FOLLOW THE LEADER:

A Practical Handbook for Life and Ministry

Cole Brown
Copyright 2017 Cole Brown

All rights reserved.

Author: Cole Brown
Executive Producer: Thomas J. Terry
Design: Anthony M. Benedetto
Project Manager: Samuel Nagel

2017 Cole Brown / Humble Beast Records. All rights

reserved. No part of this publication may be
reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or
by any means, including photocopying, recording, or
other electronic or mechanical methods, without the
prior written permission of the publisher, except in the
case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews
and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by
copyright law. For permission requests, write to the
publisher, addressed Attention: Permissions
Coordinator, at the email below.

Humble Beast Publishing, Portland, Oregon 2017

To order physical books:

Special discounts are available for high volume
purchases for companies, organizations, ministries
and other groups. Contact the publisher for more
information at info@humblebeast.com.

For bookstore orders please contact Humble Beast at

330.280.3600 or visit www.humblebeast.com.
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

Authors Note 1

ON LEADERSHIP 2
Jesus Builds His Church 3
Burnout is Not the Result of Working Hard but of Working Wrong 5
Rest is Necessary for Self-Awareness 7
Your Church Needs a Sinner for a Pastor 9
Recruiting Volunteers 11
Can Racially Diverse Churches Exist? 17
Philosophy of Church Discipline? 23

ON PREACHING 27
Three Ways Gospel-Centered Preachers Forget to Preach the Gospel 28
Three Ways to Improve Your Preaching 31
Check Your Sermons Engine 35
Twelve Reasons Why Im a Prosperity Preacher 36

ON MUSICAL WORSHIP 38
Guidelines for Choosing Songs for Corporate Worship 39
Why We Sing After the Sermon 43

ON CHURCH PLANTING 45
Two Keys to Solving Your Ministrys Discipleship Problem 46
How to Grow a Church 49
Five Reasons to Consider Planting a House Church 50
Tips for Launching a House Church 53

ON CHURCH MEMBERSHIP 58
How Not to Leave a Church 59
What to Do When Youre Not Being Fed 62
Four Questions About Giving 65
Family Matters 71
ON DISCIPLESHIP 74
Four Tips for Improving Your Bible Study 75
Tips for Leading a Small Group 78
How to Grow Your Faith 83
Three Reasons to Never Forgive Yourself 85
What Disneyland Taught Me About Suffering 87
Do the Right Thing: Help with Biblical Decision-Making 89
A Life Without Regret is a Life Without Love 93
Good Grief 95
Sex and Singleness 98
Three Elements of True Humility 102
What Do I Do if Im the Cause of Someones Daddy Issues? 106
Twelve Books that Have Changed Me 108

ON THEOLOGY 112
Three Reasons to Reject the Prosperity Gospel 113
The Misunderstanding of Legalism 116
But Jesus Never Taught Against It 119
Calvinist Misconceptions 121
The Holy Spirit & Biblical Inspiration 129
The Holy Spirit & Biblical Illumination 133
Why We Are Charismatics 138

ON CULTURE 143
Learning How Not to Argue with Help from Kanye West 144
How Abortion Makes Us Say Silly Things 146
How Much Should a Gospel-Centered Christian Talk About Race 152
Three Reasons Christians Should Fight for Immigration Reform 155
Gentrification and Its Impact on the Local Church 158
What I Learned from the Black Church 165
 AUTHORS NOTE
Thanks for taking the time to open Follow the Leader: A Practical Handbook for Life and
Ministry. This book is a collection of articles, blog posts and in-house church documents
I have written since planting my first church in 2006. Together they cover a wide variety
of topics related to church ministry, Christian living, engaging the culture, and more. At
the same time, these diverse chapters share three things in common: each is
intentionally 1) short, 2) simple, and 3) practical. This is because we want the book to
function as a sort of quick reference guide wherein you can find helpful information on
various themes as needed.

While the book can be read in order, it is certainly not necessary. Each chapter is
designed to be read and understood on its own. Thus, some may choose to skim the
table of contents for the content most relevant to them while others may simply want to
read the book straight through. To make either option easier we have divided the book
into 8 sections.

On Leadership
On Preaching
On Musical Worship
On Church Planting
On Church Membership
On Discipleship
On Theology
On Culture

As a quick-reference guide we hope this resource is something you can return to at

various points in the future as things that may not be relevant now become more so in
the future. And if you find you do not agree with the conclusions of one chapter, that
doesnt mean you wont find others beneficial. Each chapter in this book was born out of
real, practical, life and ministry and we pray it serves you in yours. If you find these
chapters helpful, stay tuned for continued updates of a similar sort at our blog Follow
the Leader found at www.humblebeast.com.

In Christ,

Cole Brown on behalf of Humble Beast

1
ON LEADERSHIP

2
 JESUS BUILDS HIS CHURCH
Jesus builds His Church.

Those four words capture a simple theological truth that provides profound clarity on
ministry in particular and church life in general. I cannot tell you how many times I have
used those words in a sermon, leader meeting or prayer group, nor how many times I
have shared them with a fellow pastor or church member discouraged by the challenges
they were facing in their local church.

I have spoken the sentence countless times.

I just dont think I ever actually believed it.

I always thought I believed it, of course, but that belief was never tested. Not until my
burnout forced me into a much needed six-month break from serving my home church
as lead pastor. It was at this point that my belief in the words Jesus builds His Church
would be tested.

I served as lead pastor of Emmaus Church from July of 2006 to April of 2013 without
more than a week away at any given time. During this time I preached between forty-
two and fifty weeks a year, discerned and communicated vision, developed and
maintained church systems, handled the vast majority of counseling and discipline
issues, led most meetings, developed lay-leaders, hosted and led small groups in my
home, performed nearly all of the administrative duties and even printed the weekly
bulletins. In other words, I did way too much. At the time I thought this was because I
was the only paid staff member and, thus, these responsibilities fell on me even though
I did not want them. I now think I wanted these responsibilities because, at least in part,
I thought the church had the best chance of thriving if I ensured everything was done
the right way (read: my way). In other words, I had my hands in everything because I
didnt fully believe that Jesus builds his Church. I thought he needed my help.

So what would I do when my sabbatical forced me to be away from the church for six
months? What would I do when I could neither perform the up-front nor the behind-the-
scenes tasks I had done the prior seven years? Would I be able to stay away? Would I
be able to believe that Jesus builds his Church and trust him to do so with Emmaus?
I am happy to say the answer to each of those questions is a definitive yes. But thats
not because of any great faith in me. Its because I didnt have a choice.

And thank God I didnt.

Circumstances forced me to sit on the bench and simply watch as Jesus continued to
build Emmaus without any contribution from me. And it was glorious! I had the privilege
of watching Jesus powerfully speak to his church through preachers with limited training
and experience, and the pleasure of watching Jesus lead people to faith and

3
repentance in the process. I rejoiced to see Jesus raise up leaders who had previously
not led, and open doors of ministry that were never opened during my time at Emmaus.
I was able to watch as people identified and grew in gifts they (and I) did not know they
had, as the church benefited from their faithful use. Because of all of this and more,
during my absence, Emmaus covenant membership grew by roughly 20%, generous
giving continued, and multiple first-time visitors transitioned into regular attenders. It
was impossible to watch all of this from the sidelines and not be convinced that Jesus
builds his Church. And he does so through whomever he chooses in any way he
chooses.

All of this is not to say that everything went perfectly. It didnt. There were some less-
than-stellar church services and some flawed execution in various areas of ministry. Yet
the same was true of Emmaus when I was the primary leader in each of those areas.
The deficiencies in both phases only served to reinforce the point: church leaders are
not the means through which Jesus church grows. How could we be if we cannot even
consistently do our job as well as we and our members would like?

Never had I been so happy to see how unimportant and unnecessary I am to Emmaus
Church in particular and to Jesus Church in general. This relieves immeasurable
pressure from my shoulders and arrogance from my heart. It also relieves the fear of
losing other key leaders, because as wonderful as they are, Emmaus growth and health
ultimately does not depend any more on them than it does on me. I will be eternally
grateful that Jesus allowed me to burnout so I could see how little my flame was needed
in the first place.

Now I can both say it and believe it:

"Jesus builds his Church.

Period.

The meaning of this statement is not that every church will grow regardless of who
leads or how well they lead. The point is that if Jesus wants a church to grow he does
not need me, or you, or your favorite minister to do it. This means if your church thrives,
it is because Jesus himself is laying the bricks of his choice upon the foundation of his
choice himself. Conversely, this means if your church struggles or even dies it is
because your churchs struggle is part of Jesus architecture of his victorious global
Church. Remember, he promised to build his Church with a capital C not your church
with a lowercase c.

A church that depends on someone other than Jesus to survive is no church at all. May
we repent of trusting in anyone and everyone other than Him.

4
 BURNOUT IS NOT THE RESULT OF
WORKING HARD BUT OF
WORKING WRONG
In the few months preceding my sabbatical, I found myself regularly making mistakes I
would never have made before, and forgetting things I would never have previously
forgotten. In meetings with leaders and church members alike, I could not stay
focused; my mind wandered to virtually any topic other than the one we were discussing
and any environment other than the one we were in. Criticism which pastors receive
almost as frequently as Justin Bieber no longer bounced off me without damage as it
had in prior years. I began to question if pastoring was what I should be doing, if
Emmaus Church was where I should be, and if there were other ways I could use my
gifts and provide for my family. In short, I was exhausted and I craved at least temporary
escape.

Since all of this was the exact opposite of how I had felt during prior years since
founding and pastoring Emmaus Church, I could only surmise one diagnosis:

BURNOUT.

I assumed the hard work of ministry must have finally caught up to me and I simply
needed a break. And that seemed like a very reasonable diagnosisuntil my church
granted me a sabbatical and I had time to take a closer look at my heart.

What I eventually discovered was that I was right to describe my condition as burnout.
However, I was wrong to conclude that my burnout was a result of me working hard. It
was not. It was a result of me working wrong. I was working wrong by working for my
reward from people instead of working from my reward from Jesus.

In his excellent book written for pastors, Dangerous Calling, Paul David Tripp explains,
I am convinced that what we often call ministry burnout (a term I dont think is
particularly helpful) is often the result of pastors seeking in their ministry what cannot be
found there, and because it cant be found there they end up weary and discouraged.

This is precisely what had happened with me. When I honestly evaluated myself, I saw
that I was not tired because of the work of ministry itself, I was tired because the work of
ministry was not getting me the things I was hoping it would get me. For example, I was
tired of counseling people who never seemed to apply the incredible wisdom I spent
hours distributing. I was not burned out because of the counseling itself I was burned
out because broken people did not pay me the respect I convinced myself I was owed
by doing what I said. As if a few well-delivered words from me could convince a person
who refuses to listen to the God of the universe! As if pastoral counseling was about
getting people to follow me instead of helping people to follow Him!

5
Similarly, I was tired of pastoring a church that seemed to grow steadily, but not at a rate
that matched the hours of energy and effort I put in. I was not burned out because of the
work of pastoring itself I was burned out because the work of pastoring did not bring
me the bigger and better things I subconsciously thought it should. As if there is
anything bigger or better than Christs Church! As if the growth of his Church is for my
pleasure and glory instead of his!

These discoveries were horrifying to see, and, as I write these words, humiliating to
admit. But they were a glorious gift from God. He has reminded me that every reward I
could ever desire is already mine through the work of Christ. I am loved. I am
accepted. I am welcomed. I am valued. I am forgiven. I am noticed. My work matters,
and most importantly I am his. As a result, I do not need to work for anything. I have
the privilege of working from everything He has freely given me. If I do this, instead of
using my work to pursue selfish gain, then when the Chief Shepherd appears, [I] will
receive the crown of glory that will never fade away (1 Peter 5:2, 4).

These promises allow me to work harder than ever with less burnout than ever because
Im working as a person who is already fulfilled through Jesus finished labor instead of
working as a person trying to be fulfilled through my current labor. These promises do
the same for you if your faith is in Jesus Christ in whom every promise is yes and
amen (1 Corinthians 1:20).

6
 REST IS NECESSARY FOR
SELF-AWARENESS
During my pastorate, I fancied myself a rather self-aware individual. I lived with
confidence that I was acutely aware of my strengths, my weaknesses, my sins, my
temptations, and was well-equipped to deal with them. As such, I had little patience for
people who appeared to be less self-aware or less active in embracing their strengths
and fighting against their temptations. What I didnt realize, until recently, was that I was
wrong. The truth is, I was far too busy being a pastor to adequately and accurately
self-evaluate.

Im sure this is true of many professions, but I know from experience that this is true of
pastors: if you do not intentionally schedule time to mentally rest from your work, you
will never mentally rest from your work. There is always a sermon that needs to be
prepared, a text that needs to be studied, a leader who needs to be developed, a
mourner who needs to be comforted, a sinner who needs to be rebuked, a believer who
needs to be encouraged, a prodigal who needs to be pursued. Even when I was not
actively doing one of these things, I was thinking about how I was going to go about
doing it. Thus, the physical rest I allowed myself was not enough. I needed to allow
myself mental rest from the tasks I was so focused on.

From the beginning of my morning to the end of my night, my thoughts were solely on
the next task that needed to be completed, either for my church or for my family. This
meant I never made the time to reflect on how I performed the prior task, or how I felt
about the preceding days events, nor time to reflect on why I did what I did, why I
responded as I responded, what I wanted from various relationships or even from
myself. This all amounted to an absolute shock to my system when I woke up on the
first morning of my sabbatical and had no work to do and no people I believed I had to
rescue.

I was alone with myself.

And it was frightening.

For every moment I was not focusing on someone elses heart I was finally focusing on
my own. And I was not expecting to see what I saw. Much of what God revealed will be
shared in future posts in this series. For now, it is sufficient to say that I had a very
incomplete and inaccurate view of myself prior to taking time to rest and to slowly and
intentionally self-evaluate. The costs of such an incomplete and inaccurate view are
very high. It is impossibly difficult to repent of sin you do not know you are committing,
to fight against temptation you do not know is drawing you, to forgive people you do not
realize have hurt you, and to pray for things you do not realize you want.

7
I do not ever want to be unaware of such things again. This doesnt mean I cannot be
self-aware unless I take another sabbatical. It means I must say no to work and yes
to rest at specific times during my workweek in order to know where my heart is.

8
 YOUR CHURCH NEEDS
A SINNER FOR A PASTOR
Reaching the point of burnout in the ways and for the reasons described in the prior
chapters did not happen behind closed doors. It happened as I lived with, and in, my
church community. As such, they had the distinct privilege of seeing my sin firsthand
and feeling its impact on them directly. If Emmaus Church was not aware of it before,
that spring they learned their pastor is a terrible sinner.

Though this conclusion should not have been shocking, there is a sense in which it was
for all involved. While we know the theological truth that we are all sinners, there is a
false and unspoken expectation amongst pastors and congregants alike that pastors
are sinners in a different way than the rest of the congregation.

But theyre not.

And when we are forced to see the truth, it can be rather frightening.

It is frightening for the pastor to have the depths of his sinfulness exposed to those he is
called to lead. It is one thing for the pastor to be seen by his congregation as a sinner
in general; it is quite another for the pastor to be known by his congregation for the very
specific sins in heart, speech, and behavior for which he is actually guilty. The pastor
wonders:

Will they still follow me? Will they trust me? Will they answer my weekly call to repent
and believe? Will they respect me?

It is equally frightening for the congregation to see that the human to whom they have
entrusted the care of their souls is not just a sinner but is, in fact, just as much a sinner
as they are. Congregants tend to love pastors who are vulnerable enough to share the
specific sin issues they have had in the past, so long as those past issues are just
that: past issues. It is comforting to know your spiritual leader was once just like you. It
is not so comforting to know your spiritual leader, in many ways, is still just like you. The
congregant wonders:

How will he help me achieve victory over the sin and temptation in my life if hes still
losing to certain sin and temptation in his life? Why should I submit to the spiritual
authority of someone who doesnt have his own spiritual life together? What does it say
about me that the person whom I have trusted to lead me to God and speak on behalf
of God has failed God so obviously?

At the time when a pastors true sinfulness is exposed, it can feel miserable to the
pastor and to the church member alike. Yet, in truth, it is anything but miserable. It is

9
actually one of the best things that could ever happen for your church or mine. Every
church needs a sinner for a pastor for at least two reasons:

1. First, every church needs a sinner for a pastor because the pastors job is to teach
and model how to live the Christian life. Since, as Martin Luther rightly said, All of life is
repentance, a pastor can only teach his congregation to live the Christian life if he
himself is living a life of repentance in all of its pain and joy. This necessitates that the
pastor is aware of the sin in his heart, speech, and behavior. It is not enough for a
church to be led by a pastor who says Jesus power is enough for you in the face of
temptation, or Jesus blood is enough for you when you yield to temptation. The
church needs to be led by a pastor who fights to believe those same truths in his own
life Monday through Saturday. In short, the best pastor a church can have is the pastor
who knows he personally needs the gospel just as desperately as he says the
congregation does.

2. Second, every church needs a sinner for a pastor because every Christian needs to
be reminded that Jesus is their only hope. In every church I have been in, this has been
one of the hardest and most important truths for members to learn. Church members
have a tendency to place their pastors in a different category of Christians. While fellow
church members are expected to stumble and sin in their pursuit of Christ, pastors are
expected to commit only the most respectable of sins and even these should be
either well-justified or well-hidden. Though this belief is rarely admitted, it is often
revealed. For example, when a church member sins, the congregation sees this as an
offense against God for which the church member can receive forgiveness and mercy
through Jesus. Yet when a pastor sins, many in the congregation see this a personal
offense against them for which not only the pastor, but God himself, must answer.

Yet nothing could be further from the truth.

The sin of a pastor does not reveal a failure of God; it actually confirms the faithfulness
of God as it reminds us that every Christian is a sinner saved by a righteousness
outside of themselves, pastors included. The sin of a pastor only further illuminates the
truth of Jesus words: HE is The Good Shepherd who has never sinned and never will.
Pastors are not called to be Jesus. We are called to point people to Jesus. Sometimes,
we have the privilege of doing that through our holiness and obedience, of which Jesus
is the source. Other times we do that through our brokenness and sin, to which Jesus is
the cure.

Your church needs a sinner as a pastor. This does not mean that a pastor or his
congregation should be content with the sin in his life. God does require that those who
serve as pastors exhibit a high level of Christian maturity and victory over sin (see 1
Timothy 3:1-7). What it does mean is that a pastor should not hide those areas in which
he truly is a sinner and a congregation should not want a pastor who is without sin.
They already have one in Jesus. What they need now is a pastor who runs to him and
brings the church with him as he does so.

10
 RECRUITING VOLUNTEERS
As a leader, you are called to faithfully steward the vision for the ministry you serve.
However, no matter how carefully you craft your vision, and no matter how compellingly
you communicate your vision, your vision will never become a reality without volunteers
who give their time, their energy, and their gifts to help move your vision off of paper and
into the real world. Which, of course, necessitates the question: how do you get
volunteers to serve on your team?

Some of the most common answers to that question might include:

A. Making an announcement from the front during Sunday service

B. Printing an announcement in the bulletin
C. Posting a message in your churchs online community
D. Sharing volunteer opportunities through your churchs social media accounts
E. Including a call to volunteer for a certain ministry in a Sunday sermon
F. Meeting visitors at the visitor table
G. Making yourself available at a new visitor or new member class
H. Sharing your needs with the community groups/small groups of your church
I. Approaching individuals one-on-one

Clearly, there are a lot of ways to try to recruit volunteers. All of them are good, and a
wise leader will utilize every one of them. But not all of them are equally effective, so a
wise leader will focus most of their energy on the most effective strategies. Which of the
recruitment strategies listed above is the most effective? And why?

It seems reasonable to think that the recruitment strategies that reach the most people
are the most effective. So on the surface it seems that making a church-wide
announcement or a gospel community announcement would be your best strategy
because it will reach the most people. However, the truth is actually the exact opposite.
The more people your call reaches the more likely your call will be ignored.

To put it plainly: people are more likely to volunteer in response to personal

conversations than to public announcements.

In a public announcement a lot of people may hear what you have to say but very, very
few people will respond to what you have to say. There are three reasons for this.

1. They are impersonal

The larger the audience the easier it is for every individual in the audience to
assume you are talking to someone else. This is because in public
announcements you are speaking to everyone at once and are therefore unable
to appeal to anyones particular gifts, passions, personality, or relationships the
things which inspire people to take action.

11
 On the other hand, personal conversations allow you to speak directly to the
qualities of the individual you are trying to recruit. You can affirm their gifts,
appeal to their passions and personality, and use your relational capital.

2. They are ignorable

Public announcements do not require a response. Those who hear the
announcement do not have to answer with a yes, no, or even a maybe.
Because they will not be asked for their response they are very unlikely to give
any consideration to the invitation.

On the other hand, personal conversations are not ignorable. They always
require a response. Thus, the individual has to give serious consideration to your
invitation because she knows she is going to have to give you a yes or no
answer. In the end they may say no to the invitation, but they cannot ignore it.

3. They are inconvenient

Public announcements require potential volunteers to take the initiative and go
out of their way to respond to your need for volunteers. By their very nature,
public announcements require interested parties to find you, call you, or email
you. This puts an extra step between the call to volunteer and becoming a
volunteer and that extra step will be a barrier for many potential volunteers.

On the other hand, personal conversations are not inconvenient for the potential
volunteer because they require you to take initiative instead of them and they
remove the extra step between the call and the response. This makes it far more
likely that a potential volunteer will become an actual volunteer.

Of course, approaching a number of people for personal conversations takes more work
on the front end than public announcements do. But it will provide you with more
volunteers and better volunteers, and that will save you much more work on the back
end. So while you should promote your ministry needs in every way possible, you
should invest most of your recruitment energy into personal conversations.

Barriers to Recruiting Volunteers

While this is easy to say it is sometimes challenging to do. This is because some team
leaders are much more comfortable with public announcements than they are with
personal conversations. Team leaders tend to face four common barriers to
approaching potential volunteers for personal conversation.

Barrier #1: I dont know a lot of people.

It can be awkward to approach someone you dont know and ask them if theyd be
interested in serving on your ministry team. Thats why as a ministry leader you should
make it a point to know everyone. This doesnt mean that you have to be friends with
everyone or know everything about everyone. It simply means that you should know
everyone well enough that you can call their name, pull them aside, say hi, and tell
them about what youre doing. While that may sound overwhelming its actually easier

12
than it sounds in churchs with less than 1,000 people. Here are several simple ways to
become familiar with more people in the church.

1. Hang out at the visitor table/visitor area.

The biggest and easiest pool to fish for volunteers is the pool of visitors and
newcomers. You can be 100% certain that these people are not already
committed to another team in the church they are available. You can also be
certain that these people would love for someone especially a leader to
speak to them. They likely know very few people at best and are just wandering
around hoping for some sort of connection. Not only can you make an
introduction that may add a volunteer to your ministry in the future, you can
display the hospitality of Christ to them right there and then. That way its a win if
they become a volunteer, and a win if they dont.

2. Attend new member classes.

Several times a year many churches host a class for those who want to know
more about the church and get connected. By attending the sessions and
introducing yourself to the attendees you are not only meeting new people, you
are meeting new people who want to get more involved and are trying to find out
how.

3. Make appointments.
A good leader does not wait for relationships to be developed. A good leader
takes the initiative to develop relationships. As you meet visitors, newcomers,
and regular attendees find ways to get to know them outside of the Sunday
gathering. Invite them for coffee, make a lunch appointment, bring them to a
small group event anything that will help you know them and their story better.
The more you do this the more relational capital you will develop and the more
relational capital you develop the more likely potential volunteers will want to be a
part of your ministry. Also, the more you get to know people outside of the
Sunday gathering the more you learn about their unique gifts and passions,
which helps you know how to appeal to potential volunteers and how to find the
perfect fit for each role in your ministry.

Barrier #2: I dont like rejection.

Some team leaders prefer public announcements over personal conversations because
they dont like to hear the word no. If this is a barrier for you it will be helpful to
remember two things.

1. As a leader you are a steward of a God-given vision.

As a leader you are not in the business of promoting yourself or your own vision.
You are in the business of serving God and advancing Gods vision. This means
that you dont do what you do because you want to please people. You do what
you do because you want to please God. Every leader should memorize
Galatians 1:10 and meditate upon it when the fear of rejection arises.

13
 Am I trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I now
trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people I would not
be a servant of Christ.

Being a steward of Gods vision also means that when people say yes they are
not saying yes to you, but to Jesus. And when people say no they are not
saying no to you, but to serving Jesus in this particular way. Therefore, the
pressure is off of you entirely as you are not the one being accepted or rejected
by the potential volunteer.

2. You are a daughter or son of God.

Your identity, value, and acceptance as a Christian are not in any way tied to the
number of volunteers on your ministry team. Your identity, value, and acceptance
are found in the fact that through your faith in Christ you have been adopted by
God the Father as his son or daughter. As your Father, God rejoices over you
when you succeed and when you fail, when people love you and when people
hate you. He does this for you because you are in his Son, Jesus, who himself
was rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to Him (1 Peter 2:5).
Knowing that you too are precious to God makes the acceptance and judgment
of human beings absolutely irrelevant and gives you the power to take risks by
asking people to join you in your ministry.

Barrier #3: I dont know what to say.

Sometimes the hesitation to recruit volunteers through private conversation may be that
you dont know what to say. While every situation is different there are some basic
guidelines that you can follow when you approach people for your ministry. First, explain
the vision for the ministry in general and their potential role in particular (not just the
need). Second, appeal to the specific gifts or personality traits you see in the potential
volunteer that you believe would be a good fit for the ministry. Use this as an opportunity
to encourage them in who God made them to be and their potential value to the
ministry. Third, be very clear about the expectations the role would carry, such as how
often they would serve, when they would need to arrive, etcetera. Lastly, give a specific
call to action. That may be a direct request for them to commit that day, or a request that
they pray about it that week with the expectation that you will approach them the
following week to solicit their response.

Barrier #4: But theyre already too busy.

Another reason that team leaders dont approach potential volunteers to recruit them is
because team leaders are convinced that the potential volunteers theyre interested in
are already too busy, or too committed elsewhere. While it may seem considerate to not
burden such people by asking them to make yet another commitment it is actually highly
inconsiderate. Do not rob people of the opportunity to serve the God they love. Many
Christians have left high-paying careers, prestigious ministries, relocated their families
and made other shocking decisions simply because someone asked them to commit to

14
something that seemed ridiculous to others but was clearly Gods will to them. In short,
never say someones no for them, you never know what God might be doing in their
heart.

Of course it is possible that the potential volunteer is in fact too busy. In that case it will
be very easy for them to say no. But it is just as possible that God is working in their
heart and calling them to commit to another service opportunity or a different service
opportunity. The only way you will know is if you ask.

RECRUITING THE RIGHT VOLUNTEERS

If you want your vision to become a reality then learning to personally recruit volunteers
is essential. Just as important as recruiting volunteers is recruiting the right volunteers.
Though every team leader will have to deal with a disappointing volunteer or two there
are some questions you can answer that will make choosing the right volunteers more
likely.

First, you should evaluate the potential volunteers character in relation to the
requirements of the ministry. Of course, character is important to every ministry. But
precisely how important varies from ministry to ministry. For example, character is so
important to the childrens ministry that it may be necessary to do background checks
and it is so important to the financial ministry that it may be necessary to limit volunteers
to covenant members. In other ministries character may be less important and positions
may be open for anyone who is willing to make the commitment.

How important is character to your ministry? Will background checks be required?

Church membership? Regular attendance? A reputation for trustworthiness,
confidentiality, or other character quality? The answers to these questions will be
different for every ministry and will guide you in choosing the people who best fit your
needs.

Second, you should evaluate the potential volunteers competency. Like character,
competency is important for every ministry but it is important in different ways for
different ministries. Some ministry positions such as a powerpoint operator may
require basic skills that anyone can be trained on. Other ministry positions such as a
lead teacher in childrens ministry may require that the volunteer already display some
gifting and skills relevant to the position.

What sort of competencies are important for your ministry? Are the skills required basic
enough that anyone can volunteer with proper training? Will the positions be limited to
people who already display certain gifts and skills? If so, what gifts and skills? Are
volunteers expected to have prior experience in any area? If so, what and how much?
Your answers to these questions will help you focus on the right potential volunteers.

Third, you should examine the potential volunteers conviction. Conviction is the quality
of firm belief in someone or something. Some ministries may require a high level of
conviction in the truths of the Christian faith. For example, it is essential that volunteers

15
for prayer ministry be Christians who wholeheartedly believe in the truths of the
Scripture and the power of God to answer prayer. In other ministries it may not be
important for volunteers to be strong in their faith or to even be Christians at all. For
instance, one may not need to hold to any particular beliefs to serve the church as a
sound operator.

How essential is conviction for the positions in your ministry? Must your volunteers be
Christians? Or are your positions open to anyone who wants to serve? If they must be
Christians are there certain theological truths they must know well and trust in deeply?
As you answer these questions you will be better equipped to find the right people.

Fourth, you should consider the potential volunteers chemistry with those who are
already on your team. Chemistry is the quality of interaction and connection between
two or more people. In some ministries where people work closely together such as a
musical worship team it is very important that each volunteer has good chemistry with
the others. In other ministries where people work more independently chemistry is far
less important.

How important is chemistry for your ministry? Will people be expected to work closely
together or work independently? If chemistry is important what qualities are you looking
for in your volunteers? How will you evaluate if they fit well with others and will work well
with others? As you think through these questions you will be more prepared to find the
right people.

16
 CAN RACIALLY DIVERSE
CHURCHES EXIST?
In 2006, I planted Emmaus Church with a small team of people who dreamed of a
gospel-centered, multi-ethnic, multi-racial church. We had a vision that our church would
not just have racially integrated worship services but also racially integrated community
life because of the reconciling power of the gospel. In the early years of pursuing this
vision, we were often told this goal was impossible to reach (especially for a church in
Portland, Oregon, the whitest major city in America).

I would like to report to you that we never for a moment believed such voices, and we
never failed to believe that God was willing and able to make our vision become reality.

But I cant.

Despite our full commitment to pursuing a gospel-centered, multi-ethnic, multi-racial

church and despite our unwillingness to settle for only half of that equation we often
doubted it could happen. And when it did in fact happen, we then doubted it could be
sustained. Of course we have not been alone in this sentiment. The vast majority of
pastors I know would love for their churches to reflect the racial diversity of their cities.
Yet those very same pastors make little to no attempt to actually achieve that desire.
This is because in America, in general, and in American Christianity, in particular, there
are so many factors working against a truly integrated church family that it most often
feels like a fools errand.

But is it?

Can American Christians find themselves in gospel-centered, multi-ethnic, multi-racial

churches that are integrated both in and beyond the Sunday gathering? Can this be
normal? Based on the Scriptures and my personal experience, I believe the answer is
no and yes.

NO, RACIALLY DIVERSE CHURCHES CANNOT BE NORMAL

Racially diverse churches cannot be normal because unity is not normal. Human beings
have been against each other since Adam and Eve hid their nakedness and blamed
each other before God. It is in our sinful nature to be both divided and divisive
(Galatians 5:19-21). This is one of the reasons that the Homogenous Unit Principle
often works; it appeals to the sinful desires of our hearts to exalt ourselves and separate
from those who do not likewise exalt us by affirming who we are and what we like.

This inborn tendency toward division and divisiveness is made even stronger by the
social construct of race because it provides us with (false) justification for our sin. If we
adopt the man-made category of race we escape condemnation because we are now
convinced that our division and divisiveness is not a product of our self-centered hearts

17
but a product of God-ordained biology. This is how American slavery was defended in
the 18th and 19th centuries (e.g. God built white superiority into creation so he intends
for society to function this way), and this is how the segregation of American churches
is often defended in the 21st centuries (e.g. God made us to worship differently, so it
makes sense for us to worship separately).

In light of the fact that we have inherited both a sinful tendency toward division and a
social construct that exploits it, a truly racially unified church will never be normal.
Never. This is clearly implied in Jesus extended prayer on the eve of his death. In John
17, Jesus prays three times for the Father to unite the members of his church with one
another just as Jesus is united with the Father. He then twice says that it is through
such unity that the world will know that Jesus is who he says he is In other words, unity
of this sort is so rare that the world simply cannot explain it apart from the gospel of
Jesus Christ. It is in fact the utter abnormality of true unity that makes people stop,
notice, and seek an explanation when it sees Jesus church united.

YES, RACIALLY DIVERSE CHURCHES CAN BE NORMAL

The fact that unity requires an explanation reveals that unity is not normal, but the fact
that Jesus is the explanation for said unity reveals that unity can become normal for
those who are in Christ. Thus, while racially diverse churches will never be normal in
America, they can become the new normal for American Christians because Jesus has
not only done everything necessary to unite us to God, he has done everything
necessary to unite us to each other. Consequently, living to see racially integrated
churches as the new normal is not just possible, it is preferable for at least three
reasons.

First, we should do everything we can to make racially diverse churches the new normal
because this is a model Scripture gives us. In Acts 6, the apostles work to integrate and
unify a culturally diverse church and, as a result, the word of God spread (Acts 6:7). In
Acts 11:19-26 we are introduced to the ethnically diverse church of Antioch, and in Acts
13:1-2 we are introduced to their diverse leadership team which consisted of blacks and
whites, Africans and Greeks, Gentiles and Jews. I do not think it is a coincidence that it
was in Antioch that the disciples were first referred to as Christians (pejorative or not),
as their multi-cultural, multi-national, multi-ethnic unity could only be explained by their
connection to Christ.

Second, we should do everything we can to make racially diverse churches the new
normal because racially diverse churches reflect the coming kingdom. When the Apostle
John received the Revelation, he was given a vision of the redeemed which he
described as a great multitudeof every nation, tribe, people and language
worshiping God in unison (Revelation 7:9). This is what Jesus coming kingdom will
look like. The church is tasked with bringing a foretaste of this coming kingdom into this
present world. Thus, as much as the American church works to bring Gods kingdom
into this world through helping the poor, forgiving offenders, and healing the sick, we
should also work to bring Gods kingdom into this world through integrating our
worshiping communities.

18
Third, we should do everything we can to make racially diverse churches the new
normal because Jesus is the only reasonable explanation for racially integrated
churches. True unity between human beings is so rare that Jesus says it requires an
explanation for which only his person and work will suffice. If this is true of unity in
general, it is much more true of unity across racial lines for two reasons. First, racial
categories are more immediately visible to Americans than any other. Second, racial
tensions are more palpable and potentially explosive to Americans than any other.
Therefore, racial unity is both more obvious than unity across other categories (so our
non-Christian neighbors immediately recognize it) and more unlikely than unity across
other categories (so our non-Christian neighbors cannot explain it). This opens the door
for us to offer Jesus and his gospel as the answer to a question they are actually
asking.

American Christians want to experience racially diverse churches for the reasons
above. American Christians can experience racially diverse churches because Jesus
has done everything necessary to unite us to God and to each other. But American
Christians will experience racially diverse churches, if, and only if, we are intentional
about seeking them.

RACIALLY DIVERSE CHURCHES WILL ONLY BECOME

NORMAL THROUGH INTENTIONALITY
Racially integrated churches do not just happen any more than conversion just
happens. Though the Holy Spirit is the only one who can convert people who are
spiritually dead, he chooses to do so through human beings who commit themselves to
declaring and displaying the gospel to their neighbors. In the same way, though Jesus is
the only one who can build racially integrated churches, he does so through human
beings who commit themselves to building racially integrated churches.

