Leadership is a privilege and responsibility that all men have from God. Many won't hold positions of public leadership, but they're still called to lead in the private sphere (Eph. 5:23)
Some time ago, I asked some of the young, single women of Higher Rock (heretofore referred to as 'the sisters') to enumerate ways that men lead that encourages them. Below are some of their responses. (I'll include the rest in a later post.)
1. Initiating Substantial Discussions
The guys and gals are enjoying dinner together. The conversation is light and full of laughter. It could go that way all evening, but many young women (and sensible young men) would really appreciate something more substantial, and it would be great if one of the guys steered the conversation in that direction. This might involve talking about last Sunday's preaching, or sharing news about the ministries of the church, or swapping prayer concerns.
When men deliberately do this, they show that they're intellectually mature enough to think about such things. When they do it in a skillful and engaging way, they also show that they're socially mature enough to do so.
When men do this, it also gives women the opportunity to fulfill their own roles in supporting godly leadership.
2. Making Firm Decisions
According to the sisters, it's encouraging when men make firm decisions. These include things ranging from ministry decisions to where to eat. We should be able to think clearly, make good decisions, and not be easily swayed by others.
Mind you, "decisive" doesn't mean "stubborn". What's the difference? The decisive man is considerate of other people's concerns, and shows that he really has understood and valued them. His attitude is completely compatible with Christ's model of servant-leadership.
What if, after all this, the sisters still disagree with the decision? Then it would help, they say, if he explains his reasons. One sister explains,
Though it's not required for leaders to always explain their decisions—and yes, it's valid that sometimes the obedience needs to be immediate and calls for trust on our part—but there's something to be said for communicating to us [women], and not just having a master and servant relationship. Rather, if you [men] want us to know how to support you even in ways you didn't articulate or think of, it benefits a lot to communicate your reasons and thinking. For me knowing how you reason and what factors were weightier to you not just builds trust but it also helps me know you and anticipate what's important and therefore even more quickly take cues and support [your] leadership. One can't assume that just because you're being asked about your reasons that it is equal to being scrutinized or assessed but rather we want to know how you thought about it and have a better grasp of your priority and goals so that we might come alongside and not just be utusan but actually be able to help think and support. We each can't read the other [person]'s mind. Of course, us asking about your thoughts shouldn't be conditional to our willingness to support. That has to be clear on our part.
On the rare occasion that the two sides still can’t come to an understanding, according to the sisters, it’s enough to be reassured by the man’s character, his track record. This should remind us that it’s crucial for men to establish a pattern of sound reason that is firmly grounded by Scripture and upheld by prayer.
It's great to be back after a long hiatus! One of the things that loaded up my schedule was preparing to speak to my church's youth about homosexuality. That's what I'm sharing in this post.
It was an hour-and-a-half message, which I subdivided into five segments, as follows:
I hope you'll be as encouraged listening to these, as I was preparing them.
1. INTRODUCTION
We can’t ignore the LGBT issue. The question isn’t whether we will respond, but whether our response will be biblical or unbiblical.
Christian groups have adopted very different stands on this. But what is the right response? As we think about the answer to that, there are two things that we need to be concerned about.
Our first concern is the truth. Homosexuality is part of much larger issues, like sin, purity, and God’s glory. We want to avoid isolating homosexuality from these bigger concerns
Our second concern is the heart – our hearts. God wants us to glorify Him in how we think, how we talk, and how we act. We need to love LGBTs and faithfully share the gospel with them.
This is our goal: to have a biblical attitude toward homosexuality and LGBTs.
The LGBT movement has ballooned in our generation. We should be concerned, but not too much. The church has been in similar situations before.
LGBT IN ANCIENT CIVILIZATIONS
Homosexuality and similar blurring of the sexes isn’t new or recent. It was practiced during Abraham’s time, about 2,000 B.C., in the Shang Dynasty (16th-11th century B.C.), by the ancient Greeks and Romans, in New Testament Times, and even in Pre-Hispanic Philippines! So, we shouldn’t be surprised that it’s an issue today.
But why is the LGBT movement of today is so aggressive and hostile toward biblical Christianity?
LGBT IN THE WAKE OF MORAL RELATIVISM
During the Enlightenment Period in Europe (17th-18th centuries), many great scientists like Galileo, Kepler, and Newton pursued science from a Christian worldview. But others wanted to use science as a weapon against God, the Bible and the institutional Church. They claimed that reason and science could explain everything, so people didn’t need God or the Bible.
Of course, if human reason is the standard for morality, then morality is just human beings finding reasons to do what they want. This is the essence of moral relativism.
Fast forward to the present day, and we see that moral relativism has taken over Europe and America, and it’s becoming more and more prevalent here in the Philippines. More and more, people are embracing the lie that you can create your own truth.
One of the reasons that the LGBT movement has become very strong in recent decades is that society has lost the ability to look at homosexuality and say, “that’s wrong.”
In fact, people have devoted a lot of money and expertise to explain homosexuality in purely naturalistic terms.
WHAT ARE THE CULTURAL ELITES SAYING ABOUT HOMOSEXUALITY TODAY?
“Homosexuality is GENETIC.” In 1995, Time Magazine published an article entitled, “Search for a Gay Gene”, about scientists’ search for genetic causes for homosexuality. These studies, however, far from proved that homosexuality was predetermined by one's DNA.
“Homosexuality is caused by the environment.” Others have focused on how a person’s environment can influence homosexual behavior. But these studies often don’t distinguish between causation and indirect relation. To put it simply, they misinterpret the data, or make the data say more than it actually says.
Despite the limitations of these studies, they've have been sensationalized by the mass media, so that nowadays, people just assume that science has “proven” that homosexuality is completely natural, and therefore ok. This has allowed the movement to grow rapidly, even in the Philippines.
In light of all these developments, we as Bible-believing Christians might be tempted to worry. But homosexuality and cultural support for homosexuality aren’t new. The Church has faced this before. The reason we don’t know that is because for a long time, Christianity was the biggest moral influence on modern civilization. We’ve gotten used to that, but things are changing back to the way things were before Christianity became dominant. We have to be ready: ready to obey God on this matter; ready to accept whatever consequence society may impose on us; and ready to do it all, not out of hate, but out of love: love for God, love for the truth, and love for people who need Christ just as much as we do.
Does the Bible really say that homosexuality is a sin?
