What's in a name?

Christian? Christ follwer? Believer? Disciple? Saved? Born again?

All of the above (and more) are terms we might use to refer to someone who has embraced Jesus Christ as their savior, committed their life to Him and seek to obey and serve Him. Even defining it with the immediate preceeding sentence presents problems. The problem is that all the terms above have some baggage attached. Even the secular media is picking up on it.

The earliest Christian/Christ followers/believers/disciples/etc. were called followers of The Way. When Christ came He introduced a 'way' like none before. Those who chose that path were followers of The Way (praying for enemies, offering forgiveness unlimited, the last shall be first, and on and on). Some years later these followers were called "Christians" (little Christs) because they mimicked Christ. Those on the outside could see an obvious Christlikeness about them, they began to call them "little Christ's" as a term of derision. They meant it as anything but a compliment.

The word "christian" today has little resemblance to its origin. Any time I use the word to describe myself I feel compelled to describe what I mean. To say we are a "christian" nation is a great example of how little this word really means any more. We look and act nothing like Christ as a nation today. And many who apply the label "christian" as individuals could hardly be mistaken for Christ ... or even a cheap model of Christ.

Believer? James 2:19 says, "You believe that God is one; you do well. The demons also believe—and they shudder." To 'believe' is not enough if that belief does not lead to a life sold out to Christ that leads to transformation into His likeness.

Born again? Saved? These are terms only understood by those who grew up in church or hang around a church. "Disciple" falls into this category of church-speak as well.

I use the term "christ follower". This term has its short comings as well. Jesus was much more than a model to live by. He was the sacrifice made on our behalf. He was our substitute. I choose this term because the first call Jesus made to the first "disciples" was "Come, follow Me". Those that attend the church I pastor hear me say such things as, "genuine Christ follower" rather than, if you would like to be a "christian". The article in Newsweek referenced above is correct in that the terms we use carry so much baggage.

Then again, maybe that's not a bad thing. As we tell others we are a Christian/Believer/Disciple/Christ Follower/etc. we will need to go into an immediate explanation of what that means. What a great opportunity to share our faith!

The pupose of the church

There is so much misunderstanding as to the purpose of the church these days ... and by church I mean any given local church. Paul was giving intructions to Timothy and the church in 1 Timothy 3. He had just given some specific intructions about elders and deacons. He then turns his attention directly to the purpose of the church.

15 But if I should be delayed, [I have written] so that you will know how people ought to act in God’s household, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth. 1 Tim 3:15 (HCSB)

So, what is the church? It is clear it is the "pillar and foundation of the truth". What is the truth? God's Truth is clearly given in God's Word. It is the written Word and the doctrines taught in His Word.

We (church leaders) are tempted at times to make the church something other than the foundation of truth. We are tempted to entertain. We are tempted to give political information. We are tempted to give our opinions. We are tempted to lead a group of people to "just love each other and get along at all costs". We are tempted to focus on style over substance.

By God's grace I want to be able to look back on the span of the ministry God may grant and say, "above all, we were the pillar and foundation of truth.

The gift of tongues

I apologize it has been so long between posts. We will pick up the pace with these three behind us. This is the third and final post in a trilogy in response to some questions my cousin in Australia asked: Alcohol, role of women in the church, and the gift of tongues.

The “gift of tongues” has been a matter that is as disputed as any in the church today. More than any other area people tend to rely on experience over the authority of God’s Word when determining what they believe about tongues. This is a great reminder that no matter what our experience, we stand under the authority of God’s Word, not over it.

I would also remind us before looking into question of speaking in tongues, this is a disputable matter. There have been bible believing Christians with various views on this subject. So, as a disputable matter, we will have grace with one another as we deal with this one.

What is the meaning of “gift of tongues”?
In the New Testament there are two lists of “gifts” listed in which the gift of tongues is included (1 Corinthians 12:8-11; 1 Corinthians 12:28-30). These gifts of the Spirit are distributed at the discretion of the Holy Spirit. While all Christ followers receive the gift of the Spirit, individual Christians do not have all the gifts of the Spirit.

The term that is used to identify the tongues movement is “glossolalia,” made up of two Greek words, glossa (language or tongue) and lalia (speech). It therefore means speaking in languages or tongues. Glossology is that department of anthropology which has to do with the study and classification of languages and dialects. The Holman Christian Standard Bible most often translates this word “languages”. The only time Jesus mentions “tongues” or “languages” (Mark 16:17) He adds the adjective “new”. He predicted there would be those that would speak new languages. If I were to say Portuguese is a “new language” for me you would understand it is a language that is not native to me and one I am having to learn. Acts 2:4 uses a different adjective when it says the spoke in “different languages”. It simply means different from what they normally spoke. Context confirms this interpretation (Acts 2:6-8).

The problem with this interpretation is a bit more challenging when one reads many of the translations of 1 Corinthians 14:2, 4, 13, 14, and 19. Many translations insert the word “unknown” into the English text. The problem is that “unknown” is not in the original text. In every place the word is used it means “languages”. The Greek word “laleo” always means “speech”. It is never used to mean unintelligible sound(s). Therefore it is a strange interpretation to make the speaking of “tongues” in the New Testament anything other than someone speaking in a language other than their own.

