In the last issue, I challenged the eldership to prayer: specific, diligent and faithfully practiced prayer. In this one, I direct that same challenge to the deacons in the church. A couple of introductory comments are in order. With the elders. a warning needed to be sounded about the danger of forgetting that their work is […]
“‘Woe to the shepherds who are destroying and scattering the sheep of my pasture!’ declares the LORD…‘I will place shepherds over them who will tend them, and they will no longer be afraid or terrified, nor will any be missing….’” (Jeremiah 23:1–4) “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me.” (John 10:14) “Keep watch over […]
Whoever Dies With The Most Toys Wins (bumper sticker, c. 1993) “A Man’s Life Does Not Consist in the Abundance of His Possessions” (Jesus Christ, Lie. 12:15) Last month I began to analyze the Wolf’s Teeth which elders face as they care for the sheep of the Good Shepherd. From Acts 20 we have heard again and […]
“Woe to those who call evil good and good evil—who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter.” (Isaiah 5:20) “…God…gave them over to a depraved mind...they are senseless,faithless, heartless, ruthless. Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not […]
First, just a word to remind you where we are in this series, where the crazy title of this article came from and why you should bother to read it at all. Some months ago, the elders and deacons of the church I serve in Dallas spent a couple of days in study and prayer. […]
At the end of February, 1993, I boarded a Boeing 747 in Chicago, bound for Frankfort, Germany, Budapest, Hungary and finally Beius, a small city in Western Romania. I was rather enthused, never having been to Europe before. I was also a bit hesitant, having little idea what the next 15 days would bring. […]
Last month I wrote describing my recent (Feb. 93) trip to Beius, Romania. There I worked with a medical mission team for two weeks caring for bodies and preaching to hearts of people who had been denied the gospel during the 45 years of the Ceausescu regime. I observed with delight the wisdom of God […]
Mickey Mouse is 65 years old. Over 12% of the US population is 65 or older—over 30million people. The US Federal Government spends nearly 30% of its annual budget on people age 65 and older. By 2025, that amount could well be 50% or over. The fastest growing age group in the US is the 85+ generation. […]
Over recent years, this column has sounded a call for pastoral care by elders (especially). For that period of time, I have argued that many Reformed churches are losing touch with the divine pattern for the care of Christ’s church precisely because we have allowed ourselves to think of the eldership as an administrative board […]
Over the years of my ministry, I have prayerfully tried to be a teacher. In previous congregations, I was grateful to have been able to teach most, if not all, the catechism classes for the students who spanned the range from Grade 3 through Grade 12. I was grateful for the opportunity to establish good and […]