I'd rather be wise than smart!

I'd rather be wise than smart!

There are two people (who will remain anonymous) that I was thinking about when I wrote this blog. Before I go to far, I must say I am not writing this out of anger or spitefulness, but out of a deep love and concern for these two and the many more out there like them.

The first individual is a young man who is smart.  Smart, smart.  Not book smart, but savvy.  He's one of the few, who could actually sell ice to an Eskimo.  The problem is he knows it.  I don't know his IQ score, but it certainly is higher than mine and in the times we have disagreed over things I have always felt he had a leg up on me.  It is often difficult to refute what he says.  Not because he is right, but because he is a quick thinker, and proud of his knowledge.

The second individual is book smart.  He knows his stuff.  When he decides he wants to learn about something, he studies it from all sides.  He is currently pursuing a doctorate from Seminary, this dude knows his Bible.  I can appreciate the vast library that runs through his head.  He is smart, book smart.  The problem is he knows it.  He has become proud of his knowledge.  He won't admit it, but everyone who knows this man can see it.

And here is the point of my blog today...wisdom is not knowing a bunch of facts.  Knowledge is not wisdom.  Wisdom rather is taking the principles that God teaches us through His Word and putting them into good practice.  In other words, wisdom is being obedient.

I may not always have all the answers to all the questions.  I may not always persuade petulant youngin' with my oratory skills.  I may not know how to parse Greek and Hebrew, but I do know how to recognize wisdom.  I may not always act obedient, though I do realize that wisdom is found in obedience, even on the difficult matters of life.

So I may never be mistaken for a rocket scientist, or a brain surgeon, but in my own daily struggle with the flesh my prayer is that someone, somewhere will, through my obedience to my heavenly Father, see Christ in me.  I hope that is your prayer for yourself as well.

Let us not tear down and destroy

I have a friend (well I have many, but I am talking about one in particular). This friend, who shall remain nameless is, to say the least, misguided.

Let me explain what I mean. This friend has been to Bible college, is way smarter than I am, has all the right mental capabilities to be an amazing Bible teacher and preacher (as a matter of fact I have heard him preach and came away convicted). However, in the handful of discussions we have had over the past two years he has done nothing but rip people and their ministries.

Granted some of his points were very valid and even had plenty of biblical merit. However, each of these very public, and not very public men alike he has disparaged has held to a Biblical view of the most important doctrines (the doctrines pertaining to man, sin, Jesus Christ, the Trinity, salvation, etc.) And yet, nothing I have heard my friend say about these men is encouraging.

I wonder how much my description of my friend actually describes you? Maybe you do not have all of the degrees my friend has, but is your attitude the same? Do you spend more time tearing down and destroying the bride of Christ than you do building it up and encouraging it? (Yes, I see the irony of that question since this installment of my blog seems to be doing that which I am being critical of). Yet, I am genuinely hurt when the bride of Christ is hurt. I am wounded when she is wounded. There are very few things that I cherish as much as the bride of Christ, the local and global genuine church.

Many in our culture are of the opinion that instead of standing for something greater than themselves it is easier to take a stand against something. I want to be a voice that says otherwise. To stand for Christ and His bride is the greatest honor you could ever have, and you do not have to be a paid pastor to stand for the bride of Christ.

Let me share just a couple of passages that if we did well, would go miles in growing unity rather than division among the family of God.

Romans 15:5, "Now may the God who gives perseverance and encouragement grant you to be of the same mind with one another according to Christ Jesus."

1st Thessalonians 5:11, "Therefore encourage one another and build up one another, just as you also are doing."

Philippians 2:1, 2, "Therefore if there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose."

Lest, anyone think I am saying that we do not take a stance on certain issues that seem to be bombarding the church these days I am not. As a shepherd who has been entrusted to oversee the lambs I have been entrusted with, I will be the first to use my staff as a club to beat off wolves (but that is another installment). Instead I want to end by asking a series of questions...

If we are called to encourage one another, what is encouraging in a spirit of criticism?

If we are called to be united in spirit, what is unifying in a spirit of criticism?

If we are called to build one another up, how can we expect to do that if we are hyper-critical at every turn?

