“Who Sez? Authority and the Believer in Jesus” (Message #3)

Friends: Here is the final message on the issue of the functional authority of Scripture for the believer. The retreat was for the Northgate Bible Chapel in Rochester, New York.

 

“Who Sez? Authority and the Believer in Jesus” (Message #2)

Friends: Here is the second message on the issue of the functional authority of Scripture for the believer. The retreat was for the Northgate Bible Chapel in Rochester, New York.

 

“Who Sez? Authority and the Believer in Jesus” (Message #1)

Friends: Here is the first message on the issue of the functional authority of Scripture for the believer. The retreat was for the Northgate Bible Chapel in Rochester, New York.

 

“Who Sez? Authority and the Believer in Jesus” (Introduction)

Friends: I just did a three-part series on the issue of the functional authority of Scripture for the believer. The retreat was for the Northgate Bible Chapel in Rochester, New York. We met at the beautiful Camp Li-Lo-Li and had a great weekend. Here are a few photos of the camp. We will post our three messages (audio) soon.

We were also able to visit the American side of the Niagara Falls!

 

A Ministry Update!

I’m so encouraged to be used by the Lord at my ripe old age of 72! Lin and I celebrated our 50th anniversary in September at the Grand Canyon! And I’m getting some great opportunities to write and speak. Here are a couple of ministries to pray with us about:

MY WRITING: I just finished my manuscript The Forgotten Third: Developing a Biblical Relationship with God the Holy Spirit. Hope it will be out this year.

I’ve almost completed a new work entitled Bless-ed! 52 Weekly Blessings You Have As A Believer
— and How to Help Your Lost Friends Find Theirs. I’ve been posting some earlier versions of the chapters on my blog.

MY SPEAKING On April 3rd I get to do my third session via Zoom on my book DocWALK. It’s not too late to join us for our discussion if you wish. Just drop me an email. On April 18th I’m being asked to do some stand up comedy for my friend’s church in South Carolina! My son Brian and I took stand up lessons at the Comedy Zone in Charlotte several years ago.

I will also be teaching a short course to my Ethiopian brothers on my upcoming book Blessed! 52 Weekly Blessings You Have As A Believer— and How to Help Your Lost Friends Find Theirs. I am looking forward to interacting with them starting April 11 on that material for about five weeks.

On April 24th I get to preach in Jersey City, NJ! We’ll be going up there to celebrate Lin’s Mom’s 96th birthday. My friends at CMML are providing accommodations for us.

I’m teaching NT Greek to two of my NJ friends each month. We’re now into the wonderful world of participles!

I’m speaking at Camp Elim in Colorado in May. Please pray for my messages. The theme is “Family Values According to the Word of God.”

I get to preach via Zoom to my friends in New Jersey in June on the book of . . . wait for it . . . NUMBERS! Yes! A lot of work yet to be done, but a great book seldom preached on. I’m looking forward to doing a series for Mountain Ridge Bible Chapel in NJ in August. It will be my series on the book of Jude entitled “Living for Jesus in an Un-Christian World.” Sure appreciate your prayers!

Thanks for praying for us. I would really love to do a several session seminar in your church on Unlike Jesus: Let’s Stop Unfriending the World. This is a challenge to become a friend of sinners like Jesus was! Such an important topic. Just cover my travel expenses. Check with your church leadership? I’d be glad to send a couple of copies of the book to you for consideration.

 

A Ministry Update!

I can’t believe the Lord lets me do ministry — at my advanced age! (I’m only 71, so I’m half-kidding!).

Keeping up with my wife-of-fifty-years-Linda and our seven grandchildren seems enough for me to do, but the Lord has other plans! Here’s what I’ve been doing the last few months:

1. I have an ongoing online Bible study with my good friend Frank. We’ve gone through most of the epistles of the New Testament and are now working our way through the Psalms. I describe our online Bible reading covenant here. You might want to try this with a friend or relative.

2. I have another online Bible reading covenant with four brothers in Christ (one in Scotland; the other three here in the States). We’re working our way through the gospel of John.

So each morning I read both the Psalm for the week with my friend Frank and the chapter in John’s gospel with my four brothers.

3. I’ve been editing manuscripts for Christian Focus Publishers in Scotland for a couple of years now and am presently finishing up two books for them. One is on the idea of Be Killing Sin . . . or Sin Will Be Killing You! A terrific book on growing in Christ!

