Ten Encouragements for Pastors to Not Grow Weary in Their Ministry

Fellow pastors, anything less than an eternal perspective is being short-sighted in our ministries. Just as Rome was not built in a day, neither are lives of faith, lives that resemble Jesus Christ, built in a few sermons. So if we are building for eternity, it seems logical that the process that it would entail would be lengthy, as well. We would all like spiritual lightning to fall so that lives would be completely transformed overnight, but we all know this is not the case. We build up the body of Christ by building Christ into the lives of our flock one sermon at a time. (Which makes a good case for preaching 50-60 minute sermons, since that is the only exposure to the word most of your people are going to get each week)

I believe the Scriptural admonition to not grow weary in doing good is particularly applicable to us as pastors, as is its promised reward that in due time you shall reap if you do not grow weary.  Preaching rich biblical sermons each and every week is the greatest good we can do for our people; but as you know, in addition to being a great joy, there is a side that is demanding and laborious. And it is good that it is demanding and laborious, because that forces us to depend on the Lord and His grace for our sufficiency.

From our standpoint, what is it that we are to to keep in mind to have the proper perspective and prepare for the long-haul of a preaching ministry? In no particular order here are a few things to keep in mind.

1. We are to be faithful/trustworthy.
     I Timothy 1:12, I Corinthians 4:1-2

2. We are to watch our own life and doctrine.
     I Timothy 4:16, Hebrews 12:1, II Timothy 2:21, II Corinthians 4:1-2

3. We are be patient in our preaching (this keeps us from pressing for results).
     II Timothy 3:10, 4:2

4. We are to be realistic in our preaching.
     II Timothy 4:2-5

5. We are to be constant in our preaching
     II Timothy 4:2

6. We should always stay fresh in the word, so the word will stay fresh in us ( another benefit of preaching  consecutively through books of the Bible)
    II Timothy 2:15, 4:13

7. We are to expect hardships.
     II Timothy 1:8, 1:12, 2:3, 3:12, 4:5

8. Our gifts, ministry, and effects are all from the Lord, through the Lord, and for the Lord.
    I Corinthians 12:4-6, Romans 11:36

9. Our adequacy comes from the Lord.
     II Corinthians 3:4-6, I Peter 4:10-11, Zechariah 4:6, II Corinthians 4:7

10. We are to keep in mind, it is never about us.
     I Corinthians 8:6, II Corinthians 5:14-15, Colossians 3:24b, Luke 14:7-10, 
     II Corinthians 9:16-18, Ephesians 3:2, Colossians 1:25

So, fellow pastors, let us fulfill our ministry, let us fully carry out the preaching of the gospel, let us persevere until the Lord comes back or calls us home.  What a great privilege it is to preach the word of God and how beautiful are the feet that bring the great news of the riches of the love and grace of God in the person of Jesus Christ.  Be blessed by His word and His Spirit, be faithful to the work He has given you to do, and be thankful for His calling and choosing you for the noble task of preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Peace with God--A Flashback

I heard a song at lunch today that gave me a flashback of listening to that same song for the first time while driving down a road in North Dallas.  It took place not long after I had become a Christian, and even though the song was a secular song its theme resonated with what I was feeling in my spirit at the time.  The theme of the song is peacefulness, the peacefulness that you get from sailing, with just you and the wind and the waves.

The reason that song resonated with me so strongly at the time was that at 29 years old I was experiencing real peace for the first time in my life.  I had an inner peace, a peace in my spirit, in the deepest part of me; and this was a peace that I had never experienced before; and it was so different, so unexpected, and so glorious, that I found myself basking in it as I traveled down the road that day....and then the song came on, and I knew I had a peace that was bigger and deeper than what the song could convey; and that this peace took me to a place the song could not; but listening to the song, then and now, reminds me of the reality of the peace I have in Christ.

This is a peace the world cannot know, but a peace for which the world continually searches.  My wife and I occasionally watch International House Hunters on HGTV.  What has struck us so many times while watching the program, is the common theme of the house hunters searching for peaceful surroundings and  peaceful vistas, and looking at temporal peaceful settings to give them peace; and we know that the peace they are looking for will elude them until they look to Him who has made peace with them through the blood of His cross, for the peace which only He can give.

Secular man is without peace within himself because he is alienated from God, and is the very enemy of God. There is an old saying that the heart of man is restless until it finds its rest in God, and how true that is.  Christ  tells us in John that He has left us (believers) His peace.  What was this peace He left to us?  It was/is His peace with God.  He had peace with God because He always did the will of he Father, and, therefore, because He always did what pleased the Father,  He was in total harmony with God and had unity with God.  This harmony and unity with the Father is now ours because we have been placed into Christ, the One who was in harmony with God.

In the Sermon on the Mount, Christ says, "Blessed are the peacemakers."  And if we really think about it, we are to follow the example of the greatest peacemaker, the Lord Himself, as He made peace with us, His very enemies, and put to death the enmity between Him and us by nailing the indictments against us to the cross of Christ.  You see, man can never be at spiritual peace until he experiences the forgiveness of his sins; and He cannot have forgiveness of his sins until He turns to the One to whom he has sinned against, and trusts in what He has done at the cross to provide for the forgiveness of the sins that stand between Him and man.

What about you today, my friend?  Do you have peace...a real, abiding, peace of the soul...a peace that transcends circumstances...a peace that defies the logic of the world...a peace that is sure and steadfast...a peace that is marvelous and glorious?  If not, look to the Prince of Peace, Jesus Christ; and ask Him to give you His peace, the peace of salvation that comes to those who place their faith in Him to be all that He has promised to be.

Milestone VI

Well, it seems hard to believe, but another year has passed in the life of our church. We began Grace Covenant Church in our living room the third Sunday of June, 2007, and here we are six years later continuing to grow in the Lord as a church, and as individuals.  What a blessing it is each week to be part of the body of Christ here in our niche in West Texas.

Of course, each year is eventful, and unique and special in its own way.  This past year has certainly been no exception.  We went through a time of pruning that covered most of 2012, but John 15 tells us that times of pruning are preparation for times of increased fruitfulness, and that is what we have seen the last several months.  Yes, some of the fruitfulness has been increased numbers, but again we are seeing spiritual fruitfulness and growth in Christ in our people, which is the important fruit.  There is a visible love and concern for each other that has grown over the last year, especially the last several months, along with an obvious desire for the Lord to be glorified in our lives.  In thinking about this last year, I am reminded of the story of Gideon and the 10,000 men that had come to fight with him against the enemy. Before the battle the Lord pruned the 10,000 down to 300 so they would not think it was their numbers that gave them the victory, but would know it was the Lord who gave the victory, and therefore it was the Lord who would receive the glory.  That principle holds true for churches and individuals, as well.

