Equip, Don't Enable

One of my great concerns for the church in America today is the consumer mentality that has become so pervasive. Unfortunately, in my experience, most pastors complain about it a lot but then unintentionally, or even intentionally, propagate that reality in their churches as, rather than equipping our people, we are enabling our people. Ephesians 4:11-13 has an important word to offer to us to that end. Consider these words:

And He personally gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, for the training of the saints in the work of ministry, to build up the body of Christ, until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of God’s Son, growing into a mature man with a stature measured by Christ’s fullness

While this passage is not unknown to most pastors, I am not sure we have really considered the application of the text. I see four major implications of this text that cannot be missed by those who are leaders in the church.

1. God gives the church leaders. (11)

Leaders are not in their role simply because of giftedness, or desire, though both of those things are important. Leaders exist in their roles, first and foremost, because God has ordained that they be there. Your role as a church leader is a commission; an assignment from the God of the universe. It cannot and should not be approached with lazy, half-hearted effort. Leaders are given, as a personal gift from God. Notice the text. Leaders do not just exist. They do not just exist because God put them there. They exist as God's gift to the church. The idea here is that church leaders are intended by God to be a good, and gracious gift to the church.

2. Leaders equip the body. (12a)>

It is difficult to overstate this. God does not give us church leaders so that they can simply "do ministry." This text reminds us that He gives us leaders to equip the body, as a whole, to do ministry. In the American church we have even modified our vocabulary about the vocational expectation of a pastor to indicate that when we assume certain aspects of pastoral leadership that are focused on serving the needs of others we are now known as being "pastoral.” This belies a belief that what it means to be pastoral is to minister to the needs of others. This is unfortunate because, not only is it not faithful to the biblical text, but it is enabling, rather than equipping the church.

While this practice can sound noble, and while the pastor should certainly be a servant, we do a disservice to the people we serve and the kingdom of God, if we as leaders do the ministry that God has called the whole church to do. I want to suggest that while “pastoral ministry” is part of our responsibility as the body of Christ, the unique responsibility of the church leader is not to be extraordinarily good at “doing ministry”, but instead to invest our lives equipping the body to serve.

Not only that, though, the bible is clear that the ministry will not be done well, when we assume that posture, and the church will not grow, when we assume that posture.

Far too often we have developed a form of church that reflects our consumer driven society. “Church” is where people go to receive goods and services, and the pastor’s job is to deliver those goods and services. In this model,  we don’t create disciples, we create customers.

3. The body is built up. (12b-15)

The ability of the church to be built into the image of Jesus is dependent upon the leadership training and handing off ministry. Allow me to say that again. The ability of the church to be built into the image of Jesus is dependent upon the leadership training and handing off ministry. This cannot be stressed enough. The spiritual growth and maturity of the church is incredibly dependent upon the church leadership's capacity to develop the body to serve in ministry.

Colossians 1:28-29 reminds us, We proclaim Him, warning and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone mature in Christ. 29 I labor for this, striving with His strength that works powerfully in me

I know so many pastors and church leaders who are living out this passage, and yet they are frustrated because much of their effort seems to be ineffective. I want to suggest that our effectiveness as a pastor or church leader is extraordinarily connected to our capacity to hand off ministry others.

Notice how Paul says the church will grow, when leaders are developing others and handing ministry off to them. Paul says that the church will grow in unity, knowledge, doctrinal stability, gracious speech & the character of Jesus. Is it surprising, then, to note that much of these described character traits are absent from the church today? Could it be that our insistence on doing what we should be equipping others to do with us is radically inhibiting our churches?

The ability of the church to be built into the image of Jesus is dependent upon the leadership training and handing off ministry. All this is done as Jesus enables it to be so, and it is done to bring him great glory. As we serve passionately, equipping the body for the work of ministry, the body matures into what God intends for them to be. His bride is made perfect (or complete) as they mature, and that maturity does not happen apart from equipping. Notice the progression of the text concerning what Jesus accomplishes in the church, as leaders equip the church instead enable the church.

4. Jesus is glorified. (16)

All this equipping, this "building up of the body" is done as Jesus enables it to be so, and it is done to bring him great glory. As we serve passionately, equipping the body for the work of ministry, the body matures into what God intends for them to be. His bride is made perfect (or complete) as they mature, and that maturity does not happen apart from equipping. Notice the progression of the text concerning what Jesus accomplishes in the church, as leaders equip the church instead enable the church. The text explicitly points out that when church leaders equip the body, this is what would happen in the church:

- Jesus brings the church together (unity in diversity)

- Jesus makes the church grow

- Jesus increases the church’s capacity to love

- Jesus helps every believer to reach their potential

Ultimately, in the end, all of these things serve to make us like Jesus and advance Jesus’ mission. If we want to lead churches to be like Jesus; if we want to lead churches to advance Jesus’ mission, then we must determine to do the hard work of equipping the people. We must hand off ministry. Unfortunately, the reality is that in too many churches this kind of ministry shift would be challenging. Objections are sure to come from lazy church members who are happy as consumers, but I fear that the greatest objections will come from pastors who are fearful of doing the hard work of leading this kind of change, or who feel personally fulfilled when the church is radically reliant on them being Pastor Superman.

Remember this radically important lesson. You church's mission effectiveness is directly tied to ministry multiplication. Yes, this is hard. It may even be costly, both personally and professionally, but I am confident that the future success of the church is dependent upon it.

Warning: Don't Bury Our One Talent

Adam Cavalier currently serves as cross-cultural worker in southeast Asia. His home church is The Chapel on the Campusin Baton Rouge, LA. He holds a Master of Theology (Th.M.) in pastoral ministries from Dallas Theological Seminary. Check out his blog at From Cajun to Asian.  

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Imagine there is a young, flourishing leader in your church. He is a bright, humble, and faithful extrovert. Not only that, but Extrovert has an insatiable desire to know God through his Word, exudes confidence, has impressive communication and social skills. Everybody in the church loves him and believes he has great potential to be a celebrated leader in God’s church. Extrovert just read a book on missions, has been infected with the Great Commission bug, and it looks like he is never going to recover. Now when he reads Scripture, he sees God’s heart for the nations on every page. After praying through a book that lists unengaged, unreached people groups, he has zeroed in on a particular people group in Northern India. Currently every time he prays, God continually places this specific people group on his heart. He believes God is calling him to dedicate his whole life to this group by learning their language, translating the Bible into their native tongue, and sharing the gospel with them until either every single person in that group believes in Jesus Christ or the he returns in glory.

Also, imagine another young leader in the church who is not so dynamic. People aren’t necessarily overly drawn to his personality. He has a quiet, gentle, introverted spirit, but some find him a little odd. Although he has his little quirks, Introvert has exemplary Christian character. He is faithful, honest, dependable, and he can handle the Word well. The church loves him, but they don’t want him on stage. And because he doesn’t have an infectious personality like Extrovert, they keep him relegated to less visible responsibilities in the church. Dissimilar to Extrovert, Introvert isn’t as drawn to the cross-cultural mission field. He sees God’s passion for the nations, but isn’t personally called to be a missionary. He feels called to stay home, equipping and sending others.

Misguided Intentions

There is a problem. Most people in his church and community think that both their plans are misguided and ill-advised. The church wants to send Introvert to the field, and keep Extrovert home. They wonder why Extrovert would want to go and use his God-given personality overseas. He could cultivate it and have a much greater impact on God’s Kingdom at home where the crowds are. Likewise, they think that Introvert could better be used cross-culturally. He doesn't light up the stage, but there are unreached people who are lost and dying apart from the knowledge of Christ in distant lands. Though he is a tad awkward in social settings in our culture, he could be effective in international ministry. I have heard these arguments time and time again. This is not a hypothetical story; it’s the story of many believers who desperately want to be a part of God’s promise to have someone from every tongue, tribe, and nation represented in Heaven worshiping the one true King.

Praise God For All Types

The intention should not be to regard certain personalities as essential over and against others. The call is for Christians to regard all personalities as fundamental to God’s purposes for nation-saving, sin-breaking, life-changing, risk-taking, God-honoring purposes. We are not to pity persons who are individually called to go to the cross-cultural mission field, we are to praise them; better yet, we are to praise God for them. One the one hand, those who want to serve Christ overseas are invaluable here. They are precious, and we need more people with a heart for the nations at home to function as senders and equippers. The missions-minded believer will be a catalyst for others to give more time, resources, and thought to what God is doing in the nations. A believer who is willing to go must also be willing to stay.

On the other hand, someone who feels called to serve Christ overseas would have immediate impact on the field. Go-ers should go! I believe our desire has all too frequently been to export our under-developed introverts and hoard our over-exposed extroverts. Many in our Western cultural are guilty of burying our one “talent” in the ground and waiting for our “hard” Master to return (see Matthew 25). As Westerners, we do a great job of giving time, money, resources, and prayer to the foreign mission field. But when it comes to what we cherish most – our beloved people – we are less willing to give that up to God. I believe that we should not only be lavish in our distribution of gifts, talents, and resources, but also our people. As John Piper says in his book Let the Nations Be Glad!, “Many Christians in the West think that the day of sending missionaries from our churches is past. This is tragic. Presumably, what we should do now is support missions from the Global South (“the Christian church in Africa, Latin America, and Asia”). My way of putting that would be: Let them shed their blood. We will just send money." This is true of believers in the West, but I believe it is especially true of our well-liked extroverts.

Let God Decide

I believe this problem often stems from our seemingly-impenetrable pragmatic worldview. Who doesn’t want a dynamic pastor that can handle and communicate the truth of God properly? Don’t misunderstand me. I think we should have well-trained pastors and church leaders equipped with biblical truth and skills to minister in the local church effectively. But I believe we have not always done a good job of balancing this principle with an uncompromising faith in God’s astonishing promise that he will carry out the work – regardless of our best attempts to help (or hurt). Will the dishes get done if your child helps you in the process? Sure, we might break a dish or two in the process, but God decides to include us in the task that has a sure outcome. Someone from every single tongue, tribe, and nation will be present before the throne. The question is this:  Will we completely trust that God will accomplish his purposes through us in a way that only he can do?

Our subtle response to person's calling is to respectfully ask, “Did God really say that you should go to that people group?” I think that if we continue on this Spirit-quenching approach to Kingdom growth, we will deliberately stunt Spirit-empowered growth and will only allow for man-made results. Can’t you hear it? Some have said, “Come, let us build ourselves a nation and a church with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be dispersed over the face of the whole earth.” The good news is that this is not an unsolvable problem.

By the grace of God and with his help, we can overcome our poor stewardship by only one thing: Believing the gospel. We should be eager to send our “best” people out to the field, not reluctant to let them go. Time and time again, I have seen Christians willing to send out “strange” introverts to the cross-cultural field, but hesitant to send their fashionable extroverts. Joseph and his dreams can go to distant lands and foreign people, but the older brothers can stay. David can go out to the fields and tend to the sheep, but the stronger brothers can stay and fight. The character and calling of a believer should override our (sometimes selfish) opinions on guiding our brothers and sisters on where they should go or what they should do with their lives. In this case, Jim Elliot’s memorable quote should ring a resounding amen in our hearts, “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.”

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For another great article on extroverts and introverts, see Seth McBee's article HERE.

