The Freedom to Preach
Practical Church (1 Corinthians) • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Announcements
Good morning. Welcome to Southern Hills Baptist Church. Thank you for joining us today.
If you are a first-time guest with us, you will find a Connection Card in the pew rack in front of you. We would appreciate it if you would fill that out and place it in the offering plate. That gives us a record of your visit and allows us the opportunity of reaching out to you this week to answer any questions that you might have.
Online giving is available at our website, southernhillsbc.com. By clicking on GIVE, it will take you to our giving page where you can easily give by electronic check or credit card. You can also give during our offertory time or in the box at the info table. If you are a guest, please know that we do not expect you to give. Our members and regular attenders provide for the ministry of the church.
The mission of SHBC “is to seek holiness as we covenant together as a faithful local body of Christ and to engage in the Great Commission by making disciples in our homes, our communities, and around the world.”
See bulletin for Calendar Updates
If you are a guest with us, know that this is our weekly Family Worship service. Our children will remain with us for the entire service. We do have a nursery available for children under 4 just down the hall if you would like to use it.
Please stand as I read our Call to Worship. This morning we will do a responsive reading. I will read the words in white and we will all read the words in yellow.
Call To Worship
Ascribe to the Lord, O families of the peoples,
ascribe to the Lord glory and strength!
Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name;
bring an offering and come before him!
Worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness;
tremble before him, all the earth;
yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved.
Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice,
and let them say among the nations, “The Lord reigns!”
Let the sea roar, and all that fills it;
let the field exult, and everything in it!
Then shall the trees of the forest sing for joy
before the Lord, for he comes to judge the earth.
Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
for his steadfast love endures forever!
Say also:
“Save us, O God of our salvation,
and gather and deliver us from among the nations,
that we may give thanks to your holy name
and glory in your praise.
Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,
from everlasting to everlasting!”
Then all the people said, “Amen!” and praised the Lord.
Opening Hymn
Scripture & Prayer: Pastor Atreju
Song #1
Missions Minute: MISSION PARTNER
Today, our Missions Minute is about the Armstrong family.
Josh and Jen Armstrong work for the International Missions Board. They live in Guadalajara, Spain with their 3 children. Guadalajara is an outlying suburb of Madrid and has about 100,000 residents. While Guadalajara is about 2/3 Roman Catholic, only about 2% of the population are estimated to be evangelical of any kind.
There, the Armstrong’s engage with a local church plant and try to reach their community—but their role with the IMB is not what we would normally expect for a foreign missionary.
Josh works as IT and web support for IMB missionaries all over the world. He helps them to work safely in their environments and to build websites to promote their businesses within that community. Jen is pursuing her Biblical Counseling degree, where she hopes to walk with others through their difficult times.
The Armstrong family is our church’s assigned missionary from the IMB. For that reason, we have budgeted to be a helpful partner to them. Earlier this year, we helped support their daughter Sarah as she took a backpacking missions trip.
And in October, we will send a small team from our church to visit and encourage them as we explore how we can better support them moving forward. If you are available and interested to come with us on October 5-12, please let me know as soon as possible.
Josh sent me an email this week. He asks for prayer as they prepare for a busy Summer and for the change that awaits them next Summer as their oldest goes off to college.
Offering & Prayer
Song #2 (What A Beautiful Name)
Lord’s Supper
Please be seated.
(beat)
The beautiful name of Jesus wasn’t just known to His disciples. As He entered into the second year of His ministry, the name “Jesus of Nazareth” began to be heard all over the districts of Galilee and Judea.
People were intrigued and even amazed at the news that came to them of Jesus’ miracles of healing and exorcism. Who was this miracle worker?
Was He truly the prophesied Messiah or just some magician leading people astray?
But most of those in Judea had never heard Him teach before. So, when He showed up in the temple during the Feast of Booths and began teaching, they were struck by His boldness and authoritative instruction.
We’re going to continue our reading about Jesus from the book of John. Today we will continue in chapter 7:
Some of the people of Jerusalem therefore said, “Is not this the man whom they seek to kill? And here he is, speaking openly, and they say nothing to him! Can it be that the authorities really know that this is the Christ? But we know where this man comes from, and when the Christ appears, no one will know where he comes from.” So Jesus proclaimed, as he taught in the temple, “You know me, and you know where I come from. But I have not come of my own accord. He who sent me is true, and him you do not know. I know him, for I come from him, and he sent me.” So they were seeking to arrest him, but no one laid a hand on him, because his hour had not yet come. Yet many of the people believed in him. They said, “When the Christ appears, will he do more signs than this man has done?”
