Twenty-three

The Bible Study

“You take the Bible way too literally for me. I am

shopping around and I know Miller Avenue isn’t my

kind of church. I am not interested in what happened

to a bunch of Jews a long time ago.”

Absolutely correct, Miller Avenue would not work

for this person. Should I change to accommodate him?

Should I suddenly become “liberal” so that I might

get this person into a pew?

         

The early Christians were devoted to the “apostles’

teaching”. (See Acts 2:42) At that point in the

history of the Church it would have meant a devotion

to the words and deeds of Jesus as well as to the entire

Hebrew Scripture, the Old Testament. In our time we

look to our Bible, the Old and New testaments, for the

apostles’ teaching.

What an incredible document the Bible is, a neverending

supply of wisdom and grace. The Bible is God’s

very word that the Holy Spirit helps us to understand.

The Bible is a book about Jesus, His past, His present,

and His future. However, it is “spiritually hidden” from

the unconverted and often mysterious to the converted

113

The Bible Study

so the ministry of exposing the Bible is indeed a critical

one.

Since 1968 I have had the blessed privilege of

teaching a Tuesday night Bible study. The name of

my little television program is “The Bible Study”. In

both cases I teach verse by verse, starting from where

I left off and ending wherever we happen to be when

time runs out.

Preparation for the Bible study is nearly as

extensive as for the sermon. The actual Bible study

lasts for one and a half hours while the television

program is only one half hour. My study for the

television program is simply a perusal of the material

from the Bible study, and that is usually not much more

than a few notes in the margins of my study Bible.

Most often the Bible study takes place in my living

room. At times it has been conducted in the church

building. It is informal and as relaxed as I can make it.

Sometimes I have hot water ready for coffee, tea, or

otherwise, with some cookies or fruit. Not many come,

five to eight people is typical. The material is fairly

involved in that I do not gear it for beginners, but I

will answer any and all questions. I use no aids or other

books though I am not against this and have done so at

various times. The Bible study guides, however, seem

to get in the way and are usually superficial. People

end up studying the guides and/or outlines rather than

the Bible itself.

My job is to expose the Scripture. Sometimes I

don’t understand some passage myself; I am often

baffled. I will ask tough questions, even play the role

of “devil’s advocate” to help people focus on the text

and context. As best I can I will avoid interpreting the

Scripture to meet the confines of some theological

model. The Scripture must say what it says and not

114

For Pastors

what I want it to say. There is no effort on my part to

entertain, excite, or inspire; this must come naturally,

or supernaturally, from the Word of God itself. As we

hear Jesus speaking to us from His Word, we are

changed. Hearing Philpott helps no one.

It is my general practice to begin on time, often

without an opening prayer, and close with a prayer.

Starting from the opening verse I will proceed until

someone asks a question or makes a comment. It is

not intended to be a lecture and if need be I will ask

questions myself to provoke discussion. There is no

offering, no personal ministry such as praying for people

for healing, and so on. Bible study is just that; Bible

studies have been known to “deteriorate” into

preaching meetings or discussion groups.

Let me suggest several forms the Bible study might

take. One, much as I have described above, my own

method. Two, various people are assigned passages that

they are then to expose with a leader keeping things

on track. Three, the study of major themes of a biblical

book rather than a verse by verse approach. Four,

personal profiles of major biblical characters are

presented. Five, people are invited to present their

favorite biblical passages with discussion of the same

conducted by the leader. There are, of course, many

other Bible study methods. I do not want to make it

seem that I am against the very fine Bible study

outlines and guides current today. These can be used

to great advantage.

The history of the world for a thousand years before

the Reformation has been called the “Dark Ages.” The

availability of the Scripture to the common person

brought light into the darkness. The Bible is not to be

worshipped or used as a weapon, yet the Bible is a great

treasure to be studied diligently and loved greatly.

115

The Bible Study

         

  If you could keep it secret, would you describe you

real attitude toward the Bible?

  How do you feel about it? Do you feel confident as

a teacher of the Bible?

  What problems do you have with the Bible?

Sabbath Rest

“Remember the sabbath day to keep it holy” Exodus 20:8

“Sabbath”—the word means rest. The Sabbath day is a day to be kept holy, and primarily this means not doing any work on that day. Rest is the whole thing.

Resting the body, the mind, and the heart is healthy. Getting good sleep is very important as it exercise. Eating right is equally as crucial to good health. And there is the mental/emotional dimension as well. A sound body and mind go together.

There is something more: there is the spiritual dimension. We may be resting the body, sleeping and eating well, and getting enough exercise, yet we can be unhealthy if we do not have spiritual health as well. And spiritual health is what the Bible is all about.

There are two Sabbaths

First, there is the actual ceasing from work or labor. This is the intent of the fourth of the ten commandments given to Moses by God on Mt. Sinai around 3500 to 3800 years ago. Over time many dozens of subsidiary laws were developed designed to keep anyone from even coming close to breaking the primary law. By the time of Jesus, the “hedge about the law,” the hundreds of extra ordinances that needed to be observed so that the primary law might be kept. These had become quite burdensome over time.

The first job I ever had was delivering kosher foods to Jewish households on Friday afternoons. This gave me a firsthand opportunity to learn about all that went into the preparation for the evening Shabbat meal.  Preparing the meal was labor intensive, too. It took an experienced woman to make it work. best they could, but few there were who could boast they keep perfectly kosher.

The Jewish sabbath begins sunset Friday evening and extends to sunset Saturday evening.[1] When the sun slips below the horizon, the Sabbath is on and no work is to be done, not even turning on a light switch after dark Friday evening. This is all to obey the commandment from God as delivered to Moses, and thus to all of Israel.

Is there more to it than this?

Second, there is a fuller meaning for the fourth commandment.

Last Sunday someone asked me, “Pastor, why don’t you rest on Sunday instead of working like you do preaching and everything.” My reply, “I am resting, yes it wears me out, but I am resting. I am resting in Jesus and doing what He called me to do.”

            My work is such that I rarely have a complete day off especially not with cell phones and computers. It is frankly impossible for me to take a day off. Yet, I realize the necessity of getting away from screens of all kinds and thus manage to work in an evening here, an afternoon there. But I am “resting” 24/7. I’ll tell you how soon.

The Sabbath laws are nearly impossible to keep, especially in an era such as ours. We recall that one of the purposes of the Law of God is to show us we are law breakers and thus in need of a Savior. If we depended on our keeping of all the laws to be accepted by the Creator God, we are indeed in way over our heads.

Since God is holy, sin (unholy acts and thoughts and intentions) cannot be in His presence. If we would be with Him in heaven our sin must be put away. And this is exactly what happened when Jesus died on the cross. Here now are a few passages from the Hebrew Bible that make this clear:

But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed. (Isaiah 53:4-5)

Yet it was the will of the LORD to crush him, he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for sin, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. (Isaiah 53:10)

“And he shall bear their iniquities.” (Isaiah 53:11)

“Yet he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors.” (Isaiah 53:12)

Isaiah was looking ahead to what the Messiah would accomplish. The Christ, and this title is derived from the Greek language and is synonymous with Messiah, took our sin upon Himself, died in our place, thus making it possible to us to be forgiven.

