Aug 2007
Starting a trail
Aug/23/2007 17:00 Filed in: General
I'd love to write down my ideas about the gospel of Jesus with you. New discoveries are worth passing on so that others can profit from it.
When I prepare sermons I there may be thoughts that I can't put in there. I will share them with you here.
Sermon Notes on: Meditation as a preparation for prayer
Aug/23/2007 14:20 Filed in: Christian
Living |
Sermon
Notes
A new thought? Prayer as a response to what God says
(this entry is related to the sermon on Joshua 1:8)I often notice that I pray about the same things in the same words. How about you? I also notice it in other people's prayers. We tend to use certain phrases.
I am not happy with this. Of course God will hear our prayer every time we pray for forgiveness in the name of Jesus. The condition is that we repent from the heart and trust in the sacrifice of Jesus. It does not depend on the words you choose, provided you don't turn it into vain repetitions (Matthew 6).
However, I am wondering: can we change the way we say it so that we don't fall into a rut because we have our fixed formulas? And wouldn't God be pleased if we respond to new insights we gain from the Bible?
I would put it like this: when I grow my prayers should grow in depth and creativity. The way your own children talk to you when they are 22 will hopefully differ from the way they talked when they were 2. They won't be asking things only. They will talk more intelligently. They will have developed certain gifts and desires. They have changed and the way they talk to their parents will change. Wouldn't the same thing happen in the lives of God's children?
Sermon Notes on John15 - Jesus is your friend
Aug/23/2007 11:12 Filed in: Sermon Notes
Prayer
I think this has a great impact for how you can pray to him.
First, please read the whole passage in your Bible: John15,10-17.
Pray to Jesus as to your friend?
Doesn't that ignore the difference between Jesus and us? He is God, right? People who have been raised in the Christian faith often find this too familiar.If you are afraid of this, consider this:
- Jesus spoke these words. We can and should regard him as our friend if he says so.
- the general way in which Jesus spoke tells us that he is not speaking about the 12 disciples only. V. 13 is true for every Christian: "Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends." Jesus laid down his life for you. He is the best friend you'll ever find.
- calling Jesus your friend implies a lifestyle that is characterized by discipleship: vs. 14 and 15 show that the disciples Jesus is talking about are the ones who follow his commands and who know the things that Jesus taught. Calling Jesus your friend can never lead to a familiarity that ignores his authority and identity as God's Son and the savior.
- if you understand friendship you will know that good friends never misuse their friendship. Claiming Jesus as your friend while praying for your own desires and trying to use him for your own agenda shows that do not know Jesus at all. Jesus said: "a servant does not know his master's business"; a friend however, is not only in the know but he defends and supports his friend's business. Jesus' disciples can call themselves his friends if they make his kingdom their first priority.
Go ahead, pray to Jesus, your friend!
Church Growth
Aug/23/2007 11:00 Filed in: Evangelism/Outreach
This is an
entry about the past. Now that I’m living in
United States I reminisce about the church planting
work I was involved in in South Africa.
It is a strange feeling: the first two years there I thought nothing was happening. People were coming to the Bible studies and worship services, but I was measuring the progress by the number of people who became members, and that didn’t happen until 1999, 2 years after I started. So I thought it was going slow, but when I left in 2003, the church had grown to 75 members.
Compared to Colorado, though, that is the speed of light. I’ve been here three years, and the church has only shrunk! It is slowly growing again.
You can imagine that I am asking myself why I left the mission field in the first place.
The comparison teaches me a couple of things:
- as a servant of God, you must watch out not to be in it for success. A preoccupation with numbers may reveal just such a motivation. If I see many people join the church after I begin working there, I tend to think it’s because of me. The temptation is to see this as a personal victory: they like my sermons! They connect to me!
Don't think like that. Preach Jesus Christ and lead people to him, do not try to get a following.
- But how about justifiying a lack of effectiveness by saying ‘numbers don’t count’? That's another trap. When results are lacking you might say: 'that's because they reject the gospel.' How do you know you are not simply being ineffective, spending your time on the wrong activities or people?
I would look at the responses of people: have they understood the gospel and been brought to a decision? Then you have done your job. However, if you don't press for a decision for or against Christ, or if you did not preach the gospel clearly so that they could understand it, something is wrong. The gospel must be preached understandably and with love so that those who hear it know who Jesus is to them, see the need to repent and believe in him, and are drawn to his love.
- Numbers do count. God wants everyone to repent and believe in Jesus. Every person who follows him is one less in Satan's hellish kingdom and one more receiving joy in Gods' kingdom. That matters and makes a difference in eternity!
It would not be good if we did not care about the results of our efforts of sharing the gospel. It would constitute a lack of love for the sinners you talk to (like 'I don't care whether you believe in Jesus and live, or not') and it would take away from the glory of Christ (he sent you to tell the whole world that he is king, didn't he?).
In the end, it is not about statistics, but about hearts of real people transformed by the gospel. That counts.
It is a strange feeling: the first two years there I thought nothing was happening. People were coming to the Bible studies and worship services, but I was measuring the progress by the number of people who became members, and that didn’t happen until 1999, 2 years after I started. So I thought it was going slow, but when I left in 2003, the church had grown to 75 members.
Compared to Colorado, though, that is the speed of light. I’ve been here three years, and the church has only shrunk! It is slowly growing again.
You can imagine that I am asking myself why I left the mission field in the first place.
The comparison teaches me a couple of things:
- as a servant of God, you must watch out not to be in it for success. A preoccupation with numbers may reveal just such a motivation. If I see many people join the church after I begin working there, I tend to think it’s because of me. The temptation is to see this as a personal victory: they like my sermons! They connect to me!
Don't think like that. Preach Jesus Christ and lead people to him, do not try to get a following.
- But how about justifiying a lack of effectiveness by saying ‘numbers don’t count’? That's another trap. When results are lacking you might say: 'that's because they reject the gospel.' How do you know you are not simply being ineffective, spending your time on the wrong activities or people?
I would look at the responses of people: have they understood the gospel and been brought to a decision? Then you have done your job. However, if you don't press for a decision for or against Christ, or if you did not preach the gospel clearly so that they could understand it, something is wrong. The gospel must be preached understandably and with love so that those who hear it know who Jesus is to them, see the need to repent and believe in him, and are drawn to his love.
- Numbers do count. God wants everyone to repent and believe in Jesus. Every person who follows him is one less in Satan's hellish kingdom and one more receiving joy in Gods' kingdom. That matters and makes a difference in eternity!
It would not be good if we did not care about the results of our efforts of sharing the gospel. It would constitute a lack of love for the sinners you talk to (like 'I don't care whether you believe in Jesus and live, or not') and it would take away from the glory of Christ (he sent you to tell the whole world that he is king, didn't he?).
In the end, it is not about statistics, but about hearts of real people transformed by the gospel. That counts.