Some professing Christians would answer that question with a resounding No! They claim that the common proof-texts against homosexuality are either misinterpreted or mistranslated because of prejudice. This is the revisionist view. Are they right?
GENESIS 19 – SODOM AND GOMORRHA
Revisionist View: Sin of gang rape. This is not a universal condemnation of gay sex, but a bad form of gay sex. Sin of inhospitality.
Biblical Response: Sodom was condemned for a whole bunch of sins, not just homosexuality. But homosexuality was definitely included in that list. (Compare Ez. 16:50 and Lev. 18:22)
DAVID AND JONATHAN
Revisionist View: David and Jonathan were lovers. (2 Sam. 1:26; 1 Sam. 18:1,4; 20:41)
Biblical Response: We read these texts with hyper-sexualized lenses. Cf. Jacob's soul was “knit to” Benjamin his son = favoritism, not sexual (Gen 44:30). David and Jonathan not said to lie together. And if you know David's life, his issue was women.
JESUS’ TESTIMONY
Revisionist View: Jesus never said anything about homosexuality!
Biblical Response: Jesus came to correct false teaching, so if the traditional view of homosexuality was wrong, He would have addressed it when we spoke about sexuality. Rather, He affirmed the traditional view. (Mark 10:6-9)
“ARSENOKOITAI” - 1 Corinthians 6:9-10; 1 Tim 1:9-10
Revisionist View: Arsenokoitai appears for the first time in NT, so we have to figure out what it means. Therefore, it refers to sexual and economic exploitation (pedophilia).
Traditional View: Paul didn't pull this word out of nowhere. He pulled a word from the LXX of Lev 20:13 where we find arsen and koite, right beside each other. There's no other place where these two words occur together, beside each other. Any Hellenistic Jewish convert who came across this word would have recognized the reference. Moreover, if Paul had wanted to refer to pedophilia, there was a specific word for it: paiderastes.
In conclusion, the Bible does say that homosexuality is a sin in God’s eyes.
Isn’t homosexuality natural to homosexuals? How can it be wrong to be yourself?
The answer to that is simple: we’re all sinful and God calls all of us to be completely changed. Everyone – heterosexual or homosexual – is a sinner, and more specifically, sexually impure. We are sinful by nature, and that's why we need a new nature. Without that new nature, we’re spiritually dead – we’re cut off from God who is the source of all spiritual life. (John 3:3; Eph. 2:1-6; 2 Cor. 5:17)
Many believe that whatever is natural is good. But the Bible says that we live in a world that has been distorted by sin. So nature is a bad standard for deciding what’s good or bad. The only truly reliable standard we have is God’s Word. And it tells us to reject our sinful nature, to seek God’s forgiveness through Jesus Christ, and to be transformed into new creatures.
4. How Can I Minister to Those Who Struggle with Homosexual Desires?
RESOLVE TO DO IT! ... or you probably never will.
PROVIDE A SAFE ENVIRONMENT. We have a natural tendency to excuse the sins that we struggle with, even while we condemn sins that we don’t see in ourselves. But let’s be humbled over our own brokenness. Let’s be consistent in addressing all kinds of sins.
FOCUS ON RELATIONSHIP WITH CHRIST. We have to clearly and consistently communicate that God’s first concern for people struggling with homosexual desire isn’t that they become heterosexual. His first concern for them is that they have a living relationship with Him through Jesus Christ, so that they surrender all of their lives to Him, including their sexuality.
SET REALISTIC EXPECTATIONS. On the one hand, let him know that he’s not struggling alone. We all struggle. It’s just that most people struggle with heterosexual impurity, while a few struggle with homosexual impurity. But we’re all in this together (1 Cor. 10:13). On the other hand, don’t give false promises, like “Read the Bible, pray more and your homosexuality will go away.”
ENCOURAGE SAME-SEX FRIENDSHIPS WITH MATURE BELIEVERS. This will help the person see and experience for themselves God’s beautiful plan for same-sex relationships.
Should Christians support LGBT “rights”? Before answering that question, there’s a more basic question that needs to be addressed. As Christians, what is our place in society?
We're called to be salt & light. (Mat. 5:13-16)
We're called to serve society. (Eph. 4:28)
We're called to love our neighbors... even our enemies. (Mat. 22:39; Mat. 5:43)
We should be particularly concerned for the poor and helpless. (Luke 14:12-14)
We're called to submit to the government. (Rom. 13:1)
In light of these points, I think we can rephrase our question this way: Is it loving to support pro-LGBT laws?
The simple answer is NO, because we must “Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them” (Eph. 5:11). To support any law that supports homosexuality is to support homosexuality itself.
Another reason we shouldn’t support pro-LGBT laws is that they would do more harm than good. Let's look at the pending Anti-Discrimination Bill (ADB), for example.
THE ANTI-DISCRIMINATION LAW
At first glance, the Anti-Discrimination Bill (ADB) sounds good. According to him, it’s about equality for all. He talks about LGBTs as if they’re victims of society. But the evidence doesn’t support that. Just look around you. Are LGBTs under attack in our country? Just the opposite, actually. If, by and large, LGBTs aren’t being victimized in our society, why would we need the ADB?
In fact, the ADB in its current form would do more harm than good, because it would suppress freedom of speech and religion. We see this in the way the bill defines "discrimination". The danger has already been realized in other countries that have passed their own versions of the ADB (ex. Canada, England, US).
SAME-SEX MARRIAGE
We can't support this bill for many reasons.
It will require government to redefine, not only marriage, but sexuality and family as well. That’s more than an administrative adjustment. That’s a social revolution, right there.
For government to approve such changes in the law would mean that it supports the LGBT lifestyle, which has proven to be extremely harmful to people. The damage it has caused to people’s health and social relationships is staggering.
The typical pro-LGBT argument is, “We’re not hurting anyone, so just let us do what we want.” But they are hurting people, just not in an obvious way. To redefine sexuality, marriage, and family is to attack the institutions that have made civilization possible. It is also to deprive children of the stability provided by a household with a real father and a real mother.
And which sector of society will be affected the most? It will be the poor -- the ones who can least afford to play around, who don't have social and economic safety nets. If we destroy the institutions of marriage and the family, we can only guess how much harm it will cause to the poorest and most vulnerable members of our society.
We as Christians should be very clear on where we stand with regard to the LGBT rights movement. We stand against it, not because we hate LGBTs, but because we love them and we love our neighbors.
