GRACE & PEACE

Author: Dennis Griffith

  • Order of Sunday Fellow-Hip

    A number of years ago I ran across this satirical outline for all-too-common worship planning.  It is a sad but almost realistic caricature of what takes place in many churches every Sunday.  See if you recognize any of these things.

    ***

    Prologue

    Fellowshippers shall enter the sanctuary garrulously, centering their attention on each other, and gaily exchanging their news of the past week.

    If there be an overhead projector, the acolyles shall light it.

    The minister shall begin the Morning Fellowship by chanting the Greeting: “Good Morning.” Then shall not more than 50% and not less than 10% fellowshippers respond, chanting in the wise: “Good Morning.”

    NOTE: If it be a hot day, the Minister shall at his discretion add: “Ya’ll don’t mind if I take off my jacket.”  He shall then drape such vestment over the pastoral chair, or stuff it in some other place he may deem convenient.

    The Glad-handing of the Peace

    Then the Minister shall say: “Why don’t we all shake hands with the person on our left and on our right and say ‘Good Morning’.”

    NOTE: The glad-handing may be omitted, provided it be practiced any Sunday when there is at least one visitor present and, of course, on Mother’s Day and Missionary Sunday.

    When the general hubbub has subsided, the Minister shall say: “You may be seated.”

    THEN… If there be any visitors present, the Minister shall embarrass them by commanding: “Will all of our visitors please stand up and introduce themselves.”

    The Old Hymn & Special Music

    During the last stanza of the Old Hymn (which is not to have been composed before 1900 nor after 1950) the accompaniment tape shall be slipped into the sound system, or the organist shall warm up with a few lively runs up and down the keyboard.

    THEN shall be sung the “Special” Music appointed for the day.

    The Reading

    Then shall be read an arbitrary Scripture passage of the Minister’s choosing, so long as it has no relation to the time of the Church Year/Liturgical Calendar.

    Sharesicles, Prayersickles, and Praisicle of the Day

    Here may be inserted a time for a bunch of individual fellowshippers to give their testimonies, and share what the Lord has just-really-done in their lives.

    THEN, … if the fellowshippers be Charismatically inclined, shall follow:

    The Cacophony

    Here many loud prayers, in English or other Prayer Languages, shall be offered simultaneously.

    Prayer for the State of  a Bunch of Individual Christians

    And after these shall follow a L-O-N-G pastoral prayer, the people devoutly sitting. The Minister shall begin: “O Lord, we just-really-praise-you…” and continue with selected prayer requests, as many as he can recall from memory, for no less than 10 and no more than 20 minutes.

    NOTE:  Under no circumstances shall the Minister risk offending anyone.  He shall avoid praying for actual spiritual growth among the members (- as if they need it. They are Christian’s after all.)  And Minister shall avoid such vain repetition as The Lord’s Prayer.

    The Offertory Sentences

    “Count you blessings, Name them one by one. Count your blessing, See what God has done.”

    The Contemporary American Evangelical Creed

    I believe in God who once was Almighty, but sovereignly chose not to be sovereign; and Jesus my personaLord-and-Savior, Who loves me and has a wonderful plan for my life; Who came into my life when I asked him to, and is now seated at the right ventricle of my belief in him; Who walks with me and talks with me along life’s narrow way, and tells me I am His own; Who shall come again with secrecy to Rapture us outta here; Whose Kingdom shall last One Thousand years (not a day more or a day less).

    And I believe in the Holy Ghost, Who did some weird stuff at Pentecost, but doesn’t do much anymore, except speak secretly to the hearts of individual believers. And I believe in this local, independent, and powerless church, insofar as it is in line with my personal interpretation of the Bible and does stuff I like; in one Believer’s Baptism for public proof of my decision for Christ; and giving my personal testimony for soul winning.  And I look for the identity of the anti-Christ, and know for sure that the Last Days are now upon us. ~Ay-men!

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  • Why?

