Twin and Triple Truths of Scripture

Not long ago I was informed about a set of books by Herbert Lockyer.  A two volume set titled “Twin Truths of Scripture” and a three volume set titled “Triple Truths of Scripture.”  After a fairly extensive search on eBay and book search engines I was not successful in finding the volumes in the condition or price range I desired so I listed them on my “want” list and went on with life.

Last week, my son Isaiah  traveled with me to Stevens Book Shop in Raleigh, NC (about three hours one way).  It was a road trip I have had in mind for  some time.  With “want” list in hand we began searching through their large used religious book inventory.  We came to a section of preaching books so I had Isaiah go on down the aisle and look for Lockyer.  He came back with the books in the picture.

For example:  In volume three of Triple Truths, Lockyer uses Ephesians 4:6.  “One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.”   His points:  Preeminence – “Who is above all.”  Providence – “Who is through all.”  Presence – “Who is in all.”    He develops each of these with great sermon ideas and content.

A highly recommended set!

The Preaching Business by Charles Hodge

Only preachers preach. Church, get yourself a preacher. Tragically, we have office managers, lecturers, storytellers, speakers, psychologists, entertainers, comedians, but we don’t’ have preachers! A read sermon is a dead sermon. Foy Wallace used to say, “We have preacherettes preaching sermonettes to Christianettes who smoke cigarettes.” Too much preaching is not preaching. I am a country boy. I practiced preaching to cows. One cow ate my sermon notes; she dried up. In listing his jobs, Paul listed preaching before apostle and teacher (1 Timothy 2:7).

God’s sheep are starving at the Master’s table. Our brotherhood is starved for simple, plain gospel preaching. We cannot have a bully pulpit that beats people up; we do need a gospel pulpit that shakes people up. We hire preachers telling the church they are better than they are; we then fire them, telling the church they were worse than they are.

Brethren have become “lookers” rather than “listeners.” God calls us through our ears not our eyes. Preach it!

(Gospel Advocate, January 2009, p. 48)

Apply, Apply, Apply!

Application Is Necessary For Our Lives

Step 1: Pray for insight on how to apply the passage.

Step 2: Meditate on the verse (s) you have chosen to study.

Step 3: Write out an application.

Step 4: Memorize a key verse from your study.

S-P-A-C-E-P-E-T-S – Acrostic.

Is there any…

Sin to confess? Do I need to make any restitution?

Promise to claim? Is it a universal promise? Have I met the condition (s)?

Attitude to change? Am I willing to work on a negative attitude and begin building toward a positive one?

Command to obey? Am I willing to do it no matter how I feel?

Example to follow? Is it a positive example for me to copy, or a negative one to avoid?

Prayer to pray? Is there anything I need to pray back to God?

Error to avoid? Is there any problem that I should be alert to or beware of?

Truth to believe? What new things can I learn about God the Father, Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, or other biblical teachings?

Something to praise God for? Is there something here I can be thankful for?

(Rick Warren’s Bible Study Methods)

“Let The Preacher Do It!”

Preach the gospel the Lord has said.  And the congregation knew they must get to it.  So, they searched and found the perfect man.  And said, “Now we can let the preacher do it.”

Bring in the crowds and preach the truth that’s our work and we’ll be true to it.  But we work hard all day and we’re tired at night.  And for what he is getting paid, “Let the preacher do it.”

They needed to visit the sick and seek the lost.  They needed to pray and everyone would pursue it.  But this man they hired seemed to do a good job.  So they decided, “Just let the preacher do it.”

There’s a worksheet on the bulletin board.  Every day there are more things added to it.  But they have homes of their own to take care of.  And with all his free time, “Just let the preacher do it.”

Someone has set up a Bible study.  He’s not sure he’ll have time to do it.  Anyway, isn’t that what we hired the man for?  It’s his job to study.  “Just let the preacher do it.”

Well, the day finally came when the Lord returned.  The congregation waiting for their reward true to it.  But a voice from heaven said, “Just one person can come in, and guess what, I think I’ll let the preacher do it.”

-author unknown.

There are ministers of the gospel who are all too familiar with a segment of brethren who believe they pay/hire the preacher to do the work of the Christians in the congregation. We might label this a “proxy” position that is manmade and found to be in opposition to Peter’s statement by inspiration of the Holy Spirit when he wrote that Christians are to be a “spiritual priesthood” (1 Peter 2:9). Many churches exhibit this mindset. I have had it said more than once in churches I have been associated with that “we pay you to do that” when referring to teaching the lost, preaching, visiting, being involved in everything that is going on within the congregation, etc.