Unlike these Judeans, we now know Jesus to be the promised Messiah. As He finished His ministry, He would go on to proclaim it openly, to free the captives from their sickness and sin, and to prove it by His resurrection.
And it is because of all of these things that the name of Jesus is beautiful. And not just because of what He did, but because of who He is. He is the Creator God made man. He is the ultimate Passover Lamb. He is the resurrected God of Gods and Lord of Lords.
At this time, I am going to have our ushers come forward. If you are a follower of Jesus, in that you have accepted Him as Savior, bowed to Him as King, and been baptized in obedience to His commandment, we invite you to participate with us. In just a moment, we will pass the plates. Please take a piece of bread and a cup and hold it until we take together.
Pass
Instruction from Jesus: Read Matthew 26:26-29
Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.” And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you I will not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.”
Prayer of Blessing on bread and cup
Song #3
Pastoral Prayer
World -
Country-
State-
City-
SHBC-
Introduction
If you have your bibles this morning, please turn with me to 1 Corinthians chapter 9.
We have been working through this letter from Paul to the church at Corinth. In it, he has been giving instruction and practical advice to help them overcome their sinful desires and the disunity that has taken hold of the congregation.
Last week, we began a new section where Paul was responding to the church leaders disappointment that he would not take compensation for his role as their head shepherd.
He agreed with them that he has the right to accept compensation and provision from the Corinthians for the work that he has done—and continues to do in his absence, however he laid down a principle of his right to refuse as well.
Just because good shepherds, or Elders, have the right to be compensated fairly for their work in leading, teaching, and protecting the church, does not mean that they must utilize that right. Instead, they could refrain from using their rights and their freedom if they feel that the gospel would be better served in that way.
And so, Paul carries over his example from the end of chapter 8 that a believer’s freedom is used best when they are thinking about those around them and not themselves.
[TITLE SLIDE]
This week, Paul will continue this argument, showing the church that his true freedom comes not in exercising his rights, but in submitting himself to the call to preach the gospel.
For this is the place that Paul finds his freedom—living in obedience to the call that the resurrected Jesus has placed on his life. Look with me to 1 Corinthians chapter 9. This morning, we will be in verses 15 through 18.
[MAIN PASSAGE SLIDE x2]
But I have made no use of any of these rights, nor am I writing these things to secure any such provision. For I would rather die than have anyone deprive me of my ground for boasting. For if I preach the gospel, that gives me no ground for boasting. For necessity is laid upon me. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel! (/) For if I do this of my own will, I have a reward, but if not of my own will, I am still entrusted with a stewardship. What then is my reward? That in my preaching I may present the gospel free of charge, so as not to make full use of my right in the gospel.
Paul says that he uses his freedom to preach the gospel, and that is what he will continue boasting in. He says that he doesn’t need to be rewarded by the church because his reward is the preaching of the gospel—the very thing that he was called to do.
[POINT 1 SLIDE]
Rights (v 15)
But before we dig into that, he will first build off of the last passage and clarify his desire in proclaiming the rights of the shepherd for compensation and their right of refusal. Look back with me to verse 15:
[PASSAGE SLIDE]
But I have made no use of any of these rights, nor am I writing these things to secure any such provision. For I would rather die than have anyone deprive me of my ground for boasting.
Paul says that his purpose in discussing the rights of the shepherd in the last passage was not to make use of such rights. In Greek, he says “but I don’t make use of any of these, nor writing this so that it will take place.”
Even though every faithful shepherd has the right to compensation, Paul does not want their provision. In fact, he is so adamant that says that he would rather die than to accept their help. So, why doesn’t he want the Corinthians to provide for him?
Last week, I mentioned that Paul may have had some concern about the Corinthian believers’ expectation that he live an extravagant lifestyle to build his reputation as a renown teacher within Corinth. That is not something that Paul wants to be associated with. He doesn’t want anyone thinking that he proclaims Christ for the payment that comes along with it. Nor does he want to look like the Greek philosophers.
Paul, as a Jew and as a follower of Jesus, has been called to be holy—to stand out from the pagan world around him. And that would become an impossibility if he lives as the Corinthian leaders expect him to live.
