Accepting Forgiveness

For whatever reasons, we humans are driven by our feelings. What does forgiveness feel like? is an issue that must be examined.

“I don’t feel forgiven” is something that runs through the minds of most of us. The consequences of dumb things we have done remain with us. I have in my memory bank images of things I have done that I am deeply ashamed of and try as I might, I cannot erase them. These have become part of who I am. And maybe, just maybe, that is a good thing.

Forgiveness—feeling or fact?

If I feel I am forgivendoes that mean I am forgiven?

If I don’t feel I am forgiven does that mean I am not forgiven?

What part do our emotions play in our Christian life? It seems, for many, emotions and feelings are akin to spiritual realities and affirm, or not, the working of the Holy Spirit in our lives. It seems to me that relying on our emotions and feelings opens the door to error and the possibility of being deceived. After all, where in the whole of the Bible do we find that our feelings have anything to do with spiritual realities?

If forgiveness is a feeling, then I cannot ever be sure I am forgiven. What a terrible place to find ourselves. Guilt can be unrelenting and tortuous; it can drive us mad. Since we know this cannot possibly be the will of our Father in heaven, then we must rethink our view of forgiveness.

Forgiveness, biblically speaking, is a fact and not a feeling. It is firmly based upon the work of Jesus Christ dying on the cross. He put away our sin, completely. The writer of Hebrews says, “He (Jesus) has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself” (Hebrews 9:26).

Jesus, dying and receiving all of our sin upon Himself, was buried and all our sin is buried with Him. Certainly, we will admit this great reality is beyond our ability to grasp. Yet the putting away of sin is central to all of Scripture from Genesis to Revelation.

The imagery of baptism

To be baptized is to be plunged or dunked or immersed. Biblical baptism, which is being plunged into or dunked or immersed in water, is the image of what happens to the Christian at the moment of conversion. Water baptism is not a magical ritual whereby sin is removed and cancelled, rather, it is a representation of a spiritual reality. Here is the person standing in a river, a lake, a stream, an ocean, a swimming pool, a baptistry in a church building, and this person is laid under the water, buried in the water, and raised up again.

   The point is that sin is buried; it is gone, it is washed away; it is all and completely forgiven. Upon this truth we make our stand.

The accuser

Christians have an enemy who accuses them that they are not Christians and safe in Christ. This threat is rendered impotent based on Revelation 12:10 and numbers of other passages: “Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God.”

To which accuser are we most vulnerable, ourselves or Satan? And the answer is both, and. No matter, the accusations come at us. For me, when I hear some people slam me for things that happened in the past, sometimes occurring decades ago, I do not think they are demonized. However, I do question that they know the power of the cross and the extreme love the Father has for His children

            Early on I would be devastated when the accusations would come. Now not so much though I may cringe a bit. Strangely, or maybe not so strangely, I am more sensitive to my sin now than ever before. Early on I even questioned my conversion, now though I know I have been born again and my sin is washed away and forgiven. This is where I will stand.

Acutely aware of sin

 Now a follower of Jesus for fifty-five years I still am a sinner. Remember, all our sin is forgiven, even those we have not committed, yet. Once again, we encounter an unresolvable paradox. Totally forgiven yet needing to confess our sin as such comes to our awareness is a paradox, two truths existing side by side but never join or resolved. Strangely, or maybe not so strangely, I am more sensitive to my sin now than ever before.

            I am not sure how to go about explaining this; it is something I experience. Little things that happen ever so innocuously, a slight, a boast, a slightly exaggerated statement, or leaving out matter that should have been stated, not spending enough time with someone, being in a hurry to do what I want to do, a judgmental look or thought, and the list could go on and on. I am busy sinning.

What will I do? In a kind of a prayer without kneeling, closing the eyes, or folding the hands, I say a little prayer in process, “Please forgive me Father, have mercy upon me.”

            In the parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector (Publican in the KJV) in Luke 19:9-14 is an ancient prayer, “God be merciful to me a sinner.” (verse 13) Our congregation at Miller Avenue prays an ancient version of it every Sunday. We have put it to music and sing it twice, just before we receive the Bread and the Cup. Our version is: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.” This is, as far as I know, the oldest Christian prayer found outside the Bible itself.

