Great Quote...

Power Only in the Cross

“One moment’s believing, close contact with the cross will do more to break the heart for sin, deepen the conviction of its exceeding sinfulness, and disenthrall the soul from all its bondage and its fears, bringing it into a sense of pardon and acceptance and assured hope, than a lifetime of the most rigid legal duties that ever riveted their iron chain upon the soul.”

—Octavius Winslow, The Foot of the Cross

“He will come again to judge the living and the dead”

The thought of a God who will judge us is hard for our 21^st sensibilities to swallow. We confuse judgment with judgmentalism and end up rejecting the idea of justice because it sounds mean-spirited and vindictive. Yet when Jesus returns to judge the living and the dead, he will only be giving people more of what they have desired in life. Paul shows us the two edges of judgment in 2^nd Thessalonians:

"They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might, when he comes on that day to be glorified in his saints, and to be marveled at among all who have believed, because our testimony to you was believed". 2 Thessalonians 1:9-10

Note the two edges:

1. "Eternal Destruction" is defined as being "away from the Lord and the glory of his might". For those who have avoided Jesus, ignored Jesus, created substitutes for Jesus, run away from Jesus, or have been generally apathetic about Jesus will get the just reward of being still further away from Jesus and the glory of his might! As C.S. Lewis once said: "There are two kinds of people: those who say to God, "Thy will be done," and those to whom God says, "All right, then, have it your way"

2. The reward of the Christian is defined as more of Jesus – what we have desired all our lives! When Jesus returns he will be glorified in his saints and marveled at among all who have believed. The core desire of followers of Christ is that Jesus would get more and more glory. The core passion of followers of Christ is that they would see and savor more of Jesus. And that is just what they will get! We will be in jaw-dropping, mind-blowing, soul-satisfying, wonder and awe as we marvel at the glory of our Lord!

Bottom line: We were created with a capacity for wonder and awe that only Jesus can satisfy. In our sinfulness we look everywhere but to Jesus for our satisfaction. In salvation the Holy Spirit re-awakens a desire for Jesus within us. So – what do you want more of? What does your heart truly desire? Be careful – when Jesus comes to judge the living and the dead, you will get it!

The well wisher of your soul's happiness,

Pastor Tom

Great Quote...

“Whatever comes in, when you go to God for acceptance, besides Christ, call it Antichrist; bid it be gone; make only Christ’s righteousness triumphant.”

- Thomas Wilcox, “Honey Out of the Rock“

The Burden of Self-Exaltation

I haven't figured out a lot of things about ministry. One of the things I have definitely not figured out is the tension between spreading the fame of Jesus and spreading the fame of yourself - or your church. It would seem that one must sell yourself or sell your church as a means of "selling" Jesus. At least that seems to be the way things are usually done by "successful" churches.

But I am haunted by a couple of quotes:

"Missionaries are very human folks, simply a bunch of nobodies trying to exalt somebody." - Jim Elliot

"Not to us, O LORD, not to us, but to your name give glory, for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness!" (Psalms 115:1)

How do I stay in the background while moving Jesus into the foreground? Elliot and the Psalmist agree that self-exaltation is the very thing to avoid. Yet the tribal people had to meet Jesus "through" Elliot - and those that would follow him.

Elliot had a "go and tell" orientation to ministry. When you "go and tell" you have to lead with Jesus. We have a "come and see" orientation. Not a bad thing - Jesus told people to "come and see". But when we market a "come and see" ministry to people we inevitable end up telling them to come and see "us". And so we must market and promote ourselves.

So, how do I spread the fame of Jesus while avoiding spreading the fame of Tom? Maybe the answer is being so caught up with the glory of Christ I am blissfully forgetful of myself as I passionately pursue the renown of Christ. Yes, people may look askance at this "wild man", but they won't look long before they see the one a lot wilder than me!

As Elliot also said:

"Forgive me Lord for being so ordinary while serving such an extraordinary God."

Back in the Saddle

I finished my class on Friday, so I'm back to my normal routine. The class, "Empowering Leaders in Soul Care", was really good, better than I thought it would be. And though I may whine a bit about being in class all week, and though I did come home each day pretty tired, I think I like being in class better than being on vacation!

