In 1 Corinthians 4:1 Paul said of himself and Apollos "Let a man regard us in this manner, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God." As preachers, Paul and Apollos were stewards of God's Word. The same is true of any preacher today. In Paul's day the master would entrust the steward with the responsibility of feeding the household. The faithful steward would take food from his master's pantry and feed the household with it. In the same way, God has entrusted the preacher with … [Read more...]
Three Ways Satan Tempts Us
Satan targets ministers of the gospel. Part of spiritual leadership is leading yourself in guarding against temptation. God has been most helpful in this regard by telling us in advance where Satan will try and trip us up. When Satan tempts us it will be in one of three areas: 1) Pleasure, 2) Possessions or 3) Pride or some combination of the three. In this post I want to show you that all temptation comes from one (or a combination) of these three sources, and to do that I'll give you four … [Read more...]
Becoming a Powerful Preacher
Here are some verses I have found personally challenging that inspire me to keep growing as a preacher. Scripture: Acts 9:22 says "Saul’s preaching became more and more powerful..." Question: Are my preaching skills getting sharper or duller? Scripture: One time when Paul finished preaching in the synagogue at Antioch in Pisidia the people begged him to come and speak to them again the following week (see Acts 13:42). Question: Are people begging to hear me speak? Scripture: Acts 13:44 says, … [Read more...]
Make It Simple
2 Timothy 2:15 says "Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth." To correctly handle the word of truth literally means to "cut in a straight line." This word is used of road making. If a road maker cuts a straight road the path will be easy to follow. So Paul is saying, in essence, that we ought to teach God's Word in such a simple and straight forward manner that our sermons are as easy to … [Read more...]
Using Copyrighted Work
Today, everything in the United States is licensed, issued, owned, and/or copyrighted. Unless your church is always creating original content for every service, your likely using someone else's copyrighted work. US Copyright laws create great confusion in general, and the church exemption adds to the confusion. Every church is exempt from US Copyright law to perform live music during their regular weekly religious service(s). That means you can hold worship during your service(s) each week with … [Read more...]
Wisdom Over Wealth
We have a Massachusetts based company called Wisdom Over Wealth do our taxes (for our staff) and perform an annual church audit (well, the church version of an audit anyways). Here's what I like about them: The founder and CEO, Bill O'Connell, is a great guy. They have extensive experience doing ministers taxes. They are reasonably priced. Before switching to Wisdom Over Wealth I was paying an arm and a leg for tax services. I have peace of mind knowing that I'll never be on the front page … [Read more...]
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