Category Archives: Pastoral Ministry

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Liberate Your Soul

9781581349740There are many books a pastor should consider reading, but only a few – outside of Scripture – I’d say he must read. One such book is Kent and Barbara Hughes’ Liberating Ministry from the Success Sindrome.

This book saved my pastoral soul back in 2009 when the waves of worldly wisdom dominated my church network. I remember one brother saying, “If you can’t plant a church and grow it to over 100 people within a year you should get out of ministry.” Another said, “You’ve only baptized seven people this year? You should pray about not preaching anymore.” Sure, such counsel is probably on the far end of the wisdom spectrum, but it was quenching my joy in a powerful way.

And so it was one day, while putzing around on the computer, I somehow come across the Hughes’ book. After reading the blurb I ordered copy, rushed the shipping, and three days later finished it while tears flooded my eyes. Here was counsel that comforted, not condemned. And while you may not be on the brink I was, I venture to say this book will still serve you in untold ways.

Don’t want to spend the money or time on the book? Carve out an hour to watch Hughes speak on the book’s message at the 2013 Desiring God Pastor’s Conference. May you be encouraged today!

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New Member Letter

Church Unity

Every time a new member is formally received into membership at IDC the first thing we do is send the individual or family a “New Member Letter.”

It’s our way of saying, “Welcome!” and is also an avenue to exhort them in various things we want to be true about our church’s mission and life together. Things necessary for church unity. Here is the letter in its current form, maybe you can adapt it and use it for your church. Our letter is, after all, an adaptation of a similar one from Capitol Hill Baptist Church in D.C. Praise the Lord for like-minded partners in the gospel!

WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE

Dear New Member,

Welcome! On Saturday, August 10th the assembled congregation of Imago Dei Church affirmed you into membership. We are grateful the Lord as brought you into our local body.

As church members we are responsible to one another. Scripture uses metaphors of a building, a body, and a family to help us understand the corporate nature of our faith. As you commit yourself to the life of this church, keep in mind the following priorities.

Attend. Be constant in your attendance on Saturday nights. These gatherings are the primary means for you to get to know others and be known by them. Such participation will root you in the growth and development of our church.

Pray. Prayer for our services, witness, evangelism, and members, will strengthen the community of faith God is building at IDC. We suggest you pray through the church directory, praying through three or four names each day.

Give. Work toward contributing a percentage of your income regularly to the ministry of this church as we serve on another, our community, and the world.

Serve. Use your Spirit-given gifts to edify the body.

Live holy. Your actions, in private and in public, affect the health and witness of our church. Fight sin by God’s grace and, through the Spirit’s work, grow in the grace and knowledge of Christ.

Evangelize. You’re a missionary sent by our church into your neighborhood, home, and workplace. Grow in your understanding and affection for the Gospel, and pray daily to seize opportunities to share the good news.

Set aside the second Saturday night of every other month to be at our family meetings. These meetings occur regularly every other month; the next meeting happens on August 10th. Whether the meetings are long or short, exciting or routine, they are a crucial part of our functioning as a congregation.

As we come together and pray, as we give and obey, as we deliberate and decide, we have the opportunity and responsibility to show God’s glory to this neighborhood, this city and beyond. Welcome to the challenge and privilege of being a member of Imago Dei Church.

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Favorite Books of 2014

Whittling down the list of books I read each year to a select few favorites is always an enjoyably difficult exercise. This year I decided to employ two criteria for my list of favorite Christian books from 2014:

  1. Does this book have unusual benefit to ordinary pastors?
  2. Is this a book worth rereading every year?

Those two simple questions helped me pare down all the titles I’ve read to the following seven books, each of unique value to the ministry of ordinary pastors. Then I have three more titles worth your interest at the end.

FAVORITE BOOKS FOR MINISTRY PUBLISHED IN 2014

9780310513971#7 – The Gospel at Work: How Working for King Jesus Gives Purpose and Meaning to Our Jobs by Sebastian Traeger and Greg Gilbert. It’s been quite a while since I read a book and immediately thought, “I need to get this into as many hands as possible.” The Gospel at Work is one such book. I wholeheartedly concur with Dever when he says, “I want to make this a basic staple in my discipling.”Filled with an uncanny amount of clarity and practicality, this is one of the best books a pastor can use is discipling church members to use their respective vocations for the glory of God.