I am hoping to revisit my class notes and reading list soon so I can better apply the principles to ministry. My hope is that our church will become a more and more emotionally healthy environment where real relationships can thrive.

Not that I want to become Dr. Phil and our church a big encounter group. I just want us to be able to love each other and lay down our lives for one another in a healthy way. I think everyone wants that, some where deep down. Somewhere.

Book Review: “The Last Addiction: Own Your Desire, Live Beyond Recovery, Find Lasting Freedom”Sharon Hersh. Colorado Springs, CO: Waterbrook Press, 2008, 240 p.

Overview—Give a brief overview of the book, including its theme, perspective and approach.

"The Last Addiction" is part "self-help" book and part spiritual memoir. Sharon Hirsh is honest, brutally honest, about her own struggles with addiction as she seeks to offer hope to those also struggling. She offers no easy answers as she weaves insights through the many narratives of addicts she has known. In fact, "self-help" is the very thing she warns against. The last addiction turns out to be an addiction to our own will, our own self, our own ability, our own pursuit of control. As it turns out, addictions are only faced through the gift of getting caught, the gift of surrender, and the acceptance of God even in the midst of addiction.

Critique—Offer a brief critique of the book, including elements of strength and weakness.

One must be careful with a book like this, even in its strengths. Her stories of people with addictions are so powerful and compelling that it might leave the impression that to be truly human one must have struggled in the throes of addiction themselves. In proving to us that we are not gods, addiction is truly a great gift. I appreciated her courageous stance on the power of the gospel. And I think I understand what she means by "[God] desperately hungers for intimacy" and "God as desperate savior". But I am also wary of an approach that makes us feel loved because God makes much of us. Does God show love for us my making much of us or, at great cost to himself, giving us the ability of making much of him?

Application—Offer some specific application to your own ministry— demonstrating the value and relevance of the material in this book.

Hirsh challenged me to live more honestly in community with others. She states. "The value of community for those struggling with addiction cannot be overstated. When we see others like us, taking steps toward a new way of living, we begin to believe in redemption – for people like us"

Best Quote—Be sure to include the page number where the quote can be found.

p.14 "'Their land is full of idols' (Isaiah 2:8). After all, that is what addiction really is – it is worship. No matter how sophisticated or crude, any given addiction is a person, place, substance, activity, or ideology that becomes central to a human being's mind, body, soul, and spirit. Whether it is alcohol or religious activity, addiction is at work when something or someone begins to affect the style and nature of all aspects of a person's life and interacts with all his or her activities. The etymology of the word gives us insight into its idolatrous nature. Addiction is from the Latin word addictus, which means 'to surrender to the gods.'"

Vision – Mission - Values

Between His resurrection and ascension Christ was busy commissioning his church. Our commission gives us our "marching orders" as we look to Christ's return. Last Sunday we looked at how our "commission" is seen in our Vision, Mission, and Values statements:

Our Vision:

 "We will be a community of believers who love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength and make Him known in our community and around the world"

Our Mission:

"Our mission is to develop fully devoted followers of Christ who will meet the spiritual needs of our church and our community"

Our Values:

• Worship: We are created to find our joy in worshiping God.
  
• Teaching: Knowing and obeying God's Word is fundamental to all true success.
  
• Outreach: Lost people matter to God. He wants them found.
  
• Discipleship: Completing the Great Commission will require fully devoted followers of Christ of all ages.
  
• Prayer: Prayer is the primary work of the people of God.
  
• Community: Building community is essential for church health.
  
• Stewardship: Everything we have belongs to God. We are only stewards.
  
• Growth: Achieving God's purposes involves taking faith-filled risks.
  

These aren't nice items to post and forget. They can shape our ministry and motivate us to Kingdom work. We believe they reflect the vision and mission of God. Do they reflect your vision and mission? Take some time to consider these statements and how we as a church can shape our ministry around them!

The well wisher of your soul's happiness,

Pastor Tom