PERSEVERING PASTOR

An Overview of Essentials in Biblical Counseling Part 8 The Role of The Church

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The role of the church andworship in counseling

TheChristian life is not to be lived in isolation. Scripture makes it clear that believers love to be with otherbelievers. The church gathers to worshiptogether and to encourage one another. In the book of 1 Corinthians we see a strong teaching to publicallyaddress sin. In its sequel we find astrong acceptance of those who have repented of their sins. In essence, the church ought to be a place inwhich the counselee works through a cycle of discipleship. One of the strengths of the church is thatbelievers whom have overcome sin in their lives can testify and help others intheir struggles.

Biblicalcounseling walks a person through a cycle of growth. As the counselee is putting off their sinsthey need to express worship of God, both privately and corporately. A typical cycle goes from counseling tohomework to worship to counseling.

Allthis is to promote God centered living. The focus of counseling is not just for the counselee’s comfort, but forthe glory of God.

Notonly is the counselee to take part in expressing worship in a corporatesetting, the counselee needs to hear the word of God preached. In the church body the counselee must weeklyparticipate in hearing the sermons that her pastor has labored to serve. Though there is much to be said regarding thebenefits of a weekly sermon, let it suffice to say that good biblical preachingwill help the counselee to deepen their knowledge and awe of God that willprofit their soul.

Essentially,the counselee needs to be active in a God centered, bible expositing, andencouraging church.

Conclusion

Biblicalcounseling is both complex and yet simplistic. It is complex as sin is a powerful enemy to defeat. It manifests itself in many camouflaged ways. The world has helped to equip sinners toignore, shift blame, and even love our sin. Sin has a way of enticing us. Italso lays dormant until the most inconvenient or unsuspecting time. But Biblical counseling is also simple inthat Christ is the single answer for help. It is Christ who both cleanses and empowers the sinner to become a newcreation in Him.

Thusthe biblical counselor is an ambassador of God who shares the love andliberality of Christ with fellow sinners for the discipline ofdiscipleship. This doctrinal process ofsanctification is ever showing the sufficiency of Christ. Biblical counseling and discipleship aim andnot just changing the symptoms of a condition shown by behavior, they seek tochange the causes of the problem at their source, the heart. Such counseling is grounded in the word of Godand not of the opinion of man. It holdsthe sinner to the mirror of the bible to both see their need and yet thecompleteness of Christ. It brings hope and restoration.

Counselorsare to be humble teachers in the image of Christ. They, like Christ, are involved in the wok ofredemption. They are to point out notonly the sinner’s sin but the solutions afforded by the cross and spelled outin scripture. The counselee is to takepersonal responsibility. This is seen byaccepting blame and working in constructive means to change their habits andcharacter. Both counselor and counseleeaim to glorify God by allowing the Holy Spirit to change the person’s heart.

An Overview of Biblical Counseling Part 7 Personal Responsibility and Forgiveness

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Personal responsibility beforeGod

InNouthetic counseling it is essential that the counselee needs to be led to takepersonal responsibility.[1] Many people in secular therapies and inworldly wisdom are well versed in passing the blame. Some counselees will hold fast to a victimmentality that they believe entitles them to special circumstances of behavior.Blame shifting is one of the sins that most Christians seem to tolerate. However, scripture is quite clear that we areresponsible ourselves for the way in which we respond to circumstances. Therefore it is imperative in counseling tohelp the counselee understand that the cross has afforded them God’s help inchange. Again we can bring forth thegospel in application to our daily lives. James chapter one, 1 Corinthians 10:13, and a multitude of other versesare written for our being equipped to stand in God’s strength rather thansuccumb to our sin nature.

Equipping the Counselee toForgive

Contrary to whatis often admonished by the world, the misfortunes of life that happen to us donot afford a right for us to take revenge or to demand our rights. The counselor can find great relief is givenwhen teaching the counselee about denial of self and of forgiveness. This responsibility unto God is seen in howChrist behaved in our stead upon the cross and how as we have been forgiven weought to forgive.[2]

Therefore thedoctrine of forgiveness must become a part of the very being of thecounselee. We may need to confront themwhere there is a need to go and seek forgiveness. Scripture tells us to examine ourselvesbefore taking the Lord’s Supper, otherwise we may eat it in judgment.[3] And Jesus Himself spoke of what procedures wemust take when confronted with the separation from God that occurs in ourunresolved issues with others.[4]

There is also agreat demand for counselees, especially those who idolize anger, to forgiveothers. We see this in the parable ofthe unrighteous steward and in the Sermon on the Mount. If we can lead our counselees to freelyforgive we will be setting them on a course of joy and happiness.

Another facetthat is essential to counseling is helping the counselee to recognize that byholding onto unforgiveness or to sinful habits they are in fact idolizingsin. We need to illustrate that byholding onto their sin they are rejecting the sovereignty of God and trying tobe their own masters. Further, they arelooking for satisfaction in that which is not of God. This is why in Galatians chapter five Paul teachesthat “those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.”[5] As a counselor who loves those for whomChrist died we are compelled to share with them these truths.

[1]Romans 14:12, Hebrews 13:17

[2]Matthew 18:23-35

[3]1 Corinthians 11:27

[4]Matthew 5:23-24

[5]Galatians 5:21

An Overview of Biblical Counseling Part 6 Essential Areas of Thought for the Counselor to Address

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Essentials areas of thought forthe counselor to address

Thecounselor will do well to incorporate theology and doctrine into thediscipleship of the counselee. Theologyis crucial here. It is the pattern andplan of knowing God and His expectations. The counselor helps the counselee build a biblical framework of theologythat finds its roots and branches connecting other doctrines and thus enrichingthe entire life of the counselee. Thishelps the counselee to glorify God and to grow beyond the period ofcounseling. It opens their heart to thevast intricacies of God. Theologyessentially shows the cause and relationship between the various teachings ofthe bible. It helps the counselee tostand like a tree firmly planted by a stream in the storms and drought of life.[1]

The counselor,by way of biblical authority is fulfilling the great commission. As we are to go and make disciples thecounselor is helping people to grow in grace. Not only is he sharing the gospel, he is living it out alongside fellowChristians. The essence of the result isthat the counselee becomes aware and adept at solving other sinful patterns inlife and in turn should help disciple others.

The authority of the Bible andthe role of the Holy Spirit

Oneof the first and foremost doctrines that the biblical counselor operates fromis the authority of scripture. It is relatedas God’s word. It is therefore inerrantand applicable in every day growth.[2] Being the word of God it is the soleauthority on dealing with sin. Thebiblical counselor aims to deal with the sins that are the root problem of thecounselee. As the authority of God’sword is established, that sin separates us from God, and is the root cause ofmost problems, then we can fully address the solutions God had wrought throughthe cross. If a counselee has a high view of sin they consequently have a low viewof God. The gap between is often themeasure of how they perceive their need for God. Reverse these effects and the gapwidens. It is a wide gap between man andGod, once recognized drives the Christian in love and devotion to God.

Oftenpeople come to biblical counseling after the failures of other methods toaddress and resolve their problems. Scripture plays a vital role at this very point. Whereas the counselee has failed and may havean “I can’t” attitude, scripture says that in Christ they can success. We need to use scriptures such as 1Corinthians 10:12 to illustrate that though they may be tempted, God will notallow something to push then into sin. The response to temptation is their choice. The same verse assures us that in turning toHim we can overcome, we can stand against what is befalling us. We also can turn the person to James chapterone for a long list of truths that will help us in our fight against the trialsof life.

Justas Jesus said “that we would know the truth and the truth would set us free”,biblical counseling takes its directives from the truth of scripture.[3] In this manner we are truly getting to theheart of a person’s life and giving them a true solution. This methodology does even more. It creates a worship of God in both spiritand in truth.[4]

Theauthority of the bible gives validity to the means with which the biblicalcounselor counsels. Without this,counseling becomes opinion and short lived.

TheHoly Spirit is not to be belittled in counseling. He is our Supreme Counselor. It is only He who can take information andturn it into a conviction. Thus when weare counseling a person we must emphasize the Spirit’s role. By turning a person to John chapters 14 through17 we can equip the counselee with the promises of God to help. When this is coupled with the truths ofRomans chapter 8 there is sufficient encouragement to both depend upon andcredit the Holy Spirit. It ought to beconsidered essential that the counselor walk with the counselee into an abidingunion with the Holy Spirit. Thecounselee ought to come to understand that the Spirit helps us understandscripture and enables us to pray. Healso is our conscience. We need to heedthe promptings of the Spirit that will come evermore apparent in our lives whenwe seek His holiness. Without theactivity of the Holy Spirit our efforts may work a temporary effect, but willultimately fail to change our character. As a matter of fact, if we engage in Biblical counseling without a truepresence of God in our lives we will often work a great determent to thecounselee.[5]

The Sanctification process

Oneof the tenants of scripture for Christians is the ongoing sanctificationprocess. This is why biblical counselingcan also be called discipleship. We findin the process of turning form the old man to the new (sanctification) that weall are incomplete and in need of change in some area. This should also call us to humility and tonot look down on one another, but to be redemptive.[6] The counselor needs to teach that theChristian life is a process. This willgreatly aid the counselee in their frustrations and expectations. It needs to be shown that justification is aone time event, and sanctification is an opportunity to glorify God in lifelongperseverance.[7] Therefore, it is essential that the counselorequip the counselee with the tools for growth over a long haul of life ratherthan a temporary victory.

Habit

Thebible speaks about habit. Since habit isa reflection of character, and character is at the root of our problems, acounselor need to address the doctrine of habit in a counselee’s life. A counselor can illustrate the good, bad, andneutral forms of habit. Since counseleescome for help in changing their lives, it will help them greatly to understandthe habitual patterns that lead them to failure. But again, information is not enough. In order to change a habit a new practicemust replace the old. This is theessence of the renewing of the mind and put on and put offs. It is also formative to the counselee to bothput on practices of right thinking and to amputate the very means of sin.

Onekey essential in counseling is what we call Radical amputation. Radical amputation is a term given to“cutting off one’s hand or plucking out one’s eye” when it causes them to sin.[8] Obviously this is hyperbole. A person will still sin in the heart even ifthese gateways are blocked. But the ideais to completely remove the temptations and the feeding of sinful habits. An example of this would be removing acomputer from a person’s home if they sin through internet pornography. The counselor must take this action to helpthe counselee remove gateways to sin. Ifa person is having an affair at work they may need to not only break off therelationship, but also seek a transfer or new employment. When a counselee is serious about honoringGod they will deny self and take the necessary steps of repentance.

Emotions and Response

Emotionsare strong forces. A counselor will findit essential at some point to discuss the role they play in changing theheart. Many people become enslaved totheir emotions and use them as excuses for their behavior. Distrust is an example of an emotion a wifemay have against her adulterous husband. She may even say that his presence in the home is a source of stress. Weneed to counsel the woman on how she lets her emotions get in the way ofreconciliation and restoration. Someemotions such as anger, brooding, and jealousy are more easily seen. Some emotions, such as panic attacks, aremore difficult to explain as not being actual physical factors.

Sincepeople respond with emotions to every situation we need to illustrate that tobe children of God we must respond biblically rather than sinfully. Emotional responses may be habitual. They also often drive our decision making forquick fixes or self serving means. Thegoal of the counselor is to bring the counselee to a greater maturity in Christin that we respond as James and Paul says with joy in the various trials.[9]

[1]Psalm 1

[2]Colossians 1:9-14

[3]John 8:32

[4]John 4:23

[5]Hebrews 6:4-6

[6]Galatians 6:1

[7]Galatians 6:9, Matthew 24:13

[8]Matthew 5:30, 18:8

[9]James 1:2, Colossians 1:24

An Overview of Biblical Counseling Part 5 Homework

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The Role of homework incounseling

Asmentioned above, homework is essential in counseling. It is the connection between counselor andcounselee that works to provide data and a regimen of working through problems. Counselees do homework as a means of movingbeyond their habitual problems to live victoriously in Christ. We seek tochange habit patterns with a practical application of scripture forhomework. As the process progresses,counselees will be given a structured plan of homework that is tailored totheir problem.

Datagathering is the main function of homework for the counselor. It is not the sole means, but it drives thecounseling sessions. Counselors willreview homework for a clue to habits, changes, and progress in the counselee. It is by means of successful victories,evidenced in homework, that the counselor will know when to let the counseleediscontinue regular counseling sessions.

Themost essential piece of homework for the second session is the Personal DataInventory (PDI).[1] This homework form is an extensivequestionnaire of the thoughts, background, habits, concerns, life situations,and past counseling history of the counselee. Upon completion of the PDI the counselor reviews each answer with thedisciple during the second session in order to gain a clear understanding ofwhy the counselee is attending counseling. He also uses this as a time for the answers to be expounded upon,probing for more details. This is essential to the progress of the futuresessions. The PDI often reveals coreissues that are deeper than symptoms that the counselee may believe they needto address.

Because thereare certain physiological conditions that may affect behavior, the counselorshould also assign the Health History Questionnaire as homework in the initialsession. It is essential that thecounselor investigate physiological conditions that could be the cause ofimproper behavior. This is intended to gather data that will help the counselorknow if a person has had thyroid or diabetic problems or other conditions thatmay influence their abilities. It willalso reveal what medicines they are taking. This is important as some medications have behavior altering sideeffects.

Another critical piece in solving problems forcounselees is dealing with the stigma of labels assigned to them frompsychologists. For example, a person whobelieves that they are bipolar may blame mental illness for their actions andthusly attempt to solve their failures through pills rather than acceptingresponsibility for sin. We may findsituations where we will have to discuss the diagnosis of mental illness andpsychological labels and how they are often assigned. This is in contrast to verifiable data and tobiblical teaching. We must be verycareful when discussing medications with clients. Only a trained physician should recommend orchange prescriptions for a counselee.

For thecounselor, the homework assignments are designed to find information abouthabits and thoughts that must be understood. When a counselor is not completely sure of a pattern, motive, situation,or cause of a person’s behavior then they should assign specifiedhomework. This may include assignmentsregarding marriage failures, personal habits, personal struggles, andinterpretation of scriptures. Constantlythere are new and improving assignments developing for data gathering. Biblical counselors need to be continuingtheir education in order to be aware of these advances.

Thesecond role of homework is for the direct benefit of the counselee. Whereas the counselee and counselor meet onlyonce a week, homework fills the void with daily assignments that cause thecounselee to think about and understand the problems and solutions relevant totheir needs. Just as we daily need Godand not just on Sunday, homework brings to practice the presence of God on adaily basis.

Homework is tohelp a counselee to begin with action for change, even when they do not havethe emotional feeling to do so. The changingof habits is rarely enjoyable or easy at the beginning. Thus the counselor useshomework to motivate and direct a counselee to do that which is necessary tobegin new character traits.

ThroughPaul’s admonitions to put off and put on, counselors seek to create patterns ofbehavior that accentuate this truth.[2] A homework assignment for an angry wife maybe to daily perform and record three acts of love for her husband. This puts into motion proper behavior. As the sessions continue the emotionalcharacter of love and forgiveness will follow.

Homeworkalso helps in renewing the mind. AsJames commanded us to “receive the word implanted”, we are to be “hiding theword in our hearts”, that we would not sin.[3] Homework is designed to help the counseleethink godly thoughts. Here God softensthe heart and brings truth to fruition. The homework serves to become a constant prompter to follow the ways ofGod. Without mind renewing homework thecounselee will never take to heart the truth that sets them free.

[1]I say second session as usually the first session is reserved for explainingthe nature of Biblical counseling and the requirements of the counselee tohonor God, do what God says, and to complete the homework. The counselee takes the PDI home and returnsit prior to the scheduling of a second session as a way of signifyingcommitment to biblical counseling.

[2]Eph 4:24, Col3:10

[3]James 1:21, Psalm 119:109

An Overview of Biblical Counseling Part 4 The Role of the Weekly Meeting

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The role of meeting in counseling

Oneof the most essential factors for the process is the encouragement and trainingthe counselee receives through weekly meetings. These meetings will be structured to make the best use of time and tokeep the counselee moving forward in the best possible manner. The following elements serve both parties inthe process toward this goal.

