Dynamite, business books and a myriad of other topics. All of this deals with the entertainment factor of grabbing someone's interest with culturally relevant ideas.

Do you know what is culturally relevant? If you don't know Jesus, you are a lost sinner and will spend eternity in Hell, forever seperated from God. The Good News is that Jesus dies on the cross so you don't have to. He died in our place and offers His sacrifice as a free gift; the gift of grace, God's unmerited favor.

The Bible is relevant just as it is. What a sad thing it must say for us as a culture that we have such short attention spans that if churches aren't doing things bigger and grander with each "production" that we're worried that "we" won't reach people.

Ahhhh.... wait a minute...

Who is trying to "draw" the people?

John 12:32 states,

"And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men
to Myself."

It's not about being fed, becoming a social agency, musical styles or whatever music the "world" listens to. It is soley, undeniably about our Lord and Him alone. That's it... simple, eh?

It breaks my heart at the well-intentioned, yet man-centered entertainment centers that a lot of our churches have become. It's time that we stop sacrificing the Word of God on the altar of worldliness. It's time that we stop the flow of vitriol that seeps and spews from blogs, webcasts and pulpits. It's time that we stop the man-centered worldliness that is slowly infecting our churches in front of our eyes.

It's not about opinion, style or different methods... Simply, read the Bible. It's your blueprint. Don't take my word for it. I make mistakes. I used to tell my Sunday School class to be a Berean and search the scriptures and test everything. We are to stand behind God, not man or a personality.

Oh, Lord, how can we forget and have it any other way? Heavenly Father, search my heart and bring to mind anything that I need to confess and please remove anything that I have placed in a position that you alone should occupy.

Because Truth matters,

George

Eternity

I've been thinking a lot about Eternity today. We celebrated the Lord's Supper and when our pastor was talking about salvation and examining oneself, it brought to bear a very sobering thought; and that is about eternity.

Most people don't think about eternity, but when you are considering where you will spend the rest of your life, there is no greater thought.

Mt. Everest is 29,029 feet tall. It's the tallest mountain on Earth. It pales in comparision to Eternity, yet is the closest analogy that I have to use.

When this life is over, we will all pass into "eternity". If you are a born-again Christian, you will go to Heaven while if you are ANYTHING else, you will go to hell... for eternity.

I once heard this analogy about how to grasp the concept of eternity and it goes like this...

Imagine the tallest mountain in the world; then imagine that once every 1,000 years someone gently brushes a hankerchief across it peak. On the day that that mountain is reduced to a flat piece of land, the first second of eternity is beginning to tick.

It may seem very far away, but it's closer than you think.

Where will you be?

A Preacher on the Fence

I read this poem recently and it really rings true. I pray for all those that are in or are called into the ministry that the Lord grant us wisdom and boldness to preach and teach His unabashed Word. May He fan the fire in our bones so we cannot help but to speak His Truth for His glory.

From out of the millions of the earth

God often calls a man

To preach the word, and for the truth

To take a royal stand.

“Tis sad to see him shun the cross,

Nor stand in its defense

Between the fields of right and wrong:

A preacher on the fence.

Before him are the souls of men

Bound for Heaven or Hell;

An open Bible in his hand,

And yet he will not tell

All the truth that’s written there, It haveth an offence -

The joys of Heaven, the horrors of Hell -

A preacher on the fence.

Now surely God has called the man

To battle for the right.

“Tis his to ferret out the wrong

And turn on us the light.

And yet he dare not tell the truth,

He fears the consequence,

The most disgusting thing on earth

Is a preacher on the fence.

If he should stand up for the wrong,

The right he’d not defend;

If he should stand up for the right,

The wrong he would offend.

His mouth is closed, he cannot speak

For freedom or against.

Great God deliver us from

A preacher on the fence.

But soon both sides will find him out

And brand him as a fraud,

A coward who dares not to please

The devil or his God.

Oh God, free us from fear of man,

From cowardly pretence;

Cleanse out the dross and fear of loss,

And keep us off the fence.

–Author Unknown

Because Truth matters,
George

What A Preacher Is...

Here's just an interesting quote that I wanted to post. I got it from ExecutablePreacher.com. It describes what a preacher is. For those of us who are called into ministry, I pray that we all burn with passion for Jesus, our Lord and with compassion for those who are lost and perishing. May we always be found faithful and obedient to His perfect will and anxious to share with others the Good News of the Gospel.