Are you willing to make that commitment?

If so, there is no formula for success apart from a wholehearted commitment to what
seems impossible and a willingness to do whatever is necessary to get there. This
means that what is right for another church may not be right for yours. For example, I
know of a gospel-centered, multi-racial church that became racially integrated largely
because of its exceptional worship team, which was intentionally multi-cultural in its
song choice and performance. This worked for them. Yet because of the limited pool of
human and financial resources we had when we planted, this would not have worked for
Emmaus. Instead, we made a conscious decision to avoid having any music in our
worship services for the first year and-a-half of our existence. We knew that the moment
we chose one musical style over another we would be unintentionally choosing one
culture over another. Therefore, we waited for our church to become multi-racial so
diverse music could come from our diverse congregation rather than the other way
around.

19
While there is no formula for success, there are several things through which everyone
who wants to experience a racially diverse church will have to think. As I share a few of
these topics below, I do so with white church leaders and members (like me) in mind. I
am convinced that pastors of color are much more equipped to plant and lead multi-
racial churches because American culture forces them to be aware of race and to live in
a multi-racial environment every day of their lives. For those like myself who need
additional guidance, here are four key areas you will have to intentionally think through.

1. CHURCH LEADERSHIP
It is very easy to say you want a racially diverse church. But few people will believe you
or follow you if you are not willing to also have racially diverse leadership. If you are
white, you must consider the fact that people of color are asked to submit to white
leadership every day in virtually every sphere of their lives. If they are to believe your
church is offering something different from the world, they will have to see you not only
empowering minority leaders but also willfully sharing your authority with them and
submitting your authority to them. Are you willing to do this with people who see the
world and ministry through a different lens than you? This is ultimately what youre
asking your congregation to do, and they will only do it if you model it for them.

Invariably, when I talk about this particular issue with other pastors the same question
comes up: Where will I find them? This very sincere question reveals two very sincere
problems. The first problem is that white evangelicals live such segregated lives that
they cant think of any people of color who could be potential church leaders. The
second problem is that white evangelicals define potential church leaders not only in
biblical terms but in culturally shaped, non-biblical terms that automatically eliminate a
large number of Christians of color. Are you willing to work with leaders who do not
come from the overwhelmingly white Bible colleges and seminaries of your particular
theological ilk? Are you willing to work with leaders who do not have leadership
experience in the overwhelmingly white para-church ministries you are most familiar
with? Are you willing to work with Jesus loving, gospel-centered believers who do not
share your affinity for a euro-centric view of church history and theology?

2. WORSHIP SERVICE
When most of us think of the ideal worship service, we unintentionally think of a worship
service that most appeals to our particular racial, ethnic, or cultural experience. This
means that we are vulnerable to defining the elements, order, and style of a good
worship service in ways that exclude or otherwise alienate those from other racial,
ethnic, and cultural experiences. For instance, to the average white hipster in Portland,
a good musical worship set is moody and dark, while to the average black adult in
Portland, a good musical worship set is celebratory and upbeat. Similar distinctions can
be observed in preferences about the length of the music set and sermon, the oratory
style and chosen illustrations of the preacher, the frequency and method of receiving
communion, and even the best way to welcome visitors. Are you willing to re-evaluate
every detail of your worship experience in your pursuit of a fully integrated multi-racial
church? If so, what is the process?

20
3. CONGREGATIONAL EDUCATION
If an American congregation is to be racially diverse it will most likely include its share of
white people. We white Americans have inherited many privileges on the sole basis of
our skin tone. One such privilege is not having to think about race at all and especially
not having to think of ourselves in racial categories. As such, the white members of our
congregations are likely to have difficulty understanding why our church is talking about
race so much and making so many intentional decisions with race in mind. It is not
uncommon for white Christians in these circumstances to unintentionally and
unconsciously speak and behave in ways that actually work against racial unity in the
congregation. It is not that they are racist. It is that they do not know how to live in a
truly racially integrated environment. Are you willing to make the white members of your
congregation aware of their whiteness and all the privileges it affords them? Are you
willing to call the white members of your congregation to voluntarily lay down their
privileges in service to the black, Latino, First Nation and Asian members of your church
and your community? If so, how will you do that?

4. HUMBLE LISTENING
If you are going to pastor an integrated church, you are going to have a church full of
people whose experiences and viewpoints are different from yours. Likewise, you are
going to be aiming to reach a city full of people whose experiences and viewpoints are
different from yours. Formal training in Bible college or seminary can prepare you for
many things in ministry, but it cannot train you to see through someone elses eyes.
Reading books and blogs from white people who do multi-racial ministry (like me) can
help you ask the right questions, but it cannot help you answer them. Your own
observation of anothers racial experience and cultural distinctions can be helpful, but it
cannot be complete nor wholly accurate. The only way to know what the various people
of color in your church or city are thinking, feeling, and desiring is to ask them and listen
without any agenda other than learning from them. Are you willing to profess your own
ignorance and to have those conversations?

RACIALLY DIVERSE CHURCHES WILL NEVER BE NORMAL.

AND THATS THE POINT.
In conclusion, let me be clear that I am not an expert on multi-racial churches. Though
God graciously honored our prayers and made Emmaus a gospel-centered, multi-
ethnic, multi-racial church, we never arrived. For example, our city is 9% Latino, but
our church was at one point only 2% Latino. We were dissatisfied with that and took
steps to intentionally try to minimize that gap in order to accurately reflect the diversity
of our neighborhood, bring the gospel to one of the fastest growing people groups in our
city, and learn more about the God we worship through the rich contributions of Latino
culture. To do this, we translated our bulletins, website, song slides, and other printed
materials into Spanish while I, as lead pastor, read dozens of books on Latino culture
and history, listened to my Latino neighbors, and spent more than 10 hours a week
trying to learn the Spanish language. I confess that this is difficult work, and I remain
unsure of how much of it will bear fruit. But I can guarantee we will never see fruit if

21
were not intentional in our pursuit of our goal. And that goal is worth every bit of the
work.

I hope that you determine the same for your church.

Integrated, racially diverse churches will never be normal. And thats the point. It is
precisely because they are abnormal that they are worth every sacrifice you have to
make in pursuit of them. Their utter abnormality causes people to search for an
explanation for every one of them that exists. And that explanation is solely found in
who Jesus is and what Jesus has done. May you and I work together to see racially
integrated churches become the new normal so that all of our churches require such an
explanation.

22
 PHILOSOPHY OF CHURCH DISCIPLINE
In the first church I planted, Emmaus, we had formal membership. Before anyone
committed to formally join the church, we wanted to make sure they understood what
they were committing to. One of the things our members committed to was to
participating in the process of church discipline. This is the document we used to
explain our churchs philosophy of church discipline to potential members.

*****

The Lord disciplines those he loves. This is a recurring theme in the Scriptures. The
process of discipline can be challenging and even painful as God corrects our thoughts,
words, hearts and behavior, continually shaping us into the image of his Son. God does
this through a variety of means.

The first place God disciplines us is through his Word. As we read it and listen to it he
exposes our sin and calls us to repentance. If we dont repent, then God disciplines us
through his Holy Spirit who convicts our conscience and shines his light on those areas
where we are not living in line with his will. If we still do not repent, God disciplines us
through his church. This part of Gods loving discipline is what we call church
discipline. Of course, this process should be called church restoration because God is
not interested in punishing us. Hes interested in restoring us to right relationship with
him and each other through our repentance. And in most cases, this is what happens.
The process of church discipline produces restoration.

There are three primary passages in the Bible that guide how we as a church should
pursue this restoration. The first and most famous is Matthew 18:15-17 where Jesus
says,

If a brother or sister sins, go and point out the fault, just between the two of you. If they
listen to you, you have won them over. But if they will not listen, take one or two others
along, so that every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three
witnesses. If they still refuse to listen, tell it to the church; and if they refuse to listen
even to the church, treat them as you would a pagan or a tax collector.

The four-step process that Jesus lays out for dealing with sin in the church is rather
simple.

Step 1 is a private conversation between two people. You see someone in sin and you
lovingly confront them and call them to repent. If they do repent, as we just discussed,
church discipline is over and restoration has taken place. The vast majority of church
discipline at Emmaus falls into this category as church members lovingly help each
other see the sin in their lives and repent through private conversations.

23
When repentance does not happen we move to Step 2. In Step 2 we involve one or two
others with us in the conversation and again approach our brother or sister and call
them to repent. The hope here is to keep the circle small so that the persons sin is not
yet exposed to everyone. The witnesses do not need to actually have witnessed the sin,
they just need to witness the conversation so they can join you in calling their fellow-
church member to repentance and help the church member see the severity of their sin.
If the individual repents, church discipline is over and restoration has taken place.

If they do not repent, then Jesus tells us to move on to step 3. In step 3 the individuals
sin must be brought before the entire church body. We do this through a membership
meeting. Again the purpose is not to condemn this person or to humiliate this person.
The purpose is to get all of this persons brothers and sisters to lovingly pursue them
and call them to repentance so they can be restored to right relationship with God and
the church. The goal is restoration and the motivation is love. If the individual receives
the rebuke of the church and repents, then restoration has taken place and discipline is
over. But if the person does not repent we move on to step 4.

Before we describe step 4 we need to make clear that not every sin is going to warrant
calling a member meeting. If you ran a red light last week you dont need to worry about
whether or not you are going to be brought before the church next Sunday. Before
something is brought before the church it generally needs to meet three criteria. It
needs to be 1) outward, 2) serious, and 3) unrepentant.

It needs to be outward because we cannot bring someone before the church for what
we think is in their heart. We must have specific evidence of sinful behavior. This means
that we cant discipline someone for pride or lust. But we can discipline someone when
that pride shows itself in the slander of other people or when that lust shows itself in
fornication or adultery.

It also needs to be serious. Of course, all sin is serious because all sin is sin. But not all
sin is sin in the same way. Sins that are serious are those that will clearly bring shame
on the Christs name, harm to the church, and destruction to the individuals life. So you
likely wont enact church discipline on someone for exaggerating a story a few times.
Youre more concerned with finding out the idols that live in his heart that caused him to
exaggerate in those situations and you will show grace and charity toward his
exaggerations as you seek to know him better and help him deal with the idols of his
heart.

Lastly, it needs to be unrepentant. An individuals sin only makes it before the

congregation if they have been unwilling to turn from their sin. This reveals that they
prize sin more than they prize Jesus. And this is what necessitates step 4.

Step 4 is the most severe step. Jesus says, If they refuse to listen, even to the church,
treat them as you would a pagan or a tax collector. In other words, treat them as if they
are not a Christian. This does not mean we do stop loving them or even necessarily that
we stop spending time with them. It just means we acknowledge that they are not

24
showing the evidence of being Christians and so we move from treating them like our
brother or sister and begin treating them evangelistically.

It as at this point that the individual is formally removed from church membership for
three reasons. First, for their own good, in hopes that they will see the severity of their
sin and choose to serve God instead of themselves. Second, for the good of the church,
so that church members are not influenced or harmed by the individuals sin. Third, for
the glory of God, so the watching world will have a more accurate view of who God is
and what God is like as they look at Gods Church.

In most cases of church discipline, Emmaus will follow the process outlined by Jesus in
Matthew 18. But there are exceptions. Those exceptions are described in two other
Biblical passages.

The first is Titus 3:10-11, which commands,

Warn a divisive person once, and then warn them a second time. After that, have
nothing to do with them. You may be sure that such people are warped and sinful; they
are self-condemned.

The sin of divisiveness can do so much damage to a church so quickly, that God tells
the elders to deal with it directly and quickly. Instead of four steps, there are only three
steps. Instead of involving the congregation, the elders themselves warn the individual
and, after two warnings, they remove him from the church.

The second passage is 1 Corinthians 5. In 1 Corinthians 5 Paul writes to the Corinthian

church and rebukes them for not removing a particular member from fellowship. This
member has been sleeping with his fathers wife. Paul tells them to deal with this right
away. There is no process. No conversation. This man is simply to be removed. What
that tells us is that some sins are so heinous that for the good of the sinner, the good of
the church, and the glory of God, they arent addressed through a process. They are
addressed through immediate removal.

If you choose to be a member of Emmaus you are making two commitments. You are
committing to serve God by taking the appropriate steps of church discipline when your
brothers and sisters are in sin. And you are committing to serve God by submitting to
the appropriate steps of church discipline when you are in sin. This means that if youre
a covenant member you cant just withdrawal your membership to avoid church
discipline and its consequences. While the church cannot force a withdrawing member
to remain in this congregation, the church can and does deny the members resignation
until they have either repented of their sin or gone through the entire disciplinary
process and been removed from fellowship. If a member under discipline chooses to
attend another church we may inform the leadership of that church that the individual is
under discipline at Emmaus and why in hopes that they will be unable to run from the
Lords pursuit and the pursuit of his people and will return to him.

25
Obviously, this is an incredibly difficult process. But its also an incredibly important
process. The truth is, it would be much easier for all of us to just let people do what they
want to do and not go through the pain and difficulty of pursuing people who dont want
to be pursued. But were not called to do what is easiest. Were called to do what is
best. And God says that what is best is for us to pursue those who dont want to be
pursued just as Jesus pursued and continues to pursue us when we dont want to be
pursued. We do this for the good of the individual, for the good of the church, and for
the glory of God. And though the process can be painful. With goals like those the
process is well worth it. This is one of the biggest reasons why church membership
matters.

26
ON PREACHING

27
 THREE WAYS GOSPEL-CENTERED
PREACHERS FORGET
TO PREACH THE GOSPEL
Over the past ten years or so, there has been a rapidly growing interest in gospel-
centered preaching. With the help of the internet and its resources, many preachers like
myself have been transformed by the examples of Timothy Keller, Art Azurdia, Anthony
Carter, and countless others. We have come to believe, like them, that every sermon
should faithfully connect that week's text and theme to the person and work of Jesus
Christ. Those of us who hold to this philosophy do so because it is consistent with
Jesus' teaching in Luke 24 and with the ministry approach modeled by the Apostles
throughout the New Testament.

Yet, as with any philosophy, it is often easier to believe in theory than it is to implement
in practice. In this blog we will look at three common ways that those committed to
gospel-centered preaching unintentionally forget to preach the gospel.

#1 Preaching Jesus does not equal preaching the gospel

One can preach about Jesus every week and never once preach the gospel. On the
surface, this sounds ridiculous, since the message of the gospel is the good news of
who Jesus is: God in the flesh; and what Jesus has done: lived perfectly, died
sacrificially, risen victoriously, and ascended finally to God's right hand. Yet it is
surprisingly easy to talk about Jesus without talking about his redemptive work. This
happens when we focus on Jesus' perfect life without focusing on the fact that he lived
this perfect life as our substitute, and not merely as our example.

These Jesus-centered sermons tell us to love like Jesus, forgive like Jesus, tell the truth
like Jesus, pray like Jesus, disciple like Jesus, obey God like Jesus, and so forth. Yet
these Jesus-centered sermons are not gospel-centered sermons. They are the opposite
of gospel-centered sermons. They are moralism-centered sermons. They leave people
with the burden of imitating Jesus to please God, instead of the joy of knowing that
Jesus has already pleased God for them.

Certainly, gospel-centered sermons can include a call for believers to imitate Jesus as
an example, but not in place of calling people to trust in Jesus as a redeemer. For only
the person who knows that his or her disobedience has already been covered by Jesus'
obedience will ever have the proper motivation (gratitude) and power (the Holy Spirit) to
obey in return.

#2 Preaching about the gospel does not equal preaching the

gospel

28
To preach the gospel, one must proclaim the good news of who Jesus is and what
Jesus has done, inviting Christians and non-Christians alike to trust in this message and
receive the countless free benefits that result. Yet many who are theoretically committed
to gospel-centered preaching often use the word "gospel" to summarize all of the above
without actually proclaiming any of the above.

These sermons about the gospel tell us we need to trust in the gospel, believe the
gospel, preach the gospel, live in light of the gospel, be a gospel-centered believer,
attend a gospel-centered church and find the gospel in all of Scripture. What they do not
give us is the actual content of the gospel. As a result, they are not gospel-centered
sermons. They are, instead, moralism-centered sermons. They leave people with the
burden of doing something with the gospel, instead of the joy of actually hearing it.

Of course, gospel-centered sermons can talk about the gospel and what we should do
with it, but they cannot do so as a substitute for actually proclaiming the gospel. For the
power of God that both saves and sanctifies is not found in our commitment to the
gospel, nor in our endless words about the gospel, but in the actual content of the
gospel itself.

#3 Preaching grace does not equal preaching the gospel

One of the benefits of this newfound emphasis on gospel-centered preaching has been
a deeper understanding of the grace of God. The Church is growing in its awareness
that both salvation and sanctification are gifts fully purchased by Jesus' work and freely
given by God to his people. This is wonderful! What is not so wonderful is that this
increasing appreciation for the grace of God can lead to sermons that proclaim grace
without ever proclaiming the gospel.

These grace-centered sermons tell us that God forgives us, God accepts us, God loves
us, and God blesses us in spite of the fact that we have done nothing to earn it and
nothing to maintain it. This is all good and true. Yet, unfortunately, the sermons often
stop there, and when they do, they fall far short of being gospel-centered. Instead, they
become self-centered in one of two ways:

1. The sermon proclaims all the gifts we receive from God without actually proclaiming
the gospel of Jesus' life, death, and resurrection that makes that possible. As much as
God's forgiveness and acceptance are closely related to the gospel, they are not the
gospel. The gospel is focused on what Jesus has done, not on what we can get.

2. The sermon focuses on the forgiving grace the gospel supplies, while overlooking the
transforming grace the gospel also provides. Jesus' life, death, and resurrection do not
only make forgiveness possible; they also make obedience possible by gifting believers
with a new heart, new desires, and new power from the Holy Spirit. True gospel
preaching does not limit the gospel's power to the comfortable message of being

29
accepted and forgiven, it also acknowledges the gospel's power to make us
uncomfortable by transforming us into people very different from who we have been.

No doubt, gospel-centered sermons can and should talk about grace. But they cannot
confuse grace with the gospel. For the only way we can ever come to know both the
forgiving and the transforming grace of God is to know the message of the saving
person and work of Jesus Christ.

30
 3 WAYS TO IMPROVE YOUR PREACHING
Before I started pastoring, I read every book there is to read on preaching. These books
taught me how to study and outline a biblical text, inevitably resulting in a biblically
faithful sermon. Without these books, I would have failed miserably. Even with the
knowledge provided by these experienced authors, there were still many things I had to
learn from my own experience. In this post, I share the first of three lessons I've learned
over the past ten years of preaching every week.

1. Spend less time reading blogs and more time reading your
people.
We preachers feast on information wherever we can find it. We love reading our favorite
blogs to stay up-to-date on what our culture is thinking and doing, curious as to how
various Christian voices will be responding to it. We believe that taking in as much of
this information as possible will give us a well-rounded understanding of the world and
will help us to preach messages that are relevant to the trends of culture.

This is most definitely true.

It just doesn't matter half as much as we think it does.

Far more important than knowing what the rest of the world is thinking and doing is
knowing what your congregation is thinking and doing. The members of your
congregation are not craving answers to the theoretical debates of the blogosphere, or
even to the heavy theological questions that most interest you. They are craving
answers to the real, immediate, personal debates of their own hearts.

The most effective preachers are those who spend time reading their congregations by
hearing their questions and observing their lives. This is one of the many reasons why
the Apostle Paul's letters are still relevant two thousand years later. He was not
concerned primarily with addressing the passing trends of culture, but with answering
the specific questions, conflicts, and challenges facing the congregations he oversaw.
Reading the hearts and lives of your people will make your sermons far more relevant
than reading any number of blogs or books apart from the Bible.

In addition to maintaining the relevancy of your preaching, reading your people also
makes your preaching more loving. The more time you spend with your people, the
better you are able to love them. This affection will even infect your most average
sermon with palpable passion and empathy that will compel your congregation to listen.
When the people of your church can hear your love for them, they are far more likely to
heed your words to them. Such love will not be cultivated because you spend hours with
dead theologians. Such love will be cultivated because you spend hours with your
church.

31
Therefore, if you're a preacher and you're reading this book right now - consider putting
it down.

I won't be offended if you don't read another word. God will be more glorified and your
church will be better served if you use this time to listen to a member of your church
instead of listening to me.

2. Spend time praying for yourself and more time praying for your
people
Good preachers immerse themselves in prayer as they study and interpret the text,
compose the sermon, and prepare to preach it. Most books on preaching place a heavy
emphasis on this, and rightly so. Yet, many of these books focus solely on the preacher
praying for himself. Certainly, the preacher must pray for the Spirit to illuminate his
understanding of the biblical text, guide his composition of the sermon, and empower
his preaching of the finished product. Likewise, the preacher must pray prayers of
personal worship, confession, and repentance in response to the truths he uncovers in
the process of sermon preparation. All of these things are necessary for effective
preaching.

But they are not sufficient.

The preacher must go beyond merely praying for himself and must also devote himself
to praying for his people. The perfectly crafted sermon matters not if the hearts of your
people are too hard or too distracted to hear it. Thus, the preacher's week should be
saturated with prayers for the congregation.

Prayers that they will be physically present to hear from God.

Prayers that their hearts will be softened by his Word.

Prayers that the Spirit will grant them understanding of what is being said and what they
are supposed to do about it.

Prayers that God will empower them to apply the proclaimed truth to their lives in
precisely the way he desires.

Because the sermon preparation process often takes place in a private room with none
present but God and the preacher, it is easy for a preacher to focus only on himself and
his relationship to God as he goes about preparing for his sermon; so much so that it is
not uncommon for preachers to pray for the congregation insofar as it relates to their
own desire to be perceived as competent and likable (for example, "God, I pray that
they'll like this sermon," "I pray they'll be excited about what I have to say," or "God, I
pray I don't make a fool out of myself in front of them this week").

32
But God has not placed you in your church for the purpose of impressing your people
with your spiritual depth or oratory skills. Nor has he placed you there solely for your
own sanctification through the process of studying and proclaiming the Scriptures. He
has placed you in your church that his people might be transformed through your
preaching of his Word. He has ordained that such transformation come, not merely
through what you say to them on Sunday, but also through what you say to God about
them throughout the week.

3. Stop Teaching and Start Worshiping

Reading books about preaching and taking classes both use a lot of time to help craft a
good sermon with a strong presentation. They train you to be aware of body language,
eye contact, the mood of the room, and more. All of these things are very helpful to be
aware of and consciously think about...before the sermon. But once you step into the
pulpit, these things cease to be helpful and can become a distraction as you find
yourself asking:

Am I making eye contact?

Am I pacing too much? Or not moving enough?
Am I too tied to my notes?
Should I be using this illustration right now?
Should I have kept that other point in? Or was it best to cut it out?
Is anyone even following me right now?

Asking these questions as you preach requires that your focus turn entirely on yourself.
This is the absolute worst place for your focus to be for three reasons. First, because
when your focus is on yourself, you will teach from your head instead of your heart,
which will make the congregation much less interested in what you came to teach.
Second, when you are focused on you, your congregation is also focused on you. They
can't hear your thoughts but they can see the impact of those thoughts on your delivery.
As you focus on your uncertainty and awkwardness, they will become fixated on how
your uncertainty and awkwardness is affecting your presentation. Third, and most
importantly, if you are focusing on you, you are not focusing on the God you came to
worship. And neither are your people.

When you step into the pulpit, you must leave everything you have learned in the pew
from which you just rose. When you stand before the people of God, your focus ought
not be on your teaching. It ought to be on your Lord. If this is where you want your
people to fix their eyes, why wouldn't you fix your eyes in the same place? If your
sermon can't move you to worship, why should it move your congregation to worship? If
the truths you're proclaiming don't cause you to be overcome with joy, why should they
be overcome with joy? If you are not moved to weeping over your sin or over the glories
of Christ, why should your church be? You should use your preaching to worship Christ
because he deserves it. You should also use your preaching to worship Christ because
it trains your church to do the same.

33
The greatest improvement I experienced in my preaching came when I stopped using
those 45 minutes to teach my people and started using those 45 minutes to worship my
God. That's when I truly started teaching them something that stuck. It's also when all of
the important things I was taught about sermon delivery started to click naturally, without
even having to think about them. When you are worshiping God as you preach, you
don't have to worry about your body language. Your body language will be the body
language of worship. You don't have to wonder if you are looking too often at your
notes. You are speaking from what the words you wrote down have done in your heart,
not from the words themselves. You don't have to carefully plan out the right amount of
eye contact for the right length of time. Your eyes are simply following your heart in
worship. You don't even need to wonder what illustrations or points you should cut or
keep. Your worship will lead you to focus on those things that most magnify God, and to
pass over those things that don't.

If you're a preacher I encourage you to make a commitment to stop teaching from the
pulpit and start worshiping. Your worship will teach your people better than your
teaching ever could.

34
 CHECK YOUR SERMONS ENGINE
My friend Claude Atcho (@ClaudeAtcho) recently planted a church in the Boston area.
He recently sent a tweet asking, "Preachers: do you have a set of 'check engine'
questions you ask at the end of #sermonprep & writing to make sure it's ready to go?" I
have one that I created several years ago, and have found it to be helpful in evaluating
my sermons after I've prepared them and before I preach them. I'm including it here in
hopes it will also be helpful for you.

1. Is (Are) my gospel section(s) explicitly tied to the text and main point?

2. Have I clearly presented Jesus as The Hero?

3. Have I introduced the sermon in a compelling way that provokes interest in what's to
come?

4. Is it abundantly clear what my one main point is?

5. Do each of my supporting points clearly flow from or toward the main point?

6. Are my points stated in the simplest and catchiest way possible?

7. Have I adequately anchored each of my points in a specific part of the text?

8. Have I illustrated each point in a way appropriate to the culture(s) of my audience?

9. Have I avoided providing unnecessary details that interest me but may distract from
the main point?

10. Is my structure clear enough that my audience can discern it by ear?

11. Do I know how I'm going to transition from each section to the next?

12. Have I anticipated and addressed the primary objections my audience might have to
each point?

13. Have I addressed both the Christian and the non-Christian in my audience?

14. Have I provided explicit and specific application to answer the "what now" for my
audience?

15. Have I personally repented and worshiped in response to this sermon?

35
 12 REASONS WHY IM A
PROSPERITY PREACHER
Hello, my name is Cole Brown. And I'm a prosperity preacher.

I know what you're thinking. But before you say anything, allow me to give you twelve
reasons why I recently became convinced that I am a prosperity preacher.

1. Because God says Christians possess every spiritual blessing.

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ
with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places. Ephesians 1:3

2. Because God says Christians possess forgiveness of sins through the riches of his
grace.
In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses,
according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us Ephesians 1:7-8a

3. Because God says Christians possess a rich inheritance in him.

I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayersthat you may
know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious
inheritance in the saints Ephesians 1:15-18

4. Because God says Christians possess a new and eternal family.

Jesus said, Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters
or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and for the gospel, who will not
receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers
and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life.' Mark
10:29-30

5. Because God says Christians have been given the rich gift of the indwelling and
empowering Holy Spirit.
I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his
Spirit in your inner being Ephesians 2:16

6. Because God says Christians will have all their needs supplied according to the
riches of his glory in Jesus.
And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ
Jesus. Philippians 4:19

7. Because God says Christians receive his grace in abundance.

And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all
things at all times, you may abound in every good work. 2 Corinthians 9:8

8. Because God says Christians have victory over sin.

36
"For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace." -
Romans 8:14

9. Because God promises Christians can ask him for anything according to his will and
receive it.
And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according
to his will he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know
that we have the requests that we have asked of him. 1 John 5:14-15

10. Because God promises Christians have unlimited access to his infinite wisdom.
If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without
reproach, and it will be given him. James 1:5

11. Because God promises Christians eternal life that cannot be taken away.
My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life,
and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who
has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the
Father's hand. I and the Father are one. John 10:27-30

12. Because God says Christians have been adopted by the One who owns everything.
For in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. Galatians 3:26

You probably noticed that I did not mention health or wealth even once. That may seem
odd, since those are the things people associate with prosperity preachers. But I'm
beginning to believe we have mislabeled such preachers. Far from being prosperity
preachers, they are, in fact, poverty preachers. All they offer the Christian are the
temporal blessings of health and wealth. That is not prosperity.

Prosperity is found in the gospel, which offers true and eternal prosperity through the 12
promises above and many more. As a result, the title "prosperity preacher" should
truly belong to those of us who preach salvation by grace alone, through faith alone, in
Christ alone.

37
ON MUSICAL
WORSHIP

38
 GUIDELINES FOR CHOOSING SONGS
FOR CORPORATE WORSHIP

Why do we sing in church?

Is it because its fun? Because its tradition? Because it feels good?

It may be all of these things for some of us, but this is not why we do it. We sing
in church because the New Testament commands us to.

Twice.

Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the
Spirit, speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit.
Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God
the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
- Ephesians 5:18-21

Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish
one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit,
singing to God with gratitude in your hearts
- Colossians 3:16

From these two brief passages we learn at least five key truths about Gods
intentions for our musical worship:

1) Every member is commanded to sing out loud, not just a select few.
2) We are to be taught and admonished through our congregational singing.
3) We are to sing various types of songs.
4) Our singing is to be motivated by gratitude to God for who he is and what
hes done.
5) Our singing in this way is an expression of being filled with the Holy Spirit.

With these five truths in mind, the worship leader can choose songs with
intentionality, aiming to help the congregation obey Ephesians 5 and Colossians
3. Below are 5 guidelines that will help in that process.

Singability Over Personal Taste

According to the two passages above, our musical worship is to be
congregational. In other words, we could have the best worship team providing
the best music on the planet, but if the members of the church are not singing to
one another, we fail to offer the musical worship God desires.

39
This means that one of the primary questions we should ask when selecting
songs is: is it easy to sing? If it is not, it may be a great song for personal
worship. But it is not the best choice for congregational worship. This can be
difficult for those of us who love good songwriting, as we will have to say no to
some of our favorite songs and yes to songs that may not be as artistically
interesting. Yet these are worthy sacrifices, because they empower the entire
congregation to obey Gods commands to sing to one another.

Both Revelation & Response

Colossians 3:16 also show us that we should teach one another through our
singing. This means we should very carefully consider the lyrics of the songs we
sing, as the truths we rehearse through actively singing a song are far easier to
remember than those truths we receive through passively hearing a sermon. Our
time of musical worship can instruct the congregation through 1) songs of
revelation and 2) songs of response. Songs of revelation are those songs that
teach biblical truths about who God is and what God has done, songs of
response are those that teach us how to respond biblically to who God is and
what God has done. In general, the broader evangelical community tends to
primarily choose songs of response and the reformed community tends to
choose songs of revelation. Yet the Psalms are rich with both, and our church
services should be as well.

Both Familiar & Fresh

In order to faithfully obey Colossians 3 and Ephesians 5 your church needs both
songs that familiar and songs that are fresh. Familiar songs are necessary to
ensure the congregation (and not just the worship team) can sing the song aloud
as God commands. The more often a song is repeated the more easily the
congregation can sing it loudly and joyfully. Fresh songs are also necessary in
order to ensure the congregation wants to sing the song aloud as God
commands. As we all know, there eventually comes a point when familiar songs
become tired songs and the congregation no longer finds joy in singing them
(speaking for myself, I may no longer want God to open the eyes of my heart if
it means I have to sing Paul Baloches song again). To minimize this, it is
important to regularly introduce new songs into the repertoire (the same Baloche
recommends adding 2 new songs per month). Of course, once a fresh song is
introduced, the goal is to turn it into a familiar song (Baloche again recommends
singing a new song 3 times within the first four-week period it is introduced to
help move it from fresh to familiar).

Both Traditional Hymns & Modern Choruses

Both passages not only command us to sing as a congregation, but also to sing
different types of songs as a congregation. In our culture the two general
categories of congregational worship songs are A) traditional hymns and B)
modern choruses. Both have advantages and disadvantages. For example,
hymns have the advantage of covering a greater diversity of themes and

40
connecting the congregation to the Universal Church in other places and times,
while having the disadvantage of being verbose and using dated language that is
difficult for some to understand. Worship choruses have the advantage of
connecting with the musical and cultural expressions of many in the church, while
having the disadvantage of being at times lyrically simplistic or overly poppy for
some in the congregation. This is why we should include both in our worship
sets, though how many we choose to use of each will depend heavily on the
makeup of our congregation.

In keeping with the theme of singing diverse types of songs, we should also aim
to include both mid- to up-tempo and mid- to down-tempo songs in our sets, as
well as songs sung in the first-person singular (I) and songs sung in the first-
person plural (we). The Book of Psalms models both by including both songs of
celebration and of lament, and songs written both from the perspective of an
individual and the perspective of the community.

Storytelling Over Personal Taste

If we are responsible for creating a worship set of 6 songs, the easiest thing to do
is simply to pick the 6 songs we most enjoy singing. But doing so does not help
us obey Ephesians 5 and Colossians 3. Instead, we should choose our songs
with a focus on teaching one another about our God and how we ought to
respond to him (Colossians 3:16). There are multiple strategies we can employ
as we pursue this goal.

First, we can spend the week reading and reflecting on the biblical text our pastor
will be preaching from. In prayer, we can then ask the Holy Spirit to help us select
songs that will emphasize the themes of the passage and our proper response to
them. For instance, if the theme of the sermon is suffering, it would be wise to
choose songs that give us perspective on how to respond to Christian suffering
(a famous example would be Blessed Be Your Name, though one of my
personal favorites is When the Tears Fall).

Second, we can arrange the songs of revelation/response and songs of down-

tempo/up-tempo in a way that reinforces the story God is telling through the
preached Word. For example, I have found it helpful to open the service (before
the sermon) with songs of revelation that affirm things about Gods character that
will be covered in the sermon and close the service (after the sermon) with songs
of response that model how we should respond to what God said through the
preaching. Similarly, I have generally used down-tempo songs to lead into the
sermon (as they calm our hearts and help us focus on what God is about to say)
and out of the sermon (as they provide us space to meditate on what God just
said), while using up-tempo songs at the conclusion of the service that we might
leave the gathering celebrating the grace and forgiveness we received from God
that day.

41
Of course it is not necessary that you follow my application of Colossians 5 and
Ephesians 3, but it is essential that you reflect on these passages and determine
how God would have you apply them and obey them in the context of your
corporate musical worship.

42
 WHY WE SING AFTER THE SERMON
At the church I planted in Portland, OR, we generally sang two songs before the sermon
and at least three songs after the sermon. For many people, this is odd, as they are
accustomed to singing every song before the sermon. This has often prompted visitors
to ask me, "Why?" In this blog I do my best to answer the question with five reasons
why we saved the bulk of our worship songs for after the preaching of God's Word, and
why you might consider doing the same.

1. Jesus, not music, mediates between God and men.

In Ephesians 3:12 we are told that it is through Jesus and Jesus alone that we can
approach God with freedom and confidence. Christians, of course, universally affirm
this. Which is why I find the contemporary evangelical tradition to do the entire music
set before the sermon a little odd. One of the primary reasons given for doing so is to
"take the congregation into the presence of God" or "bring the presence of God into the
church." Yet this is a pagan idea, not a Christian idea. Pagans believe that our offerings
of worship, including music, are what draws us near to God or God near to us. This is
contrary to the Bible's testimony that we are able to draw near to God through Jesus,
not through our musical offerings, as he is the "one Mediator between God and
mankind" (1 Tim 2:15).

