While watching the Olympics late one night a commercial about a new TV show arrested my attention. The Marriage Ref is a new show being produced by Jerry Seinfeld with an illustrious panel of “experts” such as Alec Baldwin, Kelly Ripa, Martin Short, Eva Longoria, Ricky Gervais and Madonna, all who apparently want to “save” our marriages.  My immediate response was, “Are you serious?  This sounds like a “hall of fame,” of people who most certainly should not be giving us marriage advice.  I have no intention of tuning in to this comedy of marriage advice errors.  This is not what America needs to help heal the thousands of broken homes and broken hearts that are a result of failed marriages.

Having said that, we desperately need help in our homes.  We have way to many divided families, broken homes and suffering children in our world.  There is a Marriage Ref who can help save our marriages. He is the one who wrote “THE” Marriage Manual.  He officiated at the first wedding between the couple He created and brought together many years ago (Genesis 2). His plans are fail-proof. His advice will work every time.  

If you are struggling in your marriage turn to Him.  Around 2000 years ago He put two pieces of wood together and opened up a repair shop that has fixed more broken homes, broken hearts, and broken lives that every other “marriage expert” who has ever hung out their shingle.  His advice far surpasses anything that you will hear on some television program. He teaches us that marriage is between one man and one woman (Genesis 2:23-24). He teaches us that they should leave the home of their youth and be joined together forever (Genesis 2:24). He teaches us that a man should love his wife like Christ loved the church (Ephesians 5:25), that he should love his wife like he loves his own body (Ephesians 5:28), and that he should love his wife as he loves himself (Ephesians 5:33). He teaches us that a woman should humbly submit to her husband who is to be the spiritual leader of the family (Ephesians 5:22-23; 6:1-4).  He teaches us that adultery is not an option (Matthew 19:1-9). He teaches us that we should be faithful to one another as long as we live and that marriage is to be for life.

I doubt seriously that you will hear this type of encouragement and advice by watching “The Marriage Ref.” So why not listen to the Marriage Maker. The one who wants you to succeed more than anyone else. The one who really can strengthen, save, and sanctify your marriage.

Dear God, help us listen to You when it comes to our marriages. Help us Father, to read the original marriage manual and not attempt to substitute worldly advice for Heavenly advice. Thank you for forming the family. Thank you for making marriage. Thank you for giving us everything we need to build strong families.

Two events occurred this past week that encouraged me, challenged me, humbled, me and reminded me of the importance of talking to others about Jesus.  The first was a phone call from a sister who just turned ninety years of age. She was requesting assistance in finding a preacher in another state to visit her niece. She has been involved in a Bible study with her niece in recent weeks.  She believes that if the right person contacts her niece and if her niece finds the right church she will give her life to the Lord. 

The second event was a hospital visit.  This time I was visiting a sister who recently turned one hundred years of age who has a blood clot in her leg.  When I walked into the room she said, “I’m so glad you came to see me, I have something I want to talk to you about (there are times that a statement like that puts fear in the heart of a preacher, but not this time)! This dear sister continued by asking me if I would be willing to assist her in a Bible study that she has set up with her rehab nurse.  She has been talking with her about the Bible and the young woman has agreed, along with her boyfriend, to study the Bible. I told her it would be an honor to be a part of that study.  She said, “I thought that’s what you would say”  

One sister is ninety years young, the other 100 years of age, and they are involved in teaching people about Jesus! Which brings me to the title of this article, “TELL ME AGAIN WHY WE CAN’T TALK TO OTHERS ABOUT JESUS??”  For those of us who are Christians, we have no excuses. If we have been saved we should be telling someone the Good News.  We sometimes say we are too busy, we don’t feel well enough, we don’t know enough, we can’t find the people, or we attempt to dismiss what one friend of mine calls our “evangelistic laryngitis,” with some other reason.  

Friends, surely we tell someone about our Lord. There are people everywhere who have yet to be introduced to the Lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world.  They are in our neighborhood, they are in the malls, the stores, the restaurants, the hospitals, they work with us everyday, and some of them even live in our homes with us.  