  • John Piper is BAD

    Michael Jackson asked:

    “Who’s BADD?”

    The answer, apparently: John Piper.

    I don’t know if it is because John Piper staunchly believes in the doctrine of Total Depravity (as do I) – which recognizes that as a consequnce of the Fall all humnaity is infected by sin in every aspect of our personality – or if there is some other underlying motive, but someone has produced this clever video:

    Just in case you are curious, Piper has seen the video and he thinks it’s funny.

  • Why Do We Read Prayers & Creeds?

    Why do we read prayers and creeds in our worship services?

    The answer is simple. It is because the WHOLE Church is called a priesthood.

    But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.  (1 Peter 2.9)

    So, since ALL the people of God are priests, shouldn’t we all be actively involved in the priestly function – worship?  If we are all priests, we should all not only be present for and participating in worship, we should all be conducting worship.

    In worship services, the worship leaders & musicians lead, but the people are actually performing the worship. The people are enabled to do this when they are given tools to read & respond.  These tools are not replacements of the Bible. On the contrary, many even most tools are excerpts from the Bible. These tools should be seen as to the liturgy of worship what the hymnal is to the musical aspect of worship. They are intended to equip the people for doing the work of the priesthood.

    The recited prayers are also part of the training manual for worship. They are not the only kind of prayers we should use during a service. Usually there will also be “free” prayer during worship.  But the set prayers follow Biblical examples such as The Lord’s Prayer.  They are usually well-stated prayers that uniquely express the common needs of God’s people. They are sometimes called collects because they are a collection of the needs of Christians that are brought to God by those who pray.

    Set prayers are prayers that have a unique history to them. The following prayer has a special story attached to it:

    “O God, who art the author of peace and lover of concord, in knowledge of whom standeth our eternal life, whose service is perfect freedom; defend us thy humble servants in all assault of our enemies; that we, surely trusting in thy defense, may not fear the power of any adversaries, through the might of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.”

    This prayer was written by a minister in the city of Rome sometime during the fourth century A.D. It was composed at a time when barbarians were about to conquer the city. On the night on which it was prayed, the barbarians mysteriously left and never came back. The Church has kept this prayer which God so profoundly honored.

    While this prayer was offered at a particular time in history, if one considers what is expressed we will see the near universality of what is expressed.  We all, at one time or another, face assault from some enemy; we all, at times, have our freedom threatened.  So, while the origin of the prayer may have been in the fourth century, we can easily see the adaptability and the contemporary applicability it posesses.

    The common objection, though to such “read prayers” is that they are not sincere. They are someone else’s words. They did not originate in our hearts or minds. They are therefore somehow inauthentic, or disingenuous.  But this is not necessarily the case.  People read vows at a wedding or even memorize what they want to say. Does this mean that they are insincere? Hardly. In fact, people very carefully choose their words when they are important and they really have to mean them. Remember, this is how people act at special occasions before special people.  And to assume that offering to God words that someone else wrote in inherently inauthentic, inappropriate, would effectively eliminate any singing at church. We sing songs with lyrics written by others.  Yet we understand that when we embrace the words written for us, when we personalize the sentiment, something very real, very personal often occurs through our singing in worship.  I don’t think I have ever heard anyone object to that.

    Just imagine what worship would be like if we placed the same restraints on singing as some want to place on praying.  If everyone could only sing songs they had themselves written, or at least sing only  lyrics they had composed – composed spontaneously on the spot – we would have a cacophony, not harmony! It would be a horrible experience! Are songs we sing – musical prayer, or musical expressions of praise – supposed to be any less intimate than spoken prayers?  Yet we do not place such artificial restraints on our singing. (Thankfully!)