8 Tips for Short-Term Mission Trips

Mark Hampton is currently a student at Criswell College pursuing a B.A. in Biblical Studies. He also works as an intern at Metrocrest Community Church in Coppell, TX where he plays a role in music, media, and missions. Last June, he returned from a six-month mission trip to India and will be returning this summer to work with pastors in rural environments. Follow him on Twitter: @markismoving. ___

As summer approaches, churches across the nation prepare to send out teams for their summer mission trips. Those who are going on trips typically go through some type of training, but as flawed individuals, it’s more than easy to make some mistakes. Some are only minor and will lead to a good laugh and a great story to bring home; however, there are others that can have more collateral damage than meets the eye, and could prevent the work we do as missionaries from being effective.

Here is my list of eight important things that I have learned from doing mission work and I hope that it helps all of us going on trips this summer to have a greater impact, realistic mindset, and do the least damage to others and ourselves.

1. Serve Incarnationally

One of the foremost things to remember when going on mission is that you are there to serve. Whether you are evangelizing, teaching, or building a house, it will mean more to someone if it comes from a servant’s heart. Keep in mind the attitude of Christ who “came not to be served but to serve” (Matt. 20:28). Also, be incarnational when you do so. By incarnational, I mean that we should strive to be as much like those we are serving. As Paul wrote, “I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some” (1 Cor. 9:22b). Embrace your host culture in every way that you can; eat they eat, wear what they wear, do what they do. This is what Christ did to come in the flesh and take “the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men” (Phil 2:7). Trust me, you’ll do more to reach people from a different culture if you can empathize with them, rather than trying to maintain your American identity.

2. You Don’t Have to Be ‘Called’

That’s right! So, if you happen to be waiting for a great sign from God for you to go on mission you can quit waiting. You don’t have to be called because you have already been commissioned (Matt. 28-18-20; John 20:21; Acts 1:8). As a new creation in Christ, you have the authority to go and proclaim the Gospel to all nations (2 Cor. 5:17-19). You can go and serve out of obedience to Christ’s commands without having received some specific "call.". As a disclaimer, prayerfully consider what God would have you do though. There may be a specific reason He does not want you to go and you should concede to stay home. On the other hand, God may specifically call you to go somewhere and likewise, you should obey what God has put on your heart.

3. Support the Stayers

Most of us who go on summer trips aren’t going to pack up and move there. However, we will probably be working with someone who has committed to a specific area or people group for a long amount of time. Keep in mind that they have more experience in the area and that they will build relationships with people that will extend outside of a 1-2 week period. Often, encouraging and serving them is as vital a part of missions as working with the unreached. Your support can help them press on in difficult working conditions. Cleaning their house, watching their kids, or any other behind the scenes work can help them be better servants to those you are collectively trying to reach. Try to build into the ministry they have to help create something long term, rather than just performing hit and run ministry.

4. Don’t Build Things That Won’t Last

This is probably one of the easiest and most dangerous things that we can do on mission trips, and I must admit that I am guilty of it. This most often happens with the relationships we form, especially with children. In missions where you work with children, they are probably the less fortunate. They have probably been abandoned or experienced some type of loss before, and they do not need to form a bond with someone who is going to leave them never to be seen again. Now, I’m not saying to avoid children when you go on mission, but bear in mind that you do have a flight home. Don’t make promises you can’t keep, but rather, try to lead the people you work with into better relationships with those who are there for the long haul.

5. Embrace the Awkward

Get out of your comfort zone and practice doing so! Seek out a community that is different from your own somewhere near where you live. Take a team member and go visit them and talk with them. Sure, it’s not going to feel natural, but if you go with a genuine interest to get to know the people you may be surprised how quickly the walls can come down and how quickly relationships can begin to form.

6. Have a Stay-at-Home Mission Partner

Remember, not everyone you come home to has had some awesome experience over the past few weeks. Realize that life has carried on as normal for them and that they won’t have the same enthusiasm as you do when you come home. Get a close friend (preferably someone who has been on a mission trip before) to be there to talk about everything you did, hear all of your stories, and look at the 3,000 pictures you took. Have this person praying for you every day from the moment you know you’re going to the day you come home. Try to send them a postcard if you can and bring them home a small gift. When you tell them of everything God did they will know that they were also a part of what took place.

7. Manage Your Expectations

The key word here is YOUR. By YOUR, I mean YOUR expectations about YOURself. God will be God, and He will do amazing things, but you are not God. There are going to be times when you are worn out, spiritually exhausted, tired of the living conditions or the food, and are frustrated. I recommend memorizing a specific Psalm you can say to yourself when these moments occur. It’s also important to keep your expectations realistic for when you come home. It’s easy to come home with the “Mission High”, and again, I’m guilty of doing so. We think we’ll be completely different when we come home, but it just doesn’t last. God works on us over time. Yes, going on a mission trip can fundamentally change you, but understand that there may be more subtle things that have changed about you as a result that may take a while before you see what they are.

8. Pray for the Ridiculous

Surround your mission trip in prayer! Enlist others to pray, as many as you can, and don’t be afraid to pray for God to do things that seem absurd. Our biggest vulnerabilities can turn into God’s greatest victories if we are obedient and trust in Him to do the work. Pray for your time on mission from every angle possible and don’t let one detail escape being prayed for. Invite the Holy Spirit into every facet of the task at hand and pray constantly before, during, and after your trip.

I hope and pray that this list will challenge, encourage, and inspire those who are going on mission trips this summer. Certainly, this does not cover everything that could be said about missions. This list merely comprises what have been some of my greatest (and hardest) lessons that I have had to learn both on and off the mission field. Remember, that in our weakness God’s strength is perfect (2 Cor. 12:9), and because of that promise we can take hope in what God will do through us to reach the lost and hurting of this world. Therefore, be bold! Go and serve and you will see what amazing ways God can use His people!

Your Baby's Ugly

Hershael York is Victor and Louise Lester Professor of Christian Preaching and Associate Dean of Ministry and Proclamation in the School of Theology of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and Senior Pastor of Buck Run Baptist Church. He is married to Tanya and they have two sons. ___

I often have to answer the strangest question anyone could ask a preaching professor: “Do you think preaching can be taught?” I always want to respond, “No, I’m just going through the motions for the money.” Of course I never do, not only because it’s best not to say the smart aleck things I sometimes think, but because I know what they mean when they ask. It’s not really an unfair question.

No one denies that a preaching class and some coaching can help anyone become better. What we question is the possibility that someone with no natural giftedness and ability can be taught well enough that he can become really good.

For the last sixteen years I’ve sat in a seminary classroom, listening to student sermons on an almost daily basis, and I’ve heard every kind of sermon and every level of preacher. I’ve seen guys so nervous that they had to stop and vomit during the sermon, and I’ve been so moved by a student’s sermon that I felt I had been ushered into the presence of the risen Christ. I’ve seen guys who were no better the fifth time they preached for me than they were the first time, but I’ve seen guys whose initial sermon was depressingly awful turn it around so radically by the end of the semester that I almost couldn’t recognize him as the same preacher.

On the first day of the semester or the first time I hear a student preach, I have no way of knowing if he has what it takes or is willing to do what he must to be the preacher he needs to be, but I can usually tell by the second sermon if he does, because that is when he has to act on what I told him after his first sermon. What makes the difference?

1. Calling

The most frustrated preacher is the one who has a sense of duty but not a burning calling. Preaching is not just another helping profession, a Christian version of the politics or the Peace Corps. The call to preach is a definite demand issued by the Holy Spirit that ignites a fire in one’s bones that cannot be extinguished by the hard-hearted, stiff-necked, or dull of hearing. A preacher who has been called must preach what God has spoken simply because God has spoken it. The success of one’s ministry will depend on the strength of his calling. His willingness to work at his preaching will be proportional to his conviction that God has called him to preach and to be as fit a vessel for God’s use as he can be. The Holy Spirit must undergird everything else from preparation to delivery, and that will not happen apart from that calling.

2. Teachability

Being a preaching professor is like getting paid to tell a mother that her baby is ugly. It might be the truth, but it’s not a truth anyone wants to hear. Most guys I have taught dread my comments and cringe when I tell them they missed the point of the text or seemed unprepared. They tire of hearing me tell them they lack energy or failed to establish a connection with the audience. Every now and then, however, someone smiles gratefully as I offer corrections and suggestions. Someone may even say, “I want you to be really tough on me. Tell me everything I’m doing wrong because I really want to do this well.” That guy is going to be fine because his spirit is teachable and he’s willing to pay the cost of personal discomfort in order to be effective. He understands that he is a vessel in service of the text and his feelings are not the point.

3. Passion

Almost all my students are passionate about Christ, about reaching the lost, and about the Word of God. The problem is not that they don’t feel passionate but rather that they do not show passion. What I feel is never the point, whether good or bad, but rather how I act. If my delivery of the Word does not convey that passion, then my audience will not be moved to be passionate about it either. The prophets were all passionate. The apostles were passionate. Jesus was passionate. Why else would farmers, fisherman, and housewives come stand in the Galilean sun for hours just to hear Him?

I once heard a missionary preach at the Southern Baptist Pastors Conference. He was dynamite, preaching a great expository sermon with incredible energy and moving the entire audience by his treatment of the Word and his testimony of baptizing tens of thousands of Africans. Astonished by his great preaching, I approached him and held out my hand to introduce myself. “Hershael.” he said, shocking me that he knew my name, “we went to seminary together.” Embarrassed, I admitted that I did not remember him. “You had no reason to,” he explained, “I was very quiet, never spoke in class, and never went out of my way to meet anyone.” I asked him to explain what happened. “When I got on the mission field, no one would listen to my preaching of the gospel. I was putting them to sleep. When I came stateside and preached in churches, they were bored to tears. Finally I realized that the only way to be effective was to preach the Word in the way it deserved to be preached, so I became willing to go beyond my natural personality and comfort zone and allow God to make me effective. I prayed for the Word to so grip me in the pulpit that I would never be boring again.” His teachability led him to show a passion that was not natural to his introverted personality. It was supernatural.

4. Reckless Abandon

The generation of students I now teach have grown up with the written word—on screens, smart phones, blogs, Kindles, and now iPads. Through video games they have raced cars, built civilizations, won wars, destroyed zombies and killed hundreds. They communicate orally far less than any previous generation, and when they do so, they typically do it with less passion. Yet God still uses the preaching of His Word—an oral event—to edify the church, encourage the saints, and engage the lost.

So to preach the Word, a young man has to be willing to get completely out of the comfortable cocoon he’s built in his personality and habits, and recklessly abandon himself to risk being a fool for Christ. I tell my students, “That little voice inside your head saying ‘That’s just not who I am’ is not your friend. Sanctification is the process by which the Holy Spirit overcomes ‘who I am’ and shapes me into who He wants me to be. So if I need to preach with a reckless abandon that is foreign to my natural way, I will beg the Holy Spirit to help me do it for Christ.”

Pay the Price

Frankly, very few students I teach fail to get the meaning of the text. They often demonstrate an exegetical and hermeneutical sophistication that astounds me. They are serious about the Word. But they make the mistake of thinking that if they just feel that way, and if they just say the words, the preaching will take care of itself. And if they keep thinking that, if they insist on “data dump” sermons that just concentrate on the content and not also the delivery, there’s not much I can do for them. They will be the kind of preachers they want to be.

But if someone has a burning calling, a teachable spirit, a passionate heart, and a reckless abandon to pay the price to preach well, then not even the limitation of their own background, personality, or natural talents will keep them from preaching the Word of God with power.

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*Editor's Note: For another helpful post on preaching, check out our interview with Jared Wilson and Tony Merida.

