Mike Edmisten Follower of Jesus. Husband of Nicki. Father of Ryan & Brock. Communicator of the Word.

A Word For All Who Teach & Preach – Part One

I read the New Testament book of Titus this morning, and there were a couple of verses in chapter two that kicked me in the teeth. If you preach or teach in any capacity in the Lord's church, listen up.

In your teaching show integrity, seriousness and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned, so that those who oppose you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about us. (Titus 2:7b-8, NIV, bold mine)

The Apostle Paul lists three characteristics that every preacher or teacher had better maintain in their teaching.

First of all, our teaching must have integrity.

I've got no problem with "borrowing" someone else's stuff. I borrow from other preachers. I allow anyone who wishes to borrow from me. Many churches have adopted an open-source philosophy with their messages, videos, graphics, curriculum, etc. And I think it's extremely healthy. It shows a broader vision for the Lord's church. Sharing freely is a very kingdom-minded thing to do.

But it also presents a pitfall for those of us who teach. There can be a temptation to always borrow. It's easier to click around on the internet than to wrestle with a passage yourself. It takes less time to search sermon websites for illustrations instead of constructing your own.

If you never have an original idea, if you're always using someone else's outlines, illustrations, and exegesis…your teaching or preaching is going to come up empty. If the message doesn't come from the heart of the preacher/teacher, it will miss the mark.

And here's where the integrity part really comes into play. Don't claim someone's personal illustrations and stories and intimate spiritual thoughts as your own. Use their stuff occasionally, but give credit when it is due. If you're wondering if you should credit them, do it. Err on the side of integrity.

I remember hearing of a young preacher who ripped off another preacher's illustration. The original preacher used a powerful illustration of something that happened to him while on an airplane. Apparently the younger preacher liked the illustration, because he used it. But the problem was that he claimed this experience happened to him! And when the people of the church found out about it, his integrity was shot. How do you recover from that? I don't know that you can.

That's why Paul stresses that our teaching must have integrity.

Part two tomorrow.

Vintage Christmas – Peace

I'm stoked about part two of ACC's Vintage Christmas series tomorrow. Everything will be centered around the biblical concept of peace.

The service will feel a lot different than our first session of this series, which focused on joy. In fact, every one of the worship experiences in this series will have a different feel and flare. But all of them will bring us more in step with the Lord this holiday season.

Don't be late. We're opening with some pretty awesome stuff tomorrow. As always, we're starting at 9:00 & 11:00 am sharp. You'll want to be there, ready to experience the living God who came to earth as a helpless baby.

Giving Tree

Every year, the ACC family purchases gifts and basic necessities for local families who are having a rough time.

ACCers, please choose a gift(s) that you would like to purchase from the giving tree in the church foyer this Sunday. Sign your name next to the item and take the corresponding tag from the pocket.

After purchasing the item, please wrap it, attach the tag to it and return it to church. All items must be returned to church by Dec 14 so items can be delivered before Christmas.

The people in our church are notoriously generous. It will show through this ministry again this year.

Guilt vs. Conviction

This seems to keep coming up in my teaching and in my conversations, so I thought I'd launch it into the blogosphere as well.

I've met so many Christ-followers who are imprisoned by the guilt of their sinful past. Maybe the guilt comes from a lifetime of sin. Maybe the guilt stems from one horribly bad decision. But whatever the case, the guilt never leaves them. It looms over them everyday.

This is not God's will for you life. If you don't believe that, go back and read the previous sentence until you do.

Paul wrote in Romans 8, "there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." (Romans 8:1, NIV)

In Isaiah 43, God said, "I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake, and remembers your sins no more." (Isaiah 43:25, NIV)

If you are in Christ, you are forgiven. God has promised that you will not be condemned. In fact, he promises to forgive and forget all your sin.

Does that sound like a God who wants you to constantly wallow in guilt? If you answered "yes" to that question, then you need some professional help, my friend.

But this does bring up another question: Does this mean that I should never feel bad about my sin? Not at all.

In John 16, Jesus said that the Holy Spirit, "will convict the world concerning sin…" (John 16:8, NASB)

There is a big difference between guilt and conviction. God doesn't deal in guilt. But his Spirit definitely convicts us when we're wrong. So how do you know the difference?

Guilt will always try to keep you down. Conviction will force you up.

