The Disastrous Emerging Church - Part 2

A few days ago, I spent some time with a couple of the disasters that are coming from the Emerging Church. I took a little time to point out two of the problems that are very subtly finding their way into our churches. Doctrinal indifference has found its way in to pulpits who are concerned with “ministering” to “felt needs.” This style of preaching caters to the idea that the folks in the pews are stressed out and need to find some “word” of encouragement for “relevant” living. Furthermore they do not need to be exposed to the heaviness of doctrine and other ideas that are present in the Word of God.

Doctrine is too deep and unnecessary for we should just “love Jesus”, so they say. But as one looks to the owner’s manual of preaching/pastoral ministry in the pastoral epistles, Paul declared that the very first and primary reason for Scripture was doctrine (2 Timothy 3:16-17). As you read through this passage you also discover that for a righteous man to be thoroughly furnished that the preaching he hears will contain doctrine, reproof, correction, and instruction in righteousness. If this is not a part of the steady stream of Word that a congregation is receiving, its immune system will not be at an optimal level to ward off the spiritual diseases that are so prevalent. Brothers, we must preach the Doctrine of the Apostles! I might also add that all of these categories that Paul listed are low on the list in far too many places today.

Secondly, a false sense of humility tries to efface itself in the face of certainty. The Emergents say that no-one can be really certain about salvation. Doug Pagitt, one of the Emergent ringleaders, has endorsed and incorporated the use of yoga with prayer. Talk about another spirit! However, when he was confronted by this exact thought, he hedged and questioned if one could even know for certain that those who practice Eastern mysticism are lost. It appears to me that Pagitt’s familiarity with the Bible is at an all-time low. On the other hand, when you have a very low regard of Scripture as many Emergents do, we should not be surprised at such ideations.

This brings me to the third point the Emergents are doing: They are mocking a strong and solid Biblical message.

Rob Bell, another one of the highly read authors of the Emerging Church, along with his wife was quoted in Christianity Today with the following statement:

"Life in the church had become so small," Kristen says. "It had worked for me for a long time. Then it stopped working." The Bells started questioning their assumptions about the Bible itself—"discovering the Bible as a human product," as Rob puts it, rather than the product of divine fiat. "The Bible is still in the center for us," Rob says, "but it's a different kind of center. We want to embrace mystery, rather than conquer it."

"I grew up thinking that we've figured out the Bible," Kristen says, "that we knew what it means. Now I have no idea what most of it means. And yet I feel like life is big again—like life used to be black and white, and now it's in color." [Andy Crouch, "The Emergent Mystique," Christianity Today (November 2004).]

This was about the time (2004) that Rob Bell’s books begin to hit and they were almost gobbled up like candy. It appealed to a younger generation that was at odds with the operation of church life. It appealed to those who knew little oHowever, when you are greatly uncertain about the Word of God it will be cause you to seek out other alternatives. Bell’s NOOMA video series was also widely accepted and the pied piper of the Emergents was in business. In addition to Bell’s material, Brian Maclaren has literally emasculated Paul’s epistles in many of his books.

Some may wonder why I am spending this much time perhaps provoking your mind and your spirit with to tone of these last two blog entries. The answer is very simple, I am hoping to at least encourage your sense of discernment.

Consider this following video which is a parody of Rob Bell’s NOOMA “Bullhorn Guy” which is a far reach in itself to get the church to soft soap its message. This parody is called “Bullwhip Guy” and sadly this clip may be a parody for those who really believe an absolute message but it is truth for the Emergents.

So the Emergents simper that I am a Pharisee because I believe in a solid, Scriptural plan that calls for a sense of holiness and separation from the world. Now they are raging that in addition to being a Pharisee, I am a “Bullwhip Guy.” I can’t seem to win for losing but one thing is for certain, they may change their characterizations of me but I am certainly not going to change my message to accommodate them!

More to come. . . .

The Disastrous Emerging Church - Part 1

When all the wooing is done, when all the conversation is over, when all the dialogue is completed, and when all the “coolness” has been delivered, what has been masked as Kool-aid is really going to be poison to the soul of the Church. Listen carefully to the voices and take in all of the sound bites. You might even read their books or better yet go to their conferences and memorize their sermons but soon you will come to discover that someone is trying to buy the vineyard. . . . but only if you are discerning enough to not let the package confuse you.

For those who refuse to sell this vineyard, it very well could be stolen from them. Naboth’s greatest legacy was that he gave his life for his heritage. Something that had been delivered to him from the previous generation was so precious that he was unwilling to part with it. Even the king’s money was not enough to dissuade him. What I really admire about Naboth is that he did not even flinch or buckle to the social pressure or political presence of Ahab.

I have some heritage in me that I am unwilling to sell! One particular incident where my heritage takes me goes back twenty-seven years ago when I was 14 years old. My parents took me to my very first General Conference in Louisville, Kentucky. The first service we went to was a Harvestime broadcast recording that featured Hugh Rose who led us in “I See A Crimson Stream of Blood.” It was a very powerful shaping moment in my young life to see that many folks singing one of our solidly doctrinal songs written by G. T. Haywood. After this N. A. Urshan and C. M. Becton preached the message.

It was at this conference that some young men were allowed to preach General Conference. Rex Johnson, who was our General Youth President, preached one night. The next night, another young pastor from Raleigh, North Carolina, named Wayne Huntley preached a message that I will never forget. He preached on the necessity of revival and the mandate of staying with the apostolic doctrine. About ¾’s through his message, he asked every preacher who was 35 and under that was going to continue to preach the apostolic message with passion and power to stand and wave their handkerchiefs. The building exploded with men who shook the rafters and waved a sea of white. I was sitting in the risers on the right side of the platform and was literally overwhelmed at that scene. So if you think that I shall sit back 27 years later and not let my dissenting voice be heard, you are terribly wrong. I was not a preacher back then and certainly had no idea that I would ever be one but time passed and God’s calling came and here we are!

