Sunday, May 19, 2013
praise...praise...praise...
It is my privilege -not my burden, my privilege- to give all that I am, all I ever was, and ever hope to be, over to love and worship God- father to the fatherless, king and savior, lord of my life and lover of my soul, intimacy and authority, glory and grace, my song in the morning and my comfort in the night, my peace and rest and my will to fight, the lion's roar and the still small voice, he is breath and life and beauty, and I will never be the same. I gladly give my life.
Friday, May 3, 2013
Naked Pastors Everywhere (Genesis 9:21-23)
This is for people who work or serve in the church-any church- or have family/friends who do.
Genesis 9:20-23 20...Noah began to be a farmer, and he planted a vineyard. 21Then he drank of the wine and was drunk, and became uncovered in his tent. 22And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brothers outside. 23But Shem and Japheth took a garment, laid it on both their shoulders, and went backward and covered the nakedness of their father. Their faces were turned away, and they did not see their father's nakedness.
When you gossip about your pastor's personal struggles, weaknesses, mistakes, and other things that are not the business of the general church public, you act as Ham did in Genesis 9. You make your father's nakedness public. You expose what is meant to be covered. It is important to note that I am talking only about things that should be kept private. Certainly there are things that should be exposed, there are things that take place in private that will be made known to the public...but I'm not addressing that here (but if I was......I would say that gossip is not the way that is to take place anyway).
John MacArthur says of verse 22 "...clearly, the implication is that Ham looked with some sinful thought, if only for awhile until he left to inform his brothers. Perhaps he was glad to see his father's dignity and authority reduced to such weakness." Gossip about a pastor has, at its heart, a gladness at seeing his dignity and authority reduced to weakness. "Gossip" stings less than "gladness at seeing dignity and authority reduced to weakness" doesn't it? But let's call it what it is. We can't make sin less ugly by giving it a less ugly label. Poison kills, no matter how you package it.
So Ham saw his father's nakedness (vulnerability, weakness, reduced dignity and authority) and wanted his brothers to see, or at least know about it, as well. Let's look again at verse 23 for their response-it provides a great model for us in being on the receiving end of gossip about a pastor.
23...Shem and Japtheth took a garment, laid it on both their shoulders, and went backward and covered the nakedness of their father. Their faces were turned away, and they did not see their father's nakedness.
Listen. They didn't even look on it. Not for a minute. Not even while they were covering it. So we begin by not entertaining the gossip-not even for a moment. They showed reverence, or deep respect, for their father by not looking upon his nakedness and they restored his dignity and authority by covering his nakedness. When you're in a conversation about your pastor, weigh your words and the words of others. Will this show reverence for my pastor? Will this reduce or restore my pastor's dignity and authority?
Ask God how you can show reverence and restore dignity and authority to your pastor. There will always be a way to do this, even if it goes no further than a loving correction or rebuke in the conversation in front of you. Even covering his nakedness may mean simply covering him in prayer. But there will always be a way, and there will always be a choice, and there will always be spiritual blessings (vs. 26,27) for those who cover their father's nakedness.
Genesis 9:20-23 20...Noah began to be a farmer, and he planted a vineyard. 21Then he drank of the wine and was drunk, and became uncovered in his tent. 22And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brothers outside. 23But Shem and Japheth took a garment, laid it on both their shoulders, and went backward and covered the nakedness of their father. Their faces were turned away, and they did not see their father's nakedness.
When you gossip about your pastor's personal struggles, weaknesses, mistakes, and other things that are not the business of the general church public, you act as Ham did in Genesis 9. You make your father's nakedness public. You expose what is meant to be covered. It is important to note that I am talking only about things that should be kept private. Certainly there are things that should be exposed, there are things that take place in private that will be made known to the public...but I'm not addressing that here (but if I was......I would say that gossip is not the way that is to take place anyway).
John MacArthur says of verse 22 "...clearly, the implication is that Ham looked with some sinful thought, if only for awhile until he left to inform his brothers. Perhaps he was glad to see his father's dignity and authority reduced to such weakness." Gossip about a pastor has, at its heart, a gladness at seeing his dignity and authority reduced to weakness. "Gossip" stings less than "gladness at seeing dignity and authority reduced to weakness" doesn't it? But let's call it what it is. We can't make sin less ugly by giving it a less ugly label. Poison kills, no matter how you package it.