Sometimes we forget that we have been saved to help others find salvation, we have been redeemed to tell others about redemption, we have been introduced to the Lord so that we might introduce others to Him. Christianity really is, one beggar helping another beggar find bread.  My two dear senior Christian sisters make me want to do better. They make me want to work harder to find someone who needs to hear the Good News.  They have challenged me in their quiet way to want to tell more people about Jesus. I am thankful for them and I will be a better Christian because of them. What about you? Is there someone in your world that you can reach out to this week?  

Dear God, thank You so much for bringing Godly examples into our lives. Thank You for those Christians who challenge us and encourage us to tell others about Jesus. Father, help us to open our eyes this week to those around us who need to hear the Good News. Forgive us when we are weak and when our voice has grown quiet. Help us, dear God to find another beggar this week with whom we can share the Bread of Life.  

   
    This morning I took my Airbook to the Apple store to be sent off for repairs.  The hinge on the back is coming apart. They agreed to repair it at no charge and told me it would likely be delivered to my house by Friday (possibly Thursday, and even a chance for Wednesday.)  I told the very nice young lady at the Genius Bar that I wasn’t sure I could do without it that long. She just smiled and said, ‘I bet you’ll be just fine.”  On a side note one of the good things about this is it forced me to back everything up (you know, just in case something goes awry!!) 

    So, I am working with Laura’s Dell Laptop until my Airbook gets back.  It’s been four hours and I already miss it.  This laptop must weight all of five poundsJ My favorites aren’t locked in (about the only favorites on Laura’s computer are Cold Water Creek and her Google page!)  I can’t go down to the left corner of the computer and see that I have twenty-five pages open at once, this is awfulJ So, I’ve been thinking about what I told the young lady at the Apple Store, “I don’t know if I can do without it…”  WHO AM I KIDDING??? I’ll be fine if I never see that computer again (at least that’s what I keep telling myself!)  I’ll be fine if I lose everything on itL There is much in my life that I could do without. However there are a few thinks in my life that I hope and pray I don’t ever have to do without.

    I don’t want to do without my Lord.  Jesus makes such a tremendous difference in our lives that we cannot possibly exist without Him.  It is Jesus who makes it possible for us to do all things (Philippians 4:13).  It is Jesus who makes all of our spiritual blessings possible (Ephesians 1:3). It is Jesus who intercedes for us when we go to the Father (1 Timothy 2:5).  It is Jesus who brings peace to our hearts (Romans 5:1; Colossians 3:15).  It is Jesus who brings light into our world and enlightens every man (John 1:9).  Jesus has promised us that He will not leave us or forsake us (Matthew 28:20).  We can choose to separate ourselves from Him, but our lives will be fruitless if we do.

    I don’t want to do without God’s Word. God’s Word is a comfort to us in times of trouble. God’s Word is a light for the pathway of life (Psalm 119:105). God’s Word keeps us from sin (Psalm 119:11). God’s Word instructs us, corrects us, and equips us (1 Timothy 3:16-17).  We are richly blessed to be able to study and know God’s Word, yet many refuse to avail themselves of the great blessings contained in the Word of God.

    I don’t want to do without my wife.  My sweet Laura has stood beside me for nearly thirty years.  We have been through so much together and she has made the burdens of life so much easier to bear.  More than anyone else in the world she taught me about the importance of family. She helped me become a better husband, a better father, a better preacher, a better man, a better friend, and a better Christian. I can’t imagine life without her. I thank God for her everyday.

    I don’t want to do without my children. Amanda and Jeremy have brought and continue to bring so much joy into our lives.  They have been a blessing to us from the time they entered the world. We are now blessed to watch them share life with their own mates and we are extremely proud of both of them. We are most thankful that they, along with their mates are faithful to the Lord and His cause. We pray daily that this will always be the case. I can’t imagine a life without either of them.

