January 30,
2004 (Friday morning)
Listen to what the Lord
commands in Deuteronomy. He is speaking of the Word of God.
"Therefore shall ye lay up
these my words in your heart and in your soul ...
and ye shall teach them your children, speaking of them when
thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way,
when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. And thou
shalt write them upon the
door posts of thine house, and upon thy gates: That your
days may be multiplied, and the days of your children, in the land
which the LORD sware unto your fathers to give them, as the days
of heaven upon the earth. (Deuteronomy 11:18-21)
God plainly told the Israelites to
display His Word in various places throughout their houses.
Late last night (after the revival
service) I sat back here in the little Sunday School room (that
has been my "office" for the week) and ate a sandwich. I was
browsing through a Christian magazine I had found and saw an "ad."
It was from a Christian "calligrapher." What's that?
An artist who letters verses of Scripture onto parchment or poster
board (etc.), usually making the borders colorful and attractive!
What would one do with such a Scripture
verse or passage?
OBEY OUR DEUTERONOMY PASSAGE!
Put some Scripture on your walls,
brethren!
(I know your wife probably handles the
decorating, but she will be glad for you to help her add a greater
spiritual emphasis to your home!)
Every preacher's "living room" ought to
have some Scripture on display.
And, of course, his "study" will be
full of God's Word too!
The "bedrooms" are a MUST for the
peaceful promises of God!
I believe every church vestibule should
have some lovely Bible plaque or framed portion of Scripture
prominently displayed!
I now can remember a verse my Mom had
on the wall in my bedroom as a child! I can describe it to
you in detail! (Color, size and exact wording!)
It said:
"THOU WILT KEEP HIM IN PERFECT PEACE, WHOSE MIND IS STAYED ON
THEE: BECAUSE HE TRUSTETH IN THEE!"
(Isaiah 26:3)
That Scripture has impacted my whole
life!
Brethren, this is just another of
Brother Bagwell's "ideas," but I do believe it is Biblical!
Someone try it soon!
You just might reap great benefits from
your endeavor!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
January 29, 2004
(Thursday morning from a "prophet's room" in First Baptist Church
of Meredosia, Illinois! Posted at 9:20 AM))
Paul talks in 2 Corinthians 8:7 to his new
converts:
"Therefore, as ye abound in every thing, in faith, and
utterance, and knowledge, and in all diligence, and in
your love to us,
see
that ye abound in this grace also."
What new "grace" is it that Paul wants these
new Christians to perfect?
It's the GRACE OF GIVING!
In fact, all of 2 Corinthians chapters 8 and 9
focuses of "giving" in the life of the Christian!
Preachers, today I have no doubt that you all
(or at least 95% of you all) have grown and grown in this grace!
You are givers par excellence!
You give your time and heart and money and
everything else to the cause of our dear Lord Jesus Christ!
Just as preachers must set examples for our
people in all areas of godliness ... we have also learned to try
to set an example in giving!
For this I COMMEND you!
(Isn't it strange that Jesus taught several
lessons about money and giving to his "preacher" followers?
The widow's "mite" event is a prime example!)
(And even Paul said a lot about money and
giving to his young preachers in the Pastoral Epistles!
Guess where the verse
"For the love of money is the root of all
evil" is found? 1 Timothy 6:10! I rest my
case!)
You men of God have learned well. A good
minister of Jesus Christ just must be a generous man!
BUT I DO NOT PLAN TO TALK TO YOU TODAY ABOUT
THE GRACE OF
GIVING!
I NEED TO SPEAK TO YOU ABOUT THE GRACE OF
RECEIVING!
I think that sometime you dear men of God have
given and given so much that you've forgotten how to receive!
(I know there can be some dangers in receiving
gifts from your people. A gift can occasionally be nothing
but a "bribe" of some kind. That is to be avoided! At
other times a "gift" may be an attempt to buy one's favor with the
pastor! Ignore those too! And some gifts are not
"free" at all. They come with a hefty price tag! Therefore
they are not really gifts at all!)
BUT THERE ARE SOME PEOPLE IN YOUR CHURCH IN
WHOM GOD HAS PLACED A REAL LOVE FOR THEIR PREACHER! (A
DESIRE TO SEE HIM ENCOURAGED AND CARED FOR!)
When these folks offer you something, for the
sake of our dear Lord and His work, receive the gift with a
grateful heart!
I think a certain kind of pride can slip into
our hearts by which we develop the attitude that we need nothing
from anyone! (Except the Lord of course!)
Did it ever "dawn" upon you, my brother, that
the Lord just may be using that "giver" to place something into
you hands that He (the Lord) Himself has sent!
Listen to me!
If someone wants to buy this preacher a meal
(with no "strings" attached) ... I'm going to take it and say
"Thank the Lord!"
If someone desires to give me a book, I shall
say "please sign it for me" and "I shall treasure it for ever!"
I'll think of them every time I read it too!
If someone whats to assist my little work for
God, I consider it a "help" straight from Heaven ... through the
hands of another ... into our little ministry!
Preachers, I would encourage you to re-enroll
in the school of the Holy Spirit that teaches the
GRACE OF RECEIVING!
You will be glad you did!
Even "independent" little Paul had to learn how
to do this!
In Christian Love,
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
January 28, 2004 (Wednesday morning, 9:31 AM from Meredosia,
Illinois)
I've always thought
today's verse just might be one of the most unusual Paul ever
wrote.
He said in Galatians
5:15 ---
"But if ye bite and devour one another, take
heed that ye be not consumed one of another."
Obviously he's talking
to believers here.
"Bite" means "to cut
up with one's teeth!" It's a present indicative active verb.
This is biting ... then chewing! (An ongoing activity which
they have been practicing for a while!)
"Devour" means (kata +
esthio) to eat down! (To gobble down ... to swallow whole!)
Wow! Sounds
pretty rough, doesn't it?
But, that's my very
point! I know some preachers who bite and devour each other.
(And I am not now talking about modernists who have departed from
the faith and deny our Lord Jesus. That crowd ought to be
attacked!) I'm speaking of good men slandering other good
men over trivial issues.
"Take heed" is Greek "blepo"
and means to look closely! (To examine!) It is an
imperative verb, by which Paul means to issue a command!