9781433540349m#6 – True Beauty by Carolyn Mahaney and Nicole Whitacre. I’m always on the lookout for books I can pass along to women in my church for their encouragement and edification. True Beauty is the best one I’ve come across in quite some time. “Excellent. Wise. Clear. Convicting. Encouraging.” These would all be words I’d use to describe this offering by the mother and daughter duo of Mahaney and Whitacre. With biblical and cultural awareness the book covers all the bases one would expect: True Beauty and Our Hearts, True Beauty and Our Bodies, and True Beauty and Our Clothes. The chapters on beauty’s relationship to trust and works are especially useful. I count it no small matter that we’ve sold more copies of this book at IDC in 2014 than any other . . . by far. Mahaney and Whitacre clearly have something important to say.

9781433543135#5 – Expositional Preaching: How We Speak God’s Word Today by David Helm. Chandler says this book is “the most helpful, concise, and useful book on expository preaching I have ever read.” Dever says if he could only assign one book for a preaching class this might be the one. Does the book live up to its hype? Absolutely. I found the first chapter on “Contextualization” abundantly useful, especially when Helm talks about how “blind adherence to contextualization alters our preaching” (17). The alterations of impressionistic preaching, inebriated preaching, and inspired preaching are helpful categories to fight against. Helm’s definition of expositional preaching alone is worth the books weight in gold.

9781601782984m#4 – An Able and Faithful Ministry: Samuel Miller and the Pastoral Office by James Garretson. Samuel Miller was a key player in the glory years of Princeton Seminary, particularly in his instruction related to the gospel ministry. Garretson ably introduces the reader to Miller’s life and times before proceeding to offer something like “The Best of Miller on Pastoral Ministry” taken from sermons, published writings, and unpublished lectures. The exhortations from the old Princetonian are piercing and regularly profound. Hats off to Garretson and Reformation Heritage for serving the church so well in this publication. An Able and Faithful Ministry turned out to be arguably my favorite book on the ministry outside of Charles Bridges’ classic.

9780801026980m#3 – For the Glory of God: Recovering a Biblical Theology of Worship by Daniel Block.  I’ve always found Block to be a bit iconoclastic at times and that tendency is on display from the earliest pages of this book. He believes, and I’m inclined to agree, that too many of the standards works in the field of worship drive an unfortunate wedge between the two testaments’ instruction on worship. Block reveals greater unity across the canon on all kinds of worship matters. He defines true worship as “reverential human acts of submission and homage before the divine Sovereign in response to his gracious revelation of himself and in accord with his will.” With this definition in place he arranges his material topically, choosing to show how a given issue (such as the object of worship, the ordinances, music, and the proclamation of Scripture) develops across redemptive history. Every chapter is consumed with rigorous exegesis of the relevant texts, but practical application is never lacking as Block consistently offers logical and wise implications for worship in our day.

9780525954149m#2 – Prayer: Experience Awe and Intimacy with God by Tim Keller.  Keller has done something almost magical in this book as he manages to strike all the right balances on the timeless subject at hand. He is forcefully clear about the duty of prayer, joyfully winsome about the privilege of prayer, reverently affectionate about the awe-filled experience of prayer, and immanently useful on the daily practice of prayer. The work abounds with piercing insights from Keller and all the saints of old upon which he calls. One needs only to read the chapter on praising God in prayer to see how Keller enlivens a most basic – and often assumed – aspect of communion with God. A fantastic achievement.

Beaty#1 – An-All Surpassing Fellowship: Learning from Robert Murray M’Cheyne’s Communion with God by David Beaty. Of all the figures I’ve learned from in church history none has been more pivotal than the young Scotsman named M’Cheyne. So I’ll grant that I’m unusually predisposed to love this book. But, oh what a book it is! I can’t remember the last time I read a new publication and was this affected; tears of gratitude and repentance came from almost every chapter. Beaty is to be commended for simultaneously giving us a masterful biography of M’Cheyne and an unbelievably accessible portrait of his communion with God. Choice selections from original works, letters, sermon, and poems occupy almost every page and Beaty manages to offer it up with cohesive eloquence. This book now occupies an exclusive shelf in my study, the “Read at Least Once a Year” shelf.