If you are like my friend, you (like he) need to repent of your hyper-criticism. Let us hold things of first importance as first importance, but let us not elevate things of a secondary nature to first importance. I rather like the saying that should be given credit to the original author, but alas I do not know the original source (though I'd like to say I came up with it).

In essentials; unity

In non-essentials; diversity

In all things; charity

In our churches this should be our battle cry. Let us stop criticizing unnecessarily and strive for genuine unity which finds its foundation in the blood of Christ.

Praying for our Children

Parents, how do you pray for your children? As a father of five I have prayed countless prayers regarding the welfare of my children.

Like you, I have prayed for the health of my children. Like you, I have prayed for my children to excel in school. Like you, I have prayed that my children would do well in sports. Like you, I have petitioned the Lord for Christlike characteristics to be displayed in my children; attributes such as, patience with their siblings, obedience to myself and their mother, respect for their elders, teachers, and other authority figures in their lives. I have also, especially for my daughters, been praying for their spouses that they haven't even met yet. I have worn holes in my jeans asking that my children would be caring, that they would have servant hearts, and that they would display humility. All of these things I am certain you have spent time praying your own children to display.

I would contend, however, that as parents who genuinely want the best for their children we can at times ask for the wrong things, or perhaps a better way to say it is that we have elevated secondary things to first importance in our prayer lives.

Consider how Jesus prayed for Peter in Luke 22:31, 32, "Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has demanded permission to sift you like wheat; but I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail; and you, when once you have turned again, strengthen your brothers."

There are a couple of very important things that jump out at me from this passage. First of all, Jesus was well aware that Peter would fail miserably and sin against Him in a very devastating and personal way. As parents we should fully anticipate that our children will also, sometimes rather consistently, fail miserably and sin against us in devastating and personal ways as well. There is a real probability that not only will our children refuse to acknowledge us, but even more painful they will also likely at some point in their live choose to deny their Creator and Savior Jesus Christ.

We should not necessarily take this as some commentary on our ability to parent. If Jesus' most personal disciples can deny Him and it not be a commentary on Jesus' ability to raise up others, neither should we take it as a commentary when our children choose to deny everything that we have brought them up to believe either.

The second thing that so clearly speaks to me from this passage in Luke is how Jesus prays for Peter, the one who He knew would deny Him and reject the faith. Jesus didn't pray for Peter's physical well being, but rather Jesus' main concern was for Peter's spiritual well being. Jesus prayed that Peter's faith would be restored.

All our prayers for our children that I mentioned in the first couple of paragraphs are all well and good, we should want health for our children. We should want them to excel in all that they endeavor. But, if our first prayer for our children is not that when the inevitable difficult times of their faith journey come about, that their faith would be restored we are missing the mark; we are praying for more tangible things and neglecting the most important things.

Parents let us not be neglectful in how we pray for our kids. Spend time praying for their faith to be strengthened. Even better yet, spend some time with your spouse praying for the faith of your children. And like Jesus, pray before hand for your children that when the difficult times in life come, that their faith would be restored and that because of the strength of their faith they would be an encouragement to others.

God bless you, and may God bless your children.

Can you really live the gospel?

"Preach the gospel and if necessary use words." We've all heard this famous quote by Saint Francis of Assisi. The question we need to ask ourselves, however, is this...is this even possible?

Don't misunderstand what I am saying. I completely comprehend the sentiment. Live well, live as if you have been transformed by Christ. But for many people I know they live by this principle. Living to the best of their ability but never sharing the vital truths of the gospel with those whom they care about.

But living well, living a moral life, living with exceptional ethics is not the gospel. The gospel rather is the truth that we are all willing sinners who break the statutes of a holy and just God. This holy and just God loves the epitome of His creation, you and I, to the degree that He sent His one and only son, who never sinned Himself, to pay the penalty of our sins, which is something we could never do on our own. By His substitutionary death on the cross Jesus has made it possible for us to be called sons and daughters of our Creator God.

That is the gospel. Not right living!

How do you say all of this by "living right"? The answer is that you can't. Preaching involves words not actions. And no matter how many times you try and show someone the gospel through actions alone you will fail. To share the gospel you must open your mouth. To share the gospel means you must speak the gospel.