Is speaking in tongues proof of baptism by the Holy Spirit?
No. Scripture is clear that every believer has been baptized by the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:13). When the question is asked in 1 Corinthians 12:30 if every believer is to speak in tongues (“languages”), it is obvious the answer is “No”. We need to be careful we do not confuse baptism by the Spirit with “being filled with the Spirit” (Ephesians 5:18).

Related to this question could be a discussion of the fruit of the Spirit. The fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) are evidences of being filled with the Spirit. However, as no “gift of the Spirit” is ever listed as evidence of being controlled (‘filled’) with the Spirit this would include the gift of “tongues” or “languages”.

Does the gift of tongues still exist today?
This is where much of the controversy exists in the church over this subject. Persons that hold that the “sign gifts” (tongues, healing, prophecy, etc.) do not still exist today are known as Cessationists. I do not consider myself a pure Cessationist. However, I do believe the sign gifts we see listed in 1 Corinthians 12 are not in the same form we see them in the New Testament. For example, the gift of healing as displayed in the “in-the-name-of-Jesus-rise-and-walk” in Acts were not widespread as we see that only in the lives of the Apostles. We see less of this in the later chapters of Acts as the church became more established. But I do see certain individuals that seem to have a gift of praying for others in a way that leads to healing more often than others.

The reason for the lengthy discussion in 1 Corinthians 12 related to tongues is because this was an area the Corinthians were having difficulty. It was dividing their church. They were lacking in the fruit of love (see 1 Corinthians 13). Paul explained in this chapter that love superceded all the gifts.

1 Corinthians 13:8 is a bit problematic for non-cessationists. It says, “as for languages (tongues), they will cease”. It will come to an end. Cessationists believe that time has already occurred. Others believe that time will not come until the return of Christ. I have already explained my view in this post. Maybe you can see the need for grace in all such discussions. It does seem there would be no need for such a gift today if the understanding of the term is one of “new language”.

Well, how do we account for the widespread use of unintelligible tongues we see today? I would offer three possibilities. They can be self-induced, group-produced, or Satan-induced. Satan has been actively attempting to divide the church in any way possible. We are to be about the business of edifying the church.

The Church of Jesus Christ does not need a new Bible, nor new apostles, nor new faith-healers, nor new charismatic movements, nor self-styled miracle workers. What the Church needs is to return to the Word of God and proclaim the whole counsel of God in the power and love of the Holy Spirit.

Women's Roles in the Local Church

OK, I know it has been too long since my last post. But I knew I wanted to get this one behind me, so I waited as I prepared. It's a little lengthy, but the subject demands some length. Here goes.


Let’s begin by affirming the role of women in ministry throughout all of history. I have said publicly several times I thank God for women picking up the load on a number of fronts in the church throughout history. And I don’t just mean exercising the gifts of diaper changing and kitchen duty. From a human standpoint, they have kept the Church of Jesus Christ moving forward at times when men have taken a passive role.

If Scripture (not culture or human opinion) is our authority (and it is) we want to think biblically about all areas of our lives and churches. What is the role of women in the church? Does Scripture in any way limit the role of women in the church?

There are two primary camps related to this topic. The Egalitarian camp believes women are equal to men in both essence and function. The Complementarian camp argues that women are equal to men in essence, but that men are to be the leaders in the church. As with most controversial issues, you have extremes of both camps.

Please allow me to be clear early in this post. This doctrine (role of women in the church) is not a cardinal doctrine. In other words, no one’s salvation hangs in the balance based on their view. However, this issue is very important to the health of the church (the Bride of Christ). In other words whether or not one holds an egalitarian or complementarian view, you may still be saved. But whether or how much growth can take place is in part due to how you handle this issue. What you believe about when the Rapture will take place has no impact on how we are to serve and minister together in the local church, but what we believe about this issue directly impacts how we behave in the local church.

The primary passages in question in most discussions on this topic are Galatians 3:28; 1 Timothy 2; and 1 Corinthians 14:34. Egalitarian tend to hold to what is called Trajectory Theology, which in brief, is a method of interpreting Scripture which finds progressive change in application of Scripture in the trajectory of time beyond the completion of the New Testament. That simply means rather than interpreting Scripture in light of it’s historical setting, they believe it should be interpreted and applied in light of the current culture. In light of that, they believe Galatians 3:28 was Paul’s “prediction” of the ultimate goal of men and women equal in essence AND in function. Trajectory Theology is full of holes. What is the finality to which we are to take the passage? Who has the authority to make these decisions?

On this issue specifically, there are several difficulties with this view. One of the major problems an egalitarian would have with trajectory theology related to Galatians 3:28 is that Galatians was not the last letter Paul wrote. In fact, many believe it to be the first letter he wrote. So his latest view would be 1 Timothy since it was written at a later date. But an even larger problem is the context of Galatians 3. The passage is obviously speaking of equality in salvation. All Jews and Gentiles, men and women are all one in the way we are saved and the opportunity to be saved. The entire context of Galatians 3 is access to God through faith. Our access to God has no distinction by class, race, or gender! To make Galatians 3 an argument for no role distinction is to take one of the great cardinal doctrines of Scripture and dims it’s meaning by using it to argue for a lesser issue.

