West Coast Crusaders (Summer 2k11)

WEST COAST URBAN TRAINING CENTER PRESENTS

THE WEST COAST CRUSADERS

July 2nd – August 29th

What is a SUPERHERO?  They possess:

*Extraordinary Powers or Skills.

*A strong moral code, including a willingness to risk one’s own safety in the service of good without expectation of reward.

*A secret identity….but this Crusade, Ain’t No Secret!

200,000 Flyers.

10 Drama Productions.

8 Cities.

2 Months.

1 Mission.

The first part of our Crusade will have us traveling to the Great Northern California Cities of Hayward, Santa Rosa, Oakland, San Francisco & Salinas. All within 2 and half weeks. Get ready for Radical Evangelism at its finest! Plus, one of the greatest 4th of July Fireworks Shows you will Ever See!  Then, upon our return to SoCal, we partner up with our VO Mother Church for a Dynamic Crusade for some Awesome Street Evangelism! Then travel down to sunny San Diego for a Weekend of Power Soul-Winning. And this is all just PACKAGE 1 of the Crusade.

Followed up by part 2 of the Crusade for a full month of beautiful Las Vegas, Nevada. This city ain’t ready for what’s about to hit them this summer! Get ready as we travel the Las Vegas Region performing 2 different productions (STREET DREAMS & CLUB THREE 6) & canvassing the city with the love & grace of Jesus Christ. Going where only true SUPERHEROES can go!

The Full Package includes:

*Food

*Housing

*Transportation

*Crusaders T-Shirt

*Power Band (2 GB hard drive)

*…and The Experience of a Lifetime.

– Package 1:  July 2nd – July 31st / $190 due by June 28th

– Package 2:  August 2nd – August 30th / $190 due by July 27th

– Full Package:  July 2nd – August 30th / $375 due by June 28th

There is a Limited Seating for this Crusade. Must be at least 16 years of age to attend.  For More Information feel free to Contact us @ 213.748.4564 or give us a message at http://www.facebook.com/westcoastutc. To download application (PDF format), right click on the following link:

http://db.tt/S67iPEH

The Ten Commandments of Preaching

Guilty!  I’ve broken a few commandments or 2 when I was a Youth Pastor. I can even remember a few as I type this. But the crazy thing is that I’ve always strived to better my preaching. Better my homiletics. Better my presentation of the Word of God. I’m not a motivational speaker, nor have I ever claimed to be. I want to be the best Preacher of God’s Word that I can be. Now, I rarely post a blog of someone else’s blog/article, but this one was pretty good and I wanted to share it with you. If you’re a preacher, I believe this will help you. Crazy thing about this is that I got this from another Pastor who got it from this Pastor. It just keeps going….and going…..and (you get the point).  If you’re a preacher, you always need a freshness within your presentation. If you’re beginning in the ministry of preaching, read this with clarity and understanding for it will help. This is a pretty good perspective on what we must do as preachers. Check it out.

 

The Ten Commandments of Preaching

When it comes to preaching and teaching the Bible, we all fall short. Who hasn’t quoted the wrong reference or (worse) read the wrong passage of Scripture altogether? Who hasn’t, in the heat of the moment, accidentally gotten tie-tongued and credited Paul with the words of Peter? You may even find yourself creating a homiletical mountain out of an exegetical molehill.

Everyone makes mistakes, but for all the mistakes preachers can (and do) make, here are 10 that we should do our best to avoid at all costs.

 

1. Thou shalt not put words in God’s mouth.

God is more than capable of saying what He means and meaning what He says. He doesn’t need our help to add to or take away from His Word. We have no business saying God said something He didn’t say. That’s why we must handle the Word of truth accurately (1 Tim. 3:15). If you’ve ever been misquoted (in conversation or a newspaper), you know how frustrating that experience is. Imagine how the God of the universe must feel when one of His messengers misquotes Him. We need to be sure to get the message right!

 

2. Thou shalt prepare and preach every message as though it were thy last.

Even if it is only to a small Sunday night crowd, the preacher never should take his or her responsibility lightly. Why? Because it very well may be the last sermon you ever preach or the last sermon someone listening ever hears. Furthermore, we don’t know what God’s Spirit has been doing behind the scenes. A rebellious teenager or wayward spouse may be on the verge of repenting and trusting Christ. The listener’s need is urgent, therefore the preaching should be urgent.Preaching is not a playground for frivolous fun,but a battlefield for gutsy warfare. It is where the very issues of life and death, heaven and hell, hang in the balance. As the great Puritan theologian and preacherRichard Baxter once eloquently said, “I’ll preach as though I ne’er should preach again, and as a dying man to dying men.” We should seek to do the same.

