Monthly Archives: November 2013

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Pastoral Postcard: Sober-Minded, Self-Controlled, Respectable

Pastoral PostcardEvery few weeks I try to write a “Pastoral Postcard,” a post that aims to encourage pastors in the work of ministry. I take one verse of Scripture and apply it to the blessings and afflictions every gospel minister experiences. The postcards originate from a time when I was preaching through 1 Timothy while reading Thomas Boston’s The Art of Man-Fishing. As a young pastor myself, I tried to channel my inner Boston and write short-ish notes to encourage my labor. Hopefully they can be some encouragement to you.

“Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable.” – 1 Timothy 3:2

Pastor, you are called to sobriety and respectability; in other words, you are to be a man of winsome watchfulness.

WATCHING YOUR WAY

Old King James likes to think of a “sober-minded” man as a “vigilant” man, one marked by diligence in keeping the heart. The apostle encouraged young Timothy to “keep on yourself and the teaching.” Thus, a sober-minded and self-controlled man is one vigilantly disciplined to watch his life and doctrine.

First, watch your life. Like a captain who constantly stands on his ship’s bridge to stay the course, so too must you stand on the bridge of your soul and steady it within the paths of righteousness. Winds and waves from the world will whip around you, but with eyes fixed above you must steer toward the eternal waters. Make not mistake, this is not as easy. The Serpent is always scheming to divert your gaze from the Savior, to fix your attention on all that is in the world – the desires of flesh, eyes, and pride of life. Should he not be successful in these areas, the Deceitful Devil will encourage you to overly-avid examination of the heart. He knows that the apostle requires you to examine your heart to see if you are in the faith, so he will work for your gaze to never lift off yourself. Such morbid introspection will cripple your progress in life, for the very progress you are to make comes from looking outside yourself. The Colossians were told, “Set your minds on things above,” for that is where Christ is, and He is “your life.” Disciplined looking at your life thus means disciplined looking unto Christ. The young Scotsman knew this all too well, which is why he said, “For one look at self we ought to take ten looks at Christ.” Remember this principle as you stand on your bridge and fix your eyes on the Captain.

Christ is your life, so place Him ever before your eyes, for only then will you really be watching you life with sobriety and self-control.

Second, watch your doctrine. The Savior equipped you with knowledge, gifting, and ability so that you might feed His flock. This means, ordinarily, you will be more advanced in truth than almost every one of your sheep. This is good and pleasing in the sight of God, for mature pastors are necessary for mature sheep. But don’t forget that this is also good and pleasing in the Serpent’s sight because it is a glorious vehicle for complacency in truth. If he can keep you from being challenged in truth, he will then succeed in making you complacent in truth. He will tempt you to rest on your laurels of knowledge and eschew any sort of engagement that might fluster your presuppositions. Unchallenged pastors quickly become complacent pastors and complacent pastors are ripe for the Raging Lion. Slay his roaring subtlety by daily swimming in the deep things of God. Kill your flesh which desires more to study the fleeting vapors of this world instead of the Eternal One. It is only in Him that the real treasures of knowledge are found, thus it is Him that you must encounter and experience.

So just as watching your life means watching Christ, so too does watching your doctrine ultimately mean watching Christ, for He is both life and truth.

You must understand two further things about this watch. First, it cannot be done in isolation. The Serpent will tempt you to wage this watchful war alone in a foxhole. Yet, the truth is that you fight on a victorious hill, shoulder-to-shoulder with other Christians in strongest army the cosmos has ever seen. Your Christian brothers and sisters will help you see through sin’s deception and the Worm’s wiles, steering your on the paths of life and keeping you in the ways of truth. Dear pastor, watch with witnesses. Second, know that your unique soul will want to give unbalanced attention to one of these two areas. The Worm knows this as well, and so he might currently scheme for you to only watch your life, but not your doctrine. If so you will be a ship sailing with no anchor. Or he might tempt you to only watch your doctrine and not your life. Such a watch means the soul’s ship has an anchor, but no sails.

