Author: pastortravislv

I am a husband, and father of three, serving as pastor at Providence Reformed Church in Las Vegas, NV. We came here on July 1, 2015.

What Qualifies You? (1 Timothy 4:12-13)

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1 Timothy 4:12-13 – Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity. Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching.
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God has some pretty interesting timing. AS I read this passage today, I am sitting for the first time at work in my office at Olney Southern Baptist Church. Slightly overwhelmed at the size of the task before me, I find myself personally challenged and encouraged by this passage, which was part of the daily reading schedule on Crosswalk.com.

In this text, we first have Paul’s call for timothy not to allow anyone to despise him or look down on him because of his youth. This helps. I’m sure that I am not the only person who has ever felt a bit too young to do what God has called him to do. It always seems as though I could use a bit more age, wisdom, or experience to accomplish the tasks to which God calls me. Yet, God has perfect timing. WE must not allow something as simple as being a bit younger hinder us from serving in God’s kingdom.

What I love, however, is the text that immediately follows Paul’s call to not let people look down on Timothy. Paul then challenges Timothy to set others an example in speech, conduct, love, faith, and purity. While timothy is not to allow them to look down on him because of his youth, he also is not to give them a reason to look down on him. Timothy’s actions and words are to make him look respectable. He is not to act foolish or childish. If young people want to not have others look down on them, the best solution is not to go around demanding the first half of 1 Timothy 4:12. Instead, the way to be respected, regardless of your age, is to be respectable. This part challenges me, as I need to remember that I need to carry myself in a way that is worthy of the work to which God has called me. There is no excuse for actions or words that would distract from my role as God’s servant here.

Then, in verse 13, Paul calls timothy to ministry that is fully devoted to his word. Paul calls timothy to read the word, to encourage others, and to teach. All of these things come from the scriptures. The reason that Timothy is qualified to serve in the capacity that he has been called is not because he is old enough, it is because the word of God stands and gives him the authority. I would have nothing to offer the members of this church if it were not for the word of God. I offer the Bible for worship, for counsel, for teaching, for encouragement. If I offer anything else, I miss the point entirely.

Perhaps you, like me, have felt at times over-matched by the work that God placed before you. Perhaps you have felt too old, too young, or too unqualified to do the work. If so, take courage from the first half of verse 12. Do not let others despise you because of your age or education level. At the same time, do not simply stand on verse 12a and demand they respect you. Instead, set them an example with the way that you live and speak. Show them that you are qualified by the character that God is building into your life. And always make the word of God the central thing that qualifies you for ministry. Offer others the word, and they can not condemn you regardless of your age.

Dear Lord, I thank you for this passage of scripture. I am reminded that you have a plan to use me, regardless of how old or young I feel. I pray that you will empower me to live a life that sets others an example in speech, conduct, love, faith, and purity. I pray that you will help me to be devoted to your word, as your word is truly what I have to offer that is worth offering. Help me to serve you faithfully by leading others to your word, helping them to understand your word, and helping them to apply and live your word.

The Worst Sinner (1 Timothy 1:15-17)

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1 Timothy 1:15-17

The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life. To the King of ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.
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This passage caught my attention this evening, because it is a perfect expression of how a Christian should view the gospel of Christ. As Paul shares with Timothy a “trustworthy statement,” we see Paul first begin by explaining that Christ came, not to applaud the righteous, but to save sinners; and Paul declares himself to be the chief or greatest of all sinners. Paul then explains that this salvation comes, not so we might applaud ourselves, but it comes in order that God’s mercy and perfect patience might be magnified. We are saved for the glory of God. Then, as Paul concludes, he offers praise to God for his great grace.

As I read this, and as you look over the passage again, let us consider these truths for ourselves. Christ came to save sinners. Never shrink back or try to avoid being called a sinner. We are all sinners. In comparison to the perfect holiness of God, an infinite perfection, we are all sinners, infinitely evil in comparison to infinite holiness. WE are sinners, and we are to remember this fact.