This is not to say that churches who do all of their music up front are offering pagan
worship. It is to say that the most common reason given for doing so is a pagan, not a
Christian, reason. If we believe we have perpetual access to God's presence through
Jesus, we believe we are already in His presence when the service begins. So, in this
sense, it doesn't matter what we do first.

2. Worship is our response to God's revelation.

The Bible is not an encyclopedia, so it doesn't tell you a one sentence definition of
"worship." Instead, it shows you its definition of worship in every part of its storyline. As
you follow the thread of the biblical story, you find that worship is our human response
to God's divine revelation. God reveals Himself to the Israelites through the Exodus, and
they respond to His magnificent work with a song of worship (Exodus 15). God reveals
himself to Job through a conversation, and Job responds with worshipful repentance
(Job 42). Jesus reveals Himself as the crucified and risen Lord, and Thomas responds
with the worshipful declaration, "My Lord and my God." We could go on forever,
because the pattern is everywhere. This is simply what worship is: our response to
God's revelation.

For this reason, there is advantage to saving the bulk of our church's worshipful
response until after we have heard God's revelation through the preached Word. This
makes our singing far more meaningful. We are not singing a song just because it's time
to sing a song. We are singing a song because we are moved by what God revealed
about Himself in the sermon, and we can't wait to sing to Him and about Him in
response.

43
3. It allows us to model the appropriate response to God's Word.
Because every sermon is different, the appropriate response to every sermon is
different. The appropriate response to one sermon might be humble repentance; to
another, joyful celebration. And the appropriate response to a third sermon might be a
prayer for God's help and power. Saving most of our songs until the end allows us to
intentionally choose songs that match the appropriate response, so together we can
model the proper response to what God has revealed about Himself on a given day.

4. We allow the congregation time to reflect.

Each week's sermon is a potentially life-changing experience. But this will only happen if
you take the time to process what you have heard and carefully apply it to your life.
Unfortunately, the standard evangelical service structure does not allow for that
opportunity. Instead, almost immediately after the most powerful part of the sermon,
church is "dismissed" and you have to go pick up your kids, or stop by the visitor table,
or greet the people around you, or drive to your next engagement. You are never given
the time to reflect on the 40 minute self-revelation God just spoke through the pastor.
Saving most of our songs until the end protects us from this, and allows us at least 15
minutes to reflect on what God had just spoken before having to re-enter the busyness
of life.

5. We tell a compelling story to visitors and members alike.

Our worship services are attended by religious people, irreligious people, and gospel
people alike. Though these three groups of people have a lot of differences, they also
have one thing in common: they all need the same thing from our worship service. Each
group needs to hear the story of the gospel and its relevance to their present life.
Placing the bulk of our songs at the end allows us to tell that story, not only through the
sermon, but through the flow of the entire service. It ensures that the gathered church is
not just singing, but knows both what we're singing and why we're singing.

This is something we believe we would miss by putting all of our songs up front. Our
non-Christian attendees would not know why we "Bless the Lord, O My Soul." Our
religious attendees would not know what we mean by "love" when we sing "How He
Loves Us." Our gospel people may not remember why it's so important that we have an
advocate "Before the Throne of God Above." Placing these songs after the sermon, in a
strategic order, allows everyone to at least understand why we're singing what we're
singing because they are part of the whole story being told that morning, rather than just
a collection of fun songs to sing.

I have no problems with churches who choose to arrange their worship service a
different way. For the most part, the Bible gives us the freedom to structure our services
however we please. This is just the model I encourage you to consider for the above
five reasons.

44
ON CHURCH
PLANTING

45
 2 KEYS TO SOLVING YOUR MINISTRYS
DISCIPLESHIP PROBLEM
It is exceedingly common to hear pastors and church leaders say something like the
following,

"I want to make disciples but I can't find people who are motivated to learn and lead."

It is equally common to hear church members say something that resembles,

"I want to be discipled but I can't find anyone willing to invest in my spiritual growth."

In other words, the average pastor is working hard to make disciples but isn't seeing
results while many of his church members want to grow spiritually but don't see the
opportunity. Though both perceptions appear contradictory, they can exist
simultaneously because there is often a Sarlacc pit-sized gap between a church's desire
to make disciples and a church's skill in making disciples. In my experience, there are
two keys to bridging that gap that, if utilized, allow both church leaders and church
members to experience the discipleship growth they desire.

Key #1 You Have to Know What You Want to Make

Imagine walking into a kitchen pre-stocked with every delicious ingredient imaginable.
You love to cook and are excited to use all of the resources at your disposal to make a
magnificent meal. However, you're not sure what that meal is called or what the final
product will look like. Since you don't have a specific end product in mind, you do what
Buddy the Elf did and simply take a bunch of delicious ingredients and mix them
together: spaghetti noodles, chocolate sauce, caramel sauce, maple syrup, sprinkles,
mini-marshmallows, M&M's and Pop Tarts. Though each of these ingredients is good on
its own, none of them makes a meal in and of themselves, nor does mixing them all
together as if a bunch of good ingredients automatically produces a good dish. As much
as you love to cook, and in spite of having the freedom to use any ingredient in
existence, if you don't know exactly what you're hoping to produce, in the end you will
not produce anything worthy of eating.

Many church's approach discipleship in this same way. They know they want to make
disciples just as the person in the illustration wants to make a meal. But they could not
tell you what the final product is supposed to look like. Instead, they become the
pastoral equivalent of Buddy the Elf. They take a bunch of good things (like sermons,
books, conversations over coffee, Bible studies, accountability groups) and mix them all
together hoping that, in the end, a fully-formed disciple will come out. But, as with food,
if you cannot describe the essential characteristics of what you are aiming to make, you
will end up making something that is not worthy of the ingredients and efforts you
poured into it. This is how church's can pour so much money and time into discipleship
and yet not see any notable results from their efforts.

46
Jesus and Paul are the most successful disciple-makers of all time. It should not
surprise us, then, that neither of them made this error. Instead, Jesus and Paul both
knew and made known what they were aiming to produce. Jesus told Peter and Andrew
from the jump, "Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men" (Matthew 4:19, ESV).
Similarly, Paul made it clear to the Corinthians that the disciple was someone who lived
as he lived, and his ministry was directed toward that end. "I urge you to imitate me," he
told them, and "Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ" (1 Corinthians
4:16, 11:1, NIV). Because they knew exactly what they were trying to make -- and they
explicitly communicated this to those they served -- they were able to combine the right
ingredients in the right way to achieve the desired result.

Key #2 You Have to Know How You're Going to Make It

I can walk into the kitchen 100% committed to making a plate of Jamaican jerk chicken
for my wife. I may have all the necessary ingredients, tools, and desire to do so. But if I
don't have a recipe that tells me step-by-step how to make jerk chicken I will end up
making something that does not look nor taste like what I spent the whole night trying to
make. I speak from real-life experience, and my wife can testify that the jerk chicken
dinner I tried to serve her when we first married accomplished nothing more than make
me look like the only jerk at the table.

Sadly, many church's make this same mistake. Every church says, "we want to make
disciples." And they mean it. So much so that if a Christian church has a mission
statement you can be certain that some form of "making disciples" is present in it.
What's more, most of them pour a mountain of human and financial resources into
reaching this goal. Yet in spite of the time, money, and people spent, if a church doesn't
have a recipe for how they're going to make the disciple they are aiming to make, they
will produce the spiritual equivalent of my jerk chicken.

Jesus and Paul did not make this mistake. Instead, they were just as clear on how they
were going to make disciples as they were on what type of disciples they were trying to
make. Both employed the following four-prong strategy with those they were
developing:

1 I do and you watch

2 We do together
3 You do and I watch
4 I give you feedback

Jesus allowed his disciples to watch him heal the sick, cast out demons, and preach the
kingdom of God (Mark 1). He then invited them to join him as they did such things
together (Mark 3:13-19, Mark 5:35-43). Eventually, Jesus sent them out to do these
things on their own (Mark 6:7-13). When they returned from their work, Jesus used their
failures and successes to teach them even more (Mark 9:28-29, Luke 10:17-20). The
Apostle Paul's relationship with Timothy followed the same pattern. Paul invited Timothy
to watch his manner of life and ministry (Acts 16, 2 Timothy 3:10-11), next he allowed

47
Timothy to work alongside of him (Romans 16:21), before finally releasing Timothy to do
the work on his own and receive feedback from Paul on his successes and failures (1 &
2 Timothy).

Most church discipleship strategies exclusively follow a small portion of phase 1 (I

teach) or phase 3 (you fulfill a ministry need) while ignoring the other steps that are
necessary for truly passing on beliefs, behaviors, and skills. Moreover, they tend to
ignore the context in which Jesus and Paul used the four-prong strategy: a combination
of both intimate relationship (what some call "life on life") and public ministry (what
some call "programs"). Both are necessary and neither is sufficient.

What Now?
If you are a ministry leader and desire to make disciples you should first be able to
describe in detail the defining characteristics of the disciples you hope to produce. What
will they believe? How will they behave? What things will they be able to do? Once you
know the specifics of the end product, it will be much easier to know how to best use the
resources you have to arrive there.

You must also have the recipe that will help you get the desired result. How will you
walk people through Jesus and Paul's four-prong strategy in a way that will teach and
reinforce the beliefs, behaviors and skills you are aiming for? What role will personal
relationship play and how will space be made for relational intimacy? What role will
programs play and which programs will be used?

I am aware that the above questions seem obvious, and that most of us assume we
already have the two keys to discipleship locked down. But I can tell you, both from
personal experience and from empirical data, that most of us have not answered the
questions as specifically and carefully as we need to.

If we desire to make disciples, we must not only know what we are aiming to produce
but how we plan to get there. And we must know both in great specificity. I pray the Holy
Spirit will guide you and your team as you think through these questions.

48
 HOW TO GROW A CHURCH
Some Christians prefer a large church, some prefer a small church, but all Christians
prefer a growing church. The question is: how do we grow a church? Specifically, how
can you help grow your church?

Our timelines are filled with conferences, books and coaches that will answer the
question for four easy payments of $19.99. Some will tell you the key is to design your
church for young families, others will tell you the answer is crafting everything you do
with hip singles in mind. Some groups claim the key to church growth is in preaching for
the Christians in the audience and others say the proper aim is the non-Christian. On
the same day you can be told that only faithfully preaching the gospel will grow your
church (without respect to felt needs) and that preaching to the felt needs of your
community (above any particular theological emphasis) is the essential ingredient.
In other words, the experts don't agree on how you can grow your church.

But it doesn't matter.

Because the fact is, God has already answered the question for us in Ephesians
4:11-13.

"And he [God] gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and
teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ,
until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to
mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ"

According to this passage, the key to church growth is that both church leaders and
church members play the position God put them in. If we do this, we are assured
spiritual growth, which is the cause of healthy and lasting numerical growth.

Church leaders: you are called to play the position God placed you in by equipping the
members of the church to do the works of ministry both inside and outside the church.
Let's be honest and acknowledge this is very different from what American church
culture teaches us to expect from our leaders. We want our leaders to play the role of
friend, psychologist, dynamic preacher, business manager, advice-dispenser, and
marketing director while being always available and, in the midst of fulfilling all these
responsibilities, somehow endlessly taking the initiative to pursue us.

American church culture has trained us to expect everything from our leaders except
the one thing that God expects from our leaders: that they train us to do the ministry.
Unfortunately, the more time leaders spend on trying to meet member expectations, the
less time leaders have to fulfill God's expectations. Likewise, members must know that if
a pastor chooses to play the position God has drafted him to play, he will no longer be
able to play the position the average member demands. Much like a Major League

49
pitcher suffers at the plate precisely because he invests his every waking moment at
excelling as a pitcher, a pastor can either excel at the role God calls him to or at that
which the members expect of him. It is impossible to do both. Just as a baseball team
can only grow to its potential when its pitchers are willing to sacrifice their hitting ability
to focus on what the team most needs from them, the church grows to its full potential
when its leaders choose to sacrifice their ability to meet the demands of American
church culture, in order to do what will best serve the church: play the role God gave
them to play.

Likewise, the members of the church have been appointed by God to play their position
as well. Members: you are called by God to do the works of ministry (Ephesians 4:12).
This is very different from how we think about ministry. We call the pastors our
"ministers." And when we have issues requiring attention, counsel, prayer, mediation,
bible knowledge, etc., we call on the pastor to take care of them. But God says that's
not the pastor's position to play. The pastor is to equip for ministry, the church members
are to do the ministry. In this regard, the pastor is similar to a personal trainer. He does
not do the work for you, he gives you the tools and encouragement to do the work
yourself. Just as you won't grow stronger if your personal trainer lifts the weights for
you, the church won't grow stronger as long as the leaders lift the weight of ministry for
the members. Yet you ought not hear this as a burden, but as a blessing. God put you in
this position precisely because you can play it (by his grace and power) and produce
the growth you desire to see.

You have never seen a 300 pound center trying to run a wide receiver's routes, nor a
180 pound quarterback trying to block a 300 pound tackle. This is because the players
on a football team (in my humble opinion, God's least favorite sport) know the position
they have been put in the game to play. They also know their team can only win when
each player plays the position they were drafted to play. Unfortunately, in the church, we
are in the habit of doing exactly what football players refuse to do. We reverse positions
and have pastors doing the work of ministry and members equipping them by providing
money, requests and unsolicited advice.

If we want our churches to grow, this has to stop. Both leaders and members alike must
reject the traditional roles our American church culture has assigned and embrace the
positions God has called them to play. Though this is difficult, the good news is that we
are promised that "when each part is working properly" Jesus -- not us -- will "make the
body grow." But don't take my word for it:

"[Jesus] from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it
is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds
itself up in love" (Ephesians 4:16, ESV).

50
 5 REASONS TO CONSIDER PLANTING
A HOUSE CHURCH
INTRODUCTION
There are various church planting models. The Bible doesn't prescribe to us any one of
them in particular. For this reason, we have the freedom to plant our church according
to the model that best corresponds to our objectives and culture, as long as it meets the
biblical requirements of a healthy church. Among these models is one that, in my
opinion, should receive more attention and consideration. In this article I will use the
acronym "LASER" to demonstrate five reasons for which it is wise to take the house
church model into account when we consider planting a church, as it helps us laser-
focus our energies on our most important objectives.

LOVE
Before dying, Jesus gave his church a new command: that they love one another as he
has loved them (John 13:34, 15:12). With this mandate, Jesus intends that the identity
of his Church would be recognized by their love for one another.

The environment of house churches is perfect for expressing and experiencing love.
The size of the church ensures that each member knows the needs of the others. Also,
since there is no formal institution, the only way in which the needs can be satisfied is
through the individual members of the community. Each time that they gather is an
opportunity to rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep, speak the
truth in love to one another, carry one another's burdens and love one another in similar
ways.

What's more, house churches require an intimacy between their members that
guarantees that each member will eventually be hurt by another member of the church.
Through this challenge comes the opportunity to love in the most powerful way possible
--through forgiveness-- and do it publicly.

ATTRACT
Various statistics show that the churches that tend to reach those who do not already
attend a church are new churches and small churches. Since house churches are small
and can multiply rapidly into new churches, they already possess -- by their very nature
-- the characteristics of those churches that tend to have the most evangelistic success.

Moreover, Jesus teaches us that it is by our love for one another that the world will
realize who Jesus is (John 13:34-35, 17:23). This makes love the most effective
evangelistic strategy there is. Since we have already seen that house churches provide
a suitable context for love, we can also conclude that they give us a powerful
evangelistic tool.

51
SERVE
When we speak of discipleship, we are speaking of the process of implementing Jesus'
teachings and growing more and more into his image. According to Ephesians 4:12-13,
Christians arrive at this level of spiritual maturity through their works of service in the
context of the local church.

House churches are designed to involve every member. The size of the group and the
format of the meeting provide both the opportunity and the necessity to do so. For
example, instead of listening to the prayers of one person, each person prays in the
gathering. Equally, there is space for everyone to study and discuss the Word, use their
spiritual gifts, and dedicate themselves to mutual discipleship and evangelism.

EQUIP
Every pastor and church leader shares the same responsibility: equip the people of God
for works of service, in order to build the body of Christ (Ephesians 4:12). In fact, this is
the reason Jesus gives leaders as gifts to his Church (Ephesians 4:11).

Human beings learn and change better when they can both listen and practice. In house
churches, the size of the group and format of the meeting assure that members learn as
much through formal teaching as through personal practice. For example, in such
churches one does not learn to pray simply by listening to the example of a specific
leader, but by means of each member's example and the experience of praying out loud
with them. Similarly, one learns to read and interpret the BIble by actually doing it along
with the group, under biblically-qualified leadership, instead of simply listening to a
professional preacher.

REPRODUCE
We know that the simpler an organism is, the more quickly it can reproduce. House
churches are not an exception to this rule. In order to be successful, a house church
only requires two things. First, a man of character with sufficient knowledge to correct
false teaching. Second, someone -- whether a Christian or not -- who is willing to open
her house or business to the group. This means that nearly every house church already
possesses within itself the resources it needs to multiply, since they don't need money,
buildings or expert ministers. As a result, they can multiply themselves both quickly and
easily.

CONCLUSION
The house church model is not the healthy model. But it is a healthy model. Therefore, it
should be considered as a viable way to plant churches. It shouldn't be seen as nothing
more than a "small version" of the traditional church model, but as a completely different
means of reaching the same objectives. If you want to plant a church that is marked by
Love, is able to Attract non-Christians, provides an excellent context for Service, Equips
its members and can Reproduce itself into other healthy churches, perhaps the house
church model is the model for you.

52
 TIPS FOR LAUNCHING A HOUSE CHURCH
Introduction
Maybe you are convinced that the house church is the best model for your gifts and
your context. If this is the case, it's possible that you have questions about how to plant
one. And you should have them, because a house church should never be a mere
"miniature" version of the traditional church. If you want to have success, the differences
have to be deeper than a change of size; they have to include philosophical changes.
Even though this may be new for you, the good news is that it is much easier than what
you think, and it's also extremely flexible. Even so, there are 9 essential practices that
you should examine and take into account before starting.

Evangelize
The new testament model of church-planting is for a small team of believers to reach
non-Christians, who then are formed into a new church. Thus, the house church should
imitate the New Testament model, starting with a team of no more than 2 to 6 believers.
The team's first responsibility is not to start a service, but to start conversations with
those who do not know Jesus and invite them to eat and to study the Bible with the
group. The hope is that through studying the Bible and spending time with the group,
those who have been invited will be converted. Upon converting, the group then
transforms into an official church, even though what it does will not change much.

Explain
It's important that from the beginning the leaders emphasize that the group's goal is to
reach those who do not know Jesus. If not, the intimacy of a house church can produce
a group that is so satisfied with its deeply-connected community that it becomes too
focused on itself. For this reason, the leader should assure that each member of the
group knows that she is a church planter. Thus, growing the church through evangelism
is not the responsibility of the leader, but of everyone.

Historically, the great risk of this model of church is that the more successful it is, the
more pain its members experiment, due to the fact that if they reach a certain number of
people they have to make space by planting more churches. The most common form of
dealing with this problem is to divide the group in two churches, but this strategy is the
most painful. It's much better to choose 2-3 potential leaders from the church and send
them to plant a second church (not out of obligation, but motivated by call). This
approach assures that the original church maintains its relational connections and its
momentum, and that the new church has to grow through evangelism and not through
church transfers. This goal must be explained from the beginning and revisited
frequently in order to avoid unwelcome surprises.

53
Study
At least once per week the church should gather to study the Bible. Traditionally, this
primary meeting occurs every Sunday morning. But this is not a command of God.
Hence, the house church has the freedom to schedule its primary meeting for any hour
of any day. The leaders should select the day and hour most accessible for the people
they are trying to reach

There are many ways to study the Bible in community. One way is to follow the
traditional model of a 45 minute formal discourse. There is absolutely nothing wrong
with this approach, but if the goal is to train every member to be a church planter so that
each house church can multiply into other evangelistic churches, there may be a need
for another approach that accomplish that goal more readily.

Thus, house churches tend to use a model that involves the members in the process of
reading, interpreting and applying the Bible. Some do it through a one-point sermon of
roughly minutes and, afterwards, the members ask questions about the sermon, discuss
its proper application with each other and pray for one another in light of the study.
Another option is to read a passage together, selected by the leaders. While the
passage is read, each person marks their Bible with an exclamation point, a question
mark, an arrow or an ear. The exclamation point signifies something that calls the
readers attention or provides illumination, the question mark is used to mark something
that is unclear, the arrow represents something that requires a response from the
reader, and the ear symbolizes something that the reader feels compelled to share with
someone in particular. After marking the passage, the leader asks the group about each
category and everyone shares their thoughts, questions and reactions to God's Word.

One advantage of this model is that the church can adapt their form of studying and
teaching the Bible according to the needs of their members; as long as they devote
themselves to the Apostle's teaching (Acts 2:42).

Pray
Another key aspect of each gathering is prayer. There are as many ways to organize
the prayer time as there are the teaching time. The important thing is that every member
has the opportunity to pray, since it's a means of obeying God, serving others and being
equipped for ministry.

In order to facilitate the participation of everyone, it's advisable to ask (and model) that
each person prays no more than one or two sentences at a time. This assures that the
new believers and non-believers are not intimidated by the veteran Christians who tend
to pray with paragraphs full of theological references and beautiful words. Each one can
pray for everything they desire within the gathering, but they should divide their prayers
into various sections of one or two sentences at a time.

In a house church, the prayer time is an opportunity to reaffirm the church's principal
values. For example, as we have already seen above, the group should respond to the

54
sermon by means of prayer, worshiping God in response to what he reveals and asking
his help to obey. Another advantage of house churches is the family experience. In a
larger church it's not possible to pray for the spiritual needs and lives of every member
in a gathering. But in the house church it is not only possible, it is wise. Another
common strategy is to use the prayer time to advance the mission. Before praying, each
member can share the conversations they have had or desire to have with non-
Christians that week. Afterwards, the group prays for each unbeliever by name and asks
God that the Holy Spirit might give the members power to evangelize and might convert
those they share the gospel with.

Eat
Communion is an ordinance established by Jesus for the benefit of his Church. Each
time we celebrate this meal, we remember Christ's sacrifice, we proclaim his death until
he comes, and we enjoy the unity we share together as his body.

When Jesus introduced the Lord's Supper to his disciples, it was in the context of a
relaxed meal. Also, in 1 Corinthians 10 and 11, in which Paul speaks of the Supper, it is
obvious that it was much more than a brief ritual. It was a feast of God's family. House
churches give us the opportunity to emphasize the original meaning of the special meal:
remember and proclaim the work of Christ as a united family.

There are many possible ways to approach the Lord's Supper in a house church. In
relation to the food itself: each person can bring something to share, the members can
take turns preparing something, to host can provide something each week, or the
church can give the necessary money each week to a volunteer who buys the food and
brings it to the house. The best strategy depends on the people, their gifts, and their
schedules; even the elements of the food are flexible.

The only non-negotiable is that you eat together as a family and take advantage of the
meal to remember the body and blood of Jesus. With respect to the form of serving the
meal: it could be something that you do before studying the Bible or after, it could be
part of the prayer time or the sharing time, it could be at a formal table or in the living
room. The most appropriate style depends on the preference of the group, and could
change week to week; the important thing is that it is done in a way that stimulates
community and spiritual conversation.

Sing
When we think of discipleship we tend to ignore one biblical means of doing it: singing
together. In addition to being a common element to Old Testament worship, it is also a
New Testament command (Ephesians 5:18-20, Colossians 3:16-17). The two passages
emphasize that singing is not the responsibility of a talented team, but of every member
of the church. Each one has the responsibility of teaching and counseling the rest
through song. But the form in which this is done is adaptable.

55
The best way to decide how your group will do it is to study the Bible passages together
and allow the group to determine how to apply the teaching. The options depend a lot
on the personalities and gifts of the people in the group. Some groups will have
someone who can play the guitar or the keyboard and may choose to sing with
accompaniment. Other groups will not have a musician and may choose to sing
acapella or to youtube videos. The Bible does not tell us anything about how often we
should sing, nor how many songs. It's advisable to let the members (including the not-
yet-Christians) discover what fits them best, while remembering that everything that is
done should be easily reproducible in other house churches with other members.

Share
When we read 1 Corinthians 14, we find very specific instructions about the content of a
church meeting. After having explained that the Holy Spirit gives gifts to every Christian
(1 Corinthians 12), Paul tells us that each member of the church may have something to
share, whether it be a hymn, a teaching, a revelation, a message in tongues or an
interpretation of tongues. By listing the rules for the correct order of sharing, Paul shows
us that these contributions are more than a possibility, they're an expectation.

In a house church, it's easy and safe to apply this teaching thanks to the size, trust and
adaptability of the church. It's recommendable to invite members to participate in the
gathering using their gifts in a biblical way. You may provide a mutual ministry time
once-a-month or once-a-week, or instead of a special time you may choose to allow that
church members share what they have to share whenever they feel led. What is
essential is that the members know that, thanks to the Holy Spirit, have something to
offer the church, and how and when they can share it.

Live
Even though the main meeting happens once per week, the church is a family every
day of every week. Therefore, it is key that the members feel free to gather during the
week like every family does. In order to create this culture, the leaders must model living
in community, doing what every family does: eat together, go the movies together, take
the kids to the park together, watch TV together, exercise together, pray together,
discuss the Bible together, etc... This is an evangelism and disciple-making strategy that
exposes others to your life and allows non-Christians to witness the profound love that
Jesus creates.

Prepare
While doing all of the above, the leaders need to prepare other members of the group to
be leaders in the future, so the church can multiply into others. The incredible thing is
that if you lead a church following the above counsel, you will be equipping everyone
simply by applying the principles in everything the church does. After a while, it should
be obvious who has the character, gifts and passion to lead another house church,
whether it be by means of planting another church or taking your place so you can plant
another. Considering this possibility, it's best that you don't start the church in your own
home. It would be better to start the church in the home of one of the non-Christians or

56
new Christians that you reach. That way, if you reach a size that allows you to multiply,
you have the freedom to lead another small group back to step 1 and start another
church. If the church meets in your house, it will be more difficult to have the flexibility
you need to use your gifts and experiences to develop a second community.

Conclusion
The house church is not "the model" to plant churches. God uses whatever model he
chooses to fulfill his purposes. However, I believe the house church model can be very
effective in multiplying churches and leaders, involving and training its members,
experiencing Christian love, and reaching non-believers. Having said that, it can only
accomplish these things if we resist the temptation to do house church as if it were
nothing more than a traditional church, but with less people and a smaller space. It is
essential that we implement practices like those above which allow us to take
advantage of the small size and flexibility of a house church. If we simply do things the
way we have always done them but within the four walls of a home, we ought not
expect to experience the benefits that such an environment can provide.

*****

If youre interested in learning more about house churches and various strategies for
planting and leading them, consider reading some of the following books (several of
which were useful in writing this chapter).

Apostolic Church Planting: Birthing New Churches from New Believers by JD Payne

Church 3.0: Upgrades for the Future of the Church by Neil Cole

The House Church Book: Rediscover the Dynamic, Organic, Relational, Viral
Community Jesus Started by Wolfgang Simson

Organic Church: Growing Faith Where Life Happens by Neil Cole

Small is Big: Unleashing the Big Impact of Intentionally Small Churches by Tony &
Felicity Dale

57
ON CHURCH
MEMBERSHIP

58
 HOW NOT TO LEAVE A CHURCH
Christians leave churches.

It happens.

Sometimes it's for good and godly reasons; other times, Christians leave with
questionable motives. Unfortunately, it can sometimes be very difficult for sincere
Christians to tell the difference. This is why Christians must be certain that when they
leave a church for any reason, they do so in the right way. Yet the Bible does not include
a section on how to leave a church, because the Bible does not speak of Christians
leaving their local church for any reason other than being sent out on mission by said
church. The Bible does, however, give us insight into the nature of God, the nature of
the Christian, and the nature of the local church that helps us know how not to leave a
church.

#1 With Unresolved Relational Tension

Relational tension is a primary factor for many who are thinking of leaving their church.
Sometimes, tension with a brother or sister is the foundational reason for a fall out.
Other times, it's merely one in a multitude. The less harmony you have with your
pastors or fellow church members, the less you feel you have to lose by leaving. Yet the
truth is, the more relational tension you have in your church, the more you have to lose
by leaving it.

Jesus explains, If you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your
brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar.
First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift (Matthew 5:23-24). In
other words, Christian unity is so important to Jesus that he has no interest in receiving
your worship until you have reconciled with your fellow Christian. If you leave your
church with unresolved relational tension, you are actively disobeying Jesus, who
commands you to first go and be reconciled to them. You will also be offering worship
in your new church that does not please Jesus, because you are worshiping him in the
way you desire, and not in the way he desires. Relational tension may make you feel as
if leaving your church will not cost you much, but in reality it will cost you everything that
matters.

#2 With Unrepentant Sin

Being an active part of a local church will provide many opportunities for sinful attitudes,
affections, and behaviors. We might respond to the failures of a brother or sister with
judgment. We may feel we have been personally hurt or offended by members of the
church and become bitter or unforgiving. We may be unhappy with decisions made by
the leaders of the church and be critical, unsubmissive, or full of anger. Each of these
responses is a sinful response, and our sinful responses are caused by our sinful hearts

59
 not by our church. This means the problem will not go away when we leave our
current church. It will follow us into the next one.

The Scriptures tell us to deal with our unrepentant sin in the context of the local church
with which we commune. We are commanded to confess our sins to one another, to
forgive one another, and to speak the truth in love. We are also told that our local
church is the laboratory God uses to make us more like Jesus. If you leave your church
without repenting in your church, you rob yourself of the spiritual growth God has for
you, rob your church of the opportunity to see your growth, and rob God of the glory that
is his when Christians turn from their sin and turn to him in worshipful obedience.

#3 Without Talking to Your Family

Making the decision to covenant with a church, or to break a covenant with a church, is
one of the most important decisions we will ever make in our lives. Why would we make
one of life's most important decisions without the help of our family? Yet this is what
many Christians do. They announce to the church that they have already decided to
leave, rather than invite the church to help them make a decision.

This is foolish.

We may be convinced we are leaving a church for the right reasons and in the right way,
but we are too easily deceived by Satan and by ourselves to trust our own judgment in
these matters. Christians have blind spots. Big ones. We can see unresolved relational
tension and unrepentant sin in other people with stunning accuracy, but we are often
incapable of seeing them in ourselves even when everyone else can. This is why we
need God's church to help us see in us what we can't see in ourselves. They can only
do this if we invite them into our decision-making process and trust the Spirit of Christ to
work through the Body of Christ. If you leave your church without talking to your church
family, you rob yourself of the opportunity to hear God's voice through his people, you
rob your church of the opportunity to help you grow into Christ's image, and you rob
God of the glory that is his when Christians submit to one another, as he has submitted
on the Church's behalf.

#4 Without a Gospel Church Waiting

What church are you going to go to?

If you cannot answer that question with the name of a specific church that faithfully
proclaims the Gospel of who Jesus is and what Jesus has done, then you do not leave
your current church. Period.

God doesn't call people out of the family of God and into independence. He does the
opposite. God also doesn't call people out of the true Gospel and into false gospels. He
does the opposite. Yet Christians often leave Gospel-preaching churches to go to
Gospel-starved churches, or imperfect Christian church communities for no Christian

60
church community. In both cases they are suffocating their own spiritual life and staining
the reputation of the God they claim to worship.

Do not let this be true of you.

Unless your current church is abusing the Gospel or abusing its members, you are likely
called to remain there. If and when God desires to call you away from your current
church, he will provide for you a new community where you will be fed the Gospel from
the pulpit and given opportunity to apply the Gospel with the people. If he has yet to do
that for you, he is almost certainly not calling you to leave. If at any time you think you
are the rare exception to this general rule (which is a possibility), be sure to go back to
#3.

In 15 years of local church ministry I have seen a number of people leave their home
church for a variety of reasons. I have also seen the tremendous damage this has done
to them, to their church, and to the glory of God when they do it the wrong way. If we
find ourselves preparing to leave our local church, may we make sure we avoid the four
errors above. If we do, I believe we can save ourselves and our church a lot of pain,
while also bringing God his due glory.

61
 WHAT TO DO WHEN YOURE
NOT BEING FED
I'm not being fed.

If you've been a part of a church for any length of time you have likely either uttered
these words or heard these words spoken. Those who find themselves saying these
words can feel like their faith journey is in a state of crisis. They are not sure what to do.
Up to this point, they have loved their church and have experienced learning, growth
and excitement every week. But now they feel like something is lacking. They are no
longer experiencing those things like they once did. Theyre not quite sure why this is
so, or even how to explain it, so the common response is:

Im not being fed.

What are you supposed to do when you reach this point?

What are you supposed to tell your loved ones when they reach this point?

While every situation is unique and is best addressed in the context of your local church
community, these general principles can hopefully help provide some guidance as you
do so:

Step #1: Define Your Terms

The very first thing you should do in this situation is ask the following question:

What does it mean that you are not being fed?

Are you not being fed the truth of the Scripture? Are you not being fed the truth of the
Gospel? If so, this truly is an urgent situation that you must address. Apart from very
rare circumstances, God does not call his people to be members of churches where His
Word and His Gospel are not proclaimed.

Yet, if you cannot say that your church is not teaching the Bible and the Gospel then
your answer to the I'm-not-being-fed question is likely something important, but far less
urgent. For example, your answer might be either:

1) I'm not learning about the issues that are of special concern to me," or,

2) Im not learning new things.

62
Either of these things can be very uncomfortable, but neither is necessarily a sign that
something is wrong with your current church. If this is the case, consider going to step
two.

Step #2: Address the Cause

If the cause of your lack of new learning, growth and excitement is that your church is
not teaching the Bible, then you should consider talking with the pastor(s) about this
concern. If they are unwilling or unable to teach the Bible as the authoritative Word of
God, it may be time to transfer your membership to a Bible-teaching church in the most
loving and humble way possible. Yet, this should be done in the context of Christian
community, in order that you might be certain you are rightly discerning the church's
teaching, as well as the course of action which God would have you to take.

If the cause of your lack of learning, growth and excitement is due to your church failing
to address the issues that are of special concern to you, I recommend two actions:

First, I recommend you talk with your pastor about the specific areas in which you feel
you need to grow. As a pastor myself, I have often been pleased when people tell me
they are hoping to grow in a particular area of faith or ministry and would benefit from
more focused teaching on the topic. This helps me better know and better serve my
congregation. It is likely to do the same for your pastor.

Second, I recommend that you don't depend on your pastors to provide all the
information you need or have interest in. It is impossible for a preacher to cover every
area of interest and passion in his congregation. Instead, his job is to faithfully teach the
Scriptures and equip the congregation with the tools to study, learn, and apply more on
their own. If you have certain interests or passions that you feel are not being
adequately covered from the pulpit, this is not an opportunity for you to condemn your
pastors for not sharing the same priorities. It is, instead, an opportunity for you to feed
yourself. Perhaps your pastor can point you to books, videos, podcasts or human
beings who can serve as resources on your journey toward growing in your particular
area of interest.

