Early in my pastoral ministry, a wise professor warned me to make sure my preaching was more like roots than like pipes. The water and other nutrients a tree or plant needs are found passes through the roots. And as the roots feed the tree, the roots themselves become stronger. However, water passes through pipes without the water benefiting the pipes in any way. The water helps others, but not the pipes. In fact, the longer the water passes through the pipes, the more rust and decay corrupt the pipes. So those of us who preach and teach the word...

Here is the sermon skeleton from Wednesday night's message:Title: “Embracing the Wonder of God’s Word”Text: Psalm 119:129-136Theme: The wonderful word of GodPoint: You can move beyond the common life by embracing the wonder of God’s word.Transitional Sentence: Embracing the wonder of God’s word will transform your life in specific three ways.Outline:I. The word of God will renew your mind (119:129-131).Verses 129-131 shows us three attitudes you must in order to experience the power of God’s word to renew your mind.A. An attitude of reverence (v. 129)B. An attitude of openness (v. 130)C. An attitude of longing (v. 131)II. The word...

This past week, I spoke at the last three meetings outside of MSMBC that I have scheduled for 2006. Tuesday (11/7), I spoke at the Perfect Peace Bible Church in Los Angeles, where Charles Ashley is the pastor. Wednesday through Friday (11/8-10), I spoke at the Union Evangelistic Baptist Church in Chicago Heights, where Pastor James Flint has served for over thirty-five years. Pastor Flint began his ministry under my father, many years ago. And it was an honor to have this opportunity to preach to the warm congregation of the Union Church. I also had the opportunity to meet...

I spoke at the Perfect Peace Bible Church in Los Angeles Tuesday night. Pastor Charles Ashley asked me to come several months ago, when we saw each other at a convention meeting. But we failed to talk again after that. So there was somewhat of a scheduling conflict. But I was able to speak Tuesday night. Pastor “Scruffie” Shiggs and the Love Lifted Me Church family were also in attendance. MSMBC partnered in ministry with this congregation some years ago. And it is such a joy to see how the Lord is continuing to work in and through this unique...

Over the past week, America has had a front row seat to see Christianity on display at both its worst and its best. Last week, Ted Haggard, the former pastor of New Life Church in Colorado Springs and former president of the National Association of Evangelicals, was confronted with allegations of gross sinful behavior. And though he claims that all of the charges against him are not true, he admits that enough of them are true to warrant him being removed from his various ministry leadership posts. In a letter read to New Life this past Sunday, Haggard described himself...

This weekend, the pastoral leaders and staff of MSMBC met together for our annual retreat, in which we review the previous year and plan for the coming year (and beyond). While I noted that Friday's meeting went well; Saturday was a litter tougher. Our congregation worships at a location where there is no parking (members park a block or so away, behind a supermarket). We do not have much Christian education space either (we also use another building a block away for Sunday School). And our building needs much repair. And as we process the options that we have, it...

Here is the sermon skeleton from yesterday's message:Title: "The Way of Salvation"Text: Ephesians 2:8-10Theme: The way of salvationPoint: Christians need to understand how we got save just as much as non-Christians need to understand how to get saved.Outline:I. We need to understand the source of salvation: "by grace you have been saved" (2:8a)II. We need to understand the means of salvaiton: "through faith" (2:8a)III. We need to understand the nature of salvation: "It is the gift of God" (2:8c)A. Self does not save: "And this is not your own doing" (2:8b)B. Works do not save: "not a result of works"...

I am at the 2006 MSMBC Church Council Retreat. Actually, the staff and the pastoral leaders of the church are together this weekend - evaluating the past year of ministry and planning for the upcoming year. This is the fourth of fifth time we have done this. And it is usually a great time of prayer, fellowship, and vision-casting. This year is no different. No, I take that back. It is a little different this year. We have come here with a pretty clear and unified agenda of matters we need to process and made decisions about before we go...

I continued my exposition of Psalm 119 in our Midweek Worship Service last night. At this point, I am pressing to conclude this study by the end of the year. That's the plan. I hope I am able to accomplish it. Here is the skeleton from last night's message on the sixteenth stanza of Psalm 119.Title: “Praying your Way through Mistreatment”Text: Psalm 119:120-128Theme: A prayer for deliverance from unjust sufferingPoint: You can trust God to do what is right even when it seems that everything is going wrong.Transitional Sentence: In this Ayin stanza of Psalm 119, the writer shows us...

"If I Should write of the heavy burden of the godly preacher, which he must carry and endure, as I know from my own experience, I would scare every man from the office of preaching." - Martin Luther, The Table Talk of Martin Luther

Yesterday, I continued our exposition of the book of Ephesians with a message from Ephesians 2:4-7. It was a continuation of the message from the previous week, which focused on verses 1-3. Personally, the study of this passage has been refreshing and reinvigorating. I am so grateful for the grace and mercy of God that has saved me through Jesus Christ. And I praise the Lord that he has chosen me to be a herald of the good news. I am also grateful for the privilege of being the teaching pastor at Mt. Sinai Church. I am blessed to be...

Last night, we continued our study of Psalm 119 during our midweek worship service. I have not been there in several weeks. And I really missed the worship and fellowship. This particular section of Psalm 119 was not an easy nut to crack. It begins, in verse 113, with the writer declaring, "I hate the double-minded, but I love your law." I meditated on that statement for days, before I remembered that I had seven more verses to study. On the surface, it seems that this opening statement sets a rather stern tone for the rest of the stanza. But,...