by chrisaiken | Jul 29, 2016 | Devotions, parenting, pastor, Pastor's Reflections
I was blessed this morning in my morning Scripture reading as I began the Gospel of Luke (after many, many months in the Old Testament Prophets). In the first chapter I was struck afresh by an observation from a passage in the Gospel of Luke.
In Luke 1:13-16, the angel Gabriel announces to Zacharias the priest that he will have a son in response to his prayers and according to the purpose of God (See Galatians 4:4-5 for a little perspective on God’s timing and purpose). These are the “broad strokes” of the announcement:
- Your wife (against all odds and outside of what is expected to be physically possible Lk 1:18) will bear you a son.
- You will give him the name John
- Many people will rejoice at his birth
- He will be great in the sight of the Lord
- He will be consecrated to God by solemn vow (drink no wine)
- He will be filled with the Holy Spirit
- He will turn many of the sons of Israel back to God!
- He has been chosen by God to be the forerunner to the Messiah.
I was struck by how this “father” must have valued the announcement of his son’s future life. Nothing was said of John’s success in business, academic achievement or how many trophies he would receive playing sports. Noting was spoken about his prom date or the beauty of the woman he would marry. These are things we tend to value, but they are (I suggest) not the most significant. John’s existence had everything to do with his relationship to the Messiah and his usefulness to the purpose of God as the forerunner of the Christ.
Here is the value question: If God announced to you that your child will be a great missionary and live in obscurity; or, your child will be greatly misunderstood and vehemently opposed by many because of His religious faith; or, your son will be a preacher whose stance on truth will cost him his life…do WE value the purpose of God in that announcement the same as we do the promise of academic, athletic, or business success? Are we as “stoked” about our child sharing his faith as we are his receiving a $1,000 scholarship for a high school essay?
Ultimately, the answer speaks more about our heart and our values and our view of God’s sovereign calling…than it does about anything our child achieves or has assigned.
Perhaps we should seek the answer from the One who looks deeply into our souls. Perhaps in so doing, we will recognize error in our values…or maybe we will be affirmed in them! There is no greater place to be than in the midst of the will of God. To this end, we should pray, and yield, and seek, and long.
Lord bless!
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by chrisaiken | Jun 29, 2016 | Devotions, pastor, Pastor's Reflections
Suppose you’re about to undergo knee surgery. You interview the doctor and he shares with you that he really didn’t study anatomy in school. He did, however, spend a lot of time thinking about anatomy and looking in the mirror, so he felt he was pretty good at repairing knees.
Perhaps your child comes to you and says she has a huge history final this week that is weighted for 25% of her grade. In essence, this test could make the difference on a college scholarship. As you discuss her strategy to preparing, she tells you that she doesn’t see the need to read her textbook or study her notes. After all, she has been thinking about the test and “the past” and all she heard in lectures. She feels very confident that reflecting on these things is sufficient preparation.
Hopefully, I am not the only one who would look for a reason to put off the surgery until I found a real doctor and certainly I cannot be the only one beginning to perspire over the approach of the daughter. The fact is, we KNOW that if we are to be adequately prepared for life, it requires study. Study doesn’t have to be boring or conventional, but it is intentional and it is oriented toward an objective.
Far too often, as I discuss spiritual development/growth plans with friends, I find that they too choose the doctor’s or the daughter’s approach. They have no strategy to focus on studying Scripture. If they do, it is a verse or a paragraph and 300 words of internet commentary. Prayer time is reduced to a brief statement or two between songs while stuck in traffic and asking for God’s blessing on a meal…even if it is a silent request. Fasting is non-existent, financial stewardship is an anomaly and don’t even bring up sharing our faith. That’s for EXTREME Disciples!
What if God expects more? What if the same logic and expectations we have for others on important matters MIRROR God’s expectations for us…because growing to maturity in Christ IS an important matter.
How do you start an intentional strategy?
- START. Don’t gloss over this. It is far easier to steer a car on the street than in a garage. Do something more than attend church once or twice a month and listen to a preacher for 40 minutes.
- COMMIT. Don’t commit to convenience but pursue results (Philippians 3:7-14).
- INCREASE. Prayer time may be 2 minutes when you begin but if you have nothing more to say to God after 3 years of walking with Jesus than “forgive me for my sins and bless all the missionaries” you’re missing the boat.
