preaching

  • How I Spent My Summer, # 1: In the Library (or the story of the $ 95 blog)

    Earlier this summer we traveled out West, with stops in South Dakota, Wyoming and Montana.

    I do hope to post on that sometime. But that will take a bit more effort. Sorting through pictures, etc.

    Today I’d like to share a little story of an incident that happened the Friday after we returned home.

    I often meet up with a friend Friday mornings and sometimes head over to one of my favorite libraries afterwards.

    So I did that very thing that Friday morning.

    I think I’d gotten a little nugget of an idea for the post I began writing that day sometime the night before or that morning.

    As I sat down with my laptop and coffee travel mug (yes, they’re allowed at this library), it began to flow.

    (No, not the coffee, but the words! )

    Praying and reflecting.

    Reading and contemplating on Scripture.

    More writing, some fixes, edits, tweaks.

    Repeat. Repeat. Repeat.

    Etc., etc., etc.

    Finally it was finished.

    If you’ve been reading on my other site, you know I’ve been serious about joy.

    So that post was another one in my series of letters on assurance and fighting for joy.

    dear devil/dear flock of God (day in, day out): Letter 63 on assurance & joy was posted at 2:42 that Friday afternoon.

    Don’t ask me all I did after I posted that entry.

    A bit of reading, commenting, messaging, pondering, looking out the window (nice view), sipping on cold coffee, idk.

    Anyhow, 4:15 rolls around.

    An announcement comes that the front desk that the library will be closing at 4:30.

    (This is a private college library and this was one of those dead weeks during the summer.)

    “Ok,” I think, “Fine. I’ll start packing up. I should get going. I’m hungry after all. Where has the time gone?”

    (I confess I can get pretty carried away with reading and writing and so forth.)

    As soon I stepped out of the cool library into the bright summer heat, I remembered…

    “My car is parked in the tow zone!”

    (No parking between 4pm and 6pm on weekdays.)

    Oops!

    I couldn’t help but chuckle (yes, it was a bit of an annoyed chuckle), knowing I had just finished that post on joy.

    God does have a sense of humor (or is it humour?).

    I did pick up the pace, however, thinking that perhaps they’d not come around to tow my car to who knows where.

    Well, I got there.

    My car wasn’t there.

    I called a friend to get the phone number for the parking enforcement people.

    She was there to get my call.

    The friend I chose to call did live nearby – just in case I’d be in need of a ride to who knows where to get my car.

    Turns out it was towed to an open spot a couple blocks away so I was able to retrieve it easily.

    Of course, there was a price to pay…

    The small print says $ 95.

    $ 50 for towing.

    $ 45 to the city.

    Blockhead. Idiot.

    Yes, I won’t do that again, I’m sure.

    So there we have it.

    How I spent my summer, # 1:

    In the library.

    This is the story of the $ 95 blog.

    Let’s think about this now.

    As of tonight here’s the view count and recs for that particular post:

    Posted 7/9/2010 2:42 PM – 26 Views – 6 eProps – 5 comments

    recs
    2

    So, according to my calculations, that works out to

    just under $ 16 / eProp

    or $ 19 / comment,

    well, technically a cool $ 47.50 / comment (not counting my comments),

    or $ 47.50 / rec.

    Um, yeah, I’m not getting that money.

    Was it worth it?

    Yes!

    Priceless.

    I’ve heard some ministers say they would pay to preach.

    My hope and prayer is that all ministers would say that.

    I don’t get paid for doing what I do.

    There’s a lot of freedom that comes with that.

    It’s my joy and pleasure and privilege to write to make Christ known and build up the Church.

    So long as God provides for me and gives me words to write, I hope to continue to do so.

    I Corinthians 9:15-18.

    But I hope not to get any more parking tickets.

  • “God’s Word will make its own way/this foolishness of preaching” (George Whitefield’s Journals)

    Down in Chicago-land for Ignite…

    Filled up earlier tonight with some Chicago-style stuffed pizza…

    And then filled up with some of Whitefield’s words from 1739…


    Wednesday, July 18. … I reached Abingdon, twenty-two miles from Cirencester, about seven, and preached to several thousands soon after I came in.  Much opposition had been made against my coming. T he landlord, whose house we offered to put up at, genteellly told us he had not room for us; and numberless prejudices had been industriously spread to prevent my success.  But God’s Word will make its own way, let men say what they please.  Our weapons are not carnal, but mighty through the Divine Power, to the pulling down of Satan’s strongholds.

    Thursday, July 19.  At the request of several well-disposed people, preached again this morning, though not to so great a number as before.  A sweet power was felt amongst us.  The hearers melted into tears under the Word.  Oh, what a sudden alteration does this foolishness of preaching make in the most obstinate hearts.  ‘Tis but for God to speak the word, and the lion is turned into a lamb.  Oh, that we were like that dear Lamb of God, Who died to take away the sins of the world.