Of late (the last two years or so) many have been inundated by the siren song of the Emergents or the Emerging Church. This is particularly an alluring voice in our age of uncertainty. Because everyone has an opinion and talk shows have allowed the foolish to call in and air their grievances to the masses, suddenly “experts” have arisen from under their rocks. What they are bringing to us from under their rocks is a very convoluted view of Scripture and biblical doctrine that has been mixed with worldly philosophy and new methods. What is occurring is what one of our “top-gun” preachers in the UPCI told me less than a year ago, “Preachers these days are bored with preaching and praying.” When we turn our sights from prayer and ministry of the Word, our days of effective ministry will become very limited.

I personally do not think that all of this was initially taken up with the intent to embrace the uncertainty of the Emerging Church. Many of these ideas were taken up in an effort to assist with church growth. We read their books and decided that we would take the good and toss the bad. However, we live in times where there are many seducing spirits that aren’t as easily recognizable as the outright doctrines of devils. Therein is the danger because the more familiar we become with books, techniques, and men the less familiar we become with the Book, the Apostolic method, and God.

Some who are reading this blog may question, what in the world are you writing about? I haven’t the foggiest idea what the Emerging Church is and it really does not effect me. I thought the same thing about 2 years ago too but now as a few miles are starting to stack up, it almost would seem as if everywhere I look there is tiny piece of error that is working its way into the Church.

I will leave a few key points about the Emergents and then post some other things in a few days that will further shed light on this new fad we are facing.

Doctrinal Indifference

The Emerging Church is afraid to say anything that appears to have any Scriptural certainty. They are not certain if there is a Hell or if the Buddhists, Hindus, and Muslims will not in the end be saved. In fact, if you read Velvet Elvis by Rob Bell, he did not take very long establishing that he was a universalist. This is a trendy and cool thought for the Emergents to embrace especially in light of their desperation to undo the possibility of hell.

There is great hesitation to embrace any certainty of a strong concept of any salvation message. For those who do say with certainty that there is a specific and Scriptural mode of salvation, a doctrine of separation from the world, and a very clear-cut and defined judgment in the future, they are scoffed at. Not only are they scoffed at but they become shouted down, smirked upon with elitism, and winked at with degrading toleration as a bunch of Pharisees. This is the foxy methods of Brian Maclaren, Rob Bell, Donald Miller and a few others. Doctrinal certainty and great devotion to Scripture is not what makes one a Pharisee. Pharisees become such by the direction of their heart and spirit.

So to further stab home the point of this Pharisee characterization, a parade of harlots, misfits, and down-and-outers are passed in front of us and exalted (not literally but in the metaphorical content of “preaching”). The problem with this is that situational ethics is used to determine doctrine. Nothing could be further from the Truth. The woman in John 4 was a real winner in the eyes of society but her approach to the Christ was correct and she was led into the Kingdom. What is often forgotten by the “Pharisee hunters” is that in the chapter immediately preceding, a Pharisee (imagine that!), was given incredible insight into salvation. Such was his devotion to the Lord that some historians believe that Nicodemus was one of those involved in removing him from the Cross. God changed both of them. He changed the woman with wrecked morals and He changed the man with the pristine pedigree. Key point being that both of them were changed!

What is unnerving to the Emergent proponents is that anyone could be so certain about what Scripture has to say. So now salvation can become whatever they make it. Good morals, folks trying to do their best, or working in as much “light” as they have all become the path for salvation. The “what if’s” become the center point of theology for the Emergents.

A False Sense of Humility

Working in tandem with this doctrinal indifference is a false sense of humility. It works like this, “I would never want to say that I could know the purpose and intent of Scripture. I would never be so judgmental to say that someone was lost (even those who are in the blackest of sin). It’s just not my call, I would rather leave it all up to God to determine who is saved and lost, blah, blah, blah. . .” When this happens the table is turned on the “Pharisee” who is certain of the New Birth message, of the great doctrines of the Bible, of the inerrancy and clarity of Scripture, and of the principles of holiness and separation.

What this sense of false humility really does is undermine the Gospel and turns it into a very ambiguous and pliable something or other that has no ability to save at all. Yet this is very appealing to those who have fallen under the sway of the spirit of the age. This false sense of humility actually allows culture to rule the authority of the Gospel. It works well with those who refuse to submit to authoritative biblical truth that will correct worldly lifestyles, unholy minds, and ungodly behavior.

The prevailing problem this false humility presents is that what martyrs once died for has been so drastically changed that it now has no power to change lives in our generation. The cry for keeping it about Jesus rings hollowly because whatever Jesus comes into contact with, He radically changes. If you want a Crown, it will be preceded by a Cross. Somehow cross-bearing changes the way you walk, talk, and so on. . . .

To Be Continued. . . .

When Light Bearers Get Weary

A recent post by a pastor on an internet forum to which I belong struck me directly in the heart. There are certain occupational hazards involved with all professions but there are none that can rival that of being involved in active ministry. The man who is really involved in ministry will find himself having to see both sides of people. He will see the genuine and authentic and at the same time will see the shams and charlatans. At times trying to factor in the kaleidoscope of feelings can create much heaviness of heart.

