AI: “A blog article should aim to genuinely help readers by solving problems, answering questions, or sharing valuable insights, while establishing your authority and building trust within your niche, all presented in an engaging, scannable, and SEO-friendly format with a clear call-to-action (CTA) to guide them further. It needs to attract, engage, and convert readers by being informative, authoritative, and readable.” “Provide genuine solutions, guides, tips, or insights that address reader needs. Understand who you’re writing for and what they care about.”
But how can a blogger know the needs of his readers and understand his readers and what they care about? Impossible. He can only hope that most of his readers agree with some of his beliefs, opinions, even rantings at times. Otherwise he assumes that a disagreeing reader would simply quit reading the blogs and unsubscribe, which I think a couple of atheists have done that with my blog and that is their right to do so. I would like to think that all readers are open to studying even things they might initially disagree with, like my teachings on full preterism (go back and read some of early blog about that if you wish). Or my condemnation of LGBQT although I think that is an absolutely critical topic today and one that I can’t compromise with.
But hopefully, many of my blogs are just expository examination of Scriptures. I think I got the following from Allister Begg:
Expository preaching should allow the text to do its convicting work rather than relying on human persuasion.
• Counseling must present Scriptural proof that exposes sinful patterns while offering the substantiated hope of the Gospel.
• Evangelism should appeal to the Spirit-wrought certainty that the resurrection of Jesus is “proof to all men” (Acts 17:31).
“Expository preaching is a method of preaching that seeks to “expose” the meaning of a specific biblical text by carefully explaining its original context, meaning, and message. It should include possible application of truths discovered from the text. Paul said of his preaching: 1 Corinthians 2:4 and my message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, 5 so that your faith would not rest on the wisdom of mankind, but on the power of God.” Too much preaching is based on the cleverness of the preacher and his speaking ability to persuade listeners. A lot of stuff from the internet that keeps your attention but is shallow in Biblical exposition. Why do we think that we have to add so much human persuasion to exposition of Scripture? The Spirit works through the Word and is powerful and we should rely on that power to persuade people. Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is living and active, and sharper than any two-edged sword, even penetrating as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” Expository preaching and teaching is simply trying to dig into what the Spirit is saying in each text and then allow the Spirit to do His work on listeners and readers. That should be sufficient.
Someone might say, “Well why not just read the Scriptures and add nothing?” That might not be a bad idea at times. Paul told Timothy: 1 Timothy 4:13 Until I come, give your attention to the public reading, to exhortation, and teaching.” The Jews had a scheduled reading of the Law in the synagogues. AI: “Jews have a long-standing tradition of scheduled Torah readings in synagogues, following a yearly cycle where the entire Pentateuch (first five books of the Bible) is read aloud, divided into weekly portions called parshiyot (singular: parsha) read every Shabbat (Sabbath). This custom, deeply rooted in Jewish life, involves reading a portion from the Torah followed by a related passage from the Prophets (haftarah), with the whole cycle completed annually.” I’m sure Paul would include the public reading of any New Testament books as they were written, circulated, and copied. Paul told the Colossians: Colossians 4:16 When this letter is read among you, have it also read in the church of the Laodiceans; and you, for your part, read my letter that is coming from Laodicea.”
But in 1 Timothy 4:13 Paul added exhortation and teaching to the public reading of Scripture. That’s what happened when Ezra read the Law to those who had returned from Babylonian captivity. Nehemiah 8:1 And all the people gathered as one person at the public square which was in front of the Water Gate (not the Nixon water gate!), and they asked Ezra the scribe to bring the Book of the Law of Moses which the Lord had given to Israel. 2 Then Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly of men, women, and all who could listen with understanding, on the first day of the seventh month. 3 And he read from it before the public square which was in front of the Water Gate, from early morning until midday (try doing about a 6 hour sermon in your church this Sunday), in the presence of men and women, those who could understand; and all the people were attentive to the Book of the Law. 4 Ezra the scribe stood at a wooden podium which they had made for the purpose (so that’s where preaching podiums started?). 5 Then Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people, for he was standing above all the people; and when he opened it, all the people stood up. 6 Then Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God. And all the people answered, “Amen, Amen!” with the raising of their hands; then they kneeled down and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground (does the reading of the Word evoke such a response from you and your church?). 7 Also Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, and the Levites explained (bin: To understand, discern, perceive, consider) the Law to the people while the people remained in their place. 8 They read from the book, from the Law of God, translating (parash: To declare, to explain, to make distinct) to give the sense (sekel: Insight, understanding, prudence, wisdom) so that they understood (bin) the reading.”