FAVORITE BOOK FOR MINISTRY NOT PUBLISHED IN 2014

0851517730mEvangelical Eloquence: A Course of Lectures on Preaching by R.L. Dabney. For years my Presbyterian friends have said, “You’ve got to read Dabney’s Evangelical Eloquence!” The poor Southern Presbyterian’s lectures have been collecting dust in my study for some time, but a few weeks ago I finally pulled it out . . . and I may have just discovered my personal authorized text on preaching. If I ever taught a class on preaching, this would be the primary text. Here we find the preaching ministry treated with gravity, scripturalness, and simplicity (which, incidentally enough are Dabney’s “3 Special Qualities of Biblical Preaching”). Originally published in 1879 as Sacred Rhetoric, these lectures have more than passed the test of time; over and over I found myself convicted, challenged, and led to write, “Amen!” in the margin. Dabney’s introductory lecture on “The Preacher’s Commission” will fan aflame a love for the sacred desk, and his lectures on the “Cardinal Requisites of the Sermon” should be requisite reading for preachers young and old. The old man gets extra credit for concluding the work with a lecture on public prayer. A fantastic volume!

FAVORITE NON-FICTION BOOK

17262366One Summer: America, 1927 by Bill Bryson. I read One Summer way back in January and the fact that it occupies this space, so many months after reading it, shows how singular a book it is. Fun and informative are the operative words here. Bryson walks the reader through life as it was in America during the summer of 1927, a surprisingly potent season in our nation’s history. Charles Lindbergh crossed the Atlantic, Babe Ruth was on the way to his magical 60, Al Capone ruled corrupt Chicago, the enigmatic Calvin Coolidge dressed up as a cowboy, and a Jack Dempsey fight attracted 150,000 fans. Bryson compellingly weaves the various story lines together, even if many of the characters are treated with a eye towards irreverence. One Summer proves just how delightful history can be.

FAVORITE FICTION BOOK

Natchez BurningNatchez Burning by Greg Iles. When Stephen King proclaims a book to be “extraordinarily entertaining and fiendishly suspenseful; I defy you to start it and find a way to put it down,” I feel my literary senses challenged to a duel I cannot refuse. I quickly purchased Natchez Burning and Mr. King’s superlative defiance is well founded; this book is marvelous. Iles’ thriller is set against the dark racial tensions of Mississippi in the 1960s, tensions that span all the way into 2005 when the protagonist’s father is accused of murder. The murder sets in motion a series of events the last four decades have managed to suppress, events Iles plans to cover in a projected trilogy (with Natchez Burning being the first volume). I’m still astounded how Iles leaves most of the plot lines open, but resolves just enough of the storyline to not offend the reader’s need for some finality. I’m eagerly awaiting the trilogy’s second entry, The Bone Tree, this coming April.

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Confidently Terrified

Paradoxes

Have you ever noticed how, in the economy of Christ, everything seems to get turned upside down? The weakest are the strongest (2 Cor. 12:10); the last shall be first (Mark 10:31); the humble are exalted (Luke 14:11), you must lost your life to find it (Matt. 10:39); we die to live (2 Cor. 4:10).

Paradoxes abound throughout God’s word.

A PASTORAL PARADOX

It was May 27, 2012 when we told Providence Church, where I currently served as an Associate Pastor, of the Lord’s calling us out to plant a church in nearby McKinney, TX. I preached a brief sermon at the end of the service on Matthew 28:18-20 titled, “Why We Go.” At the end of the sermon I asked the church members to pray for us in our new endeavor saying, “We are confidently terrified about the work God has laid before us.”

The phrase “confidently terrified” proved quite memorable for many people at the church and became, in many ways, my personal emblem for planting IDC. I was confident in Christ’s promise to build his church, confident in what what God required from His shepherds, and confident in who His church was supposed to be. I was simultaneously terrified at the many unknowns on the horizon: “Where would we meet? Would anyone want to come? Why leave something going so well for something so uncertain?”

I stand on the precipice of completing two years as pastor of IDC and remain as confidently terrified as ever. It’s a pastoral paradox I cannot escape.

MATTERS OF CONFIDENCE & TERROR

After two years of pastoral responsibilities for sheep of whom I must give an account, here’s where I see confidence growing in my ministry:

  • The sufficiency of Scripture
  • The power of the gospel
  • The kindness of the Spirit
  • The sovereign grace of God
  • The clarity of God’s word for healthy ministry
  • The promises of God in our suffering
  • The sustaining strength of the ordinary means
  • The joy of devoted Christian fellowship
  • The generosity of God to meet our needs

And the list could go on. “But,” the peanut gallery asks, “what terrifies you?” Here’s the thing, I don’t have a laundry list of terrors anymore. Only one thing falls into the “terrifying” category: me. I find nothing outside of me to be terrifying; only what’s inside causes me to tremble.