"Consumed" is only
found 3 times in the Bible ... always translated just as it is
here. In Luke 9:54 it is fire that "consumes" some enemies
of Christ. In 2 Thessalonians 2:8 it is antichrist who will
be consumed by Jesus at the Second Coming! (And here it is
poor fighting Christians who are in danger of consuming each other
with vicious words!)
I think this practice
of eating each other is called "cannibalism" among the heathen!
"Christian
Cannibalism!" Now THAT might be an interesting sermon title!
Dear men of God, hear
me today.
Let's not FIGHT each
other over who has the biggest church! Or who received the
largest salary! Or who preaches in the best pulpits!
Or even who has been to such and such schools!
Let us fundamentalists
stand together in these last days! (After all we do have
some common modernistic enemies to fight!)
Paul in this Galatians
context has been talking about love. Let us preachers set
the example in loving one another! In fact, we must set the
example in everything else too!
How do we bite and
devour less?
The verse after our
text today (Gal 5:16) immediately mentions the Holy Spirit! Let me
show you what I mean. "This
I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye
shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh."
He's the Answer!
We can love each other more ... and bite each other less by the
Power and Presence of the dear Spirit of God!
Brethren, I love you
all the Lord! May God bless each of you as you preach His
glorious Word (even on this Winter Wednesday night)!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
January 27, 2004
(Tuesday afternoon at 12:10 from Meredosia, Illinous)
Yesterday I missed sharing an article with you
here! I was stranded in Chicago due to unforeseen airline
problems. I enjoy our little "Preacher Talk" time.
Sometime ago I was reading some material on
being a better minister of Jesus Christ, and I came across this
thought.
The whole idea is the Apostle Paul's.
It's found in 1 Corinthians 4.
There he gives us 4 pictures of what a godly
preacher must be!
1. The real preacher must be a SERVANT of
Christ. Here's how Paul puts it: "Let
a man so account of us, as of the
ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God."
(1 Corinthians 4:1) See that word "minister?" It means
a slave, a galley slave on a ship! It's just a term for a
lowly servant! The word was used in the Greek world for
"underlings!" (Preachers, study that word in more detail. It
is a "beauty!")
2. The real preacher must be a STEWARD too.
This "steward" is one who handles the groceries on behalf of his
master! That's exactly what pastors are to do. Feed
your people from the provision your Lord has given you!
3. But then, the real preacher is SCUM!
(1 Corinthians 4:8-13) Paul uses such words (to describe us
preachers) as "filth" and "offscouring!" It's a term that
refers to the waste scraped off kitchen pots as they are cleaned!
That's how the world views us, men!
4. Lastly, we preachers are to be spiritual
FATHERS to God's little children. At least that's the "word
picture" Paul uses in 1 Corinthians 4:14-21! Here is some of
the text:
"I write not these things to shame you, but
as my beloved sons
I warn you. For though ye have ten thousand instructors in
Christ, yet have ye not many
fathers: for in
Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel.
Wherefore I beseech you, be ye followers of me."
Men of God, there we have four great patterns
for our ministry! Let's ask God today to help us be worthy
of the great calling He's given us --- the calling to PREACH the
precious Word of God!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
January 25, 2004
(Sunday --- 9:50 AM)
During the days
of the ten plagues of Egypt, darkness for a time enveloped the
whole land! (A supernatural darkness!)
Yet during this
terrible time for the wicked Egyptians, the Bible says:
"They (the Egyptians) saw not one another,
neither rose any from his place for three days:
but all the children of
Israel had light in their dwellings."
(Exodus 10:23)
See that?
Darkness
everywhere ... but the people of God had "light" in their
dwellings!
Preachers, that's
my prayer for you today!
As you stand
before people who have lived in a dark sinful world all week ...
may the LIGHT of God's Word shine forth!
After all, you've
spend untold hours these past days doing nothing but living in the
Book! And it's done to feed those hungry sheep!
Here's my advice
(and prayer): "Let your light so
shine!" (That the people may glorify our Father Who
is in Heaven!) Matthew 5:16
Someone let me
know how your services went today!
May it be a
BRIGHT day where you pastor!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
January 24,
2004 (Saturday morning from HOME --- 8:15 AM)
Preachers, this
is just an idea, but it might "work" for some of you.
I've long been
concerned about our young folks ... especially those who do not
have access to Christian education. There in those public
schools, they're exposed to constant barrages of "evolutionary"
teaching in all its forms! (God is too often ignored
altogether anymore in public education --- unless it is to make
fun of Him.)
Why can't we
preachers take a few minutes occasionally and reinforce the Bible
truth that God is Creator of heaven and earth (and everything in
them)?
We don't have
to have a degree in biology or chemistry to do so! We are
God-called preachers of the Word and as such have authority to
speak to any issue the Bible covers! (So far, I haven't
found an issue it doesn't cover!)
One of the best
ways to picture God as Creator is just to tell a little about his
vast creation!
Listen to Job
12:7,8 ---
"But ask now the beasts, and they shall
teach thee; and the fowls of the air, and they shall tell thee: Or
speak to the earth, and it shall teach thee: and the fishes of the
sea shall declare unto thee."
Seems the Bible teaches that the creatures of God
themselves (as well as this earth upon which we live) can teach us
about our Creator!
I yesterday
discovered a little truth about a small half-inch long "beetle."
(one of God's creations ... not a product of evolution!)
It's called the "bombardier beetle." It has been designed by God
to be able to protect itself in an amazing way!
When attacked
by an enemy, say (for example) a huge bullfrog (many times the
beetle's size) ... no problem! The beetle has been equipped
with two "chemicals" inside its little body that it can mix and
squirt in the face of the predator ... with the sure result of
immediate retreat! (Sort of "skunk-like," but much more
effective!)
Those chemicals
are: hydrogen peroxide combined with water ... plus
hydroquinine. But these alone would not do the job. A
catalyst must be added! (If you want specifics about the catalyst,
it consists of catalase and peroxidase.)
How does the
little beetle do this? The chemicals when properly mixed
have a terrible odor which alone will send the enemy running.
BUT when mixed and squirted (at up to 500 pulses per second) the
liquid heats to 212 degrees! (That's the temperature of
boiling water!)
He shoots a
scorching geyser of stinking repulsive blistering liquid ... right
in the eyes of his stalker!
I've heard of
"cold" receptions ... but this is a HOT one!
Needless to
say, few enemies bother our little beetle friend!
This little
beetle is a "chemist," isn't he (or she)?
