Wednesday, September 30, 2015

THE GLORY OF THE COVENANT OF MARRIAGE
Geoffrey R. Kirkland
Christ Fellowship Bible Church

The Bible speaks of marriage as a covenant. A covenant is a bond, a treaty, a commitment between parties. Proverbs 2:17 speaks of marriage as a covenant. Malachi 2:14 speaks of a woman as a man’s wife by covenant. The Bible describes marriage far more than a mere relationship or a happy friendship. The institution of marriage, as designed by God, is in fact a covenant between both parties to each other and before God.

1. Marriage is a LIFELONG covenant. The marriage relationship was created by God for one man and one woman to leave their parents and to join themselves to each other in an unbreakable bond. Marriage is not to be severed. It should not be broken. It must never be conditional. The covenant of marriage is to endure as long as both persons live. It must be lifelong.

2. Marriage is a DIVINE covenant. Far more than being something that a governing authority or the state created or instituted, marriage is God’s plan. God thought of, defined, provided the parameters of, and wills marriage. This means that the defining of marriage does not rest in the powers and ingenuities of men because God and God alone designed marriage and defined precisely what marriage is. God decreed that one man must leave parents and he must join himself to his wife (who also leaves her parents) and the man and the woman become one flesh. In fact, even Jesus said that it is ultimately God who joins the husband and wife together.

3. Marriage is a WILLED covenant. To live as a married couple, both the husband and the wife must resolve to stay together, to grow together, to communicate together, and they must will -- that is, they must commit -- to remain together as long as life endures. Marriage is a choice and it’s also a commitment. When times get hard and disagreements arise, the covenant should not be broken. Rather, the commitment of both the husband and the wife to one another should strengthen the bond of marriage all the more. Thus, marriage is a willed, deliberate, enduring, and committed covenant one with another.

4. Marriage is a SACRIFICIAL covenant. Just as in the ancient world, the parties who would engage in a covenant would take an animal and sacrifice it as a symbol of faithfulness to the covenant treaty. The meaning was this, if anyone were to break his part of the deal, his end would be that of the sacrificial animal. To live in the covenant of marriage is to sacrifice for the other person, for their good, for their enjoyment. It is a blessed sacrifice and a delightful service. Marriage exists not for me to be served and for me to be happy by what I can get out of it for my pleasure and comfort. Rather, marriage is designed for me to sacrifice me and myself and my aspirations so that I may attain the higher joy and greater blessedness of serving another, sacrificing for their well-being, and seeking to bring them joy and pleasure.

5. Marriage is a PERSEVERING covenant. Covenants in the truest sense of the word do not fail. They endure, they continue, they do not fail. When God brings a man and a woman together in the covenant bond of marriage, it is a persevering covenant because the husband and the wife persevere with each other through all seasons of life, through all ages of life, through all the storms of life, through all the joys of life, and through all the uncertainties of life. True marriage does not fail; it endures. Both parties within marriage resolve at the ceremony before God and witnesses to remain together throughout life and they must persevere in keeping those promises throughout the remainder of their marriage together till they die. True, self-giving, faithful love does not fail.