One reason that it is glorious to remember your sin is that it magnifies the glory of God. When you remember your sin, not to revel in your memories or enjoy your evil but simply to recall with sadness your malevolence you can also turn and glorify Christ for being gracious enough to save someone like you. That places all the glory for your salvation where it should be. You are not saved because you are good. You are most certainly not saved because you are better than others. Instead, you and I know that we, if we are saved, are saved in order to be walking displays of how gracious is our God. If God would save someone as wicked as I have been, he is a great and gloriously merciful God indeed.

Than, as we remember how gracious is our God, we ought to respond by allowing that fact to lead us to praise him. We not only thank God for what he has done on our behalf, we praise him for the perfect holiness that he possesses. We thank him for his grace. We praise him for his perfection. We honor him because of how wonderful he is. When we remember our sin and how great is our salvation, we naturally stop feeling down because we are sinners. Instead, we rejoice in the God who is amazing enough to forgive sinners, even ones as wicked as us.

Dear Lord, I thank you for your grace. I am a sinner. I deserve nothing from you except wrath. I have done nothing to earn your favor. Yet, you chose to send Christ Jesus into the world to save sinners, of whom I am worst. I thank you that this grace magnifies your glory. You are perfectly just yet entirely merciful. Thank you, God, for being the perfect balance of mercy and grace. I worship you, because only you are wise enough, powerful enough, and loving enough to save someone such as I from the death and hell that I deserve. Praise you, O gracious God, for your grace that is truly amazing.

Making God’s Word Priority (Psalm 119:23)

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Psalm 119:23 – Even though princes sit plotting against me, your servant will meditate on your statutes.
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Psalm 119 is a beautiful celebration of the word of God. David displays for us his love for God in his love for the word of God. It seems, as I read through this psalm, that every single verse grabs my attention and calls me to have a deeper love for God, and to display that love of my Lord by loving his word.

Verse 23 specifically gets my attention for what it says about David’s commitment to and love for the word of God. Even when enemies are spending their time plotting his demise, David will meditate upon the word of God. Simply think about how significant is God’s word to this psalmist. Even when others are planning to attack him, the psalmist does not intend to plan his counter-measures; at least he will not do so until after he has spent his time in the word of God. I think that, for most of us today, we would use the evil plottings of enemies bent on our destruction as a legitimate excuse not to spend time in God’s word. “Come on,” we would reason, “I have to protect myself. This is a matter of life and death.” And I think the psalmist would let us know that time in meditation on God’s word is also a matter of life and death, but it is a matter of more significant life and more significant death than anything that any evil person might devise for us.

Let me ask you, what takes you away from meditation on the word of God? Does your schedule get in the way? Do the actions of others get in your way? Do your pleasures get in the way? Now, think about the words of Psalm 119:23. What got in the Psalmist’s way, keeping him from the word of God. Not even the plotting of men who were out to destroy him could keep him from the word. “Let them make their plans,” says the psalmist, “I will spend my time in the word of God.”

I do not think that we should take this verse of the psalm to mean that we should neglect the duties of life for the sake of meditation. However, I do not think that, for most of our cases, forsaking life duties for scripture is much of a danger. What this verse does call us to is a high priority on the scripture. Let others plot, you spend time with God. Let the devil argue that what you have to do today is so important that you can skip your meditation on the word, but you simply turn to the word, and make it of utmost importance. Yes, if your house is on fire, you can cut off your devotional to run outside. But I think the point of this verse is that, even when you have had to run outside because your house has burned down, meditation on the word of God is still something to which your heart should be drawn as a priority.

Dear Lord, I thank you for your word. It is a joy to have written for us great and wonderful truths about who you are, who we are, and what you desire of us. I pray that you will stir in my heart a desire for your word that is like the desire I see in Psalm 119:23. Let me long for, hunger for, thirst for your word. Let me be committed to meditation on your word, even when the world is busy with other things it deems more important. I pray that you will help me to make time to be with you every day. I pray that you will help me to love that time, and never to find an excuse to neglect it. Make my heart yours, I pray, that I might glorify your name in all that I do.

The Fruit of What?

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Psalm 127:3

Behold, children are a gift of the LORD,
The fruit of the womb is a reward.
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In my second-to-last Sunday here at CIC, the Hawkins family asked if I could dedicate them to raise their son, Seth, in the fear and instruction of the Lord. Such a dedication ceremony is something that we have done several times at CIC, and it seemed like a great idea to do one more before my family and I left Korea.