Fight against any temptation to overly focus on one side and instead fix your gaze on Christ, who is life and truth.

WINSOMENESS IS THE WAY

Your world celebrates freedom from constraint and discipline. Yet, this world is nevertheless drawn to a man sober-minded and self-controlled. Why? Because order and discipline inevitably bring respectability. And respectability is little more than an appealing character; respectability sings and shines; respectability is winsome. So a respectable life is a winsomely appealing life, and is that not what a pastor’s life much be? One that is exemplary and worthy exemplifying?

Watching your life and doctrine fuels a winsome witness to Christ, the One who is your way, life, and truth. Such testimony comes from a man sober-minded, self-controlled, and respectable.

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Recent Reads

I love to read. By God’s grace I am a pretty fast reader; I usually read a couple books each week. I find it helpful to summarize my thoughts on each book and I offer those thoughts in hopes that you will be encouraged to either read or pass over the given title.

51iHv7dPnAL._SX258_BO1,204,203,200_Evangelical Theology: A Biblical and Systematic Theology by Michael Bird. Bird set out to write a “gospel-centered theology for Christians who seek to define themselves principally by the gospel” (21). Whereas Calvin united his theology under the glory of God, Luther under justification by faith, and Barth under the self-disclosure of the Triune God, Bird believes the gospel is the integrating point of Christian theology. “The gospel comprises the beginning point, boundary, and unifying theme for all theology” (45). The book’s strengths and weaknesses flow from the gospel being the penultimate boundary for Christian theology and fellowship. The method is undeniably helpful as no loci of theology is ever far from the gospel announcement. Yet, such a center-bounded approach predictably flattens common areas of divergence as exemplified in Bird’s discussion of God’s fatherhood, eschatology, the extent of Christ’s atonement, church polity, and sacraments. That I felt the center-bounded work falls short of the ideal probably reveals my own convictions on our centered-bounded age.

51PA2NBZ71L._SY344_PJlook-inside-v2,TopRight,1,0_SH20_BO1,204,203,200_The Lord’s Supper by Thomas Watson. This little book represents a prototypical Puritan view of Matthew 26:26-28. Although neither Watson’s dedication nor the publisher’s preface say so, I bet the book is consists of a couple sermons on Matthew’s recounting of the Supper’s institution. The first three chapters unfold five particulars about the gospel-banquet from Matthew 26: 1) the Author, 2) the Time, 3) the Manner, 4) the Guests, and 5) the Benefits. In time Watson quickly dispatches of the two extremes to be avoided, transubstantiation and memorialism. For those familiar with the various views, Watson advocates for and elaborates on the teachings of Calvin. I found his discussion of the kind of heart necessary to partake of the Supper to be most helpful.

411ZASBFp0L._SY344_PJlook-inside-v2,TopRight,1,0_SH20_BO1,204,203,200_Fit to Burst: Abundance, Mayhem, and the Joys of Motherhood by Rachel Jankovic. Some might think it strange to read a book written by a woman for other women, but my wife resonates deeply with Jankovic’s perspective on motherhood, so I read in order to better understand and serve her work as a mom. Jankovic is a fabulous writer, which makes perfect sense when you discover she is Doug Wilson’s daughter and Nate Wilson’s sister. Her uncommon wisdom and wit are preeminently displayed in meditations on misplaced “grace” in discipline, the relationship between faithfulness and stress, and the value of cultivating a lively sense of humor in parenting. Fit to Burst is one of the most enjoyable books I’ve read this year.

51D1IDjfseL._SY344_PJlook-inside-v2,TopRight,1,0_SH20_BO1,204,203,200_Bloody Crimes: The Funeral of Abraham Lincoln and the Chase for Jefferson Davis by James Swanson. A few years ago Swanson published Manhunt: The 12-Day Chase for Lincoln’s Killer and that story of John Wilkes Booth’s demise was a smashing success. Bloody Crimes functions as something like a sequal to Manhunt, answering the question, “What happened next?” The funeral procession for Lincoln is fascinating and the pictures included paint a vivid portrait of a nation in spectacular mourning. Swanson weaves the death pageant alongside the chase for and capture of America’s “lost man,” Confederate President Jefferson David. Although not as suspenseful as Manhunt, the sequel proves Swanson to be a master of narrative fiction.

