Back to Basics ...

"Now Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.”"

~ Luke 11:1

PRAYER is vital to the life of the preacher. Read the biographies, and the autobiographies of the greatest preachers throughout the centuries and you will find that this has always been the great characteristic of their lives. They were always great men of prayer, and they spent considerable time in prayer. I could quote many examples, but I must refrain as there are so many, and they are well known. These men found that this was essential, and that it became increasingly so as they went on…

… From every standpoint the minister, the preacher, must be a man of prayer. This is constantly emphasized in the Pastoral Epistles and elsewhere, and, as I say, it is confirmed abundantly in the long history of the Church, and especially in the lives of the outstanding preachers. John Wesley used to say that he thought very little of a man who did not pray four hours every day. Nothing stands out so clearly likewise in the lives of people like David Brainerd and Jonathan Edwards, Robert Murray McCheyne and a host of other saints. That is why one is so humbled as one reads the stories of such men.

BIBLE reading is essential in the preacher’s life. This is obviously something that he does every day regularly. My main advice here is: Read your Bible systematically. The danger is to read at random, and that means that one tends to be reading only one’s favorite passages. In other words, one fails to read the whole Bible. I cannot emphasize too strongly the vital importance of reading the whole Bible. I would say that all preachers should read through the whole Bible in its entirety at least once every year...

… One of the most fatal habits a preacher can ever fall into is to read his Bible simply to find texts for sermons. This is a real danger; it must be recognized and fought and resisted with all your effort. Do not read the Bible to find texts for sermons, read it because it is the food that God has provided for your soul, because it is the Word of God, because it is the means whereby you can get to know God. Read it because it is the bread of life, the manna provided for your soul’s nourishment and well-being.

~ Adapted from: Preaching and Preachers by D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones

“Deal bountifully with your servant, that I may live and keep your word. Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law.” ~ Psalm 119:17-18

“I will also speak of your testimonies before kings and shall not be put to shame, for I find my delight in your commandments, which I love. I will lift up my hands toward your commandments, which I love, and I will meditate on your statutes.”

~ Psalm 119:46-48

Disappointments...

“Leaders who make good choices and passionately pursue God will still be disappointed. People and projects will let you down. Don’t despair! You’re in good company among generations of Christian leaders. God is at work in all circumstances to accomplish good. 

Through disappointment you can share the sufferings of Jesus, redirect your affections, comfort others, find new direction, and refocus on the hope of heaven. Being disappointed may be a pathway to spiritual growth you didn’t expect. Disappointment keeps us from loving this world too much and helps us focus on Jesus—our eternal and present hope." 

  ~  Dr. Jeff Iorg, The Painful Side of Leadership

"Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God." 

~ Psalm 42:11, 43:5

In seasons of success or disappointments, may you always find hope in God and praise Him who is your salvation and your God.

~ PJVS

A Glorious Triumph...

"Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age." -- Matthew 28:19-20

In 1776, General George Washington led his small and bedraggled army in a daring raid on British and Hessian troops at Trenton, New Jersey, during the American Revolution. Just prior to launching boats from McKonkey's Ferry across the Delaware River, Washington had an excerpt from Thomas Paine's inspirational pamphlet, "The Crisis" (published two days earlier), read aloud to the army. The pamphlet began: “These are the times that try men's souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands by it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph.”

The beginning and developing years of the early church were going to be a great challenge and would certainly try the souls of believers. Before the day of march, Jesus gave a great commission and words of encouragement. The work would change people and nations for God and the Lord himself would accompany His army. While the tyranny of sin was rampant and the conflict hard, through the power of Christ, the triumph would be glorious.

Do you often feel like the battle is too great and the resources are too little? Be strong in the Lord and stand firm in the face of evil. The Lord has called you to be far more than a summer soldier or sunshine patriot. He promised to stand by your side as you set people free from the tyranny of sin through the power of His gospel. No matter how hard the conflict, keep making disciples for Jesus and the triumph will be glorious.

~ PJVS

Cultivating the Heart...

The following words of counsel from A. W. Tozer point us to the main thing... 

"Cattle are driven; sheep are led; and our Lord compares His people to sheep, not to cattle. It is especially important that Christian ministers know the law of the leader—that they can lead others only as far as they have personally gone.... 

The minister must experience what he would teach or he will find himself in the impossible position of trying to drive sheep. For this reason he should seek to cultivate his own heart before he attempts to preach to the hearts of others.... 

If he tries to bring them into a heart knowledge of truth which he has not actually experienced he will surely fail. In his frustration he may attempt to drive them; and scarcely anything is so disheartening as the sight of a vexed and confused shepherd using the lash on his bewildered flock in a vain attempt to persuade them to go on beyond the point to which he himself has attained.... 

