It's time to do away with the church offering plate!

It was Sunday morning and our church family was having “Friend Day.”  It was a Sunday that we had encouraged everyone to invite their friends, who didn’t participate with a church, to come and join them.   We planned everything that day to make our special guests feel welcome.  We decided that we wouldn’t pass an offering plate that morning because we didn’t want our guests to feel compelled to give—we simply wanted them to feel welcome.   Instead, we set a box out for the church family to give.  I remember making a passing comment to a fellow church leader later that day, after the service was over, that I wished we never had to pass the offering plate and he replied, “Why do we?”   I don’t remember clearly how it went from there but that was the last time we took up our general, weekly offering using offering plates.  Today we have secure offering boxes mounted in our facility and people give using them.

Over the years I’ve reflected often on that Sunday morning and how it changed our church family.  I don’t think it’s necessarily wrong to pass an offering plate, we still do for special offerings on special occasions.

I’d like to offer four reasons to encourage church leaders everywhere to make the same decision we did twenty-five plus years ago, that is, do away with the weekly offering plate.

Giving was never meant to be an act of corporate worship.  In Jesus’ day, religious people loved to tout their benevolent giving.  They wanted people to see them give and to know how much they were giving.   So in His sermon on the mount, Jesus taught his followers, “When you give to the poor, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving will be in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you” (Matthew 6:3-4).  Now I don’t think that Jesus was saying it’s wrong if someone sees you giving.  His issue is obviously with the motive behind their giving.  At the very least Jesus is telling us that giving isn’t meant to be an act of corporate worship, but rather an act of personal worship.  It’s between us and God.

Giving should never be something we compel people to do, and I suggest that the only reason we pass an offering plate is to make sure people do.  To the church at Corinth Paul writes, “Each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Corinthians 9:7).  Paul even asked that they take up the offering he is calling for before he even gets there!  I have been to some churches where all the believers parade down to the front of the church, row by row, where offering baskets are placed on a table and they are expected to give.  From personal experience, I tell you the compulsion to give was intense--I didn’t want to be the only one not putting something in the basket.  On one occasion the pastor didn’t feel like we gave enough so he made us go around a second time.  Granted the compulsion to give as the offering plate comes around is not nearly that great, but nonetheless I have often felt the urge to give simply because I didn’t want people seeing me not giving and think I didn’t care.

Not passing offering plates teaches God’s people their responsibility to give systematically and sacrificially.  Some folks may read this and think I’m suggesting that we shouldn’t teach stewardship.  Please don’t misunderstand—nothing could be further from the truth.   I believe that as God’s people, we should be instructed to use every bit of money and resource God entrust to us as He instructs.  I believe our stewardship should begin with a tithe to our local church.  I believe as Paul says to the church at Corinth, my surplus is that I might help those in need, and vice versa.   When a church makes giving an act of personal obedience and worship, we strengthen that call and responsibility in the life of a believer.  As a church, we’ve made giving an act of personal worship for over two decades now, and consequently God’s people have learned their personal responsibility in stewardship.  Over the years our church family has always been amply supplied by the faithfulness of God’s people.  We’ve built several buildings debt free; and though we haven’t always made our budget, we’ve always given more than we’ve spent.  We allocate fifteen percent of our undesignated giving to missions and support several other mission endeavors beyond that.   On Sundays that we don’t meet our giving is not affected,  because people give systematically.  I say all that to show that when people understand God’s expectation of stewardship, they give as God directs whether you pass the offering plate or not.

A most compelling reason to not pass the offering plate is the affect it has on people who have yet to come to know Jesus.  I guess it’s due to TV preachers and evangelists, but most people outside the church think that all the church wants is their money.   I’ve heard that all my life as a ministry leader, and it was that sentiment exactly that led me to not want to pass the offering plate that first “Friend Day.”  I can’t tell you how many times in the last two decades people who are not involved with a church family have come to visit us, and have been impacted by our commitment to giving as an act of personal worship.  I’ve told many seekers over the years that God is not interested in their money but in them; yet at the same time, if they ever came to know Him they would gladly give Him their all.  So many churches have resorted to telling their guests, “As the offering plate passes, please don’t feel compelled to give.”  I understand that statement.  They are seeking to say to their guests,  “This isn’t about your money.”  However, as much as we want to communicate that reality, I believe guests often feel awkward and compelled otherwise.  So why not take that stumbling block away from someone who may be far from God?

