This is some interesting information regarding pastors being discouraged or lonely. What I did find interesting is the correlation between age and being discouraged or lonely. I wonder if it is purely an age issue or an age/length of time in the ministry issue. Here is the link.
http://www.thomrainer.com/2012/09/pastors-are-hurting.php
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
Thursday, September 13, 2012
When the Gospel is Banned from the Church
There are times you want to say things about things that have made an impression on you or affected you or stirred you up. This is one of those times, but it is also one of those times that I know that I won't be able to convey the entirety of what I was thinking and feeling, maybe because I had several thoughts and feelings about what happened. In the big scheme of things, well, even in the little scheme of things, it probably isn't that big. But, to me, it is a sign of where we are in our life in the church here in the US; and it bothered me. It made me a little sick at my stomach, it caused me to have an anti-smalzy reaction, made my hypocrite alarm go off, and left me with sense of disgust. And, I'll admit, it played right into my prejudice towards the types of churches I mentioned in this recent post http://morris-pressingon.blogspot.com/2012/08/another-gospel.html
This was brought about when I was recently standing in line at Starbucks. Our Starbucks is the number two grossing Starbucks in the state of Texas, so you usually have a bit of a wait to make your order. So as I was waiting in line, a thirty-something year old man came in and queued up behind me. As we were waiting he made a phone call, and being as close as we were, I could not help but hear some of the conversation. His tone was fairly crass for most of the conversation, and he used a couple of inappropriate terms that were in step with the tone of the conversation. I chalked it up to just another person in the world doing what people in the world do. Well, after I received my order I was talking to a friend of mine, and up walks this same man who was having the conversation. My friend introduced us, and lo and behold, this man was on staff at one of the local churches that were referenced above. In fact, he was the staff person in charge of the elementary school age children. After my friend told him that I was a pastor the tone of his voice changed and he was so sugary that my anti-smalzy alarm went off; I mean it was to the point of being insincere. You would not have been able to reconcile the person in line behind me with the person I was introduced to.
I wondered if there was any conviction on his part about having two personas, or if he even sees the problem with having two different personas, or if he even is aware that he has two personas. One, which is obviously the way he normally is, and the other, which is his church staff persona. Two masks representing two different people. But, I don't think that those who hold to a Moralistic Therapeutic Deism philosophy (see post referenced above) see any problem with hypocrisy such as this. They don't make the connection between their profession and their life, in fact they don't see that there should be a connection to what you profess and how you live. And just to add to this, another man told me of a conversation he recently had with a member of one of the churches I alluded to in the post above. They were telling him about how they would follow their pastor no matter where he went, and then in the same conversation talked about getting drunk the last weekend and having a hang-over the next day. Again, seeing no problem with talking about being a church member and drinking so much you feel bad the next day, all in the same conversation.
This bothers me for these people, and reminds me of Titus 1:15-16. I am concerned for their spiritual state, that they can go to church, or be a staff member at a church, and not see the disconnect between what they say they are and how they live. I am concerned not only for them, but for others in those churches, and also for the churches themselves. But you see, when you are preaching messages designed to make people feel better about themselves, or improve their worldly lives, or preaching sermons designed to attract the worldly, this is a logical result. And I wish these were isolated incidents, but they are not.
You might say, Morris, we have always had hypocrites in the church and always will. And I would agree with you, but at the same time, I don't think this type of compartmentalization of the Christian life, this type of disconnect between profession and lifestyle has ever been this rampant and this rife in our churches, nor has it ever been as accepted as normal to the point that most have become oblivious to it, as it is now.
If you never preach and teach on sin, never talk about man's sinfulness then there is never a need for a Savior. If people do not see their sinfulness, then they won't see the disconnect between their profession and their lifestyle, much less see their need for a Savior. The true Gospel tells man the truth about his sin, his separation from God and his alienation from God on account of his sin. The true Gospel tells man of God's remedy in Christ for his sin and the reconciliation with God that is provided through Christ. The true Gospel tells man the truth about himself, not so he will feel good about himself, but so he will place his faith in what God has done for him in Christ. And, actually, nothing should make you feel better than to know the mercy, grace, love, and compassion of God that He bestows upon you in salvation.