            Jesus’ conclusion to the parable, and the primary point of the comparison is: “I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other.” (verse 14)

“Justified” is a perfect passive participle. The grammar Jesus used is so very important. Perfect tense means that an act has occurred which results go on forever. Passive voice means that the subject is acted upon, that is, the subject did absolutely nothing to earn any result.

            The tax collector, big sinner in everyone’s eyes for they were Jews who sold out to Rome and extorted money beyond the normal tax due and pocketed it. This traitor went home completely forgiven, though others might accuse him and the devil attempt to defeat him, regardless of the tax collector’s feelings, his sin was gone. And it was all an act of God.

Accepting forgiveness

By faith we accept the forgiveness we have in Christ. If forgiveness is something we can achieve on our own, then forgiveness is fleeting. I have to challenge myself to stand at the foot of the cross when I am tempted to accuse myself or accept accusations from our enemy and those who are under his sway. Despite my feelings, regardless of the unbiblical bits of data that flit through my brain, I know I am forgiven.

Standing firm on this reality keeps us healthy. It is biblical Christianity all the way.

Foreword

If you had lived two thousand years ago and had the

privilege to meet Jesus face to face, there are a couple

of words I doubt you would use to describe your

experience. Regardless of your theological perspective,

no matter what your spiritual or emotional state, you

would probably never say that Jesus was boring or

irrelevant.

Jesus challenged his friends and angered his foes.

He inspired, healed and loved the people around him,

like no one before or since. Yet many pastors who claim

to be followers of Jesus conduct meetings in his name

that are often boring and irrelevant. What is worse is

that some pastors live their lives without the health

and vitality that characterized the life of Jesus. This

should not be so.

I went to a friend’s wedding a while ago that

reminded me why I quit going to church for several

years as a teenager. The building was beautiful, but

the wedding itself started late and dragged on for an

hour. I couldn’t wait for it to be over.

Another wedding I attended more recently

brought laughter, tears and joy to everyone involved.

A religious service has great power to inspire us when

it is conducted in a relevant, personal way. The same

iv

For Pastors

can be said about the life of a minister. Some Christian

leaders live depressed and frustrated lives. They lack

the wisdom and power of the Holy Spirit. There is a

great need for those who lead God’s people to learn

the wisdom, which can enable them to be fruitful. This

book is filled with Kent Philpott’s practical insights

that helped me when I first met him almost thirty years

ago.

I was a confused twenty-year-old when I met

Kent in May of 1970. His living room in San Rafael,

California was crowded with young people singing

praises and studying the Bible. The “Jesus Movement”

was just starting in Northern California and Kent was

in the center of it.

Kent had opened up his home for Bible studies

and evangelism around the clock. We were drawn

together by curiosity, adventure and the Spirit of God.

Kent had gone to seminary where he had become

grounded in the truth that a whole new generation was

hungry to learn. He led meetings with a guitar in his

hands and preached in a language we could relate to.

Through relevant Bible teaching and counseling

with prayer, Kent helped hundreds of young people

enter the Kingdom of God. He steered us away from

the cults and talked us through our trials.

As the ministry grew, we started numerous Bible

studies, discipleship houses and Christian bookstores.

In 1972, we started a church. By 1976 we had four

churches. These churches grew and began their own

mission outreaches. During those years we went

through numerous struggles and trials. We saw leaders

rise and fall. We made mistakes and learned many

lessons the hard way.

Much of the fruit of those years remains, not in

any one church or organization, but in hundreds of

v

people, now middle aged, who are faithfully serving

the Lord around the country.

As my pastor and friend, Kent helped me to grow

and mature. He gave me training and opportunities,

which prepared me for a lifetime of ministry. Kent

understands the practical steps pastors and ministers

need to take to build a fruitful ministry. His wisdom

and counsel in this book will be a treasure for everyone

who seeks to influence people the way Jesus did.

Mark Buckley, pastor

Living Streams Christian Church,

Phoenix, Arizona

Confession is Good for You

Christians do not have to pretend they do the right thing all the time. Perfect we are not. Neither do we have a ‘license’ to sin, as some accuse us. Our desire is to be careful followers of Jesus. Before going any further, it is important to consider a very interesting paradox we find in Scripture.

