Pastor You Must Be A Theologian – Part 3

Posted on by
Reply

Scripture and compass

In this series we have been examining a great need in the Church today.  While there are certainly many things we could choose to discuss that fall in that category, the primary focus must start with the pulpit.  Pastor do you take seriously your God-given calling to teach people the Bible? Pastor do you reject the common belief today that people simply won’t sit for a clear, systematic, and theologically rich exposition of the Scriptures and push on in your equipping God’s people.

Here is what we have covered thus far in our Pastor You Must Be a Theologian series: you must be because (1) people are perishing without hearing the lifesaving message of salvation through faith in Christ while they are simultaneously entertained with stage props and warm-fuzzy motivational speeches about being better parents, spouses, students, or employees. (2) because God has called and equipped you with His gifts to teach people His Word for the purpose of leading them to a deeper, richer, abundantly full relationship with Him. They will need this equipping when they face persecution for their faith.

Luke records for us these words of Jesus spoken to His disciples as He prepared them to go into all the land to preach, teach, and make disciples:  Jesus said, “I will give you utterance and wisdom which none of your opponents will be able to resist or refute” (Luke 21:15).  The context of this encouragement from our Lord was that faithfully preaching, teaching, and making disciples will result in persecution.

I am convinced that the reason so many pastors will not faithfully preach the Bible is because they have abandoned belief it its ability to save.  Perhaps they have forgotten Paul’s declaration that we are not to be ashamed of the gospel because it is what God uses to bring people into His Kingdom. Paul calls the gospel the power of God.

God has promised the power of the Holy Spirit to fuel the efforts of His work. It is the supreme privilege of the church to share God’s amazing love and mercy to all who will believe on Jesus Christ. This simple message has become obscured today through a religious philosophy that suggests people must be made to feel welcome and comfortable in the church so that they will consider God’s offer.

One problem with this approach is that it is not biblical.  If the seeker sensitive era of church history has taught us anything it has taught us that it is bereft of the ability to make disciples of Jesus Christ.  The grandmaster of the seeker sensitive movement – Bill Hybels – recently admitted this very thing and repented of the wasted years and effort that rendered very little to no fruit.

So what must be done to turn the tide?  My personal view is that it is too late for the big “C” church as a whole.  Many who hear this will disagree with this assessment.  They hold out hope that we are not so late in God’s timeline that things can’t be turned around.

Nevertheless, we have arrived at the time of the remnant.  We are past the tipping point. So Pastor, be faithful where you are planted. Pour your best into the people God has entrusted to your care. Do not follow the way of those who advocate for a Wall Street approach to church growth. The entire church growth model is corrupt, worldly, and fleshly in that it is based on appealing to the felt needs of the lost. Trust Jesus to build His church as He desires it to be built.  Jesus’ keys to Kingdom success look nothing like what the church growth gurus are saying today.

Secondly Pastors, trust God and His Word.  Resist the temptation to twist the Bible into some kind of self-fulfillment manual.  The Bible is God’s message of His creation, redemption, sanctification, and glorification of a people who trust in the finished work of Jesus Christ on Calvary’s cross. Do not lose sight of the fact that the Gospel is the power of God to save.

Finally Pastor, and this is equally applicable to every believer, focus your time and energy on making disciples.  That is the last command of Jesus before He ascended to glory.  Be a disciple who makes disciples.

Stay tuned for Part 4 of Pastor You Must Be A Theologian.

Be Offensive In Love (Part 4)

Posted on by
Reply

Thus says the Lord of hosts,“Do not listen to the words of the prophets who are prophesying to you. They are leading you into futility; They speak a vision of their own imagination, Not from the mouth of the Lord. “They keep saying to those who despise Me, ‘The Lord has said, “You will have peace”’; And as for everyone who walks in the stubbornness of his own heart, They say, ‘Calamity will not come upon you.’ Jeremiah 23:16-17

Some in the Church today have thrown in the towel and raised the white flag of surrender. They have decided that instead of standing firm on conviction and doctrine, it is far more expedient to agree with the latest cultural ideal of equitable treatment.  Unfortunately, those who have given up the biblical position concerning marriage have succumbed to the siren song of postmodernism and have become blind to the consequences of their misguided expressions of love.