Interview: J.D. Greear on "Stop Asking Jesus Into Your Heart"

You will be hard pressed to find a book with a more compelling, if not controversial, title than J.D. Greear’s new book, “Stop Asking Jesus Into Your Heart." For those of you who may not know J.D., he is the Lead Pastor of The Summit Church in Raleigh/Durham, North Carolina. J.D. has pastored The Summit since 2002, when he led the church to relaunch itself (formerly known as Homestead Heights). At the time of the relaunch they were running close to 300 people, and now are exceeding 6,000 regularly. For the past few years they have been recognized by Outreach Magazine as one of the 25 fastest growing churches in the country. J.D. is kind enough to stop by the blog today to speak with us about his new book. I am thankful for his willingness to give us a bit the inside story behind the book, and to help us understand the content of the book a bit more.

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1. J.D., thanks for stopping by the blog today. I appreciate the effort. Your new book has a provocative title. I am confident that it is stirring interest in those who are reading it. So, give us a quick synopsis. What is the book all about?

My main thesis in this book is that reducing salvation to a sinner’s prayer gives assurance to some who shouldn’t have it, and keeps assurance from some who should. I wrote this book because there are a lot of people who can’t seem to find assurance no matter how many times they pray “the prayer,” and others who have a false assurance based on the fact that they went through a ritual with their pastor.

You could say I wrote the book to bring comfort to the unnecessarily troubled, and to trouble the unjustifiably comforted.

2. Your story is similar to mine, though I haven’t been baptized as many times as you. However, you talk about your struggle with assurance and the fact that you have been baptized four times. You also point out that false assurance, which is the flip side of the coin, is a serious danger. Of the two, which do you think is a bigger plague in the church?

Based on statistics that those like the Barna Group have run, the larger numerical problem is probably the falsely assured: 51% of all American adults believe they are going to heaven, even though most of that group never attends church, reads the Bible, or lives in any recognizably Christian manner. But the flip side of the problem is a huge issue that I have encountered repeatedly in my time as a pastor.

In the end, it’s less important to figure out which side of the coin is the “bigger” plague, but to focus on the remedy. And I believe that part of the problem comes from the shorthand, clichéd ways we speak of the gospel. The usual evangelical shorthand for the gospel is to “ask Jesus into your heart” or to pray the “sinner’s prayer.” Shorthand is fine insofar as everyone knows what the shorthand refers to. But in our day “the sinner’s prayer” has often become a substitute for repentance and belief.

To be clear—I am not trying to say that the sinner’s prayer is wrong in itself—after all, repentance and belief are in themselves a cry to God for mercy. Jesus presents the repentant tax collector being converted through the prayer, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner” (Luke 18:13). Some of the greatest evangelists in history—even Reformed ones—used a sinner’s prayer, including John Bunyan, George Whitefield, and Charles Spurgeon. Spurgeon would plead with people to pray the words of a sinner’s prayer after him as part of the conclusion to his sermons. I would go so far as to say that if you do not press for a decision when you preach the gospel, you haven’t fully preached the gospel, because the gospel in its very essence calls for a response. I’m not even against the language of asking Jesus into your heart, because—if understood correctly—this is a biblical concept (cf. Rom 8:9–11; Gal 2:20; Eph 3:17)!

I am saying that the sinner’s prayer has become a Protestant ritual that people often go through without considering what the prayer is supposed to embody. God doesn’t give salvation in response to a prayer; repentance and faith are the instruments that lay hold of salvation. You can express repentance and faith in a prayer, but it is possible to repent and believe without a formal prayer, and it is possible to pray a sinner’s prayer without repenting and believing.

3. In chapter 2 you mention that every religion in the world, except for Christianity, uses doubt to compel one to obey. However, in my experience, doubt is one of the most often used reasons for many Christians to obey. Instead, you suggest that the gospel of God’s grace creates a desire to obey. What’s the difference? As long as we are obeying, that’s all that should matter, right?

God is not simply after obedience; He’s after a whole new kind of obedience, the obedience that grows from desire. He wants the intimacy of sons, not just the service of slaves. Unfortunately, far too many Christians use doubt as a catalyst for obedience. The Roman Catholic Church of Martin Luther’s day, for instance, believed that people would only obey when threatened with harsh consequences for rebellion. Luther did not mince words when he called this the “damnable doctrine of doubt.”

We are supposed to relate to God as a father, not as a strict task-master. A faithful father does not leave his kids wondering whether or not he knows and loves them. When I go away on a trip, I don’t say to my kids, “Daddy will be back soon . . . or maybe he won’t. Maybe I’m not really your daddy at all. Maybe my real family lives somewhere else. You’ll just have to wait and see if I come back. Sit around and think about that while I’m gone, and let that compel you to become better children.”

That would not produce love and loyalty in my children. It might produce a little fear-based obedience, but it’s only a matter of time until fear-based obedience turns into father-loathing bitterness and rebellion. I don’t want my children feeling like orphans, and neither does God.

4. At the beginning of chapter 3 you suggest that assurance, in one sense, is as easy as asking the question, do you believe in Christ? Your rationale is supported by John 3:36. However, many who worry over assurance will, with great fear, point back to Matthew 7:21-23 that says:

Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord!’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to Me, ‘Lord, Lord, didn’t we prophesy in Your name, drive out demons in Your name, and do many miracles in Your name?’ 23 Then I will announce to them, ‘I never knew you! Depart from Me, you lawbreakers!’

How do you balance the simple truth of John 3:36 with the fearful tone of Matthew 7?

The verses from Matthew 7 were part of what threw me into the first of my many spirals of doubt. I remember during my 9th grade year, when my Sunday school teacher told us that according to Matt 7, many people who think they know Jesus would awaken on the last day to the reality that he never knew them. I was terrified. How could I know I wasn’t going to be in that group?

My advice to those who fear that they will be among those to whom Christ says, “Depart from Me, I never knew you,” is this: rest in His promise to receive all who hope in His finished work. Jesus’ warning often makes us look inward and find plenty of reasons for God to reject us. But for every one look we take at our sinful heart, we should take 10 looks at Christ. Once Charles Spurgeon, reflecting on those whom Christ turns away in Matthew 7:21–23, said (and I paraphrase), “Never knew me, Lord? How could you say that? When I had no hope of salvation, I rested all my hope on you. When I despaired in my struggle against sin, I looked to you for strength. Jesus could never say to me, ‘I never knew you.’”

None who lean the weight of their soul on the truth of the testimony God gave about Jesus as their hope of salvation will ever hear the words, “Depart from Me, I never knew you.” To rest in Christ’s finished work is, you see, to be known by Jesus.

5. I love the statement you make in chapter 4, in reference to our own assurance. You say, “Present posture is better proof than a past memory.” In other words, your present position before God is more important than whether or not you can remember the time, date, location of your conversion. I’ve said it this way, “The question is not so much, have you believed, but rather are you believing?” Having said that, are you suggesting that salvation does not have to be tied to a “moment?”

Certainly not. Salvation does indeed happen in a moment, and once you are saved you are always saved. My point is that conversion is not a ceremony you go through but a posture of repentance and faith that you assume. The posture does indeed begin in a moment, but it continues for a lifetime.

Salvation happens in a moment: I don’t want to confuse or downplay that. But in that moment, you merely enter a posture of submission to the lordship of Christ and trust in his finished work. That is a posture you maintain for the rest of your life. And the way you know you made the decision to get into that posture is that you are there now.

In the book I compare conversion to sitting down in a chair. If you are seated right now, then you know that at some point in the past you made a decision to sit down—your posture proves it. If you are right now trusting in Christ’s finished work and submitting to his Lordship, that proves you are saved. If you are not, then it doesn’t matter what “ceremony” you went through. Assurance doesn’t come through a memory of a past event, but through our present posture. “Believing,” as it relates to assurance, is almost always presented in the present tense (e.g. 1 John 5:13).

6. Further along in this chapter you speak about helping your children to know Christ. You mention the tension parents feel about not pushing their children to make a hasty decision. I know I have greatly struggled with this. However, you encourage parents to begin appealing to their children to respond to Christ at an early age. How do you do that, and not encourage what would become your testimony, and mine, that of multiple “conversion stories,” multiple baptisms, etc.?

As a father of 4 young children, I have often reflected on the best way to lead them to faith. I want their decision to follow Jesus to be significant, but I also don’t want them to go through what I went through, constantly questioning my previous religious experiences. I know that when you present kids with a “don't you want to be a good girl and make daddy happy and accept Jesus and not go to a fiery hell?” of course they say, “Yes.” “Praying the prayer” in such a situation may have little do with actual faith in Christ and have more to do with making daddy happy.

For that reason, many parents don’t want to push their child to make a decision for Christ. What if we coerce them into praying a prayer they don’t understand, and that keeps them from really dealing with the issues later when they really understand it? Might having them pray the prayer too early on inoculate them from really coming to Jesus later, giving them false assurance that keeps them from dealing with their need to be saved?

I understand that fear. At the same time, I know that children are capable of faith. (In fact, Jesus tells adults that for them to be saved they must become like children, not visa versa!) And Jesus says that those of us who make it difficult for little kids to put faith in Him ought to have a millstone tied around our necks and be thrown into the sea (Matt 18:1–6). So I don’t ever want to discourage my kids from faith.

The dilemma is resolved, however, by seeing salvation as a posture toward Christ and not as a ceremony. There is only one posture ever appropriate to Christ: surrendered to His Lordship, and believing that He did what He said He did. From the very beginning of their lives, I want my kids to assume that posture! So I explain to them often what Christ has done and encourage them to pin their hopes of righteousness on His work and not theirs. Whenever they think about their hopes for heaven, I want their minds to go to what Jesus did on Calvary. And when I encourage them to walk in holiness, I want the motivation—from day one—to be the finished work of Christ on their behalf.

Again, it’s like sitting down in a chair. If you’re sitting down now, that is proof that at some point you made the decision to sit down even if you don’t remember the moment. There was a moment you sat down, but the proof is in the present posture, not the past memory. The same is true with my kids and the Lordship of Jesus and his finished work. They can only be in one of two postures with him. So whenever I talk to them about Jesus, I encourage them to assume the posture of repentance and faith. Why would I ever want them to have a different posture in relationship to Jesus? Whether they can explain later the exact moment they sat down in repentance and faith is less important than the fact that they do it.

7. In chapter 6 you speak about the doctrine of eternal security. You say, “It’s not incorrect to say ‘once saved, always saved.’ It’s just incomplete.” What do you mean by that?

I do believe in eternal security, the idea usually summed up with the phrase you mention here: “once saved, always saved.” But the way that I heard eternal security described in Baptist churches growing up is not the way it is described in the Bible. It’s not even the way that some of the great Baptists of the past—I’m thinking of Charles Spurgeon and John Bunyan, among others—described eternal security.

Neither the great Baptists of the past nor the Bible describes eternal security as a one-time ritual that produces a guarantee of salvation no matter how you live your life. They described it as the knowledge that if God had started a true work in you, he would complete it. And the way that you show your salvation is genuine is by persevering for the rest of your life.

Persevering in the faith is proof that you have the salvation you could never lose; failing to persevere shows that you never had it to begin with.

8. In chapter 7 you address the biblical signs of genuine faith. You even go so far as to say, “the presence of the struggle [with sin] itself can be affirmation that God’s Spirit is at work within you.” I know many will find this difficult to believe. Can you elaborate on this point?