Encouragementand hope are the essence of the promises of God. As Christ has said that “you shall know thetruth and the truth shall set you free”, the counselor is a conduit of thistruth.[1] God is glorified as the counselor points thechild of God to the word of God and the sufficiency of God. Most persons in counseling are there becauseof frustration, aggravation, or a recognition that they are in trouble. In either situation they need hope.

Hopemay well be the most essential part of keeping a disciple on track forsanctification. Each week as thecounselee comes for discipleship the counselor is blessed to be the giver ofhope. The counselor sees that hope andencouragement help to motivate the counselee to continue in their efforts, evenif there has been failure since the last session.

Datagathering is a process that is always continuing in the weekly meetings and inhomework. Some homework is specificallydesigned to give the counselor more information. It may look for patterns, repetitions, pointsof failure, attitudes, and other facets of thinking and behavior. Data may be gathered in reviewing thehomework or even the sharing of stories behind situations. The trained counselor will also gather datain the passing comments or actions of a counselee. These things are called halo data. Reaction to questions by facial expressionsand body language may also be considered as halo data. This data is observed in the peripheral.Someone may change the subject or grind their teeth while discussingissues. These responses often indicateareas that need further probing for data to make and effectual time ofdiscipleship.

Whena counselee is weekly attending sessions a sense of accountabilitydevelops. They know that the counselorwill hold them to deadlines. They alsocan expect that they will be giving answers as to their behaviors and homeworkefforts. They are expected to build upon the lessons ofthe previous session. Should they failin some area they know that they will have to answer for their actions, butalso, gain insights for improvement and encouragement.

Objectiveopinions of the counselor will also play a major role in counseling. Though the counselor is aiding the counselee,they are not taking sides. Here is wherebiblical counseling differs greatly from secular thought. The counselee is held responsible for theiractions by the word of God as taught by the counselor. The counselor will not allow excuses and yetwill not be taking sides. They simplywill represent God and hold the counselee to the truth.

Oneof the essential roles of meeting with the counselor is confrontation. Though unpleasant, confrontation is theturning point of all counseling. Adams suggests that there are three implications inconfrontation; implication of a problem, the presupposition that an obstaclethat must be overcome, and that something is wrong in the life of one who isconfronted.[2] It is here that the counselee faces thereality of their behavior resulting from sin and its ongoing consequences. Theyare confronted to make a life altering choice. Confrontation can be met withdenial or repentance. In many cases thecounselee may shift blame and responsibility. Either way, the counselor uses confrontation as a means of helping thecounselee by getting to the very heart of their problem.

Themeeting time then plays an important role in the thinking of thecounselee. Because many come with a preconceiveddiagnosis, based upon what they have been told or heard on television, thecounselor will also have the task of helping the counselee to think biblicallyabout their life. Biblical thinkingabout their condition is a critical step in the process. Often the world calls sinful habit beingbipolar, or a mental illness. Forexample; alcoholism is the definition the world gives to a “disease” of failureto resist the temptation to consume alcohol. The bible calls it being a drunk. Again, language is important. As acounselor we can not treat the cause unless we properly aim at its target. The world often seeks to treat symptoms, butthe biblical counselor aims to see God change the heart of the person. We can also use this to build hope in thecounselee. Once they recognize theproblem as sin they can place hope in Christ to pay for and overcome that sin. The world has recovering alcoholics; inChrist we can have new creations.

Praying with the counselee

Incounseling the role of prayer is imperative. The counselor can build a great deal of hope in the heart of a counseleejust by praying with them. As thecounselor prays with the disciple it will provide several helps. First it helps them to realize the depth ofthe counselor’s care and compassion. Second it models for them how to pray. Many counselees will suffer from an inadequate prayer life. After a few weeks it may be quite helpful toget the counselee to lead in prayer. When married couples come for guidance we ought to have them praytogether. Thirdly, prayer puts the focuson God as being our helper, not the counselors. Fourth, we can use prayer to teach on of the most essential doctrines ofthe church. Therefore, participation inprayer equips the saint for growth beyond the counseling room.

[1]John 8:32

[2]Jay Adams, Competent to Counsel, p.44.

An Overview of Biblical Counseling Part 3 The Role of the Counselee

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The role of the counselee incounseling

Thecounselee must be willing to change. Todo so then necessitates that the counselee is submissive to the counselor. For effective discipleship the counseleeshould understand that the counselor is looking unto their best welfare andthough forceful, it is all done in an effort to break the habits of life thatare not honoring to God in order that new character place.

Inthe process of change, counselees begin by understanding their problem and thesubsequent habits of that setting. However,understanding the issue is not enough. Counselees, in order to become God honoring, need to actually changefrom the old fleshly self to a new spiritual creature. Second Corinthians 5:17 tells us that inChrist we are a new creation, however we still fight against the flesh. [1] We read in Galatians about fruits ofthe flesh and fruits of the spirit.[2] These then address the command that we are tobe holy in Christ. This requiresaction. Paul counsels us to put off sinand fleshly desires and to put on the righteousness of Christ.[3] The counselee needs to understand thedifference between temporary change and of character, or heart, change. We should illustrate to the counselee howunder observation, a person may act in a way that is expected. Yet, when not observed a person may actentirely different. This is not the permanent change we are seeking. The same is true in the process ofcounseling.

Thereforethe counselee has a role in actively pursuing righteousness while crucifyingthe flesh. Honestly repentant believerswill therefore be submissive to the training they are given. They will accept that they must put off oldhabits and practice new ones. To do thisthey will participate in homework, scripture memory and application, andactivities that may be assigned. Mostwill struggle at first. But thecounselor is an essential ally in the Nouthetic process of victory.

Inorder to proceed with counseling, the counselee needs to make threecommitments. They need to commit tohonoring God, doing what He says, and complete the homework. Without these three rules of engagementcounseling will fail.

[1]2 Corinthians 5:17, Ephesians 6:12, Romans 7:5-28

[2]Galatians 5:16-23

[3]Colossians 3:10, 12

An Overview of Biblical Counseling Part 2 The Role of the Counselor

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The role of the counselor incounseling

Thecounselor should see their own personal need of constant discipleship. It behooves the counselor to be humble andsympathetic with the shortcomings and sins of his counselee. Quite often dealing with other people’s sinswill bring about a revelation of our own personal condition. God can greatly use this in the life of acounselor to improve his abilities.

The counselor’sattitude should be that of an ambassador of God. Essentially they are a bridge ofunderstanding for the one who needs encouragement, direction, and explanationsof the grace of God. For a counselor tobe effective he or she must be equipped with many additionalcharacteristics. A heart of empathy, anunbiased attitude, and skill at being firm yet establishing hope are allindispensable.

Ashepherding counselor seeks to honor God and love the counselee by dealing withthe cause of the problems, not just the symptoms. And no better imagery comes to mind than thatof shepherd. As in Psalm 23, thecounselor is taking a suffering person and leading them step by step throughvalleys and pastures, training them in righteousness. The counselor will answer to God for hisfaithfulness to the bible as God’s word for life.

To be effective,the counselor calls sin sin.[1] We must remember that language is importantto biblical counseling. He does notsoften the reality of transgressing against God. In the same context the counselor does notsoften the abundant forgiveness and restoration of God when one repents.

Eachweek it is the counselor who evaluates the progress of the counselee. This is critical to giving hope as well askeeping the student on track for success. Many counselees will try to manipulate situations or dominate thediscussion. The counselor however mustbe keen to these diversions and prepared to keep the goal of sanctification insight.

Becausethe counselee is looking to a counselor for help, the counselor must again behumble and a man or woman and of impeccable character. They should posse great listening skills andcommunication practices. Patience willalso be required as they attempt to train sinners in righteousness while beinga sinner themselves. The problems ofcounselees will weigh heavy upon their own hearts and will reveal theirpersonal sinfulness.

Thatbeing said, the counselor must be someone who has a solid theology, knowledgeof the word, and of prayer. An excellentcounselor is one who has experienced deliverance from a gripping sinful habit,and recognizes their present shortfalls.

Counselorsare the pace setters of the weekly meetings. Many counselees come to a biblical counselor after having experienceswith secular psychologists. Some willtell the counselor their previous and self diagnosis. Counselees that have accepted the labels ofpsychology will need to see how God views them. Others will inadvertently command much of the session time by zealouslytalking about their thoughts on the matters at hand. These presuppositions of the counselee canbecome problematic. They tend to focuson problems rather than solutions. Bymonopolizing the time they are in effect avoiding the truth and listening onlyto what they want to hear. The role ofthe counselor is to pilot the ship of sanctification. The counselor needs to be aware of thesepitfalls to progress and should lovingly but firmly direct each step of theprocess.

Inall that the counselor does it is essential that they build hope into the lifeof the counselee. Through theology,listening, and even confrontation, the counselor, equipped by God, can seeincredible results through the building of hope. Without instilling hope the disciple willgive up. With hope from the counselorthey will exercise faith and persevere in the trials ahead. The counselor’s most direct access to theheart is with the hope found in the scriptures.

[1]What the bible calls sin a counselor should call sin. It lessens the severity of the offenseagainst God to call adultery an affair. By agreeing with God in the language of the bible the counselee canbegin to see the widespread consequences of their sin as not only against theirvictim, but even more so against God.

An Overview of Biblical Counseling Part 1

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These days I am thrilled with my studies in Biblical counseling. The deeper I study the more I am humbled for my very being abd in awe of my Creator. I also find great hope.

Recently I finished up counseling a dear sister. Over a relatively short time the truth of scripture took hold by the work of the Holy Spirit in her life. She now redily testifies that "She didn't need pills but needed what was in the bible." Now there are times where medication is necessary. But we ought to look to find that our Savior died on a cross to not only give us the grace of forgiveness, but to set us free from bondage and effects of sin.

It is my hope that over the next few days these posts will help you to gain insight to the methodology and implimentation of Biblical counseling.

THEESSENTIALS IN DISCIPLING/COUNSELING OTHERS

Introduction

Thoughthere are a myriad of viewpoints in secular psychology, and five main vistas ofcounseling that use the scriptures as some reference, this paper will focusfrom the single viewpoint that the bible and its teachings are sufficient initself for counseling.[1]

The scope of this paper is tohighlight the essentials of counseling others. Biblical counseling is merely anintense form of discipleship, usually focusing on a particular issue. It should be apparent that discipleship fromthe bible is treated as the only viable work of grace for the Christian inbehavior.

Thispaper will attempt to briefly cover those aspects of discipleship and biblicalcounseling that structurally support effective spiritual growth. Working from the admonition to be holy asChrist is holy, and pursuing the earth long trek of sanctification, biblicalcounseling seeks to fulfill the believer’s purpose in Glorifying God andenjoying Him forever.[2]

The role of the gospel in counseling

Withoutthe gospel all counseling is in vain. Itwould be of no use to work in the motives and mind of a person, to even seelasting change in their behavior, and still miss the glory of God. The greatest need for the counselee is asaving relationship with Christ, This iswhy we evangelize the lost before we counsel them. The gospel is the motive of all biblicalcounseling. It is what empowers us tochange by the working of the Holy Spirit. [3]

Counseleesneed to be aware that they were bought with a ransom price by ChristHimself. The gospel message evokes in usnot only a thankful indebtedness, but a love for God. Discipleship stems from the realization ofbeing saved from wrath, as a free gift of God. Further, God is glorified when we are discipled and the sanctificationprocess is a joy of our life. Theturning from sin to God is an act of worship.

Biblicalcounseling and discipleship are often called Nouthetic Counseling. This termwas first utilized by Jay Adams.[4] It refers to the admonishment from scriptureto be a disciple. This view ofcounseling sees the scriptures as sufficient for addressing the sin issues thatplague man.[5]It reveals that we need to be taught of God.

Asstated above, anyone who is in biblical counseling needs to be aChristian. If not, all that we do shouldbe considered evangelistic pre-counseling. We thus take such opportunities to evangelizenon Christians. The entire structure ofbiblical counsel is predicated upon the counselee having a saving relationshipwith Christ. Outside of thisrelationship the person is powerless to change. Inside the relationship we can illustrate the entire bible as beingpromises based upon the character and covenant of a redeeming God. This is what is essentially different inbiblical counseling than all other methods or even integrations. Biblicalcounseling bases its hope in God.

Therefore,if the gospel is central to the discipleship of a counselee, the bible mustalso be considered as such. SecondTimothy chapter three is a treatise on this fact. It simply outlines how in last days peoplewill seek counsel that appeases themselves, and the remedy to such is by thegrace of God through His word as fact and goal for living. For biblical counseling we find it essentialto share its distinctive difference from secular counsel.

Withthe truth of God’s word and the empowerment of the Holy Spirit we can alsosafely say that modern psychology has no place in counseling. Christians for centuries have found thatGod’s truth can set them free. Thisaxiom has never changed. To integrateany other teaching would be to both dilute the power of the gospel and to shiftglory from God to man. Therefore, thebiblical counselor will have to use sound theology and good communication toshare with counselees the promises of God for their sanctification. It must again be stressed that biblicalcounseling is not like any other methodology.

[1]Johnson, Eric ed., Psychology & Christianity; Five Views., Downers Grove, IVP Academic., p.40.

[2]1 Peter 1:16; and Vincent, Thomas. ed; The Shorter Catechism Explained fromScripture, Carlisle, PA. Banner of Truth, p.13

[3](Colossians 1:9-14 and Romans 8:5-9)

[4]Adams, Jay. Competent to Council., Grand Rapids, Zondervan. 1970. p.44

[5]2 Timothy 3:16-17

Ask and Share: A Way of Presenting the Gospel, Sermon Notes

2012-01-02T07:40:00.000-06:00

Below are the rough draft notes I used yesterday for the morning sermon on "How to present the gospel" in a personal situation. As we walk through our Christian life the scriptures reveal that we aren't truly disciples unless we are making disciples. Let me encourage you to walk by faith ans share the good news.
The Personal Preparation Stage Pray for the person
Use your relationship to them to share
Do not give a “canned” presentation
Be intentional. That is key your discussion, off of things they say or have said. ie hopes, death, struggles, future

Presentation Stage If they have knowledge of the bible, use the bible like Peter does in Acts.
If they do not have bible knowledge, use the bible and philosophy like Paul does in Acts 17, addressing those in Athens.
You could begin by sharing how Christ met you in life.
You may begin by pointing out how you heard in church how the bible addresses the problems of a fallen world.

Ask: If they have ever considered Christianity’s claims and teachings.
Ask: What have they heard or what is their background.
Share: Christianity’s truths as they have played out in your own life.
ie Hope for future, Sovereignty of God, Comfort of prayer, God’s presence.
Share: how the gospel is relevant in all your life.
Share: The heart of the gospel:
Ask: what are they going to do with what you have shared?

Distractions
Handle problems quickly; don’t let it take long to get back on track.
(ie don’t answer cell phones, say hi to children but focus on parent)
Handle misleading questions by stating “I am glad you asked. If I don’t get to that in a minute please remind me”
Handle difficult questions by stating: “I do not know, but I will find out soon and get back with you on that”.

Don’t
· Make a sales pitch
· Make the Christian life seem “Magical”
· Make repentance an option or slight sign.
· Argue with people who are argumentative
· Create a theological debate, unless that is the proper context.

Do
· Listen to what they are saying.
· Give them opportunity to respond
· Make plans to follow up, set a specific time and means.
· Pray about other concerns that they may have brought up.
· Press, but don’t push, them with the need to deal with the question of “Based on what I have shared, what do you need to do with the gospel”?
· Leave them with a means of looking into the bible for themself.
· Provide a tract if available.

THE GOSPEL

The gospel is good news. It is good because it is news of our being set free from God’s wrath by God’s sacrifice.
If we do not include sin and wrath then folks will never value why they are “saved” and not know what they are “saved” from and to.
Don’t use churchy terms like “saved”. Use a word they would understand.
Do use biblical words like redemption, justification, sanctification, and define them when appropriate.

Points to present
Who God is: He is Holy, loving, and just.
Because of sin against Him, to be just he must also have wrath.
Sin is an offense against God’s holiness. It includes violations against His law, in thought or deed, and it is when we try to be god instead of Him.

None of us are truely "good".