Another thing the Lord has done for us this last year is bless us with a worship leader.  We have put  feelers out on a couple of occasions for someone to lead worship, but to no avail.  In December, we felt impressed by the Lord to be very intentional about finding someone, which is no small task since they would have to be bi-vocational.  But sure enough at that same time the Lord was moving in the heart of a young man who was teaching at a Bible College over 800 miles away that it was time to move from ministering at the college to ministering in a church.  Through a series of events only the Lord could orchestrate, the Lord moved him and his family to Midland at the first of April.  From the middle of nowhere Wyoming to the middle of nowhere Texas...the Lord has done a marvelous thing.

We had another baptism this year, recently in fact.  We have two brothers who play the sax in our worship.  I call them the Blues Brothers, and both of them have come to faith in Christ and been baptized since coming to our church.  The second was baptized just a few weeks ago, and I was blessed by his testimony, but both are active and committed to the Lord and their families are a blessing to our church.  In fact, the other Blues Brother and his wife adopted a child in January, and praying for them and rejoicing with them during the process was another blessing for us as a church.

In looking forward to this upcoming year, we are at a point where we need a youth pastor.  Again, he will have to be bi-vocational, but we know that the Lord will provide in His time, and in His way.

Apart from my own family, there is no where I would rather be than with our people each week. Being a pastor has its challenges and its joys, but I consider myself blessed to be the pastor of this flock of God known as Grace Covenant Church of Midland, Texas.  Thank You, Lord!

Another milestone is that this is the 500th post since this blog started.  I never thought I would have this much to say.

Beautiful to the Lord

...for God sees not as man sees, 

for man looks at the outward

appearance, but the Lord

looks at the heart.

I Samuel 16:7b

The Lord is not concerned with the beauty

of our outward appearance, but His concern

is for the beauty of our heart.

Grace in Christ

...the grace we need to live the Christian

life is "in Christ Jesus."

Jerry Bridges

The Bookends of the Christian Life

Page 99

Indeed, all things are from Him,

through Him, and to Him!

Pride and Weak Character

Pride is nothing more than the manifestation of a

weakness in our character.  It shows that we are

so insecure in ourselves that we must seek out

opportunities to boast, or look for reasons to

be arrogant.  

The Greatest Injustice

He made Him who knew no sin to be sin

on our behalf, so that we might become

the righteousness of God in Him.

II Corinthians 5:21

The greatest injustice ever wrought would be Christ   

being punished for the sins of all those who would 

never come to Him.  Indeed, this would be the 

 most cruel and unusual punishment imaginable; 

 as it would be punishment in vain.  

Our Great Salvation

The author of Hebrews calls our salvation

a great salvation; and it is great, indeed, because

of the greatness of our sins.  For all of our sins 

past, present, and future, yes, the totality of

our sins was laid upon Christ; and He paid

the penalty due for each and every one.

The Freedom of God

Only God is completely free.  He is the only one 

who can be completely free, as He is the only

one who is completely holy.

A Prayer for Spiritual Growth

Father, make us sensitive to the sins in our life.

Do not let us gloss over them, ignore them,

or put them out of sight or mind.  Do not let 

the habit patterns of our daily life keep us blind 

and insensitive to the sin that is entrenched in us.

Our Standing with God

Based on our own merits we have no standing with God.

Therefore, we must always base our standing with God

on what He has done for us in Christ.  Indeed,

what God has accomplished in Christ, on our

behalf, is the foundation of our relationship with Him.

Therefore, our relationship with Him is always secure, 

not because of us, but because of Him.

The Word of God can Heal the Soul

The law of the Lord is perfect, restoring the soul.

Psalm 19:7a

The Word of God is able to do soul surgery

(Hebrews 4:12), and like surgery performed

correctly, its wound brings healing.  There is 

nothing else that can both touch the soul

and heal its deepest and most profound wound.
See also Jeremiah 17:14.

The Word of God is Sure

The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple.

Psalm 19:7b

The Word of God is faithful and trustworthy, and knowing

it gives even the simplest person the knowledge of  God's will.

Knowing the will of God enables even the simplest person 

to become skilled in the art of godly living.

The Word of God is Right

The precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart.

Psalm 19:8

The Word of God is right, therefore it gives us

the right knowledge of God, which enables us

to make right choices about right things at the 

right time.  When we know the Word of God,

it gives us discernment as to what is right, and

obeying it keeps us right with God.  It is being

right with God that causes the heart to rejoice.

Relating to God

For by grace you have been saved

through faith; and that not of yourselves,

it is the gift of God; not as a result

 of works, that no one may boast.

Ephesians 2:8-9 

I have been crucified with Christ; 

and it is no longer I who live, 

but Christ lives in me; and the 

live which I now live in the flesh

I live by faith in the Son of God,

who loved me and gave Himself 

up for me.

Galatians 2:20

We relate to God on the basis of faith, not on the basis of works--

not only in our salvation, but also in our sanctification.

The Mystery of God's Sovereignty and Our Vision

...It is not so much that we as ministers need to understand and accomplish God's purpose, will, or vision for the church; what we need to understand is that God will accomplish his purpose for the church and in the mysteries of his grace he may use us in the process.

It may be valuable at time to determine the direction of the church, but the danger of "vision casting" is that we as church leaders can become anthropocentric in our approaches, focusing on what we do rather than on what God is doing. Our participation is not necessary for God to accomplish his plan any more than our resistance can thwart his purposes (Job 42:2, Isa. 46:11, Acts 17:25). Thus, the most important requirement for participating in God's purpose for the church is not a clear vision, but a submissive will. When we become willing vessels for God to use in whatever capacity he chooses, when we obey his Word and submit to him, God accomplishes his work through us whether we understand or comprehend his purpose or not. Likewise, Christ is not a cosmic cheerleader, rooting us on and hoping we will "win" in building the church. No, he is sovereignly active, taking personal responsibility for the health of the church. In the  process, he may use us, remove us, or work around us, but he will build his church (Matt. 16:18, Eph 5:11-16).

We give ourselves far too much credit for the success and growth of the church. The church is ultimately the work of God's sovereignty, not our best efforts and strategies. Sometimes, God accomplishes his purposes by revealing his will in very dramatic and comprehensible ways. At other times. he accomplishes his purpose when we are confused and unclear about what he is doing...