            Just how then, does this work, we might ask, and this is the whole thing.

Jesus is our Sabbath rest

We rest in the Person and Work of Jesus the Messiah. Jesus, our Passover Lamb, shed His blood to cleanse us of all our sin. He died in our place, which is the final and ultimate outcome of our sinning.

            Yes, this runs counter to the general view of all of the religions developed in human history. These focus of self-improvement, doing good to others, being kind, helping the poor, and caring for the environment. All of which are good and right, and are activities and deeds all of us should attempt to do. However, and this is a big however, these have nothing to do with the forgiveness of our law breaking.

The greatest health

However fit and physically healthy we may be, how emotionally and mentally stable and secure we may be, unless we are spiritually healthy, we are in the poorest of health.

            Sin is what separates us from God. It does so both now and forever. With Jesus as Savior and Lord, we have peace with God right now. And when we leave the planet, we have peace with God forever and ever. To neglect this is most tragic.

There is a tragic since of life, and we all know what that is after we have lived a few decades. There is a greater loss, being forever driven from the presence of God.

A summary

Biblical Christianity is healthy.   

            By means of regularly confessing our sin we are free from guilt and shame. What a burden it is to carry around the weight of unforgiven sin. Oh, I remember my sin, and others may remind me from time to time how awful I was, or I am, but the One who counts has utterly and completely forgiven me.

            And I accepted by my Creator God and can accept myself and the fact that I am a son of God.

            Plus I continue to grow up. Where I am right now I will not be tomorrow; the Holy Spirit is working on me.

            Now I have a reason to live; having purpose and meaning is huge and nearly every day I have an opportunity to share the Gospel message with others.

            I am not alone either; I am part of the world’s largest family. Some don’t care for me much, but I have tons of real brothers and sisters in Christ.

            Opposition is something I expect, living in the fallen world. How could it be otherwise, but I know it is present and it does not intimidate me in the least, in fact, it spurs me on.

            The end of the world does not threaten me. Jesus said His followers would face great difficulty at that point, but that it would not be long, and He would be with us through it all. So, bring it on.

            Suffering, life happens to us all, and I will suffer. No one gets by, and as I get older family and friends become disabled and die. We just get old. But again, we are not alone.

            I have real hope not a wish for the best. Jesus type hope is assurance of salvation. There is not hoping here; Jesus is Savior and Lord now.

            Peace, yes, I am not longer at war with God. It is done, the peace agreement has been signed, sealed, and delivered.

            Yes, I am tempted to worry and anxiety; who is not? When I get rattled and distracted, fearing what is going on with me and my world, I can look to Jesus and He will make me strong.

Biblical Christianity is healthy. How incredible, we have the best of it all both here and now and forever. We have every reason to give thanks to our God.

---

[1] The actual onset of the Sabbath and its ending are variously stated. The movement of the moon also comes into play. My description is generalized.

Twenty-two

The Prayer Meeting

“Hello pastor, I am visiting here in Mill Valley and I

wondered when your prayer meeting was?”

That question cut me to the quick: we had no

prayer meeting.

“My mother is quite ill and I flew in from Miami

to be with her. I would like to have some prayer.”

I hung up the phone vowing to begin a prayer

meeting at Miller Avenue.

         

Erroll Hulse has written an excellent tract titled,

“The Vital Place of the Prayer Meeting”. It may

be obtained from the Chapel Library, 2603 W. Wright

Street, Pensacola, FL 32505. (This is a ministry of the

Mount Zion Bible Church in Pensacola.) I can never

do better than what Erroll Hulse has done in that

excellent piece of work on the prayer meeting.

Prayer is, of course, vital to the life of the church

and to every believer individually. I must admit this is

an area in which we are not strong at Miller Avenue

Church and I wish this were not the case. However, by

the grace of God and the leadership of Anatoli Sokolov,

a Baptist pastor and recent immigrant from Moscow,

109

The Prayer Meeting

Russia, we now have a wonderful prayer meeting at

Miller Avenue that begins one half hour following the

Sunday morning worship service.

Recently I preached a sermon based upon Acts 6:1-

6. That passage describes a problem that developed in

the primitive church in Jerusalem. The apostles were

distracted from vital ministry because of the necessity

of caring for the widows of the church. To resolve the

situation, the apostles meet with the disciples (the

church) and announced, “It would not be right for us

to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to

wait on tables.” (Verse 2) Thus issued the selection of

the first deacons who were assigned the task of serving

the widows of the church. The apostles’ intent was to

focus on “prayer and the ministry of the word.” (Verse

4) “Ministry of the word” refers, I believe, to the

preaching of the gospel and to the “apostles’ teaching”.

Prayer, preaching, and teaching go together.

In that sermon on Acts 6, I encouraged everyone

to make a list of the names of those who were

unconverted among their family, friends, and other

associates. Alongside the name I suggested noting the

date of the initial prayer. The point was to pray regularly

for the people whose names were on their list, pray

that they would hear the gospel and be converted. I

believe that it is important to pray for those we think

are unconverted and bring them before the throne of

God on a regular basis, pleading that God would draw

them to Jesus. The prayer meeting is a likely setting

for these prayers.

Our best efforts need to be in the prayer meeting.

Not everyone in the church will come to the prayer

meeting, but those who delight in prayer and feel the

burden of prayer will gather together. The size of the

group is irrelevant.

110

For Pastors

That we are taught to pray is abundantly clear from

the Scripture. Through Jesus we have access to the

Father who hears our prayer. We are taught to make

our needs known to Him, and though He knows our

needs before we ask Him, yet we are told to bring our

requests to Him.

Prayer has seemed paradoxical to me. The will of

God will be done. His purpose will be accomplished

because He is the sovereign God, yet in the prayer

meeting we bring our requests before the throne of

grace and have the confidence that God will hear and

that He will act according to His will to bring glory to

our Lord Jesus Christ.

It sometimes evolves that the prayer meeting takes

on the character of a Bible study or a preaching meeting.

However, prayer meetings are best if they are in fact

prayer meetings. A prayer meeting need not be lengthy,

but it needs to be serious. It has been my experience

that the focus should be on prayers for the unconverted,

for those who are ill, and for those who need to be

encouraged in their faith. We can pray for those who

have the rule over us in the secular world. We can pray

for Christian leaders around the world and for churches

around the world. We can pray for difficult

circumstances wherever and whatever they might be.

But it is best if it is a time of prayer and not discussion,

because we have a tendency to want to discus issues

rather than bring them to the Lord in heartfelt prayer.

There are many forms the prayer meeting might

take. Let me suggest three of the most common. One,

after a short exhortation to prayer or the reading of a

verse on prayer, various people can bring any request

before God aloud while the others listen to and “agree”

with the prayer. Two, either sitting or kneeling, each

person can pray aloud or silently, and this perhaps after

111

The Prayer Meeting

a short word or two on the subject of prayer. Some of

the best prayer meetings I have ever been in have been

small and we have been on our knees. It was in such a

prayer meeting that God called me into the ministry.

