Being Too Content With Discontentment

It seems that there is a strange obsession within the body of Christ.  We seem ok with the idea of always being disgruntled, always being unhappy, always being dissatisfied, content to be discontent.  We become comfortable playing the part of the critic, always pointing out the problems and never working towards the solutions.  Oh how many times I have sat down to listen to the dissatisfactions and "issues" of individuals who always seem to have some dissatisfactions and "issues".  They seem only comfortable when something is wrong, when there is something to complain about.  In fact, many of these individuals feel uneasy when there is nothing to complain or obsess over.  They live in constant discontentment.

I have also heard the argument that those who have a critical eye and are willing to point out the faults are an important part of the growth and forward nature of the church.  But there is a major difference between having a prophetic voice for God that calls out for repentance and a satisfaction with always being a critical spirit.  Some people relish the role of always being the one swimming upstream a little too much.  They are a little too content with discontentment.

Paul says on a number of occasions the significance of contentment.  But especially in II Corinthians 12, Paul hammers home the point I am trying to make here.  Of all the early Christians that had reason to complain and to moan, Paul certainly could have made a case for his right to discontentment.  But instead Paul wrote these words in II Corinthians 12:10, "For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong."

Notice that Paul is not content with discontentment, he is content with "weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities."  We tend to be content with being upset about those things and complaining about them.  Instead, what if we found rest in the strength of the Lord when we were weak?  What if the next time the church you are a part of did something you disagreed with, you submitted instead of complaining?  What if the next time someone wronged you, you prayed for the well being of that individual instead of retaliating?  What if the next time discontentment started to creep in, you decided to be content with Jesus, rather than content with being discontent?

Ministry Priorities

Recently something has been bothering me.  Why does it seem that so many well intentioned members of God's people get distracted from doing the things that God has designed them for?  If we hold to a Biblical understanding of the church then we know that God has given different gifts or tasks to the various members of His body.  Some are prophets, some are teachers, some are administrators, some are hospitable, some have the gift of mercy, and so on.  But it seems that we find ourselves sucked into the lie that good christians possess all the gifts and can be anything at any given time.  And I believe it creates ministry distraction.

The apostles were faced with a serious dilemma in Acts 6.  There was a problem with the distribution of food to the hellenist christian widows.  Because the church had been growing so rapidly in those days, the issue I'm sure was rather large and needed immediate attention.  So it was brought before the leadership, specifically the Apostles.  What a test this is!  Serving and distributing food to widows is a critical aspect of the ministry of the church.  At the same time, for the disciples to undertake this task would mean that they would have to cut back on their ministries of prayer and the word.  What would they decide?

I could ask here what would you choose to do.  But I am not going to ask that question.  Instead, what have you done in the past?  You see I believe that we often choose to do the things that we feel need to get done, even if someone else should be doing those things.  The Apostles could have chosen to serve food to the widows and we would have applauded them for this.  But instead they made the harder decision that most of refuse to make.

They put it back on the church.  They said find 7 men that could do this task, because we have been commissioned to ministries of the word and prayer.  Notice that they acknowledge the significance of this ministry, but that they understand that the rest of the body has responsibility here.  I wonder what the people thought?  I know the pressure in most churches.  "Oh well, they don't have a servants heart, putting it back on the church."  "That's just lazy."  "How much time do they really need to pray and preach?  I mean isn't being a christian about helping people?"

But I know for a fact, from experience, that the pressure of others is nothing like the pressure I put on myself.  "What will people think if I don't do this?"  I have tried in the past to measure up to "their" expectations many times in ministry, uncertain of who they really are.  "They" always seem to show up in leadership meetings, nameless and faceless, but having lots of pull.  Thank God that the Apostles were not this insecure.

The appointment of these 7 proved to be the right decision.  But it wasn't the right decision just because the church grew and Stephen and Philip turned out to be powerful witnesses to the Gospel.  It was the right decision because the Apostles stayed focused on their role in the body.  They would not be distracted by good things, they were focused on the right things.  

So where are you in your ministry priority?  What's the one thing God is tugging at you to do it?  Why aren't you doing it?  Let me suggest some ideas for finding out your ministry priority:

• Pray that God would show you how He wants to use you in the body.
• Get a copy of The 3 Colors of Ministry and begin discovering your Spiritual Gifts.
• Write down on paper what are the things that God has specifically designed you to do.
• In one sentence, what is the one ministry that you should be doing within the kingdom?
• Stay focused on the ministry He is giving you to do.

"Zeal For My House Will Consume Me!"

For zeal for your house has consumed me, and the reproaches of those who reproach you have fallen on me. (Psalm 69:9)

How does this picture make you feel about the man holding the whip? Just pretend you don't know what's going on here. What are some thoughts that come to your mind? Do you think of someone who is honorable and right? Do you think of someone who is loving and caring? Probably not.