...For all the research, studies, and statistics, the bottom line is no one knows why some churches grow and some do not. We cannot even adequately define success in ministry. This is the mystery of God. In our ministries, we forget that God cannot be reduced to programs, strategies, and methodologies. He often uses them, but he is not controlled by them. As pastors of small churches, we often get discouraged because our visions do not materialize and our people do not embrace them. We become discouraged when one outreach program after another fails to attract new people. We forget the mystery of God. Perhaps God's purpose is not found in the fulfillment or our visions but in the failure of them. Perhaps God's purposes are accomplished when we think we have been the least successful (Isa. 6:9-13, Ezek. 2:5-8). Perhaps God's purposes are not being accomplished through us but in us. This is the mystery of God that we often forget. God is good, but he is not to be trifled with or manipulated. He is not a God of our creation; nor is he a God that we can manage. As Creator of all things and sovereign God of the universe, he doesn't have to conform to our expectations of what he should or should not do.

Glenn Daman
Leading the Small Church
Pages 44-46

A Mark of Christian Maturity

One of the marks of maturity as a Christian

is when you start praying to be a 

blessing to others.

Being Great in the Eyes of God

Being great in the eyes of men is much

different than being great in the eyes

of God, for the requirement is humility.

He has told you, O Man, what is good;

And what does the Lord require of you

But to do justice, to love kindness,

And to walk humbly with your God.

Micah 6:8

"For My hand made all these things,

Thus, all these things came into being,"

declares, the Lord.

But to this one I will look, to him who

is humble and contrite of spirit,

and who trembles at My word.

Isaiah 66:2

Sitting down, He called the twelve and said to them,

"If anyone wants to be first, he shall be last of all

and servant of all."

Mark 9:35

But He gives a greater grace. Therefore it says,

                                "God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble."

James 4:6

Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand

of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time.

I Peter 5:6

The Blood of the Atonement

The blood of atonement is required from all.

Romans 1:20-21a For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.  For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks...
Romans 3:23 For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
Hebrews 9:22b...and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.
Leviticus 17:11 For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you on the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood by reason of the life that makes atonement.
Genesis 3:21 The Lord God made garment of skin for Adam and his wife, and clothed.  (The first blood atonement for sin, performed by God, Himself)
Genesis 4:3-4 So it came about in the course of time that Cain brought an offering to the Lord of the fruit of the ground.  Abel, on his part brought of the firstlings of his flock and their fat portions.  And the Lord had regard for Abel and his offering.  (Abel offered a blood sacrifice)

The blood of the atonement is available to all.

Ezekiel 18:23 "Do I have any pleasure in the death of the wicked," declares the Lord God, "rather than that he should turn from his ways and live."
Ezekiel 33:11 "Say to them, 'As I live!' declares the Lord God, 'I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked turn from his way and live.  Turn back, turn back from your evil ways! Why then will you die, O house of Israel.
Isaiah 45:22 "Turn to Me and be saved, all the ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other.
John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.


The blood of the atonement is applied only to the elect.

Romans 8:28-29 For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the  image of His Son...and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.
I Peter 1:1-2 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who reside as aliens, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, who are chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled with His blood:  May grace and peace be yours in fullest measure.
Hebrews 12:24 and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood, which speaks better than the blood of Abel.
 Revelation 5:9 And they sang a new song, saying, "Worthy are You to take the book and break its seals; for You were slain, and purchased for God with Your blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation.

The Faith of the Gospel

...standing firm in one spirit, with one mind

striving together for the faith of the gospel.

Philippians 1:27b

The faith of the gospel is:

The body of doctrine we believe.

Jude 1:3, II Peter 3:2, Hebrews 1:1-2, I Corinthians 15:1-8

The salvation that it brings.

I Peter 1:1, Titus 1:1, II Timothy 1:5, Hebrews 2:3, Romans 10:17

The way of life that it produces. 

Acts 6:7, Romans 16:25-26, Philippians 1:27a, Colossians 1:5b-6, I Timothy 6:12

Conduct Yourselves in a Manner Worthy of the Gospel

Only conduct yourselves in a manner

worthy of the gospel of Christ...

Philippians 1:27a

In order for us to conduct ourselves

in a manner worthy of the gospel, it 

is required of us to live up to the

demands of the gospel; and to live 

up to the demands of the gospel, we  

must live out the gospel in our lives.

Who You are in the Lord

Who you really are in the Lord,

the reality of who you are in Christ,

the Christian you really are,  is most

evidenced by who you are with the 

Lord when you are alone with Him.

Time, Truth, and Endurance

But prove yourselves to be doers of the word,

and not merely hearers who delude themselves.

James 1:22

It is only when you live and apply the truth of

the Bible to your life that it becomes part of you.

The longer you do this, and  the more effectively you do this,  

the more a part of you the Word of God becomes.  

There is no shortcut for this, as the Lord works in us

 at the speed of life, with its days and months and years.

For you have need of endurance, so that when you have

done the will of God, you may receive what was promised.

And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be

perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

Hebrews 10:36, James 1:4

Don't Abandon the Biblical Metaphors for the Church: It Is Not a Community, It is Much More

This is an updated and rewritten compilation of several posts from 2007, which was caused by my reading a new book on church life.

One of the new buzz words in the church in the new millenium is community, and the use of this metaphor to describe the church has bothered and concerned me for quite some time. This has been brought to a head by my reading a book on the church by a prominent and popular pastor. His emphasis on the life of the church and how the church functions and disciples, is couched in the term community. In the church's attempt to contextualize all that we do, we have started abandoning Biblical terms and metaphors, and we see this in the church now being called a community of believers.

Webster's Dictionary defines community as a body of people living near one another and in social relationship. It can also be defined as body of people with a faith, profession, or way of life in common. Even though I think that many times, not every time, when community is used in church speak the latter definition is meant, it still winds up way short of how the Bible refers to the church. And since it has become such a buzz word in our church speak, have we really stopped to think about what we are saying, and how what we are saying affects people's perception of what church is to be? We talk of the church as being a community of believers, having community groups, creating a sense of community, or being community oriented. Why doesn't the Bible use that word? How come the Lord did not use the community metaphor to describe the church, and its members? Maybe because the Lord had better metaphors that more accurately and more succinctly picture what the church is, how it should function, and how its members should relate to each other. For example, the Bible uses the word brethren 188 times in the New Testament, the words brother or brothers are used to describe believers, believers are called the household of God or the household of faith. God is our Father, Abba. We are His children, we are joint-heirs, and have an inheritance. All of these are familial terms. Family indicates a closer bond, a shared lineage, a shared future/inheritance, a relationship, and a responsibility; community does not.