The paradox involving confession

A paradox is two truths that run parallel to each other like the rails of a railroad track. They are laid right next to each other but never intersect. This is a pretty fair definition of a paradox. And confession definitely involves a paradox.

One rail of the tract is the fact that all of our sin has been placed on Jesus when He died on the cross. Our sin was then buried, or put away, with Jesus in His tomb; and it is utterly and completely gone. And that is all of our sin, past, present, and future. Yes, all of our sinning, past, present, and future is already covered by the blood of Jesus.

            The second rail is that we are to continue to confess our sin despite the fact all of the sin has been forgiven. Paradox?

This is where personal and ongoing confession comes in. Let us examine a key passage of Scripture, that of 1 John 1:8-2:2.

First, 1 John 1:8-10:

If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

The “ifs” in bold (my work) above are in Greek grammar what are called “future more probable” conditional clauses. So then, it is possible that a Christian may say they have no sin and if they do, it is big mistake. Such denial means we have to carry guilt around, and doing so eventually damages us both spiritually and emotionally. Over time, guilt multiples, self-condemnation sets in, and relationships are undermined

            We see the paradox then: We are forgiven yet still need to confess our sin—both at the same time.

            Later on, John writes, “In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins” (1 John 4:10). Out of God’s love for us, He does not want us to carry around the weight of unforgiven sin. This is why confession is good for us. Our ongoing sin is not to be ignored, it is to be confessed. And not just simply, “Lord, forgive me, a sinner” but to name them one by one, the circumstances, instances, maybe down to the details.

Confession, one to another

James, the half-brother of Jesus and first pastor of the Jerusalem Church, wrote, “Confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed” (James 5:16). This opens up something different from the foregoing. Now confession is made directly to others, even to those, especially to those we have sinned against. Instead of settling for broken relationships, the attempt is made to heal breaches as they develop, and we all know, they develop.

            Caution is advised when it comes to confessing sins one to another. The gifts of wisdom and humility vital here. We are careful not to accuse, blame, or gossip in making confession. In addition, over sensitivity must be avoided, but healthy relationships, especially within the family and the church, are critical.

The great Judge is merciful

Christians do not have to hide from God, nor anyone else for that matter. Even if one commits a really big sin, still there is forgiveness. This is a lesson I learned from talking with convicts at San Quentin Prison over thirty-two years as a volunteer there. Murder, rape, and other such, are no bar from total and complete forgiveness though it may take a long while for the freedom of forgiveness sets in. Our Father God never stops loving us and, of course, we cannot fully grasp this, we can only struggle to believe and accept it this enormous truth. Indeed, others will remember our sin, even accuse and blame us and far into the future, but not the Judge of all. He actually forgets our sin.

            One of the enduring images I have carried with me over the decades is that I am standing before God at the Day of Judgment, but He does not see me since Jesus is standing right in front of me. The Judge only sees Jesus His beloved Son. I am completely hidden in Christ.

Knowing this solid biblical truth, I have confidence to live my life freely and without the burden of guilt and shame. I have done some pretty ugly things, stuff others will still bring up, for whatever reasons, but I know I am covered in the shed blood of Jesus. And this is not a psychological invention of mine, it is a truth straight from the Word of God.

Second now, 1 John 2:1:

“My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.”

            Notice the “if” again. It is that same construction, a third-class conditional clause as before. John means that we will likely sin, and if and when, we have the best lawyer there is to argue our case, which always results in complete acquittal. Jesus is our advocate, our counselor, our attorney.

            As we mature in our Christian lives this truth becomes very precious to us. We go through difficult times, sometimes lasting over considerable periods of time. For whatever reasons, we do some really dumb things, so much so that we are tempted to think our heavenly Father is angry at us and rejects us. NO, and NO, and NO. Wrong thinking. This is the way of a fallen world, but we are not of the world any longer. We will not let anything, or anyone separate us from the love of Christ. Here is how Paul put it in Romans 8:38-39:

For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, not things present not things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

What does this all mean? One thing is clear: we do not fear to confess our sin to God. He is the ultimate Father.

            I have five children and I would not ever want to add to their burden if they should do something egregious. Not at all, my desire would be to make whole again and this is our Father who is in heaven desire.

