It has been about 40 days dince my last post, and for those who check this blog weekly, you have be wondering if my fingers had bee removed in some industrial accident (or by a member of the mob). You may wonder if I've run out of thoughts...or you may have hoped that I had run out of thoughts. Neither is the case. I have simply been negligent in updating lately. Excuses abound...I had surgery about four days after the last post, and even this morning, I still felt the effects. My family and I are moving, which is a post within itself...so, I'll leave it at that. This has meant packing and preparing for a new phase of life. There are plenty of things I can point to...but I am now writing again.
I am writing today out of a need to be transparent. I have attended the BASICS conference at Parkside Church in Cleveland, OH, on two occasions, and I recommend it to anyone who is passionate about preaching or wants to grow spiritually and pastorally. One of the most refreshing things, for me, is to see a man like Alistair Begg...or any of the other amazing men who have spoken...become transparent. You hear these men on the radio, read their books, and it is easy to get a quick sense that they live in a different world than we do. There's some shiny, sinless world they live in...while we dwell down here in the muddy, dingy, sinful realm of earth.
In addition to this, it is easy, as a pastor, to believe that you will somehow weaken your ministry or your influence if you are honest about your own struggles with sin. What a lie! The opposite is actually true. I was listening again to "Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire" by Jim Cymbala on tape...and it was amazing that his first spiritual breakthrough at the Brooklyn Tabernacle came as a result of his giving up on a Sunday night sermon. He makes this statment about what he learned that night, "God is actually attracted to weakness."
We don't believe that, do we? I mean, we read about Gideon and celebrate the grace and power of God in the midst of his weakness. We see God ambushing the enemies of Jehoshaphat in 2 Chronicles 20, and we have long discussions over the battle being the Lord's and not ours. We read Paul's testimony that God's grace is sufficient and that God's power is perfected in weakness (2 Corinthians 12), but we really don't believe that, do we? That's just good discussion...it makes for an interesting Bible study...but that's no way to live your life...always boasting in your weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9b).
We live in a world where you have to be strong...you must seem impenetrable by the power of sin, or else you could lose status. Whether you are actually growing in holiness or not is often irrelevant...you must seem like you are. This is especially true is you're going to be called a leader in today's church. You can't have chinks in your spiritual armor. You can't slip on the narrow path that leads to life. You must stand tall, chest out, voice firm, with confidence radiating from every pore. You must, in some ways, be like the Grinch who stole Christmas. You must have an outward appearance that is meant to almost intimidate those around you, while your heart is aching or struggling or broken. They don't teach you this in seminary...this is stuff you learn "on the job."
In this arena, there are two things I know to be true...one, pastors must pursue holiness and, in many ways, be the example of what it means to pursue holiness. Second, and the flip side of this same coin, is that honesty about failing is part of what sets the example for others to pursue holiness. I will create nothing but an attitude of defeat if I stand boldly in every arena and fake my holiness. Likewise, pastors shoot their hurting, struggling, sinning congregation in the foot (and sometimes in the heart) when the facade of perfection in life is kept up for the sake of the "fishbowl."
It is with this in mind that I must confess...there is much in the way of killing sin that has yet to happen in my life. I find myself struggling with things that have plagued me for years. It's not every day, which is the sneaky part of how the enemy works. However, too often, I let my guard down, and the enemy takes that opportunity to introduce things that haven't crossed my radar in months or years. Because my guard is down, I knowingly walk into sinful thoughts, sinful words, or sinful actions...usually things I have just denounced from the pulpit or am prepared to denounce the coming Sunday. It is in these moments when nothing seems lower than I am...murderers, thieves, liars, and adulterers seem to have nothing on me.
It is usually at this time that I don't immediately turn to the right place. Instead of running first to the throne of grace to seek mercy and grace in my time of need, I instead start my party planning. I get my proverbial pointed hat on and am ready to throw the great pity party of the ages. The main event? I will recall my sin over and over and over again, and the enemy of my soul will clap with each repetition. I will announce my failure with my failure voice fully revved up, and Satan batters me like I'm the pinata.
Thankfully, the Holy Spirit interrupts the party and turns on a light. This is not godly sorrow...it's not godly sorrow because it doesn't lead to repentance. It is only leading to my spiritual demoralization. Godly sorrow looks to the One who has borne my burden on the cross. Godly sorrow recently took me to John 1:5, where I was reminded that "The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it." No darkness can overcome the light that has shone in my heart by the power of the Holy Spirit. No darkness can extinguish the Light of the world who is my Light. It is this Light that has brought grace upon grace (John 1:16) and that is full of grace and truth (1:14). This grace is mine because He has brought me out of the kingdom of darkness and into His marvelous kingdom, where I enjoy the forgiveness of my sin (Col. 1:13-14).
