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March 29, 2019 by Jeff Jones
So churches need to try and test the character and maturity of their deacon nominees prior to their appointment by the elders, a process that requires time and familiarity. That’s the deacon’s examination....
March 22, 2019 by Jeff Jones
Biblical deacons, then, are to be examined by the assembly. That’s at the heart of the deacon’s nomination for office....
March 15, 2019 by Jeff Jones
Deacons, again, are to guard the unity of the church and the ministry of the elders from the demands of practical problems. Appreciating such problems requires the careful definition of each deacon’s role....
March 8, 2019 by Jeff Jones
There is only one qualification Paul mentions to Timothy that is not found in Acts 6, and it is that qualification we now turn to examine: the deacon’s purity....
February 28, 2019 by Jeff Jones
This combination of a practical, nuts-and-bolts focus and a separation from doctrinal and pastoral oversight ministry might tempt a church to overlook the piety and conviction of a candidate. That would be a grave mistake....
February 22, 2019 by Jeff Jones
The very fact that this responsibility requires dedicated attention should tell us that it may not come easily, and that not just anyone will be able to fulfill it. It’s no surprise, then, that the third qualification emphasized by the apostles in Acts 6 is wisdom......
February 15, 2019 by Jeff Jones
Having seen last week that the first qualification of a potential deacon is a solid reputation, we now turn to look at the second qualification found in Acts chapter 6: being “full of the Spirit.” Of all the qualifications, this one is perhaps most at risk of being misunderstood in the present day. What does “filled with the Spirit” mean?...
February 8, 2019 by Jeff Jones
Now that we’ve looked at the intent, mission, and objective of the New Testament deacon, it’s time to look at what kind of Christians fill this office. What are the qualifications of those called to be deacons?...
February 1, 2019 by Jeff Jones
We see in Acts 6 that even in the earliest church the temptation to be distracted from this ministry is strong. The apostles put it in blunt terms: “it is not right that we should give up the preaching of the Word of God to serve tables.”...
March 18, 2017 by Jeff Jones | Category: Life Application | Tags: Listening, Gathers with others, Lesson, Follow, Disciple
There’s several things that the Christian learns and is reminded of as he gathers with others to hear the Word. Today we’ll look at how the act of expositional listening helps an individual believer relate to others; next week we’ll examine how listening fosters an individual believer’s private and personal growth in grace. As we go forward, it’s important to und...
Keep ReadingMarch 10, 2017 by Jeff Jones | Category: Life Application | Tags: Church, Preaching, life, Word Proclaimed
The life of the church flows from the Word, through the preaching of the Word, into the people who have been gathered and changed by that Word. ...
Keep ReadingMarch 3, 2017 by Jeff Jones | Tags: opens, Preaching, speaking, God, explains, proclaims, applies the meaning of a passage of scripture
Expositional listening humbly, receptively, eagerly, and actively listens to, and seeks to be changed by, God speaking through preaching that opens, explains, proclaims, and applies the meaning of a passage of Scripture....
Keep ReadingFebruary 24, 2017 by Paul Toews | Category: Life Application | Tags: Grace, Prayer, Sin, Truth
As Christians, we insist that truth can be known. Truth is objective and the most important truths we can know are centered in God and presented in his Word. ...
Keep ReadingFebruary 18, 2017 by Paul Toews | Category: Life Application | Tags: nature, Truth, Glory
Without a recognition of a glorious God, there can be no moral underpinnings. People have the law of God written on their hearts and by nature know what is right or wrong (Romans 2:14-15), but this has been eclipsed by human principles that have deemed that offending others is the ultimate wrong. If humanity is seen as most glorious, then there can be no sense of wrongn...
Keep ReadingFebruary 10, 2017 by Paul Toews | Category: Life Application | Tags: Glories of the Gospel, Detestable Lies, Reflection, Truth
In this day of pseudo-realities and pseudo-substance, we need to uphold the truth of God and the glories of the gospel. We are not reinventable and insubstantial, but rather those who are created in the image of God to reflect him and his truth. ...
Keep ReadingJanuary 27, 2017 by Jeff Jones | Category: Theology | Tags: Prayer, Listen Up!, Expositional Listening, Sermon Listening
The conviction that drives this work is stated up front: “it is good when when people who can read, do read and study the Bible; but it is vital that all people, without exception, hear the Bible preached”. Ash’s aim, then, is to help Christians “‘consider carefully how you listen’ (Luke 8 v 8).”...
Keep ReadingJanuary 20, 2017 by Jeff Jones | Category: Theology | Tags: Humility, Gratitude, Eagerness, expectancy, reverence, Receptivity, Expositional Preaching, Listening
January 13, 2017 by Jeff Jones | Category: Theology | Tags: Word, Preaching, God, Ambassadors, Earthen Vessel
To summarize, then, preaching is the Word of God only insofar as it rightly communicates the meaning and applications of the Scriptures, the Word of God written...
Keep ReadingJanuary 6, 2017 by Jeff Jones | Category: Theology | Tags: Preaching, Expositional, unpacks, unfolds, explains, meaning of scripture
It’s our conviction that “faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the Word of Christ” (Romans 10:17). The main reason we’re committed to expository preaching is that we believe it is the Word of God, not the cleverness of a preacher or the personal study interests of a pastor, that feeds and builds up the flock and equips saints for ministry....
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