Take My Yoke Upon You
“Take My yoke upon you and learn of Me—for I am meek and lowly in heart and you shall find rest unto your souls—for My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”
Matthew 11:29-30
It’s His version of a straitjacket—and it’s refreshing, not restrictive. . .liberating, not confining.
Christ’s yoke.
Today’s Manna is a difficult one indeed to comprehend, especially for those who’ve never been on a farm or seen a team of horses/oxen plowing in a field. And, even if we have, Jesus’ words are still hard to understand UNTIL we read them with spiritual eyes and a regenerated mind.
When Small is Great: The Organic Church
Interview with:
Neil Cole,
author of
Organic Church: Growing Faith Where Life Happens
by Christianity Today
Neil Cole is a pastor and the director of Church Multiplication Associates (CMA), a “growing family of organic church networks.” Cole advocates a decentralized, micro-church strategy to reach the growing number of people who will never be attracted to a worship service.
How did you come to faith, and how did that inform the type of ministry you do today?
Neil Cole: I came to Christ in college and grew at a very strong megachurch. I ultimately went on staff there. Later, when the senior pastor left, our church went from 3,500 people to 600. So I’ve seen the struggles of being part of a large church staff.
After finishing seminary and leading a small church in L.A., my denomination asked me to oversee church planting in Southern California and Arizona. We really wanted our first plant to succeed, so we poured in a lot of money. We paid for two full-time pastors, a sound system, worship teams, lots of publicity, consultants and toolkits. But a year later the church died.
What went wrong?
Cole: I think God wanted to teach us something. The parables about the kingdom are usually about starting with something small, like a mustard seed. We learned a church cannot be bought; it must be planted. And that means starting small.
I was trained —to create a church experience as an outpost and invite people to find Christ there. One of our early plans was to rent a coffeehouse to reach young people in Long Beach. We were getting ready to launch. But in the middle of one of our strategy meetings God spoke to us and said, Why not go to the coffeehouses where they are?
Rather than trying to convert people from their coffeehouse to our coffeehouse where we could then convert them to Christ, we decided to bring Christ to them. So we started hanging out at their coffeehouses, and things started rolling. People started coming to faith in Christ. That’s the difference between being centralized and decentralized.
“Life’s Most Beautiful Invitation”
“Come unto Me, all you that labor and are heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.”
Matthew 11:28
It won’t cost us anything except the effort (Is. 55:1-3).
Has there ever been a more beautiful invitation than the one extended unto us by the Lord Jesus in today’s Manna? No, there never has been and never will be—for it’s an invitation to commune with the One Who knows us inside out and still wants to fellowship with us. Glory!!
His is a standing invitation that’s unconditional: “You come.”
It’s also an invitation that’s specific: “All you that labor and are heavy-laden.”
And, it’s an invitation with a blessed reward for those who respond: “And I will give you rest.”
Think of those things once again:
Lesson 4: Hunting For Good Sermon Illustrations
Illustration is a very powerful tool in delivering a sermon. Jesus Christ used parables in delivering his teachings. Though some parables were not clearly understood by his audience, rest assuredly, he has made his hearers think about it.
In our time, illustrations are widely used not only in preaching, but in public speaking, teaching in classroom, and even during presentations. Some were expressed through a story, some by riddle, some by plain narrative, some by experiences, some by demonstrations. There are lots of creative ways in presenting illustration. Though we may not be able to mention all of them, I do hope that this will be a good start to know them.
Sermon, Pledge and Prayer On Business Dedication
BUSINESS DEDICATION SERMON
Today, we dedicate a business office and a business to God. There is nothing wrong with dedicating business. In fact, all these were good and of God as long as we do this in accordance to purpose and of Him, the author and perfecter of our faith.