We all sin. Our sin is often greater than we imagine.
Example: works of sin 3 sins a day for 70 years?

But because He is a loving God he wants to forgive sin, but He just can’t overlook it, for that would make Him unjust.
Example: Faulty items on a production line never make a profit for the company, just more losses.

Our works can’t save us.

Thus He sent His own Son to pay the penalty for us. (John 3:16) Since God is judge and his son is our payment for all sin God alone can forgive.
But it is conditional.

The condition is our repentance of sin and faith in Him.
Repentance is the confession of sin and the turning away from it.
Believing is living by the truth He has told us in the bible.

Three things make all this up,
· Savior- believing God’s word that you need a savior to pay for your sins, and that Jesus alone is who saves you
· Lord- That our ways need to be different and a loving God has a plan for us to follow, this is being a disciple of Jesus.
· Love- If we truly have repented and have faith in God then we will love Him and not treat Him as a vending machine.

Based on what I have shared, what do you need to do with the gospel?

Norman Rockwell Got it Right

2012-01-01T07:00:00.001-06:00

This picture is a sermon in itself.

My One Resolution for 2012: Holiness

2011-12-31T13:15:00.001-06:00

As I have spent the last several weeks ruminating about the
accomplishments, the position, and future of my life. After some 40+ years,
like many men, I forecast and speculate that I have much to answer to God
for. Many men of my age hit a mid life
crisis and play the “Woulda, Shouldda, Coulda game”. This is that depressing period of life where
they look back at the glory days of high school and wonder “Why did I not
conquer the world, achieve my dreams, or stand above all others”? It is a terrible bog to wallow in.

Personally, I find myself thinking about standing before God
is judgment, wondering what I have to show for my Christian walk. I have missed so many opportunities. I have read countless books and failed to
heed the warnings within. Though I have
grown and have had some great highlights, I am starving for more of God and
want to gain many more wins in my struggle against all forms of worldliness
(read that sin). So over the last
several weeks I have been seeking God for a definitive direction. I believe
that God has clearly provided me with a compass through the scriptures.

The answer to all my dilemmas is the pursuit of
holiness. Consider it a personal
striving for personal revival. I want
this. I want it greater than
anything. In reflecting over my life
from earliest memory to the finish line of life that I want to be able to
cross, Holiness is the key.

Therefore, I would like to share with you my reasoning for
why holiness will be my objective of 2012.
These are thoughts that are forming within me a renewed way of thinking
about life and the opportunities that God will allow this year.

Holiness is the only fitting response to trials. James and Colossians talk of working out and
being sanctified in trials. It adds much
to our lives by de-cluttering our thinking and our heart. Holiness is what causes us to count it all
joy when we face trials, for we are thankful for the perfection it moves us
toward.

In all things we are to glorify God. If God is not honored by the prayers of one
who cherishes his sin, then He is not honored by the acts or works of someone
who is not holy. (PS 66:18, Col 1:10, 3:17) Repentance and scripture application play a
huge role in the sanctification of the soul.

Worship requires a holy preparation. I have spent a lot of time considering the
tabernacle and the things that went into its daily service. This leaves me convicted that my worship
should be first met with preparation in a solemn way. I should never casually or flippantly regard
the name of God or my opportunities to meet with Him.

If I am holy I spend less time correcting the sins of others
and place that resource on my own sanctification. True, I am to be my brother’s keeper and to
shepherd the flock, but I must do so without any beams or planks in my eye to
help them remove their specks of sawdust.
Along those lines, If I am seeking to be holy myself, I am putting my
efforts into someone I can do something about rather than not. This should produce humility. It also causes me to experience the struggles
and exertion required to walk closer with God.
Therefore, I am better able to help others in this same pursuit without
dispensing pat “Sunday School” answers to problems like pray, repent, read your
bible, and go to church.

Holiness provides a distinction apart from the world. It causes us to abide in Christ and to
therefore be at peace and produce spiritual fruit. Being separate from the world is an act of
worship. It also fulfills the admonishment
to let our light shine before the world and do our good acts that they would
praise our Father.

Jesus said to be holy because He is holy. This alone is the foundational reason for a
child of God to seek holiness. Putting
to death sin is a grand honor unto God.
It is a choosing of all He is above all the temptations and offerings of
the world. (Lev 20:7, 1 Peter 1:16)

D. L. Moody once said “The world has yet to see what one man
completely sold out to God can be used for”.
And I wish to echo the truths of revivals of old, without holiness no
one will see the Lord.

Reading Other's Resolutions in the News

2011-12-29T11:21:00.001-06:00

Last night I read an online survey about new years
resolutions. A local news agency had
placed upon their website the question; “What are you going to try to do
differently in 2012”? Participants were
allowed to leave their actual resolutions rather than check off boxes with
suggestions. Aside from the rabble of
rude bravado of some, several responses interested me in their sincerity. The most poignant resolve for next year was
“I am going to try to go to church more”.
This came up at least a third of the time.
In a day and age that seems to be losing its spirituality,
this news comes as a form of hope. What
I see being revealed is that there are genuine folks out there that see the
need for attending church, and I hope for worship. The apparent growth of assaults against
Christianity in the workplace, schools, and media are really nothing new. We just seem to hear of them more because of
the rapid communication devices of the day, and because the news media can
evoke an emotionally charged story.
But as the called people of God, let’s take this good news
as a sign for action. Like a new gym
membership, January may be the month they make the effort to go to church. Make every effort to personally connect with
the new faces. The church is called to come
to these folks and aid them in the underlying motivation for attending
church. That would be, meeting the
hunger of the spirit. Only we can
provide them with spiritual food that satisfies. Let’s feed them the Bread of Life.

Glory, Wonder, Treasure

2011-12-22T08:00:00.000-06:00

The evening was cool as the first few stars began to shine. A thin wisp of red loomed to the west as Joseph laid a branch and straw upon the fire. Mary’s contractions were getting stronger. Oh how she longed for Elizabeth her cousin to be there. For nine months she had endured the physical and emotional pains of the pregnancy. Worse than the aches, the morning sickness, and even the journey to Bethlehem, were the thorns of ridicule she had endured. Having returned from the hill country to Nazareth she was pregnant. Her parents ostracized her. Friends became fountains of ridicule. Some would not even sell to her in the market place. She had to draw water alone. Joseph at first considered divorce, but God intervened. Because of the angel speaking to Joseph as he had to her, her marriage would last. Each painful infliction was driving them closer to each other. At least in him she had comfort.

As the contractions increased, Joseph went to get help.

Just a few miles away the pastures of the lower hills saw the shepherds bringing their flock into the pens for the night. The stone walls were short but tall enough to protect from beasts and wind. These fields were home. It was all they had and even this did not belong to them. They were despised by society as thieves and liars. The property they would look after was not even their own. Because of their reputation they constantly had to give an account for their efforts. It was a life of one day resembling the other without hope for anything better.

Mary twisted in agony. With a huge sigh, Anna the only woman who would help Joseph announced “You have a son”. She laid him on Mary’s chest. Mary relaxed as her husband dobbed her brow with cool water. Looking into each others eyes, they shared both compassionate peace and an abounding excitement. This had been the hardest three months of their entire lives, and now they praised God for all they had experienced. Joseph placed his hand upon the boy and prayed.

A brilliant light shown just in front of Andrew, son of Matthias. It immediately sent him into a defensive retreat. The angel compassionately announced, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy that will be for all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, Who is Christ the Lord”. Awestruck, the others awoke and looked upon this visitor.

As Gabriel was speaking, the heavens burst into a brilliant hue of pure white. He shared that they were invited to go and see the child. He would be found in a pen, lying in a manger, wrapped in cloths as was the custom. Suddenly as if they could not longer refrain from speaking, an angelic shout was made announcing the glory of God. Though Gideon and his men had shouted and won victory over the Midianites, this shout declared victory over the curse upon mankind.

As Mary leaned against a pile of hay she ate her first bit of food in several hours. Anna had gone to tend to her home and just she and Joseph cared for the child. Joseph stood and took the child from Mary to lay him in the only safe bed they could create, an old discarded wooden trough. “Sleep now Mary, get your rest” Joseph said. She lay there trying to rest, and through closing eyes saw Joseph, kneeling at the manger, arms outstretched, and weeping as he prayed.

It was then six of them stumbled into the corral. Dressed in various pigments of brown, these shepherds were gasping for breath and excitedly talking, regardless of turn. Speaking to Joseph, they told of the angel and the message they had been given. Then casting their glance to Mary they asked forgiveness for intruding. “But, may we please see the child”, Andrew said.

Joseph again placed baby Jesus upon the lap of Mary. It seemed as if time stopped. No one spoke and a hush fell upon this solemn night. Thoughts raced through the minds of the shepherds as they wondered about all that had happened that night. Was this truly the Messiah, the chosen one of God? How could this little child ever throw off the bonds of Rome and fulfill all that God had promised Father Abraham? Their concentration was broken by the bleating of a small yet pure year old lamb which they offered as a gift.

The visitors said their farewells and departed for the fields. They were simply struck with awe and wonder. Yet Mary pondered as now Joseph slept, this was to be a treasure that would carry her through for eternity.

The Ten Best Books I read in 2011

2011-12-21T08:30:00.001-06:00

The Ten Best Books I read in 2011

(In no particular order)

Instruments in the Redeemer’s Hands, Paul Tripp

20,000 Legues Under the Sea, Jules Verne

Warnings to the Churches, J C Ryle

Worship Matters, Bob Kauflin

Holiness, J C Ryle

Just the Way I Am, Krista Horing

The Complete Calvin and Hobbes, Bill Waterson

The Power of Words and the Wonder of God, John Piper and Justin Taylor

Lectures to my Students, C H Spurgeon

Practical Religion, J C Ryle

Blue Christmas

2011-12-20T07:58:00.004-06:00

Today is a day of prayer.

Over the last 48 hours I find that God keeps bringing me to pray for several who are facing their first Christmas without a mom, dad, or spouse. I think of Diane, Scott, Wanda, Greg, Gary, and others. I rememer how Jesus was often moved with compassion. I pray for that same compassion to be felt within the heart for these saints.

Also I am compelled as others may have lost someone in recent years and are still saddened by the loss.

Though not a family member, I lost a significant friend this year also. She was 99. We won't be caroling at her house this Wednesday. Nor will she greet us with cookies right from the oven.

I am also burdened to pray for and encourage many whom are battling cancer, facing the season of giving without anything to give due to job loss, and those who struggle in difficult divorce situations.

But I can offer hope. For this is a season about birth. It is about all things new. It is a season to remember the covenant of God through His Son. As my son Ben and I were talking last night, this world is a world of great pain. Because of sin and separation from God, no one goes for long without scars and wounds. These truths are painful. Yet our hope is not here. Our hope lies in the Peace announced by the angels. That though we were captives, Christ can set us free. And one day, a glorious day, all this suffering will be past. I will see grandma and grandpa again. Grace will be seen in its true value. I will relish in the joy that God has made up for me the wrongs that I inflicted upon others. I will never again be separated from God and the gospel will have been fulfilled.

Though we suffer now, for a little while in comparison, we have this hope, His name is Immanuel. God is with us.

The Pastor's Wife in Persevering

2011-12-18T17:31:00.002-06:00

In honor of my wife loving me, and celebrating over eighteen years of marriage, I wanted to repost this article from a while back.

Musings About Persevering Alongside My Wife

In all the struggles I have had to deal with in ministry, no one person this side of Heaven has helped me more than my wife. Now God will send along people from time to time who are given for the moments need. However, no one can surpass God’s plan for perseverance in the ministry that the pastor’s wife as a paraclete.

That being said, the marriage of a pastor ought to be of utmost importance. It should follow the joy of the quiet time. Now I am not a perfect husband, but what follows are a few items that have solidified our marriage and added to perseverance in the hardest of times.

Daily have time to talk uninterrupted at levels of planning, rejoicing, learning, and intimacy.

Planning means we go over schedules and calendars, concrete things as well as tentative plans.

Rejoicing gives each of us an opportunity to share what wishes for the day and experiences we have had that were significant to us.

Learning gives each of us an opportunity to discover something new as well as teach form our perspective. This is often sharing of scripture and updating one another on the kids.

Intimacy deals with the emotional levels and struggles of life. It also is a time to share wishes and desires.

Pray with your wife. Make it real prayer too. This leads to inspiration and meditation. It lets God bring solutions as Truth that sets us free.
Get her perspective. Wives often have what I call “Radar”. They can pick up on things and perspectives of people and situations that we men can not fathom. They are usually right.
Often let your wife set the pace. I am headstrong and rust to fix everything. Often my wife will give caution to not react till morning. Heeding this advice has saved me from many sorrows.
Scripture. If my wife gives me a scripture there is usually good reason. I may not need it in that moment, but I will certainly need it before the week is over.
Keep her #2. Nothing will bring perseverance in your ministry like perseverance in your marriage. Without the home following God, we are unfit for ministry. Honor God by honoring the wife of your youth and you will find unhindered access to God.
A Character of Love. If you truly love your wife, your actions will form habits, those form character, and thusly you will have a heart of true love. Much has been written about love languages and such. These have great insights, but give your wife love as Christ loved the church, and your ministry will persevere.

Getting the Most Out of Christmas

2011-12-01T13:05:00.001-06:00

Dearest Saints of HSBC,

I am at my desk today and working through my annual desire to get the most out of Christmas. Often I find myself wanting to provide for my family and others in ways that would make Christmas extra meaningful for them. As I have been praying today and pondering how to present Christ this season, God has hit me hard. Over the last 24 hours I have encountered people and stories of pain, hurt, and rejection. May "Dreams" have been cruelly dispersed. Christmas can be a difficult time. Many I know are out of work. Some are facing the first season of holidays without their long time spouse. And God is speaking to me. Today I am finding power in prayer for these friends. God has enabled me to talk to some, others text, and to be an encouragement. This is the church being the church. Will you join with me in a few things...

Spend extra time with folks and seek their prayer needs. Sincerely pray with them.
Be open to God's promptings of the spirit to encourage others.
Send me your prayer needs. (perseveringpastor@gmail.com) I do love to pray for you all. I regret that there seems to never be enough time for fellowship. It is in fellowship that we bond and support. So please let me know how I can pray for you this Christmas season.
Lastly, please let me know what God is working in your life and through scripture. Are you taking the challenge to share the gospel by January 27th?

Why I Find Myself Supporting Tim Tebow

2011-11-30T14:38:00.004-06:00

After all my years of teaching my kids why they should not to idolize athletes, musicians, actors, and any other celebrity I find myself “supporting” Tim Tebow. For years I have been thankful for many Christians in the public spotlight, Kurt Warner, John Rhyes Davies, Phil Vischer, George Bush, and only a thimble full of others. And when I say thankful I wish to imply that I have a joy to hear of them sticking to Christ as their hope and joy in the public spotlight.

But, in an awkward sense I am finding myself on the Tim Tebow bandwagon. I am not a football fan, but I am a great fan of not compromising your love relationship for Christ for a few dollars or the spotlight. Over and over I have been disappointed, disillusioned, and just plain dissed by those who say they love Jesus and then accept sponsorships by Budweiser or take on character roles that degrade the personhood of their Savior. (Alas my Devil’s advocate friends will have a few things to say about where a person is in their walk and how I ought not to judge. But we can handle that topic in another post. Let me suffice to say, love sinners, even Christian ones, but don’t take lightly the Name of God.)

Tim has set a great track record thus far. I n many ways I believe that I would have faltered where he has stood strong. There are Tim Tebow haters on Facebook. Websites abound producing false gossip and counterfeit photos. Many of the sports headlines are twisted just enough to create doubt to his character. He is under an attack by the world in ways that I myself am not prepared to stand strong against.

And through it all, Tim seems to handle public pressure well. And that is why I am supporting Him. My support is through prayer. It also involves not listening to gossip, nor making him out to be what he is not. Tim is just a fellow Christian. He is not a “Superstar” or some other fantasy figure. What I believe he is though is someone who is committed to Christ and taking an opportunity to not be ashamed of His Christianity when given the chance to glorify God. We all can attain to that victory.