In working through the short dedication ceremony, I always read two texts of scripture. I read Psalm 127:3-5 as well as Ephesians 6:4. In these scripture readings, we emphasize that any child is a gift from God and that parents have a responsibility to raise that child in the fear and instruction of the Lord. We then have the parents affirm their understanding and commitment before God and the congregation. We likewise have the congregation affirm their responsibility to aid the family in their task.

All of this generally comes off without a hitch, that is until this last week. I made a slight slip of the tongue that completely interrupted any thoughts of formality for about a minute and a half. In reading the second line of Psalm 127:3, I was supposed to say, “the fruit of the womb is a reward.” However, I failed to get that out. Instead, I said, “the fruit of the loom is a reward.” This, of course, caused a two second pause followed by about 30 seconds of laughter on my part and that of the congregation, and then another break for us to regain our composure before we went forward.

The laughs continued all throughout the day, as many people in our congregation finally understood what was so funny. Since only a portion of our congregation, about 1/3 or so, is from the United States and Canada, many of the people heard a mistake, but did not understand the full silliness of it. Only later did many of our Korean, South African, and Kiwi (people from New Zeeland) friends find out that “Fruit of the Loom” is an American brand of underwear. So, as you might imagine, I have fielded questions about this for quite a while.

OK, I recognize that this entry has not done much to help anyone’s spiritual growth, but it is a story that I thought might be worth telling. I hope that you are encouraged to know that silly mistakes happen to all of us in all kinds of situations, and the best thing to do in such a setting is laugh and enjoy them. So, if you learn nothing else, learn what my seminary preaching professor said to our class, “If you lay an egg, stand back and admire it!”

Encouraging Eschatology (1 Thessalonians 4:16-18)

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1 Thessalonians 4:16-18 – For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore encourage one another with these words.
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There are few theological topics that are subject to more debate between well-meaning Christians than the topic of eschatology. While the biblical teaching is clear that one day, Jesus will return and gather God’s children—both living and dead—to himself, believers differ in their understanding of the order of future events. Entire churches have divided over such issues.

However, if we look at this passage from the word of God closely, we will recognize that the debate over the order of events can, if we are not careful, take us far away from the intended purpose of God’s revelation of his plan. In verse 18 of 2 Thessalonians 4, Paul calls the church to encourage one another with the words that he has just shared. Eschatology, the study of end things, is not given as a dividing issue. God has revealed to us the future in order that we might encourage one another. God wants eschatology to be something that, whether we understand the exact order of events or not, is an encouraging topic for believers to share. We ought to be able to look at the truths that are unquestionable, and we ought to let those truths give us courage, strength, and hope for the future.

So, how ought we to be encouraged? In this passage, we see a couple of things. We ought to be encouraged because, all the believers in Christ who have died will not remain in the grave. Paul makes it plain that our loved ones and the saints we never knew who have gone before us will be the first to rise from the grave and will meet Jesus in the air one day. The saints of the past who have suffered and died for the glory of Christ will rise from the dead and be united with their Lord in the air.

We can also find encouragement to know that we, as believers, will also join with those who one day are united with Jesus. Whether we are alive at this glorious day or we have already died ourselves, we will be caught up with Christ in the air. We will be changed. We will be transformed. And we will be with the Lord. No struggle, no pain, no torture from this life can keep that day from coming for all of us who know Jesus. And, we can be assured that nothing we have suffered in this life will come close to equaling the greatness of the joy that we will have on the day when we are caught up in the air to be together with Jesus.

Finally, notice that all, whether they were dead at one point or not, who know Christ and who are caught up in the air to meet him will be with Jesus forever. There is coming a day when we who follow Jesus will be united with him, and nothing will ever separate us from our Lord. He is going to be with us, and he will never leave us. Though in this life, many believers struggle for simply not being able to see and talk to Jesus in the way they can talk with other people, on that glorious day, we will see Jesus and we will be with him from that day forward through all eternity.