4. And the Lord keeps giving me opportunities to teach doctrine and courses in theology. I have three going on right now:

a. I’m teaching my little book Unlike Jesus: Let’s Stop Unfriending the World to a small class at our church, Sandhills Community Church.

b. I’m also teaching that book to a group of pastors in Ethiopia (when the internet there works!). I actually send them a few short videos and then hope (and pray) that we can discuss the material via Zoom!

c. I’m also teaching my book DocTALK to a group of believers in the States. We meet every other Sunday night for an hour.

d. I’ve also been doing an eight-week series on Romans 12 I’m calling “24 Critical Imperatives for the Believer.” This is for Fifth Avenue Chapel in Belmar, New Jersey, and we have had some great discussions about Paul’s commandments in Romans 12.

5. There’s a chance Linda and I may be able to go over to Israel on a tour in February. I’ve had the chance to visit Palestine, but Linda hasn’t been to that part of the world.

That’s it! And keeping up with our seven grandchildren!

May the Lord bless you and your ministry!

 

“Miserable Writers Are You All!” An Essay on Writing

Please forgive the reference to Job’s castigating his friends as “miserable counselors are you all!” (Job 16:2)

Writing books really is overrated. At the ripe old age of 71 I’ve been thinking, what meaningful ministry have I had and do I really have now? I love writing. I blog every day. I’ve written a bunch of books on a lotta different topics. My first book (The Other Side of the Good News) was a defense of the biblical doctrine of hell. Then I got a lot more joy by writing Heaven: Thinking Now about Forever. I wrote a three-month devotional book on Christian beliefs (DocDEVOS).

A publisher in Scotland had me write two doctrine books: DocTALK and DocWALK. I tackled the topic of sin in my book When Temptation Strikes. My latest book is a challenge to Christians to be a friend of sinners like Jesus was (Unlike Jesus: Let’s Stop Unfriending the World).

I’ve self-published several books such as Saved: Rescued From God, By God, and For God. When noted pastor Rob Bell appeared to turn away from the Christian faith, I used John Piper’s famous tweet and wrote Farewell, Rob Bell (an evaluation of Bell’s theology). Whatever Happened to Heresy began as a multi-submission to a Christian journal and then wound up as a short book.

I self-published two books from my students’ work in two of my seminary classes: Thinking about Theology and After This Life . . . What? I presented copies of these two books to my seminary dean and the university’s provost on ironically the day they ended my 20-year teaching career due to the university’s economic downturn!

I’ve also written books for students, such as The Top Ten Mistakes Students Make on Research Papers — and How to Avoid Them! I even got so bold as to write a short pamphlet for preachers entitled Ten Specific Steps You Can Take to Make Your Sermons and Preaching Better!

I have tried my hand at writing fiction like John Baldacci or David Grisham (I mixed those names up on purpose for those of you who read fiction). I envy them the money they’ve made and the audience they have. I ventured into fiction with my short book Abandon All Hope. It’s about a man who dies and goes to hell . . .

But I’ve never really had an agent and none of my books has ever taken off.

There’s several reasons for that: one reason may well be that I’m not a good writer. But I think I am a good writer but I don’t have an audience. I don’t have an agent. I don’t have a name. I don’t have a platform that allows me to reach a lot of people.

Could it be that I’ve written stuff that’s not that important? But most of my books have been on the Christian life and on making the doctrines of the Bible understandable. I’ve even had people like J.I. Packer endorse my books! So I’m not sure that’s it.

Maybe another reason is that Christians are lousy readers. I talked with a Christian tennis friend who has read just about everything by John Grisham, David Baldacci, Tom Clancy, and several other fiction writers. “I just don’t read non-fiction,” he said. I asked him if he’s read anything by John Piper and he said, “Who?” I think our churches are failing to encourage our people to read.

Perhaps the question is, do we overvalue writing? I look at my other ministries: teaching online courses to 3rd world church leaders, mentoring a younger believer, editing some really good books on biblical eldership and other topics, praying for Christians that I know are broken and really hurting, seriously becoming a friend of sinners, seeking to do the best in modeling a godly marriage in our 50 years, working hard to influence our seven grandchildren to walk with a whole heart in the Lord.

I think the Evil One makes us believe that we’re not significant as Christian leaders unless we’ve got some best selling books.

But in the final analysis what impact have those fiction-writers had on eternity? Now I read their books because I enjoy reading their fiction, but have they impacted anybody for the kingdom of God?

I’ve had the privilege in my teaching career in Bible college and seminary of reaching hundreds of students, encouraging them to be strong in the basics of the Christian faith, to love the Lord, to love their families, to be willing to do all kinds of ministry.

But I’ve not been a best selling author and . . . that’s OK. I’m thinking of starting a group for authors called Hopeless Writers. What do you think?

