Important Truths Pertaining to Preaching

I had a great time with the elders of Bethel Grace at the 9Marks workshop this past weekend!  All the speakers blessed us tremendously.  Pastor Rick Holland of Grace Community Church brought a message stressing the primacy and vital importance of God’s Word in the life of a local church.  Here’s my attempt to recapitulate a few of his points that really blessed me…

1.  Don’t judge the success of a message by the retention of all its content so much as by its impact on the heart and life the hearer.  Not everyone will remember every truth received in a message.  Most families don’t go home and recite the cleverly alliterated outline!  But the encounter of receiving God’s Word faithfully preached is vitally important to the soul.

  2.  Yesterday, many preachers wanted to be accepted by the academic world.  Today, many preachers want to be accepted by pop-culture.  Above all, Spirit-filled preachers want to be approved by God.

3.  The Gospel is not necessarily in every text, but it should be in every sermon.  Point people to the cross.

Here, There and Back Again

Here are some interesting items online!…

Desiring God Holiday Sale. ‘Tis the season! Start your holiday shopping with some edifying resources from John Piper at great bargains.

Increase in depression and suicide among pastors. Totally sobering. This is why the Holy Spirit inspired verses like Hebrews 13:17. This is why Christians should love their pastors and pray for them rather than criticize and gossip about them.

“The Day I Went to Church.” An Aussie describes his first visit to a local church. Oh, let’s reach out to visitors in love Bethel Grace! Thanks for the link, Donovan!

Free Tim Keller Sermons. Pastor Tim Keller, of Redeemer Prespyterian Church in New York, has recently made his sermons available free of charge. Awesome resource!

BGBC Elders & 9Marks

Can’t wait for this weekend!  The Bethel Grace Elders are heading to beautiful Riverside, California for the 9Marks “Building Healthy Churches” Conference this Friday and Saturday.  And we are very excited to have Alvin Colston joining us!

Please be praying that we will…
1 – Be drawn closer to the Lord Jesus
2 – Be drawn closer to one another
3 – Be refreshed in our ministry to love and lead the flock
4 – Be energized in our commitment to nurture biblical church health
5 – Be given wisdom and clarity in applying the biblical principles to BGBC.

To read the ”9 Marks of a Healthy Church” as discerned by Mark Dever, click here.

To see the conference speakers and schedule, click here.

On behalf of the elders, thanks for your prayers!
~Jeff

My Day Off

Highlight of the Day

Monday is usually regarded as the pastor’s day off.  Did that for years.  Over the past several months, however, I’ve been taking Friday as my day off for family, fun &  home.  Here are some of the highlights of my day off, Friday October 16:

Let Your Kingdom Come & Free Download

I love this song. The choir encouraged us with this song during last Sunday’s service and my heart was being stirred by the Spirit. Rod and Tavi led this song at Junior High Bible Study last night and my heart was bursting.

I’ve been reflecting on these lyrics all week long.  This song communicates what our church is all about.  We are here to fill Southern California with the glory of King Jesus by spreading God’s Word and making Spirit-filled disciples.  I think this should be the theme song of Bethel Grace. I love this song!

Reflect carefully on these lyrics:

Your glorious cause, O God, engages our hearts
May Jesus Christ be known wherever we are
We ask not for ourselves but for Your renown
The cross has saved us so we pray,
Your kingdom come

Let Your kingdom come
Let Your will be done
So that everyone might know Your Name
Let Your song be heard everywhere on earth
Till Your sovereign work on earth is done
Let Your kingdom come

Give us Your strength, O God, and courage to speak
Perform Your wondrous deeds
Through those who are weak
Lord use us as You want, whatever the test
By grace we’ll preach Your gospel
Till our dying breath

Awesome.  Wonderful lyrics.  Is your heart engaged?  That song was inspired by this prayer in the Puritan book on prayer, The Valley of Vision.  Let’s pray this prayer lots:

Sovereign God,
Thy cause, not my own, engages my heart,
and I appeal to thee with greatest freedom
to set up thy kingdom in every place where Satan reigns;
Glorify thyself and I shall rejoice,
for to bring honor to thy name is my sole desire.
I adore thee that thou art God,
and long that other should know it, feel it,
and rejoice in it.