Ezra and the Levites read from the Law, explained the text to the listeners could understand the meaning, and then encouraged the listeners to obey the Law. Ezra made the 2nd return from Babylon b/c the people had rebuilt the temple (the 1st return) but had not been keeping all the Law like they should. Nehemiah 8 goes on to tell “the rest of the story” (Paul Harvey). The people were weeping when they heard and understood some of the laws of God that they had not been keeping since they returned from Babylon. The 2nd return from Babylon under Ezra occurred in 458 BC and the 3rd return under Nehemiah to rebuild the walls occurred in 445 BC. Nehemiah joins in with Ezra and the Levites to encourage the people to quit weeping but instead to go get ready to celebrate a “great feast” that they had just understand that they weren’t keeping properly based on the reading of the Law by Ezra. So Nehemiah 8 occurs after the 3rd return and Ezra is still in Jerusalem leading the people. Ezra 7:10
For Ezra had firmly resolved to study the Law of the Lord and to practice it, and to teach His statutes and ordinances in Israel.”
This “great feast” that they began to celebrate was the Feast of Booths. Nehemiah 8:14 And they found written in the Law how the Lord had commanded through Moses that the sons of Israel were to live in booths during the feast of the seventh month. 15 And that they were to proclaim and circulate a proclamation in all their cities and in Jerusalem, saying, “Go out to the hills, and bring olive branches and wild olive branches, myrtle branches, palm branches, and branches of other trees with thick branches, to make booths, as it is written.” 16 So the people went out and brought them and made booths for themselves, each on his roof, and in their courtyards and in the courtyards of the house of God, and in the public square at the Water Gate, and in the square at the Gate of Ephraim. 17 The entire assembly of those who had returned from the captivity made booths and lived in the booths. Indeed, the sons of Israel had not done so since the days of Joshua the son of Nun to that day. And there was very great rejoicing. 18 He read from the Book of the Law of God daily, from the first day to the last day. And they celebrated the feast seven days, and on the eighth day there was a festive assembly in accordance with the ordinance.” AI: “The Feast of Booths or Tabernacles (Sukkot) commemorates two main things: the Israelites’ 40 years of wandering in temporary shelters (booths or sukkot) in the wilderness after leaving Egypt, and the final fall harvest, celebrating God’s provision and blessing. It’s a week-long Jewish holiday where people build and live in temporary huts, remembering their ancestors’ journey and God’s faithfulness while also giving thanks for the year’s agricultural bounty.”
The Spirit of God wrote the Law of Moses through Moses. Ezra, Nehemiah, and the Levites explained the readings to the people, but the power was in the Word of God. The people were humble and open to doing what the Spirit was telling them to do through His Word in the Law. Later that same month they celebrated the Feast of Booths they made a great confession of sin. Nehemiah 9:1 Now on the twenty-fourth day of this month the sons of Israel assembled with fasting, in sackcloth and with dirt upon them. 2 The descendants of Israel separated themselves from all foreigners, and they stood and confessed their sins and the wrongdoings of their fathers. 3 While they stood in their place, they read from the Book of the Law of the Lord their God for a fourth of the day; and for another fourth they confessed and worshiped the Lord their God.” All the leaders of the people then signed a document stating all the things they were going to do as repentance for their sins (like not buying and selling on the Sabbath and eliminating marriages to non Israelites).
Wow! That’s revival! It does seem that there is a global revival happening today. AI:”Churches are experiencing revival, particularly among young adults (Gen Z), with growing interest in Jesus, increased prayer/worship/baptism, and rising Bible/Christian app usage, signaling a spiritual awakening despite some Gen Z church withdrawal. This movement is seen globally, often involving fervent prayer, repentance, and new life, with many churches holding special revival meetings to foster this spiritual hunger and unity, reflecting historic patterns of renewal in Christianity.” Just one example: “Significant Christian revival events have occurred at Auburn University, especially starting in September 2023, centered around the “Unite” movement led by figures like Tonya Prewett, featuring large gatherings (5,000 showed up), powerful worship, and spontaneous mass baptisms of hundreds of students (over 200) at local spots like the Red Barn lake, leading to increased local church attendance and a broader campus spiritual shift.” My granddaughter is a student at Auburn and witnessed that night of baptisms at the lake. The Asbury University Revival (2023): Sparked a national wave of spiritual interest after students refused to leave a worship service. Other such college revivals at FSU where 4,500 showed up and 350 were baptized. This is happening on many other college campuses and may God be glorified.
