by chrisaiken | Dec 24, 2016 | discipleship, pastor, Pastor's Reflections, Uncategorized
Today I had the opportunity to do an on camera interview with the local ABC affiliate and Mrs. Jackalyn Kovac (the reporter) who happens to call me pastor. Today (Friday 12-23-16) the FBI and DHS issued an advisory of sorts regarding threats against some Christian churches in the US during the Christmas holidays.
The presenting question is “Will you meet for worship on Christmas, and will you do anything differently?” The real question, I believe. is slightly deeper: “Should Christians avoid worship out of fear?”
Let me preface the next few remarks by stating that I am by no means being cavalier in my response here. I have a military and law enforcement background…meaning I always look in the shadows and keep my head on a swivel. So when I say that Christians should not fear…that statement feels odd in my flesh…but it is still accurate. Christians SHOULD worship together this and every Christmas!
So, how should Christians think of threats against churches in some isis memo?
- Globally, Christians face threats like this one every day. In Nigeria and surrounding countries, Boko Haram has killed thousands of Christian and millions are displaced. Persecution and suffering for believers in the Sudan are unconscionable. In India, churches are burned, pastors arrested and beaten and their families abused over the gospel.In the first century, Jesus Himself was arrested and crucified, all the while being told by the authorities that did it…that he was not guilty of any crime.
- None of this “danger” and persecution surprised God. It was into this hostile world that He sent His Son, who’s birth we celebrate during this special time of year.
- Jesus offered His followers this as encouragement. He said, “A disciple is not above His teacher. It is enough that a disciple be like his teacher. (Luke 6:40) ” What was Jesus “like?” In the face of persecution and suffering, Jesus manifested the love of God toward people that were unloving toward Him.
- Frankly, Jesus never promised Christians safety, only peace in the midst of the storms of life. He said in John 16:33 that in Him we would have peace. “In the world we would have tribulation but that we could take courage because He had overcome the world.”
Honestly, as a church, we are not foolish. We have security procedures and processes in place. Every responsible church does. We are vigilant out of an understanding of our responsibility, not as a response to fear. If fear could stop the work of God’s Kingdom, the expansion of His message, it would have done so several times over the last 2,000 years.
The story of Christmas is that God sent His Son into the world so that the world could know love and a relationship with God and peace that surpasses understanding. So, we worship. We will do so Christmas Eve and Christmas Day and to God be the glory!
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by chrisaiken | Dec 19, 2016 | discipleship, Leadership, pastor, Pastor's Reflections, Teaching, Uncategorized
A former professor of mine once said, “If churches did a better job at teaching the Bible, I’d have much less to do here at Bible College.” Now before you discount the statement as some flippant remark or a veiled complaint about working conditions, hear how he defined it.
Many churches have professionally trained ministers and leaders who pour over the Scriptures to prepare well crafted lessons ready for application in a person’s life. This is not bad; rather, it is a key element of the homiletic process…in other words, we teach pastors to do this very thing in preaching.
But, as I am suggesting in the article, there is there a need for the “people” to wrestle with the difficulties and work toward their own convictions on theological truths.
What I Am Not Saying
- I am not advocating that every believer become an expert on Ancient Near East literature or the fine tenets of every facet of theological musing.
- I am not advocating that every believer become an expert on the top five non-Christian world religions.
- I am not advocating a dismissal of pastoral ministry and teaching. We have and need pastors who are well trained and able to guard the congregation from error while leading them to maturity in the faith, which necessarily includes teaching the church to think for itself on theological matters.
As an example, we are not all medically trained. When something is amiss in the body, we seek out a doctor (hopefully) who has given her life to medical studies. We SHOULD though…have a working knowledge of how the heart and lungs work and be able to recognize that a persistent cough or headache is not the body’s original design.
What I Am Advocating…and Why
To credit the man who first planted the thought in my mind, what Dr. Wilbanks was saying was that many churches failed to promote or expect the “people” to study and know the basics of core doctrine and a general framework of our faith.
Yesterday, I promoted a particular book on a specific theological truth in my message on the Incarnation. Bruce Ware’s book, The Man Christ Jesus, was a particularly helpful resource in the discussion on the Incarnation of Christ. The Incarnation itself is a “big deal” and a distinguishing doctrine in the cacophony of religious traditions. Even if the “people” are not experts in the doctrine, there is an implicit and practical need to become conversant with the main points. Why? So that you can speak of it to others, be encouraged in your faith, and recognize error when presented by others.
The example of the Bereans comes to mind from Acts 17:10-12 where we are told that the church (1) heard the teaching, (2) and examined the Scriptures daily, (3) to see if the teachings were true.
What Tools are ESSENTIAL for our Preparation?
This is the subject of another posting, but in general, for the person setting out on the journey for the first time here are six tools:
- Regular attendance in congregational and small-group teaching. (You cannot grow apart from exposure to truth). I cannot overemphasize this!
- A good Study Bible. These resources typically have introductory material that helps set the stage for understanding.
- Supplemental reading from a good Introduction to Doctrine resource like Grudem’s Introduction to Systematic Theology.
- A survey resource on the Old and New Testament. (more on that later).