6. Marriage is a GOSPEL-DEMONSTRATING covenant. The most remarkable reality regarding the marriage covenant is that it points to something bigger. It has always pointed to something greater. The grand design of marriage, by God, was for the covenant of marriage to be a demonstration of a greater covenant. It was to be a picture, if you will, of the reality. It was to be an illustration of a far greater, spiritual relationship. The Bible speaks of this as a mystery. The mystery spoken of was something that existed before but it was unknown, it was veiled, until the proper time when the true and full revelation would come to light. The New Testament clarifies that marriage is a mystery -- it is something that was physical relationship pointing to a spiritual relationship. Both are real. Both are delightful. But the physical marriage relationship on earth always is meant to point to the spiritual relationship between Christ and His Church. Christ, as the Bridegroom, gave Himself for His bride, the Church. The Church, the Bride, submits to her Christ as He is a blessed Bridegroom, a loving provider, a passionate sanctifier, and a promise-keeping lover. This spiritual relationship between Christ and His Bride is pictured through the earthly, visible marriage relationship between a husband and a wife. The husband is called to emulate Christ in loving his wife and sacrificing for her well-being. He is to love her, and lead her, and cherish her, and nurture her. The wife, on the other hand, must submit to her husband in the same way that the church submits to her Savior in all things. This submission is a worshipful, internal, willing, delightful, and glad placing oneself under her husband’s authority that God has lovingly placed over her. That is to say, the covenant bond of marriage is ultimately and always meant to be a pointer to the ultimate marriage and to the eternal union of Christ and His bride. Human marriages will terminate. When a spouse dies, the marriage relationship is over. No one will be married in heaven. But there is a marriage that does not terminate. A covenant marriage does exist that cannot fade away, it does not pass away, and it is eternal. In fact, the fullness of that marriage will really, everlastingly, and passionately be experienced in its fullness after believers die and meet the perfect Bridegroom face to face. Every marriage portrays the gospel. Is your marriage a healthy demonstration of the gospel in this world? In a day in which marriage is mocked, rejected, ‘redefined’, and blasphemed, true marriages that accurately and beautifully present the gospel through a husband’s self-giving and sacrificial love and through a wife’s humble, quiet, and respectful submission are desperately needed. May your marriage be a gospel-demonstrating marriage. May you strive with all your might and by the Spirit’s enabling grace to live and think and serve and conduct yourself in your marriage relationship in such a way that the gospel of Jesus Christ is accurately, beautifully, and clearly presented. If you do this, you will be different. But stick to it. It’s worth it. The ultimate marriage is soon-coming. Soon you’ll meet your eternal, ravishing Bridegroom face to face!

Download the pdf article.
The Privilege of the Lord’s Supper
Geoffrey R. Kirkland
Christ Fellowship Bible Church

Believers should prepare ahead of time for communion. In so doing, believers should bear the following points in mind.

REMEMBERING — The Lord’s Supper draws the mind of the believer again back to Calvary to remember Christ and His glory. The communion supper invites the Christian yet again to reflect on Christ’s spotlessness, His righteousness, His atoning sacrifice, His present intercession, His particular redemption, and His soon-coming. Believers must remember Christ and they must stir themselves up to action to serve this Christ, to love Him more, to speak well and often of Him, and to cherish Him supremely!

APPROPRIATING — The work of salvation is accomplished when God grants the new birth. But when believers gather together corporately to take the communion meal, it is as if Christ’s work at Calvary is refreshed and appropriated afresh to the believer. In receiving the bread and in appropriating it to oneself, the Christian remembers how desperate he really is for Christ’s righteousness, His divine blood, and His constant grace. Nothing in this fellowship meal imparts salvation nor does it make one even more sanctified. But in appropriating it and receiving it, the believer is refreshed and comforted.

STRENGTHENING — This meal that Christ commanded His followers to take together provides strength through the storms of life. It provides a constant reminder that Christ died for sinners once for all and that He Himself is all that one needs for salvation, for sanctification, and for a perfect standing before God. This provides strength to the believer who finds himself tossed and turned by the waves of life. It gives courage to the downcast believer battling with sin and temptations.

REVIVING — Communion revives the heart. In diligently preparing for communion, one finds his heart enflamed afresh as he reflects on the great love of God and the undiminished mercy of the Savior! The smoldering wick becomes a mighty flame as the Christian slows down, diligently ponders, biblically meditates, and fills his heart and mind with Christ’s love, His redemption, and His righteousness imputed to the sinner by faith. This revives the struggling heart.