(The following excerpt is from Robert Mackenzie's biography of John Brown of Haddington. Mackenzie publishes two letters that the Rev. Brown sent to comfort the widow of a former colleague. These letters show not only a sympathetic and gentlemanly character, but also a gentle yet firm determination to glorify God even through pain and loss.)
* * *
In the summer of 1767, while at Perth, [Brown's colleague, John Swanston] was suddenly seized with an inflammatory illness, and died ere he could be removed to his home at Kinross, in the forty-sixth year of his age. ...
His widow had troubled waters to pass through after this loss, and two letters of Brown's have been preserved which he wrote to her in her period of sorrow. They have the warm touch of a sympathetic heart, and a delicacy of expression that unobtrusively links life with its shortcomings and its sufferings, to the central source of all.
To Mrs. Swanston, Kinross
DEAR MADAM,
Partly forgetfulness, partly want of time, has occasioned my not writing till now; but how delightful, that Jesus never forgets to show kindness, never wants time! How proper He to supply the place of a husband! no breach deserves the name, if it be filled up with Christ. Few women have had a larger breach made on them than you; yet there is more than enough in Isaiah liv. 5, Hos. ii. 19, 20, Jer. xlix. 11, and Phil. iv. 19, to fill it up. O were your heart and mind filled to the brim with these! with Christ and His redeeming love! That would sweeten all the waters of Marah to us. It would make us always triumph in Christ, and make us think how good and wise a God, that took a husband, took children, took a brother from us, and out of our heart, that God Himself might fill ALL, AND BE ALL IN ALL, and leave us no room for an idol. If God dry up the streams of our comfort, let us have recourse to Him, the fountain of living waters. Here we, though like wild asses' colts, may drink our fill; and here let all your consolation be. Into His bosom pour every complaint, every request. With Him talk on your solitary case, of Him ask counsel in every perplexity. Lay the great burden of the education of the children on Him. "This in haste, wishing the Lord Jesus may support you under your present load, and make what no doubt you reckon a heavy affliction work for you and yours a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. My wife joins in compliments to you and children.
Yours affectionately,
JOHN BROWN.
HADDINOTON,
April 18th, 1768.
P.S.—I am glad to see you have a son that is likely to have so much of his father, and I hope he will be a comfort to you. However, let your great comfort be placed in God. All created comforts may soon turn crosses, but Jesus will never turn a cross. O essay to suck comfort out of His fulness and His promises.— J. B.
Seventeen months later another bereavement befell her, and again his busy pen brought her the tender sympathy of a loyal friend.
DEAR MADAM,
I would desire to sympathise with you in your late, and I may say mournful repetition of a former trial. God, I see, is trysting you with death after death, to wean your affections from all creatures to Himself. Not long ago you had, as it were, one on every hand of you, betwixt you and death; now you, as it were, stand alone, without either parent or husband. The only safe course now, and I hope the Lord determines your heart to take it, is to press near and keep near the Lord Jesus to supply all wants, that when parents, husband, and all have forsaken you, He may take you up. I beseech you, try to support a sinking heart with that, ' The Lord liveth, and blessed be my rock, and let the God of my salvation be exalted '; and, ' Fear not, I am with thee; be not dismayed, I am thy God.' Promises are sweet morsels at any time, but especially in a day of trouble. The more credit you give God with respect to His promises, the better it will fare with you and your seed. None perish that trust in Him. Let, therefore the motto of your life be, Looking unto Jesus for all you can need. With Him it is more blessed to give than to receive. Though indeed avoiding of proper company is wrong in one that is oppressed with grief, yet there is no companion for a broken heart like Jesus Christ. May your soul now use Him in place of parents and husband, and as your all and in all; for the small remains of children you retain, however agreeable, are but vanity and vexation of spirit, in comparison with Him.
(It's been a little over a year since I first posted this article, and I think this message is just as relevant now, even more so. So I want to share it again for those who missed it the first time around.)
People tend to skirt around important questions. The more crucial and foundational something is, the less comfortable we are talking about it. It's one of the consequences of the superficial and selective kind of "tolerance" promoted by modern society.
And here was my old friend from college, someone I continue to admire and respect, telling me about a ministry of his that I had very big doubts about. Trying to cut to the root issue, I asked him, "Would you say that the ministry is gospel-centered? Does everything you do point people back to Jesus Christ, what He did on the cross, and what it means to live for His kingdom?"
He paused, unsure of what to say. "Well, the ministry is really more about healing...." I knew where this was going, and it was not good.
Taking the Gospel for Granted
A very troubling trend among Filipino Evangelicals is our taking for granted the foundational truths of Christianity. We are, by-and-large, "distracted" from God's purposes. One might even call it "insubordination".
Insubordination happens when soldiers ignore their commanding officer's orders. Insubordination is when servants start living as if they have no master.
Insubordination is what Christians do when we minimize or ignore our Lord's teachings and directives so we can go do our own thing. What does this look like today? Christians join hands with representatives of false churches to carry out 'ministry' in the name of Jesus Christ, but at what cost? For the sake of peace many are agreeing to minimize the gospel of Christ.
Often, this is done in the name of love. Love for people who have different convictions than we do. Love for those who have for a long time been outside the reach of churches.
This is an admirable desire. As beings made in the image of God, we should recognize the value of human life. As fallen creatures in a fallen world, we can sympathize with those who are suffering the consequences of sin. As sinners redeemed only by the grace of God, we should be quick to extend grace to those who are still enslaved to sin. It's right for us, as representatives of Christ, to want to alleviate all forms of human suffering.
Identifying People's Greatest Need
But while suffering is a very real problem, it is not people's main problem, because pleasure and comfort aren't God's main purpose for us. He made us to glorify and enjoy Him (Isa 43:7; Rom 11:36). That's our purpose for existence, the greatest goal that we can aspire to. So whatever undermines this purpose is our main problem.
According to the Bible, that problem is sin. Sin, in essence, is idolatry, because it is taking the glory and allegiance that is due God and giving it to something or someone else. As God says in Jeremiah 2:13,
my people have committed two evils: they have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed out cisterns for themselves, broken cisterns that can hold no water.
The only solution to this is the gospel of salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. It's the only thing that can restore wayward sinners to a right relationship with God.
In short, humanity's biggest problem is sin not suffering. So the best news we could receive is to be restored to a right relationship with God, not to live a life of comfort and self-fulfillment. This is why we must never take the gospel for granted. Because the moment we do, we're letting go of the only true hope for a fallen world.