Christians who continue to hold to the teaching of the Scriptures concerning homosexual behavior should not be surprised at the rapid turn of events being played out in America today.  The tares have certainly been growing among the wheat so that now in many denominations the tares have completely taken over and crowded out the wheat.

A recent “Relationships in America” survey supports this conclusion.  Respondents were asked to give their views concerning a wide range of sexual activity including viewing pornography, premarital cohabitation, abortion rights, open sexual relationships, and the need for marital fidelity.

The survey’s conclusion?  Those confessing Christians who support same-sex marriage hold the same views as the general population. For instance, on the question of viewing pornography, Christians who support same-sex marriage also support viewing pornography at a level slightly higher than the general population – 33% to 31%%. On the subject of abortion, Christians who support same-sex marriage also support abortion at a higher level 39% to 37%, than does the general population.  Similar results are demonstrated across the board. This is not holiness friends, this is philosophical assimilation in the least and frankly unrighteousness unmasked.

The point in all of this?  Christians who support same-sex marriage are not “cutting edge, compassionate, enlightened, right side of history” types. Rather, they are deceived and drinking the Kool-aide of the enemy who is stealing futures, killing congregations, and destroying their testimony of the God who forgives and saves from all sin.

Stay tuned for the conclusion to this series, “Be Offensive In Love – Part 5.”

Be Offensive In Love (Part 3)

Posted on by
Reply

Thus says the Lord of hosts,“Do not listen to the words of the prophets who are prophesying to you. They are leading you into futility; They speak a vision of their own imagination, Not from the mouth of the Lord. “They keep saying to those who despise Me, ‘The Lord has said, “You will have peace”’; And as for everyone who walks in the stubbornness of his own heart, They say, ‘Calamity will not come upon you.’ Jeremiah 23:16-17

In this series we have been discussing the subject of Christian evangelism that has come into direct conflict with an American culture that believes it is wrong to suggest there are moral absolutes. Tolerance has been hijacked and true to Orwellian prophecy has become a double-speak of the highest order.

Intolerance is now state sanctioned. Did that statement startle you?  If so what I want you to do now is ask yourself why you are startled by that comment.  Saying that intolerance, specifically intolerance toward Christians and Christianity is now a government mandated practice is easily proven from the abundant evidence all around us.

Examples are plentiful. For many years now, the federally funded National Endowment for the Arts has financially supported all expressions of art that serve no other purpose than to desecrate Christian symbols and sensitivities.  Compared to other examples this now seems tame.

The US Government’s continues to purge our military of chaplains who insist on praying in Jesus name while simultaneously increasing the number of Islamic imams and Wiccan leadership who denounce Jesus Christ; the suspension of teachers who attempt to teach creation or who dare speak of evolution as theory, and the now notoriously famous re-education of Christians who have refused to cow-tow to political correctness run amok and have stood instead on their convictions that certain behavior is sinful now matter how much government cover and celebratory nonsense it is shrouded in.

Of far more concern than our government’s predictable behavior however, is the behavior of much of the Church.  Pastor, author, and theologian John Stott succinctly describes the present delusion of the church: “Tolerance is not a spiritual gift; it is the distinguishing mark of postmodernism; and sadly, it has permeated the very fiber of Christianity. Why is it that those who have no biblical convictions or theology to govern and direct their actions are tolerated and the standard or truth of God’s Word rightly divided and applied is dismissed as extreme opinion or legalism?”

That is the question we will answer next.  Look for Part 4 of “Be Offensive in Love” soon.

Pastor You Must Be A Theologian – Part 2

Posted on by
Reply

Scripture and compass

In part one of this five-part series I discussed the rise of the nones and the dones.  A large percentage of the former group has no experience with the organized church. This is in sharp contrast with the latter group who has years of experience with the organized church but have chosen for various reasons to no longer be a part of it.

A major factor that keeps both the nones and dones disinterested in the church is the inability or outright refusal of God’s shepherds to preach the Word of God without compromise.  Unfortunately this is nothing new and certainly is not unexpected from a biblical perspective.

What Does The Bible Say?

God states plainly through the prophet Amos for example that “days are coming . . . when I will send a famine on the land, not a famine for bread or a thirst for water, but rather for hearing the words of the LORD” (Amos 8:11).