PROCLAIMING — Jesus declared that in taking the communion meal, Christians proclaim Christ to the lost. The Lord’s Supper is in fact a very ‘preaching event’ to the entire gathered community. Undoubtedly nonbelievers sit amongst those who have truly been saved and are partaking of communion. It proclaims Christ to them. It reminds them that the way of salvation is very narrow, very exclusive, very particular, and very limited. There is only one door, one way, one Savior, one cross, one Mediator. The Lord’s Supper proclaims Christ crucified and risen to all present -- even the small children who observe this blessed feast as their parents take it frequently. May God use this ordinance to proclaim Christ to all present so that the lost may be found by fleeing to Christ!

SHARING/COMMUNING — A fascinating reality occurs when the Spirit indwelt believer worships God through the Lord’s Supper. He actually communes with Jesus Christ. He shares with Christ. It is a fellowship meal with Christ Himself. The believer partakes of Christ afresh and reinvigorates his heart with gospel truth as he reflects on Christ’s work at Calvary. As the believer stretches forth his hands to take the elements (bread and the cup) he is, in a sense, stretching forth his hands to commune with Christ and worship Him through the obedient act of sharing in this fellowship meal with Him.

Download the pdf.

Tuesday, September 22, 2015

GOALS OF OPEN AIR PREACHING
Geoffrey R. Kirkland
Christ Fellowship Bible Church

As a minister of the gospel who serves Christ and who serves His Bride, I must remind myself frequently of the goals of open air preaching. I hit the streets weekly to proclaim the gospel publicly, to hand out tracts, to engage in conversations, to hold up gospel-signs, and to call men to trust in Christ. As I frequent the streets to open air preach to the masses, I need to review biblical goals of open air preaching so I remember why I do what I do and to guard me from veering off track. 

It behooves me to remember some of the goals of open air preaching.

1. Preach Christ crucified.
Though Jews ask for signs and Greeks search for wisdom, the Apostle Paul said, we preach Christ crucified. Paul did not adapt or alter his message to suit the desires of the audience. He came to all people with one message: Jesus Christ, the God-Man, entered the world and lived righteously and he died on Calvary’s cross bearing the full weight of God’s wrath against our sin. In so doing, he became the substitute that took the punishment of sinners and appeases God’s wrath directed toward them. Christ died for sins. He rose up in victory! This is my message. This is my only message. Apart from this, I have nothing to say to the crowds.

2. Rely on prayer.
Evangelism has no power if it is not attended by the Spirit. Prayer takes hold of God and begs God to work through the preached Word so that dead souls might be awakened to new life in Christ. I must rely fully and wholly on prayer. No weapon is available to me that is mightier than prayer. I must rely entirely on prayer. I must pray ahead of time for the preaching and for those who will hear. I must pray for those who will walk by and scoff and ridicule. I must pray for those believers who will be encouraged as the gospel thunders forth. I must beg God to be glorified as the Spirit draws many to the Savior through the message preached in the open air.

3. Exude grace & truth.
Jesus entered the world full of grace and truth. He came and taught the Word of God. He preached the Scriptures. He proclaimed the gospel. He presented the good news and always heralded the truth! As He did this, he perfectly exuded grace. Full, gospel, divine, matchless grace. He modeled a perfect evangelist as one who presented the truth with all grace! He was fully balanced in the giving of the truth with demonstration of heartfelt compassion and grace. I must make it my ambition to exude this kind of Christlike blending of grace and truth in my preaching.

4. Pity the unconverted.
Those who walk by and hear the preached Word are dead souls, walking in living physical bodies, alienated from God, hostile to God, hating the truth, rejecting Christ, and living as self-worshiping idolaters. But I must never be angry with them nor should I retaliate -- ever. I must pity them since they live in darkness, love the darkness, and don’t know anything but darkness. I must see them as sheep without a shepherd and pity their souls and earnestly pray for God to awaken them. I should evidence David’s heart from Psalm 119 that my eyes would shed streams of water because they do not keep your Law (Ps 119:136). I must go on the streets with a genuine brokenness for the lost and a loving, compassionate pursuit of the lost so they may find their Shepherd!