But why would he say that he would rather die? Is this simply hyperbole or is he being serious?
The wording immediately calls to mind a petulant child at the dinner table who refuses to eat his vegetables. “I would rather die than eat green beans!”
I’m sure you have all had dealings with a dramatic child like that. Some of us may even have said something like that in our past—or last week…
But is that what is going on here? Is Paul merely being stubborn? Or is this an issue of pride—that he is too proud to earn his own living and would rather die than let the Corinthian church provide for him?
Scholars are split on this passage. Remember that there was no punctuation in the days of Paul’s writing. Some, like the ESV, connect “For I would rather die” with the deprivation of boasting. But others think that it makes more sense to connect “die” with the concept of “living” in verse 18. If this is the case, than Paul’s statement would be that he “would rather die than make a living from proclaiming the gospel.”
I think that this understanding makes more sense, and would then lead him into his next statement about boasting. Paul would rather die than be assumed to be a false teacher like others in Corinth. He wants them to know that he preaches the true gospel without any possibility of him being paid to do so.
It is not that he is being prideful or petulant. His stubbornness to refuse compensation is rooted in a heart of love for his neighbor and in his desire to see the gospel move forward without any hindrances. Paul will not be a stumbling block to that gospel progress—not to the people of Corinth, and certainly not to the Corinthian church.
So, why does Paul go on to make this comment about boasting? It seems that he does not want to be deprived of his opportunity to boast. How can we properly understand this statement in light of the fact that he usually speaks against boasting?
[POINT 2 SLIDE]
Called (vv 16-17)
To understand what he means, we will have to see what he has to say about his calling. He goes on to say that he does not come to them in this approach on his own, but he feels called to approach the building of God’s kingdom in this way.
Look with me to verses 16 and 17:
[PASSAGE SLIDE]
For if I preach the gospel, that gives me no ground for boasting. For necessity is laid upon me. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel! For if I do this of my own will, I have a reward, but if not of my own will, I am still entrusted with a stewardship.
Paul clarifies: his boasting is not in himself and his own work, but in the preaching of the gospel. He is boasting in the fact that he has nothing to boast about. He is boasting in his own weakness, which is the strength of the One who has sent him to proclaim the gospel.
Paul speaks of this in Romans chapter 4. There, he says that “if Abraham was justified by work, he has something to boast about.” But then he will go on to say that Abraham was not justified by his works, but by God—and therefore, he has no reason to boast.
He also gives similar instruction to the Ephesians in chapter 2: “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”
Therefore, Paul is not boasting in his own work of providing for himself by his own works. Instead, he is boasting in the all-sufficiency of God who has saved him and continues to enable him by the Holy Spirit to preach the gospel. As he has already said in this letter at the end of chapter 1, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”
It is in that Lord—and His gospel—that Paul now boasts. Paul may have gotten this understanding of boasting from his regular use of the Septuagint. Remember that the Septuagint was the Greek translation of the Hebrew Old Testament commonly used in the second temple period when Jesus lived.
Look with me at how the Septuagint translates Deuteronomy 10:21
[SCRIPTURE SLIDE]
This is your boast, and this is your God, who did in you these great and glorious things, which your eyes saw.
We get a similar sense in the Septuagint in Psalm 88 and Jeremiah 9. This boasting has to do with the glory and power of God, rooted in the personal relationship with His children. The Lord tells Jeremiah this, saying “let the one who boasts boast in this: that he understands and knows that I am the Lord, the one who deals in mercy and judgment and righteousness upon the earth.”
And so, Paul would rather die than to be questioned about the all-sufficiency of his Heavenly Father.
[PASSAGE SLIDE]
For faithfully preaching the gospel gives him “no ground for boasting,” except in the Resurrected God from whom the gospel comes forth.
He then goes on to say that “necessity is laid upon me.”
The Greek word that Paul uses here for “necessity” is the word ananke. It means compulsion or need. The idea that Paul is conveying is that he has a tremendous and overwhelming urge to preach the gospel. There is something inside of him that cannot be stopped.
For those of you who know me well, you know that I have a touch of OCD.
(Beat)
If my kids were here this morning, they would be laughing because I said “touch of” instead of “full-blown OCD.”
