During our brief Wednesday night study prior to our time of prayer we've been considering how to profit from preaching.  Preaching is a large part of what we do when we gather for worship at GBF.  We believe it is the means that God has ordained for the salvation of sinners and the sanctification of the saints.  So the preacher must labor diligently to bring the Word of God to bear on the lives of each one in the congregation.  Assuming that you have a preacher who faithfully proclaims God's Word, how can you profit from his preaching?  Robert Spinney gives 6 principles in his booklet, How to Survive Your Pastor's Sermons: Six Ways to Make Pulpit Messages More Profitable to Your Soul.  I am simply going to list the 6 principles here.  If you'd like to read more, you can buy the booklet here.
 
1.      Listen to the weekly Sunday sermon as if your life depended on it.
2.      Look for God’s remedies for sin and His instructions for living in a sinful world.
3.      Expect to be taught by the Holy Spirit as you hear God’s Word proclaimed.
4.      Be determined to listen…regardless of the speaker’s oratory skills.
5.      A profitable Bible message is one that delivers one life transforming truth.
6.      Pre-commit to apply and obey God’s Word as it is set forth in the sermon.

Here also is a helpful blog post by Philip Ryken on how to listen to a sermon.  He emphases a prepared soul, alert mind, open Bible, receptive heart, and readiness to put what you hear into practice.  Enjoy!  And when you listen to your next sermon, make sure you walk away the better for it. 

Shocker.  Two blog posts in two days.  I know.  I’m still recovering myself.  But I have recently heard of more than one evangelical friend giving up something for Lent.  Hmm.  This is troubling to me in some ways (depending on their reasoning for doing so which I have not investigated).  So since this is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent (a season of preparation for Good Friday and Easter), a few brief thoughts: I'm not going to address every aspect of Lent, every question you've ever had about it, the benefits of learning self-denial, etc.  

Jesus assumes that his followers will fast.  There is real benefit to foregoing food for a time in order to focus on prayer.  Even the hunger pangs themselves can serve to remind us of our poverty before God and his rich abundance to provide all that we need, whatever the situation we are facing.  True fasting is good for God’s people and honoring to him.  It is not about manipulating God or trying to earn favor with him.

That said, 3 troubling things about Lent.  Giving something up for Lent is not fasting.  Fasting is giving up food altogether for a period of time.  So not eating chocolate or no soda or not watching American Idol for 40 days is not fasting.  Second, telling everyone what you’re giving up for Lent (and how hard it will be/is for you) goes against what Jesus teaches regarding fasting.  After warning against those who fast to be seen by others, he says in Matthew 6:17-18, "But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret.  And your Father who sees in secret will reward you."  And finally it smacks of trying to earn favor with God and trying to pay for our own sin by our own "suffering" – things we cannot do and don’t need to do because Jesus has accomplished all that we need before God.  As we approach Good Friday and Easter, let's focus on Christ and his perfect work.

This might be a rather self-serving post, but I hope it will be an encouragement to you as well.  Pastors need prayer.  I know this by personal experience.  You probably do too whether you are the pastor or the one who sits under the pastor's ministry.  The apostle Paul asked for prayer.  For example in Ephesians 6:18-20 he says, "To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, and also for me that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel."  Paul needed prayer and so do I.  The obvious benefit of praying for the pastor is the help that is afforded him in the work of the ministry.  But does praying for your pastor help you too?  I believe it does.  I ran across this quote from Philip Ryken.
  
          Most churchgoers assume that the sermon starts when the pastor opens his mouth on Sunday.  However, listening to a
          sermon actually starts the week before.  It starts when we pray for the minister, asking God to bless the time he spends
          studying the Bible as he prepares to preach.  In addition to helping the preacher, our prayers help create in us a sense 
          of expectancy for the ministry of God's Word.  This is one of the reasons that when it comes to preaching, congregations 
          generally get what they pray for.

So please pray for your pastor.  This one certainly needs it.  But you may find as you pray for him that you profit more from his ministry.  It is easy to criticize the preaching (and we need this too!).  It is harder to pray for the preacher.  But multiple blessings await us as we pray for the things God calls us to pray for!  May we often be found at the throne of grace where mercy and grace are dispensed to us in our time of need.