Three, a prayer request is made then someone in the

group recalls a promise in Scripture that speaks to the

request. For example, a request is made for new

Sunday school teachers and then another person (or

the same person) reminds the group of the saying of

Jesus: “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are

few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send

out workers into his harvest field” (Matthew 9:37-38).

Then the specific prayers are made. This pattern can

continue until the meeting time expires. (I think it is

best if there is a definite ending point and that the

leader adheres to it.) There are, of course, many more

forms for the prayer meeting.

Many wonderful things happen in prayer meetings.

During the Third Great Awakening in America, 1858-

1860, the prayer meeting was central, more so than even

preaching. Somehow we are more sensitive to God’s

Holy Spirit at prayer; our hearts may become tender

and open to the words of Jesus. I believe the Holy Spirit

impresses upon us the truth of His word in that quiet,

rare, and wonderful time when we turn our heart, soul,

and mind to the Lord, coming into His very presence.

         

  Can you remember a prayer meeting where you had

the sense that you were in the presence of God?

  Few have I suppose. What prayer meeting format

seems best to you?

Anxiety and Worry

“Do not be anxious about anything” Paul wrote to the Philippian Church. Instead of being worried, we should, by means of prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, bring our concerns to God” (Philippians 4:6).

And we do, and it helps. We have a relationship with God; we are indwelt by the Holy Spirit and thus we are connected. Scripture urges us to pray and we do and see many answers our prayers.

            Often I do not see the answers as they occur. It may take months, even years, before I see that a prayer was answered, and this without talking myself into it. It simply becomes apparent.

At the same time, I still worry. And likely so do you.

To be like Jesus

Based on my extensive reading of the Gospels, not bragging here, but I have preached through Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, verse by verse, at least twice each. If Jesus was ever worried like I get worried, well, I do not see it. Even reading ‘in between the lines’ Jesus is calm, cool, and collected.

            Jesus was well aware of the dangers He faced. Three times He announced to the Twelve that He would be killed. He knew what was coming. The kingdom was squarely upon His shoulders.

            He did not fear His opponents, He did not withdraw from them, except to pray, and on a time or two, to protect His disciples, got out of harm’s way by going north to Galilee. He was vulnerable, only two swords in the armory, and He faced every challenge.

To be honest about it

I am not like Jesus much of the time. When I was younger, I was less anxious. Now, in my seventh decade, I find I have lost certain strength. Yes, I still go out to the prison to do baseball, coach high school baseball, stand in front of the television camera, and preach away on Sunday morning, but I can tell I have changed.

What to do about it? is a serious question.

Helpful hints?

First off, I am not going to conceal my weaknesses. I do talk about them, in prayer, with my wife, and with a close friend or two. I can be honest with God, too. What would I conceal? And, how could I do so if I tried?

            I recall right now words from a hymn, “He knows my every weakness.” Neither the title of the hymn nor the author comes to mind, but I attest to what he or she spoke of.

Second, my sin is all forgiven. The devil cannot get at me. I just keep confessing my sin (see 1 John 1:8-2:2), walk away forgiven and blessed, and keep going.

            I have a habit I am trying to break. I speak of myself in negative ways. “I am a bad man.” “I never get it right.” “I ought to be fired.” “I need to resign from the church.” “I am just your average jerk.” (This last one I have said from the pulpit a number of times, I must confess.)

            This is not healthy for me and I know it. Writing this chapter helps remind me that saying such things to myself is not healthy. By God’s grace I am stopping this practice.

Third, my Christian friends encourage me. The brotherhood of believers can be so supportive. I have learned not to hang with those who like to criticize and be judgmental; this is not the way of Christ at all.

            Are such folk Christians? I refer to those who delight in pointing out our flaws? Not always, and in a Christian fellowship of any kind, one is never sure. I suspect those who desire to encourage and build up are the real brothers and sisters in Christ.

Four, maybe I am a little weird sometimes, and so I know I need to be humble and not hesitate to ask for forgiveness.

            This can be overdone, to the point of ridiculousness. I do not want to be so super sensitive that I shut down, fearful I might do or say the wrong thing. I am talking about our own personal acceptance of who we are. We are not actors on a stage, or job seekers trying to impress. We are who we are, and our job, one of them anyway, is to like ourselves.

Five, be able to laugh it off. We will do odd things, say things we wish we had not. So what?

            We need not take ourselves so seriously. We have to be free to be ourselves, also.

Six, we can be self-affirming, “Yes, as a matter of fact, I do well managing a baseball game.” “I think my books serve a real purpose and a lot of people like them.” “My preaching is improving.” “This is the best period in my life.”

            You get it I know, and I am not worried about making mistakes along the way. I have to get over being worried about what others think of me. I want to be the best me, but I am not always the best me. Okay!

Casting our cares

What the Apostle Peter wrote for us in chapter five verses six and seven, of his first letter to the churches, is so very helpful.

Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.

I am only going to focus on the “casting all your anxieties’” part of the sentence.

Here is our word, anxiety, and here in the plural, anxieties. Does Peter expect the believers he is addressing to have anxiety? The answer is easy.

            Just because one is a Christian does not mean one does not get anxious. I say this because I have known some who would say, “Well, if you worry you cannot be a Christian.”

            Where does thinking like this come from? Not from the Bible. Not from the mainstream teaching of the Church down through the centuries. Not from the Holy Spirit. Where then? I will let it go, it is not worth the time and trouble.

A last word

Here it is, and this is not the first time I have made this point, but it needs to be made again. “Casting all our” cares, concerns, worries, anxieties, fears, and whatever else is skulking around in there, casting these on Him. And by “him” we mean, the Triune God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Will you be able to do this? Probably not like you would like to, but you hope to obey the Word, and this is what counts.

If necessary, make a list of your worries. Each time you pray, get the list out and bring each one, again and again, in prayer to the God who loves you.

I doubt I will ever get to the place where I have put all my anxieties and worries behind me. No, I won’t, but I keep doing what Scripture invites me to do anyway.

Twenty-one

The Worship Service

The note read: “YOUR WORSHIP SERVICE IS

BORING!”

Monday evening I called the writer of the note, a

visitor, to discuss the disturbing comment. “Can you

give me any suggestions?” I asked after a few

pleasantries were exchanged. “Yes, too many old

hymns, too much Bible stuff, and the sermon was too

long.” “What would you do instead?” I asked.

He would have gutted the service; he wanted a

band, dancing, and multi-media presentations. Nice, I

suppose, but beyond our capability.

Our worship service was bound to be boring to this

person. I, however, did take the note to the church

council for evaluation. In fact, we did spiffy the service

up some but probably not enough to satisfy our bored

friend.

         

The worship service is public; that is, visitors are

more likely to be present in the worship service

than at the prayer meeting or Bible study. It is at the

worship service that the gospel will be preached to the

unconverted as well as to the converted.

101

The Worship Service

At this point in my ministry I try not to get overly

excited about what goes on in the worship service as

long as the form and content are biblical. However,

the worship service tends to generate more suggestions

and criticisms than any other single element in the life

of a church. In times past I would be tempted to take

any intimation that the service needed to be changed

personally. I would defend, argue, and thump my Bible.

Now, though, if changes are requested I am more

amenable just as long as the teaching and preaching of

the gospel remain central. What everyone eventually

comes to realize is that there are just so many things

that can possibly be done in a service anyway.

