Category: PASSION Collections

Ministry Moments

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Here are some good posts on preaching:

Sermon Prep: A Week In One Life – Stephen Um (via The Gospel Coalition)
A glimpse of what my weekly approach looks like, followed by some suggestions for continual growth in our preaching.

Expressing Beautiful Truth In One’s Preaching – Trevin Wax
Too often we preachers spend all our time making sure we’ve understood the meaning of the text and can communicate it faithfully. Precious little time is spent thinking about how we can communicate that meaning beautifully.

A Word To Those Who Preach The Word – R. Kent Hughes (via Tim Challies)
There is nothing quite like it—the Holy Spirit filling one’s sails, the sense of his pleasure, and the awareness that something is happening among one’s hearers.

Do You Expect A Response To The Preaching of the Gospel? – Roland Allen (via Justin Taylor)
To preach the Gospel requires that the preacher should believe that he is sent to those whom he is addressing at the moment, because God has among them those whom He is at the moment calling: it requires that the speaker should expect a response.

Passsion Points

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Here are some good posts on evangelism for your weekend reading:

Are You Missional: 10 Diagnostic Questions – Jason Dukes (adapted bt Trevin Wax)
10 questions to help Christians discern whether or not they are operating with a missional mindset.

Tim Keller’s Top 10 Evangelism Tips – Martin Salter
A while ago on our elder retreat we listened to a talk Tim Keller gave at Lausanne. As part of that talk he gave 10 tips to help our lay folk in their evangelism.

8 Simple Instructions For Sharing Christ – Nate Shurden
These practical instructions are just that: instructions. This is not a formula. It is a way of preparing your heart and organizing your life for gospel impact in the life of others.

The Great “Unawareness” and Sharing the Gospel
An encouraging example of using an opportunity to share about Jesus, with a few good points along the way.

Hope you have a great Lord’s Day celebrating the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ!

Ministry Moments

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Here are some good posts for a pastor’s personal life:

Why Church Leaders Should Always Be Full To Overflowing – Trevin Wax
Too many of us settle for the “teaching” aspect of ministry without having passed through the “study” and “obey” parts.

Lost the Awe – Paul Tripp (via Gospel Coalition)
Sins robs that sense of divine wonder meant to shape every person’s life and every pastor’s ministry.

How To Pull Out of the Burnout Spiral – Collin Hansen interviewing Bob Osborne (via Gospel Coalition)
When I find myself heading for burnout, more often than not I’ve lost the rhythms of rest and repentance and start to chase my idols. I take my sights off of Christ and become self-focused—simply put, I try to take God’s place on the throne.

In an effort to get the work of the Lord done,
we often lose contact with the Lord of the work.
— A.W. Tozer

Passion Points

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Well, it has been a busy week, and I didn’t have anything prepared ahead of time, so blogging has been a bit light.  Should be better next week.  In the meantime, here are some good posts to consider for your weekend reading:

Is “Communion with God” a Small Thing for Today’s Evangelicals? – J. I. Packer (via Justin Taylor)
We do not spend much time, alone or together, in dwelling on the wonder of the fact that God and sinners have communion at all; no, we just take that for granted, and give our minds to other matters.

The Price of a Feel-Good Faith – Thomas E. Bergler (via Kevin DeYoung)
If we believe that a mature faith involves more than good feelings, vague beliefs, and living however we want, we must conclude that juvenilization has revitalized American Christianity at the cost of leaving many individuals mired in spiritual immaturity.

The One Indispensible Rule for Using Social Media – Kevin DeYoung
You represent Christ in a real way even if it is in the virtual world. Most people will know that you go to church, what church you go to, and that you claim to be a Christian. So let’s all think before we post. If we go by the name of “little Christ” we ought to be careful to show a little more Christ.

Hope you have a great Lord’s Day with God’s people worshipping our great King!