So when I pray for Tim, I pray that he perseveres. I pray he does not succumb to the hype of his fans or the urges of his handlers. I pray that he remain humbly fearful of God, bold and wise in witness. I pray he has wisdom for each trial and learns to count it all joy, and that the office he holds does not become a burden.

Here is a link that illustrates what I am sharing.

Sermon Notes for Sunday: Getting more out of the Christian life by letting experiences and words sink into our ears

2011-11-27T07:40:00.004-06:00

Sermon Notes for Sunday November 27th

Saints and friends, As I try to do from time to time, I attempt to provide you with my rough notes for the day's sermon. Often the actual message diverges from the notes to some degree. But as always I am providing you with these as a means of being a tool for your own study during the week. REMEMBER: God tests us weekly on what was preached in the Sunday sermon. It is our choice to participate in preparation through the worship service. And, as always, I pray we all have a victorious week.

Getting more out of the Christian life by letting experiences and words sink into our ears. Luke 9:37-45

Today is our last in our study of Luke till after Christmas. For December, I hope to go deep with the meaning of Christmas in a short series of messages. Then, Lord willing, we will take on a short series at the beginning of the year as to the Basics of Being a Church. This will be from Romans.

Last time we encountered the Mount of Transfiguration. The point that Peter and the others were to get was “This is My Son, My Chosen One, Listen to Him!”

Now the text Luke 9:37-45 Story telling mode

This is a dynamic situation. Many had heard about Jesus, now they could see Him

Characters:

Jesus
Peter James John
Other disciples
Father
Possessed son
The gathering crowds

The disciples could not cast out the demon, even though a few weeks prior they had been able. (Matthew reveals that this one required prayer, which is another sermon altogether)

Jesus notes and expresses pointed things

This is a faithless generation
It is a twisted generation
“How long am I to be with you and to bear with you?”

The crowd wanted a show. They want to be amazed. They were missing the person of Christ and looking for a show.

Jesus rebukes the evil spirit

Jesus heals the boy.

Jesus restores him to his father

The result is that all were astonished at the majesty of God. It took the sight of something spectacular. They were surface level people. This is not faith. They were not awed by Jesus, only by what He could do for them.

You can see this often in people’s prayer. They ask God for things, they thank God for things, but they rarely do they worship God or embrace the awe of God for God just being who He is. Yes there is a connection of being and action. However, too often we dwell on the stuff and not on the person. For Christmas to be Christmas we must steep ourselves in the person of Immanuel.

EXAMPLE Jerry prayer story: challenging congregation to praise God for being God. To pray and not ask, but to dwell on the person of God. This is where love works. It isn’t about the gift, but about the holiness of the giver.

Notice, while this is going on Jesus pulls the disciples into a teachable moment.

Let these words sink into your ears.

Son of man to be delivered into the hands of men.

· Even though the crowd marvels, one day they will turn on Him. Their praise is as deep as their entertainment.

· Failure to know Him is failure to go deep.

· The common man fails to be in wonder of God unless there are miracles and evidences to prod them on.

The disciples did not understand

The meaning was concealed from them, by God, that they might not perceive it. (That the Son of Man is to be delivered)

They were afraid to ask.

· When we don’t understand we must seek out the answers.

· God, in His time gives answers. He gives the picture to go along with the pieces of the puzzle.

What happens each time Jesus tells of His death?

They rebuke Him
They don’t understand
They do not ask
They handle things from a fleshly viewpoint.

By asking and seeking (Matthew 6:33) we shift from a flesh standpoint to a Holy Spirit standpoint. We must make the effort. In the same way we must ask of God to reveal Himself in our own life situations. This is to His glory and your love.

EXAMPLE: My family went to a lighthouse on vacation. You can choose to remain on the ground and "be in awe". (Fleshly) OR you can ascend to the top and be in awe. (Spirit) Do we choose a ground worldly perspective or choose to seek out God's viewpoint?

Remember as I shared last Christmas: Shepherds marveled, but Mary Treasured.

Here is the point:

Jesus is God’s Son, His Chosen One. We too must listen to Him.

We must Let these words sink into our ears. (Spiritually)

The Holy Spirit rewards with revelation those who abide and seek Him first.

This is the only way to grow and to not be like the crowds, but to be a disciple.

Every thought, every decision, every bit of thankfulness, of awe, of wonder, of science, of economics, of personal relationships, of raising your kids to be adults, of dad’s being courageous, of “Tim Tebowing” is the disciples joy, their love for God in action that fulfills the purpose of life.

We truly were created to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.

2011-11-13T16:24:00.002-06:00

Thanksgiving with “the Indians”?

When I think of the first thanksgiving I dwell on the wonderful blessings of God’s providence. In that celebration feast the “Indians” came to the pilgrims to feast over three days. God was glorified. The Indians were honored for their service to these newcomers, and a precedent was born.

This Saturday my family and I get to have our turn at one of several “Thanksgiving” meals we will soon celebrate. Over the years we have adopted several international students who attend the local college. Often they visit us at home, come to the kids basketball games, and are included in many of our family events. Saturday we will find ourselves sharing the story of the pilgrims with Nigerians, Ethiopians, and Indians, as well as students from Viet Nam, the Philippines, and Dubai. By the way, the Indians are actually from India, not North America.

The students love this meal. Before we dine, we take time to share the story and meaning of Thanksgiving. We also share around the table what we are thankful for. Then my wife, a Tennessee gal, serves us some southern cooking. We will have turkey, real cranberry sauce (Not can shaped), biscuits, and a huge favorite with those from India, gravy! There will also be pumpkin pie and the students all time delight, sweet potato casserole, heavy on the marshmallows.

I get excited at our family’s turn in playing host to folks far from home. In many ways it is like the first Thanksgiving. There is an essence of glorifying God by involving our lives for the gospel benefit of others.

As a sad postscript, none of our friends from India were able to make it to the meal. However, we were thrilled to add a student from Hong Kong. I had originally written this article some days ago, and the essence is still worth posting. My thought remains, “if God has commanded us to go to the nations and share, if they are in our back yard we ought to invite them on in”. Thus I write to encourage you, reach out to those who are different, those who are from other lands, do this to the glory of God.

Thought of the day

2011-10-26T12:35:00.000-05:00

"When a person’s tongue is extensively wrong, it is absurd to say that their heart is right." ~ J.C. Ryle

Blog articles I need to write……

2011-10-09T17:07:00.004-05:00

I have been busy with school, and celebrating my wife's birthday. Added to that is the beautiful weather these weeks that has afforded time with my kids at the par 3 golf course. In the mean time I have been crock potting a few ideas of things I want to blog about. Hopefully in the weeks coming I will actually write these posts. In the time between, please ruminate on these topics.

Title: The Problem with Youth Ministry Today.

Gist: The problem lies in the thought that youth ministers are to train our kids. This is an abandonment of the biblical command for parents to train their children. Youth ministries are a supplemental reinforcement not a means.

Why I have not written it yet: I struggle to find the right balance of understanding.

Title: Why I wear a suit

Gist: How I dress ought to reflect my respect of God.

Why I haven’t written it: I don’t want to come across as condemning others. This is just a personal preference I enjoy and have thought through.

Title: How to Work October, Pastor Appreciation Month

Gist: Make the whole month an encouragement for the entire pastoral family.

Why I haven’t written it yet: I would all too easily come across as fishing for favors.

Title: How I do my Personal Bible Time

Gist: I want to provide mechanical helps for folks in their study time.

Why I have not written it yet: Some areas are inconsistent.

Title: Perseverance in the Old Testament

Gist: How God enabled leaders in the Old Testament not to quit

Why I have not written it yet: My understanding is too limited

Title: Perseverance in the New Testament

Gist: How God enabled people in the New Testament not to quit

Why I have not written it yet: The answer is so vast it would become a book. Hummm perhaps I ought to……(I am actually working on this one)

Title: My Personal Choice of Internet Filter: And why you should use it too.

Gist: It only makes good protective sense to have not only a computer filter but a whole house filter.

Why I have not written it yet: No time.

Title: In an Age of Pop Music Why am I becoming a Fan of Classical?

Gist: Having once been “addicted” to rock music God is creating in me a sense of the beauty of Classical music that I never thought I could have.

Why I have not written it yet: My lack of knowledge in this area is a stumbling block. I want to be informative as well as creating a desire in folks to give The Classics a try.

Persecuted

2011-09-28T08:45:00.002-05:00

Here are two more links from blogs we need to read.

The media and an Iranian pastor

Iranian Pastor may be executed

Good Article

2011-09-28T08:42:00.002-05:00

Folks,
Here is a good article to read. It gives much thought to a new trend.
http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/thabitianyabwile/2011/09/27/multi-site-churches-are-from-the-devil/

What I Pray for When I pray For Our Church

2011-09-24T08:04:00.001-05:00

Have you ever wondered about your pastor’s prayer life? Have you ever wondered what does he pray about most often for us? Maybe you have heard him pray and it sounds different than anything you have ever heard. Do you know he is at church praying and desire to know how he can pray for so long or why he seems to just know what to pray? His prayers will give a grand outline to the question of his heart’s desire for the church. Paul in writing to the Colossians has been my inspiration. For many years now I have taken a personal directive to pray specifically according to a prayer that Paul himself prayed for these beloved people. He shares this prayer with the church by writing,

Col 1:9-14 And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God. May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy, giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

Paul’s pastoral heart has sparked my heart in ministry. Often one of my greatest joys is praying through the church directory. I also have on my desk a stack of index cards. These cards have the handwritten prayer requests of several members here. And I can not forget Facebook. When I check my account I often have “real time” news of what the saints are going through. Each of these venues provides me with opportunities to pray specifically. I can therefore imagine Paul, receiving news by a messenger of the church stopping to pray. Or maybe as I have had occasion, fondly looking at some memento from his flock and then praying for those whom he loves.

True pastoral ministry will have its strongest influences by the bible and by prayer. And prayer itself is to be directly influenced by the bible. Show us a man who prays and I can show you one who believes the Word of God.

So as I looked at these verses years ago I found Paul teaching me. First off I learned that he never ceases to pray for them. As pastor I need to do the same. Those whom we love we will pray for. Thus as a pastor I find that as my love for folks grows I pray in greater earnest.

When I pray I agree with Paul that we all need to be filled with knowledge in spiritual wisdom and understanding. This is not just to do a better job or have a comfortable life. This is knowledge to see things from a God centered and exalting perspective. If we are not first and foremost living in the glorification of God then all we do is doubly worthless. However, when we obey the command to do all things to the glory of God, then we actually worship. Remember, worship is in Truth and Spirit. By gaining personal knowledge of God and His will we also will have the benefit of growing in love for God. If we love God and desire His glory, most of our attitudinal and heart problems are cured in rapid fashion. Pastors love to see this sanctification of the flock

Paul makes me aware that I must ask in my prayers for the church to be strengthened. This keeps me aware of the daily struggles within and from outside that weaken us. This prayer is not so that we look good or to have a nice day. As a matter of fact I ask that our sufferings bring us joyful wisdom in God rather than a turning to the world’s solutions.

Next I pray about their journey, walk, with Christ. It is my desire that in a daily fashion we all take every thought of our being into the realization that we have been bought with a precious price. Too often we “move on to the next big thing” or shiny object of distraction unaware of what we are trading off. Because of this we rarely dwell on the great things of God. My prayer is that we all revel in His glory in every facet of the day. For us to do everything to the glory of God we need to value the work of God. Again, we need to know God. I pray that we will not fall in false theology as Satan persuaded Eve. Some do this by reading books without discernment. Some simply overschedule and squeeze God out of their lives. I can be faulted here also. Our walk ought to be in the understandable knowledge of God. I pray that this truth is captive in our minds all day long. Oh Father, may we be God centered people in everything.

I often pray 1 Corinthians 10:13 for myself, and I do it for our church. Temptations often grip us even unaware. I pray that it is by His might that we are strengthened. Sufferings are a means of us getting beyond our experience and personal resources in an opportunity to walk by faith. The challenge for us Americans today is that so little faith is “required”. We have convenience, lines of credit, and ample freedoms. Due to all of this we have lost the urgency of prayer, waiting upon God, and faithfully acting. We depend more on economic and technological resources than Almighty God. My prayer is not that we become Luddites, but that we properly cry out to God before turning to resources or giving into temptation. I pray that the promises of God are implanted, able to save our souls.

So I then pray for endurance and patience. Again I find that this is affected by our easy lifestyles in America. Granted the sour economy has awakened many to their return to God, yet we still have a dominating “I can do better elsewhere” mentality. So we don’t endure, we move on. This ideology in our social lives is often carried into the sanctuary. As a case in point, church hopping is easy. Finding a nondemanding church is easier. The sad thing is that these fallback gathering places may not constitute a New Testament church. Committed Christians persevere. Thus there is something to persevere against. If you never suffer for your faith then it is most likely that you do not have saving faith. We glorify God when we love on difficult people, even in the church. Speaking to the idea of staying in a church through difficult times ought to be a sermon series. Unfortunately, the less mature majority would see this as self serving to the pastor and staff. Let me surmise that the church ought to be revolutionizing the integrity of the believer that they are stalwart people of perseverance. Prayer is the key tool to God working in His people this way.

And I pray for joy in these sufferings. James in his first chapter gives us guidance. Joy above circumstances, with suffering, is glory unto God. It says that the Christian’s hope is in the personhood of God. It makes much of His promises. It strengthens the church as a whole. Yes we must pray for people’s joy, but pray that joy is in the difficulties of life. This builds character and glory.

If we are joyful we are thankful. And in thankfulness we give credit to whom it is due. It can be said that thankful people are worshipful people. And this is God’s desire. As I read in Romans two many moons ago, I saw how God’s kindness is meant to lead us to repentance. This truth led me to realize my sin, and yet His forbearance and grace. It welled up within me a sense that it is only therefore just and joyful to give my life evermore to Him. Thus, though I do fear God, I find I am more motivated to love and serve Him by means of appreciation for what He has worked through the cross. This is what Paul prays.

Paul prays that we would have this revelation. To give thanks to God who has delivered us from darkness to light.

Though Paul wrote these words they are the words of God. They are a truth that sets me and you free. Thus as pastor and fellow sinner I too pray these for us all. May we glorify God in this pattern.

The Flesh Profits Nothing

2011-09-01T07:20:00.002-05:00

This past week at church we saw God working and folks making commitments. Today as I pray for these folks I am reminded of a key obstacle to success. My reminder came by way of yesterday’s struggle to connect with God. Many moments passed in my morning discipleship before I ever had a sense of assurance, of joy, or connectedness with God. I could not understand why my commitment to the things of God was so immobilized.

Often I have made commitments and failed. I have made a follow up commitments, and failed at those one too. The successes have come when one key ingredient is at hand. Whether it is the renewing of the mind, overcoming sin, or joy in the Lord that lasts, they all come only by the Holy Spirit. My disconnectedness with God was all in the fact that my Bible time was being done in the flesh. It was an attempt to either appease God or demonstrate my worthiness to Him. It may have even be some other issue of the heart. But regardless, I needed to be in the Spirit for any entrance to His presence.

John 6:63 teaches that the flesh profits nothing. If I make a mental commitment it is fleshly. If I am under conviction by the Holy Spirit, not a group mentality or a sense of duty, then my success rate increases exponentially. You see, by the Spirit God gets the glory. By my efforts it is merely a fleshly ordeal. Truly the flesh profits nothing. But if by the Spirit I am putting to death the deeds of the flesh, He gets the glory. And that is how it works. If God is central, set up to receive glory they the odds are in His favor, and thusly ours. It is a submissive appeal to God based upon His glory and being, not my worth or deeds.

John 14 through 17 teaches us much about abiding in the Spirit. We also see this in Romans 8 and Galatians 5. We must seek the Spirit. At Jesus ascension in Acts we are told the disciples needed to wait in prayer for the Holy Spirit to act. When troubles came the church turned to the word of God and prayed. As a matter of fact, they never acted until God, by His Spirit, led them to act specifically.

A quick survey of the Holy Spirit in the New Testament will quickly reveal our need for abiding in Him. Success and growth will never come apart from Him. Neither will God’s glory, worship, or the faith that marks us as His. The listening to sermons, memorization and reading of scripture, and even prayer becomes an exercise in aggravation if we do not have the Spirit. We try and “it doesn’t work”. It does not work my friend for you or for me if it is done in the flesh. It only promotes dry lifeless religious formality. But in the Holy Spirit the simplest verse or uttered prayer can connect us to Almighty God.

