What a remarkable life’s story the Apostle Paul had! Just imagine the experience of the Damascus road. In one day his life was completely upended, rerouted, and utterly transformed by the wonder-working power of the Lord Jesus Christ. And Paul never got over it. Never.

It seems he captured every opportunity to tell and retell it. Such was the case in Acts 26:1-23 as Paul awaited transport to Rome for an appellate decision on his previous arrest in Jerusalem. A visit from Agrippa afforded Paul yet another opportunity to share his wonderful story with a ready listener.

Could it be that the local church has so “systematized” and “methodized” her evangelism efforts that the gospel presentation has become dry and dusty to its recipient? It seems that the average church member has been exposed to the “Romans Road” approach and the “Four Spiritual Laws” method, but he has forgotten the power of sharing such vital truth within the context of his own compelling life’s story.

As we wrap the gospel message in the unique package of our own testimony, it tends to become more attractive—and relevant—to those with whom we share it. Everybody loves to hear a good story, and the best story we can tell him is the story of when we met the Lord. Consider Paul’s story: Read more…

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One of the purposes of this blog is to deal with issues that are both important and relevant to the family. Of paramount importance to any family is the topic of child rearing.

We’ve all been unhappy bystanders at the “supermarket meltdown.” Some cute, precious toddler has been told that he can do without the tantalizing and strategically placed candy bar next to the checkout counter. In mere seconds a transformation takes place! The toddler suddenly morphs into a Tasmanian devil with an amplifier for a voice box. You know what I’m talking about. Sometimes the kid is even related to us.

Trying not to stare, but deriving a certain voyeuristic pleasure, we watch as the predictable drama unfolds:

Mother: No, Sweetheart, Mommy doesn’t want you to have that.

Toddler: But I WAANNNTT it!!

Narrator’s comment: Kids don’t play fair. Often they employ the time-honored weapon of embarrassment. They know that their increased volume level has attracted curious onlookers, and they sense your growing level of discomfort. In fact, they take an almost sadistic delight in it. Read more…

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What a wonderful jump start we have had to this brand new year! Beginning on the very first Sunday of 2010, our church has adopted the theme, “First Things First.” We’ve learned that the successful life is not so much a matter of “prioritizing our schedules” as it is of “scheduling our priorities.”

Prioritizing a schedule assumes that we already have the right duties in it, albeit sometimes in the wrong order.  Scheduling our priorities means that we figure out what Biblical essentials should be in our lives–whether they exist now or not–and then determine to put those priorities in our schedules first. First things first!

In keeping with this year’s theme, we have heard messages on the need to “seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness.” A life fraught with worry is typically one that has lost its focus on God and His righteousness. Additionally we have learned the principle of “radical simplification.” We love God by serving people. Jesus encapsulated the sum of a disciple’s responsibility in that concept! First things first! How sad that in the multiplicity of tasks performed in local churches for the Lord, that we miss sometimes the simplicity of Jesus’ teaching…

This past week our church focused on the first responsibility of a believer: baptism. Collectively we answered the question, “What doth hinder me to be baptized?” We learned that nothing should take precedence in a true believer’s life over the initial step of obedience to the Lord through baptism. To the glory of God, scores responded to the simple Bible message by getting baptized this past Sunday or scheduling a time in the immediate future to do so!

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Seek to affirm his godly and God-ordained relationships.

Spiritual leaders should always strive to view themselves as team members when it comes to impacting the lives of young people. At times the unwise youth leader will unknowingly alienate teenagers from other great influences in his life.

Timothy did not enjoy the privilege of having a Christian father; he was however blessed with a godly mother and grandmother. Paul did not view his role in Timothy’s life as one adversarial to the role of Timothy’s other spiritual leaders. In fact, he affirmed their influence and reminded Timothy of the importance of such positive leadership.

Youth pastors, teachers, and lay leaders need to understand that their ministry of mentorship in the lives of a young person represents one small segment of that teenager’s journey of faith. In so many of the lives of our young people, parents and grandparents have been laboring and praying and investing for many years before we ever get involved—and for many years after our involvement again diminishes. How foolish it would be for us, in the six or seven years they participate in our youth ministries, to alienate them from their primary leaders! Read more…

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Tell him that you enjoy being with him! Do not underestimate the value of an emotional bond (2 Tim. 1:4). “Greatly desiring to see thee, being mindful of thy tears…”

Have you ever heard somebody say, “I love him, but I just don’t like him!”? I’m not a big fan of such sentiment. Those whom God calls us to serve should be those with whom we form close emotional ties.

Paul invested in his young protégé Timothy for years. Together they forged the gospel trail throughout Asia and into Europe. Together they faced the challenges of persecution at Philippi, Thessalonica, and Berea. Together, for almost three years, they helped to establish the great church at Ephesus.

No doubt they spent many long hours not only mutually laboring for others, but also sharpening one another. “Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” These men had invested their time in each other’s lives; no wonder they possessed such warm affection for each other!

As leaders in our respective fields, we must not underestimate the value of simply spending time with those whom we lead. Even in the ministry of Jesus, we find Him often seeking respite from the crowd in order to spend time with His disciples. Love means many things, but near the top of the list, love means time. Read more…

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