- LISTEN to God for you. Stop thinking sermons are about other people. God prepared it for you. If you’re only led to think of how it applies to other people, you’re again missing the boat. Who cares whether Dr. Doolittle’s classmates studied anatomy unless you’re getting a referral to go see them.
- ASK. You’re not the first person to engage in this process. Don’t let your superficial pride prevent you from asking a pastor or another believer with “spiritual fruit” about their discipleship practices. Ask them to mentor you. I get five or six requests a year from people wanting to know if we can meet. Sometimes we do. Sometimes I connect them with better mentoring fits. That’s what pastors do. We coach people to maturity and we bring authoritative instruction from God.
We know study is important for our doctors or our daughters. Shouldn’t it be just as important for us as disciples?
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by chrisaiken | May 8, 2016 | pastor, Uncategorized
As I woke this morning in India, I was blessed and a bit overwhelmed to consider that in around 12 hours, many of my family, friends and church families will rise to celebrate Mother’s Day. Today is not a celebration time for all. For some, it is a time full of deep struggle. For some of my dear friends, it is their first Mother’s day without their mom. For others, today remains as a stark reminder of a deep-rooted desire to be a mother and yet they have not been granted the grace to bear children.
I remember my first Mother’s Day without my mom. While my faith has allowed me to be strong in light of her death for several years, I would be disingenuous to say that I am “over it” when it comes to the sense of loss. Yes-I trust in the Lord, and Yes- I know (as well as an one person can know the heart of another person) that she is in the presence of Jesus today, and that her presence there is GOOD and WONDERFUL and a SOURCE OF JOY for her, my Lord,and by faith, for me.
“Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His godly ones.” Psalm 116:15
I grieve with my friends who face today with a sense of loss. I understand. I also exhort them to look beyond the loss we are reminded of today…and consider the truth of God’s precious purpose for a mother…by faith.
I am also mindful that I wake up in India with my wife and the mother of my two great sons. I could not be more proud of the men of character they are and I could not be more mindful of the role that a mother’s nurture plays in their character growth. She has invested in their lives and has taken to heart the great privilege and responsibility of discipling her own children and nurturing them in the Lord. She has provided tremendous balance to my leadership style as a father and they are greatly blessed. She is my true P31 woman (Proverbs 31). Beyond that, she has embraced the clarion call of Titus 2 and invests in other moms so that they too will fulfill their calling to invest and disciple their own children.
I also have the privilege this year to be surrounded by a team of volunteers from my church, most of whom, are moms themselves and chose to join me on this incredible journey of strengthening, equipping, and encouraging the Indian church. They won’t wake to breakfast in bed or to sloppy kid kisses or hugs and displays of affection from their children. This will be a source of pain to some degree…but today they continue to express 
the reality of motherhood… The life of a mom is a life of giving and serving and struggle and joy and pain.
All of these precious saints have simply continued the role they embraced many years ago…to joyfully sacrfice their lives for the good of others and for the fulfillment of the purpose of God, to the glory of God. As I read again Proverbs 31, I know of no better picture of strength, dignity, and grace, than a mom who would leave her own family for a season to minister to the extended family of God…on foreign soil…and a great personal expense. Truly, these women are bearing witness to the heart and hands of Jesus Himself for all to see and experience the gospel. I BELIEVE that their examples will reverberate in the hearts of their children and all who know them for decades to come, to the glory of God.
10An excellent wife, who can find? For her worth is far above jewels.
11The heart of her husband trusts in her, And he will have no lack of gain.
12She does him good and not evil All the days of her life.
13She looks for wool and flax And works with her hands in delight.
14She is like merchant ships; She brings her food from afar.
15She rises also while it is still night And gives food to her household And portions to her maidens.
16She considers a field and buys it; From her earnings she plants a vineyard.
17She girds herself with strength And makes her arms strong.
18She senses that her gain is good; Her lamp does not go out at night.
19She stretches out her hands to the distaff, And her hands grasp the spindle.
20She extends her hand to the poor, And she stretches out her hands to the needy.
21She is not afraid of the snow for her household, For all her household are clothed with scarlet.
22She makes coverings for herself; Her clothing is fine linen and purple.
23Her husband is known in the gates, When he sits among the elders of the land.
24She makes linen garments and sells them, And supplies belts to the tradesmen.