So Ham saw his father's nakedness (vulnerability, weakness, reduced dignity and authority) and wanted his brothers to see, or at least know about it, as well. Let's look again at verse 23 for their response-it provides a great model for us in being on the receiving end of gossip about a pastor.
23...Shem and Japtheth took a garment, laid it on both their shoulders, and went backward and covered the nakedness of their father. Their faces were turned away, and they did not see their father's nakedness.
Listen. They didn't even look on it. Not for a minute. Not even while they were covering it. So we begin by not entertaining the gossip-not even for a moment. They showed reverence, or deep respect, for their father by not looking upon his nakedness and they restored his dignity and authority by covering his nakedness. When you're in a conversation about your pastor, weigh your words and the words of others. Will this show reverence for my pastor? Will this reduce or restore my pastor's dignity and authority?
Ask God how you can show reverence and restore dignity and authority to your pastor. There will always be a way to do this, even if it goes no further than a loving correction or rebuke in the conversation in front of you. Even covering his nakedness may mean simply covering him in prayer. But there will always be a way, and there will always be a choice, and there will always be spiritual blessings (vs. 26,27) for those who cover their father's nakedness.
Saturday, April 27, 2013
Agreement and authority
The enemy has no authority over you apart from your agreement with him. It is an illegitimate authority, more crafty illusion than true substance. Break the agreement, break his authority.
James 4:7 Submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.
James 4:7 Submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.
Friday, April 26, 2013
Ministry, interrupted.
Hurting and broken people are not an interruption to your ministry, they are your ministry.
If there is no place in your ministry for you to be interrupted or inconvenienced, it may be time to reevaluate.
In Matthew 14 Jesus sought solitude after hearing of John the Baptist's death. Certainly he deserved some time to grieve, right? Yet when the multitudes came to him he was "moved with compassion for for them", healing their sick and feeding them with 5 loaves and 2 fish he multiplied. Ministry is inconvenient! It shows no regard for your personal life.
If you will minister to the multitudes but not to one man, it may be time to reevaluate.
In Luke 15, The Good Shepherd left the 99 for the 1 who was lost. This demonstrates not only compassion, but accountability. Have you bypassed the 1 for the 99 (or the 500, or the 3,000..)? Ministry cannot disregard the 1 lost for the 99 saved, because the 99 are really just 99 "the 1"s, and we are accountable for each one entrusted to us.
Sometimes we need to not discard, but simply set aside for a moment, all the books and articles and commentary and podcasts and twitter quotes by the grandfathers of the faith or the emerging voices of modern church culture and humbly read again of Jesus' ministry straight from the Bible itself, examining our ministry against the ministry of Jesus as it is in the Word of God, because when I stand before God one day I don't want to look like Tozer or Chuck Smith or Francis Chan or Billy Graham or Elizabeth Elliot or George Mueller or Christine Caine or Paul or Elijah. I want to look like Jesus.
If there is no place in your ministry for you to be interrupted or inconvenienced, it may be time to reevaluate.
In Matthew 14 Jesus sought solitude after hearing of John the Baptist's death. Certainly he deserved some time to grieve, right? Yet when the multitudes came to him he was "moved with compassion for for them", healing their sick and feeding them with 5 loaves and 2 fish he multiplied. Ministry is inconvenient! It shows no regard for your personal life.
If you will minister to the multitudes but not to one man, it may be time to reevaluate.
In Luke 15, The Good Shepherd left the 99 for the 1 who was lost. This demonstrates not only compassion, but accountability. Have you bypassed the 1 for the 99 (or the 500, or the 3,000..)? Ministry cannot disregard the 1 lost for the 99 saved, because the 99 are really just 99 "the 1"s, and we are accountable for each one entrusted to us.
Sometimes we need to not discard, but simply set aside for a moment, all the books and articles and commentary and podcasts and twitter quotes by the grandfathers of the faith or the emerging voices of modern church culture and humbly read again of Jesus' ministry straight from the Bible itself, examining our ministry against the ministry of Jesus as it is in the Word of God, because when I stand before God one day I don't want to look like Tozer or Chuck Smith or Francis Chan or Billy Graham or Elizabeth Elliot or George Mueller or Christine Caine or Paul or Elijah. I want to look like Jesus.
Sunday, April 7, 2013
2 Corinthians 4:1-6
Therefore, since we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we do not lose heart. But we have renounced the hidden things of shame, not walking in craftiness nor handling the word of God deceitfully, but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God. But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them. For we do not preach ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord, and ourselves your bondservants for Jesus’ sake. For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
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