In The Study

The Lord has allowed me the privilege to grow up in the home of a Baptist preacher. I cut my teeth on the bus ministry, door to door soul-winning and nursing home ministry. Seldom was the weekend that I was not involved in these activities. May I say that I still am involved in these same activities in the Church? I have my own bus route and work with some dear folks in our Church on that route. If the truth be told they do most of the work, I just get to go along for the ride!   Without going into an in-depth study on the subject allow me a short explanation of a recent study from the book of Mark!   I want to bring up a warning that the Saviour made to the disciples. Beware of the Leaven of the Pharisees and Herod! In another place we find that He also warned them of the Leaven of the Sadducee's. As I began to study this text the question came to mind, “what is the difference between the three?” Jesus tells us in Luke that the leaven of the Pharisees is hypocrisy and in

2 Timothy 4:2-4 Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. God's response to itching ears and turning hearts is not passive quiet pulpits, but rather God ordained heralds proclaiming the message of the King! God has not commissioned us to proclaim the message of our sect of Christianity but the message of the King! We must believe that as long as the Lord tarries his coming there is hope for spiritual awakening. May we not throw up our hands and surrender the day to the enemy. May we not shut our eyes and close our hearts to the sinful and condemned condition of this world! May we not build our fortresses and barricade our homes and disengage from the conflict with this world.

2 Timothy 4:2 Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. Wuest v. 2 pg 154 “There is no place for clowning in the pulpit of Jesus Christ” We must herald the message of the King with the dignity and authority that says we truly have the King’s message. If we cannot approach the pulpit with the weight of the King’s message on our hearts then maybe we should not approach the pulpit at all! Do we have a commission from God to fill a time slot with talking or preach the message of the King? Far too many times we stand in pulpits to display our ability rather than to declare the King’s message. We must have at least as much time with the King as we have with the people. Pray tell me how we can speak for the King for an hour and we have only listened to the King for a few fleeting and crowded moments.