“But,” those spiritual peanuts in the gallery cry, “Christ is in you – the hope of glory! Have no fear!” That is a truth worthy of confidence and I promise, I’m really confident in His spiritual presence. I’m just scared of that “old man” who likes to peak his head out from the dungeon of my soul. And I think I should be. Spiritual wisdom says we should never take Old Man for granted. He is a beaten power, but a power nonetheless. Do you remember the great apostle’s cry in Romans 7?

For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?

That’s the paradox I have in mind; that’s a man confidently terrified in the right ways.

What brings you confidence in ministry? Terror?

HOLD THE TENSION

When John Newton was in the twilight of his earthly pilgrimage he wrote a letter to a friend saying, “When I was young, I was sure of many things. But now that I am old, there are only two things which I am sure of: One is that I am a miserable sinner! Secondly, that Christ is an all-sufficient Savior! He is well taught—who learns these two lessons.”

1) “I am a miserable sinner!” Terror.
2) “Christ is an all-sufficient savior!” Confidence.

Let us learn those lessons well and live within the paradox of being confidently terrified.

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Congregational Camaraderie

Worship God

One of the most common shepherding issues ordinary pastors face today is the matter of nominal attendance. What percentage of your congregation is absent on an average week?

Chances are it’s higher than it should be and greater than you want it to be.

PUT IT IN THE RIGHT LIGHT

The worst thing we can do in attempting to address the matter is minimize it. Some might say, “Faithful attendance is just a relic of days gone by.” “There are just too many competing activities and events today. I’m just happy if my flock is there half the time,” another might say. In the last decade or so I’ve heard an increasing number of people posit a “small groups are where church really happens” doctrine. This subtle shift sounds pious enough, but it only serves to perpetuate what is the common Christian view of our time: attendance at corporate worship as optional. “It’s great if you can make it, but it’s really not a big deal if you do something else.”

If we cater to this kind of a culture we are putting the souls of our people in danger. For congregational attendance is not a matter of personal convenience or preference, but one of obedience. God commands His people to “not [neglect] to meet together, as is the habit of some” (Heb. 10:25). It’s not possible to truly love God and not also love His people (1 John 4:20-21). Just like any relationship, gathering together is a clear evidence of love.

Faithfully gathering with the church is a way we show our love for the church. Loving Jesus means loving His body by gathering with His body.

What can we pastors do to shepherd our nominal attendees to greater faithfulness and obedience in this joining the body for the corporate worship of God? The following three things would be a good place to begin.

3 SHEPHERDING STRATEGIES

Teach. It all starts here. I should mention it doesn’t seem wise, once you’ve noticed there’s a problem in this area, to go preach a sermon on Hebrews 10:25. You could probably do worse, but you can also do better. You must teach your people to treasure the Lord Jesus Christ and show them in the matchless love He has for His church. Teach them how blessed it is when God’s people dwell together in unity and how faithful attendance is a boon to congregational unity. Help them see that God has deposited His ordinary means of grace in His church and that these means are regularly (some exclusively) offered in gathered worship. Let them gain a biblical understanding of the joys of communion with Christ and how the corporate meeting is communion with Christ. Teach them that a local church is a colony of heaven and that every time she gathers to hear the Word preached and sacraments administered, heaven comes down to earth.

Let the thrust of our teaching on this issue not be, “You must gather for worship!” but rather, “See the satisfying joy of corporate worship! What delight awaits the people of God in their meeting with God. Why would you want to miss this heavenly assembly?” Aim for raising their affections, not mere or rote obedience.

Track. You will never be able to effectively shepherd your people who are regularly absent if you don’t know they are regularly absent. For smaller churches this will be pretty easy, but for larger churches you will likely have to get more creative. I know a church that has all their members pick up name tags when they arrive, so they know who missed the gathering based on what name tags are left on the shelf. Another church simply has an elder in the sound booth who marks down attendance at the beginning of each service. Another church I know of leans heavily on their child check-in system to see which families were present (this doesn’t, of course, account for singles or families without kids).