Further, if this passage erases social hierarchies then logic would take it to all social hierarchies. Therefore children would not need to obey their parents. But even egalitarians won’t accept such an application. Though their logic calls for it.

For the sake of space, let me state my position (obviously not egalitarian) and reasons why I hold this position. It can be effectively argued that a woman may hold any position in the local church other than that of elder. No matter ones view of elders almost no one will argue that Senior Pastor is not an elder. See 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1 for clear qualifications of elders. I will not go into the entire list, but only those which relate to this discussion.

Ephesians 5, 1 Peter 3 and other passages give us instructions that clearly indicate the male is the head of the household. 1 Timothy 3:4 and Titus 1:6 speak of an elder as one who manages his own household well and is the husband of one wife. Both impossible for women in the biblical structure of a home. One additional note here: While some women did prophesy in the Old Testament, never did a woman serve as a priest, which according to Leviticus 10:11; Deuteronomy 21:5; and Malachi 2:6-7 is where the people go to receive authoritative instruction. There are a number of arguments for male eldership in the local church which I won’t try to go into here due to space.

But there is one characteristic germane to the discussion of the roles of women in the local church and teaching. First of all, keep in mind the spiritual gifts are given by the Holy Spirit without regard to gender. This would include the gift of teaching. So what is the meaning of 1 Timothy 2 related to women and teaching? Keep in mind the bigger context. In the very next chapter (which was not originally in place) Paul goes into a long section of the letter on qualifications of elders. I believe Paul is setting up some of the argument he is going to make for male elders in chapter 3. I Timothy 3:2 says elders are to be able teachers. We know from Acts 15 that the elders were the ones to make doctrinal decisions for the body. This level of teaching and exhorting for the entire body is the responsibility of the elders. This expands the idea given in I Timothy 2:11-12. Women, whether in the home or in the church are not to be the ones with ultimate authority. Those roles are reserved for men.

What about 1 Corinthians 14:34 that states women are to be silent? Let’s keep in mind the Corinthian church was a mess! They had chaos in every area. They were drunk at the Lord’s Suppers. They had divisions over leadership. They had confusion in their public worship services related to speaking in tongues and apparently the women were usurping the authority of their husbands in the public setting of the church.

The leadership of each local church must wrestle with these issues. In our church we do have women that teach mixed gender classes. As long as it is under the authority of our elders with me (as Senior Pastor) leading I think we have biblical reasons for favor to do operate in this way. I will say however, if the men of the church use this as an excuse not to teach, it is not healthy for a church. But nowhere in Scripture can we make an argument for women as elders which includes Senior Pastor of a local church. While this is not a complete discussion of the issues, I believe it will sets our position clearly.

Men and the church

Speaking on leadership from Acts 20 yesterday I made some pretty pointed comments to the men related to their role as leaders in every area of life, including the church. I want to follow up a bit on those comments.

USA Today came out with an article last month on the discrepancy between the % of men v. women in churches today. ClearView is stronger in this area than the average church. We have a healthy ratio, I believe, in men to women.

I have heard several comments on this since the release of the article by USA Today and other media. I was in Belize this past March on a mission trip. We saw an extreme example of the problem of fewer men in church, but I believe it gives us some insight into what is going on here in the states in the same arena. In Belize, we might have had 20 - 30 adults inside the church building during services. Maybe 4 or 5 of those would be men. However, if you looked just outside the door of the church there would be another 10 - 15 men sitting in bicycles listening to all that was going on. I saw that as a snapshot of what is going on in the church in America.

Why would these men simply sit outside during service and not enter the building? Were they afraid of the building? I don't think so. We had a men's dinner one night and 45 men showed up to eat dinner in the very building they would sit outside of on Sundays and for other worship services.

But the decorations inside the church screamed, "this is for women only". They had flowers on the podium and lace curtains (big ones) behind the pulpit. The night we had the men's dinner they brought out some speakers and played (very loud) some contemporary christian music (it was in Spanish, but I asked and they said it was Christian) the guys could relate to. I asked why they didn't play the same music for their worship services. Never really got a clear answer to that one. But I can't tell you how often someone there bemoaned the fact that so few men would come to church.

With leadership in the church having been abdicated over the centuries by men to women, we have seen a feminization of church. I have preached in hundreds of churches over the past 20 years. Many of the dying churches especially decry the lack of involvement by the men in the church. Many were smaller and struggling churches. Women had taken most of the leadership roles. So guess what services felt like? They felt like women designed and produced them. There would be flowers in the front of the church. The choir wore robes with stoles (I think that's what you call them) that matched the carpet and walls. On a couple of occasions I had to politely refuse to wear a flower if I were asked to preach on Easter. The worship folder covers (bulletins) would have pictures of flowers or some open field with ... flowers. [As a side note, please don't send flowers to my funeral. Give $$ to a ministry of some kind if you feel the need to give something.] Words like "precious" and "sweet" are thrown around in music and sermons. Great for women but men don't use that kind of language in their every day lives. And then we wonder, "Where did all the men go?" "Why don't more men come to church?"