That does not mean that we do not try and live right, but if we are to make disciples our conduct alone will not cut it. To preach the gospel by its definition means we must use words. The question that remains is are you willing to do so, or are you going to continue to walk the path of least resistance and hope your actions are enough to get someone else into God's good graces.

The Importance of Genuineness

Being a young Pastor with the ambition of next year transporting my family back to my home town to begin a church plant I am often times peppered with questions as to the what, where, when and why's. Most of the time those questions just seem like the polite things to ask and that people are really disinterested or at most trying to figure out why I feel a need to start one more church when the "world already has so many."

However, every once in awhile some will ask a question along the lines of, what do you feel this current generation is searching for? In my albeit somewhat nontraditional experience I would say that whereas the previous generation seemed to be drawn by professionalism, things need to be very polished and pristine, most in my generation are concerned first and foremost with genuineness. People what to know that we believe (to use sales vernacular) in the product we are selling.

They want to know that we are not "fake", that we have faults and will admit to them, that we won't say one thing to their face all the while practicing something completely different. People are not searching for the correct answer on the test (though we sometimes seem to think they are with the amount of "truth" we push on them, please do not misunderstand I am as willing to die on many a theological hill as the next), they are however, concerned with seeing our faith in action. I am not talking strictly in the working at the local soup kitchen sense (though presenting the Gospel with our hands and feet is a good indicator of our genuineness).

However, we need to ask ourselves are we living a life trying in vain to keep people at arms length so that they do not see our personal sins, because after all we should know better. Or are we inviting people into our lives in order that they can see that we are an imperfect people in desperate need of a perfect Savior. Are we allowing people to see our weaknesses and vulnerability in order that they may also see and experience they strength and power of our Risen Lord Jesus Christ as He gives us victory over our trials and temptations.

I recently spent a weekend at a men's retreat at was encouraged by the amount of time we spent in hammering home the point that we need to be authentic and accountable to other men (not a new concept, but a very good reminder). It is not very difficult to become too busy in life to feel that we can pour ourselves into others and make disciples. Have you ever stopped to think how that looks to "outsiders"?

If our neighbors, who do not go to church, have a basic understanding of our beliefs (and they do), that apart from saving faith they are going to spend eternity in hell and we are not doing all we can to cultivate a relationship with them, how does that look? Disingenuous to say the least.

I am convinced that one of the things that keeps people from coming in the doors of the church is our vain attempt to keep everything squeaky clean, pristine and white within the walls of the church. Life is not pristine. Life is ugly. Life is painful. Can we admit that? Can we allow others to see how painful our personal lives are? Can we be genuine?

The Idol of Traditionalism

"This is the way we've always done it." The last words of countless dying churches and other para-church ministries. Dying in two ways, one the are dying because their numbers are growing smaller and the cannot afford to keep the doors open any longer and dying because the have become cold and callous towards those whom the proclaim the are trying to reach with the gospel.

I have for several years now had a concern over traditions found in many churches. Do not misunderstand if push came to shove I would certainly affirm many traditions within the bride of Christ, the ordinances aside (which are not actually traditions but commandments by Christ), many churches hold to traditions which are beautiful, beneficial, and biblical. For instance, even though I Pastor a non-denominational community church, I am fan and believer of the various creeds, which when they are put into their historical context help us to be understand and more important better verbalize our faith.

However, I am fearful and disgusted by many man made traditions that many churches hold to. I find that often times churches have forgotten the words and encouragement of Paul to "become all things in order to save a few" (1st Corinthians 9:22); and instead often times they expect all people to conform to our practices.

I am not going to use this forum to decry any particular practices of any particular church, because each church needs to look at itself and ask the question why do we do what we do. I will, however, take the opportunity to prescribe the antidote for the sinful practice of traditionalism. I believe that the reason that most churches hold fast to tradition rather than contextualize their practices is because they have forgotten who the audience is on Sunday mornings (or any other worship service for that matter).