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Two Responses to Sovereign Strength

Soveriegn Strength

He said to them, “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?” . . . Jesus said, “Do not fear, only believe.” – Mark 4:40; 5:36

In Mark 4:35-5:43 we are given three distinct stories that all tell us something of the sovereign power of Jesus and how people ordinarily respond to His strength. 4:35-41 show He is sovereign over storms, 5:1-20 show He is sovereign over demons, 5:21-34 show He is sovereign over sickness, and 5:35-43 show He is sovereign over death. Mark’s point, of course, in setting theses stories next to one another is to show that Jesus is in fact the very Son of God. These various displays of power all happen over the course of one day and the day concludes with 5:42 saying the people “were immediately overcome with amazement.” How about you? Does the sovereign strength of Jesus amaze you?1

I think war soundtracks are the most appropriate sermon preparation music. Last week I was listening to the soundtrack from the movie The Gladiator while preparing for my sermon on this passage. There is a moment in the film where Maximus – the movie’s hero and protagonist –  is in the gladiator ring, he swiftly dispatches of a competitor, and then cries out “Are you not entertained? Is this not why you are here?” It was a display of strength that generated amusement from the crowd, which Maximus’ questions imply is the wrong response.

The sovereign strength of Christ is on full display in Mark 4:35-5:43 and how should we respond to it? The text says there are two right responses for those who behold the power of Christ.

First, see the sovereign strength of Jesus and respond with fear. The disciples see Jesus’ sovereignty over storms and seas and they were filled with mega-fear (4:41). The townspeople see the healed demoniac and the Jesus’ power over demons and they were afraid (5:15).

It’s quite fascinating to see that the disciples’ fear of the windstorm was exceeded by their fear at what Jesus had done. They ask in 4:41, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?” So, the presence of supernatural strength is even more terrifying than the most destructive of natural disasters. In this instance, God’s nearness in Jesus is not something reassuring but something profoundly unsettling, and even terrifying. Such a sense is entirely appropriate according to this text and the rest of Scripture. You should fear this God and Savior for nothing can stand against Him, nothing can rival Him, and nothing can compete with Him. Mark wants us to see that not only is such fear appropriate, but such fear ought to drive us to the second response . . .

Second, see the sovereign strength of Jesus and respond with faith. Fear the Lord and put your faith in Him, these are the responses to omnipotent power. In what does your faith lie? Looking normally consists of what our two eyes see and if we are to respond in faith to Jesus we need use the two eyes of faith in this text:

  1. See the total inability of man. The disciples could do nothing to calm the waves; the people could do nothing to subdue the man possessed by Legion; doctors and money could do nothing to heal the woman’s disease; Jairus’ status as a synagogue ruler could do nothing to prevent or help his daughter from dying. Faith means seeing the total inability of man, and second . . .
  2. See the total ability of Christ. With a word mega-calm comes over the waves (4:39); with a word demons depart (5:13); with a touch a woman is healed (5:34) and a daughter is raised to life (5:42). Behold your God who is able. Behold your Lord who is strong. “Do not fear, only believe.”

One of the universal realities of humanity’s fall into sin is that we have fears and phobias. What do you fear most? What doubts cripple your soul? In this text we find people in the first century suffering under fears that are still common today – fears of thunder and lightning, of spiritual oppression, of physical suffering, of the death of loved ones. The main point of these stories is for us to see that “faith in Jesus drives out fear.” Consider that our worldly fears come in areas where we believe ourselves to be sovereign, to be in control? If we have control, fear is a natural response because we might bungle it all up. But the reality is that Jesus is sovereign over everything. Respond to His control over all things with reverent fear and childlike faith, and rest in the glorious reality that faith in Jesus drives out fear.