So before we set about an action plan for achievement, let us first seek to abide in the Spirit. For it can even become an idolatry of our systems and methods to live “as Christians” if we do not abide in Him.

It is Official

2011-08-30T14:16:00.003-05:00

Thanks for the prayers church members and blog friends. As of yesterday afternoon, I received word that I have been accepted as a student at Southern Seminary in the Dmin program.

If you have ever seen Mr. Bean, then you can envision my "Happy Dance".

Waiting for News

2011-08-29T09:58:00.002-05:00

This could be a big week in another way too. (See previous post) By weeks end I should know if I have been accepted into the Dmin program at Southern Seminary. If so I will begin a concentration to further my work in Biblical Counseling.

Expecting Big Things

2011-08-29T09:47:00.003-05:00

Yesterday God showed up at church. It was evident.

Between the Sunday School classes praying and the impact of a testimony given, one that admitted sin and failure and turned to God, I believe God showed up yesterday. I saw His hand in the body of believers who's hearts were stirred to their covenant as church members. I saw folks surrendering to serve. I learned of Sunday School classes broken before God. God worked in the hearts of a couple who lost a child yesterday by miscarriage. Yet they posted "The Lord's way is perfect, and for that we are thankful!"

I saw God working even before Sunday. People were pursuing the scriptures. People were surrendering for service.

Every week can be like this. If we walk with God throughout the week with spiritual eyes and ears open, and a heart longing for Him we ought to expect Him to show up.

It is now Monday. I expect that every one of us whom made a commitment yesterday to be tested relentlessly today. But I expect God to show up today. For He is a God of compassion upon His sheep.

Let us abide in Him and bear much fruit. Let us therefore expect that when we abide in Him through the week we will meet with Him as a body on Sunday.

Learning From My Failures

2011-08-15T07:42:00.002-05:00

This summer I have been blessed with the experience of having an intern. Truly this experience is teaching us both many things. Being a smaller church, I never expected to have an intern. It find it a pleasant experience while yet personally revealing.

Our intern is a young man who is skilled in leading bible study, but lacking experience in the practical things of everyday ministry. He is a member of a much larger church that would not be able to afford him the latitude that he is now getting. It is my prayer that in his time here we would serve him well. Honestly, no seminary that I have found can fully prepare you for the ministry life in a typical church. As an intern he is getting a chance to make morning announcements, prepare and serve children’s sermons, and make the usual rounds.

By making the rounds I mean he has been thus far able to attend funerals, make hospital visits, nursing home visits, and in home visits. He has had to deal with changing schedules and cancellation of meetings. Part of his intern experience has him heading up a mission trip that we have next week, and generally dealing with all the responsibilities of wearing multiple hats in servanthood. I greatly look forward to his preaching his very first sermon in a couple of weeks.

Because of all I am trying to pour into my friend in this time, I find myself reflecting heavily on my past fifteen years of being a pastor. There are many, many events that I look upon and have learned from. One of my biggest concerns for this young man is that he not make the same mistakes that I have made. Thus, in my reflections I find these things to be what I would most do differently had I had the opportunity to do over many decisions.

First off I would have begun journaling from day 1. It would have benefitted me to have a book to look back upon in reflection of my experiences and especially the things God has revealed to me. If I had such a journal I would perhaps turn it into a playbook on persevering in ministry. I would have titled it So You Got Your First Church, Now What? There is much this ole mind has forgotten, and I wish I had a means to reflect and learn even more.

The second thing that comes to mind would honestly be that I need to be cautious with whom I trust and to get my facts straight before responding. James has much to say about this in his first chapter. In several situations I was gullible to listen and believe people whom had a hidden agenda. Their gossip and opinions captivated my attention ant thusly I never gave their victim a proper chance. In this lesson I also found that some will turn on you if their way is not heeded. It is sad. It is true. My poor wife once had to endure a business meeting being accused of unfounded gossip by someone whom that morning had tried successfully to bait me with an issue. My lesson learned is to listen with caution, create opinions based on facts and redemption, and pray much before acting.

Along these lines, I have shared with our intern that there will be difficult people to deal with. I have often made the mistake of being inexperienced and aloof. My advice to our intern is being more open for people to come to you with problems and listen. Follow up with them. Give them every opportunity to peacefully talk with you. By doing so you may diffuse many situations. However, some people are hard to deal with. Take the shots that need to be taken and find your peace in God. As much as depends upon you, be at peace with all men. Also I have advised him to work with your deacons in this situation. Often they are wise in “tribal knowledge” and can greatly pilot your ship in treacherous waters.

The next thing that comes to mind is the obvious shortcomings I have wrestled with. In my “do over” situation I would have played far less video games. Not that the games are bad, but I look at life and see that much of my time has been squandered. As a matter of fact, now the only games I usually play are those with my kids. Television viewing goes right along with video games. I find it has been too much unprofitable time. Other things that have wasted my time are owning a home that has more repair needs than I can handle and not sequestering myself for deeper bible study. These at present are still struggles but I am finding much victory.

My advice to our intern, budget your time and stick to it. Don’t evaluate an opportunity by saying “what is wrong with it”, ask instead “Will this glorify God?”

Sounding like an oxymoron, I advise our ministry student to relax vigorously. When we relax it ought to be to the glory of God. It should not be a time of our mind wandering to our “to do” list, nor should it be multitasking. I have spent too much time failing here. Now, as I advise our intern, plan ahead to relax. Turn the cell phone off. Keep home as much a place of respite as possible. Rise early and walk with God. Let the truth of scripture care for your situations and responsibilities. Some time relaxing may mean leaving the house and going to a park or museum. And there are certain time that we need to go away to pray. Prayer refreshes the soul and gives it relaxation.

The next area is an area I believe I have made both mistakes and advances in. It is an area we all need ongoing refinement. This would be in communication and perception. I have made countless mistakes in communicating my ideas. Such mistakes can have far reaching implications. One day I was visiting a member who had a typical cold. As I left I said, “Miss W, hope ya get better. I don’t want to be doing no funerals”. A year later in the aforementioned “Business meeting”, I came to find that a rumor was circulating that I refused to perform weddings, funerals, or visits. All this was despite several eyewitness to my involvement in wedding, funerals, and visits. Some things I have said could be said more politely. Many could be said with grace. Some should have never been said at all.

My advice to our intern, think deeply. Consider your audience. Choose your battles wisely. Listen, listen some more. Find the right words. Don’t e-mail what is best said in person. Let many things go. Read books like Rosalie Maggio’s How To Say It. Also read Peter Post’s book on Manners for the gentleman. Over the yeas, and even this morning, I find that the most difficult thing to do is have the right word in the right timing. But by the grace of God, we can have this wisdom. It must be daily gathered as was manna.

The last lesson of my list would be to not handle things too rapidly. This would be the close cousin to the previous advice. Stated another way, don’t jump to conclusions quickly and don’t act on first impulse. As I alluded to before, the apostle James puts it this way, Be quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger.

Even if what you are doing is not “volatile” let it crock pot. Articles, decisions, and sermons need time to marinate and go through revision. Often a next day read through illuminates confusing points and references. Plans change. Giving people plans and itineraries that are subject to change can lessen your credibility and the participation of others. Don’t reveal or start something that has not had time to be solidified. Repeated instances of such mistakes will surely be a detriment.

Thus as I look aver my years I find I am still learning and seeking. To have this opportunity with our intern has been a blessing of self introspection. I do not find that I have arrived, or am even worthy to be training this young man. Perhaps he will benefit from my mistakes and thus bring about some further value to my ministry.

Notes for Sunday

2011-07-31T07:42:00.009-05:00

Saints,

Here are my rough notes for the sermon of July 31st. I hope these will help you go back throughout the week and garner the specifics God has for your life.

Where is your faith?

Luke 8:22-25

This is not a trite nor complete answer to your storms. But it is the first and general step in gaining the right path to abiding in Him for living.

Please note: we can not walk by faith if we are too busy, not giving God the priority of our lives.

Those that walk by faith do not trifle with God.

Describe the situation at sea.

Describe similarities to life.

Show parallel in John 11 with the death of Lazarus “Lord, If you had been here”

Faith is now a running theme in Luke

Centurion had great faith as Jesus had not seen in Israel.
John Baptist faith was weak and Jesus said to look to evidence he had given by example.
Woman weeping at His feet was forgiven.
In Ch 9, He will send out apostles by faith.

We often amble in life. I do- this is what happens when we are not pursuing God by faith but at a minimum by religion.

Faith requires that we address God as He is.

3 Steps to Faith Building

But notice lately 3 components of the Christian life keep coming up

Word-Prayer-Worship

1. Read the word and look at the world. (Word aspect) See God in all of it.

Your past, in nature, and in hope.

2. Apply the promises of God to your life. (Prayer aspect)

Get specific from the time in the word to apply truths to your needs.

Pray the scripture you have found.

Exercise Trust

· In God’s holiness

· In God’s provision

· In God’s fighting your battles

· In God’s right judgment upon your enemies.

· In God’s providence.

3. And thank Him for what He has done. (Worship aspect)

Take notice when promises are fulfilled
Take notice of battles fought.
Take notice of bad things working out for good.
Take notice of the forgiveness of your sins and of ann the second chances the day has provided.

Where are all the photos?

2011-07-28T09:11:00.002-05:00

Persevering Pastor friends,
It seems that for some unknown reason we are having technical difficulties with Blogspot. Many of the photos I have posted have vanished. After googling solutions, it appears this may be a Blogspot server issue.
I pray they get fixed soon.

Mission Trip

2011-07-28T08:50:00.003-05:00

My head is spinning. Or maybe that is just my calendar. After a wonderful week of Vacation Bible School we went on a mission trip to the Baptist Children's Home. Both adventures were well worth the energy we spent. Neither one could have been completed without the faithfulness of our youth group. As a matter of fact, it has served me in a personal sense as a reminder of the talents these people posses.

In VBS they decorated, acted, directed, taught, and cleaned up. During the mission trip they repaired volley ball courts for a fundraiser, cleared brush, pulled weeds, and even split firewood. Much of this work was done in the heat of the day.

It seems to me the older guys most enjoyed displaying their muscular wielding of axes and mauls in the firewood splitting work. Wood flew left and right and it was a pure display of testosterone.

Over the course of these last ten days it seems to me that everyone participated by displaying servant hearts with great attitudes. It is the markers of life like these that make a pastor proud of his flock.

After reflecting on these events today three important truths come to mind.
1. Given the opportunity to lead and the encouragement to do so, most youth will exceed expectations and muster up participation in other youth where adults may have failed.
2. If youth are not given the opportunity to serve they perhaps never will. Youth love to serve and strongly desire to do so. Serving brings them into an identity of belonging to the church body.
3. If adults do not step back and let youth lead, direct, and maybe even fail, then we have harmed both the youth as a future in the church, and ourselves as a humble servant experience would provide.

Five Men From History Whom I Would Want as My Pastor

2011-07-05T08:20:00.015-05:00

I love to read. Yesterday in celebration of the the United States independence, I took a day off. Part of my day was to not fix anything, as is the norm. I actually had many things done previously, so I was able to sit and read for an extended session. Typically many books are often in the process of being read at the same time in my life. As I perused over the titles that had been begun, I began to ponder the writer' influence upon my life. Writers can be friends. If we read enough of particular people we will begin to develop an affinity for them. We also begin to be influenced by their logic, reasoning, and emphasis on matters.

Of the books I read, I love biographies most. Not only do i want to read from a person, I want to know about who it is I am reading from. I tend to be one of those persons who reads the introductions, and author's biographies within a book. If a movie has director's commentary I am likely to indulge in that also. The backstory to me is often more interesting than the story itself.

Thus in the pondering on my vocation. The question of whom would I want to be my pastor came up. I have found these men to not only be pastors whom I would want to be under had I lived in their town, but I do find that I allow them to shape me even today as I read their works.

#5 Would be John Newton. Former slave trader, hymn writer, self described wretch. Few have been known for more repentance and self sacrificing love.

#4 Is John Calvin. He has often been the center of much debate. However, he led an entire city to fashion itself around the gospel. His influence today is still very strong, and to neglect his writings is to deprive oneself of vigorous spiritual exercise.

#3 J C Ryle fills this chair, and I am glad. Only in the past 4 years have I come to know about this wonderful self sacrificing pastor. I estimate I have only read about 12 of his books, but praise God there are many more to be mined and reread. He is essentially the pastor I read daily before I begin my personal time of devotions.

#2 Is certainly Jonathan Edwards. Few ever had that discipline, wisdom, mind, and passion as Jonathan Edwards had. America would not be what it is today without God using this man.

#1 Martyn Lloyd Jones. This man exemplifies the pastorate. Theologian and care giver to the flock. He has a wonderful exegesis of the Bible. He can reason with children as well as the most learned. He gave up a promising career in medicine to take on a humble pastorate.

All these men have elements that I find I need and learn from. The marks of their ministry have several things in common that I wish to have.

A resounding deep priority to have a prayer life before all else.
A passion to be filled by the Holy Spirit
Suffering through trials of life as well as ministry only to rely upon the strength of God.
A diligence in ministry duties.
Humility and a hatred of sin.
Care for their flocks by love rather than by assignment.

When I am weary, worn and spiritually low, God often has used these men to minister to me.

My Personal God Oriented Gospel Spreading Pursuit of Joy in Him Bucket List.

2011-06-27T14:02:00.002-05:00

Last week one of our senior adults shared with the congregation that it was on her “bucket list” to encourage the church with what she had upon her heart for many weeks. I was thrilled at her accomplishment of this goal, as she had something meaningful to say, and it was edifying. This was a big deal for her, as it is for most people, to speak before a crowd. The introductions to the thoughts at hand were laid before us under the guise of a need in her life to honor God in this manner. These encouragements started my contemplation, “What should a Christian’s bucket list look like”, and “What should mine look like”.

Bucket lists are those lists of things you want to do before you die. This goal chart therefore says a lot about what a person values. It is quite easy to decipher the types of priorities that someone has in these lists. Sadly enough, bucket lists are many times often about a personal sense of accomplishment. Some have vast ranges. Many list out things solely based upon the advice or sensationalism that others have told of achieving. For example, some desire to go parachuting out of an airplane or bungee jumping to experience “the rush”. Years ago these activities would have been a consideration for me. But as I get closer to my own bucket I realize that I do not want to live with the sustained stresses that such athletic endeavors would wreck upon my frame.

Many have given their lives in pursuit of immortality as their bucket list. Throughout fame and history, many have expended themselves only to be forgotten. One notable “bucket list” of life is revealed that Caesar wept in his thirties when he realize that Alexander the great had accomplished so much more by age twenty five. We all want to leave some sort of legacy, to live a life of worth.

This leads me to consider my bucket, or better put my standing before God. I have been contemplating what my days will have to show as their result. I have had many adventures, experiences, and moments of grandeur. But putting this in perspective, truly the only things of value in this life are those actions of exalting God. Our purpose in existence is simple, we are created to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. All else is really idolatry. So thusly the Christian has a purpose and a direction for their list. The list is not about us but about the Gospel. Our lives are to be sharing the Gospel in all matters.

Therefore, here in a mashed up way is my personal God oriented Gospel spreading pursuit of joy in Him Bucket List.

To finish well and with more zeal and love than when I started this Christian journey. That I may hear “Well don thou good and faithful servant”.
To see revival in our world where God is worshipped in spirit and in truth in such a way that no man can take credit for what is to be an undeniable work of the Holy Spirit.
To produce a sustaining generation in my family for the glory of God.
To start a work in an unreached people group.
To establish a new church.
To establish a church in a foreign land.
To see a Muslim to faith and through discipleship.
To see a Mormon to faith and through discipleship.
To see a Hindu to faith and through discipleship.
To see an atheist to faith and through discipleship.
To see a Buddhist to faith and through discipleship
To arrive at a mind that espouses more scriptural wisdom than my own opinion.
To be a friend of sinners.
To see that whatever assignment God has me in I am leading people to a jubilant love and commitment to Christ.
To persevere.
To live a life that bears the fruits of the spirit and has crucified the flesh.
To live unashamed of the gospel.