So, what do I do? The party's over. I take off my pointed hat, and I prepare to walk with my Savior again. As best I can, I will leave behind the memory of my failure and press on to the high calling of Christ (Phil. 3:13-14). If the memory of failure comes back, I cast my anxiety over it on the Lord because He cares for me (1 Peter 5:7).
Yes...I fail. Yes...I sin. Yes...I admit it. Yes...I am a pastor. I beg you...don't throw a pity party for yourself when you sin, even if it's habitual and seems impossible to break. Join me in running to the throne room of grace and casting yourself on His mercy. His forgiveness is ours when we confess and repent.
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Monday, May 12, 2008
Just joking...
Meditation on Proverbs 10:23 - "Doing wrong is like a joke to a fool, but wisdom is pleasure to a man of understanding."
I recently went back to a familiar way of reading the Bible on a daily basis. Each day, whatever else I read in the Bible, I try to read 5 psalms and a chapter in Proverbs. On Saturday, the 10th, I was scheduled to read Psalm 46-50 and Proverbs 10. It was on that afternoon that I ran into this verse.
Proverbs are unique from things like narratives. Often, it takes the span of a couple of paragraphs, or maybe even a whole chapter, to feel the impact of a narrative's teaching. Narratives can also be read fairly quickly. Proverbs, however, are different. Each one must be taken in slowly and thoughtfully, or the point will be missed altogether.
I remember a show on TLC called "I Can Make You Thin". Being on the last 20 pounds of a long weight loss journey, I was interested to see what the host had to say. One of the things he suggested was after taking a bite, put down your knife and fork and chew twenty times before swallowing...getting all the flavor out of it. For a speed eater like me, this is an unusual concept, but I get the point. Eating slower means getting more satisfaction out of what you eat...therefore, you don't have to eat as much.
I think we should learn to read Proverbs this way. Read one verse, put the Bible down, and chew on the truth in the comparison or contrast put forward. Get all of the soul satisfaction out of it you can! Then, move on to the next verse.
Now, this has nothing to do with the actual subject of Proverbs 10:23, but I wanted you to know the way in which I was trying to approach my reading. It was a gloriously warm and sunny Saturday afternoon, and I was in one of our Adirondack chairs on the back porch for my Bible reading. I was working my way through Proverbs 10, trying not to "swallow verses" without adequate chewing. Verse 3...the Lord does not let the righteous go hungry...tastes good. Verse 11...the mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life...a tasty reminder of the importance of our words. Verse 19...when words are many, transgression is not lacking...like biting into a burritonot realizing it's full of jalapenos - WHOA! That really got my attention!
Then verse 23 - "Doing wrong is like a joke to a fool, but wisdom is pleasure to a man of understanding." When is doing wrong like a joke? Where is the trap that I want to avoid? I certainly don't want to be a fool, but where is the temptation to treat wrong doing like a joke?
Then, it hit me. The place where it is easiest for us to treat wrong doing like a joke, sadly enough, is when we are surrounded by close, Christian friends. Our guards are up in the office, where unbelievers are all around. Our guards are up at the gym, at the ballgame, and even at church...making sure we avoid wrong doing. After all, we want to conduct ourselves wisely toward outsiders (Col. 4:5a).
However, when it's just us and that other couple...just two deacons...two elders...two Christians...then, we feel some sort of need to "be real" and "lighten up". We would never make a joke out of that (pick a wrong doing) with Bill from accounting! But...with John from Sunday School? He's a Christian. He understands. He knows I'm just kidding. He knows it's just a joke.
I don't want to travel down some legalistic pathway here, but joking about wrong doing is a slippery slope. Laughing about an unbiblical, immoral life choice breaks down a barrier that may keep us from hating a sin as we should. The problem is...it's not "just a joke". Proverbs 10:23 says it's the mark of a fool, and when take a glance through Proverbs (and the rest of Scripture) to see how fools are spoken of, we should quickly want to distance ourselves from even the appearance of foolishness.
So...I sat in that Adirondack chair on my back porch, and I chewed and chewed. The more I chewed, the more conviction I felt about my own "just joking" attitude about some things. Today, I sit in a burgundy, swiveling office chair, and I continue to chew. How I long for less foolishness in my life and more wisdom! I want to laugh...but I don't want foolish laughter. I want to be called a "man of understanding" by the Lord. May wisdom be my pleasure...our pleasure...as we walk through life.