It's a shame when those who claim the name "Christian" try to meet people's temporary needs but not their eternal needs. A truly Christ-like compassion doesn't prioritize people's felt needs over God's glory. Why not? Because that would dishonor the very Christ whom we claim to represent and deprive people of the gospel that alone can save.
Nike called his statement "abhorrent," and abruptly ended its endorsement contract with him. Singer Aiza Siguerra called him an "ignorant, bigoted hypocrite." And even Vice Ganda, not exactly Filipino television's most respected figure but an outspoken proponent of homosexuality, said "Some people think they can judge people like God [does] just because they’ve attended a prayer meeting and read the Bible." In another tweet, he said, "we will pray for Manny Pacquiao."
(Well, I wonder which God Vice Ganda prays to? Not the God of the Bible, since Vice clearly puts
little stock in God's Word.)
It's not surprising that LGBTs like Siguerra and Vice would respond so adamantly to Pacquiao's comments. What's a little more surprising (but just a little bit) is how some popular professing Christians reacted. Gab Valenciano, while calling on people to "try to forgive" Pacquiao, offered some advice to Christians: "If you feel 'these people' have wronged you or God in any way, let them
handle it. Stop being annoying. Stop meddling. Share the word, yes.
Force it down their throats, no." Meanwhile, singer Yeng Constantino took it upon herself to apologize to the LGBTs who were offended by the boxer's comments. "Sorry po, in behalf of those Christians na who are still growing in compassion, na maging katulad kami ni Jesus Christ."
Speak the Truth. In Love.
Although I don't agree with what Manny Pacquiao did, I agree with what he said. He just said it in the wrong way, at the wrong time, in the wrong context. Yes, homosexuality is a sin, and we shouldn't be ashamed to confront it. But in such a sensitive matter as this, we have to do it in a proper way -- "speaking the truth in love," as Ephesians 4:15 puts it. We have to be ready to tell LGBTs that they, too, are sinners who need to repent of all sins and believe in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. But we need to do it "with gentleness and respect" (1 Peter 3:15).
Personally, I'm happy for Manny Pacquiao. Standing firmly upon God's Word can only be good for his growth as a believer, as long as he responds to all the criticism in a prayerful and humble way.
I'm more worried for evangelicals whose grasp of God's holiness and Christian maturity is so flimsy that they can blurt out statements like, "I have found it in my heart to respect it [homosexuality] as a part of planet earth," or "Huwag n’yong hayaan i-define kayo [mga LGBT] ng sinasabing condemnation ng mga tao about you. God believes in you...."
What Evangelicals Need to Remember
What Bible Evangelicals always have to remember is that God will forgive any sinner who repents. And repent is exactly what a sinner who doesn't recognize he's a sinner is unable to do. Therefore, the most loving thing we can do for our LGBT friends is to speak God's Word to them. That means calling homosexuality a sin. That means calling them to repentance. But that also means saying it in a way that recognizes that we, too, are sinners, and that we, too, need grace just as much as they do.
"Therefore, having this ministry by the mercy of God, we do not lose heart."
- 2 Corinthians 4:1
The Apostle Paul's letters to the Corinthians are two of my favorite books in the Bible. They have ministered to me time and again, by reminding me of the gospel, and what it means for my life as a believer and pastor.
Our Weakness
I don't suppose many of you who read my blog are pastors, but you have your own life to face. And unless you're one of the few souls who lead a "charmed life," your life is complicated, difficult, and messy. But if the problem were only outside ourselves, it might not be so hard to bear. But the truth is, we ourselves are complicated, difficult, and messy, because we're often weak, unwise, fragile, confused, and most of all, sinful. We may have friends and counselors, but they will never be able to meet all our needs or compensate for our inadequacies.
Sure, we might not always feel this way. But such times are only just around the corner. In fact, for some people -- those in particularly difficult circumstances, or with a naturally gloomy disposition, or with a troubled personal history that has left deep marks, for example -- the feelings of inadequacy,
disappointment, fear, and anger can be overwhelming and can linger for a
long time, despite their best efforts to deal with them.
The Importance of Trials
Such times are crucial to our own growth, the encouragement of others, and ultimately, God's glory. It's an immense blessing for a believer to prove to himself and to others that his faith, and the gospel he professes, are real and substantial (Rom. 5:3-5). And that is most clearly seen in the midst of trials. That's why the Apostle James tells us to "Count it all joy... when you meet trials of various kinds" (Jam. 1:3).
Trials present great opportunities for growth, as well as great danger for our souls and ministries. A lack of faith or selfishness can cause a believer to "lose heart" during such times. This, in turn, can have not insignificant consequences.
Focusing on God's Grace
That's why Paul's example is so important to believers. Given the burden of his ministry and the troubles that he continuously faced, he had more reason than anyone to lose heart. Why didn't he?
In 2 Corinthians 4:1, he tells us one reason. Engraved upon his heart was the truth that his ministry -- and his entire life, for that matter -- was only by the grace of God.
We become disheartened when we don't get enough appreciation for our hard work and sacrifice. Grace says we don't deserve any of it.
We become disheartened when people don't respond the way we hoped they would. Grace says it's a privilege just to be used by God at all.
We become disheartened when we feel alone, forgotten, and neglected. Grace says God will never leave His child alone, God will never forget, and God will never neglect.
May the Word of God enable all of us not to lose heart.
7
But
we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing
power belongs to God and not to us. 8
We
are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not
driven to despair; 9
persecuted,
but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; 10
always
carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus
may also be manifested in our bodies. 11
For
we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake,
so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh.
12
So
death is at work in us, but life in you.
13
Since
we have the same spirit of faith according to what has been written,
“I believed, and so I spoke,” we also believe, and so we also
speak, 14
knowing
that he who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and
bring us with you into his presence. 15
For
it is all for your sake, so that as grace extends to more and more
people it may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God.
The
Apostle Paul wrote Second Corinthians because there were false teachers in
the Corinthian Church who were slandering Paul so they could take control of the church. Paul had to defend his ministry, and he did it by showing the Corinthians what
ministry is really all about.
Paul's
opponents were intelligent & attractive, charismatic, eloquent
and cultured. By worldly standards, these men were ideal leaders.
But
Paul knew that ministry is about the way of Christ. And the way of
Christ is the way of weakness, the way of the cross. Yes, God
empowers us to serve Him, but in such a way that we have to keep
relying upon Him.
