Watch this with your children…
by R. C. Sproul
Archive for the ‘Books’ Category
Kerygma, Part Two…
Posted: May 12, 2015 in Ancient Faith, Biblical, Books, catholic, Christian, Church, Church History, Covenant theology, Evangelism, Faith, Hope, kerygma, life, Liturgical, Love, Ministry, Orthodox, orthodoxy, Preaching, Repentance, sanctification, Scriptural, Teaching, Testimony, The Story, universalTags: birth, Body of Christ, celebration, Christ, Church, covenant of grace, covenant of redemption, death, faith hope, Father, forgiveness, God, Holy Spirit, Holy Trinity, homily, Jesus, joy, kergyma, life, love, Messiah, ministry, peace, preach, Preaching, Proclamation, prophet, prophetic, redemption, repent, Savior, sermon, sickness, sin, Son, story, Word
The Kerygma – Part Two
The Kerygma
To review, kerygma is the Greek word κήρυγμα kérugma, translated proclamation or preaching. The Kergyma is proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ in spoken words, or even proclaimed in the celebration of the Lord’s Supper. It is the proclamation of Jesus redemptive work. It is the proclamation God’s story of the history of redemption from the beginning of creation. Proclamation was usually followed by teaching and instruction in the elements of the faith, or the reading of a Creed. What Jesus did and taught in His ministry was included within the basic proclamation.
Here is a summary of the ancient kerygma:
- The Age of Fulfillment has dawned, the “latter days” foretold by the prophets.
- This has taken place through the birth, life, ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus the Messiah.
- By virtue of the resurrection, and His ascension into heaven, Jesus has been exalted at the right hand of God as King of Kings – the Messianic head of the new Israel.
- The Holy Spirit in the Church is the sign of Jesus’ present power and glory.
- The Messianic Age will reach its consummation in the return of Jesus.
- An appeal is made for repentance for the forgiveness of sins, the gift of the Holy Spirit, and salvation.
Jesus the Messiah, of course, was the center of this ancient kerygma. The cross, the resurrection, and His ascension to the right hand of Majesty are crucial to the kerygmatic preaching of Messiah Jesus.
Kerygmatic preaching is not a technique that can simply be learned by articulate spokespersons, it is a relationship that must be received, experienced, and thereby announced.
There are eight kerygmatic sermons given by the Apostles in Luke’s letter to Theophilus, the Acts of the Apostles. They are found in the following passages:
1) Acts 2:14-36
2) Acts 3:12-26
3) Acts 4:8-12
4) Acts 5:29-32
5) Acts 10: 34-43
6) Acts 13:16-41
7) Acts 14:15-17
8) Acts 17: 22-31
A Grief Observed and Remembered
Posted: May 9, 2015 in Books, Christian, Counsel, Faith, Hope, life, Love, Pastoral Care, poetry, Renaissance, TestimonyTags: belief, cancer, death dying, devil, disease, faith, Father, God, grief, healing, Holy Spirit, hope, illness, Jack, joy, love, sadness, sickness, sin, Son, terminal
A Grief Observed by C. S. Lewis
The short book entitled “A Grief Observed” by C.S. Lewis relates how the author joined the human race when his wife and spirited poet, Joy Gresham, died of cancer. Lewis, the Oxford professor whose Christian apologetics make it seem like he’s got an answer for everything, experienced crushing doubt for the first time during her illness and after his wife’s tragic death. A Grief Observed contains meaningful reflections on that period: “Your bid–for God or no God, for a good God or the Cosmic Sadist, for eternal life or nonentity–will not be serious if nothing much is staked on it. And you will never discover how serious it was until the stakes are raised horribly high,” Lewis writes. “Nothing will shake a man–or at any rate a man like me–out of his merely verbal thinking and his merely notional beliefs. He has to be knocked silly before he comes to his senses. Only torture will bring out the truth. Only under torture does he discover it himself.”
This is the book that inspired the film Shadowlands but it is more wrenching, more revelatory, and more real than the movie. It is a beautiful and unflinchingly honest record of how even a stalwart believer can lose all sense of meaning in the universe, and how he can gradually regain his bearings.
Although this book is non-fiction it is written like the author of so many famous books of fiction can write. Yet, from a very personal standpoint, Lewis comes to grips with the reality of terminal illness. It is always from the viewpoint of “this can’t be happening to me!” He goes through stages of denial, first of the illness itself, and second of the untimely death of his wife. Sharing his feelings with her son was very hard for Lewis. Lewis and Joy’s son Douglas became very close. The relationship started because he enjoyed reading Lewis’ classics. Douglas truly admired and respected Lewis. Lewis was always the professor and statesman, and always had that stiff upper lip of the Englishman. But when it came down to facing his feelings, Lewis was the first to really get in touch with them. His wife, Joy, helped him get through the times of unknowing before she died. Lewis and Douglas grew very fond of each other and mourned the loss of Joy together, arm in arm.
