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“We have got to realize and understand that God will never give you a vision that He also doesn’t give you what it takes to pull it off. That God will never put something on your heart that he also doesn’t give you what it takes to see it through.”
Jonathan Falwell, from his message “Don’t Let the Vision Become the Victim”, preached at Innovate Church 2009 May 18, 2009
The other day, our youth director expressed his disgust with the fact that there seems to be a trend where pastors are trying to look hip. He said “they dress alike. Their churches look alike. The websites are the same. They use the same jargon. They are all trying to compete with Starbucks. There is no uniqueness in their ministries.”
This caused me to think about what God is calling our church to be. What is he calling me to be? Do I need to grow a “soul patch” and give up the “classic look” in order to reach people with the gospel? Or is he calling me and our church to be the unique creation that He called into existence?
A.W. Tozer has a great perspective on this issue. Consider what he wrote 60 years ago concerning the issue of Christian literature. It will provide some thought concerning the call to be you and the issue of the “party line.”
“Christian literature, to be accepted and approved by evangelical leaders of our times, must follow very closely the same train of thought, a kind of “party line” from which it is scarcely safe to depart. A half-century of this in America has made us smug and content. We imitate each other with slavish devotion. Our most strenuous efforts are put forth to try to say the same thing that everyone around us is saying-and yet to find an excuse for saying it, some little safe variation on the approved theme or, if no more, at least a new illustration.” A.W. Tozer, The Pursuit of God, Christian Publications
Thanks Tozer. You have helped me think through the “party line” and make the decision to not grow a “soul patch.”
“The idea of cultivation and, exercise, so dear to the saints of old, has now no place in our total religious picture. It is too slow, too common. We now demand glamour and fast flowing dramatic action. A generation of Christians reared among push buttons and automatic machines is impatient of slower and less direct methods of reaching their goals. We have been trying to apply machine-age methods to our relations with God. We read our chapter, have our short devotions and rush away, hoping to make up for our deep inward bankruptcy by attending another gospel meeting or listening to another thrilling story told by a religious adventurer lately returned from afar.
The tragic results of this spirit are all about us: Shallow lives, hollow religious philosophies, the preponderance of the element of fun in gospel meetings, the glorification of men, trust in religious externalities, quasi-religious fellowships, salesmanship methods, the mistaking of dynamic personality for the power of the Spirit. These and such as these are the symptoms of an evil disease, a deep and serious malady of the soul.”
A.W. Tozer, The Pursuit of God, Christian Publications
A year ago, I posted some thoughts concerning praying for revival in “Incorrect Thoughts Concerning Praying for Revival.” I was encouraged to expand that blog post into an article. The result of the encouragement was an article entitled “The Quest for True Revival.” Empower Ministries International published the article in February. You can request a copy of the article by contacting them through the Empower Ministries website.
As I have looked at the issue of the need for revival in the North American church, I have realized that I needed to change the focus of my revival prayers. The issue was not that I was praying for revival, but how I was praying for it. As I have mentioned in my blog post last year, many have prayed for revival and few have prayed sincerely. How can I make sure that my prayers are sincere?
I believe the answer lies in moving from what I desire to what God wants. It means shifting the focus from revival changing the culture to revival changing the church. So if I take the improper motives that I had for revival prayer and shift the focus, I find that I have three requests that reflect God’s heart for the North American church.
Request #1. Revival will clean up the Church
As I prayed for revival before, my desire was for God to clean up the moral illness of our society. When I shifted my focus from what I desired to what God wants for His church, the nature of my improper motive changed to a genuine request. Now my desire is for God to send revival to clean up the North American church. As I have mentioned before, there is virtually no difference between believers and unbelievers in thought, word and deed. The only difference is church attendance.
When I shift my focus, I realize that the church needs to be cleaned up. The church has to get serious about it sins. It needs to recognize and acknowledge that it reflects the culture more than it does the Savior who purchased her with His blood.