A Jar of Clay
He
chose Paul, whose personality (not character, but his appearance and
style) was unimpressive, especially when compared to the false
teachers in Corinth. He also allowed Paul to continually experience
hardship, opposition, sadness and disappointment. No wonder Paul referred to himself as a jar of clay. (Tag. "banga")
Why?
So that Paul would continually rely on God.
He didn't pursue worldly comforts, but rather, relied on God simply
to meet his physical needs.
He didn't rely on earthly credentials or polished communication
skills – although he was not completely lacking in these things.
Rather, he relied on the Holy Spirit.
The proof of his apostleship was not “letters of recommendation”
from high-profile leaders (2 Cor. 3:2), nor was it in “racking up the numbers”
in terms of ministry funds, projects accomplished, or people
converted. Rather, the proof of his apostleship was the Corinthian
believers. They were few and flawed, but their lives had been
unmistakably transformed by the Holy Spirit through the gospel of
Christ.
Power & Weakness In Ministry
By
observing God's work in and through Paul, what can we learn?
Real ministry displays power. But not power in the world's terms.
The world has very little power compared to God, but it flaunts
every bit of it while it can, in order to impress itself.
But ministry unto Christ displays God's power to forgive sinners,
transform them into godly men and women, and preserve them unto
eternal life.
Power in ministry isn't meant to
display the extent of
God's power, but the quality
of it. God isn't interested in having more adherents than the
world's religions and philosophies. He, by divine right and
according to His infinite wisdom, has chosen to save but a
few. And yet, every instance
of salvation is a little sample of how wonderful and gracious and
absolutely unique God's power is. Only God can convert a soul. Only
He can keep a soul. God lets the world flaunt its meager power in
order to contrast it with His own. He's not out to display the
extent of His power. He's already done that in creation, and He'll
do it again one day when He establishes His kingdom on earth. By His
decree, the world is under the power of the evil one, but his rule
is temporary and provisional, and God makes His absolute rule clear
every time He saves a soul.
As ministers of Christ, we need to
accept weakness and hardship because that's how God means to display
His power in us. He wants us to depend completely on Him. So, we
should be continually be in an attitude of prayer.
A few weeks ago Todd Pruitt, Carl Trueman, and Amy Bird highly endorsed the book Job: Wisdom of the Cross by Christopher Ash. It turned out I already had a copy, so I started going through it as a supplement to my daily bible reading.
I've gone through some chapters, and so far, it's pure gold. I can't commend it enough. Get the book and read it. Please. It's emotionally heavy stuff, but it will help us appreciate the cross of Christ all the more.
Let me share some excerpts from the chapter I read today. I hope this will encourage you to go look for the book (even if it's in electronic form).
Job is terribly, frighteningly alone. He sits on the rubbish heap. His wife has come and gone after a disagreement. His only companion, if we can call it such, is a broken shard of pottery with which he scratches himself (2:8). ...
But what happens next presses home to us Job’s loneliness as never before. This is surprising because it seems to start so well. “Now when Job’s three friends heard of all this evil [harm] that had come upon him, they came. . . .” (v. 11). So Job has friends. The word “friend” in the Old Testament, and especially in the Wisdom literature, is stronger than our debased use, in which we may have many so-called “friends” (especially on social networking sites). ... A friend is bound to you with bonds of steadfast love (the strong Hebrew word is chesed, which means pledged, unbreakable, covenant love and loyalty). ...
We have here not just three kind and loyal friends but three wise friends who between them represent, as it were, the combined resources of the wisdom of the world. Can the world’s wisdom with the world’s kindness and loyalty help this lonely sufferer? ...
“And they raised their voices and wept” (v. 12). ... But they weep at him and not with him. This cannot be the “weep[ing] with those who weep” of Romans 12:15. They cannot sit “with” him in any meaningful sense. He is unrecognizable. He has been taken away into a different realm, a realm of suffering so deep they cannot reach him. ...
Their silence may be not so much a silence of sympathy (although it may have begun as such) but a silence of bankruptcy. They say nothing because they have nothing to say that will bring him comfort. It seems to them too late for that. ...
We need to recognize that those who suffer, suffer alone. And Job is terribly alone.
Job in his awesome aloneness foreshadows another believer, an even greater man who endures an even deeper suffering. This believer too was with his dearest friends, in a garden outside Jerusalem. He told them to sit and wait while he prayed. He took with him his three closest friends “and began to be greatly distressed and troubled.” He said to them, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death. Remain here and watch.” He went on a little farther, fell on the ground, and prayed “with loud cries and tears.” But when he came back he found them sleeping. “Could you not watch one hour?” he asked sadly (Mark 14:32–42; Hebrews 5:7). He prayed and wept alone. And the next day he suffered alone, stripped of his clothes, robbed of his friends, with even his mother having to keep her distance from the cross. He had said to his friends that although they would leave him alone, he was not alone, “for the Father is with me” (John 16:32). But in the deepest intensity of his suffering he cried out in anguish, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Mark 15:34). As the old hymn puts it, “He bore the burden to Calvary, and suffered and died alone."
There is a deep sense in which the lonely sufferings of Jesus Christ mean that no believer today is called to enter Job’s loneliness in its full depth. As someone has put it:
Suffering encloses a man in solitude. . . . Between Job and his friends an abyss was cleft. They regarded him with astonishment as a strange being. . . . But they could no longer get to him. Only Jesus could cross this abyss, descend into the abyss of misery, plunge into the deepest hell.
However alone the believer in Christ may feel today, the reality is that he or she is not ultimately alone as Job was.
“Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel.
Whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you shall give them warning
from me. If I say to the wicked, 'You shall surely die,' and you give
him no warning, nor speak to warn the wicked from his wicked way, in
order to save his life, that wicked person shall die for his
iniquity, but his blood I will require at your hand.”
- Ezekiel 3:17-18 ESV
It was a dark time for Israel. The
nation had rejected God and His ways, and as punishment, God sent the
mighty Babylonian Empire against them. Ezekiel himself had been
captured during the first siege of Jerusalem (597 B.C.), and was now
living in the great pagan city of Babylon. While he was there, God
called him to become a “watchman” (i.e., prophet) to the people
of Israel.