    I Corinthians 1:18  For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God. 19  For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent. 20  Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? 21  For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.

    Related:

  • Good Friday: Jesus Christ & the cross ARE an offense…What does that mean for us?

    Following up on a little exchange in the comments section of a previous post. (HT: the llama)

    Isaiah 8:14: And he will become a sanctuary and a stone of offense and a rock of stumbling to both houses of Israel, a trap and a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

    Matthew 13:57: And they took offense at him. But Jesus said to them, A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown and in his own household.

    Mark 6:3: Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? And are not his sisters here with us? And they took offense at him.

    John 6:61: But Jesus, knowing in himself that his disciples were grumbling about this, said to them, Do you take offense at this?

    Romans 9:33: as it is written,


    Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone of stumbling, and a rock of     offense;
    and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.

    Galatians 5:11: But if I, brothers, still preach circumcision, why am I still being persecuted? In that case the offense of the cross has been removed.

    I Peter 2:8: …A stone of stumbling,

    and a rock of offense.

    They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do.

    CrossJesus Christ and the cross of Christ are an offense, a rock of offense. There’s no way around it. (Of course, that type of offense is not to be confused with the offense we can cause others solely due to our own mannerisms, lack of love, rudeness, ineptness, impatience, stupidity, etc.)

    How is Jesus Christ and the cross of Christ an offense?

    Well, let’s consider what Christ and the cross tell us about:

    • the character and nature of God
    • the character and nature of man
    • the position of man relative to God apart from the cross
    • the way of salvation
    • the attempts of man to be righteous
    • the attempts of Christians to live a righteous life

    If the world doesn’t find the message we preach an offense, then perhaps we’re not really preaching Jesus Christ and the cross of Christ as we ought…

    Might there be any time we could be justified in making the Gospel less offensive?

    Since the world took offense at Christ and His teachings, shouldn’t we as Christians expect the world to take offense at us and our teachings (if we are teaching rightly)…after all since we are the Lord’s, we should be preaching the cross of Christ, the rock of offense.

    Matthew 10:24  “A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. 25  It is enough for the disciple to be like his teacher, and the servant like his master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign those of his household…”

    John 17:14  I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.

    When was the last time someone took offense for your proclaiming the Gospel of Christ?

    Have you ever been tempted to shrink back from preaching the offense of the cross?

    Are we sometimes more worried about offending other people rather than preaching the offense of the cross? I know this is a struggle for me. I must continue to mortify by the Spirit my desire to be liked by men so I might speak as God directs me. When I don’t speak as I ought, I am offense to God. Hasn’t my Lord bled and died for me and redeemed me so I might proclaim Him boldly? Shouldn’t we (I) be fearing God rather than fearing men (Matthew 10:26-33)?

    How do you react when you hear the Gospel of Christ and the cross of Christ twisted so it is no longer an offense?

    What experiences have you had with others who have been offended by Christ and the cross of Christ?

    Think back to when you found the Gospel an offense and balked at and rejected the message of Christ and the cross? How did God work to change your heart and mind?

    (Presuming most of those who’ll read this are saved, but if you are not a Christian, can you explain why you find Jesus Christ and the cross an offense to you? After all, if you’re not believing in Christ, there must be something offensive about Him and His message.)

    If you sit under good preaching, preaching that boldly and unashamedly proclaims the offense of the cross, when was the last time you encouraged your pastor in his ministry? If you’ve not done so in a while, would you please letting your pastor(s) know how much you appreciate him/them sometime soon?

    If you do not currently sit under good preaching, please continue to pray for the Holy Spirit to convict your pastor(s) and empower and equip him/them to proclaim unashamedly the Gospel with boldness and assurance.

    Let’s all ask God to continue to raise up men who are committed to preaching the offense of the cross without reservation and to empower and strengthen each one of us to speak boldly of Christ and the cross and not to shrink back in fear or shame.

    May God open the eyes of those who are blinded to the glory of Christ and the cross so they might embrace His way of salvation rather than rejecting it.

    May God continue to raise up ministers of the Word who will not compromise but will preach the offense of Jesus Christ and the cross without reservation or hesitation.

    May God keep us faithfully proclaiming Christ and Him crucified. After all, what other Savior is there, and what other message can save?

    For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.
    I Corinthians 2:2

    Romans 1:16-17 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.

    Matthew 10:24  “A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. 25  It is enough for the disciple to be like his teacher, and the servant like his master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign those of his household.

    26  “So have no fear of them, for nothing is covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. 27  What I tell you in the dark, say in the light, and what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops. 28  And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. 29  Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. 30  But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. 31  Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows. 32  So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, 33  but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.”