Spurgeon's Analysis

The book was very well put together with principal concepts, but it was not always easy to follow and some sections had to be read twice for clear comprehension. The message could have been portrayed using straightforward writing that would enable undergraduates and others that are not seeking higher levels of education to process the information. In simpler terms, this book can be essential to pastors, for personal relationships, and other professions if the language is simplified and made more user-friendly.

The calling of a pastor for the Lord is a very high calling as well as position. God has granted the ability of the pastor to lead sheep and teach truth to people. A pastor also has certain convictions that he or she must live up to. These certain convictions keep him or her accountable to God, upholding the stature of being light and salt of this world. Through the content of this paper, every conviction a pastor must have will be discussed, why these convictions are important, and who compromised their convictions.

When considering the strengths and weaknesses of the book, the strengths dramatically outweigh the shortcomings. Allen succeeded in showing the reader that there is no excuse to discount the ministry of Paul as irrelevant in today’s missionary setting. He powerfully implemented scripture throughout the book with precision. Every verse, story, and biblical example of Paul’s practices and teachings that Allen used were necessary and served to back up his claims with ultimate truth. Also, the open addressing of his opponent’s arguments served to strengthen Allen’s thesis in a way that a simple stating of facts would be incapable of

I charge you to be a spiritual community of love. You should also be a community where care and compassion abound. The ministry of care and compassion is not simply the job description of the pastor. It is the job description of this entire church. In Galatians 6:2, the Apostle Paul instructs us to “bear one another’s burdens, and in this way… fulfill the law of Christ.” In addition to caring for and showing compassion to one another, never become so insular that you fail to impact the lives of those outside the church who have no advocate, are mired in hopelessness and ravaged by injustice. Be known as a friendly church and a community church.

When it comes to ensuring the fulfillment of the vision and mission of the church it is important to sweat the small stuff. Toler and Nelson gives insight as to how important it is to be proactive when it comes to ministry. We should pay attention to the seemingly insignificant details because the minor details can make the difference in the ministry’s success or failure.

In the church, the pastor or preacher has an innate responsibility to address sin and nominalism without hesitation or fear of retribution. The church’s focus on mere building membership, no matter the cost, overshadows God’s abhorrence of sin. Further, both sin and nominalism seems to have intensified as many point to the religious concept of being a Christian without having a changed heart or life through Jesus Christ. Charles Spurgeon shares, “There will always be trouble in the churches as long as men are afraid to denounce sin and error. To confront sin, it is without doubt a pastor’s responsibility to challenge the sins of this present time.

Actions will reinforce our beliefs the truth is that people will stand up for what’s right they don’t compromise when it comes to the doctrines. True pastors working in grace and truth will often be motivated based on Christ like characteristics that are infused with spiritual love point often to others when there is a wrong situation. And defends the truth because love is the driving force to •

The extensive Gallup Poll conducted for Christianity Today in 1979 indicated that a large majority of American pastors (56 percent) felt that preaching was one of the most important things they did. Preachers invest much of their lives in thinking about sermons. However, if they preached regularly, they would be too aware that their praying, Bible reading, planning, studying, outlining, writing, practicing, and delivery involves a major time expenditure. Proper time and preparation are very important factors (Hamilton).

Drucker’s admonishment assists me as a pastor to remain faithful to what God has called me to do. My ambition should not be reflective of a business matrix. Rather, my purpose is to serve others as they progress on their journey in Christ. Furthermore, I am reminded that I am not a CEO, but an under-shepherd to the Good Shepherd. With that in mind, I must lead as Christ, through serving the needs of the mission. Jesus’ mission was to “seek and to save the lost” (Luke 19:10, ESV). As a pastor, my mission is found in Ephesians 4:11-16 and Matthew 28:19-20. I must strive to be faithful to the mission He has given me to point people to Jesus and develop disciples.

Moreover, God calls us to make disciple. People should be far more important than task and project. Simply running around and get occupied by activities do not mean we are leading people to a deeper relationship with God. Spending quality time with our congregation and our neighbor is a must to build up a missional church. If we do not know how they struggle spiritually in the world, then how can we lead them with gospel wisdom? Gibbs states that the church leaders must have significant life experience in the secular world. We find it very true in our own ministry. Those who can only talk but fail to walk produce more trouble than good to the church. Ministry is disciple making not decision making. The church leaders must earn the trust from the congregation

Paul talks about non-gospel preachers a lot, calling them 'instructors in Christ.' This is because, under the law, they view their job as being one of instructing others how to live life right. The love of Christ in the gospel propels us with the power of God.

Within the first three chapters Paul shows the futility of false wisdom and human competitiveness and of attempts to demonstrate Christian freedom by violating the sexual conventions honored even by unbelievers. Other reference stating how too much emphasis was placed on the human reason can distract the simple message that Christ died for people’s sins so that they could be

This purposeful elucidation proffered the need for the church to become missionaries within the context of their local community. Rethinking mission and ministry is required in breaking the missional code. Stetzer and Putnam stated that if a church does not regularly examine its culture, it ends up as a culture unto itself (Kindle Location 481). The one thing that appears to be certain in their exposition

Paul’s purpose in writing this book is to teach against the false teaching’s being taught there.

As religious men, we should avoid the peril of becoming so engrossed in our theological studies that we neglect our personal devotion. Warfield’s caveat to us is Christian service or work alone cannot replace the depth of Christian affection to God. Work does not equal prayer it is the combination of work and prayer that will develop as ministers. By maintaining a strong devotion to God we are setting an example of holding fast to the confession of our hope. We must frequently examine ourselves against God’s Word to verify our hearts. It is as Warfield says, we should have our hearts on fire brightly so that in our innermost being we are men of God. The greatness of our calling as ministers should flow from the depth of our understanding of the unsurpassed greatness of God. This understanding should motivate, empower, equip and direct us in our