One scientist
called this little insect: "practically a miniature fire-breathing
dragon!"
Now, do not
tell me that that little creature evolved all that equipment
(including a little inner "combustion chamber" to handle the
deadly blistering brew)! His species could have never
survived long enough to evolve all that. (Remember the
evolutionist's "survival of the fittest" dogma!)
How did he get
all that "know-how?"
Why, from the
Creator!
Who is also the
Redeemer!
I still believe
that "IN THE BEGINNING GOD CREATED ...!"
(Genesis 1:1)
That's
Saturday's "Preacher Talk" and I sure do hope some church young
folks and children soon get a little "science" talk from their
preacher!
(If you
preacher want more illustrations like this one, write me.
I'll give you a few hints!)
Grandpas and
Grandmas could tell these stories too, you know!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
January 23, 2004
(Friday at 6:54 AM)
I’ve found a Bible "word picture" for you
preachers! You are all "plowers" (or should I say "plowmen") for
the Lord!
There are so many agricultural metaphors (word
pictures) in the Bible that Charles H. Spurgeon has a whole book
of sermons entitled "Farm Sermons." If you benefit from Spurgeon,
get this book. It’s one of his best I think!
Jesus pictures us preachers as farmers. Listen
to Luke 9:62 --- "And Jesus said unto him,
No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is
fit for the kingdom of God." We men of God have
definitely put our hands to the plow! (Remember what Elisha was
doing when God "called" him to preach? He was plowing! 1 Kings
19:19) This "picture" of plowing implies there are
"goals" to be reached! That’s why we
can’t turn back! (I heard my Grandpa say that when he plowed he
picked out a tree straight ahead and set his course for that
distant marker! Why? That made his rows straight!) WE PREACHERS
HAD BETTER PLOW WITH SOME GOALS IN
MIND TOO!
The we preacher/plowers had better remember
what Paul said in 1 Corinthians 9:10 ---
"For our sakes, no doubt, this is written: that he that
ploweth should plow in hope." We are to plow in hope! That
indicates that there are some rewards in plowing (some
"gifts" of God in the work)! Plow
faithfully, men of God! There will be "handfuls on purpose"
dropped for you by the Hand of Almighty God. (Souls saved! Men
called to preach! Christians growing in Christ!) LET US PLOW WITH
THESE GIFTS IN MIND AS WELL!
Lastly I’ll mention Proverbs 20:4 ---
"The sluggard will not plow by reason of the
cold; therefore shall he beg in harvest, and have
nothing." The "sluggard" is the lazy man. I think I know no
lazy preacher. But if one exists ... this verse will help you! You
see, plowing is not always easy! There may be problems and
inconveniences in the work. I think I’ll just say there are
"griefs" in plowing that must be ignored if the work is to
be done! "Endue hardness!" LET US PLOW RIGHT THROUGHT THE ROCKS
AND COLD AND WHATEVER OTHER GRIEFS
GET IN THE WAY!
There’s my little Bible "secret" for you today!
Keep plowing and plodding and praying and preaching ... with
GOALS in your mind and
GIFTS in your heart and
GRIEFS under your feet!
God will reward you abundantly!
Think of it: GOALS
AND GIFTS AND
GRIEFS ... ALL FOR THE GLORY
OF GOD!
That’s a bunch of "G’s!"
When I was a lad, Grandpa plowed a team of
mules. I can barely remember going with him to the field a time or
two.
When he commanded his mules to veer right or
left, he used two words -- "Gee" and
"Ha!"
"Ha" means for them to go to the left ... and
"Gee" meant for them to go to the
right.
Today’s Preacher Talk has in it a lot of "G’s!"
(Goals, Gifts,
Griefs, Glory to God!)
I guess that means it’s the
RIGHT way to go!
Keep plowing, men! May God bless you all as you
faithfully serve our Lord and Master!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
January 22, 2004
(Thursday morning from a motel room in Knoxville, Tennessee)
I would like to introduce you men today to an
organization that is doing great harm to the cause of Christ.
It is called the "Jesus Seminar" and is opposed
to nearly everything we believe!
It consists of a group of so-called religious
"scholars" who have declared themselves competent to decide what
is true and what is not true about the Biblical Jesus! (They
contrast the Bible Jesus with what they are calling the "real"
historical Jesus!)
Let me show you what they believe (or should I
say do not believe). I am now quoting the founder and leader
of the "Jesus Seminar."
* "There is no personal god external to human beings
and the material world.
* The doctrine of special creation of the species
died with the advent of Darwinism.
* Miracles are conceivable only as the inexplicable;
otherwise they contradict the regularity of the order of the
physical universe.
* Prayer is meaningless when understood as requests
addressed to an external God for favor or forgiveness.
* It is no longer credible to think of Jesus as
divine.
* The virgin birth of Jesus is an insult to modern
intelligence and should be abandoned.
* The doctrine of the atonement is subrational,
subethical and monstrous.
* Jesus did not rise from the dead.
* The expectation that Jesus will return and sit in
cosmic judgment is part and parcel of the mythological
worldview that is now defunct.
* The New Testament is a highly uneven and biased
record of orthodox attempts to invent Christianity.
* The Bible does not contain fixed, objective
standards of behavior that should govern human behavior for
all time. This includes the Ten Commandments as well as the
admonitions of Jesus.
(BEWARE! THE FOREGOING REMARKS ARE HERESY!)
NOW ... BROTHER BAGWELL
SAYS ...
* These "beliefs" are hatched
out of the pits of hell itself!
* We preachers had better get
back to preaching Bible DOCTRINE so our folks will be grounded
in what to believe!
* It's time we stopped
"hobnobbing" around with any compromising crowd and stood up
as Bible believing fundamentalists who accept the Word of God
as literally true in every aspect!
* Men, we are going to have to
start WARNING people about the wolves that are around today!
* Paul in Philippians 3:18
said: "For many walk, of whom I
have told you often, and now tell you even weeping,
that they are the
enemies of the cross of Christ."
* God, help us to stand TRUE to
Thee in these last days!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
January 21, 2004
(Wednesday morning at 9:29 AM from Knoxville, Tennessee)
Recently while reading about a great man of God
I came across these words. It was said by his biographer
that the preacher had "a profound passion to
please God."
Those words stuck in my heart!
"A PROFOUND PASSION TO PLEASE GOD!"
(If you please God, you will also please His
real children!)