 

How Do I Want to Be Remembered? (A Study of Romans 16)

You may have heard the story of the three friends who were at a fourth friend’s funeral. At the viewing, they had a quiet conversation with one another. One asked, “What would you want others to say at your funeral about your life as they attended your viewing?” They thought for a few moments and the first friend said, “I would hope they would say that I was a faithful husband and a good father.” A few seconds later the second friend said, “Man, I would hope they would say, ‘he was a great co-worker and a godly example to all!'” The two friends waited and waited and finally asked the third friend, “What would you want people to say at your viewing?” The man thought for a moment and then said in a loud voice, “I would want them to say, ‘LOOK! HE’S MOVING!”

In Romans 16 the Apostle Paul lists 31 names of believers whom he commended for their partnership in the gospel. And he gives ten specific statements about those friends. Here is most of Romans 16, followed by the ten truths I hope others will say about me at my funeral!

Today’s Challenge: What steps can you take today to increase the likelihood that some of those statements will be made about you at your funeral?

 

A Ministry Update!

Friends: I am so thankful that the Lord is giving me opportunities to serve Him in my dotage (I’ll be 71 on Groundhog’s Day!). Here are a few areas that you could pray for!

Teaching ministry with my Ethiopian brothers and sisters: Linda and I were to go to Addis Ababa last August to work with some national pastors, but the trip was cancelled due to Covid. Since then I have taught a couple of courses to this group of pastors via Zoom. Presently we are in a short course on the Holy Spirit. Please pray for their encouragement as we study together.

Editing work for Christian Focus Publishers in Scotland: One of my few talents is uncovering dangling participles, comma splices,and basketfulls of sentence fragments! Please pray for my work on one manuscript right now entitled “Behold! An Invitation to Glory!” by Justin Huffman.

I continue to have great joy in teaching first year Greek to my friends Paul and Stephen in New Jersey through Zoom. They are to be commended for their diligent work in this tough language. Please pray for them — and for me! Just a reminder, I’m open to starting a new online Greek class for any who have an interest. Here’s the link you need.

The Lord has given me opportunities to produce message videos for several churches. I’ve done a series such as “Unlike Jesus: Let’s Stop Unfriending the World!”, “The Spiritually Healthy Family (A Study of the Epistle of Titus)”, and “Developing a Biblical Relationship with God the Holy Spirit.” If your church wants to use any of these, I’m available to meet with your church via Zoom. Please pray for my ongoing work on such messages.

I’m always writing stuff and I’m still committed to several of my own projects. I think my next book will be on the topic Developing a Biblical Relationship with God the Holy Spirit. I’m also working on a study of Philippians entitled Finding Deep Joy in a Sad, Shallow World. And I’m seriously considering a series with the title A Five Minute Theology: Devotions in the Basics of Belief. I would appreciate your prayers for focus and commitment to these projects. (Man, that’s an irritating graphic, isn’t it?).

That’s it. Please pray for me. And for the Lord to bless the work of my hands in my senior years! Thanks!

 

Self-Commendation (A Study of 2 Corinthians 6:3-10) Part 4 (Conclusion)

Friends: If you’re a regular reader of my blog, you know that my friend Frank (in New Jersey) and I have been doing an email Bible study for over a year. We read the same chapter every day for a week — and then send a brief email of encouragement to each other. We’ve completed most of the epistles of the New Testament — and it’s been a great discipline for both of us.

Let us continue our study of several verses in chapter six:

Self-Commendation (A Study of 2 Corinthians 6:3-10): Part 4

II. The Specifics of Self-Commendation (vv. 4-10)

We’ve thought about Paul’s list of the 28 items he gives showing how his behavior and mindset in ministry commend him. We’ve seen some of his difficult circumstances in which he served. We then noticed the positive qualities which marked Paul’s work. Let’s notice the last section of those items:

These nine couplets show the ministry contrasts which Paul experienced. He does not sugar-coat the challenges he faced, but pairs them with the positive aspects of serving Christ. If we only had his list of the positive parts of ministry, they would be: glory, good report, genuine, known, living on, not killed, always rejoicing, making many rich, possessing everything! But we don’t get to choose only the positive. Paul’s ministry — and ours — includes very negative items: dishonor, bad reports, charges of being an imposter, regarded as unknown, dying, beaten, sorrowful, poor, and having nothing. It should come as no surprise when ministers drop out and become insurance salesmen.

Today’s Challenge: Paul commends himself, but does so with complete honesty. If you are in professional ministry, do you have someone with whom you can share your deepest struggles? If not, pray that God would give you such a person!