A final word of encouragement

Confession is good for us. No matter how often, and it is of course, daily, we have full access to the throne of grace. That sin, and every one, Jesus took upon Himself, is gone forever already and the delight of the Father is to remind us of that very fact.

Foreword

I have served as pastor of a small church for over

twenty-one years. My congregation is still among those

churches with an active membership barely above one

hundred. If you are a pastor of a church with less than

150 active and tithing members, this book will teach

you more than you will ever learn in a traditional

seminary.

I earned three Masters degrees and one Doctorate

from a well-known and fully accredited seminary. I was

well schooled in the principles of Biblical

interpretation; I learned Greek and Hebrew from some

of the best teachers. I studied church history and

systematic theology. The one thing I was not prepared

for was ministry in a small church. Since most churches

are small churches, you would think that the average

seminary would do a good job preparing its students

for ministry in the small congregation. However, many

theological institutions will not prepare you for what

you will face in a small church.

This book will do more for the average pastor of a

small congregation than years of training in a traditional

school. The book is very practical. Kent should have

written this book twenty years ago. It would have saved

me countless sleepless nights. Some of the ideas are

ii

For Pastors

radical but solidly biblical and theologically sound. The

most important thing about this book is that it is very

practical. It is written in the format of “books for

dummies.” The wisdom shared by Philpott is priceless.

The book is full of practical ideas gained by the

author’s own experience as pastor of a small church.

Of all the books I have read on the small church, this

is the only book written specifically for the pastor of a

small congregation. Whether you are seminary trained

or not, I highly recommend this book as a “must” for

your personal library.

Emmanuel Akognon

President and Academic Dean

Southern Marin Bible Institute

Marin City, California

Love God and Love Your Neighbor

When Jesus was asked which was the great commandment in the Law He replied:

You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets. (Matthew 22:37-40)

In the Lord’s prayer, Matthew 6:9, is the phrase “hallowed be your name.” Obeying the command to love God with all of us and honoring God above all else is healthy because it keeps us from idol worship, and we can make an idol out of almost anything or anyone. And no idol can love us, guide us, save us, or be in fellowship with us. Idol worship leads to despair.

Then there is the golden rule: “So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets”[1] (Matthew 7:12).

“Love” for God is to be whole hearted in our love of God, with no worship of or devotion for any other gods or goddesses. “Love” for the neighbor is to seek the best for those whom one might encounter, not merely the folks next door. This “rule” is helpful since we generally know how we would like to be treated.

The Parable of the Good Samaritan illustrates the point. Jesus tells the story of a Jewish man who is waylaid by robbers and beaten almost to death. A Samaritan finds the Jewish man, and the Samaritans and Jews detested one another, yet at considerable time and expense, the Samaritan made sure the traumatized man received help. (see Luke 10:25-37)

How is this healthy?

A focus on ourselves is common to us all, and necessarily so. We must see to our well-being and develop hope for the future. Here now Jesus makes it clear that we are to “love” ourselves. This does not have to be a “me first” mentality at all, but it a reasonable, and healthy injunction to care for ourselves.

It is not healthy to think we are bad people, and most of us do think such from time to time. When we get stuck there, however, and denigrate ourselves for whatever reasons, we want to see that this is not as it should be. It may mean we may be suffering from something else, something that needs attention and even with the help of mental health professionals.

Yes, we may come to the end of ourselves and turn to outside stimulation? Sometimes quickly. What with street drugs, sexual excess, frantic and risky behavior, our lives spiral downward. Trouble builds and, in every way, —mentally, emotionally, physically, and spiritually.

We live in a world filled with high stress and anxiety; our world is complex and scary. Wars and rumors of war, nation against nation, trouble everywhere is now the norm. Have humans evolved to the point where we can cope with the stress factors that swirl about us? Not yet, and maybe never.

            When our thoughts are constantly inward, anxiety only grows. And we soon discover there is little, if any, hope for the future. However, ‘deep’ we attempt to go into our inner being, we will be disappointed when we find only emptiness or frightening images.

Too often we go looking for love in all the wrong places and only find love that is fleeting and maybe not love at all. Loneliness grows, and hope recedes. Some cope, others do not. Some want to end it all; others lose contact with reality and experience psychotic states; this is real for many people.