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder is an anxiety disorder that affects people differently. For me, I need things orderly. If you ever see me straightening papers and picture frames, it’s because it is driving me crazy and I cannot focus on anything else until that gets fixed.
Riley’s favorite April Fool’s Day prank is to move things around the house and make every picture frame crooked and off-center. I will pause and forget whatever it is that I am doing to fix it for the next 20 minutes.
This compulsion is a struggle for me, because sometimes I can’t fix it. I have to practice taking my mind captive and redirecting it so that it doesn’t cause me to sin by taking my focus off the mission.
And Paul has this same kind of compulsion, but instead of being distracted, he is hyper-focused on the mission. He shares the feeling of adversity and suffering that Jeremiah felt in his calling. But he also shares with him this compulsion to preach. Look at Jeremiah 20, verse 9:
[SCRIPTURE SLIDE]
If I say, “I will not mention him,
or speak any more in his name,”
there is in my heart as it were a burning fire
shut up in my bones,
and I am weary with holding it in,
and I cannot.
Paul’s compulsion to preach is founded in his calling that Jesus gave him in Acts 9. He details this calling in his defense to King Agrippa in Acts 26:16, where he says that Jesus appointed him as a “servant and a witness” to “open their eyes” to the truth of the gospel.
[PASSAGE SLIDE]
This calling is the “necessity” that has been laid upon him. And so the refusal of his rights is founded in the burden of ministry that Jesus has given him. Paul does not expect that fulfilling his calling will be easy, for Jesus said that “he must suffer for the sake of my name.”
Paul has complete freedom in everything except his calling. As a servant of Jesus, he is free to do everything except disobey his King. He must preach the gospel at any and every expense.
He even goes so far as to invite judgment onto himself should he fail to live up to his calling. He says, “woe to me if I do not preach the gospel.”
The word “woe” is an exclamation of lament. It is used in the New Testament almost exclusively by Jesus to proclaim the judgment that is coming on a disobedient people group. Outside of Jesus, only Jude and Paul use the word—and each only once. Jude says “woe to” false teachers, for they have walked in the path of Cain—choosing the pursuit of the self over obedience.
And Paul invites this same judgment on himself should he not fulfill his calling in obedience to the resurrected Jesus. Paul has willingly accepted his role as servant of Jesus and preacher of the good news. He is a prisoner to that calling, but it is also there that he finds his freedom.
He then goes on to explain that he would have expected a reward, or compensation, if he had chosen the ministry by voluntarily taking up preaching. Just as he tried to do this as a traveling rabbi, but his dreams have been put to death for the will of King Jesus. But instead of volunteering, he has been drafted and commissioned by Jesus to the work of preaching.
If he had simply remained a steward of creation and the gospel, he would be more likely to be willing to receive compensation from the Corinthians. But his calling to preach by the resurrected Jesus has created such an impact on him that he is not willing to let anything come between him and the church growing through gospel proclamation. He would rather be hungry and homeless than to allow any stumbling block to be placed in front of anyone and Jesus.
Here, Paul is clarifying the difference between calling and general stewardship.
Every believer has been adopted as a son or daughter of God. He has placed His name upon them and they bear it to the world. In their adoption into God’s family, they have become ambassadors to the kingdom. They have an obligation to image God well by caring for His creation and their fellow image bearers. And they have an obligation to fulfill the mission to make disciples and build the church. That is what it is to be a steward—or a manager of God’s household.
But there are those within the church who receive a special calling. This calling does not speak of the quality or holiness of the individual, but of the skills and giftings endowed on them by the Holy Spirit. These are the apostles, and prophets, and evangelists, and shepherds, and teachers. They are called to greater work—not because of how deserving they are, but because God has shaped them in a way that is suitable to call and guide His people.
Those who are called to preach cannot do anything other. To disobey that call would be to shrivel spiritually, effecting the holistic health of the individual. It is a compulsion that is felt in the spirit and soul, down to the bone.
Preaching comes with a heavy weight. For the joy and reward of being a faithful shepherd are more than balanced by the scrutiny and judgment that comes for being unfaithful. In this way, preaching is not a choice for those called to preach. It is simply a matter of obedience.
Yes, there are those who have taken up the mantle of pastor-elder without a calling. Some of these people are disobedient and unfaithful, seeking the authority that comes along with the office, desiring to wield power instead of shepherding well. But there are some who are simply faithful and unskilled stewards stepping into a gap, feeling that they must help the church in the absence of a shepherd.