Today, take a moment to encourage another believer with the parts of eschatology we can all agree upon. Don’t argue about tribulation, millennium, and rapture timing. Instead, rejoice with them that God has promised us that we will all be caught up into the sky, transformed, and taken to be with Jesus forever. Glory in what an awesome moment that will be to meet the Lord in the air. Celebrate how wonderful it will be to be with Jesus forever, never to be separated from him, never to lose your closeness to him, never to feel lonely or left out again.

Dear Lord, I thank you for the encouraging word that you give us as you tell us of events to come. Jesus, I long for the day when you will draw us to yourself in the sky and keep us with yourself forever. I pray that I will honor you with my life until that time. I also ask that you will help me to encourage one person today with the thought of the glory of your return.

Remembering the Glory of God (Psalm 114:5-8)

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Psalm 114:5-8

5 What ails you, O sea, that you flee?
O Jordan, that you turn back?
6 O mountains, that you skip like rams?
O hills, like lambs?
7 Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord,
at the presence of the God of Jacob,
8 who turns the rock into a pool of water,
the flint into a spring of water..

Reading this psalm, I am reminded of how easy it can become, if we are not careful, to let the supernatural accounts of the work of God feel ordinary. Sometimes we read events that are absolutely incredible, but because we are so accustomed to the stories, we forget that they are indicators of the power and glory of God. That is why, on occasion, it is fabulous to read the same accounts in a place you do not expect to find them, so that you can get a quick picture of how great they really were.

Psalm 114 is a recounting of the Exodus, but in a form that is short, simple, and poetic. The psalmist writes of God leading out the people of Israel from Egypt. He talks about the sea backing off and letting the people pass through. Then, 40 years later, the Jordan River did the very same thing—a waterway just stepping aside to let the people through. The mountains and hills trembled and skipped as the earth quaked at the presence of the Lord. The rocks of the desert turned into pools of clean, cool drinking water.

You have to love, at the end of this telling of God’s story, that the psalmist asks the things of nature, “Why?” “Why do you hills and mountains skip like little newborn calves?” “Why do you waterways step aside for the people to walk through?” And he lets us know that all parts of the world, all nature, trembles and quakes at the presence of the Lord. Our God is so great, mountains bow down. Our God is so great that oceans roll back and give his people dry ground to walk upon. Our God is so great that rivers will stop flowing at his command. Our God is so great that desert rocks will turn into springs of water if he wants them to. That is the greatness and the glory of God.

Today, take a moment to think about the power and awesome might of God. Think of the fact that the ocean slides back from where it naturally rolls when God tells it to. What kind of God is this? What kind of power is this that can make all the world tremble? This is our God, and he is worthy of worship.

Dear Lord, I pause and give you praise. I praise you for your mighty power. I praise you for your awesome deeds. I praise you for being the one who causes the earth to tremble, the seas to move, the rivers to stop, and the rocks to become flowing springs. I praise you that you are full of power and glory. I praise you that you are good, kind, and loving. I thank you for recording for us the accounts of your deeds. I pray that you will remind me each day of your power and your glory. Let me not take your works for granted, but let me be continually awed by your grandeur.

Clear Teaching on God’s Judgment (Revelation 20:11-15)

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Revelation 20:11-15 – Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done. And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done. Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.
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There are certain theological doctrines that are difficult to discern. For example, there are very strongly conservative biblical scholars who disagree on issues such as predestination or church government style. This is not to say that the answers to these questions are not in scripture, but they are not always the easiest to completely understand. However, when it comes to the issue of salvation, is it by grace or by our works, we see that there is simply no question.

Looking at Revelation 20:11-15, we see a picture of the great white throne judgment. The dead are lined up before Christ’s throne, and they are judged. In this judgment, there are two possible options as to how to be judged. One way to be judged is a book, and the other is a group of books. The single book is the “Lamb’s Book of Life,” and this book is the list of all who have been saved and forgiven by God’s grace alone through faith alone in Jesus Christ alone. The other books are a recording of the lives and deeds of every person on earth.

If a person’s name is written in the book of life, there is no need to check the other books, because their eternity is set. They are forgiven and welcomed into God’s family. However, if a person’s name is not written in the book of life, they are then judged by their deeds. And notice that, in every situation with no exceptions, a person judged by his or her deeds is cast into the eternal lake of fire.