With this proper focus I am asking God to bring the church to the place where the reality of His word is manifested. The church will exemplify the words of Paul as he quotes the Old Testament, “
Come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you.” (2 Cor. 6:17). I am asking God to allow the church to experience victory over sin, so that the words of the writer of Hebrews are realized, “let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us.” (Hebrews 12:1)
Request #2. Revival will restore the Church
In the past, my prayers for revival had been focused on the restoration of the nation to some former glory. But as I shifted the focus of my prayers to what God wants, my request was transformed into a desire for God to restore the church to His glory. Our natural bent is to seek glory. As I prayed for revival in the past, my desire for glory was misplaced. Selfishly I wanted God to bring the culture back to the glorious days, when the church was a respectable part of society. In reality I was not seeking the restoration of glory for the culture, but the church.
While desiring glory for the church is good, I was wrongly seeking it for the church and myself from the culture. The glory that the church should be seeking is God’s. Isaiah tells us that there is where glory truly belongs. Recording the words of God, he writes “everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory.” (Isa 43:7) God created the church to bring Him glory. Selfishly I was seeking glory that did not belong to the church or me. Glory alone belongs to God. So when we shift our focus from self to God, everything we do (preaching, singing, writing, ministry) takes on new meaning as we do it for His glory. So when I pray for revival, I am praying that God will restore the church to His glory.
Request #3. Revival will make the church like Jesus Christ
As I shifted my focus in prayer from what I desired to what God wants, I came to a realization concerning what the ultimate desire of God is for His church. He wants the church to reflect the character and nature of His Son, Jesus Christ. Out of my false sense of comfort, I prayed for the culture to become as the church. Sadly, the church has been becoming like the culture.
The mandate of the scripture is that believers are not to be like the world. John tells us “Do not love the world or anything in the world.” (1 John 2:15). So when I pray for revival, once again my focus shifts from the transformation of society to the transformation of the church. I want the church to become like His Son. This is what Paul was implying when he tells the Romans “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” (Romans 12:2) Praying for revival moves me to ask God to transform the church to the image of His Son, Jesus Christ.
It has been a while since I last posted my thoughts on this blog. Since that last post, a lot has taken place in my life and the church. Last fall I made a statement in a sermon, “It’s time for us to quit doing church and be the church.” That statement plagued my thoughts for several months like a bad song that you cannot seem to get out of your mind. In December I decided to do a series based on that statement after the New Year entitled “Be the Church!“
I started the series in March. When I began to preach the series I had no idea what the response would be. On the first Sunday of the series, our attendance doubled that evening at prayer time. The next week it doubled again. Some who did not attend the first week of the series stated that they felt that God wanted them to come to the prayer time. When they didn’t, they were racked with guilt for the whole week
Usually our prayer times last an hour, now they last two. In fact people hang around for an extra thirty minutes after prayer. Prayer itself has changed. No longer is the focus on asking God for things. Prayer has taken the form of seeking God’s presence in the midst of His people.
I have also noticed several things taking place among those who are responding:
1. A passion for the presence of God
2. A sensitivity to personal sin
3. A growing desire for the Word of God
4. A increased burden for the lost
5. A desire to begin new ministry opportunities.
Things are happening in our church. We have baptized eight individuals since the New Year. Two weeks from now we are going to baptize 3 more. We are getting new visitors every week. It seems that God is bringing people to the church. Every Sunday has become extremely important now.
God is doing something. I have come to realize that I am just a passenger on a journey. I have even given up my side-seat driver’s license.
Therefore, I have decided to post my thoughts and struggles in the coming weeks and months as I watch God begin to do a mighty work in my life and the church.
My family and I spent Thanksgiving with my mother in Columbia, SC. It was only my second visit to her new home in West Columbia. My prior visit was for my younger brother’s funeral in September 2005. On this visit, I realized the significance of where my mother’s home was located. A quarter of a mile away stands a church building where significant spiritual moments occurred in my life.
This building once housed a small Baptist congregation that had a major impact on my life as a new Christian. Consider these spiritual markers in my life that took place in this building.