I recently went back to a familiar way of reading the Bible on a daily basis. Each day, whatever else I read in the Bible, I try to read 5 psalms and a chapter in Proverbs. On Saturday, the 10th, I was scheduled to read Psalm 46-50 and Proverbs 10. It was on that afternoon that I ran into this verse.
Proverbs are unique from things like narratives. Often, it takes the span of a couple of paragraphs, or maybe even a whole chapter, to feel the impact of a narrative's teaching. Narratives can also be read fairly quickly. Proverbs, however, are different. Each one must be taken in slowly and thoughtfully, or the point will be missed altogether.
I remember a show on TLC called "I Can Make You Thin". Being on the last 20 pounds of a long weight loss journey, I was interested to see what the host had to say. One of the things he suggested was after taking a bite, put down your knife and fork and chew twenty times before swallowing...getting all the flavor out of it. For a speed eater like me, this is an unusual concept, but I get the point. Eating slower means getting more satisfaction out of what you eat...therefore, you don't have to eat as much.
I think we should learn to read Proverbs this way. Read one verse, put the Bible down, and chew on the truth in the comparison or contrast put forward. Get all of the soul satisfaction out of it you can! Then, move on to the next verse.
Now, this has nothing to do with the actual subject of Proverbs 10:23, but I wanted you to know the way in which I was trying to approach my reading. It was a gloriously warm and sunny Saturday afternoon, and I was in one of our Adirondack chairs on the back porch for my Bible reading. I was working my way through Proverbs 10, trying not to "swallow verses" without adequate chewing. Verse 3...the Lord does not let the righteous go hungry...tastes good. Verse 11...the mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life...a tasty reminder of the importance of our words. Verse 19...when words are many, transgression is not lacking...like biting into a burritonot realizing it's full of jalapenos - WHOA! That really got my attention!
Then verse 23 - "Doing wrong is like a joke to a fool, but wisdom is pleasure to a man of understanding." When is doing wrong like a joke? Where is the trap that I want to avoid? I certainly don't want to be a fool, but where is the temptation to treat wrong doing like a joke?
Then, it hit me. The place where it is easiest for us to treat wrong doing like a joke, sadly enough, is when we are surrounded by close, Christian friends. Our guards are up in the office, where unbelievers are all around. Our guards are up at the gym, at the ballgame, and even at church...making sure we avoid wrong doing. After all, we want to conduct ourselves wisely toward outsiders (Col. 4:5a).
However, when it's just us and that other couple...just two deacons...two elders...two Christians...then, we feel some sort of need to "be real" and "lighten up". We would never make a joke out of that (pick a wrong doing) with Bill from accounting! But...with John from Sunday School? He's a Christian. He understands. He knows I'm just kidding. He knows it's just a joke.
I don't want to travel down some legalistic pathway here, but joking about wrong doing is a slippery slope. Laughing about an unbiblical, immoral life choice breaks down a barrier that may keep us from hating a sin as we should. The problem is...it's not "just a joke". Proverbs 10:23 says it's the mark of a fool, and when take a glance through Proverbs (and the rest of Scripture) to see how fools are spoken of, we should quickly want to distance ourselves from even the appearance of foolishness.
So...I sat in that Adirondack chair on my back porch, and I chewed and chewed. The more I chewed, the more conviction I felt about my own "just joking" attitude about some things. Today, I sit in a burgundy, swiveling office chair, and I continue to chew. How I long for less foolishness in my life and more wisdom! I want to laugh...but I don't want foolish laughter. I want to be called a "man of understanding" by the Lord. May wisdom be my pleasure...our pleasure...as we walk through life.
Thursday, April 24, 2008
You Mean It's Not Just My Church?
As I was studying for my sermon on John 21 last week, I read a sermon by Charles Spurgeon entitled, "Do you love me?" It was amazingly helpful to me personally for many reasons, but I only want to share one with you. The reason I want to share is that I believe we can find some common ground with Spurgeon.
There is a real temptation to believe that someone else's church is perfect. We may lament, "If only my church were like this pastor's church or that pastor's church, then we'd be alright." Now, please understand that seeing God at work in other settings ought to spur us along to greater faithfulness. We can and should be challenged by another congregation's evangelistic zeal or their commitment to mission work or whatever the case may be. However, we go too far when we begin to assume that because this guy wrote a book or that guy spoke at a conference, their churches must be ideal. That's not the case.