If the cause of your lack of learning, growth and excitement is that you are no longer
learning new things, I recommend you consider seeing this as a sign of your church's
strength, rather than a sign of your churchs weakness. Perhaps the reason you feel you
are no longer learning new things is because your church has done such a fine job of
teaching you the Bible. With each passing sermon, you have added more and more
information to your foundation of biblical knowledge. After a certain number of years,
your foundation is likely to include all of the key Christian doctrines. There are certainly
new insights that remain to be learned, but the more you know about Gods Word, the
less frequently you will encounter exciting new teachings. This should not come as a
surprise. After all, the emphasis of both the Old and New Testaments is on remembering
and being reminded of what God has already said and done, more than it is on learning

63
more information. If your church is faithful in reminding you of the most central truths of
the Bible, your church is doing its job.

Step #3: Change Your Focus

Another reason that you may be dissatisfied is that God wants you to redirect your focus
away from learning and toward doing.

First, He may want you to focus on faithfully enacting what you've already learned,
rather than on learning new things. If you have been a Christian for any length of time,
you have probably already learned the importance of forgiveness, generosity, patience,
evangelism and the like. But how well are you obeying in these and other areas? Sure,
we'd all love to learn new things, but why would God fill our minds with new things when
we're not even consistently obeying the things we've already learned? Before
complaining about what you are not learning in your church, I urge you to consider
whether or not you are faithfully obeying what you've already learned in your church. If
you find that you are not, you will grow more as a Christian by redirecting your focus on
obeying the old things, rather than focusing on learning new things.

Second, He may be calling you to transition from the primary role of learner to the
primary role of teacher. If it is true that you are no longer learning at your church, it is
likely that you are now well-equipped to help non-Christians meet Christ and help
Christians grow in their faith. Rather than looking for new ways to learn from your
pastors, perhaps your new focus should be on looking for new ways to help your
pastors by serving your church. Giving yourself to ministry will provide you with new
opportunities for on-the-job learning that can never be taught from a pulpit, and will
energize you and excite you in ways that passively listening to sermons no longer
does.

Conclusion
If you or someone you love feel like you're no longer being fed, it may be because
your church is failing you, or it may be because your church has served you more
faithfully than you even realize. Be sure to define your terms so you can appropriately
address the cause and change the focus.

64
 FOUR QUESTIONS ABOUT GIVING
The following is a document we used in a church I planted to help address the four most
common questions members asked about financial giving. The information is short and
simple, but is designed to point the reader to the appropriate Scriptures to develop her
own theology of giving.

1. Why Should I Give Money to Christ and His Church?

The Bible answers this question for us in 2 Corinthians 8 and 9.

First, God says you should give to Christ and His Church because God has given
everything to you. Listen to these words from 2 Corinthians 8:9, For you know the
grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became
poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich. You give because Jesus gave
everything even his life to you.

Second, God says you should give because you have given yourself to God. Listen to 2
Corinthians 8:4-5 as Paul describes how the Philippian church could not wait to give.
They urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this to the Lords people.
And they went beyond our expectations; having given themselves first of all to the Lord,
they gave themselves by the will of God also to us. If youve already given yourself to
God then your money will follow.

Third, God says you should give because of your love for Gods church. In encouraging
the Corinthian church to give in 2 Corinthians 8:24, Paul says, Therefore show these
men the proof of your love and the reason for our pride in you, so that the churches can
see it. When we love someone or something we willingly give to them what is valuable
to us. If we love the church, we will give our finances to the church just as God, because
he loves the church, gave his only Son.

Fourth, God says you should give because it will glorify God. Listen to the promise Paul
makes to the Corinthian church in 2 Corinthians 9:11-15. If they give, he says,

You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion,
and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God. This service that you
perform is not only supplying the needs of the Lords people but is also overflowing in
many expressions of thanks to God. Because of the service by which you have proved
yourselves, people will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession
of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone
else. And in their prayers for you their hearts will go out to you, because of the
surpassing grace God has given you. Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!

65
As you give people will give thanks to God because of your gift and because of the
ministry your gift empowers. Just as many of you have thanked God for the ministry of
this church and that ministry has been made possible by the gifts of others.

In summary, we should give to Christ and his church for at least four reasons

(1) Because of Gods gracious gift of Jesus Christ.

(2) Because we are Gods people so our resources are Gods resources.
(3) Because we love Jesus Christ and his Church.
(4) Because we want to glorify God.

2. How Should I Give to Christ and His Church?

First, God says you should give generously. Listen to 2 Corinthians 9:6, as Paul
continues to talk to the Corinthians about financial giving, Remember this: Whoever
sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, whoever sows generously will also reap
generously. God wants us to give in the same way we want to receive: generously.

Second, God says you should give without reluctance or compulsion. Thats what Paul
says in 2 Corinthians 9:7, Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart
to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. Christians
dont give because they are forced to. They give because they want to. Which means
that instead of giving reluctantly we should give cheerfully. When we take pleasure in
our giving God takes pleasure in us. As we trust more and more in Christ and his gospel
we will delight in giving all the more because our ultimate pleasure is found in Christ and
in pleasing him.

Third, God says you should give obediently. And there is a serious difference between
giving out of obedience and giving out of compulsion. Those who give under compulsion
give out of fear of punishment or exposure. Those who give out of obedience give out of
love for Jesus and a respect of his authority. 2 Corinthians 9:13 explains, Because of
the service by which you have proved yourselves, people will praise God for the
obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your
generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else.

In summary, God cares just as much about how we give as why we give. He wants us to
give,

(1) Generously.
(2) Cheerfully, without reluctance or compulsion.
(3) Obediently.

3. How Much Should I Give?

This is the question we all really want to know the answer to, right? Most are us are
okay with the idea of giving. But we want to know just how much is expected of us. We

66
like questions like this. We like to know how much God expects of us so that we can
give just that much and no more. But that is not what it looks like to live out the gospel.
As the gospel continues to grip us we will stop asking, how much do I have to give and
we will start asking, how much can I give? This is consistent with the teachings of the
New Testament which do not require that followers of Christ give any specific
percentage or amount of money.

When the New Testament discusses giving it does so in a very different way. This is 2
Corinthians 8:3, For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even
beyond their ability. Entirely on their own

This is very different than being required to give a specific amount or a specific
percentage. We are called to give according to our ability. Some of us will be able to
give a higher percentage while others may only be able to give a lower percentage. And
that is okay because God does not call us to give what others give but to give according
to our own ability, and perhaps even beyond it. We see here that the proper question is
not how much do I have to give but how much can I give.

On a similar note, we are called to give according to our means. And when we do give
willingly, according to our means, God judges our giving according to what we have and
not according to what we do not have. 2 Corinthians 8:11-12 explains, Now finish the
work, so that your eager willingness to do it may be matched by your completion of it,
according to your means. For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according
to what one has, not according to what one does not have. Once again the question is
not how much do I have to give but how much can I give.

The how much question is answered most fully in 2 Corinthians 9:7, Each of you
should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under
compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.

Again, there is no specific percentage or particular amount that the Christ-follower is

commanded to give. The follower of Christ is instead commanded to give what you
have decided in your heart to give. Some people see this as an escape. Since no
percentage or amount is required they feel free to give as little as they please. But this
is not an out. This is demanding. It is also condemning. This shows that the amount of
our giving is directly related to the condition of our heart. If we give little it only shows
how little we value Jesus, how little we value his Church, how little we value his mission,
and how much we value ourselves and how much we value money.

For this reason we advise church members to start off by committing to giving a specific
percentage of their income (10% is a good place to start for many people). Not because
the New Testament commands a particular percentage, it doesn't. But because having a
set percentage helps you build into yourself the spiritual discipline of giving. Just as the
Bible doesnt command we pray at a certain time or for a certain length of time but we
set a time in order to grow in the discipline, and the Bible doesnt command we read the
Bible a certain time or for a certain length of time but we set a time in order to grow in

67
the discipline. If youre a church member, we ask you to set a percentage that you will
hold yourself accountable to every time God provides you with money and aiming to
grow from there.

God calls us to give, but he wants us to give for the right reasons and in the right way.
He also provides guidance for the amount we give.

(1) We are called to give according to our own ability.

(2) Our giving is judged according to what we have.
(3) We are called to give as we have purposed in our heart.

4. Where Does My Giving Go?

For the follower of Christ giving is not optional. It is a command. And God expects us to
obey. He also has a plan for where that money is supposed to go. Primarily, it is to serve
the following purposes.

A.The Preachers of the Gospel The Christian Workers

Dont you know that those who work in the temple get their food from the temple, and
those who serve at the altar share in what is offered on the altar? In the same way, the
Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should receive their living from
the gospel. (1 Corinthians 9:13-14)

The elders who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honor,
especially those whose work is preaching and teaching. (1 Timothy 5:17)

Paul is claiming that the apostles had every right to refrain from secular work and
receive the material support of those they served. This does not mean that a church
must pay its pastors, but that the spiritual devotion of studying and teaching Gods Word
should never be neglected or underestimated in terms of importance. At times, doing
the job well will require that at least those pastors who labor in the Word receive the
financial support necessary to do that work on behalf of the church community.

B.The Community of Believers

All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their
possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he has need. (Acts 2:44-45)

The spirit of love and generosity was so great in the early church that the believers
willingly and joyfully surrendered their own property and possessions in order to minister
to the needs of other saints. They went so far as to sell land and houses to take care of
one another. (See also Acts 4:34).

68
If anyone has material passions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him,
how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue
but with actions and in truth. (1 John 3:17)

Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if
we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people,
especially to those who belong to the family of believers. (Galatians 6:9-10)

As the people of the local church give, they give to those who are in need within their
local church. As brothers and sisters, it is our responsibility to care for one another.

C.The Poor and Dependent

When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his
throne in heavenly glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will
separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the
goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. Then the King will say
to those on his right, Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance,
the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you
gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a
stranger and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something
to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me. I
was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me. Then the
righteous will answer him, Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty
and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or
needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit
you? The King will reply, I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of
these brothers of mine, you did for me. (Matthew 25:31-40)

Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans
and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the
world. (James 1:27)

As Christ-followers give to the local church, these resources are to be re-directed

toward the needy and dependent of the city.

In summary, as we give in response to the gospel of Jesus Christ, our money is used to
advance the gospel through both declaration and demonstration.

Discussion Questions

1. Is God glorified in my financial life?

2. Have I purposed to give a particular amount of money to the mission of Christ here
in my city and into the ministry God has formed in my local church?

69
3. Am I giving in proportion to how God has blessed me? If not, what adjustments
should I make in order to better reflect the blessings of God in my life?

4. What obstacles are present in my life that affect my obedience to the Lord in the
area of giving?

5. Should I be included as one of those within the body with financial needs? If so,
how could I appropriately make my need known?

6. Do I live as an owner of my money or as a steward of Gods money? Should I

develop a monthly budget to assure I use Gods resources wisely?

70
 FAMILY MATTERS
I dont need to go to church.

I don't want to be involved in my church.

I hear both statements nearly every week from people who profess to be Christians.

And I completely understand it.

Given the pain that so many have experienced through the failures of the Church

Given the ways the Church is dangerously entangling itself in politics

Given the fact that so many churches seem more concerned with seeing their own
growth than seeing the growth of their members

It makes total sense.

As long as we dont read the Bible.

As soon as we open the Bible, we find out that the Church is not an institution we stand
outside of, but a family we are members of. This is not a cute, ancient metaphor that
can be ignored. This is a literal and present truth with serious implications for how we
see ourselves, our biological family, our nuclear family, and the local church. Perhaps
the best way to think through those implications is simply to review a brief biblical
theology of family, which will help provide us with a biblical theology of our involvement
in our local church.

1. God exists eternally in perfect family

God exists eternally in three distinct persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Each of
these persons is equally God (Matthew 28:19-20, 2 Corinthians 13:14) and functions in
a unique role in working with the others to fulfill their unified purposes (1 Pet. 1:1-2, Jn.
5:19-30). They exist in eternal unity, mutually serving, honoring, and loving one another
in the true and perfect family.

2. We are born outside of Gods family

In John 8:42-47 Jesus contradicts the idea that were all Gods children. Instead, he
teaches that only those who believe in him and his words belong to God. All others
belong to the devil. Thus, since every human being is born in unbelief, every human
being is born a member of the devils family. Our actions confirm we are alienated from
God and his perfect family (Colossians 1:21) as we follow the devils ways (Ephesians
2:1-3).

71
3. Jesus came to bring us into Gods family
As the perfect Son of God, Jesus came to transform us from enemies of God into
children of God (Galatians 4:4-5, John 1:12-13). As we are united to Jesus in faith, we
become children of God precisely because, and only because, we are one with Jesus
the true and perfect Child of God by faith (Galatians 3:26).

4. We are born into Gods family by the Holy Spirit

We only enter Gods family through faith in Jesus, and we only come to Jesus in faith
through the work of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 2:14, 12:3). The Bible describes this
as a rebirth whereby we are born anew by God (John 1:12-13) and his Spirit (Titus
3:5). In this new birth, we are born into a new family Gods perfect family where
Satan is no longer our father and the living God is (Romans 8:15, Galatians 4:6). Yet,
since God has chosen to do this for countless men and women, we are not only united
to God as Father but to one another as brothers and sisters.

5. The Church is Gods family and our family

Those who are in Christ have a common Father in God the Father (Romans 8:15-17,
Galatians 4:6-7) and a common brother in Jesus (Romans 8:29, Hebrews 2:11). As
such, every Christian is a sibling to every member of the Universal Church (the
community of all Christians, in all places, throughout all times). However else we might
describe our relationship to one another we are above all else brothers and sisters
(Philemon 15-16).

6. As members of the universal Christian family, we have a unique

responsibility to our local church family
A man may have family around the world, but is uniquely and primarily responsible to
and for his own household. In the same way, Christians are family to every Christian
around the world, but are uniquely and primarily responsible to and for the household
God has placed them in. Biblically speaking, the household of God is the local church (1
Timothy 3:14-15) where we experience the most intimate family connections (1 Timothy
5:1-2). As such, it is our duty to care for those within our local congregation (1 Timothy
5:3-10), to select our own leaders (1 Timothy 3:17), submit to our own leaders (Hebrews
13:17), and provide for our own leaders needs (5:17-18), to use our spiritual gifts to
serve our household (1 Corinthians 12-14), to carry one anothers burdens (Galatians
6:2), to restore those in our community who fall into sin (Galatians 6:1), and remove
from our household those who refuse to repent (1 Corinthians 5). Christians are to fulfill
these and other one another passages within the context of their local church.

7. Our identity as members of our local church family is of greater

significance than our identity as members of our biological family
The Bible does not teach that the church is like a family or household, but that the
church is Gods family and household. Those who enter into this family must leave their
biological family in the process (Matthew 10:37, Luke 14:26). This does not necessarily
mean that we physically leave our biological family, though there are circumstances in

72
which this must happen (Matthew 10:34-36). It does necessarily mean that we spiritually
leave our biological family and find our primary identity in Gods family rather than in our
biological family (Galatians 3:28-29).

Jesus models this for us (Matthew 12:46-50), and his Apostle teaches it to us when he
reveals that the Old Testament teaching that a man will leave his father and mother and
be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh is not ultimately fulfilled in
marriage, but in the local church (Ephesians 5:31-32). This is not shocking in light of the
fact that the local church not the biological family, or even the nuclear family is the
temple of God, wherein Gods Spirit dwells (1 Corinthians 3:16, Ephesians 2:22). No
other community can provide such an intimate and profound spiritual connection.

8. Our identity as members of our local church family is of

eternally greater significance than our identity as members of our
nuclear family
While marriage is created by God as a glorious institution for his glory and our good, it is
not eternal (Matthew 22:30). The Church, however, is eternal (Revelation 21:1-3, 9-14).
Thus, our central identity is not found in our temporary role as husband/wife or father/
mother, but in our eternal role as a child of God and a sibling of Gods people, especially
those in the household of our local church. The New Testament epistles provide
instruction for how a husband is to fulfill his unique duties to his wife (Colossians 3:19,
Ephesians 5:25-33), how a wife is to fulfill her unique duties to her husband (Colossians
3:18, Ephesians 5:22-24), how parents are to fulfill their unique duties to their children
(Colossians 3:21, Ephesians 6:4), and how children are to fulfill their unique duties to
their parents (Colossians 3:20, Ephesians 6:2-3). Yet these instructions do not appear in
isolation. Each of them appears within a larger context of directives for how to fulfill our
unique duties to our local church (Colossians 3-4, Ephesians 3-6). Christians have
significant responsibilities to their nuclear family as an immensely important portion of
their equally significant responsibilities to the local church family. For this reason, many
have observed that the local church is a family of families who do not exist
independently of one another, but interdependently for one another.

Conclusion
The Scriptures place a high value on biological family, and an especially high value on
the nuclear family. Yet, as valuable as these families are, they are both overshadowed
by the glories of the family of God (the church in unity with Father, Son, and Holy Spirit),
in which Christians find their primary identity and in whom God dwells. The specific
applications of this truth will vary from individual to individual, but will certainly require
that each individual give serious consideration to the local church before making
decisions about time, resources, relationships, relocation, and life in general; and, most
of all, before saying, "I don't need to go to church" or, "I don't want to be involved in my
church."

73
ON DISCIPLESHIP

74
 4 TIPS FOR IMPROVING YOUR
BIBLE STUDY

As Christians, small group Bible studies are one of the most powerful tools we have as
we strive to obey Jesus command to make disciples of all nations. As a pastor, two of
my favorite things about small group Bible studies are that 1) they can be lead by
anyone and 2) they can happen anywhere. You do not need to have a seminary
education or professional ministry experience to gather with some friends, open the
Bible, and listen to what God says; nor do you need access to a church building as you
can start one wherever you are: your home, your job, your school, your neighborhood -
wherever. Because small group Bible studies are so powerful and flexible, it is important
that we take advantage of these benefits for the glory of God and the good of the
Church. Below are 4 tips that I hope will help you make the most of the Bible study you
are currently leading, or inspire you to start one amongst your sphere of influence.

1. Let the Bible talk more than you.

Though we may call it a Bible study, in many cases our small group Bible study would
more accurately be called teacher study. As Bible study leaders we often feel the
weight of the responsibility of making sure the members of our group leave with a rich
understanding of Gods Word. Unfortunately, we often allow this healthy desire to lead
us to an unhealthy teaching style. We may do this by giving the answers ourselves
instead of allowing the members to discover the answers in the Bible, which teaches
members to rely on us to discover truth instead of relying on Gods Word. Or we may do
this by providing our answers to the questions raised after the group members have
already given theirs, which teaches group members that the answers they find in the
Bible are insufficient without our additional insight.

The best Bible teachers are not those who can share the most information or provide
the best answers, but those who can ask the best questions in order that group
members find the answers in the Bible instead of in their leader.

2. Let the Spirit guide instead of you.

As leaders who have adequately prepared before the study, we often come to the group
having already arrived at our own conclusions related the passage. This is wonderful for
us as individuals but can be dangerous for the other members of our group when we
attempt to guide them towards the same insights. When we do this we interfere with the
Holy Spirit, who may choose to use the same text to lead other members toward
different thoughts, applications and convictions. We also unintentionally communicate to
the group that they have not arrived at the right answer until they arrive at our answer.
Whether you intend to or not, when you are trying to guide the group toward your
answer you make members nervous to share their insights, as they know it may not
match up with the right answer you are looking for.

75
It is of utmost importance that you resist the urge to lead group members toward your
answers, and instead trust the Holy Spirit to lead them into truth, even if its not the
thought you would have chosen to emphasize.

3. Give feedback without embarrassing.

In the course of a Bible study group members say all sorts of things. Some of these
things will be supremely insightful, some will be blatantly obvious, and others will be
simply wrong. With the insightful and the obvious, leaders tend to make the error of not
saying anything. With the wrong, leaders tend to make the error of correcting the group
member in a humiliating way. Both strategies are insufficient.

No matter what is said, group leaders must provide feedback. A facilitator should never
sit silently after someone shares their perspective, no matter what it might be. You also
cannot simply say okay or does anyone else have any thoughts? When you do any
of these things you are failing to facilitate, and you leave everyone else wondering if
something wrong or useless was said. Instead, you should respond to every thought in
one of three ways. First, you can summarize what was said in your own words. This is
often very useful because group members may spend several confusing paragraphs
explaining something that you can easily summarize in one sentence and thereby clarify
for everyone present. Second, you can offer encouragement with a simple phrase such
as, thank you for sharing that, good thoughts, or thats a great observation. Third, if
a group member says something that is entirely off base, you can respond with guiding
questions rather than humiliating correction. Thats interesting, can you share with us
how you came to that conclusion?. I can see why you might say that, but do verses
5-6 seem to be saying something different? or I havent thought of it that way before,
can you think of other bible passages that might support that or contradict that?

4. Request participation, dont demand it.

While ideally you want every member of your group to actively participate, their verbal
participation is not the most important thing. The most important thing is that they
interact with Gods Word. Some will be comfortable doing this out loud, but others will
be less so - either due to their personality, their lack of Bible knowledge, their fear of
being corrected or their unfamiliarity with the group members. When you force someone
like this to share when they are not ready, or read aloud when they are not comfortable,
you run the risk of making the experience of studying the Bible an unpleasant one for
them. This, of course, is the exact opposite of your goal. Rather than calling on them in
public, it is wise to approach those who do not verbally participate one-on-one. In that
context you can ask them whether or not theyd be comfortable with you calling on them
to read or answer questions in future studies. If not, you can ask them why, which may
lead to a discipleship opportunity. It will also empower you to lead them much more
lovingly and skillfully.

Conclusion

76
Gods Spirit uses the combination of Gods Word and Gods People to both teach us
and transform us in profound ways. Perhaps the above 4 tips will be helpful as you play
your role in that process.

77
 TIPS FOR LEADING A SMALL GROUP
The first church I planted included mid-week small groups in which 6-15 people
gathered to discuss the prior Sundays sermon and help one another apply Gods Word
to their lives. With this goal in mind, it was important that group leaders were well-
trained in how to lead a sermon-based discussion. This chapter includes a number of
the tips we gave our leaders. Perhaps they may also be useful in your small groups.

*****

The four most important keys to a good discussion can be captured by the acronym
ASAP (Ask, Sense, Avoid, Point):

1. Ask good questions that keep the group focused on fulfilling the mission of the
group. For example, some groups exist to fulfill the purpose of discipleship,
others of evangelism, and others of growing in community. The given purpose of
your group will determine what sorts of questions you should ask. Good
questions naturally guide the group toward the desired purpose of the group, and
are broad enough to have more than one right answer but narrow enough that
no one has to be an expert to answer them.

2. Sense the leading of the Holy Spirit. As youre leading the discussion be on the
lookout for opportunities for group members to disciple other group members.
For instance, if someone is sharing a part of their life for which it is clear they
need Gods help, strength, or comfort dont hesitate to ask someone in the group
to pray for that individual right then and there. Similarly, if someone is struggling
to apply Gods Word to a certain situation in their life invite other group members
to gospel them by asking a question such as, how can the gospel empower our
brother to respond differently in this situation? or how might our sister apply this
principle in her relationship with her co-workers in a way that honors Gods Word
and honors them? or do any of you have any experience with a similar
situation? Can you share with our brother what you learned from Jesus in your
experience?

3. Avoid asking questions that are discussion killers. We will review some of these
later in this chapter.

4. Point back to the vision you cast earlier in the group in order to get the
discussion back on track when it strays. Below are some tips on how to do so.

Before launching into questions about responding to the sermon, youll need to provide
a brief review of the sermon for those who were not present Sunday and those who
have forgotten since Sunday. Though you can do this by asking people what the sermon
was about, it is most effective to simply summarize it yourself in a couple key sentences

78
that capture the main point and the main application. More details will come out as you
ask specific questions of the group.

Example Questions for Sermon Discussion

The following questions are designed to produce discussions that contribute to growing
in Jesus together. You do not have to ask all of them and you do not have to ask them in
order. Choose whichever questions you think are most appropriate for the sermon
youre discussing.

RELATING:
1. What point in the sermon struck you the most? And why?
2. Tell us a story that complements the main point of the sermon. How has God
similarly sought to work in your life or the world around you?

OBSERVING:
1. Highlighted observations of God:
What characteristic(s) about God struck you the most?
Can you think of other passages in Scripture that complement this truth about
God?
How is this characteristic of God present in the gospel story?
2. Highlighted observations of humanity:
What characteristic(s) about humanity struck you most?
Can you think of other passages in Scripture that complement this truth?
How is this characteristic of humanity present in the gospel story?

RESPONDING:
1. How did the Holy Spirit specifically encourage you through the message?
2. How did the Holy Spirit specifically convict/challenge you through the message?
3. How is the Holy Spirit specifically calling you to respond (in belief, thought, or
action) to Gods Word this week?
4. How do you need us to pray for you to help you respond to what God said
through the sermon on Sunday?
5. How will your obedience to His call impact your normal thoughts or activities this
week?
6. If you consistently lived out the truth of this message how would your life be
different, specifically?
7. If we consistently lived out the truth of this message, how would our community
be different, specifically?
8. If you consistently lived out the truth of this message, how might it impact the
non-Christians in your life, specifically?

Examples of Discussion Killers

Good questions are essential for an enjoyable and fruitful small group discussion. Just
as good questions can open the floodgates to meaningful discussion the wrong

79
questions can immediately kill discussion in even the most open group. The following
questions are examples of common discussion killers to avoid at all costs.

1. Closed-ended questions
Closed-ended questions are questions that can be answered with a simple yes,
no, or other one-word answer that doesnt require reflection or specifics. Some
examples of closed-ended questions,

Has anyone ever experienced this before? A better question would be, Can
you share with us a story of when you experienced this in your life?

Was anyone else convicted by Sundays sermon? A better question would be,
What are some specific ways that Sundays sermon convicted you?

Does everyone remember the main point of the sermon? A better question
would be, How would you explain the main point of Sundays sermon in your
own words?

2. Unfocused questions
Unfocused questions are the worst of all because they may provoke a lot of talk,
and thus take up a lot of time, but the talk is unrelated to the purpose for which
we gathered and is dominated only by those who most enjoy talking about
themselves . Some examples of unfocused questions,

How was everyones week?

Does anyone have any important life updates you want to share?

Did you enjoy your Thanksgiving?

Whats God doing in your life these days?

It is good to ask these questions of individual members of the group in one-on-

one conversations. It is bad to ask these questions to the group as a whole as it
distracts from the purpose for which we gathered: to disciple one another in light
of the prior Sundays preaching of Gods Word. The Headlines portion of the
gathering is designed to provide one group member a week the opportunity to
update the whole group on the happenings in their life and the mealtime and
GroupMe provide additional opportunities outside of the group discussion for
people to ask and answer these questions.

3. Overly Broad Questions

The best questions are broad enough to have more than one possible answer
but not so broad as to require someone to be an expert on a subject to answer
the question. Such questions intimidate people and demotivate them from
participating in the discussion. Some examples of overly broad questions,

80
 What do you think of the biblical doctrine of election? A better question would
be, In what specific ways does the doctrine of election comfort or trouble your
heart?

What type of person is the biblical character Daniel? A better question would
be, What is one way that you would like to be more like Daniel?

What was Sundays sermon about? A better question would be, Sundays
sermon was about the ugly pride living in our hearts. What is one specific way
that pride shows itself in your life?

Tips for Redirecting the Discussion

As the facilitator of the group it is your job to keep the discussion focused on reflecting and
responding to the content of Sundays sermon. Your goal is to use the discussion as an
opportunity for your members so members to disciple one another and be discipled by one
another. There will be times when the discussion gets off track and is no longer focused on
mutual discipleship. When you notice this simply point back to the vision you casted when you
set the stage or redirect the discussion accordingly. Here are some examples of how you might
do so,

If the Discussion Gets Off Topic

Thats a good point, but how does it relate to (insert topic here)?

Okay. Lets come back to the original question: (insert question here)?

Andy raised an important point earlier. Lets talk about that more.

Id love to hear more about that after the group. For now lets try to stay focused on the issue of
pride we heard about on Sunday.

These are good thoughts. But I may not have asked the question well. Let me rephrase the
question

If Someone is Dominating the Discussion or Others Arent Participating

Thank you for sharing your perspective, John. Now lets hear what others think.

(repeat original question here). Lets hear from someone who hasnt spoken yet.

Thats interesting, John. Angela (picking someone at random who has not been involved), how
would you apply the sermon to Peters situation?

John, it sounds like theres a lot going on in your life that would probably be best handled in a
conversation with someone who has trust and authority in your life. Lets talk afterwards about
who might be able to help you walk through this.

If the Discussion Becomes Theoretical Instead of Practical

This is good stuff. But I want to make sure were staying focused on the reason were here
which is to share life and share the gospel together. So lets try to keep our answers focused on
how the truths of the sermon impact our lives on a practical level.

81
Those are good theological questions but we cant address every theological issue tonight.
Lets stay focused specifically with what was shared on Sunday. How should that theological
truth impact how you live this week?

*****

The tips above are designed to help you ask questions that help your group fulfill the
purpose for which they gather which, in our case, was mutual discipleship between
group members.

82
 HOW TO GROW YOUR FAITH
As a pastor, one of the questions I have been asked more than any other is, "How do I
grow my faith?" This makes sense, since we know it is impossible to please God without
faith (Hebrews 11:6). The level of our faith often makes the difference between
obedience and disobedience, contentment and discontentment, confidence and fear.
Thus, it is wise and normal that we would want to find out how to grow our faith. The
challenge, of course, is that the Bible describes faith as a gift from God (Ephesians 2:8,
2 Peter 1:1, Philippians 1:29). So how can we make ourselves grow in something we
have no control over?

First, we have to recognize that faith is not something we can manufacture. If you don't
believe me, try it. If I were to offer you $1,000,000 to make yourself believe that Bobby
Brown is standing next to you right now, singing his #1 hit, "My Prerogative," you would
desperately want to believe it. You would try anything and everything to make yourself
believe that yes, in fact, Bobby Barrisford Brown is standing next to you performing his
classic song. But even with the internal motivation of $1,000,000, you simply could not
make yourself believe it, no matter how hard you tried. The only way you would believe
it is if the one and only Bobby Brown truly were actually physically present, right before
your eyes -- and even then, it wouldn't have been you causing our own faith to grow in
Bobby Brown's presence, but an outside force (namely, Bobby Brown) causing your
faith to grow.

Thus, the short answer to the question "How do I grow my faith?" is "You can't." You
cannot make yourself believe something nor can you make yourself believe something
more. Yet this does not mean we are hopeless. While it is true that faith is a gift from
God that we cannot manufacture, it is equally true that there are things we can do to put
ourselves in a position where we are more likely to grow in the gift of faith.

I like to compare this to the planting of seeds. When you plant seeds in your garden you
have no control over whether or not they will grow. You are completely dependent on
God to cause your seeds to become the vegetables you are hoping they become. But
this does not mean that you do nothing and simply hope for the best. No, there are
specific actions you can control which make it more likely that God will cause your seed
to grow, even though they don't force God's hand to make it grow. First, you choose the
right season to plant them in. Second, you find the best soil that puts the seed in the
best possible environment to thrive. Third, you prepare the soil as best you can. Then,
after doing everything you can to put your seeds in the most growth-friendly
environment, you wait for God to cause the sun to shine and the rain to fall. If the seed
grows, it is because God chose to give it what it needed to grow.

This is what we can do as we hope to grow our faith. We cannot make it grow any more
than we can make a seed grow into a plant, but we can put ourselves in the right soil, at
the right time, in the right way and hope God sends the metaphorical sun and rain that

83
will cause our faith to grow. The Bible gives us four specific things we can do to put
ourselves in the best possible soil and make our faith more likely to grow.
First, we expose ourselves to God's Word. Romans 10:17 tells us directly that "faith
comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God" (NKJV). Thus, the more and more
you expose yourself to God's Word through reading the Bible, listening to sermons,
singing songs etc..., the more likely you are to see your faith grow.

The second thing we can to in pursuit of seeing our faith grow is involve ourselves in
Christian community. This is illustrated in the letter of Hebrews, which was written to a
group of Christians who were tempted to abandon the faith as they knew it. The author
encourages his readers to "hold fast the confession of our hope without
wavering" (Hebrews 10:23, NKJV) which is a call to maintain faith in the face of
temptation and even persecution. He then immediately points to the gathering of the
local church as the means by which this might be accomplished, "And let us consider
one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of
ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much
the more as you see the Day approaching" (Hebrews 10:24-25, NKJV). If you want to
grow in your faith, the best soil for you to plant yourself in is the soil of the local church.

A third place we can turn in pursuit of growing our faith is prayer. Since faith is a gift
from God, it stands to reason that we should turn to him when we desire more of it. This
is what the father of the demon-possessed boy did when he cried out in prayer, Lord, I
believe; help my unbelief! (Mark 9:24, NKJV). Jesus is willing and able to answer our
prayer, just as he did for the boys father. Yet, even if we dont sense an immediate
answer, the very act of doing it allows us to use and practice whatever faith we already
have. This itself may be what God uses to grow our faith.

Lastly, one of the most fertile soils for seeing our faith grow is suffering. The Apostle
Peter explains that it is through our suffering and trials that the genuineness of your
faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may
be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ (1 Peter 1:7,
NKJV). This does not mean you should go out and seek suffering in hopes of growing
your faith. It does mean that when suffering comes you do not have to despair. Rather,
you can see Gods hand in the midst of it as he uses it to grow your faith in him, which is
much more precious than gold.

In conclusion, because faith is of such grand importance, we should all be aiming to see
ours grow. In pursuit of this, we must be careful to avoid two errors. We must avoid the
error of thinking we can manufacture it ourselves by just believing more and we must
avoid the error of merely waiting for it to grow on its own. Instead, we should put
ourselves in the best position to see God grow it by exposing ourselves to Gods Word,
involving ourselves in the local church, praying for our faith to grow, and allowing
suffering to do the work in us that God intends.

84
 3 REASONS TO NEVER
FORGIVE YOURSELF
You have to learn to forgive yourself!

This is the advice most often given to those who are troubled by guilt, shame or self-
hate. Those who give this advice mean well; they want their loved one to be free from
these feelings and to live a more free and joyful life. However, as well meaning as it is, it
is terrible and potentially deadly advice.

I hope youll allow me to explain.

The following are three reasons why you should never forgive yourself or counsel
someone else to do the same.

1. It makes you the victim

In any event requiring forgiveness there are two parties: the offended and the offender.
The only one of those two parties who has the right to either give or deny forgiveness is
the victim. When we tell someone forgive yourself we make the offended person a
victim all over again by robbing them of their rights and giving those rights to the very
person who hurt them. We would not (I hope) encourage a rapist to go about his life free
from guilt and shame because he has decided to forgive himself. Instead, we would
require him to face his victim and seek the forgiveness he desires from the one who has
the power to actually give it. The same should be true of every offense, from the most
despicable to the most understandable.

Such counsel doesnt only harm the offended, it also harms the offender. It keeps them
from pursuing and perhaps receiving forgiveness from the person they hurt and,
consequently, keeps them from experiencing the humility of pursuing it and the life-
transforming joy of receiving forgiveness.

For the good of both the offended and the offender we should not tell people, Forgive
yourself. We should tell them the truth. The truth is that you are forgiven when the
person you sinned against grants you that forgiveness, not when you grant it to yourself.