So follower of Jesus, I urge you to give.  I encourage you to give graciously and willingly.  I challenge you to give systematically and sacrificially.   I exhort you to give because you love the Lord Jesus, as an act of personal worship.  And church leader, I urge you to give believers a chance to do all that without passing the offering plate!

Can a person change? Can I change?

Do you ever wonder if people can really change?  Do you ever wonder if you can change?  In the Bible God sarcastically asks some consistently sinful people, "Can the Ethiopian change his skin color?  Can the leopard change his spots?  Then you can also change and do good, you who are accustomed to doing evil"(Jeremiah 13:23).  Let's be honest, change is really hard.  It took Ebenezer Scrooge three ghosts and the fear of judgment and death to help him change.  We've probably all known someone who needed to change but no amount of confrontation and no amount of help has ever managed to bring about transformation.  What’s more, probably many of us, if not all of us, have struggled with wanting to change something in us or about us but have never really been successful in doing so. 

But as hard as change might be, I believe with all my heart that you and I can change--that people can change.  I’ve seen it.  I’ve seen people make radical transformations in their lives in many different areas.  Angry people have become gentle.  Selfish people have begun to live for others.  Immoral people have become moral.  Now I don’t mean to imply that people can become perfect.  Only God is perfect but we are continually challenged to be changed into His image—to be like Him—and I’ve seen many people make dramatic adjustments toward His likeness.

I really don’t want you to worry about changing anyone else—you can’t.  The only person--and I mean the only person--you can change is yourself.  That won’t be easy, but it is possible.  Here are three things that are absolutely necessary for you to change.

First, you have to see your need to change.  No one will change if they don’t see any reason why they should.  Please don’t minimize this first point.  We are masters at self-deception and being able to see something in our lives that is wrong, bad, or even hurtful, is not all that easy.  I tend to compare myself to others and say, “I’m not as bad as them so I don’t need to change.”  The reasons we might not see our need to act or behave differently are so many that I think it would be pointless to make a list.  If you want to see your needy areas, give someone freedom to speak into your life and help you see where your attitudes, your actions, or maybe your reactions need to be altered. 

But there is a step deeper you must take if you are going to change—you have to want to change!  It’s not enough to just see where you need to be different; you have to have this gut level want to change.  I’m not sure exactly where the inner motivation comes from that leads to change, but in some ways, it begins with a decision.  Let’s be honest--all change begins with a choice I make to take a step forward and do things differently.

Each of us was made in the image of God, and though men argue over what that means in its entirety, almost all of us agree that it means we were made moral creatures with intellect, emotions and will.  My will is damaged by my sinful nature, it is affected by my emotions, and often misled by my imperfect reasoning; but as flawed as it might be, if I am to change I must be willing.

And that brings me to the third thing I need if I am to change.  I need help; I can’t change on my own.  Let me state clearly what is true for all of us.  Some things that need to change in my life, when I see them, I immediately want to change them and the pull against that change is very light.  It’s like me moving a light magnet with only a five-pound pull--it's easy and effortless.  But there are other things in my life that I see need to change, and I want them to be different, but the pull against that change is like a magnet with a 100 pound pull. I cannot move that magnet without the help of someone else and I cannot make that change in my life without assistance.


The Bible is pretty clear that my will is damaged by my sinfulness and if I'm going to make changes in those areas where the pull is 100 pounds, I need God's help.  I can't do it on my own.  I make no apology in telling you that apart from God's grace in setting us free, we'll not change.  Paul, one of the greatest followers of Jesus, spoke of his absolute inability to overcome sin and change on his own.  He stated, "For what I am doing, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate...For the good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want" (Romans 7:15, 20).  So if you want to change, you are going to need to ask God to help you.