 

3. Thou shalt not present the Word of God in a boring and non-compelling manner.

Newsflash: If people are falling asleep during your sermon, it’s not God’s fault. If God’s Word is sufficient to transform lives, isn’t it also sufficient to keep people’s attention? Don’t get in the way of the transforming power of God’s Word by letting it become boring. To preach and teach the Bible in a boring and unpersuasive manner is, I believe, a sin.This is not to say every preacher has to be dynamic, witty, and entertaining. It does mean, however, that every preacher should see him or herself as God’s messenger and spokesman for that moment. He or she must plead passionately and desperately with those listening to hear and heed God’s Word.

 

4. Thou always shalt point to Christ in thy message.

Seeing that Jesus Christ is the focal point of every passage, it stands to reason that He should, therefore, be the focal point of every sermon. As Dennis Johnson writes, “Whatever our biblical text and theme, if we want to impart God’s life-giving wisdom in its exposition, we can do nothing other than proclaim Christ.”

The most humbling experience of my seminary years was related to this. In one of my preaching classes, I had to give several sermons in front of my peers and professor. The first sermon I preached was well-received and complimented. So, after the second sermon (from the Old Testament), I sat down arrogantly waiting to hear “the showers of blessings” and compliments about how well I had done.  My professor, Greg Heisler from Southeastern Seminary, said, “Tyler, that message was passionate and challenging…but you made one huge mistake.” He continued, “You could have preached that message in a Jewish synagogue or a Muslim mosque and [the congregation] could have said ‘Amen!’ to everything you said. You never once mentioned Christ in your entire message.” He left me with this challenge: “You need to be sure that every time you preach—even from the Old Testament—that if a Jew or Muslim were in the audience [he or she] would feel extremely uncomfortable.”Remember, we are not simply theistic preachers; we are to be distinctly Christian preachers.

 

5. Thou shalt edify thy hearers to faith and obedience.

It’s like the old hymn: “Trust and obey, for there’s no other way to be happy in Jesus but to trust and obey.” Regardless of the passage, the goal of every sermon should be to remind people that whatever the issue or doctrine at hand God and His Word are reliable. When God gave the Ten Commandments, He didn’t begin by barking orders at the Israelites. In fact, the Ten Commandments don’t start with commands. They begin with the reassuring words, “I am the Lord your God who brought you up out of the land of Egypt…” (Ex. 20:1). In other words, God reminded them: “You can trust Me; that’s why you should obey Me.”The real motivation for Christian living is not, “I have to obey God,” but it is, “Given everything I know to be true about Him, why wouldn’t I obey God?” A good sermon will help people to think and live that way.

 

6. Thou shalt not be one kind of person and another kind of preacher.

This is the Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde syndrome of preaching. On the one hand, this means you can’t live like the devil Monday through Saturday and expect to preach with the tongue of an angel on Sunday. Paul told Timothy: “Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from these [sinful] things, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified, useful to the Master, prepared for every good work” (2 Tim. 2:21). Every preacher must seek to be a “clean vessel” which is “useful to the Master.”This also means you shouldn’t try to be someone else in the pulpit. As Phillips Brooks once said, “Preaching is truth through personality.” God only made one Charles Spurgeon, one Adrian Rogers, one John MacArthur, and one John Piper. Don’t try to imitate other preachers; be yourself.

Listening to such great preachers is like watching a grand Fourth of July fireworks display. You sit back, relax, watch and “Ooo” and “Ahh” with everyone else. You should be amazed at it and enjoy it, but you shouldn’t go home and try to duplicate it in your backyard. You can’t. There’s no sense in trying. The same is true with preaching. When you preach, be yourself.

 

7. Thou shalt not open a commentary until thou hast read the passage 100 times.

This may be a bit of an exaggeration, but it’s an important reminder. Which would you rather eat:  Grandma’s made-from-scratch, warm, fluffy biscuits or a frozen biscuit that’s been nuked in the microwave? Reheated food is never as good or fresh. The same is true with sermons.The biggest temptation, I think, for the current generation of preachers is to jump directly into the commentaries or click over to the sermon Web sites without thoroughly meditating on the passage first for him or herself. As Robert Smith once commented: There are far too many preachers who preach only from the neck up. The truth is most powerful when it is from the lips of a person whose heart and mind have marinated extensively on God’s Word.