    I don’t want to do without the church. The Body of our Lord has blessed my life in ways that are too numerous to count.  We have had the privilege of working with four congregations during the past thirty years.  Each of them has been unique and each of them has blessed us. We have worked with wonderful elderships and great co-workers in the Kingdom.  We have been treated wonderfully by every church we have been with during our ministry.  We still have close friends in all of the congregations we have served. They have all taught us and helped us be more of what God wants us to be.  The churches where we have worked have stood behind us and been patient with our weaknesses.  We feel extremely blessed to work now with the Lewisville church. We are convinced that it is one of the great congregations of God’s people in the world. 

    I don’t want to do without my friends. My life has been blessed with more wonderful friends than I deserve. My closest friends in the world are preachers. I love preachers and I love to be associated with them. There are a number of preachers that I could call at any moment and they would drop everything to come to my aid (you know who you are guys).  I would do the same for them.  I love the older preachers who continue to bless my life. I love younger preachers who are receiving the baton from the older guys. We have some wonderful friends who are special to us during these empty nesting days. Thank you, our dear woodsy friendsJ  I have friends who are still close from high school and college days. How blessed a man is who has friends. 

    So, there are many things in this life I can do without. However, there are some things in this life that I hope I never have to do without.  My list is not exhaustive, but these are a few that have been on my mind today. What’s on your list? I would love to hear from you?

    Dear God, please help us not to get so caught up in the temporary things of this life. Please forgive us when we foolishly focus on things that don’t matter. Father, help me to focus on the people in our lives that matter the most.  Help us to express our thanks to those around us for influencing our lives in good ways.  Thank You, Father for the tremendous blessings of life that you constantly shower upon us.   

John Maxwell is a great writer who has encouraged many to become better leaders. He recently penned the following words. “Too often we think that if we can impress others, we will gain influence with them. We want to become others’ heroes – to be larger than life. That creates a problem because we’re real live human beings. People can see us for who we really are. If we make it our goal to impress them, we puff up our pride and end up being pretentious – and that turns people off. “

Maxwell has hit the proverbial nail on the head.  It seems that more people in our world are interested in being impressive than they are in being impressed. It happens all the time. It happens among adult children when there is sibling rivalry.  One family member wants to outdo or one-up another family member.  One family member wants to dominate the conversation and refuses to allow others to talk. One family member thinks that what they have to say is more important than what anyone else has to say.  

It happens among preachers and church leaders.  A group of preachers get together and it seems like one wants to out-impress the others.  Some preachers and church leaders set themselves up to be experts on a wide variety of topics seemingly to impress the masses. They love to talk about their works and how wonderful everything is with them, yet seldom ask about the work that others are doing.

It happens when Christians get together and each one believes their stories are more important than all the others.  It happens when one parent or grand parent only wants to talk about their family and never listens to others.  It happens when one Christian is obsessed with talking about their own life (victories, joys, sorrows, etc.), yet shows little interest or concern in the lives of others. They love to attract attention to themselves.

This approach to relationships is far different from the attitude of our Lord.  “Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men.” (Philippians 2:5-8)  The Apostle who penned these words lived his life in an attempt to follow Jesus (1 Corinthians 11:1).  Notice his words that express his desire to please God rather than impress man, “But to me it is a very small thing that I may be examined by you, or by any human court...” (1 Corinthians 4:3).  In Romans 12:3 he gives us this caution, “For through the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think.” 

If our goal in life is to be impressive we will mistreat others and we will not be characterized as those who have the mind of Christ.  While this attitude may be prevalent among those who do not know Jesus, it should not exist among the people of God. The world wants to impress. The child of God is interested in serving others just as our Lord served the world.  

Dear God, please help us to follow the example of our Savior who gave of Himself to all of us.  Father help us to show the world that it is not our goal to impress others, but to live a life that pleases You.  Help us dear Lord to be interested in others and not just ourselves. Help us to show the love of Christ to everyone around us.