Communities are places where people live and hang out while they are pursuing their own interests. All of us live in communities of one sort or another and most of us don't know our neighbors, and they don't know us and could care less. Community is a nice, safe, generic term that does not require intimacy or commitment. You can come and go at will and take what you need. Community describes how the world lives and relates, and, unfortunately, how so many in the church now live as it is all about them and their pursuits.

So church has become another place to hang out, chat with your friends, and leave with no more sense of belonging, acceptance, and commitment than being gathered together at Starbucks or sitting on the stool at the local watering hole. Is it any wonder why people are church hopping/shopping because underneath it all they are looking for somewhere to belong, like a family, not just some place to be.

The Church is more than a community. As I said, it is family. We all are God's children. We are brethren, joint heirs with Jesus who is the first born of many brethren. We are all born from above, born of God, and therefore we all have the same inheritance. The phrase one another is used 61 times in the NT as it refers to those who are part of the church, the household of the living God. As you read through the verses you see the rights, privileges, accountability, responsibility, and affection that family members are to have. This is no accident that it is portrayed in this manner. Let's take a look a few examples:

John 13:34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another.
John 13:35 By this all men know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.
I Thessalonians 4:9 Now as to the love of the brethren, you have no need for anyone to write to you, for you yourselves are taught by God to love one another;
I Peter 4:8 Above all keep fervent in your love for one another, because love covers a multitude of sins.
I John 4:21 And this commandment we have from Him, that the one who loves God should love his brother also.

I Peter 4:9 Be hospitable to one another without complaint.
I Peter 4:10 As each one have received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.
Hebrews 3:13 But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called "Today," so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.
James 4:11 Do not speak against one another, brethren.
Galatians 6:2 Bear one another's burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ.
Ephesians 4:25 Therefore, laying aside falsehood, SPEAK THE TRUTH EACH ONE OF YOU WITH HIS NEIGHBOR, for we are members of one another.

We, the church, are the family of God. Why then don't we talk about or portray it in this way? Would not most of us want to be part of a family instead of a community? Is not being part of a family richer, deeper, and better than just being part of a community? Are not our best and most fulfilling relationships our family relationships, not the social or civic relationships that we have through our community involvement? Words are important because words communicate, words portray, words create images in our mind, and words define. The words of Scripture were picked by God Himself to convey exactly what He wants, and, therefore, to achieve specific intended results. God uses the family metaphor for a reason and in the church's rush to be relevant and use new and hip terminology, and rename and reinvent the church, it has missed what God was intending to communicate. Therefore the result is a church where involvement and commitment and the resulting benefits are seen no differently than being involved civically, which for most people is just not meaningful. Yet, you hear the concerns/complaints at how uninvolved and uncommited church members are today. Maybe the reason is that the pastors and leaders in the churches, through renaming what the church is, have communicated to the people that the church is no different than the Lions Club, or the United Way, or the Little League Association.

To me, using the word community to describe the church is hard and shallow and does not really convey the full sense of what a church is. It misses the mark in describing what the church is all about. Could it be that the reason the Lord does not use the community metaphor (and He certainly could have) is because a community does not have the closeness, the caring, the accountability, the support, the sharing, the concern, the forgiveness, the camaraderie, the committment to each other's welfare, the watching each other's back, the standing up for each other, and the relational ties that bind that a family has? All of these things promote the good of the whole at the expense of the individual.

Also, in addition to family, the Lord uses another metaphor to describe the church, and that is the metaphor of a body. The word body is used 31 times in the NT to describe the church and its companion descriptive, member(s), is used 21 times. If you will give some thought to what is being conveyed by these terms you will see that community does not even come close. Let's look at a few more examples:

I Corinthians 12:27 Now you are Christ's body, and individually members of it.
Romans 12:5 so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.
Ephesians 1:22 And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church, 23 which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.
Colossians 1:18 He is also the head of the body, the church;.....
Colossians 2:19 and not holding fast to the head, from whom the entire body, being supplied and held together by the joints and ligaments, grows with a growth which is from God.
I Corthians 12:8 But now God has placed the members, each one of them, in the body, just as He desired.
Ephesians 4:12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ;
Ephesians 4:15 but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ 16 from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.

I Corinthians 12:22 On the contrary, it is much truer that the members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary; 23 and those members of the body which we deem less honorable, on these we bestow more abundant honor, and our less presentable members become much more presentable, 24 whereas our more presentable members have no need of it. But God has so composed the body, giving more abundant honor to that member which lacked, 25 so that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. 26 And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it.

I Peter 2:5 you also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

When thinking about a body and its members you see the interconnectedness, the interdependence. You see a living organism, you see purpose and function, you see life, you see personality, you see softness, and you see strength. This body that is the church is not just any body, it happens to be the body of Christ. The world does not see Christ through a community, it sees Christ through His body, the church; it sees Christ through His family, the church. As a body and a family we hurt together, rejoice together, cry together, and celebrate together. We are not spectators, but participants. We don't just live together, but live for each other. What benefits one benefits all. What is detrimental to one is detrimental to all.

Maybe, just maybe, if this was taught in its fullness, we would see a change in the church. Maybe we would see a vibrancy. Maybe we would see that we are truly all in this together. Being a Christian is not about becoming a better community member, it is about becoming more like Christ. It is not about overcoming your shortcomings, it is about having the fullness of Him who fills all in all. It takes all of us, being in the body just where He put us, properly working as He designed us, to build each other up to the fullness of the stature of Christ. A community can't do that, but a living organism can.

Let's don't rename the body of Christ. Let's don't call the family of God other than what it is. Let's don't make the church less than what God has intended for it to be known and portrayed as. Let us stop abandoning the Biblical terms to make the church more appealing, and less foreign to the world. Let's don't think that somehow we know better than God what term to use. So let us use the same metaphors and same terminology the Lord has chosen, and trust the Word to do its intended work, and trust Him with the results.  Let us not be ashamed to be called the family of God and the body of Christ.

The Gift of Exhortation

Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us,

each of us is to exercise them accordingly:  if prophecy, according 

to the proportion of his faith; if service, in his serving; or he

who teaches, in his teaching; or he who exhorts, in his exhortation...