Let us consider the worship service. Notice I did

not say “Sunday” worship service since some groups

worship on days other than Sunday though I think

Sunday, the Lord’s Day, the day of the resurrection,

was normative for the early church (see Acts

20:7,Romans 14:5-6, 1 Corinthians 16:2, Colossians

2:16-17, and Revelation 1:10). A glance at the worship

of God as described in the New Testament, and there

is very little said about what actually went on in early

church services, reveals there were several distinct

elements to the worship.

Preaching and teaching were primary. There was

prayer, and communion (the Lord’s Supper or

Eucharist) was observed. Acts 2:42 reads: “They

devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to

the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.”

Psalms where sung, new songs of the Christian

community were apparently developed, and there was

some free-form music. (See Colossians 3:16 and

Ephesians 5:19) In addition, prophecies were given,

revelations were announced, and tongues were spoken

with interpretation. (See 1 Corinthians 14:26-32) The

102

For Pastors

problem is we know almost nothing about what these

forms of worship actually looked like or consisted of.

My view is that error may easily result if we read our

own contemporary experiences back into the New

Testament times. Modern charismatic or Pentecostal

understandings of tongues and prophecy may bear little

resemblance to the worship of the early church. There

are no video or audio recordings of what went on in

the church at Corinth or any other New Testament

church. Therefore, my conclusion is that I am unsure

of what a “scriptural worship service” actually looks

like. To be safe I stick with what I am sure of, preaching

the gospel, teaching the Scripture, singing the Psalms

and other songs that glorify God and lift up Jesus and

the cross, praying, celebrating the Lord’s Supper, and

fellowshipping with believers.

Let me briefly describe a worship service used at

Miller Avenue. (Warning: people who are looking to

be entertained or are wanting to be in on the

“happening” feel-good church do not last long at Miller

Avenue.) We begin with a hymn, have a “Call to

Worship” followed by a “morning prayer” that is made

up by the person who is leading the worship part of

the service. After the morning prayer we read the

“Collect of the Day” which is a prayer used by millions

of Christians of many denominations worldwide, and

our version is taken from a Lutheran worship manual.

From time to time I will substitute the Lord’s Prayer

for the collect. Using an overhead projector we sing

two or more choruses, old ones and new ones, with a

guitar and piano accompanying. All of this is rather

sedately done. Our choir makes a presentation after

the choruses or perhaps there is a solo or duet. Then

comes the memory verse, (I emphasize the memory of

Scripture) followed by a point to ponder or reflect upon.

103

The Worship Service

The time for reflection is vital. Moving quickly from

one segment of worship to another is not always what

people need. Having a time to think, reflect, pray, or

simply be silent, can be refreshing and pleasing to many

people.

The worship part of the service is over now, total

elapsed time about thirty minutes. Announcements

come next (I have finally given up on attempts to

eliminate announcements), which I view as part of

fellowship. During the announcements printed

material is often passed out and may include

newsletters, testimonies, reprints of helpful articles,

and so forth, and any inserts that are in the bulletin are

referenced, and recently Spurgeon’s Morning and

Evening Meditations have been used. (Bulletin covers

with pretty pictures seem to be a waste of money and

resources; rather, I look for articles and essays that are

of some spiritual value to adorn the bulletin cover.)

Tithes and offerings are received preceded by a thirtysecond

presentation of an “offertory theme”—a

teaching on biblical giving. Following the offering is a

time for “Revelations, Hymns, and Exhortations”

(except on Communion Sunday, the first Sunday of

the month). Every week I encourage people to bring

with them something God has given or shown them

during the week in their private devotions or ministry.

Of course, this can be risky because someone might

say some strange thing or take up an inordinate amount

of time, but the risk is worth it. This segment may run

five to ten minutes. Bible teaching is next, the Bible

Exposition, followed by a second hymn, and then the

sermon is preached. The Bible teacher and the sermon

preacher may be the same person or two different

people. The teaching and preaching may have a similar

theme or they may not. Some Sundays a general

104

For Pastors

invitation to prayer for any reason at all is given, prayer

for conversion, healing, anything at all. A final hymn

serves as a benediction. The entire service will last an

hour and fifteen minutes to and hour and a half. The

sermon and Bible exposition occupy about half that

time.

The service will look different from time to time,

and I am generally willing to make changes. Someone

asks, “How about this?” I will say, “Okay, let us try

that.” People will say, “I wish we could change our

worship service.” My response is, “Okay, what would

you like to change? “Things can be changed around a

bit, but most changes are basically superficial.

Sometimes the announcements are cut out, another

hymn is used, or a couple more choruses are sung, the

offering is moved to the beginning or the end, more

people are involved in the service—small changes

really. There is nothing special or sacred about sticking

with a particular order of service. The order of worship

currently being used is unchanged for at least four

years. For most Christians the structure of the worship

service is not a great concern; it is the content that

matters.

We now have, as of February 2000, a Sunday

evening worship service and we call it “The Old-Time

Gospel Hour,” with all apologies to Jerry Falwell. It

begins at 6PM, we sing the great hymns of the Church,

preach a strong gospel message, then as many as are

up for it, drive over to a local fast food restaurant. This

is my favorite service though I put my best effort into

the Sunday morning worship service. The evening

service, however, allows people who would never be

able to attend a morning service, for whatever reason,

to hear the gospel preached. I wish I had begun it long

ago.

105

The Worship Service

The public prayers in the worship service are

traditional and important especially the pastoral prayer,

which is prayer for the overall concerns and needs of

the congregation. In years gone by this was often a very

long prayer, but most are considerably shorter. In any

case, public or corporate prayer must be given great

attention. Everyone should be able to hear it, and it

needs to be sincere and serious. The congregation

needs to hear the great concerns of the people of God

being lifted up to heaven. Often I have felt unworthy,

discouraged, even upset, but when I pray I attempt to

put these aside and avoid praying according to my

feelings.

The public reading of Scripture is critical; it should

be read with all that is due the Word of God. Everyone

should be able to hear the words, and they are best

spoken somewhat slowly and with emphasis. It is not a

dramatic reading that an actor might make, no, but the

best the reader has should go into the reading. Perhaps

this is the only time during the worship service when

people will hear from God. To readers I suggest:

prepare, read loudly (best not to depend on a

microphone), and read so that people can tell the Bible

is being read. Sometimes I have heard people read the

Scripture in the same way they might read an

advertisement for soap. Much the same can be said for

the sermon, which should be delivered with all the

intensity and strength we have.

Sunday school—we do not have one but I want to

include a suggestion here that has worked for me and

may work for others who do not have a Sunday school

either.

Most everyone knows what “home-schooling” is.

Well, I have simply applied this to the Sunday school.

When a family with kids comes along I inform them

106

For Pastors

that we do not have a regular Sunday school but that

we will help them home-Sunday school their own kids.

At some point we will make this an established ministry

of Miller Avenue complete with materials, meetings,

and so forth. It is an excellent way to incorporate people

with children into the small church when there is no

Sunday school in place. And it is quite biblical, too,

and may be even better than the typical Sunday school

model.

