Pulpit Magazine
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(By John MacArthur) On June 12, 1944, just six days after D-Day in World War II, a young lieutenant named Richard Winters led his men to the outskirts of Carentan. As the officer in charge of Easy Company, of the 101st Airborne, he was tasked to clear the large French town of its German defenders. It would be a small battle, but it played a significant role in the massive effort to rid the world of Adolf Hitler and the Nazis. As Winters led his company up the road toward town, the company started taking machine gun fire from a German MG42. The men instinctively dived for cover into ditches ... [read more]
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(By Martin Luther) For any who might suppose that Martin Luther’s 16th-century “harsh language” justifies 21st-century frivolity or filthy talk (especially from the pulpit), we offer these thoughts from Luther himself. The following comes from his sermon on Ephesians 5:3-4. . . . “Filthiness”—scandalous talk—is unchaste language suggestive of fornication, uncleanness and carnal sins. It is common in taverns and generally found as accompaniment of gluttony, drunkenness and gambling. Especially were the Greeks frivolous and adepts in this respect, as their po... [read more]
add to discussion(By Charles Spurgeon) Today’s post comes from an 1884 sermon by Spurgeon. Though over a century old, its point is as relevant today as when it was first preached. You [as preachers] have nothing else to employ as the means of good, except the salvation of Jesus, and there is nothing else worth telling. I heard of a congregation the other day that was so very small that hardly any one came to listen to the preacher. Instead of blaming himself, and preaching better, the minister said he thought he was not doing much good by sermons and prayer-meetings, and therefore he would found a clu... [read more]
add to discussion(By Jesse Johnson) If evangelism is a lifestyle, not an event, are there certain things that pastors can do encourage people to be faithful to their calling? Here are some ideas that we have used at Grace Church to facilitate, encourage, and equip our people for evangelism: Hand out free New Testaments to your congregation: Have the church purchase these, and hand one to everyone on a Sunday morning. Encourage them to hand them out to someone whom they know, but with whom they have been reluctant to share the Gospel. Encourage the people to personalize it in some way, such as marking their ... [read more]
add to discussion(By Jesse Johnson) * Jesse is serves as Associate Pastor of Local Outreach Ministries at Grace Church. On Sunday afternoons I used to pass a well-dressed man standing on a milk crate at the corner of Roscoe and Van Nuys boulevards. He wore a placard around his neck that said “Jesus is Lord,” and bellowed phrases like “Jesus loves you” and “Read the Bible” into a bullhorn. Cars at the red light would roll up their windows, while the people huddled at the bus stop looked on, visibly annoyed. This man’s evangelism caused me cognitive conflict. On one hand, he was trying to do som... [read more]
add to discussion(By Nathan Busenitz) Perhaps Doug Wilson said it best last week when, in a comment on his own blog, he wrote: Just for the record, I draw a distinction between what is appropriate in the pulpit and elsewhere . . . . [T]he voltage of words varies, not just according to century, but also according to the medium available to conduct it. And I also draw a distinction between prophetic polemical language and pomo bad boy usage. A right use of this kind of talk will be more likely to make everyone furious with you; a wrong use will get you book deals. The distinctions Wilson draws are critical, a... [read more]
add to discussion(By Kurt Gebhards) * Kurt serves as the Pastor of Children’s Ministries at Grace Church. One dynamic of Children’s Ministries at Grace Community Church is that most of the children we minister to come from Christian families. Many of them are blessed with the sound and systematic teaching from God’s Word both at home and in the church, and even sometimes in school. This is something to be grateful for, but it also presents a unique challenge to those of us in Children’s Ministries. While the world breeds rebels, the church can unwittingly breed hypocrites. It is the sad testimon... [read more]
add to discussion(By John MacArthur) J. H. Jowett once said, “The real measure of our wealth is how much we would be worth if we lost all our money.” He was right. Earthly riches or the lack of them has nothing to do with real wealth. The only treasure that matters is the treasure you lay up in heaven. Jesus taught, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, t... [read more]
add to discussion(Review by Nathan Williams)Â In Search of a Confident Faith by J.P. Moreland & Klaus Issler There may be no more misunderstood word in American culture today than the word faith. Many people use the term, but few grasp the biblical teaching about what constitutes genuine faith. In their book In Seach of a Confident Faith, J.P. Moreland and Klaus Issler attempt to deal with this misunderstanding of the essential nature of faith. This book seeks to answer a number of significant questions dealing with faith. What is the nature of true faith? Why must we even relate to God in terms of fai... [read more]
add to discussion(By Nathan Busenitz) It was June 15, 2000—just over eight years ago—when James Montgomery Boice entered his heavenly rest. That same day marked the beginning of that year’s Ligonier National Conference in Orlando, Florida. The theme was “Upsetting the World” and the speakers included an all-star line up as men like R.C. Sproul, John Piper, Sinclair Ferguson, Douglas Wilson and Al Mohler addressed those in attendance. By all accounts, it was a uniquely emotion-filled conference, and understandably so. One of evangelicalism’s foremost pastors, scholars, and statesmen had just gone... [read more]
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