We have trouble with this account in scripture because it doesn't fit our neat and tidy understanding of Jesus as the lowly servant who takes it on the chin. He gets angry. He gets aggressive. He gets downright violent. But if scripture teaches that He is without sin, then what drives the Son of God to the point of passionate, zealous anger towards what is taking place in the temple.

The answer is found in John 2:13-22. At the time of the passover, Jesus heads to Jerusalem. And coming upon the temple he finds the buying and selling of sacrifices there. He finds men changing out foreign money for the local Jerusalem currency. These are services of convenience for the travelers to the temple. But God is not concerned with our convenience, He is concerned with the state of our heart. And these money changers and sacrifice sellers were busy turning a profit on the religious needs of the day. Their hearts were waxed cold and the glory of God was far from them.

As Jesus fashioned the whip that He would use to drive them out, the passion must have grew within Him. You see the temple was not just a place for religious activity to occur. It was not just a place to visit. It was truly the place that God had promised to meet His people on earth. It was where He agreed to reveal Himself to them. It was not the temple that Jesus was zealous for, but for the glory of God. Which, being the son of God, was His own glory.

Yes, I am saying that what made Jesus so angry was that the people were defaming His glory. They were not just making a mockery of the temple, but of Jesus Himself. Jesus' ultimate passion was that the nations would see His glory and worship it. Does it sound selfish? Well not quite when you read on in John 2.

Jesus' glory is defined and shown by His death and resurrection. That's what He meant when He said, "destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up." To display His glory for the nations meant their salvation! The glory of Jesus is our greatest benefit. So of course He was indignant when they defamed His glory, because they were defaming the very glory that could bring them salvation from eternal damnation! The thing Jesus was most passionate and most zealous for was His glory that would bring salvation to the world. He is passionate about His glory which makes Him passionate about us!

But what dug into my heart in this text is this question... what are we zealous for? Are we this passionate about the glory of God? Or are we more passionate about America, sports, or our wealth? What do we pursue at the cost of everything else? I'm afraid that the american church has become more zealous for herself than for the glory of God in Christ Jesus. We have become more zealous over matters of form and outward expression than for the glory that dwells in the temple. How do I know this? By the very lack of manifestation of the glory of Christ. When zeal for the glory of Christ returns to our churches, then expect that glory to show up in power and might. Bow down and be amazed at the Jesus who turns over tables. Oh that we might get zealous for the glory of our risen king Jesus. What would it look like if He turned over some tables in our hearts?

Come and See

"Jesus turned and saw them following and said to them, “What are you seeking?” And they said to him, “Rabbi” (which means Teacher), “where are you staying?” He said to them, “Come and you will see.” So they came and saw where he was staying, and they stayed with him that day, for it was about the tenth hour." John 1:38-39

"Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” John 1:45-46

"I set myself on fire, and the people come to see me burn." John Wesley

John's Gospel is written as a witness to us, to behold the Christ, the Son of God, Jesus. It is a call for all to "come and see." And there is so much to see!

The first two disciples begin to follow Jesus at the prodding of John the witness. In response to His question, "What are you seeking?", they ask where He is staying. His answer, "come and see." I'm sure they thought they would go and see where this great Rabbi, as they called Him, was staying. But instead what they began to see was something so much greater. They began to see truth, life, God.

We come to Jesus for all kinds of reasons, most of them selfish. But once we do come to Him, His glory eradicates all of our superficiality. He destroys our concepts of ourself and gives us a passion for Him. We stop living for ourselves and begin to live for Him. It becomes our one desire in this life, to come and see Jesus.

But not only does He become our desire, but we are filled with a passion to prod others to come and see. Andrew went and got Peter. Philip went and got Nathanael. When we have found Him, or better stated when He has found us, we must spread the news to others to come and see.

Who have you invited to come and see Jesus lately? Who has looked on your zeal for Jesus and been inspired to come and see for themselves? Or maybe you are reading this and wondering what I am talking about. Then please, open up the Word of God and "come and see!"

Sermons For Sale!