Periodically, they who bear the light find the light sometimes gets a little heavy. Those in ministry too often find their steps are more stumbling and heavy than they are purposed and planned. There are some very distinct reasons for that. I believe that first and foremost is the unrelenting spiritual battle that is being fought out in places that we cannot see. Sometimes I think I could fight better if I could see what I was fighting. That is probably nothing more than an echo of something that you have said sometime in the past. You must always remember that the intent of the spiritual battle is to decimate our ministry and to paralyze any effectiveness that flows from our lives and our prayers. This spiritual battle is also opposing our hopes, desires, and visions of revival and spiritual growth in the place where we serve.

A stroll through by-gone years yields a wealth of lessons to us even now. Charles Spurgeon, Alexander Maclaren, Alexander Whyte, John Henry Jowett, Andrew Bonar, and Robert Murray McCheyne were all men who battled with discouragement, some even bordered on depression. I have a feeling that were we able to revisit some of the lives of the greatest Apostolic preachers who are now in the grave that we would find that there were times that despair dogged their steps and troubled their hearts. In fact, I have read an account of T.W. Barnes life by Nona Freeman and it seems to document that there were times in his life that deep and dark depression dogged his path. In addition to Brother Barnes, I have heard messages preached by J.T. Pugh, James Kilgore, and Billy Cole that all seemed to indicate that they faced some very dark and depressing days in ministry. All must periodically have to traverse the valley of despair.

“I am the subject of depressions of spirit so fearful that I hope none of you ever get such extremes of wretchedness as I go to.” Charles Spurgeon, Statement from a sermon in 1866

“Personally I have often passed through this dark valley.” Charles Spurgeon, Statement from a sermon in 1887

I recently heard a very prominent minister on the radio say that he had never dealt with despair, discouragement, or depression. When I heard that, I thought to myself, that he obviously is either entirely out of touch with his church or he does not have much of a heart for what he is doing. Our age is frankly careening out of control and the ravages of sin that is destroying not just single individuals but entire families and sometimes even encroaching in on churches ought to be enough for him to feel a burden of some kind. Jeremiah, the man who was a weeper, wanted his head to become a fountainhead of tears. Scattered about Paul’s epistles, one finds Paul making references to the tears that poured not only from his eyes but from his heart over the condition of those to whom he ministered. There is an incredible sermon that one could preach on the “Tears of Jesus” because it gives insight into what saddened the Lord. I ask you, can your ministry, for that matter any ministry, really be effective that knows no tears and has not been wilted with the burden of despair?

For several days, I mulled over what I heard this radio minister say and I came to some conclusions as to why we who bear the light sometimes find the light heavy to bear. What follows is not exhaustive nor in any category of significance. Each one of these reasons can usher despair and discouragement into our own lives.

Sometimes because of the overwhelming, troubling circumstances in the lives of those whom we have been called to serve and to lead. When one starts trying to put marriages back together, one finds this to be very taxing. Trying to unravel the feelings of betrayal and distrust, staggering anger, burning resentment, and replace all of this with a sense of forgiveness and restoration our work is cut out for us. Several years ago, I was involved with an estranged couple who was remotely attached to our church and in trying to help the situation I came to understand that there were unbelievable amounts of venom stored in both of their hearts that had been accumulating over the years. Children were involved and there was no way that I could just leave my emotions at the door and not feel the perplexity of the whole situation. However, with my involvement in that situation along with a whole host of other daily cares of the church that it was not long before I began to sink under the burden of bearing the light to the dark places. All ministers have mirroring situations that seems to pull the life out of you.

After working with this disastrous marital conflict, the enemy started whispering to me all sorts of things and soon that wicked self-analysis began to take place. Where had my prayers been directed? How long had I been praying? How much had I been fasting? What had I been preaching? What sort of services had we been having? On and on the enemy wrestled me down into the slough of despond. Through that course of struggle, the Lord brought it to my mind that we cannot live the lives of others. We can minister and pray and do the best we can but other than that we can do nothing more. These individuals must have their own personal sense of commitment and responsibility to allow them to overcome the difficulties. Still on and on we move because of a degree of certain hopefulness that people will change. I am aware that the heavenly treasure still has to reside in an earthen vessel until we cross the finish line and that knowledge causes me to stretch and reach as far as I can. No doubt all of us have experienced victory with those whom at one time or another everyone else had given up on them.

Sometimes the light gets heavy because of the responsibility of bringing revival to our place of calling. There is great spiritual energy that is expended when one begins to embark in the ministry of intercession and spiritual awakening. No real revival can come without places of intense prayer and personal sacrifice. Our own carnality tugs at our souls and our prayers are hindered. Our deadness of mind brings an empty yield from the Scriptures. When you begin to mix some fasting in with that, the body screams and complains and tries to overwhelm our emotions. Can your ministry really be effective until it has been brushed with despair and the disappointment of life?

Revival brings about our own knowledge that there is something within that is dead that was once alive. Anytime we begin to acknowledge that we have lost an edge that we once had and again this is a reason for despair. To have knowledge that our prayer life was once more vibrant, that our study was more disciplined, that our preaching was more passionate, and that our personal evangelism efforts were greater, there is a certain blackness that begins to creep over the horizon of the soul.

Sometimes the light becomes weighty when we confront sin. The prophets were martyred, the apostles were martyred, and others have been destroyed because they chose to confront sin. Chances are that in our time we probably will not be martyred for the confrontation of sin but despair will set in when you have to confront moral failure from those in high level leadership. Despair will set in when you confront character flaws that are present because of sin. One of the most difficult things that a pastor has to do is to confront sin in the people that he loves. If you don’t love the saints at your place, it is pretty easy to confront their sin because there is no emotional connection. On the other hand if you have fallen in love with where you serve, confronting sin is emotionally devastating. I am not having reference to soft-soaping and going easy on sin, I am writing that if you have a concern for how things turn out in the lives of people, bearing the light that exposes sin and darkness is sometimes difficult. The desolation of sin continues to eat away long after it has been confronted. There can be an accompanying despair that comes when we reach down and try to restore the fallen. The restoration of the fallen forces us to assess what has been lost and to what degree those things can be restored.

