Romans: Expository Preaching and Teaching

For the last couple of months, I have been teaching and preaching through the book of Romans. It has been a deliberate and rewarding process. I've intentionally slowed down and dug deeper into verse-by-verse study. I've pulled many books from my study at church and home: history books, word studies, Bibles and commentaries. What I've rediscovered is a book that is as culturally-relevant to our nation and world today as it was to the Church in Rome when Paul wrote it.

Romans chapter 1 was easy to stay in and dwell on for a good long while. Romans 1:21 has received much attention during this series:

"Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened." Romans 1:21

 The content of that verse and the resulting fallout that's described from verses 21-32 concludes the first chapter with a description of humanity that sounds like it could be pulled from a modern-day news headline. Paul was confronting spirits and battles that have become all too frequent to us today.

One of the books I started during my study of Romans was The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire by Edward Gibbon. Originally a six-volume set considered a literary masterpiece by many, this book was recommended by Bro. Philip Harrelson in a Bible study he taught during the Summer. I tracked down my oversize three-volume set at a used bookstore and started reading. What I found so far was a indeed a

Holman CSB Study Bible, Leather, Full-Color, Review

I have really come to appreciate the Holman CSB Study Bible and it is close at hand in my study. This Bible is beautiful with color pages, photographs, maps, charts, and illustrations. With all of the notes, study guides, and commentary included, it feels like a library resource bundled with your Bible. It's BIG. 2,368 pages. It's heavy. 4 pounds. It's probably not going to be your every day carry Bible or even your take-to-the-pulpit Bible for preaching and teaching. I happen to like the size of this Bible, though. There's something special about picking up the Bible and feeling the weight of it, and turning the pages and seeing page after page of the Word of God illustrated and outlined so well. One note regarding the page-turning process: My edition has the silver gilded pages, and it is a slow process to separate the pages when you first get your copy. Be prepared for that task. The pages seem thin, even by Bible standards, and the gilded pages take some time and caution to separate.

Even if you don't carry this Bible daily, it might serve as one of your go-to study Bibles, as it has for me. If you appreciate more conservative theology, you will likely enjoy the commentary and notes included throughout this edition. I have been pleasantly surprised to read so many notes that are based on a strong conviction of the Bible as the inspired Word of God. In spite of our modern times and the redefining of many things in our culture, this Bible's notes provide a clear stance and alignment with God's Word in the areas I've read so far. For a Bible published so recently, this is a rare achievement. There are articles and study notes included that read very "old school" with conservative theology you don't find in many circles, Bibles, or books these days. It is a welcome addition and return to God's Word.

This Bible has many articles and expository notes that are distinctly counter-culture. They don't try to explain away or redefine confrontational or convicting passages throughout the Bible. This Bible is beautiful and well-made, but its content alone is worth the investment. I use it as a parallel study reference with my primary KJV Bible and commentaries. In fact, portions of it serve as a useful one-volume commentary.

I highly recommend this Bible. I purchased the real leather cover edition, at a steep discount due to a slight imperfection on the front cover. Retail price on this Bible was once around $160. Christian Books.com, where I purchased my discounted copy, had a copy recently on sale for $95. My copy was well below even that discounted price, so if you keep a watchful eye out, you might get a great deal on this excellent resource. You can currently get the hardcover version for around $30, and if you plan to keep this on your desk or in your study as a reference, hardcover might work for you.

https://www.christianbook.com/bible-black-premium-leather-thumb-indexed/9781433648069/pd/648069?event=ESRCG
I purchased my copy and provided this review without any requests from ChristianBook.com or Holman publishers.

Remembering Pastor Tom Simison, The Bible Church, Indianapolis - Pastor Appreciation Month, 2017

Bro. Tom Simison was my pastor for a short time, but the impact of his ministry will last a lifetime.

Bro. Simison preached many messages that impacted and blessed me and I remember one time during his message, "Sons Not Servants" Bro. Simison was clearly moved with a burden to connect this powerful concept to the congregation. He said, "I wish I could deliver this the way I feel it in my heart tonight." You could feel his desire to be a vessel that the Word could flow through to the Church. I know he was that vessel in many ways!I served as an assistant youth pastor and Sunday School teacher at The Bible Church in Indianapolis, Indiana, when Bro. Simison was pastor. I felt like Bro. Simison was a kind man who was always happy to see us. Even after we moved, when we would visit or see him at a conference or service somewhere, he would always smile and say "Bro. McGee!" in such a way that it was like a long-awaited reunion.