2011-06-16T09:36:00.001-05:00

Many many people follow Christ with a great sense of service, duty, and ought, few however follow with passion.

Praying In Our Church: Prayerwalking The Building

2011-06-08T21:13:00.003-05:00

One format of prayer that we are using is the idea of prayer walking within the building of our church. On Wednesday nights, or at anytime, people are encouraged to pray at individual stations as they walk about the church. There is nothing "uber spiritual" about doing so. However, the beauty of prayer walking is that by being on sight and in the location of ministry you get a sense of participation and insight to the ministries involved.
Virtually every room has a prayer station. The main hallways have a rotation of countries throughout the world to pray for as missions opportunities. Most of the prayer stations are at the entryway of the particular room. Below I have included the text from our prayer stations to help those of you praying at home and those looking for ideas.

Prayer Station

In this room, please pray for our Senior Adults.

· Many have health issues, such as Doris Greer and Edna Sexton, and Mark Barton.

· Many have unsaved family.

· Many have unsaved friends whom are unchurched and questioning their life in these years.

· Pray for Norma as she teaches The Mind of Christ.

So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. (Php 2:1-7)

Prayer Station

In this room we have both Sunday School and church meetings.

· Please pray for our church council as they make administrative decisions

· Please pray for our nominating committee as they look for servants for the year ahead.

· Please pray for Jody Ingram as she teaches in this room

· This room has many members whom travel through the year.

Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen. (Eph 3:20-21)

Prayer Station

· Pray for our greeters, that they would remember names and have ability to help our guests.

· Pray for our guests, you never know what God is doing in their life.

· Praise God for our custodians whom keep our building clean.

· Praise God for furnaces and air conditioning.

Let brotherly love continue. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. Remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them, and those who are mistreated, since you also are in the body. (Heb 13:1-3)

Prayer Station

Dave and Robin Troeckler teach in this room.

· Praise God for babies. Even at this age we can begin to share the truth of God.

· Pray that the children in this nursery will grow to love God.

· Pray for our workers as they minister to parents also.

In the fear of the LORD one has strong confidence, and his children will have a refuge. The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life, that one may turn away from the snares of death. (Pro 14:26-27)

Prayer Station

Mrs. Lisa Keune and Evie Atkins teach these folks.

· This room has special people, CHILDREN.

· Please pray that they will understand the love of God and the awesome power of God.

· Pray that they come to know their part in His plan of creation and glory.

· Pray that we reach more children and families for Christ.

Thorns and snares are in the way of the crooked; whoever guards his soul will keep far from them. Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it. (Pro 22:5-6)

Prayer Station

This Class is led by Evelyn Laswell and Amber Reames

· More special people are here too!

· Pray for the health of kids in our church.

· Pray for families to have a heart for adoption.

· Praise God for allowing us to live in a country with so many resources.

· Pray that we would be good stewards with our resources to the glory of God.

· Pray for those whom do not have enough food, medicine, or even parents.

1Sa 1:27 For this child I prayed, and the LORD has granted me my petition that I made to him.

Prayer Station

This class is led by Steve and Sheri McGauley

· Pray for the kids growing up. Many of these kids are facing changes and challenges. Pray that they have wisdom.

· Pray for parents. Pray that they have faith and direction from God to raise kids for His purposes.

· Pray for our teachers to effectively share God’s stories and truth.

· Pray for the friends of these kids to fill up this room.

Psa 78:4 We will not hide them from their children, but tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the LORD, and his might, and the wonders that he has done.

Prayer Station

Pray here for VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL July 18-23

Please pray for Team Kid in this same way.

· Pray for our workers. Many will make a sacrifice to be here.

· Pray that we share the gospel effectively.

· Pray that we can minister to the entire family, not just the kids.

· Pray for our follow up to VBS

· Praise God that we have opportunity to have a VBS, some churches do not.

But Jesus called them to him, saying, "Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it." (Luk 18:16-17)

Prayer Station

Prayer Here for this Sunday School Class, Sid Smith teaches here

· God has been working here in the people for passion for His word. Pray that Satan does not stop it.

· Pray for the jobs of people in this class.

· Pray for them to have opportunities to share their faith.

Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers. The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous; for the LORD knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish. (Psa 1:1-6)

Prayer Station

Pray here for the class led by Paul Shelton

· Many of the class members have a heart desire for the gospel to reach families and coworkers.

· Some have aging parents who need prayer.

· Several have kids in college. Pray that the truth of God reigns in their lives.

Jos 24:15 And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the LORD, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD."

Prayer Station

This room is where Praise Kids is held ad Mr. Fred Shumake teaches the youth.

· Pray for these people to be missionaries in their schools.

· Pray against the challenges of peer pressure.

· Pray that these have a passion for the glory of God.

· Pray for an enduring application of the cross to their lives.

Then Jesus told his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul? (Mat 16:24-26)

Prayer Station

This is the Junior High Class taught by Melissa Pinkley

· Pray for the new youth coming up into the class. They will have new challenges to life.

· Pray for the youth mission trip to Carmi in July.

· Pray as they delve deep in the scriptures to have wisdom beyond their peers.

Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity. Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching. (1Ti 4:12-13)

Prayer Station

Pray for education and discipleship. These books are for us to learn of God and to see His supremacy about all creations.

Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth. But avoid irreverent babble, for it will lead people into more and more ungodliness, (2Ti 2:15-16)

Prayer Station

Pray for Discipleship here.

· We need to know the truth.

· We need to worship in Spirit and in Truth. Not just be academic in our faith.

· Pray that we live with passion for the things God is passionate about.

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. (Rom 12:2)

Prayer Station

· Pray for Worship

· Pray that God speaks to us, and that we clearly here Him.

· Pray for Spirit led communication.

· Pray that our hearts are undivided.

· Pray that we credit God for His glory.

· Pray that we obey everything God reveals.

· Pray that we are in unity with one another, and that we would be convicted if we are out of fellowship with someone.

· Pray for the leaders, musicians, and tech people to be able to worship and perform their duties in the service.

· Pray that distractions become opportunities for His glory.

· Pray for our body of believers. Many unshared needs exist. Many come here hurting, needing direction, needing hope.

· Pray we take the word of God to heart.

· Pray that we go into all the world and make disciples.

For great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised, and he is to be held in awe above all gods. For all the gods of the peoples are idols, but the LORD made the heavens. Splendor and majesty are before him; strength and joy are in his place. Ascribe to the LORD, O clans of the peoples, ascribe to the LORD glory and strength! Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name; bring an offering and come before him! Worship the LORD in the splendor of holiness; tremble before him, all the earth; yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved. Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice, and let them say among the nations, "The LORD reigns!" Let the sea roar, and all that fills it; let the field exult, and everything in it! (1Ch 16:25-32)

Prayer Station

Pray for those in the prayer room

· Pray for them to go deep with God.

· Pray for their centrality of purpose in here.

· Pray for God to speak to them

For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil." (1Pe 3:12)

Prayer Station

Pray for our leadership and staff

Our deacons are

· Paul Shelton

· Ted Long

· Fred Shumake

· Ralph Keune

· David Troeckler

· Rick Kalz

Our custodians are Paul and Debbie Shelton

Our secretaries are Indira Steiner and Amy Barnes

Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness. (Jas 3:1)

Prayer Station

Pray for our pastor

· Pray for his heart, mind, and soul to capture the words of God.

· Pray for his wisdom in decision making and patience.

· Pray that he effectively communicates.

· Pray for unspoken needs he and his family may have.

· Pray for his wife and family: Melissa, Ben, Micah, Levi, and Abby.

· Pray for a persevering zealous fire for God to burn within him.

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. And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory. (1Pe 5:1-4)

Prayer Station

Pray that we go out these doors into a mission field with a deep sense of the urgency for souls, the exaltation of God and His name, and the work of the cross.

And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age." (Mat 28:18-20)

Prayer Station

Pray that we go out these doors into a mission field with a deep sense of the urgency for souls, the exaltation of God and His name, and the work of the cross.

Father and Son Trips for the Future

2011-05-06T08:30:00.006-05:00

My son and I just returned from a great trip together. With each of my boys God has provided an opportunity for me to take them on a personal "coming of age" trip. We normally do this around the age of 11 or 12. It is a time to talk of responsibility, maturing,. and loving God with all your heart, soul, and mind. These trips have often been spiritual markers in our lives together.

We can look back on these moments and see a turning point in our lives together. A lasting bond does develop. Now I will not say I had everything go perfect, nor as planned. (On Ben's trip our Wrigley Field game was snowed out, yes snow. Micah and I experienced problems at home that needed attention) Yet there are a few things I have found by experience that are helpful to keep in mind.

1. Let the son choose and help plan the trip.
Levi chose for his trip to go to Branson, Missouri. He is an avid fisherman. His friends have also been an influence in their depictions of Silver Dollar City. (See the plugs at the bottom)

2. Make the journey part of the fun.
In preparation for this trip Dads' please know, the ride down can be the most important part. It will prepare his heart to listen to you if first and deeply, you listen to him. Thus, let him talk. Ask questions through out the time. Give him a chance to speak his mind without fear. This has greatly helped me to have future opportunities of my boys sharing with me.

3. Pray.
This is the most important ingredient. Get direction from God first. Know what issues you need to discuss. Realize that you do not need to soak your son with a firehose of information and challenges at once, be progressive. But pray to get God's agenda.

4. Pray with your son, and let him pray.

5. Have fun.
This trip is about enjoying God. So enjoy the blessing of God through out the trip. Keep pointing out the glories of God. Give your son and example of someone who praises God and sees God in every circumstance.

6. Don't worry about money.
Kids react to our having money issues. We try to set a budget and stick with it. If you plan well it does not have to cost much.

7. Take pictures.
The pictures will give you conversation and memory starter when you return. My boys constantly talk about their trips with dad and the things we did.

8. Get them a special souvenir.
I bought Levi yet another knife. This one has his name on it. Many kids have a special memory attachment to a purchase made in their honor.

9. Be dad.
I say be dad and not their friend. be responsible and show them how to "man up" without compromise. Strive for integrity. If you have ever blown it with your kid seek forgiveness. Also, share your stories. This will help your son relate to you and build love.

10. Know your son.
After this is all over, do not go back to business as usual. Take time alone and with your wife to reflect upon the time together. Make changes in your own life to accommodate your life to your son. Your entire trip can be wasted if this step is not followed.

The Plug.
First off I want to say that we sailed Table Rock Lake with a fine guide. Rick LaPoint could not have been a better blessing. He was absolutely patient and seemed to look forward to working the day with an active eleven year old boy. Rick isn't pushy, but I opened the door and asked about his story. He is not ashamed of the gospel and the entire six hours proved to reinforce all I wanted to teach my son. All I can say is God put us with the right man. You can contact him at http://www.strikebass.com/.

We stayed at Bavarian Resort. We were actually able to meet up with Rick for the day right at the dock. The room we had was freshly remolded and provided a kitchenette. It was exceptionally clean. The staff there is great. We were even able to purchase our Silver Dollar City tickets (2 days for the price of 1) and my fishing license from Michelle at the front desk. By the way, it is only about a mile and a half from SDC. We will be back. Their website is http://www.bavarianresort.com/

Silver Dollar City may be the best smelling theme park around. Whether it be the craftsmen of lye soap, the leather works, the blacksmith, the cedar shingle makers, or even the woodcarvers, it is all an olfactory delight. If you think the crafts smell good, you ought to go to smell the foods. Wonderful!

Three Questions I Ask Before Reading a Book, Especially If You Offer It To Me?

2011-04-22T08:31:00.002-05:00

It seems to happen on a regular basis. It is inevitable. I am asked to read a book. I love reading books and I encourage the reading of books. However, I cringe when someone offers me a book and says “Read it with an open mind” or “Pastor, this book will change your life”. These phrases seem to be an alert that puts my guard up. Reading books should never be with “an open mind” as this is both impossible due to our learned presuppositions and it is just plain foolishness. As a matter of fact I often wonder if “open minded” people leave their house and car unlocked 24/7. Why leave your brain open?

But just today I was asked to read a book by an author I am not familiar with. I declined the offer. I was asked to reconsider. With a long winded excuse, I further declined to participate in reading this tome. Yet again a challenge was made. As a matter of fact, the conversation ended with the person in question forecasting that they would buy a copy of the book “Knowing I would read it one day”. This simply brought to mind last years “debate: I had with someone over my opinion of “The Shack”. In that instance, I was asked to have an open mind, look beyond the blaspheme of it, and enjoy it. Hummmm, sounds like the same argument Satan uses. (By the way, search this blog and you will find my retort to “The Shack” question and our need for discernment.)

Please understand, not all books recommended to me fail to be read. In the last few weeks I have read Crazy Love, by Francis Chan and Radical by David Platt under these same rules.

So now in context I would like to share the three most important questions I ask myself before reading a book.

My first question is “What is the reputation of the book and the author?”

There are many great books out there, some by lesser know authors. Every author has a first volume and thus may not be well know if that is all that exists. Some great authors have a few clinkers in their mix. My first and foremost inquiry involves knowing something about the author. Books are the expressions of the heart and mind of the writer. That is why the Bible itself has no comparison. If you want to get to know someone from long ago you read their writing. It can be the same today.

If an author is questionable, mamby pamby, or just plain trendy I usually do not go much further in their consideration. What amazes me is that every year Christians flock to some new title and fail to have discernment. This is precisely why Joel Osteen, Rob Bell, and Joyce Meyer sell so many books. Their books are rife with sugar and man centered justifications (to use the term in a secular sense). The true gospel offends and will not sell like hotcakes to the masses.

Also an author’s denominational stance will be a clue here. Now I read a variety of writers from a variety of backgrounds; Baptist, Congregational, Independent, Lutheran, Reformed, Armenian, Church of England, Missionaries, a Catholic or two, men, women, clergy, business people, professors, music guys, celebrities, athletes, blogs, magazines, news sources, mission websites, and even something you may hand me after church. I write this piece with much critique, but remember there is bad out there and I do not have time for cutesy or trite, or worse venom. I am one who locks his doors at night.

Quite often I will search for a review of the book from trusted sources. Tim Challies has done a great job at http://www.discerningreader.com/. I do not always agree with Tim and his crew, but often enough I strongly agree with them. Book reviews are fantastic. They save us time and money. I usually buy those books I find referred to by authors I greatly learn from and agree with. Just today I ordered a book recommended in a sermon and one I heard of from C S Lewis. My problem with books just being handed to me by well meaning people leads us to my next question.

The second question regards “What seems to be the intent of the book or person offering it to me?”

The book offered to me today was well intended. It was politely suggested and seemed to have an impact on the person offering it to me. Many times I have discovered great reads by someone making me aware in this manner. But I tried to politely turn down this grace intending offer because it seemed from what the person was saying this book was all bout “How God serves you the reader and you can be empowered” rather than a book on how we desperately need God. Hence, I interpret the contents to be man centered theology not gospel.

Without getting into too much dialog, I believe that the Holy Spirit gives us discernment through knowing Him that we can sense when something is just not right. My friend is truly a Christian, wonderful, and yet naive in this area. Many Christians may be even considered gullible. Mind you, we all are. If you fall into sin you must be gullible, the only recourse is the work of God. And God work in different degrees in each of us, no one is above another. I am sure my areas of lack are quite apparent to him and others.

But the second question must take a hard look to ask what is to be taught through digesting these words. With that again, the edge of the knife division is whether the book is God exalting or man empowering. I am applying this to theological –Christian living books, not necessarily a manual on cooking. But even in secular books we must take time to be discretionary.

Should the person wanting my opinion on a book be sincere, I have found reading it may be very good for dialog. I do cringe at the “open minded” caveat if it is used. But in that same request I often ask that those who try to give me an unsolicited volume must also be willing to read a book I offer them, and understand if I decline their offer.

Others, and this is hugely one sided, seem to be wanting of me to see things in the same romantic experience they had with the book. If asked about the value of the book or its biblical foundations they most often respond without biblical defensibility.

And thusly, my third question arises.

I ask “Is there a redeeming value in reading this in accordance to my time and responsibilities?”