Struggling with sin or its consequences isn’t proof by itself that a person knows God. But I have known a lot of believers who live on the brink of despair because of the presence of sin in their lives. They know the attitude of their hearts, and they recognize strong undercurrents of selfishness, idolatry, apathy, and unbelief. And they begin to wonder, “Can I really be saved and still have these sinful desires?”

The simple answer is, “Yes.” The Apostles all testify to a never-ending and intense struggle they had with sin (cf. Paul’s words in Rom 7:21, and John’s in 1 John 1:8). James says that we sin (even as believers) because we are “drawn away by our own lusts and enticed” (James 1:14). I assume he says that from experience. And I find my own heart prone to unforgiveness, resentment, jealousy, and selfishness more often than I care to admit.

Believers can and do struggle with just about any kind of sinful lust. This is why the struggle is so affirming. Before God’s Spirit came into you, you didn’t struggle with sin—you ran toward it eagerly! But now God’s Spirit lives in you, and you feel the tension of that struggle every day. The strongest evidence of my growth in grace is not absence of struggle, but the growing recognition of my need of grace.

9. As we close this up, if you had 30 seconds to speak to a believer who was greatly struggling with assurance. What would you say to them?

It would, of course, depend on the situation of the person I was talking to, as a wayward believer needs to be treated differently than a humble seeker, but essentially I would ask them if their present posture is one of submission to Christ’s Lordship and trust in his finished work. If so, they are saved, even if they don’t remember the prayer or the moment they got into that posture. If not, then it doesn’t matter what prayer they prayed.

Second, I would ask them to consider whether the signs of eternal life are present in them. As John explains so thoroughly in 1 John, conversion does not bring sinless perfection, but it does begin to make fundamental changes in the human heart.

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If you would like to purchase “Stop Asking Jesus Into Your Heart" click here.

If you would like to see other books by J.D. Greear, click here.

_

Cross-posted from Micah's personal blog.

Women Teaching in the Church?

It may be better to sleep on the corner of the rooftop than live with a quarrelsome woman, but friends, educate that woman and there is hardly a limit to what she can do with her mouth and mind—for good or evil. God created woman as a helper knowing Adam would need help. What that help was exactly will be up for debate for centuries; we only know that the command to both man and woman at that point was to be fruitful, multiply, and subdue the earth. A friend of mine confesses that at times he fears exposing his weaknesses to women in his life for various reasons. To which I replied that a woman was born to see a need, to come and encompass that need, nurture it until the time is right for it to be birthed into something more beautiful than he could imagine. We are built to help in ways men will never be able to help. That is our good design.

Disciplers on the Rise

Another friend and I were talking recently about the droves of women coming out of seminary in the coming years. These women have or will have studied biblical texts, learned Hebrew and Greek proficiently, interacted with scholars, and written theses. They have a deep and true abiding love of God's word, and the inerrancy of it. A few quick internet searches show women make up more than 51% of seminary students, and we should expect that number to grow as the Church at large is increasingly heavy on the side of female presence.

These women have taken the command to be fruitful and multiply seriously, and for many, in the absence of their own children, they have become incubators of God's word. They meditate on it, murmur on it, pray it, speak it, and teach it. They are poised for a gracious reception of hungry souls, souls weary of milk, starving for meat. They are disciples.

And even more, they are disciplers.

They may hold a collective Master of Divinity, they may give their brothers a run for their money in both their drive and grace, but over all of it, they see a distinct need in the world and want to help it. They are like the hen who gathers her chicks, finding the odd ones out and pulling them close, covering over, receiving the broken and disillusioned. And brothers: They should not be a threat to you.

Send Me, I'll Go

As the culmination of all things draws near, we grow more poised for a more holistic picture of what Paul said when he said, "Neither Jew nor Greek, neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus (Gal. 3:28)." Why? Because these women are perfectly situated to teach women. They are the Naomis, the marginalized taking the faces of future women in their hands and saying, "Here is how we see the Kingdom built, and it will take daring women who trust and believe the word of God, who will do beautifully vulnerable things to see the birth of a King brought forth."

As secular feminism is on the rise, more and more women within the Church will be looking for strong female voices. They are not looking for poor theology, but many of them haven't been taught how to study their bibles, or how to discern good theology from bad. Our culture is not the same as when the New Testament was written—more women than ever are without husbands or godly fathers, so there is more of an opportunity than ever for us to be like the women Paul wrote of in his letter to Titus: teaching what is good (Titus 2:3). Culturally it may look different than the first century Christian women looked like, but the message is still the same: the gospel comes in, fills out, changes us, and sends us out to make disciples.

• Has God given you the opportunity to learn the biblical languages? Teach other women so they might rightly discern what is true.
• Have you studied Church history? Teach women so they might help change history.
• Have you been given the gift of a discerning eye and mind? Teach women to exegete the Word, instead of the proof-texting all too common in studies meant for women.
• Has God radically transformed your heart in regard to the gospel? Extol His name to others in everything you say and do.

The question should not be, "Why can't we teach men?" but, "Who will teach the women who want to be taught?"

And our response should be, like Isaiah, "Here am I, send me!"

It Takes All Kinds: The Unique Challenges of Church Plants and Established Churches

Steve Bezner has pastored established churches and planted a church. He serves as Senior Pastor at Houston Northwest Church, an 40-year old congregation with a vision to plant churches throughout Houston. He holds degrees from Hardin-Simmons University (B.A., Bible; M.A., Religion) and Baylor University (Ph.D., Religion). He is married to Joy and has two sons: Ben and Andrew. ___

Answer quickly: Are church plants or established churches more important?

You’re right. It’s a trick question. But to listening the way some people talk, you’d think one is more essential to the success of the Kingdom than the other. I’ve met pastors of established churches who are threatened by church plants or even find new churches unnecessary. Likewise, I know church planters who direct exceptional amounts of contempt at established churches, accusing them of everything from greed to laziness.

I love the church, in all of her expressions. I love her because she is the Bride of Christ.

Over the years, the Lord has seen fit to let me love and pastor a variety of churches in a variety of seasons. While I would steadfastly argue that each church is essential to God's Kingdom, I would also readily admit that each church requires a unique approach.

In other words, leading a church plant and an established congregation have similarities, but they also require different approaches and skills.

Here are three things that I've learned regarding the difference between leading a church plant and leading an established church.

1. Creating vs. Reinvigorating: Church plants demand “ex-nihilo” work; established congregations need fresh insight.

Creating

Planting a church was the single most difficult thing I have ever done in my time as a vocational pastor. I have served in churches almost half of my life (yes, it’s odd to say that), but no other ministry activity I have participated in compares to the emotional and spiritual will necessary to plant a church. Student ministry, college ministry, transitioning/re-planting a church, and educational ministry are all exceptionally valuable for the Kingdom of God. But from the perspective of difficulty, they are all much easier to navigate than church planting.

The reason? Plants, by their very nature, are in a perpetual state of creation. They have nothing from which to build. From checking accounts to governing documents to discipleship processes to sermons to ministry teams, those who are leading church plants find themselves starting something from scratch almost every day.

Personally, I found that task exhilarating. I like to create new things. I always have. But the consistency and demand of constant creation is also exceptionally challenging. If I found myself in the shoes of a church planter today, I would frontload as much of the creative process as possible prior to officially beginning. The more you can decide prior to setting out, the further ahead your fledgling church will be.

Reinvigorating

By contrast, established churches face a different challenge. With existing facilities and structures, it can be difficult for established congregations to recognize the need to re-create structures and patterns within the church. I served 10 years in a county-seat downtown congregation that is almost 140 years old. Today that church is reaching new families, churning out Kingdom disciples, and sharing the gospel at an impressive clip. Three years ago they baptized 100 new believers! Yet that church is in a rural setting in a town of 6,000. Before it could experience growth, it needed to be reinvigorated.

My current church is quite different. It is young by comparison at a mere 40-years old. But, like any church, it needed fresh vision and direction in order to reach its community. The congregation loves its city, but it needed a clear path to share the gospel. Despite having many things that a church plant would absolutely love to have—facilities, by-laws, elders, excellent Bible teachers, and a top-notch staff—the church was frustrated by its inability to move forward. My first priority was helping the congregation discover its God-given DNA and to set an invigorating vision that would help the church receive its mission.

We began by praying for 40 days for three things: 1) Who we ought to reach, 2) How we ought to reach them, and 3) Unity around that vision. I am scheduled to share the new vision this Sunday, and the church is excited.

2. Recruiting vs. Persuading: Church plants require bold challenges; established churches require the subtle art of persuasion.

Recruiting

As a church plant pastor, I constantly found myself casting vision. Everyone was curious as to why I would start a new church. They asked questions like, “Why do we need new churches?” “How is your church different?” “Will you church fit a person like me?” As a result, I regularly found myself drawing napkin diagrams and re-explaining what our church plant was about.

The point was rather bold: Church plants need leaders. And most leaders are already engaged in existing ministries. As the Lord brought us leaders who considered joining us in our endeavor, we were forced to recruit.

I know that may seem rather crass. We don’t recruit; the Lord calls. This, of course, is true. But Jesus himself asked people to follow him. Many did. But some chose not to do so. I never felt ashamed to share my heart for the city and to explain why we were doing what we were doing. And, if people seemed interested and if I sensed the Lord at work, there would come a moment when I would ask, “Would you like to join us?” I received all sorts of responses, and some of them were ego-bruising. But those who are church planters learn quickly that recruiting new leaders is essential to the mission of the church.

Persuading

By contrast, in an established church leaders are already present. There are elders, deacons, ministry leaders, group leaders, Bible teachers, and a host of other leaders already present. And, honestly, they love their church just like it is. If they didn’t, they would have left years earlier. They have relational ties to the church. They have invested significant financial resources into the church. And their hunch is that they will be there long after you have moved on. Harsh? Perhaps, but it is a common sentiment.

How, then, is the new pastor of an established church to proceed? I think the loving art of persuasion is essential. I am currently reading Doris Goodwin’s multi-biography of Abraham Lincoln’s presidency, Team of Rivals. The book is replete with pastoral lessons. Lincoln, through deft diplomacy, recruited his primary political rivals (William Seward, for example) to campaign for him and then join his Cabinet. How? By explaining that the common cause they shared was more important than personal gain.

Pastors of established churches would do well to exemplify such a spirit. By emphasizing the common cause (reaching the city with the gospel) and by taking the time to have loving conversations, the vast majority of church members will gladly join you. But if you fail to take the time to listen and discuss, you will find yourself fighting battles that will prevent the church from moving forward.

3. Marching vs. Strategizing: Church plants require a pastor in the trenches; established churches need a pastor who can move the army around the map.

Marching

Let me describe a typical church planting Sunday:

Arise at 6:00 a.m. to review my sermon and pray for the day. Help my wife get the children up and ready. Load the SUV with materials necessary for this Sunday. Meet my team members at a local school at 9:00 a.m. Set up tables and chairs, unload a trailer, and set up a sound system. Join my children’s ministry in discipling kids. Preach. Visit with newcomers. Help load the trailer and reset the school. Head home for lunch and then have any necessary leadership meetings.

Sound tiring? Good. It was. But it was necessary. During our church planting days, I worked alongside my congregation each week in the work of ministry. I discipled new believers and we hosted Community Groups in our homes. We met with people, we prayed with people, and we did the work of the people alongside the people.

Why? Because church planting is exceptionally intimate. The members see their leader up close and personal. They will smell a phony immediately. If you are not willing to work as hard—even harder, in fact—than those you are planting with, then they will resent you. You must never elevate yourself above the team.

