Month: February 2025

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A Serious Responsibility

I wish there were more churches that emphasize  the expository preaching of the Bible. In biblical exposition the pastor reads the text of scripture, explains its meaning and suggests ways for people to apply it to their lives. When I served as a local church pastor, this is what I endeavored to do. People  need the plain teaching of the word of God.

To teach the Bible is a sacred privilege and solemn responsibility. James 3:1 says, “Not many of you should presume to be teachers, my brothers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly.” I know that I am accountable to God for my teaching ministry. That produces in me a deep reverence not unlike fear and trembling.

Having written that, however, I confess that it was a joy to serve in healthy churches among people who expected and valued Bible exposition Sunday after Sunday.

I worked hard at it. I studied the Bible many hours every week. There were other pastoral duties, of course, such as administration, counseling, pastoral visitation, and evangelism. But I gave priority to the hours for study and preparation for preaching.

My preferred method was expositional preaching, that is, teaching the Bible verse by verse. Dr. David Allen was a well-respected Bible expositor. He was asked one time, “What are you going to preach on next Sunday?” He replied, “The next verse.”

As I exegeted the text, to discover its meaning, I then did my best to present it in accordance with the intention of its human author and the Divine Author. If I was teaching on a particular theme, such as the Holy Spirit, or family life, or what the Bible says about the future, I would select a biblical passage that emphasized that subject and then I would prepare an expository message based upon that text.

For most of my pulpit ministry I taught through books of the Bible. In this way I covered most of the books of the New Testament, some of them more than once. This method required me to give attention to all the major themes of the Bible, not just to gravitate to my favorite topics. This also ensured that I could not bypass difficult subjects that the church needed to hear.

I also taught through many Old Testament books, surveying selected psalms, the prophets, prominent characters, and foundational themes such as creation, Messianic prophecies, and highlights of Israel’s history.

In addition to teaching the content and interpretation of the scriptures, I sought to show their relevance to the lives of the people today. I tried to illustrate my messages with stories and examples from contemporary life. This was to try to help the people apply the teaching to their lives as Christians.

Believing that Jesus Christ is the main theme of the Bible, I wanted to include the gospel in every message in some way. The Bible’s message is how sinners like us may be brought into a right relationship with God. This is only through faith in Jesus Christ, his sacrificial death for our sins, and his glorious resurrection.

In view of the eternal importance of this subject, it is clear why those who preach and teach the Bible will be held to a higher standard of accountability. It is a serious responsibility.

Pastor Randy Faulkner

 

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When My World Got Smaller

I was encouraged recently by reading the story of Philip in Acts chapter 8. He preached the gospel to large numbers of people in Samaria. Then he was called away to minister to one man. After that he lived in relative obscurity. At least we are not told any more about him except for a brief mention in Acts 21.

His story blessed me because it reminded me of my own experience. In the good providence of God, I was also honored to preach the word before large numbers of people. For four decades I was privileged to serve as senior pastor of two significant churches, Calvary Baptist Church of Covington, Kentucky, and Metropolitan Baptist Church of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

By God’s grace, I was invited to preach and teach overseas in several countries of Africa, Asia, South America and Europe. I did not seek these opportunities. I simply went through the doors the Lord opened and obeyed his call. Looking back on all this fills me with amazement.

When I retired from local church ministry in 2018 at the age of 72, I went through a period of emotional withdrawal. I really missed the regular weekly rhythm of study and preaching, the care of souls, and planning for corporate worship. My ministry focus changed to an investment in the lives of a few individuals who were interested in discipleship, and writing this blog every week.

Then came the Parkinson’s diagnosis in 2022. Tremors, choking, balance, difficulty with handwriting became distractions to me, and I am sure, to others. This motivated Connie and me to move from Oklahoma City to Valdosta, Georgia, to live near our daughter Carrie and her family. This move was a big adjustment after 32 years in OKC. The Lord is giving us new friends and a new home here in South Georgia.

This is where the story of Philip touched me. I read that the Lord led Philip away from his influential public ministry in Samaria where he had been preaching to large crowds. Many had been converted to faith in Jesus and were baptized in his name. But Philip was called away to a solitary ministry to one man.

Then I noticed that Philip’s world got even smaller. He was led by the Holy Spirit to a life we know little about in Caesarea. What was he doing there? We only know that he was identified as “Philip the evangelist” (Acts 21:8). He had a house in Caesarea which was, apparently, his permanent residence. Did he have a ministry from that home base? Twenty years separate his public ministry in Acts 8 from his private life in Acts 21. Surely he continued to be a witness for the Lord, even in obscurity.

We are told he had four daughters “who prophesied” (Acts 21:9). This means that they were believers, and that they were equipped by the Holy Spirit with the gift of prophesy. They used their gift to serve the Lord. This says good things about Philip’s influence as a Christian father. Those twenty years were not wasted. They were invested wisely in his family.

What I learn from this is that fame is not important. Large numbers are not important. Ministry to a single individual can be as important as ministry to a crowd. What matters is faithfulness. In my case that means that I want to be ready to fulfill whatever ministry the Lord sends my way, personal witness, occasional preaching or teaching, and mentoring, despite obvious physical limitations.

What matters is family. I am delighted to be able to enjoy gatherings with Carrie’s family. I am proud of my son-in-law and his international ministry which is flourishing. My adult grandsons honor me by wanting to continue breakfast Bible studies. I enjoy golf and fishing with my granddaughter. I want to use whatever influence I have to be an example to my family of how to finish well.

Like Philip.

Pastor Randy Faulkner

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The Atmosphere of Heaven

Today is St. Valentine’s Day, when lovers exchange gifts, flowers and greeting cards to express affection for each other. It is named in honor of a 3rd century martyr who became the patron saint of lovers.