Through the prophet Jeremiah God identified why this latter-day famine would be so widespread: “Many shepherds have ruined My vineyard, They have trampled down My field; They have made My pleasant field A desolate wilderness” (Jeremiah 12:10).

“Woe to the shepherds who are destroying and scattering the sheep of My pasture! Declares the Lord.” Therefore thus says the Lord God of Israel concerning the shepherds who are tending My people: “You have scattered My flock and driven them away, and have not attended to them; behold, I am about to attend to you for the evil of your deeds,” declares the Lord” (Jeremiah 23:1-2).

“My people have become lost sheep; Their shepherds have led them astray. They have made them turn aside on the mountains; They have gone along from mountain to hill And have forgotten their resting place” (Jeremiah 50:6).

Through the prophet Ezekiel God spoke these words: “As I live,” declares the Lord God, “surely because My flock has become a prey, My flock has even become food for all the beasts of the field for lack of a shepherd, and My shepherds did not search for My flock, but rather the shepherds fed themselves and did not feed My flock;” (Ezekiel 34:8).

And then this: ‘Thus says the Lord God, “Behold, I am against the shepherds, and I will demand My sheep from them and make them cease from feeding sheep. So the shepherds will not feed themselves anymore, but I will deliver My flock from their mouth, so that they will not be food for them”’” (Ezekiel 34:10)

What Is The Problem Today?

I am willing to admit that some shepherds today simply do not know how to preach and teach the Bible.  Fifty plus years of inadequate and intentionally misguided seminary training has yielded a generation of shepherds ill-prepared to be the leaders of God’s people that they must be for the times we live in.

However, there are a growing number of shepherds who simply choose not to teach God’s Word.  They have chosen to be CEO’s instead of foot washers, Public Relations managers instead of holy writ counselors, managers of staffs instead of friends to people in their fellowships.

To these God spoke as well: “Thus says the Lord, “Stand by the ways and see and ask for the ancient paths, Where the good way is, and walk in it; And you will find rest for your souls. But they said, ‘We will not walk in it’ And I set watchmen over you, saying, ‘Listen to the sound of the trumpet!’ But they said, ‘We will not listen’ (Jeremiah 6:16-17).

Time To Refocus

What all of these passages and many more speak of friends, is the absolute necessity of God’s shepherds knowing God’s Word, being able to counsel using God’s Word, and basing church life and practice on God’s Word.

God has always set a clear path for His shepherds to lead His people upon.  Today, many shepherds have chosen a path that appeals more to the flesh than to the spirit. When God’s people are fed God’s Word they will flourish.  Perhaps the issue for modern-day shepherds is a lack of faith and trust in the power of God’s Word.

Friends, don’t mistake goat food for sheep food.  Large crowds and large church campuses do not identify healthy ministries.  Faithfulness to God and His revealed Word are the marks of a faithful shepherd and church.  It is true today more than ever, as the shepherd goes, so goes the sheep.

Stay tuned for part three of this five-part series on “Pastor You Must Be A Theologian.”

The Wonders of Calvary

Posted on by
1

This is a prayer of thanksgiving penned by Charles H. Spurgeon. In it he demonstrates a wonder and awe of God who stoops down to save mankind.  This provides a good reminder of the depth and the riches of the love of God for us.

CH Spurgeon
Great God, there was a time when we dreaded the thought of coming near to You, for we were guilty and You were angry with us, but now we will praise You because Your anger is turned away and You comfort us.  Yes, and the very throne which once was a place of dread has now become the place of shelter.  I flee to You to hide me.

We long now to get away from the world, even from the remembrance of it and have fellowship with the world to come by speaking with Him that was, and is, and is to come, the Almighty.  Lord we have been worried and wearied oftentimes with care, but with You care comes to an end, all things are with You, and when we live in You, we live in wealth, in sure repose, in constant joy.

We have to battle with the sons of men against a thousand errors and unrighteousnesses, but when we flee to You, there is all truth and purity and holiness, and our heart finds peace.  Above all, we have to battle with ourselves, and we are very much ashamed of ourselves.  After many years of great mercy, after tasting of the powers of the world to come, we still are so weak, so foolish; but oh! when we get away from self to God, there all is truth and purity and holiness, and our heart finds peace, wisdom, completeness, delight, joy, victory.

