REAL MEN LOVE JESUS

Mondays are usually my sabbath.  Whatever that truly means.  A lot of times it is just catching up on housework and enjoying some quiet time with the Lord.  This particular day found me driving my daughters over to the valley and in the midst of it I had a few hours to my self.  Being a beautiful day I was invited to play a round of golf with my brother in law.  Great day but walking 18 holes was a challenge in the 90 degree heat.  But we finished the round and I won by a couple of strokes (I kept score) and jumping into his pickup truck I saw the bumper sticker which read the same as the title of this blog  “Real Men Love Jesus” which got me to thinking what the Message should truly be if we do love Jesus.

 

Real Men Love Jesus.    Real Men Live Jesus and Real Men Learn from Jesus.     It is the story of redemption   The story of why our Lord came, and the story of why he chooses to use people like us.   Mark Chapter 1  all these people come and hear from Jesus and they are astonished at his doctrine.  They are learning from Jesus.  He in fact told us to Come to Him all that are weary and heavy laden.  Take his yoke upon us and Learn from Him and he would give us rest in our souls.  So we come to the Lord and the rest of our lives should be learning about the Lord.  Growing in the Grace and Knowledge of Him.  What are you learning from the Lord??????

 

Okay.  Second Part   Not just real men learning from the Lord but Real men Loving the Lord   how does that happen??????      Spending time with the Lord    Sitting at his feet    having a devotional life.  Again Mark 1:35 WHERE JESUS has spent all night healing folks he woke up early and found a solitary place and there he prayed to the Father.  He got his marching orders for the day and the Lord showed him his heart and what he was supposed to do for the day.     Interesting too as the disciples would later find him and he would tell them that he was to go to the surrounding villages and preach the gospel there also.

 

Third part    Real Men Live for Jesus     we learn from Him   We falll in love with Him and   We live for Him.  He gives us direction.   After spending a few hours with the Lord the next morning our Lord knew what he was to do   and that was to go around and share the good news.   He said it was his purpose.   His direction.

 

so this is how I see it       Doctrine    Devotion    Direction

                                         Learning    Loving        Living

 

As I learn of him my doctrine is established     As I love on Him I find my devotion and as I choose to live for him    he gives me direction

 

May God direct your hearts into the love of God and may Jesus be glorified as you love Him, Learn of Him, and constantly Live for Him

 

In Jesus Name,

 

Amen and Amen

 

Pastor Mike

Teaching Tips

Had a chance to encourage a young pastor as he disciples a man who wants to know what and how to teach a good sermon     It had me review some tips my pastor gave me years ago before I went out on the mission field    I hope they bless you    May we constantly be pointing folks to our Lord

Teaching Hints and Tips for those Teaching

 

Principles for Effective Teaching

 

1. The message and the messenger are inseperable   John 1:14  “The Word became flesh”  (Incarnation)  A message from the heart reaches the heart  i.e. Jonah

 

2.  Truth is truth, so tell the truth  In teaching from the Scriptures you may come across a principle that is not yet worked into the fabric of your life.  Share it anyway, however, just plain share the truth of the passage.

 

3.  Preaching/Teaching are forms of Worship   How???  By Exalting Jesus….giving Him glory.  As you share, see Jesus in the midst of the folks….He is!  This will change the way you share.  John the Baptist declared  “There stands One in the midst of you whom you know not.”  The came to hear John and John was consumed by Jesus.  He truly sensed Jesus right there with him.

 

4. Intent and Content are both Essential

We are not only to discuss a subject, but also to achieve an object.  Where are you taking them?  What do you want them to leave with?  There must be an application of the Word.  We are equipping them.  Content is homework; intent is heartwork.  Prayer is needed at this point… (go to the mountain and get the glow like Moses).

Intent  1.  The passage of study

                                   2. What’s going on with you?

                                3. Speak to where they are at, the people you are sharing with and praying for and thinking about.

4.What the Spirit Desires

When a sick man visits the doctor office he does not want to hear about health,  he wants healing.  Jesus never went to the Essene community.  He confronted the Pharisees, ministers to the 95% of the people who were struggling with life…..needful and desirous of answers.

5.Intent must be clear if it is going to come through.  A little mist in the mind of the speaker will create a great fog in the mind of the listener.  A thought should be summarized in one sentence.

The sentence should be    1. Biblical  2.Honest  3. Relevant

4. Interesting

 

 

6.Organize or Agonize

God is not the author of confusion….teachers are!  Take-offs and landings are critical.

1.   Intro—-“A Hook”

2.   Proposition….the big idea

3.   Development…..the points

4.   Conclusion….repeat what was said.

Give a lot of thought to the opening and closing.   This is

where one easily loses or confuses.

 

7.Become a lover of language

 

8.Don’t explain the inexplicable…. Never put a question where God places a period!

 

9.Use your wastebasket…..simplify, simplify…simply    Patton said it well  “It is not what they say that bothers me, it is that they keep saying it!”

 

10.  Express, don’t impress!

 

11.Always mean more than you say.  Like the prophet coming down the mountain, there should be more depth behind the teaching.

 

12.  The improbability of originality.

Adam was the last man with an original idea….and it wasn’t good.  Don’t be a slave to originality.

 

13.The necessity of variety.

How are you going to make your points?

Use the imperative  “We must be filled with the Holy Spirit”   Use the exclamative  “Be filled with the Holy Spirit.”   Use the interrogative   “Are you filled with the Holy Spirit?”

 

14.Never betray a confidence

 

15.  Have faith in the Word

Beware of the trap of too much commentary time…meditate on the Word.

1.Read it with reverence and slowly

2.Restate the text in your own words

3.Retell the Story

4.Hebrews 4:12….the Power is in the Word!

 

16,  Give space to the Spirit while teaching.  Be willing to pause, don’t fear silence.

 

17.  Speak to people individually….    Beware of brick walls, speak one on one,  address the group who is there…not those who are absent.  Beware of the evangelist/stadium mentality….visit and don’t use Christianese or wax eloquently

 

18.  Preach a positive message….

Grace  Grace and more Grace…….the gospel.

How would you preach John 8  “Go and sin no more”

With condemnation or comfort?

 

19.  Never hide behind the pulpit   Never address a personal

Matter, or agenda

 

20.Analyze your sermon….are these present?

Milk-meat-manna     spirit-soul-body

doctrine-devotion-duty      what-why-how

Are they going to do this and why???

 

21.  The key to hermeneutics is Himeneutics:   Be a Jesus person…..Jesus is the content!