Ten Books to Help the Lay Leaders of Your Church

Often I am asked by the members of the church I pastor for a recommendation of a good book to read.  I love books and this question helps me to connect to a person instantly.  I firmly believe it is our duty to grow in Christ and that books area great means of helping.  Mind you, not everything out there sold by a Christian bookstore is helpful, many are good, but some are quite questionable, if not blasphemous. Like the Bereans, we must read with discernment.

Thus, my heart is to help people grow with good books, and these books need to have specific qualities for recommendation. 

·              The book must be Biblically and doctrinally accurate.

·              The book must be a good read, not simply informative, but inspiring.

·              The central theme of the book is God centered, not a self-help book.

·              The book must teach something of value.

That being said, here is a short list of ten books I believe would be beneficial to the lay leaders of the church.  These are in no particular order.

Instruments In the Redeemer’s Hands, by Paul Tripp  I love this book for the way it humbles me to love on other people.  It encourages us to look beyond self and to glorify God through the ministry we are given.

The Deliberate Church, by Mark Dever  This book helps the leaders of the church keep the train on the rails.  It supports to center the mission of the church on a Kingdom Bound track.

Dangerous Calling by Paul Tripp  I recommend this book as it opens the eyes of the laity to the pressures and pains of ministry.  If someone were to ask how they can best aid his pastor, I would say read this book and let God speak to you.

Holiness by J C Ryle This book is undeniably one of the best.  It reminds us of our holy calling, not in legalistic fashion, but all of grace.  We need holiness, we need grace.  You will gain a greater love of God through reading this tome.

Maximum Impact by Ed Welch Christ commands His children to love.  This book investigates your calling and helps to scripturally renew the heart and mind.

Prayer by Ole Hallesby.  This is possibly out of print, but it is the most refreshing book on prayer that I have ever read.

Revival, by Martyn Lloyd Jones  Lloyd Jones never wrote a bad book.  This book will fascinate you with the possibilities of what happens when a church surrenders itself to God.

Future Grace by John Piper  Quite possibly one of the most encouraging books I have ever read.

The Exemplary Husband by Stuart Scott and The Excellent Wife by Martha Peace.  I recommend these two because many of the problems that are found in marriage and society relate to misunderstanding our design as men and women, husbands and wives. If your home life is out of whack, then it causes your ministry to suffer, and may even disqualify you from service.

No book by man will ever be a cure all.  But a good book will help you center your thoughts on God and inspire you to abide in Him.

We were created to commune with God

After being away for two weeks it was a pleasure to return home and preach yesterday.  More an more I am concerned that Christians are losing the discipline and intimacy of prayer.  Below are my rough notes from the sermon.

We were created to commune with God

 

Here, as we glorify God and enjoy Him forever, we find our greatest pleasures.  Thus prayer as a means of communing with God is a delight.  As it is our access to God, the sinful flesh does everything it can to disrupt our embracing God.

 

Prayer

The KEY is our attitude about God.

            The Lord’s Prayer actually begins with the foundation that we have the right attitude about God, and thus ourselves. (Luke 11:1-10)

The parables and teachings of Jesus taught…

·        God listens when we ask rightly (motives, faith, holiness)  (Centurion, Luke 5:20. 7:9, 12:28)

·        God promises to bless- He does not need to be convinced or badgered (Luke 11:11-13)

·        God is not like us, no bartering- He has a love motive (Luke 18:1-8 persistent widow/unrighteous judge)

·        He delights when we pray. (Matthew 6:5-9)

 

The focus is on God and not our offering

·        Repentance is important- we must see ourselves rightly (Undeserving) (Acts 17:30, Luke 13:3-5)

·        Worship is important-see God rightly (God centered) (John 4:23  Samaritan woman at the well)

·        Power to pray is provided by the cross (Grace centered) (Matthew10:38, 1 Cor 1:17-18, Eph 2:16)

 

Heart Change-Things to be doing to proactively seek to abide and live life with zeal

·        Look for God expectantly (In all your ways acknowledge Him, every good and perfect gift is from God,)  Jas_1:17  Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.

·        Have God on your heart continually. (Pray without ceasing) 2Co_12:9  But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

·        Praise Him and answers and in trials (James 1 count it all joy when you encounter various trials)

·        Seek His involvement and direction (Jas_1:25  But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.)

