I've been attending my brother's church lately. It's Assembly of God with an average attendance of 200 (guestimation) on a Sunday morning. It's a modern building, contemporary worship, and a middle-to-upper class congregation. The people seem friendly, warm and welcoming, and the pastor seems humble and down-to-earth.
Let me give a little back ground. Over the past year God has taken me back to the Greatest Commandments (Love God; Love Others) and the Great Commission (Go) as a life theme.
When I was in Asia this summer, I was asked (told / expected) to preach a number of times. Each time I felt that I didn't really have anything to say. I could sum up the Word God had given me in one word, "Love."
There are many many verses to enforce this lesson, but anything I said beyond that just seemed empty and fluffy. My first sermon in Burma quoted a bunch of references to love, and I was almost apologetic to my missionary friends that I had such a "shallow" sermon. One of them spoke up and corrected me, "Preaching Scripture is never shallow." When I tried to explain my problem to the pastor in Thailand he said, "Just read the Scriptures and speak from your heart... The Scriptures don't need a bunch of salt and flowers."
I was inspired and disappointed by last week's sermon. I was back in the states at a new church and the pastor was starting a new sermon series that went back to the basics, the Greatest Commandments and the Great Commission! I was encouraged that a pastor that preaches every Sunday was still able to point to the basics. The foundational truths never get old. And I was encouraged that he had combined the two "Greats." If you love God and love others, go!
I believe this was a divinely inspired sermon (that I expect to preach myself someday), but I'm afraid the man of God cut it short. He stressed the loving God and loving others, but he just spent a few minutes on the go, and his "go" was like, "get involved in the community." What!?
The Great Commission was to go into all the world and preach the Gospel. It wasn't to just become a scout leader or a soccer coach.
Today he spoke about loving God. Next week is about loving others, and the final week of the series is the "Go." I really hope he redeems last week's sermon by not cutting the Great Commission short this time and instead, calling his congregation to a global perspective and ministry.
Let me give a little back ground. Over the past year God has taken me back to the Greatest Commandments (Love God; Love Others) and the Great Commission (Go) as a life theme.
When I was in Asia this summer, I was asked (told / expected) to preach a number of times. Each time I felt that I didn't really have anything to say. I could sum up the Word God had given me in one word, "Love."
There are many many verses to enforce this lesson, but anything I said beyond that just seemed empty and fluffy. My first sermon in Burma quoted a bunch of references to love, and I was almost apologetic to my missionary friends that I had such a "shallow" sermon. One of them spoke up and corrected me, "Preaching Scripture is never shallow." When I tried to explain my problem to the pastor in Thailand he said, "Just read the Scriptures and speak from your heart... The Scriptures don't need a bunch of salt and flowers."
I was inspired and disappointed by last week's sermon. I was back in the states at a new church and the pastor was starting a new sermon series that went back to the basics, the Greatest Commandments and the Great Commission! I was encouraged that a pastor that preaches every Sunday was still able to point to the basics. The foundational truths never get old. And I was encouraged that he had combined the two "Greats." If you love God and love others, go!
I believe this was a divinely inspired sermon (that I expect to preach myself someday), but I'm afraid the man of God cut it short. He stressed the loving God and loving others, but he just spent a few minutes on the go, and his "go" was like, "get involved in the community." What!?
The Great Commission was to go into all the world and preach the Gospel. It wasn't to just become a scout leader or a soccer coach.
Today he spoke about loving God. Next week is about loving others, and the final week of the series is the "Go." I really hope he redeems last week's sermon by not cutting the Great Commission short this time and instead, calling his congregation to a global perspective and ministry.
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