Sometimes the light becomes heavy when we are in conflict. One of the general buzzwords these days in leadership circles is something called conflict management. Major seminaries are now offering classes at the masters and doctoral levels which have to do with conflict management. These savvy business principles are relied on to reduce conflict to a point of become “manageable” in churches and relationships. Frankly these high level precepts fly in the face of the basic concepts of Christianity. Two thousand years ago, my executive director and your executive director lectured from a little mount, a sermon. Indeed, the Sermon on the Mount does not recommend conflict management, it recommends peacemaking. Blessed are the peacemakers. . . . . . Sometimes to make peace, it requires the courage of character to say, “I was wrong, will you forgive me?” No matter whom we are working with, we owe it to our own peace of mind to settle the issues. The longer that conflict brews, the longer it pushes one toward bitterness, and that bitterness becomes the blight of the soul that dims the vision with despair. Undoubtedly there are times that conflict introduces us to enemies within who find some twisted sense of purpose in destroying a minister and the church.

Other times despair comes to us because of pride. What a strange twist to think that a light bearer can become full of despair because of pride. I heard of a man who lived in a modest home that suited his needs. One Saturday, he worked diligently on his lawns mowing, edging, trimming, and finally watering. While he was sitting on his back deck listening to the sprinklers tick along and feeling the contented satisfaction of working hard and accomplishing something but all of that would change in a flash. He picked up a glass of cold, pink lemonade and began to look through one of his wife’s magazines, Better Homes and Gardens, he had hardly turned ten pages before he begin to curiously envy all of the “other” houses and “other” lawns and gardens that were glossily printed. Before he knew it, sudden despair had replaced his feelings of contentment and he begin to almost curse the “dump” that he lived in. That sort of thing can happen to us when we start looking at other men’s fields of labor. It can happen to us when we start looking at other churches, at other ministries besides the one that God has called us to. Most likely what we need during this time of pressure is most often a vacation. Time away from the battle does amazing things for us. It restores our vision and clears the clouds of despair.

Another reason that we may be overcome with despair is when the “upper room” has been forsaken. This has to do with our private times of devotion. How elementary that it seems to us that the Lord told his disciples to go and “tarry.” This time of waiting pulled them out of the teeth of the emotional storm they had been going through the last forty days. The “upper room” must exist in our life. The “upper room” of personal prayer, personal Bible reading, and a hunger for personal holiness has to take precedence in your and my lives. When we minister out of emptiness, not a lot can happen. When we preach out of books and not out of personal study and personal experience, churches wilt on the vine. When we pray only in the “official” settings of our calling, despair trips us when we least expect it. I trust that we can find that deluge of the Spirit that washes away all of the superficial aspects of our public ministry.

A few more that you can consider: Sometimes despair is ordained by God for our lives. The Lord endured Gethsemane and Job endured the terrible loss of family, property, and possessions. Sometimes despair comes because we lose things close to our hearts. Imagine the pain of an axed friendship between Paul and Barnabas over the John Mark factor. Sometimes we despair because of where the seed falls. We are not responsible for the ground but rather the sowing of the seed. Keep sowing the seeds of faith regardless of how the wayside, the stony, and the thorny ground may receive it.

When dreams slip through your hands, doubt visits, discouragement summons, and the heart is broken, and the cursed despair has a tendency to settle in and make your heart his home, it is not the end. Remember there is a source of love that needs to be visited again. That source of love is the very source who called you into ministry. When God called you into this ministry, He did so for a reason. There was something within your life that He found very crucial to the success of the Kingdom. So I tell you to take heart in all that you are currently doing. Do it as unto the Lord and allow Him to revisit you with fresh anointing and fresh power.

I confess to you that more times than once, I have managed to limp into a late evening prayer meeting, alone, where that I have lain out the whole situation before God. It is amazing what happens when we confess to God our own weakness in trying to bring about the progress of His Kingdom. The further down the road that I go the more I become increasingly convinced that He rejoices in our own weakness and inabilities. At that point, when we become brave enough or weak enough to say that we cannot pastor a church or evangelize a community or reach around the world with missions, He reminds us that those who have thorns are those who have the greater measures of grace. Gather the light and carry it on, and as Robert Frost put it sometime ago we have miles and miles to go before we sleep . .

May grace and peace be with you all. . . . .

Philip Harrelson

Please Know This. . .

Please know that on this day that I prayed for you. I did not call out your name because I did not know who you were. . . . . But please know that I prayed for you. . . . .I prayed in this manner. . . .

God, please touch those out there whose minds are being slowly captured by doubt. They are slowly being blinded to their need for God and they are slowly getting further and further from You.

God, please help that pastor and his wife who are faithfully serving you and trying to bring the knowledge of the holy to those saints who are against them. I prayed that God would strengthen you amidst the withering criticism that has created dread in your heart for any place of ministry that you have to go to. I prayed that God would deliver you from the hands of carnal men who are so opposed to the extension of the Kingdom of God.

God, please help those marriages that the fires have almost entirely flickered out. I prayed for those whose words toward their spouses have become spears that wound not the body but the heart. I prayed that the excitement and hope that walked down the isle the day you were married would return. I prayed that there would be a spirit of reconciliation to come and put the war to rest.