And there are those who are called to preach, but have chosen not to continue to learn and grow as shepherds. We have many pastor-elders with bible degrees who took a job as a shepherd out of convenience rather than discerning a faithful calling. Many of these should be Christian teachers and counselors, but have taken a role as a pastor because it was the easiest job to get.
The sad part is that we have such need for pastor-elders in our country. Every year in the U.S., it is estimated that 4,000-5,000 people graduate from seminary looking to enter into ministry. And yet, we have more open pastor positions than that just in Southern Baptist churches. And statistics tell us that about 25% of our churches will have vacancies within the next 5-10 years as the Baby Boomers retire.
It is more important than ever that local churches help our people discern their calling and raise up new pastor-elders.
This is the calling on Paul’s life—to be a faithful shepherd preaching the gospel. Jesus Himself has sent him to be a preacher to the Gentile nations. Paul has not chosen this as his vocation, but he will fulfill it as faithfully as he can for the sake of the Name.
[POINT 3 SLIDE]
Freedom (v 18)
In chapter 9, Paul has made clear that he has the freedom to refuse the rights of the shepherd, but he does not have freedom to forsake his calling. His reward for obedience is not in earthly riches or provision, but the joy that comes from fulfilling his mission for the King.
Verse 18:
[PASSAGE SLIDE]
What then is my reward? That in my preaching I may present the gospel free of charge, so as not to make full use of my right in the gospel.
Paul’s reward is the free presentation of the gospel. He has been given the privilege to carry the Name of Jesus and freely lay the free gospel that brings freedom at the feet of those who need it—those enslaved to sin. And then he has the opportunity to guide and correct and encourage them as their shepherd.
This is his calling. His reward is seeing the gospel change lives.
In chapter 9, Paul lays out a model for the Corinthian church of passing on individual Christian rights for the sake of others in the church. He is trying to lead them by example for the unity of the body.
And—this morning—I want us to take Paul’s model and apply it to ourselves.
Last week, we discussed how we could give up our rights to support our spiritual siblings and propel the gospel without hindrances in our community. Today, I want us to apply this in a more detailed way to the local church and the office of preacher—or pastor-elder.
The big “C” church—that is, God’s universal church—needs more faithful pastor-elders who are willing to lead well and even forsake their own rights for the sake of the growth of the kingdom.
As stewards of creation and of the church, believers have a responsibility to do two things in this task. First, we must support and encourage the Elders that we do have. How can we help them grow into the shepherds that God has called them to be?
Maybe they haven’t been put in a healthy church environment.
Maybe they have chosen the office instead of rightly discerning a different path.
Maybe they are young and still a little too prideful or arrogant.
As God’s stewards, how can we help them grow and mature and discern His will for their lives and the church?
(Beat)
And second, we must recognize the calling on our own lives and on the lives of our brothers and sisters in the church. Some of you have been called to lead the body in some way.
Maybe that is by serving in the nursery, or in Awana, or in Youth.
Maybe that is by being welcoming and hospitable to those that would enter the church and by helping to shape our body into a family.
Maybe that is by mowing the lawn or cleaning toilets or serving as a Deacon.
Maybe you have been called to teach—to explain the Word to others. And whether that is as a Life Group leader or Sunday School teacher, or maybe as a missionary, there is a pull on your heart towards ministry.
What is the Holy Spirit calling you to?
And finally, there are men among us who have been called to shepherd God’s church. We, as God’s stewards—his local body—have the responsibility of helping them discern that call on their lives and to raise them up as pastor-elders.
(Beat)
As we step into 21st century kingdom-building, it will become more difficult for us to support our pastor-elders financially. Many of them will need to consider—like Paul—forgoing their rights of compensation for the growth of the church.
The future of how the church will look in the West is uncertain.
We may move to smaller house churches out of financial necessity.
We may begin gathering in larger churches as mega-churches and small churches die off.
But regardless of how it will look, we will need faithful men—who have been called to be shepherds—to lead them.
These men must be sure in their calling, and so much so that they will be willing to do it without any reward of compensation. Right now, it is estimated that over 40% of pastor-elders are at least bi-vocational—that is, working at least one other job to support their family. That percentage is sure to grow much higher.
Have you been called by King Jesus to shepherd his church?
If so, I would love to talk with you about that.
