Consecrate Your Calendar & Preaching
JUSTIN RYAN BOYER / September Newsletter
CHURCH FOR CHURCH LEADERS
Joshua told the people, “Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do amazing things among you.” (Joshua 3:5)
“The self-sins are self-righteousness, self-pity, self-confidence, self-sufficiency, self-admiration, self-love and a host of others like them. They dwell too deep within us and are too much a part of our natures to come to our attention till the light of God is focused upon them. The grosser manifestations of these sins - egotism, exhibitionism, self-promotion - are strangely tolerated in Christian leaders, even in circles of impeccable orthodoxy. Promoting self under the guise of promoting Christ is currently so common as to excite little notice.” (A.W.Tozer, The Pursuit of God)
My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise. (Psalm 51:17)
ONE CHURCH INITATIVES
Reformation of the Church happens when we align ourselves with the truth. Today the reformation we seek is centered around God’s perspective of the Church, the embodiment of God's trinitarian nature among His people, in the covenant of Christ, through reconciled relationships with God and one another. Together we need to cry out to God to reform the Church around the oneness of the Church.
Practically, what are some ways we can incorporate and set time aside for collaboration in the midst of the busyness of our local ministry schedules? As we set calendar events for the fall, are we considering the regional church and how we could partner with different congregations?
- From Netzer's One Church Equipping Workbook -
EQUIPPING THE CHURCH
We all are to live lives ingrained with the Scripture and prayer. Many leaders are to give special attention to this (Acts 6:4). Whether from a pulpit to a congregation or in a living room for a small group or across a table at a coffee shop, stewarding God’s word involves our whole lives, not just some momentary event.
Consider the following bullet points from Pete Scazzero on Emotionally Healthy Preaching/Teaching…
Slow down for loving union with Jesus.
Create space for the text to deeply transform you first.
Allow the text to intersect with your family of origin and culture.
Preach out of your vulnerability and weakness.
Be present.
Surrender to God’s painful process for message preparation—birth, death, and resurrection.
Devote sufficient time to limit yourself to one main point with specific applications
Connect your message to next-steps for spiritual formation.
Learn more at the Emotionally Healthy Leader Podcast or by downloading the Free e-book on this topic.