Posts by Ken Brown
Pastoral Preaching
[Note: the following comes from messages given by Ken Brown at the Michigan Expositor’s Summit a couple of years ago. — Editor] The Preacher’s Task If you were on your deathbed and had a final instruction to leave to your successor, what would it be? 2 Timothy 4 is the last chapter of the last…
Read MoreHow to Be a Witness at Church
We are always making an impression whether we realize it or not. Over thirty years ago I experienced this truth when a man visited the church at which I was on staff for several weeks during which he heard announcements for an upcoming men’s retreat, at which there would be golf for those interested. In…
Read MoreThe New You Puts on Truth
In Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, Paul moves from doctrine to application, beginning in chapter four. After an exquisite detailing of our position in Christ in the first three chapters the focus shifts to how those who are in Christ are to demonstrate the reality of their new life in Him, having put off the…
Read MoreDress for Success
There was a time when there were different clothes for different occasions. I say there ‘was a time’ because today casual is accepted as the norm almost anywhere you go. I’ve been in restaurants where the waiter was dressed very formally, but most patrons were quite informal. We live in a casual culture. But even…
Read MoreIs Nothing Weird Anymore?
In 1991 The Addams Family movie was released and advertised with this slogan: “Weird is Relative.” I was leading a youth group at my church at the time, and I recall a teen telling me, “You know, when you think about it, that’s true: Weird IS relative.” I thought, “Well, yes, of course you can…
Read MoreYOU Gotta Go to Catechism
The neighborhood in which I grew up teemed with kids my age with whom I had great fun, mostly playing backyard, alley, and ballfield sports, where I made many fond memories. But I recall many an occasion after school trying to round up a pickup game, and my buddies would say, “I gotta go to…
Read MoreHow Do You See Others?
I once saw a comic strip in which a father with a concerned look on his face is reviewing his son’s report card. The boy, sensing the father’s displeasure asked, “What do you think the problem is, Dad, heredity or environment?” The young man’s deft, humorous, and obvious blame-shift nevertheless highlights a truth about our…
Read MoreIs Your Way Really God’s Way?
I have addressed in a prior post (see here) the necessity of observing the difference between function and form in Scripture. While the Bible is heavy on function (what we are to do) it is light on form (how we are to do it). In fact, regarding forms in the New Testament, we find that:…
Read MoreA Call to Discernment
In my role as pastor, it is a common occurrence for someone to catch me in the hallway and ask about an author or other Christian leader with, “Is he/she good?” It’s always the case that they’re looking for a quick thumbs up or down, thus the expectation that the answer can be provided while…
Read MorePastoral Preaching
There are several factors that affect how a pastor views, and therefore goes about, his work. Most would readily agree the pastoral office is a vocation (from Latin, vox, voice) and thus a calling. But a calling to what? Many answers are offered to that question and, in turn, result in widely different ways of…
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