2. It makes you the judge

Another problem with telling people they just need to forgive themselves is that by doing
so we exalt them to the position of judge. A position they do not, in reality, hold. The
Bible tells us, There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the who is able to save and
destroy (James 4:12, ESV). God and God alone stands above both the victimizer and
the victim; he holds the final word on what is and is not ultimately forgiven because he is
the ultimate victim of each and every sin (Psalm 51:4). As the one Lawgiver and Judge,
when God says a sin is forgiven, it is forgiven, whether you forgive yourself or not; when

85
he says a sin remains unforgiven it remains unforgiven, whether you forgive yourself or
nor not. Asking a human being to forgive themselves is like asking a dog to dress
themselves: it does not possess the capacity to do what you are asking.
Thus, telling someone to forgive themselves is not helpful, but harmful. It encourages
them to commit idolatry by putting themselves in the place of God, which only adds to
the guilt they carry. It also denies them the opportunity of actually receiving the
assurance of the forgiveness they so desperately need by pointing them away from the
only one who can actually give it.

3. Its a misdiagnosis
The third and final reason you should never forgive yourself or counsel someone else to
do the same is because its a treatment based on a misdiagnosis. If someone is
plagued by guilt, shame or self-hatred their problem is not that they have refused to
forgive themselves. Their problem is that they have refused to receive the free
forgiveness God offers them. In Jesus Christ and Jesus Christ alone we have
redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses (Ephesians 1:7, ESV).
It does not say we can have or that we will one day have but, rather, that we
presently have the forgiveness we need.

When we counsel someone to forgive themselves we are asking them to cure

themselves with a placebo, which is the equivalent of condemning them to perpetual
sickness. The true cure to our shame, guilt and self-hatred is not found in forgiving
ourselves but in trusting in Gods declaration that we have already been forgiven in
Jesus Christ and that he remembers our sin no more (Jeremiah 31:4).

When we say, learn to forgive yourself we not only hurt the victim and the victimizer,
we also deny God the glory he earned by doing everything necessary to bring
forgiveness to unforgivable people guilty of unforgivable offenses. We lead people to
believe that their healing is found in their own willingness to forgive instead of in the
willingness of God to forgive them at the immeasurable cost of his own Son.

***
I dont want you to live in shame, guilt or self-hate. Thats why I beg you to stop trying to
forgive yourself. Instead, look to the True Judge and True Victim, and receive the
forgiveness he has already purchased for you. Life and freedom are found in choosing
to believe him who speaks the truth, instead of believing your inner-voice of
condemnation and its lies.

86
 WHAT DISNEYLAND TAUGHT
ME ABOUT SUFFERING
For a period of 6 months, one of my children has been crying themselves to sleep every
night for hours at a time. Almost two years ago, our family left everything we know and
love to move to Mexico City in order to learn and do ministry. Despite the joy and
blessings we are experiencing here, my suffering child desperately misses their home
city of Portland, Oregon and, every night, asks "When can we go home?" As we share
prayer requests each night, the request they share time and again is that God will send
us back to Portland. My child is suffering and simply wants to know "When will it end?"
As a father, I long to be able to give them a date when everything will get better. I ache
to be able to provide them with the specific time when they will no longer suffer nightly
in their tears as they drift to sleep.

But of course I cant.

And I'm beginning to learn that as much as I want to do that for them, it is better for
them if I do not. While my suffering child is still learning this, ironically, I'm learning the
same lesson from them.

When we go to Disneyland we spend around fourteen hours in the park. Less than thirty
minutes is spent on the pleasure of riding rides. The other 13.5 hours consist of intense
suffering: eating worse food than your kid eats at elementary school; waiting in
seemingly infinite lines with aching feet, a sweaty body, and a thinning wallet; and over-
stimulating your senses with the sight of neon fanny packs and the smell of giant
unnamed fowl legs cooking on a dirty grill.

Yet, you voluntarily pay for this experience.

You take pictures of this experience.

When you leave, you laugh about this experience.

When you reminisce, you think fondly of this experience.

And as soon as you get home, you start saving money and planning to intentionally
have this experience again.

Why?

My child would say that it's because Disneyland tells you how long you will have to
suffer in each line. Like my child, many of us think that this is the necessary ingredient

87
to enduring suffering. If we can simply know when it will end, we can find the strength to
endure to that point.

I do not agree. I do not think this is what empowers us to endure the suffering of
Disneyland, nor the suffering of the rest of life. In fact, I think knowing exactly when our
suffering will end can actually harm us in real life. It can do so in three ways.

FIRST...

If we knew the exact expiration date of our suffering, we would hold off on living our
lives until our suffering ended. Instead of intentionally experiencing life while we suffer,
we would simply bunker down and mope, convincing ourselves that once the suffering
ends, we can finally get to living.

SECOND...

No matter what the expiration date of our suffering was, we would complain. We would
always prefer an earlier date and would be tempted to bitterness over the date God has
assigned to our suffering. Have you ever looked at a Disneyland wait time and said,
"Awesome! That's the perfect amount of suffering!?

THIRD

And most importantly, if we knew the expiration date of our suffering, we would not need
faith to endure it; we would not have to wrestle with God in the midst of it. While these
things may not feel pleasant to us, they are without question good for us. These are, in
fact, some of the the things that give purpose to our suffering and produce increased joy
on the other side.

Returning to the Disneyland illustration, it is not the 90-minute-wait signs that allow us to
endure the suffering. You endure it because you know the suffering will eventually end,
you know the people you love will be with you in the midst of the suffering, and you
know that joy is on the other side of your suffering. It's these things that make
Disneyland not only endurable, but a haven of fond memories.

While the Bible does not provide us with a mathematical formula that allows us to
determine at what moment our suffering will cease, it does promise that it will, and that
joy is on the other side. It does so poetically, when the psalmist tells us "weeping may
stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning" (Psalm 30:5, NIV). It also does so
literally, such as the psalmist's observation that "many are the afflictions of the
righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all" (Psalm 34:19, ESV) and Peter's
promise that "after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace...will himself
restore, confirm, strengthen and establish you" (1 Peter 5:10, ESV). Even more
importantly, the Bible promises us that the God who loves us is with us in the midst of
our suffering (Isaiah 41:10, 43:2, Hebrews 13:5).

88
The same things that empower my child to endure suffering at Disneyland will empower
them to endure the suffering of real life. They do the same for you and I. We don't need
to know when it will end. That may actually hurt us more than help us. We need to know
that God promises that it will end, that Jesus promises to be with us as we suffer, and
that whether it ends tomorrow or in eternity, joy awaits us. Thus, as much as I have the
fatherly urge to answer their question of "How long?", I am grateful that I have an even
better answer.

Pray that this answer will be enough for my child and I will pray the same for you.

89
DO THE RIGHT THING: HELP WITH BIBLICAL
DECISION-MAKING
As followers of Christ, we want to live in a way that pleases our King. We want to do the
right thing. The problem is, the "right thing" isn't always so easy to discern. In fact, in all
my years of Christian ministry, this has been the practical question I have seen people
wrestle with more than any other: How do I know what the right thing is? While I
acknowledge this can be a difficult question to answer, I have also found two pieces of
guidance in Scripture that have freed me from the stress and fear of choosing the wrong
thing. In fact, they have made decision-making in the moment easier than I could have
ever imagined. The first piece of guidance is based on our role as image-bearers.

As followers of Christ, we want to live in a way that pleases our King. We want to do the
right thing. The problem is, the "right thing" isn't always so easy to discern. In fact, in all
my years of Christian ministry, this has been the practical question I have seen people
wrestle with more than any other: How do I know what the right thing is? While I
acknowledge this can be a difficult question to answer, I have also found two pieces of
guidance in Scripture that have freed me from the stress and fear of choosing the wrong
thing. In fact, they have made decision-making in the moment easier than I could have
ever imagined. In part one of this series, I explained that, when faced with a decision,
our first response should be How can I best reflect the image of God in this situation?
In many cases, asking this simple question will be enough to know what to do. In other
cases, though, the right thing is less explicit and appears much more relative. What do
we do in those moments? Thats where the second piece of guidance comes in.

Gods Word teaches us that human beings are intended to reflect Gods image. Genesis
1:26 shows that this was Gods intent in the original act of creation when he declared,
Let us make human beings in our image, in our likeness (Genesis 1:26). This is also
Gods intention in the new creation. Though Gods image has been distorted in
humanity as the result of human sin, he promises to restore his image in his people. He
does this through the person and work of Jesus Christ, the true and perfect image-
bearer, who is the image of the invisible God (Colossians 1:15) and the exact
representation of his being (Hebrews 1:3). Those who are in Christ have been
predestined to be conformed to the image of his [God the Fathers] Son (Romans
8:28). This restoration of Gods image in his people is not instantaneous, but gradual.
They are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory (2 Corinthians
3:18). God promises that the process will be fully realized when Jesus returns. At that
time we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is (1 John 3:2). In short, we were
created, and recreated, for the purpose of reflecting Gods image as we move toward
the consummation of all things, where we reflect him perfectly. As such, our decisions
ought to be made on the basis of how well they reflect Gods image and whether or not
they move us further toward our ultimate goal.

90
This is clearly the basis for Pauls ethics. For example, he commands the Philippians to
value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the
interests of the others because this is the same attitude of mind Christ Jesus had
(Philippians 2:3-5). Similarly, when encouraging the Corinthian church to give
generously, Paul explains they ought to do this because it accurately reflects the image
of God. He explains, For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he
was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you through his poverty might
become rich (2 Corinthians 8:9). Peter bases his ethics on the same principle. Peter
commands Christians to live holy lives because he who called you [God] is holy (1
Peter 1:15). He likewise tells Christians to submit to authority, even if it brings suffering.
He justifies this potentially controversial command on the basis that Jesus did the same,
When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made
no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly (1 Peter 2:23). The
Apostles present image-bearing as the basis for their ethic because Jesus, their Master,
did the same. For instance, Jesus commands his followers to love their enemies and
pray for them so that they may be children of their Father in heaven. In other words,
they are to do this so they will reflect the image of God who causes his sun to rise on
the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous (Matthew
5:45). Jesus followers are not only to love their enemies as a reflection of Gods
image. They are also to love each other on the same basis. Jesus commands, Love
one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this, everyone will
know that you are my disciples (John 13:34-35, emphasis mine).

In addition to making decisions that most accurately reflect Gods image, we are also to
avoid those decisions which contradict Gods nature and character. We are to avoid
lying because it does not accurately reflect the image of God, who is the personification
of truth. Paul writes, Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with
its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the
image of its Creator (Colossians 3:9-10). We are to avoid adultery and divorce because
they contradict Gods nature of covenant-keeping faithfulness. I hate divorce, God
declares through Malachi (Malachi 2:17). For that reason, Malachi marvels that people
created in the image of God could so distort his image through adultery and divorce.
Do we not all have one Father? Did not one God create us? Why do we profane the
covenant of our ancestors by being unfaithful to one another? (Malachi 2:10). Even
idolatry is to be avoided on the basis that it is inconsistent with Gods nature and image.
I am the LORD; that is my name! I will not yield my glory to another or my praise to
idols (Isaiah 42:8). Because God will put no god before himself we must not put any
gods before him (Exodus 20:2-3).

The right thing is relative from person to person or situation to situation only when
Gods nature and character as revealed in Scripture do not provide us with guidance on
either the what, the when, the how, or a combination of the three. For example, all
people are to be generous because God is generous. This is the what, and it is clearly
revealed in Gods Word. But Scripture does not provide explicit guidance on the
how. Thus, while generosity is an ethical absolute, the manner in which one practices

91
generosity is ethically relative. However, this does not mean that all expressions of
generosity are equally pleasing to God or equally reflective of his image. Some
expressions of generosity are more pleasing to God and more reflective of his image
and, consequently, more ethical. Thankfully, we are not left to our own devices and
forced to simply make an educated guess on the matter and hope for the best. God has
given his people his Holy Spirit to (among other things) provide us with additional
guidance in ethically-relative situations.

To continue with the illustration of generosity, Paul trusts that the Holy Spirit will help
each Christian identify the most ethical way to express that generosity. Rather than
requiring a specific uniform amount, he states, Each of you should give what you have
decided in your heart to give (2 Corinthians 9:7). In ethically-relative situations, we can
make the most ethical decision by seeking the Spirits guidance. Paul assumes this
guidance is accessible to all Christians and will protect them from living in an unethical
way that displeases God. If you are led by the Spirit, he promises, you are not under
the law (Galatians 5:18).

We have already noted that we are being transformed into his image with ever-
increasing glory The remaining words of that verse reveal that this is the work of the
Lord, who is the Spirit (2 Corinthians 3:18, emphasis mine). The Holy Spirit is uniquely
able to shape us into Gods image because he is God himself and, as such, knows who
God is and what God thinks to a degree that no one else can and desires to share that
knowledge with us. Paul says, No one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of
God (1 Corinthians 2:11) and prays that God will give us the gift of the Holy Sprit so
that you may know him better (Ephesians 1:17). Thus, when we are in a situation that
requires a decision, and we cannot find explicit guidance from what God has revealed
about himself in Scripture, we can turn to the Holy Spirit for direction. He can and will
lead us to the most appropriate decision, which is the decision that most reflects Gods
image. God promises, Those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of
God (Romans 8:14). To say it differently, as you increasingly follow the guidance of the
Holy Spirit, you will increasingly resemble God the Father in your actions and
motivations. It is those actions and motivations that are the right thing.

These two simple pieces of guidance have been what I have personally relied on for
years in moments of decision. I have found them to be very useful in protecting me from
the anxiety of not knowing what to do. It does not mean that my decisions are always
perfect. But when I fail to do the right thing it has much more to do with my sinful
desire to do what I want to do in that moment than it does an inability to discern what is
the right decision. This is why the process of being shaped into Gods image will not be
completed until Jesus returns, fully and finally freeing me from the effects of sin so that I
will have perfect knowledge on what is truly the right thing; a perfect desire to do what is
truly the right thing; and the perfect power to accomplish it.

92
 A LIFE WITHOUT REGRET IS A LIFE
WITHOUT REGRET
Introduction
Earl Partridge is 65 years old and laying on his deathbed. He knows he is minutes away
from breathing his last breath, yet he is still holding out hope that he will see his long-
estranged son one last time. As he faces the inevitable, he tells his caregiver: Don't
ever let anyone ever say to you, You shouldn't regret anything. Don't do that. Don't!
You regret what you #$%*$# want!

We could all benefit from this advice from the incredibly profound (and equally vulgar)
1999 film, Magnolia. The overwhelming message of our culture is "live life without
regrets," and a quick look at our t-shirts, tattoos, social-media posts, and behavior
reveals that we have adopted that message as our own. Yet when we face death like
Earl Partridge will we be pleased that we lived life without regrets?

I sincerely hope not.

Because a regretless life is a loveless life. In this blog we will look at two reasons why.

1. If you love other people, your life will be filled with regrets.
We like to say that we don't regret the actions of our past because we learn so much
about ourselves and about life in general through our mistakes. This is true. But in the
process, we do significant damage to other people.

You may have learned a lot from that poor decision you made, but your poor decision
negatively affected other people. Is your lesson more valuable than they are?

You may have learned a lot from that foolish action you took, but that foolish action
emotionally damaged other people. Is their pain a necessary casualty on the road to
your learning?

Perhaps you have grown significantly because of those harsh words you spoke, but
those harsh words are still affecting how others feel about themselves and their lives. Is
the benefit of your growth worth the cost of their peace?

If you say you don't regret anything, you are saying you don't regret the pain your
words, actions, and decisions have caused other people. In other words, you are saying
you love yourself much more than you love other people.

2. If you love God, your life will be filled with regrets.

Just as most of our "mistakes" have human victims, all of our "mistakes" have a Divine
victim. With every sinful action, foolish decision, and harsh word we personally offend

93
the God who created us to reflect his image to the world. We use the free gifts God has
given us (life, mind, body, speech, relationships) to serve our will and deny His. This is
why David, after a series of particularly heinous actions, wrote "Against you, you only,
have I sinned" (Psalm 51:4).

So, yes, you may have grown from every one of your "mistakes" (a better word would
be "sins"). But in each one you also committed an act of supreme rebellion against the
God who made you, sustains you, and sent his only Son to redeem you.

Is that not worthy of regret?

If not, why not?

If you say you don't regret anything, you are saying you don't regret serving yourself as
god in place of serving the God who has freely given you every good thing. In other
words, you are saying you love yourself more than your Creator.

Conclusion
Our culture may tell us that regret is bad and undesirable, but God himself tells us that
regret is good and desirable. In fact, he loves it so much that he included King David's
famous expression of regret in the book of Psalms, a book designed to guide the
worship of the people of God. David writes,

"The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite (regretful) heart, O God,
you will not despise" (Psalm 51:17).

Through this passage God teaches us that regret is not only the right response to past
mistakes, it is the worshipful response. It is the loving response.

You may fear that to live a life filled with regret is a joyless life. But the opposite is true.
To live a life filled with regret is to live a life aware of how much you have been forgiven
by both God and others - and how much you have grown as a result - which produces
joy, gratitude, and a life filled with meaning. A regretful life is a not a fear-driven or guilt-
driven life, it is a love-driven life.

94
 GOOD GRIEF
The holiday season can be a beautiful thing.

But for those of us who have lost loved ones, it can also be a very painful thing.

Yet, there is little space provided for our grief during the holiday season. Instead, we are
made to feel guilty for our grief by the constant reminders that this is the season of joy
and giving, things we can't seem to find the energy for.

Similar things happen at many contemporary funerals. We are told to celebrate the life
of our loved one, but are never really given the opportunity to grieve. In fact, we are
often made to feel guilty for our grief by pastors and family members who tell us that so-
and-so wouldn't want you to cry any tears for them, and that we are here to celebrate
their life, not focus on their death.

Yet grief is good.

That's not my psychology major talking.

That's the pastor in me talking.

The Scriptures do not make us feel guilty for our grief. Instead, they encourage us to
grieve just as God grieves. In hopes that you would feel the freedom to do that this
holiday season, I've included an excerpt from a sermon I preached on this topic at a
recent funeral.

*****

It is through the Word of God that we hear God speak to our needs during our times of
grief. Hear these words about our great God from 2 Corinthians 5:17-21.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the
new is here! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave
us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ,
not counting peoples sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of
reconciliation. We are therefore Christs ambassadors, as though God were making his
appeal through us. We implore you on Christs behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made
him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness
of God. 2 Corinthians 5:17-21

Why We Grieve
Many of you who are here today are grieving. Grieving in the face of death is good, and
grieving is appropriate. But have you ever wondered why? Why is it that we grieve when

95
death comes? How is it that we know grieving to be the right response when death
comes? If you think about it, every single person dies and yet we still seem to be caught
off guard, even to the point of grief. We know that every day we live is a day closer to
our own death, a day closer to the death of those that we love, and yet we still cannot
help but respond to the inevitable with grief. Why? Because deep down inside we know
we just know that this is not how it is supposed to be. Maybe we cant put our finger
on it, maybe we cant explain it, but somewhere inside we know that this is not how the
world is supposed to be. We grieve because we know that something about what were
experiencing, something about death, is just not right. And the words we just read reveal
precisely what is wrong: the Scripture says that we need to be reconciled to God. To
reconcile is to take two parties who are not in right relationship with each other and
bring them into harmonious relationship. In other words, our normal existence as human
beings is an existence of tension between us and God.

We know from the rest of the Bible that this is not how God created the world to be. In
the beginning, God created everything good. He created men and women to live in
perfect relationship with him, with each other, and with all of creation. And this is how it
was....until human beings decided that knowing the God who made them, loved them,
and gave every good gift to them was not enough for them. They wanted to be the gods
of their own lives. At that moment Gods good world became a broken world. Every
person born since has been born into a broken world where we are disconnected from
God. One of the many consequences of this broken relationship with God is death.
Death exists, quite simply, because sin exists. This is why people of every type and
every culture grieve in the face of death. We grieve in the face of death because death
is a symptom of our broken relationship with God. Death is a reminder that the world is
not how God created it to be.

It is appropriate to grieve in the face of death because God grieves in the face of death.
God grieves over the fact that our sin has separated us from him and destroyed the
paradise that he made for us. But it is not appropriate for our grief to exist for its own
sake. Our grief ought to give us a hunger for reconciliation, a craving for all that has
been destroyed to be made right.

Why We Can Grieve With Hope

If youve lived long enough, you know that you are powerless to fix it yourself. You have
watched as people stronger than you, people better than you, have fought against the
brokenness of this world, fought against death, and have lost. But the situation is not
hopeless. While you and I can do nothing to get back to a right relationship with God, he
has done everything that needs to be done to restore that relationship for us. In the
words of the Scripture we just read, God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ,
not counting peoples sins against them. Jesus came into the world to reconcile us to
God. He came to unite us in right relationship with God. He came to restore the good
and perfect creation that was lost. He did this in three ways:

96
First, he lived a life of perfect obedience and worship to God. He lived this life in your
place making his perfect obedience count before God as your perfect obedience, so
that you can stand before God without even a hint of shame.

Second, he died a terrible death under Gods judgment. Though he was perfectly
innocent in every way, he willfully took your sin as if it were his own and then lovingly
absorbed every drop of punishment that belongs on you, upon himself, so that you can
stand before God without even a hint of guilt.

Third, three days later Jesus rose from the dead dealing the death-blow to death. His
resurrection is the promise of your resurrection and the guarantee that he will bring you
to be with him in the presence of God forever so that you never have to fear death
again.

Speaking of Jesus, the Scripture we just read concludes with these words: God made
him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness
of God. What a trade that is! That Jesus takes our punishment and gives us his reward;
that Jesus takes our death and gives us his resurrected life; that Jesus takes our curse
and gives us his blessedness; that Jesus takes our sin and gives us his righteousness;
that Jesus takes our filth and gives us his cleanliness; that Jesus takes our suffering
and gives us his joy; that Jesus takes our beef with God and gives us his peace with
God. And how do we obtain it? Its clear that we must do something to obtain it because
the Scripture says, We implore you: be reconciled to God. It wont just come to you. So
how do you obtain it? Not by trusting in anything you do, but by turning your trust and
your faith to Jesus and all he has done. He has done everything that needs to be done
to reconcile us to God. All you have to do is truly believe.

How Your Loved Ones Can Grieve With Hope

As we grieve our loved ones' deaths, we are reminded that it is only a matter of time
before your loved ones will be grieving your death. But they dont have to grieve without
hope. If you live the remaining days of your life with faith in Jesus Christ, they can
grieve knowing that you have been reconciled to God and that death did nothing more
than usher you into his presence, where you will live in absolute joy until the day they
meet you there.

97
 SEX & SINGLENESS
Introduction
Single people are often neglected or overlooked in American churches. This is an odd
fact, since Jesus himself was single and the Apostle Paul (also single) argues
singleness is a gift to both individual Christians and the Church as a whole.
Unfortunately, when singles are addressed in our churches it is often simply a message
to "stay pure" sexually. While this is good biblical counsel, the Bible has much more to
say to singles on many more topics unrelated to sex. Yet even if we limit ourselves to
the issue of singleness and sex, the Bible has more to say to singles than simply "stay
pure." Thankfully, it also tells singles why and how to stay pure.

SEXUAL PURITY - WHY?

One of several reasons sexual purity is important to God is because sex is intended to
picture Gods covenant with his people. Gods covenant relationship with his people is
total. He does not withhold any part of himself, but gives all of himself to us. Whats ours
is his, whats his is ours. As such, Gods covenant relationship with his people is also
monogamous. When we fail to satisfy him he does not move on to a new love, he is and
will always be faithful to his people and his people alone. Lastly, Gods relationship with
his people is inseparable. Once you are united to God through Christ you are united to
God forever. That unity is an eternally unbreakable one.

When Christians engage in sexual activity outside of marriage we paint a false picture of
who God is. Instead of reflecting Gods total commitment to his people, we show a love
that gives only a part of itself. Instead of reflecting Gods monogamous commitment to
his people, we show a love that gives itself to one person only until it becomes bored,
dissatisfied, or hurt by the beloved. Instead of reflecting Gods inseparable love for his
people, we show a love that is willing and able to divide just as quickly as it unites.

This is not who God is.

Yet this is who we show God to be when we misuse the gift of sex he has given us.

Imagine I were to take a picture of you. After taking your photo I upload it into
Photoshop and begin to make some rather severe edits. I give you a different hair color,
bright red eyes, a Rollie Fingers mustache, a unibrow so dark it looks like it was drawn
with Al B. Sures Sharpie, and a gap between your two front teeth six-times wider than
Bobby Browns. Then I begin to present your picture to everyone I know saying, This is
my friend. What do you think of them? Would you like me to introduce you? You would
not be happy to have such an inaccurate picture of yourself presented to the world.
Likewise, God is not pleased when we - through our misuse of the gift of sex - show the
world a God who is nothing like the God who loves us and gave himself for us.

98
SEXUAL PURITY - HOW?
Just as knowing sex is a picture of Gods love for us gives us reason to live sexually
pure, it also gives us power to live sexually pure. When we remember that sex is a
wonderful picture of an even more wonderful reality, we are freed to find our fulfillment
in the reality and not in the picture. We may want to experience the joy of the picture,
but we dont need to have the picture when we have the far greater joy of the real thing.

My favorite way to illustrate this is with Disneyworld. My children are obsessed with
Disneyworld. So much so that they spend dozens upon dozens of hours watching the
parks promotional DVD. They love to watch it because its filled with pictures of the
rides they want to go on, the characters they want to meet, the streets they want to
walk. They enjoy watching these pictures. They have fun watching these pictures. But
what they really want is not the pictures. What they really want is the reality the pictures
point to. This is why, at the times we are privileged to visit the real deal Disneyworld, my
children are no longer interested in the promotional videos. And why would they be?
The pictures, as fun as they are, never satisfied them. The only thing that satisfies them
is truly and personally experiencing what the pictures point to. Its not that the pictures
are bad, the pictures are great. But when they are experiencing the reality the pictures
point to, the pictures are no longer necessary.

My kids are just as fulfilled without the video as they are with it, because their fulfillment
is in the reality and not in the picture. If you are a single Christian, you too can be just as
fulfilled without sex and marriage as you are with it. Your fulfillment is in the reality sex
points to: the reality of being united to Jesus and his total, monogamous, and
inseparable love.

Conclusion
The Bible has much more to say to singles than simply what to do with their sexuality.
But what singles do with their sexuality is of great importance because it says so much
about the God they worship. Knowing this can provide both reason and power for
sexual purity, and motivation to dig into the Scriptures for yet more of both.

99
 3 ELEMENTS OF TRUE HUMILITY
God has filled the Scriptures with glorious promises for the humble. He promises to
give grace to the humble (1 Peter 5:5), to lift up the humble (1 Peter 5:6), to hear the
prayers of the humble (2 Chronicles 7:14), to lead and guide the humble (Psalms 25:9),
and to adorn the humble with salvation (Psalms 149:4). In light of such promises,
every Christian should be prayerfully and passionately pursuing humility.

Yet we must be careful.

We must be careful because sometimes what we define as humility is anything but

humility. Thankfully, 1 Peter 4:10-11 provides three key insights that help guard us from
a false understanding of what humility is.

Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful
stewards of Gods grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, they should do so as
one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the
strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ.
To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.

1. True Humility Recognizes Its Gifts

The Apostle Peter writes, each of you should use whatever gift It is impossible to
obey this command unless we acknowledge that we have certain gifts and talents. Yet
oftentimes we make the error of thinking that humility is found in acting as if we have
nothing to offer. Convincing ourselves or others that we have nothing special may look
like humility, but it is not humility. To the contrary, it is arrogant to deny the gifts God has
graciously given to us.

Why?

Because to live as if we are less gifted than we are is to deny God the glory he
deserves for gifting us as he has. It also means we cannot obey the command of 1
Peter 4:10, and disobedience is always rooted in pride rather than humility.

2. True Humility Recognizes the Source of Its Gifts

Some people have no problem recognizing their gifts. They are very aware and want
you to be very aware of their special gifts and talents. Yet that does not mean they are
humble. It is not enough for us to merely recognize our gifts, we must also recognize the
source of our gifts.

Peter writes, Each of you should use whatever gift you have received, (revealing that
your gifts did not come from you), as faithful stewards of Gods grace (revealing that
your gifts did come from God). The arrogant person knows theyre gifted but takes credit

100
for their gifts. The humble person knows theyre gifted but credits God as the source of
their gifts.

3. True Humility Uses Its Gifts to Draw Attention to the Giver of

the Gift
Though the first two elements above are necessary for true humility they are not
sufficient for true humility. One can recognize their gifts and acknowledge God as the
source of their gifts while still having an enormously arrogant heart (just watch a
televised award show for examples). This is because true humility requires both of the
first two elements as well as a third.

After urging Christians to acknowledge their gifts and the source of their gifts the
Apostle Peter tells Christians to use those gifts. Yet he is not content with those gifts
being used for any and every purpose. He has a very specific purpose in mind, so that
in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ.

The arrogant person will use his gifts to draw attention and praise to himself. The
humble person will use her gifts to draw attention and praise to Jesus. To the outside
observer the two people may appear to be doing the same thing in the same way, but
their inner motives are not hidden from Gods sight. Only those who are motivated by
Jesus glory rather than their own are truly humble. And only those who are truly humble
can claim the promises listed in the first paragraph of this chapter.

Is that you?

How have you been gifted?

Who do you credit as the source of your gifts and talents?

How do you use your gifts and talents and for whose honor?

101
 5 ESSENTIAL THINGS TO LOOK
FOR IN A SPOUSE
Christians believe marriage is a till death do us part covenant before God and his
people. For this reason, it is exceedingly important to enter into that covenant with the
right person. As a pastor of 10 years and husband of 15 years, I am often asked: What
should I be looking for in a potential spouse? The answer to that question varies
depending on who is asking and why, but there are five things that apply in every
situation.

1) Are they a Christian?

This one is not always so obvious.

When we have to choose between waiting for the Christian spouse who may never
come, and jumping into the open arms of the wonderful non-Christian standing directly
in front of us, it can be easier than we think to overlook this most obvious quality.

Yet, to do so is to make a grave mistake.

If you are a Christian, Jesus is not just someone you believe in.He is the Lord you
revolve your entire life around. Your love for Jesus and understanding of him determines
how you answer every single question life presents.

What do you do with the money you have? Where do you choose to live? What do you
do for a living? What will you teach your kids? How will you discipline them? How will
you relate to your extended family, friends, and neighbors? What role will church
community play in your life? What is the purpose of marriage? What is each spouses
role in marriage? What will you do with your free time?

Then you get married.

And all that is yours becomes theirs, and all that is theirs becomes yours. Now these
same questions must be answered by both of you together. How can you do that if
you dont share the same Lord and the same object of worship?

You cant.

Either you will stop revolving your life around Jesus as Lord, and build it around the
marriage instead, or you will experience constant disunity with your spouse that will
make your marriage the very opposite of what your Lord intends.

2) Do they love the local church?

102
Dont ask if a potential spouse values the local church. Look to see if they value the
local church. The easiest way to do this is by looking at their attendance, giving, and
serving.
Are they attending their Sunday gatherings regularly? How about mid-week small
group? If not, what are they doing instead? And what does this tell you about what they
value?

Are they generous with their finances? Do they set aside a certain percentage of their
income each month to support the work of the church? Are they financially available to
help members of the church who have fallen on hard times? If not, what are they doing
with their money? And what does that tell you about what they value?

Are they serving regularly in the church? Do they volunteer their time during the week or
on Sunday to help the church fulfill its mission? Do they know their gifts and use them to
bless their brothers and sisters? If not, what are they doing with their gifts and talents?
And what does that tell you about what they value?

I cannot overstate the importance of this quality. If a man or woman does not love
Jesus bride, they will not love their own spouse well.

3) Do they repent well?

After 15 years of marriage, I have learned that I am not the great catch I thought I was. I
am a sinner who is capable of a whole lot of sin, which leaves the people closest to me
with a whole lot of hurt.

This means I have had to repent.

A ton.

No, really.

A TON.

And no matter who you marry, they will, no doubt, be a sinner. By the very nature of
marriage, they will sin against you worse than they will sin against anyone else, and you
will be hurt by their sin worse than anyone else. And the only way for the two of you to
continue living together in unity is if they see their sin, own it, and repent of it.
Otherwise, it will never last till death do us part.

Because of this, you should pay very close attention to how your potential spouse
handles their sin. Are they aware of it or blind to it? Do they take ownership of it or
blame others? Do they humbly confess it or pridefully conceal it? Do they take steps to
turn away from it or do they allow the same patterns to persist? How they deal with their
sin against others prior to marriage, is how they will deal with their sin against you in
marriage.

103
4) Do they forgive well?
Tim Keller says, Essential to marriage is the ability to both repent and forgive. And he
is right. Not only will whoever you marry be a sinner, but whoever you marry will marry a
sinner. They will marry you. And you will sin against them worse than anyone else, and
you will hurt them worse than anyone else.

This means you will have to repent.

A ton.

No, really.

A TON.

You must pay close attention to how your potential spouse forgives others, for if you
marry them, there will be thousands of times you will need them to forgive you. Apart
from their generous and consistent forgiveness, you will never be able to live till death
do us part.

5) Are you willing to Ephesians 5 them?

On many lists such as these, well-meaning Christians will say, You need to be attracted
to your potential spouse. While this may sound like wisdom, it is utter foolishness. By
this logic, we Christians would never have been chosen as the Bride of Christ. We were
covered in the filth of our sin and exposed as ugly whores before the entire world. Yet
Jesus still chose us, pursued us, and wed us as his own. Instead of asking the question,
Am I attracted to them?, Jesus asked the question, Am I willing to Ephesians 5
them?.

And he is.

This should be the same question we ask ourselves: Am I willing to Ephesians 5 them?

As a man, this means you must ask yourself if you are willing to lay down your life for
your potential spouse, as Jesus laid down his life for you. Are you willing to lay aside
your preferences for this woman? Your independence? Your dreams? Your freedoms?
Your control? Your literal life?

As a woman, this means you must ask yourself if you are willing to submit to this man,
as the Church submits to Christ. Are you willing to honor this man above yourself,
whether he deserves it or not? To respect him above all, whether he has earned it or
not; to follow him as he leads, however imperfectly he might do so?

These are the things Jesus commands you to do. If youre not willing to do them for a
potential spouse, then you dare not marry them, no matter how pretty they may be. If

104
you are willing, then as you pursue your potential spouse, they will become far more
beautiful than you ever imagined.

This is what Jesus did for you. He did not choose to love you because you were
attractive; you became attractive because he chose to love you. You are now
empowered to do the same.

105
 WHAT DO I DO IF IM THE CAUSE OF
SOMEONES DADDY ISSUES?
Introduction
When I released my latest book, Daddy Issues: How the Gospel Heals Wounds Caused
by Absent, Abusive and Aloof Fathers I anticipated it would connect deeply with many
adults who still live with the wounds caused by their imperfect fathers. What I did not
anticipate was that many adult fathers would read the book and ask,

"What if I am the one who has caused daddy issues in others?"

While the frequency of the question has surprised me, it has also greatly encouraged
me. It is wonderful that imperfect fathers (like me) want to know how to best respond to
the errors of their past. Since I failed to answer that question in the book, I hope to
provide some simple but useful counsel in this brief post. If you are a father who has
contributed to daddy issues in your children, here are four ways you can respond.