God, please help those faithful saints who are having to weather the demands of a pastor whose expectations are putting huge yokes on their spirits. I prayed for saints who are nothing more than pawns in the hands of a minister's ungodly ambition. I prayed for saints who have been wounded by out-of-control men who are not shepherds but are "lords" over the heritage that is supposed to belong to God.

God, please bring life and energy to those who are working on a job that is demanding greater production with smaller means to accomplish the task. I prayed for those whose directors, bosses, overseers, and supervisors are wicked and unprincipled and have a trail of bodies behind their accomplishments. I prayed that God would help those who are working for low wages and yet have high commitments with financial obligations.

God, please help those who cannot see tomorrow's light because of today's darkness. Let them understand that sometimes the most important thing about living is simply walking the path that does not have much glamor but much responsibility. I prayed that God would give you enough manna for the day so that when tomorrow gets here, your faith will be stronger because you made it through your yesterday.

Please know that on this day. . . I prayed for you . . .

In Honor of "Joe"

Occasionally, I go to the Out of Ur blog hosted by Christianity Today and read some of their thoughts and ideas. This morning I was prompted by another pastor to go and read through an article that asked “Are Pastors Competitive Enough?” The writer of the article Andy Rowell is quite forthright in his assessment of the fact that the secular and the spiritual do not mix.

As I read through the article, several thoughts came to mind that might be helpful for those who are involved in ministry.

Delving into the business world or sports world to get a model for ministry can be incredibly destructive and produce heavy loads of guilt. We are not making widgets, we are in the business of building the souls of men. The business of working with a man’s soul can be a wearisome, anxiety-producing, and frustrating experience. If we are working the ministry from a business angle then at some point, the “widget” in progress must be tossed aside as a defective product. Imagine what would have happened to John Mark if he would have been tossed aside simply because he could not make it in Paul’s first missionary journey. The corporate executive would have tossed him aside, the coach would have cut him from the team, but instead Barnabas and Paul had a parting of ways. Because Barnabas was dedicated to trying to salvage whatever he could in the life of this young man, twenty-two years later Paul would make a request that John Mark be brought along because he was “profitable for the ministry” (2 Timothy 4:11).

The more I read my job requirements from the Pastoral Epistles, the more I understand that the business model is very much at odds with God's plan for ministry. The spiritual resume and the curriculum vitae of Harvard Business School have not matches. John Piper is quoted, “We are fools for Christ’s sake. But professionals are wise. We are weak. But professionals are strong. Professionals are held in honor. We are in disrepute. We do not try to secure a professional lifestyle, but we are ready to hunger and thirst and be ill-clad and homeless.”

I can remember way back in the day, as they say, (early '90's) when John Maxwell was the hottest ticket in town. I went to five of his leadership seminars. I bought his books. I bought some of his video series. I joined the Injoy Life Tape Club. I got “juiced” going to those meetings. I can distinctly remember him making a sarcastic statement to the effect of, "Joe is a good guy. . . Joe is a godly guy. . . . Joe is a praying guy. . . . Joe is going to Heaven. . . . but Joe ain't got a clue!" This remark was made in at least 3 of the 5 seminars that I attended. This provoked much laughter from the crowd.

I must confess in honesty that I laughed too. It was in one of those moments of my very youthful immaturity. The more Injoy stuff I listened to and the more Maxwell books that I read something started happening, I begin to change. I started playing the game. You know the game that tries to put you in the path of the “successful.” It was a punishing game that wouldn’t let you hang out with a certain group because they “aren’t motivated” (i.e. not successful).

The game, sad to say, affected my preaching too. Now looking back in retrospect this is the most troubling aspect of all. I was no longer content with taking the great truths of Scripture and unfolding them and letting ancient truth save those who heard me. I did all of this because I did not want to be like “Joe.” I wanted to be a “communicator” or as this generation might say “relevant.” I might add that the same old girl from the early ‘90’s now is wearing a new dress and the masses are bowing down to her because they are afraid to be “just Joe.”

Life pressed on and I had to endure some fiery trials. Some things came along that knocked my “sanctified” (worldly??) ambition for a loop. The ladders I was trying to climb started collapsing. I had some real dilemmas of life that seminars, tape clubs, books, and videos did little for me. The only relief and direction that I could get was in a prayer room and pushing away from the table. The secular books failed me but the real Book didn’t. Then a little more maturity came and I momentarily took my eyes off of my little self and my little world and my little “personal growth plan.” When I momentarily took my eyes off of me and my plan, I saw “Joe.” There he was!

He came to life for me one day at a Junior Camp in Alabama in the mid 90’s. I was making sure the dorms were secured and that all of the campers were out. As I walked past a dorm, I heard a voice. I thought to myself that surely it wasn’t a voice for all the campers were no longer in the building. So I slowly opened the door and I had indeed heard a voice. It wasn’t just any voice, it was a praying voice, it was a voice that mixed with sobs, it was a voice that crying for revival and for children. I didn’t mean to eavesdrop but the Spirit and the “spirit” of Joe literally rooted my feet to the floor. I didn’t mean to listen to this man pray but the Lord was on this day going to use an object lesson for me. I recognized the voice of “Joe” as a pastor from a little small burg in Alabama. His church is out in the country and to hear some speak of it, not much has ever really been accomplished. But on that day, that glorious day, in that last week of June, God showed me something! I stayed maybe one to two minutes before carefully exiting and for at least 10 years this elderly pastor never knew that I had walked in on his prayer that day.