If a book makes it this far it still has to be a good stewardship of my time. I have about eight books at a time being read throughout the week. I have a stack of research books, kids books, classic literature, and growth books to read. This is not to mention time that needs to be spent in prayer, family, yard work, and such.

The bottom line for any book is whether or not it will bring me to exalt God by reading it. It may not be good for me to spend my time reading another book on prayer when I need to read on the atonement. I read a lot on the emerging church, but that has pretty much run its course with the exception of blogs and articles.

A good book is one that simply draws a person to glorify God. We were created to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. This then is the test of a good read.

If a book has made it this far, by a worthy author, of a subject that is pertinent to my life and work, and I have time; I will then read it.

Now in the same lesson, I need to consider what and how I am conveying the same intention when I ask someone to read a book? Their parameters need to be taken into account. Perhaps there is a better way to lead a horse to water, feed him salt, and let him drink.

Now I shared with my friend a couple of quips on books.

If it is a new and exciting discovery that is on the fast track of being “life changing” wait. There is nothing new. New secrets or discoveries are most often the deceit of Satan.
Be familiar with the Bible first. Know the real so you can spot the fakes.
Just because a “Christian” bookseller has the book on hand does not make it doctrinally correct. Jesus cleared the temple over this issue.
A Christian book is like worship, it must encompass spirit and truth. This is the basis of my doctrinal argument. You may also cite how a book handles the scriptures. Does it twist, misinterpret, take out of context, or otherwise pander to the reader? Remember, Satan is beautiful and speaks soothingly.
Many great books that have lasted over time get ignored. We ought to be familiar with classics of the faith.
If a writer claims to have a “special knowledge” read it with caution.
Check with your pastor on books, see what he recommends. If he turns you away from a volume respect his leading.
Interact with a book as you read. Write in it. Underline key conclusions. But most of all, read it with an understanding of the truth of God.

J C Ryle on Holiness

2011-04-20T14:05:00.003-05:00

Quotes from J C Ryle in his book Holiness

As I spent many mornings over the past few months reading slowly through Holiness by J C Ryle I found myself challenged and insufficient. And I am grateful. Ryle has a way of exposing our heart in love. 111 years after his death, his writings are still relevant. I also add, they are timely. For he does not write of his own accord or opinion as so many flash in the pan writes do. He writes from scripture, applied to living by means of justification and sanctification, and that will never fail to be timely.

Many more quotes could and should be posted from this book. I however leave you with these.

Sanctifying faith is a grace of which the very life is action: it worketh by love and, like a mainspring, moves the whole inward man.

We are frequently told that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law, by St. Paul. But not once are we told that we are sanctified by faith without the deeds of the law.

What do such expressions as fast, gay, wild, unsteady, thoughtless, loose mean? They show that men try to cheat themselves into the belief that sin is not quite so sinful as God says it is, ant that they are not so bad as they really are.

People will never set their faces decidly toward Heaven and live like pilgrims, until they really feel that they are in danger of Hell.

Sanctification does not consist in the occasional performance of right actions. It is the habitual working of a new heavenly principal within, which runs through all a man’s daily conduct, both in great things and in small.

We must be holy, because this is the one grand end and purpose for which Christ came into the world.

In short, to talk to men of being saved from the guilt of sin, without being at the same time saved from its dominion in their hearts, is to contradict the witness of all scripture.

We Must be holy, because this is the only sound evidence that we have a saving faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.

We must be holy, because this is the only proof that we love the Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity.

God has said it and He will not go back: “Without holiness no man shall see the Lord”. The pope’s calendar, says Jenkyn, “only makes saints of the dead, but scripture requires sanctity in the living”.

Tell me not of your justification, unless you have also some marks of sanctification.

The child of God has two great marks about him, and of these two we have one. He may be known by his inward warfare, as well as by his inward peace.

My marks and scars I carry with me, to be a witness for me that I have fought His battles, who will now be my redeemer”.

He will not break any bruised reed, nor quench any smoking flax. He will never let it be said that any perished at the foot of the cross.

It is vain to suppose you will feel assured and persuaded of your own pardon and acceptance with God, unless you count all God’s commandments concerning all things to be right, and hate every sin, whether great or small.

The believer who follows the Lord most fully and aims at the highest degree of holiness will ordinarily enjoy the most assured hope and have the clearest persuasion of his own salvation.

It is an awful truth, and worthy of all consideration, that knowledge not acted upon, in God’s sight, in not merely useless and unprofitable. It is much worse than that. It will add to our condemnation and increase our guilt in the judgment day. A faith that does not influence a man’s practice is not worthy of the name.

Before we pass on, let us remember that a true Christian may have many a blemish, many a defect, many an infirmity, and yet be a true Christian nevertheless.

Beware of selling your Sabbath for the sake of a good place! Remember Esau’s mess of pottage. Beware of Lot’s choice.

You have only got to walk in Lot’s steps and make Lot’s choice, and you will soon come to Lot’s state of soul.

It is amazing to observe how readily people catch at the least excuse for misunderstandings the things that concern their souls!

It is a solemn warning, when we think of the person Jesus names. He does not bid us remember Abraham or Isaac or Jacob or Sarah of Hanna or Ruth. No, He singles out one whose soul was lost forever. He cries to us, “Remember Lot’s wife”.

Great privileges misused bring down great wrath on the soul.

But you are forgetting that the grand object of the gospel is to persuade men to “flee the wrath that is to come”, and that it is vain to expect men to flee unless they are afraid. Well it would be for many professing Christians if they were more afraid about their souls than they are now!

Do you ever try to do good to others? If you do, remember to tell them about Christ.

Great is the danger of him “that believeth not”, the danger of him that “loveth not” is equally great.

“.. if you do not love Christ, let me plainly tell what is the reason. You have no sense of debt to Him.

If Bible words mean anything, to be without the Spirit is to be without Christ.

But you may depend, there is no ignorance so common as so mischievous as ignorance of ourselves. Yes, men may know all arts and sciences and languages, and political economy and statecraft, and yet be miserably ignorant of their own hearts and their own state before God.

Like people afflicted with colorblindness, they are incapable of discerning what is true and what is false, what is sound and what is unsound. If a preacher of religion is only clever and eloquent and earnest, they appear to think he is all right, however strange and heterogeneous his sermons may be. They are destitute of spiritual sense, apparently, and cannot detect error.

But while we are thankful for the increase of public religion, we must never forget that, unless it is accompanied by private religion, it is of no real solid value, and may even produce most mischievous effects. Incessant running after sensational preachers, incessant attendance at hot crowded meetings, protracted to late hours, incessant craving after fresh excitement and highly spiced pulpit novelties- all this kind of thing is calculated to produce a very unhealthy style of Christianity and, in many cases I am afraid, the end is utter ruin of the soul. For, unhappily, those who make public religion everything are often led away by mere temporary emotions, after some grand display of ecclesiastical oratory, into professing far more than they really feel.

When great professors backslide in public, and the church is surprised and shocked, the truth is that they had long ago backslidden on their knees. They had neglected the throne of grace.

Take any commandment of the ten, and let us examine ourselves by it. We have broken it repeatedly.

A Wes Paraphrase

2011-04-13T12:05:00.002-05:00

A Wes paraphrase
Know this my beloved brothers: Let everyone be quick to get their facts straight, slow to post on Facebook, and slow to rant as if you have all the answers; for the opinion of man rarely produces a righteousness that glorifies God.

What I pray when I pray for the lost

2011-03-24T03:49:00.001-05:00

My senior adults are some of my best students. I praise God that at an age when most people want to slow down we have been blessed with a proactive group of disciples. They refuse to be “old dogs” whom can’s be taught anything new. Passionately they delve into the scriptures to learn and grow. Amen.

One of the burdens the seniors have shared is the lostness of several family members. When I say lost I am referring to those who do not yet have a relationship with Christ in which He is Savior, Lord, and Love. (I have a previous post on this within the blog) The lost may very well be someone who knows that they do not fit into the category of being a Christian. However, most people either do not know they have a need of a savior or they assume that they already do have such a relationship.

Just the other day I was asked how to pray for two of these individuals. Here is my advice…

Pray first for God to begin drawing the person unto Himself. God is the initiator of all salvation.
Pray for their dissatisfaction with the world. People need to see that the world and its offerings are not the answer to life’s emptiness. Often it is helpful to pray that a person comes to the end of themselves.
Pray that they see their sin as sin as God sees their sin. If we don’t deal with the sin issue we can not truly come to see our need of a savior. We must pray for their eyes to see the insufficiency of their own being before a Holy God.
Pray they repent. Pray that they would be drawn by the Holy Spirit to love God more than they love their sin. (Romans 1)
Pray for opportunities to share the truth of scripture with them.
Pray that they understand God’s truth and apply it personally.
Pray for them to become real disciples. This will be a natural outcome of a true conversion. But too often we fail to walk with a person at this point. Be one to thus encourage and applaud each of their successive steps in sanctification. You never know how many others will come to Christ because of one person being saved.

What I mean when I say I will pray for you

2011-03-23T15:24:00.001-05:00

Day after day is blessed with helping others carry burdens they can not seem to bear. That is why I like being a pastor. Call me a maven, but I love connecting people with the truth of God. God gets the glory, the person grows in the faith, and I reap joy. It is one of the great perks a pastor gets.

Today I called one of our leaders to discuss a small problem. She herself was in crisis. The checkbook was missing. Her out of town husband could not be reached and she had a list of places to be. The missing checkbook was compounding the obligations of the day. We stopped, prayed, and in about fifteen minutes she e-mailed me to say the checkbook had been found. I love stories like this one. My prayer for her was not just to find the checkbook, but to remember who her guardian is.

I seem to get prayer requests all the time and I diligently try to keep them organized and remembered. Often I will pass out three by five index cards and ask people to share with me their personal requests. This is a great tool because as I pray through the church roll I can be reminded of specific needs.

So, obviously I do pray for a person’s expressed needs. Sometimes however I pray beyond that. What I mean is that often we get fixated on our apparent need, desire, or solution. I pray that our eyes will be opened to God’s greater plan and provision. The person may be praying for one specific thing whereas the answer to their need is completely different. I also pray that God gives a no answer in a clear manner when what is being asked is not His best.

Generally my ongoing prayer for you when I pray is that your eyes be opened to the already present truths of His glory. Also, that when He answers, you will clearly understand and give praise to Him. Too often we pray and then either stop looking for His involvement or we fail to learn and glorify Him.

So, when I pray for you, you can expect these things.

That as often as I remember I will pray that you see God’s best befall you.
I pray that God opens your eyes to His present truths in scripture that apply to your situation.
I pray that you not fail to see His hand in your life.
I pray that others will know of your experience and that you will take the opportunity to share of His grace.
I pray your faith grows.
I pray that trials do not last any longer than necessary for you to learn the lesson at hand.
I pray that in turn you will be a person of prayer and help others in humility when they need prayer.

Blessings of Being Ill

2011-03-23T09:56:00.001-05:00

Today I am ill. We all can relate to this. With aches, cough, and lack of energy I am pretty much at a stand still to other endeavors. Compounding the problems at hand I am also supposed to preach at a friend’s church in another state. Please don’t take me for a whiner; it is only the Nyquil talking.

After going to bed early, I awoke today somewhat rested. My first thoughts upon waking were how glad I am to have not pushed harder in getting things done yesterday. This incapacitation has caused me to slow down, forcing me to do a few things out of the ordinary that I count a blessing. These are things that I unfortunately often overlook in my self imposed business.

I found myself spending unobstructed time listening to God. It is odd that I so often have thought I was listening to God by reading, praying, and thinking. These are all good. But yesterday I had to simply be still. I often spend hours in Bible study, but here all other priorities and distractions were sequestered. In my darkened bedroom I simply relaxed and spent time reviewing promises of God. In this approach I clearly received an understanding of truth to be applied to several situations. Being still and not working fastidiously on the problems of the day proved to be a great experience. This is somehow going to have to become a new facet of my life.

When we look at blessings we are naturally being thankful. The outcropping of thankfulness I had yesterday for my daughter caring for me, for my wife laboring to supply me with food and drink and my boys being ever so quiet has imparted to me a season of thanksgiving. I am thankful we have medicines. That we have stores supplies with more than we need. Grateful I am for the technology of refrigeration for my ice cold juice and research that produced Nyquil. Thus I am reminded to pray for those crippled by the tsunami in Japan and for our forces fighting in Afghanistan. I am very grateful that several people have been praying for our family.

The third prominent blessing of being ill was I actually took a restful time to listen to music. I have become in the last two years a great fan of classical music. Many of the pieces have me envisioning the music as a backdrop score for biblical events. Gymnopedie No. 1 is a serene piece that has me meditating on the Lord being my shepherd. But I also spent time with one of my new favorites, the Together for the Gospel 08. It is a great collection of songs sung by about four thousand people all gathered to exalt God. By listening to “In Christ Alone” and “And Can It Be That I Should Gain” can find a person quickened in the soul to look with proper perspective on this world and that beyond. This alone is blessing enough.

Through this I realize, I was sick and did not know it. I am not referring to being physically ill. I was aching and lacking in spiritual energy. All this was being caused by too much world and not enough God. Thank you Lord, for allowing me this time of respite. May I learn and apply all that You have graciously allowed me to see.

Elements of Worship for Baptist Children: Is Church Boring?

2011-03-14T10:22:00.002-05:00

Is Church Boring?

A note to parents

Parents, children are often bored at church simply because they do not understand what is going on. Again, this is the whole reason I am writing these posts, to help us disciple our kids to know the majesty of God rather than looking at Him as a domineering rule maker.

In order to help our kids we need to explain things to them. This may have to be done over and over. They, like we, need to be taught rather that simply hoping that they will pick it up as we go along. Take time before and after, and quietly during the services to walk your kids through the whys of worship. We should teach them a reverence for God. To demonstrate this, we must ourselves be reverent. Be careful of how you talk about church in front of the kids. Never evaluate the worship service in regards to entertainment value. It is not for entertainment, but it is to be a time like no other. All week long we are entertained. But the worship time ought to be a time for us to respond reverently to God. Think of it this way, in entertainment we are the center. In worship God is.

I know that when I was a kid I thought church was boring at times. I liked the music and shaking hands. But sometimes I did not understand what was being preached. So I got bored.

I was bored because I did not understand. When we go to church it is like going to a birthday party. God is the honored guest as we are those who celebrate Him. While there we need to be thinking and expressing how we love God. We need to think about our sin and His forgiveness.

Now I often did not understand what the preacher was saying. I was often distracted. One thing that helped me was to take notes, or to draw a picture of what the preacher was saying. One of the best things you can do is ask your parents about the worship time and what is being done. Since we are to worship God in all that we do you can use this time to think on the ways that during the week you can celebrate God. If you take one thing from the sermon and learn, it will help you to not be bored.

Elements of Worship for Baptist Children: Fellowship, Sunday School, Before the Worship Service

2011-03-08T16:06:00.003-06:00

Fellowship

When you get to church one of the exciting events of worship is seeing your friends. In the Bible a Greek word is used to describe this. It is the word Koinonia. We often translate it to mean participating in the church body or fellowship. It is good to see our friends. We can worship God by listening to them and by being a friend. This is always a great way to honor God by being a friend to new people. In Acts 2:42 the Bible tells us about the fellowship of believers.

And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. (Act 2:42)

Fellowshipping together was one of their daily activities. They would pray together and encourage one another. Make sure you take time to pray with your friends.

Also as children you can be a great encouragement. Older people are often joyful when a child becomes their friend. You can make pictures for older adults and visit them. Your family could sit with them in church. The fellowship we share as believers can be outside the walls of the church. Maybe your parents can take you to visit some senior adults? This is a good way to minister to them with love.

Bible Study/ Sunday School

Your Bible study class is a great way to continue fellowship and learn the bible. We honor God when we bring our bibles and participate in class. Remember, God works through everyone. It is important that everyone shares from the bible and that everyone listens. Your teacher honors God when they share the truths of scripture. We honor God when we remember these lessons and do as He commands. We also glorify God when we hear His promises and believe. This is called living by faith.

James tells us ,

So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. (Jas 2:17)

Thus we need to do as we have been taught and not forget about it.