Joy was very warm and caring toward him during her therapy and temporary recovery. She insisted on spending as much time with Lewis as possible. They basically did everything together. What is really touching about this story is what became of their marriage, and the reason why they married in the first place.
From the first meeting of Lewis, Joy Gresham, and her son Douglas, the beginning of their lasting friendship, through the courtship that took many years, A Grief Observed blends the two worlds or cultures of American values and those of the British. The book brings you into the heart of Lewis like no other book he had written. When you finish this book, your heart will be warmed and your mind will rest assured of the possibility of loving someone so deeply as to suffer more than the one who is sick.
I would recommend this book to anyone who is going through the illness of a loved one, especially if he or she has been diagnosed as terminal.
The 7-10 Minute Bible Message
Posted: May 2, 2015 in Biblical, Books, Preaching, Scriptural, TeachingTags: application, background, context, Preaching, research, study
This week we were assigned to prepare a 7-10 minute Bible message from a New Testament letter using the method taught in the course textbook. Below is some research into the background and context for my Bible message, and practical application.
Exclusive Obedience to God
Background & context for Acts 5:26-32
Chapter 4
- First time Peter and John arrested and appear before the Sanhedrin at the hands of the Sadducees (a small powerful Jewish religious group who didn’t believe in the resurrection).
- Peter & John warned not to speak no longer to anyone in that (Jesus Name) Peter & John are warned and then released.
- Peter & John afterward went back to their own believing brethren and prayed mightily until the Holy Spirit came upon them again and filled them, resulting in speaking the word of God boldly.
Chapter 5: 1-25
- Story of lying to the Holy Spirit my Ananias & Sapphira and their immediate judgment.
- The Apostles heal & deliver many people; many people are coming to repentance and faith; large crowds begin to gather all around Jerusalem bringing their sick & afflicted.
- Then someone told the Sadducees that “the men you put in jail are standing in the temple courts teaching the people!”
Questions for application:
- How should I adjust my priorities?
- What should I change about my values, beliefs, attitudes, or character to bring them in alignment with the Word of God?
- What should I change about my thoughts and motives for my mind to be renewed?
- What must I surrender to live in the power of the Holy Spirit?
- What must I surrender to keep in step with the Holy Spirit?
Power Point:
Do not let anything or anyone else determine your values and/or standards in any area of your life – your obedience is to God exclusively.
Kerygma, Part One
Posted: April 16, 2015 in Ancient Faith, Biblical, Books, Calling, catholic, Charismatic, Christian, Church, Church History, Covenant, Covenant theology, Evangelical, Evangelism, Liturgical, Ministry, Orthodox, orthodoxy, Pentecostal, Preaching, Presbyterian, Protestant, Reformed, Renaissance, Repentance, Sacramental, sanctification, Scriptural, Teaching, Testimony, universalTags: belief, death, devil, faith, Father, gift, Gospel, Holy Spirit, kerygma, message, Preaching, repent, repentance, Salvation, sermon, sickness, sin, Son, Teaching
Kerygma
What is kerygma and what does it mean?
During the last seven weeks of the Communication in Ministry course I am taking, we are concentrating on preaching or delivering sermons or messages to our congregations. We are studying structuring sermons, how to select our passages and how to interpret the biblical passage. We are learning how to relate the interpretation of the biblical passage to our “audience.” We are learning all the ways and means to creating a great sermon.
This brings me to the word kerygma. Dictionary.com gives the definition of kerygma as “the preaching of the gospel of Christ, especially in the manner of the early church, and the content or message of such preaching.”
Kerygma is the Greek word κήρυγμα kérugma, translated proclamation or preaching. Kergyma is the preaching of the Gospel of Jesus Christ in spoken words, or even viewed in the celebration of the Lord’s Supper. It is the proclamation of Jesus redemptive work. Proclamation was usually followed by teaching and instruction in the elements of the faith, or the reading of a Creed. What Jesus did and taught in His ministry was included within the basic proclamation. Ok, so lets break this definition down.