Romans 12:6-8a

The gift of exhortation is considered one of the speaking gifts, and its Greek root means to come alongside of so as to help.  So it is a gift that enables one to give aid to another, to come alongside and give aid by speaking to the need of the moment.  It is a gift that enables one to speak truth, God's truth, the truth of Scripture, into the life of a fellow believer.  It is the gift to be able to speak the truth, and speak it in love.

Sometimes this will be a word of encouragement and sometimes a word of rebuke, sometimes it will admonish and sometimes it will strengthen, sometimes it will correct and sometimes it will comfort, sometimes it will convict and sometimes it will affirm.  It will always aid in helping the fellow believer press on in the faith, to press on in Godliness, to be encouraged to live a more Christlike life, and to see the truth about themselves and the situation they are in.

It is an important and necessary gift to the body of Christ, and is important in discipling and mentoring; and those who exercise this gift should be greatly appreciated.

Keeping our Preaching in Perspective: Why no Preacher should Boast Before God

For I am not ashamed of the gospel,

for it is the power of God for salvation

to everyone who believes...

Romans 1:16

But we have this treasure in earthen vessels,

so that the surpassing power will be of God

and not from ourselves.

II Corinthians 4:17

For this reason we also constantly thank God

that when you received the word of God

which you heard from us, you accepted

it not as the word of men, but for what it

really is, the word of God, which performs

its work in you who believe.

I Thessalonians 2:13

For consider your calling, brethren, that 

there were not many wise according to

the flesh, not many mighty, not many

noble; but God has chosen the foolish

things of the world to shame the wise,

and God has chosen the weak things 

of the world to sham the things which

are strong...so that no man may

boast before God.

I Corinthians 1:26-29

When we preach the gospel, and see it bear its fruit by bringing life to the dead and sight to the blind, and see it strengthen the knees that are weak and the hands that are feeble, and see it save the lost and edify the saved, let us not believe it is because of us and our preaching or persuasion that this is happening.  For that would be like the shovel taking credit for digging the hole, or the violin taking credit for making the music.

No, let us rejoice that God has chosen to manifest His power through feeble vessels, that God has chosen to accomplish His redemptive work through the most ordinary of instruments.  Let us rejoice in the power of God.  Let us rejoice in His gracious choice of using us.  Let us rejoice that we are being used as His means of bringing glory to Himself through the preaching of His word.  Let us thank the Lord for the blessing of being used by Him in His great work of salvation.

The Pastor as Leader and Servant: A Pastoral Application of Matthew 20:25-28

Pastor's, how do we lead our people?  Simply, we lead them by serving them.  And, "How do we serve them?" you might ask.  Let me list a few basics, and these all fall under the umbrella of spiritual oversight.

1. We serve them by preaching to them.
2. We serve them by praying for them.
3. We serve them by watching over them.
4. We serve them by guiding them.
5. We serve them by caring for them.
6. We serve them by listening to them.
7. We serve them by planning.
8. We serve them through the staff we hire, both lay and ministerial.
9. We serve them through the elders and deacons we appoint.

If you look closely at this list what you will see is that service, being a servant to your people is the motive that undergirds and guides what we do as pastors; and I truly believe that this is the underlying motive that Christ was talking about in Matthew 20:25-28, and that re-surfaced in Matthew 23:11.  The point is that our heart is to be about serving our people in what we do as a pastor.  In essence, our love for our people is manifested in our service to them.

So throw all that silly corporate vision-casting nonsense into the trash pile where it belongs.  Run from the pastor as leader/CEO model.  Stop worrying about growing the church, and start being concerned and aware of serving the church. Make serving your people your main priority, and see the position that the Lord has called you to as one which has multiple ways for you to serve His people and to manifest His love for them through you.

Glorifying God

   For us to truly glorify God, we must do God's work God's way.

Testing and Blessing, Ours and the Lord's

Bless our God, O peoples;

let the sound of His praise be heard, 

who has kept our soul among the living

and has not let our feet slip.

For you, O God, have tested us;

You have tried us as silver is tried. 

You have brought us into the net;

You laid a crushing burden on our backs;

You let men ride over our heads;

we went through fire and through water;

yet You have brought us out to a place of abundance.

Psalm 66:8-12

There is much to say about this great Psalm of praise, but let our focus be on this section of praise as the Psalmist praises God for His testing and refining them, His keeping them during the time of testing, and His bringing them out of the testing into a place of spiritual abundance.

God has put their spiritual mettle to the test as one would test silver.  How is silver tested?  It is tested by turning up the heat until its impurities and infirmities come to the surface.  As the infirmities and impurities come to the surface the silversmith scrapes them off and then heats the fire even hotter to remove those that are more deeply imbedded in the metal .  He does this until he can see his reflection in the silver.  That is when he knows the silver has been thoroughly tested and purified.  This trying of silver not only purifies the silver but strengthens it as well; and it serves to prove the genuiness and quality of the silver.  The higher quality, the fewer the impurities; and a lesser metal, metal that is not genuine silver, would not be able to stand the heat.

God, the master craftsman of our faith, is about the task of testing and refining our faith.  And He uses that testing and refining to bring us to a place of spiritual abundance.  He uses the very testing He puts us through to broaden our faith, deepen our faith, and purify our faith; and in the time of testing He will not let the faith of the true Christian fail (Philippians 1:6).

This is why the Psalmist is praising God before the peoples.  He does not keep his praise silent or to himself for he wants to share the greatness of what the Lord has done for his soul (Psalm 66:16).  

We are to give thanks in all things.  Why?  Because the Lord is working for our great good in all things, leaving nothing unused to make the image of Christ shine in our life more brightly than ever.  Let us bless the Lord, privately and publicly, for His testing, His keeping, and His blessing us with spiritual abundance.

Filled with Righteousness

having been filled with the fruit

of righteousness which comes through

 Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.

Philippians 1:11

 As those who are indwelled by Christ, as those in whom He abides, we are filled up, yes literally crammed full, with righteousness.  Overpowering thought, isn't it?  But that is the truth.  This is our new self, our born-again self, our regenerated self, which in the likeness of God has been created in the righteousness and holiness of the truth (Ephesians 4:24).  

This is why we can no longer practice sin, but will practice righteousness (I John 3:7-10).  In other words, we just can't help but be who we are, and we are now the righteousness of God in Jesus Christ.

Yes, I know we don't always live up to this, but this is the work of salvation that God has begun in us; and it is our outworking of this righteousness that we have been filled with that brings glory and praise to God as we act more and more like Him.  

