Day 3: Now we're talking!

What is 1 Samuel 17 really all about?
Is it about having faith like David?
Am I David?

Day 3 of the Utumishi wa Neno intensive at St James' Buruburu and we were getting into some really serious debates: Is the Bible really all about Jesus? Do we really need to preach the gospel of Christ crucified from every passage? What do twenty-first century Kenyan listeners, particularly those surrounded by many daily troubles and struggles, really need to hear? What do the youth, drawn as they are by the sexual immorality all around them, really need to keep them from sin?

Other interesting discussions of the day: What exactly is the difference (if any) between logos and rhema? Is it helpful to separate the youth off entirely into separate services and activities? What is our core task as pastors and preachers? What is our motivation in preaching? Do we cry enough!?

Highlights:

“Father, may these spoken words be faithful to the written word and lead us to the living Word, Jesus Christ our Lord” (prayer of John Pritchard)
The key mark of a spiritual man is receiving the deep things of the gospel - i.e. having your eyes opened to the fact that you are wretched sinner desperately in need of Jesus (Fidel from 1 Cor. 2:12-15).
The problem with moralising is that you end up with morals without Jesus (James on applying OT narrative).

Please pray for our last day tomorrow:

For Sammy as he preaches from 1 Cor. 3.
For Harrison as he leads us in a closing session dealing with lingering doubts about the validity or possibility of consistent faithful Bible preaching and encouraging us to keep going and growing in these things.
For good relationships between us all.
That we would get good feedback on the course and all of go away having grown in some way.

Comments

10 things servant leadership is

Having cleared away 10 things servant leadership is not , here are 10 that it is. [Credit to Harrison Mungai for his help in observing many of these features and helping us to think through this really important area.] I used to think that all that was necessary in gospel ministry was faithful Bible handling. Preach the Word carefully and surely everything else should follow? But I was wrong. Sadly it is possible to have high quality expository preaching and ungodly leadership. It shouldn’t be possible but it is. And it’s a very ugly thing. Peter Mead has written on the danger that can be done to a church or ministry when appointment of leaders values ability over character. So here are ten aspects of biblical servant leadership, specifically in relation to gospel ministry leadership, from 1 Thessalonians, especially chapters 2 and 3: Servant leadership is, wherever possible, Plural . A lot of articles and books on leadership assume that it is a personal project. Search G...

Utumishi wa Neno taster

It's finally starting! We had our first taster day for the church-based Utumishi wa Neno preaching course on Saturday. It was great to spend a few hours with 14 or so brothers and sisters and just spend soak in the Word. One of the crazy things we did was to read through the whole of Philippians out loud. How long did it take us? 15 minutes. And all of us enjoyed the experience and heard things we'd never noticed before. More thoughts on the day here . And for those who asked for the notes, they're available to download here . If you're in Kenya and want to get involved in the on-going Utumishi training see more info on the iServe Africa website .

Here's how he will win the nations

The famous hymn by William Young Fullerton says: I cannot tell how he will win the nations, how he will claim his earthly heritage, how satisfy the needs and aspirations of east and west, of sinner and of sage. But surely we have been told quite a bit about how the nations will be won? Psalm 2 - the source of "I will make the nations your inheritance" - is quoted 7 times in the New Testament, twice in the Book of Acts which is basically a manual on how exactly the nations will be won. But even in the Old Testament, the Lord lays out the means by which the nations will be won. Continuing our thoughts from Jeremiah ( Jeremiah for planters and Shepherds after my own heart ) here are two wonderful verses from the beginning of chapter 4: “If you, Israel, will return, then return to me,” declares the Lord. “If you put your detestable idols out of my sight and no longer go astray, and if in a truthful, just and righteous way you swear, ‘As surely...

Looking at Christ

Search This Blog