But you are also going to need the help of a friend, someone to stand with you, to speak into your life.  I know the context is slightly different, but in Ecclesiastes 4:11-12 it says, "Furthermore, if two lie down together they keep warm, but how can one be warm alone? And if one can overpower him who is alone, two can resist him. A cord of three strands is not quickly torn apart."  The author's point is that there is strength in someone fighting with us and for us.  James, the brother of Jesus, told us to confess our sins to one another that we might be healed.  I need to own up to my places of failure--the places I need to change--and I need to specifically and transparently let others in so they can help me change.


So let me ask you, do you know areas where you need to change?  I'll bet you do.  Are you truly willing to change?  The answer to that might not be as clear. Are you willing to admit that you need help?  If you are then seek Jesus' help and bring a friend in to walk with you.   You can change what needs to be changed--so can I. 

Be Devoted!

I remember as a newly minted Christian, one who was just beginning to follow Jesus, the Bible was such a cool book.  The more I read the more I learned and the more excited I became.  Today I know the Bible, though consisting of sixty-six different books, has a unified, consistent theme running all the way through it.  But back then, when I was seeing all that for the first time, my heart was enthralled in what I was learning.   Another thing I remember was how certain Bible verses just riveted themselves to my heart.  One such section of the Bible was the last verses of Acts chapter two.   The earliest of Christians had only recently experienced the coming of God's Spirit and He was changing everything in their lives!  They had gone from concealing themselves in a cowardly manner to bolding broadcasting their faith in Jesus, even at the peril of arrest and death.  But as a young Christ follower, the verse that impacted me so very much was forty-two where is says, "They were continually devoting themselves..."  Here's what God said to me way back then, "When you follow Jesus and the Holy Spirit is in your life, you can't help but passionately give yourself to follow Him."  You prioritize Jesus, His will, His Kingdom.  Those early Christians gave themselves with high energy and with all their hearts to what was important to Jesus.  

But just as impactful to me was what they were devoted to--what they were passionate about.  The Bible records several commitments to which they were devoted, the first being their weekly gathering where they were taught God's Word, worshipped with praise and prayer, and encouraged each other.   They were highly committed to this!  Unfortunately many who claim to follow Christ are not.  Did you know that one of the trends in the church today in 2016 is that people will be less and less committed to this weekly gathering?  Yet, God clearly says in His Bible, "Don't forsake gathering yourselves together as is the habit of some, but encourage one another; and all the more do so as you see the day drawing near" (Hebrews 10:24).  I was just beginning to follow Jesus when on the night before a Sunday I had to work really late and decided I'd just skip the next day's weekly gathering of believers.  I'll never forget a friend of mine knocking on my door when I didn't show up to carpool with him.  After I explained that I'd been up late and wasn't going, he left a bit dejected but as I lay back in bed God spoke to my heart and said, "I could devotedly lay down my life for you but you won't even prioritize my will for you?"  I got back up, got dressed and from that day I've devoted myself to the weekly gathering of Christ followers.

Another thing to which the early Christians passionately committed themselves was to love others, and that meant using their resources for the Kingdom of God and caring for others.   “All those who had believed were together and had all things in common; and they began selling their property and possessions and were sharing them with all, as anyone might have need.”  All my teen years were spent with visions of wealth and prosperity—I was going to make it big in the realm of money.  But just as their devotion changed, so did mine.  Money was no longer the focus of my life and even more happened to me—I began to see my money not as mine, but as His.  I began to see myself as a steward, not an owner.  Like these early Christians, I devoted myself to use my resources as God wanted me to and that meant helping others as I could.  I began to give a tenth of my resources directly to my immediate church family, but more than that, I saw the other ninety percent as His--I needed to use it as He directed.   This continues to be my devotion.

And one more area to which they devoted themselves: they zealously gave themselves to investing in each other’s lives.  Not only did they meet for their weekly gathering, it says they were meeting daily, “from house to house taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart.”  They understood something that I believe we westerners, born and raised in this individualistic culture, don’t often comprehend.  We weren’t created to do life by ourselves.  God made us for community.  He made us for Himself, He Himself being three persons, but He also made us for each other.  These early followers of Jesus were passionate about living their lives together with others—we have to be too.   It’s a choice that we make.  I’m not suggesting we go from nothing to every day but why not be devoted to a weekly home group gathering?  Why not choose to have folks over for a meal every week?  Why not devote yourself to pouring your life into others and letting them pour into you?