Leadership and Authority

Leadership in the church is not based upon power, but upon authority.  Therefore being a pastor/elder is not a position of power, but a position of authority.  However, it is not an authority inherent in the person, it is a delegated authority because of the position held.  It is delegated from God to the elder(s), and also delegated from the congregation to the elder(s).

It is God who has created the position of pastor/overseer/elder and laid out the qualifications for the office, and it is the recognition by the congregation of those who meet God's qualifications (I Timothy 3, Titus 1) that bring the man of God to that position. So God calls the pastor/elder to that office from the congregation with their approval.

The pastor/elder is to lead, not lord it over the people (Hebrews 13:7, I Peter 5:2-3); and the people are to voluntarily submit to his leadership and follow his example (Hebrews 13:7, 17; I Corinthians 16:16), just as a wife is to voluntarily submit to her husband.

As such, the man of God is accountable to both God and man, as both were instrumental in placing him in that office; and both delegated to him the authority which the office holds.

Now a Saint, no longer a Sinner

But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God

has been manifested, being witnessed by the Law and

the Prophets, even the righteousness of God through 

faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe...

For as through the one man's disobedience the many

were made sinners, even so through the obedience 

of the One the many will be made righteous.

Romans 3:21-22a, 5:19

Saints is the dominant term in the NT for those who have placed their faith in the person of Christ, and in His finished work on their behalf.  So why are those who come to faith in Christ called saints (hagiois, holy ones)?  Because they have been made righteous in Christ, they have received the righteousness that comes from God (God's righteousness, Christ's righteousness) as a result of their faith.  This is why the Scriptures never call those who have come to faith in Christ sinners.  Yes, while we were sinners (those who practice sin, those who live to sin, those who have a lifestyle of sin, those who spurn obedience to God, those who are called the ungodly) Christ died for us.  Christ did die for the ungodly (a synonym for sinners), but post-salvation we are sinners no longer, we are now saints.  Saints are those who are holy (I Corinthians 3:17), those who practice righteousness (I John 3:7-11), and those who have been freed from sin (Romans 6:6-7, 22).

Yes, we are saints, God's holy ones; and yes we still sin; but we no longer live in sin, and sin no longer dominates our lifestyle.  Instead of practicing sin, we have incidents of sin.  God has cleansed us of our sin (John 13:5-11, 15:3, I Corinthians 6:9-11, Ephesians 5:26, Titus 3:5) so that we stand holy and clean before Him, and each time we confess our sins He cleanses us thoroughly (John 13:10, I John 1:9)  Our standing before God, our position before God, is one of holiness, the holiness of Christ.  That is why He calls us His holy ones, and has called us to be saints (Romans 1:7, I Corinthians 1:2, II Timothy 1:9, Hebrews 3:1).  

So now fellow saints, let us be like the Holy One who called us, let us be like His Son (the Holy One of God), let us be holy in all our behavior, for this is what we are and who we are called to be.

Simple Ministry

The task of spiritual leadership may

not be easy, but neither is it complicated.

When God called us to serve as leaders in

the church, He did not give us the

responsibility to build the church. Instead,

He gave us the responsibility to proclaim

His Word in order that people might be

transformed into the character of

Christ...

Ministry is really simple; it's a matter

of preaching the Word, loving the 

people, and living our lives as an

example for others to follow.

Glenn Daman

Leading the Small Church

Page 224

Joy in the Faith

Your joy in the faith will be in direct

proportion to the obedience of your faith.
As sin will always rob you of your joy.

Pressing On Toward the Goal

I press on toward the goal for the

prize of the upward call of God

in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:14

Since the Lord is at hand, the present duty of each Christian is to live in His likeness, to make urgent progress in holiness so as to have a harvest of righteousness ready for Him, and to long to bring others to faith so that they may be glad together before His throne.

Alec Motyer

The Message of Philippians

Page 22

Christ, Our Great High Priest

Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood,

He Himself likewise also partook of the same...

Therefore, He had to be made like His brethren 

in all things, so that He might become a merciful

and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God...

Therefore, since we have a great high priest who

has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God...

For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize

with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted 

in all things as we are, yet without sin.

Hebrews 2:14, 17; 4:14-15

The beauty of Jesus Christ being our high priest before God, is that He came down and took our flesh upon Himself, and in so doing was tempted in every way, just as we are tempted.  From that perspective He operates as our intercessor before God because He can fully identify and sympathize with the yearnings and temptations of the flesh.  Now, of course, He did not succumb to the temptations, but He was tempted none the less.  So when He intercedes with God for us, when He pleads our cause before God, He does so from a position of familiarity and understanding of just what it is like to be in a body of flesh.  He intercedes with insight gained from living amongst us, and sharing our human condition.

Yes, He is our Savior, but once He becomes our Savior, He then assumes the role of our Advocate before God (I John 2:1), and what a role that is.  We know from Scripture that Satan is our adversary, and part of what he does as our adversary is accuse us (Christians) night and day before God (Revelation 12:10), and he certainly has enough ammunition to use against us as none of us is without sin (Ecclesiates 7:20, I John 1:8-10, James 1:21, 3:2, Romans 7:17-21); but for every accusation we have an Advocate (I John 2:1) who intercedes vigorously for us based on His death for our sin, His paying the penalty for that sin, His blood being shed for that sin; and that His death is the propitiation (satisfaction of the holy wrath and satisfaction of the justice of God) against that sin (Jeremiah 50:34, Micah 7:9).  His sacrifice and its accompanying propitiation is not just an adequate defense, but is an overwhelming defense, an impenetrable defense against all the accusations of the enemy.  

As our high priest, Christ knows and cares.  As our high priest, Christ is capable and qualified. As our high priest, Christ is indefeatable.  So don't let the guilt of your sin keep you from coming to God; and once you have come to Him, don't let the accusations and incrimination of the enemy weigh you down because Christ has vigorously pleaded your case and defended you, and therefore there is no longer any condemnation from God upon you (Romans 8:1).  

Praise be to God for His wondrous salvation and all of its benefits to men.

Being Holy, Walking Humbly

To be holy before God, 

you must walk humbly with God.

Micah 6:8

Numbers 12:3

Philippians 2:5-8

I Peter 5:6

Another Reason for Expository Preaching

When you preach sequentially and expositorially, 
you expose your people to the whole mind of God, 
and feed them with the whole counsel of God.  