The Watchman
The watchman of a city was supposed
to be on the lookout for enemies. It was his job to sound the alarm
at the first sight of danger. If he was incompetent or irresponsible
in his duties, invaders might take the city's defenders by surprise
and easily destroy the city.
In same way, Ezekiel was supposed to
warn his people about God's judgment against sin. It wasn't a
complicated job. But he would have to be bold in his faith because
his people were stubborn and rebellious.
More than five centuries after
Ezekiel, our Lord Jesus Christ also called Israel to acknowledge her
sins, repent, and follow God wholeheartedly. In response, they
crucified Him.
Like Ezekiel
What message do today's Christians
have for our own churches, and the world at large? We often think in
terms of our Lord's Commission (Mat 28:19-20), but I suspect that we
often minimize or overlook the fact that to “make disciples”
means we also have to be “watchmen” like Ezekiel.
We have to continually (and
progressively!) repent of our own sins.
We have to address
sins in our own families, our own accountability groups, our own
churches. We have to be on the alert against the false teachings that
tell us to focus on feelings instead of Christ's finished work, on
activity instead of inward grace, on programs instead of the Holy
Spirit's power, on truisms and experience instead of the faithful
study and preaching of God's word.
We have to proclaim
God's judgment to lost and dying sinners . We have to do it lovingly,
yes. But we have to do it. We have to be bold enough to “warn the
wicked from his wicked way, in order to save his life”.
Like the Apostle Paul
The Apostle Paul was a faithful watchman. He boldly preached, and faithfully lived out, the truth. His striking statement to the Ephesian elders in Acts 20:26-27 is something we should all be able to say to those we can witness to.
Therefore I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all of you, for I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole counsel of God.
I'm
only a novice in the world of biblical counseling, and I haven't read
that many books on the subject. But of those I have read, the one
I've found most useful is Paul Tripp's Instruments in the
Redeemer's Hands. It's a very
well-rounded book: deeply theological but also very practical,
especially in the latter half. It's also full of items from Tripp's
own experience as a counselor, which really helps to express abstract
concepts in personal, concrete ways.
I
recommend this book to anyone who is serious about learning how to
counsel others biblically.
If
you want to know more about the specific contents of the book, check
out the chapter summaries below.
Chapter
1 – The best news in the world is that God is radically changing
people to enjoy and display His glory. We realize the need for change
in the world and in ourselves, but our sinfulness makes this
impossible. Our sin has made us rebellious against God, foolishly
self-dependent, and incapable of doing what God has ordained us to
do. “The good news of the kingdom is not freedom from hardship,
suffering, and loss,” says Tripp. “It is the news of a Redeemer
who has come to rescue me from myself.”
Chapter
2 – God uses ordinary people to do extraordinary things in the
lives of others. The church will only grow as each member does its
work. “Our
mission is to teach, admonish, and encourage one another to rest in
his sovereignty, rather than establishing our own; to rely on his
grace rather than performing on our own; and to submit to his glory
rather than seeking our own.”
Chapter
3 – Genesis 1 shows us that we as human beings are fundamentally
dependent on God to help us make sense of life and the facts of our
existence. And so, we sin when we listen to other competing voices
instead of God's. In order to live life properly, we must live in
“humble, honest community with one another, where personal ministry
is part of the daily culture.”
Chapter
4 – For counseling to produce true transformation, it must address
the fundamental problem of man: a sinful heart. The essence of sin is
actually idolatry, and whoever/whatever rules our hearts “will
control the way we respond to both suffering and blessing.”
Chapter
5 – Situations do not force us to sin. Rather, sin is rooted in
self-worship. Tripp argues that “Our desire to set up our own
kingdom is in direct conflict with the King who has come to rule in
our hearts. This is the war beneath all others.”
Chapter
6 – Biblical counseling can produce lasting change only if it is
Christ-centered. Truth, according to Tripp, “in its most basic
form, is not a system, a theology, or a philosphy. It is a person
whose name is Jesus. Living a godly life means trusting him,
following him, and living like him.” God's plan is for people to
see Him through the Christlike character of the church and of
individual believers. One way to apply this truth is the
“Love-Know-Speak-Do Model” of personal ministry.
Chapters
7 and 8 – LOVE. The foundation for people-transforming ministry is
love. The only way to participate effectively in Christ's work is to
build loving ministry relationships. There are four elements to this.
First, we must enter the person's world. Second, we must incarnate
the love of Christ. Third, we must identify with the person's
suffering. And fourth, we must accept the person, but with a
transformational agenda.
Chapters
9 & 10 – KNOW. Just as Christ sympathized with us, we must do
the same to others. Biblical insight into the nature of man in
general doesn't guarantee that we will easily understand an
individual and his/her situation. This is why we need to ask good
questions. “Biblical
personal ministry thrives when good exegesis of Scripture leads to an
accurate exegesis of the person’s life.” We
can organize the information we gather about counselees in a biblical
way by categorizing each item as either Situation, Response, Thought,
or Motive.
Chapters
11 &
12
– SPEAK.
Confronting
brethren who are sinning should be done in obedience to the First and
Second Great Commandments. Tripp explains that the love required
here, “exists at the intersection of patient grace and intolerance
for sin,” and reflects Christ's own love
as displayed on the cross. Biblical confrontation should start with
the
counselor's self-examination,
be done with the right motives, and be focused on the gospel. The
process includes four steps: Consideration, Confession, Commitment
and Change. Interaction and helping the counselee discover things for
him/herself is preferable to outright declaration by the counselor.
Chapters
13 &
14 – DO. We
must teach others how to approach their problems with an
eternity-oriented perspective, based
on who they are in Christ. We must also help them to close the gap
between what they believe and how they are living. This can be done
in four steps: establishing your personal ministry agenda, clarifying
responsibility, instilling identity in Christ, and providing
accountability.
Partnering with OIC (Overseas Instruction in Counseling) for the Bilical Counseling Training was no small privilege. Praise God for Dr. Wayne Vanderwier, Ptr. Rod Huber, Bro. Tarkus Mosberg, and their godly and supportive wives! May the Lord enable OIC, Higher Rock and all of the represented churches to see this endeavor through to the end. Module 1 is finished. I can't wait for Module 2 in January!
Here's
an interesting fact from Ken Ramey's book, Expository
Listening:
“the Bible says more about the listener's responsibility to hear
and obey the Word of God than it does about the preacher's
responsibility to explain and apply the Word of God.”
