Sermon: Why the Gospel?

Why Evangelism?Colossians 2January 29, 2023 All Steve wanted to do was clean his fish tank. He had no idea of the problems that would create for him. Here’s a report of the incident: [He] was trying to get rid of a colony of zoanthids — a relative of corals and sea anemones — that was […]

Evangelistic grace and boldness

When Paul instructs the Colossians about evangelism — and asks for them to pray for him in his gospel efforts as well — he encourages them to be wise and gracious in the way they both conduct themselves and speak. It takes discernment to know when to speak the gospel and it takes prayerful preparation […]

Sermon: Excel Still More – Evangelism

Excelling Still More: EvangelismColossians 4:2-6February 6, 2022 Randy Newman introduces his book Bringing the Gospel Home: Witnessing to Family Members, Close Friends, and Others Who Know You Well by writing this: When I informed a friend I was writing a book on witnessing to family, he told me he had the perfect chapter titles: Chapter […]

Grab bag

Some helpful articles I’ve bookmarked recently (or not so recently): “How to Pray for Afghan Christians” (Kevin Carson) “Jesus Is Literally All They Have Left” (Randy Alcorn) “9 Things You Should Know About the Taliban” (Joe Carter) “Celebrating 50 Years Of Marriage” (Paul Tripp) “Preaching the Funeral Sermon I Once Most Dreaded” (Hershael York) — […]

The Gospel in a few words

“…to believe the gospel is not only to accept the awesome truths that 1) God is holy, 2) we are hopeless sinners, 3) Christ died and rose again for sinners, and 4) this great salvation is enjoyed by faith in Christ-but believing the gospel is also to treasure Jesus Christ as your unsearchable riches. What […]

Grab bag — evangelism edition

Some helpful articles I’ve bookmarked recently (or not so recently) on the topic of evangelism: “The Motivation of Evangelism” (Mike Riccardi) “Getting beyond ‘Do you believe in Jesus?’” (Jordan Standridge) “How To Share The Gospel With Roman Catholics” (Jordan Standridge) “How Do I Evangelize Someone Who Says That They Don’t Trust the Bible?” (Jordan Standridge) […]

Sermon: Transforming Truths of the Gospel

Transforming Truths of the Gospel Romans 1-11 August 23, 2020 “The world is broken.” That is what Raye Jeanne said to me Wednesday evening as we sat on our porch and recounted our day and the people we had interacted with and the world circumstances we’d observed. I’m not talking about COVID, though that is […]

Sermon: What the World Needs Now

What the World Needs Now Selected Scriptures June 7, 2020 Thursday morning I went for a run as I normally do on that day. I woke up particularly early, so I grabbed my headlamp to guide my way. It was somewhat warm and humid so I was a little tired on the run. A little […]

Stimulate your evangelistic zeal in 2020

I am a pastor and I do not have the gift of evangelism. I know people who get out of bed and the first thought is something like, “I wonder who the Lord will bring across my path to share the gospel with today?” (I am married to one of those people.) That’s not me. […]

Sermon: What is the Gospel?

What is the Gospel? Selected Scriptures January 12, 2020 Ask the question, “What is the gospel?” (even in the church) and you will get almost as many answers to that question as there are people. There just does not seem to be much consensus on that question. In his book, What is the Gospel? Greg […]

Sermon: Why People Don’t Believe in Christ

Why People Don’t Believe in Christ (And the Shocking Grace of God) Romans 10:16-21 December 1, 2019 The turkey is (probably) finished. There might still be a little leftover cranberry sauce. I know the pecan pie has been gone for at least two days. Thanksgiving is over. I hope it was an encouraging and reflective […]

Sermon: The Believer’s Evangelistic Privilege

The Believer’s Evangelistic Privilege Romans 10:14-15 November 17, 2019 The apostle Paul was a remarkable man. He was a prolific writer (13 letters in the NT) and an astute linguist He was a careful theologian (e.g., Romans) He was an effective and wise church planter and pastor He was a bold apologist (Acts 17) and […]

The gospel of forgiveness and transformation

Since the time of the early church, there has been a debate about the role of works in salvation. Are there works that should be done for our salvation? Should believers be circumcised for their salvation? (That was the question in Acts 15.) Or is there a kind of work that is necessary as an […]

Sermon: The Message of Faith

The Message of Faith Romans 10:9-10 November 3, 2019 This week there has been significant conversation on the internet and elsewhere about October 31. No, not chocolate and Halloween, but Reformation Day. The discussion about the Reformation has been a good reminder about the gospel and its significance. As someone has said, “The gospel is […]

Sermon: No Excuses

No Excuses: The Message of Faith Romans 10:5-8 October 20, 2019 According to a UPI news item, MetLife has received some unusual excuses for accidents from its automobile policyholders over the years. The following are just few: “An invisible car came out of nowhere, struck my car, and vanished.” “The other car collided with mine […]