Transformative Power of the Holy Spirit in the Church

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1. "I preach the word of God yeah I'll find out let me listen to a couple of your sermons because you may be preaching about the word or you may be just teaching about the word but are you following 2 Timothy 4 preach the word exhort reprove rebuke if I can listen to a couple of sermons by a pastor and I don't feel rebuked he's not done anything according to 2 Timothy 4 I think there's a lot of hollow pulpits out there and I think there's a lot of hollow pulpits in pastoral ministry they're great teachers I've said this before what is preaching preaching is to move it's not just to teach yes we need to teach but people need to be moved are your people moved by your preaching if they're not you're not preaching the word you might be teaching about the word I think you might have good intentions but let me help you preach the word because that's one thing that we saw God work in here at NBCH I still see God working in the preaching of the word here at NBCH I would ask him what's your prayer life like why do you need to know my prayer life I need to revitalize the church you're called to preach the word you're called to pray what's the church prayer life like the early church was devoted to prayer what's your fellowship like are you dedicated pastor to the fellowship are you like I'm out here the congregation is over there and they need my help or are you among the body because pastor you need to be among the body you're part of the fellowship look I'm just another dumb sheep that God has called leave this church I'm an under shepherd not the chief shepherd I do all those things because that's what the word of God says and what that dying church needs is to hold to the sufficiency of the word of God but they're looking for other ways and I bet you most of those people would probably hang up the phone and say well he can't help us that's fine I'm just not smart enough to come up with my own ideas but God's given me some great ones in his word we've left the sufficiency of scripture with church revitalization I think with books but I would say probably 9 out of 10 books I don't know if they have bookstores anymore I don't go to them but in a bookstore or online" [58:20](Download clip | | )

2. "And for that reason, a very good reason, we are somewhat averse to change, right? We definitely don't want to see that change. And I say amen. No, we don't want to change anything about losing the gospel or losing the word of God. Some churches changed by becoming seeker-sensitive. I hate to say it, but instead of teaching the sheep, they've begun to entertain the goats. They've become an entertainment place rather than a place that proclaims the word of God. And we're averse to that change. Amen, I'm averse to that change. Amen. That cannot happen under my leadership anyway, as I have oversight of Norton Baptist Church. Some churches have changed, and they've done it very poorly. I have witnessed some of that from a distance, but witnessed it. Where some churches have implemented change, and they were not patient, and they were not kind, and they were not loving. And they didn't explain it to everybody. They just said, hey, aren't you excited about the changes we want to make? And everybody's going, why are we changing? And they've done it very poorly. And so we're averse to change for that reason. And I think we should be averse to change for that reason. Like, of course people have done change poorly without kindness and love and concern. We might fear losing tradition. Now, on this one, I'll challenge you a little bit more. Now, we don't want to change just to change. So I understand that aspect. But sometimes we just hold on to our tradition. But is tradition that important to us that we shouldn't change? I have traditions in my own life that may be. I had a tradition. I had a tradition of watching the Packers every Sunday morning. Every Sunday afternoon, not morning, but Sunday afternoon. That changed because I realized the Packers weren't idle for me. And that tradition had to go away. Because that tradition revealed that there was an idol in my heart, and I would not give up that idol. So God eventually led me a place where I said I have to repent and throw away the idol. You know, I have to tear down that idol in my life. And I praise God that I changed that tradition. Some traditions need to die. Some might say this church was founded on certain principles. By godly men. And so those principles don't change, so the church shouldn't change. And I understand that. I do understand that. And I think some of these are very valid concerns. And I believe wholeheartedly that change should never be implemented for the sake of change. We should never implement change just because we need something new and fresh. I preach every Sunday, every Sunday, in and out, the Word of God, which has been around. For, well, completed, compiled about 2,000 years. I mean, it's been around for longer than that. But I mean, we have helped. And I'm not changing that. I'm going to continue to preach the Word of God that's been around for a long time. I'm not talking about that type of change. In fact, I would say it this way. The change I would call this church to would be out of the Word of God. Would be out of the Scripture. That is the change I have. I always called us to. Is that we need to change based on the Word of God. We all think that individually, but I think we might get nervous if we talk about the church corporately. And say, the church corporately also must conform itself to the Word of God. But I want you to know this. I am committed to change only as the Word of God would speak to us to change. I have no interest in implementing Sean's ideas. And Sean's strategies. I don't even have any. I'm just not an idea person. Probably that's part of the problem with that. But, so I don't have much for strategies. I think another problem is I'm just not smart enough to come up with strategies." [09:45](Download clip | | )

