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Category: Preaching (Page 21 of 25)

Naught From Myself

June 3, 2009 / / 0 Comments

“I expect naught from myself, everything from the work of Christ. My service has its objectivity in that expectation and by it I am freed from all anxiety about my insufficiency and failure.” ~Bonhoeffer

Not quite. Not really. If I’m truly honest with myself (and with you) I am not completely freed from all anxiety about my insufficiency and failure. As the good news preacher here at Legacy, I realize that whatever is accomplished is done only by God’s grace, Christ’s work, and the Holy Spirit’s power. I know that. It’s not me. It’s never me. It’s my God working in me and through me. And that does relieve a lot of the pressure. That knowledge does fill me with confidence and courage.

But I don’t know if I’ll ever lose the feelings of inadequacy that overcome me on Sundays; the dread — almost — that one day everybody’s going to wake up and see me for the fraud I really am; the fear that some day soon everybody’s going to think, “You know, he’s really not that good.”

Christ in me. It’s my only hope. It’s my only chance. And I know that.

It’s been demonstrated to me — proven to me — every Sunday now for two years here at Legacy.

Two years ago today I stood before this church family and pledged my love and loyalty to our Lord and to my God-ordained task of studying and praying and teaching and preaching with them. I promised them that, while there would be times they would be disappointed in me, there would be times I would let them down, it would never ever be from a lack of giving everything I have to the task.

Two years ago today.

In some ways it’s easier now than it was then. In a lot of ways it’s even harder.

Time together makes things better. Relationship is key. Trust only comes with the passing of months and years. Time also means more opportunity to disappoint. And I know I’ve disappointed my brothers and sisters here. I’ve fallen short with our shepherds and my fellow ministers. There have been plenty of moments when I wish I had a do-over. But that’s where this time together also helps. We know each other now. We love each other more. And I feel their patience with me and their forgiveness of me, even their endurance of me, streaming out of relationship, pouring out of hearts united by our Savior and our common goal of serving and worshiping our God.

I can’t imagine being at a better place. Our Lord has blessed my family and me to be in a church with unlimited potential to advance the Gospel and turn Northeast Tarrant County upside down for the Kingdom. And he’s surrounded us with loving and caring people who are nurturing me to be the good news preacher God’s called me to be.

Until Christ is formed in us,

Allan

Greetings From Austin

May 19, 2009 / / 0 Comments

One of the highlights of my year is the annual Sermon Seminar at Austin Graduate School of Theology. For 28 years now the school has brought in preachers and teachers of preachers for three hard days of nuts and bolts study and reflection and application. From text to pulpit. From 9am to 9pm for three days.

Ben Witherington, who’s written the best commentary on Revelation I’ve ever read, worked with us last night on preaching Revelation 4. Just his two hours alone was well worth the price of admission. Gracious! Witherington took us straight to the throne room of God and inspired all of us with the heavenly vision of the eternal worship of our Lord and God. He led us all to understand that the worship of our God is absolutely the most important thing that happens in the world. It’s more important than what happens in downtown Dallas. It’s more important than what happens in Washington, DC. In London. In Tokyo. The worship of God restores the created order, when God’s creatures join all of heaven and earth — the rocks and trees and birds and beasts, the saints who’ve gone before and the ones who are coming after — to give glory and honor and praise to Almighty God. When creation worships the Creator it restores the order. It takes us to the ultimate goal. It’s important. It’s huge.

Salvation is not the goal. The eternal worship of God is the goal. Salvation is the means to that end.

Harold Shank, from Oklahoma Christian, is taking us through Exodus 32-34. Tim Willis, from Pepperdine, is teaching Jeremiah 1-7. And Stan Reid, the president of the school, is doing 1 Peter.

Like so many others, and just as Shane Hines articulated so well during last night’s worship, I come into this place to sit at the feet of some of God’s greatest teachers…and I’m overwhelmed. I’m not even smart enough to get the jokes. I preach a sermon on Exodus — I preach the life out of that thing, I preach it like crazy — and then I come here and realize I don’t know anything about it. I leave the Sermon Seminar and feel like I have to go back to Legacy and repent for every sermon I’ve preached in the previous year.

I’m here with my great friend Jason Reeves, sharing a hotel room and bags and bags of Lay’s Kettle Cooked chips and Carrie-Anne’s hot sauce. I’ve run in to Jim Martin and David Hunter. I’m catching up with all the Austin Grad crowd, including Charlie Johanson and Eric Gayle and Cynthia Agnell. Greg Neil, the preacher at the church in Marble Falls is leading our worship this morning. And I’m hoping to see Todd Lewis here with him.

Preaching God’s Word is an amazing privilege. Hanging out with God’s preachers is inspiring. I don’t belong here. And yet, by the grace of our Lord, I do.

The Legacy Church of Christ is going to benefit greatly from my being here. But not nearly as much as I do.

Peace,

Allan

Passionate Proclaiming

May 12, 2009 / / 0 Comments

PassionateProclamation“I know that I am not a great preacher, but I can certainly tell the difference when the text takes over, as opposed to when I try to ‘convince the crowd’ out of my own capacities. When Spirit-passion takes over, when the text speaks for itself, then both we and the listeners are transported into another world, into the dominion of God. What an immense privilege it is to display the Kingdom and invite the Christian community to participate more fully in it.