We regularly heard from our church plant members how they were grateful that we worked hard. They knew it was difficult. But we knew it was most effective. How could we ask people with children, community activities, and full-time professions to volunteer time if we were not willing to do so ourselves? A church planter unwilling to be in the trenches will not be a planter for long.

Strategizing

Larger established churches value hard work, as well. But they do not expect the Senior Pastor to be greeting in the parking lot or creating the newsletter. In fact, they would be dismayed to find their pastor doing so. They would see a pastor who did so as one unable to wisely lead his team and manage his own resources.

I find myself more regularly engaged in strategic conversations in my current context. I must be able to see the strategy, and then effectively lead our various ministries to engage in the right way at the right time.

Honestly, I struggled with this initially. I wanted to earn the respect of my church, so I would volunteer to help or serve in a way they did not expect. While they appreciated my willingness, they clearly expressed their desire for me to focus my time on the tasks that only the Senior Pastor could do: Lead the staff, cast vision for the church, and teach the Scriptures.

And they are right. It’s the best plan.

The Truth of the Matter

Bottom line: The church is necessary in all of its expressions. And God has uniquely gifted individuals for both planting and pastoring established congregations. No matter the path He has called you toward, it is challenging, but in its own beautifully unique way. Never be ashamed of it, but never cast aspersion on another expression of His Body, either. Simply walk with what He has given you.

Be the Church: A New eBook on Mission and Discipleship

One of our contributors, Seth McBee, has teamed up with Caesar Kalinowski to write a new eBook. Here's a snippet:

As the conversation around being “missional” has come front and center within certain church circles in recent years, it seems that many of us struggle to grasp and/or explain the basics to others. This short book of simple pictures and conversations is meant to offer a starting point–a way to get, or keep, the dialogue going around some of the key issues surrounding who we are as the Church and what our mission really is.

Grab a copy HERE.

Eugene Peterson on Pastoring: Vocation, Not Job

I’m reading through Eugene Peterson’s pastoral memoir, The Pastor (HarperOne, 2011). He offers some great insights and scriptural reflections on the work of the pastorate throughout the text. I don’t agree with some of Peterson’s theology, to be sure, but I have found myself resonating deeply with his conception of the Christian pastor–and work more broadly. This isn’t a book to tear through; it’s one to read slowly, carefully, turning over sentences in your mind.

Here’s a selection that stood out to me:

But a vocation is not a job in that sense [that it's easy to tell if its done well or badly]. I can be hired to do a job, paid a fair wage if I do, dismissed if I don’t. But I can’t be hired to be a pastor, for my primary responsibility is not to the people I serve but to the God I serve. As it turns out, the people I serve would often prefer an idol who would do what they want done rather than do what God, revealed in Jesus, wants them to do. In our present culture the sharp distinction between a job and a vocation is considerably blurred. How do I, as a pastor, prevent myself from thinking of my work as a job that I get paid for, a job that is assigned to me by my denomination, a job that I am expected to do to the satisfaction of my congregation?

The book is worth purchasing and thinking through. I’ve also really enjoyed Peterson’s un-modern view of the importance of place, the silliness of worrying about congregational size, and the need to actually nurture people. These are overlooked yet powerfully needed contributions.

It strikes me that “job as vocation” is a helpful way to think of work as a Christian. I appreciate how much more deeply this perspective goes than a shallow, task-driven conception of our work. As a professor training students for ministry, the idea of vocational teaching, teaching unto God, is clarifying and enlivening. I’m not merely rendering services to my school; I’m working unto the Lord, giving him glory, growing in piety through my job, using all my faculties for his kingdom (see Colossians 3:23).

That’s a helpful way to think about all of work, I think.

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Cross-posted from Thought Life.

A Gospel-Driven Catechism for Kingdom Warfare

Jeff Medders is the Lead Pastor of Redeemer Church in Tomball, Texas. He is pursuing his M.Div. at Southern Seminary. He and Natalie have one precious little girl, Ivy.  Jeff digs caffeinated drinks, books, and the Triune God. He blogs at www.jeffmedders.org and tweets from @jeffmedders. ___

Today, we are at war. Not with flesh and blood, but in soul. Our heart, soul, mind, and strength are in daily conflicts with the Cosmic Powers. How do you fight?

The Apostle Paul wants us to be catechized. We need a catechism—a gospel-driven catechism of victory.

Dust off Your Catechisms

Catechizing believers, teaching a set list of questions and answers, is a long-rooted practice of the Bride of Christ. It's one that seems to be waning, if not already gone. It's definitely dusty, but we can recover it. Catechism is a powerful, helpful, biblical method of teaching others—and yourself.

How ultra-helpful are the Westminster and Heidelberg versions?

Westminster Catechism

Question 1: What is the chief end of man?

Answer: Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever.

Question 4: What is God?

Answer: God is a Spirit, infinite, eternal, and unchangeable, in his being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness, and truth.

The Heidelberg Catechism

Question 1: What is thy only comfort in life and death?

Answer: That I with body and soul, both in life and death, am not my own, but belong unto my faithful Saviour Jesus Christ; who, with his precious blood, has fully satisfied for all my sins, and delivered me from all the power of the devil; and so preserves me that without the will of my heavenly Father, not a hair can fall from my head; yea, that all things must be subservient to my salvation, and therefore, by his Holy Spirit, He also assures me of eternal life, and makes me sincerely willing and ready, henceforth, to live unto him.

Preaching the Gospel to Our Hearts

We need to become experts in the art of preaching the gospel to ourselves. One of the greatest thinkers and pastors of the past 100 years was Martyn Lloyd-Jones, referred to by many as “The Doctor.” He rightly diagnosed why so many Christians flounder in their daily lives and experiences with God. The Doctor said, "Have you realized that most of your unhappiness in life is due to the fact that you are listening to yourself instead of talking to yourself?" How right on was he? A defeated, depressed, downtrodden, exasperated, exhausted, joyless, burnt-out Christianity is not Christianity.

We need to lay hold of the cross and remember our new life in Christ. We need to preach the gospel to ourselves. We need to catechize ourselves. Catechisms are a turnkey help in the practice of preaching to yourself.

Catechism ought to be in our spiritual discipline gun cabinet.

The long tested spiritual disciplines need a freshening in our perspectives. What can often be seen as a quiet and cute time around a cup of coffee, Moleskine, ESV Study Bible, assorted pens and highlighters—maybe some instrumental music—is nothing short of Kingdom warfare. We don't read the Bible to get a pick-me-up; we read to grow in the knowledge of the holy—yes, and amen!—and we take up the spiritual disciplines as weaponry against the ancient Reptile and his hobgoblins. “For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ”(2 Corinthians 10:4–5 ESV). The last thing Satan wants of the Church is to obey Jesus, glorify Jesus, honor Jesus, spread the fame of Jesus—and that should be our first thing, the chief aim of all spiritual disciplines.

Attack With Gospel Truth

When the hiss of accusation, doubt, and fiery arrows draw near, Paul walks us through a catechism of victory in Romans 8:31-39; and if we resist the devil, and draw near to God, the snake will bolt (James 4:7-8). As you read Romans 8:31-39, look for the question marks.

Romans 8:31-39:

31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? 33 Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? 36 As it is written,

“For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”

37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Paul sets up seven questions (in ten verses!) and gives the answers—what is he doing? He is catechizing us. Romans 8:31-39 may be one of the first Christian catechisms.

There seems to be four main questions:

Question: Why should I not doubt God's love and care for me? (vv. 31-32)

Answer: If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?

Question: How come charges will not stand against me? (v. 33)

Answer: It is God who justifies.

Question: Can I ever be condemned? (v. 34)

Answer: Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.

Question: Can anything separate me from the love of Christ? Will I ever be unloved by God? (vv. 37-39)

Answer: No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Glory to God!

It All Comes Back to The Gospel

The questions are helpful, but the weapon is the answer. What weapon does Paul give when we are wondering if we'll be condemned? Read your Bible more? Pray harder? No way. He gives gospel truth. Stand-alone spiritual disciplines are not an encouragement; they are a vehicle, meant to help us draw near to God (James 4:8). Spiritual disciplines alone aren't the answer to a struggling heart; they take us to the answer. And each question is answered with gospel glories.

• Question: Why should I not doubt God's love and care for me?

Answer: v. 32, He gave us his Son! (Gospel)

• Question: How come charges will not stand against me?

Answer: v. 33, It is God who justifies us! How? The Cross & Resurrection (Romans 4:25). (More gospel)

• Question: Can I be condemned?

Answer: v. 34, Never! Jesus died for you, is alive for you, is at the Father's right hand for you, and interceding for you. (Yep, more gospel!)

• Question: Can anything separate me from the love of Christ?

vv. 37-39, No! You are a mega-conqueror through Christ. You have victory in him & nothing can separate from him. (And again, more gospel!)

Gospel. Gospel. Gospel. Gospel.

It always comes back to God's love; it's lauded four times in the passage (vv. 35, 37, 39). Always come back to his love. And God's love is made plain and clear in the gospel.

Romans 5:6–8 ESV

“For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

God wants you to know and feel his love. While else frame every answer with it?  You can never feel too loved by God.

Are you sure of his love (v.38)? That's the point of the catechism, to be sure. Preach to yourself the immeasurable, matchless bounty of God's love for you.

RESPONSIVE READING

Here is responsive reading based off of Romans 8:31-39, that could assist you catechizing yourself with the gospel.

I struggle to believe God's love and care for me. Is there hope?

God is for me. No one can stand against God’s plan for me. He didn't spare his Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?

Is it true that God won't cast me aside? I've done some bad things; I'll never be good enough.

No one can condemn me, for Jesus died in my place—more than that, He is alive—and he reigns over my life, and is interceding for me.

My life is heavy; things aren't going as I planned. I thought God loved me?

Nothing can separate me from God's love. Trouble, distress, persecution, poverty, danger, and death cannot remove me from God's grace. In all these things, I am more than a conqueror through him who loved me.

Satan prowls around me. I've sinned too much. I've sinned too big. I'm nervous about my future.

For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate me from the love of God in Christ Jesus my Lord.

I confess these truths, clinging to Jesus — I believe and live again.

Christ be praised.

The Church Planting Wife: A Book for Every Man's Wife

I recently read Dangerous Calling by Paul Tripp, where he pulls back the curtain on pastoral ministry. In his book, he confronts the notion that pastors have their lives perfectly put together, never fail, and have different needs from every other Christian. Many books have been written for church planters and for pastors, but few have been so directly applicable to the hearts and lifestyle of pastors. What Dangerous Calling is to pastors, The Church Planting Wife is to every pastor or church planter’s wife.

It is a breath of fresh air, reviving the soul with truth while sympathizing with the challenges that church planter’s wives face, but rarely feel the freedom to discuss. It is written to the woman who has the difficult task of ministering to the man who ministers to everyone else.

Christine Hoover is married to Kyle Hoover and in 2008 they moved to Charlottesville, Virginia to start a new church to bless the people of Charlottesville and the students at the University of Virginia. Her new book is candid, transparent, and direct in teaching to church planter’s wives about the joys and struggles, trials and triumphs of church planting. It combines storytelling, teaching, and counseling to care for the heart and life of the church planter’s wife.

The book begins with her recounting the difficulties of the first year and how they brought her to question God’s plan as they lost their meeting place one year into their efforts. While every person in ministry I know has come to this crossroads, Christine highlights God’s purposes so well as she unpacks God’s work in her life.