1. Kerygma is the preaching of the Gospel.
2. Kerygma is preaching in the manner of the early church.
3. Kerygma has to do with the content or message of what is being preached.
What is the Gospel? It is the Good News of the life, ministry, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ. The Gospel includes the facts of Jesus’ incarnation as the Word. It includes the fact that Jesus is the Son of God. It includes the fact that Jesus was begotten of the Father and not a creature that the Father made. Jesus is in the Father as the Father is in Him. It includes the fact that salvation from sin, sickness, death, and the devil is only through Jesus the Messiah. It includes the fact that we are made right with God, declared righteous because of the righteousness of Jesus the Messiah. The Gospel is Good News!
2. What was the manner of preaching in the early church? The book of Acts clearly demonstrates that the early church preached the Gospel focusing on Jesus Christ; on repentance, faith, baptism and the forgiveness of sins, especially that salvation is through Jesus alone. The early church preached Jesus’ death, burial, resurrection, and His ascension to the right hand of the Father, and the gift of the Holy Spirit. The reason is that the Apostles were witnesses to the life, ministry, death, burial, resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ. The early church preached what they heard from Jesus, the Apostles, and what they witnessed – it is the Gospel.
3. What is the content or message of what was being preached by the early church? When looking into the book of Acts we see:
- All of the messages mention the doctrine of God.
- All of the messages mention Jesus the Messiah.
- Seven messages mention Jesus’ death.
- Seven messages mention His resurrection.
- Four messages declare that Jesus is now exalted in heaven at the right hand of the Father.
- Four messages mention the giving of the Holy Spirit.
- Seven message mention the forgiveness of sins.
- Five messages mention repentance.
- Three messages mention the need for faith.
- Five messages mention Scripture.
- None of the messages use the word Kingdom, because the Kingdom of God was brought to the earth in Jesus the Messiah.
Therefore, the content or the message preached by the early church included everything mentioned above. The church today must preach the Gospel like the early church. The early church preached the Gospel within the context of her audience, whether Jew or Gentile, or whether it was in Palestine or Athens, Rome or Crete. The kerygma was the same. They preached and taught the Gospel. The early church preached and taught the Gospel as it was given to them by the Apostles. The kerygma is the Apostolic Gospel message. The Church should be preaching the Gospel the same way the Apostles preached it: in the wisdom and power of God.
St. Paul gives an example of the kerygma:
“For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that He was buried, that He was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then He appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. Then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one untimely born, He appeared also to me.” 1 Corinthians 15:3-8 (ESV)
In conclusion, based upon the Four Gospels and Acts, there are seven elements to the ancient kerygma of the Church:
1. God loves you and seeks after you.
2. Sin will destroy you.
3. Jesus Christ died to save you.
4. Repent and believe the Gospel.
5. Be Baptized – receive the Holy Spirit.
6. Abide in Christ and His Body the Church.
7. Go make disciples.
Lastly, there are four elements (Acts 2:42) to living the Christian life revolving around the kerygma:
1. The Apostles’ Teaching – The Church steadfastly went on in the study of ancient Scripture and the sacred teachings of the Faith given them by the Apostles.
2. The Fellowship – They were daily interacting within Christ’s Body the Church, frequently gathering for worship, and other gatherings as the Body of Christ.
3. The Breaking of the Bread – This is another way of saying that they faithfully received Holy Communion, the Lord’s Supper, or the Eucharist and, by extension, all the Sacraments.
4. The Prayers – Using forms of prayers, in both the personal and community contexts.
True Pastoral Care*
Posted: March 23, 2015 in Biblical, Books, Calling, catholic, Charismatic, Christian, Church, Church History, Counsel, Covenant, Covenant theology, Evangelical, Evangelism, John Calvin, life, Liturgical, Lutheran, Martin Luther, Ministry, Orthodox, Pastoral Care, Pentecostal, Preaching, Presbyterian, Protestant, Reformed, Renaissance, Repentance, Sacramental, sanctification, Scriptural, Teaching, universalTags: Bishop, care, deliverance, disease, encouragement, fallen, Father, God, Gospel, grief, healing, Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ, lost, Pastor, pastoral, Salvation, shepherd, sickness, sin, Son, souls, strong, wandering, weak
“And I will give you pastors according to mine heart, which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding.”
Jeremiah 3:15 (KJV)
From this it is evident that there are five main tasks required in the pastoral office and true care of souls:
First: to lead to Christ our Lord and into His communion those who are still estranged from Him, whether through carnal excess or false worship.
Secondly: to restore those who had once been brought to Christ and into His church but have been drawn away again through the affairs of the flesh or false doctrine.
Thirdly: to assist in the true reformation of those who while remaining in the church of Christ have grievously fallen and sinned.
Fourthly: to re-establish in true Christian strength and health those who, while persevering in the fellowship of Christ and not doing anything particularly or grossly wrong, have become somewhat feeble and sick in the Christian life.