- Some select charts and maps (a timeline of biblical history and a map of the biblical lands is very helpful for understanding.
- A general word study resource. These are readily available online. A good resource is the Word Study Bible.
Again, more on these in another post but a couple of thoughts for reflection:
- Are you a student of God’s Word and biblical doctrine?
- When is the last time you chased down a biblical truth for yourself, apart from a Sunday School lesson you were teaching?
- Do you know more about your favorite sport or sports team, political party, or “Brad and Jen’s life” than you do God’s instructions?
If you have thoughts on the subject or particular tools you use and recommend, share them in the comments and thanks for dropping by.
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by chrisaiken | Dec 14, 2016 | culture, Leadership, Pastor's Reflections, Uncategorized
Someone said of her pastor, “He is a great visionary! He has motivated our church to reach our city.” Another states, “He is such a people person. He is the first to be at the hospital bed of one of his parishioners.” Still another notes, “He is an amazing salesman. He raised a ton of money for that building.”
While I might agree that these are skills that serve a leader well in leading a church…I would also ask, “Is this the primary role of a pastor?” More directly…is pastoral leadership primarily about visiting the sick, casting incredible visionary strategies or raising funds to resource the mission?
I had a leader in a church I served once say to me, “You’re a really good preacher, but you lack in sharing vision and getting people to follow the plan.” I’m not sure if that was true, or if it was an attempt to wound, but ultimately, is this what we need more of…
QUESTION:
When did that become the primary criteria to evaluate a pastor’s leadership?
I know and have heard the pragmatic arguments. I am not dismissive of them; rather, I am wondering why they do not appear 3 or 4 down the list.
Acts 1 states that prior to Pentecost, the disciples gathered in the upper room and gave themselves completely to prayer.
Acts 6 reminds us that the Apostles sought to delegate ministry to appointed men so that they might give themselves completely to the ministry of the Word and to prayer.
It was Peter’s Spirit-anointed sermon at Pentecost that led to the conversion of 3,000 (Acts 2) and it was the teaching of Peter and John that shook the city and incited the leaders to arrest them in Acts 4:1-4. Teaching that also led to the church’s growth to about 5,000 souls.
In his book, Leading God’s People: Wisdom from the Early Church for Today, Christopher Beely notes that, “It is significant…that the major theologians of the early church devote their reflections on pastoral leadership almost entirely to the ministry of the word (105).” Catch that, PASTORAL MINISTRY to the early church fathers was almost entirely focused on the ministry fo the Word of God to the people of God.
Early church father, Gregory Nazianzen stated, “The first of all our concerns is the distribution of the word.”
Beely also notes, “Pastoral leaders are primarily interpreters of the scriptures…teaching Christian truth and opposing falsehood and error.(108). This was the task the Apostle Paul called Timothy to in the pastoral epistles as well (1 Tim 4:13-16, 2 Tim 2:1-2, 2 Tim 3:16-4:5).
Application:
As I have been meditating on some recent reading that prompted this short article, here are some thoughts that I believe warrant consideration:
- If you’re a pastor seeking to balance expectations of God’s people…FIRST minister the Word. If there is time left for hospital visits, then do that. If not, equip others to visit the hospitals or call an associate pastor to assist you in this valid ministry of compassion (Eph 4:11-12).
- If you’re a pastor and you’re not good at teaching, remember it is a qualification of office (1 Tim 3:2). Get better. You can! If you cannot or will not, then quietly leave the ministry and go work retail or file papers or hang lights in houses. I know God uses foolish things to confound the wise (1 Cor 1:26ff) but that is a statement about His power, not an invitation to be foolishly inept at the high calling of pastoral ministry.
- If you are a part of a local church, guard your pastor’s time to study. He wants to study and meditate and pray but also to serve you. Bless him by telling him you are assured of his love and care, but that you want him to drink of the fountain of Scripture deeply so that he can lead God’s people well through the ministry of the Word. He will need your help doing this…because many fellow parishioners berate him if he is not there for the procedure to remove an ingrown toe nail.
- Reset the paradigm. Vision casting, business acumen, and mercy ministries are all admirable, but choose to esteem most highly the ministry of the Word. It has been and continues to be the primary leadership task of pastoral ministry.
As always, I’d love to hear your thoughts…
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by chrisaiken | Nov 9, 2016 | America, American, culture, Leadership, politics
Let me begin by saying congratulations to all of those who won their respective political races in this charged and often contentious political season. I was greatly hopeful for many of those who won their races because I know them. They lead school boards and offer leadership for my local community.
I remember eight years ago when a Senator from Illinois became the President-Elect. He was not my preferred candidate. I disagreed with his platform and his resume but I found him to be articulate, winsome (for the most part), and the fact that he was the first African-American man to be elected to office gave me pause and great hope that, perhaps, our nation might be turning the corner from the long, pitted avenue of racism and racial inequality. I celebrated what the presidency of Barack Obama might represent. He was (and is for a couple more months) OUR President. The Office of President is deserving of respect and anyone elected to that office deserves to receive honor as the duly elected leader of our beloved country.
