Preachers can count on being critiqued. In some ways, it’s only fair. Preaching, by its very nature, takes place in a public forum. And going public with our thoughts—even when seeking to exposit God’s Word—opens us to public response. Since…
Tag: Bible
Sailing Through 2016
As we set sail into a New Year, we all hope for smooth sailing. But most of us have lived long enough to know storms will be coming our way. Balmy days and calm waters will, at times, turn into…
A Lincoln-like Response to Rebels
These are trying times for those of us who hold to biblical values and believe God’s truth is needed for human flourishing. We are increasingly reminded that we live in a culture that is in rebellion against God and His…
How God Leads Those in Ministry (Part 3 of 4)
In the last few posts, I’ve been reflecting on what I’m learning from the book of Acts about how God guides those engaged in ministry. My interest in this subject is theological but not theoretical; I need God’s guidance as…
How God Leads Those in Ministry (Part 1)
One of the paradoxes of Christian ministry is that leaders are first and foremost followers. When Jesus called His first disciples--those who would give leadership to His church--He told them, "Follow me." So unless we are following Jesus, we have no business…
Becoming an “Open Bible” Church
Over the past few weeks, I've written about the need to help people engage with the Bible. I'll finish off this short series with a third way pastors and church leaders can help people engage with God's Word. (You can…
Let the Lion Out!
We're considering ways pastors and church leaders can help people meaningfully re-engage with the Bible. We've already looked at the first and most basic way: Model engagement with the Bible. Here's a second way: Preach with Confidence in the Bible One of…
Re-engaging with the Bible
Having highlighted the downward trend towards greater disengagement with the Bible, it's time to consider what can be done to turn things around. Like all spiritual transformations, a change for the better will ultimately be a work of God's Spirit. But God's…
Who Reads the Bible Anyway?
In a previous post, I cited evidence from the Bible Engagement Survey that shows Canadians in general, and Christians in particular, are becoming increasing disengaged from the Bible. There are undoubtedly a number of reasons for this decline, but the Canadian…
Disengaged from the Bible?
Evangelicals are Bible people. We believe the Bible is God’s Word. We preach the Bible in our churches. We read the Bible in our homes. At least we used to. If you examine the results of a recent survey conducted…
Rick and Linda Reed 