5. Trust the Spirit's work.
As with any evangelism, the duty is mine to obey Christ and proclaim Him to the lost and yet my confidence rests wholly with the absolutely sovereign work of God to save His elect, to draw His own, and to sanctify the redeemed. Even if I see no visible results, I must keep on serving Christ knowing that it’s the Lord Christ that I serve. I must trust and pray and expect that the watering of the gospel-seed will produce much fruit according to God’s will. I go and I continue to go and trust God. I expect Him to work. I pray and ask for many souls to be won for His renown.

What Is The Gospel Of Jesus Christ?
By: Pastor Geoffrey R. Kirkland
Christ Fellowship Bible Church

THE GOSPEL
The gospel of Jesus Christ is the message of good news that God has provided a way to deliver man from God’s eternal judgment that he rightly deserves because of his sin.

GOD
God is infinitely holy, righteous, just, and good. He is the sovereign King of heaven and earth who made everything and thus owns everything. Everything exists because of Him and for Him. He is infinitely pure and eternally holy. He cannot look upon sin — any sin — with favor. He cannot overlook a sin. Sin is lawlessness and is, therefore, a violation of God’s holy, just, and righteous Law.

MAN
Man is created in the image of God and bears the imprint of God in his being. At the same time, man has become completely corrupted by sin thoroughly. Since Adam’s sin in the garden of Eden, all his posterity — that is, every single human being who has ever been biologically born from his parents — has completely, utterly, eternally, and miserably infected the entire human population with a sin nature. This sin nature permeates man’s being in his thoughts, in his heart and mind, in his deeds, and in his very nature and character. Man is wholly corrupt and radically depraved. He does not love God, nor does he fear God. Man, in and of himself, hates God and hates all that God is.

THE PROBLEM
If God is fair, just, righteous, and good, He must punish sinners — every one. For God to remain just and retain His perfect and good standard of righteousness, he must — as the Judge — fairly, rightly recompense every lawless deed that man has ever committed. Thus, all human beings because they are sinners are fully deserving of the wrath of God. If God were to justify a wicked man or overlook his offense, it would be such an unfair, abominable deed that He would forfeit His very nature of being a just, holy, good, and fair Judge. So then, God cannot forgive man. God cannot accept man. God cannot justify a wicked man. God must eternally condemn man — all men.

JESUS
Yet there is one way of salvation that God established and brought about because man, in his own state, can do nothing to earn his salvation before God. God sent His Son, the God-Man Jesus Christ, to this world so that He may live a perfect life in full obedience to God His Father, the Law of God, and the righteous decrees of God. Then, God ordained that He would slaughter His own Son Jesus Christ in a cruel form of punishment (crucifixion) and there pour out the full weight of His eternal fury and vengeance upon His Son that sinners rightly deserve forever in hell. God, in his mercy and grace, sent Christ to be the propitiatory sacrifice which would turn away His anger and wrathful vengeance from the sinner. The death of Christ, then, was a substitutionary act.

RESPONSE
Being wholly unable to respond in and of himself and totally at enmity with God Himself, man cannot respond in faith. Man is dead in his sin and cannot choose God, love God, please God, or do anything whatsoever to merit acceptance before God. God then calls the sinner to repent of his sin. To repent involves the necessary act of recognizing one’s sinfulness and eternal plight and choosing to turn from that sin in a new direction. At the same time, repentance also includes faith in Jesus Christ. One must believe in the substitutionary sacrifice of Jesus Christ and the wrath of God that He bore in the place of believing sinners. This repentance and faith in Jesus Christ is necessary for the sinner to be saved.