I realize there is a lot more to “discipling” those baptized and hopefully those who are being baptized will continue in fellowship with other believers and continue in their study of the Word. These mainly Gen Z revivals are encouraging however. Only time will tell if these revivals really change our nation.
But I say that churches need such revival. Too many churches are content with running the “church business”. They do a lot of good and meet a lot of needs. But are the members rededicating themselves to keeping the commands of the Word that is preached to them. Are men getting off of porn. Barna research shows that 68% of church-going men and 75% of Christian men view it regularly or at least occasionally, with even higher rates among young adults. Over half of pastors have struggled with porn use at some point. More than half of Christians who use porn are comfortable with it, though many experience guilt and isolation. That’s a spiritual and moral epidemic in the church. Are the preachers and the leaders really trying to deal with that or do they just accept that and preach their nice little sermons and take their pay checks. The divorce rate among church going Christians is 20-30%, which is lower than the 33% for the general population, but that still means than about 1 of every 4 marriages in church goers will end in divorce. That needs to be addressed. From baptist.org “The new normal in churches today is that people are struggling with drug addiction in unprecedented numbers. Opioid abuse in all its forms is epidemic. The reality is that in the confines of any church, someone is suffering in silence, enslaved to some addictive substance or behavior.” Are churches addressing that problem? Many are trying to and have help available for addiction.
When will churches and church leaders take a hard look at how they spend church money? This was a post from an atheist: “Churches only spend an average of ~3% of their budgets on “Charity”, with over 60% going to “employee” costs, 20% on building/facility, 10% on “programs”. Those stats may vary a lot from church to church, but are about true for most churches who spend about 75% of their collections on buildings and staff and less than 10% on benevolence in general. When will churches look at the need to use the money collected for helping the poor globally, disaster relief, refugee care, care for children globally in poor countries who don’t have good medical care or education, drilling clean water wells, helping persecuted Christians in foreign countries, and printing and distributing Bibles worldwide in the “heart language” of the people so that the Spirit can do His work in conversion? When will churches say, “We are going to make whatever changes we need to make to start using the vast majority of our money collected on the things God would want us to use the money for”? Instead of paying a preacher 100k plus, we will use talented Bible teachers as our speakers (for free) and use that preacher salary to do those things listed above. Instead of paying so many salaries for staff and secretaries, we will challenge our deacons to take charge of the different ministries (for free) and use that money per above.
I realize that what I am saying is radical, opinionated thinking, but is it valid? Do we need a revival among churches? Some churches like the LGBQT churches need a revival to just getting back to even believing that the Bible and Paul’s teachings on homosexuality are the Word of God and not the word of men. Unfortunately I don’t see that happening and millions of dollars given to churches is being used to support such false churches. But maybe all churches really need to sit down and evaluate themselves.
So, let us pray for revival in general. Our country and churches need revival. Our country has gotten periodic “spiritual shots in the arm” to spur moral and spiritual reform over the past 200 years (about every 50 years). AI:”Major revival movements in the U.S. include the First Great Awakening (1730s-40s, sparked by Edwards & Whitfield), the Second Great Awakening (1800-1840, fueling camp meetings, social reforms like abolition), the Businessmen’s Prayer Revival led by Jeremiah Lamphier (1857-58, a lay-led prayer meeting explosion), the Azusa Street Revival (1906, birth of Pentecostalism), the 1905 Student Volunteer Movement on many collge campuses, the 1950’s campus revivals led by men like Billy Graham in Campus Crusades for Christ, and the Jesus Movement (late 60s-70s, impacting youth culture). These movements significantly shaped American Christianity and culture by promoting evangelicalism, social reform, and new denominations.” Many thought that 9/11 would bring about such a grass roots revival, but the moral and spiritual decline in America since that tragic event don’t show much of a revival, if any.
Again, join with me to pray every day for revival. Thanks for reading.
Nicky's Notes 