Rather than include a separate chapter on

“fellowship” I thought it best to say a word or two on

the subject here. One, provide as many opportunities

for fellowship as possible. Two, make special efforts to

include new people and help them to feel comfortable.

There will be cliques and this is not altogether a

bad thing. Cliques can not be helped. Over the course

of time a small group of people that regularly meets

for whatever purpose will become something of a

clique. But it does not have to be a closed group. And

this is the key—closedness—whereby new comers are

rejected. As long as new people are welcomed,

incorporated into the group, then this is a healthy

fellowship.

At Miller Avenue we have a light lunch or

sometimes simply coffee and tea after the Sunday

morning service. For a half-hour or more we sit around

and talk together. After the Old-Time Gospel Hour

on Sunday evenings we go down to a local fast food

place and spend more time together—simply being

together—where there is no agenda or topic or plan.

Then the Tuesday night Bible study is low-key and

there is plenty of time to just talk together. Everyone

in the church is not part of the more intimate fellowship

times, but they are available for those who desire it.

107

The Worship Service

My job is to provide the opportunity; I can not force

people into fellowship.

         

Outline an order of worship you would use if you could.

Which is your favorite part?

  Do you think you could bring it to reality?

  How might you help a parent organize a home-

Sunday school?

Being Alone

Is it true that over one half the households in America are made up of singles?

Maybe true, but that many people live alone is a fact. And this seems to be trending upward. Why is this?

            Older people’s spouses die is one reason. Many are waiting years longer than before, unlike my generation, to get married. The cost of being a family of more than one is costly and growing more so every day, especially in the large metropolitan areas like the San Francisco Bay Area. Many who would marry simply will not settle for less than a true love. Divorce is another reason.

            Since 1986, at Miller Avenue Baptist Church where I am pastor, we have conducted a divorce recovery workshop. We do four eight week workshops every year. Thousands have been a part. We have found that, typically, women wait longer to remarry than men do. It is not unusual that many attendees of the workshop decide they would rather be alone than go through the agony of an unhealthy relationship.

            Then many people would like to be with someone, but for many a complicated reason, it never happens.

Aloneness versus loneliness

In week five of our divorce recovery workshop we talk about the difference between aloneness and loneliness. The newly separated can easily experience loneliness, which is a painful emotional state of being. It can last for years, too. It can lead to depression, substance abuse, and other forms of destruction behavior. Our goal that fifth week is to help people move from a state of loneliness to aloneness.

Aloneness is the goal, but it can be elusive. One of the reasons for this is the ending of a relationship often cuts one off from others, and for a host of reasons. I have noticed it helps, and not a little, if a person is a Christian and has other believers to be engaged with.

Whether a person finds him or herself alone and lonely due to the ending of a relationship or for some other reason, deliberate steps must be taken to move from loneliness to aloneness.

Being alone is a growing choice for many

Once in a while, and I understand this circumstance is on the rise, for spiritual reasons men and women desire a life dedicated to contemplation, service to the poor, and other forms of sacrificial ministry. That studio apartment, single bedroom duplex, one room cottage, becomes a sacred space much like a convent or monastery. Indeed, we have a new breed of people amongst us who treasure being alone.

Some say God gives them a special grace gift to live alone, and be celibate. I think of St. Francis of Assisi for one, and there are many others whose names were never published who sought and highly valued the contemplative life.

            Within the Roman Catholic Church and the Oriental and Eastern Orthodox churches have been many who have either lived alone or within a cloister of others who cherished being single. Yes, but also among Protestants, even Baptists like myself, many are finding a rich and rewarding life being alone.

Never really alone

The Christian is never alone, however, and in two ways not alone.

First, my mind goes to 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.

“With you always.” Is it not so that upon our conversion we are indwelt by the Holy Spirit? Yes, it is so, and this is why Jesus can say what He said. The Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Christ, the Spirit of Jesus (all synonyms)—with us, in us, and until the end of the age or our last moment on the planet.[1]

We actually cultivate a relationship with the Creator God. It is not too unlike the experience Adam and Eve had before the Fall. God walked and talked with them in the cool of the day. One has to be careful here as some contemplatives have gone a bit overboard. The main forms, in my estimation, for building a relationship with our Lord is through prayer, study of the Word, and reflecting upon the great truths of that Word.

Mystical we do nowt want, but rather down to earth, normal Christianity. None of the St. Theresa of Avila or St. John of the Cross or Richard Foster stuff. (Sorry if I offended some here, but I must sound this warning.) These dear ones moved from normal contemplative to spiritism and unbiblical mysticism.

Second, we are called to community. At once, we are placed by the Holy Spirit into the Body of Christ. We belong to Jesus and in two ways. We are His personally, but we are also placed into fellowship with other believers. The Church is not an afterthought on God’s agenda.

            One of my definitions of a flesh and blood actual congregation is that it is a “mine field.” This is coming from a pastor of churches with over fifty years of experience. I say “mine field” because I have been blown up a few times and have contributed to others being blown up as well.

A congregation is a bunch of sinners in one place. This is dangerous. And if you were the enemy, and we do have an enemy, where would this enemy go to destroy his enemy? Right, you head for the nearest congregation and preferably one that is evangelical in nature. No since warring against those who are not a threat to you.

            And I have seen it all. One time, in 1980, I packed my Bible up and vowed never attend a church again. Lasted for less than a month. I found I wanted to hear the message of Jesus preached and taught and in real time not just on the tube or over the radio.

“Iron Sharpening Iron” was a ministry I was involved with for thirteen years at San Quentin Prison in Marin County, California. The other name we had for it was, “Man to Man Ministry.” The whole thing was we, in our interaction with each other and with the convicts, “sharpen” our Christian lives. We wanted to hone the dull edges, apply the fire to harden the iron, and it was a rough work going cell to cell talking with guys whose lives were a complete disaster. We were tested more than the cons I can tell you. Much of the Christianizing I had been exposed to would not work there; I had to be real. This only happens in association with other Christians who are serious about following Jesus.

Another reason a real-life congregation is dangerous is that brothers and sisters in Christ will range wildly in their spiritual development.

Of course, there will be those who are not yet born again. I was a member of the First Baptist Church of Fairfield, California for nine months before I was actually born again. And I caused my share of trouble.

Then there were “new babes” in Christ who were still in their stinky diapers. Then the toddlers, the teens, the young bucks, and all the rest. I ended up in conflict with more than a few of these.

All the while, iron was sharpening iron, and this would have been impossible had I never darkened the door.

Alone and connected

Being alone does not mean completely alone. And it is in being alone that some of the strongest, most wonderful friendships are developed.

            Again I draw on my experience as a pastor. In our small congregation there are several precious people who have deep and lasting friendships with others, which are just as family-like as could be. I have known a few folks who were more alone than others, but some of the best friendships I have ever seen with those who live alone.

If you are alone, and if you do not want to isolate, find a church to connect with. There is no such thing as a perfect church. After all, once you are a part of one, well there you go.

Being part of a church, an assembly of believers, a congregation of saints, is part of the normal Christian life. And it is a step toward health to be a part of one.

If at first you don’t succeed, keep looking and praying.