A couple of years after my wife and I started the church in Richmond, Kentucky, I invited Bro. Simison down to preach our dedication service. His health was struggling at the time, and he told me often he would have to sit down while he preached. He asked me if I still wanted him to come. I said, "Bro. Simison, you can preach better sitting down than any preacher can standing up! We will get you a special seat for the platform just for you." He came and preached for us and I remember he got so stirred up in the sermon that he barely sat down. Years later, people that attended that service still ask about Bro. Simison and reference that message!While he was with us in Richmond, we went out to eat and talked about the ministry and burden for Richmond. At the time, we had not seen very many of the major milestones a young church wants to see. I was discouraged and trying to make sure I hadn't missed God's timing. Bro. Simison asked me, "Did God call you here, Bro. McGee? Do you believe He brought you to this city?" I said I believed God did. Bro. Simison said, "Then you don't give up and don't quit. You keep believing and doing what God called you here to do. And you will see the harvest." That word kept me through many battles in the years that followed that conversation. It was Bro. Simison who told me,

Has God Said?

 Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? -Genesis 3:1

In the Garden of Eden, the enemy's first attack was against the Word of God. "Has God said?" That question is being echoed in our day from many different directions, even within the Church walls.

"Has God said?" It's being labeled as a question of academic speculation. It's being painted as open-mindedness. But if these questions stir doubts about what God said, they are the beginning of deception and devilish doctrines. Every doubtful question about the accuracy of God's Word has its roots in that first question in the Garden.

"Has God said?" I've read far too many Christian books and articles lately that question the validity, the origin, and the Source of the Bible. I capitalize "Source" here because I believe God is the Source of the Bible. Detractors argue that there are many sources who contrived, wrote, and collected the Bible in a less inspired way than what we've been led to believe by the Bible.

I go to the Source and see that:

All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works. - 2 Timothy 3:16-17

Deception, Part 2: How to Stop It

 This is part 2 of an article I've written on Deception and the sneaking and creeping efforts to infiltrate the Church. For Part 1: How to Spot Deception, click here: Deception, Part 1

Pastors, if you've seen the red flags and warning signs that deception has worked its way into some dangerous and influential places in your church, I encourage you to take action. Letting deception continue to spin its web and gain traction and influence is deadly. If deception has been working its wiles for awhile, there is already some damage done. It's not the time for complacency or fear. This does not mean we should act in haste without prayer and wisdom preceding our actions. In fact, it's time to spend more time in prayer, call on trusted ministers who will pray with you, and prepare your heart and spirit for the battle to come. When you have covered the situation with prayer and have others praying with and for you, it's time to arm yourself with the following weapons:

Weapons Against Deception

1) Love for the Truth - Respond to deception's attack with a greater love for and examination of the Truth of God's Word. Explore more deeply the foundational Apostolic doctrines. Study verse-by-verse the book of Acts, drawing from the Apostolic Church a clear blueprint of what the Church should look like and experience. Dig into the epistles of Paul, where he openly confronted deception in the Church and admonished the Church body to love and keep the Truth. Examine Bible books and chapters verse-by-verse seeking the truth and power that comes from reading and studying God's Word. As our local Church has followed these steps, we've seen and felt a renewed dedication to the Truth and Biblical doctrine.

Deception, Part 1: How to Spot It

I have been increasingly concerned about the level of deception that is attempting infiltration in the Church. Having battled and withstood similar attempts, our church dug deeper into the Word of God to reaffirm our love for the Truth and ensure that our steps were being ordered by God's Word. The more we studied and read, the more we noted this battle throughout the New Testament, and in the churches Paul addressed in his epistles.

Deception's attack has been subtle in some cases, as is its custom. I have seen the attacks against the church I pastor and have heard other pastors express their similar concerns. On a global scale, this is also a concern for the Church body. We are seeing deception increase in our world. Read Romans 1 for the phases of this downward spiral. A key moment in that passage is verse 25, when they "change the truth of God into a lie..."
Truth is vital and deception is deadly. How can the Church guard against deception? We must know how to recognize it, and the earlier the better.

