About Andrew Schank

Andrew Schank is an Independent Baptist Missionary/Pastor who loves to blog about spiritual matters! His main ministry website is http://www.togetherinthegap.com. Andrew is also a contributing author to two other blogs/websites including http://linked2leadership.com and http://www.ifbkjv.com. Pastor Schank's Church website is http://www.greatcommissionbaptist.org

A Preacher Should Preach And Keep On Preaching – By Pastor Andrew Schank

Pastor Andrew SchankGod gave this message to me on one Thursday evening before the preacher’s fellowship meeting in September of 2006. I was to be the moderator of the meeting and had not planned on preaching. God showed me that I was to preach and I was sure glad that I listened to Him. God used the message and I have been allowed to preach in in many places. May God use it to encourage every man of God to keep on preaching!

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By Kregel Publications

Whether you’re preaching from the Old Testament or the New, clear, concise outlines are the cornerstone to well-developed messages. Now you can glean insights from one of today’s most popular Bible teachers with this collection of 200 summaries. Whether short and pithy or longer and detailed, they’ll all help you deliver powerful, life-changing sermons. 112 pages each, two softcovers from Kregel.

15 Important Counseling Tips For Pastors

From time to time, depending upon the size of your congregation, you will be asked to counsel with people one on one. This type of ministry is not for the novice and can actually ruin a ministry. There must be adequate preparation for each session and a pastor must know what he is doing. This post seeks to share some practical tips for pastors who attempt to counsel their members.
(These 15 tips are derived from The Guide To Practical Pastoring by C. Sumner Wemp) 

#1 – Schedule A Time To Meet: It is preferable to delay the meeting at least 24 hours. This gives the person a time to think through and allow passions to subside. The session will be more objective.

#2 – Have A Specific Place To Counsel: It is wise to have your counseling session in your office and not your home or theirs. This can help the atmosphere, and minimize interruptions.

#3 – Always Begin With Prayer: A counseling session without God’s presence is a waste of time!

#4 – Try To Stay Relaxed: If you are uptight, then it causes everyone in the room to be the same way. This makes the session that much harder!

#5 – Never Appear To Be Pressed For Time: Every pastor is short on time. If you appear to be in a hurry, then your visitors will sense that. They will either not share everything they should or they can develop a guilt complex and not confide in you.

#6 – Pay Attention: Look people in the eye and make them feel that you are paying attention. Do not fake this, but be absolutely genuine! No person is beneath you!

#7 – Know When To Keep Your Mouth SHUT: This is hard for pastors and preachers. Sometimes it is best to say nothing at all! Your opinion can be helpful, but you are not infallible.

#8 – There Are Three Sides To Every Story: Their side, the other person’s side, and the TRUTH.

#9 – Reverence Confidentiality: Everything said in a session must stay in the session. Never assume that anything is okay to speak about with someone outside the context. People need to trust you as a counselor.

#10 – Don’t Assume Or Jump To Hasty Conclusions: More people are hurt and damaged by these two things than anything else in a counseling session.

#11 – Ask Questions: ALWAYS ask questions! Get to know the person. Make SURE you understand what they are saying!

#12 – Be Careful About Long Sessions: 30 minutes to an hour is ample time for the average counseling session. The amount of time for each session should be conveyed when the meeting is scheduled.

#13 – Study The Word Of God For Solutions To Common Problems: The book of Psalms and Proverbs are always good sources of wisdom. They are easily understood and digested. Have references written down to various topics in a handy file.

#14 – When Offering Advice, Try To Teach A Scriptural Principle: Always convey what you are advising with a Scriptural principle.

#15 – Admit That You Do Not Know EVERYTHING: People know that you do not know everything, so do not pretend. Admit your lack and offer to find an answer to share on a later date!

Conclusion

Most counseling can be done through sound, expository preaching. When a session is needed, soak it in prayer and give it all you have. God will honor this!

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Explore the entire New Testament in greater depth. This complete set of New Testament commentaries from the pen of expositor John Phillips will provide pastors, Sunday school teachers, and students of the Bible with doctrinally sound interpretation that emphasizes the practical application of Bible truth. Preachers especially will appreciate these commentaries as they provide a model and resource for sermons and lessons. Working from the familiar King James Version, Dr. Phillips not only provides helpful commentary on the text, but also includes detailed outlines and numerous illustrations and quotations. Anyone wanting to explore the meaning of God’s word in greater detail for personal spiritual growth or as a resource for preaching and teaching will welcome the guidance and insights of this respected series.

A frequent speaker at churches, conferences, and workshops across North America, John Phillips served as assistant director of the Moody Correspondence School as well as director of the Emmaus Correspondence School, one of the world’s largest Bible correspondence ministries. He also taught in the Moody Evening School and on the Moody Broadcasting radio network. He and his wife, Betty, live in Bowling Green, Kentucky.

Witnessing Tip For Pastors – #1 | The Power Of Prayer

Depending upon where you live on planet Earth, witnessing for Jesus Christ can range from relatively easy to risking death. I am still amazed why people get mad when you say that you are from such and such church and you want to share some things about Jesus Christ with them. Sometimes the animosity which surfaces can be very discouraging, but we must remember that people are held by the cords of their sins. One can expect spiritual opposition to appear when you share the gospel of Jesus Christ and it can take various forms. In spite of it all, witnessing for our Lord Jesus can be a rewarding and pleasant experience!

(Psalms 126:5-6) “They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.”  (KJV)

Check out our most recent witnessing tip…

Witnessing Tip #1

The Power Of Prayer

(Ephesians 3:20) “Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,”  (KJV)

One of the simplest things a soul winner can do to help him/her be a better witness is prayer. In fact, one should never leave their home to witness without much time given to meaningful prayer. Prayer made for wisdom, leadership on who to speak with, tact, whit, occasional humor, spiritual discernment, boldness, safety, and conviction are just a few of the things a committed soul winner will ask God for.
God the Holy Ghost, is the only person that can add weight to the testimony of one sharing the gospel. Thought often tried, this weight cannot be imitated by the flesh. The more one is in tune with God’s Spirit, the more effective one can be. This is only accomplished through praying. Again, it suffices to say that if you want to be a better witness, then you must put more time and effort into prayer before you leave your house.
By way of conclusion, an example is in order. While in rural Georgia a few years ago, I was canvasing an area for a local church. I prayed that God would use me before I left the church. After covering quite a bit of territory, I came across a man that did not know he needed a visit.
This fellow was a bit taken back by me showing up. He was somewhat argumentative, but knowledgeable of what I was there to do. Not long into our conversation I realized that I needed to become more bold and blunt. Normally this is not needed, but I felt the Holy Ghost leading me this way.
He was sharing his history with various denominations and types of churches when God gave me something to say. I said, “Sir, God thought enough of you to send me here and give you another chance to get saved!” My statement came on the heels of his remark that I should not waste my prayers on him. As he kept making excuses, I kept coming back to my statement each time. Along with my plea, I shared a few Bible verses.
The man did not accept Christ on that day, but several things were sown in his heart and I believe the Holy Spirit will use God’s Word to draw him in. By no means do I feel this man was offended by me and my God-given boldness. I really think he was impressed by my looking him in his eye and testifying for Jesus. God had his attention that day and if he is not yet saved, I feel that he probably will be in the future.

Simply put, prayer made the difference that day. If I had not been watchful in prayer before those visits, then I believe that I would have left that man’s house too early. I felt the Lord’s presence that afternoon! Remember to PRAYbefore you witness!

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