---

[1] In chapters 14, 15, and 16 of John’s Gospel we have the most beautiful account of the presence of the Holy Spirit, the Comforter, the Paraclete, the Counselor presented by the beloved Apostle John.  I suggest spending some precious hours reading and reflecting on these passages.

Church Structure

“I am absolutely meetinged out. Meetings, meetings, meetings! Is that all you do is have meetings?”

Would you, pastor, have to answer, “Yes”?

V   V   V   V   V

E

very church need not be run like Miller Avenue
Baptist Church. Of course not! However, our structure forms the basic illustration for this chapter, because I think it is a workable structure for a small church.

The thesis for this chapter is: the church structure should be simple enough that distractions from the primary goal and mission of the church are minimized.

We have one single board, a church council, consisting of nine members. I am a permanent member of the church council. The other eight members serve for three years at a time and then must be off for one year. And they must be nominated and approved by the congregation. We meet once a month; we will skip a month now and again (usually in August and sometimes in December).

The church council functions as the church administrator, the clearing-house. The council does the “dirty work”.  Everything is on the basis of consensus; no vote is taken. Issues are debated until a resolution and/or consensus is reached.

We do have a budget committee that meets for about two hours a year to prepare the budget, which then goes to the church council, which then goes to the congregation.

There are four quarterly congregational meetings. At the third quarterly meeting the budget is presented. If and when it passes it means that the pastor and staff are hired for another year. Of course, I can be fired at any time, but generally it is understood that when the budget is passed the pastor’s salary is approved. I can count on another year then unless something truly atrocious occurs. And it is always possible to be terminated and I’m going to address that issue in another chapter.

The simpler the structure the less time will be spent keeping it all in place. Once a number of committees have been established, the following will be “forever” coming up:

1.   Attending committee meetings.

2.   Replacing members who have fallen aside, moved, changed church membership, or whatever the reason.

3.   Settling disputes between committee members.

4.   Interpreting the decisions of the committees to the rest of the congregation.

The personal politics, the personal petty politics, involved in on-going committees and boards can be more than a pastor would ever want to be involved in. I simply have no committees.

In our constitution various committees are described and can be staffed if necessary. (A copy of our constitution can be emailed to you by request at either kentphilpott@home.com or earthenvessel.net.) If I were to be terminated, a pastoral search committee would have to be selected. On paper we have that committee, but it is not staffed. If we need a building committee to investigate repairs then that committee can be created. But to maintain committees can be, and usually is, an unpleasant and unnecessary experience!

Let me illustrate our church structure with our Saturday Lunch. The people who run it are the people who participate in it; they are the ones who actually do the work. Problems they encounter are worked out internally, and if this proves impossible, they are taken to the church council. Furthermore, there is no oversight committee for the Saturday Lunch, the Divorce Recovery Workshop, or the Parenting Workshop. There is no committee that oversees the San Quentin or television ministry. There is no oversight committee except the church council.

I doubt I would be able to fit into another church. I have no desire to pastor any other church. If Miller Avenue fired me and another church wanted me, I would have to tell them that they would have to dissolve every piece of their church structure and adopt a simple church government. I would not administrate the committees, boards, and so forth.

The pastoral ministry has one great responsibility and that is to preach the gospel to sinners and saints alike, and to do so we must keep ourselves free of all other entanglements. And there are entanglements, entanglements, and entanglements! In Acts 6 is the story of the apostles’ problem administrating distributions to widows. They selected others, the first deacons, to do the job so they could focus on praying and preaching. It is wise to apply Acts 6 as widely as possible.

V   V   V   V   V

e If you had your druthers, how would you set up a church in terms of structure?

e What changes would you make to the structure you are presently working with?

The Best Sex

Male and female God created us humans, so says Genesis 1:27, which means, among other things, that sex is built right into the essential nature of who we are. No sex, no more people.

The author of Genesis goes right on in the next verse with: And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply.”

Sex is blessed; God’s seal of approval on sex between the male and the female is loudly expressed in the very first chapter in the Bible. Sex here is called being “fruitful.”

Rounding out chapter two we find God making this most incredible statement:

Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed.

“One flesh”—is this a discreet description of a sexual coupling? Likely, and we notice that they were naked without shame. I suspect they were enjoying lots of wonderful sex.

But this would change, and quickly.

Something terrible happened

Three chapters into Genesis we find that something terrible occurred. We call it the “Fall” and the race, as you’ve noticed, is still falling. One little command was broken, in fact, it was the only command in existence. It was simply not to eat of the fruit of a particular tree.

            The tree, the Creator God said was “the tree of the knowledge of God and evil” (Genesis 2:17). He warned them that if they ate of it they would surely die.

They ate of it thanks to the inspiration of a lying serpent, and rather than keeling over, they suddenly had knowledge, and that of good and evil. It was too much for them and when “they heard the LORD walking in the garden in the cool of the day” (verse 3:8) they hid themselves among the trees of the garden.

            The LORD pursued them, and called out to the man, who replied, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.” (verse 3:10) And we have been hiding ever since.

What happened next?

Sex has taken over as being what is foremost on everyone’s mind. Instead of being a part of life, it has embraced us with an unholy embrace. No need here to cite stats and report a countless number of case studies, our sexuality is confused and diseased.

On a nude beach everyone knows they are naked. Fun they say but not good for you, as I have had plenty of folks, especially ex-hippies, tell me over the decades. Exhilarating, hormone charging, but there is something that goes on with the brain’s chemistry that harms us. Just like viewing porn does.

Porn viewing and engaging in sexual behavior other than that which is intended by the Creator God, produces guilt, shame, anger, hyper sexuality, even addiction to sex, all of which dehumanizes a person. One may be driven to greater and greater excess, risky behavior, which damages relationships and undermines one’s sense of self, even if it is all rather, and/or mostly, unconscious.

Is this too harsh a judgment on my part? Is it that I have just not dropped enough acid, smoked enough dope, or refuse to adopt a more liberated mindset?

Soon perhaps, the only voices who speak out against unbiblical sexual practices will be those who adhere to an evangelical and biblical worldview. The culture will sweep the rest into conformity to the prevailing trends and celebrate, even legalize, forms of sexuality the Scripture condemns.

It is likely that, as time goes on, even thinking, much less communicating, that homosexuality and bisexuality, will be said to be a hate crime. 1984 and Brave New World here we come.

Even the so-called rights to free speech will be eroded and denied in favor of the sexual free-for-all agenda. One wonders why this would be so?

Why the dramatic departure from normal, biblical sexuality? The answer may be the inward fear and guilt people sense who then need to find a rational and excuse for their behavior. We are rapidly moving to be a culture that has lost its moral compass.

Will we ever know the pleasure of true and Godly sex?

Probably not is my view; others may differ, but I do not see a movement toward a time like we had it in the garden. Not that this generation of people on the planet is any worse than any other, and there have been some really gross eras in our history, but I would admit to a general decline especially in first world nations.

This brings up the question if those who follow the commands of God as found in Scripture might enjoy sex as once intended.

Sex can be healthy

My experience is that Christians, generally, enjoy good sex, maybe the best sex. And sex is really good for us. Biblically oriented sex is the best sex since it has a better chance of being free from guilt and shame.

