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..."