Monday, June 12, 2017

Lake Country Bible Church 2017


Our new church family and ministry home.

"The church’s one foundation is Jesus Christ, her Lord;
she is his new creation by water and the Word.
From heaven he came and sought her to be his holy bride;
with his own blood he bought her, and for her life he died"

"We believe in one true God
Father, Spirit, Son
One Church, one faith, one Lord of all
His kingdom come

Friday, June 2, 2017

A Passionless Message is a Lecture (Not a Sermon)

All preaching involves teaching, but not all teaching is preaching.  "Without passion there is no preaching.  Without passion you are simply a lecturer."

Paul commanded Timothy to "PREACH the Word, in season and out!"  Therefore, let us implore men, as if God were entreating through us, "Be reconciled to God!"

Thursday, June 1, 2017

"In-Depth Preaching Requires Full-Length Exposition."

photo credit: www.becominglikechristjesus.com
"True expository preaching always involves a lengthy, full treatment of the biblical text.  When Ezra stood before the people of Israel in Nehemiah 8, he read 'from morning until midday, before the men and women and those who could understand; and the ears of all the people were attentive to the Book of the Law" (Neh. 8:3b).'

The service went from sunrise to high noon, from 6:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.  It was a six-hour period of time.  Obviously, this was a unique setting and situation.  Every sermon is not to be six hours long; But our delivery should be long enough to be deep.   Nehemiah did not cut it short; his treatment of the Word was lengthy.   This is not the scene we see at many churches in the U.S. a twenty minute sermon and a twenty-minute invitation.  This is not the spiritual fare at the average "seeker" church- one hour of syrupy choruses and a twenty minute pep talk from someone sitting on a stool.  No, this was a full treatment of the Word.  Ezra presented the Word without watering it down.

Careful Bible exposition requires considerable time in the pulpit.  It takes time for there to be introduction, transition, homiletical points, explanation, word studies, cross references, historical background, thematic context, authorial intent, application, illustration, exhortation, persuasion, and conclusion.  It always takes longer to get a 747 off the runway than it does a crop duster.  So it is with preaching.  An in-depth sermon requires a full-length exposition.