I turned to leave and when I did finally get out of the building, I found that the tears that had sprang to my eyes were now coursing down my cheeks. On that day a great purging of my soul took place. God jerked out all sorts of stuff like ambition, position, false humility, pride, and host of other things. I have to confess that my soul is still a work in progress but on this day the Spirit of the Lord and the “spirit” of “Joe” planted a seed of character in my life.

From that day until now, I have observed men who served small churches face dilemmas that were almost insurmountable. There were twists and turns in life that brought them much pain and hardship. Duress seemed to be a constant companion and difficulty literally tried to pound the life out of them. I am certain that their days were filled with discouragement and their nights were sleepless because of the worry that faced them.

It was almost as if suddenly there they were the "Joe's" that Maxwell had spoken disparagingly of. They faced their challenges and disappointments but with much sacrifice, pressed on. A couple of men that I know lost their wives to cancer. One man I know pastors a small country church but he has labored there for 30+ years and has not seen much "growth." Another man I know has great burden and vision and is given to much prayer and yet his church hasn't "done much" (or so the business model would say). Another man I know had much pain and difficulty because of some of the poor choices that several of his children made in their teenage years. All of them "plowed" on. . . .

They are just the "Joe's" who have been called to work their particular portion of the Kingdom. If you look at their plow-handles, they are marked with blood, sweat, and tears. Tears of faithfulness and commitment to their flock stain the plow-handle. Their sweat has fallen into the earth as they gave themselves to weeding and watering the crops.

What these men have not done is disqualify themselves for service by looking back. I am in honor the “Joe's” who are bi-vocational. They are willing to carry the financial burdens of their churches at the expense of their own needs. They are not blessed with a "staff" per se to help them with the many demands of the pastorate. More often than not because of their lack of resources, the tables get more of their energy than does prayer and the Word. But on today, “Joe” I tip my hat to you.

I don't believe in laziness or a lack of vision or burden, however, in the grand scheme of the Kingdom of God, if we pursue a business model or a coaching model, it is going to lead to us making some very terrible spiritual decisions.

Jack Welch, William Rehnquist, George Bush, Clarence Thomas, Lou Holtz, and a few others are some of the biographies that I have recently read and while they made provide a bit of inspiration, it is very fleeting. I cannot get spiritual direction from a carnal source! Therefore, the real model for ministry is going to be plainly defined for me in the Acts and the Pastorals. This model frees me from the inebriation with numbers. . . .

By the way, in researching out the real story behind Jack Welch, his character leaves much, much to be desired.

One of the most famous quotes that Kelsey Griffin gave us during my TBC days was, "You boys are gonna be shocked on judgment day!" The longer I live the more I believe that Brother Griffin was very wise in making this statement. When we get to that great and final day, I have a feeling that more than one “Joe” will have an enormous reward that is literally going to take our breath away. . .

Puritan John Owens: Overcoming Sin and Temptation

If you are regular reader of this blog and particularly of the book lists that I have suggested in the past, you have noted my occasional mention of the Puritans. The Puritan which has probably challenged me the most and directed my thoughts perhaps more than any other would be Thomas Watson. I have steadily purchased a number of his books in the last few years and have been profoundly impacted toward his writings about sin and his encouragement to pursue after holiness. Their writings on prayer are also quite unrivalled in our modern generation of books on prayer that has turned God into some sort of cosmic Santa Claus. Furthermore, if there are any leanings toward the writings of the Emerging Church (? Submerging Church) leaders, then you have two choices: A. Don’t read the Puritans, or B. Be prepared to have all of their “theology” quickly and rapidly sent to the “deep-six.”

Certainly there are some disclaimers with reading the Puritans. First, you will find there is much to labor through in their writings and thoughts. This is not a bad thing as we have almost forgotten how to think critically in our generation, especially concerning eternal matters. You will not simply decide to sit down and read through their books like you might do with a John Grisham novel or a Dick Francis mystery. Secondly, you will find that much, much Scripture is used and the more familiar you are with Scripture, the more value the Puritan writings will have. Thirdly, it would be very wise to read the Puritans with an open note-book nearby to jot down thoughts that come to mind as you read through them.

To help you out, I am recommending that you go to a blog maintained by Tim Challies. I venture by this blog almost everyday and have found some very good things written in the past couple of years. In fact, Challies is so disciplined that he has blogged every day now for over 1450 days (4 years or so). I admire his discipline and also because his material is not light-weight. A few months ago, he began a series of reading through the classics of good Christian material. He started with J. C. Ryle’s classic, “Holiness,” to which one blog a week was devoted to some good discussion of a chapter in the book.

He is about to begin the second installment and I have intentions of joining in the exercise and perhaps learn a little and maybe even contribute a little to his blog discussion. The book that they are reading is written by John Owen entitled “Overcoming Sin and Temptation.” It has been edited by Kelly M. Kapic and Justin Taylor for a much easier readability. You can either purchase the book or even better you can download the 400+ page book free, which is what I have done.

The book actually contains three of Owens’ works:

• Of the Mortification of Sin in Believers (1656)
• Of Temptation: The Nature and Power of It (1658)
• The Nature, Power, Deceit, and Prevalency of Indwelling Sin (1667).

In “Mortification of Sin in Believers,” Owen offers the following thoughts on killing the old man or the body of sin:

(1) consider whether the sin you are contending with has any dangerous symptoms attending it;

(2) get a clear and abiding sense upon your mind and conscience of the guilt, danger, and evil of that sin;

(3) load your conscience with the guilt of it;

(4) get a constant longing for deliverance from the power of it;

(5) consider whether the sin is rooted in your nature and exacerbated by your temperament;

(6) consider what occasions and advantages your sin has taken to exert and put forth itself, and watch against them all;

(7) rise mightily against the first actings and conceptions of your sin;

(8) meditate in such a way that you are filled at all times with self-abasement and thoughts of your own vileness;

(9) listen to what God says to your soul and do not speak peace to yourself before God speaks it, but hearken what he says to your soul.