I thought to myself, "Now where is that thought
in Scripture?
Well, I found it.
Jesus said to His Disciples on day,
"And he that sent me is with me:
the Father hath not
left me alone; for I do
always those things that please him. (John 8:29)
There you have it! Jesus lived to please His Father!
Then I thought, "What about Paul?"
In
2 Corinthians 5:9 Paul thunders ---
"Wherefore we labour, that, whether present or absent,
we may be accepted of
him."
Furthermore, 2 Timothy 2:15 says ---
"Study to shew thyself
approved unto God,
a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the
word of truth."
Preachers, all I am trying to say today is that
we should live our lives and guide our ministries with one goal in
mind. PLEASING GOD!
What an honor it would be to hear these
words at the Judgment Seat of Christ: "Well
done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been
faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many
things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord."
Lord, I pray, give us a
"profound passion to please Thee!"
In His Service, Brother Mike Bagwell
January 20, 2004 (Tuesday
morning at 10:15 AM from Knoxville, Tennessee)
In days gone by it was called the "downgrade"
movement. What was it? It was the development of a
growing tendency in the 1800's to question various aspects of the
Bible.
Today it's most often called "Biblical
criticism."
It seems to begin with "little questions!"
(Remember the devil in the Garden of Eden wanted to ask some
"little questions!" In Genesis 3:1 satan asked Eve ---
"Yea, hath God said ...?")
Bible critics early on asked questions like:
"Did Moses really write the first five Books of the Bible?"
"Did a man named Abraham really live, or was he
just a legend?"
"How did we get the Gospels?"
"Who could possibly believe that an old man
secluded on an Aegean island (Patmos) would have a message from
God outlining all of God's future plan?"
"Surely you don't believe any one book could be
perfect, do you?"
Let me respond for a minute.
Yes, Moses wrote all the Pentateuch (five
books)! Yes, Abraham is a character of literal history!
We received the Gospels by a direct act of God called inspiration!
John the revelator wrote an inerrant prophecy of things to come
from a little island named Patmos.
And, YES, there is one perfect Book, the Bible!
Preachers, what I am saying to you today is to
honor the Bible as highly as you humanly can! Don't get
swept away in today's "downgrade" controversy. (Today's it's
called being "moderate" or "progressive" view of Scripture!
It used to be called "liberalism" or "modernism.")
Be a
Bible loving man of God!
David, in Psalm 138:2, was inspired of God to
say --- "For Thou hast magnified Thy Word
above all Thy Name!" (Wow!) Now, that's saying
a lot!
Paul told young preacher Timothy ---
"Preach the WORD!" (2 Timothy
4:2)
I am not interested in the "downgrade"
movement. It am interested in the "UPLIFT" movement ---
uplifting the Word of God!
Paul asked of his converts ---
"Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the
Word of the Lord may ... be glorified.!" (2 Thessalonians
3:1) Paul had a ministry of
magnifying the Scriptures!
We must do so too!
--- Fellow Preacher, Mike Bagwell
January 19, 2004 (Monday
morning at 8:25 AM from Cumming, Georgia)
Preachers, on this Monday morning the Lord has
given me a thought.
We often hear of things that must be done in
"preparation" for our messages. (And they are all important,
for sure.) We must study. We must pray. We must
prepare our own hearts. And so forth.
But what are we to do AFTER we have preached?
AFTER the seed has been "sown?"
(This being Monday ... you might "apply" some
of these truths.)
I read one old (now with the Lord) preacher who
said that he believed what we did AFTER the sermon was just as
important as when we did BEFORE the sermon!
After you've preached:
* Pray that the devil will not be able to
"steal" the seed of God's Word from the hearts of your people!
(In the parable of the "sower," remember what the birds did?
Matthew 13:4 --- "And when he sowed, some
seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured
them up." That's exactly what satan wants to do!)
* Pray that you dear people will be
"doers" of the Word ... and not "hearers" only! (James 1:22)
* Pray that God will help YOU live what
you've preached!
* Pray that God will "confirm" His Word
in the hearts of the congregation! Mark 16:20 says:
"And they went forth, and preached every
where, the Lord working with them, and
confirming the word
with signs following. Amen."
* Pray that the Word will be (by the Holy
Spirit) "engrafted" into their hearts! James 1:21 ---
"Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and
superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness
the engrafted word,
which is able to save your souls."
* And, for sure, at the meal which follows the
sermon (whether it's Sunday lunch or supper or your Wednesday
night "bedtime" snack or even Thursday morning breakfast), discuss
with your wife and family what you've preached! Talking
about the Word of God is edifying! Malachi 3:16 ---
"Then they that feared the LORD spake often
one to another: and the LORD hearkened, and heard it, and a
book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared
the LORD, and that thought upon his name."
* And after you've preached, be SURE to
properly file your study materials and notes for future reference.
You well may need them again.
There are just a few "hints," but I believe
you'll find them to be very Biblical.
Let's practice them today.
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
January 17, 2004
(Saturday morning at 9:20 CST, from Bessemer, Alabama)
I again read a little bit earlier this morning
about the life of the great English Pastor Charles Spurgeon.
He pastored what became known as the Metropolitan Tabernacle in
London. (It was formerly known as Park Street Baptist
Church.)
Guess what I learned? That church had
previously been pastored by three men (Dr. Benjamin Keach, Dr.
John Gill and Dr. John Rippon) who served faithfully there for 148
years! One can easily detect here a pattern of LONG
pastorates!
That's what I want to say to you today.
When you men are praying about candidating in a
new church, please notice this fact! The LONGEVITY of
previous pastors is a pretty good indicator of your longevity
there as well!
(One poor pastor was reported as saying, "I
should have known I wouldn't be there long when they wrote
my name on the church sign in chalk!)
Now be aware that God can do anything.
(Even give you a long pastorate when your predecessors were there
only briefly!) But usually general patterns and
trends hold true!
I just thought I would remind you.
By the way, Charles Haddon Spurgeon served the
Metropolitan Tabernacle until his death, nearly 38 years later!
One great evangelist I know considers the
relationship between a pastor and his church similar to the
relationship between a man and his wife! (That should be a
LONG ... a LIFELONG ... one!) And this particular Evangelist
is as fundamental as they come!
It takes a long time to build godly
generations of Believers!
Don't plan to pastor anywhere briefly!