Confess your sin

Every father is an imperfect father. As such, we have all failed, to some degree, to
reflect the image of our Good and Perfect Father, God. This means that many of our
errors are not merely "errors," but sins. As with any other sin, the road to healing begins
with confession. As you reflect on your sins and how they have affected your children,
acknowledge these sins and their consequences before God. You need not fear such
painful honesty, as the God who is faithful and just promises to forgive you and cleanse
you of your unrighteousness (1 John 1:9). After confessing to God and receiving the
forgiveness that is yours through faith in Jesus Christ, you should do everything in your
power to confess your sins and their consequences to your children and seek their
forgiveness. Whether they are willing to forgive you or not, the Bible promises that
confessing our sins to one another is a means of healing (James 5:16). God may
choose to use your confession to heal you, your children, and/or your relationship.

Trust God to father your child

Perhaps you have read Daddy Issues and can now see the specific behavioral,
emotional and relational wounds your children carry as a result of your parenting (or
lack thereof). As you reflect on the pain or destructive patterns you have contributed to,
you may be tempted to despair because the wounds you caused seem to be beyond
healing.

They are not.

It may be true that you failed your children. It is also true that God will never fail them.
He promises to be "a father to the fatherless" (Psalm 68:5, ESV). For this reason, the
Psalmist writes, "Though my mother and father forsake me, the LORD will receive

106
me" (Psalm 27:10, ESV). As a result, instead of living in the regret of your failures as a
father, you are free to live in the gratitude of knowing God fathers your children perfectly
in your place.

Daddy issues cause, and are caused, by suffering. Because of your imperfections, your
children have been suffering since childhood and, as a result, you likely suffer from the
guilt, shame and regret of having failed them. This suffering is not comfortable for them
nor for you. Yet this does not mean that said suffering cannot be useful in the hands of a
your loving and all-powerful God. In fact, the Scriptures testify that God uses such
suffering to accomplish wonderful things in us and for us.

God uses suffering to refine our faith (1 Peter 1:6-7), to prepare us for eternity (2
Corinthians 4:17), to produce in us endurance, character and hope (Romans 5:3-5), and
to allow us to experience God's comfort in our pain (2 Corinthians 1:3-4).

In short, the sufferings related to daddy issues are terrible. But such sufferings do not
have to destroy God's people. In fact, God promises he will destroy such sufferings on
behalf of God's people when Christ returns. On that day, "He will wipe away every tear
from their eyes...neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the
former things have passed away" (Revelation 21:4, ESV).

It is too late for you to undo your errors of the past. And, depending on your situation, it
may be too late to truly reconcile with your children. Yet it is not too late to protect others
from causing or experiencing the same damage. You have the opportunity to share your
story with other fathers and potential fathers, that you might help them avoid the
mistakes you made. You likewise can share your story with fathers in your same
situation, that you might help them walk through the four steps covered in this blog
post.

In 2 Corinthians 1:3-4, the Apostle Paul writes, "Blessed be the God and Father of our
Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all
our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the
comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God" (ESV).

Don't waste your suffering.

Don't waste your mistakes.

Redeem them by sharing your story with those who need to hear it.

Conclusion
If you are one who has caused daddy issues in others, neither wallowing in your guilt
nor passing the blame to someone else will help you in any way. But confessing your
sin, trusting God to father your child, remembering that suffering is redeemable, and
sharing your story most certainly will.

107
 12 BOOKS THAT HAVE CHANGED ME
If you're the type to make New Year's resolutions, hopefully one of yours is to read more
books. In case you're in need of recommendations, I've stolen an idea from my friend,
Barnabas Piper, and am sharing some of the books that have most impacted me in
recent years.

Here are 12 of them, in alphabetical order.

According to Plan: The Unfolding Revelation of God in the Bible by Graeme

Goldsworthy
Prior to reading this book I knew that every page of the Bible somehow pointed to
Jesus, but I had no idea how. Some passages and books were obviously connected to
Jesus, but many others left me confused and asking, "In what way can this possibly
speak of Jesus?" Then I read Goldsworthy's According to Plan and suddenly the entire
Bible opened up to me. Not only did it help me see how every single passage is
connected to Jesus but, because of that, it also helped me see how every single
passage (even the strangest) is connected to me. Perhaps most impressive of all is that
it does this in a mere 251 pages, intentionally written on a lay-level so that any member
of any church can benefit from it.

If you like Goldsworthy, also check out Preaching the Whole Bible as Christian Scripture
(which takes these principles of biblical theology and applies them to preaching) and
Prayer and the Knowledge of God (which takes the same principles and applies them to
the work of prayer).

The Advantage: Why Organizational Health Trumps Everything Else in Business by

Patrick Lencioni
I am not a huge fan of business books, because they generally take a single principle
worthy of one or two chapters and simply repeat it over-and-over again for 200 pages -
which I guess is good for (their) business. Yet this particular business book is different. It
does not just show us why organizational health is important, it also gives us very
practical steps to take in order to improve the health of our organization. Reading the
book is like having your own personal business consultant at the price of $16 instead of
$16,000. I read this book six years into pastoring the church I planted and it had
immediate impact on the health of our church. I believe the same would be true for any
organization, whether church-, business-, or community-focused.

The Bondage of the Will by Martin Luther

Imagine a book that was written 500 years ago in response to a specific teacher's
philosophical argument, but feels like it was written today, just for you, in response to
your specific questions. This was that book for me. At a time when I was deeply
wrestling with the theological and philosophical questions of free will and grace, Luther
spoke to me with clarity and authority through his examination of the topics through a

108
thoroughly biblical lens. This book forever changed the way I see God and myself and
continues to produce both humility and worship in my heart - both of which I desperately
need.

Communicating for a Change: Seven Keys to Irresistible Communication by Andy

Stanley
I confess that when this book was first recommended to me my tendency toward
theological arrogance stood in the way of reading it. "I'm sure Stanley's a great guy," I
thought, "but he seems theologically shallow. What can he teach me about preaching?"
Well, I eventually picked it up and learned that he can teach me a lot. In fact, his simple
208-page book improved my preaching more than any preaching class I ever took or
book I ever read. It did this by showing me how to take deep theological ideas and
make them easily accessible and relevant to my audience. To this day, the compliment I
most often receive as a preacher (other than being abnormally good-looking) is that I
make complex things easy-to-understand. If that is true, it is due to the influence of
Stanley's book and the members of my congregation.

Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love,
Parent & Lead by Bren Brown
I don't watch TED Talks and I don't watch Oprah. So I know next to nothing about Bren
Brown. What I do know is that her book found me when I was most weak and most in
need of the courage to be vulnerable. It provided me with the comfort of knowing I was
not alone in my temptation toward shame, nor in trying to guard my shame through the
strategic avoidance of being vulnerably honest about certain parts of my life and being.
It also helped me see that by doing so I was actually harming myself, and that the most
effective strategy for protection and healing was to be vulnerably honest to anyone who
would listen.

Finally Free: Fighting for Purity with the Power of Grace by Heath Lambert
As a man, I have had to reckon with the enemy of lust since the age of 4, when my
friend and I unintentionally discovered pornography. As a pastor, I have had to help
countless men and women reckon with this very same enemy. Until recently, I had never
encountered a resource that I could wholeheartedly recommend for the fight. Most
resources on the topic tend to focus on one of two things: 1) the fact that lust is bad
(which those who read such books already know) or 2) practical disciplines you must
employ to defeat lust (which those who read such books find to be insufficient). Yet
Heath Lambert's Finally Free ignores the first - since we already know lust is bad - and
adds to the second. In addition to providing sound and useful practical resources, he
also points us to our even more powerful spiritual resources, and shows us how to
employ both types of resources in our fight against lust. In other words, he doesn't just
say "you need Jesus to help you," he tells us specifically how Jesus can help us. This is
the book I recommend to others who are tempted by lust, and the book I personally
revisit when I feel lust trying to rear its ugly head.

Here I Stand: A Life of Martin Luther by Roland Bainton

109
No man has inspired me more than Martin Luther (not even Ricky "The Dragon"
Steamboat, whom I love). I relate more than I'd like with his early attempts to find his
identity and righteousness in his own work. I am constantly challenged by his devotion
to the Scriptures at any cost, and instructed by his willingness to risk his life and
reputation for the good of others. This book is the best biography I've read on him and
helped me to understand him and the historical context of his work and life much better.

How People Change by Timothy S. Lane and Paul David Tripp

As a non-Christian for the first twenty-one years of my life, I believed the road to change
was simply to follow my heart and try harder. When I became a Christian I was taught,
unfortunately, a religious version of the same thing. Every Sunday morning (...and
Sunday night...and Wednesday night...and revival service) I was reminded of all the
things I needed to change about myself and simply told to do it. It didn't take me long to
learn that, no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't seem to change the parts of me I most
wanted to change. Then I read this book. Lane and Tripp provide a biblical framework
for how human beings actually change their affections and behavior and show us how
the gospel of Jesus Christ can be applied to our lives to produce real and lasting
change. This has not only helped me experience change in areas I never thought I
could, it has also helped me help others.

On Being a Theologian of the Cross by Gerhard Forde

In this book, and in his equally good Justification: A Matter of Death and Life, Forde
restates and reshapes Martin Luthers classic teachings for the modern reader. In this
book, Forde contrasts the theologian of glory (which wields the most influence over
American hearts) with the theologian of the cross (which all of us should hope to be). I
dont want to go into any more detail because I dont want to spoil the paradigm-shifting
and life-altering insights found in both of these classic books by Forde. Let me just say,
if you want to better understand justification, sanctification, theology, or suffering, you
would be wise to start here. You will not find such complex topics discussed more
profoundly or simply than they are here.

Prodigal God: Recovering the Heart of the Christian Faith by Tim Keller
This simple little book examines Jesus famous parable, best known as the parable of
the prodigal son. In the process, it shows us that we have failed to understand the
parable properly. Far from being about one son, it is about two. One avoids God by
fleeing from him (a road I took in my non-Christian days), and the other avoids God by
obeying him (a road I took in my early Christian days). Keller also argues the parable is
not really about a prodigal son or prodigal sons at all. It is, more than anything, about
a prodigal God who is wastefully extravagant with his grace toward both types of
people. I have found no book outside of the Bible more helpful in understanding the
gospel of Jesus Christ. Nor have I found any book more helpful in understanding my
own sin, righteousness, and personal motivations for either.

If you like Keller, also check out Counterfeit Gods: The Empty Promises of Money, Sex,
and Power and the Only Hope that Matters; Every Good Endeavor: Connecting Your

110
Work to Gods Work; and Making Sense of God: An Invitation to the Skeptical. Or, be
like me and just read everything he writes the moment its released. You wont regret it.

Sensing Jesus: Life and Ministry as a Human Being by Zack Eswine

Full disclosure: this is not one of my favorite books. In fact, I found about 80% of it to be
boring and repetitive. But this is not a list of my favorite books. This is a list of books that
have changed me. And this book changed me deeply. While I was not so intrigued by
the bulk of the book, the two introductory chapters include the most penetrating analysis
of pastors (or any who do public ministry) I have ever read. Eswine has been in ministry
for more than twenty years, yet the wisdom he shares in the opening chapters goes far
beyond anything that can be learned in twenty years. If you are involved in public
ministry as a pastor, group leader, musician, rapper anything I cannot recommend
the opening chapters of this book highly enough. Also valuable on this theme is The
Pastors Justification: Applying the Work of Christ in Your Life and Ministry by Jared C.
Wilson.

Washed and Waiting: Reflections on Christian Faithfulness & Homosexuality by Wesley

Hill
If you are a Christian in the 21st century you have to reckon with the question of
homosexuality. It has, right or wrong, become the test of orthodoxy for many Christians
and the test of humanity for many non-Christians. The world is filled with books on every
side of this issue. Yet none I have encountered approach the question with grace, truth,
and empathy for all involved like that of Wesley Hill. Wesley describes himself as a
celibate gay Christian who vulnerably shares his own story of living as one who is
equally convinced of his gayness and his Christian-ness. In doing so, he helps
people on every side of the issue better understand the other. More than that, he
provides answers that are faithful to both orthodoxy and humanity. This is the book I
give to all who are wrestling with the relationship between Christianity and sexuality -
which is pretty much everyone.

Thats my list for now.

What books have most impacted you?

111
ON THEOLOGY

112
 3 REASONS TO REJECT
THE PROSPERITY GOSPEL
Many preachers of Los Angeles, New York, and every city in between are proclaiming
what has come to be known as the prosperity gospel. The prosperity gospel is a label
used to describe the popular teaching that Christians are promised prosperity in their
finances, health, and life pursuits as Gods response to their faith in him and his
promises.

Millions of people including myself for several years of my Christian life have been
attracted to this teaching. And its no wonder. It certainly sounds like gospel (good
news) to hear that the Lord of the universe is committed to meeting our every desire
(thereby making us the de facto lord of our universe). And yet, in truth, the prosperity
gospel is anything but the gospel. It is the exact opposite of good news and every
Christian should reject it for at least three reasons.

Reason 1: It Abuses Gods Word

Prosperity preachers can only present their gospel by twisting the Scriptures to make
them appear to say things they simply do not say. They do this in many ways but two
prominent strategies are to ignore contrary evidence and to read the Bible backwards.

Those who promote the prosperity gospel tend to ignore contrary evidence. They will
point us to the prosperity of Solomon while ignoring Solomons own conclusion that his
material prosperity was meaningless (Ecclesiastes 2:11) or they will reference
Abrahams riches while ignoring the many texts that reference the extreme poverty of
Jesus and his Apostles (e.g. Luke 2:24, 9:58, 1 Corinthians 4:11-13) and the promise
that future Christians should expect much of the same (2 Timothy 3:12).

Prosperity preachers also tend to read the Bible backwards by interpreting the New
Testament in light of the Old Testament. In other words, they use Old Testament
passages as the keys that open the true meaning of the New Testament. While this may
appear to make sense chronologically, it makes no sense theologically. Jesus teaches
us to do the exact opposite. In Luke 24:25-27 he explains that he is the key that reveals
the true meaning of the Old Testament. He and his apostles model this approach
throughout the New Testament by revealing Jesus as the True Sabbath, True Temple,
True Sacrifice, True Israel, True Promised Land etc. These physical shadows in the Old
Testament find their true spiritual fulfillment in Christ (Colossians 2:16-17). In the same
way, the material prosperity of the Old Testament is not the fulfillment of Gods promises
but a shadow of his promises that are fully fulfilled in the person of Christ. Ephesians
1:3 promises that Christians presently possess in Christ every spiritual blessing. The
context reveals these blessings include adoption to sonship, forgiveness of sins, the
seal and power of the Holy Spirit, new life and much more. Prosperity teachers read the

113
Bible backwards when they promise us the shadow of temporary material prosperity
rather than the reality of eternal spiritual prosperity in Jesus.

Reason 2: It Robs God and You of Your Worship

It is true that the prosperity gospel calls us to do good things like give financially to the
church, pray, and have faith in Gods promises. Unfortunately, it also calls us to do these
good things for very bad reasons. The core motivation for every one of these actions is
worship of self and advancement of our kingdom rather than worship of the Triune God
and advancement of his kingdom. We are not told to do them because we love God or
because God is inherently worthy of these things; we are told to do them so we can
acquire material prosperity for ourselves.

In this way the prosperity gospel robs God of our God-directed worship. Though he
does not need our worship, he does richly deserve it. Also, the prosperity gospel robs us
of our God-directed worship. While God does not need us to worship him we very much
need to worship God. For when we do not live as his worshipers we live as his enemies,
and that does not end well for us (James 4:4-5).

Reason 3: Its Not Good News

As sweet as it might sound on the surface, the prosperity gospel is not good news. It
does not prepare you for life, it does not prepare you for eternity, and it encourages you
to settle for a few nice things when you can have every glorious thing.

The prosperity gospel cannot equip you for life. When you face financial, health, and life
problems the only answer the prosperity gospel can offer is have more faith. In
addition to being trite and utterly unhelpful, this counsel puts your salvation in your weak
hands instead of Gods all-powerful hands and it often does so during a time of
suffering, when faith is often most difficult to come by.

On the other hand, the true gospel is good news as it offers countless resources for
your suffering including a High Priest who prays for you, who sympathizes with your
struggle, who has rescued you from Gods judgment, and who promises to provide
everything you need including faith and never leave you.

Likewise, the prosperity gospel cannot equip you for eternity. It focuses your eyes and
energy solely on what you can obtain and experience in the here and now. In so doing it
virtually guarantees that you will not be prepared for eternity. This is Jesus point in
Matthew 10:39, Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my
sake will find it. The only Christians who are able to stand before God on judgment day
are those clothed in the fine linen of Christs righteousness and theirs, being clothed in
the fine linen of your favorite designer will be of no help to you on that day (Revelation
19:8).

Worst of all, the prosperity gospel encourages you to trade every glorious thing God
offers you for a few nice things the world offers you. It teaches your heart to settle for a

114
nice car, house, or bill of health when it could have the glorious Lord of the Cosmos who
holds all of those things together with nothing other than the power of His Word. What is
this other than a deadly deal with the Devil where you willingly give up what is most
valuable and costs nothing less than the life of the very Son of God for what is most
common and costs nothing more than a few thousand dollars.

115
 THE MISUNDERSTANDING OF LEGALISM

In my 17 years of following Jesus, I have never once heard someone self-identify as a

legalist. Not once. Yet I have countless times heard someone identify another Christian
as a legalist. The fact that the word "legalist" is used exclusively to label someone else,
and never used to label oneself, tells me two things. First, it tells me it is possible to be
a legalist without knowing you are one. Second, it tells me it is possible to think
someone else is a legalist when, in fact, they are not. Both possibilities reveal one
central problem: as much as we love to use the word "legalist" we don't really know
what it means, nor to whom it applies.

So what does it mean?

And to whom does it apply?

While the word does not appear in the Bible, it is a word Christians have adopted in
order to describe something that indeed does. Namely, it is used to describe the
theology and attitude of the Pharisees with whom Jesus interacted and the Judaizers
whose teaching Paul regularly confronted. Thus, the best way for us to have a right
understanding of what legalism means and to whom it applies is to examine the
theologies and attitudes of the Pharisees and the Judaizers.

One of the most useful passages in understanding legalism is Matthew 23, in which
Jesus openly rebukes the Pharisees for tying up "heavy, cumbersome loads and
put[ting] them on other people's shoulders..." (read: legalism). A common theme that
runs through this extended criticism of the Pharisees is that they have added their own
laws alongside of God's Law and -- to make matters worse -- they treat those laws as
supreme. In other words, legalists major on the minor issues and minor on the major
issues.

An equally helpful section of Scripture is the book of Galatians. In his letter to the
Christians in Galatia, Paul confronts the legalism of the Judaizers in very strong
language. The specific lie the Galatian Christians were being fed is that their position
with God depended on their obedience to God's Law. This was in contrast to the
message they believed when they first became Christians: that their position with God
was dependent on their faith in Jesus' obedience to God's Law. The idea that we are
accepted by God based on our own obedience to the Law is legalism, and if we believe
it, "Christ will be of no value to you at all" (Galatians 5:2).

Combining what we learn from the Pharisees and the Judaizers we can conclude:
legalists are those who place their own laws alongside or above God's Law and/or trust
in their obedience to said laws to make them right with God.

116
Thus, there are many who are obviously legalists because they openly major on the
minors and minor on the majors, like the Pharisees. We all know someone who is
vehemently opposed to people watching the portrayal of sexual immorality in movies but
who is much less concerned about the very real sexual immorality in their own lives, or
someone who declares all drinking is sin while having no issue with their own gluttony
as it relates to food and entertainment.

There are also many who do not think they are legalists who, in fact, are. They don't
think they are legalists because they know they're not obligated to obey silly rules about
how long their skirt has to be or what radio station they can listen to. Yet if they believe
that their position with God is in any way dependent on their obedience to even one of
God's laws, they are legalists.

At the same time there are those who are labeled by others as legalists who, in fact, are
not. Someone who rebukes another Christian for watching pirated television shows and
movies is not a legalist, they are simply faithfully trying to honor God's command to not
steal. One who refuses to say a curse word is often not a legalist, but simply someone
trying to submit to God's command to "not let any unwholesome talk come out of your
mouth, but only what is helpful for building up others" (Ephesians 4:29). Such people
are only legalists if they think their obedience to these commands in some way achieves
or maintains their salvation. If they are trusting in Christ's obedience to save them, their
emphasis on obeying God's laws is not legalism. It is love (John 14:15).

We would be wise to heed the warning of the Prophet Isaiah, who wrote, "Woe to those
who call evil good and good evil" (Isaiah 5:20). When we fail to properly define legalism,
we are guilty of doing just that. We may do it as the Pharisees did, by applauding
ourselves for our strict obedience to things that are not of utmost importance to God. Or
we may do it as "anti-legalists" who fail to see the legalism that might live in us, calling
our Christian faith "good" even as we unconsciously trust in some measure of our own
obedience to keep us right with God. We also may do it by labeling the faithful
obedience of another Christian as legalism, when it is actually us who are in sin for
failing to pursue God's will with comparable zeal.

In short, instead of using "legalism" as a slur we use to immediately dismiss the opinion
or convictions of another, perhaps we should focus on its true meaning and use it to
evaluate ourselves before we evaluate others:

Am I adding to God's Law with my own laws -- even if those laws are good and wise?

Am I in any way majoring on issues that God considers minor and minoring on issues
that God considers major?

Am I relying on my own obedience to God's Law (including my obedience to the

command "do not be a legalist") to get me right or keep me right with God?

117
Am I judging another Christian as a "legalist" without evaluating if perhaps I should be
equally passionate about the command they are striving to obey?

If we do this, I imagine we will find the word applies to us more often than we ever
thought and applies to others far less than we expected.

118
 BUT JESUS NEVER TAUGHT AGAINST IT!
I recent years, an overwhelming amount of words have been blogged, tweeted, and
spoken on the issue of same-sex relationships. There are many (both inside and
outside of the Church) who have appealed to Scripture to challenge the Church's
traditional teaching on this topic. One of the most common of these arguments is that
Christians have interpreted the Bible inconsistently by "picking and choosing which Old
Testament commands to obey." Tim Keller has already addressed this argument far
better than I ever could. A second of the most common arguments is stated like this:
"But Jesus never taught against same-sex intercourse." This statement packs a
powerful rhetorical effect because it appears to honor Jesus and his teachings as most
trustworthy, a sentiment that Christians wholeheartedly embrace.

In reality, however, it does the exact opposite.

Arguing that something the Bible teaches elsewhere is not binding on us today because
Jesus never taught on it does not honor Jesus or his teachings. On the contrary, it
rebels against Jesus and his teachings. While that should be sufficient reason for
people to abandon the argument, there is another reason to do so. In addition to
rejecting Jesus words the but Jesus never taught against it argument is also
illogical.In this chapter my concern is not to speak specifically to a biblical position on
same-sex intercourse, but to simply evaluate one common argument in the debate.
Below are four reasons that but Jesus never taught on it fails to honor both Jesus and
basic logic.

#1 Jesus is Silent on Many Things

It is illogical to claim that the absence of evidence for something is evidence of its
opposite. This is called the argument from silence and it is a logical fallacy. For
example, I did not tweet about what I ate for lunch today. But that doesnt mean you can
conclude that I did not eat lunch. In the same way, the fact that Jesus does not explicitly
speak against same-sex intercourse does not mean that Jesus is for same-sex
intercourse anymore than Jesus silence on rape and pedophilia imply that Jesus is pro-
rape and pro-pedophilia.

To say but Jesus never taught against it is to commit a logical fallacy.

#2 Jesus Gives Same Authority to the Words of Other Authors in

the Old Testament as He Does to His Own
During his public ministry Jesus frequently quotes, alludes to, and interprets Old
Testament texts. As he does so he both acknowledges their human authorship (as in
Matthew 13:14) and their divine authority (as in Matthew 15:3). In short, though Jesus
did not repeat every Old Testament teaching, he nonetheless accepted all Old
Testament teaching as authoritative teaching from God. In fact, he so trusts in the

119
authority of the Old Testament that when he is tempted by Satan in the wilderness his
sole (and successful) defense is to remind Satan what other men wrote as inspired by
God (Luke 4:1-13).

To say but Jesus never taught against it is to dishonor Jesus who accepts the authority
and truthfulness of things written by others appointed by God.

#3 Jesus Appointed Paul and Other Apostles to Speak with His

Authority
Those who say but Jesus never taught against it like to pit Jesus words against the
words of his Apostles, especially Paul, who addressed same-sex intercourse multiple
times. But Jesus does not want his words pitted against the words of his Apostles. He
sees the words of his Apostles as his own. It was Jesus who said of Paul, This man is
my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the
people of Israel (Acts 9:15). It was Jesus who promised that each of his Apostles would
speak his words, in his authority, as led by the Holy Spirit (John 16:12-15). The Apostles
are not in contradiction to Jesus ministry, they are the continuation of his ministry and
were appointed by him for this very purpose.

To say but Jesus never taught against it is to dishonor Jesus who teaches that Paul
and the other Apostles speak with his authority as led by his Spirit.

#4 If You Cant Trust the Authority of Those Appointed by Jesus

You Cant Trust their Quotes of Jesus
It is illogical to claim that Jesus teaching in Scripture is more trustworthy than the
teaching of his Apostles. Not only for the reason above, but also because when people
quote Jesus they are actually quoting the Apostles quotes of Jesus. Whatever we know
about what Jesus taught, we know because his Apostles taught us what he taught.
Thus, if the Apostles cannot be trusted to accurately represent Jesus in their own
teaching, why would we trust them when they quote Jesus teaching directly?

To say but Jesus never taught it is to illogically place confidence in the Apostles when
they quote Jesus and no confidence in the Apostles when they speak as his appointed
representatives.

In conclusion, we are free to accept or reject the testimony of the Scripture on same-sex
intercourse or any other topic. But we are not free to set Jesus' words over against the
words of other biblical authors. He simply does not give us that option.

120
 CALVINIST MISCONCEPTIONS
I confess that I hate and I mean I really, really hate the label "Calvinist." Not
because I have any shame over believing in the oft-controversial doctrines of grace.
Rather, because there are so many misunderstandings about what Calvinism actually is
both from those who are critical of Calvinism, and from those of us who say we
believe it. My intent in this blog post is not to try to convince anyone to adopt a
Calvinistic theology. Instead, my goal is to make sure we all understand what it is we are
choosing to accept or reject, before we choose to accept or reject it. For this reason, in
this chapter, I simply want to clarify some of the misunderstandings that people have
had about me and what I believe when they identify me as a Calvinist.

Misconception #1: We Believe What We Believe Because of John

Calvin
Why would you want to be labeled as a follower of a dead white man from the 16th
century? Especially one with some very questionable views on women and some
equally questionable behaviors? Dont you want to be a follower of Jesus? Arent we
supposed to get our doctrines from the Bible and not from men?

I have been asked these questions so many times that I now sometimes finish the
persons sentence for them while theyre still asking it. All of these questions are based
on a terrible misconception, which is revealed in at least four ways.

First, the majority of people who hold to what has been labeled Calvinism have never
even read a single page of John Calvins writings. They have read the Bible. It is
through reading the words of the Bible not the words of John Calvin that they
became convinced that God elects His people to salvation and gives them the grace to
believe in the effective sacrifice of His Son.

Second, the doctrines are called Calvinism not because the doctrines were invented
by him, but because the doctrines came to be debated in a key historical moment in
which his writings played a significant role. John Calvin was far from the first to write
about these doctrines. Many in the Western Church had believed some version of the
same, or written on some variation of the same, since at least as early as Augustine
more than 1,000 years before Calvin. Of course, those who hold to these doctrines
believe they were written about by the Apostles and spoken of by Jesus, and that
Calvin, Augustine, and others were simply explaining what the Bible already taught. This
is normal and good, and is what every one of our pastors does every Sunday.

Third, if you reject Calvinism you likely hold to an opposing view known as
Arminianism. Arminians hold to the teachings of Jacobus Arminius, a student of John
Calvins successor. Arminius challenged the common understanding of the Protestants
of his time, and proposed an alternate understanding of predestination. Instead of
believing that God unconditionally elects some to be His people, and thus grants them

121
power to believe, Arminius proposed that God elects those whom he already knows will
choose to respond to His gospel in faith. In other words, Calvin argued that we choose
to believe because we are elected by God, and Arminius claimed that we are elected by
God because we choose to believe. I only mention this to show that if you do not hold to
Calvinism, the overwhelming odds say that you hold to Arminianism. Yet, more likely
than not, you have never read or perhaps even heard of Jacobus Arminius. You
believe what you believe because you are a follower of Christ and you are confident this
is what He teaches, not because you are a follower of Jacobus Arminius or even
remotely care what he taught. Thus, if you dont believe what you believe because of
Jacobus Arminius, you must grant that those who disagree with you dont hold to what
they hold because of John Calvin.

Misconception #2: We Dont Believe People Have Free Will

How could you possibly believe that people dont have free will? Wouldnt it be unjust for
God to judge sin if we dont have any choice? Doesnt the Bible tell you to choose this
day whom you will serve? Why would the Bible command us to make wise choices if
we dont have any freedom to choose?

These common questions are based on a common misconception: that Calvinists deny
that human beings have the ability to make their own choices. This is not the case.
Human beings do, in fact, make all of their own choices. This is precisely why God holds
us responsible for what we choose. However, it is true that Calvinists qualify the word
free in the phrase free will. They do this because the Bible does this.

Calvinists affirm that human beings are always free to choose whatever they want. In
this sense, they affirm free will. Yet, at the same time, Calvinists note that human beings
are only free to choose whatever they want. In this sense, our will is not as free as we
tend to think. It is limited by our natural desires.

To illustrate, imagine its time to go car shopping. As you arrive at the car lot you have
the freedom to choose any color you want. However, your human nature has been
shaped in such a way that you dont want every color equally. In fact, you despise both
orange and yellow and are not especially fond of brown. As a result despite being
theoretically free to choose any color you want you will never even consider
choosing orange, yellow or brown. You will choose what you most want. Your free will is
a slave to your natural desires.

Within Christian theology this means that apart from the intervention of God himself,
human beings will always choose sin. Because of the nature we have inherited from our
father, Adam, this is always what we most want unless and until we are regenerated
by the Holy Spirit. Jesus himself says, Everyone who sins is a slave to sin (John 8:34)
and Paul reinforces this when he writes, When you were slaves to sin, you were free
from the control of righteousness (Romans 8:20). In our slavery to sin we were not free
to choose righteousness, we were free from righteousness. It wasnt even an option.
We were free to choose whatever we wanted, but the only thing we wanted was sin.

122
Thanks be to God, once we are regenerated, the Holy Spirit gives us a new heart with
new desires. This new heart with its new desires then frees us to choose things we
would have never chosen before, because we now want new things. Yet even with this
cataclysmic change, our free will remains able only to choose what it most wants. And
what it most wants is up-for-grabs as our flesh and the Spirit continue to war with one
another over our desires (Galatians 5:17).

Misconception #3: We Dont Believe People Choose to Follow

Jesus
You are constantly stressing that God chooses us. But how can you believe we do not
choose God, when the Scripture commands us to choose whom we will serve? If we
have no choice in the matter, how can God hold us accountable? Didnt you feel like you
chose to follow Jesus when you were converted? Don't you feel like you continue to
choose to follow Jesus every day? Why would God force someone to follow Him?

These frequently asked questions are based on a significant misconception about what
Calvinists believe. But, to be honest, this particular misconception is often due more to
the poor communication of Calvinists than it is to the poor listening of outsiders.

Calvinists rightly emphasize Jesus teaching that we did not choose Jesus, he chose us
(John 15:16) and he did so before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:4-5).
Unfortunately, we often emphasize this biblical data while failing to mention other
important biblical data our theology takes into account. Just as we believe the Bible
says that God chose us, we simultaneously believe the Bible teaches that we must
choose God. We are told to choose whom we will serve (Joshua 24:15), choose to
receive or reject God's Son (John 1:12-13) and that God requires us to believe in Him
(John 6:29). Thus, Calvinists believe that when Jesus says You did not choose me, but
I chose you he is not making an argument for exclusivity. He is making an argument for
priority. In other words, he is not saying I chose you and you never chose me he is
saying I chose you long before you chose me. In fact, the reason you chose me is
because I had already chosen you.

When we say, You did not choose God, God chose you Calvinists do not intend to
communicate that Christians do not choose to worship Jesus. Calvinists believe
Christians choose to worship Jesus as a result of being first chosen by him. This is
illustrated well in the conversion of Lydia. Acts 16:14 tells us the Lord opened her heart
to respond to Pauls message. Two things are happening here. First, the Lord chooses
to open her heart. Second, Lydia chooses to respond to Pauls message. Calvinists
affirm that, yes, Lydia consciously chose to respond to the gospel while simultaneously
affirming that the only reason she was free to respond to the gospel in faith was
because God had first chosen to open her heart to see the glories of His message.

Therefore, the difference between Calvinism and Arminianism is not found in whether or
not Christians choose to follow Jesus. The difference is found in which choice comes
first: ours or Gods. Calvinists say we choose to follow Jesus because Jesus first chose

123
us, and his choosing of us moves us to believe in Him. Arminians say God chooses us
because he knew we would choose him, and our choosing of Him moves Him to elect
us as His people.

Misconception #4: We Dont Believe Christians Have to Live a

Holy Life
You Calvinists dont care about holiness. If the reason youre saved is because youre
elect, then it doesnt matter how you live. You can live however you want and it doesnt
matter because youre still the elect. How can you believe in this kind of Christianity
when the Bible has so much to say about how we live?

I cannot tell you how many times I have heard some version of the above. Somehow
the belief that God elects people to salvation without respect to their own righteousness
has been interpreted as God electing people to salvation with no expectation that they
ever live righteously. Yet this is a terrible misrepresentation of what Calvinists believe.

First, Calvinists believe that when God saves one of his elect, He transforms them from
dead to alive, from a heart of stone to a heart of flesh, from slavery to sin to slavery to
righteousness, from being led by the spirit of the age to being led by the Spirit of God.
This is called regeneration or new birth and it is in this new birth that the converted
individual receives an entirely new nature. This new nature is accompanied by new
desires (the desires of the Spirit) and new power to fulfill those desires (the power of the
Holy Spirit). Thus, not only should the elect live differently than they did prior to the
conversion, they have to live differently than they did prior to the conversion because
they are no longer the same person.

Second, Calvinists dont believe that everyone who says they are elect is one of the
elect; nor do they believe that one must guess whether or not they are among the elect.
Calvinists, just like Arminians, believe that those who are the elect are those who
believe. And Calvinists believe, just like Arminians, that those who believe are those
whose profession of faith is accompanied by the fruit of the Spirit. For this reason, far
from believing it doesnt matter how you live your life if you are among the elect,
Calvinists believe that how you live your life is one of the ways you can know if your
faith is real and, consequently, if you are among the elect. This is why the Apostle Peter
tells us, Make every effort to confirm your calling and election by living lives of
obedience that confirm the genuineness of our faith (2 Peter 1:10) and Paul tells us
Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith by evaluating our works (2
Corinthians 13:5). Thus, Calvinists do not claim that if one knows they are elect they do
not have to obey God. On the contrary, Calvinists claim that ones obedience to God is
how one can know they are among the elect. Not because our obedience produces our
salvation, but because our salvation produces obedience. It has to, since the free gift of
salvation includes the free gift of a new nature.

124
Misconception #5: Calvinists Have No Reason to Evangelize
Calvinism is a threat to missions and evangelism. If God has pre-destined certain
people to salvation, and is going to assure that they are saved no matter what, whats
the use of preaching the gospel to non-Christians? The elect will be saved no matter
what, right? It seems that your Calvinism completely robs you of any reason or
motivation to evangelize.

