Category: Leadership

LeadershipLeave a comment

There are some things worth fighting for…part 1

joshnmarda

A recent survey of the beliefs of people attending churches reported: 41 percent of all adults surveyed believed in the total accuracy of the Bible. 40 percent of those surveyed believed Christ was sinless. 27 percent believed Satan to be real. 57 percent of Baptists believed works play a part in salvation. 45 percent believed Jesus was not sinless. Those who said their faith was very important, they have a responsibility to witness, believe salvation is only through God’s grace and not good deeds, that Jesus lived a sinless life and describe God as the all-knowing, all-powerful, perfect deity who … Continue reading There are some things worth fighting for…part 1

Leadership, Pastoral Ministry3 Comments

Listen Up…

joshnmarda

George Whitefield gives helpful directions on how to benefit from sermons… “1. …Come to hear them, not out of curiosity, but from a sincere desire to know and do your duty. Formality and hypocrisy in any religious exercise, is an abomination unto the Lord. And to enter his house merely to have our ears entertained, and not our hearts reformed, must certainly be highly displeasing to the Most High God, as well as unprofitable to ourselves. Hence it is, that so many remain unconverted, yea, unaffected with the most evangelical preaching; so that like St. Paul’s companions, before his conversion, … Continue reading Listen Up…

Biblical Issues, Leadership, Self Counseling1 Comment

Humility…

joshnmarda

“For even the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give His life a ransom for many.” In Jesus’ mind looking at the way He humbled Himself for us in becoming man should motivate us to humble ourselves for the good of others. Over the next several posts what I would like to do is stop and reflect on what exactly Jesus is telling us about the way He humbled Himself that is so remarkable and life-transforming. First, to understand exactly why Jesus’ humbling of himself is so remarkable we need to see … Continue reading Humility…

Biblical Issues, Leadership2 Comments

Thinking about Pastors and Churches

joshnmarda

I started thinking today about some of the men outside my family whom God has used to change me.  And you know what I realized, many if not most of them were pastors.  My life is different because of the work of these pastors. Then I started thinking about their churches.    In order for those men to have an impact on my life, their churches had to make a sacrifice.  In each and every case you have a church who came behind their pastor and said in one way or another…how can we help him use his giftedness to the … Continue reading Thinking about Pastors and Churches

Leadership, Pastoral MinistryLeave a comment

Can A Pastor Not Be A People Person?

joshnmarda

I remember in seminary someone once asking the question: Can you be a pastor and not be a people person? Obviously, it is physically possible to be a pastor and not be a people person. I’ve met a lot of pastors that didn’t seem all that interested in people. But I don’t think that’s really the question. Can you do the work of a pastor and not be a people person? Personally, I’d have to say …(Click for rest of article) Continue reading Can A Pastor Not Be A People Person?

Devotions, Leadership, Pastoral MinistryLeave a comment

The foolishness of pride

joshnmarda

Pride is perhaps the most destructive attitude of all. It damned Satan. It damned the angels who followed him. And it has damned many others throughout history. Yet instead of warring against it, our world actually promotes it. Of course, that’s not too surprising since Satan wants to promote pride and squelch humility. He’s got strategies and schemes, and one of those schemes is to fan the flames of pride and to stomp out any small spark of humility. He doesn’t have too hard a time doing that since our own hearts are prone to pride. As Spurgeon once explained, … Continue reading The foolishness of pride