Sermon criticism

This is both painfully familiar and also helpful when it comes to sermon criticism.

What Constitutes a True Baptism?

‘Determining whether a baptism was true, even if irregular, can be complicated. In my own ministry, I’ve used the following four questions as a grid for determining true baptisms. If you can answer each of the following four questions affirmatively then I think you’re looking at a true baptism.’

Don’t Fight the Wrong War

‘What if you’ve been fighting the wrong war? What if the Culture War is a diversion tactic from your true enemy and you’ve allowed him to outflank you? What if you’re feeding the “passions at war within you” rather than defeating them by stirring up hatred for other people? What if you’ve made the world your friend in the name of making the right side win? What if you’re so locked into the “war to maintain conservative and Christian values” in our country that you’ve already lost the war against your own passions?’

No One Is Going To Make You

‘No one is going to wake you up tomorrow, tie you to a chair, tape a Bible to your hand, and force you to read it. No one is going to throw you into the prayer closet and lock the door until you’ve prayed. And even if someone did do that to you (call the police if they did), no one can make you do it with the right heart. Just to say it plainly, if you want to seek the Lord, you have to take personal responsibility and just do it.’

Who was St Stephen and why is he remembered on December 26?

If you’ve ever wondered who St. Stephen is and why he has a feast day straight after Christmas Day, this one takes you through the history of it neatly.

Is God Still Angry at Sin After the Cross?

‘Is God still angry at sin after the cross? Few questions cut closer to the heart of the gospel than this one: If God poured out his wrath on Jesus at the cross, is God still angry at sin today? Behind the question are pastoral concerns (How does God look at me when I fail?), theological tensions (wrath, justice, love), and even preaching instincts (Should we still warn about God’s anger?). To answer faithfully, we must be precise (biblically and theologically) about what kind of anger we mean, toward whom, and in what covenantal context.’

From the archive: How do I “discover” my spiritual gifts

‘If you’ve been around churches any length of time, you will hear some form of this question at some point. In some ways, it’s not a terrible question. More often than not, people want to serve where they are best able and so want to know what they have been gifted to do. It often springs from a laudable desire to serve the church. The problem with the question is it confuses what spiritual gifts actually are.’