There are a few things that we should remember as we take a look at this final judgment. First among them is that salvation is by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. No one’s deeds get them into heaven. On the contrary, all who are judged according to their deeds in this life go to hell. There is no exception. No person other than Christ himself—God in flesh—has ever lived a life of such perfection that they could go to heaven based on their deeds. , regardless of who you are and regardless of how good you have been, you do not want God judging your eternity based on your deeds; because God has already revealed what the result of such judgment would be: eternal hell in the lake of fire. Only those whose names are written in the book of life, the list of those forgiven by Christ, will be able to stand in God’s presence.

Another point worth thinking about from this is that, if this doctrine is as clear as we can see it is in the scriptures, why are we not telling it to more people? Today, many Christians fear speaking about hell. They fear being thought of as backward fire and brimstone preachers with no understanding of modern sensitivities. However, if we are people who believe the word of God, we must believe it all. And Revelation 20:11-15 is a significant passage for us to understand what hell is and how to avoid it. We need to tell people that hell is real, eternal, and something to be avoided. We need to tell them that they can not avoid hell through good deeds. They can only avoid hell when they turn to God in repentance and place their faith in Jesus Christ for salvation. It is only when someone has come to Jesus in faith that they will have their name written in the book of life.

Dear Lord, I thank you for the clear picture of the white throne judgment that you have given us. You have revealed to us that you are gracious and you are just. You will allow people to be judged on their own merits if they so choose, but such judgment will always lead to their destruction; because all have sinned and fallen short of your glory and perfection. You also show that you have made a way for people to be forgiven, rescued by having their names in the book of life. Lord, I know that no one deserves your grace, least of all me. So I thank you that your grace is a free gift in Christ. I readily acknowledge that my deeds would earn me your eternal wrath. I thank you that Jesus died to pay the penalty for my sin so that I would not have to pay that eternal punishment. Now, I ask that you will help me to live as one forgiven. Help me to share with others the truth of the gospel, including the truth about hell. Help me to honor you by speaking truth to everyone you put before me.

An Ugly Rebellion (Revelation 9:20-21)

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Revelation 9:20-21 – The rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands nor give up worshiping demons and idols of gold and silver and bronze and stone and wood, which cannot see or hear or walk, nor did they repent of their murders or their sorceries or their sexual immorality or their thefts.
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We ought to be very careful not to underestimate the ability of humanity to ignore the truth of God for the sake of evil. In the book of Revelation, God allows John to see how he will pour out his judgment upon the world of evil men who persist in rebellion against him. The judgment is terrible, and most certainly reflects just how much God hates human sin.

You would think, in the light of the terrible judgment that God executed on the sinful, that those who survived would recognize their sin and turn from it to seek God’s grace. However, learning from our mistakes is not really a part of human nature. This text shows us that the natural human response to the reality of God is to actually continue in their rebellion. No one naturally comes to God.

I think that there are two lessons that we should learn from this text. First is the fact that God truly hates sin. The list of rebellions in the verses above are things that brought out God’s wrath against those who practiced them. Sin is serious, very serious. Let us never forget that sin has horrible consequences. Let us not take God’s grace for granted, continuing in sin because we expect to be forgiven. Let us learn to hate the things that God hates, and let us turn from them to please him.

Second, we also should remember that people do not, on their own, naturally turn from sin. Instead, human nature is to continue in rebellion, shaking their fist at the God who reveals himself to them. This truth should make us approach evangelism with prayer, because only God can truly open the heart of a rebellious sinner. We also should allow this truth to make those of us who are saved be truly thankful. We would not have come to God had God not opened our rebellious hearts to his love. So, let us thank God for his wonderful kindness in our salvation.

Dear Lord, I look at this text, and I am reminded of your perfection and holiness. You hate sin, and rightly so. I pray that you will help me to stay far from sin and from the activities that displease you. I also pray that you will help me to warn others against such destructive behaviors. I also want to thank you for saving me. I could never have come to you without your first doing a great work in my heart. Without your moving in my soul, I would have been as rebellious as those in the verses here in Revelation. Thank you for your mercy on me. I pray also that you will help me to spread that love and mercy to others by preaching to them the true Gospel of Christ.