(This is not typical Joel Osteen stuff, especially number 8.)

So you have some free resources to load up your mind and spirit before you get into the holidays. The only thing it will cost is the time necessary to read the book.

A Parable of Accountability

I shall tell you a very powerful story about two boys. Willie and Freddy were buddies. In fact so close were Willie and Freddy that in their childhood they did almost everything together. They played Little League baseball together. They would go on family vacations together. They chased the girls together. They rode to school together. As they got older they both decided to do something to change their world.

Both of these boys were quite bright intellectually and excelled academically. They entered high school with lofty aspirations. Suffice it to say that their high grades helped with their great aspirations. It would benefit them in the chosen paths that they chose to walk. Honor students they became and academic achievements seemed to fall at their feet. Medals, ribbons, and other honors came their way because of their brains and their focused discipline. The focus and determination they exhibited set them apart from a lot of their teenage peers. While they were excelling in the classroom another area opened up to them too. The agility on the fields of competition also brought a measure of recognition to them. Even though they both enjoyed the competition of sports neither Willie nor Freddie were under any illusions that the playing fields would be the ticket to their success. Deep down they both realized that what they were called to do would require more agility of mind than of body and so the focus continued to demand that they take the hardest classes with the most unrelenting of teachers.

Collectively they decided to go to medical school and become physicians. After some counsel with their parents and school guidance counselors they begin the process of entering the school that would help them to accomplish this very visionary goal. The challenge escalated and they both realized that they would have to put aside their teen-age whims if they were to make it.

To their great satisfaction Willie and Freddy were accepted into a pre-med program. The pre-med program was finished with some degree of difficulty but it would not scratch the surface to the challenges they would face together in medical school. The task was daunting but steadily, circuitously, and diligently they begin to climb through the hoops of academia and medicine. Once they finished the academic demands of medical school, they begin the rigorous training of the “hands on” process of an internship, then a residency, and finally a fellowship into a specialty field.

When it came time for the fellowship into a medical specialty, Willie and Freddy parted ways. Their friendship remained and was even strengthened by the fork in the road that medicine now called for. Willie was interested in general organ systems and Freddy was interested in hearts. Willie began his more focused training to become a general surgeon and Freddy followed suit in his efforts to become a cardiovascular surgeon. Several years would pass and although they missed the camaraderie of their friendship, they both knew this was the designated path that each had to follow. With the passing years, their training continued with great demands of time and diligence but finally Willie had become a general surgeon and Freddy became a heart surgeon.

Willie went to small-town American to ply his trade and Freddie went to a thriving metropolis to practice. As the years passed, the phone calls, the letters, the outings literally came to a standstill with only the annual Christmas card arriving in each other’s mailboxes. But as luck and maybe even a little providence, Willie watched his little town grow to such an extent that the hospital that he staffed decided to open up a cardiovascular program and needed a surgeon to come to practice. Willie was excited as he thought about his life-long friend Freddy. Willie did not waste any time in trying to persuade the administrators and medical staff to contact Freddy about coming to the smaller town to practice his art.

When Willie called Freddy and told him of the situation, as luck would continue to have it, Freddy was getting tired of the metropolitan rat-race. What Willie did not know was that the metro area had turned Freddy into an excellent heart surgeon and that he was widely respected in his region of the country. In the process of the cardiovascular program opening up in the smaller town, they begin to renew their friendship once again. However this time it began to take on an even greater strength than when they were in their teens and in their twenties.

Willie continued to cut on gall-bladders, stomachs, colons and other organs. Freddy finally left the huge medical center in metro-America and came to the little town. He put up his shingle and started cutting on hearts. Willie was one of the most lovable guys that you would ever want to meet and Freddy was in the same category as Willie. Both physicians became widely respected by their colleagues and the support staff that worked with these men literally loved to work for them. Not only were their skills good but their bedside manner had the capacity to put many an anxious patient at ease before the procedure. Good reputations and success begin to fit the bill for these two life-long friends.

As they say, life was good! Willie and Freddy began to enjoy a fantastic camaraderie once again. They laughed about their middle-school days and about some of their high-school antics. They remembered the demands of their college days and the long hours in medical school.

Things were so good that Freddy thought he ought to buy a home in his new found haven. But Freddy didn’t want just any house and so he bought one right across the street from Willie. Their wives became good friends and Willie and Freddy’s kids played together. Life was so good! Willie and Freddy’s story was seemingly meant to be a best-seller. It was perhaps one of those stories that you start in a good book and half way through the book, you find that you do not want the story to end. It was a story meant for the top of the New York bestseller list, such a story that would give readers ample opportunities to get a good case of warm fuzziness.

When the weekends came Willie and Freddy were inseparable. They took deep-sea fishing trips together. They golfed together. They went to their college football games together. They grilled out together. The only time that they were separated was when Willie had to take care of bones and Freddy had to take care of hearts. They were “living large” as they say these days. The only little drawback to their friendship and it was quit minor was that Willie liked to smoke. Freddy would jokingly tell him that he needed to quit and then they both would laugh. After Freddy would say this to Willie and the laughter had subsided they would continue to pursue life at full tilt. They shared dreams together. They shared their hopes and their fears because there was such a deep bond between the two of them.

