Tuesday, October 2, 2012
A Fool for Christ
Wednesday, September 26, 2012
Who were the Puritans?
Who were the Puritans? While I am no expert, I think this sums things up in essence:
“Puritan” is a word that is notoriously difficult to nail down in terms of whom it applies to and to whom it does not. In general, though, to be a Puritan meant to be part of that body of English believers and ministers (on both sides of the pond) who sought to “purify” the Church in the period of about 1560-1700, to bring it into greater conformity to the mind of Christ as revealed in Scripture. But this was more than merely an attempt at institutional reform. The Puritans were concerned that true Gospel holiness pervaded all spheres of life: church life, family life, community life and, of course, personal life. So great was their concern for holiness that they have come to us as having the reputation of being somewhat gloomy- killjoys we might say. But the truth is something different: the Puritans, for all of their “precision” in both doctrine and conduct, are examples of Gospel-centered joy and devotion, as anyone who has read their works can testify. Yes, they are rigorous and disciplined, but that cannot be confused with being rough and depressed. Rather, the Puritans should be considered as models of spiritual depth and maturity. In fact, spiritual maturity may be their greatest legacy. Hear J.I. Packer:
“What could these zealots [i.e. the Puritans] give us that we need, it is asked.
The answer, in one word, is maturity. Maturity is a compound of wisdom, goodwill, resilience, and creativity. The Puritans exemplified maturity; we don’t. We are spiritual dwarfs.”
There you have it: spiritual maturity displayed. That is the legacy of the Puritans to those who have eyes to see, and their great gift to us today.
Let me, therefore, encourage you: Would you grow strong in Gospel-faith and deep in the true Christian religion? Read the Puritans. Insofar as mere men, with all their imperfections, may help us, these will do so.
Reading with you,
aaron
Sunday, September 16, 2012
The Reason for Christ's Death
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
Finished!
Here are five takeaways for me relative to pastoral ministry, without any elaboration whatsoever:
1. The necessity of caring for the WHOLE flock of god.
2. The diligence required for such care.
3. The means available for such care (particularly, personal instruction of all those in the church).
4. The dangers of avoiding such care.
5. The blessing of attending to such care.
Also, just to give you a little taste of Baxter's vision of a pastor's duty, here is a longer excerpt. He bases it all on Paul's discourse to the Ephesian elders found in Acts 20.
"O brethren! write it on you study doors- set it in capital letters as your copy, that it may be ever before your eyes. Could we but well learn two or three lines of it, what preachers should we be!
[a] Our general business- SERVING THE LORD WITH ALL HUMILITY OF MIND, AND WITH MANY TEARS.
[b] Our special work- TAKE HEED TO YOURSELVES AND TO ALL THE FLOCK.
[c] Our doctrine- REPENTANCE TOWARD GOD, AND FAITH TOWARD OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST.
[d] The place and manner of teaching- I HAVE TAUGHT YOU PUBLICLY, AND FROM HOUSE TO HOUSE.
[e] His diligence, earnestness, and affection- I CEASED NOT TO WARN EVERY ONE NIGHT AND DAY WITH TEARS. This is what must win souls, and preserve them.
[f] His faithfulness- I KEPT BACK NOTHING THAT WAS PROFITABLE UNTO YOU, AND HAVE NOT SHUNNED TO DECLARE UNTO YOU ALL THE COUNSEL OF GOD.
[g] His disinterestedness and self-denial for the sake of the gospel- I HAVE COVETED NO MAN'S SILVER OR GOLD OR APPAREL: YEA, THESE HANDS HAVE MINISTERED UNTO MY NECESSITIES, AND TO THEM THAT WERE WITH ME, REMEMBERING THE WORDS OF THE LORD JESUS, HOW HE SAID, IT IS MORE BLESSED TO GIVE THAN TO RECEIVE.
[h] His patience and perseverance- NONE OF THESE THINGS MOVE ME, NEITHER COUNT I MY LIFE DEAR UNTO ME, SO THAT I MIGHT FINISH MY COURSE WITH JOY, AND THE MINISTRY WHICH I HAVE RECEIVED OF THE LORD JESUS.
