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Communion, or "The Lord's Supper," is one of the most cherished and
time-honored practices of the local, New Testament church. But to
many Christians, the purpose and meaning of the ordinance is a
mystery. Some believe that the "Eucharist" imparts saving grace.
Others believe that communion is right of all believers, including
the non-baptized. Some rarely if ever participate in the most
sacred of rituals. Dr. Greg Tyree, in this fifth volume of the
"What the Bible Really Says" series, sets forth a Biblical and
practical approach to this second of two church ordinances (the
first being baptism). If you care about what the Bible says about
communion, and you desire to participate in the Lord's Supper as
God intends, this book is sure you to be a blessing.
The cross of Christ is the very pinacle of the Christian faith.
Without the cross there is no salvation, and without salvation,
there is no hope. The world finds the bloodied cross and the
mangled flesh of a Savior to be offensive, and even foolish. But
its is the stark reality of Christ's suffering that paves the way
for the forgiveness of sins and the prospect of eternal life, And
yet, as powerful as the crosswork of Christ is, it would be
meaningless without the literal resurrection of Jesus. It is His
bodily, physical, and literal resurrection that sets Christianity
apart from all the world's many other religions. While billions
look to lifeless and powerless gods and systems of religion to
merit eternal life, or nervana, or Shangrala, only those who place
their sincere faith in the Son of God Who died and was raised from
the dead for our sins will experience eternity in heaven, as well
as victory over sin in the here-and-now. This collection of sermons
presents several series that will help the busy pastor prepare and
deliver life-changing messages that point people to the cross and
the empty tomb.
With the exception of a few ultra-conservative churches, a handful
of websites, and some modestly populated Facebook communities, the
"Pre-Trib, "Pre-Mill" view of eschatology has become a peculiar
theological pillar on the vast evangelical landscape. While many
pastors, especially those over forty, still believe in this brand
of theology, very few preach about it. It has almost become an
embarrassment for some. In some cases, this is for good reason.
Pre-Millennialism has often been presented in the Christian and
secular media as a caricature. Slick-haired and gaudily-bejeweled
televangelists dominate the airwaves, referring to their nine-foot
long prophecy charts and speculating about who the antichrist is.
Making even the most mundane and trivial event a major episode in
the prophetic countdown, these self-proclaimed prophets identify
dates for Christ's return, and virtually set their watches by their
overly-detailed timelines. But if the Bible does teach the
Pre-Tribulational, Pre-Millennial return of Christ, we must preach
it. If Dispensational theology is Biblical, then it matters, and if
it matters, we must teach it. That is why I wrote this series of
sermons on the Rapture of the church. Using these sermons as a
template, you can build on them and really develop a platform from
which to teach your congregation the vital truths of end-times
prophesy. I believe that you will find these messages thorough,
relevant, and interesting; your people will, too. So as we look for
that "blessed hope" in Christ's return, Biblical teaching on the
imminent return of our Savior will move our people toward a holier
life, and amplify their aware of and concern for the state of those
without Christ. Teaching on this exciting future event will
actually make a positive impact in the here-and-now.
For centuries Baptists and many other evangelicals have used the
"altar call" as a means to challenge people to respond the Gospel
of Jesus Christ. Billy Graham has used this method to call over 200
million people to the Savior. Yet, today the public invitation is
being attacked from many fronts, especially Reformed churches and
church leaders who adhere to Calvinism and Hyper-Calvinism. Dr.
Greg Tyree takes a pastoral approach, rather than a strictly
scholarly one, to defend the thesis that the altar call is not only
historically relevant, but is Biblical and appropriate when used
ethically and Scripturally. If seeing people come to Christ in
public meetings is important to you, tis book will both encourage
you and challenge you.