25Strength and dignity are her clothing, And she smiles at the future.
26She opens her mouth in wisdom, And the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.
27She looks well to the ways of her household, And does not eat the bread of idleness.
28Her children rise up and bless her; Her husband also, and he praises her, saying:
29“Many daughters have done nobly, But you excel them all.”
30Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain, But a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised.
31Give her the product of her hands, And let her works praise her in the gates.
Proverbs 31:10–31 (NASB95)
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by chrisaiken | Apr 7, 2016 | Leadership, pastor, preaching
The observation has taken a couple of different forms in recent days. One was an admonition from Dr. Thom Rainer, the President of Lifeway to not compare “your pastor” to “a pastor/preacher” that you heard on a podcast. You can read the post HERE. The second appeared yesterday in a post noting the “7 personality traits that guests like in a pastor.” In this latter post, Dr. Rainer provided observations about the qualities that guests find “attractive” in a communicator. From looking at some of the comments (a certain way to drive yourself ‘nuts’ on the internet), it seemed that there was an inadvertent leap by some to an expectation on “the pastor.”
For the record, I don’t think Dr. Rainer is even slightly confused, nor do I think he is trying to overtly correct pastors everywhere and tell them to use humor or more self-deprecating talk as they shepherd their own people. (Certainly though there is a need for some of us to take ourselves less seriously). His observations, which I affirm by the way, are related to the ability of the speaker to connect with an audience that has yet to learn to trust him. There is certainly something to be said for “the pastor” gaining influence with his people by adjusting his style of communication a bit, but that is not the focus of the post.
It is an incredible opportunity for a pastor to stand up in a worship service and present the truths of Scripture in a winsome manner and with such a sweet personality that others who are new to “the room” are drawn into engaging the proposed truths. In other words, a smart communicator uses techniques (or develops personality traits) that attract newcomers to the message.
This is FAR DIFFERENT than the “personality” of the preacher being responsible for the success of seeing souls converted to Christ or seeing attendance grow. Personality is primarily about how to keep people engaged long enough for the Holy Spirit to arrest their rebellious hearts! Personality is not a reason for a church member to love, listen to, or learn from “the pastor.” Could you imagine that argument with Jeremiah or Ezekiel? How about Moses? But you might say, “they weren’t pastors.” True…so what about Jesus? Read John 6. He said some stuff that was not considered winsome and most of the crowd left Him. In fact, the 12 said that the reason they stayed around was because Jesus alone had the words of eternal life! What kept these disciples engaged was the Gospel…not Jesus’ self-deprecating humor or relational skills. What about Peter? There’s a dude that had some personality challenges. Or…Paul maybe? Peter said that the way Paul taught was sometimes difficult to understand…and Peter walked with Jesus for 3 years! Many in the churches charged Paul with being unsophisticated in his communicating ability. Was Paul’s personality really the problem facing the Corinthian Church?
Am I arguing that a pastor should have no personality? Certainly not! Heaven forbid! I am making the case though that if you really understand the Word of God and the will of God for your life as a disciple, your “reason” for sitting under the teaching of “your pastor” MUST be more than his personality. It SHOULD be that you recognize that He labors in prayer for you. He is concerned with your soul. He is on guard against the enemies that come to destroy you. He is sympathetic to your pain and struggle. He tries constantly to grow you to maturity in Christ. He is intensely jealous for you with a godly jealousy! He desires to present you to Christ with no shortcomings.
If you are a pastor hoping to keep a church together with your winsome personality…you are in for a tough life. Grow in areas that make you attractive to your people, but don’t have the people fall in love with you; rather, help them fall in love with Jesus. Otherwise, when you’re gone, they will be too. If you are a church member intently focused on the mechanics of a message or the smoothness of your pastor’s speech…you’ll soon be gone. Another more winsome guy will preach down the road and you’ll go there claiming that “God moved you,” which is, in my pastoral opinion, probably not the case. You are probably giving God credit for what really amounts to a form of manifested spiritual immaturity.
Pastor, be kind, but don’t bear the weight that people grow or die spirituality because you can or cannot use humor in your teaching. In the words of one of my dear friends who used to preach to students in a suit, tie, and wingtip shoes, “Be comfortable with who you are. Don’t try to become someone you’re not. They can smell it on you.”
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