    But how about the repetition? Doesn’t this lead to deadness? Again: No.  People usually benefit from repeating what they love. Favorite, oft-recited portions of scripture such as Psalm 23, The Lord’s Prayer, and The Beatitudes all serve to illustrate this. How about certain hymns, Christmas carols, or simple songs such as Jesus Loves Me? These are repeated by the same people over and over.  Does the repetition mean they are insincere or don’t mean what they say? Not at all. They are repeating what they love. More important, they are repeating what they mean.  In fact, repetition is sometimes more difficult for people when they don’t mean what they are saying.  And so it is true of every aspect of worship.

    Finally, repetition has been called the “mother of learning.” Repetition is a way of learning basic elements of anything, including worship. Most Christians don’t know how to worship because they have been led to believe that it only comes naturally.  But tt doesn’t come naturally.  Perhaps it should, but it does not. At least not since the Fall, when sin entered into our world.  In fact, nothing in the Christian life come naturally.  It must be learned. (Why else would Jesus have to teach us to pray, as he does by the Lord’s Prayer?)  And since repetition is the most basic way of learning, the worship service involves repeating certain important parts, which leads to learning.

  • The Scandal of American Evangelicalism

    I was not there, but I am now wishing I had been, at least for R.C. Sproul Jr.’s address.   The Layman Online reports that Sproul prophetically challenged those gathered for 2012 Ligonier National Conference “… about the true scandal of the evangelical mind.”

    Developing his message from 1 Corinthians 1.18-31 Sproul briefly outlined the Christian faith, and emphasized the Unity of those within the faith.  He then contrasted the unity of Believers with the perspective of Christians “by those outside of the room – the Greek, the Gentile…” reminding his hearers that “the story [the Gospel] is a scandal. It is foolishness. It is a stumbling block.”

    This is an important reminder.

    As Sproul elaborated:  “Paul wasn’t just saying they don’t get it.  Paul says, ‘they don’t get you!’ They think you are foolish … They won’t take you seriously.” And those in the evangelical church perceive this distaste and displeasure.

    So we see that the unbelievers around us don’t get us, and don’t appreciate the Gospel.  This should be no surprise. This is as God said it would be.  But here is where what Sproul said really begins to carry weight:

    “What scandalizes me is that this truth scandalizes us … that we, who embrace this Gospel that is an offense to the world, are offended that they are offended by us!”

    I think this is so true.  Despite the fact that we are told that we will be despised and rejected, we seem surprised.  We don’t like it.

    “Evangelicals grouse and complain. They go on television to complain about how they are presented on television. We want to insist that Paul is wrong – and not just Paul, of course. This is the wisdom of the Holy Spirit here … The text says ‘this is how the world will see you.’”

    The greater scandal is not that we are “scandalized” by the worlds rejection but how many seem to respond:

    “Some Evangelicals not only fight back and argue against it, We insist on our rights and worse of all we begin to adapt. We begin to reshape ourselves and our story. We diminish the stumbling block and, to establish our credibility, we begin to rewrite the story.”

    “If we are Emergent… We say it is just our story. You have your narrative. We have our narrative. All God’s children have their narrative … You don’t need to be scandalized. I just have a different story, and I’m not sure about my story. Will you let me into your cool club?”

    “If we are Seeker-sensitive, then we take the story and remove the sharp edges of talking about sin and judgment and wrath because people don’t want to hear about that.”

    I won’t go into much more detail. Instead let me encourage you to check out the whole story at The Layman Online. They have done an excellent job of chronicling Sproul’s message.  But I do want to share one more of Sproul’s observations, related to the laments listed above about some common responses:

    “When we remember the Gospel – when we remember our own salvation – we remember the necessity of resting in His provision. In our sanctification, we are called to have our heart, mind and soul rest in His wisdom.”

    And this is also true of our mission.

    The primary aim of our mission is to extend the Gospel of the Kingdom. To do this we must faithfully proclaim the rich, deep, truth of the gospel in all it’s dimensions.  Our hope is that this message will impact many, many people.  BUT we must be clear, and we must regularly remind ourselves and one another, that we cannot make the hope of impacting many people the priority over faithful proclamation.