 

8. Honor thy context above all else, so that it may go well with thee in thy message.

The battle cry of the soldiers of the Texas Revolution was “Remember the Alamo!” The battle cry for today’s preachers should be “Remember, context is king!” I often tell people they don’t need to know Greek and Hebrew to teach the Bible well, but they must know the context well.The role of context in preaching and teaching cannot be underestimated or over stressed. Without context, I could preach a sermon that said, “and [Judas] went away and hanged himself” and the Lord Jesus said, “Go and do the same.” While there may not be anyone promoting suicide from the pulpit, if we don’t pay close attention to context, the result may be spiritual suicide. Don’t ever lose the context.

 

9. Thou shalt make the point of the text the point of the message.

The title of John Stott’s timeless book says it all: Between Two Worlds. The preacher of the Word of God finds him or herself with one foot in the biblical world and one foot in the modern world. It falls upon the preacher to straddle these two with balance. Don’t ever forget that what God said 2,000 or 3,000 years ago is exactly the same message people need to hear today.Some will argue, “Yeah, but what about all the history, culture, and differences in language from biblical to modern times? My people don’t understand all that stuff.” Well, guess what? You should teach it to them.Don’t dumb-down the Bible; smarten-up the people. The Bible is the most relevant thing in the universe because God is the most relevant Being in the universe.

 

10. Thou shalt preach and teach doctrine above all else.

Many churches are weak and lifeless because they have spiritual anemia. What they lack is doctrinal iron in their bloodstreams. All week long, people hear messages from other people.  “What people need,” as Robert McCracken once said, “is to hear a word beyond themselves.”  Doctrine  feeds the soul. It reassures the faithless. It matures the child. It’s what keeps churches healthy and alive. Without it, pastors speak without preaching, and churches sing without worshiping. Preach doctrinally rich sermons!The great problem in today’s pulpits is not a lack of preaching, but an abundance of dreadful preaching. This is largely because many preachers are not as careful and mindful of the task as they should be. Not only does the church need us preachers to keep these Ten Commandments, but more importantly God and His Word deserve the effort required.

 

 

Article by Pastor Tyler Scarlett

Tyler became the Pastor-Teacher of Forest Baptist Church in 2006. Before that he served on staff at Forest for 8 years in numerous positions at the church. He graduated in 2007 from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary with his M.Div. and in 2004 from Liberty Theological Seminary with his M.A.R. He is also a graduate of Liberty University and Schoolhouse Rock! (the Saturday morning cartoon). Tyler was born in Tennessee and raised in Alabama. As a preacher, Tyler seeks to “rightly divide the Word of truth” by explaining God’s Word accurately and applying it relevantly. He primarily preaches expository messages that are verse by verse through books of the Bible. When he’s not at Forest, Tyler enjoys reading, computery stuff, taking a nap, playing/watching soccer, some golf and above all that spending time with his family.

Remembering David Wilkerson

“David served the purposes of God in his generation, then he died” (Acts 13:36).

On Wednesday afternoon my father, David Wilkerson, passed away in a car accident. We grieve the loss of a beloved father, a faithful husband and a holy man of God. My mother, Gwen, his wife of 57 years, was in the car also, but we are told she will recover fully.

Dad’s 60-plus years of ministry have impacted the lives of those closest to him and extended to millions around the world. Today we feel a personal loss, but at the same time we rejoice knowing Dad lived life to the fullest, obeying God with devotion and loving Jesus radically.

He was known for his unlimited faith. He believed God could change the lives of gang members and transform the most desperate drug addicts. He believed that a dynamic church could be launched in the heart of Times Square, New York City. He believed he could be a man who loved his wife and children well. And he did.

Dad was not one for fanfare, acclaim or ceremony. He turned down invitations to meet with world leaders yet would give everything he owned to support a poor orphan or a widow in distress.

Like King David of old, Dad served God’s purposes in his generation. He preached with uncompromising passion and relentless grace. He wrote with amazing insight, clarity and conviction. He ran his race well and when his work was done, he was called home.

I don’t think my father would have retired well. I don’t think he was one to sit in a rocking chair and reminisce about times past. I believe that Jesus, knowing this, graciously called him home.