Like several of my books, I imagine that this one will be a "living
volume," meaning that I am likely to revise it on a fairly regular
basis going forward. Between poems for sermons, funerals, and
weddings, and worship songs for church, I tend to write at least
eight or ten works or more a year. I also blog on a fairly regular
basis, and journal sporadically, adding significantly to the total
of original expressions penned. You will find a little of all of
these forms here. The works in this book cover about four and a
half decades, and demonstrate the imagination that God has
instilled in me. While I claim to be no poet or composer, I do
believe that many of these entries were given to me by God to bless
others. The remaining selections are my own fault. You are left to
figure which is which. In many cases I offer a brief introduction
to the quip. In other cases I do not, as their contexts are more
self-evident or explaining it would ruin your experience of it.
Since many of the entries are actually lyrics to songs, and not
poetry in the strictest sense, a brief explanation will help you
interpret it and better enjoy it.
From the Foreword...This book, as its title forthrightly asserts,
is a manual, a blueprint based on experience as well as
scholarship, a how-to book for all who take to heart Christ's Great
Commission (Matthew 28:9-20). It is a book about evangelism for all
Christians whom the Holy Spirit moves to be evangelists, namely,
all Christians. Dr. Gregory Tyree has written a book that is
exhaustive in its treatment of "soulwinning." He leaves no aspect
of evangelism unexplored and his breadth of learning is matched by
his own rich experiences as a pastor of four churches. I happen to
know first-hand about Dr. Tyree's soulwinning abilities because
over a two-month period he taught. He comforted, he counseled, he
confounded, and, finally, he led me to trust Christ as my personal
Lord and Savior. He led me to a point where the Holy Spirit could
pry open my hardened, secular heart and regenerate my lost soul. It
was the author of this book who pulled no punches, as happens so
often in our postmodern culture, when teaching me what being a
Christian really means. He spoke with the firmness and clarity of
the prophets, never minimizing the tension that comes from the need
to choose --- between truth and untruth. He led me to understand
that there is only an "either-or" decision, to accept God's free
gift of salvation, to accept Christ. And he did so with brilliance,
eloquence, gentleness, strength, compassion, and Christian patience
and love --- as he does in the pages that follow. From the
Introduction... While many books have been written about evangelism
over the years, it seems that today it is almost "unpopular," even
in evangelical churches, to talk about soul-winning. People make
light of the "old ways," and a resurgence of apathy concerning the
doctrine of Hell and the methods of evangelism is evident to even
the casual observer. While I am no "expert" on soul-winning, I have
led a good number to a saving knowledge of Christ. I know the
thrill of seeing someone bow his or her head, in my presence, and
receive Christ as Savior. I have seen (numerous times) a soul
shackled by sin freed by the liberating power of the Holy Spirit I
have seen atheists, agnostics, skeptics, and even bitter
ex-church-goers turn from their sin and lost-ness and give, without
reservation, their lives to Jesus There is nothing- I mean NOTHING-
to compare to it So if you, too, have a burden to see people saved;
if you care whether or not people spend eternity in Hell; if you
want people to go to Heaven; if you want to be obedient to Christ's
commission; if you want to bring glory to God, then read on With
these thoughts in mind, the book is designed thusly: 1) reasons
Christians avoid soul-winning; 2) getting ready for the "harvest";
3) pre-evangelism; 4) how to lead someone to Christ; 5) they're
saved, now what? 6) getting your church involved in soul-winning;
7) children and evangelism; 8) what's in it for me?; 9) you
(almost) cannot fail; and appendices.
Christ's Church Aflame Homiletical Commentary on the Book of Acts
is not your typical Bible commentary. It is actually an extensive
expository sermon series on Acts. A preacher or teacher could use
this book "as is" to preach or teach through the Book of Acts, or
he can use the many comments, researched topics, illustrations, and
outlines as a catalyst for his own messages. I have written this
series (which will be three or four volumes when completed) as a
resource to help busy pastors and teachers in their endeavor to
feed their flocks, classes, or study groups. It is my belief that
the Book of Acts is an essential history of the early church, and
is of paramount importance to the congregation that desires to
function as God intended a New Testament church to. While not all
of what is in Acts is prescriptive (meaning that God does not
intend for every action or concept to be implemented in today's
church), all of its content is descriptive, meaning that it
describes to us what the early church was really like, what it
faced, and how it responded to its culture and times. May God bless
you in your intensive study of this wonderful Biblical book.
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