Pastor Connect 2010

Pursuing Our Joy

"I will go to the altar of God, to God my exceeding joy" (Psalm 43:4). Every serious believer is often involved in things they later hate. The habitual issues that we battle with—those stronghold areas that are our greatest struggle—are our dilemma. After indulgence we ask ourselves, "Why in the world did I do that? I know better!" Or, "Why do I keep returning to that when I know it's not right?" It's because of joy. We are designed for it. God has hardwired us for pleasure. Placed deep within us is a drive for ...

The Issue Is Always CONTROL

"By what authority are You doing these things, and who gave You this authority?" (Matthew 21:23). The Pharisees' interaction with Jesus gives us a crystal clear picture of all in human history who are religious and yet oppose Christ. The accounts recorded in Matthew 21—happening, not coincidentally, in the last week of Jesus' earthly life—wrap up the heart of the issue: It's all about authority. When you are confronted with a king, you have two options-kneel or stand. You can accept and submit to his authority or reject and resist. The Pharisees were proud, unsurrendered people ...

Preaching from Pain

My best sermon was forged on the anvil of my worst nightmare. From that experience came truths I know. Wounds suffered from those days began a process of education about forgiveness and grace that has been life changing. Sharing from that pain has taught me my greatest lesson on real preaching. We run from pain. No one wants to be hurt. Our limited view can imagine no meaning or value from life's darkness. But such a presupposition illustrates our limited view of God. He is bigger than our pain and has arranged for suffering to give an undeniable authority ...

They Shoot Horses, Don't They?

I never understood it. It seems like overkill to me, but you've seen it too. The horse gets a broken leg, AND THEY SHOOT IT! You've just gotta hope those vets aren't on duty when you go in for a physical ... "I'm sorry, Mrs. Jones; your husband had a high cholesterol problem, and we just had to PUT HIM DOWN!" Apparently, there are certain physical problems in a horse's life so damaging that the best and most merciful thing to do is to take its life. It's all about INTEGRITY. You see, integrity is ...

Pulling Down Idols

Are you worshiping idols? Are the people in your church bowing down before false gods? Before you react emphatically, listen to Tim Keller's definition of idolatry in Counterfeit Gods: A counterfeit god is anything so central and essential to your life that, should you lose it, your life would feel hardly worth living. An idol has such a controlling position in your heart that you can spend most of your passion and energy, your emotional and financial resources, on it without a second thought. It can be family and children, or career and making money, or achievement and critical ...

Evaluating Great Preaching (John 7:14-18)

Every communicator of God's Word, if he desires to grow, must evaluate himself by Christ's earthly teaching, because it perfectly illustrates anointed preaching. A man who is merely interested in self-glory will never evaluate himself by such a standard. But every sincere preacher who desires God's hand on his life and ministry will gladly stand before this searchlight. As the Pharisees gave their pompous evaluations of Christ's teaching, Christ gave two thoughts to measure all preaching:

• 1. Is my preaching God-initiated?
• 2. Am I preaching to be known?

Prayer with No Intermission

It seems impossible. Right in the middle of Paul's admonitions to the Thessalonians, he gives a simple, three-word command: "Pray without ceasing" (1 Thess. 5:17). Most think this is unattainable, but these words form life's most important door. Pray. We talk about prayer, we know we should pray, we encourage others to pray ... but we don't pray. Prayer is being with God. It implies humility, for real prayer is turning to a Source beyond yourself. It is the publican beating his chest and groaning for God. It is a solemn recognition that you need Someone ... for ...

Starting a Movement

God has designed this world's DNA so that just one man can start a great movement; and this truth is not confined to righteous causes. Look at Hitler, Lenin, Hussein, and Bin Laden. In American life, radical feminism, humanistic education, and the homosexual "rights" movements all began by small groups with loud voices. For some reason, most Christians cower before today's prevailing forces. But occasionally, a Martin Luther stands up and changes the world. What does it take to start a movement? The Apostle Paul knew. Whether he understood in advance the broad influence his life would carry ...

The Value of LARGE Groups

Small groups abound, and I'm glad. One of the most significant trends in the American church has been the growing value placed on small groups. There is NO substitute for the house-to-house, life-to-life environment of 10-20 people where "everybody knows your name." This is the primary (but not the only) place where authentic community occurs in the life of the church. The special kind of honest communication, life application, and accountability that takes place in small groups is hard to replicate in any other setting.

But now we hear the rumblings of an over-correction. It always seems to happen ...

How to Lead Family Worship

We recently started doing family devotions ... again. Mark Twain once quipped that to give up smoking was the easiest thing in the world—he knew because he had done it thousands of times. We all know that bad habits are hard to break and good habits are hard to make. At least for my family, sustaining a regular family worship time has been something I've begun repeatedly, only to lose steam, settle into apathy, and repent and start over again weeks or months later. So I'm not writing this from a platform of perfection, but rather out of ...

The Responsibility of a Leader's Faith

When they had gone a long time without food, then Paul stood up in their midst and said, "Men, you ought to have followed my advice and not to have set sail from Crete and incurred this damage and loss. Yet now I urge you to keep up your courage, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship. For this very night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve stood before me, saying, 'Do not be afraid, Paul; you must stand before Caesar; and behold, God has ...

The Mystical Difference in Transformational Preaching

Preachers come in all sizes, styles, personalities, languages, voices, backgrounds, and hairstyles. In infinite wisdom, God makes no two of us alike, and He loves the variety. But while this uniqueness is part of God's deliberate plan to reach various people, every preacher should have some non-negotiable, foundational elements of anointed preaching. The Foundational Elements First, we must preach God's Word. Paul's clear command to "preach the word ... in season and out of season" (2 Tim. 4:2 NASB) is not a suggestion but a calling. We must diligently study to cut it straight, not imposing our ...