Fall 1984 – a small group of Christians begin praying for young freshman engineering student from the University of South Carolina. They began to pray for my salvation even though they had never met me.
October 1985 – I was baptized in a make-shift baptismal tank. It was made of plywood and plastic and was located behind the building. It was a cool October morning when I was baptized.
Winter 1985-86 – I sensed the Spirit of God beginning to call me to the gospel ministry. It occurred during a morning worship service.
Spring 1989 – Preached my first sermon here during an adult Sunday school class. The text was 1 Corinthians 12:7-10.
July 1993 – The church ordained me to the gospel ministry and formally sets Lori and me apart to serve the Lord.
Do not neglect the gift that is in you, which was given to you by prophecy with the laying on of the hands of the eldership. Meditate on these things; give yourself entirely to them, that your progress may be evident to all. 1 Timothy 4:14-15 ( NKJV )
I have been gingerly working my way through David Kinnaman’s unchristian: What a New Generation Really Thinks About Christianity. It is a must read book for all pastors and Christians. As I was working my way through chapter 6, “Too Political,” the author makes a point that I believe has application for the interaction that believers have toward one another (ie. blogs, sermons, books). Kinnaman’s point also has implications for how unbelievers see Christians.
…………..As James says, “So whatever you say or whatever you do, remember that you will be judged by the law that sets you free. There will be no mercy for those who have not shown mercy to others” (James 2:12-13).
This has special relevance for a number of reasons. First, in an era of mass media, blogs, and viral videos, it is important to remember that your words and actions may endure in the blogosphere, on YouTube, or on some other digital destination. This is particularly important for those Christians who appear in media, because the stakes are high. What you say and how you say it are important issues of stewardship. You are representing Christ to outsiders, even as you articulate a Christian perspective. And in the context of a sound bite or a media interview, this is a tough challenge. We cannot seek popularity, but we also cannot ignore the listeners who may be making spiritual conclusions about whether Christianity rings true or not. Even if we are speaking from the context of a biblical worldview, many will not interpret our comments from that same perspective. So it is incumbent on us to present things clearly, creatively, and without clichés. And particularly among Christians, our calls to action must provoke each other to self-examination, humility and appropriate engagement. With fellow believers who lack a holistic biblical worldview, we have to be particularly cautious not to create attitudes in them or alarm them in ways that give them an excuse to be unChristian.
By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” John 13:35 (NKJV)
The following is an adaptation of James 3:1-16 that provides some application for the current state of the Christian blogosphere:
Not many of you should presume to be teachers, my brothers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly. We all stumble in many ways. If anyone is never at fault in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to keep his whole body in check.
When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. Likewise the blog is a small part of the internet, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. The blog also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the internet. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.
All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and creatures of the sea are being tamed and have been tamed by man, but no man can tame the blog. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.
With the blog we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same blog come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be. Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? My brothers, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.
Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. Such “wisdom” does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil. For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.
I recently watch Ed Young (Fellowship Church, Grapevine TX) make some comments concerning a serious issue that he called “Church Pirates.” I found his videotaped discussion with his staff and the resulting comments on the blogosphere intriguing. According to Ed, church pirates are individuals who get involved in a church, as leadership or staff. They build a kingdom within the church and at some point go down the street and start a new church. These pirates then suck people and resources from the first church to their new church. When these pirates are confronted, they play the “God card” by stating that God had told them to do it. Ed’s confrontation of this issue has opened a closet to the dark side of the North American church. Consider the points that Ed Young and others have made concerning Church Pirates.
Ed’s main Points
- Church pirates disguise themselves as church planters.
- How many church plants are legitimate church transplants or simply just church splits?
- Most churches that have experienced tremendous growth (2,000 to 3,000) in a short period of time are church splits.
- Laymen always believe the victim not the pastor.
- I am not into moving sheep from place to place or stealing sheep.
- He is seeing more and more of this behavior today.
- He points out that this behavior is unethical and illegal in the world.
- Why are church plants always called to the elite?
- Church planting should always take place in an area with a vacuum or need.
- Super specific ministries suck people away from the church.