  1. This post is adapted from my recent sermon, “The Savior’s Power.” ↩
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Salvation is No Short Story

In considering the historical development of God’s kingdom, John Frame writes,

Why [God] chose to stretch out the drama of salvation over so long a time is a mystery. The length of time is related to other mysteries in Scripture, such as the problem of evil. We would not cry, ‘How long O LORD?’ (Pss. 6:3, 13:1, 80:4; 90:13; Hab. 1:2; Zech. 1:12; Rev. 6:10), if God had determined to complete his purposes in an instant, and the sting of pain and suffering would be much less if God were to abbreviate his story to a few decades. But God’s decision is clear: that the history of redemption will take millenia, leaving space for dramatic movements, ups and downs, twists and turns, longing and astonishments. Salvation is to be a great epic, not a short story. God will glorify himself, not by measuring his kingdom in time spans appropriate to human kings, but by revealing himself as ‘King of the ages’ (Rev. 15:2 NIV).

– Frame, Systematic Theology, 88.

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The 3 Commandments of Corporate Prayer

prayer_std_tOne of the “things we want to be true” about our church plant is that we would be “a praying church.”

1 Timothy 3:15 says the church is “the household of God,” and we know from Isaiah 56:7 that God expects his house “will be a house of prayer.”1 One way we try to reflect that reality in our life together is by hosting a monthly prayer night where the church can gather with nothing on the agenda other than prayer. But anyone who has been a part of prayer meetings knows they don’t always go so well – for a variety of different reasons. So let me provide the “Three Commandments of Corporate Prayer” in hopes they might brighten and enliven your prayer meeting.2

3 COMMANDMENTS OF CORPORATE PRAYER

Be bold. Pray with the bold confidence we have through faith in Christ our mediator (Eph. 3:12). The humility we are called to in Christ doesn’t remove the fact that we can approach the throne of grace with confidence (Heb. 4:16). Such assurance necessarily means we can pray boldly for those things we know to be in God’s will. Pray boldly for God to use the church to convert people unto Christ, for holiness to mark the corporate witness of the church, for sin to die within the hearts of church members, and for pastors to passionately declare the gospel of God. On an extremely practical level, praying boldly also means praying loud enough that those around you can hear your petitions.

Be biblical. Faithful prayer will always be thoroughly biblical. When we pray we want to saturate our thanksgivings, confessions, and requests with biblical language and biblical priorities. Furthermore, there are times in prayer where you might not know specific things to pray for underneath a given topic, and this is where an open Bible is a great friend. For example, if you are praying for a church plant that your fellowship supports, but you know little about its ministry or leaders, use the Bible to pray for things you know God’s word prioritizes in every church. Also, it’s not a cop-out to read Scripture as a prayer; this is one way you can be certain you are praying with the will of God in view.

Be brief. Everyone has experienced prayer groups or prayer meetings dominated by one long-winded church member. Brief prayers not only allow more people to pray, but allow more requests to be offered. It’s one thing to ask a small group of members to prayer for eight minutes on a particular topic and have two people occupy that time. It’s a completely different – and better –  thing to see those same eight minutes saturated with 8-10 different prayers. You’d be surprised how much you can pray for in 45 seconds. There are times, to be sure, when longer prayer is advisable, but I generally think corporate prayer meetings should allow every individual church member to pray at multiple junctions.

Be bold, biblical, and brief.

  1. Matthew, Mark, and Luke all recount Jesus’ application of God’s desire that Isaiah expressed. ↩
  2. If you are a pastor, the three commandments should be: plan, plan, and plan. ↩
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3 Books Every Pastor Should Read: On Elders

Books are some of the best friends a pastor can have. How to know which friends to have is quite difficult, for as the inspired Preacher said, “Of making many books there is no end” (Ecclesiastes 12:12). Check back through the archives to see my suggestions on pastoral ministry, preaching, and prayer. Here are my offerings on the topic of elders:

41EHMHxLkAL._SY344_PJlook-inside-v2,TopRight,1,0_SH20_BO1,204,203,200_Shepherds After My Own Heart: Pastoral Traditions and Leadership in the Bibleby Timothy Laniak. If you aren’t familiar with the “New Studies in Biblical Theology” series edited by Don Carson, this would be a great introduction to a great collection. It can be easy to glean all your understanding of elders from the familiar New Testament texts, but to do so would mean you’d miss out on a treasure trove of truth in the Old Testament. Laniak will help you see the full sweep of shepherding in all of Scripture and make pointed application to contemporary pastoral ministry.