What do you think when you look at our country and our world?  Are you afraid or at peace?  There are many reasons for concern.  Severe economic crises are devastating various European nations.  There is a power struggle in the volatile countries of the Middle East.  Nations with unstable governments have nuclear weapons.  Our own nation is descending further into crippling debt.  We are facing a presidential election that may or may not provide our country with the leadership we need in the next 4 years.  Society's slide into moral decay and inhibition appears to continue unchecked.  There is confusion about sexuality, marriage, right, wrong, and everything in between.  Feeling good yet? 
 
What should the Christian's response be?  I hope yours is not despair or depression.  Instead, here are 2 responses that should characterize us: confident joy and a willingness to be salt and light.  
How in the world can we have cause for confidence and joy in the midst of great trouble and turmoil?  
1.  God is on the throne.  Psalm 2 says, "The kings of earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD and against his anointed...He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord holds them in derision."  If God laughs, why shouldn't we?  He is not troubled by government instability and economic disaster.  He is our sovereign God and we rest in his powerful, wise, good hands.
2.  Jesus.  John 14:27;16:33 "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.  Not as the world gives do I give to you.  Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid...I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace.  In the world you will have tribulation.  But take heart; I have overcome the world."  Do you believe him?
3.  Our joy is in the Lord, not in our circumstances.  Philippians 4:4 "Rejoice in the Lord always; again i will say, Rejoice."  If our joy was tied to our circumstances, reading the first paragraph of this post might be enough to fill us with despair.  But our joy is in the Lord who does not change.   

The second response is to be salt and light in the dark and decaying world in which we live.  Matthew 5:13-16 "You are the salt of the earth...You are the light of the world.  A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.  Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house.  In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven."  Do your neighbors and classmates and co-workers know that you love Jesus?  Is your community the better for your salty influence?  Are you going to vote in the election?  Have you volunteered at or supported your local crisis pregnancy center?  Are you faithful to and active in your local church?  Are you preparing your children for this kind of life?  You have influence.  Don't waste it by hiding away in fear.  It may be tempting to isolate yourself from all you see that you don't like, but that's not the life God has called us to.  He has called us to live for him in this world.  May your life of confident joy be salty and bright in your community.

I eat three meals a day...with some snacks in between. I rarely consider skipping a meal.  I know that if I don't eat, my body becomes weak and I can't function as I usually do.  You've experienced this as well.  We must have food in order to thrive or even survive, and we are very regular about making sure we get that needed sustenance.  Of course we also often over indulge, but that is a point for another day.
The point I am interested in at the moment regards a different kind of food.  We need the food of God's Word to sustain our spiritual lives and well-being.  Jesus told Peter, "Feed my sheep."  It is the duty of ministers of the gospel (shepherds) to faithfully proclaim the word of God to the people of God.  They are to feed the flock of God with the Bread of Life.  That is they are to proclaim Jesus Christ as he is revealed in the pages of Holy Scripture.  So here at Grace Baptist Fellowship, we seek to provide all who come through our doors with a steady diet of preaching and teaching from God's Word that is focused on the person and work of Jesus Christ.
We also encourage our people to be feeding themselves from the Word of God on a regular basis.  In Proverbs 8:34 it is the voice of wisdom that cries out, "Blessed is the one who listens to me, watching daily at my gates, waiting beside my doors."  If we are to be spiritually thriving believers, we need a regular diet of Scripture.  I'm not talking about loading up once a week on Sunday and hoping that gets us through the week (would you even consider feeding your physical hunger that way?).  I'm talking about a daily reading and soaking up of the Bible.  Since many Bible reading plans are scheduled to fit with in a year and since the turn of a year is a good time to reflect as well as look forward, here are a few thoughts about and helps toward regular reading of Scripture as we near the start of 2012.
If the goal is to read the Bible daily, it helps to have a plan for doing so.  There are A LOT of plans out there.  The folks over at Ligonier Ministries have compiled a helpful list of Bible reading plans.  If you don't have one, check out some of these.  Available on the book table at GBF will be a schedule produced by Heritage Baptist Church of Owensboro, KY.  It is easily separated into 4 bookmarks that help you keep your place as you read from 4 different sections of scripture each day.  Personally I'm looking forward to following a chronological plan that takes the reader through the entire Bible, seeking to gain a greater appreciation for the historical setting of the books of the Bible.  Whatever plan you go with, simply make sure you spend time in God's word!
Let me leave you with a thought from a fellow pastor, Nick Kennicott, from his post on Bible reading plans.  He writes, "You are justified by grace, through faith, apart from works of the Law. Jesus doesn't love you more if you read the entire Bible 5 times in 2012, nor does He love you less if you miss a day or two and fall short of your goal at the end of the year. Your standing before God is based upon the righteousness imputed to you through Christ, not upon your ability to maintain a strict schedule of
spiritual disciplines. Of course, these things are important and necessary for our spiritual growth (sanctification), but they are not the means of our salvation. Let us not confuse justification and sanctification."
As you read, may you find Jesus, for the Scriptures speak of him, and may he be your only hope and trust.

