“Surely, that written Word of God is pastoral through and through in its message, spirit, and purpose. Therefore the spoken proclamation of that pastoral Word calls for an agent who is himself in heart and mind in perfect harmony with the pastoral Scriptures which he must preach . . . Before one can preach in the true sense of the term, he must have taken up in his heart the message that he must bring and not merely have lodged it in his mind and laid it upon his tongue”
—Volbeda, The Pastoral Genius of Preaching
*FEATURED OC EVENT*
Kicks for Africa – Holiday Soccer Camp for kids
Do the kids at your church love soccer? Probably. It’s no secret that youth soccer is popular in Orange County! This holiday season, Safe Harbor International is hosting a gospel-centered soccer camp at state-of-the-art facilities in Mission Viejo. All proceeds go toward Safe Harbor’s mission and relief work in Africa, and churches get a large discount. From the Safe Harbor website:
The holiday camp is led by coaches who bring high level national team, professional and collegiate playing backgrounds as well as extensive sports-ministry experience both in the United States and abroad. Click HERE to see our Camp Director Profiles. More importantly, the camp is led by coaches who are committed to following Jesus Christ and sharing the truth of the gospel with young people.
TGC: Mentoring Future Leaders – a priority
Chris Brass writes:
The Lord Jesus himself invested deeply in 12 men over what was probably about a three-year earthly ministry. These men would go on to be the pillars of Christ’s church. Moreover, a cursory reading through the Book of Acts and the Pauline epistles demonstrates that Paul trained men such as Timothy and Titus, who tagged along on some of his missionary journeys. No doubt he mentored them as they served alongside him, strengthening existing churches and planting new ones. Investing in young aspiring ministers is both biblical and also vital for the future of the church.
As we count the cost of sacrificing precious time to invest in others, it’s helpful to stop and consider the long-term effect of this investment…after watching Mark Dever introduce his “football team” of young disciples who are being trained to plant new churches or go into existing ones, I believe the long-term effect of unleashing these men is greater than any one ministry could ever accomplish.
After all, a ministry built around one man has a short shelf life. We live in a fallen world. Pastors get sick and die. I think we would all agree that the more solid pastors out there the better.
GCD: The Reproductive Impulse of Discipleship
Kennon Vaughan writes:
The kind of discipleship that turned the world upside down in the first century was one that reproduced and thus multiplied. Without reproduction, there will be no multiplication. Without a return to Biblical discipleship in the local church, there will be no reproduction. Without reproduction through lifestyle discipleship, the church will become less relevant in a society where its echo is already much louder than its voice.
Click through to read the whole thing.
SALE: For Calvism/ Against Calivinism two-book pack
We’ve been hearing a lot about this two-book series lately. Monergismbooks.com is currently offering it at a steep discount. Here’s the description: This two-book pack contains award-winning author Michael Horton’s For Calvinism—taking you beyond the caricatures of Calvinism and immersing you into the true, Biblical teachings it offers—and Roger Olson’s Against Calvinism, which offers objections to so-called “new Calvinism”—a movement being embraced by the “young, restless, Reformed” generation. Buy them here.
VIDEO: Why Work Matters
Crossway interviews Tom Nelson about his new book, Work Matters: Connecting Sunday Worship to Monday Work
http://vimeo.com/31448178
VIDEO: When Men Counsel Women
http://vimeo.com/25313669
