Wow! Ben and I have just returned from the John Reed Miller Conference. It was really a terrific encouragement and challenge for pastoring. Mark Dever is a commanding speaker and offered some intriguing insights and observations on preaching. Here are a few of my notes and some things to think about from his lecture today:*Is a "good" church one without conflict? This wasn't actually a central idea, but it resounded with me. It is well-known that Mark Dever has a gift for marrying God's truth and evangelism. It is such a need in Christians for us to find a way to stand firm in our truth while being evangelistic. We must then know how to graciously handle any conflict that may come.
*Are many preachers using humor in the pulpit in hope of making the world accept our Christian message? The laughter of a congregation is not the measure of connectivity. Humor may emphasize a lightness of our attitude toward serious things.
*The monologue of the sermon is a powerful and accurate symbol of our spiritual state. Hearing His word is God's gift of Grace to us - we do not deserve it and we do not contribute to it. God creates and instructs His people through His word.
*The sermon is central in significance - it should shape the worship service. A congregation must learn to listen to sermons and come to church expecting to work, be instructed and apply God's word through the sermon.
* The center of every sermon should be the Gospel.
Ben got to meet Mark Dever briefly and he was a little bit starstruck. He listens to him on his ipod all the time and it was kind of surreal for him to actually meet the man.
Although this conference is geared toward pastors, it offered helpful insights for any church member. These are the things we need to consider when looking for a church or a pastor. Also, we can begin by teaching ourselves how to come to church in expectance of the sermon. It is a gift of God to hear His word. I know from my husband's schedule that it takes work to create a sermon. He labors over the word and prays for it and prepares his heart. We listeners should do the same.
3 comments:
I bet this was a great experience for both of you.
It is too bad we as listeners do not labor over the Word of God as Pastors do.
It has been so beneficial to us both. I hope we can attend a conference like this every year. Check out the 9 Marks website on the links we love.
It is really refreshing to hear these thoughts from him. So many times church is just another form of entertainment.
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