Human beings are capable of love because we are created in the image of God. God is love. He wants his love to be demonstrated in our lives.

For the past few weeks I have been examining what is believed to be the greatest written treatise on love, 1 Corinthians 13. Even secular anthologies of English literature include this “love chapter” from the Bible because of its beauty and eloquence. It is indeed great literature.

However, this biblical passage is about more than romantic love, friendship, or any other natural affection. What it describes is a supernatural, self-giving love which has a profoundly Christian meaning.

Love is the governing principle of heaven. God’s love is to be the very atmosphere in which we live as Christians. John Stott illustrated it this way. “Take a fish as an obvious example. God created fish to live and thrive in water, whether salt or fresh. Gills are adapted to absorb oxygen from water, so water is the element in which a fish finds its identity, its ‘fishness,’ its freedom. It finds itself in the element for which it was created: water. It is limited to water, but in that limitation is liberty.

“Suppose you had a little tropical fish in one of those old-fashioned spherical goldfish bowls. Suppose that little fish swam round and round his blessed little bowl until its frustration became unbearable. The fish decided to make a bid for freedom and leap out of the bowl. If it landed in a pond in your backyard, it would increase its freedom because there would be more water to swim in. But if it landed on the concrete or on the carpet, then its bid for freedom would spell death.

“If fish were meant for water, what are human beings made for?  . . . What is the element in which human beings find themselves, as water is the element in which a fish finds itself?

“I don’t hesitate to say that according to scripture, the answer is love. Human beings are made for love because God is love. When he created us in his own image, he gave us the capacity to love and to be loved. So human beings find their destiny in loving God and in loving their neighbors.”

1 Corinthians 13:8 says, “Love never fails.” This is because God never fails. Love is eternal because God is eternal. He expressed his love for us in sending his Son to die for our sins to purchase eternal salvation for us (Romans 5:8; John 3:16). “How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God” (1 John 3:1). Having received the love of God, we are called to share the love of God. This is how we bring the atmosphere of heaven to earth.

A young woman named Michelle lived in a northern city in the US. She decided to move into a rough neighborhood to try to help people living in poverty. She started tutoring kids and getting involved with their families. Some of her church friends heard about what she was doing and started asking what those families needed.

Michelle’s friends made lists of the needs and circulated them until they found people who could meet those tangible needs. It worked like an underground love network. When I heard about this they were servicing 430 families in the name of Christ and the network was growing.

Love brings the atmosphere of heaven to earth. Happy Valentine’s Day!

Pastor Randy Faulkner

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Love in Action

Years ago a young woman volunteered to be a missionary in Mexico. Her heart was filled with love for the people she served there. In fact, she made a notation in the margin of her Bible next to the love chapter, 1 Corinthians 13. She wrote: “Love for the Mexicans.”

Whenever she read 1 Corinthians 13, she read it this way: “Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not love for the Mexicans, I am become as a sounding brass or a tinkling cymbal.” Her love for the people of Mexico enabled her to win many of them to Jesus Christ.

After years of unselfish service she became gravely ill. Not long before her death, her Mexican friends gathered tearfully around her sickbed to say farewell. Before she died, she asked them not to bring flowers to her funeral, but instead to bring Bibles to give away.

They did this. Bibles and New Testaments were stacked around her casket. Later her friends gave them to those who did not have a copy of the word of God. Even after her death her witness was carried on in the lives of the people she had loved to the Lord.

The love described in 1 Corinthians 13 is not natural, it is supernatural. Romans 5:5 says it is only possible “because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit whom he has given us.” The apostle John wrote, “This is the message you heard from the beginning: we should love one another” ( 1 John 3:11). Love is one of the main evidences that a person is a real Christian (1 John 3:14).

1 Corinthians 13 is majestic in its poetic expression. It is also convicting in its application. It describes what family life, church life, and community life can be when people put love into action.

The priority of love (1 Corinthians 13:1-3)

Without love, eloquence becomes dissonance. The languages of earth and heaven spoken without love, would sound like a clanging discord. Spiritual gifts, as desirable as they are, are useless without love. Even unselfish acts, without loving motives, are unprofitable.

The practice of love (1 Corinthians 13:4-7)

Here is the clearest description of love to be found anywhere. This is love in action. We would recognize real love if we saw it. And we have seen it in the life of our Lord Jesus. These verses describe Jesus and any who would live as he lived.

One who acts in a loving way will be slow to anger (James 1:19) and gracious. Loving persons will not have exaggerated opinions of themselves. Love produces actions that are appropriate, tactful, above reproach. Love is not selfish. It is not easily offended or irritable. Love forgives and does not keep score of wrongs.

Loving actions are always consistent with truth and justice (1 John 3:17-18). Love takes no pleasure in wrong. Love suppresses evil reports and gossip. It always has an ear for good  words. It believes the best about other people.  Love causes one to be optimistic and courageous.

The permanence of love (1 Corinthians 13:8-9)

Paul is telling his readers that prophecies, tongues and knowledge as special manifestations will soon pass away. Love will endure forever.

The presence of love (1 Corinthians 13:10-12)

“When perfection comes” may refer to the eternal state when the Lord makes “all things new” (Revelation 21:5) and “the imperfect disappears.” The New Testament often uses the word “perfect” to refer to the second coming of Jesus Christ. This life is like childhood. Eternity with Christ is like maturity. This life is like a first century mirror of polished metal, an imperfect reflection. But in eternity we shall see Christ himself, the perfect embodiment of love, “face to face,” and enjoy his presence forever.

Pastor Randy Faulkner