The events in Midland came to my rescue. By isolating those events and relating key aspects to the truths I needed to communicate, I was able to tie a biblical principle to an experience that not only reflected real-life truth but also allowed me to demonstrate doctrine in a context of compassion true to God’s priorities.

God has given you specific gifts for the work of ministry in the church. Paul was compelled to serve Christ with all his life. We are called to do the same. Feeling this eager compulsion to serve our Lord is one of the signs that the Spirit is at work in us. Pray that God would only strengthen this desire in you, even if it is already strong but

An FCF will remain faithful to a text and identify powerful purposes in a sermon if a preacher uses these three successive questions to develop the FCF: 1. What does the text say? 2. What spiritual concern(s) did the text address (in its context)? 3. What spiritual concerns do listeners share in common with those to (or about) whom the text was

Because God wills for you to be a doer of His Word, you may be confident that He wants you to find an application whenever you come to the Scriptures. For the same reason you may believe that the Holy Spirit is willing to help you discern how to flesh out your insights.

The second aspect of “a work to do” relates to more than a chosen profession; it encompasses a son’s spiritual giftedness. God has designed men to contribute to the whole community, specifically to the church and kingdom work. Says 1 Peter 4:10, “As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the