Unfortunately, this Gospel, the true Gospel, has been banned from so many churches and replaced with the false gospel of Moralistic Therapeutic Deism, the false gospel of self. Friends, let us make sure the true Gospel is preached in our churches. Hold fast to the faithful word, do not be ashamed of the Gospel, as it is God's power to save, to heal, to restore, to reconcile, to make holy. If there will be hypocrites in our churches, let it not be because we have banned the true Gospel.
This was brought about when I was recently standing in line at Starbucks. Our Starbucks is the number two grossing Starbucks in the state of Texas, so you usually have a bit of a wait to make your order. So as I was waiting in line, a thirty-something year old man came in and queued up behind me. As we were waiting he made a phone call, and being as close as we were, I could not help but hear some of the conversation. His tone was fairly crass for most of the conversation, and he used a couple of inappropriate terms that were in step with the tone of the conversation. I chalked it up to just another person in the world doing what people in the world do. Well, after I received my order I was talking to a friend of mine, and up walks this same man who was having the conversation. My friend introduced us, and lo and behold, this man was on staff at one of the local churches that were referenced above. In fact, he was the staff person in charge of the elementary school age children. After my friend told him that I was a pastor the tone of his voice changed and he was so sugary that my anti-smalzy alarm went off; I mean it was to the point of being insincere. You would not have been able to reconcile the person in line behind me with the person I was introduced to.
I wondered if there was any conviction on his part about having two personas, or if he even sees the problem with having two different personas, or if he even is aware that he has two personas. One, which is obviously the way he normally is, and the other, which is his church staff persona. Two masks representing two different people. But, I don't think that those who hold to a Moralistic Therapeutic Deism philosophy (see post referenced above) see any problem with hypocrisy such as this. They don't make the connection between their profession and their life, in fact they don't see that there should be a connection to what you profess and how you live. And just to add to this, another man told me of a conversation he recently had with a member of one of the churches I alluded to in the post above. They were telling him about how they would follow their pastor no matter where he went, and then in the same conversation talked about getting drunk the last weekend and having a hang-over the next day. Again, seeing no problem with talking about being a church member and drinking so much you feel bad the next day, all in the same conversation.
This bothers me for these people, and reminds me of Titus 1:15-16. I am concerned for their spiritual state, that they can go to church, or be a staff member at a church, and not see the disconnect between what they say they are and how they live. I am concerned not only for them, but for others in those churches, and also for the churches themselves. But you see, when you are preaching messages designed to make people feel better about themselves, or improve their worldly lives, or preaching sermons designed to attract the worldly, this is a logical result. And I wish these were isolated incidents, but they are not.
You might say, Morris, we have always had hypocrites in the church and always will. And I would agree with you, but at the same time, I don't think this type of compartmentalization of the Christian life, this type of disconnect between profession and lifestyle has ever been this rampant and this rife in our churches, nor has it ever been as accepted as normal to the point that most have become oblivious to it, as it is now.
If you never preach and teach on sin, never talk about man's sinfulness then there is never a need for a Savior. If people do not see their sinfulness, then they won't see the disconnect between their profession and their lifestyle, much less see their need for a Savior. The true Gospel tells man the truth about his sin, his separation from God and his alienation from God on account of his sin. The true Gospel tells man of God's remedy in Christ for his sin and the reconciliation with God that is provided through Christ. The true Gospel tells man the truth about himself, not so he will feel good about himself, but so he will place his faith in what God has done for him in Christ. And, actually, nothing should make you feel better than to know the mercy, grace, love, and compassion of God that He bestows upon you in salvation.
Unfortunately, this Gospel, the true Gospel, has been banned from so many churches and replaced with the false gospel of Moralistic Therapeutic Deism, the false gospel of self. Friends, let us make sure the true Gospel is preached in our churches. Hold fast to the faithful word, do not be ashamed of the Gospel, as it is God's power to save, to heal, to restore, to reconcile, to make holy. If there will be hypocrites in our churches, let it not be because we have banned the true Gospel.