Dad’s last mission on earth was to be an advocate for the poorest of the poor—to provide relief and support for hungry children and widows and orphans. After founding Teen Challenge,World Challenge and Times Square Church, he sought to feed starving children in the most impoverished countries in the world. Today, Please Pass the Bread is saving the lives of thousands of children, through 56 outreaches in 8 countries.

Like King David of old, after having served God’s purpose, he died. I know if my father were able to encourage you with his words today, he would invite you to give your all to Jesus, to love God deeply and to give yourself away to the needs of others.

The works he began outlive him. We can all attest to his impacting us—not only in his preaching, writing and founding of world-changing ministries, but in his love, devotion, compassion and ability to stir our faith for greater works.

– Pastor Gary Wilkerson

Gary carries on this calling not out of obligation or sense of family heritage, but a clear calling from God he received when he was only 6 years old. He began preaching at 16, youth pastor at 19, planting a church at 23. Since that time he has helped plant churches, served on staff at Times Square Church, started an orphanage, an inner city school, and a coffee house for young people in San Francisco. The primary calling on Gary’s life is to speak, teach and write about awakening and renewing a passionate hunger for Jesus. His desire is that many come to know the height, depth and vastness of the love of Jesus.

Who You Mocking?

There are alot of people who always use the phrase, “What goes around, comes around” or “You always reap what you sow” or “…that’s Karma for ya!” For one – IT AIN’T ‘KARMA.’  It is actually a scripture in the Bible in regards to ‘mocking God.’ Galatians 6:7 reads, “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.” Lately, this subject has been heavy on my heart every since watching a TV show called FAMILY GUY. I was watching an episode and laughing, til about halfway thru they started making fun of Jesus. Not in a “funny ha, ha” way. But in a way that did more than just “tickle my spiritual funny bone.” As a believer, it really made me a lil’ perturbed. So I did a little studying and found a few “CRAZY” facts. Now you can take it as ‘coincidence’ or even ‘accidental happenings.’ But I will say one thing, I won’t mock God. Not even in amusement. Here are a few men and women who mocked God:

 

JOHN LENON. Some years before, during his interview with an American Magazine, in 1966 John said: “Christianity will end. It will disappear. I do not have to argue about that. I am certain. Jesus was ok, but his subjects were too simple. Today, we are more famous than him.” Lennon, after saying that the Beatles were more famous than Jesus Christ was shot six times.

 

 

 

 

TANCREDO NEVES (President of Brazil). During the Presidential campaign, he said if he got 500 votes from his party, not even God would remove him from Presidency. Sure he got the votes, but he got sick a day before being made president. Then he died.

 

 

 

CAZUZA (Bi-sexual Brazilian composer, singer and poet). During a show in Canecao, while smoking a cigarette, he puffed out some smoke into the air and said, “God, that’s for you.”  He died at the age of 32 of AIDS in a horrible manner.

 

 

 

 

 

 

THOMAS ANDREWS (The man who built the Titanic). After the construction of Titanic, a reporter asked him how safe the Titanic would be. With an ironic tone he said, “Not even God can sink it.”  The result:  I think you all know what happened to the Titanic.

 

 

 

MARILYN MONROE. She was visited by Billy Graham during a presentation of a show. The Spirit of God had sent him to preach to her. After hearing what the Preacher had to say, she said, “I don’t need your Jesus.”  A week later, she was found dead in her apartment.

 

 

 

 

 

BON SCOTT. The ex-lead vocalist of AC/DC. On one of his 1979 songs he sang, “Don’t stop me. I’m going down all the way, down the highway to hell.” On Feb. 19th, 1980, he was found dead. He had choked by his own vomit.

 

 

 

 

CAMPINAS, BRAZIL 2005. A group of friends, drunk, went to pick up a friend. The mother accompanied her to the car and was so worried about the drunkenness of her friends and told her daughter – holding her hand, who was already seated in the car, “My daughter. Go with God and may he protect you.” The daughter responded, “Only if He (God) travels in the boot (trunk). Cause inside here it’s already full.”  Hours later, news came by that they had been involved in a fatal accident and everyone had died. The car couldn’t even be recognized. But surprisingly, the boot was intact. The police said there was no way the boot could have remained intact. To their surprise, inside the boot was a crate of eggs. None were broken.

 

 

Many more important people have forgotten that there is no other name that has been given so much authority as the name of JESUS. Many have died, but only Jesus died and rose again….and He’s still Alive!!!