Once you track the attendance then you must prayerfully decide as elders at what point non-attendance becomes a concern. We must banish rigidity from our minds on this matter. There is no hard line number the Bible gives us in defining what “not neglect” consists of; we simply want our people to continually grow in their devotion to gathered worship.

Train. Throughout my time at IDC I’ve had quite a few members come up to me and say, “Have you seen So-And-So? I haven’t seen them in quite some time?” A training moments awaits if we seize it. What I like to do is respond with something like, “I’m sure they’d appreciate it if you’d reach out to them. Give ’em a call or shoot ’em an email to let them know they’re missed. Maybe invite them over to dinner to hang out and see how they’re doing.” It will mean something altogether different when pastors and church members are concerned about a member’s pattern of absence.

Another thing you can do is train your small group leaders to always be on the lookout if a particular church member from their group is gone for several weeks in a row. Part of the training needs to include matters of wisdom and warmth. We don’t want our members to feel as though the rest of the congregation is breathing down their neck like a hawkish teacher taking the class roll. Rather, we want our small group leaders to be able to clearly and humbly exhort their group to greater faithfulness in this area.

HAVE PATIENCE

As we’ve put these things into practice at IDC I’ve noticed a couple things. First, God seems to bless patient labor. I rejoice even now thinking about certain members who have increased their devotion to gathered worship and how the Spirit has brought forth clear fruit from the ordinary means. Second, don’t be surprised if things ebb and flow. Just when we seem to gather momentum things unexpectedly slow down or taper off. Part of me, or maybe a lot of me, thinks this is God reminding us that He is sovereign over His sheep. Our shepherding system doesn’t guarantee anything.

Put your own wise creativity to work in how you shepherd your sheep. Be faithful in your exhortation and trust God will use it to edify His people.

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Thankful for Surprises

Thankful

Back in early June I spent a couple days at a cabin in the middle of Nowhere, TX for a period of what Spurgeon called “holy inaction and consecrated leisure.”

I’m not sure it’s a good thing to have measureables for holy inaction (is it truly “inaction” at that point?), but I nevertheless walked into the cabin with several goals in mind. One of them was settling the preaching calendar for the remainder of 2014.

CRUNCH TIME WAS COMING

At any given moment I usually have the next twelve months of sermons at IDC planned. We were due to finish the gospel of Mark at the end of June and the existing plan called for a series of summer sermons in Proverbs before turning to Genesis in the fall. For well over a year I was preparing those respective series, but as time went by I increasingly felt as though the Lord was leading elsewhere. My restlessness was largely due to shepherding conversations I’d had. Proverbs and Genesis would undoubtedly be profitable for us (cf. 2 Tim. 3:16), but I sensed they wouldn’t directly address the issues our congregation was facing at that moment.

My problem – and hence the indecision after months of pondering – was that I seemed incapable of articulating exactly what those very issues were. It was a strange place to be sure.

Clarity then came in an unexpected way.

A SOVEREIGN SURPRISE

JobOn my second morning in the middle of Nowhere I pulled up Feedly to read the morning’s blog posts and was immediately summoned to a post from Justin Taylor entitled, “The Richest, Most Moving, Most Deeply Cross-Centered and God-Glorifying Treatment of Job I Have Ever Read.” The post simply listed the endorsements from Christopher Ash’s forthcoming commentary on Job. The smashing and superlatives statements contained in the various endorsements steeled my gaze in a most certain way: I knew Job was the next book of the Bible we needed to study.

It was one of those moments of rare, immediate, and unexpected Spirit-wrought certainty.

As I prayed and meditated on the matter I realized what those “impossible to articulate” congregational matters were: 1) the sovereignty of God and 2) the suffering of God’s people. Our congregation was (and is) full of people falling headlong into one or both of these issues. Some were learning and leaning into the application of God’s sovereignty to their lives, others were going through seasons of pronounced difficult and pain.

Studies in Proverbs and Genesis would no doubt apply to those issues, but Job confronts them with peculiar power.

And so we’ve spent the last few months studying Job and his story of suffering has indeed confronted us with peculiar power. I’ve never before received consistency of comments like, “That was exactly what I needed to hear,” and, “I can’t remember the last time I was this excited about a sermon series.” Job has been a sovereign word for multiple seasons of suffering.