This is one reason I love preaching in a room that transforms into a gym during other days of the week. It doesn't feel so ... well ... feminine. Along the same lines, I am grateful for a worship leader who is a man's man. Michael Smith leads worship that men, as well as women, can relate to. Drums and guitars are simply more masculine than a pipe organ.

Men, God called us to lead. So let's lead. As we learned yesterday, we lead with a humble spirit, with compassion and love for those God has placed in our care. Men's men stepping up to the plate will propel any church into a better future for Christ. Reach the men and the family will follow.

I would end with this. Thank God for the women who have and who do step up. Without them, no telling what kind of mess we would be in our churches. I am appreciative of all they do and will do. This is not about women backing down from all they do. This is about men stepping up to what we have been called to do ... lead!

Church Membership - Why does it matter? (Part 3)

We pick up where we left off in the last post ...

I saved these next three for last as they bring up secondary issues some will struggle with more than the membership issue. I won't have space to fully address each of the issues raised, but welcome questions.

[#'s 1 and 2 are in the previous post]

Biblical reasons for church membership ...

3. Membership is implied by the way a church is supposed to implement church discipline.
Now, there's a subject you don't see brought up in many churches ... church discipline. In Matthew 18:15-17 Jesus gives clear instructions on handling conflict as christians. The final court of appeal, as seen in v.17, is "the church". So, the question is, how do you define who makes up this group called "the church"? Any issue that would reach this level of attention would be considered a very sensitive issue. Do you then allow just anyone that calls themselves a christian become a part of this process. To place someone in the position of an unbeliever as v.17 indicates is a very serious matter. Church membership becomes the tool that defines who is to be involved in such a situation.

4. By virtue of the fact that excommunication even exists assumes the existence of church membership. In 1 Corinthians 5:12-13 Paul instructs the Corinthian church in matters of dealing with one in the church that refused to walk away from his blatantly public sin. He tells them to "put them away" (v.13). How can you tell someone they are no longer "part of the church / body" if the church / body is not clearly defined? Formal removal is impossible without some way to define who is already in.

5. Membership is implied by the instruction that a group of Christians are to be submissive to church leaders. I spoke to the impact this has on church leaders in the previous post. Clearly there is heavy responsibility placed on the shoulders of church leaders. The leaders will one day stand before The Judge and answer for how they have handled their responsibilities in such matters. But Hebrews 13:17 clearly instructs a group of Christians to allow themselves to be held accountable to church leaders. Question: What group is placing themselves under the authority of what group of leaders? How do you obey this command? The only way I know is by having a clearly defined group of people following a clearly defined group of leaders. And the only tool I know to do this is formal membership.

Again, I realize the concepts of church discipline, authority, submission to leaders, etc. present their own challenges in the minds of some. The purpose of this post is not to argue for those concepts (I'll let the Scripture stand on those as it clearly does). The purpose of this post is to give further insight into why membership is a biblical concept.

Stay tuned for posts on such matters as baptism, Lord's Supper, Spiritual Gifts, and other matters pertaining to church membership. I will include some light posts between these weightier ones to keep this blog from becoming too heavy ... I promise :-).

Church Membership - Why does it matter? (Part 2)

I grew up in a Pastor's home so the question of whether or not a Christ follower would join a church was a question I never even thought to consider. To be a Christian , in my mind, would assume you were a member of a local church. I discovered as I began to pastor that this is not the case for many. I had a pastor friend in a church near the church I pastored in GA that would often boast of the fact that they had no membership in their church. So, I had to examine my own beliefs about this issue. Is membership important? Why or Why not? More than that, is church membership biblical?

You may attend the church I pastor every time the doors are open, you may attend any function of the church, and you can be a member of a small group (in our case Sunday School class) and not be a member. If you trust in Christ alone for your salvation you may even observe the Lord's Supper table with us and still not be a member. So, why would anyone want to be a member?

In the New Testament the local body of Christ is the visible demonstration of the universal body of Christ (all those throughout history that have trusted Christ alone by faith for their salvation). As Rick Warren is famous for saying, "There is no such thing as a lone ranger Christian". "But Mark, I still don't have to be a member of a church to have relationships with other Christians." Correct, you do not. So why membership?

Let me share several biblical reasons I believe in the seriousness of church membership and why I believe scripture clearly implies it is necessary.

1. Membership is implied in the metaphor "the body" found in 1 Corinthians 12:12 and following. The New English Version, the old King James Version, the New Revised Standard version as well as others use the term "members" in that verse to refer to the various parts of the body. Paul is obviously writing to the church in Corinth about the church.

Now, my hand is 100% committed to the other parts of body. My hand will protect the other parts when necessary, it will cooperate with the other parts (my knee does not go to one city while my hand goes to another), it will assist in other ways when necessary. Why? Because it is, without question, identifiably a part of the same body. My hand is not as committed to another body because it does not feel pain when that part of another body feels pain. It does not experience pleasure when the other body experiences pleasure. And on and one we could go.