[i] His prayerfulness- I COMMEND YOU TO GOD AND TO THE WORD OF HIS GRACE, WHICH IS ABLE TO BUILD YOU UP, AND TO GIVE YOU AN INHERITANCE AMONG ALL THEM WHICH ARE SANCTIFIED.
[j] His purity of conscience- WHEREFORE I TAKE YOU TO RECORD THIS DAY, THAT I AM PURE FROM THE BLOOD OF ALL MEN."
Lord, give us such men as Baxter in our churches, and may I be such a one.
Sunday, September 9, 2012
On my "to read list"
http://www.crossway.org/books/1-and-2-timothy-and-titus-hcj-1/
Friday, September 7, 2012
Note to self...
What charge is Paul referring to here? Looking at verse 1:3, we see that it was the charge that "certain persons not teach any different doctrine" in the church, that is, doctrine that is outside of true Gospel orthodoxy. Thus, while some perceive the practice of guarding doctrine both divisive and pedantic, Paul saw it as the pathway to love and purity, to "a good conscience and a sincere faith."
Note to self then: doctrine and love are not incompatible.
The Pastor's Books
"The pastor’s work and the pastor’s books are inseparable. Since dialogue with scripture and tradition is so central to pastoral care, it is to be expected that the life of the pastor will be deeply enmeshed in the meditative reading, thoughtful study, and care of good books. Since the pastor’s time is limited, selection of excellent books is a consequential pastoral decision."
Oden, T. C. (1987). Becoming a Minister. Classic Pastoral Care (159). New York: Crossroad.
Monday, September 3, 2012
Interviewing the Apostle
Thus, in preparation for preaching 1 Peter 2:9-10 in a couple months, here are some of the questions I'm asking Peter. The list is not exhaustive (and is in no particular order).
Sunday, September 2, 2012
A Great Pastor's Greatest Weakness
"My biggest weakness is that I am profoundly shy. I am not quick to make friends, nor even to interact with the friends I have been blessed with. Though I am confident in the depth of the love I have for the sheep under my care, I likewise understand why that love may not seem so evident to the sheep. My shyness is, I suspect, a corollary to a deeper problem, that I want to be liked. My reputation matters far more to me than it should."
Read the whole thing at http://www.ligonier.org/blog/10-important-things-ask-potential-pastor/
Saturday, September 1, 2012
Sermon outline draft
In October I will be doing one of my favorite things: speaking at the InterVarsity large group meeting at the University of Wisconsin Stevens Point, my alma mater.
I will be preaching on the theme of "belonging" from 1 Peter 2:9-10. Below is the first stage of my outline draft. Please pray for the time, that the saints would be built up and unbelievers called.
Purpose: to answer the question "Where do I belong?" from a biblical perspective.
Text: 1Peter 2:9-10
Thesis: God calls us in Christ to belong...
1. To Himself.
2. To His People.
3. To His Purpose.
Again, please pray!
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
Follow-up on anxiety
Here, too, is a fantastic excerpt: “Anxiety is vigilance out of control—hyper-vigilance, stuck vigilance. You scan…and scan…and scan your environment worried about the ‘what ifs’ of life. Anxiety is toxic scanning. Anxiety is also vigilance trying to maintain control in a self-protective and self-sufficient way. Anxiety is vigilance minus faith in God.”
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
Anxiety and Ministry
Saturday, August 25, 2012
Following the Method of Christ
"Jesus' debates with the Pharisees, Sadducees, and the leaders of this nation were mainly concerned with the interpretation of the Bible. Their interpretations were wrong and as a result they did not believe in him.
Jesus not only told them that they were wrong, but on many occasions told them why they were wrong. He frequently prefaced his explanation of their error with the question 'Have you not read?' On one level this was simply a way of reminding them of the content of Scripture, and of pointing out to them that the truth would be found in the Scripture. On another level the question, 'Have you not read?' challenged then to question their understanding of the meaning of Scripture. If they had read it carefully, and understood it as God intended, then they would believe in Jesus, not oppose him. Even his own disciples were 'foolish', and 'slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken'; Jesus had to open both their minds and the Scriptures for them to believe in him and understand the OT [Old Testament] revelation (Luke 24:25-27).
Christian preachers should make sure that they teach the same biblical theology as Jesus taught. His interpretation of the OT, and his summary of his own teaching is found in Luke 24:44-47: 'This is what I told you when I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms...The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations...' Jesus attempted to teach true biblical theology; that is, to interpret the OT as pointing to him."