And so I’m thankful for sovereign surprises.

How has God surprised you with His sovereign care this year?

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Clinging Contentment

Sufficient Word

In his excellent introduction to the doctrine of Scripture Kevin DeYoung suggests the group most likely to struggle with or reject the sufficiency of Scripture is the church. I think he’s right on.Whether it’s traditionalism, individualism, pragmatism, or experientalism, there are innumerable threats to our belief that God’s word is enough.

Is God’s word sufficient for your life and ministry in Christ?

Just yesterday I was with a group of godly pastors in my county thinking about the sufficient of Scripture. Much of the conversation revolve around practical implications for our ministries if we confess God’s word to be true. Two immediately came to my mind:

  1. Because God’s word is enough we cling to it.
  2. Because God’s word is enough we are content with it.

WE CLING TO GOD’S WORD

Every passing decade impresses a dominant passing fad of pastoral power on gospel ministers. The seeker-sensitive movement gave us Christianized worldliness to attract the world, forgetting the world has never loved the King over this world (1 John 3:13). If we offered enough programs, events, and excellence in buildings and on-stage performance, then we would have real power in witness. The post-modern Emergents swung back the pendulum of power in their promotion of story, community, and dialogical preaching. The real power would come when pastors were “authentic.” Remove any remaining remnants of institutionalism, lower the lights, and bring in some couches. Sit down rather than stand when you ascend to the sacred desk and, armed with a Bible and requisite cup of java, converse with your people about struggles and doubt, not sound doctrine.

The latest fad of all things “gospel-centered” has a peculiar power to it. After all, the gospel is “the power of God unto salvation.” But one wonders if we’ve emptied “gospel” of its biblical meaning in our proliferation of its adjectival use that the word itself now often functions as a “shibboleth” in modern evangelicalism. As long as you say “gospel” or “gospel-centered” enough, whether or not you should do so from the given text, you have a ticket for power.

Each of these movements undoubtedly has aspects of wisdom and is worthy of emulation . . . to a point. It seems to me that our tendency to love movements more than local churches creates pastors who are linked to 7,500-watt portable generator. The seeker-sensitive and Emergent movements have all but petered out. Will it happen to the “gospel-centered” generation? Probably. Movements, like portable generators, only last for a time and can only power so much. All the while a hydroelectric power station lies at our very fingertips: the word of God.

From whence does pastoral power come? The Lord Jesus Christ. As the great apostle said the to Colossians in 1:28-29, “Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ. For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me” (emphasis added). And how does he powerfully work His energy into His men? Through His word and Spirit.

And so united to Christ by faith, men in whom the Holy Spirit dwells, we cling to God’s word in our praying, preaching, and pastoring. There is no power without it. We keep the Spirit’s sword always by our side, but we don’t merely leave it in the scabbard. We regularly and relentlessly wield the word of God as we do the work of God in making disciples of all nations.

WE ARE CONTENT WITH GOD’S WORD

Because Christ is all, the word of Christ must mean everything to the church of Christ. It is our very life. And so we are content with it’s sufficient power.

All through the Bible we see that when God gives life, He does so through the power of his word. In Genesis 1 we find God creating, giving life to all things, by speaking them into existence with his powerful word. Later on in Exodus 20 we find God, through His word, speaking the nation of Israel into existence. Then there is the stunning vision in Ezekiel 37 of God giving new life to his people after their exile in Babylon. The prophet sees bones lying in the dust and God tells him to speak. Ezekiel then says:

So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I prophesied, there was a sound, and behold, a rattling, and the bones came together, bone to its bone . . . and the breath came into them, and they lived and stood on their feet, an exceedingly great army. (Ezekiel 37:7, 10)

God’s word, spoken through Ezekiel, brings dead bones to life. The Old Testament is clear: God’s people receive life through God’s word.

We see the same thing in the New Testament. Indeed Scripture’s teaching about God’s life-giving Word finds its consummation in Jesus Christ, the incarnate Word. John writes at the beginning of his gospel,

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life. (John 1:1, 3-4)

In the Word was life! It is through Jesus Christ – the incarnate Word of God – that we are brought from death to life and “born again” by God’s power. Paul makes the same point in Romans 10: “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ,” he says (Romans 10:17). And Hebrews 1 says, “he upholds the universe by the word of his power.” The Bible continually announces that God’s Word brings life to everything; that is a theme on which our soul is lifted from the dust of this world in which we live.