We
don't naturally know how to receive preaching. That's
why in the previous post I pointed out four important things we need to know about listening
to sermons.This present
article is meant as a supplement. Here,
I try to anticipate complaints from people who sit under an
expository pulpit ministry but feel dissatisfied. In response, I present helpful
insights from various pastors & authors.
1.
“I'm not learning anything new. The applications are always the
same and I usually know what the pastor's going to say next.”
Will
we ever become so experienced in applying God's commands that they
can't surprise and shame us anymore? No. The difficulties of applying
God's word in a fallen world will constantly expose 'new' areas of
sin, challenge our beliefs, and provoke questions. We will realize
that what seemed to us like simple applications before are actually
very complicated. In other words, obedience doesn't lead to
complacency, but greater humility.
Jay
Adams: “They expect the preacher to do all the work for them. They
expect him to apply the passage specifically to exact situations,
answering all possible questions and suggesting various applications
and implementations that pertain precisely to them.... Selfishly,
they forget that there are other people in the congregation and that
the preacher cannot think solely of their particular
circumstances.... To expect them [the listeners] to apply general
principles to the particulars of their lives, however, is too much to
ask. That's work!”
Boredom
in church means that someone's hit a roadblock. And how conceited it
would be of you to assume that it's the preacher and not yourself,
right? The answer to boredom is engagement with the sermon.
Ramey:
“Meditation [over God's word] serves as the bridge between
interpretation and application, between knowing what a passage means
and putting it into practice. To meditate means simply to think long
and hard about the text – to mull it over and over again in your
mind like a com chewing its cud.”
Richard
Baxter: “Chew the cud, and call up all when you come home in
secret, and by the meditation preach it over to yourselves.”
George
Whitfield: “Come to hear them... from a sincere desire to know and
do your duty. To enter His house merely to have our ears entertained,
and not our hearts reformed, must certainly be highly displeasing to
the Most High God, as well as unprofitable to ourselves.”
2.
“I think my pastor's teaching is very good, but his style bothers
me.”
Presentation
skills are helpful, but secondary. We have to realize that the
worship service is such a weighty thing that to bother about style is
(dare I say it) shamefully trifling! It's like rejecting a great job
offer because the
office doesn't have free coffee.
Baxter:
“If it were coldly delivered by the preacher, do you consider of
the great weight of the matter, and preach it more earnestly over to
your own hearts.”
D.M.
Lloyd-Jones on “the great pulpiteers” of the 19th
century: “These
men were pulpiteers rather than preachers. I mean that they were men
who could occupy a pulpit and dominate it, and dominate the people.
They were professionals. There was a good deal of the element of
showmanship in them, and they were experts at handling congregations
and playing on their emotions. In the end they could do almost what
they liked with them.”
A.W.
Tozer: “[The church] appears to have decided that if she cannot
conquer the great god Entertainment she may as well join
forces with him and make what use she can of his powers. …
Religious entertainment is in many places rapidly crowding out the
serious things of God.”
John
MacArthur: “Acceptability in the culture and increased church
attendance have subtly but steadily usurped holiness and true worship
as the primary objective of our church gatherings. Preaching the Word
and boldly confronting sin are seen as archaic, ineffectual means of
winning the world. … [But] The Great Commission is not a marketing
manifesto. True evangelism does not require salesmen but prophets.”
3.
“Does he really have to preach so long?”
I
think this kind of objection stems from a poor understanding of the
significance of the Lord's Day and the worship service. Sunday is the
time to retreat from our daily, mundane concerns and to gather as a
spiritual family to soak in divine grace. If we treat the worship
service as a gift from God and not merely an obligation, a long
sermon will cease to be an issue.
Leland Ryken on the Puritans' appreciation for preaching: "... I invite you to accompany me to England near the turn of the sixteenth century. Laurence Chaderton... is preaching in his native Lancashire. This northern shire is Catholic territory. People do not often hear good sermons. Chaderton has preached for two hours. He is about to conclude and says something to the effect 'that he would no longer trespass upon their patience.' But the audience will not allow the preacher to stop. 'For God's sake, sir, go on, go on,' they urge. ... This incident is noteworthy, not because it was rare during the Puritan movement, but because it was common."
4.
“I like to keep things simple. Why does my pastor dig into
'history' and 'context' and 'doctrine'? I'd prefer more practical
tips for life.”
True,
a sermon isn't meant to be a classroom-type lecture, and it's
supposed to be intensely practical. But build godliness, sin must be
dealt with. And to get at the root of sin, one must delve deep into
God's word. The following analogy is helpful.
Lloyd-Jones:
“Take
a man who is lying on a bed and writhing in agony with abdominal
pain. Now a doctor may come along who... feels that the one thing to
do is to relieve this man of his pain. … [But] if you just remove
the symptoms before you have discovered the cause of the symptoms you
are actually doing your patient real harm because you are giving him
this temporary ease which makes him think that all is well. But all
is not well, it is only a temporary relief, and the disease is there,
is still continuing.”
History
and context ground our interpretation of God's word in fact.
Otherwise, the preacher would be free to spin the Bible any way that
suited him. Doctrine – deep, robust, heart-searching,
Christ-exalting doctrine – is our foundation, our spiritual food,
and the fuel that drives our worship. This last excerpt describes
what any wise pastor wants for God's flock.
Ramey:
“Mature believers are able to eat and digest the prime rib
principles of God's Word because they have sat under consistent
expository preaching. As they feed on the meat of the Word, they grow
spiritually mature, and with that comes growth in discernment. They
want nothing to do with shallow, topical teaching, and they see right
through the schemes of false teachers and their claims.”
CONCLUSION
To
have God's word expounded to us by a faithful pastor is one of the
greatest blessings one can have in this life. Brothers, sisters,
friends, instead of dwelling on the imperfections of the preacher, we
should seek to be caught up in the perfections of our Savior.
It's
a familiar feeling. You're seated in church, listening to the
pastor's sermon in respectful silence. You hear his words, catch his
sentences. But you leave the service with little more than a vague
sense of what the sermon was about. And you're not alone.
We
all struggle from time to time with listening to sermons, and there
may be many reasons why. Ken
Ramey, in his book Expository
Listening,
says this:
“In many people's mind, if they don't get anything out
of the sermon, it's the preacher's fault. But that's only half true.
The Bible teaches that listeners must partner with the preacher so
that the Word of God accomplishes its intended purpose of
transforming their life.”
