Courage required!

by | May 2, 2018 | Devotions, discipleship, Faith, Leadership

A man goes to the doctor and is accompanied by his wife. They are escorted to the exam room and await the doctor’s arrival. When she comes in, the doctor promptly asks, “What would you like me to say to you today? What diagnosis do you want me to declare and prescribe a remedy for?” The man and his wife are dumbfounded…because what they wanted was an examination and for the doctor to tell them what was actually wrong and simply to treat that condition.

Honestly, the story is fictional and outlandishly so…because who would ever go to a doctor demanding that the doctor simply parrot the patient’s self-diagnosis? Only a fool.

In my time with the Lord today, I re-read the story of Ahab’s demise (1 Kings 22). This verse stood out:

“But Jehoshaphat said, ‘Is there not yet a prophet of the Lord here that we may inquire of him?’ [Ahab] The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat. ‘There is yet one man by whom we may inquire of the Lord, but I hate him, because he does not prophesy good concerning me, but evil…’ ” 1 Kings 22:7-8.

Of course, the verse pointed me forward to the counsel of Paul to pastor Timothy:

1I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom:

2preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction.

3For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires,

4and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths.

5But you, be sober in all things, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.

2 Timothy 4:1–5 (NASB95)

The fact is…the man of God is commanded and charged to speak for God and for God alone. If you read all of 1Kings 22, you see that Micaiah’s prophesy was indeed one of defeat for Ahab. It was also contrary to the 400 other assembled prophet’s statements. God graciously revealed through Micaiah to Ahab how this could be so…but the desire was for a pleasant word that uplifted the king…not necessarily the truth and particularly not if that truth was not in the king’s favor! Micaiah was imprisoned on bread and water for his services. The king committed him there as a way of manipulating him to change his tone:

“…Thus says the king, ‘Put this man in prison and feed him sparingly with bread and water until I return safely.’ “ 1 Kings 22:27.

Micaiah the prophet was not persuaded and responded in this manner:

“Micaiah said, ‘If you indeed return safely the Lord has not spoken through me.’ “ 1 Kings 22:28.

People make decisions about the church they will attend and the pastor they will listen to. They make decisions for various reasons. Some, like Ahab, want only to hear good spoken toward them. These are like the fools seeking a doctor to prescribe according to the patient’s instructions. Others, desire truth. They want it straight, even (and especially) if it hurts and prompts them to change. Regardless of the people’s desires…the man of God has but one command: “preach the word,” (2 Tim 4:2) and be willing to cling to it even in prison.

Today, even amidst cultural pressures to be silent or be approving when it comes to sin and faithless conduct…PREACH THE WORD! Be faithful to the One who has faithfully placed the truth within you and love others enough to simply speak truth.

When pastors leave…

by | Apr 24, 2018 | discipleship, Leadership, pastor, Uncategorized

It was devastating…or at least felt like it to some. Pastor Michael announced his resignation and within a few weeks, was gone. Lots of tears were shed and conversations over coffee, across desks, or in the hallways took place. At the root… “What does it mean when a pastor leaves?”

For good or bad, my worldview on this was shaped early on in my days in the military. P.C.S. (Permanent Change of Station) orders were cause for rejoicing or regret. Soldiers, back then, rarely stayed at a station more than three years or so. That is barely time to make solid friendships or get involved in a community. Even church was difficult since everyone already there knew you would be gone soon, so friendships rarely went very deep. When orders came though…they were accepted. After all…they were orders.

Ministry works the same way. Every pastor works ultimately for Jesus. For that matter…every believer works for Jesus! Any pastor worthy of the calling is quick to salute when orders are received. It still makes the transition tough…but orders are…well…orders.

So, thinking on this today in light of the upcoming change of assignment for Jodi and me, here are seven things that a pastor’s leaving IS or IS NOT:

  • A pastor’s leaving IS NOT a statement that he doesn’t love you. He does love you with the love of Jesus. Imperfectly at times but the love of Christ nonetheless.
  • A pastor’s leaving IS NOT evidence that the congregation did something wrong.
  • A pastor’s leaving IS NOT evidence that he is “chasing success.”
  • A pastor’s leaving IS NOT a reason to also leave. There are times to leave a church, but this, in itself, IS NOT one of those times.
  • A pastor’s leaving IS difficult on him because he has built friendships and relationships with people. He has earned (in many cases) the credibility to lead the people. When he leaves…he starts over at a new place with new people. It is, of course difficult on others in the congregation as well.
  • A pastor’s leaving IS difficult on his family. Friendships (which are premium in a ministry context) change and new friends must be sought.
  • A pastor’s leaving IS an opportunity to rise up and lead. New leadership surfaces in the absence of other leaders. It is a chance for others to grow spiritually and practically in ministry. It is an opportunity to revisit the church’s core values and re-vision those values to others.

So, as for me…my heart is sore these days because it will be more difficult to grab coffee with a friend across the miles; At the same time, there is excitement about the new adventure ahead and the opportunity to meet, serve, and lead others…all because…orders are orders.

Special Announcement

by | Apr 22, 2018 | Uncategorized

This post is a special announcement that Jodi and wanted to share with you. Please see the video HERE to learn about some exciting news that we just shared with our church family.

HERE is a link to the letter that I read and that was provided to our leadership.

We love you and covet your prayers at this special time.

Until all hear,
Pastor Chris

Striking when you should be Speaking…

by | Apr 9, 2018 | Devotions, discipleship, Leadership, pastor

Numbers 20 contains a glorious and dreadful account of Moses’ leadership. It is dreadful (from man’s perspective) because an error in leadership cost Moses greatly. It is glorious because God is exalted above all people and all things.