I had deep personal concerns though. At that time a man was being elected who was a populist. He fired up the crowds and wooed their votes with very little substance. He promised “Hope and Change,” but the people spent very little time seeking to understand what ideological framework would guide that change. This morning, I wonder if we have learned our lesson as a people.
I did not wait up to hear the election results last night. Not because I am better or worse than anyone else who did…but because I was at peace that there would be a new President-elect this morning. I believed that the American experiment begun less than three centuries ago would persevere and that there would be the beginning of a peaceful transition of power which has generally described our democracy since its inception. I also believed that the ultimate seat of power and authority did not change. Regardless of candidate, the throne of heaven would be occupied as it had been and God was no more or less sovereign than yesterday.
I will probably avoid Facebook today. My first glance at my news feed consisted of exuberant celebration by most on my friends list. Others were rude. Some were despondent. Some were offended. If anyone asked me…I’d say get some sleep and take a breath. It’ll be ok. There will be no peaceful transition of power in heave. The Prince of Peace is still on the throne.
Is there a challenge ahead? Yes. I’d challenge believers everywhere to obey Scripture:
First of all, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions, and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to knowledge of the truth. (1 Timothy 2:1-4, NASB)
Second, I’d challenge believers to support our President-elect and his cabinet, our Senate and our House of Representatives. Important days lie ahead. A nation does not experience unity simply because a candidate concedes an election and another offers conciliatory comments. There is a monumental task ahead for our President-elect to demonstrate that he is not the “same man” that he used to be. Our President-elect has the task ahead of leading a nation toward prosperity, toward security, and toward safety and dignity for all people regardless of race, sex, or age. His task is to lead. Sometimes that may consist of building consensus. At other times it will be simply to lead. This is why character is God’s top criteria to look for in a leader.
To Secretary Clinton…thank you for your years of public service. I am not unhappy in the outcome of the election but I recognize that these are difficult days as you consider the loss and what your candidacy meant to the millions that supported you across the nation. I wish you well and a quiet life outside of public service.
To President-elect Trump…be assured of my commitment to pray for you as God has directed. I suppose I will fail at this task many times over the next four or eight years, but I will endeavor to faithfully intercede for you, your administration, and for those other officials you will lead. May God grant you favor and wisdom and grace to uphold the dignity of the Office of President. I also pledge to honor the Office of President. I have been loyal to the Office through many presidents on both sides of the political aisle. I took up arms to enforce their policies. I am loyal to the Office and will remain so unless or until the Office is used to violate my God’s higher law. Until then, I am a loyal and supportive citizen.
To all of the others who were elected last night across our city, state, and nation, forgive me for not naming each of you by name, but know that I rejoice with you and wish you success as you fulfill the task before you. May God strengthen and guide you throughout your term of service.
Now…let’s go to work. It is Wednesday. If you’re reading this…you’re the recipient of life and a new day to serve the One who gave His life so you could both KNOW Him and make HIM KNOWN. Do that well today.
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by chrisaiken | Oct 27, 2016 | Devotions, pastor, Uncategorized
Rarely do we find anyone wrestling with an outside appearance. On the outside, most of us look pretty good. Pastors and preachers stand to preach and minister on any given Lord’s day. We shave and shower. We comb our hair. We dress the part. We carry a Bible (even the one on our iPad or iPhone). We have the language down. Based on all outside appearances, we are fully qualified and prepared to stand before the Lord and His people…
But what about the part you cannot see? What about that which is hidden just past the layers of the external?
In Exodus 28, God gave explicit instructions on how the garments of the priests were to be constructed, how they were to be worn, and that they were for GLORY and for BEAUTY (Ex 28:40). Most people “get” the robes and the stones, the breastplate and the ephod…even the crown. But notice what God describes that is not readily seen:
42 You shall make for them ylinen undergarments to cover their naked flesh. They shall reach from the hips to the thighs; 43 and they shall be on Aaron and on his sons when they go into the tent of meeting or when they come near the altar to minister in the Holy Place, lest they zbear guilt and die. aThis shall be a statute forever for him and for his offspring after him.
God designated that the priest was to wear pants…”breeches” in the NASB actually. Underwear in our modern vernacular. This was the part of the priest’s attire that was not visible to others but would be known to God.
God is just as concerned with our private lives as He is our public. He wants our hearts to be prepared as certainly as He wants our sermons. He demands holiness and glory even in the most discreet and hidden places in our lives if we are to approach Him.
This is weighty to consider. To know that God examines every aspect of our lives and holds us to account for the private as well as the visible…should give us pause.
This truth is not only for pastors, but for everyone who ministers before the Lord. A true understanding of the Scriptures means that this includes everyone in some respect.
Perhaps power is missing because we put on the external facade of holiness and service but we chose to ignore the need to cover our shamefulness but putting on “breeches.”
“God is not mocked,” the Apostle Paul reminds us; “whatever a man sows, so shall he reap.” (Galatians 6:7). We cannot hide our unholiness from God and to flaunt it, by refusing to cover our guilt and shame with the forgiveness of Christ (through repentance and faith), is to invite the harvest of condemnation and to reject the presence, power, and peace of God in our lives.
Today…don’t forget to put on pants. They are required to please God.
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