    I am afraid many are inverting these priorities.  The measure of success, in such cases, is numbers of people at the expense if gospel fidelity.  So we embrace either the Seeker or Emergent approach Sproul mentioned above, or something of a similar ilk.   But when we are willing to accept a gospel that is not complete, or even necessarily accurate, we then are preaching a different Gospel than the one that is faithful to Christ.  Success may be apparent, but as Paul warned, if anyone is preaching a gospel different from the one the Apostles preached they are “perverting” the gospel. What they are preaching is “no gospel at all”.  (Galatians 1.6-9)

    If what is preached is not faithful to Christ, then it follows that the mission cannot be of Christ.  We may want to offer it to him, but it is not his mission. Christ is the King. He dictates the message, the means, and the motive.

    So if such mission, mission in the name of Christ but without the genuine message of Christ, is not really mission for Christ, then who is it for?  Us. For our own sense of importance; For our own apparent success in the eyes of those around us;  Perhaps even, we think and hope, so that God will be pleased with us.  But regardless of the motive, such motive for mission is not so much for God’s glory as it is for selfish ambition. (See Philippians 1.17, Philippians 2.3)

    What Sproul suggests about our sanctification, that we must “rest in his provision”, must also be applied to our mission ambition. We must rest in his provision of pure gospel and gospel power.

  • When Helping Hurts

    With the re-emergence of ministries of mercy by Evangelicals have also come definite challenges.  I am delighted that this trend of compassion continues on the upswing. But I am also aware of both the theological and practical dilemmas that inevitably face anyone who is engaged in such outreach.

    The video above in an interview with two highly qualified mercy ministry experts, Brian Fikkert and Steven Corbett. I don’t know much about Corbett, but it was my privilege to get to know Brian when he was establishing the Chalmers Center.  (Brian’s son was also on my daughters first soccer team. )  And Brian, along with a few of his colleagues, were instrumental in helping the church I then served to develop our ministry among the poor in Walker County Georgia.

    In the video Fikkert and Corbett discuss the premiss behind their excellent, must-read, book: When Helping Hurts.  They address practical and philosophical dimensions of such issues as cultivationg dependency, etc.

  • 5 Suggestion for Receiving Criticism

    Benjamin Franklin once mused:

    “Any fool can criticize, condemn and complain… and most fools do.”

    I don’t like receiving criticism and, since I am being honest here, I don’t often appreciate it either. I understand that it comes with the territory. I understand that when processed correctly criticism can prove beneficial to my character, competence, and even toward Christ-likeness. But still, I don’t like it.  Everything within me wants to avoid it.  I find myself thinking: “There’s got to be some other way.”

    But there is no other way.  There is no life immune from criticism. There is no growth without criticism.

    So the question, then, is: How to process criticism well?  How do I learn to benefit from the criticism that I need, while at the same time learn to discard the criticism that comes from those Ben Franklin classifies as “fools”.

    Mark Altrogge, at The Blazing Center, offers some helpful hints in a post he titles:  How to Receive Criticism Like a Champ.  Here is the gist of Altrogge’s  five suggestions:

    1. If it comes from a believer, view it as a kindness – oil for your head – an act of love.

    Ask God to help you receive it and not refuse it.  Or start openly crying, which is embarrassing.  Be a man – be like David – “Let a righteous man strike me; it is a kindness.”

    2. Make it easy for people to bring stuff to you.

    It’s not easy to talk to someone about their sin or weakness.  Thank them and assure them you’re glad they’d share with you.  (And pray that you really would be glad!)  Then you can hit the trapdoor button to drop them into the cellar.

    3. Remember you ARE a sinner.

    Hate to break it to you, but you will actually blow it from time to time.  Last I checked, none of us have been completely sanctified yet.  Except for my sister, who I think may have sinned once in her entire lifetime.  But the rest of us will sin.  We’ll blow it.  We don’t do everything perfect.  And even if I’m criticized unjustly for something, there’s plenty of other things I should be criticized and judged for, but won’t be, for Jesus paid for all my sins and failures.