"Dig in" for the long haul! One deacon told me recently that
they had "nailed" their pastor's furniture to the pastorium floor!
I like that attitude!
Preachers, do not run when those little
"problems" come along! I promise you ... if you move, the
"problems" will follow you! Just as well put them into God's
great Big Hands and fight them right where you are!
Paul told the young pastor Titus ---
"For this cause
left I thee in Crete,
that thou shouldest set in order the things that are wanting, and
ordain elders in every city, as I had appointed thee." In
other words: Titus, STAY in Crete! Do a good (and
lasting) work for your Lord! Don't be looking to leave!
By the way, Crete was an especially hard place of service!
Just how bad was it there? Again, Paul tells us:
"One of themselves (from Crete), even
a prophet of their own, said, The Cretians are alway liars,
evil beasts, slow bellies." (Titus 1:12) How
would you like to pastor that crowd?
I hope I'm hearing some preacher say:
"Honey, hand me my hammer and nails please!"
(Everyone else will have to excuse us today.
This is just "Preacher Talk!")
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
January 16, 2004 (Friday
morning at 7:50 AM)
I've been thinking a bit today about the "call"
to preach. Each of you men of God knows what I mean.
In 1 Timothy 1:12 Paul states:
"And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath
enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the
ministry."
Paul further adds in 1 Corinthians 9:16 ---
"For though I preach the gospel, I have
nothing to glory of: for necessity is laid upon me; yea, woe is
unto me, if I preach not the gospel!"
Listen to Amos concerning his "call."
Amos 7:15 --- "And the LORD
took me as I
followed the flock, and the LORD said unto me, Go, prophesy unto
my people Israel."
Preachers, you have experienced this "call."
This is what I'm asking you to do today.
This Friday PONDER you call to the ministry. Do as Paul did.
THANK GOD that He called you to preach! (There is not a
higher calling on earth!)
I also have a little "challenge" for some of
you. I would like someone to write me today and briefly
describe that "call" to preach God gave you! How young or
old were you? How did you KNOW God was calling you?
I wonder when God KNEW He was going to call us?
Oh! I remember. The answer is found in Jeremiah 1:5
--- "Before I formed thee in the belly I
knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I
sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the
nations."
I salute you blessed Men of God today!
May the Lord bless both you and your
ministries!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
January 14, 2004,
Wednesday morning at 8:55 AM from Lincolnton, NC
It's called an "acronym." (ak'-ro-nym')
Here's the definition: "A word formed from the initial
letters of a name, such as WAC for Women's Army
Corps, or by combining initial letters or parts of a series
of words, such as radar for radio detecting
and ranging."
I'm going to use this term in today's article.
Of all folks we preachers are in the "people"
business! We love people. We preach to people.
We are Ambassadors of Christ to people! (In this we are just
following the example of our Lord.)
In our many attempts to encourage the people of
God, we have to be willing to LISTEN to their burdens and needs.
What a Perfect Listener Jesus was (and still is)!
You might could say that the Preacher is to
give to his people his "EAR." Give "ear" to their burdens
and needs and spiritual hungers.
This is where our "acronym" enters. I saw
Monday an interesting word picture on this matter of giving "ear"
to someone.
Husbands need to listen to their wives!
Parents to children also!
To give EAR could mean our:
Encouragement,
Appreciation, and
Recognition!
Aren't you glad the Lord gives us His
Encouragement. (He's called the "Holy Spirit!") He
also gives us His Appreciation. (That happens at the
Judgment Seat of Christ!) And He even adds His Recognition.
(He knows us by name! He prays for us as our great High
Priest!)
Surely we preachers are to do the same for our
precious people!
It was a blessing to me ... so I thought I'd
just share it with you men of God!
What do you think?
Go today and give someone you EAR!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
January 13, 2004, at 10:38 AM, from a
motel room in Lincolnton, NC
Somewhere in my reading yesterday I came across
this statement. "Just like rubber
bands, people have to be stretched to be effective!"
(s-t-r-e-t-c-h-e-d!)
That truth impacted me in a special way!
Too many of us Preachers have not been
stretched in a while! (No stretching exercises will make us
too flabby!)
We need to intellectually stretch our minds
occasionally! (Read a harder than usual book!)
We need to spiritually stretch ourselves also!
(Stop television for a month and spend that time reading
Scripture!)
How about emotional stretching? Ask God
to calm that temper for a few weeks (or years)!
And have you ever heard of "pulpit" stretching?
(Preacher a more difficult text occasionally! Tackle Hebrews
sometime this year!)
Preacher Bagwell, you've just got "hooked" on
some kind of "feel good" psychology. NO! NO! NO!
This is Biblical advice I'm sharing today!
Listen to Paul. In 1 Corinthians 9:27 he
says: "But I keep under my body, and bring
it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have
preached to others, I myself should be a castaway." Paul
here is literally saying that he beats his body into obedience
that he might better serve our Lord! (Preachers, that's
stretching oneself!)
Better yet, look at this one. Philippians
3:13-14 declares: "Brethren, I count not
myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do,
forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto
those things which are before. I
press toward the
mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus."
Sounds like real exertion (stretching) again to me!
Preachers, I love you. But before we start
asking so much of our people, let's start asking more of ourselves
... all to the Glory of God!
P.S. --- Let's let Paul have the "last word."
(He always does!)
To a young preacher named Timothy:
"But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of
an evangelist, make full
proof of thy ministry." (2 Timothy 4:5)
--- Stretchingly, Dr. Mike Bagwell
January 12, 2004 (Monday
Evening at 5:20 PM from Lincolnton, NC)
Many preachers have now done this. Perhaps it’s
a wise move.
In the churches they pastor (which already have
ample classroom space and a little area for chapel, etc.) they are
beginning little "Bible Schools" or (as Spurgeon called his)
"Pastor’s Colleges."
It’s just a way to help other local pastors (be
they younger or older) to grow in their knowledge of the Word of
God!
Preacher, may I suggest this same course of
action for you? (Wait a minute! Hear me carefully!) Don't
quit reading yet!
I believe you (Preacher friend) should be the
principal of the school (or even president if you prefer). I also
think you should be the first enrolled student (a charter member
of the student body)! I believe you should be in charge, and you
should make yourself STUDY God’s Word every day!
(After all, the very word "disciple" means "disciplined!)
You even get to design the curriculum (the list
of subjects studied)! You also must enforce attendance at each
session!