Notice how prevalent this idea is in Psalm 119:

  • 119:37 – “Give me life in your ways.”
  • 19:50 – “Your promise gives me life.”
  • 119:93 – “Your precepts . . . have given me life.”
  • 119:107 – “Give me life, O Lord, according to your word!”
  • 119:54 – “Give me life according to your promise!”
  • 119:56 – “Give me life according to your rules.”

It is our life. Thus, it is enough.

And so may we love it with contented delight, desire, and dependence. Cling to and be content with God’s sufficient word, for it will do all. Luther’s famous and eloquent depiction of the sufficient power of God’s word is an appropriate way to finish the meditation. He wrote,

Take me, for example. I opposed indulgences and all papists, but never by force. I simply taught, preached, wrote God’s Word: otherwise I did nothing. And then, while I slept or drank Wittenberg beer with my Philip of Amsdorf the Word so greatly weakened the papacy that never a prince or emperor did such damage to it. I did nothing: the Word did it all. Had I wanted to start trouble…. I could have started such a little game at Worms that even the emperor wouldn’t have been safe. But what would it have been? A mug’s game. I did nothing: I left it to the Word.

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Preaching Sanctification

As I’m sure you know, over the last few years a largely constructive debate on sanctification has taken place in the broader New Calvinism sub-culture of American evangelicalism.

Many helpful articles, blog posts, and books have considered the issue biblically, historically, and practically for church members. But if anything has received small mention I think it would be discussion on how pastors should wisely labor for the holiness of their congregation.

At this year’s Together for the Gospel conference one panel decided to take up the matter of “Preaching Sanctification.” The lively dialogue is full of wisdom and warmth. Here is the video with timestamps of some pertinent questions underneath. Not only is this a helpful conversation, it’s also a model of a panel done well.

CHOICE QUESTIONS

  • What are the biblical motivations for pursuing holiness? (2:20)
  • What do you do when a church member is struggling with pornography? (10:00)
  • How can pastors walk in discernment when counseling church members unto sanctification? (11:36)
  • Why is it that duty, obligation, and “effortful progressive sanctification” is now immediately viewed as legalistic? (14:10)
  • How has antinomianism crept up on the church in the past? How is it doing so now? (23:38)
  • How would you define legalism? (25:20)
  • How much effort can you give to bearing fruit before it becomes legalism? (26:34)

CHOICE QUOTES

  • “I kind of want have a moratorium that we can only use the word ‘legalism’ once a month and then we’ve got to get it right.” – Thomas
  • “Legalism is a problem . . . but the answer to legalism isn’t antinomianism. The answer to legalism is Christ. The answer to antinomianism is Christ.” – Thomas
  • “There seems to be a lost ethic of hard work [in our culture today].” – Chandler
  • “Grace is [now] felt mainly as leniency.” – Piper
  • “You don’t become a good tree by bearing good fruit. That would be legalism. Start bearing good fruit and He’ll admit you into the tree heaven. That’s legalism. You were made a good tree by sovereign grace in Christ alone through faith alone. ” – Piper
  • “Do you think sometimes when people use the word legalism they just mean, ‘That’s inconvenient?'” – Thomas
    • “I totally do. In fact, I think that’s why people break the speed limit.” – Piper
    • “Now we’re gettin’ real.” – DeYoung
  • “Anyone who is indifferent to sanctification is indifferent to Christ.” – DeYoung
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Short Books to Help Your Church

Church members and regular attenders alike often wonder about certain aspects of the Christian faith. One way pastors can help is to be ready in season and out of season to assist the curious or doubting soul. Another thing they can do is have a stockpile of resources available for anyone interested in further study.

The Good Book Company has quietly been publishing a useful series of books entitled, “Questions Christians Ask.” A quick perusal of the series’ current volumes reveals how strategic GBC is; these books definitely answer the ordinary questions Christians ask. The writing is clear, the theology is ecumenical, and the answers are biblically “to the point.”

You may want to have a few of these titles in your church’s bookstore.