As time passed, one of Willie’s parents passed on and Freddy sensed the loss almost as much as Willie because he had spent much time at Willie’s house when they were growing up. Time continued to march on and when one of Freddy’s parents died, Willie wept with Freddy because he too loved Freddy’s family almost as much as he loved his own.

The friendship deepened and the ties became stronger. Both men were literally in the prime of life, widely respected, and financially well off. But all the success betrayed a tiny secret in Willie’s life. Willie shared almost everything with Freddy but there was a small matter, or so Willie thought, that he kept from Freddy. Time continued to pass but something slowly and deadly was unleashing itself everyday in Willie’s heart.

A fishing trip one weekend seemed to prove how close these men really were. The only thing that was off limits to their friendship was a sinister secret that Willie refused to tell Freddy about. In fact, Willie told very few about his sinister secret. They returned home from the trip and promised to spend some more time fishing or golfing the next weekend. What they both did not know was this was the last fishing trip. There would be no more fishing, golfing, riding Harley’s, grilling, or just hanging out. . . . again. . . . ever. . . .

Late on a Thursday night, the phone rang in Freddy’s house. He picked it up and on the other end was the hysterical cry of Willie’s wife. “Freddy, please come help us, Willie is very sick.” Freddy ran across the street and found Willie crumpled on the floor. He turned him over and checked for respirations which were absent. He checked a carotid pulse and found it absent also. So now the heart surgeon began to perform the most basic of treatment for a stalled heart, cardio-pulmonary resuscitation. Freddy gave himself all out to CPR for his life-long friend in an effort to save him. Freddy did chest compressions and rescuer breathing furiously until the paramedics arrived and were able to relieve him.

The paramedics continued CPR, started an IV, and used the defibrillator to try to jumpstart Willie’s heart with very little success. After hurriedly but efficiently loading Willie into an ambulance, they sped rapidly to the nearest ER where a whole host of medical staff was waiting for his arrival. Willie arrived in a full Code-Blue status and the medical team worked valiantly and skillfully but to no avail. Willie’s heart refused to respond to their drugs, the shocking of the defibrillator, and to intubation of the lungs. As Freddy watched the cardiac monitor depicting the ominous flat-line of asystole, he could only brokenly sob, his best friend had died.

Subsequently in the following days an autopsy report found its way into Freddy’s hands. He was stunned and at the same time, he was enraged. Willie had died from severe coronary artery disease that had affected three of the five coronary arteries that were wrapped around Willie’s heart. Freddy’s skills could have saved Willie’s life if he had only known. As more details surfaced, some of the staff members at Willie’s surgery clinic had remembered him saying that he was having some vague chest pain. When they tried to get Willie to follow up on the symptom, he laughed them off and told them that he was in the prime of life and that it was probably just indigestion.

The sinister secret was that Willie should have told Freddy that he was experiencing chest pain. He stopped just short with the one detail that probably could have saved him. This parable should speak volumes to us about accountability and how crucial that it is.

Accountability only manifests itself in a close fellowship of brothers who are willing to speak things into our lives. We can have no more accountability than what we are willing to allow. Our accountability is only insured when brothers are allowed to traverse some of the pathways where we store our fears, our dreams, and most importantly, our secrets.

Much tumult has ensued in forum land since the infamous Resolution 4 passed in Tampa last month. For those men who are in preparations to leave the fellowship, the accountability card is now being played. It is almost as if to say that once these men leave they will have no accountability to anyone and that they will at best dry up on the vine or at worst depart from the faith. Furthermore, the implications are that those who choose to stay will find a warm bed of accountability that will provide an unrealistic sense of security.

Frankly very little of my own spiritual direction and sense of accountability has come from men who have been in elected positions in our organization. In fact the majority of men who have impacted my life the most were men who were not office-holders. I am in no way inferring that men who hold positions are not doing an important service for us. But at the same time, I have marveled when political maneuvers bled over into spiritual venues that should have been off limits. When this sort of thing happens, more often than not principles will be a sacrificed on the very shallow altar of politics.

No matter where one stands at this juncture in history all servants of the Lord need accountability.

For those who choose to leave, I would spend much time, thought, and prayerful consideration before doing so. No organization or even “loosely formed” alliance is going to be entirely apolitical as this will always be the nature of the beast. In fact there are some very fearful “wolves” who will take full advantage to push a very powerful, self-motivated agenda under the guise of conviction and “doing what is right.” Furthermore there are times that self-importance and self-aggrandizement can be thoroughly couched and hidden in a showy but superficial spirituality. I can see conviction but until I am fully aware of the content of that conviction, I shall be very slow to embrace it. In fact I have noted some who have so-called “strong convictions” to be marred with appalling and disgusting latitude in areas of their personal lives that ought not to be so!

I am encouraging you to find some accountability that goes much deeper than an organization can bring to you. I am encouraging you to find some accountability that will be much deeper than a course beyond an organization. I am encouraging you to allow men to walk into your life who are honest, clean, and forthright in their assessment of the times. . . . Accountability demands that we sometimes hear the things that we do not necessarily want to hear. . . .

My accountability can only come when I am willing to. . . . .

• Give myself to much prayer.
• Give myself to an understanding of history.
• Give myself to the preparation of preaching.
• Give myself to a brotherhood of godly fellowship.
• Give myself to a pursuit of holiness.
• Give myself to a lifestyle of repentance.
• Give myself to a hunger for purity.
• Give myself to a ministry of faith.
• Give myself to something that is bigger than me.
• Give myself to the consideration of my brothers.

If Freddy had only known about Willie’s secret, much could have been prevented. Accountability. . . . It is worth staying for. . . . . It is also worth leaving for. . . . .