“To teach the standards of moral conduct that adorn the gospel and insist that our hearers heed them is neither legalism nor pharisaism but plain apostolic Christianity.”
Stott, The Challenge of Preaching, p. 35
Above All Else
“Jesus Christ . . . is the fulfillment of every human desire (Col. 2:3, 9-10). Therefore, above all else, we must preach Christ.”
Stott, The Challenge of Preaching, p. 34
Answering to No One
Jon was an older bachelor, although still in his thirties, who had been part of the church since he graduated from college. He had always been reclusive, and almost never had people over to his apartment. In years past he had attended worship regularly, but over the previous three years that attendance had grown increasingly …
Psalm 111/The Great Deeps of the Covenant
The Twelfth Decade of Psalms: Introduction: Here is a straightforward psalm of praise, but we have to extend our arms all the way out to hold and carry what we are praising Him for. In order to wield this psalm rightly, we will have to beseech God to enlarge our hearts. Enlarge our hearts all …
Because When You Do Both You Get Into Trouble
“We find that conservatives are biblical but not contemporary, while liberals and radicals are modern but not biblical.”
Stott, The Challenge of Preaching, p. 32
Irrelevant Relevance
“If we uncritically accept the world’s own self-understanding, we may find ourselves the servants of the latest trend instead of the servants of God. In our eagerness to be relevant, we may disregard God’s revealed truth.”
Stott, The Challenge of Preaching, p. 32
The Need to Touch Down
“Preachers who are theologically conservative tend to make the mistake of living only on the Bible side of the gulf. That is where we feel comfortable and safe. We believe the Bible, love the Bible, read the Bible, study the Bible and preach the Bible message. But we are not at home in the modern world on the other side of the gulf. It bewilders and threatens us. So our bridge is firmly rooted in the Bible but never reaches the other side”
Stott, The Challenge of Preaching, p. 32.
So Logging Trucks Can Get Through
“The [next] metaphor presents the preacher as ‘a worker who does not need to be ashamed’ because he ‘handles the word of truth’ skillfully (2 Tim. 2:15). In other contexts, the Greek verb used here means ‘able to cut a straight path through country that is forested or difficult to pass through so that a traveller can go directly to his destination.’ This straight teaching contrasts with the false teaching of those who swerve from the truth (2 Tim. 2:18), ESV). Our exposition must be faithful and simple so that our hearers can understand and follow it easily.”
Stott, The Challenge of Preaching, p. 31
Exposition as a Treasury of Boldness
“Exposition gives us confidence to preach. If we were offering our own views or those of some imperfect fellow human being, we would do so hesitantly. But if we are honestly expounding God’s word, we can be very bold.”
Stott, The Challenge of Preaching, p. 29
An Initial Job Description
Christ Church is conducting a job search with a view to hire a full-time Music Minister, someone who can lead our church community to continue in the Protestant tradition of singing psalms and hymns joyfully, with skill and understanding. We want a man whose family is in order, who has the necessary musical chops to …