Episode 48: Learning from John the Baptist (Part Two)
In this episode, Rob and Jody discuss what John the Baptist can teach us about celebrity, service and humility.
In this episode, Rob and Jody discuss what John the Baptist can teach us about celebrity, service and humility.
Do you desire to be a pastor or a Christian leader? If so, we need to be good. We need to preach Jesus and live according to his Word. For our charge is a serious one: we must guide people through life into the kingdom of God. So how can we know whether or not we are (or will be) a good leader or pastor? Here is one way to answer that question: can we see ourselves as a spiritual parent who lovingly and firmly guides others along the Way of Christ? If so, we are a good leader. Let...
Reproof is hard. But when practiced well, it’s a ministry that’s a gift to individuals and the church.
“Do you ever get frustrated by how many people don’t seem to change?” I asked. It was Monday. I’d just finished preaching another sermon. I’m encouraged by what’s happening in our little church, but to be honest, I sometimes feel discouraged too. People listen politely, but it’s hard to measure growth in people’s lives in the short term. It’s much easier to measure disappointment: people engaging in sin, people struggling with issues, people generally not doing the things that they most need to do. It’s the pastor’s dilemma: growth in grace can be hard to measure, but disappointments abound. Our...
This passage explains why I have always been skeptical of church growth authors and experts: The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground. He sleeps and rises night and day, and the seed sprouts and grows; HE KNOWS NOT HOW. The earth produces by itself, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. But when the grain is ripe, at once he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come. (Mark 4:26–29 ESV, emphasis mine) HE KNOWS NOT HOW. Very often the explanation we give for the...