On Preachers & Preaching

There are days I miss standing before a group of worshippers being able to share messages of hope and encouragement, then there are days I am reminded that serving a church is not an easy job. There are discouragements, frustrations and disappointments. There are people and personalities that will lift you to the heavens and others that will bring you to your knees in prayer.

This week I was reminded just how hard it can be to stand before 500 critics, live in a glass house, or try to love the unloveable. You paste on your best smile, you greet friends and detractors with the same loving concern, but inside your stomach is turning upside down and you head pounds as you struggle to remain a light in moments of darkness.

All that being said, the roll of leadership requires greater discretion, thicker skin, and more temperance and understanding than almost any other job out there. Longsuffering must be one of the foundation principles of those dealing with the souls of men and women.

We strive to shape ourselves into the image of Christ, but that old earthly nature reaches out and grabs us everyone once in a while. How longsuffering is our Father? How much does he endure of our foolishing, disobedience and sin? In the times we are most discouraged with our brethren, it is also the hardest to recieve criticism ourselves.

I know that when my emotions run high, I am not very receptive to constructive criticism. I feel entitled to my wrath and discontent. I was reminded years ago by a wise old minister, to allowing myself a cooling off period. When I really wanted to let one of those fire and brimstone lessons go, to shelve it for a few weeks until I could look objectively at my own emotions. It was amazing how many times when I allowed my head to cool off, I changed the language and tone of my message.

The Worship Controversy

Last night we had a healthy discussion of worship at our Summer Series. I appreciate our facilitator's interest in keeping a balanced approach to the topic while insuring that God's will was at the heart of our discussion.

After sorting through the discussion in my own mind, I have a few observations that I hope are worth further discussion.

• Trying to address all the intricacies of worship is not unique to the 21st Century church. Read 1 Cor. 12-14 and you will see the early church struggled with many of the challenges we face today: individual needs in worship, disruptive actions, losing sight of the object of our worship, ect.
• We still struggle with extremes. There are those who believe that God's silence on a subject is authorization to run headlong towards any spiritual expression that makes them feel good and there are others who would legislate every action of every member while ignoring the spiritual side of our devotion (i.e. John 4:24 - Spirit and Truth).
• We struggle with proper application of scripture. There are individual devotions we offer to God as well our collective assemblies. We need to understand the context and how we apply certain passages. I can't tell you how often I have heard "decently and in order" or "weaker brother" misapplied in order to stop something right and good.
  

One thing is for certain. We will continue to discuss, debate and teach on the topic of worship. My encouragement to each and every person is to be more like the Bereans - "recieve the message with great eagerness and examine the scriptures everyday . . . (Acts 16:11).

Without Excuse

"For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities - his eternal power and divine nature - have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse." Romans 1:20

God revealed himself to you today. He spoke to you through the creation and made his presence known through the immeasurable riches of His majesty and power. I am always amazed at those who see the thorns on a rose, or thunderstorms on the horizon. I am even more shocked by those who can gaze for hours at a mountain stream, or look into the endless expanse of space only to proclaim "there is no God."

I marvel at the symmetry and architechture of a spider's web, the advance planning and work ethic of the ant and the unparalleled beauty of a wildflower. God carved his initials into the landscapes of the Rockies, and signed his masterpiece with oceans of ink.

In creation we see the hand of an artist, the mind of an engineer, and the heart of a romantic. Every inch of creation demands that something, or someone greater than ourselves is responsible. Through creation the invisible attributes of God are clearly seen.

Does God Speak to You?

Does God speak to you? I am convinced that he communicates with me through lots and lots of avenues. I realize that is a dangerous position. If I don't listen very carefully, it is likely I will project my feelings, emotions and theology onto God. There are a lot of people who claim to hear the voice of God, but I find it very hard to accept their modern day revelations.

So, what do I mean when I ask if God speaks to you. We know He reveals his will through the Bible, but we are mistaken if we think that is the only way God interacts with people. Have you ever had someone speak truth into your life in a manner in which it was most needed? Have you ever stepped up and addressed a matter that needed to be dealt with when no one else would? In each case the messenger could very well be serving as a minister, or spokesperson for the will of God.

Let me put it a little different way. What kinds of things take place in your life that serve to keep you focused, walking in God's will and calling you back to repentance? I can't always explain the correlation, but it has happened far to many times for it to be an accident. I start straying away from my foundations, drifting amidst a sea of complacency and self-will and sure enough something happens to call me back to God. Through his creation, through his faithful servants, through tragedy, heartache and pain God lets me know that I am not on the right path.

Sometimes we hear people jokingly say, "It's a God thing." It really is! We are mistaken if we think God sits idly by without interacting in our lives. I have no doubt that God speaks to me, the problem is, I am not always listening like I should.

Country Club Theology

I have to thank a dear friend (who will remain unnamed) for today's blog. In a compelling discussion of church planting and church growth he talked about the culture and life cycles that some churches experience. The points of reference that follow are not true of all churches, but do characterize those I refer to as Country Club groups.

First, there are the founders or charter members. This group controls the keys to the kingdom. They write the original by-laws, manage new memberships and put "important" controls in place. In country club theology, these are the gate-keepers who watch carefully the growth and expansion of the club.

Next, you have the invitees. These are the folks we love to rub elbows with. I recall working in a small church years ago when a "country clubber" made it clear that there were certain people we didn't need to waste our time on in the community. They didn't have the right pedigree, the right skin color, or a sufficient financial portfolio. It ruffled his feathers more than a little bit when I preached on Romans 1:16 the next week.

As the membership grows you start to get the associate members. They can use the facilities (if they meet all the requirements), but they are on probation. As long as they don't challenge the founders, or seek to change the by-laws, or invite any of those "other people," then they are allowed to circle around the center of the founder's universe.

Finally, there are the observers. They are not observers by choice, but they aren't granted a membership card into the club, can't attend policy meetings, but they are allowed to pay their dues and watch what takes place.

I realize that this not the majority of churches, but if you have ever experienced country club theology then you know just how devastating it can be to the Lord's work. God calls all men to repentance, He wants everyone in the club, and I fear for those who would stand at the gates and block entrance to the eternal kingdom.