And they came to Balaam and said to him, “Thus says Balak the son of Zippor: ‘Let nothing hinder you from coming to me, for I will surely do you great honor, and whatever you say to me I will do. Come, curse this people for me.’ ” But Balaam answered and said to the servants of Balak, “Though Balak were to give me his house full of silver and gold, I could not go beyond the command of the Lord my God to do less or more." (Numbers 22:16-18)

And Balak’s anger was kindled against Balaam, and he struck his hands together. And Balak said to Balaam, “I called you to curse my enemies, and behold, you have blessed them these three times. Therefore now flee to your own place. I said, ‘I will certainly honor you,’ but the Lord has held you back from honor.” And Balaam said to Balak, “Did I not tell your messengers whom you sent to me, ‘If Balak should give me his house full of silver and gold, I would not be able to go beyond the word of the Lord, to do either good or bad of my own will. What the Lord speaks, that will I speak’?" (Numbers 24:10-13)

Everybody remembers Balaam for being the guy with the talking donkey. But really, what we should remember him for is his integrity in proclaiming the word of the Lord. He is confronted by King Balak to curse the people of Israel. Now as far as we know, Balaam is some sort of a seer who Yahweh speaks through. This is amazing, considering that he is not found among the Israelites. But nonetheless he knows God's personal name, Yahweh, and speaks with Him directly.

But what astounds me as I read this account in Numbers is the integrity of a man who obviously lived at the mercy of those who gave him money. Balak, the king, offers to take care of his every need, silver, gold, housing. Without batting an eye, Balaam tells the king's officials right up front that receiving those things mean nothing, the only thing that matters is to accurately convey the word of the Lord.

Even while proclaiming the oracles that God gave to Balaam, he unflinchingly continues to follow after whatever God tells him to say. Balak the King is right there, I imagine waving money bags the whole time. But Balaam never turns to the left or right, he continues to prophesy whatever the Lord lays in front of him. With absolutely no concern for how it might lead to him receiving no payment, or possibly may even lead to his own death!

Oh that we would have preachers like Balaam! Men who would have no regard for their paychecks, housing allowances, or their popularity among the masses. Here is Balaam with no regard for his life or well being, proclaiming a blessing on Israel to their enemies! And yet, it seems that we sometimes water down the truth of the gospel for the sake of not offending someone.

I know the dangers and how terribly frightening it is to have to say things that are going to be difficult. But if God has revealed to us in His word what must be preached, then let us not shrink back in fear. "If God is for us, then who can be against us?" I long for preaching that is willing to proclaim the truth no matter what the consequences. I am so encouraged when I see men lifting up the truth about Jesus Christ in places where they could suffer the loss of reputation, support, or even their life.

Recently, I had to say some very difficult things as a result of a suicide in our church family. But after sharing that message, I was amazed at the impact that it had on people's lives. I was worried that people would not receive the message and be bothered by it. But I knew I had to speak what God had placed before me in His word. And for that moment, I know I was faithful to the task.

Oh, that we would be faithful to the task week in and week out, regardless of the opinions of the masses. That we would join with Balaam in saying, "What the Lord speaks, that will I speak!"

Let US Choose A Leader?

While in the Wilderness, the Lord spoke to Moses and told him to send one man from each of the 12 tribes of Israel to spy out the promised land. The men went and came back. 10 of the 12 men gave a fearful report and spoke against treading into unknown territory. They were afraid of the tall people that inhabited the land and all of the unforeseeable dangers. But the Lord was not asking for their opinion on whether to go or not.

The people heard the report and were afraid. They began to speak out against Moses and the plan to enter into Canaan. Here is what is recorded in Numbers 14:1-4:

Then all the congregation raised a loud cry, and the people wept that night. And all the people of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron. The whole congregation said to them, “Would that we had died in the land of Egypt! Or would that we had died in this wilderness! Why is the Lord bringing us into this land, to fall by the sword? Our wives and our little ones will become a prey. Would it not be better for us to go back to Egypt?” And they said to one another, “Let us choose a leader and go back to Egypt.”

It is also interesting to note that in Numbers 12 Aaron and Miriam had also questioned the leadership of Moses. And the Lord rebuked them as well. The people here are so angry that when Joshua and Caleb speak up and warn the people, the people pick up stones to kill them. But then God shows up in power. Numbers 14:11-12:

And the Lord said to Moses, "How long will this people despise me? And how long will they not believe in me, in spite of all the signs that I have done among them? I will strike them with the pestilence and disinherit them, and I will make of you a nation greater and mightier than they."

But Moses, just like in the golden calf incident, chooses to turn down God's offer and pray on behalf of the people. He begs forgiveness for a people who had rejected his God given leadership. What a powerful testimony of leadership. God listens and instead punishes the rebellious adults above the age of 20 to wander for 40 years and then die.

There are a couple of powerful lessons here. One is that we should trust a leader who has been given spiritual authority by God. Now understand me, this is not measured in terms of positions, titles, or claimed authority. Spiritual authority is handed out only by the Lord Himself. The greatest in His kingdom are actually those who become least, and that's why Numbers 12 says that Moses was the meekest man in all the world. Those who imitate Christ in being servant leaders have this spiritual authority.

