Check Yours Out

June 25, 2014 by admin

A unique cross, popular today among Presbyterians, was used by the monastic community founded by Columba at Iona. It’s a Latin cross with a ring around the intersection of the two arms, which is called a Celtic cross.

An expression of praise often found in the Psalms is still used today by many believers. Though most Christians can’t define precisely what it means, when they say or sing “hallelujah” they believe they are worshiping the Lord.

The church calendar begins with the Season of Advent. The word means “coming” and refers to both the first and second advents of Jesus.

Present-day Israel and Jordan make up most of the ancient land of Canaan, where the majority of the events of the Bible took place.

Oliver Cromwell (1599–1688) was the leader of the forces of Parliament and Protestantism against Charles I of England. The “Ironsides,” his psalm-singing regiments, were never defeated.

And did I have in mind a way these religion related paragraphs fit together? Not really! I was just attempting to illustrate what all too many church sermons and services are like. Though they certainly sound spiritual, they go in a dozen different directions. Little wonder that after a while lots of people stop paying attention to what’s happening.

Check your sermons out carefully to see if they are characterized this way. If not … well, “hallelujah”!

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Please click here to visit David Mains’ Sermon-Coach.com website.

You will also find a variety of resources for pastors and congregations at the Mainstay Ministries website. Please click here.

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Self-Examination

June 18, 2014 by admin

We are already halfway through this new year, and I’m wondering if spiritually speaking you’ve grown at all.

With a little thought, are you able to complete this sentence with specifics? “I believe I am a better Christian now than I was a year ago because…”

Can you name a troublesome temptation you’ve recently gotten the upper hand on with Jesus’ help? If so, what is it?

Most preachers would agree that there’s always room for improvement in their people’s lives. But not all that many ministers are able to state specifically how that improvement is manifesting itself in their own situations.

In your efforts to help others move ahead spiritually, what’s been happening that’s good in your own walk with the Lord?

It’s important for ministers of the Word to regularly examine themselves to see if spiritual growth is continuously happening. Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 9:27:

“No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I will not be disqualified for the prize.”

The King James Version puts it this way:

“… lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.”

Disqualified … a castaway … know any fellow clergy who fit those descriptions? I’m sure you do.

Hopefully you will never be one of them!

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Please click here to visit David Mains’ Sermon-Coach.com website.

You will also find a variety of resources for pastors and congregations at the Mainstay Ministries website. Please click here.

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Mixed Motives

June 11, 2014 by admin

I decided to renew my USA Today newspaper subscription. It’s not really my number-one source for news anymore. The home and car radios provide that. I seldom watch the news on television, but I do review news stories on the Internet.

The reason for my decision to extend my subscription for another year was that I’m used to looking for Sunday Soundbytes in the USA Today. I’ve been writing these church-related bits for over 20 years now, and for whatever the reason, they’re easier for me to find in this newspaper format than they are from other resources. So I guess I basically pay for and read the newspaper not for the news, but for another reason!

I’m thinking, if I’m not careful, the same could be true regarding my reading of Scripture. Do I read the Bible because it’s my primary source of material for the never-ending supply of sermons I write, or is it because I need a guidebook for my life as a follower of Jesus? Because the two purposes overlap, sometimes it’s hard to keep straight what my motives are.

Is this a problem you as a pastor recognize as well? I find it helpful every so often to remind myself as to which of the two approaches need to be kept in mind.

“My main reason I’m spending this time in Your Word is to allow You to shine a light on my life as a believer.” Or, “I’m looking for sermon material once again, Lord.” Which is it?

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Please click here to visit David Mains’ Sermon-Coach.com website.

You will also find a variety of resources for pastors and congregations at the Mainstay Ministries website. Please click here.

Share and Enjoy

Something More

June 4, 2014 by admin

This past week, I visited a church I’ve never attended before. I’ve driven by it many times, but never gone inside. The sanctuary was larger than I expected and breathtakingly beautiful. The pews were filled even though this was the second of three Sunday morning services.

To the speaker’s credit, he had a great voice, and at times he was quite funny. He also involved the congregation in his presentation, and as a storyteller I would give him an “A.” I also credit him for clearly stating what his overall subject was. You would have to have been asleep to have missed it. He also worked at making people feel good about being in church.

On the negative side, he failed to open the Scripture, and he came nowhere near identifying what I would call a text. I thought about what kind of response his sermon might be calling for, but I couldn’t come up with one. Maybe that’s why he didn’t make any kind of suggestions or “How To’s.”

As I left the sanctuary, I asked myself, “What was that all about?” The best conclusion I could come up with was that this minister had a great need to be liked and he truly was a nice, articulate, happy person.

Will I ever go back? No! I need something more than a nice, articulate, congenial storyteller! I believe, above all else, that people attend church because they want to encounter God and to hear a word from Him.

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Please click here to visit David Mains’ Sermon-Coach.com website.

You will also find a variety of resources for pastors and congregations at the Mainstay Ministries website. Please click here.