Pulpit vs. Personal

It seems so easy for a pastor or professor to speak from the front of the room. I appreciate all of their work and the challenge that they bring.

Theology, Church History, Bible Exposition, Topical Studies are all great. I can listen to them push me, and challenge me to conform more of my life to God's word. But it stops there.

What if their exhortation to Godliness went beyond just the "up front message" and came out again when we sat down one-on-one. I know in my life that the more direct a challenge is to me, the bigger the impact it has.

Through way to many mistakes, I have learned that correction and encouragement happen best when in relationship. Yes, they can shape lives from the pulpit, but imagine your pastor sitting down and preaching his sermon to you over coffee.

What kind of impact would that have?

We are so often times scared to speak directly to anyone's life. We don't want to offend or some across self-righteous. But what if we opened ourselves up to people doing that? What is you gave permission to two or three of your best friends (maybe even your pastor) and told them to preach to you personally.

I don't really know what this could or should all look like in the church. But I think there need to be an adjustment. Not necessarily away from pulpit ministry, but towards personal ministry.

Ministry Marriages

Many marriages have failed. Many marriages of people in ministry have failed.

There are a lot of great names in the history of the Church. Some did astounding work for the Kingdom of God. However, there are far too many stories that also include neglected, forsaken and destroyed families and marriages. Many of them scarified on the alter of ministry.

As my class discussed one such such great name from history, my professor offered these words of clarity.

"I don’t want to be afraid of burning out. But I do want to be afraid of being a pagan husband and father."

Corrective. Thoughtful. And something that needs to be remembered.

The Finish Line

I had the blessing of seeing Phil Wickham in concert this last weekend. I enjoy his music for a number of reasons, but there is one that is more pronounced then the rest.

He helps nurture in my soul a longing for heaven. These two songs are an example of that.

Heaven Song (or album version here)


Carry My Soul Away (Currently unreleased)

Biblically Drunk

I am trying to make a commitment to post on this blog once a week. I have been doing pretty well so far. Usually I have time to write something each weekend that I have been thinking about throughout the week. This weeks post is based on two experiences.
1. My small group had a discussion on drinking alcohol and Christian ministry.
2. I went to a formal banquet for my wife's work place and there was a significant amount of drinking going on by many people who would consider themselves Christians.

And through this a new thought popped into my head. Christians would all agree that it is wrong to get drunk (there is much discussion out there on whether believers should drink at all). But nobody every gives a biblical definition of drunk.

Should it be based on your blood-alcohol content? Since point .08 is too drunk to drive is that what the Bible means when it says don't get drunk?

How much does alcohol have to effect you for you to be considered drunk? Does one beer make you a little more relaxed? Does two make you a little less reserved? Does four leave you with no inhibitions? At what point can we consider someone not legally drunk, but biblically?

I had a christian say to me this week "I will drink beer, but I will never get drunk". What in the world does that mean?

How high of a standard should Christians have for alcohol and how much influence should be considered biblically sinful?

I don't really know. Somebody else weight in.

Perspective

This is probably a worthless post.

Everybody else is talking about the Elephant Room and so therefore i am thinking about it.

I was at one of the video feed sessions. I have attended Harvest Bible Chapel on a number of occasions. I have books on my shelf from a few of the participants. Now, that doesn't make me an authority. At best, just a little familiar with the people and issues out there.

There are basically two sides to this debate. The backers of the ER2 and the people who think it was a bad idea. And mainly it has to do with T.D. Jakes.

I really respect a lot of people on both sides. I consider myself reformed theologically so that might naturally pigeon hole me to one side. I have read some of their writings on the subject, and yes I like it. I agree with what say. Yes, poor decisions might have been made, and no, not everybody teaches the same thing we do.

But you know what? I liked the ER2. I benefited from it. I learned from it. I am better prepared for ministry now than I was before. My heart was stirred by their wisdom, and my mind was provoked by their philosophical differences.

But the problem is, nobody is saying that. People are only talking about the damage that was done. And I am sure wise people than me can give a better diagnosis of what really happened.

People get all up in arms about decisions other people make. He made the choice. It happened. But nobody seems to care that a 22 year old pastor in training was blessed by those conversations (and its not like I am super important, or that anybody cares).

I am not trying to pick sides. I just think that if you had no understanding of the biographies of the ER2 participants it all would have been pretty enjoyable. Gained wisdom. Gained discernment. Gained awareness of roadblocks down the road (Yes even from Bishop Jakes).

That's what I got out of it. Maybe if we tried harder to be edified we would find more things to be edified by.

I am guilty of this too. Sometimes the controversial fire is fun to play in. But I just wanted to provide a little perspective to the couple people who read this.

"Always at the utmost"

I was reading a couple of weeks ago and came across this quote:

"Sin aims always at the utmost; every time it rises up to tempt or entice, might it have its own course, it would go out to the utmost sin in that kind. Every unclean thought or glance would be adultery if it could; every covetous desire would be oppression, every thought of unbelief would be atheism, might it grow to its head"
(John Owen, Of the Mortification of sin in Believers p.53)

In general I don't believe that. Nobody really does. We don't think of sin as a "grave that is never satisfied" (also Owen).

Then I was reading in 2 Samuel 11. David and Bathsheba. John Owen and David suddenly collided into a vivid picture in my mind. David the "man after God's own heart". His sin also "aims always at the utmost". His lustful look from the roof top led to adultery, murder, and enormous consequences.

Ya my sin does that too. It's never satisfied. It will push to it full fruition. To the its greatest extent.

Now I beg to God that He would help me unmask the evil that dwells within me. Give me eyes to see sin the way He sees it.

Preaching

I have been listening some great preachers recently. Great men who are excellent communicators. A lot of this comes through podcasts on my ipod while I work.

Then this last Sunday my wife and I visited a smaller church. The sermon was....well average. Normal. Nothing special.

After he got going I realized how I much I had gotten used to really good teaching. Right about when I was going to tune out this mediocre sermon a quote I read popped into my head.

"The mature worshiper is easily edified."

That's when I realized how immature it would be to ignore this sermon.

So I listened hard and tried to be edified.