But so often I see churches rejecting Godly leadership out of fear. Fear of change, fear of the unknown, fear of losing something, or fear of other people. Notice that the vast majority of people were against Moses, Aaron, Joshua, and Caleb. In our churches today in America we would have settled this with a vote. And we would have been the ones wandering in the wilderness! We must understand that in God's kingdom we do not follow the wants of the people but the commands of our king, Jesus. As Isaiah 2:22 says, "Stop regarding man in whose nostrils is breath, for of what account is he?" Our only fear is of the Lord and we must follow Him and listen carefully when leaders who have a track record of following Him point in the direction that they feel God is leading us.

The second thing to notice is the heart of Moses. Rejected, despised, and ready to be killed by the people, he never ceases to pray for them. They wanted to KILL him. I have been disliked and kicked in ministry, but to my knowledge no one has attempted to murder me. Slander maybe, but not physically take my life. And yet Moses prays that the people might be spared from the wrath of God. This is a Godly leader.

If you are in leadership in a church, you must have a heart like this. A heart that says no matter what the odds or difficulties, you won't tuck your tail and run. You trust in God for vindication and pray for the souls of the people entrusted to you. They are sheep and are in need of the Good Shepherd. Our primary work is to seek out the face of God and pray that He might bring forgiveness and healing one at a time. And those that need to suffer His wrath, we must allow Him to bring the punishment, not us.

What a lesson this is for me. I must pray for those who persecute me. I must pray for those who are my enemies. I must pray for those who betray trust. I must pray for those who attempt to injure me. I must pray for any and all that hate me. This is compassion. This is mercy. This is Godly leadership.

The sad thing is that people will rarely choose leaders like this. They will choose Aaron's who give them up in the hard times. They will choose Saul's who rule harshly. They will choose Eli's that don't know how to control their own homes. They will choose kings that let them do whatever they want.

But pray with me now that God will send His leaders. Spiritual men with His anointing. Men ready to call His people to repentance and will pray for their souls. Men who are not trying to be Savior, but lamps pointing to the Morning Star. Men who will not quit when they are rejected, but will fall down in mourning and pray for the people.

The Work of the Pastor

St. John lives on the boundary of the invisible world of the Holy Spirit and the visible world of Roman times. On that boundary he prays. The praying is a joining of realities, making a live connection between the place we find ourselves and the God who is finding us.

But prayer is not a work that pastors are often asked to do except in ceremonial ways. Most pastoral work actually erodes prayer. The reason is obvious: people are not comfortable with God in their lives. They prefer something less awesome and more informal. Something, in fact, like the pastor. Reassuring, accessible, easygoing. People would rather talk to the pastor than to God. And so it happens that without anyone actually intending it, prayer is pushed to the sidelines.

And so pastors, instead of practicing prayer, which brings people into the presence of God, enter into the practice of messiah: we will do the work of God for God, fix people up, tell them what to do, conspire in finding the shortcuts by which the long journey to the Cross can be bypassed since we all have such crowded schedules right now. People love us when we do this. It is flattering to be put in the place of God. It feels wonderful to be treated in this godlike way. And it is work that we are generally quite good at.

(Eugene Peterson, The Contemplative Pastor pg 52)

How apocalyptic are you?

Pastors are the persons in the church communities who repeat and insist on these kingdom realities against the world appearances, and who therefore must be apocalyptic. In its dictionary meaning, apocalypse is simply “revelation,” the uncovering of what was covered up so that we can see what is there. But the context in which the word arrives adds color to the black-and-white dictionary meaning, colors bright and dark—crimson urgency and purple crisis. Under the crisis of persecution and under the urgency of an imminent end, reality is revealed suddenly for what it is. We had supposed our lives were so utterly ordinary. Sin-habits dull our free faith into stodgy moralism and respectable boredom; then crisis rips the veneer of cliché off everyday routines and reveals the side-by-side splendors and terrors of heaven and hell. Apocalypse is arson—it secretly sets a fire in the imagination that boils the fat out of an obese culture-religion and renders a clear gospel love, a pure gospel hope, a purged gospel faith. (from The Contemplative Pastor by Eugene Peterson, page 50)

I want this to become something of a job description for me. My role in this world is not to run a church or to administrate church activities. It is to "rip the veneer" off of the spiritual struggle going on in places unseen. We are so confused by the church is and is not in this world. Unfortunately, many times we do not realize that the church is the place where the kingdom of heaven and the kingdom of this world do battle.

This is a concept from Matthew's gospel that I have begun to see all throughout scripture lately. The visible, local church is not the kingdom of heaven. Mingled in among God's people are all kinds. Those on the brink of believing, those who openly reject truth, those who hide sin, those who are wolves in sheeps clothing, snakes, and devils. There are blind, deaf, mute, crippled, and spiritually dead people within the visible church. The kingdom of heaven do not consist of these. So why are they in the visible church? Because the visible church is where the kingdom of heaven does battle on the kingdom of this world.