I am not trying to be "funny." I hope you see
what I am suggesting.
Make your own Pastor’s School! Put yourself
right in the middle of it! Invite the Holy Spirit to be the
Teacher! And stick with it!
While I am NOT against organized formal Bible
education, this is simply not possible for everyone under all
circumstances! BUT REGULAR (DAILY) BIBLE STUDY UNDER HOLY SPIRIT
GUIDANCE IS!
I’ll promise you that any preacher who masters
F. E. Marsh’s Book on "The Emblems of The Holy Spirit" will never
be the same again! (Make that one of your courses!)
Or saturate yourself in Dr. Oliver B. Greene’s
material (still in print) on the Book of Revelation!
Read (then read again) Charles Spurgeon’s
"Treasury of David." (The best in print on the Psalms in the
English language!)
In fact, there are enough great volumes of
Bible study books, tapes (etc.) available today to keep you busy
("in college") the rest of your ministry!
(When you’re preparing to digest a "Book" of
the Bible, write me. I’ll gladly share what I believe are the best
study resources to help you! I’m the president of a little Bible
College (with one student) myself!
And the end result of all this? What’s the
"goal?"
To be "approved unto God" for having studied
His Word!
And you will have done it the HARD way!
May God bless you abundantly is my prayer!
Additionally, even if you have a degree
(Associate, Bachelor, Masters or Doctorate) you STILL should
practice the daily study of the Scriptures.
Old stale food is not good! Preachers,
your folks deserve "fresh" bread from Heaven!
At least that’s what I think!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
January 11, 2004 (Sunday
afternoon at 4:37 PM from Lincolnton, NC)
Preachers, I tried to lay down and take a
nap. I am tired. But the Lord brought this thought to
my mind and I had to get up. I must share it with you.
THEN I'm still going to get a short "nap" before the service
tonight, Lord willing.
Our President is afforded the opportunity
of having a group of advisors called a "Cabinet." The
government pays their salaries just so they can advise Mr. Bush in
their areas of specialty! I don't know a lot about foreign
governments, but I believe all around this world similar
arrangements are in place. No one person knows it all!
No one person can make all the right decisions. We all often
need counsel.
I've been thinking that if the President
needs them ... as do Prime Ministers and Premiers and other Heads
of State ... maybe preachers do too!
What do you mean, Brother Bagwell?
Dear man of God, have you ever thought
about having for yourself a little "cabinet" of two (or three or
even four) wise, godly and seasoned preachers on whom you can call
for godly advice when needed?
When that church member is "acting up" a
little! When the offerings are "off!" When you feel
"discouraged!" Or just "whenever!"
Be careful here. You want to select
prayerfully. (No "blabbermouths" allowed!) I believe
God brings into every fundamental preacher's life at least one or
two precious faithful preachers on whom he can depend for prayer
and counsel!
Preachers, none of us can "go it alone!"
See the "counsel of the godly" when
needed!
Doing so would NOT be a sign of weakness!
It WOULD be a sign of Wisdom!
Proverbs 11:14 says
"Where no counsel is, the people
fall: but in the multitude of counsellors there is
safety."
Believe me here.
I've been your friend today! This is a Biblical procedure!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
January 10, 2004
(Saturday afternoon at 3:56 PM)
In 1 Timothy 4:15 Paul told his young "preacher
boy" to "Meditate upon these things; give
thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all."
What things? The things concerning his
ministry. His call to preach, for example.
"Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by
prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery."
(1 Timothy 4:14)
Our verb "meditate" means to think upon! It's
only used three times in Scripture. In Mark 13:11 it is
"premeditate!" In Acts 4:25 it is translated "imagine." And here
in our text just "meditate." (To give careful thought!) To take
pains! To take extra care!
To "give oneself wholly" expresses (in the
imperative mood) a form of the verb "to be." It's in the present
tense ... meaning that we are to BE continually in the ministry to
which God has called us!
What will happen to us as we concentrate on the
calling God has placed in our lives? There will be "profiting!"
It's a neat little word. PRO + KOPE! It literally means "to cut" (kopto)
forward (pro)! It presents us a picture of a man in a thick jungle
... having to cut a path forward to lead those behind him to
safety! Preachers, as you work consistently in the Word and walk
constantly toward higher and higher goals of godly living ... God
promises that PROGRESS will occur! Gentlemen, sharpen your swords!
We have some pioneer "cutting" to do!
And look! This profiting that comes from
diligent concentration on our work in the Lord ... will appear to
others! Paul says to "all!"
The verb "appear" means to shine! To be bright
(suddenly, like a flashbulb)!
Work on your calling in Christ. Focus on your
ministry. Meditate on the things of God. AND ... God will give you
a burst of spiritual growth presently unimaginable to your human
mind! (Others will be amazed as they see it too! All will glorify
God!)
Preachers, this is for you on a Winter Saturday
evening ... while you're working hardest on the messages for
tomorrow (or a week from tomorrow if you're smarter than most of
us)!
May God bless you abundantly.
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
January 9, 2004
(Friday at 3:10 PM from Cumming, Georgia)
Once early in his ministry, Charles Spurgeon had considered the
strong possibility of attending Bible College. He even went
so far as to schedule an interview with the Principal of Stepney
College (which later became Regents Park College, a part of the
Oxford University system near London). On the day of the
interview the Principal entered the appointed house (rather large
and spacious) and was placed by a servant girl in a certain room.
Shortly thereafter Spurgeon entered and was placed by a different
servant in another room! Neither man ever knew the other
came! After a while, both men departed. Spurgeon took
the "broken appointment" as a leading from the Lord not to pursue
formal theological education!
Is that an example of the providence of God, or what? (By
the way, the single greatest sermon I've ever read on God's
Providence was preached by Charles H. Spurgeon. You can't
read it and ever be the same again! It's found in His
Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit set.)
Pastor Spurgeon decided that God would have him study the Word by
himself! He (and the Holy Spirit) would spend countless
hours in a little room (which later grew into a big room) designed
for study purposes.
I am not against Bible education. Thank God for every school
that helps preachers and still stands for the old fashioned
principles of Scripture! But ... listen to me ... that just
may not be for everybody!
My Uncle, Dr. Oliver B. Green, never graduated from a Bible
School! But he sure was a student of the Word of God!