So
how do we partner with the preacher? We can start by being aware of
the following things when preparing to hear a sermon.
1.
Biblical Preaching = God's Word
The
first thing to know about preaching is this: A
sermon is God speaking to us, to the extent that it is faithful to
God's written word.
This is clearly implied in Romans
10:14
and Ephesians
2:17.
In
Romans
10:14,
Paul is describing the process of conversion. He says, “But how are
they to call on him [Christ] in whom they have not believed? And how
are they to believe in him whom they have never heard? And how are
they to hear without someone preaching?” (NASB)
The ESV reads “of
whom
they have never heard,” but in the original Greek New Testament,
there is no word “of.” So, this is what Paul is implying here.
For someone to believe in Christ, they first have to hear Him
speaking to them (not just hear of
Him). This, happens when someone (who is not Christ) comes and
preaches Christ's word to them.
The
logic here is clear. When we hear a faithful preaching of the
Scripture, no less than Christ is preaching to us! If this is true,
then what can be more important than to listen to what Christ is
saying to us?
2.
Preacher = God's Messenger
Why
can
the preacher hold
the
attention of an entire gathering for half an hour, an hour, or more?
What gives him the authority to speak about God and make judgments
about right
and wrong?
The simple fact is that a preacher who has been called by God must
preach, and the people God has sent him to must
listen
to him, for God's sake.
Paul
said in 1
Corinthians 4:1-2,
“This
is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ and stewards of
the mysteries of God. Moreover, it is required of stewards that they
be found trustworthy.” This tells us several things about the
preacher. First, we shouldn't think too highly of the preacher's
person.
He's
just a
lowly servant and a steward. Second, we should think very
highly of the preacher's office.
He serves no less than the Lord Christ, and he imparts nothing less
than the mysteries of God. Third and finally, God holds a
preacher
accountable to how he conducts himself and his ministry (also see Heb
13:17).
Now,
because of the preacher's high calling, Paul also said this: “Let
the elders who rule well be considered
worthy of double honor,
especially those who labor in preaching and teaching.” (1Tm
5:17)
Christ
made it clear that when God sends messengers He takes it as a
personal insult when they're
ignored (Mat
22:32-44;
Luk
9:5).
Because the office is
so important
there are
also strong warnings
against false preachers. Paul says in Galatians
1:8,
“But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a
gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed.”
So
when the preacher stands before the congregation and delivers God's
message faithfully, it would be good to keep in mind who he is. He's
the man God holds primarily responsible for the spiritual health of
the church.
3.
Preaching Has Always Been at the Heart of Worship
In
evangelical circles, the service is often described like this: “We
start of with some praise and worship, then comes the sermon, and
finally we end with more praise and worship.” Sadly, we've limited
the idea of “worship” to singing.
But
the Scriptures define worship more broadly, as this quote from Warren
Wiersbe suggests: “Worship is the believer’s response of all
that they are
– mind, emotions, will, body – to what God is and says and does.”
Take
Romans
12:1,
for example, which calls
on Christians to
“present your bodies [not
just your words] as
a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your
spiritual worship.”
How
did the Early Church worship? Acts
2:42ff
tells us, “And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching
and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. … And all
who believed were together and had all things in common. … And day
by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their
homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts,
praising God and having favor with all the people. ...” Worship
is a way of life. More specifically, it applies to everything that
Christians do when they come to glorify and enjoy God together.
Now,
when the congregation gathers for a worship service, the central
event is the sermon.
At first glance, Acts 2:42 seems to imply that preaching (the
apostles' teaching) is no more important than fellowship, communion
and prayer. And yet if you scan the rest
of the
Bible, the proclamation of God's word is spoken of in very weighty
terms. Fellowship, communion and prayer are also given importance,
but not as frequently and certainly not as emphatically. For example,
Paul told Timothy, “Until I come, devote yourself to the public
reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching. … Keep a close
watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so
doing you will save both yourself and your hearers.” (1Tm
4:6,13,16)
Notice that this time, there was only one
thing that Timothy was to be devoted to: the ministry of the Word.
This
makes perfect sense, since everything else we do as a church or as
individual disciples should have its foundations in the Word of God.
This is why the sermon should have the most prominent place in our
worship services.
Now,
if this is so, then to “zone out” during the sermon is to miss
the best part of the service. It is a failure to worship God as we
should.
4.
Preaching Involves God's People
We
often think of preaching as a one-way communication by the preacher
to a passive audience. According to this view, the 'proper' way to
listen to a sermon is to sit still and absorb everything the preacher
says.
a.
We are to respond by thinking. First,
God himself teaches us to test everything by the Scriptures (1Jn
4:1;
Deu
13:1ff).
Even Paul, who occupied the most authoritative position of apostle,
did not exempt himself from scrutiny. In fact, he probably encouraged
it (Acts
17:11).
Second, if we habitually engage with the preacher in this way, we'll
often come away with questions or concerns that we can discuss with
him or with our disciplers.
b.
We are to respond by praising God. What
drives biblical praise? Not worked-up emotions but a deep
understanding of who God is and what he has done. The Psalms make
this very clear. God is honored when hearts are captivated by him and
respond in heartfelt words of awe and gratitude. So let the sermon be
a springboard to a new sense of awe and delight in God.
c.
We are to respond by applying.
A sermon isn't meant to merely entertain us or to feed our
intellects. Paul said in 1Tm
1:5,
“The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a
good conscience and a sincere faith.” In the next verse, he
contrasts biblical preaching with “vain discussion” that does
nothing to mold character and morals. If you listen to sermons
determined to live out whatever biblical principles God confronts you
with, then you definitely won't be just a passive listener.
Sounds
Familiar?
We
may have heard all of this before. But we easily forget these truths
during a worship service. If you've fallen into the habit of mentally
drifting off during sermons, then you probably need to have a deeper
appreciation of these things.
Let
me end with this quote from Ken Ramey:
“In
order for you to receive the maximum benefit from the sermons you
hear, you must partner with the preacher so that the Word of God
accomplishes its intended purpose of transforming your life. Nothing
creates a more explosive, electrifying, life-changing atmosphere than
when the lightning bolts from a Spirit-empowered preacher hit the
lightning rods of a Spirit-illuminated listener. There is no telling
the dynamic impact the Spirit of God will make through the Word of
God any time someone who faithfully explains and applies God's Word
comes in contact with someone who faithfully listens to and obeys
God's Word.”
