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On January 19, 2023 By In Culture, Discipleship, Theology, Wisdom

Authority & Authorities

“Divination is upon the lips of the king; in his judgment he does not act unfaithfully with his mouth.”

~Proverb 16.10

When I say “authority,” what images come to your mind? Those images have a great deal to do with how you have related to authorities throughout your life. If authorities in your life abused their authority, your reaction will be negative. Any time someone exercises authority, you will connect that with the abuses of the past.  If your authorities were negligent, you will believe that authorities can’t be trusted. If you have had good relationships with authorities, you will tend to trust people … maybe even too much.

Though our thinking is inevitably and understandably shaped by our experiences, all of our thinking about authority and authorities must be shaped by the Scriptures.

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On January 12, 2023 By In Church, Counseling/Piety, Discipleship, Wisdom

The Spiritual Pastor

Within the life of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit has a special role. He creates and sustains bonds or relationships between people. He has been doing this forever. This is his activity in the life of the Trinity in eternity. He is the Spirit of God the Father (Gen 1.2; Rom 8.9, 14; 15.19) as well as the Spirit of the Son/Christ (Gal 4.6; Rom 8.9). The Spirit “belongs” to both the Father and the Son.

Our early church fathers described the Spirit as the “bond of love” between the Father and the Son. In the Trinitarian relationship described in terms of love, the Father is the Lover, the Son the Beloved, and the Spirit is the Bond of Love between them.

We understand his eternal ministry in the Trinity because we hear of his work with us. His work with us images his eternal ministry. He creates bonds between us and God as well as one another. This is why Paul says in Ephesians 4 that we are to “maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”

The Spirit creates the bond with the body of Christ through baptism according to 1Corinthians 12.13: “For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body–Jews or Greeks, slaves or free–and all were made to drink of one Spirit.” The Spirit is the one who puts the body of Christ together; whether you are talking about the Person of Christ in the womb of Mary (Lk 1.35) or the body of Christ, the church (1Cor 12.11). The Spirit puts things and people in a relationship with one another.

The pastoral ministry is a Spiritual ministry. This does not mean that he has a “mystical ministry” over against dealing with the material aspects of the world. The pastor is a bond-maker. He brings people together, facilitating the creation of relationships.

The pastor/king introduced to us in Ecclesiastes is called qoheleth, normally translated as “Preacher.” But the word speaks about someone who gathers or is a convener. He brings both people and words together, and he creates bonds with people through his words. He creates bonds.

The pastoral ministry aims to reconcile God with man (2Cor 5.18-20). We exercise that ministry by gathering people for the preaching of the Word and administering the Sacraments. By the power of the Spirit, the Word is proclaimed, and people are united with Christ through baptism and the supper.

This Spiritual ministry doesn’t end there. As the Spirit creates relationships among the members of the body of Christ, joining each member to the other to work together as one body, so the pastor is given to the church to equip the saints for the work of the ministry so that each member works properly with other members for the body to build itself up in love (Eph 4.11-16).

At times this will mean that the pastor helps individuals work through personal and interpersonal relationship issues. He instructs members through the Scriptures on how to apply wisdom to their particular situation so as to restore and maintain the bond of peace.

Many of us pastors take it upon ourselves (whether through personal expectations or expectations imposed upon us by our congregations) that our calling is to be an expert in every area of dealing with issues; that if there is a problem in the church we must be the ones who personally “fix it.” However, this is where understanding our Spiritual ministry is extremely helpful. While dealing with issues in the church is our responsibility, dealing with the issue can take the form of helping the person make the right connections with other Christians who are better equipped to help them in particular areas. Just as a medical doctor who is a general practitioner may refer one of his patients to a specialist, so we soul doctors may need to do the same. The Spirit creates relationships with Christ and with one another, pointing to others. As pastors, we also point people to Christ and others who are better equipped to help.