Oh! bring us, then, we pray You, now near to Yourself.  Let us bathe ourselves in communion with our God.  Blessed be the love which chose us before the world began.  We can never sufficiently adore You for Your sovereignty, the sovereignty of love which saw us in the ruins of the Fall, yet loved us anyway.

We praise the God of the Eternal Council Chamber and of the Everlasting Covenant, but where shall we find sufficiently fit words with which to praise Him who gave us grace in Christ His Son, before He spread the starry sky.

We also bless You, O God, as the God of our redemption, for You have so loved us as to give even Your dear Son for us.  He gave Himself, His very life for us that He might redeem us from all iniquity and separate us unto Himself to be His peculiar people, zealous for good works.

Never can we sufficiently adore free grace and undying love.  The wonders of Calvary never cease to be wonders, they are growing more marvelous in our esteem as we think of Him who washed us from our sins in His own blood.  Nor can we cease to praise the God of our regeneration who found us dead and made us live, found us at enmity and reconciled us, found us loving the things of this world and lifted us out of the muck and mire of selfishness and worldliness in the love of divine everlasting things.

O Spirit of God, we love You this day, especially for dwelling in us.  How can You abide in so rude a habitation, How can You make these bodies to be Your temples, and yet You do so, for which let Your name be held in reverence so long as we live.

O Lord, we would delight ourselves in You this day.  Give us faith and love and hope that with these three graces we may draw very near to the Triune God.  You will keep us, You will preserve us, You will feed us, You will lead us, and You will bring us to the mind of God, and there will You show us Your love, and in the glory everlasting and boundless, there will You make us know and taste and feel the joys that cannot be expressed.

But a little longer waiting and we shall come to the golden shore; but a little longer fighting and we shall receive the crown of life that does not fade away.

Lord, get us up above the world.  Come, Holy Spirit, heavenly Dove, and mount and bear us on Your wings, far from these inferior sorrows and inferior joys, up where eternal ages roll.  May we ascend in joyful contemplation, and may our spirit come back again, strong for all its service, armed for all its battles, armored for all its dangers, and made ready to live heaven on earth until soon we shall live heaven in heaven.  Great Father, be with Your waiting people, any in great trouble please greatly help; any that are despondent sweetly comfort and cheer; any that have erred and are smarting under their own sin, bring them back and heal their wounds; any that are panting after holiness give them the desire of their hearts; any that are longing for usefulness lead them in ways of usefulness.

Lord, we want to live while we live.  We do pray that we may not merely groan out an existence here below, nor live as earthworms crawling back in our holes and dragging now and then a withered leaf with us; but Oh! give us to live as we ought to live, with a new life that You have put in us, with the divine quickening which has lifted us as much above common men as men are lifted above the beasts that perish.

Do not let us always be hampered like poor half-hatched birds within the egg; may we chip the shell today and get out in the glorious liberty of the children of God.  Grant us this, we pray You.

Lord, visit our church.  We have heard Your message to the churches at Ephesus; it is a message to us also.  Oh! do not let any of us lose our first love.  Let not our church grow cold and dead.  We are not, we fear, what once we were.  Lord revive us!

All our help must come from You.  Give back to the church its love, its confidence, its holy daring, its consecration, its generousness, its holiness.  Give back all it ever had and give it much more.  Take every member and wash his feet, sweet Lord, most tenderly, and set us with clean feet in a clean road, with a clean heart to guide them, and bless us as You will in a divine fashion.

Bless us, our Father, and let all the churches of Jesus Christ partake of care and tenderness.  Walking among the golden candlesticks trim every lamp and make every light, even though it burns feebly now, to shine out gloriously through Your care.

Now bless the sinners.  Lord convert them.  O God, save men, save this great city, this wicked city, this slumbering dead city.  Lord, arouse it, arouse it by any means, that it may turn to its God.  Lord save sinners all the world over, and let Your precious Word be fulfilled.  “Behold He comes with clouds.”  Why do You delay?  Delay no longer, O, our Lord.  And now to Father, Son, and Holy Ghost be glory forever and ever.

Amen.

Available at http://www.believersweb.org/view.cfm?ID=460