In addition, if you saw an attachment to my body that did not fit ... let's say a basketball permanently attached to my foot ... you would know immediately that does not belong. Why? Because it is not a committed part of my body.

So, the question is, who intends to be treated as part of the body called "ClearView" (in my case)? The only way we have of knowing is a tool called "membership". And by the way, the term used is not important. "Membership" just happens to be the term we use and a term that communicates to the broadest number of people.

2. Church leaders are instructed to care for the church in their charge. I alluded to this in "Part 1" of this post. Acts 20:28 is Paul's farewell address to the leaders of the church in Ephesus and he clearly instructs them to "guard the flock, among whom the Holy Spirit has appointed you as overseers".

My instruction is clear regarding the flock for which I have responsibility. Question: What is my responsibility for the flock at Church B a mile down the road? Am I going to give an account for how I shepherd them (Church B) some day? No. Their pastor will give an account for his flock ... just as I will for the one I serve. So does my flock include all those who show up on any given Sunday? Of course not, because I can't know who they are. There has to be some way to account for the flock for which God has given me responsibility.

1 Peter 5:1-3 also gives some very strong exhortation to church leaders. The word I want to key on is in v.3. It is the word "entrusted" and it means "lot" or "portion". There must be some way to define what that lot or portion is. You would not purchase a piece of real estate from me without some kind of specific definition of the lot. So, who will I one day give an account of before God? My lot / portion. Again, the only tool we have for defining that is "membership".

We will look at several more biblical reasons for church membership in the next post. Feel free to leave comments if you have questions. Remember, I am looking to make this part of the content for a revised New Members Class in the future, so I welcome questions or comments.

Church Membership - Why does it matter? (part 1)

I am in the process of rewriting the material we will be using in our New Members Class. So, I will share some of the content here as I go. The final version may only have parts of what I post here. And it may have more. But I will use this blog as something of a running journal of notes and thoughts to be used. I realize many of you that read this blog are not members of ClearView and will never be as you live many miles away. Hopefully, you will find these posts helpful in whatever church you may be a part. If you are not part of a church, maybe these posts will encourage you to consider it.

I realize as I write this, there are many today who are choosing to walk away from the "institutionalized church". I won't go into that too deeply for now. But I will say you need to be careful before making such a decision. The Church, no matter how messed up it may be, is still the Bride of Christ. Careful how you treat Her.

The first area I will address will be church membership itself. Does it matter if we "join" a church? Can we not just attend a church without "joining" and becoming a member of that church? Why can't I just attend several churches at once? After all, I like Church A's music and Church B's summer programming and Church C's women's ministry. So I will sort of mix and match to form my own church.

I have been doing some reading in this area recently. I commend Mark Dever's A Display of God's Glory: Basics of Church Structure and Restoring Integrity in Baptist Churches edited by Thomas White, Jason G. Duesing and Malcolm Yarnell.

By "church" I am referring to a regular assembly of people who profess and give evidence that they have been saved by God's grace through faith alone in Jesus Christ alone for salvation. I will get into a list of reasons church membership should matter to all of us, but for this post I want to leave you with a verse that has been weighing heavy on me for the past 14 months (since returning to pastor a local church).

Paul was saying farewell to the Elders of the Church at Ephesus. This was part of his words about the church (local body of believers) he was leaving behind.

28 Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among whom the Holy Spirit has appointed you as overseers, to shepherd the church of God, which He purchased with His own blood.
Acts 20:28 (HCSB)

We are not to neglect Her (the church). We are not to leave Her. We are not to become cynical about Her. We are not to abuse Her. We are not to exploit Her. GOD BOUGHT HER WITH HIS SON'S OWN BLOOD! God has now appointed me as an overseer of ClearView. The weight of that becomes more evident every day. I will answer for my leadership of every individual that is a part of ClearView.

But what does this mean to the individual who is a member? Or considering becoming a member ? The church and membership in any particular church is a very serious matter. So, how are we to think of such things? We will look at this over the next several posts.

July 3, 2008

My family and I are taking a few days away for vacation. We are in Colquitt, GA visiting my parents for a few days. This small town is like a movie set. Small town square. A small theatre where they have some live plays. Population 1750. We just witnessed the Fourth of July fireworks launched from the city park.

Mom and Dad moved down here after the First Baptist Church in town called Dad as pastor. Quite a story over the past couple of years since his coming as pastor. The church has doubled in Sunday School attendance and tripled in worship attendance (now over 350 average). The church hosts an annual wild game dinner (big hit in these parts) that draws upwards of 750. This small church in a tiny town in South GA (life gets no slower) has baptized 77 new believers (it will be 82 after this Sunday) over these couple of years. The majority of new believers are adults. How did it happen? Relationships.

The Pastor (Dad) goes to breakfast at the local hangout where many of the town's leaders have breakfast every morning. While building their trust and their respect he began to share the gospel with them and one by one several of these city influencers have come to Christ. Most of them long past an age most of us would have given up on them.

Oh yeah, did I tell you this new pastor in town (my Dad) will be 69 years old in November? Think retirement from Kingdom work is an option. I don't think so :-)! I have been challenged again in seeing all God is doing in a sleepy little town in a church that most would have considered hopelessly bound by its past in a cycle of status quo.