Atmospheres that Promote Deception

1) In absence of accountability and oversight, deception sneaks in. False doctrines can work their way in through unguarded gates. Paul discovered this tragic reality when his travels took him away from the churches he planted and he had to marvel that the believers were "so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ." (Galatians 1:6-9)  What are some of the unguarded gates in churches? Is there accountability between ministry leaders, teachers and the pastor? Is there a shared foundation that ensures teaching and preaching is consistent and in one accord? Are the various ministries on the same page? I'm not just talking about "We all teach from the same Bible." We know how many wrong directions people can go while citing the Bible as their common source. Among our ministry leaders and teachers, we can use shared curriculum,  and we should have a shared purpose and vision, and clear guidelines on what sources we will and will not use. After those lines are drawn, accountability helps ensure that all are following those shared paths and no one is veering off wildly from the body of Christ.

The A.W. Tozer Bible - Review

I purchased a copy of the A.W. Tozer Bible on sale recently. My version is the black flexisoft edition, King James version. I've got a couple of books by Tozer and a great little book of quotes that I got from a mentor/pastor a few years back. When I saw this Bible on sale I wanted to get a copy to see how Tozer's writings are incorporated with different topics and verses throughout the Bible.

Some great features of this Bible:

• Over 365 selections of Tozer's writings sharing the page with the Bible verse it references. 365 selections means you could do a one-a-day devotional reading with a Bible passage and commentary by Tozer. 

Inspiring Books in My Current Stack: Revival Resources!

I've been challenged the past month by a few powerful books that examine revival. If you can find these, I highly recommend them as resources to fuel your desire for revival. I checked for copies on Amazon, ChristianBook.com, and Pentecostal Publishing House, and when possible I provided a link to those editions. If you can find them elsewhere, such as used book stores, etc., they are worth the investment.


Charles G. Finney, He Prayed Down Revivals, by Basil Miller, 1941
A tremendous book for multiple reasons. One is Finney's testimony and account of his conversion after a Holy Ghost prayer service in the middle of the woods. It's a powerful testimony. The "new creature" impact it had on Finney became instantly visible to those who knew him and even to strangers who heard him preach. Miller's acknowledgment of the foundation of prayer in Finney's revivals is a powerful reminder, as is our need for a brotherhood to hold each other up in prayer and support, as illustrated by Finney's friendship with Father Nash.
Charles G. Finney, He Prayed Down Revivals
I can't remember where I got my copy of the older edition of this book, but it seems like it was in a box of books I purchased at a church's yard sale. Excellent book on revival!



The Works of the Holy Ghost, by Verbal Bean
Transcribed from sermons/lessons Bro. Verbal Bean preached and taught in the 1950s-1960s. There's a renewed interest in Bro. Bean's books and sermons thanks in part to his son, Evangelist Joel Bean, making the materials available online https://www.facebook.com/verbalbean/ and at the UPCI General Conference.
The first book I read of Bro. Bean's sermons was The Battlefield, about the revival in Laurel, MS. Also highly recommended!
These sermons and teachings will stir your heart and prompt you to get into the Word of God and prayer.




Crazy Busy, by Kevin DeYoung
Distractions are one of the enemy's tactics to detour us away from revival and the primary calling of God. But our "righteous busyness" is hard to spot because we justify it in multiple ways. After all, "we're busy for God." "We're doing the work(s) of the Lord." Without fail, crazy busyness pulls us away from time in prayer and deeper study of the Bible. Without those, there is no revival.

If you're too busy to read another book, get this book and start reading it immediately. I did and it had a great impact on slowing me down and helping me get back in the presence of God.




Why Revival Tarries, Leonard Ravenhill
This is one of those books, and Ravenhill is one of those authors, that you start highlighting quotes and paragraphs from the very first page! With a powerful introduction by A.W. Tozer, this book wastes no time in getting to the hard-hitting message of what it takes for continued revival. What this book has in common with the other 3 titles on this list is the conviction it stirs and the repentance it prompts. Great books on revival call us back to God, and draw us back to the altars of prayer and repentance. Why Revival Tarries excels in this invitation. You probably won't make it through too many pages before you take a break from reading to pray about what you've read! Ravenhill does not mince words and to those who receive them, revival will be the result.