Follow this link to download a free mp3 of the song.  On that page, the Bob Kauflin of Sovereign Grace music explains how the Puritans’ passion to advance the gospel inspired the song.  Get the song while you can.  Get it into iTunes and listen to it lots.  Pray it lots. 

I can’t wait for this Sunday in Mark. We will hear Jesus’ first sermon: “The time is fulfilled, and the Kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the Gospel.”

~Jeff

Here, There & Back Again

Here are a few items online that interested me and/or stirred worship in my heart.

Driscoll on “unbelief vs. questions” and God’s ability to do anything.
Here is an example of why I appreciate the preaching of Mark Driscoll.  For all the (sometimes valid) criticism he has received, he is a Bible-saturated expository preacher of Truth who exalts the sovereign majesty of Jesus Christ.  Two things on this link.  First, I think the “unbelief vs. questions” insight can be helpful in regard to the final message of the James series on those who “wander from the faith.”   Second, the story at the end about the reconciled couple sent chills up my spine and worship to God from my heart.  God can do ANYTHING!

Letterman and the Gospel.
Some very powerful insight into the dread exposed sin places in the heart of man.  People need Jesus Christ. (HT – challies.com)

Fabarez & Compass Bible Church on their coming switch to ESV.
In this blog Pastor Mike Fabarez (who spoke to the men of Bethel Grace about a year ago) explains while Compass will soon be using the English Standard Version.   He mentions some curious news concerning the future of NIV that I was not aware of.

Blessings to you Bethel Grace!
~Jeff

Amazed by a Pure and Elevated View of Christ

As you read throughthe Gospel of Mark, you noticed these words showing up again and again describing the way people responded to Jesus:
“amazed,”
“astounded,” 
“afraid,”
“terrified,”
“marveled.”

Think closely on these phrases:
“utterly astounded”
“astonished beyound measure.”

This Sunday morning at Bethel Grace we enter into the life of Christ . Mark will introduce us to Jesus Christ, the Son of God. In the prologue, he will line up five testimonies revealing to us the glory of who Jesus is and what he came to do.  I am praying that you will be amazed, astounded, and astonished at his glory and grace.

Jesus is our banner.  Pray He will be lifted high and draw all men to himself.

~Jeff

Calvinists & Arminians: Can They Get Along?

Charles Simeon

John Wesley

Here is a brief account of how Charles Simeon  ”squared off” against John Wesley, in the love of Jesus!

How Calvinist Simeon Related to Wesley

English Standard Version

Beginning Sunday Morning, October 4, Bethel Grace will use the English Standard Version of the Bible for its preaching and teaching ministries.  The ESV is a highly literal, word for word translation of the original Hebrew & Greek that is very readable at the same time.  In the words of John Piper, it brings a great “balance of literal accuracy and contemporary English readability.”

Here’s why I approached the elders for permission to make this switch and more info on the ESV…

End of Summer Bash!

  VS  

It’s coming this Sunday!  Please plan to join the Bethel Grace family at Del Valle Park in Lakewood for a great time.  Softball will begin at 2pm.  A Hebrew National BBQ Hotdog Dinner will be at 4pm.  Singing & Scripture will be at 5pm.  Remember the design of this is to enjoy one another, get to know new people, and especially to introduce family and friends to the Body of Christ.  Please invite a friend and be ready to reach out to one and all with the kindness and love of the Spirit!

For the potluck…
last names  A-I: bring sides (salads, etc.)
last names J-R: bring chips or fruit
last names S-Z: bring desserts

And one last important detail!…   Which team are you playing/rooting for?  Angles or Dodgers??!!

~Jeff