Between Bible Study and The Worship Service

When we have a few moments between class and finding our parents for worship time, we ought to go and use the rest room and get a drink of water. It is important that we stay in the worship service. If we leave the room we may distract someone and hinder their worship time. Being still helps us think about God and keeps us from distracting others when we worship.

This really is not part of the worship service. But just like getting ready for church on Saturday night, we need to plan on removing distractions from our worship time. The time we spend in worship is to be reverent. That means we are supposed to be giving our full attention to God. When we do this we are saying “God you are more important than anything else. You are my greatest treasure and I love you”.

Elements of Worship For Baptist Children:Your Heart Attitude Matters To God

2011-03-02T11:15:00.003-06:00

This is part two of a series for parents to aid in teaching our kids about worship. It is written from a Baptist theology yet has applications for every home. Parents may need to adjust from this writing for their children's appropriate ages.

Your Heart Attitude Matters to God

If someone is grumpy, stomping their feet, and fussy, do you think when they say “I love you” to a person that it is convincing? Did you know that the worship service at church is a time to tell God that we love Him? Think about this, the worship time at church is to celebrate Jesus just like we might celebrate someone’s birthday at a party. Now if we are a guest to the party we should not expect to be a welcome guest if we are misbehaving. If we go to church misbehaving or with the wrong heart attitude we may spoil the worship.

God wants to help us have the right attitude. He often will tell us that our attitude is wrong. If your parents tell you that your behavior is not right or your attitude is wrong God then is speaking through your parents of your need to regain a happy heart.

Does Sunday morning seem to always be hard to get ready for church? Maybe your family is late sometimes because someone is not ready? We can honor God by getting ready as soon as we get up. We can get our clothes ready the night before. Do you ever have trouble finding your Bible or shoes? If you find them the night before you will not have as many problems and it will help everyone’s attitude. This honors God. It shows that we respect God and our church family. It helps us to worship.

One other thing you can do before leaving for church, especially if mom and dad are still getting ready, is read to your bible on your own. Perhaps you have a younger sister or brother, you can read to them. This can be good even if it is only with a picture book

On the way to church it can glorify God if you list the things you are thankful for. You also could sing with the radio songs about God and His cross. These activities help our minds and heart attitude be ready for church time.

Young Apologists

2011-03-01T13:49:00.005-06:00

Youth Contest

On Wednesday nights I teach our junior high students a course in apologetics. It is often a loose curriculum that required group dialog. The aim of the class is for us to look at current events in their lives and show the relevancy of scripture to their situations. This often is a great illustration of the faithfulness of the gospel.

In our class we uses all forms of science. Some of our best discussions have been through geology and biology. Often we have a great springboard from Answers in Genesis. Lately we have begun a discussion on other religions. In these talks we have explored what they believe and how it compares with Christianity. We investigate their origins and talk about the teachings that are distinctive to each faith. Then we look at how each faith handles central topics to our faith such as creation, sin, who Jesus is, salvation, and the meaning of life. We also have had great discussion on life after death in relation to these beliefs.

So the other day as a means of testing their knowledge I offered $10 to the best written essay that explained how we can know Christianity is true. Here are the first and second placed entries.

The Truth of the Bible.

In the beginning god created the heavens and the earth. Genesis 1:1

This is a verse debated upon by modern scientists and even some Christians. These modern scientists believe in evolution, the Big Bang, and the latest absurd theory - aliens.

Let’s knock the latest theory by stating if the aliens brought us here, who made the aliens?

Next let’s disprove evolution using zoology. The woodpecker has to peck through the tree to get some bugs to eat. But if he didn’t have the special metal like beak he would bend and break it. That brings me to something else about the woodpecker, if he hit the tree at such a fast rate like he does he should die of brain damage. But God knew that and gave him liquid that sloshes around his brain which is attached by one cord and his beak has shock absorbers of sorts. Now, if evolution was true and took all that time to evolve he would lose one thing at a time. This would eventually kill him before he could fully evolve.

Next, let’s disprove the Big Bang. Have you ever seen an ink and paper factory blow up? Then the ink and paper magically turns into a book. Well, if you have you’re either dreaming or lying. It’s impossible. Nothing on earth can make something out of nothing. God can though.

For forty days the flood kept coming on the earth. Genesis 7:17 a

Noah’s flood is a key part in how to prove Christianity. It is one of the most interesting and easiest to prove points.

Now take the flood for example. There are stories about a man in a boat escaping a flood in every single culture.

Another way to prove this is with a shovel. If you live anywhere on this earth underneath you are fossils.

I found one when I was ten with sea shell fossils and baby starfish right in my backyard. Now I live close to a lake but it was man made, so some how other than that lake it got there. Did you know that there are fossils at the peak of Mount Everest? There are, but how did they get all the way up there? There’s only one possible way they could, the flood. There was a mud slide fifty years ago. A cowboy died in it, how do we know? We found his fossilized foot and boot. And scientist’s carbon dating said it was a three million five hundred and fifty six year old fossil. Now a fifty year old fossil turned into a millions of year old fossil because of carbon dating.

But you, Bethlehem ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from old from ancient times. Micah 5:2

For to us a child is born to us a son is given, and the government shall be on his shoulders. Isaiah 9:6

Some scientists believe Jesus doesn’t exist. But thanks to an ancient historian named Josephus, we no this is not true. He wrote down many accounts of people who saw and talked to Jesus. So, those scientists weren’t correct. There are also people who believe that the Old Testament was written after the New Testament. But yet again there was something that disproves that theory: The Dead Sea Scrolls. The Dead Sea Scrolls are scrolls found in 1948 in Qumran. A boy was throwing rocks into a cave when he heard breaking pottery. He had found the Dead Sea Scrolls which are authentic time period Old Testament scriptures. They tested it for age and found that it was around 500-1000 years older than the New Testament. So yet again, the scientists were wrong about the Bible. And then, there are others that believe that Jesus was real and the prophecies were true, but that he wasn’t God’s son. But there are written accounts of the guards of his tomb that say angels came and Jesus rose from the dead. But the Pharisees paid them to not tell anyone. So, Jesus was real, the prophecies about him were real, and the Bible account of the tomb is truth.
based on the fact of the matter. And cause of the truth of the flood, the faults of scientific theory, and the reality of the dead sea scrolls. I believe that the rest of the bible is true as well. My reasons for this being, if scientists have tried and failed to argue a few of the bible’s main points how many of the minor points do you think are true.

And for second place

Why Christianity is True

There are very many different reasons that prove Christianity is true. One is that there is a lot of evidence that proves Christianity is true. In fact, there has never been any evidence that backs evolution up. Since there never has, people all over the world have had to make stuff up to try to prove evolution is true. One made up story that evolution exists was the "Piltdown Man." The "Piltdown "Man" is a famous anthropological hoax which was said to be parts of an early human. There were fragments of a skull and jawbone found at Piltdown, a village near Uckfield, England in 1912. It turned out that it was the lower jawbone of an orangutan and a fully developed modern human skull. There were about forty years between its discovery and its full exposure as a fake. The identity of who faked it is unknown but there are some suspects. Some of those suspects are: Charles Dawson, Pierre Diehard de Chardon, Arthur Keith, Martin A. C. Hinton, and many others. One thing that proves Christianity and the bible are true is that there has been fossils found on top of Mount Everest. For there to have been fossils of fish and many other animals to be found on top of Mount Everest, there would have had to be water up there at some time. The bible talks of a worldwide flood and that would be how fish got up there. Something else is that people try to say that the world is millions of years old, some even billions. That is impossible for multiple reasons. One reason is that the sun shrinks about five feet per hour, which is about 0.1% per century. If the Earth were millions or billions of years old, in the very beginning, the Earth would have been engulfed in the Sun. In conclusion Christianity and the bible are true.

Elements of Worship for Baptist Children

2011-02-28T12:23:00.003-06:00

Our church has had a long tradition of the pastor hosting a children's sermon each Sunday. It generally is a time of teaching doctrine. Both adults and children seem to benefit from it greatly. These often have been what people comment on the most. Lately we have ventured into the need to teach children (and adults) about worship. Several have requested this publication of what is being taught in these lessons. I hope you will benefit from the following installments.

Elements of Worship for Baptist Children

A Note to Parents

When it comes to worship, every element of the “worship service” is to bring us to look unto God and the glory of His gospel. Too often we take the worship apart and think of it as parts rather than looking at the whole of worship. This mindset leads us to think of the music as worship, the giving as giving, and the preaching as preaching. It does not articulate that there may be something greater going on.

The goal of these articles is to help us see the parts as being a function of something greater. We need to look at the whole of the service, and to do that we will first look at the parts.

When properly done, worship begins at home, comes to church, and returns to our home, school, and workplace through out the week. And that is the wish of this writing, to help us all to be God centered worshippers, to get the most out of life, to fulfill the chief end of man. May we glorify God and enjoy Him forever.

As I write I write to children. Now I do not know of any child who reads a blog. So the presupposition is that as a parent you will read these articles, think them over, and use them in devotion times at home.

Devotions at home can play a significant part in the child accepting the Gospel as truth. Parents that participate in some form of honoring God only on Sunday will create a dichotomy for children. They will be apt to put “God in a box”. Rather as Deuteronomy 6 says,

And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. (Deu 6:6-9)

In this way magnify the glories of God in every aspect of life. At the dinner table create discussions of God and His blessings and the scriptures that go with such love from God. When you drive home from the service, point out the interwoven glories of God. You may even want to hum or sing a song from that morning. When you pray with your children use scriptures from the sermon.

By making worship a part of the home life you make worship a part of your child’s life. Apart from this application the children will just not receive it. Thus the worship service at church is a great strength. Corporately the people of God worshipping at church illustrate the glories of God. This will guide you to live accordingly throughout the week.

Worship Begins at Home

Dear children, did you know that God created you to be in love with Him? He made you so that you could enjoy Him. He made you so that when you glorify Him you would be filled with the most joy you can have. It has been said that “The main reason people were made is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever”.

So in this book we are going to talk about how we worship God at church.

When we get to church we most likely do not automatically worship God. Worship is a condition of the heart. It is not an automatic response like switching on a light. Worship involves our thoughts, our emotions, and especially the condition of our heart. If we have sin in our heart it is hard to worship God. As a matter of fact, how we live at home has a lot to do with worship. We can begin to worship God on Sunday by making sure the night before we are prepared.

Just think, so you ever have bad dreams after watching a scary movie? What if you don’t sleep well? Have you ever gone to bed angry and woken up angry? You see the things we put in our mind before going to bed can affect our attitude the next day. It can affect our sleep. If we are tired we may be grumpy. Being tired does not make us have the sin of grumpiness, but it does open our hearts to sin easier.

What would Sunday worship be like if the night before we worshipped God. One thing you can do to get ready to worship God is to worship Him the night before. Your family can help you. After setting out clothes for church, so you can be on time, you should gather together. When your family is together you can sing, share praises, and pray. Remember how I said sin in our heart makes it hard to worship God? Well, you should take time to confess and repent of any sins you know about. This will let God clean your heart for worship. One of the best things you can do is share the stories of God in the bible. These are all things we do in worship at church that we are also supposed to do at home. You can read about this in Deuteronomy chapter 6.

We Have Winners

2011-02-28T11:50:00.002-06:00

Congratulations to Lori and Sherman. Both submitted essays on why church attendance is important. I was so pleased with each entry that I wanted to give them both "A Major Award". Your custom made pens will be arriving shortly.

Here are their entries....

Attending church regularly has value if it is truly a Christian, Bible believing, preaching, practicing, worshipping congregation. Consistent regular attendance will produce positive results because we cannot escape the Spirit’s influence even if we have come with the wrong motives. The truths of God’s word will penetrate the heart and mind over time even subliminally. We are molded and shaped by our environment. Through regular involvement in the body of Christ, the acceptance, encouragement and accountability of a loving church family will hold us fast in difficult times. Continual exposure to God’s truths and Christian love, will produce results.

WHY DO WE GO TO CHURCH?

Let’s start out with why we don’t go to church. We don’t go to church because it is a Routine, Ritual, or our “Religion.” The first and most important reason why we go to church is out of our Real Relationship” with God. It is because we believe Who God is, What He has done for us, and His Word. Ephesians 2:8 says, “For it is by faith that you have been saved; it is a gift of God.” Next, if we believe God’s Word is Truth, then we should “Obey” it, for God’s Word is not suggestions, but commands. For John 14:15 says, “If you love Me, you will keep my commands.” Another reason we attend church is for “Encouragement”. Hebrews 10:25 says, “Do not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” We also go to church because we “Yearn to Learn” more about our Heavenly Father. Hebrews 5:12-14 says, “you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s Word, for anyone who lives on milk is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil. Next, we go to church because we are to “Serve” God and others. Deuteronomy 13:4 says, “It is God you must follow, and Him you must revere. Keeping His commands and obeying Him; serve Him and hold fast to Him.” 1 Peter 4:10 says, “Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others.” Lastly, we go to church to “Worship” God because of Who He is and what He has done for us. 1 Samuel 12:24 says, “But be sure to fear the Lord and serve Him faithfully with all your heart; consider what great things He has done for you.” God gives us the greatest commandment in Matthew 22:37, which is to “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength.” So, we go to church because we “Respect” and “Reverence” God and are “Required” to. But prayerfully, we go because we love God and we want to!

Essay Contest

2011-01-30T08:24:00.003-06:00

In less than 100 words, tell me why you believe being committed to attending church has value.
The winning essay will receive publication on this blog, as well as one of my handmade custom pens!

The winning entry will be announced on March 1st. You have till February 28th to get your answer in.

Send your entries to Perseveringpastor@gmail.com

PERSEVERING PASTOR

An Overview of Essentials in Biblical Counseling Part 8 The Role of The Church

An Overview of Biblical Counseling Part 7 Personal Responsibility and Forgiveness

An Overview of Biblical Counseling Part 6 Essential Areas of Thought for the Counselor to Address

An Overview of Biblical Counseling Part 5 Homework

An Overview of Biblical Counseling Part 4 The Role of the Weekly Meeting

An Overview of Biblical Counseling Part 3 The Role of the Counselee

An Overview of Biblical Counseling Part 2 The Role of the Counselor

An Overview of Biblical Counseling Part 1

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Norman Rockwell Got it Right

My One Resolution for 2012: Holiness

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The Ten Best Books I read in 2011

Blue Christmas

The Pastor's Wife in Persevering

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Why I Find Myself Supporting Tim Tebow

Sermon Notes for Sunday: Getting more out of the Christian life by letting experiences and words sink into our ears

Thought of the day

"When a person’s tongue is extensively wrong, it is absurd to say that their heart is right." ~ J.C. Ryle

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Persecuted

Good Article

What I Pray for When I pray For Our Church

The Flesh Profits Nothing

It is Official

Waiting for News

Expecting Big Things

Learning From My Failures

Notes for Sunday

Where are all the photos?

Mission Trip

Five Men From History Whom I Would Want as My Pastor

My Personal God Oriented Gospel Spreading Pursuit of Joy in Him Bucket List.

Many many people follow Christ with a great sense of service, duty, and ought, few however follow with passion.

Praying In Our Church: Prayerwalking The Building

Father and Son Trips for the Future

Three Questions I Ask Before Reading a Book, Especially If You Offer It To Me?

J C Ryle on Holiness

A Wes Paraphrase

A Wes paraphraseKnow this my beloved brothers: Let everyone be quick to get their facts straight, slow to post on Facebook, and slow to rant as if you have all the answers; for the opinion of man rarely produces a righteousness that glorifies God.

What I pray when I pray for the lost

What I mean when I say I will pray for you

Blessings of Being Ill

Elements of Worship for Baptist Children: Is Church Boring?

Elements of Worship for Baptist Children: Fellowship, Sunday School, Before the Worship Service

Elements of Worship For Baptist Children:Your Heart Attitude Matters To God

Young Apologists

Elements of Worship for Baptist Children

We Have Winners

Essay Contest

A Wes paraphrase
Know this my beloved brothers: Let everyone be quick to get their facts straight, slow to post on Facebook, and slow to rant as if you have all the answers; for the opinion of man rarely produces a righteousness that glorifies God.