    4. There’s almost always some truth in every criticism, even if it’s inaccurate or given poorly.

    There may still be something valuable for you to learn.  There’s some reason they are perceiving things this way.  Though Professor Grinchwold did humiliate me, my 3-d fly was kind of dumb.

    5. Don’t be wise in your own eyes.

    Assume people see things you can’t. We all have blind spots.  There could be something you’re missing.

    My thanks to Mark Altrogge for his excellent post, and for reminding us that sometimes wisdom is found through criticism.

    As Solomon told us:

    Faithful are the wounds of a friend; profuse are the kisses of an enemy. ~ Proverbs 27.6

  • Now Why This Fear

    Now why this fear and unbelief?
    Has not the Father put to grief
    His spotless Son for us?
    And will the righteous Judge of men
    Condemn me for that debt of sin
    Now canceled at the cross?

    Chorus
    Jesus, all my trust is in Your blood
    Jesus, You’ve rescued us
    Through Your great love

    Verse 2
    Complete atonement You have made
    And by Your death have fully paid
    The debt Your people owed
    No wrath remains for us to face
    We’re sheltered by Your saving grace
    And sprinkled with Your blood

    Bridge
    How sweet the sound of saving grace
    How sweet the sound of saving grace
    Christ died for me

    Verse 3
    Be still my soul and know this peace
    The merits of your great high priest
    Have bought your liberty
    Rely then on His precious blood
    Don’t fear your banishment from God
    Since Jesus sets you free

    ~ from The Gathering: Live from WorshipGod11

    Lyrics by Augustus Toplady

  • Reclaiming St Patrick’s Day

    Did you know that, in his lifetime, Patrick of Ireland was never associated with the Roman Catholic Church?  In fact, if one examines Patrick’s beliefs and practices, along with his British Christian heritage, we find that if he were alive today Patrick, that pioneer missionary, would actually fall quite naturally within Evangelicalism. 

    Check out these resources about Patrick & Celtic Christianity:

    And in his article, Reclaiming St. Patrick’s Day, Ted Olsen makes 5 suggestions about how we might better celebrate Patrick’s legacy:

    1. Figfhting Human Trafficking
    2. Evangelism
    3. Multi-ethnic Community & Incarnational Ministry
    4. Christian Education
    5. Submitting to Authorities AND Rebelling Against Them

  • St. Patrick’s Breastplate

    This famous prayer, one of the earliest known European vernacular poems, has been attributed to Patrick – though some scholars say a few of the words indicate a later period. But there is no question that they ooze the spirit and substance we see in Patrick’s Confession. And they reverberate with the power of Christianity that Patrick gave to his adopted land – Ireland.

    Some Christians today find great value in memorizing this classic prayer and repeating it each morning upon arising. But even if that is not something you think you might want to try, at least take some time to read through this prayer, reflect on the awesome truths expressed in thus poetic prayer.

    ***

    I arise today through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity. Through belief in the threeness, through confession of the oneness Of the Creator of Creation.

    I arise today through the strength of Christ’s birth with his baptism, Through the strength of his crucifixion with his burial, Through the strength of his resurrection with his ascension, Through the strength of his descent for the judgment of Doom…

    I arise today through God’s strength to pilot me: God’s might to uphold me, God’s wisdom to guide me, God’s eye to look before me, God’s ear to hear me, God’s word to speak for me, God’s hand to guard me, God’s way to lie before me, God’s shield to protect me, God’s host to save me from snare of devils, from temptations of vices, from everyone who shall wish me ill, Afar and anear, alone and in multitude.

    I summon today all these powers between me and those evils, Against every cruel and merciless power that may oppose my body and soul Against incantations of false prophets,against black laws of pagandom, Against false laws of heretics, against craft of idolatry, Against spells of witches and smiths and wizards, Against every knowledge that corrupts man’s body and soul.

    Christ to shield me today against poison, against burning, Against drowning, against wounding, So that there may come to me abundance of reward.

    Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me, Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me, Christ on my right, Christ on my left, Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit down, Christ when I arise, Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me, Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me, Christ in every eye that sees me, Christ in every ear that hears me.

    I arise today through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity, Through belief in the threeness, through confession of the oneness, Of the Creator of Creation.

    ***

    Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

  • Why Do We Come For Worship?

    The answer to the question, “Why do we come for worship?” determines everything about the service.  And it can only be answered one of two ways: We are in worship for God or we are there for man.

    If we come to worship for man, we become principally concerned with such questions as:

    • Are we having a good time?
    • Is this service giving us a good feeling?
    • Are we getting good fellowship?
    • Do we like the preacher?
    • Are we moved by the sermons?

    These questions have one common denominator: They reflect man-centered purposes for worship, because they all have to do with man.

    Don’t misunderstand. Many of these question touch legitimate concerns. But they are not sound Biblical purposes for worship.

    The Bible clearly teaches that the purpose of worship is for God. The Apostle Paul rebuked a group of Christians for putting their own selfish desires before God’s glory, for “coming together” for man-centered reasons. The Corinthian church cared only about stuffing their own mouths, having a good time, and celebrating together. They had lost sight of the real purpose which was to “show forth the Lord’s death” (1 Corinthians 11:26). They were not to be taking the Supper primarily for themselves, but for the Lord. How they felt and what they liked were not reasons for coming to worship.

    As a matter of fact, Christians may not feel good when they come together. In the same passage the Apostle Paul says Biblical worship will make some people sick if they come for the wrong reason (1 Corinthians 11:30). They may begin to feel miserable or sick because there is sin in their lives. They are made to feel this way so that they will repent. How we feel or even what we think about Biblical worship is not the point. We are not the point at all. God is. We come to worship Him!

    Once we’ve settled why we come for worship, the rest falls into its Biblical place.

  • 7 Habits of Highly Ineffective Leaders

    I am a fan of the Covey‘s, Jim Collins, Thom Rainer, and several other experts who have made it part of their life mission to enhance leadership effectiveness.  But still, it is about time someone looks at things from the other perspective.  And now, Steven James helps us out by providing us a simple list of 7 Habits of Highly Ineffective Leaders:

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  • Gauging Your Church’s Temperature

    Dietrich Bonhoeffer, in Life Together, talks about looking at our churches through critical lenses:

    If we do not give thanks daily for the Christian fellowship in which we have been placed, even where there is no great experience, no discoverable riches, but much weakness, small faith, and difficulty; if on the contrary, we only keep complaining to God that everything is so paltry and petty, so far from what we expected, then we hinder God from letting our fellowship grow according to the measure and riches which are there for us all in Jesus Christ.

    In a tremendous and much needed post, titled On Constantly Taking Your Church’s Temperature, Jared Wilson expands upon Bonhoeffer’s insights, applying them to the contemporary church. Rather, Wilson applies them to ambitious pastors and zealous church members who are overly critical about their own local congregations.

    As Wilson relays, Bonhoeffer also said:

    When a person becomes alienated from a Christian community in which he has been placed and begins to raise complaints about it, he had better examine himself first to see whether the trouble is not due to his wish dream that should be shattered by God; and if this be the case, let him thank God for leading him into this predicament.

    If this advice was followed not only would the Church be better off, but so would the very ones who put themselves above it.  If we followed Bonhoeffer’s perspective we would be regularly reminded:

    • that God is in control of all things, including where we participate in church life;
    • that God loves the church – in all sizes and forms, and various denominations – even with all the obvious flaws and shortcomings.
    • that God works out all things for his glory and the good of those called according to his purposes (Romans 8.28);
    • and that even being part of a congregation with flaws and weaknesses; one that has a long way to go before it even approaches impressiveness…  God can use even a church like that both for his glory and for the spiritual maturation of those who love others and participate in the life of such a congregation.