Fifthly: to protect from all offense and falling away and continually encourage in all good things those who stay within the flock and in Christ’s sheep-pen without grievously sinning or becoming weak and sick in their Christian walk.
~ from Concerning the True Care of Souls by Martin Bucer (1538) (p. 70)
{May this ever be my prayer, oh Lord my God}
*Note: Caring elders/pastors must seek the lost, bring back the wandering, restore the fallen, strengthen the weak, and encourage the strong. The Gospel brings salvation, healing, and deliverance.
Are You a Moralistic Therapeutic Deist?
Posted: March 19, 2015 in Biblical, Books, Calling, catholic, Charismatic, Christian, Church, Church History, Covenant, Covenant theology, Evangelical, Evangelism, life, Liturgical, Ministry, Orthodox, Preaching, Presbyterian, Protestant, Reformed, Renaissance, Repentance, Sacramental, sanctification, Scriptural, TeachingTags: belief system, deism, deist, faith, false religion, Father, God, Grace, Holy Spirit, hope, Jesus, love, Messiah, moralist, moralistic therapeutic deism, post modernism, repent, repentance, Son, therapeutic
There is talk in some church circles about “moralistic therapeutic deism.” We may abbreviate this ungainly phrase as “MTD,” in allusion to the popular cable channel showing music videos. Many teenagers and young adults are familiar with MTV; however, few would recognize “moralistic therapeutic deism” as playing any role in their lives.
Yet the contention we hear is that MTD, rather than classic Christianity, is the predominant religion among today’s teenagers and young adults. They may not recognize the phrase, but it describes the belief system that they actually profess and practice. And what’s more: We, the parents and other adults around them, are the ones who taught them MTD. This is a serious charge and deserves serious consideration.
An Inarticulate Faith
The phrase “moralistic therapeutic deism,” you will not be surprised to learn, was coined by an academic: Notre Dame sociologist Christian Smith. It has been disseminated more widely by Smith’s associates, including Princeton Seminary professor Kenda Creasy Dean. Based on her research with Smith, Dean published a book, Almost Christian: What the Faith of Our Teenagers is Telling the American Church. Dean has become a popular speaker at church events. She delivered a challenging presentation at my local church on a snowy Saturday in February, and I was among the large crowd that came out to hear her.
Smith, Dean, and their colleagues did surveys and in-depth interviews in which they queried thousands of young people about their religious beliefs and practices. Very few, they found, were atheists or hostile toward religion. On the other hand, relatively few were able to articulate and consistently practice a faith that resembled classic Christianity.
The vast majority of the respondents found it difficult to articulate any kind of belief system. They mentioned God, but it was a vague and distant God. They didn’t have much to say about Jesus.
What the respondents did seem to believe, as Smith summarized it, was: God functions as an authority who gives us rules to guide our behavior (this is the “moralistic” part). The main point of these rules is to be a nice person who gets along with other people. If we obey the rules, God makes us feel good about ourselves (this is the “therapeutic” part). But God isn’t involved in a personal or direct way in our daily lives (this is the “deism” part). He may show up in a crisis, to make us feel better about ourselves.
Almost Christian
This set of half-conscious assumptions is what Smith, Dean, and associates call “moralistic therapeutic deism.” It’s not necessarily false. We should seek good relations with the people around us. If we obey God’s commands, we will usually end up happier. God is a refuge in times of trouble.
Yet the Good News of Jesus Christ is so much greater than any of this. Dean, in her talk, showed a side-by-side comparison of MTD and the Apostles’ Creed. The differences were stark. MTD is all about myself and my happiness. The Apostles’ Creed is about the Truine God–Father, Son, and Holy Spirit–and God’s amazing works from the Creation to the Incarnation to the hope of life eternal.
So how did these teenagers and young adults come to settle for so much less than the Gospel? It wasn’t by rebelling against their parents’ religion. On the contrary, survey respondents by and large felt positively toward their parents and shared common values. Many of them reported that their parents had taken them regularly to church and youth group, and they had few complaints about the experience. It’s just that they didn’t emerge with a distinct Christian faith that they could articulate and practice.
Is This What We Teach Our Children?
Dean suggests a disturbing explanation: Perhaps these teenagers and young adults adopted MTD because that’s what they were taught. That’s basically the philosophy of life they have received from and observed in their parents. It’s what they learned in Sunday school and youth group: Be nice to other people and you’ll have a happy life, and God will be there when you need him. All that stuff about Jesus dying for our sins never really made an impression.
Dean’s presentation provoked some self-examination in me and others at my church: Is MTD what we are teaching our kids? When my wife and I lead Children’s Church, is the message the children are hearing the Gospel of God’s great mercy in Jesus Christ? Or is it something less? Are we preparing them to be nice people or disciples of Jesus Christ?