Many of us pastors don’t like this for a number of reasons. Our lack of expertise in any area and not being able to fix each and every problem is viewed as weakness that will cause us to lose respect in the eyes of our people. They may believe that they no longer need us. Consequently, we try to become an expert in counseling, therapy, and/or other areas so that we can do everything ourselves. It’s job security. However, it is also a lack of love for God’s people. Though good intentions may be in there somewhere, there is a selfishness that cares more about my pride and my job than for the health and welfare of the people of God. Sometimes loving people means pointing them to others for help.

For us to fulfill our Spiritual ministry as pastors, we must be humble, recognizing our limitations. Some of us are better in certain areas than others. Each pastor comes with his own set of strengths and weaknesses. We can’t be experts in every area in which our people might need help. We may be general practitioners, knowing many of the basics so that we can help people with common problems, but we must recognize that there are specialists to whom we may need to refer our people. Connecting people with other people is not a dereliction of your duty. It is your Spiritual responsibility.

In order to connect our people with other Christians who may be able to help them better than we can, we need to get to know other people. These people may be within your own congregation. Get to know people and their skills so that you can make connections with others. This may also mean learning of resources outside of your church to which you can refer people who need help that you can’t give them.

Humility once again comes into play here. When you point people away from yourself and to Christ in other people, you will not receive the initial glory for fixing the problem. That’s okay. The Spirit was sent to glorify the Son (Jn 16.12-14). As we point to Christ in other people and help create those relationships, we are doing the Spirit’s work.

Pastor, you don’t have to know it all. You don’t have to do it all. You are not deficient as a pastor if you must point your people to others to find the help they need. You are doing the Spirit’s work.

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On November 29, 2022 By In Church, Discipleship, Family and Children

Family Worship and Chaotic Schedules

Photo Credit: https://pixabay.com/photos/factory-demolition-destruction-4757647/

Family Worship Inquiry

A question I love getting from Husbands and Fathers is general advice about family worship. As Fathers, the leaders in covenant homes, we are commissioned by God’s word to teach our covenant children the ways of the Lord every day, and all throughout the day (Deut. 6). We are also instructed in the Proverbs to train up a child in the way they should for when they grow old, they will not depart from it (Prov. 22:6). All of this is reiterated by the Apostle Paul in Ephesian 6 when he commands Fathers to “not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord.” The weight Fathers feel concerning the task of discipling their families is good and right. Husbands and Fathers have been given a high calling to water their wives with the water of the word of God and to also raise their children in the fear and admonition of the Lord (Eph. 5 & 6).

I recently received a question about this joyous duty. The central point of this man’s question was about how to achieve family worship consistently when you have a hectic or random schedule. The following is my reply to this concerned Husband and Father with some minor adjustments and additions.

Answer Part 1

The first part of my answer: I think one of the most important things to remember about family worship is that it does not need to look like a Lord’s Day worship service. Remember, that this is family worship with a lowercase ‘w’. It could also very well be called Family Bible study or family discipleship. This does not mean it is unimportant. It is important, like really important. But it is still not equal to Lord’s Day capital ‘W’ Worship. I want to make this distinction so that you know that you need not don a clerical collar, call your family to worship, preach a sermon, assign a son to help distribute the Eucharist, and take an offering before anyone is allowed to brush their teeth and head to bed.

The main thing for you to remember is that you are discipling your family during your time of family worship. This should of course mean reading through books of the Bible with your family and singing Psalms, Hymns, and spiritual songs together. But also, add into the mix books of/on church history, learn Psalms chanting or a new Hymn together, read through The Chronicles of Narnia, or simply pick from many other helpful Christian books to read through and discuss. There are many ways to crack this egg.

Another important thing to practice (which, in turn, is not good for a Lord’s Day Worship setting) is to allow and encourage rabbit trails about our faith and how it applies to every area of life. If your wife or covenant kiddo has a question, spend time answering it. Whatever you do, do not brush it off or move on too quickly. You do not want anyone in your family to feel uncomfortable asking their spiritual leaders questions about their faith. When this happens, that family member is displaying much-valued humility and trust in their spiritual leader. Don’t crush that. That is something to be cultivated, water, and protected.