“God allowed the difficulty of church planting to sift me, to bring the issues of my heart to the surface. I realized that if I didn’t address these things, my marriage, my family, and my own heart were in danger. God was refining me, cleaning me out, and teaching me dependence rather than self-reliance. I could continue my attempts at controlling and relying on myself, or I could submit myself in dependence on Him…I chose to trust Him with my heart and let Him do – through church planting – the work He needed to do in me.” The Church Planting Wife, p. 19-20

Christine goes on to expose her heart and the lessons she has learned along the way. From wrestling with the role of the church planter’s wife as she hears God remind her “Follow Me. Serve your family. Love people.” to dealing with the sacrifices every church planter and pastor’s family face along the way.

She takes us along her journey to understand friendships in this new world of church planting, how she has learned to stay encouraged amidst discouragement and criticism, and provides practical wisdom connected with powerful truth to guide wives through their own challenges.

Impactful for Any Believer

I found myself incredibly encouraged and challenged simply by being reminded to be dependent on God, trusting Him, and letting faithfulness be my banner of success. This book is refreshing for any believer, but certainly powerful for every church planter’s wife. I would also recommend it to any pastor and his wife as well. The insights are spot on for what every pastor and his wife that I know have and are facing.

She includes interviews from other church planter’s wives, such as Lauren Chandler, Yvette Mason, Ginger Vassar, and Jennifer Carter. Women, who like her, have learned through joy and challenge the blessings of dependence on God in church planting.

A Book for Every Man’s Wife

As I read this book and heard Christine describe all she has learned while supporting her husband and family in church planting, I couldn’t help but see it as beneficial for every man’s wife. Church leadership and church planting have a unique way of reminding those involved that they are on God’s mission, but the call for every Christian is no different, we just don’t always see ourselves as sent by God to that new job in a new location.

I’ve seen many wives follow their husbands to new cities and new careers face some of the same struggles and challenges, and they would all benefit from Christine’s wisdom as she learned to trust God, support her husband, care for her family, and love her neighbors.

I’ve known the Hoovers for over a decade, they did our premarital counseling, and Kyle officiated my wedding. It is no surprise to me to see their faithfulness to God being used to start a church that loves people and serves their city well. It is also no surprise to see such a fantastic book filled with truth, grace, and wisdom be written and published to bless God’s church.

***You can buy it on Amazon here: The Church Planting Wife. You can also read more from Christine Hoover on her blog, gracecoversme.com.

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Cross-posted from Gentrified.

Planting Churches vs. Planting Services

Josh Cousineau is church planter of Redemption Hill, located in Auburn, Maine, and core team member of the Gospel Alliance New England. He enjoys spending time with his high school sweetheart – now his bride since 2002 – and their four children. Josh blogs at JoshCousineau.com.  

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As a church planter over the last year, I have been blessed to interact with many different guys who are planting churches. They come from many different denominations and networks, with just about as many different styles of church that they are seeking to do. I have noticed that as I have talked to these planters and guys who are future planters, many of them are not planting churches as much as they are planting services. I know that may not sound like much of a difference, but trust me there is a big one. However, what we have done with Redemption Hill is attempt to plant a church which will have a service; but the service is not the end goal, the church is.

Planting a Service

Most people I know that are church planters actually end up planting a service. What I mean by this is that they spend their time, energy, effort, and money on the starting of a weekly meeting of some sort. This is usually called “church” and it happens on Sundays. There is music, offering, and a message, to name a few things. Once they have planted their service, they then gauge the success or failure of their plant based on the attendance to this service, how much people gave, how many people come back each week, etc. This has been the common plan on planting churches throughout the United States (and beyond). For example, I have talked to organizations that have “practice services” or “preview services” for people to come and get a taste of what church will be like. If the service is not the end goal, then why are they giving a taste of the church by showing them a Sunday service? The reason is that we have boiled down church to an hour and a half meeting, once a week.

Now I am not opposed to having a Sunday service. We started Redemption Hill with a core group meeting in August of 2011, and then we developed two missional communities that met weekly for a meal and discussion from August to January. When January came, we started gathering weekly as a church family on Sundays. We had music, a message, kids ministry, offering – all the things that you would expect to find in a ‘church.’ However, when we started this Sunday time of worship, it was without much fanfare. No press release, no promotional effort whatsoever. Actually, if you wanted to learn when and where we gathered, you would have to know someone who went and ask them. We didn't even put it on our website or Facebook page.

The reason was that we were seeking to plant a church, not a service. There is a difference. Our goal was to spend time pouring into the church (which we define as the people who are part of Redemption Hill and the global church). We wanted to help them better understand the Gospel, what it looked like to live in community as part of the family of God, and how these two things lead to us living on mission for those who knew Jesus. We were planting the church and preparing them to be the church, not just simply encouraging them to attend church. We were cultivating a heart and passion for disciples who make disciples.

Planting a Church

Planting a church will include a service that meets on Sundays (or maybe Saturdays, or who knows, maybe a Monday afternoon… okay most likely not Monday) to gather, to celebrate, and to worship Jesus – but that is not the main focus of it. Planting a church is not gauged by how many people attend the launch service or your special Easter service, nor is it a failure if you don't have explosive growth on Sunday. Why? Because the goal is not to make a great service with amazing music that draws hundreds of people to hear your amazing oratory skills; the goal is people who are built up as disciples who actually make disciples rather than just attend a killer service. Let me explain.

When one plants a church, they are actually working with the end in sight, meaning that they have a view of what the church should look like. They are working towards the future and growing people and building the team to help them facilitate that goal. When one properly understands ‘church,’ they will see that it is the people that are the church. So building a church means helping the people to see this truth and live in light of this truth. It means that the pastors’ time, energy, and effort should be poured into the people who are the church, not simply the service which is a part of the church life. Even though those who plant a service have the best of intentions, they are in essence putting all their eggs in one basket. What has happened is that they have attempted to accomplish everything a church should be in one swoop on Sunday and have failed. We likely do not have churches that are overflowing with elder qualified men and we don't have men and women who are disciples who are making disciples. One of the main reasons is because the time has been invested wrongly. It is possible to plant a service and have some people who will fulfill these things, but let’s be honest about how much time, energy, and effort it is to have a killer service with lights, projectors, fog machines, etc. Our time is often put into these tings, not the life-on-life training that comes when your focus is on the church and not the service.

I want to reiterate that there is nothing wrong with having a service, focusing on the service, or even investing time, money, and energy into it. We spend (limited) time each week working on the flow, the message, the music, and all the other elements of our Sunday gathering. But I think we miss the point if this is the main focus of church planters.

Measure Your Efforts

I am extremely grateful for the renewed passion and the many young men who are being called to plant churches throughout the world. I am excited for what is happening in networks like A29, SBC, E-Free, and others. But if a church plant is simply defined by setting a date for an event, inviting a bunch of people to that event and calling it ‘church,’ we have missed the point. This is not what Jesus called us to do. He called us to make disciples who make disciples (Matt. 28.19-20). If we measure success when or if people show up, and failure if people don't, we are in grave danger. The church is not an event, it is a called out people – a people that Jesus died for. As church planters we should be willing to invest the time into the people rather than the service.

My hope is not that you would cancel your Sunday service and go all ‘super-organic’ and neglect the gathering of the saints for simply hanging out with people as you drink beer and coffee and then call it church. No, my hope is that you would take a real honest look at your investment as a church planter. Measure the time you spend each week, the way your budget is broken down, and where the people’s time is being invested and ask: Have I planted a church or a service?

Give Your Pastor a Break

Pastors, for the most part, work hard. They love people, love the church, and serve out of a sense of divine responsibility. They generally do it out of this love and commitment, and not because of any financial benefit, as most pastors work for far less money than they could earn elsewhere. Pastoring is a highly stressful vocation and one which requires an often absurd amount of hours. Pastors put their weekly hours in at the office, are usually “on the job” multiple nights throughout the week, and generally have responsibilities on many weekends, with Sundays obviously being consumed with commitments. Beyond that, the nature of the job means they are also almost always available. Phone calls in the middle of the night, emergencies at the hospital on weekends and holidays, as well as days off interrupted by well-meaning people who have a pressing (and often not-so-pressing) need. I know, in my situation as a pastor over the last 10 years, if I put in less than 60-65 hours in a week I considered it a light week and one to appreciate. Pastors work a lot.

The Tasking Work of the Pastor

Beyond the fact that pastors work a lot, the kind of work they do is tasking. Not only does the job require a lot of hours, it also requires a high level of emotional, mental, and spiritual commitment. I can personally attest to the fact that a pastor almost never has meetings with people to discuss all the good things that are going on. Instead, the pastor typically invests their time dealing with sin, struggle, and pain. Counseling sessions with people in need, lunches with people who are unhappy, emails, Facebook messages, etc. All of this adds up to an often weighty amount of time and responsibility that can suck the life out of our pastors, often before we realize it. Pastoral work is not only hard, it is incredibly draining.

In August of 2010, the New York Times said, “Members of the clergy now suffer from obesity, hypertension and depression at rates higher than most Americans. In the last decade, their use of antidepressants has risen, while their life expectancy has fallen. Many would change jobs if they could.” The statistical realities that support this conclusion are often staggering.

With all this said, I would like to suggest a simple, easy to implement idea that should cost little to nothing, but could bring about significant benefits for both your pastors and your church: Give your pastors a break. Seriously. Move quickly to increase their vacation time. Now, before you quickly write me off, according to experts quoted in the same New York Times article, taking a bit of time off may be the most significant remedy to keep your pastors and staff from burning out and walking away. What is particularly great, from a church budget perspective, is this benefit costs little or nothing at all! Cheers all the way around! 

The Importance of Vacation

Over the years, I have spoken to a more than a few pastors who are at churches who give tiny vacation allotments to their pastors and staff. Often this is done by well meaning folks who model their compensation packages after secular packages without giving thought to the fact that pastors rarely work a 40-hour workweek and are always on call, not to mention the emotional and mental demands of the job which lead to higher-than-average burnout/dropout. Giving your pastors one week of vacation, or 10 days of vacation, is simply unfortunate and unnecessary. What makes this even more important, in my mind, is that churches are often operating as tightly as they can financially. Typically they are not flush with cash and, as such, struggle to find ways to compensate their pastors and staff in appropriate ways. Providing for them extra vacation time is an easy, affordable (if not free) way to bless your staff and, in doing so, builds a culture of love and respect among them that leads to even greater commitments to your church. In my mind, it makes little to no sense to offer them tiny, limited vacation packages. Moving their vacation time to three weeks, or even a month, could literally change their life and radically change the life of your church as well.

Thankfully, I can speak to this from personal experience. I have had the privilege of serving in churches that understand how important this is and who have blessed their staff with sufficient time off. I cannot tell you how much of a blessing that was, and how that led to a healthy ministry environment for me and my family.

So, do you want to bless your pastors and staff? Do you want to keep them around, keep them satisfied, and engender their greatest commitment to you while seeing them provide the highest level of service to you? Give them a break. Literally. I think you may be surprised at how well it could pay off for you and for them.

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Cross-posted from Micah's personal blog.

The Importance of the Pastoral "I Don't Know"

Jared Wilson pastors Middletown Springs Community Church  and has authored several books including Gospel Wakefulness and Gospel Deeps. He is the husband of Becky and father of Macy and Grace. He blogs regularly at The Gospel Coalition.