I am thankful to God that elderships exist that allow the preacher to be the preacher and do the work of an evangelist without the unscriptural trappings of a hireling mentality.  I am blessed to be serving under an eldership that understands the organization of the church, the role of elders, deacons, ministers and members in the work of a local congregation!

Below is a catalog of tasks I kept track of in one of my past works where duties were assigned continually (no secretary).

Sermon planning, preparation & delivery. Bible classes every Sunday and Wednesday. Type, proof, copy & fold the bulletin each week. Announcements on Wednesdays. Invitation each Wednesday. Prepare attendance charts for deacon. Type and submit a work schedule each month. Schedule men to give invitation one Wednesday each month. Pick up church mail from Post Office. Handle all church correspondence. Reserve hotel rooms for visiting preachers. Personal correspondence. Preparation for lectureships. Prepare ladies day booklets. Prepare men’s retreat booklets. Write, copy & mail advertisements for gospel meetings, VBS and other events. Teach in VBS. Keep detailed work journal for elders. Visit. Conduct funerals. Officiate weddings. Attend business meetings. Elder-preacher meetings. Order tracts and maintain tract rack. Order Bible class materials. Order supplies as necessary and when requested. Study. Monday for the Master (primarily building & grounds work). Prepare and copy sermon notes for each sermon. Responsible for maintaining copier. Write bulletin article each week. Upload bulletin and update web site each week. Write and send cards. Maintain church library. Knock doors for VBS and gospel meetings. Organize and maintain resource room. Office hours nine to five Tuesday through Friday. Coordinate House to House Heart to Heart (write articles, advertising & answer material requests). Order & promote Bible correspondence courses. Answer Bible questions. Research & copy material for members with questions on Bible subjects. Open building before church services. Gather and take out trash each week at building. Tape sermons. Announcements each night of gospel meetings. Receive preachers and take them to where they are staying during gospel meeting. World Bible school teacher. Set up tables, chairs as needed for potluck dinners. Send tract requests to those who request them. Preach in gospel meetings. Speak at youth rallies. Maintain life group lists. Schedule preachers for gospel meetings. Teach lunchtime Bible study periodically at neighboring congregation. Distribute tracts and literature at area hospitals. Preacher’s wife takes care of all baptistery garments, towels from kitchen, etc.

Preaching on the Interior of Hell

A. Lake of fire – Revelation 20:15.

B. A bottomless pit – Revelation 20:1.

C. A horrible tempest – Psalm 11:6.

D. A devouring fire – Isaiah 33:14.

E. A place of sorrows – Psalm 18:5.

F. Where they wail – Matthew 13:42.

G. A place of weeping – Matthew 8:12.

H. A furnace of fire – Matthew 13:41-42.

I. A place of torments – Luke 16:28.

J. Everlasting burnings – Isaiah 33:14.

K. A place of filthiness – Revelation 22:11

L. Where they curse God – Revelation 16:11.

M. Where they have no rest – Revelation 14:11.

N. A place of outer darkness – Matthew 8:12.

O. A place where people pray – Luke 16:27.

P. A place where they can never repent – Matthew 12:32.

Q. A place where they scream for mercy – Luke 16:24.

R. A place of everlasting punishment – Matthew 25:46.

S. A place where they gnaw their tongues – Revelation 16:10.

T. A place of blackness and darkness forever – Jude 13.

U. A place where they scream for one drop of water – Luke 16:24.

V. A place where they will be tormented with brimstone – Revelation 14:10.

W. A place where there are dogs, sorcerers and whoremongers – Revelation 22:15.

X. A place where they do not want their loved ones to come – Luke 16:28.

Y. They are away from the face of the Lord – 2 Thessalonians 1:9.

Z. It is the second death – Revelation 20:14

In the forward to John Blanchard’s book, “Whatever Happened To Hell?”, J.I. Packer writes: What should we do with this teaching? May we water it down because we find it uncomplimentary, and embarrassing, and contrary to the spirit of our age? Surely not: it is as divine, and as authoritative, as anything else in the New Testament, and the fact that it jars with today’s humanistic unbelief makes the declaring and defending of it all the more important” (pp. 9-10).

Lethargy and the Church

Brother David Lipscomb used to say, “Brothers and sisters, we are playing at religion.” Unquestionably, lethargy is one of our greatest problems in the church of our generation. Thus, there is a need to arouse the church therefrom.

- Wendell Winkler Lecture in The Restoration: The Winds of Change.

Brother Winkler’s lecture needs to be read, meditated upon, preached, taught, and relayed to the people in our pews. He presents the definition, examples, areas, causes, the cure, the antithesis, and the tragedies of lethargy in the church today.

By clicking on the following link you can download it in PDF.

The Need Of The Present Day: To Arouse The Church From Its Lethargy.