    This does NOT mean that the local church is beyond criticism. But it does mean that the same principles that apply to interpersonal relationships should be applied to our churches. “Speak truth in love”, would be one important example.  (See Ephesians 4.15; 1 John 3.18) In other words, if (when) criticism is warranted it MUST be compelled by love for others involved and/or by love for the church corporate.  Criticisms should not be leveled simply because the church is not measuring up to our preferences or supplying us the status/identity we desire.

    Somehow that has been forgotten or ignored. From stories I hear, and the statistics I see, about the prevalence of church hopping, it seems we have somehow elevated fickleness and selfishness to being spiritual virtues.  That’s a sad thing.

    When the urge to criticize seems too strong to resist, whether valid or petty,  consider these questions for reflection that Wilson offers :

    1. Am I disappointed my church isn’t more like Jesus, or that it isn’t more like me?

    In the diversity of the body is a diversity of callings and passions. It is not fair, nor gracious, to expect the other members of a body to carry the same individual callings or passions as others. If the problem is disobedience to a clear biblical command, that is one thing. If the problem is disinterest in your interest, that is another.

    2. Is the problem a matter for church discipline? Is it an issue of gospel-denial?

    Rebukes are for sin, not for disappointment. If your church affirms the gospel but denies emphasis on your area of concern, don’t make a federal case out of it.

    3. Can you rehearse the blessings and benefits of your local body as easily as their flaws and failings?

    If you are constantly unhappy there and cannot shake envy for the wish-dream, it is better for you to leave in peace than to stay and grumble.

    4. Do you see others’ faults more readily than your own?

    The answer to this question, for nearly all of us, is yes. So it is with great caution and great desire for grace that we ought to make the faults of others our business. Your church has a long, long way to go, no doubt. Every church does. But so do you.

    Let me conclude by admitting I understand the temptations to be critical of the local church. I was once one of those pastors who was easily irked by the inadequacy of the congregation God had entrusted to my care.  While I would not admit it aloud, I viewed the weaknesses and lackings of that church as hindrances to my aspirations to do great things for God.  But what was even more true, and what I wouldn’t admit even to myself, was that deep down I really viewed the church as an obstacle to my own glory.  In short, I despised what Christ loved – and gave his life to claim.  (NOTE: Despise does not mean “hate”; it means “not feeling something is worthy of affection”.)  God prospered the ministry in that church, but something greater was lacking.

    In his grace, and in time, God revealed to me the ungodliness of my perspective.  He showed me that the love of Christ is demonstrated in giving oneself to something that is unlovely, inadequate, and even often unappreciative.   He reminded me that this is how he has loved me – and continues to love me.  He also taught me that to be godly is to love whatever God loves, and that to be  Christ-like requires giving myself to what might to others seem unworthy.  But while God delivered me from myself, I can at times sense the old me – the one who desperately wants to gain glory for self  – thinking about making a comeback.  I hear him talking at times, often through the words of others unimpressed with the people I serve.  Fortunately, I have learned to ask myself questions like those Jared Wilson poses.  In fact, such questions provide me a means of progress toward Christ-likeness.

    I hope many will take a few moments to read Jared Wilson’s post.  He offers a much needed corrective to a Christian culture more infected by consumerism than many of us want to admit.  In it’s place Wilson shows us the essence of gospel-driven ministry and church membership.

  • Ways of Grace

    We will never find God unless he first seeks us, but we should remember that he can do so in very different ways.  Sometimes, God jumps on us dramatically, as he does with the younger son, and we have a sharp sense of his love.  Sometimes he quietly and patiently argues with us even though we continue to turn away, as in the case of the older son.

    How can you tell if he is working on you now? If you begin to sense your lostness and finding yourself wanting to escape it, you should realize that that desire is not something you could have generated on your own.  Such a process requires Help, and if it is happening it is a good indication that he is even now on your side.

    ~ Tim Keller, from The Prodigal God

  • Cell Phones in Church

    This seems reasonable to me…