As we come to the end of 2009 and the beginning of 2010 we will begin to see the greatest episodes of self-deception given at any time in a given year. More individuals lie to themselves from the end of December to the start of January than any other week. Promises about exercise, diet, moral change, renewed devotion, and the like fill our minds. For most, however, by the time mid-January arrives we find ourselves … [Read More]
Alvin Reid
| Website: | http://alvinreid.com |
| Email: | areid@sebts.edu |
Recent Posts
Beyond the Rhetoric: A Practical Way to Keep Christ in Christmas
Dec 19th, 2009 by Alvin Reid
This time of year one of the more common expressions heard in the Christian subculture is “let’s keep Christ in Christmas.” Most of the time I hear this uttered in reference to the use of the phrase “Happy Holidays” instead of “Merry Christmas” in pop culture, the media, and more than a few retailers.
For those of us in the church who worship the babe born in Bethlehem, we would do well to look inwardly … [Read More]
A Challenge to Student Pastors in 2010
Dec 15th, 2009 by Alvin Reid
I don’t know about you, but 2009 had more than its share of milestones for me. I turned 50. I published the closest thing I likely ever will to a “magnum opus” in my new Evangelism Handbook. Our son Josh turned 21 and our daughter Hannah turned 16, both pretty big deals. Michelle and I celebrated 28 years of marriage, each year reminding me how blessed I am to have her. We also settled … [Read More]
The Danger of a Superficial Ministry
Nov 12th, 2009 by Alvin Reid
Glibert Tennent
On March 8, 1740, a young Presbyterian minister named Gilbert Tennent preached a message that would become one of the most memorable of the First Great Awakening. The sermon became known as the “Nottingham Sermon” because of the location of its delivery–Nottingham, Pennsylvania. Historians of revival remember it because of the direct nature of its title and the controversy it created. Tennent called it “The Danger of an Unconverted Ministry.” Utilizing Mark 6:34: “they … [Read More]
A Word of Encouragement to Younger Leaders
Sep 9th, 2009 by Alvin Reid
If you know much about the history of the church and key turning points in that history, you will recognize the following:
1. Martin Luther nailed the 95 Theses on the door at Wittenberg in 1517, starting a Reformation.
2. Philip Spener, pastor-leader in the Pietist awakening, began his small group “exercises of piety” in 1661, which spread across the region and incited many to spiritual renewal.
3. A.H. Francke, who would become a theology professor at the … [Read More]
The Power of Prayer
Aug 2nd, 2009 by Alvin Reid
In 1794 Baptists Isaac Backus and Stephen Gano, along with twenty-three other New England ministers, distributed a circular letter which called believers to pray for a general awakening:
“To the ministers and churches of every Christian denomination in the United States, to humble in their endeavors to carry into execution the humble attempt to promote explicit agreement and visible union of God’s people in extraordinary prayer for the revival of religion and the advancement of Christ’s … [Read More]
BRUCE IS LOOSE
Jul 27th, 2009 by Alvin Reid
One of my earliest memories of my first semester at SEBTS involved a trip to a university in our state with a brand new seminary student named J. D. Greear. J.D. and I hit it off immediately once he enrolled in my first evangelism class. He took me that September to his college alma mater where I spoke to a large group of students meeting weekly in a Bible study he started.
That night I met … [Read More]
Movements and Margins
Jun 15th, 2009 by Alvin Reid
We who call ourselves Evangelical Christians owe a great debt to Martin Luther. Luther, a Catholic monk who learned that the just shall live by faith rather than by religious behavior, led a Reformation. His impact demonstrates how movements often happen. Rarely if ever do spiritually renewing movements come from the center of a tradition; rather, most of the time movements start at the margins and bring life to the center. In Luther’s case … [Read More]
Fish or Cut Bait
Jun 1st, 2009 by Alvin Reid
Earlier this week I had one of our wonderful students come to see me (I really love these students). During our conversation she shared her plans to go with the IMB as part of our 2 plus 2 program. Then she mentioned hearing about our International Mission Board cutting back on the number of missionaries because of the economy.
I love to encourage students. I especially love to encourage those in our 2 plus 2 program … [Read More]
For Future Generations
May 28th, 2009 by Alvin Reid
Over the past decade my passion to see people know Christ has pushed me repeatedly to the younger generation. Part of that stems from the simple truth that the overwhelming majority of people who become Christ followers do so under age 20. But it is also because the years I have spent studying, teaching about, and praying for spiritual awakening brings me again and again to the realization that God uses young adults often … [Read More]