I don’t really think there is such a thing as low devotion and high devotion.  If you have low devotion to something, you simply aren’t devoted.  But assume with me that there is such a difference and let me ask you; does God have a low devotion for you or a high devotion?  The answer is obvious—His devotion for you is such that He died for you!  He will never leave you or forsake you.  He gave His all that you might be forgiven of your sins and set free from them and the hell that our sin deserves.  It puzzles me greatly—if you are a follower of Jesus, and you understand God’s great devotion and love for you, how can you respond to Him with such low devotion?  Why would we not all be like those New Testament Christians who were so filled with Holy Spirit-inspired devotion?

I bring this piece to a close with a call for you to follow Jesus with high devotion—or might I simply say, follow Him with devotion.  It’s a choice you make.  Devotion is not necessarily expressed apart from feelings, but it’s definitely not dependent on them.  What does that mean in specifics?  Be highly devoted to the weekly gathering.   Be highly devoted to caring for others.  Be highly devoted to doing life with other believers.

Getting Better at Ministry

Last week I wrote about the tension that exists between length of tenure and effectiveness.  The tension is that on the one hand, the longer I do something the better I get at it; while on the other, the longer I do something the more opportunity I have to become complacent in what I do.   That tension exists in many areas of life, but I particularly see it manifested in ministry.

When I first became a pastor, my mentor told me not to make any changes in my first year of ministry, and I lived by that advice.  However, I thought there would be no harm in encouraging the existing leaders in their ministry roles.  I remember one meeting in particular where we were talking about a need for more Sunday school space.  The church really only had four rooms that could be used for classes.  I offered several suggestions that we could implement to temporarily give us room to grow, but each suggestion was rejected because "we had tried that in the past and it didn't work" or "that doesn't go with the decor of the church."  That meeting was very discouraging, to say the least, and I remember experiencing firsthand the complacency that can set in when someone does the same ministry for many years.  Instead of using their acquired skills and knowledge to grow God's church, my friends had become bogged down in apathy and negativism.

So how do I turn my length of tenure into something positive rather than a boat anchor of complacency?  Whatever your ministry, let me give you four suggestions that will help.

Recognize the tendency we all have to drift toward ease and continually recommit yourself to invest in your ministry.  Just about everything in life drifts toward the path of least resistance; so unless you decide to apply yourself continually, you too will simply rest on your acquired abilities rather than trusting God for greater things.  Embrace this reality and remind yourself often that unless you decide and re-decide to give it your best, you simply won't.

Make yourself accountable and let someone speak into your life.  One of the best ways to improve at what you do is to invite people to help you evaluate your ministry.  Ask someone you trust, and someone who knows your area of service, if they see you giving it your best.  A word of honesty here--most people will be a bit reticent to tell you the truth.  It's not that they won't want to help you--they will just be leery of whether you really want them to.  Many people say they want the truth, but when someone shares it they become defensive or hurt, and even respond in a negative, wounded manner.  Ask for help and be willing to embrace truth with gratefulness--even if it hurts a bit.

Continue to stretch yourself with continuing education and training.  It's amazing to me how many Christians who are ministry servants and even leaders, don't avail themselves of opportunities to grow and improve in what God has called them to do.    We live in a day when so much help is available to equip ourselves profoundly.  Be a lifelong learner--a continual improver.  A key to taking advantage of tenure is to keep on training yourself to be even better and more proficient at what you do.  Yet so few actually do--don't be one of them!

Consider taking the skills and abilities you've learned in a long term ministry and actually choosing to use them in something different.  After my first year of pastoring, and making no changes, I decided it was time to make some.  I remember I led us to switch up people's ministries, that is, some who had been doing a particular ministry for thirty years were asked to do something different.  Well, as you may have guessed immediately, that didn't go over very well.  But the reason I did that back then was because I understood that change can be helpful in keeping us fresh, diligent, and not simply relying on past accomplishments.  If you find yourself merely going through the motions, not excited about your ministry, consider trying something new in the year ahead.  Doing something new tends to increase our excitement and dependence upon God, so if you can take your acquired skills and abilities into something fresh, think about it.