I am discovering more and more everyday that my role in all of this is to bring this real battle to the forefront of our minds. We all too often, myself included, forget that this battle is very real. We wage war on one another and destroy ourselves, not recognizing the spiritual battle at hand. Satan is excited when we forget about him, when we blame one another for his work. He does not mind not getting the credit.

But we must recognize the spiritual reality that comes with Ephesians 6:10-20:

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.

It is my duty to equip as many people as possible for this reality. To aid them in being on the alert, to help them put on all the pieces of armor, to put the sword in their hands, and to lead them into prayer. Everything must become about this. Seem intense? So is the fight. Your marriage is about this. Your parenting is about this. Your work is about this. Your life is about this. So how apocalyptic are you?

Radical Realignment

This diagram is a result of the findings of Christian Schwarz, who discovered the principles behind Natural Church Development. The basic idea is this, churches tend in two directions. One direction, to the right, is organizational. When taken too far, this approach becomes "technocratic". Churches that function in this pole confuse religion with God. Their religion becomes their God. Particular styles of music, models of doing church, buildings, people, or programs become the means for church growth in these churches. People, systems, structures, and buildings become idols for these kind of churches. So much of what is known as mainstream Christianity in America fits into this category. We believe if we do all the right things, then the church will grow. We measure success by numbers, both people and dollars. We fall into the trap of ministry idolatry and jealousy. We want to do the newest and biggest thing. And as I've heard it said before, this model leads to institutionalization, which eventually becomes a museum where everyone has a sense of nostalgia about the past.

But there is a pendulum swing to the other direction. When faced with the institutional church, many throughout history have rejected this for a more "free" approach. There is a genuine desire to see a stronger reliance on the Spirit and to see the church become the organism that it is supposed to be. But unfortunately, this usually leads to "spiritualism". This extreme leads to disorganization, chaos, and the rejection of leadership. Usually, these churches are characterized by a rejection of "organized" religion because they feel that buildings, programs, and others systems are "unspiritual". They fail to be able to see that what they are rejecting is the practical side of our faith. Most Christians that fall into this category make community their God and love to talk, but move to very little action. They can often be found talking about "theology" for hours and hours, without ever actually contributing anything other than criticism to the body of Christ.

Both poles are dangerous and unhealthy for the church. What the church must shoot for is a radical realignment. We must find a way to rely on the Spirit of God to produce organization in the body. We must trust in the systems that He leads us into in our particular context. We must stand by the truths of scripture and then live out those truths in real churches. As the diagram shows, we rely on God to provide growth, but in the mean time we must plow, sow, water, and reap. If we rely too much on ourselves, then we slip into institutionalization. If we fail to recognize our responsibility, we slip into spiritualism. We must realign on the truths of Scripture, directed by the power of the Holy Spirit, and live out our faith in the context in which we live. How does your church need to realign? How do you need to realign?

O Lord, Revive Your Work

Lord, I have heard the report about You and I fear. O Lord, revive Your work in the midst of the years, in the midst of the years make it known; in wrath remember mercy. Habakkuk 3:2

Come, let us return to the Lord. For He has torn us, but He will heal us; He has wounded us, but He will bandage us. He will revive us after two days; He will raise us up on the third day, that we may live before Him. So let us know, let us press on to know the Lord. His going forth is as certain as the dawn; and He will come to us like the rain, like the spring rain watering the earth. Hosea 6:1-3

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?” John 11:25-26

Revival, renewal, rebirth, regeneration, resurrection. We experience such finality in death. We are sobered by the thought of death because it is an end to life. Death extinguishes the flicker of life that exists in a real being. Death is the end, there is nothing afterward. We recognize this and death causes us great amounts of grief.

But look to the power of Jesus Christ! He brings about REVIVAL and RESURRECTION! He takes death and brings it to life. No one, no where else does that happen. In Habakkuk 3:2, the prophet cries out for Yahweh to "revive Your work". There is a feeling that the people of God are dead and need reviving. But Habakkuk knows that God brings revival, not us. He cries out to relief from the heavens.

Hosea and the people had heard the charges of God against them and accepted their fate. But they knew that revival was coming. And look at how marvelous verse 2 is! After 2 days, on the third day comes our awakening, our revival! The life giving promises of God are accomplished in the death and resurrection of Jesus. He is LIFE. He alone gives RESURRECTION.

Yet for some strange reason we seek life in everything apart from the source of resurrection and life. We look for it on the internet, in relationships, in books, on television, in art, in anger, in family, in education, and the list rambles on and on. We seek a joy in this life that can not be given apart from the warm touch of the life giving God that is Christ Jesus. We waste our time playing in the graveyard looking for signs of life, when in reality He has arisen and is calling us to Himself.