VERIFICATION
The Bible nowhere hints at confirming a person’s salvation experience because of a decision, a particular act or deed, or even a “sinner’s prayer.” Rather, the Bible everywhere speaks of a person’s works or deeds that essentially validate whether a person has been reborn. Like the wind, one cannot see the wind itself but one can see the effects of the wind. And so it is with the newly regenerated soul, one cannot see the sovereign working of God the Spirit in salvation but one will be able to see the visible fruit that the new changed heart will certainly produce. Thus, rather than one’s mind being set on the flesh it will be set on the things of God and the sinner will strive to present himself as a slave to God and offer all of his instruments as slaves of righteousness to God. The fruit of his life will be characteristic of the Fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, and self-control. There will be a turning from and a hating of sin and a turning to Christ in joyful delight and a genuine passion for holiness and Godly behavior. As Jesus said, “By their fruits you will know them.”

Click here to watch a video-presentation of the Gospel.

Friday, September 11, 2015

Giving Your Pastor Feedback After a Sermon...
Geoffrey R. Kirkland
Christ Fellowship Bible Church

“Good sermon.” “Helpful!” “Interesting.” “Awesome message.” “Thanks, Pastor!” Pastors hear these sorts of comments after sermons from time to time. Some may come more frequently than others. But if you ask most pastors who care about feeding the flock and who have literally emptied all that they have in that hour of heralding, many who approach them after sermons unknowingly do not provide helpful feedback. It’s not necessarily bad. It’s not necessarily harmful. It’s just not the most helpful. Preachers have heard the standard lines that people give on their way out of the church building when they give a brief word before heading home. Ministers have heard those.  But feedback that is more helpful and more thoughtful is what every pastor needs.

Here are a few helpful pointers in giving your shepherd helpful feedback after he has preached the Word of God to you.

1. Be specific in your feedback. Try to frame your feedback around what the message taught you, reminded you, convicted you, and how you need to change in light of the preached Word. Perhaps share one thing that you learned about God’s character, one thing that you saw of Christ & His glory in the text, and one way that the Spirit convicted you of a specific sin that you must mortify. Fight the generalization & be specific.

2. Be careful not to flatter. Don't necessarily -- and always -- tell your pastor: "Great sermon!" Be assured of this, the devil has already told him that as soon as he sits down when he's through preaching. Satan wants to puff up your pastor and flatter him so that he trusts in his eloquence and not in the Spirit to accomplish the work -- even after the proclamation is through. If it was a good sermon, tell him what helped you as your shepherd guided you into the text. Be careful not to flatter him: his eloquence, his finesse, his skills.

3. Be diligent to apply. In all honesty, the best way to encourage your pastor is just to do what God says in His Word. As your pastor preaches and makes the Word clear, walk in obedience. Perhaps it’s one month, or six months, or even one year later. You approach your pastor and carefully, prayerfully, and thoughtfully share with him how a sermon way back when really impacted you and how you specifically confessed your sin, deliberately put on righteousness, and have seen the Spirit enable you to walk in new habits in further conforming you to Christ!

4. Be periodic and intentional about loving your shepherd. Preaching is the hardest work on the planet. It is also the most weighty and serious work. Preachers will stand before Almighty God and give an account for everything that he has said from the pulpit. If that isn’t enough, he'll stand before God and give an account for how he cared for every individual soul that God mercifully entrusted to his shepherding care. Encourage your shepherd. Care for your shepherd. Love him. Pray for him. Support him. Serve him. Minister to him thoughtfully!

5. Be careful what you say and how you say it immediately following the sermon. Yes, your pastor is a merely a man. He's human. Your pastor, as a faithful herald of God, has just poured everything he's got into the faithful, clear, powerful, dependent, urgent, persuasive preaching & crying forth of God's Word. Careful with the immediate questions that begin with,  “Did you realize you mispronounced…” or “I disagree with you on this point….”  This is not to suggest that there's not a time for helpful sermon feedback. But perhaps a phone call or an email the following week with a desire to get together over coffee to open the Word and discuss further might be more appropriate and more loving for his own emotions. Additionally, be careful: after the pastor has preached a sermon, try not to ask: "so, how are you doing?" Or, "What's up?"  Your pastor, if he is a faithful spokesman for God, is exhausted, emotionally, physically, and mentally drained -- literally. He just gave birth to the sermon that he's been working on for the past week. Rather than trivial conversation, thank him for directing your mind to Scripture, your heart to Christ, your will toward joyful obedience.