A couple of recent events have caused me to think seriously about connections.  The first is the reading of Mitch Albom’s latest offering, “Have A Little Faith.”  My family bought me a Sony Reader for Christmas (which I love) and I received one free book with the Reader. The book I chose was Albom’s latest book. I was first introduced to Mitch Albom by my close friend, Chuck. Albom is an accomplished writer. His first book was the best selling, “Tuesday’s With Morrie,” which also became a TV movie.  In this latest book Albom writes about the preacher of his youth asking him to give the eulogy at his funeral.  This outstanding book details the conversations between Albom and his former minister that Albom would use in preparing the preacher’s eulogy. It is a delightful book which I have thoroughly enjoyed.  

In one of the meetings the minister talks to Mitch about why he did the things he did and why he did them the way he did them. “My grandparents did these things. My parents, too. If I take the pattern and throw it out, what does that say about there lives? Or mine?  From generation to generation, these rituals are how we remain...” Mitch says of the minister, “He rolled his hand, searching for the word.” “Connected?” I said. “Ah.” He smiled at me. “Connected.” (Thanks, Chuck for introducing me to Mitch Albom!)

The other event that has caused me to think about connections is the annual Freed Hardeman University Bible Lectures.  For those of you who don’t know, Freed Hardeman is a Christian University that is in the small burg of Henderson, Tennessee (about ninety miles east of Memphis).  This year is the seventy-fourth year the school has hosted a Bible lecture series.  The estimate is that around five thousand people will attend the lectures (more people than live in the town of Henderson).  By the way, while many say the day for lectureships is gone, it seems to me that there are more people here this week than we have had in a number of years.  People will come from all over the country, as well as a number of foreign countries.  I attended my first lectureship at FHU when I was a junior in high school. My dad allowed me to miss a week of school to attend.  It has been my privilege to attend each year since 1976.  It is one of my favorite weeks of each year. Most of the people who attend the lectures are preachers. Some are elders in the church and others are Christians who enjoy the fellowship, as well as the teaching.  

I feel connected to Freed Hardeman for a number of reasons. I met the love of my life at Freed Hardeman. My parents attended FHU, Laura's parents attended FHU, our two children and their mates attended Freed Hardeman and we hope that someday our grandchildren will also attend.  We made life long friends when we were in school at FHU. The Bible lectureship program reminds me of the importance of connections. It is during this week that I get to see many members of my family. There are some very dear friends that I see only one time a year, during the lectureship. Each year I see someone that I haven’t seen in many years. Each year it is a privilege to meet someone we have never known before.  We are connected because of our love for FHU and the Bible lectures. We are connected by the type of messages that are delivered. We are connected primarily because of Christ.  It is the cross of Jesus that binds us together. Galatians 3:26-27 says, “For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.”

    This article is not really about Mitch Albom or Freed Hardeman, however they both remind me of the importance of connections.  My prayer for you is that you have some strong connections in your life and that these connections will always be dear to you.  My prayer is that these connections will remind you constantly who you are and where you came from as you live your daily life.  My prayer is that we will remember the great pain that occurs when connections are broken in families, in the church, and among close friends.  My prayer is that we will remember that when we throw out long held patterns of our families it says something about our families, and it says something about us.  Connections are a vital part of our lives. They remind us of where we have come from. They help shape our lives for the present as well as the future.  Connections sustain us when times are difficult. 

Dear God, please help us to realize how important the connections in our live are to us. We thank You, Father for the connections we enjoy because of our family and friends.  We pray that our children and grandchildren will not throw away the connections that have been passed down to them.  We ask that You will help us to be thankful for the strong connections that are a part of who we are.

    While watching the late news the other night we saw one of those world class chefs being interviewed about the different kinds of foods people eat on Super Bowl Sunday. By the way, did you know that more food is eaten by Americans on Super Bowl Sunday than any other day of the year other than Thanksgiving? How’s that for a free fun fact!! That also reminds me of another interesting fact I learned recently from a friend of mine.  Did you know that the average time that plays are actually in progress during a football game (which in the case of the Super Bowl will last more than four hours) is eleven (yes, you read that right) eleven minutes!  Astonishing, however that last little tidbit of information has really nothing to do with this article.  So, back to the chef.  At one point during the interview he was talking about how much he loves to eat. He made the statement, “My one goal in life is to eat with impunity.”  