If only we would attach ourselves to His light, we would know the power of His resurrection. We bemoan the fact that our lives are dull, our churches are dead, and our spirits are low. But we fail to remember that apart from Jesus, there is only death. Let us cry out for revival in our souls. Let us pray that He might awaken our slumbering churches. Let us be attached to the giver of life, Jesus Christ. Because He is not only the giver of life, but He is life itself.

If we are sick, we need a doctor. If bones are broken, we need a surgeon. If we are dead, we need a savior. If your life or church is dry, dusty, and dead, it is not a new gimmick that you need, but the life of Jesus. "Awake, O Sleeper..."

Do you love me?

So when they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter,
“Simon, son of John, do you love Me more than these?” He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.” He said to him, “Tend My lambs.”
He said to him again a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me?” He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.” He said to him, “Shepherd My sheep.”
He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me?” Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, “Do you love Me?” And he said to Him, “Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.” Jesus said to him, “Tend My sheep."
“Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were younger, you used to gird yourself and walk wherever you wished; but when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands and someone else will gird you, and bring you where you do not wish to go.” Now this He said, signifying by what kind of death he would glorify God. And when He had spoken this, He said to him, “Follow Me!” (John 21:15-19)

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love. By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has seen God at any time; if we love one another, God abides in us, and His love is perfected in us. (1 John 4:7-12)

I have been hearing this constant drumming in the back of my head over the last few weeks. It actually started off quite faint, almost a whisper. Slowly it started to resound louder and louder. Eventually it became a full on rhythmic pounding. It was calling out to me, "Do you love me?"

I love myself. I know this much. I love my own gain, my own sound, my own tune. I love everything there is to love about Jason. I also love everything there is to hate about Jason. I know that sounds really weird, but when you're this self-absorbed, even hating things about yourself becomes a sort of love affair.

But Jesus' love for me has been dredging something up from the depths of my soul. How can I say that I love Jesus, if I don't love His sheep, His lambs, His children? Oh, it most certainly would appear that I am a loving guy. I have a wonderful family, I minister out the word to God's people, and I am always ready to assist in times of need. But, do I love them?

Love has flown under the radar for too long in our churches. It has too long been defined as an abstract, congenial, warm feeling that we pass out on Sunday mornings. We have sought to package it and parade it around. But love is not this way. Love is more like what Jesus tells Peter he will have to endure.

Love is willing to sacrifice myself joyfully for others. Love is more concerned with the needs of others than my own. Love is 1 Corinthians 13, love is bigger than being nice to each other. Love means I am at your house in time of crisis, because I want to be there. Love is a phone call at 5:30pm on a Thursday afternoon because I need someone to be there for me. Love is stopping by unannounced and sitting down for dinner. Love is messy, love is hard, and love produces joy.

I realize that my capacity to love is limited. I am not loving, nor am I really that lovable. (Please don't try to convince me otherwise.) But yet, God loves me because He is love. It is unthinkable. And He gives me the capacity to love big time. I want to know the power of His love better. I want to love His sheep better. I want to love His children better. But it is not just my duty to love better. It is for my joy that I would come to love better. And your joy. And our joy together.

Lord God please help us to love better. Help us be done with a religion that begins and ends one day a week. Move your Spirit of love through us, so that all week long we become a community of love. Thank you for loving us first in your son Jesus. Teach us what it means to love.

The Father As Our Source

Thus says the Lord, “Cursed is the man who trusts in mankind and makes flesh his strength, and whose heart turns away from the Lord. For he will be like a bush in the desert and will not see when prosperity comes, but will live in stony wastes in the wilderness, a land of salt without inhabitant. Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord and whose trust is the Lord. For he will be like a tree planted by the water, that extends its roots by a stream and will not fear when the heat comes; but its leaves will be green, and it will not be anxious in a year of drought nor cease to yield fruit." (Jeremiah 17:5-8)

What a powerful warning and promise for all people to hear! But what especially peaked my interest today was the bearing that this text has on my thesis, especially the first chapter entitled, "God Transforms the Receptive Preacher." The receptivity of the preacher is crucial to be able to preach!

To paraphrase the text above, "cursed is the preacher who trusts in the opinions of others and gets by on talent, but whose heart is far from the Lord!" What a dangerous warning to those who claim to be proclaiming God's word. We may be able to fool our churches and we may be able to even fool ourselves, but we will never fool God. He gives us the refreshing we need to become trees that have something to offer, that produce fruit. Without our trusting in Him and Him being our trust, we will dry up.