41hsuMz9d6L._SY344_PJlook-inside-v2,TopRight,1,0_SH20_BO1,204,203,200_The Shepherd Leader: Achieving Effective Shepherding in Your Church by Timothy Witmer. Witmer’s book, for me, is the undisputed favorite when it comes to the work of an elder. The first part of the book condenses Laniak’s work, but the real value is found in his four-part matrix of shepherding as: knowing, feeding, leading, and protecting. Clearly grounded in Scripture and overflowing in practical wisdom, this book will either encourage or blow up your current shepherding paradigm. And trust me, the encouragement will be sweet and the explosion will be awesome.

41nsAFBy0HL._SY344_PJlook-inside-v2,TopRight,1,0_SH20_BO1,204,203,200_Finding Faithful Elders and Deacons by Thabiti Anyabwile. In 2 Timothy 2:2 Paul says, “What you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.” This work will help current elders obey that command as they identify and train future elders. Thabiti takes each biblical qualification for deacon or elder, defines it, and then offers sound advice for how you can see if that qualification is present in a man’s life. For example, when thinking about the requirement that elders be hospitable Thabiti encourages, “Note those men who seem to make a ministry of greeting everyone at church . . . Note the men who help those in need . . . Does the man open his home? . . . Remember that homes are not the only place to show hospitality . . . Does he accept invitations to hospitality?” I have probably seen more fruit from this book in personal discipling relationships than any other.

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Biblical Eldership by Alexander Strauch. The prose is dry, but the exegesis on all the relevant texts is super helpful.

The Elder and His Work by David Dickson. An older work on elders from a Presbyterian perspective, but this would be quite useful for elder training.

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The Hardest Study

In volume one of his collected works the forgotten Puritan George Swinnock offers several hopes for his ministry. His ninth hope is that he would be a diligent preacher of God’s word, and he understands the necessity of prayer to the task:

Luther saith, He the prayeth hard, studieth hard. Lord, let all my sermons, as dew be heaven-born, that they may drop down upon my people like rain upon the mown grass. Let prayer be the key to open the mysteries of Christ to me, and let prayer be the turning of the key, to lock them up safe within me. Let prayer open and shut all my books, form and write, begin and conclude every sermon. Ah, now should he pray both for his preaching, and before he preacheth, who, by every sermon, preacheth his beloved neighbors into eternal burning, or eternal pleasures!

– George Swinnock, The Works of George Swinnock Vol:1, 324-325.

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At What are You Better?

Sensing the severe lack of devotion to prayer in many Western churches, DA Carson asks,Praying Pastors

Do you not sense, with me the severity of the problem? Granted that most of us know some individuals who are remarkable prayer warriors, is it not nevertheless true that by and large we are better at organizing than agonizing? Better at administering than interceding? Better at fellowship than fasting? Better at entertainment than worship? Better at theological articulation than spiritual adoration? Better – God help us! – a preaching than praying?

– DA Carson, A Call to Spiritual Reformation: Priorities from Paul and His Prayers, 17.

The one thing we most urgently needed in Western Christendom is a deeper knowledge of God. We need to know God better . . . We think rather little of what he is like, what he expects of us, what he seeks in us. We are not captured by his holiness and love; his thoughts and words capture too little of our imagination, too little of our discourse, too few of our priorities. – DA Carson

A Call to Spiritual Reformation: Priorities from Paul and His Prayers (Grand Rapids: Baker, 92), 15-16
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3 Reasons for Weekly Communion

LordsSupper

“Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, ‘Take, eat; this is my body.’ And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, ‘Drink of it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you I will not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.’” – Matthew 26:26-29

At Imago Dei we partake of the Lord’s Supper every single week at the end of our worship gathering. Our liturgy is somewhat unique in the DFW Bible-belt culture, but I bet it’s our weekly gathering at the Table that receives more positive feedback than any other liturgical element.

