1. Sinclair Ferguson, Theologian
   • Best Lessons from a Lifetime of Pastoring
2. Bill White, Grace Church, Greenville\Spartanburg, South Carolina
   • Unmasking Laziness
3. J.D Greear, Summit Church of Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina
   • When the Strong Become Weak – Judges 14
4. Jared C. Wilson, Director of Content Strategy for Midwestern Seminary, managing editor of For The Church
   • Shepherds – Listen Well
5. John Piper, John Stephen Piper is founder and teacher of desiringgod.org and chancellor of Bethlehem College & Seminary in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
   • What Is the Gift of Prophecy in the New Covenant
   • What is Speaking in Tongues

Commentary

Sinclair Ferguson

Best lessons from a lifetime of Pastoring

1. Relationship to Congregation
   • 1st Timothy
   • Faith without a mask and a Good conscience
   • The end that is in view will always determine the beginning
     If there is a goal in view, the beginning will be determined by that
   • Love
     • Love more important than gift
     • The only people that will gather around you for truth are those poorly taught in scripture or cranks, and they will gather around the notion that Truth is more important than Love
     • Jesus Loves his disciples
       • To his embryonic church he said “I have many things still to teach you, but you can not bear them“
       • Love understands the slowness and dimness of people
     • Paul to Timothy
       • Rebuke and Encourage–with great patience and careful instruction ( 2 Timothy 4:2 )
2. Relationship to Ministry ( Listening to the Word )
   • Strongest messages that go from us are the strongest that come to us
   • When we are preaching there is no one under the ministry of the Word more than us
   • Not that we masters of Scripture, but we are mastered by it
   • You are but the mailman here, If I am going to deal with anyone, I will have to deal with you
   • Under whose ministry do you sit?  I sit under exactly the same ministry of the Word as you do
3. Relationship to God ( Live our Life in the Unity of Triunit Lord )
   • Book
     • Practice of the Presence of God – Brother Lawrence
     • Communion With God: Fellowship with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit – John Owens
       • Appropriations in Scripture, how one person takes the lead
         • Father in planning and sending
         • Son in coming and dying
         • The Spirit in being sent and applying
       • Fellowship in God via adoption
         • The Spirit comes and indwells to make a home for the Father and Son

J.D Greear

When the Strong Become Weak – Judges 14

Sampson was his own worst enemy

1. Impulsive
2. Compromise
   • What if the harm is not the act itself, but in driving God away
   • Not take the presence of God for granted
3. Unteachable
   • No one can speak into his life
   • An Isolated man will become to serve himself
   • Things that can grow in a secret garden always grow mutant ( David Powlison )
   • Those places that no man can speak into is the place that enemy is destroying us
4. Pride
   • Use God’s blessing for his own purpose
   • Lack of Prayer and seeking God’s favor
   • Whose glory have we leveraged our gifts for