Almost all “BUSINESS DEDICATION” asks God’s blessings for our businesses. And in fact, this is the reason why we are here, to ask God for His blessing for this new established business office. But most of these dedications can also be easily forgotten simply because the heart of the business owner is focussed on the business and not of God. This is why tonight, we want to make it different. We will be asking God for his blessings, and in return give to God what is due to him, the business itself.
Here are some reminders for us as owner, and as witnesses of this special day.
Do Not Let Wealth Hinder Your Service To God
In the book of Matthew 19:24 it says, “Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through a needle’s eye, than for a rich man to enter into the Kingdom of God.” The passage talks about people who are wealthy but because wealth, it has been harder for them to obey God, to follow Jesus Christ.
“His Incomparable Peace”
“Peace I leave with you. My peace I give unto you—not as the world gives, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled; neither let it be afraid.”
John 14:27
Since it comes from Him, the world can’t give it to us; neither can it take it away. . . unless we let it.
His Incomparable Peace.
Picture, if you will, yourself sitting up high in the mountains in a fragrant, flower-laden field, overlooking a beautiful valley below. The cool breeze is caressing your face, tossing your hair back and forth as you gaze out over that scenic view.
Or, imagine you’re sitting in the shadow of a towering palm tree on the seashore. . .the tide ebbing-and-flowing underneath your feet. . .the sea-breezes gently soothing your furrowed brow . . .as you watch a seagull overhead, soaring effortlessly upon the current. . .and you listen to the rhythmic sound of the surf pounding against nearby rocks as the sun peeks over the horizon or melts into the sea at end of day.
Well, Say So!
“When the Lord turned again the captivity of Zion, we were like them that dream. Then was our mouth filled with laughter and our tongue with singing; then said they among the heathen, ‘The Lord has done great things for them. The Lord has done great things for us—whereof we are glad’.”
Psalm 126:1-3
Are you happy, Pilgrim?
Well, say so!
Too often we live in a “melancholy mist,” singing morose, melancholy melodies that more resemble a funeral dirge than a song of praise. However, today’s Manna reminds us that we, who called ourselves the Redeemed, should be of all people those whose “mouths are filled with laughter and whose tongues are filled with singing.”
But, sadly, too often we look like someone who’s got a case of spiritual indigestion and our faces are dark and troubled. And, then we wonder why the world wants little of what we’ve got—for it looks like it makes us sick!
Why is this?
Simply because we’re focused on the wrong things: The faltering economy. . .the threat of terrorism. . .escalating evil, immorality, idolatry, etc., in our world (including our homes, businesses, churches, etc.). . .our sins and shortcomings. . .others’ hurtful words and deeds, etc.
Lesson 3B: Basic Inductive Bible Study
How to Prepare For More Topics
Most people struggles on what to write. After making a sermon, many of them do not know what comes next. Where are they going to get the next lesson? This a very common problem especially if a preaching student depends so much on the tools that he has. Furthermore, he will have the same problem if he just copy the work of others.
From my own experience, I began to see more things to discuss when I started not to depend on the works of others and from the tools available. I am not saying that I do not use any more tools because I do use them. But the more you work on your study, more open doors for ideas will be opened.
Using the tools is totally different from depending on it. Using the tools will enhance your knowledge of the passage that you are studying. On the other hand, depending on it is simply copying what were written in the tools that you are using and you do not even mind on meditating on it anymore. People who do this will always find it difficult making their sermon.
Now, how are we going to make more possible topics. It is always better to plan ahead of time. As I said, the more you dig, the more you learn, and more doors for topics will be opened.
Lesson 3A: Basic Inductive Bible Study
There are several different kinds of Bible Study Methods that are equally effective (depending on the use and delivery). In Rick Warren’s book “12 Dynamic Bible Study Methods”, Rick Warren presented 12 nice Bible study methods. Personally, I already have tried all of them and found it very advantageous for my ministerial work.
However, since we are just trying to work on simple things, we will concentrate on simple things. I just want to assure the first timers that doing a simple Inductive Bible Study is an adventure.