Articles
Preachers
Preachers
By Doy Moyer
Over time, a typical preacher will have preached hundreds of times (thousands once you figure in decades). He will have taught even more classes, again into the thousands. Don’t judge a preacher or teacher by one or two sermons or lessons. There is no way to cover the full ground of a passage or topic in a short period of time or in a single lesson. We want the whole counsel of God taught (Acts 20:27), but please don’t try to do that in one lesson!
If you wonder what a teacher believes or would teach about something, ask. Preachers and teachers are (or at least ought to be) willing to talk, clarify, and explain. Most are quite happy to have these discussions. Don’t ask in order to trap (e.g. Matt 22), but for truth and edification.
Every preacher and teacher will have mis-spoke or said things only to later realize weren’t right. When we present multiplied hours of materials, there will be mistakes. Be gracious. If they say something that is in error, approach them about it and have a discussion. You might win a friend. Recall what Aquila and Priscilla did with Apollos in Acts 18.
Preachers and teachers are human, flawed like everyone else, and trying to do what they can to strengthen others and win souls. They do it imperfectly. We don’t always realize how we come across. Perhaps we don’t perceive what is most needed at a given time. But the work is still needed, and those who put themselves out there to do the work can use a bit of moral support and encouragement. They get discouraged, frustrated, and sometimes impatient and angry with themselves. It is emotionally exhausting and we wonder sometimes if we are doing any good at all.
Yet it is still the greatest work in which to be engaged. This is true whether one is supported full time to do it or if one is able to do it while working other jobs. May God bless His servants who preach, teach, and encourage all levels and all people, from children to teens to young adults and the aged. This includes women, men, mothers, fathers, grandparents, friends — name it. Hold up each other’s hands and press on.
Walking the Wrong Way
A social worker in Philadelphia told her colleagues about a young boy in an urban ghetto who appeared to be little more than a bit of twisted human flesh. He had been struck by a car several months before and had not received proper medical attention. Although not part of her caseload, she took the boy to an orthopedist, who performed several surgeries on his legs. She diligently gave her attention to his case, making certain he got to therapy and rehab. Two years later the boy walked into her office without crutches. His recovery was complete. The two embraced and wept. "If I accomplish nothing else in my life," said the social worker to herself, "I have made a real difference with at least this one!"
She paused, then said to her colleagues, "This was all several years ago now. How far do you think that boy has gone today?" Some suggested that he might be a school teacher, others a physician, a PT, or a social worker. With deep emotion, the woman responded, "No, he's in the penitentiary for one of the foulest crimes a human being can commit. I was instrumental in teaching him how to walk again, but I did not teach him where to walk."
We often say, “Give a man a fish and he eats for a day; teach him to fish and he eats for a lifetime. We’re very good at getting the poor back on their feet; we attend to the needs of the sick until they can get up and walk; we give an arm to the weak and help them to stand… But where are we when it comes to giving them direction. We must point people to Jesus. Through Him, those with broken bodies, broken dreams, broken homes, and broken hearts receive wholeness of life in spite of the brokenness of body. Give CPR to a dying man, and he’ll live another day. Give the gospel to a lost man, and he’ll live eternally. May all who call themselves Christians cultivate the spirit of Paul in Romans 1:14-17 -- “I am a debtor both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to wise and to unwise. So, as much as is in me, I am ready to preach the gospel to you who are in Rome also. For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, ‘The just shall live by faith.’”
A Moments Wisdom
--“Have we reached the ultimate stage of absurdity where some people are held responsible for things that happened before they were born, while others are not held responsible for what they are doing today?! (Thomas Sowell)
--Marriage is hard; divorce is hard; choose your hard. Being in debt is hard; being financially disciplined is hard; choose your hard. Communication is hard; silence is hard; choose your hard. --Life will never be easy; it will always be hard. However, we can choose our hard; choose wisely and morally.
--“Half of the world is composed of people who have something to say and cannot, and the other half who have nothing to say and keep repeating it.” (Robert Frost)
--“Men fall in private long before they fall in public.” (F.C. Ryle)
--Rumors can make you dislike innocent people. Don’t judge people from what others are saying about them. Be wise, get to know them yourself, then form your own viewpoint. It is possible that the one sharing the rumor with you is the one you need to avoid.
--The day the child realizes that all adults are imperfect, he becomes an adolescent; the day he forgives them, he becomes an adult; the day he seeks forgiveness for himself, he becomes wise.
--Communication is not about saying what we think; communication is about ensuring that others hear what we mean.
--“The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn.” (Alvin Toffler)
--“To expect bad men not to do wrong is madness.” (Marcus Aurelius)
--“The man who does not read has no advantage over the man who cannot read.” (Mark Twain)
--Six important guidelines in life: 1) When you are alone, mind your thoughts. 2) When you are with friends, mind your tongue. 3) When you are angry, mind your temper. 4) When you are with a group, mind your behavior. 5) When you are in trouble, mind your emotions. 6) When you are blessed, mind your ego.
Upcoming Sermons
4/28/24 AM - The Simplicity of God’s Plan of Salvation; PM - Benevolence: Collective and Individual
5/5/24 AM - Why Can One Earn a Place in Hell but not a Home in Heaven?; PM - Worship in Song: Congregational Choice of Songs
5/12/24 AM & PM - Gospel Meeting with Robby McPeak
5/19/24 AM - The Insufficiency of the Scriptures; PM - Apostle Paul’s First Journey for Christ
5/26/24 AM - At Peace in the Lord; PM - Apostle Paul’s Second Journey for Christ