May we be ever faithful in the execution of our roles as ambassadors for Christ while keeping strong in our positions as servants of the Most High God.

I would express him simple, grave, sincere;
In doctrine uncorrupt; in language plain,
And plain in manner; decent, solemn, chaste,
And natural in gesture; much impress'd
Himself, as conscious of his awful charge,
And anxious mainly that the flock he feeds
May feel it too; affectionate in look,
And tender in address, as well becomes
A messenger of grace to guilty men.

- William Cowper, Task (bk. II, l. 394)

Because Truth matters,
George

A Willing Slave?

Tonight at church, we had our usual Bible study. We are going through Romans and spent a great deal of time on Romans 1:1 tonight.

Romans 1:1 says, "Paul, a bond-servant of Christ Jesus, called as an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God," (NASB)

In looking at this passage, Paul, who was a Jew (by religion), understood the concept of a bondservant.

Exodus 21:2-6 says that "If you buy a Hebrew slave, he shall serve for six years; but on the seventh he shall go out as a free man without payment. If he comes alone, he shall go out alone; if he is the husband of a wife, then his wife shall go out with him. If his master gives him a wife, and she bears him sons or daughters, the wife and her children shall belong to her master, and he shall go out alone. But if the slave plainly says, 'I love my master, my wife and my children; I will not go out as a free man,' then his master shall bring him to God, then he shall bring him to the door or the doorpost. And his master shall pierce his ear with an awl; and he shall serve him permanently. "

Unpacking this and looking at the first part of verse 1, Paul realizes that he is set free in Christ, but loves Jesus and desires to stay with him and willingly be His servant.

The rest of the verse looks at the fact that as an apostle, he was called, set apart and sent. All of this was for Gospel of Christ.

Our pastor pointed out that this verse is often overlooked. It's really fascinating to me when I begin to realize the depth of God's Holy Word; and that's just one verse!

Anyway, in looking at this and the meaning of verse one, a question comes to mind, "Who, or what are you a slave to?"

Because Truth matters,

George

Adolescent Antics

The following is a quote from a website that I read called Slice of Laodicea. Let me say again, that this quote is NOT mine. I clarify that it's not mine because I've had material mistakenly attributed to me in the past due to a lack of research and a misplaced desire for confrontation from my accuser.

That being said, I do agree with the quote:)

"Hey! Mr. Wilson!"

There seems to be a plethora of pastors that are content playing the "Dennis the Menace" of the church, quoting every relevant song or reality show they can, while running around with a slingshot in their backpocket, content to be the proverbial "bad boy" to garner the praise of he world. Where does all of that lead those who are looking for the Truth? Read on and see.

There are telling trends in ministry today that can be witnessed on the new, revolutionary church websites. Without doubt, a church website is the church’s face to the world. But what happens when the face is crossing its eyes and sticking its tongue out? I have written before about the cultural infantilism that is becoming the hallmark of the the last several generations. If it is sickening in society at large, it is impossible to adequately describe its catastrophic impact on the office of the ministry.

In I Corinthians 13:11, the Apostle Paul very clearly indicates that normal physical maturity demands that childish things be put away as boy grows into man. Such a concept is now discarded by many grown men who toddle down the streets of America in sports jerseys with giant, 64-ounce sippy cups filled with soda, pacifying their constant need for oral gratification. The archetypal American, 50-100 pounds overweight, enthroned in his Stratolounger before his plasma TV with two remote controls, his Ipod, his cellphone, a bag of chips and a beer is really living out a toddler’s fantasy of instant and constant gratification. He has never grown up and told himself, “no.” He has refused even the most basic self-discipline that comes with maturity. He has failed to graduate to manhood. We have a nation full of these.

Pastors in the new, relevant churches today mirror the culture. One church website featured a pastors’ bio page where the “Executive Pastor” boasted that his favorite movie was “Snatch” with Brad Pitt. He thought it was a great movie once you got past the “493 F-bombs” in it. The image desired by some of these pastors seems to be a cross between college techno-geek and dissolute frat boy, with spiked, sometimes two-toned hair, funky glasses and faded, dirty looking t-shirts. They take pains to list the bands they like, the fast food, the TV shows, video games and favorite action movies. That would be unremarkable if we were talking about an adolescent’s MySpace site. Instead, we are referring to a church website where these are supposed to be men—shepherds–who are mature enough to lead others within a local church. The same church website referenced above allowed each of the pastoral staff to answer a question about who they thought would win in a battle between Superman and Batman. It is a crisis of maturity that nearly defies belief.