*Editor's Note: This was #12 on our Top Posts of 2012.

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“My happy conviction is that pastors ought not to be experts on everything.” - John Piper

One of the most valuable sentences in a pastor’s arsenal is “I don’t know.” The pressure to know and be everything everybody expects us to know and be can be pride-puffing. I once worked at a bookstore where we were told never to say “I don’t know” to a customer. We must give them some answer, any answer, even if it was a guess or a likely wrong answer. Customers don’t want to hear “I don’t know” from service people, but even a wrong answer makes them feel helped. I confess the temptation to “satisfy the customer” has persisted through my ministry days, for a variety of reasons. I want people to feel helped. And I also don’t like looking like a rube.

Why is it important for pastors (and Christians in general!) to say “I don’t know” when they don’t know? 1. Because it’s the truth. First and foremost, if you don’t know the answer to something, say you don’t know the answer. Making up stuff up is not our calling. We all know some folks who seem pathologically unable to admit ignorance in any area. I don’t trust those people, and neither should you. Better a disappointing truth than a manipulative or misleading fabrication.

2. Because it impresses the right people. I’ve done more than a few Q&A’s after preaching or on panels at speaking engagements before, and the desire to impress with wisdom and insight can be nerve-wracking. Once during a Q&A after a sermon at our church in Nashville, I got real honest when a question stumped me. I don’t remember what it was, but I remember realizing I had no information available to my brain to even begin formulating a halfway intelligent response. So I just said, “I’m sorry, but I don’t know the answer to that.” Afterwards a young lady approached me to thank me for saying “I don’t know.” She said she wished more “religious people” could say it too. The reality is that acting like you know everything impresses shallow, naive, or otherwise easily impressed people. But saying “I don’t know” impresses people who value honesty and appreciate their pastor admitting weakness, ignorance, or just general fallibility.

3. Because it trains others not to be know-it-alls. A few weeks ago a fellow came up to me after our service to ask about the Old Testament figure Ahimelech. I recognized the name but could not recall his biblical importance or the narrative where he was found. My inquirer expected that, as a pastor, I would know all about this figure and even the references where he would be found. I blanked. When I looked him up later, of course, I “remembered” who Ahimelech was, but in the moment, despite losing face with a relatively new Christian, I said, “Brother, I don’t remember. I just don’t know.” This led to a great talk about so-called “Bible trivia,” knowledge, learning, wisdom, and righteousness and the like. I think it was a teachable moment for both of us, but I walked away believing that when a leader is open about the gaps in his knowledge it trains others to be okay with not knowing everything. Of course, we want to know our Bibles as well as we possibly can, but we want to remember that knowledge puffs up and that the Scriptures and the doctrines they teach are meant to make us full-hearted with Christ not big-headed with minutiae.

4. Because it cultivates humility. It is good for a pastor’s heart — no matter the reception — to make his “I don’t know”‘s public.

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Cross-posted from Jared's blog.

Advice to Young Pastors

Being in ministry at a young age can be daunting. Often times, young men dive head first into a ministry role (typically working with youth is an entry point for any wet-behind-the-ears pastor) with a swagger and confidence that screams, “I’m gonna change this church MY way!” At least, that was my mindset. Successes and failures come, heartache makes you want to quit, growth makes you want to pat yourself on the back, and everyone in the church has “advice.” The fact is, ministry is never as it seems. Your bad days are sometimes the days that you grow the most (unknowingly), and the good times are always sweeter than expected. The hardest part for me was the disadvantage that comes with being the youngest guy on the staff. No matter how much you read or how much experience you have (I served in four significant vocational ministry positions by 25), many of the staff and congregants will not take you as seriously as you’d like. As an elder and multi-functional pastor at several churches, there were times where I felt hesitant to speak into meetings or general conversation because I wasn't sure that anyone would heed my opinion. Fortunately, the other leaders respected my voice but, trust me, it’s difficult to tell a 40-year old pastor, “I told ya so.” When I get the opportunity to preach and/or teach, I have to try and use the experience that I do have as the backbone for my message so that people don't tune me out. As much as I’ve read about and would love to teach on parenting, I’m not a parent and would be ignored even if my sermon is spot on. And on and on it goes.

All this to say, there is hope for the young pastor. Here is some advice to young pastors from a young pastor:

1. Trust the Lord – For whatever reason, God has placed you in this position. Whether you are a youth pastor, single’s pastor, or the lead preaching pastor, God has allowed you to do so. Pray, pray, pray. You will be looked at sideways and tuned out at times, but God will place his Word on the hearts of those it is intended for.
2. Heed Paul’s Words in 1 Timothy 4:12 – “Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity.” Regardless of detractions, set an example to even the older crowd in your church. Do not be defensive or arrogant, simply teach and live doctrine and love. Be a Christian first and a pastor last; this order of things will work itself out beautifully. If you’re loving Jesus and living for him, your life will outflow into your ministry. People will notice.
3. Listen to Advice – You won’t always take it or put it to use, but advice from older men, more seasoned ministers, and (gasp) even the little old ladies that storm your office all week is invaluable. You cannot learn everything from books or podcasts and the best teacher is almost always experience. Take full advantage of any criticism or counsel you can get your hands on.
4. Persevere – Ministry at any level can and will crush you at times. You can have strong theology and talent, but you are an emotional human being who will take a beating regardless of how strong you are. As Matt Chandler once reminded me, pastors spend all week dealing with other people’s sins and it can absolutely wear you out. Young pastor, grab ahold of Jesus’s grace and immerse yourself in it. Your greatest weapon is the endless grace of God and a great salvation that only he can provide.

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This is an adaptation of something that I previously wrote for SBC Voices.

"Go and Take" vs. "Come and See"

*Editor's Note: This was #11 on our Top Posts of 2012. _

I was recently asked to give a quick thought on why I believe that the structure of missional community (MC) life is better than traditional church structures. I really wouldn’t start by saying, “MC’s are the only way.”

Instead, I’d start with the fact that making disciples of Jesus, that make disciples of Jesus, with the power and authority of Jesus, is the mission of the church. Based on Matthew 28:18-20, we are called to baptize these new disciples in a new identity with a new mission. This identity is found in the Trinity: Father, Son, and Spirit. So, we are now to live this out as family because we have the same Father. We are servants because our King, the Son of God, came down to show us how to be servants as he was and to serve and not be served. And we are missionaries because the Spirit, who raised Jesus from the dead, now lives in us to make us his witnesses (Acts 1) to the ends of the earth.

We are now a family of missionary servants with a new mission – making disciples of Jesus, who make disciples of Jesus, instead of making disciples of self, who make disciples of self.

God's Family

When we look to the very beginning of time, God was always looking for a community, a family, that would show off who he was to the world. From Adam and Eve who were to be fruitful and multiply, to Abraham who was going to be a great nation, to Paul saying the church is the body of Jesus to the world, and of course Jesus saying that he was bringing in other sheep that were not of the fold, creating one flock under one shepherd. Again, the purpose is showing off Jesus (Acts 1). The whole story is about God’s pursuit of a people to show off who he is and what he’s done.

With all this said – that we are to be a family of missionary servants on the mission of God of making disciples – we now look to see how can that functionally happen. In Acts, we see this happening in all spheres of life: house to house, sharing all things, and being in each other’s lives continually. We see this happening in smaller oikos’ and then seemingly larger gatherings as well. Paul also continues to call us to share each other’s burdens and speaking truth in each other’s lives.

How Does This Happen?

We have to ask: How do we ensure that this holistic life-on-life with one another is happening? (The passages about loving one another and bearing each other's burdens are numerous.)

If we look to see how Jesus discipled, we have find that he discipled his apostles approximately 80-85% of the time while in the midst of unbelievers. So, Jesus discipled, or made disciples, by being on the mission of God, on the mission field with those he was discipling. Not only that, but these people were normal people sacrificing anything and everything to ensure that they made disciples of Jesus. Normal people with an abnormal calling.

How do we do this? The traditional church has historically (I am speaking of the time from the 1940’s to 1950’s until now, so maybe I should say “recently”) have said “come and see.” They’ve acted more like Israel and created a subculture of religious activities for people to come to. Whether a program or an event at a church building, they’ve invited people to “come and see what we do and what we’re about and become one of us.” This has gone through good times and bad in the past 70 years. It was good when postmodernism was just beginning; it became bad more recently as postmodernism and post-Christendom has taken root in the West.

The MC "model" is pondering what it would look like to add an element rather than simply saying "come and see." We don't want to rid ourselves of the “come and see,” which we would keep in the form of public worship, but what if we added a huge emphasis of living normal lives, in normal rhythms among normal people? How would it look if we added “go and make” by the power of the Spirit and authority of Jesus? Not only this, but what if we got rid of anything that isn’t aiding in the making of fully formed disciples of Jesus and added or emphasized those things that would help create an environment of disciple making? This means putting everything on the table, including how many times a week/month/year we gather together for meetings, because there is no mandate Scripturally on how often to get together for meeting. Hebrews 10:25 does say that we need to be together as often as it takes to ensure that we can stir up one another to love and good works. This can include a traditional worship service but we don’t buy into the fact that this is the only, or even the primary, way we can stir up one other to love and good works.

Many might be doing this right now in the traditional churches and not calling it “missional communities” and that’s totally fine. It’s not about a model, or about what it’s called; it’s about living everyday lives, in everyday rhythms, with everyday people, with an extraordinary message of redemption.

Questions I Try and Ask

• How can we emulate the way Jesus discipled? Where and how do we see him discipling?
• How can we live out the understanding of our new identity with our new commissioning to make disciples?
• How can we best see the ways in which our hearts, our church people’s hearts, and our neighbors’ hearts need the good news?
• How can we make sure that ANYONE can make disciples, not only a select few?
• Are there ways we can change our structures to aid an environment of disciple making? Meaning, are there ways our churches are using a fork to eat soup? (It might work, but not as well as it could work if we merely changed the how, not the foundation.)

Five Ways to Define Revival

Nathan Finn serves as Associate Professor of Historical Theology and Baptist Studies at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, North Carolina. He's a husband, father, elder, baseball enthusiast, and Broadway musical fan.

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On two different occasions, I’ve taught courses on revival and spiritual awakening at Southeastern Seminary, including a PhD seminar. One of the interesting things about the study of revival and spiritual awakening is that nobody can agree upon standard definitions for these terms. In fact, folks can’t even decide if revival and spiritual awakening are synonyms or reflect different (but related) concepts. And what about renewal, resurgence, reformation, etc.? Historians, sociologists, pastors, and other popular writers are all over the map, even within their specific disciplines.

David Bebbington, who has given us the oft-discussed “Bebbington’s quadrilateral” for defining evangelicalism, has also demonstrated at least five different ways that scholars and other students of revival have defined the phenomenon.

1. Revival can mean a personal spiritual awakening experienced by an individual, frequently after a season of spiritual backsliding (think a spiritual “rededication”)
2. Revival can mean a planned series of meetings held by a congregation or a group of congregations (think spring revivals or city-wide crusades)
3. Revival can mean a spontaneous spiritual event that affects a congregation, resulting in greater spiritual vitality and conversions (think Jonathan Edwards’s Northampton church in 1734–35)
4. Revival can mean a spontaneous spiritual event that affects a group of congregations or even an entire region (think the Welsh Revival of 1904–05)
5. Revival can mean a spiritual movement that affects culture at large, spreads to other regions, and lasts for a more extended period of time (think the Transatlantic awakenings of 1739–48 and 1857–1861)

I think this sort of list is helpful. If you’re like me, you’ve heard all (or at least most) of these experiences referred to as revival and/or spiritual awakening. Four of them are various types of spiritual experiences, while the fifth (planned meetings) can be instrumental in bringing about one or more of the other four experiences. In fact, it’s possible that all five of these phenomena could converge into a single, larger experience.