Guilt will always tell you, "You'll never amount to anything. Look at what you've done." Conviction will tell you, "You messed up. It was wrong and you know it. So get it right next time."

Guilt will keep you from moving forward in your walk with Christ. Conviction propels you to another level of spiritual maturity.

I'm not saying that it's always easy to discern the difference, but these are some good starting points.

If you are experiencing guilt, from the mouth of Satan or even from your own mind and heart, dismiss it. Don't give it another second of your time.

If you are experiencing the conviction that comes through God's Spirit, listen to it. Remember it. Heed it.

Guilt will make you a captive. Conviction will set you free.

Improv at the Edmistens

If this whole ministry gig doesn't work out, I've got an ace in the hole: I'll be a stand-up comic. According to my son Ryan, I'm hilarious.

Ryan recently discovered an old DVD movie in our library: The Muppets Take Manhattan. Remember that one? Actually a pretty good film.

I had the boys to myself tonight while Nicki went out with some friends. Somewhere during the course of the evening, Ryan brought up the movie. I started imitating some of the Muppet characters for him. (I do a mean Kermit the Frog imitation. And my Animal is awesome.)

Ryan rolled on the floor laughing. Especially at my Kermit impression. I don't know if I've ever seen him laugh harder than he did tonight.

Good to know that I've got the funny in me. As long as the audience is made up of four-year-olds, I'm golden.

Familiarity Breeds Complacency

If you live in the Cincinnati area, then you may have heard this story. If not, prepare for a story containing a cruel irony.

Greg Schwarber, the police chief in Middletown, shot himself in the leg on Friday while cleaning his gun. Ironically, he had taken his daughter to the shooting range that morning for a lesson on gun safety. A few hours later, he accidentally shot himself in the leg with his Glock 45.

Chief Schwarber is definitely a stand-up guy, because instead of isolating himself, he is openly talking about the accident. He said, "I was a firearms instructor, SWAT team…it was that familiarity that got me in trouble…Familiarity breeds complacency."

Those words have been rattling around in my mind ever since I first heard them. This man was an expert with his weapon. In fact, he taught others how to treat the weapon properly. But he became so familiar with it that he lost his respect for it. And he was wounded as a result.

The spiritual parallels are many. The longer we walk with Christ, the more apt we are to become "familiar" with him. We can grow comfortably complacent in our faith.

It shows up all the time. People who go to church and mindlessly mouth the words of the songs, never giving a thought to the big-time promises contained in the words they're singing.

People who leaf through the bulletin while the Word of God is being preached.

People who believe that they can make their own rules instead of abiding by the commands of God in the Bible.

Complacency comes in various shapes and sizes, but however it shows up in our lives, it's deadly.

God gives us a stern warning about it in the Old Testament book of Zephaniah. "At that time I will search Jerusalem with lamps and punish those who are complacent, who are like wine left on its dregs, who think, 'The LORD will do nothing, either good or bad.'" (Zephaniah 1:12, NIV, bold mine)

Growing comfortable and complacent in our walk with God is a sin. And it is a sin that God promises to punish. Familiarity breeds complacency. And if you've grown complacent with your God, consider this your warning…the Glock is getting ready to go off.

ACC on Facebook

Have you joined ACC's Facebook group yet? What are you waiting for?

Our group is fairly new, but it's cool to see people already connecting online.

ACC Facebook Group

Annual Review

The staff at ACC are all required to sit down for an annual performance review with the church's elders. The reviews are tonight.

This annual exercise is a very healthy thing for our staff. Our staff is top-notch, so there will be a lot of much-deserved encouragement given tonight.

But because the staff is top-notch, they're also not satisfied with where they are. Tonight there will be some time devoted to what we can do better in 2009.

I've been doing a little self-evaluation as I've prepared for the meetings tonight. I'm happy with my progress in some areas. In others, I feel like I've got a long way to go.

Evaluation is an important spiritual discipline. If you're not willing to honestly evaluate where you are and where you're going, then you're not going to go much further.

If you're not willing to invite the encouragement and critique of a few trusted advisers, that shows a great amount of pride.

Humbly accept encouragement when it is given. And when someone you trust offers a bit of constructive criticism (emphasis on "constructive"), accept it as a gift of love. That person loves you too much to allow you to stay where you are. They see greater things in your future.