While speaking at the Together for Adoption Conference, I visited a bit with my friend with Tony Merida. The Meridas have recently adopted four children from the Ukraine and have a passion for orphan care. I always appreciate his passion for the gospel and the mission of God.

Seeing him, reminded me that Tony's new book is out and I wanted to share a bit about it through the foreword I wrote for the book. It is a short foreword, but for some reason I manage to quote a Journey song, the Fireproof movie, and Lord of the Rings.

Not sure what got into me that day... but the book is worth your time, even if my foreword might not be!

Tony is teaching pastor at Temple Church in Hattiesburg, MS, and his just released book is B&H Academic. Faithful Preaching: Declaring Scritpture with Responsibility, Passion, and Authenticity, is a must have for all preachers-- at least those who believe in continually sharpening their skills.

Here is my foreword:

You might be a preacher if... you never meet a book that you don't want to add to your collection, especially a good one on preaching. You might be a preacher if... you get excited about the simplicity of reading about our great God and the sufficient nature of His Word. You might be a preacher if... you get excited about the simplicity of reading about and making known our awesome Savior. You might be a preacher if... you get excited about improving your communication skills and delivering biblically relevant messages in the power of the Holy Spirit.

What an incredible privilege and responsibility we have to proclaim the unfathomable riches of the glory of God, His infinite Word, Jesus' sonship and finished work on the cross, and the presence of God's Spirit. In Faithful Preaching, Tony Merida has written with simple clarity and practical relevance about the eternal ministry of preaching. But not just any kind of preaching-- the kind that is resolute, responsible, relevant, and reliable. In a word, preaching that is faithful. That kind of preaching requires discipline, focus, commitment, and devotion.

Devotion to the Trinity

"So then, men ought to regard us as servants of Christ and as those entrusted with the secret things of God. Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful." These are the words of the Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 4:1-2, and they still apply to preachers today. In essence, God has placed a precious treasure in our hands, and we must hold and deliver the content of that treasure with great care--faithfully.

In the words of a classic love song, God is looking for a bunch of faithful communicators who are willing to live and preach His Word with this motto-- "I'm forever yours, faithfully." This sounds like such a simple thing. Some may be reading this and saying, "Yeah, yeah, yeah. I got it. Love God. Tell me something I don't know." The problem is that too many preachers, and often younger ones, don't really have this issue settled as they enter ministry. They get started, life and ministry gets tough, and they fall away from God, the ministry, His Word, or all the above.

My friend Rick Warren has often mentioned the long list of young pastors whom they thought God would use in mighty ways. Then, they check that list years later and find that the list has gotten really short. That has been my experience as well. But, it doesn't have to be that way.

Therefore, do not underestimate that the foundational key to preaching faithfully is cultivating a deep devotion to the Triune God. Having a rich relationship with the Father, Son, and Spirit is what moves, motivates, and sustains the preacher to be faithful. In the end, it has to be about exalting God. We must first cultivate this singular devotion.

Devotion to the Text

Again, Tony has laid out a simple, yet effective strategy that will help any preacher develop and improve skills in communicating God's Word. It makes sense that being devoted to the text of Scripture follows being faithful to God. For those of you concerned about being relevant, hold on for a few more minutes. Like Tony, I believe that good preaching will be relevant. But, that flows out of faithful reflection upon the biblical text.

In the opening scene of the movie Fireproof, firefighters have just returned from responding to a fire call. One of the firefighters is upset because his partner left him hanging. That leads to one of the key lines of the movie. The captain, played by Kirk Cameron, tells the firefighter who left his partner, "You never leave your partner, especially in a fire." While many cultural fires blaze around us, the second key to preaching faithfully is to never leave the biblical text. Effective biblical preaching is rooted, grounded, and flows out of the text of Scripture.

Think about the qualities and characteristics of God's Word. The Bible itself tells us these things--it is the sword of the Spirit; it is at work in those who believe; it is living, active, and sharper than any double-edged sword; it penetrates the hearts of people and judges their thoughts and attitudes; it is flawless, right, and true; it is God-breathed. It sounds like the kind of partner that none of us can ever afford to leave behind. So, whatever style you choose to use, just make sure you are expounding the Bible.

Devotion to the Times

Recently, I co-authored a book entitled Lost and Found. In gathering some research for that book, we found some common beliefs among the leaders of churches that are effectively reaching out to young adults:

Belief that the bible is true,
Belief that bible teaching can and should apply to real life,
Belief that the message must speak to unbelievers,
Belief in the need to grow as a Christ follower,
Belief in the need to grow as a communicator,
Belief that an effective communicator is authentic, and
Belief in being true to one's self as opposed to trying to speak like someone else.

Obviously, many of these leaders believe that it is not only possible but also necessary to be devoted to God, devoted to the Bible, and devoted to contextual relevance... all at the same time. I do as well. If you think about it, those statements are all true of Jesus. He was a student of his culture and used words and phrases and illustrations that brought God's Word to life. He talked about spiritual truths in ways that people would get it.

Being devoted to the times is not about compromising God's Word. It is about connecting God's timeless truths to the realities of everyday life of everyday people, just like Jesus did. Doing that is not an easy task. In fact, it's impossible apart from God's help. It requires devoting time to the triune God, the biblical text, and the times in which we live. It is a task and a devotion that requires skill and authenticity. In addition, it is a pursuit that does not end. Room for improvement always remains.

Conclusion

In a culture that often frowns upon being faithful, Tony Merida has written a timely and vital work on preaching faithfully. I wholeheartedly recommend this as an important and helpful resource for any preacher's library who desires to be devoted to God, His Word, and ministry context.

Near the end of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, the fellowship parts ways. Frodo believes that he must destroy the evil ring on his own because he can't trust anyone else. Before they part ways though, Aragorn kneels and says to Frodo, "I would have gone with you to the end."

What about you, will you be faithful to the end? God is looking for a fellowship of faithful preachers. Those who will stay devoted to the Trinity, the text, and the times. Prove yourself to faithfully proclaim the Word, as the One who calls us is faithful.