- Is it church planting or church transplanting?
The Counter Points from the blogosphere
- We worry about that stuff too much.
- A lot of times it’s God’s way of building the Kingdom. Kind of like the Diaspora. It might not of seemed right at the time, but look at how God used it!
- It’s hard to hear from a guy with a church as big as his.
- Maybe if pastors were able to see more of the need around them and the fact that we don’t need to limit the number of churches in area, since we’re really not in competition (this isn’t the corporate world in many ways) then they would bless these people and send them out.
- It’s hard for me to watch this video because I think it speaks more to pettiness and worldliness than anything else.
- He just really sounds insecure about something that is God’s to begin with.
- He sounds like he is whining over a situation.
- I really think Ed is being sincere, but this problem is perpetuated by the attractional model that Fellowship practices. I would’ve been even more impressed if he had ended by apologizing for the churches that they helped close on their way to huge growth.
Ed’s comments and the counterpoints of others point to deeper issues in the North American church. Here are some thoughts that I have as I digest Ed’s video and the reaction of others.
1. The “ends justify the means” mentality
There is a subtle mentality that embraces pastors today. As they are seeking to build their ministries, many have adopted an “ends justify the means” ethic. This has even been espoused in literature where small churches are viewed as feeders to growing churches.
2. The negative side of church growth
This issue definitely reveals the dark side of the church growth movement. Whereas the movement began with a focus on reaching the lost with the gospel, the reality has been a shift to an emphasis on transfer growth. Statistics reflect that while many churches are experiencing growth, the number of born again believers in North America has not grown in the last ten years.
3. Superstar mentality
This issue is a direct result of the superstar mentality that has engulfed the North American church. Let’s face the facts; the size of your church gives you significance in our church culture. Have you noticed that pastors of smaller ministries are not given national platforms from which to speak? The result is a subtle pressure to succeed so that we will be recognized by our peers.
4. A shallow view of church
Finally this issue reflects a shallow theology concerning the church. Lets be honest, much of the material that is available to pastors today concerning the church is shallow and pragmatic. Church pirates are simply a consequence of a shallow understanding of the church.
A great book to read concerning the issue of transfer growth is William Chadwick’s Stealing Sheep: The Church’s Hidden Problems with Transfer Growth, published by InterVarsity Press.
One of the greatest privileges, that a pastor can have, is the opportunity to disciple and mentor another young man. In the grace of God, I was given an opportunity to spiritually interact in the life of a young man who started attending our church last year. This young man is studying for the ministry through the distant learning program of Liberty University.
As I have entered into this mentoring relationship with this young man, I have been confronted with two examples from scripture that are polar opposites: Paul / Timothy and Eli / Samuel. While I would love to say that I am like Paul, I am struck with a fear that I am more like Eli.
We remember Eli from 1 Samuel as the High Priest of Israel. His sons had gone wrong. Even though he handled the sacred daily, no revelation of God through His word was personally revealed to him. He had to rely on the word of others to give him guidance (1 Sam. 2:27-36; 3:17-18). In fact he has to have the young man (Samuel) tell him the word of the Lord.
So as I have struggled with the fear of becoming Eli, I have been struck by three thoughts:
1. Do I handle the sacred so much that I am not communicating a real faith to my children? That is a real issue. There is a danger in being a pastor where the sacred becomes trivial and communicating that to my children.
2. Do I receive a fresh word from the Scripture daily? Or do I rely on the word that has been revealed to the young man or others? There is a danger in being a pastor where our personal walk with God can become non-existent. The end result is that we come to the place where we must rely on others for guidance from the Lord.
3. Does the information I impart come from knowledge or experience? Do I simply know about God or Do I know Him? The implication of 1 Samuel is that Eli knew how to interact with God, but the text implies that he did not experience that in his latter life.
The reality of becoming Eli is real. It is a subtle and gradual digression in one’s life, if we do not take care to watch over our souls.
Lord, grant me the grace to recognize the tendency to be Eli, and the obedience and tenderness of heart to be like Paul.