Although nothing in Scripture commands a church to weekly partake of the Supper, I do think that an increased understanding of the spiritual benefits received in Communion would lead a pastor to say, “Why not take the Lord’s Supper each week?” Here are three reasons why your church would benefit from weekly Communion . . .

THREE REASONS

First, the Supper is food for faith. The Supper is a gospel-banquet. Our Lord knows His children are often failing in their faith, wanting a sign of Christ’s love and care. And so he gave us a sign, the Supper. Rome says that we physically feed upon Christ’s body at the Table, but the proper view is that we spiritually feed upon Christ’s body. With tangible elements we are able to remind our soul that His body was broken for us and blood shed for us. By taking the elements together a church is able to show their unity in Christ, reminding poor hearts that they are not isolated in their pilgrimage toward heaven. Biblical faith is unmistakably forward looking, thus the Supper feeds weak faith by declaring that an eternal wedding feast is on the way. Through bread and wine the Spirit stirs the soul to expectant perseverance to see the wedding feast of the Lamb.

Second, the Supper demands examination. As Luther famously declared, “The entire life of believers should be repentance.” Weekly gathering at the Table serves Christians by calling them confession and repentance, for one cannot take the elements with such examination. Paul said a person must “examine” himself before coming to the Table lest he eat and drink judgment on himself. Sober self-examination seems to be an increasingly lost practice in American evangelicalism and Communion helps Christians be obedient to 2 Corinthians 13:5.1 Pastors would be wise to exhort their congregation to come to the Table after a time of unhurried examination. At our church I call each Christian to individual examination and then tell every husband and/or father to pray with His family before they take the elements. I can’t you the number of men that have told me they really never prayer with their wife until they were encouraged to do so before Communion.

Third, the Supper is a visible sermon. The Supper is a sermon! Thomas Watson said the Lord’s Supper was a visible sermon, a mirror in which to gaze on the sufferings and death of Christ. Every faithful pastor wants to proclaim the gospel in every service and the Supper provides a second moment of gospel proclamation. Through preaching the Gospel is proclaimed and then it is proclaimed again through bread and wine. As I lead our church in Communion each week I have the opportunity to say just why Christ’s body and blood had to be broken and shed. By saying the meal is only open to those who have “called on the name of the Lord” a pastor gets to again call the unconverted to faith. Also, the Supper is a wonderful opportunity for parents whose children are with them in service to pray for their child to have faith in Christ. I recently spoke with parents in our church who said, “What should we do when we get to Communion? Our child wants to take the elements, but he is not yet a Christian.” Praise God for the opportunity to shepherd sheep in how to speak with their children about the gospel!

A FINAL ENCOURAGEMENT

Finally, I would encourage any pastor to do everything he can to let the time of Communion to be one of corporate celebration. At IDC we do this by having everyone come forward after examination and confession to grab a piece of bread and a cup. As an aside, resist the practice of intinction (dipping bread into the cup) because it individualizes the Supper in an unwise way. Once all our members have the elements and are back in their seats, I come up and lead the congregation in eating and drinking the elements at the same time. Then we all stand and sing a song that usually highlights the work of Christ on the cross.

The Supper can be taken in a variety of ways, so do what seems best for your congregation. Just ensure that it reflects the corporate prioritization called for in 1 Corinthians.

THREE RESOURCES TO CONSIDER

Given for You: Reclaiming Calvin’s Doctrine of the Lord’s Supper by Keith A. Mathison.

Lord’s Supper: Eternal Word in Broken Bread by Robert Letham.

The Lord’s Supper by Thomas Watson.

This forthcoming work by Hughes Oliphant Old will surely be valuable for every pastor.

  1. “Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith.” ↩