            Again, it is not wrong to be concerned about ourselves, yet we are to love God with all of who we are. The focus shifts, not away from ourselves, but upward toward the God who created us and loves us. Almost preposterous that the Triune God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit should love us, we who have rebelled against Him, but He does. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). And if that is not enough there is this wonderful verse: “In this is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his son to be the propitiation for our sins” (1 John 4:10).

            “Propitiation” is a big word and means that Jesus, the son, took all our sin, transgressions, rebellious ways, wrong doing, etc., upon Himself when He died on the cross. Of course, this does not make that much sense to us, yet it is, nevertheless, the truth of it.

            “Love” in the passages above, both John 3:16 and 1 John 4:10 is, is transliterated agape. It means that God loves us much and wants the very best for us, which is eternal fellowship with Him in heaven. Jesus literally died in our place. Only God could make this preposterous and absurd sacrifice, at least from our perspective, and all because of His love for us.

            Sin is not good for us. Not only does it wreak havoc in our lives, it separates us from God and forever. Yes, forever, and yes, I mean hell. Now hell is where God is not. And God being holy, meaning sin cannot ever come before Him, means that if we die unforgiven, we cannot be in His presence, ever.

            We have to admit no one knows why the Creator God has allowed all this to happen. What we do know is that it has happened, but that this same God has done something about it. This is the story of Jesus.

            From our limited perspective we get lost in trying to figure it all out. This is why we have the Bible, the written Word of God that reveals the Living Word of God, Jesus the Messiah. He died in our place because of love, real love, a love that does not go away.

Never alone

Biblical Christianity is healthy because it brings love to us. Jesus never leaves us, He continues to love us despite ourselves. This is what JOY is all about. Joy is not jumping around waving our arms in the air and shouting halleluiah, though some will do this, no this joy is the recognition that we are loved with a love that will never fail. We have a Savior who will never turn away, never abandon us, despite how weird and strange we may be at times. Indeed, He wants us to be with Him and forever. Jesus put it this way:

Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.

(John 14:1-3)

Meaning and purpose

There is another reason why biblical Christianity is healthy. Every Christian not only has meaning in his or her life, but we have been assigned a job to do, one that no one retires from. This is the commission Jesus gave us just before He ascended back to heaven.[2] Here it is, Matthew 28:19-20:

Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.

It cannot get any better than this. Let me make it plain, it is not an easy road to travel and is the road less travelled, but there is no better way. It never gets boring, we are never alone, the adventure never dies down, and there is no retirement age.

            Hope does not fade either. Bible hope is not a wish, it is a sure thing. I do not have the words to express what I mean here. The common understanding of the word hope does not begin to define the biblical meaning of the term. My hope is in Jesus Christ and what He has already done for me. It is a done deal. As Jesus said while hanging of the cross, “It is finished.” Nothing can change that, not even stupid and sinful things that I do. No, I do not have a ‘license’ to sin, but an hour hardly goes by that I do not sine in some manner or other. After all, we are to love God with all be are and have and also to love our neighbor as ourselves. Who can say they meet this challenge? My hope, my assurance has nothing to do with my spirituality, it is all about Jesus. And Jesus never fails. Here is what He said: “The thief (meaning Satan) comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep” (John 10:10-11).

Love, forgiveness, assurance, the inner working of the Holy Spirit—this is our prescription for health.[3]

---

[1] “Law and the Prophets” is a common Jewish expression for all of the Hebrew Bible, or Old Testament.

[2] Heaven is the dwelling place of God. It is not in the physical universe, in fact, we know little about it but one day we will know all about it.

[3] In John 8:44 are these words of Jesus about Satan: “He was a murderer from the beginning, and has nothing to do with the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character for he is a liar and he father of lies.”

Here is the Table of Contents for my book, For Pastors of Small Churches, written about 20 years ago.