P.J.H. Adams, "Preaching and biblical theology," from The New Dictionary of Biblical Theology.
Friday, August 24, 2012
A Plea for Diligent, Undistracted Pastors
Richard Baxter, on the importance of a pastor giving himself wholly to the work of training and teaching of each member of his congregation:
"It will do good to many ministers, who are too apt to be idle, and to mis-pend their time in unnecessary discourse, business, journeys, or recreations. It will let them see that they have no time to spare for such things; and thus, when they are engaged in so much pressing employment of so high a nature, it will be the best cure for all that idleness, and loss of time. Besides, it will cut off that scandal, which usually [attends such idleness]; for people are apt to say, 'Such a minister can spend his time at [sporting events, or games], or [in] vain discourse; and why may not we do so as well as he?' Let us all set diligently to this part of our work, and then see what time we can find to spare to live idly, or in a way of voluptuousness, or worldliness, if we can."
May God grant me, and all involved in ministry, to do the work with all our might!
Thursday, August 16, 2012
The Message and the Method of the Cross
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
More on online education...
http://www.alexchediak.com/2012/08/dont-confuse-technology-with-college-teaching.php
Monday, August 13, 2012
Seminaries, Churches, and Spiritual Formation
Saturday, August 11, 2012
David's strength and ours
Sunday, August 5, 2012
Do we need the original languages?
Of note today was Piper's chapter, "Brothers, Bitzer Was a Banker." In it, Piper makes a plea for pastors to become well-versed in the original languages of Scripture- Greek and Hebrew. He tells of a man named Heinrich Bitzer, who was ardently committed to knowing the original languages of the Bible. And the kicker was this: Bitzer was a banker. Not a pastor. Not an Old Testament professor. A banker. How much more, Piper contends, should pastors be committed to Greek and Hebrew, seeing as it is the nature of their office to expound the Word of God with accuracy and power!
Piper goes on, then, to show some of the reasons pastors need to know the original languages. I thought it perhaps helpful to give them here...
1. Without the original languages, "the confidence of pastors to determine the precise meaning of the Biblical text diminishes" (82).
2. "...the uncertainty of having to depend on differing translations- which always involve much interpretations- will tend to discourage careful textual analysis in sermon preparation" (82).
3. As a result of all of this, "[expository] preaching...falls into disuse and disfavor" (83).
4. "Another result when pastors do not study the Bible in Greek and Hebrew is that they, and their churches with them, tend to become second-handers. The harder it is for us to get at the original meaning of the Bible, the more we will revert to the secondary literature" (83).
5. "Weakness in Greek and Hebrew also gives rise to exegetical imprecision and carelesseness. And exegetical imprecision is the mother of liberal theology."
6. "...when we fail to stress the use of Greek and Hebrew as valuable in the pastoral office, we create an eldership of professional academicians" (84). By this Piper means that it is no longer pastors who are the masters of the Word, but only those outside the church, those in seminaries and universities.
7. As a result of number 7, then, Piper contends there results a "depreciation of the pastoral office" (84).
8. Finally, in quoting Martin Luther, Piper warns that "if we neglect the literature [i.e. the Scriptures in the original languages] we shall eventually lose the gospel" (87).
What think you? Is Piper off course? Are the original languages that necessary?
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
Jesus our Life
Jesus compares his ministry at one point to a doctor working with the sick. It is really a wonderful illustration. But it only goes so far. You see, a doctor gives to his patients something outside of himself- some medicine or something- to make them well. But Jesus - he gives us himself. He himself is our cure, our life.
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
The Drama of Redemption
v. 11- The Main Characters: Jews ("the circumcision") and Gentiles ("the uncircumcision").
v. 12- The Conflict: Gentiles are "separated," "alienated," "strangers," "having no hope," and "without God in the world."
v. 13- The Turning Point: "...in Christ Jesus" the Gentiles "have been brought near."
vv. 14-18- The Twist: Jews and Gentiles "both one" in Christ.
vv. 19-20- The Resolution: Gentiles "no longer strangers and aliens," but are "fellow citizens."
v. 21- The Climax: Jews and Gentiles in Christ together a "holy temple in the Lord"
v. 22- The Moral: "...you also"?