    I started thinking about that statement and how I had never heard of or thought of the idea of impunity associated with eating  I pulled up dictionary.com, (you know the modern day Webster’s) to make sure I was right about what impunity means.  It told me that impunity comes from a Latin word meaning to be exempt from punishment or immune from detrimental effects.  Now wouldn’t that be super? To be able to spend your life eating without any detrimental effects.  In our day it seems that this is impossible. It seems that there are some detrimental effects tied to everything we eat (at least those things that we really enjoy eating)!  

    While that may be a worthy physical goal, albeit a very difficult (if not impossible) one to achieve there is something we can do in this life without impunity. We can make decisions and choices that will exempt us from punishment.  We can choose to follow Jesus in everything we do and we will not be punished, rather ultimately we will be rewarded.

    When we are in Christ we receive the righteousness of God (2 Corinthians 5:21). That is what it means to live life with impunity. Paul also declares that for those who are in Christ there is no condemnation (Romans 8:1). That’s what it means to live life with impunity.  Does it mean, as some would have us to believe, that we will never sin again? No, John reminds Christians that if we claim that we have no sin we are only deceiving ourselves (1 John 1:8). We will continue to sin, however “if we confess our sin, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us.” (1 John 1:9) It is when we are walking in the light that His blood cleanses us (1 John 1:7).  That is what it means to live life with impunity.

    There are too many Christians who are walking in the light and who are continually being cleansed by the blood of Jesus living a life of guilt. They are wondering if they are lost or saved.  They question whether or not God is willing to forgive their sin. They allow some sin in the past to keep them from living for God now. They are bound by some present sin, not knowing if they can really receive God's forgiveness.  An old preacher in Alabama used to say living the Christian life is not like being on a yoyo. We are not lost one minute and saved the next.  Jesus came to bring us the abundant life (John 10:10). When we walk with Him we can live that abundant life with impunity and we can know that eternal salvation is ours (1 John 5:13).

    Dear God, help us to know that if we are walking with the Savior that we can live the abundant life with impunity. Father, help us to know that we have an abundant entrance into the eternal home of the soul, where there is rest, sweet rest.  Thank You for saving us and allowing us to partake of Your righteousness.

    A Christian sister who has two PhDs and has taught on the collegiate level wrote these words about a friend of hers who is a preacher. “He stands as a beacon to those who are looking for Truth to come from the pulpit.   If one is immersed in the Word, accepting its authentic origin and message, one will not be arrogant and dismissive of its doctrines.   True study--not critical analysis--humbles the reader of the Bible."

    While I do not agree with everything John MacArthur writes, much of what he says is very thought-provoking.  Such are these words he recently penned. “Those who take God’s Word seriously spend many hours in study. Coming out of diligent study are lessons, sermons, articles, and books that are deep, weighty, sober, doctrinally coherent, and theologically consistent.  Sadly, today’s evangelicals aren’t known for being profound, sober-minded, or consistent; instead they’ve developed a reputation for being superficial, trivial, doctrinally erratic, and theologically naïve. Want proof? Walk into your local Christian bookstore, sample the preaching online, survey the blogs—the shoe fits.  So if the way back is to fear God, honor His Word, and work hard to understand and teach it accurately, what kinds of things are standing in the way?”

    To answer that question two primary passages come to mind. The first is 2 Timothy 4.  Every preacher is commanded to “preach the Word.” This is a solemn charge.  We are to be serious about preaching God’s Word.  Some have seemingly turned the preaching of God’s Word into something akin to a circus side show.  Every time I stand before an audience to proclaim God’s Word this verse strikes me with a Holy fear.  I will someday stand before the judge of the universe and give an account of how I handled His Word.  We are to be instant in season and out of season.  This statement simply means we are to preach the Word all the time. 

