The Importance of Re-Learning the Same Truths Over and Over Again

The longer you are in Christ and the more you take advantage of the means of grace the more you will grow in the knowledge and grace of the Lord Jesus Christ.

This also means that if you attend a church where the Word of God is preached without compromise and if your pastors are teaching "the whole counsel of God" that you will likely hear many messages where you already know the major points of the passage/sermon/study.  From God's amazing grace, to man's radical depravity, to the perfect atonement of the Savior's cross.

The following quote reminds us that this is part of the biblically ordained process.  "We need to learn and re-learn the same truths again and again, taking them in through a variety of means until they become the very fabric of our thinking and the lens through which we view the world."  This is what it means to have "the mind of Christ" and to develop a robustly biblical Christian worldview.

In 2 Peter 1:13 the apostle Peter writes, I think it is right to refresh your memory as long as I live in the tent of this body... Or as one translation puts it, I consider it right, as long as I am in this earthly dwelling, to stir you up by way of reminder.

Pride says, "I already know this.  I don't need to go to adult bible study or come to Church this morning to listen to the following exposition of Scripture."  Humility says, "We need to learn and re-learn the same truths again and again, taking them in through the variety of means until they become the very fabric of our thinking and the lens through which we view the world."  May God grant us grace to apply this wisdom principle to our lives.

Three lessons from the extraordinary life of Billy Graham

Dr. Steven J. Lawson spotlights, "Three lessons from the extraordinary life of Billy Graham." Namely: The centrality of prayer, the power of humility, and the authority of the Bible.

"As we learned about the loss of Billy Graham, it is with a great deal of sadness that we say farewell to this extraordinary figure. Perhaps never again—certainly not within our life time—will we witness an evangelist with such a global outreach. He became a figure larger than life, and he did so by only preaching the simple message of the saving gospel of Jesus Christ.

Early in my ministry it was my privilege to work alongside the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, and that experience left a positive and profound impact upon my life. Here was a man who preached the gospel and attempted to reach large numbers of people for Christ. For this example, I will always be grateful.

Allow me to reflect upon my time with his ministry, and to share a few lessons I learned from my partnership with his efforts to win the lost to Christ.

In 1989 I was pastoring The Bible Church of Little Rock when our city hosted a week-long Billy Graham crusade. The call went out for local pastors to participate as volunteers, and I was asked to be the chairman of counseling and follow-up. In this role I oversaw the training of 3,000 counselors, and then was responsible for the follow-up after the crusade for those who committed their lives to Jesus Christ.

Two Essentials Components of a God-honoring Pulpit Ministry

As a pastor’s kid growing up in a Christian home I have listened to more expository sermons than many believers twice my age. In addition to this stewardship I spent close to thirteen years at the Grace Community Church. Besides sitting under the regular preaching ministries of John MacArthur, Rick Holland, Ken Ramey, Phil Johnson, Carey Hardy, and Jerry Wragg I was also exposed to the likes of James Montgomery Boice, W.A. Criswell, Alistair Begg, Al Mohler, John Piper, Steve Lawson, and R.C. Sproul. All that to say, I have listened to far more sermons in my life than I have preached. As I have matured in the faith I realize that if the Word of God is faithfully taught, regardless of the human mouth piece, the Spirit of God will use His Word to transform the lives of all Spirit-filled believers (Colossians 1:28-29, 1 Thessalonians 2:13). For those of us “Joe the plumber” preachers this is an encouraging thought!

In biblical preaching God is most interested in two things: faithfulness and humility. Allow me to make a case for this assertion.

God does not give every saint, or preacher for that matter, the same measure of talent and/or spiritual giftedness. If I can borrow a principle or two from the Parable of the Talents I may be able to make this point more clearly. In Matthew 25 the text says, For it is just like a man about to go on a journey, who called his own slaves, and entrusted his possessions to them. And to one he gave five talents, to another, two, and to another, one, each according to his own ability; and he went on his journey. When I was in seminary it was obvious to me that all of us “pastors in training” had a lot in common. It was also clear that we were not all given the same measure of giftedness. Some of the men had photographic memories and world class IQ’s, while others had golden tongues. One of the lessons God was trying to teach me during this time of ministry preparation was how much I needed to grow in humility. Instead of being envious of the way God gifted a few of these exceptionally bright students I needed to be grateful. If biblical ministry is all about the glories of Christ then how God chooses to bless a man is His sovereign prerogative.

A Good Assistant Pastor Is Hard to Find.

A ministry friend posted this article from 9 Marks Ministries that is both insightful and wise.  It is often quite helpful for Senior Pastors to serve somewhere first as a "good" and faithful Assistant Pastor for two reasons:  1) It helps us appreciate what is spoken of below.  In other words, it helps one better understand the unique burdens, blessings, and challenges that Assistant Pastors face.  2) It is also beneficial because the man who is too proud to follow well will never lead others well.  The twelve disciples were first humble learners before the Lord Jesus set them loose to be courageous leaders (apostles).

This article was written by Pastor Jason Helopoulos as part of 9 Marks Ministries. 

"Good assistant pastors are hard to find. I don’t say this because I am one. I say this merely from observation and as the hearer of too many horror stories."

"WHAT MAKES A “GOOD” ASSISTANT PASTOR?

A good assistant pastor must be marked by the same things as any other pastor. He must possess a love for God, his Word, and his people. He needs to be strong and winsome, a teacher yet teachable, a man of prayer and action. Yet, he also must possess additional qualities. He is not only called to serve the congregation, but also the senior pastor. Whatever his “job description” may be, he must understand that he is assisting. This is essential. Here are some things a good assistant pastor is marked by, traits that, Lord willing, I will strive to acquire more and more of in my life and ministry.

1. A good assistant pastor is unflinchingly loyal, but not enamored.

Ministry Deja Vu

Deja vu "from the French, literally means 'already seen.'  Deja vu is the phenomenon of having the strong sensation that an event or experience currently being experienced has been experienced in the past, regardless of whether it has actually happened." 

As Bible believing Christians we do not really believe in things such as karma, luck, or deja vu.  Having said that, I want to highlight an important issue this morning using the phraseology "ministry deja vu."

I have learned over the past ten years of pastoral ministry that apart from a significant work of grace in someone's life history has a uncanny way of repeating itself.   This principle has been brought home to me especially in the realm of church membership.