I must admit that some of the Sunday school curriculum we have used has been very moralistic and therapeutic. We read Bible stories, but the takeaway at the end of the lesson often seems to be that everyone is special to God and kids should be kind to their classmates. There isn’t much said about our being sinners to whom God sent a Savior. I have seen this failing not only in old line Protestant curricula, but also in curricula from publishers that have an evangelical reputation.
How would your congregation fare under this kind of self-examination? Maybe you intend to communicate the Gospel–as my wife and I do–but are you sure that’s what the children are hearing? It’s a question worth asking. The consequences go far into the future–indeed, into eternity.
Taken from “Theology Matters” http://www.theologymatters.com/
Written by: Alan F.H. Wisdom
From Atheist to A Lutheran Pulpit (The Remix)
Posted: March 19, 2015 in Biblical, Books, Calling, catholic, Charismatic, Christian, Church, Church History, Covenant, Covenant theology, Evangelical, Evangelism, life, Liturgical, Lutheran, Ministry, Orthodox, Pentecostal, Preaching, Protestant, Reformed, Renaissance, Repentance, Sacramental, sanctification, Scriptural, Teaching, TestimonyCommunication Strategies in Ministry
Posted: March 6, 2015 in Biblical, Books, Charismatic, Christian, Church, Covenant, Evangelical, Evangelism, life, Liturgical, Lutheran, Ministry, Pentecostal, Preaching, Presbyterian, Protestant, Reformed, Renaissance, Repentance, Sacramental, sanctification, Scriptural, Teaching, universalTags: answers, College, courses, Crown, enable, faith, faithfulness, Father, God, Grace, Holy Spirit, hope, Jesus, learning, power, prayer, redemption, Salvation, Son, studying, trust
Communication Strategies in Ministry
I graduated from Crown College with a BS degree in Christian Ministry. I have learned the essential skills necessary for the communication of the Gospel and biblical truths through a variety of available mediums (this one included). I am studying current mediums for communication, using the basic principles of exegesis and hermeneutics, strategies for effective communication, and preaching. I hope to be further equipped to formulate an effective communication philosophy and strategy for ministry.
Finding a mentor, to me, was like looking for the holy grail. I know what I was looking for, but the search was not uncovering my mentor. You see, I live 70 miles from the church I attend. My wife and I minister there. She plays piano for worship sometimes, teaches children’s church, and I have supplied the pulpit several times. Our pastor left to take another church, so I could not use him as my mentor resource. I visited several churches in the town where I live. I got to know two of the pastors and haven’t really been in communication with them for a while. I was afraid to ask them for their help. Who likes rejection? I did not even consider dropping this course on account of this hunt for my holy mentor. I prayed and agonized about what to do. So, I am sitting here in my office, and the Lord prompted me to send an email to both of the pastors. What have I got to lose? My grade, my GPA, all my effort! Thanks be to God! He does provide and He does supply all our needs. I found a holy mentor! We had our meeting, and he signed the agreement! So, onward, and upward. Whew.
I believe, like Luther and Calvin, that my salvation is totally monergistic. All God, and none of me! However, when I became a Christian, born again, regenerated, transformed by the Holy Spirit, my interaction with God became synergistic. God tells me what to do, and I am supposed to do it! However, even if that is the case, God’s Word tells me that “it is God who is at work in you, enabling you both to will and to work for His good pleasure.” Philippians 2:13 (NRSV) Even though my relationship with God is interactive, He still helps me. He doesn’t leave me without what I need to live in union and communion with Him. He enables me, He enables my will, and He enables my effort. Why? All for His good pleasure. Our wills and our actions are the very arenas where God’s own power is working. His grace still amazes me.
How does this relate to communication strategies? Well, did you get a picture while reading this story? Did you see me as one of Monty Python’s characters riding a stick pony along the wooded landscape? Did you picture me going along hill and dale until I finally came upon that glorious email sent from above saying, “sure I’d be glad to sit down and talk with you about this?” If you did, that’s awesome. If you didn’t, was my communication strategy working? Did you get another picture in your mind while reading this? Either way, the point is that there are many means to communicate – and this blog is one of the means that I use to present the Gospel to a lost and dying world. It works for me.
Application? Always trust in the Lord. Always trust Him for anything and everything. Jesus said that if we ask anything according to God’s will, our prayers will be answered. God will provide the means to accomplish the task He has assigned to you. That says a lot about the content of our prayer…. but hey, that’s another sermon!
In The Hands of the Refiner 