Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Why Biblical Exposition?

On Sunday i continued my series on preaching. I covered a number of different texts but dealt primarily with 1 Tim 4:13ff. At the conclusion of my sermon I mentioned just a few of the reasons why Biblical preaching is so hard to come by these days (see below).

Biblical exposition will cease:

#1 When church growth becomes more important than spiritual growth (Eph 4:12, Col 1:28-29).
#2 When the community takes control of the pulpit (John 3:20).
#3 When people are big and God is small (Prov 29:25 vs 2 Tim 4:1)
#4 When uncalled men occupy the pulpit (1 Tim 3:1, 4:14).
#5 When undisciplined men fill the pulpit (2 Tim 2:15, 1 Tim 4).

Tuesday, July 29, 2008

Olympic hero

My wife and I will be cheering for one key member of team USA this year at the Olympic games, Allyson Felix. Allyson's dad is a seminary professor at The Master's Seminary (my alumni school). The Felix family loves the Lord and have wonderful testimonies. Make sure to pray for Allyson and to cheer her on this summer!

Check out http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lWJYYiqiEt4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r2pCkYvot0s&NR=1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7DFC9sUDis0&NR=1

"The world's dominant 200m runner, Felix was a heavy favorite to win her specialty event entering the Olympic Trials, even though she had yet to run a 200m in 2008. But coming off the curve in the final, it was 100m champion Muna Lee, running in lane 6 to Felix's lane 5, who held the lead. A composed Felix pulled even with Lee, then kept pushing to win in 21.82 (+5.6mps)…In 2007, Felix became the second woman in history to win 3 gold medals at one World Championships. She won the 200m in a huge personal best of 21.81 seconds (1.7 mps wind), the fastest time run by a woman this century. The time improved Felix's previous best by .30 and was the biggest margin of victory in World Championships history (.53). She then went on to win gold in both relays, running the second leg of the 4x100m (41.98) and the 4x400m (3:18.55) with perhaps the fastest 4x400m relay leg ever by an American woman at a major championship (unofficially 48.0)...The world's dominant 200m runner, Felix was a heavy favorite to win her specialty event entering the Olympic Trials, even though she had yet to run a 200m in 2008. But coming off the curve in the final, it was 100m champion Muna Lee, running in lane 6 to Felix's lane 5, who held the lead. A composed Felix pulled even with Lee, then kept pushing to win in 21.82 (+5.6mps)…In 2007, Felix became the second woman in history to win 3 gold medals at one World Championships. She won the 200m in a huge personal best of 21.81 seconds (1.7 mps wind), the fastest time run by a woman this century. The time improved Felix's previous best by .30 and was the biggest margin of victory in World Championships history (.53). She then went on to win gold in both relays, running the second leg of the 4x100m (41.98) and the 4x400m (3:18.55) with perhaps the fastest 4x400m relay leg ever by an American woman at a major championship (unofficially 48.0)..." From www.usatf.org/athletes/bios/Felix_Allyson.asp

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

July Update

So what have you been up to this summer? Read any good books?



Books I am currently reading:

Between Two Worlds (John Stott)

numerous Revelation commentaries



Books i finished in the last couple of months:

Believer's Baptism: Sign of the N.C. in Christ (Schreiner)

Future Israel (Barry Horner)

Famine in the Land (Steve Lawson)

Culture Shift (R. Albert Mohler)

Preaching and Preachers (D.M. Lloyd-Jones)

Christian Living Beyond Belief (Cliff McManis)

numerous Jude commentaries (various authors)

"Preach the Word"

My new ministry at FBC, Freeport is up and running. Thank you very much for your prayers and support. This church has many hungry people who have been longing for the pure milk of the Word (1 Pet 2:2) for some time now. The deacon board is united in purpose and have been very supportive of me. It is great that i don’t have to come here and face the same challenges that young Timothy did (age discrimination in Ephesus, 1 Tim 4:12) with my deacon board. By that i mean, these deacons believe God’s hand is upon me and my ministry and therefore are not going to make me “earn” my leadership stripes. I have been allowed to come in and simply do what God has called me to do: namely feed, lead, and shepherd the flock of God. God’s hand of providence was surely in our recent move. Let me encourage you readers who are either elders/deacons or lay people to follow this model if you decide to call a younger man as your next Sr. Pastor. If you question whether or not the person you are candidating is mature enough to be your Sr. Pastor then do not hire him. It won’t be fair to him if he has to come in as a “pastor in training.” I have been blessed to be able to come here and not worry about dealing with those type of pressures (esp. with regards to my leadership team). That in effect has allowed me to focus in on doing the many things God has called me to do in this particular local church.

In my new ministry position i am charged with the great and high calling of bringing God’s Book each and every Sunday. This has been a passion of mine for 8 years now. Up to this point God has not given me a opportunity to PREACH the Word on a consistent basis. I have had many opportunities to teach but not to consistently herald the Word of God as a preacher. In my morning sermon i preached from 2 Tim 3:13-4:5. My goal in this first sermon was to define and defend the concept of Biblical preaching (which is under attack from those within the “church” these days). I then provided 6 reasons why i am wholly committed to Biblical Exposition.

Saturday, July 12, 2008




The new ministry in Ill

The parsonage

new photos of family and friends
















First Baptist, Freeport

"Now to Him who is able to keep you from falling and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy..."

new ministry in Freeport




Wednesday, July 09, 2008

We made it!

By God's grace we are all settled into our new home. Freeport is 2 hours west of Chicago near Rockford, Ill. Our new church family has been very gracious to us. I preached my first sermon as a Senior Pastor this past Sunday. I decided to begin my ministry here where i ended with my previous church body in Carmel (Jude 24-25).

God has been very good to us. Thank you for your prayers and support. KIT

The Kolstads
335 West Empire St
Freeport, Il 61032

http://www.fbcfreeport.com/index.htm

ckolstad@fbcfreeport.com