How many times I have preached a dried up sermon! As Keith Willhite has said, "it is not possible to preach a vital sermon about God when God is somewhere beyond us, out past the borders of our everyday lives." In this sense, preaching is simply put, an overflow of fruit. We only have something to say when we've sought rest in the living water of Jesus Christ. When we've explored the depths of the text and allowed it to saturate our souls. When we've spent more time being transformed by the text, than by cleverly preparing the message.

It is possible to be dried up and to hold peoples attention. In fact, it happens quite often that large numbers of people are mesmerized by Godless speaking. But according to God's word, unless we are making much of Him, both in the study and in the sermon, then we are filling people up with "us". And the danger of this is quite clear, dry, dusty, death. With cleverness of tongue we can soothe people right to sleep and watch them decay before our very eyes. And because of our own dryness we won't even notice what is happening.

Instead, I pray that we might catch a vision for the necessity of drawing on God alone in preaching. It must begin with Him, because without Him our preaching is dead. He is life and has the words of eternal life, therefore let us, "live on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God."

Does Our Church Have Square Wheels?

What do you see in the picture? Should we commend these two men for their hard work or condemn them for their ignorance? Hopefully, we all can see the ridiculousness in this picture. Hopefully, we want to shout at the two men, "just open your eyes and look in the cart!"

Apparently, these men fail to realize that they have all the proper tools for getting the job done at their disposal. Everything they need to make the cart get from point A to point B is already there. In fact, if they would use the round wheels in the cart, they could actually do much less work to get a much better result.

Christian Schwarz, founder of Natural Church Development, uses this illustration to reveal to churches at how "backwards" we can be sometimes. Many of our churches imitate the two men in this picture by trying to force our concepts about church into the church. We often fail to realize that God has put everything at our disposal to accomplish exactly what He wants for that time and that hour. But we seem to busy with our heads down, trying to push and pull the church into everything we know it can be. What if we got a hold of the wheels that God has already put in the cart and let Him do all the work?

The area this is most evident is in the area of "ministry". Because the preacher, elders, or some leading group deems certain activities or programs worth doing, we go out and find our volunteers to plug into those slots. We fail to ask the most important question, "who has God gifted us to be?" Rather than starting with the wheels that God has given us, we try to create our own square wheels. Instead, what if we helped the church to realize what gifts God has given them and then allowed ministry to rise out of their gifting? What would happen to the church?

I'm afraid the reason that we don't function like this is for fear. Fear of losing control. Leaders are often scared of giving up control, because they are unsure of what will happen. But that's just the point. Leaders of God's people ought to know by now that we are not in control. Only He is and He gifts His body accordingly. Maybe we could learn something from Paul's letter to the Ephesians.

"But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift. Therefore it says, 'When He ascended on high, He led captive a host of captives, And He gave gifts to men.' (Now this expression, 'He ascended,' what does it mean except that He also had descended into the lower parts of the earth? He who descended is Himself also He who ascended far above all the heavens, so that He might fill all things.)

And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ." (Ephesians 4:7-13)

God Transforms The Receptive Preacher (Why It Starts With God)

"Preaching, in one sense, merely discharges the firearm that God has loaded in the silent places." Calvin Miller, Spirit, Word, and Story, pg35

In my thesis, the goal is to show why God is the author, subject, and power of our preaching. To some it might seem obvious that this should be the case. But a visit to most churches in our communities will tell us a different story. There is a lot of good sermonizing, story telling, moralistic teaching, and "showmanship." There is also a lot of bad versions of those things. However, I would contend that when we walk into these "sermons" we are not actually hearing sermons. Maybe speeches under the church guise of sermons, but they are speeches nonetheless. They may inform, motivate, or tug at our heart strings, but they rarely transform. I am convinced by the word of God that true transformational preaching only occurs when our starting point is God. Allow me to explain.

God, by being His very nature, is a free being to do whatever He pleases, as long as it does not go against His nature. Therefore, truth about God can only be known to us by whatever means He pleases to reveal Himself. The very act of God's creation of this world is His revelation of Himself. For whatever reason that He saw fit, He created all things according to His word, just as described in Genesis 1 and 2. This is the powerful revelation of Himself in creation. The psalmist praises the glory of creation in Psalm 19 and Paul says that we are all without excuse as a result of this creation in Romans 1. Our very existence begins by the power of God. And what's more, it came about as a result of His word.

8 times God speaks and something comes into being in Genesis 1. God speaks and it is done. He has the power to reveal Himself through His word(s). And this is why preaching must start with God. If all of life begins with the word of God, how much more then the preaching of God's Word? Preaching is not born out of our cleverness, nor our talent for speaking, nor our ability to grip the audience, nor our ideas that we'd like to talk about. Preaching is born out of the silence of listening for God's whispers of revelation.