No matter your age and no matter how long it has been since you have sensed a fresh touch from God, it is not too late.

By the way, I will be preaching at FBC Colquitt this Sunday. Pray for me and for the church.

Praying for the Pastor

I will never forget the first time I met him. He was a guest that Sunday morning at the church I served as pastor in Marietta, GA. As he was leaving that morning he introduced himself to me, told me his daughter and son-in-law were members of that church, told me he was from out of state but would be visiting from time to time with his family members, then he asked me how he could pray for me. I suppose I gave him some lame answer. He looked at me and said, "No, I want to know specifically how I can pray for you in role as pastor of this church".

Well, I don't often have this kind of clarity this quickly, but two words came to mind. I firmly believe they were prompted by the Holy Spirit on the spot. The first word was "wisdom". While at LifeWay, I found myself facing big decisions every day. But for the most part they were business decisions. Seldom did I find myself needing to make a decision of how to counsel or how to respond to an individual life situation of someone I had responsibility to shepherd. I seldom felt as though eternity hung in the balance for someone based on what I said or how I responded. It was not my role to be spiritual advisor or guide. However, as a Pastor, I find myself in that place almost daily. Wisdom is needed.

Because of the role of shepherd (particularly the protection of the flock for which I have responsibility) I also need "courage". This was the second word the Holy Spirit brought to mind that day. When leading a group of people with diverse backgrounds, experiences, and opinions, I know this may come as a surprise, but they don't always agree. There are also times when persons must be confronted due to any number of reasons (leaders practicing immorality, false doctrine being taught, gossip, slander, and the list goes on). Change leadership always requires courage ... and change is about the only constant we have these days.

So, when you wonder what you might pray for your pastor (here at ClearView) or in your church wherever you are, these two would be a great start.

A good read ...

Most of you know I was part of the LifeWay team before coming to ClearView. Here is a post recently posted by Dr. Thom Rainer, President of LifeWay. A big amen from me on this one! The constant pull is to go another direction. I appreciate the affirmation this gave me today as I discovered Dr. Rainer's article. You can find it in its original location here.

NASHVILLE, Tenn., 5/5/08 -- I would consider pastoral malpractice among the greatest treasons a minister can commit against the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Unfortunately, it is practiced weekly without inhibition.
What do I mean by pastoral malpractice? I mean ministers who stand and preach a gospel other than God’s rightful need for punitive justice against our sin and His wrath being appeased by pouring out upon Christ judgment intended for us. He in turn sets us in right legal standing before Himself, through faith in what Jesus has done, while simultaneously giving to us His holy righteousness.

Regrettably, too many evangelical churches have become centers for motivational speaking where congregants learn that "God helps those who help themselves;" that sin is something that keeps us from reaching our full potential, not an infinite offense against the Creator who demands from His creation unblemished righteousness.

The apostle Paul tells us that humans inherently know we are separated from God by our sin and we try to suppress that truth through drugs, sex, greed, power, alcohol, etc. Sadly, too often when desperate individuals arrive in our churches looking for a solution they get messages about how to improve their lives or their relationships, but the Gospel is absent in the remedy. J.I. Packer, in his quintessential work, Knowing God, correctly writes:

"We have all heard the Gospel presented as God’s triumphant answer to human
problems – problems of our relation with ourselves and our fellow humans and our
environment. Well, there is no doubt that the Gospel does bring us solutions to
these problems, but it does so by first solving a deeper problem – the deepest
of all human problems, the problem of man’s relation with His Maker. And unless
we make it plain that the solution to the former problems depends on the
settling of this latter, we are misrepresenting the message and becoming false
witnesses of God."

The reality is that fewer people are showing up in our churches to get even a watered down Gospel because the age of attractional evangelism is rapidly dying, as recent research shows. It is not enough to throw the doors open and shout at the culture, "Come in." Gospel malpractice goes beyond the pulpit and is a trait of a complacent church that limits the mandate of the Great Commission to an invitation to come when we are clearly told to "Go!"
How contemporary is Paul’s letter to Timothy?

"But know this: difficult times will come in the last days. For people will be
lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to
parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, slanderers, without
self-control, brutal, without love for what is good, traitors, reckless,
conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding to the form of
religion but denying its power" (2 Timothy 3:1-5; HCSB).

I believe with every fiber of my being that the transformation of the church lies within the pages of the Bible. If individuals and churches are going to become effective incarnational witnesses in culture we must dig in. Paul, again to Timothy, says:

"…you have known the sacred Scriptures, which are able to
instruct you for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is
inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting,
for training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be complete, equipped
for every good work" (2 Timothy 3:15-17).

How my heart pleads with God to transform our churches to being training and equipping centers that send people out into culture to be Jesus’ ambassadors. I’m not talking pious moralists who point people to their sins, but servants who through humility and loving relationships point people to an all-sufficient Savior.
We must meet people in their context, but we must share the Gospel. Morality does not reconcile people to God; it comes through the Gospel of Christ.