CLEAR ANSWERS TO COMMON QUESTIONS

9781908762313mIs God Anti-Gay? And Other Questions about Homosexuality, the Bible and Same-Sex Attraction by Sam Allberry. Christians, the church and the Bible seem to be out of step with modern attitudes towards homosexuality. Does the Bible prohibit gay marriage? How can we oppose people who are in love, and just expressing how they were made? Can God really be anti-gay? This short, readable book offers a positive and liberating way forward. It explains clearly and simply what we can say with certainty from the Bible about marriage, sexuality and same-sex attraction.

9781909559134Can I Really Trust the Bible? And Other Questions about Scripture, Truth and How God Speaks by Barry Cooper. The Bible makes big claims for itself. But do those claims stand up? Aren’t the stories just legends? Hasn’t the information been corrupted over time? Isn’t the Bible full of mistakes? And isn’t it culturally outdated? In this absorbing little book, Barry Cooper explores these questions—and many others—with warmth, wit and integrity.

9781908762306mDid the Devil Make Me Do It? And Other Questions about Satan, Demons and Evil Spirits by Mike McKinley. Many Christians are confused about the devil. When Jesus walked the earth, he cast out demons and had powerful encounters with the devil. But who exactly is the devil, and where did he come from? And what is he up to in the world today? This short, readable book explains clearly and simply what we can say with certainty from the Bible about Satan, demons and evil spirits.

9781908762320mWho on Earth Is the Holy Spirit? And Other Questions about Who He Is and What He Does by Tim Chester and Christopher de la Hoyde. Many people find it easy to understand about God and Jesus, but struggle to understand quite how and where the Holy Spirit fits into the picture. Who exactly is he? And how does he work in our lives? This short, readable book explains clearly and simply what we can say with certainty from the Bible about who the Holy spirit is, and how he is at work in the world today.

9781909559783mIs Forgiveness Really Free? And Other Questions about Grace, the Law and Being Saved by Michael Jensen. Forgiveness is a free gift—not earned or deserved—we are told. But then the Christian life seems to have a long list of “do’s” and “don’ts.” so is forgiveness really free—or is it al a cosmic con trick? This short, readable book, explains clearly and simply what the Bible, and Jesus himself, says about grace, the law and what it means to be saved.

9781909559158mHow Can I Be Sure? And Other Questions about Doubt, Assurance and the Bible by John Stevens. Many Christians experience times of doubt and uncertainty. At various times we can ask: “Does God love me?” “Am I really a Christian?”— and even “Is there a God at all?”! This short, readable book unpacks the difference between good and bad doubt, shows us where it comes from and how to deal with it in ourselves and others. It explains clearly and simply the liberating reality of what the Bible tells us about doubt, assurance and the Christian life.

9781908762337mWhat Happens When I Die? And Other Questions about Heaven, Hell and the Life to Come by Marcus Nodder. We all have questions about death. Despite the strong assurance the Bible gives us about life beyond the grave, Christians are often troubled by other questions. What will happen on the day of judgement? Will we have bodies in heaven? Will there be rewards? These short, readable book explains clearly and simply what we can say with certainty from the Bible about dying, death and life beyond the grave.

9781909559653mHow Will the World End? And Other Questions About The Last Things and The Second Coming of Christ by Jeramie Rennie. Christians believe that history is moving towards a dramatic conclusion—that one day Jesus Christ will return in glory to judge the living and the dead. But there seem to be so many different views about how this will happen, and when it will take place. How can we make sense of it all? This short, readable book explains clearly and simply the liberating reality of what the Bible is actually saying about the return of Christ and the end of the world.

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Death, Be Not Proud

Yesterday I spent some time weeping with a good friend who is a member and deacon candidate at IDC.

Last week he and his wife found out their third child, a thirteen-week-old infant, has anencephaly. It’s a serious birth defect that means the baby, if it makes it to term, will not survive many hours out of the womb.

I weep at the consequences of sin. I weep for our Lord’s return.

But even through such pain we have faith, for death will not win.

Then shall come to pass the saying that is written:

“Death is swallowed up in victory.”
“O death, where is your victory?
O death, where is your sting?”

So death, be not proud.

“Death, Be Not Proud” by Audrey Assad

Death, be not proud, though the whole world fear you:
mighty and dreadful you may seem, but death, be not proud—
for your pride has failed you— you will not kill me.
Though you may dwell in plague and poison, you’re
a slave to Fate and desperate men—
so death, if your sleep be the gates to heaven,
why your confidence?
You will be no more — you will be no more — you will be no more.
Even death will die.
Even death will die.

– Inspired by John Donne