Thinking About God

...the most significant factor in the life

of God's people is how they think about

God; and how we think about God is 

profoundly influenced by our proclamation

of God in worship and our acclamation 

of Him in praise.

Sinclair Ferguson

A Heart for God

Page 115

The Direction of Our Walk

In Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, and Colossians Paul talks about our walk as Christians and non-Christians.  I really like this metaphor of life because it speaks to me of direction.  And in our life we are walking in one of two directions.  We are either walking toward Christ, or we are walking away from Christ.  We are walking toward the Light or we are walking away from it.

Those who are not seeking God are walking further and further away from Christ.  Just follow the downward march of depravity in Romans 1 to see how they walk further and further away from Christ in their heart and mind.  And Paul also tells us in Philippians 3 that many walk as enemies of Christ and His cross, whose god is their appetite, for whom shame is their glory, who set their minds on earthly things, whose end is destruction.  These people can walk so far away from Christ that the light that is in them becomes darkness.  

Christ has told us that no one comes to Father except through Him.  So those who have sought after God and found God, have not only walked toward Christ, but have walked into Christ.  And the further they walk into Christ, the more deeply they abide in Christ, the more fully they experience Christ, and the more complete in Christ they become.  In Colossians 3 Paul tells us the Christian walks toward Christ by fixing his gaze upon Jesus, seeking the things above where Christ is seated at the right hand of God, and sets his mind on the things of Christ and not the things of this earth.  

So what about you, my friend?  What direction is your walk taking you?  Are you walking toward Christ or away from Christ?  Are you becoming more like Christ or are you becoming darker on the inside?  If you will but walk toward Christ He will greet you with open arms and the entrance to heaven will be abundantly supplied to you.  What direction will you take?  Choose this day the direction that leads to life!

Church Growth Epiphany

In our country, there seems to be a preoccupation with youth, in most every area.  Marketers and marketing organizations hone in on the under 40 age group like a bee on pollen.  If you doubt it look at all the magazine ads and the age of the actors in the commercials on television.  However, it seems there has been a recent epiphany in the marketing world as they have discovered that older people buy stuff too, and there seems to be the start of a paradigm shift in the focus of marketers.

Well, the church culture has not been much different either.  So much pub (publicity) has been directed at many of the young guns in evangelicalism, and the numbers and ministry growth that some have achieved.  Many of the Christian conferences will highlight these younger men, and I have read some articles that said if you don't get these younger guys as speakers at your conference,  you won't have any drawing power.  Now this is not to detract from them, or to denigrate them in any way, as I think what many of them are doing is great; not only great for the kingdom in expanding its reach, but also in the area of encouraging many other younger pastors; and there are several whom I enjoy listening to and benefit from.  But before we get too far into the exaltation of all things younger, hipper, with skinny jeans, casual attire, funky hair and cooler flair, and overuse of the words relevant, authentic, missional, and social justice; we need to take a look at some statistics that have come to light.

 In this link, Who Pastor's Growing Churches? , Cynthia Woolever provides statistics that show the largest number of growing churches have pastors that are ages 51-60 (46%) and the second largest group of growing churches have pastors 61+ (24%).  The two age groups under age 50 only account for 30% of the growing churches.  I know one pastor in his 70s who has stated that the majority of the people joining his church are age 35 and under.  Now obviously there are several factors that play into these statistics, but even with other variables, there seems to be an overwhelming disparity between churches pastored by those over 50 versus those under 50.

Maybe this should be an epiphany for us in evangelicalism.  Maybe it should shift our paradigm a little...or a lot.  There has also been recent research done in which non-church goers were surveyed, and the response from them indicated that if they were to consider going to church, they wanted the church to look like a church and feel like a church.  This might be a reach, but maybe these same people want the pastor to look  and act like a pastor as well.

I think that those in the world expect the church to be different, and, in fact, know that it should be different.  So to attract more people, maybe we should stop trying to look and act and sound like the world.  Maybe when coming to church, the unchurched don't need it to be a seamless experience, but need to experience the difference.  Maybe being overwhelmed with the Biblical vernacular is good.  Maybe having an atmosphere that says they are coming before a transcendant Being is good.  Maybe a service that leaves them with a sense of accountability to that Being is even better.  Maybe being around a group of people that enjoy and celebrate and make no apologies for that difference would add to its legitimacy.  Maybe this is what the churches pastored by these older guys are offering, as the churches they pastor are not typically into the latest and greatest.   Maybe what the church needs to be is what it has always been....a different place, a safe haven, a place of mutual accountability and mutual encouragement, a place that knows its place before both God and men.

Just some food for thought as we move into the new year.




                                                                  

What Makes the Church the Church

What makes the church the church?  It is the same thing that makes me a Christian, and the same thing that makes you a Christian.  Christ in me, and Christ in you.  Christ is only present in His church, His called out ones, the ones who bear His name and who are being transformed into His image.  He does not abide in the world, but is present in the the world through His church..  So when we are gathered together to meet corporately, what then makes the church the church?  What should stand out about the gathering?  It is the presence of Christ.  So no matter the music or the dress, whether high church or low church, city church or cowboy church, African or Asian or American church, we should experience the presence of Christ.

Wait On the Lord

"Wait on the Lord" is a constant refrain in the Psalms, 

and it is a necessary word, for God often keeps us

waiting.  He is not in such a hurry as we are, and it

is not His way to give more light on the future than 

we need for action in the present, or to guide us more

than one step at a time.  When in doubt, do nothing, 

but continue to wait on God.  When action is needed

light will come.

J I Packer

Knowing God

Pages 238-239

Pride and Humility

...God is opposed to the proud, 

but gives grace to the humble.

For though the Lord is exalted,

yet He regards the lowly, but 

the haughty He knows from afar.

James 4:6, Psalm 138:6

Here are ten things the Bible teaches us about pride and humility. 

  1. Pride ultimately exalts itself over God, and humility ultimately makes itself low before God.  

  2. Pride pushes God away, while humility draws near to God.  

  3. Pride depends on itself, while humility depends on God.  

  4. Pride boasts on itself, while humility boasts on God.  

  5. Pride credits itself, while humility credits God. 

  6. Pride follows its own path, while humility follows God's path.  

  7. Pride is self-seeking, while humility is God-seeking.  

  8. Pride always leads to disobedience, while humility always leads to obedience.  

  9. Pride is the opposite of godliness, while humility promotes godliness. 

10. The proud will be destroyed from the earth, while the humble will inherit the earth.

A Working Definition of Legalism

Legalism is a morality, a code of conduct,
which holds to a form of godliness, which 
smells of religion, which promises acceptance;
but ultimately is not grounded in Christ, in 
His person and His completed work.