Perhaps we should think of revival as a time of spiritual renewal and numerical growth that can manifest itself in a number of different ways. It can be totally spontaneous, or it can be sought intentionally though various spiritual disciplines (prayer, repentance, etc.). When revival is manifested in a corporate context, it is often a catalyst for innovation and creativity, which is well-received by some and rejected by others. It often, though not always, includes both an element of revitalization and an element of conflict, especially between those with different perceptions about the experience and/or its repercussions. Revival isn’t a permanent phenomenon, but it eventually ebbs, creating a sense of longing and expectation among those who wish to experience it anew. Historical revivals and their results (good and bad) have fundamentally influenced how various evangelicals think about conversion, spirituality, Christian maturity, worship, evangelism and missions, cultural engagement, and just about everything else. Revival movements are having similar effects among evangelicals, especially continuationist evangelicals, in the Global South.

For my part, I’ve experienced the first type of revival and participated in many instances of the second type of revival. I’ve personally witnessed the third type of revival on at least one occasion, though not in a church of which I was a member. I’ve not been a part of the fourth and fifth types of revival, though I study them regularly, both professionally and for my own edification. I pray for revival in my church, in my city, and among American evangelicals in general and Southern Baptists in particular.

For more on Bebbington’s views of revival, including his discussion about various revival definitions, see David W. Bebbington, “Revivals, Revivalism and the Baptists,” Baptistic Theologies 1.1 (Spring 2009):1–13, and idem, Victorian Religious Revivals: Culture and Piety in Local and Global Contexts (Oxford University Press, 2012).

(Image credit)

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Cross-posted from Nathan's personal blog.

Toward a Well-Rounded Sermon

*Editor's Note: This was #3 on our Top Posts of 2012. _

There are plenty of great resources explaining the best way to preach a sermon. One can find many books, articles, podcasts, and more to help with sermon preparation and delivery. In fact, we have a great conversation and an in-depth series on preaching on this blog that more than cover all the bases.

As I've preached many times and coached others, I typically come back around to a few major points. My hope is that these practical tips add another helpful wrinkle to the topic:

1. Be faithful to the text - Often times, God will draw you toward a particular passsage of Scripture. Own it. Let your study of the text bring out the truth in it. I have been guilty of forming an opinion about a text despite the text itself. Be careful. Extra study may challenge your opinion, but it will cause a deeper appreciation for the passage. Do not make the mistake that I have made several times by milking the verses to fit a particular illustration or point that you want to make. People will notice if you're stretching the truth to make a point. Even if it isn't as "exciting" as you had hoped, God did not waste a word. Pay attention to context and flow. Trust God with the results; you be faithful in preparation.

2. Make Christ the hero - If your sermon lacks Jesus, you're doing it wrong. Of course, there is ample Scripture that seems totally unrelated to Jesus, but he is the culmination of it as he explained to two people on the road to Emmaus. Again, don't stretch the text, but be aware of how the gospel either applies or enhances the practicality of the message. At the very least, end each sermon challenging your audience to trust Christ for whatever practical application is needed.

3. Think about the lost - No matter the venue, there is a chance that people who don't know Jesus will be present. Plan for that. Ask yourself the question time and again, "If this is the first time that someone heard about Jesus, would I answer the initial questions that will arise from this message?" We too often speak as though everyone listening is aware of the Christian "lingo" and references. Tim Keller argues, “If you don’t preach like there’s lost people present, there won’t  ever be any.” Even if your audience is 100% regenerate, you can strategically build apologetics into their minds by making logical points and answering questions within the message itself.

These may seem like very basic and obvious pointers, but they are neglected every Sunday from the pulpit. If nothing else, apply these techniques to your preparation to make a more well-rounded sermon.

From We to Me?

In a recent CNN.com article Alan Miller took issue with the rising trend of young adults in America embracing a sort of generic spirituality, while eschewing more formal, organized forms of religion. Citing solid research and referencing popular books, Miller suggests that this movement is thoroughly entrenched in American life, but that it is also a “cop-out” and should be rejected. In spite of that, the “spiritual but not religious movement” continues to grow in popularity and, at least to some degree, seems to be a backlash against the excesses and inappropriate behavior that some religious organizations have embraced or engaged in, historically. Christianity is probably the most substantial segment of American religion to feel the weight of this rejection on the part of younger generations. Statistics constantly remind us that the younger the generation, the quicker they are leaving our organized faith behind.

If we are going to be honest about it, we have to admit that our Christian movements have, at times, fed the disenchantment through horrible behavior. Looking back through history to the crusades of the Catholic church, to the more recent examples of pedophilia among the Catholic church’s clergy, and even the rampant racism that used to dominate my own tribe, Southern Baptists, racism which has been publicly relegated to the trash heap in the last few years, but which still has a comfortable seat at the table in too many churches, it is easy to see why many would want nothing to do with it.

I want to suggest one biblical example, however, that indicates that rejection of the corporate expression of the church in the face of this kind of sin is not nearly as helpful to our spiritual condition as many might think it to be.

We live in America. The home of independent, “pull yourself up by your bootstraps”, self-success often best described by the famous Frank Sinatra song, “My Way“. We love the strong, able hero who can take on the world by themselves and succeed in the American ethic. Because of this ethos, we have so individualized every aspect of our culture, that we have also individualized our worship. We can worship God, and never be involved in organized worship. We do not need others to rightly honor him. But, is this what scripture indicates? See for yourself.

I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. (Romans 12:1 ESV)

I want to call your attention to one small detail in this passage, one which various translations have unfortunately missed. Notice the plural use of the word “bodies”, particularly when contrasted with the singular use of the word “sacrifice”. If you were to read a different translation, say for instance the NIV, you would see both bodies and sacrifice as plural forms. Unfortunately, the NIV translators, among others, simply got it wrong. Bodies is intended to be plural, while sacrifice is intended to be singular. Why? Simply put, God’s design for our worship; for our sacrifice, is for each of us to come together, as individuals, and for us to form one corporate act of sacrifice; of worship, to honor Him. Simply put, God has designed us so that we need each other. Put another way, the corporate church is God’s design, not ours.

The corporate nature of the body of Christ can be foreign in such an individualized culture, but it is so imperative in the Christian community. It is on this foundation that activities of the church such as church discipline, communion, baptism and more are built upon. It is because we have lost this corporate element in many of our churches that some of these activities have fallen in to disrepair, or disuse all together. Sadly we do not understand the biblical nature of the church which means we can quickly abandon the biblical practices of the church. We must resist this encroaching individualization of the body of Christ.

Yes, the organized church has made horrific errors. Yes, she has failed time and time again. Yes, there is need for great renewal and reform in many corners of, particularly, the Christian church. However, abandoning the church is not the answer. The church needs you, but maybe more specific to your life, you need the church.

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Cross-posted from Micah's personal blog.

Deep Preaching: Shine - Helps on Revealing the Treasure of Truth

Steven W. Smith is Dean of The College at Southwestern and author of Dying to Preach, winner of Preaching Today’s "Book of the Year" in 2009. He is married to Ashley. They have two daughters (Jewell and Sydney) and one son (Shepherd).

*Editor’s Note: This post is the fourth and last in Dr. Smith’s series, “Deep Preaching.”

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A sea diver finds a treasure that has been buried for 200 years and you get to see it. What do you expect to see? Well, the treasure is in fact a treasure because of its age. No one has really been able to get a good look at this – it’s rare. It also has inherent value because of its beauty. However, when the diver surfaces you can see none of that. It is covered in the oceanic grime of centuries. It is a treasure by itself, the value is inherent, but the beauty of the treasure is not seen until he takes the time to remove the things that show its beauty.

On Monday, a preacher entered the study. He decided not to be superficial, but to go deep into the Word of God. He desperately wanted to mine out the treasure of the Word for his people, so he did not stop until he got to the bottom where the treasure lay. And, wisely, he did it in time. He got the treasure and began to go to the surface. As a result he has a well crafted structure to his sermon that mirrors the structure of the text. He sank for treasure. He surfaced to bring the treasure to the people. But before he enters the pulpit he must polish off the sermon. He must remove the barriers that impede a view of the beauty of Scripture.

How to Polish

Scripture needs nothing added to it. We add nothing. However, the people to whom we preach are so removed from the cultural and theological worlds of Scripture that they need someone to remove the barriers that keep them from seeing the truth clearly. So by "polish" I am not suggesting that we add to the Word. It does not need our rhetorical flourish. Rather, I am using the word "polish" to describe the process by which we remove anything that keeps people from seeing the beauty of the Scripture. Personally, I am an advocate of a plain style of preaching. By that I mean that we need to remove any forced words or structure that keeps people from seeing truth clearly.

However, demonstrating the simplicity of Scripture is not easy. Simplicity is extremely difficult. So here are some strategies to help so show the beauty of the Word:

1. Look for models.

I am not aware of an effective preacher who is not reading widely or listening to other sermons. To steal another’s sermon is a crime. However, we are always looking for ways to say the same things in new ways. The flavor of someone’s communication style, the insight into a text: these things can be learned by humbling ourselves and reading others.

2. Manuscript for clarity.

Manuscripting does not imply that you will preach with the document in front of you, it simple means that you have worked out the key phrases, you have the transitions down, you know how one thing will lead to the next. You know all of this because it is one complete document. The discipline also keeps you on task so that when you read through it you will see where you have gaps in logic or flow, it will really jump out. As a pastor, I rarely manuscripted my sermons, and I think I paid the price in a lack of oral clarity. I leave the manuscript on the hard drive, but the discipline of doing it is very helpful. If I am pressed for time, I will at least manuscript the introduction and the conclusion.

3. Never preach a sermon for the first time.

Once the manuscript is complete, stand up in the study and preach through the sermon. One pastor I know gets to the church early Sunday morning and preaches it from the pulpit. The goal is that when you enter the pulpit, you do so with confidence because this is a sermon you have already preached!

My dad used to tell me that preaching “goes from paper, to preaching, to paper." What he meant was that in the study as we are “writing” our sermons, a thought will come to us. The natural reaction is to preach it out loud. It is often in the vocal working out of this that the thoughts really come together. So we write, we preach, and then we write some more.

4. Listen to the Holy Spirit.

This is so subjective that I hesitate to insert it here. An encouragement to be “sensitive to the Spirit” is interpreted by some to mean "don’t study and just go for it." We don’t mean that. What we mean is that often from the moment of leaving the study to the time when enter the pulpit, the Holy Spirit will prompt us in certain directions. This may happen at any time before or during the sermon. It is often in those promptings that a way to express something becomes clearer. One preacher told me he prints out his sermon, lays it on his bedside, and reads through before he goes to sleep on Saturday night.

Deep Preaching

So, after we sink and surface, we must shine. To do less is laziness no matter how we describe it. So again, when we dive into the text we must leave time to surface by understanding the structure of Scripture, and to shine by removing anything that hides its beauty. After all you risked your life at the bottom of the ocean for this, you want your people to know that the treasure is worth risking their life for. The goal is that when they began to love the words of the Word, they will want to go deep themselves.

A pastor then knows that he is effective when he never dives alone.