Ministry Moments

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Here are some encouraging posts for pastors of smaller churches:

The Kingdom of God in the Middle of Nowhere – Trevin Wax

Thank God for Smaller Churches and Their Leaders – Thom Rainer

Rural Ministry Is Not Second Rate – Jared Wilson

I’d love for more young guys to nail Starbucks and the corner pub and shopping malls and public transportation to the cross and go plant and pastor where you’re more likely to hear a cow moo than a car honk. Country folk are real folk.
And they need the gospel too.
– Jared Wilson

Passion Points

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Here are some good posts for your weekend reading:

4 Results of Christ’s Ascension – R. C. Sproul (via Tim Challies)
Goes well with our focus in Acts this week!

Theological Primers: The Attributes of Scripture – Kevin DeYoung
Four important characteristics of Scripture for our lives.

What Christians Do When They Believe and Feel about the Word of God Rightly – Kevin DeYoung
Seven responses to the Word according to the Psalms.

A Quiet Place, A Quiet Hour, A Quiet Heart – David McIntyre (via Tim Challies)
Three essentials for a powerful prayer life.

Hope you have a great Lord’s Day praising our ascended Lord, responding to His Word, and seeking Him in prayer!

Ministry Moments

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Here are some helpful posts on preaching:

The Greatest Preachers – Wayne Gruden (via Jared Wilson)
According to Grudem’s definition, we can all be great preachers! Indeed we must be.

Preaching Texts You Do Not Understand – Carl Trueman (via Reformation 21)
We’ve all been there. Here are some helpful thoughts.

Pastors, What You Preach Is Already Decided – Charles Spurgeon (via Desiring God)
We can’t make it up out of our own heads.

The Most Transformational Word – Paul Tripp (via Gospel Coalition)
We must preach grace to ourselves.

Preaching is theology coming through a man who is on fire.
Martyn Lloyd-Jones

Passion Points

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Here are some good reads for your weekend:

Heart Check: Are You Working For God’s Glory or Your Own? – Crossway
Unfortunately, it easy to grow in our own abilities and skills while neglecting growth in humility, self-control, or other Christ-like qualities. As Christians, there are things we can do to maintain our humility and make sure we are working for God’s glory…

7 Evils of a Grumbling Spirit – B.J. Stockman
But don’t be deceived: a murmuring mouth is particularly grieving to God because it reveals discontent in God.

Grace All The Way – Justin Holcomb (via Gospel Coalition)
Above all else and before any discussion of what we should do, we must understand deeply in our bones who we are: the workmanship of God. You are his project.

In the Wrong Place Emotionally – Chris Brauns
If you need to be moved from one place emotionally to another: (1) Identify a Psalm that relates to your experience.  (2) Systematically memorize it over a period of time.  (3) As you do so, experience the movement of the Psalm and be transported by the Spirit in conjunction with the Word.

Discipleship 101: How to Disciple a New Believer – Justin Buzzard (via Crossway)
Discipleship involves a lot, but one of the most important things you can do with a new believer is read the Bible with them–teaching them how to read, understand, respond to, and apply God’s Word.

Hope you have a great Lord’s Day celebrating our great Lord with His people!

Ministry Moments

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Here are some helpful posts for pastors related to prayer:

Tim Kerr has a series of posts on interceding for our congregations – Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3.

Michael McKinley suggest 8 ways to pray during our sermon preparation. I made a copy to use as I work on my own sermons.

Finally, Michael McKinley also gives six helpful ways to help people pray.

A minister may fill his pews, his communion roll, and the mouths of the public, but what that minister is on his knees in secret before God Almighty, that he is and no more.
– John Owen

Passion Points

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Here are some good posts addressing the important issue of sin in our lives:

What Does Jesus Do With Sin? – Jared Wilson
Here are 6 things Jesus does with sin.

Steps to Overcome Temptation – D. A. Carson (via Desiring God)
Carson talks about some simultaneous steps to take for overcoming temptation, including a deepening delight in Jesus.

I Chose To Sin – Tim Challies
If I sin today—when I sin today—it is not because I had to or because anyone forced me to, but only because I chose to.

4 Reasons People Backslide – Tim Challies
Here are four reasons that people backslide.

How to Backslide in 9 Easy Steps – Tim Challies
1. Stop meditating on the gospel. “They draw off their thoughts, all that they may, from the remembrance of God, death, and judgment to come.”

Hope you have a great Lord’s Day growing in your delight of our Lord and your hatred for sin as you gather together with your local church family!