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Share Your Burden: Keys to Effective Communication

Every time a preacher stands behind a pulpit there ought to be a burden that brought him there. The preacher who lacks a burden in their heart during the moment of preaching is void of a compelling reason for their proclamation. Without a divine sense of urgency in the spirit of a preacher the spoken word will lack the fire of divine conviction and will fall short of penetrating the hearts of people. Have you ever entered the pulpit with fire on your heart, and with the singe marks of God’s red-hot coals that touched your lips at His holy altar? Have you ever felt the fire of God’s passion coursing through your soul, finding words through which you can share this burden with God’s people?

The Present Falling Away in the Local Church: A Prophetic Word to the Church

The church has often been taught about the times of refreshing that come during seasons of revival. The first such time recorded was the birth of the church on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2) when 3,000 were saved. In Acts 4 and 5 God continued to add to the church daily while there was unity and purpose of heart which released great signs and wonders that confirmed the resurrection of Christ. And in Acts 9, after Saul was converted, the church enjoyed a season of blessing, growth, and renewal.

True Differences between Apostolic and Prophetic Function

There has been much confusion regarding the difference between apostolic and prophetic function.

Regarding these two functions, when we examine the Scriptures we find only a slight difference regarding ability in executive leadership roles, the main difference being the actual ministerial expression of leadership ability.

Many view prophetic ministers as folks who merely float from one place to the next as itinerant ministers who give “words of the Lord” to individuals and organizations, but have little or no ability to lead large, effective organizations. This definition is not sufficient in light of biblical teaching and models. Ministers who function like this may very well be “exhorters” who have a prophetic edge rather than functioning in the office of New Testament prophet.

The Power of Failure to Empower Success

As we entered 2016 we should have all reflected on the successes and failures of the past year, using both as a trajectory toward a more productive experience this year.

By “success” I am referring to fruit borne to the glory of God that expanded kingdom influence. By “failure” I mean anything we initiated or participated in that did not bear any immediate, noticeable fruit. Failure can also be defined as when a paradigm, strategy of life, or ministry is no longer producing the results we set out to obtain.

The Political, Social, and Personal Effects of the Incarnation of Christ

During this time of year when we celebrate the advent and incarnation of Christ Jesus it is important that we think more broadly regarding the amazing ramifications of the incarnation for both our personal lives and civil society. His incarnation not only provided individual salvation to His elect but was the impetus to vast political and sociological transformation over the past 2,000 years.

Ten Signs of Leadership Burnout

My wife and I have been in full-time ministry for over 30 years.

In our day, we have seen many leaders lose their zeal for God and leave the ministry. Often this occurs because they did not take adequate time to seek the Lord on a daily basis for self-renewal. Other reasons include not having a balanced life that incorporates things that advance physical and emotional health (instead of just focusing on work and ministry).

A Biblical Understanding of Pain, Tragedy, and Suffering

(Note: This article was originally written in January 2010.)

With the recent devastation in Haiti many people have been asking why such a horrible tragedy could take place. (As of the writing of this article, the death toll caused by the horrific earthquake is heading toward 200,000.) The earthquake’s death and destruction has been indiscriminate, crushing everything from the presidential palace to churches, killing both believers and non-believers. Because of this, many have relegated simplistic answers to the trash heap. Some Christians are even questioning their faith. The following is an attempt to give a biblical explanation that equips us with a broader scope for explaining why such events happen to those in our spheres of influence.

The Strengths and Weaknesses of the Main Views of Eschatology (The Last Days)

With the current issue of Christianity Today featuring a prominent Evangelical pastor, David Jang, who many within his inner circle purportedly claim to be the second coming of Christ (you can read the article here), I have been inspired to write a brief treatise regarding the strengths and weaknesses of each of the main millennial eschatological systems students of scripture have espoused over the past 2,000 years. (Note: I make a distinction in this paper between classical premillennialism and hyper-dispensational premillennialism.)

Understanding the Values and Ideals of Our Secular Cities

(Note: This article was originally published in January 2012)

As a Christ-follower who has lived in New York City all his life, I have witnessed the increased secularization of our great city, especially within the past year. For example, not only was same-sex marriage made legal in our state, but there were also laws passed that put undue regulations on pregnancy crisis centers, laws making it necessary for churches to renew and prove their tax-exempt status annually (or face the consequence of having their tax-exempt status revoked), a policy enacted by the mayor that banned nativity scenes and Christmas trees from the Staten Island Ferry terminal, a decision by the mayor to ban clergy from participating in the ceremonies marking the 10th anniversary of September 11, 2001, and most recently, the mayor and city officials have given our churches notice that they can no longer rent publically funded community facilities and public schools for Sunday worship. (Note: This past week, the New York City Housing Authority reversed course because of the pressure put on them by our churches.)

Contrasting a Kingdom Mindset with a Church Mindset

Jesus, John the Baptist, and the apostles went about proclaiming the kingdom–not the church (read Matthew 3:2, 4:17, 10:7; Acts 28:30-31). Although the church is in the kingdom, it is not the entire kingdom.

“Kingdom” denotes the rule of God over the whole cosmos, not just a single entity on the earth, like the church. In spite of this, most preaching today has as its goal to get people to make a weekly two-hour commitment to come to a building on Sundays and to give tithes to support that building! This is because a spirit of religion has captivated the church and blinded the minds of church leaders, so that we now have a very limiting church mindset instead of a kingdom perspective. The negative results of this cannot be overstated.

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