“We must live with the painful possibility that the results produced by the Spirit may not be satisfying to us. Here, again, is the occupational vulnerability of preaching. It is to be possessed by a holy compulsion but hobbled by human inability. It be sure, there will be continuous pain for the man called to …
With Nothing Vague About It
“What is this ‘Spirit-filling’? . . . an instantaneous, sudden, and sovereign operation of the Spirit of God coming upon a man so that his proclamation of Jesus Christ might be attended by holy power” (Azurdia, Spirit Empowered Preaching, p. 109).
Without That, Save Your Breath for Walking Up Hills
“Stated simply, the power of the Holy Spirit is the sine qua non of gospel preaching, the one thing without which nothing else matters” (Azurdia, Spirit Empowered Preaching, p. 100).
As In, No Showboating
“This is not to diminish giftedness. This is not to justify indolence. This is not an excuse for a lack of exactness. It is to say that a preacher ought never to preach in a manner that consciously draws attention to himself” (Azurdia, Spirit Empowered Preaching, p. 91).
Quite a Different Thing
“It must be understood that the preacher does not share, he declares” (Azurdia, Spirit Empowered Preaching, p. 88).
Parenting Young People II
INTRODUCTION:The hardest thing to maintain in this unbalanced world is balance. We react, we pull away, we lurch, and we tumble. We do this in many ways. And, having heard the exhortation that we should teach our children to love the standard and, if they don’t, to lower the standard, what temptation will confront us? …
The Verb Kopiao
“When referring to elders worthy of double honor, Paul describes them as men who work to the point of exhaustion at ‘preaching and teaching’ (1 Tim. 5:17) (Azurdia, Spirit Empowered Preaching, p. 87).
Clumsy Ecclesiastics
“It is a colossal understatement to suggest that preaching and preachers have fallen on hard times in recent years . . . I am convinced that preaching is held in such low esteem today because a great many preachers are so utterly inept at the task” (Azurdia, Spirit Empowered Preaching, p. 86).
But It Must Be the Assigned Foolish Method
“Thus, it is evident that an apostolic ministry is characterized, not only by a determination to proclaim a foolish message, but a determination to appropriate a foolish method” (Azurdia, Spirit Empowered Preaching, p. 83).
The Oil of Anointing Doesn’t Make You Slick
“It must be acknowledged that our reservation concerning many of these novel ministry methodologies has nothing to do with preferring a traditional style of ministry over against a more contemporary emphasis. Contemporaneity is not the issue. Effectual Christianity will always prove contemporary to the unique mission-field given to it by Jesus Christ. Rather, the issue …