·        Thanksgiving and Worship (Be in awe of God, fear and trembling) Act_2:43  And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. Heb_12:28  Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe,

·        Attitude  I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. (Eph 4:1-3)  Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you. (Php 3:12-15)

·        Speech (Greet with psalms, hymns, spiritual songs)  addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ. (Eph 5:19-21)  And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. (Col 3:14-17)

From Couch to 5K, Running to the Glory of God

In July of 2012 I attempted to do the impossible. I attempted to run.  When I ran as a kid it resembled a slow motion video of a penguin losing traction and balance. People thought I was attempting a humorous demonstration: I was simply expressing the full limit of my athletic ability.  Other than golf or fishing, athletics have always been out of the question for me.  As a matter of fact, one day while horsing around with my kids I developed the persona, Girth, Compressor or the Davenport.  However laziness is nothing to joke about.

I am convinced that the care of one’s body is essential to representing Christ and being fully available to do ministry.  However, this belief was not supported by works of righteousness.    As it says in James, (and ill paraphrase the Wes translation) if you say you believe but don’t back it up, you have no proof.  Also, to know what is right to do and yet not do it, is sin.  Thus, I confess, I knew what to do but was sinning against God and my own body by being lazy.

Any excuse seemed justifiable; not enough time, other priorities, exercises hurt, outdoor temperature, indoor temperature, and oh something shiny….. all took priority over my need to follow what I knew was the right direction to go.  It all came to a head in the spring of 2012.  While doing yard work I would become winded and weary.  My body rebelled.  It wasn’t old age, it was years of sloth. 

Convicted that I was not honoring God with the physique I had been given, I developed a plan to change.  This plan was not based on will power or motivational prods, It came from scripture, thus eliminating my excuses.  To overcome the lack of time to get to the YMCA,I calculated that I could at least run the length of my street each day.  That way, if I had a heart attack in the process someone could find my limp body.  I set a date to begin and a goal of finishing one mile.

While at Southern Seminary that fateful July day I began to run.  Donning my Saucony running shoes, orange t-shirt and not so embarrassing running shorts, I took off for the student athletic center. Wanting to avoid injury, I rode the elevator to the third floor running track.  It was now or never: I took off running.  Lap one came easy, this was going to be easy. On lap two a young child remarked loudly to his mother, “Look mom that man looks like a penguin who’s gonna fall.”  By lap four I was gasping, lap six had me trembling.  Lap seven never arrived.

This experience opened my eyes to how neglect can creep up on a person, how excuses are easier to contrive than beneficial living, and that obedience to God would be costly.  I was down cast, but not defeated.  Defeat would be to quit. I found that God was encouraging me through the scriptures to press on, to trust and obey.  

Thus, day after day for months, I would attempt some sort of run.  Some days were harder than others.  At times my asthma would kick in.  Other days found the euphoria that athletes draw upon as inspiration to press on.  And as I obeyed God and ran, I found parallels to the Christian walk in my successes and failures.  Every effort to run needed the help of God for my attitude, my values, and my heart worship of striving to exercise for His glory.

Two days ago, I ran my first ever 5K, and did not die.   I was passed by a woman with two canes, a 400 pound man who was gasping like a fish, 3 women with strollers, and a chain smoker.  I have never been fast.  But this slow motion penguin ran the race in 42:57, finishing in the 1205^th place, 49^th for his division.

Looking back, these last several months taught me many things. As a matter of fact, the journey from oxygen deprivation to race finisher has opened my eyes to spiritual truths.  These truths are not just analogies; they are simple evidences of God at work.

·         I ran that God be glorified.  This is the greatest reason to run.

·         Excuses are easy, obedience is hard.

·         There are days that everything is against you, facing the opposition is where God is most glorified.

·         It is God who gives the strength to press on, you learn to love Him more when you abide in this truth.

·         Some days it is best to rest, we don’t have to run to impress.

·         To reach the goal of running a 5K I had to work through failures.  Likewise, when we put off bad habits and put on new ones there will be setbacks and failures.  We cannot let this distract us.

·         The true goal was not to run a 5K, or to even walk it.  The goal was obedience.  Too often we idolize goals rather than enjoy the simple pleasures of obeying God on a daily basis.

·         The race you run is not to be compared to others.  The winner of the 5K ran it in 16 minutes.  My race was to do my utmost with the body and abilities I have been given.  God holds us accountable to glorify Him with what we have been given, not with what we do not have.

·         My race isn’t over. Like fighting sin, I must daily pursue the goal of abiding in Christ.  At this point in life, I must keep on running.

·         As a biblical counselor and pastor, I can learn from my struggles to obey God in order to help others in their struggles to obey God.

·         Obedience brings humility, thereafter; success brings you closer to God.

 

Press on for the upward call of Christ.  My next race is in October, I hope to finish another 5K in under 40 minutes.