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
Pastor-Holistically Disciple Your People
We as pastors must disciple (train, educate, teach, counsel, and encourage) our people with the finished product in mind, which is our people being complete in Christ, and Christ being fully formed in our people. We must design the ministries of our church with this in mind, and we must engage our staff as well. A tall task, the task of a lifetime, both for our people and for us.
This means that our goal cannot be making them Reformed, or Covenental, or Dispensational, or Denominational. Our goal cannot only be for them to be a good tither, or someone who gets grace, or more loving, or more patient, or happier, or better adjusted, or forgiving, or more knowledgable, or more....I think you can get my drift here. Our goal for them must be all of Christ, in all of His fullness. This will take you, your staff, and your church all pulling in the same direction with the same goal in mind. Paul was laboring so that Christ would be fully formed in those whom he taught, so must we.
Don't be a one-dimensional discipler, don't be a hobby horse pastor, have it as your goal to teach and train the whole person; so that when you see them, you see Christ in them, and the longer they are under your care, the more of Christ you see in them.
This means that our goal cannot be making them Reformed, or Covenental, or Dispensational, or Denominational. Our goal cannot only be for them to be a good tither, or someone who gets grace, or more loving, or more patient, or happier, or better adjusted, or forgiving, or more knowledgable, or more....I think you can get my drift here. Our goal for them must be all of Christ, in all of His fullness. This will take you, your staff, and your church all pulling in the same direction with the same goal in mind. Paul was laboring so that Christ would be fully formed in those whom he taught, so must we.
Don't be a one-dimensional discipler, don't be a hobby horse pastor, have it as your goal to teach and train the whole person; so that when you see them, you see Christ in them, and the longer they are under your care, the more of Christ you see in them.
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
Growing in Sanctification
Growing in sanctification is growing in personal holiness. As such it is a practical, progressive, holiness. It is a growth in holiness that, as Peter puts it in II Peter 1:8, leaves us neither useless nor unfruitful in our knowledge of Him. So then, growing in holiness is also growing in our practical knowledge of Him. Conversely, as our practical knowledge of Him grows, so does our holiness; and as our holiness grows, so does our sensitivity to sin. As such, we will repent more readily and more deeply and more completely.
Additionally, as we grow in sanctification we also grow in our faith; and the heights of holiness we attain are matched by the depth of our faith. Growth in faith gives us a greater ability to trust His Word, to trust in Him, to entrust ourselves over to Him regardless of the situation. This depth of faith is really the bedrock of our sanctification and is the rich soil out of which our holiness grows.
Also, growing in sanctification is also growing in love. It is the enlarging of the heart to love Him more, to love your neighbor more, and to fervently love your fellow Christians. It becomes the great motivation in your living out your Christian life, the great motivation in growing in your faith, the great motivation in your desire for holiness...the great motivation behind the sacrifice and service of your faith. It is this love that gives you the desire, indeed the increasing desire, to please the Lord in every respect. Since all the Law and the prophets are fulfilled in the commands to love God with all our heart, mind, and strength and to love our neighbor as our self; then as we grow in our love for God and neighbor we will also be growing in holiness.
Growing in sanctification, therefore, is not an isolated event, but affects the whole of our spiritual life. There is not an area or aspect of our spiritual life that is not touched. We are set further and further apart from the person we used to be. We become less like that old man, and become progressively more like the new man that is being conformed into the image of Christ; and in the daily renewing of our inner man we grow in all aspects into Him
Growing in sanctification, then, is the progressive reality of our salvation. Friends, I hope this reality is yours.
Additionally, as we grow in sanctification we also grow in our faith; and the heights of holiness we attain are matched by the depth of our faith. Growth in faith gives us a greater ability to trust His Word, to trust in Him, to entrust ourselves over to Him regardless of the situation. This depth of faith is really the bedrock of our sanctification and is the rich soil out of which our holiness grows.
Also, growing in sanctification is also growing in love. It is the enlarging of the heart to love Him more, to love your neighbor more, and to fervently love your fellow Christians. It becomes the great motivation in your living out your Christian life, the great motivation in growing in your faith, the great motivation in your desire for holiness...the great motivation behind the sacrifice and service of your faith. It is this love that gives you the desire, indeed the increasing desire, to please the Lord in every respect. Since all the Law and the prophets are fulfilled in the commands to love God with all our heart, mind, and strength and to love our neighbor as our self; then as we grow in our love for God and neighbor we will also be growing in holiness.