In Matthew 13, Jesus tells a parable of a sower and 4 different types of soils. When asked why He spoke in parables, Jesus answered, "Therefore I speak to them in parables; because while seeing they do not see, and while hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand." (Matthew 13:13). This is the state of many a preacher today. Speaking they do not speak (the things of God). In order to be able to truly preach the word of God, we must come to Him waiting patiently to hear. And if we are not careful, we will walk into the pulpit blind, deaf, and dumb. We will know that the preacher has been with God because, as Albert Mohler Jr. says, "no man can give at once the impression that he himself is clever and that Christ is mighty to save."

We must begin with God, because if we do not, we have nothing to say. Our wisdom and eloquence may be enough to captivate an audience, although usually it is not, but the wisdom of God is the only wisdom with any power. Speaking of the power of plainly preaching the Gospel Paul says in I Corinthians 2:1-13:

And when I came to you, brethren, I did not come with superiority of speech or of wisdom, proclaiming to you the testimony of God. For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified. I was with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling, and my message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith would not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God.

Yet we do speak wisdom among those who are mature; a wisdom, however, not of this age nor of the rulers of this age, who are passing away; but we speak God’s wisdom in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God predestined before the ages to our glory; the wisdom which none of the rulers of this age has understood; for if they had understood it they would not have crucified the Lord of glory; but just as it is written, “Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard, And which have not entered the heart of man, All that God has prepared for those who love Him.”

For to us God revealed them through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God. For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God, which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words.

Truly transformational preaching is marked by the words of John the Baptizer. He must increase, I must decrease. Or to say it differently, the louder I get, the quieter God gets in my preaching. A right understanding of preaching will lead us to the same conclusion as Calvin Miller. "A great preacher brings to the pulpit great sermons from the presence of God." Only when the preacher has been with God, in prayer and the word, will he be able to come before the church body ready to preach. Anything offered not from the presence of God is at best a grand speech and at worst a pointless one. And yes, I have been guilty of both. But may God grab hold of His heralds and whisper the words of life into their ears.

God and Injustice

It has been a while since I have written anything here (having a 3rd child changes things just a bit.) Also, with the added responsibility of being the interim preaching minister at Round Lake, I am finding that I have to be even more devoted in "making time". I actually intend to step up my blogging from once a week to twice a week now. Early in the week (usually Tuesday) I will post something ministry related, things that are coming out of my sermon preparation or that we as a leadership are dealing with. This is a way for anyone who reads to stay up to date with what is going on at Round Lake.

Later in the week (usually Friday) I will return to posting thoughts that come out of my thesis work. This has been a long journey and I find myself now faced with the task of writing the first chapter. The focus of this chapter is on how the Trinity is expressed through preaching and why God is the one responsible for preaching. It should provide for some interesting material over the coming months.

As I have been preparing for our new sermon series, Habakkuk: God and Injustice, I find myself wrapped up in a concept that Charles Spurgeon and John Piper brought to my attention. It has to do with sailing. If you have ever known the joy of having a moving religious experience, you know the momentum that this can give to your spiritual life. Maybe it was a conference where you first realized your need for the salvation that Jesus has to offer. Maybe it was alone in your room studying the word and having a moment where the lightbulb came on. Or maybe in a church service, God moved in such a way that you were brought to tears. When we have these moments, we often mark our lives by them. This is like the sails of a sailboat. These experiences puff us up and give us the opportunity to catch the "wind" also known as the Holy Spirit (see John 3). As these experiences prepare us for God's work, the Holy Spirit swoops in and moves us in God's direction.

I am not a nautical man (meaning I don't know much about boats) so this next part has been interesting for me. When sailing, it is important that the ballast of the boat is equivalent to the amount of force that the wind will apply through the sails. The ballast is the weight needed to keep the boat upright. Too much and you sink, too little and the boat goes tipping forward. When we have these moving religious experiences, it is critical that the weight of the glory of God helps keep our "experiences" in check. We need the ballast of God's glory. And this is where the sin of the world comes in.

Habakkuk 1:3a says, "why do you make me see iniquity?" There are many answers and God's answer is "because if I explained it to you, you wouldn't understand," (see Habakkuk 1:5). But let us consider something. Why does God allow us to see so much iniquity in the world? The answer is so that we are reminded of the weight of what God has done and is doing. Things like cancer, earthquakes in Haiti, lying politicians, murder, rape, abortion, and suffering of all kinds exist for the glory of God. They exist to remind us of our need and this world's need for a savior. They exist to bring some weight into our otherwise weightless lives. How much time have you spent today contemplating the sovereignty of God? How much time have you spent contemplating the new season of "Lost"? Or how your favorite sports team is doing? Or how much time have you spent watching the clock to see when work ends? We need to contemplate injustice in this world more, so that we might be reminded of how Glorious our God is.