Let me explain. When we gather in God's house, whether it be Sunday morning, Sunday evening, Wednesday evening, or any other time for that matter; we are gathering to adore, praise, worship, and thank God the Father for the many blessings that He has bestowed upon us. We are not there for ourselves, we are there for God. He is the audience, we are not! I fear, in fact I have seen many feel that church is mainly for them, that they are there to receive something. And it is for that reason that they are quick to hold on to traditions, because it is what comforts them, it is what pleases them. Indeed, tradition, is what gives some their worth.

As I have already said, I am not against all tradition. Many traditions are very much beneficial to the individual as well as the Bride of Christ as a whole. While there may not be anything sinful in our practices in and of themselves, I worry that we have forgotten that we are to esteem others above ourselves and that could very well mean that we need to set aside practicing our favorite things (as long as they are not actual commandments) in order that we might include those to whom our traditions mean next to nothing and have wonderful fellowship with one another, particularly the unchurched.

I want to end this entry with a quote from a man who was a greater pastor/preacher than I will ever be. This man's lecture series which became published under the title Preaching and Preachers has been invaluable to me and it is from this book that this quote comes. In it Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones also addresses the idol of traditionalism, and he says this, "How different the state of our churches would be if we were all as concerned to be orthodox in our beliefs as we are to be orthodox in our conformity to 'the thing to do' and 'the done thing' in the churches."

God's Blessings Through His Commands

It has been a little over two years since I have blogged. With the boom of everything viral and on the internet in general, I am quickly coming to the understanding that to be relevant to the next generation of unbeliever's I need to be more intentional and diligent in attempting to blog.

If you know me personally, you most likely know that my wife just gave birth to our fifth child. We are now the proud parents of three boys and two girls, ages 11-new born. Some may read that previous line and be expecting some parenting advice. That will not be the case. I am a father who fumbles over his duties more often than he would like to admit. (Though my wife I am sure would be able to share some wonderful insights if she ever chooses to blog.)

However, one thing about our son being born did strike me as a wonderful reminder of the blessings that God gives us through of all things the Law and His commands. When our first two boys were born they ended up being circumcised in the hosptial a day or two after they were born. However, two weeks ago when Alexander was born we were notified that there was no one on duty to perform the circumcision and so we took him home and called our family doctor (who is a believer) to perform the circumcision on what happened to be the eighth day since our baby boy's birth.

Which got me to thinking about the commandment God gave the Israelites about circumcising infants on the eighth day (Genesis 17:12). I have heard the comments in my limited experience as a full time Pastor that God has imposed harsh and unrealistic commands and expectations on us. Now I am in no way comparing Israel to the church in this little blog, it is a discussion for a different medium (and by one more trained then I), but I do want to discuss God's "imposition" on us.

While my wife and I were in the hospital this last time, we were told by the nurses that one of the shots they administered to the new borns was a shot of vitamin K. Vitamin K we were told was instrumental for our bodies to help clot our blood. We were also told that the human body does not produce vitamin K on its own until...can you guess it? Day 8!

Could you please explain to me how God through the command to circumcise on day 8 and not sooner can be considered harsh. God created us, He knows how our body works, He afterall formed it. When God told us to circumcise on day 8 he knew that the human body would finally be able to clot the blood that inevitably comes when a young boy is circumcised.

It is a blessing that God told us to wait! I hate to imagine how many tragadies would have happened before the Israelites figured out not to circumcise as soon as the babies were born, or on day two, or on day three...

If it is true that God actually blessed us when considering the command to circumcise on day 8, could it not be true for other commands as well? I am convinced that yes, God does makes commands of His creation (and He has every right to do so) because it brings Him glory. But, He also makes commands of us, because it blesses His creation, which in turn brings Him glory. It is a cyclical argument. And we cannot afford to miss it.

If you and I simply recognize God's commands as bringing Him glory, we can easily and quickly perceive Him, as many do, as a harsh dictator. However, if we recognize only that His commands are for our benefit, we end up promoting the "social gospel", benefitting others, without calling sinners to repentance.

To sum up. God has the right to make demands of His creation; and His demands are indeed instilled to bring Him glory. However, God's commands also bring upon us, His creation, blessings.

Will you not choose today to obey His commands to bring Him glory AND to be blessed?