You specifically mentioned consistency. This is huge. My simple encouragement is to pick a time that works and stick with it. You may need to try a couple of different times before figuring out what works best. That’s OK. If you miss a day, do not grieve as the Gentiles who have no hope. God’s mercies are new every day and His steadfast love endures forever. Get back up and continue mission.

Answer Part 2

Question: What about random schedules?

Answer: Yeah, schedules, especially random ones, are sometimes difficult dragons to slay. The first thing I would figure out is if the randomness is a symptom of something deeper. Some diagnostic questions might be helpful. Do you lack basic time management? Do you lack self-discipline?  Beyond that, it might be helpful to choose a form of family worship that works for each context. Decide to do something shorter/easier on the days with less time and extend it for days/contexts that are less busy. If you did that and were able to get something in every day, you and your family would benefit tremendously. Additionally, take advantage of the many audio versions of content that are available to the Church today.

Finally, whatever you do, do it, and don’t ever give up. Giving up teaches a much worse lesson to your family than trying to faithful lead your family and for one reason or another it doesn’t go perfectly. Turns out, on this side of glory, it will never go “perfectly”. Look to Christ in everything you do, and bring your family along with you.

I hope that helps.

“Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.” 1 Corinthians 15:58 (ESV)

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On September 15, 2022 By In Discipleship, Theology, Wisdom

Pure Strength

In my half-century-plus of life, I have watched movements and men come and go. Fads in fashion as well as issues are like vapors that appear for a little while and then vanish away. Men’s stars have risen and fallen quickly and hard, many times leaving a great deal of damage. Growing up in and around the Christian ministry, my stepfather being a pastor, and being associated with ministers and ministries for most of my life, I have seen the good, bad, and ugly. I watched men through the years who could captivate crowds with their dynamic preaching, mesmerizing people through emotional fervor, rhetorical skill, and/or theological sophistication. As a young man I remember desiring to be like many of these men. But then I learned what would eventually become apparent to all: many of these men lived duplicitous lives. Some men told outright lies about their lives to make their testimonies more exciting. Others used their magnetism to engage in adultery with multiple women. Still others’ families were in absolute shambles while they were out “saving the world.”

I was disillusioned and sometimes discouraged.

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On August 18, 2022 By In Discipleship, Theology, Wisdom

Shrewd

Remember when life was much simpler when you were a child? Looking back, you had very few decisions to make, and the decisions you made had mild consequences whether good or bad. Of course, when you were a child, all of your decisions, their consequences, and the work you had to do seemed huge. But looking back now as an adult you realize that life was much simpler because the responsibilities were fewer, lighter, and consequences weren’t as immediately severe.

As we grow into our teenage and young adult years, all of this changes. Life becomes more complex. Responsibilities become heavier, and the consequences of our decisions have much more serious ramifications for the rest of our lives. The complexities grow with us as we age and add more to our lives.

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On August 11, 2022 By In Discipleship, Wisdom

Contentment

 Puritan Jeremiah Burroughs characterized contentment as a “rare jewel.” It is precious and scarce. Unlike commodities, contentment is not precious because of its scarcity; scarcity doesn’t give contentment value. If we were to commodify contentment, we might say that there is plenty of it out there; or, at least, there is great potential “to grow” plenty of it. Contentment is only scarce because we haven’t taken the time and discipline to cultivate it in our hearts. Growing contentment is difficult, and it remains rare because of sloth. However, the discipline of contentment is vital to accomplishing our mission.

Every now and again Solomon exhorts his son in Proverbs not to covet or be envious of the wicked. Rather he is to be content. The specific exhortations pop up here and there, but contentment is the undercurrent for all the commands to walk the path of wisdom and avoid the path of folly.

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On August 4, 2022 By In Culture, Discipleship, Wisdom

Listen

“A fool takes no pleasure in understanding but only in uncovering his heart.”