Did you notice that Adam and Eve were naked and did not even know it? We will never see those days again. But we can come close, or closer than some might think.

No one is as pure as the wind driven snow, not me, not you. We have simply been exposed to so much garbage that the lovely days of innocence will not come our way, but we can move in that direction.

Okay, let’s look at what it can be like.

One, admit the Creator God’s ideal that sex is between a man and a woman, and who are married. (remember Genesis 1:27-28 and Genesis 3:23-25)

Two, grasp that married means having sex with only one another. They are not having affairs, not watching X rated stuff on the tube, not experimenting with other forms of sexuality—they are devoted to each other. These people, will have a lower chance of divorce since there is a strong sexual and love bond between them.     

There is nothing to hide, nothing to be found out, no guilt, no shame, and they can go at it as much and as often as they want to. Real freedom, real pleasure.

How can this be?

I can hear it now. “Too late for me, I am dirty, and there is no going back.”

Wrong!

Go back and read the chapter on forgiveness. You too can experience the joy of being forgiven and by the Creator God. You have eaten of the forbidden fruit and have been forced out of the garden, but Jesus Christ opens the door back in.

            Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. (John 14:6) Turn away from the sickness around you and turn toward the Savior. It is not too late, never too late. Jesus is always knocking on the door.

Nineteen

Deciding What Ministry to

Engage In

“I’ve lived a block away from you for six years. Don’t

you ever get to know your neighbors?”

The truth is that in all these years I have rarely

knocked on my neighbor’s doors. Let me take that

back, the first month or so on the job I did a little of

that. I hated it; I would stand at the door and smile,

introduce myself and hold out a brochure for people

to take. And nothing ever came of it; not even one

person ever came to church. I gave up on that.

         

This is a far more complicated subject than can be

adequately dealt with here. There are many wise

and experienced people who have devoted lengthy

volumes to this particular issue. I do not mean to do

much more than talk about how Miller Avenue

developed a few ministries.

In my mind, there is one ministry above all others

and that is the preaching of the gospel so that people

might come to Jesus for salvation. To have all the

ministries conceivable and possible in operation yet

not preach a strong conversion oriented gospel, in my

view, is no ministry at all. Worse than that, it is

91

What Ministries

deceptive and dangerous. If, with the ministry of the

Word in place, and there is yet strength, time, and

money for other ministries, very well.

Whether a new church is begun or a new pastor

comes into an ongoing church, it is probably helpful

that nothing be developed early on except the worship

service, Bible study, and prayer meeting. Several years

may be required before an adequate evaluation of a

need for other services and ministries can be made.

“Field Study” is a term for such an evaluation and many

denominations will help local churches develop a

ministry strategy.

It may take several years before a pastor can become

familiar with a community in terms of the kinds of

services and outreaches offered by other churches and

social/political agencies. In addition, it takes time to

assess the capabilities and gifts of a congregation on

the one hand and the opportunities afforded and

limitations mandated by a building, owned or rented,

on the other. A careful evaluation is a time consuming

process and not something to be rushed into.

Money is often a limiting factor; however, it is

possible to develop significant outreaches and

ministries with a small budget. Our Divorce Recovery

Workshop program, for instance, which is in its fifteenth

year, was started with $500.00, and it has paid for itself

ever since. The television ministry is essentially cost

free. (There is the possibility of sending videotapes of

the program all over the country, but this would be

costly and demand the creation of a major enterprise.

My preference is to remain local and avoid the

entanglements that would come with a large television

ministry.) Our website cost us a few thousand dollars

initially, yet we now maintain it with just twenty dollars

a month. (There are now means of beginning a website

92

For Pastors

for a fraction of what we spent.) Our Saturday lunch

program required a couple of hundred dollars at first

but it is virtually cost free now.

There is a need for a Sunday school at Miller

Avenue. There are a lot of kids in our community who

would benefit from our having a strong Sunday school.

I would simply love to have one, but we have only an

adult class at present.

We have a wonderful choir. In the congregation

were people who were gifted musically so that it was a

natural ministry to begin. Growing out of our small

Sunday morning choir is an annual gospel concert, and

we fill the place up. This is an outreach as well because

people are attracted who would not otherwise be

exposed to the gospel. The choir, especially the annual

gospel concert, is a major effort for our small church

and well worth everything we put into it.

I am attracted to a ministry that can involve a

number of people and is the reason I like the San

Quentin Prison ministry. The television program

operates with two or three people. The Divorce

Recovery Workshop again requires only a few people.

But the choir can involve a large number of people,

and the prison ministry is open ended, too. In addition,

I am interested in a ministry that does not require a

capital fund campaign to get it off the ground.

Ministries will occasionally fail and almost always

there will be difficulties. This is understood going in.

Not every ministry survives, very few survive for any

length of time. Every ministry or outreach involves a

certain amount of risk and a pastor must be a risk taker,

in fact, the whole congregation must be willing to

assume some risk. A church is not a business and can

not be run on business principles though much is said

to the contrary. Many things done at Miller Avenue

93

What Ministries

are not cost effective. At this point, the website we

maintain, for example, is not bringing in any money

and so far, very few “hits.” (Since I wrote that last

sentence the website traffic has increased at least ten

fold.) This is a ministry that requires patience and a

vision for what it may be. The website may turn out to

be a failure; we may abandon it one day. So what!

Ministries will fail and when they do there will be

something new to explore. Even if a particular program

survives for only a short time, it is better to have made

the attempt than to have done nothing at all. By way

of illustration, it is a sad and unworthy baseball player

who will quit after an unsuccessful season. Pastors and

churches take risks. Assessments are made, plans

developed, then “to the work,” and the programs are

continued for as long as possible.

People make mistakes in ministry; they will

sometimes make rather large mistakes. Hopefully a

program will have some checks and balances, but this

is not always possible. Particularly I watch anything to

do with children; it is necessary to be very careful with

anything to do with children. Also, I take care to

examine legal liabilities since we are in California and

have to be aware that some people engage in insurance

fraud and are quick to exploit any real or imagined

injury.

When mistakes are made the pastoral response is

critical. One lesson I’ve learned the hard way is to not

immediately accept negative criticisms about any

outreach. A fact finding process must sometimes be

set in motion all the while conducted in a nonthreatening,

non-accusatory manner. A third,

uninvolved person may be brought in to serve as a

facilitator in a conflict resolution process. The goal is

not always to continue the ministry, a larger goal may

94

For Pastors

be to maintain fellowship and bring healing to any

injury.

Newly converted people who are excited about

serving Jesus may get involved in some ministry.

Youthful zeal is a wonderful thing, but down the line

the inexperienced person may get into some difficulty.

Everything is not going to run smoothly. Pastoral

response to trouble must be calming, reassuring,

deliberate, fair, and reasonable. It may well be that the

pastor must take responsibility and pick up the slack;

pastors often pay the price for something that goes awry.

The pastor, as shepherd, must protect the sheep from

the wolf. Knowing which is which, however, is not

always obvious.