There is a reason that there is such immaturity among these pastors today. Rather than take Scripture’s admonitions seriously about those who should be in the office of pastor/elder in the first place, churches are watching the world around them and taking their cues. The blind are leading the blind in a very real way today. Those who follow these men have the leadership they want. The vulgarity and coarseness, the obsession with Hollywood movies and television, the refusal to grow up into men of dignity and wisdom are all symptoms of a church that has been defined and modeled after the world and its system. Awash in materialism and hedonism, our country no longer produces men and women of character. This should not be the case, however, within the true church of Jesus Christ. The milk of the Word is to be replaced in time with the meat of the Word that produces maturity. Boys should ultimately put away childish things and become men with physical and spiritual strength. In our effeminized culture, we are turning out men who can do nothing but attend to their own emotional and physical cravings. They are taught to feel and emote, but not to stand in adversity. These are the girly men who now lead many emerging churches. They refuse to believe and defend sound doctrine and would rather spend hours blogging about “community”, posturing as intellectuals and inventing meaningless pomo (postmodern) jargon.

Where is all of this leading? If the pastors are overgrown adolescents who are more interested in exuding a cool image than preaching Christ crucified, where does this take those looking for answers? Quite frankly, many are being misled. In the same fashion that a 3-year-old is unequipped to sit in a cockpit and fly an airplane, these “pastors” are unequipped to lead the church of Jesus Christ. The result is a flourishing of false doctrine, the spreading of carnality and ultimately, the loss of souls for all eternity. The new hip pastors are failing to keep the wolves out of the flock, and in some cases, are the wolves themselves. True shepherds are passionate about the spiritual well-being of their flocks, not the latest Hollywood flick or video game. Rather than imitating and embracing the pagan culture in the name of relevance, true shepherds will warn from the Bible that “friendship with the world is enmity with God.” (James 4:4) They will be men of gravity, sobriety and moral excellence, as the Scriptures instruct pastors to be. (I Timothy, chapter 3)

A young minister who ultimately died at the age of 30, was frequently found walking the fields of Scotland weeping and praying over the names on his church rolls. He pleaded with God to save each and every one of those entrusted to him. He lived a blameless life and preached the whole counsel of God without fear and without an eye to the cultural trends. He did this because he had utter confidence in the Word of God and its sufficiency to meet every human need. These are his words to fellow pastors, just before he died.

“Get your texts from God—your thoughts, your words, from God. In great measure, according to the purity and perfections of the instrument, will be success. It is not great talents God blesses so much as great likeness to Jesus. A holy minister is an awful weapon in the hand of God. A word spoken by you when your conscience is clear, and your heart full of God’s Spirit, is worth ten thousand words spoken in unbelief and sin.”

–Robert Murray M’Cheyne

Spritual Health of a Church

I was reading an article (actually, I think that it was a Barna survey) on the spiritual health of churches and what counts as "spiritual health".

Some people point to attendance numbers; others to numbers of people who make confessions of faith or baptisms. I've compiled a list that I believe shows a way to accurately gauge the spiritual health of a Bible-believing church.

In no special order, these areas are:

• People involved in volunteer ministry (internally and in community service)
• Church attendance
• Life change (commitment to Christ/growth spiritual maturity)
• Accountability (lifestyle led)
• People involved in Evangelism
• Growth in Christian knowledge
• Money donated to church
• Comments to the pastor
• People who feel as if they have experienced the presence of God

What are your thoughts and experiences?

Graced Again (and again)

Do you ever wonder about what God thinks of us as we try to do things of our own accord? This seems to be an issue that God has been dealing with me about.

I have felt the call on my life to ministry and am in lay ministry in our current church, but know that the Lord has called me to preach. I know that I'm supposed to attend school and I have been trying everything in my earthly power to do just that.

Did you get that? "I have been trying everything in my earthly power..."

Yesterday the Holy Spirit spoke to me through a broadcast by Adrian Rogers about Joshua and Jericho. An intersting aspect is that I normally wouldn't have heard Dr. Rogers at that time, but I was running late in getting home from work.