Serving in a ministry long term can be a great blessing because of what you've learned and what you know.  Make it so.  Don't settle for a name and title and lukewarm service.

Getting Better at Marriage

You may not know it, but there is a tension between length of tenure and effectiveness.  It's a tension that can be found in most areas of life, but definitely in marriage and ministry.  The tension is this--the longer you do something the better you may become, the more effective you might be.  However, at the same time there is the possibility that the longer you do something, the more stale and passive you might become, making you even less effective.  Let me talk about that tension in marriage.

The single greatest benefit of a long marriage is the knowledge you acquire of the spouse you are committed to.  Let's face it, when you marry you only think you know the person you are committing to.  Granted, some of you spent years dating before you walked into your marriage, and I recognize that you knew each other better than Anne and I did after just three months of courting, but there isn't a married person I know who won't admit that their knowledge of the one they married was so limited compared to what they discovered in the next decade or two of walking through life together.  In mine and Anne's case, we were extremely different people than we thought we were marrying, and that made for a great deal of misunderstanding and tension in the early years of marriage.  But now, three decades later, we have a much deeper understanding of who each of us is; and that knowledge can be the key to making our marriage better.

On the other hand, length of marriage can also be a detriment.  We tend to fall into ruts of apathy and indifference if we are not careful.  The excitement and newness of marriage wears off, and the passing of time can lead us into passivity, detachment and even unresponsiveness to one another.  With time we will change, and if we are not intentional, we may move away from our spouse.  I think it was Tim Keller who suggested that if you don't like who you are married to now, just wait--you will be married to seven different people in your lifetime!  He was talking about how we all tend to change over time; so as we do, we need to be careful not to drift apart.

So, there is the tension to which I was referring to--with length of marriage we know each other better, which can be a really good thing; but at the same time, the longer we are married the more opportunity we have to drift toward indifference and apathy.  That is not so good.  So, let me give you three suggestions to help your marriage flourish and not whither.

Embrace this truth: marriage is not automatic, it takes work.  I can remember in my pre-married days how easy I thought living in holy matrimony would be.  Our premarital counselor told us we'd have problems, but we literally laughed at him; what did he know!  Thirty years later I can tell you unequivocally that marriage is hard work.  It takes sacrifice and surrender, and you must exchange your vows with that mindset.  To you not-yet-marrieds and newlyweds I'd say, "Remember I've been a newlywed; you've not been married thirty years.  Listen to me!"  Go into your marriage knowing that unless you are willing to invest and to sacrifice, your marriage is probably doomed to failure before you even begin.  It's true that some people may make marriage look easy, and indeed, maybe it has been easier for them, but that is not the case most of the time.  Accept this axiom of marriage: Marriage takes work and both spouses must labor at it to make it good!

Use the knowledge you gain with the passing years to serve one another.   What's the benefit of a long marriage?  You get to know one another better.  With the passing months and years, you know more specifically and more clearly what blesses and what hurts your spouse, but what good is knowledge without application?  So the operative challenge here is to use your growing understanding to serve one another.  The reality is that if you don't use your growing insights to bless each other, you will actually embitter your spouse.    Love always serves, and if we aren't serving, we aren't loving.  A successful marriage is built when two people are willing to prefer one another as more important than themselves and give themselves to one another unconditionally.  I'll make this declaration--every divorce can be traced back to the selfishness of one or both partners in a marriage.


Refuse to give up.   Every marriage stumbles.  As a pastor I've heard the stories of marriage pain, and rarely have I met a couple who never struggles.  But if you want your marriage to flourish, don't give up in the difficult times--fight for your marriage.   The studies are pretty clear that if couples will push through the difficult times, most will bounce back to a relationship that the couple themselves will say is happy or very happy.   Dietrich Bonhoeffer declared so well what I'm trying to say: "It is not your love that sustains your marriage, but your marriage that sustains your love.”

As the years pass under your marriage, may your marriage grow deeper, more fulfilling, and more satisfying.  Accept the challenge of hard work, and use your growing understanding of the one you love to serve each other better.  Do your best to never, ever give up.