This Fall, we hope to launch a Leadership Intensive, where we pray that God will provide us with called and gifted men to raise up as elders and send out to plant and replant churches.
We will help them to discern their calling and seek—as the church—to affirm them in that calling. The church needs both staff elders and lay elders, and it is our job to find them and train them. Seminary is a helpful and worthy tool, but it is the church’s responsibility to raise up new shepherds.
How will we help steward the gospel well this week in the lives of those around us?
How will we support and encourage our pastor-elders?
How will we help our brothers and sisters discern their calling?
[PREVIEW SLIDE]
Application
As we get ready to close, I want to clarify our position on pastors, or elders, and give you a preview of what this week has in store.
As Southern Baptists, we have collectively discerned God’s Word for guidance to His faithful churches. 101 years ago, we produced a statement of faith called The Baptist Faith & Message. And while some things have been revised and clarified over the years, its core message has remained the same—for the Word of God never changes.
In Article VI of the 2000 Baptist Faith & Message, it says that “while both men and women are gifted for service in the church, the office of pastor/elder/overseer is limited to men as qualified by scripture.”
As a convention, we believe this to be true. And this is not for some reason of patriarchy—as the world would tell you. It is because we believe that the Bible tells us that men and women were each designed for a purpose—that we were created to be different. This is not a designation of value. The woman imager of God has the same value as a man imager of Him.
But God has made us different by gifting us in different ways. And we believe that God has designed male headship in the church and in the family for a purpose. We find evidence of this in scripture, not only in the verbiage, but also in the pattern that God has laid out for us.
The faithful pastor-elder should image Jesus in his love for the flock that he shepherds.
The faithful husband should image Jesus in his love for the wife that he shepherds.
And the faithful father should image Jesus in the love for the family that God has given him to lead.
Over the last 30 years, there has been a building pressure from outside the convention—and more recently within—to bend to the world’s phony definitions of truth. There have even some in past leadership who have caved to woke ideology. But over the last 5-10 years, there has been a healthy response of conservatism in the convention.
We have watched from the outside as poor theology has decimated many of our sister Protestant denominations—and we will not go quietly into the night and watch the Western Church burn in the ruins of its own pride and arrogance.
The Word of God does not change, and neither will we. Instead of bowing to the culture, those SBC churches faithful to the gospel seek to strengthen our resolve and our message to the world.
A few years ago, a Pastor named Mike Law introduced an amendment to the convention to strengthen our Constitution by adding similar verbiage about the office of elder. And while we have been in the majority, many messengers have pushed back on the change—saying that it was not needed because it was already in our Statement of Faith. Others were fearful of civil lawsuits.
But as the churches around us continue to crumble, it is more clear than ever that we must make a statement to the world, and to our society, that we will not bend the knee to their new definitions. Much of SBC leadership has now joined us in this cause and this week, Atreju and I will be voting on an amendment to the constitution put forth by Dr. Albert Mohler.
This is what Dr. Mohler writes:
I am going to move: “that the messengers to the Southern Baptist Convention meeting in June 2026 amend the Constitution of the SBC to add an enumerated 6th item, under Article 3, Paragraph 1, defining composition. This new language would make clear that a cooperating Southern Baptist church:
‘6. Does not act to affirm, appoint, or endorse a woman serving in the office or function of a pastor/elder/overseer, specifically in preaching to the assembled congregation.’”
Church family, the Word of God does not change, and we must resist the forces of a world that has aligned itself with God’s enemies. For one day we will stand before our judge and give an account for our lives. And as long as you allow me to lead you, we will not look like the world in any way, shape, or form.
We are called to image our Creator God and to be formed into the likeness of His Son.
So, I ask that you please be praying for the convention this week, that God would bring us to unity of mind and heart.
(Beat)
Next week, my friend Eric Schumacher from the Baptist Convention of Iowa will be bringing you a message on Peace. Please come and be encouraged by that message.
Invitation
If you are here and you haven’t decided to follow Jesus, looking different than the world can be a scary thing.
But God loved you so much that when he created you, He already knew where you would be right now. He already knew how much you would need him. And He sent Jesus to die for your sin so that you could be part of His family.
He offers you this gift for free. Will you accept it? Will you become the man or woman that He designed you to be.
CLOSE IN PRAYER
CLOSING HYMN
CONGREGATIONAL BLESSING