Growing in sanctification, therefore, is not an isolated event, but affects the whole of our spiritual life. There is not an area or aspect of our spiritual life that is not touched. We are set further and further apart from the person we used to be. We become less like that old man, and become progressively more like the new man that is being conformed into the image of Christ; and in the daily renewing of our inner man we grow in all aspects into Him
Growing in sanctification, then, is the progressive reality of our salvation. Friends, I hope this reality is yours.
Friday, September 07, 2012
Raising the Spiritual Bar
Pastors should not be afraid to set the spiritual bar for their people as high as it is set in Bible. Of course, the bar the Scripture sets is Jesus Christ, Himself. He is the One against whom we all are ultimately measured. He is the One whom we all are being conformed into, and it is Him that we all will be like on that day (Ephesians 4:11-15, Romans 8:29, Colossians 1:28, I John 3:2). If this is true, rather, because this is true, then pastors should be concerned with the personal holiness of their people, not their personal happiness.
Pastors need to exhort their people to be great Christians. They need to lay out an expectation for them to be the best Christians they can be. They need to entreat their flock to love the Lord with all their heart, so they will be filled with an ongoing desire to please Him. They must to encourage them to pursue Christ. They need to keep the Gospel fresh, so that the joy of salvation will not grow stale. Pastors need to extol the greatness of God, so that the people's reverence for Him will not wane. They must not hide the cost of discipleship, but encourage their people to press on. They must prepare them to be diligent and to persevere, and cheer them on to not grow wearing in doing good.They must be faithful in giving them the Word, so by it all under their charge and care may grow with respect to their salvation.
This is tough and demanding, because if pastors raise the bar for their people then they must also raise the bar for themselves. They must then raise the bar for their own personal holiness and its pursuit; raise the bar for their personal Christ-likeness; raise the bar for their preaching and teaching; raise the bar for their spiritual leadership; raise the bar for their own diligence and perseverance; raise the bar for their worship; raise the bar for their prayer life; raise the bar for how they do church. But is that not the task pastor's have been assigned, is it not the stewardship they have been given? Is it not why the warning is given in James 3:1? Daunting as that may seem, His grace is sufficient, and it is the Lord that makes us all adequate as His servants.
Pastors, press on in the fulfillment of your calling. Press on to be the best shepherd you can be. Press on to be great shepherds of the sheep, as any less of an effort is a disservice to them, a dishonor to your calling, and a disappointment to the Master. And on that day may you all hear, "Well done my good and faithful servant, enter into the joy of your Master."
Pastors need to exhort their people to be great Christians. They need to lay out an expectation for them to be the best Christians they can be. They need to entreat their flock to love the Lord with all their heart, so they will be filled with an ongoing desire to please Him. They must to encourage them to pursue Christ. They need to keep the Gospel fresh, so that the joy of salvation will not grow stale. Pastors need to extol the greatness of God, so that the people's reverence for Him will not wane. They must not hide the cost of discipleship, but encourage their people to press on. They must prepare them to be diligent and to persevere, and cheer them on to not grow wearing in doing good.They must be faithful in giving them the Word, so by it all under their charge and care may grow with respect to their salvation.
This is tough and demanding, because if pastors raise the bar for their people then they must also raise the bar for themselves. They must then raise the bar for their own personal holiness and its pursuit; raise the bar for their personal Christ-likeness; raise the bar for their preaching and teaching; raise the bar for their spiritual leadership; raise the bar for their own diligence and perseverance; raise the bar for their worship; raise the bar for their prayer life; raise the bar for how they do church. But is that not the task pastor's have been assigned, is it not the stewardship they have been given? Is it not why the warning is given in James 3:1? Daunting as that may seem, His grace is sufficient, and it is the Lord that makes us all adequate as His servants.
Pastors, press on in the fulfillment of your calling. Press on to be the best shepherd you can be. Press on to be great shepherds of the sheep, as any less of an effort is a disservice to them, a dishonor to your calling, and a disappointment to the Master. And on that day may you all hear, "Well done my good and faithful servant, enter into the joy of your Master."
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