Why you should read the Bible if you are not a Christian

You don't have to be someone who follows Jesus to know the Bible has impacted western culture in invaluable ways.   More than six billion Bibles have been printed and at least some parts of the Bible have been translated into almost 3,000 languages.   The Bible is comprised of sixty-six different books, written by approximately forty different writers, over 1600 years, on three different continents, in three different languages, on thousands of different subjects, yet with one central theme—God's revealing of Himself to mankind in the person of Jesus.


Now, if you are already one who believes in and follows Jesus, you probably know the reasons you should read your Bible.  But, what if you aren't a Christian--why should you read a Bible? Let me give you two really good reasons.

First, read the Bible so you can know what it says.  One thing I've discovered over the years is that many people think they know what's in the Bible but when pressed, they really don't.  They may have some vague notions but all too often even those perceptions aren't correct.  Too many people think things come from the Bible when in reality they don't.  For instance, here's one I hear often; "God helps those who help themselves."  That's not in the Bible.  In fact, one of the major themes of the Bible is that God helps them who can't help themselves!  Another such saying is, "Cleanliness is next to godliness."  I wish that was in the Bible so I could use it to encourage some folks I know.  So read the Bible so you will definitively know what it says.

A second reason to read the Bible is so that you might be introduced to Jesus.  Just like what's in the Bible, too many people have misconstrued ideas of who Jesus is.  Let Jesus speak for Himself.  He once told people that the older part of the Bible--it's divided into an old and new part--actually points people to Himself.  Did you know that Jesus often hung out with people others called thieves and prostitutes, and that some of His harshest rebukes were for religious people?  Don't go by what you think Jesus was like; read for yourself.

The New Year is often impetus for change or to try something new.   With that thought, I'd like to encourage you to pick up a Bible and read it.  Find out what it really says and let Jesus speak for Himself.  If you do decide to read, know that the Bible isn't like a chronological story that begins on page one and ends on the last page--remember, the Bible is actually sixty-six different books.  So find that divide between the old and the new, turn to the new part and begin reading the first book in that new part--the book of Matthew. It's actually about the life of Jesus.  If you find that interesting and helpful, then turn to the fourth book of the new part, the book of John, and read that.  John records a number of talks that Jesus gave.

My own life story was affected deeply by what I read in those pages.  Maybe yours will be as well.

Three Commitments to Embrace in 2016

Ever hear anyone say, "May the New Year bring you joy and happiness!"  I know I'm being rather trite in even mentioning this but on this advent of the New Year I'd like to remind us that the "New Year" won't bring us anything.  I know what we mean when we say that, but God says that "every good and perfect gift comes down from  above from our Father of light"--not the New Year!  All the good things that may come our way in this New Year we call 2016, will come to us by God's grace and goodness.  So let's begin 2016 with hope in God and gratefulness to Him. 

But that being true, God often uses our faithfulness and determinations to bless us, and the New Year is always a great motivator to refocus and recommit ourselves to positive and helpful engagements.  There are so many things I could challenge us to focus on but as followers of Jesus let me ask you to commit to these three specifics that will greatl

Determine to spend time with Jesus each day.  Let's all choose to read through our Bibles this coming 2016.  Even if you find you need more time to finish then the next twelve months, let's start and not give up.  You probably know this, but we listen backward through His Bible, His Word, and we listen forward by His Spirit.  God has spoken to us in the past by His Word, and He speaks to us today by Jesus and His Holy Spirit who, by the way, often uses the Bible.

Determine to connect with God's people weekly.  You weren't meant to follow Jesus on your own.  You were created to be a part of His Body and yet all too many of us sever ourselves from the rest of that Body and think it's ok.  We even convince ourselves that we are actually still a part.  What I'm asking you to do is determine that each week you will gather with other believers in a small group and at your church family's weekly large meeting on Sunday morning.  Make it your priority, your commitment.  Even as you commit to do your job each day of every week, be committed to be a part of Jesus' Body, His Church.

Determine to be a disciple-maker in 2016.  Decide you are going to tell others about Jesus.  If that means you need to get help in how to do that, choose to get the help you need.  Determine to pour what's in your life into the life of another.  Ask someone to read the Bible together with you. Take someone out for a coffee, or lunch, and share who you are in Jesus by working through a Bible study together.  Plan on God using you daily in the coming year and be on the edge of your seat looking for the works He has planned for you.