Foreword …………………………………………………………….. i

Foreword …………………………………………………………… iii

Foreword ………………………………………………………….. vii

Preface ………………………………………………………………. xi

1. On Preaching the Gospel ………………………………… 1

2. The Call to Pastoral Ministry ……………………………. 8

3. Examine Yourself ………………………………………….. 15

4. Pastoring To Preach ………………………………………. 19

5. Preparation for the Pastoral Ministry ………………. 23

6. The Devotional Life …………………………………….. 29

7. The Center of Our Ministry—Abiding in Jesus . 33

8. Remember, We Have a Fallen Nature……………. 36

9. On Learning to Preach ………………………………….. 41

10. Finding Sermon Topics ………………………………… 52

For Pastors

11. On Teaching the Bible …………………………………. 58

12. Discussion of the Sermon …………………………….. 64

13. Listening to Criticism …………………………………… 66

14. Public Ministry—Is it a Performance? ……………. 71

15. Keeping Strong and Healthy ………………………… 75

16. Early to Bed, Early to Rise… ……………………….. 79

17. The Pastor’s Work Schedule…………………………. 81

18. Personal Finances and Life-style ………………….. 85

19. Deciding What Ministry to Engage In …………… 90

20. Church Structure …………………………………………. 96

21. The Worship Service ………………………………….. 100

22. The Prayer Meeting …………………………………… 108

23. The Bible Study ………………………………………… 112

24. Avoid Political and Social Controversies ………. 116

25. Avoid “Movements” Within Christianity ……… 120

26. Avoid Fund-raisers …………………………………….. 123

27. Limit Promotions ……………………………………….. 128

28. What Title to Use ………………………………………. 132

29. On Being a Counselor ………………………………… 135

30. On Helping Others …………………………………….. 139

31. Recognition and Rewards …………………………… 144

32. Coping with Failure …………………………………… 148

Table of Contents

33. Having A Trade …………………………………………. 153

34. Own a Pickup Truck! …………………………………. 156

35. Weddings and Funerals ……………………………… 159

36. Do Not Ask ……………………………………………….. 163

37. Our Need for a Confessor or Mentor …………… 168

38. Thoughts on Retirement ……………………………. 171

39. Pastoring the Small Church ………………………… 174

40. Pastoring the Large Church ……………………….. 179

41. On Being an Associate ……………………………….. 182

42. Love Your Spouse ……………………………………… 187

43. Spend Time with Your Children …………………. 190

44. Dragons in the Church……………………………….. 193

45. Know and Face Your Limitations ………………… 198

46. Angry Pastors …………………………………………….. 201

47. Theological Models ……………………………………. 209

48. Church Discipline ……………………………………… 215

49. On Being Politically Correct ……………………….. 222

50. Avoiding Magical Thinking ………………………… 226

51. A Sermon to Have Ready to Preach ……………. 230

52. The Pastor as A Suffering Servant ………………. 237

53. The Parsonage …………………………………………… 240

54. Pride: An Enemy of our Ministry ………………… 243

For Pastors

55. The Filing System ……………………………………… 247

56. Refuse to Be Intimidated …………………………… 250

57. One Last Word on Preaching ……………………… 255

Appendix ……………………………………………………….. 257

Postscript ………………………………………………………… 259

Looking back on the five decades I have been in Christian ministry, most of it as a pastor of congregations, I have noticed that faithful Christians, those who trust in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord and who value the revealed Word of God, the Bible, tend to live well.

            There are exceptions, of course, —disease and death coming upon the most faithful—which even tempt us to question the goodness of God.

I have had my share of deeply troubling life events. Then I have regrets over the consequences of my own sinful behavior. Still today, when I allow myself to dwell on the pain and suffering I have caused others, I will become saddened, even depressed.  Then the natural aging process; indeed, my body is wearing out, I have lost some mental acuity, and many things I thought nothing of accomplishing, now are beyond my ability.

            Certainly, LIFE happens to us all. Misfortunes are not the result of any kind of punishment from God, but this side of heaven, things happen. This is made clear from the accounts of what happened to Jesus, Paul, and all the rest of those who appear in Scripture. Down through the history of the Church, with its persecutions, we see Christians suffering.

            It is in the sufferings, whether light or serious, that the hope a Christian has in this life and the next that makes the difference. We all experience what it is to live in a “fallen world” as we journey on to being forever in the presence of God in heaven. This “pilgrim’s progress” is indeed progress.

I am now 76 years old and by the time this ‘Little Book’ is published, I might be 77. Despite the above, especially due to my pastoring hundreds over the decades, I can say, and without exaggeration, that biblical Christianity is healthy.

            As you read through my reasons for saying so, you may come across a topic I missed, which might possibly result in a new chapter for a new edition.

Email me at: kentphilpott@comcast.net.