3. "I preach the word of God yeah I'll find out let me listen to a couple of your sermons because you may be preaching about the word or you may be just teaching about the word but are you following 2 Timothy 4 preach the word exhort reprove rebuke if I can listen to a couple of sermons by a pastor and I don't feel rebuked he's not done anything according to 2 Timothy 4 I think there's a lot of hollow pulpits out there and I think there's a lot of hollow pulpits in pastoral ministry they're great teachers I've said this before what is preaching preaching is to move it's not just to teach yes we need to teach but people need to be moved are your people moved by your preaching if they're not you're not preaching the word you might be teaching about the word I think you might have good intentions but let me help you preach the word because that's one thing that we saw God work in here at NBCH I still see God working in the preaching of the word here at NBCH I would ask him what's your prayer life like why do you need to know my prayer life I need to revitalize the church you're called to preach the word you're called to pray what's the church prayer life like the early church was devoted to prayer what's your fellowship like are you dedicated pastor to the fellowship are you like I'm out here the congregation is over there and they need my help or are you among the body because pastor you need to be among the body you're part of the fellowship look I'm just another dumb sheep that God has called leave this church I'm an under shepherd not the chief shepherd I do all those things because that's what the word of God says and what that dying church needs is to hold to the sufficiency of the word of God but they're looking for other ways and I bet you most of those people would probably hang up the phone and say well he can't help us that's fine I'm just not smart enough to come up with my own ideas but God's given me some great ones in his word we've left the sufficiency of scripture with church revitalization I think with books but I would say probably 9 out of 10 books I don't know if they have bookstores anymore I don't go to them but in a bookstore or online" [58:20](Download clip | | )

4. "And for that reason, a very good reason, we are somewhat averse to change, right? We definitely don't want to see that change. And I say amen. No, we don't want to change anything about losing the gospel or losing the word of God. Some churches changed by becoming seeker-sensitive. I hate to say it, but instead of teaching the sheep, they've begun to entertain the goats. They've become an entertainment place rather than a place that proclaims the word of God. And we're averse to that change. Amen, I'm averse to that change. Amen. That cannot happen under my leadership anyway, as I have oversight of Norton Baptist Church. Some churches have changed, and they've done it very poorly. I have witnessed some of that from a distance, but witnessed it. Where some churches have implemented change, and they were not patient, and they were not kind, and they were not loving. And they didn't explain it to everybody. They just said, hey, aren't you excited about the changes we want to make? And everybody's going, why are we changing? And they've done it very poorly. And so we're averse to change for that reason. And I think we should be averse to change for that reason. Like, of course people have done change poorly without kindness and love and concern. We might fear losing tradition. Now, on this one, I'll challenge you a little bit more. Now, we don't want to change just to change. So I understand that aspect. But sometimes we just hold on to our tradition. But is tradition that important to us that we shouldn't change? I have traditions in my own life that may be. I had a tradition. I had a tradition of watching the Packers every Sunday morning. Every Sunday afternoon, not morning, but Sunday afternoon. That changed because I realized the Packers weren't idle for me. And that tradition had to go away. Because that tradition revealed that there was an idol in my heart, and I would not give up that idol. So God eventually led me a place where I said I have to repent and throw away the idol. You know, I have to tear down that idol in my life. And I praise God that I changed that tradition. Some traditions need to die. Some might say this church was founded on certain principles. By godly men. And so those principles don't change, so the church shouldn't change. And I understand that. I do understand that. And I think some of these are very valid concerns. And I believe wholeheartedly that change should never be implemented for the sake of change. We should never implement change just because we need something new and fresh. I preach every Sunday, every Sunday, in and out, the Word of God, which has been around. For, well, completed, compiled about 2,000 years. I mean, it's been around for longer than that. But I mean, we have helped. And I'm not changing that. I'm going to continue to preach the Word of God that's been around for a long time. I'm not talking about that type of change. In fact, I would say it this way. The change I would call this church to would be out of the Word of God. Would be out of the Scripture. That is the change I have. I always called us to. Is that we need to change based on the Word of God. We all think that individually, but I think we might get nervous if we talk about the church corporately. And say, the church corporately also must conform itself to the Word of God. But I want you to know this. I am committed to change only as the Word of God would speak to us to change. I have no interest in implementing Sean's ideas. And Sean's strategies. I don't even have any. I'm just not an idea person. Probably that's part of the problem with that. But, so I don't have much for strategies. I think another problem is I'm just not smart enough to come up with strategies." [09:45](Download clip | | )

