Jesus Knows What is in Man

Amy once had a friend name Susan. They seemed very close and often where one was the other would not be too far away.  Over time Amy began to notice that when Susan would be having issues in life a two-hour phone call would not be far away.  Yet Susan didn’t have much time for Amy’s struggles or issues.  Any call from Amy would eventually have the conversation turned to Susan’s life and issues. 

After Susan got married her relationship with Amy became nearly nonexistent.  Amy was no longer needed in Susan’s life and so Amy was forgotten and abandoned by her once “close” friend.  Susan had a friendship with Amy, not because she loved and cared for Amy, but because Amy was willing to be used to fulfill Susan’s needs and expectations.  Once someone else could meet those needs and expectations, Amy was out of the picture.

In John 2:23-25 Jesus finds himself in the midst of people who “believe in his name when they saw the signs that he was doing” (John 2:23).  Some began to follow Jesus based off on signs and miracles He was performing, not out a true devotion to Him as the Messiah.  And Jesus knew it.  Once His signs became old news these “followers” would quickly turn on Him.

This type of devotion was not a surprise to Jesus.  He understood the heart of man and so He “did not entrust himself to them” (John 2:24).  And yet, what Jesus does to the hearts of those who are fully devoted to Him in faith can only be described as amazing and life changing.

Join us this week at ElmCreek Community Church as we look at Christ’s reaction to those who follow Him because of signs and what He does to the hearts of those who follow Him out of faith alone.  May we be prayerfully prepared to encounter Him as we gather with His people and read His Word.

Striving to know Christ and make Him known,

Pastor Mark

Do I Hate Unbelievers?

Is every Christian a missionary?  This is just one of many questions posed by Colin Marshall and Tony Payne in their book The Trellis and the Vine.  Here is a short excerpt of their answer.

"The Christian without a missionary heart is an anomaly.  The missionary heart will be seen in all kinds of ways: in prayers for the lost, in making sure our behaviour offends no one, in gospel conversations with friends, and in making every effort to save some.  We are slaves without rights, even though we are free (cf. 2 Cor 4:5; Phil 2:7)."

There is a great struggle within the church in the Unites States today.  We desire for others to come to know Christ but it seems too socially awkward to approach them and tell them about Christ.  I recently led a Bible study on evangelism and stated that we are given opportunities each day to share our faith with unbelieving neighbors, friends, and family.  How often do we meet an unbelieving neighbor in the grocery store and only say hello?  Why do we resist getting beyond the surface conversation, pray for them right there, and telling them about the love of Christ?  Someone answered with, "But we don't want to ruin any type of relationship that has been built up.  Telling them about Christ at the grocery store would make us both uncomfortable."

My father used to tell me that if something was important to you then you would do it.  For example, if you say that prayer is important to you then you should be praying consistently and with power.  If following the commands of Jesus Christ means sharing the truth of His Gospel with others then I should be sharing the Gospel with others.  It's not rocket science.  In fact, Marshall and Payne write about Penn Jillette, an avowed and vocal atheist, and one-half of the famous comic-illusionist act Penn and Teller.  "He was evangelized by a polite and impressive man, and had this to say about the experience:

'. . . I've always said, you know, that I don't respect people who don't proselytize.  I don't respect that at all.  If you believe that there's a heaven and hell, and people could be going to hell, or not getting eternal life or whatever, and you think that, well, it's not really worth telling them this because it would make it socially awkward . . . How much do you have to hate somebody to not proselytize?  How much do you have to hate somebody to believe that everlasting life is possible and not tell them that?  I mean, if I believed beyond a shadow of a doubt that a truck was coming at you, and you didn't believe it, and that truck was bearing down on you, there is a certain point where I tackle you.  And this is more important than that . . .'"

Atheists get it.  Why don't we?  Any reason given for not sharing Christ with others is given to excuse our lack of missionary heart.  And in the words of Penn Jillette, "How much do you have to hate somebody to believe that everlasting life is possible and not tell them that?"

I'm a Poor Example and It Sucks

1 Peter 5:1-3 (ESV)
"So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock."

I will have to admit something to you all. I struggle with staying focused on my vocation and ministry of being a pastor. There are days that would rather sleep in until 10:00am, go to bed early, and do nothing but watch football in between. And would have to admit that I don't do the best in fulfilling the scripture above.

Peter lays out some basic principles for elders/pastors: shepherd the flock, serve eagerly, and be an example to the flock. But the principle I feel that I need to focus on the most is the final principle. Honestly, there are weeks where I feel like such a hypocrit. During my sermons on Sunday mornings I preach the a true believer in Christ can't help but live their life for Christ. In other words, reaching out and preaching the gospel of Truth through their words and actions. And yet, as I live my life during the week I would have to admit that most of my time is spent with believers. I mean a 99-1 ratio believers-unbelievers. And usually that 1% unbelievers are those I run into at the grocery store and our conversation doesn't go past "Hello. How is life? Oh, that's good."

And then I get frustrated with my leadership because they are unwilling to even think about getting out of their comfort zones, go down to the bar, buy a coke, and sit with "sinners." I am certainly not being a good example.

So, why don't I get out of my comfort zone enough? Yes, God has called me to lead the people of this church in spiritual growth, intimate relationships with each other and Christ, and challenging them in their beliefs about their faith. That is my vocation, my job. But that job does not give me a pass on evangelism. Man, I frustrate myself. God has called each of us who believe in Him to make disciples, help expand His kingdom (not ours), and bring Him glory through our lives.

Sometimes I just feel like I'm riding the fence. I want to be on fire for Christ, but my own selfishness and depravity get in the way. How do I get past this hump in my spiritual life and ministry? How do I jump in the game and hit the line with all my might? (Sorry for the football analogy.) How do I give Christ all of me instead of most or just some of me? That is the real question.