It is not good enough to simply do the tasks that the Lord commands or the tasks of the hour, but each thing must be done precisely as God prescribes.

The people were grumbling (which is not unusual or odd given the historical record) and God appears at the doorway to the Tent of Meeting, instructing Moses and Aaron what to do. (Num 20:6-7). Moses “mostly” obeys but something is off.

Num 20:10… “Listen now you rebels; shall we (Moses and Aaron) bring forth water out of this rock?” This statement reminds me of James and John asking Jesus, “Do you want us to bring down fire from heaven and consume these enemies?” (Luke 9:54). [SIDENOTE: I have often wondered, “What would have happened if Jesus had said, ‘Sure fellas! If you can do it, go for it!’” I imagine it would have been a humbling experience for James and John.]

In Num 20:11, God responds even to Moses’ rebellion in striking the rock twice rather than speaking to it. God proceeds to meet the needs of the people despite the rebellion of leadership, but what happens next is sobering.

Num 20:12, states: But the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you have not believed Me, to treat Me as holy in the sight of the sons of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them.” God ties Moses’ actions to two key themes. His disobedience was rooted in a false or deficient belief. “Because you have not believed Me…” is the root. We must recognize that to believe God is to hear from Him and to act on what we hear in obedience. It is not merely intellectual assent, but humble obedience. Second, God declares that Moses’ actions treated God as unholy. “because you have not believed me to treat me as holy in the sight of the sons of Israel…” Moses’ actions, either according to his own wisdom, self-assurance, emotional outburst, or whatever the reason, reduced Almighty God to a voice of a counselor rather than Sovereign Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer. In essence, Moses’ act elevated him in the sight of the people which necessarily meant that God was lowered down by the actions.

As a consequence, Moses would not tread on the land of promise. He would see the land because God is gracious (Deut 34), but he would not fulfill his calling to lead the people to the land (Num 20:12).

Num 20:13 states that God, in His sovereign and righteous actions, proved Himself holy among the people, including Moses and Aaron.

APPLIED: I wonder how often we hear from the Lord HOW we are to act in a given situation and then TWEAK our response a bit according to motives other than precise and perfect obedience.

  • Do we know that this is rebellion against God?
  • Do we acknowledge that such actions are an affront to Him and an assault on His holiness?
  • Do we agree with God that our actions are equivalent to throwing red paint against the canvas of His great Name as He reveals Himself as the world’s most highly acclaimed masterpiece?
  • Do we realize the consequences of such rebellion…that we forsake a degree of our usefulness to God and effectiveness in God’s plan? Our willfulness and rebellion against God’s rule and reign is SO SEVERE, that only the substitutionary death of His own Son is capable of settling the debt and preserving our hope in eternity.

We must not continue in rebellion, but willfully choose precise obedience, for anything else is to defame the Lord and steal the glory that rightfully belongs to Him alone.

The Power of Simplicity…

by | Apr 5, 2018 | discipleship, pastor, preaching, Teaching

Daily. That’s how often I receive an article on preaching. Sometimes it is two or three, but I cannot remember a day that I did not receive an article on how to communicate more effectively. Just yesterday it was on 10 ways to “call for a response.” Before that, it was on the structure of a sermon.

Most of the articles are helpful. As one man said, “eat the fruit and spit out the seeds.” There are few articles where a discerning reader cannot gain something. Often times though, reading new information prompts one to seek effectiveness by addition. We want to add a new thing…adjust to improve our ability to connect with people’s hearts. The most memorable of messages, however, tend to be those that are most simple.

Paul speaks to this by way of his letter to the Corinthians. “For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified.” (1 Corinthians 2:2). Now it would be foolish to think Paul was simple-minded or simplistic in His theology. In fact, he never claimed such (1 Cor 2:6-9). Peter himself declared that Paul’s teachings were often on a whole different level (2 Peter 3:15-17), so it would be baseless to declare that his teaching lacked depth or foundation. Yet, Paul, states to this church that he determined to stay centered on the cross and Christ crucified. Why?

The cross serves as a line of demarcation.

  • One cannot argue that Jesus came to exalt Himself.
  • One cannot dispute the wretchedness of sin.
  • One cannot doubt the depth and breadth of the love of God.
  • One cannot argue against the holiness and goodness of God.
  • One cannot argue for alternative pathways to right relationship with God.

Ultimately, Paul determined that no matter where the conversation went and how philosophical it may seek to become, he would always circle back to the cross. (See Acts 17 for only one of numerous examples).

The point: We can learn from this and should embrace this in our lives. DETERMINE not to debate the latest beliefs of 20 friends on Facebook. DETERMINE not to spend you days arguing for the five solas of the Reformation. DETERMINE to rely on the piercing power of the gospel message rather than the rhetorical flourishes of a well-crafted monologue. DETERMINE to know the position of those who would debate you but so that you can turn the focus quickly back to the cross and Jesus Christ crucified. DETERMINE to boast not in your strengths but in your weaknesses that demand the grace of Christ’s strengths in your life. DETERMINE to rest in the glorious and gracious redemption of your life by a holy God who alone is powerful to save.

Apart from this, there is no power…for the gospel is the power of God unto salvation to all who believe (Rom 1:16). When doing so, we DETERMINE to shape the faith of people by the Spirit and power rather than persuasive words of worldly wisdom (1 Cor 2:4).