~Proverbs 18.2

You hear or read a few trigger words and phrases. You are on high alert concerning the issue du jour, prepared for war, and ready to meme people into submission. These triggers are all you need, and off you go, splashing your characterizations of a man’s statement and his character on social media. You are a keyboard warrior, living most of the time before a computer screen with limited face-to-face interaction. You have read books, and your opinions have been validated within the digital echo chamber of your social media friends hundreds of times. “Attaboys,” likes, and shares abound. You are moving the needle; you may even go down in history right there with Martin Luther … or Mao.

There is one problem. You didn’t listen to what the man said and have learned nothing of his character. Your opinions were like an aggressive, vicious dog on a weak leash, which at the first sign of any movement went on the attack. You don’t care about sincerely understanding another person and his position. You only care that people know that you are the smartest, edgiest, wittiest guy on the internet. The fact that you are engaged in character assassination is a small price to pay for your five minutes of fame.

This is the activity of a fool.

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On July 28, 2022 By In Discipleship, Wisdom

Conquering Anxiety

“Anxiety in a man’s heart weighs him down, but a good word makes him glad.”

~ Proverbs 12.25

You have lost any control that you thought you had. You can’t get a handle on the situation either emotionally or physically. The doctor’s report hasn’t come back, so you don’t know why your health is declining. Financial markets are unstable. Your business is threatening to downsize, so you might be taking a severe financial hit. Your grown children are at odds with one another, and you can’t get them to reconcile. That person you love is flirting with apostasy, and you feel helpless.

This situation and the threat of loss are all you can think about. You are hyper-focused, and your mind is spiraling quickly through the scenarios, none of which have good endings. In fact, the more you think about it, the greater your fear of loss. And there is nothing you can do about it. Your heart feels as if it is being compressed in a vice. It is heavy. Your countenance is tight. When you are with other people, you are emotionally distant, focused on this situation.

You’re anxious.

Anxiety is an expression of fear. This fear originates in legitimate care that has now run amok. Care for ourselves and others is good. Excessive care that manifests as this great fear of loss as if we will lose everything if we lose this one thing is a good disposition that has turned into a sinful attitude.

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On July 21, 2022 By In Culture, Discipleship, Wisdom

How To Talk To A Fool

It is difficult to watch. You want to say something, to do something, something that will change the situation. You know that if things continue as they are going, the end will be disaster. But he won’t listen. She’s got this. So they think. They are taking the path of a fool. What do you say to them?

Solomon was aware that in a world of sin in which we are called to bring order that one of our greatest challenges would be dealing with fools. A fool is not merely a superficial, immature buffoon. He may be a cultural icon, a respected businessman, or a leader in society. The Proverbial fool is the man whose heart and life are disordered according to the standard of God’s created purpose. He is in rebellion against God. Fools come in all shapes and sizes, falling on a spectrum of foolishness. He may be the child whose foolishness is present but still has the opportunity to be cut off through discipline (Pr 22.15), or he may be the belligerent, hardened fool whose foolishness has matured to the point that he holds God and everything that is wise in contempt. The wise must learn to identify and deal with all types of fools.

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On July 14, 2022 By In Culture, Discipleship, Wisdom

Lip Restraint

All of his spirit goes out of a fool, but the wise stills it.

~Proverbs 29.11

No one likes a fake. When people come across as disingenuous, it is off-putting. Consequently, in our broader society and church, high value is placed on authenticity that is expressed in transparency. There is, of course, a need for authenticity. The Scriptures speak of this as faithfulness. But, as one of my seminary professors used to quip, “The devil’s favorite trick is to take a good thing too far.”

Authenticity and transparency have come to mean self-expression in any way you deem fit. If you are truly authentic, you will say all that you are thinking or feeling to the guy standing in front of you or to thousands, potentially millions, of people on social media. You should be able to speak with words, clothing (or lack thereof), hairstyles, piercings, or in any other way to tell everyone of your psychological brokenness, your rebellion against the oppressive powers that be, the goings on of what used to be called a private life, or any number of improprieties. Restraint is inauthentic. It is a lie of the highest order because psychological nudity is the highest good. Restraint from self-exposure is the great sin. “I’m just being real.”

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