Recovering Church Growth Addict

I have blogged here on my reasons for returning to the local church. But one thing is certain. I did not return the same guy that left the local church 11 years ago. When I left the local church I was consuming every church growth book I could get my hands on. I still have the inflated library to proove it. I learned much that is helpful to me to this day. However, I have had a definite shift in my thinking about leading a church. Here are some random thoughts I have had in this area.

From outside in to inside out. Much of what I learned about church growth was what I would call an outside-in philosophy. It felt like "throw as much mud against a wall and see how much sticks". So, we would mass market (meaning much money for slick mailouts). Well, you could not market without something to market. So, we spent much time coming up with cool sounding / marketable message series and titles (I knew we had gone too far the Sunday we had a female in a bathrobe in the drama). Did big productions. Created as many programs as possible that might appeal to the community. Researched "felt needs" and created even more programs to meet these needs. We did anything we could to draw a crowd of people. Looking back, I can see the army of people it took to keep all of this in the air and the enormous energy and time it required. [Oh yeah, we did increase the number of people attending our church dramatically over these years]

Then I look at Jesus' ministry and I see that every time the crowds began to get big, He threw out a challenge that He knew would chase many of them away (see Matthew 8:18-22 as one example among many). His mission was not a local one. It was not a mission to only a few. So, what was He thinking? You would think with only 3 1/2 years to get this thing off the ground Jesus would have wanted as many as possible following "the Way" (see Acts 9). When Jesus ascended to Heaven, there was only 120. But because He built a solid foundation the early church was able to grow not only by addition, but exponentially.

It was an inside-out strategy. Rather than creating as many programs / strategies as possible that would bring in as many people as possible, hoping many of them will stick ... it seems healthier to grow as many radical Christians as possible, to send them out into the marketplace where they come into contact with thousands every week that do not know Christ. If they are radical about their faith, they will not be able to do anything but spread it to those around them. Thus allowing for exponential growth rather than growth by addition.

But therein lies my challenge. I am an impatient person. Will I have the patience to spend the time to grow radical followers of Christ? Or will I give in to the pressure to "grow a church" faster and revert to "whatever it takes to get them in the building"? I know I'm older now ... and I believe more patient. I do believe if we had radical Christians making up our churches, we could not build building fast enough. In fact, we could stop building buildings and just meet in the stadiums that sit empty every Sunday.

Don't get me wrong. The Church Growth Movement brought some much needed change to the Church. We were out of touch with the world around us and very much ingrown and focused on our own stuff. We were simply walking through the motions of our traditions in many of our churches. The Church Growth Movement woke some of us up in ways we needed to be awakened. I am grateful for all I have learned from these resources. We do need to make sure we don't erect useless and even harmful barriers due to our church culture and traditions. We do need to be aware we are ministering in the 21st Century and not 1950. That does and must impact what we do and how we do it. But I have a desire to build up a body of believers that are radical about their faith and who take it to the streets every day to the people God constantly brings across our paths.

I am not anti church growth. I do believe a healthy church will grow numerically. I am for making disciples who make disciples ... whom God can use to grow His church. As I have said in the blog before, churches don't reach people. People reach people.

This is real ...

I have a friend currently serving on a pastor search committee. He received this by email. This is from a real member of a real church. The person writing the letter below included a web site and I checked it out myself. Since this is going back on the internet, I am editing out the church name. But this is for real! I don't know whether I feel more sorry for the poor pastor or the people playing church headed for an eternity apart from God! Wow! I've been around church all my life and I knew there were people that thought this way, but I would never have believed they would actually put it in writing and try this ...

Blessings,
Over the course of much prayer by a group here at ___________Baptist Church, I have been assigned as the desginated writer for our small group, we are a small SBC church that would like to recommend our pastor to you for a number of positive reasons: PLEASE HEAR US OUT BEFORE JUDGING US. We have a wonderful pastor who has a lot of ideas about how we reach our town or area, the problem is that most of us (the older one's) in the church do not desire to see the changes. We are afraid that our pastor will get frustrated after a while, all we are asking is that you please contact him to see if he might be interested in serving a church that has a desire to change. We have no access to his resume - and he is not currently sending resumes out (that we know about) - however if interested we suggest you contact him directly. We do know a few churches have contacted him -but we do not know if he is considering any of them. We believe the best for him to be where his gifts and talents in preaching and leadership can be used by the Lord, rather than where the heartbeat is faint. Our only desire the best for our pastor and we know he would be much better suited for a church that wants to reach and grow and reach people with the Good News! The church has a web site is www._________.org

Friends of ______________Baptist Church

Ears to hear?

Often we see Jesus in the Gospels telling a story or teaching a principle, followed by the words, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear". Did you know we honor God (or not) by how we hear His Word? My role in preaching is to teach God's Word Sunday by Sunday. But you (ClearView attenders) also have a role ... to hear in a way that is pleasing to the Lord.

Here are a few principles to practice to help with your listening.

1. Come with a prepared heart. Come to the service ready to hear. Double check to make sure you are ready spiritually to hear what God might say. Sins confessed. Distractions eliminated. Mind and heart open to whatever God may say to you through His Word.