A Call to Evangelism (Revelation 6:15-17)

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Revelation 6:15-17 – Then the kings of the earth and the great ones and the generals and the rich and the powerful, and everyone, slave and free, hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains, calling to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who is seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb, for the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?”
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One of the plots that people tend to love in movies or television shows is the plot where the loud-mouthed bully finally gets put in his place. Often the shows will feature a boy or group of boys who are picking on others. But, in the end, someone will finally stand up to the bullies, and things will be set right.

Perhaps one of the reasons that we like the bully plot is because it reflects very well the reality of God’s eternal story. We all have seen evidence of men, strong and weak, rich and poor, old and young, rulers and slaves, who stand up and boastfully dishonor and even challenge God. We have heard their condescending tones, as they ridicule anyone who would be so foolish as to believe in the supernatural or in a God. They look down their noses, declaring the religious to be the weak-minded who need an imaginary crutch to get through life.

But, as you read this passage in Revelation 6, recognize that there will come a day in which all the bullies and all the skeptics will be silenced. There is coming a day when Christ will return. There is coming a time when the wrath of God against the sin of humanity will be poured out on the world. The only people who will be spared at that time are those who have received Christ’s grace, because Christ took the wrath of God that all who are saved deserved. There is coming a time when the bold, brash, loud, and confident boasting of the atheist will be replaced with a whimpering wine, pleading with the rocks and the mountains to bury them alive to keep them from the sight of the Almighty as he begins to judge the world.

Does this sound like an unloving thing to write? I hope not. God takes no joy in the death of the wicked. Nor should any of us. This is not the bully plot in a high-school movie; this is real life and eternity. The silenced bullies in this plot will be eternally damned for their rejection of the Lord and his Son, Jesus Christ. Let us not find pleasure in this scene, but let it call us to action. We need to stand up to the bullies, the skeptics, the atheists and agnostics; and we need to call them to turn before it is too late. Jesus will return. Jesus will judge. If they do not repent now, they will be among the number of those who would rather be crushed by a mountain than to have to stare into the face of God.

It is loving to warn the lost of their danger before a holy, loving, and just God. God loves them, that is true. But, God is holy, and thus can not tolerate their sin. God is just, and thus must punish their sin rightly. But, thankfully, God is also gracious enough to have made a way for them to be forgiven if they will but believe in Christ. Let us become evangelists who call the world to repentance. Let us call them to the love of God so that they need not suffer the wrath of God. Let us never hide the truth of God’s wrath, because God is very clear about the fate of all who reject his offer of grace in Christ.

Dear Lord, I read this passage and am reminded that I need to be sharing the gospel with all the world. I pray that you will make me into an evangelist. Help me to warn people of the danger of your wrath. Help me to call people to the grace of your mercy. I pray that you will empower me to share the gospel boldly and fruitfully. I know that you are the only one who can make my evangelism successful, and so I ask that you will do so. Please use me to keep people from your wrath.

Preaching (Nehemiah 8:8)

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Nehemiah 8:8 – They read from the book, from the Law of God, clearly, and they gave the sense, so that the people understood the reading.
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Reading this verse gives me confidence, because it reminds me that my job as a pastor is the same as the jobs of pastors for thousands of years. In the days of Ezra and Nehemiah, the people assembled to hear the word of God. The teachers read the word of God to the people, and they explained it so that the people could understand it. This was central to worship in those days, and it is central to worship today.

Today, there are many people who believe the preaching of the word of God to be unimportant or irrelevant. I disagree. In the scriptures, from Old Testament to New, we see practiced the preaching of the word. We see the regular call to preach the word. We see the positive effects of preaching the word. And, regardless of how we feel our cultures have changed over the years, the fact remains that no one will be truly changed in such a way that helps them to follow God if not through the solid exposition of the word of God.

Dear Lord, I pray that you will make me a faithful preacher of your word. Let me read your word to your people. Let me explain it in such a way as to give a real understanding of its meaning. I pray that you will empower that work for the sake of glorifying your name and changing lives. Let me never bend to the urges of those who would minimize the importance and centrality of the preaching event. Help me to serve you as you have shown I should in your word.