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As parents, pastors, and teachers, our call is to help people become grounded in something far more secure and stable than our church system or our structure. God wants us to lead others into a grounded and settled relationship with Jesus Christ. So how can we help people stay grounded and get rooted in a society that is constantly uprooting?

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I use a template document for typing my sermon notes. But I guard against a template philosophy in preparing my sermons. My church deserves fresh sermons that are prayed over and thoroughly studied for—not cycled through.

Templates are great for saving time. But they’re not so great for encouraging growth. Sometimes when we think we are working smart, we are actually working lazy.

One of the challenges of ministry—especially as you stay in one place through the years—is maintaining a fresh eye and a commitment to fresh growth. Yes, it is easier and faster to reuse materials, repeat events, and recycle lessons. But it can also be lazy. (more…)

This lesson speaks to the very heart of local church ministry. Jesus Himself came “to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10). But in so many of our churches today, I see pastors fervently reading books and attending conferences, but never really settling in for intentional soulwinning—building the church the way God designed.

If you want to reignite the soulwinning fervor in your church and in your own heart, this lesson is for you. You may not need to read another book or find another conference. You may need to simply take some time with the Lord and ask Him to stir your heart once again with a passion for souls.

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Before and after this lesson, I answer the following in-studio questions: (more…)

How would you assess your spiritual health? Is it related to how busy you are for the Lord? How good your intentions are toward your wife? How much outward fruit is evident in your ministry? Although there are outward evidences of a rooted Christian, I don’t believe any of these are the best measuring sticks for spiritual growth.

In 10 Questions to Diagnose Your Spiritual Health, author Donald Whitney suggests convicting and probing questions to help you gauge where you are spiritually.

Every one of these ten questions gripped my heart: (more…)

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Perhaps the subject most near the heart of Christ is that of the local church. He gave His life for the church (Ephesians 5:25) and purchased it with His own blood (Acts 20:28).

So what should be our response when people suggest that religion is void of grace and may be discarded?

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