This morning, I was running late in leaving my house for work (see a pattern?) and heard a message on Gideon and doing things according to God's power and for His glory.

This morning in my e-mail inbox was a message from Graced Again stating:

I'm convinced that if the gospel of grace (that God in Christ has forgiven you of all your debt with Him and that He has given you all His 'rightness') doesn't take your breath away, something else will. And this world has lots of 'something else's.' I used to think that what God wanted for me to do was try harder, get more committed, deny myself and keep my sin under control and then I would begin to see change. But I am learning that the fight in the Christian life is the fight of faith; to believe the Gospel of grace really is true; to get the Wow of the Gospel.

~Tom Wood

It takes me a while because I'm thick-headded, but I'm starting to see a pattern of faith and depending on God.

This is not to say that I don't depend on God, but I think a lot of times I try to push and "help", when I should just "trust and obey"

Reflections of Christmas

I hope that everyone had a great and blessed Christmas! I know that we did. I just love spending time with my family and the holidays give us such an incredible opportunity to take advantage of that.

I wanted to mention some books that I received, not for the sake of their importance, but for the sake of edification and education. In addition to the books, I received some really cool clothes and radio from my wife. My kids made awesome personalized ceramic tiles in school that were meant to be used to coasters, but I can't bring myself to set anything on them :)

I haven't read these books yet (since I just received them), but have heard a lot about them and have read innumerable reviews to know that they are a valuable resource, not just to someone aspiring to a become a preacher, but to any Christian who is serious in his or her walk with the Lord.

Anyway, these books are The 21st Century Pastor, Evangelism & the Sovereignty of God and The Reformed Pastor. The following are reviews for them from Amazon.com's website.

The 21st-Century by David C. Fisher
In the 21st Century Pastor, David Fisher explores the apostle Paul's concept of ministry to offer a paradigm that is both biblical and relevant. Paul's view is fleshed out with examples from Fisher's own twenty-five years of pastoral experience, presenting a roadmap for today's pastor that is scholarly, practical, dynamic, and inspiring. The 21st Century Pastor first addressees crucial issues of pastoral identity, the significance of geography, time, and ecclesiology. It then explores Paul's metaphors for ministry (jars of clay, farmers and builders, servants and stewards, and others) to reveal an accurate portrait of an effective, biblical pastor--the kind who will speak to the heart of modern culture rather than languish on its fringes. Filling the rare role of a pastor to pastors, Fisher's sage insights help pastors answer their own identity questions, empowering them to minister to a deeply needy society. Says Fisher, "Pastors who know what time it is will, in the name and power of God, create communities of faith where the values of the Gospel are embraced, taught, and lived out."

Evangelism & the Sovereignty of God by J. I. Packer
In Evangelism & the Sovereignty of God, J.I. Packer reveals that a faulty understanding of the Bible leads to the assessment that these doctrines are foes rather than friends. By debunking the erroneous view that "robust faith in the absolute sovereignty of God is bound to undermine any adequate sense of human responsibility" toward evangelism, the author adeptly moves through the obstacle course of tricky theology with ease and grace, allowing the reader a more complete understanding of the mystery of salvation. Packer manages to tackle an overwhelming piece of doctrinal truth and contain it within the subject of evangelism by concisely determining what evangelism is and what it is not. "It is our widespread and persistent habit of defining evangelism in terms, not of a message delivered, but of an effect produced in our hearers." This error is corrected when one is renewed in his or her knowledge of the sovereignty of God. Of course, fault is found on the other side as well, with those who so heavily rely on God's sovereignty to save the lost that they are lazy in obeying God's command to share the Gospel. Packer insists that love for God, at the very least, should draw one out of this stagnation and that the coupling of these seemingly diabolical doctrines will make one bold in speech, patient in God's timing, and prayerful for the salvation of others.


The Reformed Pastor by Richard Baxter

Baxter's time was not too unlike our own. Despite there being a large theological agreement that there must be discipline within the Church, very few leaders in the church are willing to carry it out. Baxter reminds us, and convincingly so, that we must do so for not only the good of the soul of the individual, but for the rest of the Church, and even ourselves. Most of the book rotates around the subject of discipline in the pastoral ministry. It also contains many other details concerning the ministry that would be good for any aspiring, or current pastor to read.