The first church I pastored was in the heart of a

vast agricultural area. A second year seminarian, I only

had the weekends to be “in the field”. For the two

and one half years I was there our ministry consisted

of two Sunday services. That is not completely correct

either; after a while I shut down the Sunday evening

service due to lack of interest—mine and everyone

else’s. Did I fail? No, I think not. I did what I could

with what I had. Some people were converted,

baptized, taught, and married. We prayed, sang, and

worshipped the Lord. Those were good and wonderful

years, years of fruitful ministry.

Let me emphasize one last point. I have a particular

interest in engaging in a ministry for the long run.

Ministry for the short run is questionable in my mind.

By way of illustration we have engaged in these

ministries: the Divorce Recovery Workshop—15 years,

the television program—16 years, gospel choir—10

years, the ministry at San Quentin—fourteen years. We

started the Saturday lunch four years ago. We are into

our fourth year of the website ministry. If something is

95

What Ministries

worth beginning, it is usually worth continuing,

whether it seems to be successful right away or not.

Circumstances can change very quickly. Several

years ago the Divorce Recovery Workshop went

through a period where hardly anybody came. Some

of our leaders quit and the money ran dangerously low.

I determined to keep going and now, all of a sudden, it

has grown some.

It is easy to work hard when there is obvious

success. The real challenge comes when seeming

failure looms. Now we are encouraged with the divorce

recovery workshop, but we did not quit when things

were going badly. I remember the very second

workshop, only one person attended, and, all our

leaders quit. People said, “Well, this won’t work.” But

we kept it going. The workshop after that we had about

five, and after that we had about twenty, and then

twenty-five, and so it went. (At the time of this writing

it has dipped again.) When a decision is made to begin

a particular ministry, it should be given every chance

of working. It may be years before any “fruit” appears.

As long as there is a motivated leader, a ministry

may continue. That is the criteria: when there is no

leader, the ministry is finished. But not before.

         

In your mind you may have ministries you hope to do.

Make a list of them in order of importance to you

personally.

  Is there a ministry you begun that failed?

  What happened then?

Suffering is to be expected

By “suffering” I mean physical, mental, and spiritual.

In the last chapter we looked at that which we cannot ignore or dodge, the persecution and turbulent times that Jesus stated would come, both in the present and the future. As we would say, “the devil be busy.” We have lived in the age of anxiety since the Fall as recorded in Genesis chapters one to five.

Suffering, and all three types above, are common to humankind. No one is immune, yet as a pastor, I have constantly witnessed that Christians are shaken when something bad happens to family members, friends, and themselves.

This is a common reaction, and from Christians who are biblically literate. It is an emotional reaction, usually of short duration, sometimes, however, not so short.

Nowhere in the Bible is it stated, or even hinted at, that Christians get a pass from suffering, which then shows that biblical Christianity is healthy.  The Bible is quite unspiritual in that it is reality oriented. Jesus, Paul, Peter, and so on, suffered so very much, and no excuses given. Every form of suffering is normal.

Physical Suffering

Maybe an accident, or disease, results in a physical disability. Lives change, sometimes dramatically. Family members lives are impacted as well. We wonder, “Is this the will of God?” “Why did this happen to me?” “Am I being punished?” “I thought God was a good God.”

            Perhaps medical technology is able to bring healing. God still heals, and maybe this happens, as I have witnessed on dozens of occasions. And speaking of miraculous healings as I saw up close and personal in the days of the Jesus People Movement, not all were healed and without exception, everyone later experienced some form of physical problem including death. Sometime nature takes it course and a natural healing takes place. But sometimes the sufferings last and last.

There is no promise in Scripture that ‘good’ people won’t suffer. If it did, the Bible would be a dangerous book. Since the author is God Himself, who made us in His image, and determined the boundaries and scope of our living, it is built into the process that physical suffering is to be expected.

            Most people understand this, it is when they have false expectations that there are difficulties.

I am going to be ill; right now I have a thyroid problem and take a serious medication because I am glucose intolerant and if I am not careful, I will develop diabetes. Plus, I wear glasses and do not hear so well anymore. Will I grumble and complain? If I do, this is not an expression of a healthy mind, and it is to the mind we turn next.

Mental suffering

Yes, Christians experience mental illness. I have several good friends, some of them in the professional ministry, who struggle with bipolar illness, both bipolar 1 and 2. In addition, I am close to people who suffer from depression, Obsessive/compulsive disorder, schizophrenia, and other diagnosable disorders.

            In fact, we have two support groups in our congregation, one for relatives of those who suffer from mental illness, and one for peers, those who actually have a mental illness.

            During the 1970s, while pastor of the Church of the Open Door in San Rafael, I operated a Christian counseling center. I loved the work, there was never a fee though people would slip me a twenty now and then, but four days a week, six appointments a day, and for ten years I met with folks, and my style was “talk therapy.” My college back ground in psych helped immensely and I learned a great deal about mental illness.

            It was not unusual for pastors of churches, and sometimes from counties other than Marin, come for counsel. Some of these struggled from high states of anxiety, and a few from serious bipolar conditions. (At that time the term was manic-depression.)

A rather huge obstacle was being able to admit that one was suffering from a mental disorder. Over time these dear people came to realize they were not being punished, had not sinned, and were in fact not responsible for the illness no more than one is blameworthy for being diabetic or having a flu bug. Once this fact was admitted, treatment could begin.

            In that era there was a rather substantial stigma associated with mental illness. To counter this, I spoke of the fact that I was prone to anxiety, not only now, but that I still am. From time to time I mentioned that as a teenager I was a hypochondriac, that my youngest brother was diagnosed with schizophrenia when he returned from the Vietnam War, and later killed himself when he went off his meds. I stated this many a time, and for a reason. I wanted those who suffered from mental illness to understand they could talk about their disorder and seek treatment openly.

Before we come to Christ, we are convicted to repent of our sin, thus we have to admit to. So too, to get help from any illness we must admit to having it and then seek help. This is healthy. We are Christians by identity, yet as saints we carry with us the effects of the Fall.

Spiritual suffering

“The dark night of the soul” is an expression oft heard, maybe not so much today, but in times past. The reference is to spiritual struggles, battles, with defeats in those battles, to the point one might consider suicide. I have had this happen to me.

If you have not had such a dark night, you may well yet do so. There is a hint or two in the Apostle Paul’s writing that he went through some excruciating trials. He comes right out with his pain, and this is healthy.

Did not Jesus do the same? We read of His anguish in John 17. Take the time to read it and you will see. (Remember the sweating.)

In my experience I have counselled any number of folks who thought God had abandoned them. The heavens seemed veiled in lead. God was nowhere to be found; no comforter was comforting.

Spiritual suffering may accompany physical and/or mental suffering. These may go together, and it does not require much understanding to see how the illnesses can overlap.

It is healthy to be mindful that we are God’s beloved children, loved by the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. And I mean ‘mindful’ in the biblical sense. I am mindful when I reflect on the fact that Jesus has paid the price on the cross for my sinning. I think of the reality that I am indwelt by the Holy Spirit. I meditate on the truth that I have a home in heaven and that nothing in all creation can take it from me. My name is written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. Yes, that settles it, and I am mindful of this and it is so very healthy to set aside a time in each day, if only five minutes, to apply these great truths to our lives.

We are hopeful people, us Christians.