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
Preaching Christ
Christ was the continually spotlighted element in Paul's ministry. Even if we did not have an explicit statement telling us this, as we do here in Colossians (see also 1 Corinthians 2:2; 2 Corinthians 4:5), we would still know it to be true from what is the general tone and content of his many sermons and epistles: Christ is simply everywhere.
But why is this so for him? The Bible is a very large book, much of it not explicitly mentioning our Lord. So why was Paul's life and ministry so explicitly "Christ-focused"?
The answer is this: because the Bible itself is "Christ-focused."
Christ is the centerpiece of all God's revelation. All of salvation history moves toward Christ, and all the parts find themselves tied together in him. The whole of the biblical plot-line (if we understand the big picture), features Jesus of Nazareth as its main character. Whether explicitly (as in the Gospels for example), or implicitly (as in the Prophets for instance), in God's divine redemptive drama, Christ has the lead role.
Tim Keller expresses this truth concisely and draws out the implications of it in such a way that I think Paul would heartily agree with:
"There are two ways to read the Bible. The one way to read the Bible is that it’s basically about you: what you have to do in order to be right with God, in which case you’ll never have a sure and certain hope, because you’ll always know you’re not quite living up. You’ll never be sure about that future. Or you can read it as all about Jesus. Every single thing is not about what you must do in order to make yourself right with God, but what he has done to make you absolutely right with God. And Jesus Christ is saying, “Unless you can read the Bible right, unless you can understand salvation by grace, you’ll never have a sure and certain hope. But once you understand it’s all about me, Jesus Christ, then you can know that you have peace. You can know that you have this future guaranteed, and you can face anything."
Sunday, July 22, 2012
So you think you're tough, eh?
Saturday, July 21, 2012
New position
It is my tremendous joy to announce to anyone tuning in to my blog that beginning in September I will be taking a part-time staff position at Woodlands Church. I will be working with pastor John Jordens in the area of small groups and (hopefully) helping to develop a series of classes that will further the cause of adult Christian education in our congregation.
I cannot begin to express how grateful I am to my pastors and elders for giving me this opportunity to serve Christ and his body. I am filled with both eagerness and holy fear as I make this transition and will try earnestly to keep you updated on the progress of things.
Pray for me.
Grace be with you all.
Sunday, July 15, 2012
To pastor is to suffer
"...the common way of escaping suffering [is] to neglect the duty that would expose us to it. If we did our duty faithfully, ministers would find the same lot among professed Christians as their predecessors have done among Pagans and other infidels. But if you cannot suffer for Christ, why did you put your hand to his plough [sic]? Why did you not first sit down and count the cost? This makes the ministerial work so unfaithfully executed, because it is so carnally undertaken; men enter upon it as a life of ease, and honour [sic], and respectability, and they resolve to attain their ends, and have what they expected right or wrong. They looked not for hatred and suffering, and they will avoid it, though by avoiding of their work."
Thursday, July 5, 2012
First Sermon
This was my first sermon in an actual local church setting. I've preached on occasion before this outside of a local congregation, but somehow this felt different. To bring the Word to God's people on the Lord's day seems more weighty than at other times. Perhaps I am mistaken on this, but nonetheless the event was significant for me and I trust it is a step along the path of the Lord's appointing.
Now for the nitty gritty, as they say. How did the sermon "go"? Below is my attempt to self-assess my message (admittedly a dangerous task), including the good, the bad, and the ugly.
The Good
On several points, I'm not ashamed of my sermon from Sunday. First, as best as I knew how, I stuck to the text. To my knowledge, I didn't swerve to the right or to the left of the passage's meaning or the author's intent. Second, and related, as best as I knew how I maintained a "Gospel-centered" approach. Titus 2:11-14 of course makes this easy- Paul's focus is on how one's life ought to be lived in light of the Gospel- but nonetheless I tried to keep coming back to the Good News. Lastly (for now), I felt as though in general my "nerves" had little effect on my delivery.