The Smell of Christ

2 Corinthians 2:14-16 (ESV)
"But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life."

Last Sunday morning we studied John 12:1-11. In this section Mary pour perfume upon the feet of Jesus and wipes it with her hair. The humbleness of Mary speaks to her willingness to face the danger of such an act (letting her hair down in public was a sign of loose morals) and the expense of her actions (the perfume cost one year's worth of wages). But what I tried to focus on most was the fragrance of her actions and what that means for us.

Then this morning I came across this passage in 1 Corinthians. Paul here is talking about how we are perceived by those around us. Those who follow Christ cannot have any option but to smell like Christ. The fragrance of Christ permeates everything about us. Our actions, language, priorities, relationships, they all will have the smell of Christ. Others who follow Christ or whom the Holy Spirit is working on can smell the beautiful fragrance of Christ on us. But to those who don't know Christ we are an annoyance, old fashioned, and stink to high heaven.

I ended my message with this statement, "Do we have the smell of Christ on us?" We all have vises and we all sin, but as a man who follows Christ I have no option but to live for Him and smell like Him. What other option do I have?

The fragrance of the knowledge of God is all around us and is us. That sounds a little too Star Warsish, but I still believe it is true. What do you think?

Even King David Had His "Loser" Moments

I just finished reading part of the account between King David and his son Absalom. What a sad story. Absalom turns against his father, driving him out of Jerusalem, sleeping with his concubines, and finally attempts to kill David. Once again, this story reveals that even David, a man after God's own heart, had some things to work on. Namely here, his parenting skills.

It seems that often those of us in leadership positions can tend to get a big head. As I mentioned in my last blog we tend to think we can do things better or more efficiently than anyone else an so we go it alone. But even David had his faults. Being in a leadership position such as the pastorate can lead us to put on a mask that hides our faults. We think that if those around us don't see our faults then there won't be any conflict or any issues that will arise and my time in this leadership position will go on without a hitch. But that is a false sense of security. True, we shouldn't lay out our deepest, darkest secret for the whole world to hear about. We shouldn't tell people in the church too much about the struggles in our marriage or family. More than likely that information will come back and bite us in the future. But we can stand firm and speak openly about how we are sinners like everyone around us. It is God that works through a sinner so that His glory is revealed and celebrated.

So, the next time those of us in a leadership position begin to think that God needs us or that we need to put on a mask to hide the fact that we "regenerate sinners" (Paul Veal's words) we can stand firm in the fact that God does not need us. He only chooses to use us to bring Himself the glory. We can stand firm in the fact that everyone knows that we are wearing a mask. Masks only candy coat the reality that we need God and those around us to do ministry. And we can stand firm in the fact that in the end God's will will be done because He is in control. Amen and amen.

The "Solo" Pastor

It's easy in ministry to do it alone. There are many times in ministry that I get a sense that I can do it better myself rather than handing it over to someone else. In other words, I tend to become a "Solo" pastor.

My devotional today was on alliances, both healthy and toxic. It seems obvious that healthy relationships are important, but how many pastors have been bitten by a toxic relationship and so decide to do things alone. They miss the chance to have those healthy relationships because they are afraid to be shoved under the bus once again. Of course, this is all understandable. Been there. Done that. But we as pastors or anyone doing ministry must not forget the old adage, "Two heads are better than one." Sure, maybe John doesn't do a particular task as efficiently as you would, but is efficiency really the goal of ministry?

Proverbs 13:20 reads, "He who walks with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm." God has placed individuals around us with whom we can build healthy relationships. No one can do ministry alone. Being a "solo" pastor can only create more stress for us, but it also prevents those around us from developing their ministry skills. That's not a good thing.

I feel the need to end with a simple but geeky illustration. I'm a huge Star Wars fan and no I don't dress us like Obe Wan. The character Han Solo is named that for a reason. In episode four we are introduced to him as the lone captain of a ship with only one crew member. His life revolves around money and doing things for himself. But by episode six he has become part of a team and he realizes the potential of working with those around him. He may not be as money rich as he desired in the beginning but he is definitely relationship rich by the end.

We cannot do this thing solo. God must be a part of our ministry and the people around us that God has placed there can be used to do greater things for God than we could ever imagine.

The All-Bible-Knowing, All-Bible-Understanding Pastor

"For lack of guidance a nation falls, but many advisers make victory sure." (Proverbs 11:14)

In my high school youth group there was one sponsor who seemed to hold my attention completely. I respected her devotion to Christ and there were many times I would go to her for advice. It always seemed that the words from her mouth were exactly what God wanted me to hear at that moment. I honestly believe that without her advice I would not be the person I am today. After eleven years still call her every once in a while to catch up and hear her advice on life.

Now that I am older and in full-time ministry it seems that I have lost that need for advice. Well, at least it seems that I must put on the facade of not needing advice. I remember one professor in seminary telling the class that when we graduate we will be considered experts on the Bible. That statement in itself is a self-fulfilling prophecy. As a pastor I have put up a wall that only other pastors may enter, but is that enough? Do I need to put up a mask of an all-Bible-knowing, all-Bible-understanding pastor in order to do ministry?

Proverbs clearly states that we need to reveal our humanness to those around us. There is a limit, of course, but we can bring trustworthy, Godly people into our life to help us to follow the will of God more intimately and glorify Him abundantly. David did not hesitate to listen to those around him who were trustworthy. Are we better than David that we can go things alone? If a man after God's own heart revealed to others the reality that he didn't know everything than why can't we as pastors?

I find that it is very easy to show my humanness. The difficult thing is to put the mask on and become something I am not, perfect.