Our times are characterized by so much competition between churches to attract members. Pastors feel that their sermons need to be great in order for their congregations to grow, and that is usually understood in terms of growing in numbers but not necessarily in depth — fatter, but not stronger. That is put crassly, but it fiercely distresses me that the work of proclaiming the Gospel is being reduced these days to consumerist and competitive marketing terms.

We don’t preach to attract crowds; we preach because we are overwhelmed by the splendor of God’s love and overflowing with eagerness to proclaim his mercy.”

                                 ~Marva Dawn, A Royal “Waste” of Time

Regarding a Poor Post

April 22, 2009 / / 0 Comments

I received two emails and one phone call yesterday afternoon from great friends who know me very well, asking me if everything was OK. They were concerned about my well-being after reading yesterday’s post, “Slugging It Out With The Preacher.” I was initially surprised. It was a passage from Paul and two quotes from great theologians on the great role of the preacher within God’s Church. I was trying to convey, to other preachers maybe, as an encouragement, the great honor it is to be a preacher of God’s Holy Word. The great responsibility. The great burden. The high calling.

It was a poor post. I should have written some other comments around it, setting it up or explaining it or something. But the three quotes, I thought, stand alone as eloquent reminders of the great privilege of preaching.

To answer the question, I’m fine. In fact, the past two months in my ministry here at Legacy — all of March and April — have been more than wonderful. God has shown me not just little glimpses, but huge blaring, glaring, high-definition proofs of his working with and among and in his people here. I’m greatly encouraged by what I see. More baptisms. More families jumping in to join us. More sacrifice. More service. More giving. More love. More joy. More openness to study. More conversation between generations. More trust. More willingness to grow. More answered prayer. More understanding.

Legacy seems to be alive with the love of our God, the grace of his Son, and the power of his Spirit.

Terry Rush, the king of encouragers, the Barnabas of blogs, says there are two kinds of churches: congregations that reach in and congregations that reach out. Quoting from his blog post, Churches: Sharp or Dull, from last week:

A church is sharp when it reaches out. It is dull when it focuses inwardly. Churches possessing a mission to keep everyone in the herd corrected become top-heavy with pseudo-truth. Such a church falls into the same trap as the religious leaders of Jesus’ day when he wouldn’t do church stuff the way they saw it.

What was it he did so glaringly errant in their sight? He disregarded religious law for the benefit of healing non-religious people. He loved the injured more than he feared the threats of the church.

I see a big difference in churches when one of the other of dispositions is present: reaching in or reaching out. One is sharp. One is dull. One is alive. One is dead. One is praising. The other is complaining. One is daring. The other cowers in fear. One is saved. One is afraid it isn’t. One is grateful for grace. The other is aggravated at those grateful for grace.

Legacy is celebrating its 50th anniversary this Sunday. Seems like a great time for reflection. What kind of a church are we? I see us, by the grace of our God, moving toward him in the right direction. Being much more concerned about the lost than the saved. Considering others more important than ourselves. Less of self and more of Thee.

Am I OK? Oh, yeah!

Thanks for asking.

Peace,

Allan

Slugging It Out With The Preacher

April 21, 2009 / / 0 Comments

Preach the Word!“In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his Kingdom, I give you this charge: Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke, and encourage — with great patience and careful instruction. For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. But you, keep you head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry.” ~Paul, 67 AD

“In a sense, the preacher is like a sparring partner. His job is to keep the church on its toes both intellectually and spiritually. If the church neglects truth, sooner or later it will get flabby and go sick; and what once were soul-stirring insights will degenerate into hollow platitudes. And if the church neglects its call to live out the gospel as the people of God, then whatever truth the church has will go sour on it.” ~Colin Brown, 1967 AD

“May God grant, then, that I may with the help of your prayers, be what you would have me to be. May I, too, with the help of your prayers, be what He would have me be who called me and bade me assume this office.” ~Augustine, 397 AD

At God's Right Hand

April 17, 2009 / / 0 Comments

At God’s Right Hand

“The God of our fathers raised Jesus from the dead!” ~Acts 5:30

When Peter and the apostles are questioned about their teachings, when they’re asked about their motivations, when they’re given an opportunity to share their beliefs, please notice where they start.

They start the Gospel story not with Jesus’ birth, not with his ministry, not with his teachings or healings, they don’t begin with his crucifixion. They start with his Resurrection. The God of our fathers, they say — our God, your God — raised Jesus from the dead and exalted him to his own right hand as Prince and Savior!

All of salvation history hangs on the Resurrection of Jesus; the fact that God brought him out of the tomb in a physical, bodily way; and the fact that God seated him in the position of honor and power and authority at his right hand.

This is where the Gospel gets its power. Jesus reigns! Jesus is Lord! Jesus is King! He is sovereign! He rules! He controls! He directs! All power and all authority and all dominion belong to the resurrected and exalted Christ who reigns at the right hand of God!

The whole world receives new life in the Resurrection of Jesus. And courage. And confidence. And power. And that’s a message worth telling. In fact, the angel of the Lord tells these apostles in Acts 5, don’t hold anything back. Tell the people the full message of this new life.

And they do.

“Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Christ!” ~Acts 5:42

 Peace,

Allan

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