Download the pdf article.

Thursday, September 10, 2015


Last week, we completed the expositional preaching series through the Book of Revelation. The audio & pdf outlines are all available at the media page at Christ Fellowship Bible Church.

THE SERIES:

1. Introduction to the Book of Revelation, part 1  |  here
2. Introduction to the Book of Revelation, part 2 (the Old Testament in Revelation)  |  here
3. The glory of Jesus Christ in the prologue of Revelation (Rev 1:1-8)  |  here
4. A jet tour through the Book of Revelation (Rev 1:19)  |  here
5. The church of Ephesus (Rev 2:1-7)  |  here
6. The church of Smyrna, Prepare to Suffer (Rev 2:8-11)  |  here
7. The church of Pergamum, Don't Compromise (Rev 2:12-17)  |  here
8. The church of Thyatira (Rev 2:18-29)  |  here
9. The church of Sardis (Rev 3:1-6)  |  here
10. The church of Philadelphia (Rev 3:7-13)  |  here
11. The church of Laodicea (Rev 3:14-22)  |  here
12. A scene in heaven (Rev 4)  |  here
13. The preeminence of Jesus Christ (Christ-centered worship in heaven (Rev 5)  |  here
14. The six seal judgments (Rev 6)  |  here
15. 144,000 and the great multitude saved (Rev 7)  |  here
16. The trumpet judgments (Rev 8)  |  here
17. The trumpet judgments, part 2 (Rev 9)  |  here
18. The mighty angel and the little book that John is told to eat (Rev 10)  |  here
19. The 2 witnesses and the seventh trumpet (Rev 11)  |  here
20. The fall of Satan (Rev 12)  |  here
21. Satan cast down to earth (Rev 12:6-17)  |  here
22. The beast of the sea & the beast of the land (Rev 13)  |  here
23. The victory & supremacy of Jesus Christ over the earth (Rev 14)  |  here
24. The biblical doctrine of eternal hell (Rev 14:9-11)  |  here
25. The song of the redeemed in heaven (Rev 15)  |  here
26. The seven bowl judgments (Rev 16)  |  here
27. The great harlot (Rev 17)  |  here
28. Commercial Babylon & her destruction (Rev 18)  |  here
29. Heaven's rejoicing over the destruction of Babylon (Rev 19:1-10)  |  here
30. The second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ in power & glory (Rev 19:11-21)  |  here
31. A biblical survey of the mediatorial kingdom of God  |  here
32. The future kingdom of Jesus Christ on earth for 1,000 years (Rev 20:1-10)  |  here
33. The great white throne judgment (Rev 20:11-15)  |  here
34. Heaven, part 1 - the new heaven and the new earth (Rev 21:1-22:5)  |  here
35. Heaven, part 2 - what will we be like in heaven?  |  here
36. Heaven, part 3 - how will we relate to God in heaven?  |  here
37. Heaven, part 4 - what will we do in heaven? & Conclusion of Revelation (Rev 22:6-21)  |  here

Revelation 22:7  —  "Blessed is he who heeds the words of the prophecy of this book."

Monday, September 7, 2015

Public Reading of Scripture in Corporate Worship:
Some Helpful Tips
Geoffrey R. Kirkland
Christ Fellowship Bible Church

God speaks when the Bible speaks. As a man holds the Bible and reads it, the sovereign Master of all creation utters His voice. At Christ Fellowship Bible Church, one element of worship that we include in every corporate worship gathering is the public reading of Holy Scripture. We want to hear from God. We sit under the authority of His Word. And we model for the flock the importance of reading the Word, the reverence when hearing the Word, and the way to pray through the Word. Here are some some helpful tips to bear in mind when engaging in the corporate reading of Scripture.


