These Boots Were Made For Preaching
"I see you always wear boots when you preach." That was the statement made to me by a member at the South Stokes Church of Christ in King, NC. I was holding a meeting for them that week, and on the last night of the meeting, he and his wife had taken my bride and me to supper.
"Yes sir," I replied, "that is pretty much all I wear." He asked me what size I wore and I told him. He went on to explain that he had a brand new pair of Justin Ropers he wanted me to try. After services that evening I tried them on for size, and they fit. When I asked what he wanted for them, he said, "They are yours." As it turns out, he and his wife had bought them for their son's birthday the previous year. Their son, who was about my age, was killed in an automobile accident and they never got to give him those boots.
"Knowing you will be wearing them when you preach the Gospel would mean the world to me," he said.
In Exodus 13:3-10, the Almighty gave the Feast of the Passover to His people to remind them of what He had done, and to remind them to be faithful because of His blessing. In Genesis 28:18ff, Jacob anointed a stone to remind him of his vows to God. In Joshua 22, the tribes on the East side of the Jordan built a memorial for their sons to remind themselves of their responsibilities as God's children. In I Samuel 7, Samuel set up a stone as a reminder of what the Lord had done.
Of course, we also have such a memorial. In Matthew 26:22ff, Jesus instituted the Lord's Supper as a reminder of His sacrifice: a reminder that should stir us to be faithful. Perhaps there are other things you have accumulated that help reminds you of the importance of being faithful to God. Be it a Bible from a deceased family member, a picture of your baptism, or some other item that reminds you of your walk with the Lord. Cherish those subtle reminders and allow them to help you to remember.
Every time I put on those Justin Ropers I am reminded again of the precious gift that was given to me by two grieving parents. Every time I put them on, I am also reminded of the expectations of a father that I would be faithful to the Lord and His ministry while I wear them. It is one more reminder from the Father, who expects me to be faithful to Him and the ministry He has given me!
"How will they preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news of good things!" (Romans 10:15).
Preaching Shakespeare
Max Anders, in his book 30 DAYS TO UNDERSTANDING THE CHRISTIAN LIFE, shares this story from the life of W.A. Criswell, longtime pastor of First Baptist Church in Dallas, TX.
He and a friend of his visited a church one Sunday morning, and the preacher was preaching from Shakespeare. After the service was over, Criswell and his friend went up to the minister and said, “Sir, we think that in a church a minister ought to preach from the Bible.”
The minister replied, “Oh, I preach from the Bible. In fact, I preached from it last year, but I finished it, and so this year I am preaching from Shakespeare.”
[Max Anders, is a former college seminary professor, who has pastored for over twenty years. He is the author of over twenty books and was the creator and general editor of the 32 volume Holman Bible Commentary series.]
There is no coming to the end of the preaching the Gospel to God's people. The work of the Word of God in the lives of people doesn't end until the work of God in the lives of people has come to an end.
"My soul is consumed with longing for your laws at all times" (Psalm 119:20).
"Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage--with great patience and careful instruction" (2 Timothy 4:2).
Re-engineering The Truth
Terry Shea, writing for AOL Autos, attempts to dispel the mystery of the ever inaccurate, auto gas gauge:
Have you ever noticed that your gas gauge stays on full for quite a while before the needle even moves, and then it moves faster and faster as it approaches empty? And then when it gets to 'E' it sort of stays there for a while until the low warning light comes on …?
It turns out it’s partially your fault that gas gauges work that way.
The engineers calibrate them to do that. Why? Because you, the customer, have told them that’s the way you like it. We spoke with Phil Pierron, an engineer at Ford (his title is actually “Technical Expert for Systems Engineering in Core Fuel Systems), who told us, “Our customers really didn’t want to run out of fuel when they hit 'E.' Customers do want some amount of fuel when they get to 'E.'"
Apparently, consumer surveys indicate that people don’t like seeing the needle depart from “F” right away either .... According to Pierron, “Customers want it to stay on full for an amount of time.” This gives them the illusion that they are getting better fuel mileage or at least not immediately burning through that expensive tank of petrol they just bought, even if they quite literally are. …
And while customers want there to be a “reserve” of gasoline available when they reach the empty mark … they don’t want too much of a reserve. Otherwise, they will complain that their 20-gallon tank only takes 15 gallons when filling up from empty. Apparently, there is a sweet spot where customers are happy to be fooled by their gas gauges, but not too much. We customers sure are a fickle bunch.
The engineer’s job should be to make things more accurate and efficient, but in this case he has to play psychologist to keep customers happy.
What could possibly be more straight forward than a gas gauge? You'd think people would be thrilled to have one that simply provided them with accurate information. Not so in our "have it your way" world.
Most pastors today can identify with the pressure to accommodate an increasingly fickle clientele.
To suggest that it is challenging in an age of relativism and theological compromise to preach the absolute, uncompromising truths of the Gospel is a gross understatement. Sadly, too many of us have succumbed to the pressure to accommodate the customer. Or put another way, we lie to them!
We present a re-engineered Gospel with no trials to endure, none of the sufferings of Christ to share, no call to humility or sacrifice, and certainly no coming judgment. These pulpits strive for that "sweet spot where customers are happy to be fooled" by their ministers.
"For the time will come when people 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" (2 Timothy 4:3).