5. "I preach the word of God yeah I'll find out let me listen to a couple of your sermons because you may be preaching about the word or you may be just teaching about the word but are you following 2 Timothy 4 preach the word exhort reprove rebuke if I can listen to a couple of sermons by a pastor and I don't feel rebuked he's not done anything according to 2 Timothy 4 I think there's a lot of hollow pulpits out there and I think there's a lot of hollow pulpits in pastoral ministry they're great teachers I've said this before what is preaching preaching is to move it's not just to teach yes we need to teach but people need to be moved are your people moved by your preaching if they're not you're not preaching the word you might be teaching about the word I think you might have good intentions but let me help you preach the word because that's one thing that we saw God work in here at NBCH I still see God working in the preaching of the word here at NBCH I would ask him what's your prayer life like why do you need to know my prayer life I need to revitalize the church you're called to preach the word you're called to pray what's the church prayer life like the early church was devoted to prayer what's your fellowship like are you dedicated pastor to the fellowship are you like I'm out here the congregation is over there and they need my help or are you among the body because pastor you need to be among the body you're part of the fellowship look I'm just another dumb sheep that God has called leave this church I'm an under shepherd not the chief shepherd I do all those things because that's what the word of God says and what that dying church needs is to hold to the sufficiency of the word of God but they're looking for other ways and I bet you most of those people would probably hang up the phone and say well he can't help us that's fine I'm just not smart enough to come up with my own ideas but God's given me some great ones in his word we've left the sufficiency of scripture with church revitalization I think with books but I would say probably 9 out of 10 books I don't know if they have bookstores anymore I don't go to them but in a bookstore or online" [58:20](Download clip | | )

6. "And for that reason, a very good reason, we are somewhat averse to change, right? We definitely don't want to see that change. And I say amen. No, we don't want to change anything about losing the gospel or losing the word of God. Some churches changed by becoming seeker-sensitive. I hate to say it, but instead of teaching the sheep, they've begun to entertain the goats. They've become an entertainment place rather than a place that proclaims the word of God. And we're averse to that change. Amen, I'm averse to that change. Amen. That cannot happen under my leadership anyway, as I have oversight of Norton Baptist Church. Some churches have changed, and they've done it very poorly. I have witnessed some of that from a distance, but witnessed it. Where some churches have implemented change, and they were not patient, and they were not kind, and they were not loving. And they didn't explain it to everybody. They just said, hey, aren't you excited about the changes we want to make? And everybody's going, why are we changing? And they've done it very poorly. And so we're averse to change for that reason. And I think we should be averse to change for that reason. Like, of course people have done change poorly without kindness and love and concern. We might fear losing tradition. Now, on this one, I'll challenge you a little bit more. Now, we don't want to change just to change. So I understand that aspect. But sometimes we just hold on to our tradition. But is tradition that important to us that we shouldn't change? I have traditions in my own life that may be. I had a tradition. I had a tradition of watching the Packers every Sunday morning. Every Sunday afternoon, not morning, but Sunday afternoon. That changed because I realized the Packers weren't idle for me. And that tradition had to go away. Because that tradition revealed that there was an idol in my heart, and I would not give up that idol. So God eventually led me a place where I said I have to repent and throw away the idol. You know, I have to tear down that idol in my life. And I praise God that I changed that tradition. Some traditions need to die. Some might say this church was founded on certain principles. By godly men. And so those principles don't change, so the church shouldn't change. And I understand that. I do understand that. And I think some of these are very valid concerns. And I believe wholeheartedly that change should never be implemented for the sake of change. We should never implement change just because we need something new and fresh. I preach every Sunday, every Sunday, in and out, the Word of God, which has been around. For, well, completed, compiled about 2,000 years. I mean, it's been around for longer than that. But I mean, we have helped. And I'm not changing that. I'm going to continue to preach the Word of God that's been around for a long time. I'm not talking about that type of change. In fact, I would say it this way. The change I would call this church to would be out of the Word of God. Would be out of the Scripture. That is the change I have. I always called us to. Is that we need to change based on the Word of God. We all think that individually, but I think we might get nervous if we talk about the church corporately. And say, the church corporately also must conform itself to the Word of God. But I want you to know this. I am committed to change only as the Word of God would speak to us to change. I have no interest in implementing Sean's ideas. And Sean's strategies. I don't even have any. I'm just not an idea person. Probably that's part of the problem with that. But, so I don't have much for strategies. I think another problem is I'm just not smart enough to come up with strategies." [09:45](Download clip | | )

7. "I preach the word of God yeah I'll find out let me listen to a couple of your sermons because you may be preaching about the word or you may be just teaching about the word but are you following 2 Timothy 4 preach the word exhort reprove rebuke if I can listen to
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