2. Make personal application. I always attempt to make application of the passage we are studying. But there is no way I can know or speak to every personal situation in the group gathered on any given Sunday. But the Holy Spirit can. As you listen you will do so through your own filter of experiences and life situation. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you make application.

3. Take notes. Every study ever done related to communication and retention tells us that taking notes (writing it down) assures greater retention. Jot down the thoughts the Holy Spirit prompts in your mind as you are listening. Write down scripture references if they are not already in your notes. Underline words and phrases emphasized in our study.

4. Review the notes during the week. Any student will tell you if you don't review the notes from class, you will not do well on the test. Well, we are all students of The Word. If we walk away from Sundays but never return to the things God taught us that day, we will not assimilate those lessons into our lives.

5. Teach what you learn to somone else. "And what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, commit to faithful men who will be able to teach others also."
2 Tim 2:2 (HCSB)

You may think, "I'm not a teacher." We are all teachers. There are people in your life for whom you are in the best position to be a teacher. That new believer at work. That lost person open to spiritual conversations. Your child. Your spouse. Your parent in an assisted living facility.

6. Put it into practice. "But be doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves." James 1:22 (HCSB)

Warning: this is for serious disciples only! We see commercials on TV that say, "Don't try this at home". Well, my challenge is, "Try this at home!" Today we learned that a life of impact is a life full of the Holy Spirit, wisdom, faith, and power. What will you do with that? Do you have all of the wisdom you want? All the faith you want? All the power? Controlled by the Holy Spirit every moment every day? Me neither. So, what will you do to pursue each of those?

Moving Toward Easter

Brittany (my youngest daughter) and I were grabbing a quick sandwich this past Saturday at Jersey Mike's in Cool Springs. As we were walking down the line telling the guy behind the counter what we wanted on our sandwiches he complimented the jewelry hanging around Britt's neck. Britt said she gets compliments on it all the time.

It is a special piece of jewelry for Britt for several reasons. 1) It was a high school graduation gift, 2) It was a gift from her grandparents (Nana and Papa), 3) It was handmade combining stones from her greatgrandmother, her grandmother, and her mom 4) it is a cross.

I began to think of the irony of the young man complimenting her cross. How far we have come in history. At one time the cross was seen as the most cruel instrument of death known to mankind. Today, it is a piece of jewelry to be admired. Don't get me wrong. I am certainly not saying we are not to wear them. On the contrary. They make great conversation starters with people who have no idea of its significance.

I can remember as a young teen walking with my Dad in Daytona Beach along the boardwalk in the mid 70's. Seemed everyone was wearing them. My Dad was / is bold about his faith and always looking for a way to share Christ. I can't tell you how many conversations he started with people that did not understand the significance of the cross, yet wore them around the necks or had them tatooed into their skin.

The cross is the single most recognizable and significant symbol of our Christian faith. We are swiftly moving toward that time of year we think more about the cross of our Lord and the events surrounding it than any other time of year.

Each time you see a cross between now and March 23, let it stir your heart to remember the sacrifice paid on our behalf 2000+ years ago. Let it remind you of the depth of God's love for us that would drive Him to send His only Son that whoever would trust in Him for salvation would know eternal life. And if the cross you see is being worn by someone ask them what it means to them. Then invite them to the celebration of a risen Savior for Easter Services.

So What's Your Saturday Night Like?

I have had very few "normal" Saturday nights in my adulthood. Actually, I'm not sure what normal is. You see, Sundays are the day. Sundays are the day it is my time to deliver. And it comes every 7 days as they say.

In 1997 I came to LifeWay after pastoring for 12 years. I did not preach for on any regular basis for about 18 months as I settled into my new role and as my family settled in Nashville. But Saturdays just didn't seem "normal" . I had become so accustomed to preaching every Sunday, I got anxious because I wasn't preaching. Weird, I know. But it's just the way it was.

Leigh Ann and I talked about it. She said I wasn't really a good listener on Sundays anyway, so I might as well preach :-). We were certain God wanted me to serve full time at LifeWay at the time, so I began to investigate interim preaching. From late 1998 through late 2005 I missed preaching only a few Sundays while on vacation. It was back to "normal"

I would imagine those of you that are small group leaders or Sunday School teachers you experience something similar. Until about noon on Saturdays my day is probably much like anyone else's (I guess). I usually try to get a workout in these days. But about noon, something strange happens. Leigh Ann says I almost become someone else. I don't really know what it looks like on the outside, but I do get to this place internally where I can't think of anything else other than the message for the next morning. It gets more intense with each passing hour. Until by early evening, I am pretty much zoned out to the rest of the world.

This is "normal" for me. I can't remember a time when I was not in final stages of preparation, or wishing I was in the final stages of preparation on Saturdays. Even when I am away on vacation, Saturdays are still a hard time to relax. I guess my body clock is set for life.

I wonder what normal people do on Saturday nights? Do normal people relax on Saturday nights?

I know I wouldn't have mine any other way. I've tried and it just didn't work well for me.

Oh yeah, if I attend a party or some other function on a Saturday night and you are there, please forgive me if I seem distant. It's because I am experiencing the only "normal" I know.