Some seminary coffee shop is probably buzzing while I'm typing, and it's buzzing with the notion that no church can be blessed by God unless it is perfectly biblical in every aspect. Don't hit the "comment" button yet to blast me. I believe in a church functioning biblically. I believe that God's blessing is on our being biblical. I believe that when we stop pursuing biblical faithfulness in all things, we begin a journey on a dangerous, slippery slope into a religious wasteland.
However, this is not my subject today, and I'm not interested in chasing a bloggit (i.e.- same as chasing a rabbit, only in blog form). What I am interested in is sharing with you the encouragement I found in this sermon by Spurgeon. It's easy to feel like it's just our church that isn't everything the Bible says it should be. We long for the "New Testament church" as we look at Acts 2:41-47, often forgetting that the actual New Testament churches carried the problems of Corinth, Laodicea, Galatia, and more. In the midst of this search for biblical fidelity, I hope we can find some encouragement from Spurgeon's candid look at his own congregation. Allow me to state things that a pastor might say today and then quote Spurgeon's words for you.
1. Our church doesn't have biblical church government.
Spurgeon said, "Dearly beloved, I have been of late perplexing myself with one thought: that our church-government is not scriptural. It is scriptural as far as it goes; but it is not according to the whole of Scripture; neither do we practice many excellent things that ought to be practiced in our churches."
2. We need to be assimilating and discipling new believers more effectively.
Spurgeon said, "We have received into our midst a large number of young persons...I think there ought to be on the Sabbath afternoon, a class of the young people of this church, who are members already, to be taught by some of the elder members. Now-a-days, when we get lambs, we just turn them adrift in the meadow, and there we leave them. There are more than a hundred young people in this church who positively, though they are members, ought not to be left alone."
3. The deacons are acting like elders, but they shouldn't have to.
Spurgeon said, "If we had elders, as they did in the apostolic churches, [the teaching ministry] might in some degree be attended to. But now the hands of our deacons are full, they do much of the work of the eldership, but they cannot do any more than they are doing, for they are toiling hard already."
4. It's not just the pastor's job to disciple new believers.
Spurgeon said, "By God's help I will take care of the sheep; I will endeavor under God to feed them, as well as I can, and preach the gospel to them...I would that some here whom God has gifted, and who have time, would spend their afternoons in taking a class of those who are around them, of their younger brethren, asking them to their houses for prayer and pious instruction, that so the lambs of the flock may be fed."
5. Our church is nice to visitors but isn't really open to new people.
Spurgeon said, "[One complaint] which I have often heard is, 'Oh sir, I joined your church, I thought they would be all brothers and sisters to me, and that I could speak to them, and they would teach me and be kind to me. Oh! Sir, I came, and nobody spoke to me.' I say, 'Why did you not speak to them first?' 'Oh', they reply, 'I did not like.' Well, they should have liked, I am well aware; but if we had some means of feeding the lambs, it would be a good way of proving to our Savior and to the world, that we really do endeavor to follow him. I hope some of my friends will take that hint..."
6. People need to get up out of the pew, stop whining, and do something for Jesus!
Spurgeon said, "I beseech you, do something to prove your love; do not be sitting down doing nothing. Do not be folding your hands and arms, for such people perplex a minister most, and bring the most ruin on a church - such as do nothing. You are always the readiest to find fault. I have marked it here, that the very people who are quarrelling with everything are the people that are doing nothing, or are good for nothing. They are sure to quarrel with everything else, because they are doing nothing themselves; and therefore they have time to find fault with other people.
I write all of this not to give you more ammunition for your Monday morning pity party about church. I write all of this to remind you that you are not alone. The same battle for the people of God to BE the people of God has been going on for centuries. It is not new with this millennium. Things weren't perfect in the 90s, the 80s, the 70s, the 60s, the 50s, or any other time in history. Pastors have always pulled their hair out because they cannot seem to help their flocks "get it."
I take great heart from the fact that Spurgeon had some of the same struggles that I have. I also take heart that even in the struggle, he was faithful to preach the Word in season and out of season. Stay steady, my friends, and be faithful. If you are a pastor, take heart, and do not grow weary in well doing...I had to be reminded of that at lunch yesterday. If you are not a pastor, then pray wholeheartedly for your pastor, and don't be the "good for nothing" that Spurgeon talked about.
There is a real temptation to believe that someone else's church is perfect. We may lament, "If only my church were like this pastor's church or that pastor's church, then we'd be alright." Now, please understand that seeing God at work in other settings ought to spur us along to greater faithfulness. We can and should be challenged by another congregation's evangelistic zeal or their commitment to mission work or whatever the case may be. However, we go too far when we begin to assume that because this guy wrote a book or that guy spoke at a conference, their churches must be ideal. That's not the case.
