Well Said

This entry is a book review for booksneeze.com. You sign up and they send you free books if you promise to review them on your blog. The book I chose was "Where is God" by Dr. John Townsend.

This book helped me through a difficult time. I wondered "Where is God" when my best friend passed away two years ago. He passed suddenly at only 30 years of age. This book helped me to realize that God is still in control and that he still has the best plans for his people.

This book helped me to uncover a truth I should have seen without so many weeks of questioning:

God is no stranger to suffering.

He felt the sting of betrayal when his creation disobeyed and went after pleasure rather than a relationship of trust. He felt the pain, when mankind began worshiping the creation instead of the creator. He wept at the graveside of his friend Lazarus - he felt the sting of the whips the sharp-edge of the spear and the penetration of the nails. God knows suffering as much as he knows grace, love, and peace.

In our suffering we have a God who identifies with us, this brings me comfort and a deeper understanding of the nature of God.

Growth

I am a Sunday School teacher at the church that I attend...Yes good old fashion 10:30am B.Y.O.B. (Bring your own Bible) Sunday School. On a good Sunday I will have three people (not including my wife in attendance. The age group that I teach are in their 20's an anomaly, nay a disturbance in the force in this generation that two twenty (something) year olds are attending Sunday School. Frankly, I thank God for those two men.

I have thought over the last couple of years of ministry their about growing the class - growing the church. But how do I market a Sunday School class that would seem out-dated and dull to most of my peers? Forgive my futility, but I do not think it will happen. There is too much competition. The average church now has all the bells and whistles, power-points, sermon openers and a rocking praise team; why would someone want to get up an hour early to come hear sound Biblical teaching? That is ridiculous.

Now that I am off of my soapbox: The Bible teaches that (spiritual) growth is a process that begins with death. Take the seed for example, it is a seed at first, it goes in the ground and then it dies to become something else. A plant. The plant then has to push through all kinds of dirt to get to the sunlight in order for it to mature. This process can take days or even weeks.

Christian leaders need to understand that we should never gauge growth by numbers. Numbers feed our ego and make us feel like we are doing a good job and when they are down, so are we. Jesus changed the world and started a movement with 11 committed people (plus the 70 but he didn't hang out with them much). The kingdom of God is like a seed that grows, do not have disdain for small beginnings because a Redwood tree starts from a tiny seed.

Growth should never be gauged numerically - but intrinsically. Jesus had twelve disciples, but one did not grow - I wonder if it was because he skipped Sunday School?

Can you get satisfaction?

Jesus said, "To what, then, can I compare the people of this generation? They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling out to each other: We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not cry. For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say, 'He has a demon.' The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and you say, 'Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and "sinners." ' But wisdom is proved right by all her children."

Leaders, have you ever felt as though everything you did to please people ending up failing? You try to encourage people and they still end up speaking negatively toward you. You preach love and they return with hate. You preach hate and they hate that as well. You serve, you give, you minister, you pour your life out and get no response.

This generation is like this: You play a song for them and they do not passionately worship. You sing a sad song and no one sheds a tear, nothing you do can truly please this generation because they will always find something to complain about. It is a cynical generation...

Take politics for example (I am not endorsing any party or person here): When Bush was in office everyone hated what he was doing, by the end of his presidency his approval rating was like -50. Along comes Obama, and most people loved him and hurried to get behind his vision for change in America. Fast forward to now, his approval rating is almost as bad as Bush's was.

My point: You can't please anyone. It is always the leader's fault when something goes wrong and no matter what is done the response is always the opposite.

John the Baptist and Jesus had this problem. John was the prime example of holiness. He set him self apart from the world in the wilderness, and the religious people (Pharisee and Teachers of the Law who prided themselves on being set apart) said he had a demon. Jesus hung out with people who the religious people wouldn't and he was shunned as a drunk.

-In ministry you are not going to be able to reach the lost and maintain good standing with the ones who consider themselves "too good" for those people.

-In ministry you are not going to be able to maintain a good relationship with the lost people and try to fit into the squeaky clean perfect church mold.

Maybe there is a balance??

Mick Jagger of the Rolling Stones sang it this way: "I can't get no satisfaction." This seems to be the theme song of this generation. I wonder if people danced to this song?

Working Man's Blues

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9)

As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead. (James 2:26)

These two verses have caused a lot of debate throughout the centuries. They seem to be in logical tension with one another.

A person is saved by the grace of God (God's preformative initiative in ones life, or simply, his presence leading one to know him) through faith (being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see).

NOT OF YOURSELVES, NOT BY WORKS, SO THAT NO ONE CAN BOAST

If a man can keep all of the commandments, and be a good person then he has a right to ride into heaven with a golden horse while all of the saint lift up his name. He should even get his name on heaven's marquee with flashing lights and a neon color than no one has ever seen before.

The above exaggeration is absolutely false: No one can ever be good enough, can never do enough to earn God's favor. What does earn God's favor is FAITH in Christ because Jesus is the only person who was ever able to please him..."You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased."