    The other passage that immediately comes to my mind is Hebrews 4:12. This verse gives us the characteristics of the Word of God. The Word of God is precise and accurate.  We need preachers of God’s Word who are skilled in handling the Word. They should be skilled in the reading, interpretation and exposition of His Word. The faithful preacher must spend many hours in study and in prayer to rightly divide the word of truth. There can be no substitute for this study. I remember as a young preacher hearing about brother Gus Nichols studying the Word for four hours every morning long before most people were up and around.  Brother Franklin Camp who was one of the great students of the Old Testament in the previous generation stated that if brother Nichols needed to study four hours he would need to study five hours each morning. And this he did!  There is no room for laziness. We cannot be infatuated with the culture.  The Apostle Paul stated that he was more concerned with what the Lord thought about his teaching than what others thought.  (1 Corinthians 4:3)

    May God help those of us who preach give the time and attention to study that is so desperately needed in our day. There has been a famine in the land when it comes to the study of the Word.  Those of us who stand and proclaim God’s Word must lead the way.  If we do not study, neither will those who hear us. 

    If you are an elder in the church, demand that your preacher give proper attention to study. Make it possible for him to have the time he needs. Brother George Bailey tells about a congregation who rented a room in a local hotel so that he could get away from the office every day to study.  

    If you are a member of a church who has a preacher who proclaims the whole counsel of God, pray for him, encourage him, and give him the time he needs to prepare sermons that will help the church grow spiritually as well as numerically.

    Dear God, in a day when Your Word is not held in high esteem, we pray that You would help those of us who preach as well as those of us who listen to immerse ourselves in Your Word.  Help those of us who preach to stand as beacons for those who are looking for Truth to come from the pulpit. Father, help all of us to grow in our faith and in the knowledge of Your Word.

While watching the late news the other night we saw a young man being interviewed about the NBC Late Night television fiasco. If you have watched any news (it was even on Fox) or read any news in recent days you have heard something about the Jay Leno/Conan O’Brien late night wars.  They asked this young man what he thought about the situation and he responded by saying something similar to, “They need to get on with it, because the fans, the people are suffering.”  I thought you have got to be kidding? “The people are suffering???”  Have we become so inane that we really believe suffering occurs because of some television wars? Isn’t it amazing what we call suffering in our day?

There are many people in our world who are suffering, but suffering is not enduring the “late night wars.”  The people who have lost loved ones and everything they own in Haiti are suffering.  The people in our world who will not have a meal today or tomorrow are suffering.  The family who lost their only son in war is suffering. The Christian family who lost their child in a car accident is suffering. The woman whose husband walked out on her for someone else and left her to raise the children by herself is suffering. The man who lost his job after many years of committed service to the company is suffering. The family whose child has forsaken the Lord and everything that they were taught is suffering.  The preacher who was “let go,” because the church needed a younger man is suffering.  The church that has been divided because some member felt that their way was more important than “His Way” is suffering.  The teen who lives for God and is ridiculed and isolated while others follow the way of the world is suffering. The elderly couple who has no family around to care for them is suffering. The woman who has lived with her husband for fifty plus years, but who no longer knows his name, because of Alzheimer's is suffering. 

If we suffer because of our faith we will be blessed. If we suffer we are in good company.  Our Savior suffered for us (Luke 24:46; 1 Peter 2:21).  He told us that in this world we would have tribulation (John 16:13).  He reminds us that if we “suffer with Him,” we will also be “glorified with Him.” (Romans 8:17) He also told us to remember that we should not find it strange that we suffer because if the Master suffers persecution the servants will also suffer persecution (John 15:20).  Suffering can make us stronger if it is handled correctly (James 1:2-3).  

It isn’t that people do not or will not suffer. It’s just that we confuse what we sometimes believe to be suffering with real suffering.  We will all face some suffering in our lives. If you are suffering today may God give you the strength to endure.  Above all things, remember these words from the Apostle Paul,  “For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison.” (2 Corinthians 4:17)

Dear God, please help us understand that so much of what masquerades as suffering is not real.  Help us to pray for and encourage those around us who are truly suffering. Help us to endure the suffering that is a part of our life with faithfulness so that someday we can live forever with the One who suffered for us.