These comments arise from a sincere desire to see the lost found. Those outside of
Calvinism genuinely cannot reconcile the powerful words of the Great Commission with
their understanding of how Calvinists think about salvation. Yet this inability to reconcile
the two is due far less to any contradiction between the two than it is to a
misunderstanding of how those inside of Calvinism think about evangelism. There are at
least four reasons that Calvinism does not have this supposed negative affect on
evangelism.

First, Calvinists evangelize for the very same reason Arminians evangelize: God
commands it. Calvinists read and understand the Great Commission in the same way
that Christians have understood it for 2,000 years we have the responsibility to
declare the glories of Christ to those who do not know Him. Even if our theology made it
difficult to understand why Jesus would command us to do this, it would not excuse us
from obeying His command to do this.

Second, our theology does not, in fact, make it difficult to understand why Jesus would
command us to evangelize. Rather, it explains it. Calvinists believe God is sovereign
over the entire process of salvation from the very beginning to the very end. This
means He is not only sovereign over electing whom He will save, He is also sovereign
over electing how He will save. And He has sovereignly chosen to save His elect
through everyday people proclaiming His gospel. Just as Jesus says, No one can
come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them (John 6:44), the Bible also
says How can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they
hear without someone preaching to them? (Romans 10:14). In other words, God not
only sovereignly draws His people to Himself, he also sovereignly sends us to to preach
to those He is drawing.

For the Calvinist, then, the dilemma of why a Calvinist would need to evangelize just
simply doesn't exist. Our theology tells us that we need to evangelize because thats
how God saves His elect: through the preaching of the gospel.

Third, Calvinists evangelize because it brings us joy to speak of the Lord who loves us.
C.S. Lewis once wrote, "I think we delight to praise what we enjoy, because the praise
not merely expresses, but completes the enjoyment. He goes on to explain how we are
compelled from within to share our delight in a new author or a grand view of nature
with others, just as we are inwardly driven to speak about our favorite restaurants and
TV shows. We complete our joyful experience of each of these things by sharing them
with others. How much more so is this the case with the God of the Universe who loved
us, predestined us to be His through no merit of our own, and redeemed us for Himself

125
at the cost of His own Son? Thus, even if we had no theological motivation to
evangelize (which we do), we would do it because of our emotional motivation. We love
to talk about the God who loved us.

Fourth, those who hold to a Calvinistic theology generally testify that far from hindering
their commitment to evangelism, adopting this theology actually multiplied their
commitment to evangelism. Knowing that God will draw His people to Himself relieves
us of the pressure of trying to attract someone to Him with the beauty of our words, the
power of our speech, or even the righteousness of our lives. Instead, we can present
the gospel to the best of our ability with the confidence that the success or failure of our
evangelism does not rest in our performance, but in the irresistible grace of God. This
produces a courage to present the gospel even to those who seem most opposed to it,
because we have the assurance that Gods irresistible grace can overcome even the
most hard-hearted resistance and if it doesnt we know it is not the result of some
failure on our part.

In addition to increasing our confidence, many will say that adopting a Calvinistic
theology has given them increased gratitude that produces more passionate and more
consistent evangelism than they had before. This is not to say that an Arminian cannot
be equally or significantly more motivated than a Calvinist, many are. It is to say that
when you embrace a theology that tells you God is even more responsible for your
salvation than you previously thought, and that you are even less responsible for it than
you previously thought, you cannot help but grow in gratitude. In many cases, that
growing gratitude causes simultaneous growth in public praise and personal
evangelism.

This is not just a theological issue for me, but a personal one. I am writing this post from
my apartment in Mexico City, Mexico. My family and I left everything we know and love
in order to live as missionaries in a foreign culture. We did not have to look outside of
our Calvinistic theology to find a reason to do so. To the contrary, God used our entire
theology (including the Calvinistic portions) to provide both the reason and the desire to
do it. The idea that Calvinism hinders evangelism is based on a misunderstanding of
what Calvinists actually believe, and simply does not hold up against the evidence of
real-life.

Misconception #6: Arminianism Gives Me An Alternative to the

Parts of Calvinism that Make Me Uncomfortable
I could never be a Calvinist. The God I believe in wouldnt create someone knowing that
they were destined for Hell. I also could never believe in a God who chooses some to
be saved, and allows others to be damned. The Bible very clearly says that God
desires all men to be saved. Thats why I'm an Arminian.

In my experience, many believers who consciously know they are Arminians have
chosen this theological system because they are uncomfortable with some of the
positions of Calvinism. For instance, they do not desire to believe in a God who creates

126
people knowing they are destined for hell nor a God whom chooses to save some and
not others. They look at certain Bible verses such as 1 Timothy 2:14 (God desires all
men to be saved and come to a knowledge of the truth, NIV) and conclude that
Arminianism deals with biblical data like this better than Calvinism.

The problem is, it really doesnt. Whatever uncomfortable beliefs one might be trying to
avoid by escaping Calvinism, they still remain after embracing Arminianism. While
Arminianism is a different theological system, it does not provide a neat-and-tidy
solution to the most common objections I hear to Calvinism. Heres why.

I cant believe in a God who would create people knowing they are doomed to hell.
One of the most common objections to Calvinism is that the God of Calvinism is cruel. A
loving God, it is argued, would not bring someone into existence knowing that this
persons ultimate destination would be eternal torment. It is true that within a Calvinistic
framework God brings people into existence knowing that some will be saved and
others will not. Yet this is equally true of the God of Arminianism.

Both Calvinists and Arminians believe in predestination and election, after all, they
are both Biblical words (Ephesians 1:5, 11 Romans 8:29 etc). Both believe that before
God creates a person, He knows whether or not they will respond to Him in faith. There
is no difference between the two on this issue. The only difference is the basis upon
which He knows this information. Calvinists believe God knows who will respond to Him
in faith because He has predestined to grant the gift of faith to those He has chosen
beforehand, while Arminians believe that God knows who will respond to Him in faith
because He has looked forward in time and seen who will choose Him in the future. In
both Calvinism and Arminianism, every person God has ever created He has created
knowing full well their eternal destiny.

If you cannot believe in a God who would create someone knowing they are destined
for hell, you cannot believe in Arminianism any more than Calvinism. In fact, the only
way to avoid this conclusion is to believe in a God who is not omniscient, by adopting a
position such as Open Theism, which may solve your objections to this issue but does
so by adding the much greater problem of contradicting essentially the entire testimony
of Scripture.

I cant believe in a God would choose some and not others to be saved.
Another common objection to Calvinism is that it offers us a God who would choose
some to be saved and not others. To many, this appears to contradict the biblical
presentation of God as supremely loving. For this reason they reject Calvinism and hold
to Arminianism instead. However, Arminianism does not solve this issue. In fact, it faces
the exact same challenge.

Calvinists believe that only those who believe in Jesus Christ will be saved. Likewise,
Arminians believe the same. In the theology of both groups, God saves only those who
place faith in His Son. There is no difference between the two groups in who is saved
nor in how many are saved. The only difference is in the cause of the salvation. In

127
Calvinism, the cause is Gods irresistible grace which empowers those who receive it to
believe. In Arminianism, the cause is the human beings response to the grace God
gives to all people. Within both theological systems, we have a God who chooses to
save some and not others.

Of course the objection many Arminians raise at this point is that, within the framework
of Calvinism, God could give his irresistible grace to more people and doesnt. Thus, in
their view, the God of Calvinism is not a God who desires all people to be saved as the
God of the Bible clearly does (1 Timothy 2:14). Yet this criticism fails to recognize that
the God of Arminianism is equally believed to be a sovereign God who could do the
same. Yet, just like the God of Calvinism, He doesnt.

Why?

The reason is that in both theological systems God does not only desire that all people
are saved and come to the knowledge of the truth, He also desires something else. And
those desires cannot both be fully fulfilled at the same time. The God of Calvinism
desires His glory above all and, for this reason, saves some but not all, because to save
all would eliminate the opportunity for His glory to be displayed to His people through
righteousness and the judgment of evil (Romans 9:22-23). The God of Arminianism
desires to honor human free-will above all and, for this reason, saves some but not all
because to save all would be to overcome free-will. Thus, within both systems you have
a God who desires all people to be saved but who, because of His allegiance to a
greater desire, permits that not all are saved. He does this either in allegiance to His
own glory (Calvinism) or in allegiance to human free-will (Arminianism).

One of the reasons I abandoned Arminianism in favor of Calvinism is because I found a

mountain of biblical evidence in support of Gods supreme commitment to His own glory
but no biblical evidence that convinced me of God's supreme commitment to human
free-will. If you are reading this as an Arminian I am not asking that you abandon your
Arminianism, I am only asking that you recognize that Arminianism has to answer the
same difficulties as Calvinism. Both theological systems have to reckon with the fact
that God creates people knowing they will never come to faith in Him and both systems
have to reckon with the fact that the God who desires all men to be saved does not, in
the end, save all men.

128
 THE HOLY SPIRIT & BIBLICAL INSPIRATION
It has often been said that churches tend to choose between being Word churches or
Spirit churches. What is meant by this saying is that those churches that most
emphasize the Word seem to underemphasize the Holy Spirit, while those churches
that most emphasize the Holy Spirit seem to underemphasize the Word. While this is a
broad blanket statement that is obviously not universally true, most would agree that it
rings true in light of common experience. Yet, as common as it is for a church to
separate the Word and the Spirit in this manner, it is both strange and unnecessary.

The Holy Spirit is not in any way at odds with the Word. On the contrary, the Holy Spirit
was intimately involved in the ancient composition of the Word and is intimately involved
in the contemporary reading of the Word. In the case of the composition of the Word,
the Holy Spirit worked through inspiration, while in the case of reading of the Word, the
Holy Spirit works through illumination. In the first half of this series, we will look at the
act, extent, and implications of inspiration.

The Act of Inspiration

The sixty-six canonical books of Holy Scripture are often referred to as the Word of
God (John 10:35) because they are just that. Scripture identifies itself as God-
breathed (2 Timothy 3:16), meaning that everything we find in the Bible is there
because God himself put it there by his Holy Spirit. That is not to deny that human
beings actively composed the sixty-six canonical books. It is to say that as the various
human authors composed the sixty-six books, they wrote exactly what God, through his
Holy Spirit, wanted them to write. The Apostle Peter describes the process in 2 Peter
1:20-21

Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the
prophets own interpretation of things. For prophecy never had its origin in the human
will, but prophets, though humans, spoke from God as they were carried along by the
Holy Spirit.

Theologians refer to this process as inspiration.

While the Holy Spirit utilized each human authors unique personality (such as Davids
love for music in composing the Psalms) and experiences (such as Pauls lifelong
Judaism in composing Galatians), he was not in any way limited by them. Oftentimes,
the human authors were not even aware of the precise referent of the words they wrote.
Peter explains in 1 Peter 1:10-11:

The prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched and
inquired carefully, inquiring what person or time the Spirit of Christ in them was
indicating when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories.

129
Moreover, in most cases the human authors were personally aware that what they were
writing was not coming from them but from the Holy Spirit. For instance, Paul introduces
his teachings in 1 Timothy 4:1 with the phrase, the Spirit clearly says much as the
Old Testament prophets introduced their proclamations with the words, Thus says the
Lord (Jeremiah 26:2, Ezekiel 5:5). They also recognized that the other authors of
Scripture were inspired in the same way. One case in point, Paul attributes the words
composed by Isaiah to the Holy Spirit when he says, The Holy Spirit was right in saying
to your fathers through Isaiah the prophet (Acts 28:25).

The Extent Of Inspiration

On the basis of this evidence and much more, evangelical Christians have historically
affirmed what is called a verbal plenary view of inspiration. To say that inspiration is
plenary is to say that every portion of the canon is equally inspired. It is to say, All
Scripture is God-breathed, as is taught in 2 Timothy 3:16. To say that inspiration is
verbal is to say that the Holy Spirit inspired, not just the ideas communicated by the
human authors, but the precise words they used to communicate those ideas.
Evangelicals do not hold this view of Scripture merely because of tradition, which is
often helpful, but sometimes wrong. They hold this view of Scripture because Jesus
held this view of Scripture, and he is never wrong.

In arguing with his opponents about the reality of the resurrection, Jesus bases his
entire argument on the tense of one verb from the Old Testament.

But about the resurrection of the dead, he says, have you not read what God said to
you, I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? He is not the
God of the dead but of the living (Mathew 22:31-32).

Jesus notes that Moses did not quote God as saying, I was the God of Abraham, the
God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob but I am" (Editorial emphasis). He says that this is
sufficient proof of the resurrection, showing that he is convinced that the Holy Spirits
work of inspiration extends to the very words the human authors used.

In Jesuss famous Sermon on the Mount, he goes even further and teaches that the
Holy Spirit inspired not only the words, but each and every movement of the human
authors pen. He assures his audience, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a
pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is
accomplished (Matthew 5:18).

While Jesus is clearly speaking of the Old Testament in both passages above, he
promises that the Holy Spirit will work in the same way in inspiring the authors of the
New Testament. Speaking to his Apostles on the eve of his death, he assures them,

I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. But when he, the Spirit of
truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will
speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. He will glorify me
because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you. All that

130
belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will receive from me what he
will make known to you (John 16:12-15).

The Implications of Inspiration

The implications of Jesus verbal plenary view of inspiration are astonishing. The first
implication is that whatever the human author is saying in the text is what the Holy Spirit
is saying in the text. To state it differently, every letter in the Bible should be a red-letter
because every word of Scripture is Gods Word, having been inspired by the Holy Spirit.
This means that Pauls words in Scripture, for example, are just as trustworthy and just
as authoritative as the words of Jesus without even the slightest distinction.

The second implication is that whatever the human author is doing in the text is what
the Holy Spirit is doing. In this context doing is not referring to a physical action like
doing the dishes. Rather, it is referring to what the author is doing with his words. All
speech does something. The human authors words may be doing rebuke, blessing,
command, promise, sarcasm, warning, encouragement and so on. What the author is
precisely doing in the text can only be discerned by reading the words in context. For
instance, the phrase this is getting old could be an observation, a complaint, a rebuke,
a request for a newer version, or any number of things. Only context will reveal which is
intended. Since the Holy Spirit is responsible for every word in Scripture, he is
responsible for the context of every passage in the Bible. Thus, he not only determines
what is said, but what is actually effected when it is said. This means that when the
human author gives a harsh rebuke or uses biting sarcasm, it is not due to any
imperfection in him but due to the perfection of the Holy Spirit. Whatever the human
author is doing in the text is what the Holy Spirit is doing in the text.

The third implication is that the Holy Spirit accomplishes what he wishes through the
human author's intent and rhetoric. All speech brings about some sort of result. The
result may be informing, encouraging, moving to worship, bringing to repentance and so
on. Sometimes the intended result is implied, and other times it is stated directly, as it is
in John 20:31 and 1 John 5:13:

These have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of
God; and that believing you may have life in His name (John 20:31).

I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may
know that you have eternal life (1 John 5:13).

Authors choose their words based on their intended result. Since the Holy Spirit is
responsible for every word in Scripture, he is also responsible for the intended result of
each passage. This means that each portion of Scripture will accomplish what it was
intended to accomplish, considering the Holy Spirit, being God, affects change at will.
This always includes the authors intention and oftentimes goes beyond it.

131
The fourth implication is that when we read any portion of Scripture, composed by any
human author, in any given genre of biblical literature, we encounter God himself. Since
the Holy Spirit inspires the words that are used, the way in which those words are used,
and the purpose for which those words are communicated, the Holy Spirit is responsible
for every conceivable part of the Biblical text without exception. Thus, he is not merely
revealing ideas or truths; he is revealing himself just as all human beings reveal
themselves through the words they use, the way in which they use those words, and the
result of the words they communicate. This is the greatest implication of the doctrine of
inspiration.

132
THE HOLY SPIRIT & BIBLICAL ILLUMINATION
Illumination and Accepting the Scriptures
Evangelical Christians believe that in addition to inspiring the Bible by working through
the ancient human author the Holy Spirit also illuminates the Bible by working through
the contemporary human reader. There is, however, considerable debate regarding the
particular manner and particular degree that the Holy Spirit illuminates the reader.

All agree that the Holy Spirit is necessary for one to accept the testimony of the
Scriptures as truthful and authoritative. This is implicit in passages that speak to the
nature of humanity apart from the regenerating work of the Spirit. For example, we
know that all human beings reject the gospel because of their own rebellion against
God. As Paul explains in Romans 3:11-12, there is no one who seeks God, all have
turned away In addition to their own willful moral rebellion, human beings reject the
testimony of Scripture because they have been inflicted with spiritual blindness. In 2
Corinthians 4:4 Paul writes, The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers,
so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ. One can
only overcome this two-fold opposition to the truth and authority of Scripture through the
Holy Spirit. Paul says as much in 1 Corinthians 12:3, No one can say, Jesus is Lord,
except by the Holy Spirit.

Besides the implicit teaching noted above there is also explicit teaching that the Holy
Spirit is necessary for one to accept the testimony of the Scriptures as truthful and
authoritative. In 1 Corinthians 2:14 we read, The person without the Spirit does not
accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness

In light of such passages it is no wonder that evangelicals agree on this point. Yet there
are other questions related to illumination where there is less universal agreement. One
such question is the question of whether or not the Holy Spirits illumination is
necessary for understanding the Biblical text. A second and related question is the
question of whether or not the Holy Spirits illumination reveals new meaning. To answer
yes to either question is to be in the minority amongst evangelicals who write on the
subject. Nevertheless, I am persuaded that to answer yes to both questions is to be in
the right. This is not to say that the Holy Spirit guarantees a proper understanding of the
text or right knowledge of new meaning but that the Holy Spirit is necessary for both.

Illumination and Understanding the Scriptures

First, is the Holy Spirits illumination necessary for understanding the Biblical text? Many
argue that it is not. This argument is made on the basis that the Bible is written
according to common, generally accepted rules of grammar and, as such, can be rightly
read and rightly understood without the aid of the Holy Spirit just as any other book can
be. This, of course, is true and if all we mean by understanding is that we can follow
the authors line of reasoning then certainly the Holy Spirits illumination is not
necessary for our understanding. We should be hesitant to limit our definition of

133
understanding in this way, though, because the Scriptures seem to speak of
understanding as something more than merely following the authors line of reasoning
through his use of grammar.

For instance, in 1 Corinthians 2:14, Paul tells us that The person without the Spirit not
only does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but also cannot
understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit (emphasis mine).
Thus, there is some sense in which full understanding of the Spirit-inspired text is
dependent upon the illumination of the Holy Spirit. Elsewhere, Paul tells the Philippian
Christians that he and his co-laborers continually pray that God will fill them with the
knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit
gives (Philippians 1:9, emphasis mine). This shows that even Spirit-filled believers must
depend on the Spirit for continued growth in understanding Gods will. Since Gods will
is revealed in the Scriptures it is safe to say that even Spirit-filled believers must depend
on the Spirit for continued growth in understanding what God reveals in the Scriptures.
Consequently, understanding as used here must refer to more than simply the
cognitive ability to follow the authors argument.

In light of the above I propose that the Holy Spirit aids the believer in understanding the
written text by overcoming prior biases, providing experiential knowledge, and
disclosing personal relevance.

Believers who have been converted by the Holy Spirit and now accept the Scriptures as
both truthful and authoritative still carry prior biases to the text. Some of these biases
might have been shaped by things they learned or experienced before conversion, while
others may have been shaped by things they learned or experienced post-conversion.
Though such individuals are fully capable of following the grammatical structure of a
Biblical passage and would not for a moment deny the truthful or authoritative nature of
the Scriptures, their biases nonetheless cause them to misread the text out of a
subconscious desire to harmonize the text with their prior biases. To illustrate, as a new
Christian I had multiple charismatic experiences including speaking in unknown
tongues. Because this was what I experienced as a new Christian I expected that this
experience was for all Christians and unknowingly brought this bias to the Scriptures.
While I was otherwise intelligent enough to know what it means when someone says
not all will speak in tongues (1 Corinthians 12:30) I subconsciously read a different
meaning into that passage so it would not conflict with my prior bias. I am not alone. We
all bring biases to the text that hinder us from true understanding and we all need the
Holy Spirit to help us overcome them.

In addition to helping us overcome prior biases the Holy Spirit also aids in our
understanding by providing experiential knowledge. The Bible is unique among religious
documents in that it is not primarily a revelation of concepts but primarily a revelation of
a person. Jesus explains to his opponents in John 5:39, These are the Scriptures that
testify of me. Because God is working to reveal himself in Scripture he is not content
with his people only understanding the meaning of his words. He wants his people,
through his words, to know him. Subsequently, the more the Bible reader knows God

134
the more the Bible reader will understand Gods words. This reality is not exclusive to
our relationship with God but is present in all of our relationships. For instance, I
understood the letter my wife wrote me the first year of our marriage and it helped me
know her better, and now, after almost 16 years of marriage, I am able to understand
that letter even more because I know her even more intimately now than I did then. Its
not that the grammatical force of her words has changed but that I am more in tune with
her unique voice, which adds distinct flavor to the otherwise generic words. It is no
different with God and the Bible. God invites us into a sort of lifelong hermeneutical
spiral wherein the more we understand Gods Word the more we know him, and the
more we know him the more we understand Gods Word. Its not that the grammatical
force of his words has changed but that we are more in tune with his unique voice,
which adds distinct flavor to the otherwise generic words. This requires the illumination
of the Holy Spirit who mediates Jesus presence to us on earth (John 14:15-20),
allowing us to know him more intimately so that we can understand his Word more fully.
Thus, Paul prays for the Ephesians, I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus
Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you
may know him better (Ephesians 1:17).

Lastly, the Holy Spirit not only gives us understanding through overcoming prior biases
and providing experiential knowledge of God but he also gives us understanding
through disclosing personal relevance. Truly understanding the Scriptures requires
more than just rightly grasping the human authors intended meaning. One must also
understand exactly how the ancient authors intended meaning applies to the various
dimensions of his contemporary life (volitional, mental, emotional, relational etc). For
example, a non-Christian can understand what Paul means when he writes in
Colossians 3:17, whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the
Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him but only the Holy Spirit can
cause each individual reader to understand how she is to do that in the particulars of
her life.

It is for these reasons and in these ways that the Holy Spirit is necessary for fully
understanding the biblical text.

Illumination and New Meaning in the Scriptures

The second question related to the Spirits illumination is this: does the Holy Spirit
reveal new meaning in the text? Many argue that he does not on the basis of two true
convictions. First, the Holy Spirit is the author of the Scriptures and composed the
Scriptures in such a way that his intended meaning would be apparent to its readers (2
Timothy 3:16-17). Second, if we allow for hidden meaning in the text then there is no
objective basis whereby we can separate proper interpretations from improper
interpretations, and such an objective basis must exist (Titus 1:9). Both of these
convictions have strong Biblical support. For instance, in writing about Pauls inspired
letters Peter acknowledges that some passages are difficult to understand. Yet he
implies that even these difficult passages can be rightly interpreted through the normal
conventions of language. Therefore we can know which interpretations are false those
that have distorted the authors plain meaning. He writes, His (Pauls) letters contain

135
some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as
they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction.

While these two convictions are plainly true it is not plainly true that they necessarily
prohibit the Spirit from revealing new meaning in his Scripture. The New Testament
includes a multitude of examples of the Holy Spirit doing just that. For example,
Matthew tells us in Matthew 1:23 that Jesus fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah 7:14, though
to that point the meaning of the text plainly referred to a son born to the prophet Isaiah
in Isaiah 8:8. Just a chapter later, in Matthew 2:15, Mathew claims Jesus fulfilled Hosea
11:1, though to that point the meaning of the text plainly referred to Israels exodus from
Egypt. The Holy Spirit revealed new meaning to the New Testament authors that
allowed them to see things in the Old Testament that no one had seen to that point.

Thus, the Holy Spirit does reveal new meaning in the sense that he reveals how every
Old Testament passage points to Jesus Christ. We refer to this meaning as new
meaning because it is meaning that the human authors and the original readers were
unaware of, just as Isaiah was unaware that he was pointing to Jesus in Isaiah 7:14 and
Hosea was unaware that he was speaking of Jesus in Hosea 11:1. That is not to say
that the Holy Spirit is adding meaning to the text now that he did not intend then. It is to
say that he is revealing meaning now that he had intentionally hidden then (Colossians
1:26). This is what Peter describes in 1 Peter 1:10-12,

Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be
yours searched and inquired carefully, inquiring what person or time the Spirit of Christ
in them was indicating when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent
glories. It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in the
things that have now been announced to you through those who preached the good
news to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look.

One might argue that the New Testament authors saw Jesus Christ in these Old
Testament passages not because of the Spirits illumination but because of the Spirits
inspiration. In this view, the authors of Scripture were able to see new meaning because
they were inspired by the Holy Spirit and, since we are not inspired by the Holy Spirit,
he will not uncover new meaning for us. If this is true then the New Testament models
Biblical interpretation in a way that we cannot follow. This is unlikely because we are
commanded to imitate the Apostles (1 Corinthians 4:16) and the New Testament does
not offer us an alternate way of interpreting the Bible. Moreover, Jesus and his apostles
teach us to interpret the Bible as they did.

For example, while walking with two of his disciples, we are told that Jesus beginning
with Moses and all the Prophetsexplained to them what was said in all the Scriptures
concerning himself (Luke 24:27) and he expected them to be able to do the same
(Luke 24:26). We have no indication that these men were authors of inspired Scripture.
Elsewhere, in 2 Timothy 3:15, Paul tells Timothy (who wrote no Scripture) that the Old
Testament scriptures are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ

136
Jesus, implying that Timothy should find Jesus Christ in the Old Testament where past
interpreters had not.

In addition, Jesus claims that all of the Old Testament is fulfilled in him (Matthew 5:17).
Since this particular meaning of the Old Testament was not explicit enough to be known
by the original human author or the original readers this is new meaning. In light of this
we have two options: either God does not expect us to rightly understand the Old
Testament or God provides us with the means to understand now what readers did not
understand then. God obviously expects us to rightly understand the Old Testament
since everything that was written in the past was written to teach us (Romans 15:4).
Therefore, we should expect God to provide us with the means to understand now what
readers did not understand then, namely, how each Old Testament passage points to
Jesus. That provision has come in the person of the Holy Spirit whom Jesus promised
will testify about me (John 15:26), which is the same thing he said the Old Testament
Scriptures do (John 5:39).

Illumination and Human Responsibility

It is important to note that the promise of the Holy Spirits illumination does not free the
believer from his responsibility to study diligently. As explained in 2 Timothy 2:15 the
believer must, Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who
does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.

The Holy Spirit does provide understanding of the text and reveals meaning in the text
but he does this in the same way he does his other works of sanctification: by
empowering and working through human obedience. This process is described in
Philippians 2:12-13, Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyedcontinue
to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will
and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.

Conclusion
Regardless of the trends in contemporary
overwhelming: you cannot choose between the
cannot understand the Word of God without
illuminates it, and you cannot understand the
ministry in relation to the Word of God.
churches the Biblical evidence is
Holy Spirit and the Word of God. You
the Holy Spirit who inspired it and
Holy Spirit without understanding his

137
 WHY WE ARE CHARISMATICS
Introduction
During Emmaus Sunday gatherings we invited covenant members of the church to
express Spirit-distributed manifestation gifts (such as prophecy, speaking in tongues,
message of knowledge, etc...) in accordance with the biblical parameters defined in 1
Corinthians 12-14. Those who believe the Holy Spirit has given them a message for the
church approached the elders, who then decided if, when, and how the message should
be shared with the church. If the elders determined that a particular message should be
shared publicly during the time of worship, they may have chosen to give a microphone
to the church member or to deliver the message themselves on behalf of the church
member. The congregation then determined whether or not the message is from the
Spirit and should be accepted by the church.

While we chose this particular method we do not believe it is the biblical way or even,
necessarily, the best way. We believed the particular method of inviting the expression
of manifestation gifts was, and is, negotiable according to general wisdom. What was
not negotiable was our belief that the Scriptures command local churches to A) allow for
the use of manifestation gifts, B) within specific biblical guidelines, C) under the
oversight of the elders, and D) for the strengthening of the congregation.

Obviously, not everyone agrees that these are biblical commands that contemporary
churches are bound to follow. Thankfully, we are not united to other Christians and other
churches by our understanding of the manifestation gifts but by our mutual faith in the
gospel message of who Jesus is and what Jesus has done. Consequently, Emmaus
never divided from gospel believers who disagreed with us on the existence or use of
manifestation gifts. Yet we also would not enter into any partnerships with gospel
believers that would forbid us from following our convictions regarding any biblical
commands, including the commands related to manifestation gifts. The following is
written as an explanation for why we were unwilling to compromise these particular
convictions.

Why We Believe The Manifestation Gifts Exist

In short: because the Bible says so.

The Apostle Paul writes, Now to each [member of the church] the manifestation of the
Spirit is given for the common good (1 Cor 12:7). He then lists nine Spirit-given abilities
that are generally referred to as the manifestation gifts because of their especially
spectacular nature which make the Spirits presence and work manifest.

1. The message of wisdom

2. The message of knowledge
3. Faith

138
4. Gifts of healing
5. Miraculous powers
6. Prophecy
7. Distinguishing between spirits
8. Speaking in different kinds of tongues
9. The interpretation of tongues

Paul then spends 1 Corinthians chapters 12-14 describing the value and proper use of
these gifts. Though it is indisputable that such gifts were active in the Church at the time
Paul wrote the letter, some argue that the manifestation gifts discussed in these
chapters no longer exist in our churches. Those who take this position have to rely on
flawed exegesis and personal experience.

Relying on flawed exegesis, some claim the manifestation gifts no longer exist because
of Pauls teaching that,

Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are
tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in
part and we prophesy in part, but when completeness comes, what is in part
disappears. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned
like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. For now we
see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part;
then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. (1 Cor 13:8-12).

Clearly, there is a time when the manifestation gifts will cease to exist. This will happen
when, as Paul writes, completeness comes. Some cessationists (those who claim
manifestation gifts have ceased) argue that the completeness Paul references here is
the finalization of the biblical canon. Because the New Testament is now complete, the
cessationist says, there is no more need for the manifestation gifts. This is clearly
flawed exegesis for at least two reasons.

One, the New Testament authors wrote in order to be understood by their initial
audience. The Corinthian church to whom Paul wrote had no concept of a New
Testament canon that was awaiting completion. Thus, Paul must not be referring to the
New Testament canon but to something his audience was aware of and waiting for. The
first chapter of this same letter gives us a hint as to what that might be when Paul
writes, You do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to
be revealed (1 Cor 1:7).

Two, every passage of Scripture is best interpreted in light of every other passage of
Scripture. The language the Holy Spirit inspires the Apostle Paul to use here in
describing completeness is notably similar to the language the Holy Spirit inspires the
Apostle John to use elsewhere in describing the return of Jesus Christ. Paul writes that
when completeness comes we shall cease being children, see face to face, and
know fully, even as I am fully known. As glorious as Gods written Word is, it does not
allow us to see God face to face in its pages nor does it provide us with full knowledge.

139
The return of the living Word Jesus Christ, however, most certainly does both. As the
Apostle John writes, Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has
not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears we shall be like him,
for we shall see him as he is (1 Jn 3:1-2). If we believe the manifestation gifts do not
exist because of 1 Corinthians 13:8-12 we are misreading Gods Word and missing a
magnificent promise about the hope we have in Jesus Christ.

Relying on personal experience, some claim the manifestation gifts no longer exist (or,
at the very least, that the manifestation gifts should be treated as if they no longer exist).
Many base this assertion on the basis that they themselves have never performed or
observed any of the manifestation gifts expressed in a manner consistent with the
biblical teaching of 1 Corinthians 12-14. It is ironic that those who take this position
advise pentecostals and charismatics who claim to have experienced manifestation gifts
to interpret their personal experience through the Scriptures, rather than the other way
around. Yet they themselves are guilty of doing precisely what they accuse pentecostals
and charismatics of doing: they are allowing their personal experience to interpret the
Scriptures. Because their personal experience tells them manifestation gifts do not exist
they reject the biblical teaching that says they do exist. If we believe the manifestation
gifts do not exist because of our personal experience we have placed our personal
experience in authority over Gods Word.

Why We Believe The Manifestation Gifts Are Valuable for the

Local Church
In short: because the Bible says so.

The Apostle Paul utilizes the metaphor of the local church as the Body of Christ to
explain that just as each part of the human body is necessary for its proper functioning,
each Spirit-gifted member of Christs Body is necessary for its proper functioning (1 Cor
12:12-30). In doing so, Paul is arguing that the proper functioning of the local church
depends, in part, upon the manifestation gifts he just listed in the verses immediately
preceding the metaphor (1 Cor 12:8-11). The Holy Spirit gives these gifts for the
common good of the local church (1 Cor 12:7). If we do not allow for the manifestation
gifts in the gathered body we hinder the proper functioning of the body and limit the
common good.

Some acknowledge the value of some of the manifestation gifts but claim that Paul
places little value on the gift of tongues in the local church. This is a gross misreading of
Pauls argument. Paul does not at all diminish the value of the gift of tongues in general
or the gift of tongues in the gathered church. Rather, Paul diminishes the value of the
gift of uninterpreted tongues within (and only within) the context of the gathered church
(1 Cor 14:1-5). This is because uninterpreted tongues within (and only within) the
context of the gathered church do not serve the common good (1 Cor 14:14-17). In fact,
Paul argues that tongues are of great value in general. He values the gift of tongues so
highly that he would like every one of you to speak in tongues (1 Cor 14:5). Not only
does the Apostle wish that every member of the church had the gift of tongues, he also

140
rejoices that he has and uses the gift himself when he adds, I thank God that I speak in
tongues more than all of you (1 Cor 14:18). If we do not allow for the manifestation gifts
in the gathered body our desires are in direct conflict with the Apostle Paul, who wrote
these words as guided by the Holy Spirit.

Moreover, Paul argues that tongues are of great value in the local church. In fact, he
values the gift of tongues so highly that he allows for two or three members of the
church to deliver a message in tongues to the gathered church, provided there is an
interpretation (1 Cor 14:27). This is the exact same number of people Paul allows to
share a message of prophecy to the gathered church (1 Cor 14:29). Thus, Paul offers
equal opportunity for both interpreted tongues and prophecy to be shared because both
these (and all other) manifestation gifts are given for the strengthening of the church (1
Cor 14:26). If we do not allow for the manifestation gifts in the gathered body we deprive
the church of multiple opportunities for strengthening.

It is precisely because the manifestation gifts are valuable for the local church that Paul
thrice commands his readers to seek the manifestation gifts (1 Cor 12:30, 14:1, 39). If
we do not allow for the manifestation gifts in the gathered body we intentionally disobey
these three God-given commands and lead others to do the same.

Why We Believe The Local Church Must Provide Opportunity For

Manifestation Gifts to Be Expressed
In short: because the Bible says so.

The Apostle Paul concludes his teaching on the manifestation gifts with this explicit
command: Do not forbid speaking in tongues (1 Cor 14:39) This imperative is written in
such plain language that there is no possible interpretation other than the obvious. If we
do not provide an opportunity for manifestation gifts to be expressed we intentionally
disobey this God-given command.

Some propose that though a church does not provide opportunity for the manifestation
gifts to be expressed that church is not actually forbidding them because it has no
formal policy to do so. There are at least two problems with this position.