There are other areas in which we could determine to invest, and I would encourage you to do so.  Areas like your physical health, your intellectual growth and your relational skills would all be good investments--they would all most surely result in greater blessings in your life.  But this challenge my friends is to invest in your spiritual life, your relationship with God and God's people.  I'd be glad to help you in anyway I can.  

May God bless us greatly in 2016 as we follow Him!

What's a Pastor to do?

I’ve been a pastor for about thirty years now.  I’ve always taken my job or my calling very seriously and even as Paul declared himself to be an example for others to follow, I sought to be that too.  I remember many determinations I made as a young pastor to help me lead by example in devotion, discipline and determination.   Now let me be quick to say that I’ve failed pretty substantially in those endeavors but nonetheless I continue to strive to show myself an example to believers. 

Have you ever thought about a pastor’s primary responsibilities?  Is it to preach on Sunday?  Visit the sick in the hospital?  Is it to be an example of the Christ-follower?  Recently in my study of Acts 6 God strengthened my heart in what He has called me to do as a pastor.  The church in Acts was growing and the apostles came face to face with the reality that they could not keep up with leading the ministries of the exploding church.  They couldn’t lead everything, much less do everything, so they commissioned a second tier of ministry leadership to take care of ministries that seemed to be popping up organically through the work of the Spirit.  But in that process they also drilled down on what they were called to do—they were to focus on God’s Word and prayer.  In Acts 6:4 the apostles say, “We will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the Word.”

In the thirty years I’ve served as a pastor, I think I’ve always looked at that through Western eyes.  What I mean is that I heard them saying, “The apostles role (or the pastor role in my case) is to preach God’s Word on Sundays, and possibly Wednesday or at any other church function, and to devote much time to personal prayer.”  But this time, in my study, I looked at what they meant through the lens of what the apostles were actually doing at that time, and I came up with three very clear, and somewhat different, responsibilities.  If you are a pastor, let me share them with you and challenge you by them.

Their first responsibility was sharing the word of God in the temple and I think that clearly refers to sharing with an evangelistic intent (Acts 5:21, 25, 42).  You will remember they were intent on being a witness to the life and resurrection of Jesus, and in Acts 6:7 it says that many of the priest were even coming to faith.  And pastor, please notice this—they were doing that from day to day.  In other words, when they said they were going to give themselves to the Word of God, they were saying they were going to keep on sharing God’s Word in the temple evangelistically.  Our role as a pastor is to be an evangelist—to share God’s Word so as to lead people to Jesus.  Obviously I think that can apply to our Sunday morning formal preaching but in the context of their lives, it’s pretty clear that this means I am to be a daily soul winner.  Do you remember what Paul told Timothy?  Don’t neglect doing the work of an evangelist.  Our ministry as a pastor is to share the gospel intentionally and as often and clearly as we can.  We should be on the edge of our seat looking for and even seeking to share the gospel of Jesus.  Lately I begin every day with this prayer; “God, I’m planning on you using me today—keep me alert for that time.”

Their second responsibility was to teach God’s Word to believers for their edification.  Not only were they in the temple doing evangelism, they were teaching from house to house (Acts 5:42).  We all know that in these early days of the church, believers met in their homes so the apostles were teaching them there, and again they were doing so daily.  In his letter to the Ephesians Paul would tell us that our ministry of pastor is to equip the saints and that equipping comes primarily through God’s Word (Ephesians 4:11-12).  Obviously this includes our formal teaching on Sunday morning, but it’s more than that.  It’s our small group discipleship, when like Jesus we pour our lives into a few strong men who in turn will pour their lives into a few other strong men who will turn around yet again and do the same.

Their third responsibility was to pray for the sick.   When this need for specific ministry leadership arises in Acts 6, the disciples are swamped with the responsibility of praying for all the sick who are being brought to them from all over (Acts 5:12-16).  When the apostles say we must give ourselves to prayer, they are not talking about personal, private prayer in their closets; they are talking about a ministry of prayer where they are praying for needy sick people from all over the region.  When I got this picture in my heart, God invigorated my soul to pray for the needs of desperate people.  When James wrote his short letter he says, “Is anyone sick?  Let them call for the elders to pray for them.”  Pastor, our ministry is one of praying for people.  Should we pray privately?  Of course.  Should we pray in church meetings?  Obviously.  But as a pastor I should see my ministry as one of shepherding and caring for people by coming along side them and praying for them.   These days I sense a great burden to pray for people’s needs.

