This weekend's event was called "Feeding the Hungry Soul," featuring the Associate Pastor of Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, California, Rick Holland. GCC is, of course, the home of John MacArthur, whose expert exposition of the Bible continues to bless me daily, as it has millions of others before me. The president of the Seminary (and Senior Pastor of Colonial Baptist Church), Stephen Davey, was also part of the event.
While I was not what you might call the "target audience" for the conference, I knew that learning more about God's Word would be profitable for this "ministry," as well as any future position in which God would have me serve.
Rick and Stephen both did an excellent job at providing Biblical evidence and real-world illustration for the importance of Bible exposition in teaching ministry (whether it be a church flock, or merely a small group Bible study).
I will update the link to the audio and/or transcript when it is posted, but below are some "bullet points" that spoke to my heart:
- The text can never "mean" what it never "meant"- One of the dangers of modern-day Bible studies is what is known as "reader-response theory," that is, a Bible verse or passage can mean any number of things to any number of people, and that is acceptable. This is characteristic of "topical preaching" (e.g. Purpose-Driven Church-type congregations), and is dangerous because the contextual and practical message that God is speaking through the Word is muddled and lost. Without proper exegesis and subsequent exposition, the power and importance of the verse can be lost simply by someone ascribing it less or more value based on their personal opinion. ALL Scripture is profitable for teaching (2 Tim 3:16), and needs to be treated as such. Do not ask your Bible study group "What does this verse mean to you?" Instead, ask them after careful and planned instruction, "In light of God's truth in this verse, how can we apply what we have learned to our lives?" Excellent point by Pastor Holland.
- Only Bible Expositors can deflect the "glory" back to God- When preachers are finished with their sermon (or Bible study teachers finish a lesson), they are often approached and thanked/applauded by a member of the church or group. When this happens, the pastor is glorified instead of God (Hendricks called it the "glorification of the worm"). If the message was topical, sprinkled with surface-level Bible verses and creative stories, the pastor is due the credit: "Man, I was on fire today. I really came up with some good stuff!" When the Word of God is preached, the Pastor can successfully deflect the glory right back to God, instead saying "thank you for your kind words; isn't God's Word amazing?"
- Always assume there is an unbeliever present- With all of the exposition going on, it is easy to get wrapped up in word studies and grammar analysis and related passages, but we must not forget that there may be an unbeliever amongst the believers, and the Gospel must shine through. Historical and Old Testament books seem hard to relate to Christ and His redeeming work, but we need to make sure that we don't get so wrapped around the axle with the verse that we neglect the Gospel. Make sure the Gospel is in every presentation.
- Pray, and live the message- Both pastors believe that prayer bookends all aspects of life, especially when having the responsibility of teaching God's word. Without prayers of repentance, clarity of thought, diligence and praise, it is difficult to achieve all of the objectives of the study of God's Word. Concurrent with prayer is living the Word you preach; if you don't internalize and embody the truth evident in Scripture, how can you expect it of those you teach?
I could go on and on, but I have to get up for said church in a few short hours, and you will see by the timestamp it is very late! Pastor Holland is speaking tomorrow as well; I look forward to his messages. Praise be to Him!
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