Whitefield and Pastoral Leadership

In his biography of George Whitefield (Volume II page 155), Arnold Dallimore gives us some insight into George Whitefield as a leader.  

...Whitefield did exercise an effective leadership of this movement. It was not, however, a leadership by domination and the giving of commands; rather it was one of affection and example. Most of the exhorters had been converted under his ministry and looked on him, as many of them stated, as a spiritual father  In turn, holding him in such high esteem and seeing in him an embodiment of so much of their own Christian ideal, they delighted to be his co-laborers and to co-operate with his plans. Whitefield was inflexible in matters of moral rectitude and expected the men to maintain a life of strong Christian discipline and tremendous activity, but in general his relationship with the people and exhorters throughout his movement was by his heart-felt concern, his unfailing encouragement, and his personal example. (Italics mine)

If you think about it, this is where pastoral leadership, spiritual leadership starts. And these elements should never depart or be de-emphasized.

Christmas and the Incarnation

As we celebrate the incarnation, the appearing of God in the flesh, I thought this quote from Charles Spurgeon would be appropriate, both for its profundity, and its succinctness.  It is taken from Steve Lawson's book The Gospel Focus of Charles Spurgeon page 91.

"He is not humanity deified.

He is not Godhead humanized.

He is God. He is man. He is all

that God is, and all that man is

as God created Him."

And because Jesus Christ is both God and man, He then is solely and uniquely qualified to be the the Savior. The Word became flesh. He was the only begotten God, the Savior born for us in the city of David, Christ the Lord.  So along with the angels let us praise God by saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased." (Luke 2:14).  

Let us preach this Savior and His salvation.  Let us tell the world of the appearing of the grace, kindness, and the love of God for mankind in the birth of Christ.  For Christmas is the heart of the gospel message.

Christ, Our Example

but so that the world may know that I love the Father,

I do exactly as the Father commanded Me.

John 14:31a

As Christians, we know that Christ is our model, our exemplar, and as such view Him as the example of how we are to live our Christian life.  While this is true and right, what we miss so often is that He is the model for how our relationship with our heavenly Father should look, as well.  

I don't know if you have ever thought about what your relationship with God should look like, but to know what it should look like you have to look no further than Christ.  In going through the Gospel of John, you will see Christ in a much more personal way than in the other gospels, and one of things you will notice about Him is His relationship with the Father; and how He fulfills all righteousness by first fulfilling the greatest commandment, which is to love the Father above all else.  

Loving the Father was His greatest desire and was the springboard for all that He did.  As you go through the Gospel of John you will come across verses that give you insight into His love of the Father and how that is manifested in His life here on earth.  Let's look at some of them:

John 4:34 Jesus said to them, "My food is to do the will of Him who sent me and to accomplish all His work.

John 5:19 Therefore Jesus answered and was saying to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, unless it is something He sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, these things the Son does in like manner.

John 5:30 I can do nothing on My own initiative....I do not seek My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.

John 8:28b-29...and I do nothing on My own initiative, but I speak these things as the Father has taught Me.  And He who sent Me is with Me; He has not left Me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to Him.

John 12:49-50 For I did not speak on My own initiative, but the Father Himself who sent Me has given Me a commandment as to what to say and what to speak.  I know that His commandment is eternal life; therefore the things I speak, I speak just as the Father has told Me.  

So we see in these verses that the things Jesus did were what He saw the Father doing and the things He said were what the Father gave Him to say.  We also see that what sustained and nourished Him was doing the will of the Father, and that He always did what pleased the Father.  And what was His motivation, His foundation, if you will, for this great desire to please God and accomplish the Father's will in His life.  We see it expressed in John 14:31 above. Out of His great love for the Father came forth the desire to please the Father, and the desire to please the Father manifested itself in His obedience to the Father.

And what kind of obedience was this? It was a loving obedience.  It is obedience that was born out of love and its accompanying desire to please the One who is the object of that love.  My friends, it is to be the same for us.  Our obedience to the Father should not be a legalistic obedience or the obedience of duty or the obedience of fear, but an obedience that springs forth from a heart full of love for our heavenly Father.  In fact, our obedience is directly connected to our love.  This is why Jesus told His disciples (and is meant for us, too), "If you love Me, you will keep My commandments."  Jesus could make this statement without the slightest twinge of the guilt of hypocrisy, because that is exactly what He did.

So let us love the Father and the Son by being obedient to them, and may our obedience to them be an obedience born out of love; and may our love and its obedience know no bounds.

  

The Surpassing Value

More than that, I count all things to be loss in view

of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus

my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of

all things, and count them but rubbish so that 

I may gain Christ.

Philippians 3:8

The other day I was thinking about my relationship with Christ, and how its value far surpasses anything else; and how He is worth the sacrifices I make for Him   And in the process of thinking about this, I had a scene come into my mind.  A scene that comes up occasionally when thinking on sacrificing for the Lord, and how He is worth sacrificing for.  It is a scene from my own imagination, that came about as a result of reading a missionary biography a few years back.  I wish I could remember the missionary's name, and where I read it, but here is the gist of it.  

There was a family that felt led of the Lord to go and witness to the natives of the New Hebrides, and were dropped off on the island to begin their ministry.  The inhabitants were cannibals, and were fierce warriors.  Over the next couple of years the children and the wife died and were buried, and the father/husband slept on their graves every night for fear that the cannibals would dig up their graves.  This man would later remarry and return to the island to continue to share the gospel with these people.  Of course, there is more to the story, but the scene that keeps coming to my mind is one where this man, having given up all his possessions, comforts, and security to come to this foreign and hostile land; and then losing his entire family, is alone in the darkness and stretched out over the graves of his wife and children.  And in my mind the man is proclaiming to the Lord, "You are worth it!  You are worth it!"

My friends, I don't know what you are giving up to serve the Savior.  I don't know what sacrifices you are making or have made; but I do know this, "He is worth it!  He is worth it!"  He is worth the work of our faith and the labor of our love.  He is worth the taking up of our cross. He is worth the suffering of shame for His name sake.  He is the pearl of great price who is worth all of what we have.  He is the One who paid it all, and so He is the one who is worth it all.  Let us take our lives and offer them up, so that along with Paul, we too may gain Christ and may be found in Him on that day.