I’m not saying by this post that there are not other things we could and even should be doing, but pastor, I believe these are things we must see as priority.   Use God’s Word as an evangelist,  explain God’s Word as a teacher, and shepherd God’s people, all people, with the great responsibility of prayer.

Celebrate Christmas Well!

As one who follows Jesus, do you ever struggle with celebrating Christmas?  I know I did.  I always asked myself, how can so many people who don’t hardly know anything about Jesus, much less follow Him, celebrate Christmas?  Obviously, they are not celebrating what I’m celebrating.   But then, what am I celebrating?  Certainly, as a Christian I am celebrating the fact that God chose to enter the world He created as one of us, and He chose not to do so with fanfare and accolades, but incognito and among the poorest of the poor.  But what do Christmas trees and colorful lights have to do with that?  How does exchanging gifts with those I love and sharing meals with people I treasure have anything to with God becoming a person?

Maybe this confusion has bothered you too.  A number of years ago I accepted a couple of realities and made a couple of decisions that have helped me—maybe they will help you too.

First, I accepted the truth that for most people in America Christmas as we know it isn’t about Jesus, God or even anything spiritual.  In fact, I’ve come to the conclusion that this has probably been the case for generations, maybe from the very rise of Christmas as we know it.  Don’t get me wrong, I accept the reality that in days gone by more Americans tipped their hat to Jesus at this season, but I doubt the coming of Jesus has ever been what most people celebrated at this time.  People, by their very nature, love to celebrate family, friends, joy and happiness; and however it happened, those things came to be associated with Christmas.  Parents love to see the joy on their kids’ faces as they open gifts.  Most everyone loves the joyful music, the festive lights and the obvious good will that seems to permeate this time of year.  However it came to be, this is what most people are celebrating.

Now here’s the second truth I accepted—it's ok for me as one who follows Jesus to celebrate all these things too.  It’s ok to love the lights and the songs and the joy of watching my kids exchange gifts of love with each other.  It’s ok to decorate my house and cook great Christmas cookies just for the fun of it—just for the joy!  Actually, God made us to enjoy festivities.  He himself gave the Israelites so many joyful festivals for their pleasure and happiness.  I’m not a Jew, at least not a natural born Jew; I’m an American.  Christmas is a time my culture celebrates family and friends with feast and fun and there’s nothing wrong with that.

Accepting those two realities helped me immensely sort out my confusion about the season, but I also made two coinciding decisions.  

The first was that in the midst of celebrating with my culture, I was going to not forget, but purposefully celebrate, what the Bible calls the incarnation of God.  Jesus is often called “Emmanuel,” which means “God with us.”  As a Christian, I wanted the truth that God came to earth as a man to be something I prioritized in my celebration.  Over the years Anne and I have done some things at this season to help us remember this great event.  You might think they are simple, even crass, but we put red and white lights on our tree to remind us of Jesus' holiness and his death on the cross.  We set up a manger scene in our living room to help us commemorate.  In our family it is tradition to worship together with other believers on Christmas Eve.

The second decision was that in my heart I’d not separate the celebration of Jesus’ birth from the remembrance of His death.  When Jesus was born the angels said, “I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.”  The birth of Jesus was joyful news because God had Himself come as our Savior, but Jesus’ saving work wasn’t complete until His death on the cross some thirty-three years later.  His birth and His death are inextricably tied together and I promised myself not to celebrate the cradle without remembering His cross.

So if you are a follower of Jesus too, let me urge you celebrate Christmas well!   Celebrate this festive time with our culture.   Enjoy the lights and the chestnuts roasting on an open fire.  Take advantage of that mistletoe!  But don’t forget the greater joy that Christmas brings to your heart.  Remember Christ our Savior was born on Christmas day and later died on Calvary that you and I might know God and have a personal relationship with Him.  Take special care to worship Him joyfully and purposefully at this special season of the year.