Some seminary coffee shop is probably buzzing while I'm typing, and it's buzzing with the notion that no church can be blessed by God unless it is perfectly biblical in every aspect. Don't hit the "comment" button yet to blast me. I believe in a church functioning biblically. I believe that God's blessing is on our being biblical. I believe that when we stop pursuing biblical faithfulness in all things, we begin a journey on a dangerous, slippery slope into a religious wasteland.
However, this is not my subject today, and I'm not interested in chasing a bloggit (i.e.- same as chasing a rabbit, only in blog form). What I am interested in is sharing with you the encouragement I found in this sermon by Spurgeon. It's easy to feel like it's just our church that isn't everything the Bible says it should be. We long for the "New Testament church" as we look at Acts 2:41-47, often forgetting that the actual New Testament churches carried the problems of Corinth, Laodicea, Galatia, and more. In the midst of this search for biblical fidelity, I hope we can find some encouragement from Spurgeon's candid look at his own congregation. Allow me to state things that a pastor might say today and then quote Spurgeon's words for you.
1. Our church doesn't have biblical church government.
Spurgeon said, "Dearly beloved, I have been of late perplexing myself with one thought: that our church-government is not scriptural. It is scriptural as far as it goes; but it is not according to the whole of Scripture; neither do we practice many excellent things that ought to be practiced in our churches."
2. We need to be assimilating and discipling new believers more effectively.
Spurgeon said, "We have received into our midst a large number of young persons...I think there ought to be on the Sabbath afternoon, a class of the young people of this church, who are members already, to be taught by some of the elder members. Now-a-days, when we get lambs, we just turn them adrift in the meadow, and there we leave them. There are more than a hundred young people in this church who positively, though they are members, ought not to be left alone."
3. The deacons are acting like elders, but they shouldn't have to.
Spurgeon said, "If we had elders, as they did in the apostolic churches, [the teaching ministry] might in some degree be attended to. But now the hands of our deacons are full, they do much of the work of the eldership, but they cannot do any more than they are doing, for they are toiling hard already."
4. It's not just the pastor's job to disciple new believers.
Spurgeon said, "By God's help I will take care of the sheep; I will endeavor under God to feed them, as well as I can, and preach the gospel to them...I would that some here whom God has gifted, and who have time, would spend their afternoons in taking a class of those who are around them, of their younger brethren, asking them to their houses for prayer and pious instruction, that so the lambs of the flock may be fed."
5. Our church is nice to visitors but isn't really open to new people.
Spurgeon said, "[One complaint] which I have often heard is, 'Oh sir, I joined your church, I thought they would be all brothers and sisters to me, and that I could speak to them, and they would teach me and be kind to me. Oh! Sir, I came, and nobody spoke to me.' I say, 'Why did you not speak to them first?' 'Oh', they reply, 'I did not like.' Well, they should have liked, I am well aware; but if we had some means of feeding the lambs, it would be a good way of proving to our Savior and to the world, that we really do endeavor to follow him. I hope some of my friends will take that hint..."
6. People need to get up out of the pew, stop whining, and do something for Jesus!
Spurgeon said, "I beseech you, do something to prove your love; do not be sitting down doing nothing. Do not be folding your hands and arms, for such people perplex a minister most, and bring the most ruin on a church - such as do nothing. You are always the readiest to find fault. I have marked it here, that the very people who are quarrelling with everything are the people that are doing nothing, or are good for nothing. They are sure to quarrel with everything else, because they are doing nothing themselves; and therefore they have time to find fault with other people.
I write all of this not to give you more ammunition for your Monday morning pity party about church. I write all of this to remind you that you are not alone. The same battle for the people of God to BE the people of God has been going on for centuries. It is not new with this millennium. Things weren't perfect in the 90s, the 80s, the 70s, the 60s, the 50s, or any other time in history. Pastors have always pulled their hair out because they cannot seem to help their flocks "get it."
I take great heart from the fact that Spurgeon had some of the same struggles that I have. I also take heart that even in the struggle, he was faithful to preach the Word in season and out of season. Stay steady, my friends, and be faithful. If you are a pastor, take heart, and do not grow weary in well doing...I had to be reminded of that at lunch yesterday. If you are not a pastor, then pray wholeheartedly for your pastor, and don't be the "good for nothing" that Spurgeon talked about.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)