The Bad
One thing that, were I able to do it again, I would change in my sermon relates to how I address my audience. Specifically, I would intentionally address unbelievers as unbelievers and press them with their need for Christ. Of course, there are good ways and bad ways to do this (it's annoying at best to hear the Gospel tacked on at the end of a sermon, totally disconnected from the message as a whole). Still, the bad apples ought not make us swear off fruit altogether. Another "bad" aspect of my message was the way in which I backed off on bringing in corroborating Scripture to bolster and refine my exposition. This was partly my fault, partly the result of restrictions imposed on my by my professor (as much as the message was for Community Church it also happened to work out that it filled a class requirement I have). Still, I feel as though this was a negative thing for me to do: in my future preaching I will aim at bringing in whatever texts I sense will help clarify the message and teach God's people his Word.
The Ugly
While in general my nerves didn't affect me, this is not to say they had zero impact on me- one of the sore spots of my sermon was the fact that I completely passed over a rather large portion of my message. No one in the congregation noticed, but I did (about half-way through), and it threw me a bit. On the upside, the part I blanked on was exactly the part I had told the Lord in prayer that morning, " Lord, I'm not so sure these parts fit." Perhaps the Lord thought the same thing and providentially helped me to "forget."Nonetheless, I learned a lesson. One more "ugly" thing in my judgment concerned my closing prayer. More and more I think it important to prepare for this portion of the sermon as much as for the rest. This is I'm sure more a matter of personal taste and what one is comfortable with, but for my own money I intend to no longer "wing it." Lastly, the only thing I can say is that it felt as though I had lead weights on every part of my body. My intention is never to be hyperactive in the pulpit, but still I hope to be dynamic and use my body to reinforce the message. I felt as though this was lacking.
Well, I'm sure there is more- much more- but for now these are some things I learned last weekend and will no doubt assist me in any future opportunities to preach the Lord will give me.
Saturday, June 23, 2012
Valley of Vision: Christlikeness
Christlikeness
Father of Jesus,
Saturday, June 16, 2012
Your preaching...stinks
The highlight of the week was preaching on James 4:11-12 before my fellow students. While there is obviously stress involved in prepping for and delivering a message that will be evaluated by your peers (not to mention by your professor), the experience is overwhelmingly positive in nature and incredibly educational. In particular, the following "lessons" I found helpful, so helpful I thought I'd pass them along.
1. We preach before God.
It is a terrifying thing to know that every eye in the room is literally filling out an evaluation form as you preach. Everything about your sermon, from introduction to conclusion, exegesis to eye contact, your fellow students and teacher are giving you a score on. All of this equals one thing: pressure.
Ultimately, however, standing before your peers reminds you that one day you will stand before the Lord himself, who will ask us to give an account for each word we've ever uttered, every sermon we've ever preached. Surely this is the greater motivation for excellence in exposition.
2. We preach before humans.
We preach before God. But we also preach before and to flesh and blood. One of the lessons I learned on this point was the importance of clarity in preaching. This applies not only to our words, but also to body language. Everything in the pulpit either helps clarify our message or obscure it. For instance, I learned of myself that I tend to both pace and tap the tips of my fingers together ("spider fingers") as I preach, something others found distracting. While painful to find out, such things are necessary to learn as I think about communicating the Word to others. Of course, we don't want to take this too far- some preachers are overly self-conscious of the way they are "coming off" to others. But this doesn't mean we don't strive for clarity in every sense.
3. We preach in real life.
I was tempted to think that since I would be away from work and home, preparing for my message would come easier for me than if I had been in my "normal" routine. But real life follows us everywhere. Driving an hour into the city each way, each day, through Chicago traffic proved exhausting. As did living out of a hotel room. Focus came hard. It was a good reminder that preaching never happens under sterile conditions- life is messy. Even on the very morning of my message, on the way into the city, my wife and I saw what appeared to be an awful motorcycle accident just outside our hotel. Any hope of concentrating after that was shot. But, in the end, God is gracious and gives all that is necessary to get his Word out.
4. We preach imperfectly.
My preaching, ultimately, stinks. Others may not think so (necessarily), but I know the truth. I know where I messed up, lost track, and didn't accurately communicate what I wanted to say. I further know that even if I had hit all my points perfectly according to plan, nothing I could have come up with could do justice to the glory of God's Word- I will always fall short of its purity. The treasure is indeed in clay pots, the message is uttered through faltering lips. And yet, God is pleased to use it. The wonder of all wonders is that the Lord condescends to work with such insufficient tools, and our words...in some inexplicable way...become his. How great a God we serve!