1. Read REVERENTLY.
The Bible is God’s Book and it is the very word of the Living God. The Bible should, then, be read differently than the morning newspaper. Men must read it with care, with honor, with reverence, and with awe as if we really had God’s very spoken Words that He gave to us, for indeed, that’s precisely what we have. The Bible should be opened before the people and they must all know that the man standing before them has God’s book and that he will read from God’s book and give God’s truth to all God’s people and as a result of this, all people must give full attention and listen well to God’s voice. To also display reverence, one custom that many congregations may incorporate is having everyone stand in honor of the Word of God. This physically and visually reminds everyone that we stand in the presence of majesty. If anything deserves this, hearing the voice of God deserves unrivaled reverence.


2. Read CONFIDENTLY.
When standing and reading the Word, it deserves to be read with confidence, with a loud voice as the reader knows that he is in fact reading God’s truth. One should not read the Word timidly or shyly, or quietly or apologetically. He should read it with power and with confidence and with earnestness since he himself as the reader (the ‘lector’) knows he is imparting God’s truth to God’s people through God’s unchanging Word. This deserves to be read, then, with triumphant confidence.


3. Read ARTICULATELY.
Those who publicly read the Scripture in the corporate gathering should practice reading their portion of Scripture out loud prior to the corporate gathering. He should notice the punctuation marks (commas, periods, exclamation points, question marks) and he should take note of all city names and regions, proper names, etc. that may warrant his practice ahead of time. He does not want to stand before the congregation and fumble his way through place names, people’s names, and regions. And certainly he never wants to make a facial gesture that appears to be joking or making fun of a particular name (whether it’s hard to articulate, long, or just plain uncommon to us today). Practice it ahead of time, read it clearly and articulately. Indeed, the reader must read the text as if he himself is convinced that he’s reading God’s very words.


4. Read ENGAGINGLY.
This takes practice. Read the text to engage people in and through your reading. There are some people who cannot read publicly and engage people because they read monotone and with a lifeless passion. They have no regard for punctuation marks and people are noticeably disengaged. It must never be this way. The reader must hold the Word open for people to see the source from which he’s reading and he should read to engage with the people. He should pause when needed. He should raise his voice when needed. He should ask questions with the tone that is appropriate. He must read and periodically look up to engage with his audience and make sure they are tracking with him in their Bibles or, at least, that their eyes are fixed upon him as he reads from the text of Scripture. Read to engage. Read God’s truth to touch people’s hearts.


5. Read PASSIONATELY.
No man should ever rise and read the Bible heartless and without passion. Never should he read the Bible as if he were reading a novel that he picked up at a local bookstore. He should read with care, precision, passion, love, excitement, and confidence. In his reading, all people present must perceive that he (the reader) believes what he reads because he reads with such passion. He must seek to put people back in time, in that text, to feel what they felt, to know God more.


6. Read EXPECTANTLY.
Reading the Word in corporate worship engages the hearts of God’s people and it produces a powerful effect. Because Scripture is living and active, it always produces the ends for which God sends it forth. In the providence of God and in His gracious timing, he may have the corporate reading of the Bible be a text that a hurting saint needs to hear. It may be a passage that a wayward saint is convicted by. It may be a chapter that the lost are converted as the Spirit impresses upon their heart the holiness of God, the guilt of their sin, and the glorious work of Christ. Always read the Word expecting great things from God. Never is the Bible reading a filler time in the worship service. Never is it a time to tune out, disengage, and exit the sanctuary to use the restroom. It is God’s voice being heard through God’s Word as it is read publicly, expectantly, and anticipating great things from God as He feeds His people through His truth.
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