(He also tried to go to school! But after a short time they
"kicked him out" for believing and preaching the pre-millennial
doctrine of the Second Coming of Jesus! He later told me
that he believed that was the best thing that could have happened
to him at that time! He feared he would have become a
"compromiser" without that "jolt!")
Preacher, listen to me. One of the BEST ways to learn the
Word of God is for you and the dear Holy Spirit, Who is The True
Teacher anyway, to get alone with an open Bible and "get with it!"
John 16:13 ---
"Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is
come,
he will guide you into all
truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he
shall hear,
that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come."
Men, try it!
Now it's true that some of God's most polished Preachers were
highly trained (Moses and Paul for example), but equally so
... others were quite "untrained" but powerfully used of God
(Amos, Jeremiah, and the Disciples)!
Men, I am trying to encourage those of you who have had little or
no College training. Turn that little bedroom of yours, or
that little corner study (or the closet if need be) ... into a
lecture hall for Jesus where you master the precious Scriptures of
Truth!
It well may be said of you (as of the Disciples of old) ... Acts
4:13 ---
"Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived
that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled; and
they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus."
Hand me my Bible, please!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
January 8, 2004
(Thursday)
A time or two through the years I've had
the privilege of sitting at a meal with some dear saint of God who
did an unusual thing! As we all know, Christians "ask a
blessing" or "say Grace" before we eat. We do this to thank
God for the provision of daily bread. Paul said we should
"sanctify" our food with the Word of God and prayer! (That's
why it's a pretty good idea to have a bit of Scripture at each
meal too!) 1 Timothy 4:5 --- "For it
(our food or "meat") is sanctified by the word of God and prayer."
But the UNUSUAL thing I have in mind is
this. Next ... that old saint AFTER THE MEAL asked
another blessing or (you could say) gave another word of thanks to
God! I thought that a bit strange. After all, a
"meal" is not a worship experience! (Or ... is it?)
Then (yesterday) I saw it! I just
can't remember it from before! (I guess you never get too
old to learn!) It's found in Deuteronomy 8:10 ---
"When thou hast eaten and art full, then thou shalt bless the LORD
thy God for the good land which he hath given thee."
Did you get that?
When you have eaten ... then give
thanks!
When you are "full," bless the
Lord thy God!
After a meal we are commanded to
express our praise too!
So much for ignorance.
I thought some preacher would like to
know this too!
(Lord, get ready! There's going to
be a good bit more praying at mealtimes!)
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
January 7, 2004
(Wednesday from a motel room in Albemarle, North Carolina)
There is a question I dearly love to ask Preachers. I try to
do this every time I'm around a man of God. I simply
enquire: "Preacher, what's your favorite Book of the Bible?"
The answers are just thrilling!
(I wish now that I had kept a "record" of their responses through
the years.)
I asked Brother Charles Goodman that question yesterday. He
pastors the gracious Open Door Baptist Church in Richland, NC,
where we are this week in a revival meeting. Without
hesitation he said, "EPHESIANS!"
A preacher in Illinois recently told me "ROMANS!"
Another said "REVELATION!"
Often I hear "PSALMS" or occasionally "PROVERBS!"
(I would like for a few of you preachers who read these lines to
let me know YOUR favorite Book too!)
Not that we dislike any Book of Scripture! No! No!
No! But some Books (at least at times) sure do seem to help
us!
Preacher, I have a suggestion at the start of this new year.
Why don't you pick out a book of Scripture (only 66 from which to
choose) and MAJOR on it this year? (Not leaving out all the
other 65 Books ... but studying your selection as if to master its
contents!) Ask God to help you make your decision!
(That alone would be exciting!)
Spend extra time each week in "your" Book! (I'll tell you
right now that the Bible is too vast ... 1,189 chapters ... for
you to become an expert in every area!)
I'm sure you'll end up preaching from it some. But memorize
from it. Live in it. Let it saturate you.
While I would recommend for you a Bible Book a year, some may want
a Book every six months or so. (Some men such as Spurgeon
spent many years in a Book ... Psalms in his case!)
And I'll guarantee you this: someone who takes my challenge will
say next year (1-1-05, Lord willing), "I sure am glad I majored on
______________ in 2004! It has changed my life spiritually!"
I am waiting for some "takers" ...
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
January 6, 2003 (Tuesday
from Albermarle, North Carolina)
Preachers, Paul said in Ephesians 5:16
that we are to be "Redeeming the time,
because the days are evil." He repeated his command
in Colossians 4:5 --- "Walk in wisdom toward
them that are without, redeeming the time." That verb
"redeeming" means "to buy up!" (It's the exact word the
Greeks would use for going to the market and purchasing some
commodity!) Make you time count! Invest it for the
cause of our Lord!
In both the verbs above the mood is
"imperative," Paul is expressing a command!
I would like to suggest that we all need
to be more careful with our time!
Why can't we each day set a little Bible
study (or some other area of Christian service) "goal?"
Paul said that he pressed toward a
"mark!" He had some goals. (High and lofty and
spiritual ones, too!)
This week I want to spend some time each
day in the Book of Judges. (Sister Norma is at home studying
the Book of James. We shall share our thoughts together on
the phone later today. I can't wait to hear what she's
learned!)
It seems the Lord has laid Judges on my
heart. Perhaps its key phrase is "but
every man did that which was right in his own eyes." (Judges
17:6 and 21:25) That is a precise description of life in America
today! I believe Judges just may have some rich "preaching
material" embedded within its chapters.
(I am about to "drift" from my point!)
Judges ... that's my "goal" for today ...
and tomorrow, etc.
Preachers, I am no great example of
anything ... but I don't want to waste the time God has given me!
I don't want you to waste yours either!
Someone ask God today to give you a
little something to "do." Then ... head toward the goal He's
chosen for you.
That's exciting living!
That's also "Preacher Talk" for this
Tuesday!
(Or is it "Preacher Meddling?")
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
January 5, 2004
(Monday morning at 7:20 AM)
Preachers, I'd like to give you a bit of a
"challenge" this morning. It will take some "effort" to do
this. But Paul did tell Timothy to "do
the WORK of an evangelist!" (2 Timothy 4:5)
One of the areas where our young folks are
being "bombarded" by the enemy is in the field of science.
Evolution is one of the "gods" of this age.
I believe that it would be wise for some of
us preachers to sharpen our knowledge in the areas of biology,
geology, astronomy, etc., and go on the "attack" against the LIES
that are being taught our youth at school and elsewhere.