The law of the leader tells us who are preachers that it is better to cultivate our souls than our voices.... We cannot take our people beyond where we ourselves have been, and it thus becomes vitally important that we be men of God in the last and highest sense of that term." 

- A. W. Tozer, Price of Neglect

"Shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock." ~ 1 Peter 5:2-3

May your ministry, but mostly your heart... 

... Never stop cultivating! 

Because those who lead best, follow best,

~ PJVS 

Sacrificial Preaching...

"Lord, am I a Christian by indoctrination or revelation? If I am merely parroting truths that have been dictated to me, woe is me and woe is any congregation that listens to me. 

When Christ met Paul on the Damascus road, He revealed Himself to His former enemy. Afterward Paul did not confer with flesh and blood but escaped into the desert to receive further revelation (Galatians 1:15–17). Later, when he emerged to preach Christ, it was an incarnational message he preached, not one learned at the foot of a teacher. 

All divine knowledge is received inwardly. Christian education has its place, but only to make Christ’s revelation to me possible. It cannot make that revelation actual. Too many Christians are around today who have taken on the culture of Christ without taking in His person. What is worse, too many spokesmen for Christ in the world are like the disciples before Pentecost—surrounded by Christ but not invaded by Him. After Pentecost the disciples did not need to be taught; they only needed opportunity to release what had been revealed. What had formerly been meaningless words now became truths that seared their hearts.

 If Jesus did not dare to speak from Himself (John 7:17), how dare I? If Jesus spoke only what was revealed to Him by the Father (John 7:16), how can we possibly preach anything unless it is revealed to us? What we need in our pulpits are men who talk about God based on firsthand knowledge. God revealers will never lack an audience. I will do what Habakkuk did: “Station myself on the [watch] tower, and watch to see what He will say to me” (Habakkuk 2:1, Berkeley). It is what God says to me that becomes the message people longingly desire."

 “Then the Lord stretched out His hand and touched my mouth, and the Lord said to me, ‘Behold, I have put My words in your mouth” (Jeremiah 1:9).

~ Glyn W. Evans, Daily with the King

Some Random Thoughts...

Here are a weeks' worth of random thoughts I came across a few years ago. May they help to keep you strong as they have done for me ... 

SUNDAY - God used your last sermon or teaching lesson to impact someone’s life no matter how you think it went.

MONDAY - Many people don’t tell you this, but they are thankful for your sacrifice and your dedication.

TUESDAY - The storm you’re in isn’t in the forecast forever. It will pass, the sun will come out, and things will turn around.

WEDNESDAY - God has called you to be faithful, not “successful.” Don’t let your worth be tied to whatever level of success you think you do or don’t have. Give ministry your all, but let God handle the results.

THURSDAY - For every tenacious critic, there are exponentially more people who support you and trust you.

FRIDAY - Conflict is the passageway to relational breakthrough. You can navigate conflict – be quick to listen and slow to anger. Lead with mercy. And in no time, you’ll have an advocate rather than a perceived enemy. 

SATURDAY - The impact your ministry is going to have and has had a positive ripple effect on entire families.

Stay the course Pastor, because you're loved  ("But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us." - Rom. 8:37 NASB 2020) and being prayed for every day ("Christ Jesus is He who died, but rather, was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us." - Rom. 8:34 NASB 2020) 

~ PJVS

Too Busy?

"Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed." - Mark 1:35 

What more can be said? If the Master found it necessary to start the day in solitary prayer, what about his servants?

"The men who have most fully illustrated Christ in their character, and have most powerfully affected the world for him, have been men who spent so much time with God as to make it a notable feature of their lives. Charles Simeon devoted the hours from four till eight in the morning to God. Mr. Wesley spent two hours daily in prayer. He began at four in the morning. Of him, one who knew him well wrote: “He thought prayer to be more his business than anything else and I have seen him come out of his closet with a serenity of face next to shining.” John Fletcher stained the walls of his room by the breath of his prayers. Sometimes he would pray all night; always, frequently, and with great earnestness. His whole life was a life of prayer. “I would not rise from my seat,” he said, “without lifting my heart to God.” Luther said: “If I fail to spend two hours in prayer each morning, the devil gets the victory through the day. I have so much business I cannot get on without spending three hours daily in prayer.” He had a motto: “He that has prayed well has studied well.” - E. M. Bounds in Power through Prayer

How is your prayer life my friend? Has your working hard for God hindered your waiting long on God? Quality time in ministry stems from quality time with God. If you're too busy to pray ...  you've become too busy.

~ PJVS