First real snow of the season came last night.  It was several inches, depending on where you measure, but this was the wet, HEAVY stuff.  Heavy enough to bring down branches from our trees (including cracking one of the nice main branches of the little dogwood at the corner of our house); heavy enough to cause power outages in Warsaw, though not at our home; heavy enough to make shoveling a pain.  This morning with sunshine and rising temperatures, I am hearing the thud of chunks of snow hitting the ground.  All in all it wasn't that major of a weather event.  Although school is canceled today.
There are all sorts of lessons we could learn, but a friend's facebook status made me think of one in particular.  She said, "It bothers me when people who claim to be Christians still refer to Mother Nature when talking about weather related events. Is it really that hard to acknowledge God in something as basic as the weather?"  Good question.  I hope not.  The God with whom we have to do is in sovereign control over all things.  Including the weather.  The snow that fell and branches that cracked did so at his decree.  If we take the weather out of his hands, we also take out of his hands the ability to use that weather for our good; to restore and to heal those broken and mourning because of it.  To leave it in the hands of chance (or mother nature) is to remove all possibility of comfort, hope, or purpose in it.  When the weather comes do you rest in God's sovereign hands, chalk it up to chance, or shake your fist at him because of the inconvenience or even tragedy it brings?
What about things more significant than the weather?  These are in his hands too.  What a comfort to know that it is God who does the work of salvation and not me; he takes away my sin and guilt.  Here is true freedom and peace.  Denying God's sovereignty has tragic consequences for our ability to navigate this life with peace, confidence, and joy.  May we rest in his perfect, wise, good, sovereign power today and every day.

Some of you know this about me: I typically spend some part of Mondays at Martin's Supermarket Side Door Deli.  From my table in the 2nd level dining area I can see people come and go, talk with folks, having meetings, prep for Wednesday and Sunday, and on a day like today watch a nice storm roll in.  There are other perks - wireless internet, greater visibility in the community than when I am shut away in my study in my house, one of the best salad bars I've seen, a Starbucks coffee, and muffins.  I'm a sucker for the muffins.  The standing deal is that if you stop by and see me, I'll get you a coffee or muffin.
Which brings me to the subject of speaking clearly.  You may have noticed some ambiguity in the title of this post.  It could be about enunciating words distinctly.  Or it could be about speaking in such a way that the meaning is clear.  It is the latter that I am thinking of.  In talking with people I have often said something like "On Mondays, I work over at Martins."  Or before Martin's came to town, it was Courthouse Coffee.  I have found out that more than one person has taken that to mean that I was actually employed by Martin's Supermarket (or Courthouse Coffee) and was working a 2nd job there.  That is not what I meant.  I meant that I pack up my laptop, some books, notes, etc. and do church planting work from a table in Martin's instead of at my desk in my study.  Imagine some of our church folks trying to figure out why I was working a second job!
All this to say that it is important to speak clearly; I mean it is important to make your meaning plain when you speak.  That's true whether your a preacher, a parent, or a Martin's employee.  So stop by and see me some Monday.  Just don't expect to find me behind the counter.