As a pastor, do you experience the secularization impact and pressure? Due to the voices and reflections of believers, many pastors are increasingly avoiding preaching the message of the cross of Jesus and the attributes of God's justice and judgment. They are more willing to please the congregation, just preaching the resurrection of Jesus and the message of God's love and blessing. This is unbalanced preaching that does not please God.
Paul wrote to the Corinthian church, “For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.” (1 Corinthians 2:2) In this letter, Paul discussed problems of sin, life, church, and human relation. However, Paul stated from the beginning that he would only talk about Jesus! Why? The heart and solutions of problems in the world were in the gospel of Christ. Therefore, we must, like Paul, find the secrets to winning the battles of our thoughts, life, faith, and spiritual struggles in the gospel.
In this passage, Paul shared with us the three following ways in which he consciously sought to establish a solid foundation of gospel ministry.
First, a pastor should uphold a complete testimony of God’s attributes and a clear and precise explanation of God’s creation and salvation, whether he gave a sermon on the altar or carried out one-to-one Bible studies. This could help the seekers truly know God so that they could experience transformations or life changes.
Second, Paul emphasized knowing nothing except Christ and his crucifixion. What Paul said above told us the heart of the Christian faith was that Jesus is the Christ, who was the core of God’s redemptive work for humanity and the universe. The center of salvation was the cross of Christ, and His death on the cross was the peak of love and an overwhelming victory in human history. All Satan’s ridicule, doubt, pride, and rebellion were finally judged in Jesus on the cross. The blood of Jesus could cleanse us from all kinds of impurities. As the cross was the root core of the gospel, we couldn’t abandon it while preaching the gospel.
Third, Paul showed and witnessed the power of the Holy Spirit. After Jesus was taken up into heaven, He sent to those who believed in Him the Counselor, who could help them better understand that Jesus is the Christ, obey the truth effectively, as well as sustain the weak of them on the path to heaven. Therefore, the Spirit of God always came upon them and prayed for them, within them. When listening to the sermons, reading the scriptures, and praying, Christians were urged, exhorted, trained, and guided by the Holy Spirit, with their lives renewed and changed. The more they bore witness to the power of the Holy Spirit, the deeper and more completely they understood and experienced the three persons of God and His work. This was also a key factor in the revival of the church.
- Translated by Abigail Wu
身为教会牧师，讲台的事奉人员，你会不会受到世俗化的影响和施压？很多牧师碍于信徒的呼声和反映，越来越回避讲耶稣的十字架，神的公义和审判的属性的信息，更乐于讨好会众，宣讲解耶稣的复活和神的慈爱与祝福的信息。这是非常不平衡的讲台工作，也是神所不喜悦的事奉。
保罗写信给哥林多教会说：“因我曾定了主意，在你们中间不知道别的，只知道耶稣基督并他钉十字架。”在这封信中，保罗讨论了有关罪恶问题、生活问题、教会问题和人际关系问题。然而，保罗一开始就坚持说，他只会谈论耶稣！怎么会这样？在基督的福音里，人世间遇到的所有这些问题都有其中心和解决方案。因此，我们必须有意识地像保罗一样，学习把思想、生活、信仰和属灵的争战集中在福音里，找到得胜的秘诀。
保罗在这段话中，至少和我们分享了三种方式，是他有意识地追求在福音的事工中建立稳固的根基。
1） 坚持神的见证。
无论是对于讲台的服侍，还是一对一的圣经学习，教会应当秉持着对神的属性完整的见证，对神的创造与救赎之功有清晰准确的讲解。这样可以帮助慕道友真正的认识这位神，才能够来到生命的皈信和改变。
2） 除了基督和他被钉在十字架上， 什么都不知道。
保罗的这句话告诉我们，基督教信仰的核心就是耶稣是基督，耶稣是神对人类乃至宇宙救赎工作的核心。耶稣救赎的核心就是十字架，十字架上的主是人类历史上爱的高峰和压倒性的胜利。所有撒旦的嘲笑、质疑、骄傲和悖逆都在这里受到终极的审判。我们生命里一切的 杂质都可以籍着十字架得到洁净。因此，对于福音的见证和传播，不可以丢掉耶稣的十字架，因为它是福音核心中的核心。
3） 展示并见证圣灵的力量。
圣灵是耶稣升天后为信靠他的人所赐下的保惠师， 圣灵帮助我们更好的认识耶稣是基督，有果效地过顺服真理的生活，圣灵扶持软弱的我们走天路。因此，他常常感动我们，在我们里面替我们祷告。基督徒在听道、读经和祷告时，都会得到圣灵的催逼、劝勉、归正和引导，因此生命来到更新和改变。 教会越是见证圣灵的力量，我们对三位一体神的位格和工作的理解与经历就更加深入和整全。这也是教会复兴的关键因素。
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反思｜如何得胜这个世俗化时代带给讲台事奉的挑战？
As a pastor, do you experience the secularization impact and pressure? Due to the voices and reflections of believers, many pastors are increasingly avoiding preaching the message of the cross of Jesus and the attributes of God's justice and judgment. They are more willing to please the congregation, just preaching the resurrection of Jesus and the message of God's love and blessing. This is unbalanced preaching that does not please God.
Paul wrote to the Corinthian church, “For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.” (1 Corinthians 2:2) In this letter, Paul discussed problems of sin, life, church, and human relation. However, Paul stated from the beginning that he would only talk about Jesus! Why? The heart and solutions of problems in the world were in the gospel of Christ. Therefore, we must, like Paul, find the secrets to winning the battles of our thoughts, life, faith, and spiritual struggles in the gospel.
In this passage, Paul shared with us the three following ways in which he consciously sought to establish a solid foundation of gospel ministry.
First, a pastor should uphold a complete testimony of God’s attributes and a clear and precise explanation of God’s creation and salvation, whether he gave a sermon on the altar or carried out one-to-one Bible studies. This could help the seekers truly know God so that they could experience transformations or life changes.
Second, Paul emphasized knowing nothing except Christ and his crucifixion. What Paul said above told us the heart of the Christian faith was that Jesus is the Christ, who was the core of God’s redemptive work for humanity and the universe. The center of salvation was the cross of Christ, and His death on the cross was the peak of love and an overwhelming victory in human history. All Satan’s ridicule, doubt, pride, and rebellion were finally judged in Jesus on the cross. The blood of Jesus could cleanse us from all kinds of impurities. As the cross was the root core of the gospel, we couldn’t abandon it while preaching the gospel.
Third, Paul showed and witnessed the power of the Holy Spirit. After Jesus was taken up into heaven, He sent to those who believed in Him the Counselor, who could help them better understand that Jesus is the Christ, obey the truth effectively, as well as sustain the weak of them on the path to heaven. Therefore, the Spirit of God always came upon them and prayed for them, within them. When listening to the sermons, reading the scriptures, and praying, Christians were urged, exhorted, trained, and guided by the Holy Spirit, with their lives renewed and changed. The more they bore witness to the power of the Holy Spirit, the deeper and more completely they understood and experienced the three persons of God and His work. This was also a key factor in the revival of the church.
- Translated by Abigail Wu
How to Overcome Challenges of Pulpit Ministry in Secular Age?