The Bible is RIGHT even in the field of
science.
Last week I finished reading a little
hardback book (published in August, 2003) by Dr. John Morris and
Dr. Steven Austin. The Book is titled "Footprints in the
Ash." It is very colorful and has only 127 pages ... but
every one of them is "power-packed!"
Basically the book shows (scientifically but
not too technically) how the Mount St. Helens disaster back in
1980 produced in hours (or weeks in some cases) the EXACT evidence
that is being studied worldwide (in other places) and labeled as
"evolutionary."
Strata layers, sediment deposits and other
phenomena that we are being told took thousands (or millions) of
years to form ... took just minutes or hours or day, etc. to form
at Mount St. Helens!
Somebody's mistaken ... or just plainly
lying!
I personally believe that evolution is NOT a
scientific thesis ... but a form of religion that seeks to
extinguish God from American thought!
(By the way, scientists were THERE in 1980
at Mount St. Helens and have been observing these things IN PERSON
for the past nearly 24 years. NO ONE OBSERVED THE SO-CALLED
MILLIONS OF YEARS OF EVOLUTION OCCUR! I think I'll take the
eye-witness accounts myself!)
But here's my point. Our young people
need to KNOW that this crowd of atheistic evolutionists are
misrepresenting the truth! Preachers, we need to stand
up regularly and declare the first verse of Genesis ---
"IN THE BEGINNING GOD CREATED THE HEAVEN AND
THE EARTH!"
We do not have to be ashamed of anything the
Bible teaches. It IS the inerrant the Word of God!
Paul told Timothy: "O Timothy, keep
that which is committed to thy trust, avoiding profane
and vain babblings, and oppositions of science falsely so
called." (1 Timothy 6:20)
Preachers, already you are husbands,
fathers, shepherds, counselors, teachers, scholars, nurses, and so
much more! You had just as well be scientists also!
HELP those teenagers and young adults!
Give them the TRUTH!
(And now with every passing month, saved men
and women who are experts in their respective fields of science
are offering more and more evidence of a God created universe.
These are exciting days in which to live for Jesus! Take
advantage of this material!)
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
January
4, 2004 (Sunday)
Preachers, let me
mention just one little verse to you today. I do so
realizing that this (I'm writing on a Sunday morning) is
undoubtedly your busiest day of the week. A Pastor's Sunday
likely consists of: early morning prayer and study, Sunday School,
Preaching, talking to folks and counseling, a quick meal, a bit
more studying then evening service with even more "work" to
follow. I know how it feels. Come Sunday night ... you
are exhausted!
(These are all more
reasons why you Pastors are my "heroes!" Only God knows the
labour you give for His Name's Sake!)
Now here's my "point"
in today's "Preacher Talk." You men of God just MUST get
some time to REST as the days pass!
If it's no more than a
regular quick afternoon "nap." Or maybe a Monday when you
can sleep late or skip some office time ... or take the wife out
to eat a relaxing meal. (Leave the cell phone home or in the
car for that hour. Folks can "wait" for 60 or 90 minutes. Most of
them will understand!) Nearly everybody has a day off
occasionally! In fact many workers now have two or three
days free every week!
I am not being
"trivial" with you about this matter. This REST business is
a command from God! (He set the first example during
creation week! And God did not rest because He was tired
either!)
Remember what Jesus
said to His disciples in Mark 6:31 --- "Come
ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while: for
there were many coming and going, and they had no leisure so much
as to eat." That
little verb is in the imperative mood! It was a requirement,
not a request from the Lord!
Wasn't it the old godly
preacher Vance Havner who said, "If you don't come ye apart and
rest a while ... YOU WILL JUST COME YE APART!"
There may be a lot of
truth in that!
I'm telling you because
I love you!
(These facts are all
the more pertinent because of the many pastors today who serve in
small church congregations and HAVE TO WORK another job as well!)
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
January 3, 2004
(Saturday)
In John 21:15 Jesus said to
Peter: "Feed My lambs."
The again in John 21:16 Jesus
repeated the words, "Feed My sheep."
Then yet again in John 21:17
Jesus said,
"Feed My sheep!"
Jesus in the context of our
verses was "testing" Peter's love for the Lord! If Peter,
the pastor, loved the Lord Jesus, he would PROVE that love by
feeding the Lord's little sheep!
Preachers, as far as I know
that's STILL the test of your love for the Lord! (Not how
popular you are! Not necessarily how BIG your church is!
Not the size of the weekly offerings! BUT are you feeding
His sheep?)
Yet in those three commands ("Feed
My lambs once and
"Feed My sheep" twice), there are different verbs used!
The first verb is "bosko," a Greek term meaning "to fodder" or to
allow "to graze." It is primarily the word for giving food
to the hungry animals! It involves little else!
The other verb used, "poimaino,"
means "to tend as a shepherd" and involves quite a bit more than
just feeding! It can entail protecting, shearing,
administering first aid, etc.!
Preachers, do you see what Jesus
is saying. There are 2 jobs here for the good pastor!
He MUST feed the sheep for sure! (That's done via God's
Word! It is milk and meat and honey and bread, etc. to the
child of God!)
The other job is watching over
God's flock ("overseer") to drive away the wolves, to clean their
fleece, to keep them from falling into danger, to shear them a
time or two a year, etc.! This also is done through the Word
of God!
I admire you Preachers, Here you
are "specialists" in two different ways! You are "nutrition"
experts and can feed just the right sustenance to just the right
sheep at just the right time! Plus you are "general
practitioners" over the whole flock to help meet their every need
as it arises!
By the way, did you notice the
two kinds of sheep mentioned? "Lambs" and "sheep!"
There is a difference. We'll save that for a future day,
Lord willing. (You must do things for little lambs
differently that for mature sheep!) It's all in the little
text here.
May God bless you men as you put
the "finishing touches" on the sermons for tomorrow! May you
be "endued with power from on high"
as you preach! (Luke 24:49)
You are my heroes!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
January 2, 2004 (Friday)
This is just an idea, but it might work
for some of you preachers. Sister Norma and I are trying it
for the first time this month.
As we study in January the book of James
(mostly reviewing our material at mealtimes) , I have made a
little video! (Truthfully Brother Joel our son made it.
He's the technical expert in the family. I just sat in front
of the camera and read the Book of James --- all five chapters.