Grace initiates, Faith strengthens, works demonstrate faith, works do not earn good standing with God.

The person who is caught up in a "works based" mindset has the blues. Why? They can never do enough to earn the acceptance of God, and it leaves them feeling defeated because they are relying on their good deeds to try to get heaven to do standing ovation in their honor. Some people who are caught up in this mindset are not trying to please God, but they are trying to please people. They love to hear their shouts and admiration, they receive their reward in full.

True relationship with Jesus is honored, not how much you have done for him.

Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' ²³Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!' (Matthew 7:21-23).

The above passage shows us two things:

1. It is the will of God that we know Jesus
2. It is not the will of God that we exclusively do things "In Jesus name"

The working man's blues will be sung by a lot of people who thought they could work their way into heaven, and not enter into the door of heaven (Jesus) by simply knowing and obeying him.

For all of you works lovers out there, remember that God wants relationship with Jesus to be primary in your life. You cannot be saved through your own effort, you must accept that Jesus has already "paid it all."

Is this saying that Christians should sit back and do nothing? No! It does say that salvation is a gift from God through relationship with Christ. Salvation can not be earned by doing things for God.

Works bring faith to life. It shows everyone else your gift of salvation and hopefully makes them want to receive it themselves. Works demonstrate to God that you are serious about following his lead, and surrendering to his plan for your life.

Ministers are not Therapists

For the past couple of weeks I have come into contact with everyone from family members to loose acquaintances who want to unload all of their problems onto me. They go into graphic details about their struggles financially, relationally, emotionally, spiritually. As a minister, I feel like out of that list I am only qualified to counsel on one of those topics (I will let you guess which one). I know a good bit about the other topics, but they are not my areas of expertise.

People think that because I am a minister that I am a priest at a confessional booth wanting to hear about all their problems and to tell them to say some hail marys and our Fathers so that there sins will be forgiven.

Okay, so I understand that in order to be a minister that I am going to have to sympathize/empathize with people in their struggles in life. That I am supposed to pray for the ones that are having a hard time, and trust me, I do. My cry, however, is not for everyone to stop unloading their problems on me, in a way I consider that an honor. My cry is that people would not just see me as a free therapist for them. That I would not be labeled and stereotyped into someone that I am not. There are many people with many problems in the world, and I have my own as well.

If you are having problems I beg you, go see someone who is trained to help you. Don't bother your pastor because mostly all he can give you is spiritual advise. There comes a time when a minister can only do so much to help. Go to a professional, and confess your sins to God (1 John 1:8-9).

Defining Ministry

So I am taking a pastoral leadership class this summer, the books that I am reading are painting a portrait of a certain kind of minister. It seems as if the book is saying that as a minister you should wear a three piece suit, kiss hands and shake babies (I think I got that one mixed up) and have a clear "pastor voice." The book even went as far as to say that you should seek to please everyone in your congregation.

So if I am to be a Pastor is this the mold I am to fit into? A superficial "yes man" who is nice to everyone and is as squeaky clean as the day my mother gave birth to me?

Don't get me wrong I don't mind wearing ties or being nice to people, but really? Jesus didn't wear a suit, and I am pretty sure they were not even invented then. He wasn't nice to everyone. He called a woman a dog, and the religious Pharisees snakes. He turned over tables and beat people with whips. He Shook babies(Just having fun with the last one)! Jesus did not fit any mold, but he did what he saw the Father doing, he did what God would have him do whether or not it fit a certain religious standard. In fact, the religious people saw him as rebellious and as a sinner because he failed to comply with their outer code.

I think the only mold that a spiritual leader needs to fit into is the one that has a thriving relationship with Jesus Christ, and the one that seeks to live a holy life of integrity and honesty. The outer will go to the grave, the inner lives forever.

Divine Healing

This Blog is a response to a question posted on a facebook status, the question is "If a church (or any ministry) has a "healing service" but can't really verify any of the "healings", what does that mean?

My response,

I do believe that God still is at work supernaturally healing people through people, but we have to remember the original purpose for healing(s) that were done by Jesus. They were to demonstrate his authority over the diseases and prove his divine union with the Father. Today there... See More are people who get fanatical and say that God will heal anytime anywhere (sometimes for a nominal fee) I don't believe this. Jesus did not heal everyone, and the ones that he did heal eventually faced physical death even though they were healed temporarily. Therefore, sometimes people are not going to get healed physically no matter how much faith they put in Christ. And the people that do will end up dying one day anyway. Divine healing is a temporary benefit of the one healed, and a eternal benefit for the one who witnesses said event and believes in Christ as his or her Savior/Forgiver/Leader.

As far as verification for healing, I have seen people get healed and get a clean bill of health from the doctor. My grandma with congestive heart failure for example. However, she died a few months later. So I guess what I am trying to say is the eternal benefit is better than the temporal. And that yes, people should not make a "show" out of this wonderful gift that God sometimes gives.