A Personal Note:

         This is post number thirty one since this blog was started five months ago.  We have now had nearly 12,000 "hits" on this blog.  It is an humbling experience to hear from so many who have expressed appreciation for the articles that have been posted.  My sincere prayer is that each article will help in some way and that together we can grow in our faith and in our love for Him.

    Jay Lockhart is one of a few men who could be called a Preacher’s Preacher. If someone forced me to name my five favorite preachers he would be on that list. From the first day I had the privilege of meeting my dear friend, brother Jay, he has been a tremendous blessing and a great source of encouragement to my life. During the past few years I have watched him encourage numerous young preachers through his teaching and through his life.  For those reasons and many more we are thrilled to highlight brother Jay Lockhart in this installment of Preacher's Notes. 

    Jay Lockhart grew up in Parkersburg, West Virginia.  He attended Freed Hardeman University, David Lipscomb University, Harding Graduate School, and Trinity where he received a PH.D.  Brother Jay was influenced most in his decision to preach by his parents. He states, “While they did not pressure me, my parents were my greatest influence in preaching.”  Brother Jay first preached in his home town of Parkersburg. Some of his favorite preachers during his early years were H.A. Dixon, Batsell Barrett Baxter, and Jim Bill McInteer. 

    He and his wonderful wife, Arlene have three children and six grandchildren. They are very proud of all of them.  Brother Jay is a wonderful role model of what it means to be a Christian husband, father, and grandfather.  Every young preacher could learn a great deal about family from brother Jay.

    Brother Jay has preached full time in Kentucky, Oklahoma, and Texas. He currently preaches for the Benton Church of Christ in Benton, KY.  He has preached in about one half of the states in our country and in six foreign countries.  Each year brother Jay preaches in numerous Gospel meetings, Workshops, Seminars, and Lectureships.  He has been active in helping young men through speaking at a number of Preacher Training Camps.  He is also involved in helping young Christians through his work as a member of the Freed Hardeman University Board of Trustees.  

    I asked brother Jay why he believes that preaching is so important in our day. He responded by saying, “Preaching has always been an important part of God’s purpose in the world. Preaching meets two of our most important needs: Salvation and Edification.”

    When asked to give advice to young preachers concerning the preparation of sermons, here is what he said:

⓵ Plan sermons well in advance so you know where you are going.

⓶ Be sure you are balanced in preaching - check up on where you have been and where you plan to be in preaching.

⓷ Allow ample time for study.

⓸ Preach the text of Scripture and answer three questions: What does the text say? What does the text mean? How does this text apply to our lives?

    We also asked brother Jay to give advice to young preachers concerning the act of preaching (Sermon delivery). Here are his suggestions:

⓵ Be yourself.

⓶ Be well prepared.

⓷ Be enthusiastic.

⓸ Do not apologize if you use notes and do not pretend that you are not using notes. Try to be free from being tied to notes. 

    Brother Jay does not use notes when he preaches. He typically does not stand behind a podium. He holds a Bible in his hand but his sermons are such a part of who he is and who he has been that he does not use notes. The outline presented below is a copy of his study notes.  These are not notes that he carries with him in the pulpit, but he uses them in preparation for the preaching event.  Our prayer is that it will help preachers see how brother Jay crafts his sermons. By the way, if you have never heard brother Jay speak you can hear him at this year’s Freed Hardeman lectureship.  He will be speaking Tuesday-Thursday morning at 9:30. If you can’t attend, you can listen on line at www.fhu.edu. 

    We asked Dr. Bill Morgan who serves as an elder for the Benton Church of Christ where brother Jay serves as preacher to comment on Jay Lockhart as a preacher.  Here is what brother Morgan said: “Jay Lockhart has committed himself fully to the task at hand. He is always prepared.  He is committed to preaching the Gospel in it’s fullness. He is always very prepared and he knows when he is through (brother Morgan went on to say that some preachers do not know when to end their sermons!) Jay understands what is expected of a local preacher and he fulfills those expectations very well.  He fulfills his responsibilities in every area of his life.”