First, there are many things that local churches do not forbid in policy that they do forbid
in practice. For example, Emmaus had no official policy forbidding fire juggling during
the worship service. But the odds are very high that fire juggling will never happen
during an Emmaus worship service. Not because we didnt have people who had the
ability to fire juggle. But because we never provided those who did have the ability to
display their ability. Further, if someone were, on their own initiative, to start fire juggling
in the middle of our gathering, we would have put an immediate stop to it. Because we
do not provide a scheduled opportunity for fire juggling in the gathering it will always be
an inappropriate distraction from what we have scheduled for that time. In the same
way, churches that do not provide opportunity for the manifestation gifts to be expressed
in the gathering are guilty of forbidding the use of the manifestation gifts by default.

141
Second, Paul does not limit his instructions on the manifestation gifts to do not forbid.
He also provides instruction on how to allow for their proper use (1 Cor 14:26-40).
Included in these instructions are a number of affirmative and negative commands
which we, as Christians, are expected to obey when we gather as Christs body. Each of
these commands is present because the manifestation gifts must be done for the
strengthening of the church (1 Cor 14:26) and in a fitting and orderly way (1 Cor
14:40). If we do not provide an opportunity for manifestation gifts to be expressed we
intentionally neglect (and thereby fail to obey) a number of God-given commands on
how to properly use them in the gathering.

Conclusion
It seemed clear to us that the teaching of Scripture is that manifestation gifts exist, are
valuable for the local church, and ought to be used in the local church. Emmaus pastors
would have both been disobeying God and doing a disservice to the church God had
entrusted to them if they did anything other than encourage the biblical use of
manifestation gifts.

142
ON CULTURE

143
 LEARNING HOW NOT TO ARGUE WITH
HELP FROM KANYE WEST
Kanyes Argument
You may have heard about Kanyes on-stage outburst in Melbourne, Australia. You
know, the one where he stopped his entire show and refused to continue performing
until every single person in the arena stood on their feetincluding one with a
prosthetic limb and one in a wheelchair. Yes, that one. The one where after seeing the
individual in a wheelchair, he reportedly still refused to continue his show without first
sending his security guard into the crowd to confirm the person was genuinely disabled.
Several days later, Kanye said the incident was misinterpreted (which may be the case)
and presented himself as a married Christian man with a family and merely a media
victim. In doing so he added, We got Americans getting killed on TV; we have kids
getting killed every week in Chicago; we have unarmed people being killed by police
officers Though West did not state it directly, he appeared to be appealing to an
argument many of us make, but none of us should.

Our Argument
The argument generally goes something like this: How can you be so concerned about
issue A when we have issue B, C, and D in the world, which are obviously much
more serious! For example, How can you be so upset about my behavior in a concert
when the world is filled with real and violent injustices? Or, as I have heard several
times in the six weeks prior to Kanyes outburst, Why are people so concerned about
whats happening with Mark Driscoll and Mars Hill when our Christian brothers and
sisters are being beheaded in the Middle East?

The problem with this argument is not that it claims other issues are important. The
problem is that it claims, in light of these other important issues, that the issue at hand
should be ignored. This is a fallacy because God is not only concerned with certain evils
or certain injustices. God is concerned with all evils and all injustices. As his image-
bearers, our concerns should reflect his.

Jesus Argument
Jesus teaches as much in his confrontation with religious leaders in Matthew 23:23. The
Pharisees thought they were pleasing God because they tithed with perfectioneven
down to giving a tenth of their spices (imagine counting out 10% of your spice cabinet
each week!). Yet Jesus rebukes them because they neglected the more important
matters of the lawjustice, mercy, and faithfulness (Matthew 23:23). If we stop reading
the text here it appears that Jesus is making the very argument I just claimed we should
not make, Tithing isnt as important as justice, so stop worrying about tithing and go
pursue justice. But as we keep reading we see hes actually doing the opposite. He
says, You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former.

144
Jesus acknowledges that the issues of justice, mercy, and faithfulness are more
important than tithing your spice rack. Yet that is not reason for the leaders to stop being
concerned about tithing. Jesus expects them to be concerned about both justice and
tithing. He expects them to do one without neglecting the other. In the same way,
Christians should be very concerned about kids being killed in Chicago, while still
expressing concern when influential celebrities act foolishly. Christians should be greatly
troubled by their fellow-Christians being persecuted, while also being greatly troubled
when nine pastors express concern about their churchs leadership culture.

We are not doing a disservice to God when we choose to care about things he cares
about. We do a disservice to God when we treat things he cares about as unimportant
because we deem them less important.

145
 HOW ABORTION MAKES US SAY
SILLY THINGS
The title of this chapter is controversial.

The content of this chapter is equally controversial.

Nothing I can say by way of introduction can change that. Nevertheless, it is important I
clarify two things before giving a number of examples of how abortion makes us say
silly things.

First, this chapter is not a political chapter. I am entirely disinterested in discussions of

left vs. right and liberal vs. conservative; I do not find my home in either place. This is
because Jesus Christ does not fit inside our political boxes any more than he fit inside
those of the ancient Jews and Romans. Jesus bursts through every one of our man-
defined categories and makes demands on us that are neither conservative nor liberal.
They are simply holy.

Second, this chapter is not a condemnation of women who have had abortions, or men
who have played a role in them. I am in meaningful, deep, personal relationships with
literally hundreds of people who have been involved in abortions and all I am interested
in offering them is love, compassion, truth, and my listening ear.

Instead, the purpose of this chapter is simply to show us all of us how the issue of
abortion has led us to say silly things.

You cant legislate morality

Any time someone argues for legal restrictions to be placed on access to abortions the
first counter-argument is, You cant legislate morality. That sounds great except for
the fact that the statement you cant legislate morality is itself a legislation of morality.
As is every law on every law book in the world. Ever.

The proper question is not, can we legislate morality? We only legislate morality. The
question is, whose morality should we legislate? Should we legislate the morality of
those who say rape is wrong? Or of those who say rape is justified? The morality of
those who are morally opposed to murder? Or those who think a society should simply
allow the survival of the fittest? Should we legislate the morality of those who believed
themselves justified in holding slaves because they saw African-Americans as 3/5 of a
person? Or the morality of those who believe African-Americans to be fully human
image-bearers of God who cannot be bought and sold?

146
It is impossible to make a law that is not the expression of someones morality. So,
whether abortion is to be legal or illegal, it will be that way because someones morality
was either more popular or more powerful, not because you cant legislate morality.

Im against abortion personally, but it shouldnt be illegal

One of the most popular arguments amongst politicians is, Im against abortion
personally, but it shouldnt be illegal. President Barack Obama himself has
acknowledged the moral weight of the abortion question but said that families, not
government, should be the ones making this decision. This sounds incredibly
reasonable on the surface in a country that places such a high-value on independence.

Until you pause long enough to think about why someone would be against abortion
personally.

Someone would be against abortion personally for the same reason Obama
acknowledges the moral weight of the abortion discussion: because it ends the life of a
living human being. This is the only reason to be against abortion personally. If the fetus
is not a living human being, it is simply a collection of tissues inside the womans body
that one could be no more personally against than they could be personally against a
woman having a wart removed.

Which means the argument they are making is actually this, Im against abortion
personally because I believe it ends the life of a human being, but it shouldnt be illegal.
Do you hear how silly that is?

Imagine if a politician argued, Im personally against murder because I dont think we

should end the lives of other humans, but thats not something I would make a law. After
all, its really up to families to decide if they want to end the life of another human or not.
Thats not the governments business.

The truth is, you dont have to imagine it. Thats the essential argument thats being
made every election season. Meanwhile, the government intervenes in countless family
issues on a daily basis as it should because it has the responsibility to protect those
who cant protect themselves. In the same way the government gets involved in
domestic violence, child abuse, and child negligence to defend the defenseless, it
should get involved in abortion for the same reason.

Youre a man and cant have an opinion on abortion.

Any time I have expressed my opinion on abortion, I have been told, Youre a man, so
you cant have an opinion on abortion. Ironically, I have been told this by men as often
as women, which means they have at least one opinion on abortion: namely, that they
are not allowed to have one and I am not either.

There is a fancy phrase to describe whats wrong with this argument. Students of
arguments call this type of illogic a genetic fallacy. There is also a less fancy phrase to

147
describe whats wrong with this argument. That phrase is, that is the silliest thing Ive
ever heard.

We are guilty of the genetic fallacy and believing silliness when we decide that
something is true or untrue based on where it originates. This is a fallacy because a
statement is true or untrue on its own merits and not based on the person makes it. For
example, the statement, the earth is round, would be equally true whether it was
spoken by the Pope, Adolf Hitler, or Albert Einstein. In the same way, the statement,
Mariah Careys Glitter is the greatest movie of all time would be equally false whether
said by Mariah Carey, Roger Ebert, or my wife.

The statement abortion is murder is either true or it is not true, based on its own
merits. It matters not if the words were spoken by someone with a penis or someone
with a vagina. Arguments do not have genitals. They either have validity or invalidity,
truth or falsehood. Those who disagree with the claim that abortion is murder must
respond with arguments against the truth-claim, not arguments against the person who
spoke it.

If youre pro-life on abortion, you also have to be pro-life on the

death penalty and war
It is very fashionable these days to try to discredit those who are pro-life on the issue of
abortion by calling them inconsistent. If youre pro-life on abortion, you have to be
consistently pro-life by being against war, and the death penalty.

This argument is powerful because it attaches itself to the moral value of life which
everyone values. Yet for all of its apparent power, it is false and silly.

First, it is false and silly because it usually condemns the person speaking just as much
as it tries to condemn the person being spoken to. In most cases, the speaker is pro-
choice on the issue of abortion and pro-life on the other issues. The listener could just
as easily respond, Well, if youre pro-life on the death penalty and war, you have to be
consistently pro-life by being against abortion. Of course, the pro-choice listener would
rightly disagree because they intuitively recognize that abortion, capital punishment, and
war are not the same thing and do not necessitate the same approach. Unfortunately,
they often fail to recognize this obvious fact when applying the argument to other
people.

Second, it is false and silly because abortion, capital punishment, and war could not
possibly be more different. Capital punishment is the death of a tried criminal who has
been convicted of the worst of human crimes and is facing what the government deems
his just punishment. War is (in principal) the potential death of willing and armed
combatants fighting for a cause they believe in.

Abortion is nothing like either. Abortion is the murder of a child who has never harmed
anyone (unlike in capital punishment) and who is given no voice in the matter and no

148
possible defense (unlike in war). I am personally opposed to both capital punishment
and war, but I recognize that if those things are morally wrong, they are not morally
wrong in the same way or for the same reason that abortion is morally wrong. One can
very easily support capital punishment and war while being morally opposed to the
murder of an innocent child.
One who is pro-life on abortion need not be pro-life on other issues any more than one
who is pro-choice on abortion need be pro-choice on gun control. Moreover, such
arguments only serve to distract from the true question at hand: is abortion morally
wrong? Ones consistency or lack thereof is irrelevant to the answer.

The government does not fund abortions

When anyone calls for the federal defunding of Planned Parenthood there is a collective
shout in response, The government does not fund abortions! The argument is this:

Premise A: You do not want abortion funded by the federal government.

Premise B: The federal government gives money to Planned Parenthood, but
exclusively for services other than abortion.
Conclusion: Therefore, you should not have any issue with the federal funding of
Planned Parenthood.

This argument seems to be rock-solid.

Unless you have the slightest bit of knowledge about how businesses work.

When businesses receive money for any one thing, it frees up the rest of their money to
do other things. For example, you may be the type of person who only gives money to
McDonalds in exchange for their breakfast because you are, understandably, unwilling
to personally endorse the rest of their menu. Yet the fact is, the more money you give
them for breakfast, the more money you free up for them to make hamburgers, filet-o-
fish sandwiches, and other immoral menu items. Of course, you only personally support
the breakfast menu. But by adding to their financial resources, you are empowering
them to continue doing the things you dont support.

In the same way, by funding any aspect of Planned Parenthood, the federal government
is proportionately increasing the money available for Planned Parenthood to fund and
market all of its services including abortions. Which means the government funds
abortions millions of them and must answer for that.

Only 3% of Planned Parenthoods services are abortions

People love statistics. Nowhere is that more true than in the defense of Planned
Parenthood as an organization. As quickly as one person can criticize Planned
Parenthood for its treatment of babies, another person will cite the defensive claim that
Only 3% of Planned Parenthoods services are abortions.

149
This is not a good idea for two reasons. First, because the statistic is deceptive, and has
been rejected as such by multiple news sources. Slates Rachael Larimore even called
it the most meaningless abortion statistic ever. Second, because even if the statistic
were 100% true, only a James Bond villain would say it out loud and actually be foolish
enough to consider it a compelling argument.
To illustrate the pure evil of using this statistic to defend an organization, imagine for a
moment that I have a reputation for being a very generous guy (you will have to use
your imagination). Every week I meet 100 people in need and every week I provide
valuable resources, services, and assistance to 97 of these people. I do so with such
compassion and skill that those 97 people tell anyone who will listen how much I helped
them in their time of need and how they couldnt have survived without me.

What do I do with the other three people?

I kill them.

But whats the big deal? Murder is only 3% of the services I provide to people in need!
The other 97% of my services are the very definition of compassion and community
service. Just ask the people Ive served theyll tell you!

You would not applaud me for my generosity, you would imprison me for my murder. On
top of that, you would be utterly confused as to why I would offer the very statistic that
condemns me as an argument in my defense. Yet this is exactly what we do when we
appeal to the only 3% of Planned Parenthoods services are abortions statistic.

The church needs to minimize abortions by caring for women,

children & the poor
When Christians make public statements about the need for the government to limit
access to abortion services, both Christians and non-Christians alike tell them to
redirect their focus. Instead of focusing on defunding Planned Parenthood and
changing the law, they say, the church should be focused on changing the
circumstances that lead to abortion. The better strategy, they say, would be for
Christians en masse to adopt, provide foster care, fight for equitable wage for women,
and the like.

At first glance, this response might seem good and true. The Church is called to actively
care for the weak in both spiritual and material ways. There is a rapidly growing
adoption and foster care movement among evangelical Christians for this very reason.
Yet the response is neither good nor true.

It is not good because it is nothing more than blame-shifting. Those who make this
argument are drawing attention away from the problem of abortion and toward the
Christian response to abortion. Its actually a pretty impressive trick, as it puts the
Christian response to abortion on trial instead of abortion itself. But its not an
impressive argument. In fact, its not an argument at all. Its an attempt to escape the

150
argument using the very same strategy Adam and Eve used when they were caught in
their sin (Genesis 3:10-13).

The response is also not true because it implies that one must choose to direct their
energy to either political change or to practical assistance but not to both and that
practical assistance is the better choice. Neither assumption holds water. It is the
equivalent of saying, Stop asking the government to prohibit, prosecute, and imprison
murderers. Just be really nice to people. Then people will murder less. In case you
think thats an unfair exaggeration (its not) we can use the real-life, contemporary
illustration of racial justice.

It has been rightly stated that Christians can help make huge improvements in race
relations and racial justice through membership in multi-ethnic churches. Yet no one is
arguing that Christians should make this their only strategy. This should be combined
with using our political voice to call our government, police, and justice system to
account. Moreover, if someone were to only pursue racial justice through personal
relationships, most of us would rebuke them for not fighting the systemic issues that so
deeply affect those they are in personal relationships with.

It is fine to tell Christians that they can and should help improve the conditions that lead
to higher abortion rates. It is quite another to tell them that they should do this instead of
asking the government to do its job and protect the lives of innocent children. After all,
social conditions dont murder babies. But the governments who permit abortions do.

Conclusion
Again, this is not aimed at men or women who have been involved in abortions. This is
aimed at all of us. Every one of us carries the responsibility of evaluating the convictions
of our culture especially those that are generally accepted as common sense. We
must be ever-critiquing the conversations and convictions of our culture, in order to
avoid the danger of saying things that feel right or sound right, instead of what is right.

151
HOW MUCH SHOULD A GOSPEL-CENTERED
CHRISTIAN TALK
ABOUT RACE?
How much should a gospel-centered Christian talk about race?

This has been the subject of much debate in recent months as people on all sides of the
issue have weighed in publicly.

I suppose now it's my turn.

Personally, I believe the answer has two key components. First, the more gospel-
centered you are, the more (not less) you should talk about race and racial injustice.
Second, the more gospel-centered you are, the more (not less) you should talk about
race and racial injustice Christianly. In this post I hope to address the first component by
providing two reasons for which those who talk the most about the gospel should also
be those who talk the most about racial injustice.

1. The More You Talk About the Gospel The More You Should Talk
About Race Because The Gospel Has Serious Implications for
Race
The gospel tells us that Jesus has done everything necessary to reconcile us to God
through his perfect life, substitutionary death, and victorious resurrection. In addition,
this gospel proclaims that Jesus has done everything necessary to reconcile us to one
another through the same work. The Apostle Paul describes the reconciliation of both
relationships in Ephesians 2:14-18 (NIV).

"For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the
barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, by setting aside in his flesh the law with its
commands and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out
of the two, thus making peace, and in one body to reconcile both of them to God
through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. He came and preached peace
to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. For through him we both
have access to the Father by one Spirit.

Paul is reminding the Ephesians of the incredible power of the gospel by showing that
Jesus alone is sufficient to unite the un-uniteable. He illustrates this by showing that just
as Jesus unites the two un-uniteable parties of sinful humans and a holy God he also
unites the two un-uniteable parties of Jew and Gentile. In this context, he is not
speaking of Jew and Gentile as simply two religious groups. He is also speaking of Jew
and Gentile as two ethnic groups -- two racial groups -- that were not only divided from

152
one another but were hostile toward one another. They are now united to one another in
one body as one people.
Paul speaks of both divine reconciliation and racial reconciliation in the very same
breath. He does this because both are the fruit of the gospel, which is his primary
subject. If we twenty-first century Americans claim to preach the same gospel as Paul,
we must be careful not to settle only for divine reconciliation -- as glorious as it is --
when God intends for it also to produce racial reconciliation. To stop short of applying
the gospel to the race issue is to not be "acting in line with the truth of the gospel,"
which is precisely what Paul accused Peter of in Galatians 2:14 when he refused to
apply the gospel to the race issues of his context.

Second, the gospel tells us that Jesus is restoring creation to the paradise that was lost
through Adam's sin and that he will return to complete that work once and for all. We
Christians live faithfully in light of this gospel when we allow Jesus to work through us to
bring small tastes of his ultimate restoration into our present day. Justice is one such
foretaste the gospel moves us to seek. This is why many gospel-centered Christians
work to minimize abortions, for in Jesus' kingdom the powerful sacrifice themselves for
the defenseless, and not the other way around. It is why many gospel-centered
Christians seek to end sex trafficking, for there will be no victimization, no evil, and no
sexual immorality when Jesus returns. In the same way and for the same reasons,
Christians who hold to the gospel must fight against the manifold racial injustices that
exist in our country. How can we speak of a gospel that brings freedom, redemption,
value, identity, and equity to all, while turning a blind eye as our brothers and sisters are
treated as second-class citizens in their own land?

We cant.

2. The More You Talk About The Gospel The More You Should
Talk About Race Because Race Has Serious Implications for the
Gospel
If you want to talk about the gospel you will have to talk about race because the gospel
has serious implications for the racial issues that surround us. You will also have to talk
about race because race has serious implications for the gospel.

In John 17 Jesus repeatedly states that the unity of his people will be a convincing
apologetic for Jesus and his gospel. Jesus prays that his followers will be brought "to
complete unity" and states that when they are "the world will know that you [God the
Father] sent me." The unity Jesus is speaking of must be both a visible unity and an
abnormal unity. It has be visible enough for non-Christians to see it and abnormal
enough for non-Christians to need an explanation for it which only Jesus can satisfy. It
can't be unity of a group of people who are already alike in every way. Such unity is
normal in our world and would not stand as evidence that Jesus really is who he says
he is. It must be unity of people who would never otherwise be together, apart from
Jesus Christ. This includes unity across socio-economic, educational, generational, and

153
cultural divides. It also includes unity across racial lines. In fact, in twenty-first century
America, unity across racial lines may be the most powerful demonstration of unity that
Christians can provide as evidence of Jesus' identity.

We all see race. No matter how much we may claim to be "colorblind," when we walk
into a room of people who are of a different ethnicity than us we recognize it
immediately. Not only do we all see race, but we are all aware of the racial tension that
exists in our country. In fact, our awareness of the tension is one of the reasons we are
tempted to say we are "colorblind" (so as to avoid the tension) or that we're
uncomfortable with people talking so much about race (as we fear it will increase the
already present tension).

We all see race and we all see the racial tensions in our country. But you know what we
don't see? We don't see a lot of communities that display racial unity. Our churches are
overwhelmingly mono-ethnic. Our political groups are the same. Our neighborhoods
and schools are often divided along racial lines. Our primary friendships and
relationships tend to be with those of the same race. In other words, racial unity is both
visible to everyone in our culture and abnormal for most in our culture. It is the sort of
unity that, if it were to be displayed, would require an explanation. An explanation that
only the gospel can provide. Imagine the gospel conversations and gospel credibility
that would be earned if the majority of gospel-preaching churches were communities of
multi-ethnic unity!

We should talk about race and racial unity because it has serious implications for the
gospel: it reveals the gospel's power and validity to people who doubt both.

Conclusion
How much should a gospel-centered Christian talk about racial injustice? Certainly more
than those who are not gospel-centered talk about it. As seen above, the gospel we love
has serious implications for racial justice, and racial unity has serious implications for
the spread of the gospel. In conclusion, as gospel-centered Christians we must
recognize that talking about the gospel does not replace talking about race and racial
justice, it requires it. In fact, if the gospel we're preaching doesn't produce conversations
about racial injustice we should revisit the gospel we're preaching.

154
 3 REASONS CHRISTIANS SHOULD FIGHT
FOR IMMIGRATION REFORM
Immigration policy continues to be a massively important issue in the United States.
Please note that in this chapter I am not arguing that Christians support any specific
policy, but that Christians carry a certain attitude toward immigration and immigrants.

*****

Liliana Ramos, a single mother of three children (all of which are natural-born US
citizens), was deported back to her home country of Mexico in 2011. On January 19 of
that year, while leaving her workplace for her lunch break, she was approached by two
unmarked, white Suburbans, flashing police lights and all. As the Suburbans pulled up,
their riders approached Liliana and asked her if she was, in fact, Liliana Ramos.

After confirming her identity, the mysterious Suburban-goers identified themselves as

immigration police. They were there to apprehend Liliana and hold her in custody as an
illegal immigrant. This would eventually lead to Lilana's deportation to her home country
of Mexico.

Liliana said she was paralyzed. She understood it was against the law to live in the
United States without documentation, but she had tried to lead a good and peaceful life
since her arrival to the United States twenty years prior, having immigrated as a
teenager with her parents. US Immigration and Customs Enforcement explained to
Liliana that she had three months to sell her things, gather her children, and leave the
country. Not wanting to subject her children to a life of suffering, she decided to leave
her children in the United States. She now lives in the border town of Tijuana, Mexico,
making it is easier for her US-born children to visit.

Lilianas children suffer knowing that they cannot be with their mother. Brian, her oldest
son, has set a goal to someday reunite their family. Unfortunately, seeing this come to
fruition is not likely, unless Congress reforms policy to allow citizenship for Lilianas
family, and for countless other families that find themselves in the same situation.
Politicians continue to promise that this issue will be addressed. Yet, there is much
debate on how best to handle immigration, and public skepticism that the issue will be
fairly addressed. One thing is for sure: Christians cannot ignore this issue. In fact,
Christians should actively and publicly fight for immigration reform, and fight for a clear
path to citizenship for at least three reasons.

1. BECAUSE GOD COMMANDS US TO TREAT THE

FOREIGNER AS NATIVE-BORN
As God prepared the nation of Israel to enter the Promised Land, he gave them this
instruction: When a foreigner resides among you in your land, do not mistreat them.

155
The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born. Love them as
yourself for you were foreigners in Egypt. I am the Lord your God (Leviticus 19:33-34).
Gods expectations of his people could not be made more explicit: his people are to
welcome outsiders into their community because Gods people know what its like to be
outsiders. While contemporary American Christians live in a different context from that
of ancient theocratic Israel, the command applies as much in our context as it did in
theirs. Scripture reveals that all Christians have an Egypt experience, as we are all
foreigners and exiles, currently living in a world that is not our home. This should give
Christians a unique empathy and concern for those who, like us, now find themselves in
a country and a culture not their own.

Notice that God doesnt merely command us to not mistreat the foreigner among you.
Certainly, one could obey that command with or without broad immigration reform. God
also says, The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-
born (emphasis mine). This means that the same rights, privileges, and comforts that
belong to those who are native-born should be extended to those who have immigrated
here. This is far from the reality in the United States, at present.

2. BECAUSE JESUS CHRIST IS THE ULTIMATE IMMIGRANT

As the eternal Son of God, Jesus voluntarily clothed himself in human flesh, left his
heavenly home, left the presence of the Father he had been united to for all eternity,
and entered into a culture that was foreign to him, in order to serve a people who did not
accept him. Christians should be among those who are most sensitive to the
immigrants' situation because Christians worship an immigrant as Lord.

Jesus makes a similar connection in Matthew 25:34-40. He tells us that whenever we

welcome a stranger, we, in fact, welcome Jesus. He anticipates that this will confuse his
followers as they will wonder how the one can equal the other. So he explains,
Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for
me. Christians should pursue a just and compassionate immigration policy, for when
we welcome strangers, we welcome Jesus himself the True and Perfect Immigrant.

3. BECAUSE OUR FIRST ALLEGIANCE IS TO THE FAMILY OF

GOD
Many want to place limits on immigration reform based on the fear of an imminent
damaged economy or compromised national security. Even if such concerns were
factually justified, they would not justify the resistance Christians have to immigration
reform. While Christians are certainly called by God to be faithful and obedient citizens
of their respective nations, they are also called to pledge their first allegiance to the
family of God (Galatians 3:28).

A recent Pew Research study reveals that 83% of undocumented immigrants self-
identify as Christians. This is a higher percentage of Christians than that of the US
population as a whole. As Christians, we are to be concerned about the well-being of all
people. But we are to be especially concerned about the well-being of the Church. The

156
Apostle Paul urges, As we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to
those who belong to the family of believers (Galatians 6:10, emphasis mine).

The man who is being held in a detention center without cause, without communication
with his family, and without a trial? Hes our brother.

The woman who cannot call upon the police to protect her for fear of deportation; who
cannot report abusive treatment from her employer because she is undocumented?
Shes our sister.

The parents who are separated from their own children? The children who are without
their mom and dad? They are our family.

Liliana and her children are our family.

Those whose names we dont know and stories we have yet to hear are our family.

When your family is in trouble, all political division is swept aside and you do whatever
you can to help them. As Christians, we must do the same for members of Gods family
who are suffering under unjust policies.

157
 GENTRIFICATION & ITS IMPACT ON
THE LOCAL CHURCH
While pastoring at Emmaus Church in Portland, OR, I was given an opportunity to guest
write a chapter for Sean Benesh's book on the effects of gentrification, Vespas, Cafes,
Singlespeed bikes, and Urban Hipsters: Gentrification, Urban Mission, and Church
Planting. The following is the chapter in it's entirety.

*****

Alvin and Angelas sons grew up in the same neighborhood as their parents. As the
boys entered their teenage years they were able to witness the rapid changes
gentrification was bringing to their neighborhood. Beyond mere observation, they were
also able to experience these changes on more occasions than they would like as
police offers repeatedly pulled them over within 2 blocks of their residence. They had
committed no traffic violations. Nor had they committed any crime when they were
followed by a squad car as they walked home from school. Nor were they committing a
crime when they were approached by a threatening officer wielding his nightstick as
they walked up the steps to their own home. The only reason for their increasingly
common encounters with the police is that certain officers believe black teenage boys
no longer fit in their own neighborhood.

Duoshun has spent most of his 27 years in the neighborhood. As a food connoisseur it
was only natural for Duoshun to gather his friends to celebrate his birthday at the brand
new BBQ restaurant that entered the neighborhood on the waves of gentrification. It
seemed to be just as natural, unfortunately, for the white server of the white-owned
restaurant to greet her black guests with the words, I know you all want ribs, but were
almost out. Being brand new to the neighborhood did not stop her from assuming that
black people in the neighborhood only order ribs, nor did it stop her from assuming they
could not afford any items of additional cost (I dont think you want that, its going to
cost extra) or that they could not be trusted to leave a generous tip (you guys never
tip).

Dianne has owned her own home in the neighborhood for nearly 40 years. When she
moved in she was one of many black residents on her block. She now owns the only
two houses on the block occupied by non-whites. Every week Dianne receives
unsolicited postcards from white individuals and families in Portlands surrounding
suburbs. We really want to move closer into Northeast Portland. Would you be willing
to sell your house to us? Well offer a nice sum. Needless to say, Dianne is the only
homeowner on her block receiving such postcards because she is the final holdout of
black homeowners who purchased homes on her block at rock-bottom prices (because
no white people wanted to live there) that have since increased in value by more than
2,000% (because many white people want to live there).

158
These three stories from members of Emmaus, the multi-ethnic church I pastor, are not
uncommon. I chose them randomly from the many dozens of stories I have heard since
we planted the church in Portland Oregons lower Northeast section in 2006. In the
decade we planted the church the process of gentrification overtook the historically
black neighborhood and resulted in 7,700 African-Americans being displaced. That
process has only continued into the current decade. While much has been written about
the impact of gentrification on a city and its communities, much less has been written on
the impact of gentrification on the local church. In this chapter I will review two ways that
gentrification has impacted my congregation others like it.

Cross-Cultural Relationships
It is sometimes stated that one of the positive effects of gentrification is that it moves
multiple neighborhoods from a largely segregated state to a far more integrated state.
This is seen as a positive because integrated neighborhoods provide improved services
for minority populations and an opportunity for cross-cultural relationships in
neighborhood schools, churches, businesses, and community organizations. While it is
accurate to observe these effects of gentrification it is inaccurate to interpret these
effects as necessarily positive. In my experience of pastoring people from both the Old
Neighborhood (read: black) and new neighborhood (read: white) these effects do not
contribute to improving cross-cultural/cross-ethnic relationships. They more often
contribute to even greater tension in cross-cultural/cross-ethnic relationships.

The more socially conscious in the New Neighborhood are initially excited about
establishing diverse relationships for themselves and/or for their children in the
integrated social spheres the gentrified neighborhood promises to provide. They are
often subsequently disappointed to find that the Old Neighborhood is not equally excited
about the opportunity to establish cross-cultural/cross-ethnic relationships with them. At
the same time, many in the Old Neighborhood have difficulty believing that the new
residents of their neighborhood truly desire equitable cross-cultural/cross-ethnic
relationships. As a white man who has lived in the Old Neighborhood since long before
gentrification began I find this to be a reasonable doubt based on reasonable questions.
Such as,

If you really wanted to have relationships with us why did you avoid
our neighborhood until it became gentrified? Why did you wait for it
to become your neighborhood before you made any efforts to
know us?

Now that you do live in our neighborhood why do you spend your
time in the coffee shops, pubs, concert halls, and churches that
serve the New Neighborhood? You say you want to be in
relationship with us but you spend your free time and money in the
places you are least likely to find the diverse relationships you say
you want.

159
 Why are you willing to sacrifice my entire community in order to
meet your personal desires? In order for you to gain all the good
things you wanted (such as cross-ethnic relationships) the people
of my community had to lose many of the good things we had.

You say that gentrification provides positive benefits for minority

populations because it improves schools, lessens crime, beautifies
historic buildings, and raises property values. Why do you talk
about these things as if they are positive instead of fighting against
the unjust policies and practices that lead to these results? Do you
really think its a good thing that the only way for a community of
color to experience these benefits is for white people to move into
it? Why do you not acknowledge the terrible injustices that these
truths reveal and you unintentionally perpetuate?

If you are so interested in building relationships with the Old

Neighborhood why are stories like those that opened this chapter
only becoming more common with each phase of new residents
and businesses?

Questions such as these only exist because of gentrification. The tension produced by
the general failure of the New Neighborhood to acknowledge the presence of (much
less the validity of) these questions only exists because of gentrification. The stories
that opened this chapter only exist because of gentrification. Thus, in my pastoral
experience, gentrification tends to worsen cross-ethnic relationships rather than improve
them.

The good news is that the Christian Church has the tools to confront this cross-ethnic
tension and reconcile the two divided neighborhoods into one neighborhood through the
message of the gospel. The bad news is that in most gentrifying neighborhoods local
churches are not making any attempt to narrow the divide. Instead, they are choosing to
greatly widen the divide through planting churches by white people, of white people, for
white people in the middle of historically black neighborhoods.

This is not to say that predominantly white churches entering into gentrifying
neighborhoods want to contribute to the cross-ethnic division in the neighborhood. It is
to say that they do contribute to this division in spite of the fact they do not want to. By
building their church upon New Neighborhood leaders; by covering their facilities,
website, and promo materials in New Neighborhood art; by filling their services with
New Neighborhood music, preaching styles, and sermon topics; and by specifically
targeting New Neighborhood residents these churches unintentionally become yet
another emblem of the New Neighborhood and its utter disinterest in the communities,
values, spirituality, and people of the Old Neighborhood. This leaves the Old
Neighborhood with the perception that even white Christians do not really want the
cross-ethnic relationships they say they do, nor do they really want the justice they say

160
they do as they seem to be content with not only allowing gentrification to run its course
but with participating in it.

All of the above leads us to conclude that gentrification is hurting local churches by
multiplying cross-ethnic tensions (thereby hindering the proclamation of the gospel of
reconciliation across ethnic lines) and by producing new segregated congregations
even in ethnically diverse neighborhoods (thereby hindering the visibility of the gospel of
reconciliation at work).

Community Discipleship & Community Benevolence

Loneliness.

That is the word I hear most when asking African-Americans in my church to describe
how gentrification affects them. Black men and women affected by gentrification often
feel, in the words of my co-pastor DArcy, like an alien in both neighborhoods.

They no longer fit in the neighborhood they grew up in. The community they used to be
a part of is gone and the new community is not designed to serve them or welcome
them. They also do not fit in the neighborhood they have had to relocate to due to
gentrification. Since the black community has been scattered to various places outside
of the city center they often discover they are the only African-Americans in their new
neighborhood. Even when they are one of several new black residents in a
neighborhood they remain without a single reflection of the unique culture that was a
part of their every day existence prior to gentrification. Their new neighborhood is
without culturally appropriate food, beauty salons, or hair supply stores, without
culturally relevant art, without culturally competent educators, and most importantly
without culturally sensitive churches. Such changes cause people like Perry, a member
of Emmaus, to lament, I dont know where my community is anymore.

All of this impacts local churches in at least five ways.

First, because there is no longer a geographically discernable African-American

community black Christians in my city no longer have the option of attending a
neighborhood church. They are left with three options, each of which is less desirable.

A) Commute anywhere from 20 to 120 minutes to one of the few

remaining predominantly black churches in the Old Neighborhood.
Many of these churches have died or are significantly declining in
membership because of the long commute that is now required due to
member displacement.

B) Attend a predominantly white church in their new neighborhood, of

which only a minute number display even the smallest degree of
cultural sensitivity or competency when ministering to African-
Americans. This requires that in addition to the social discomfort of
being one of very few persons of color in the congregation, the black

161
 Christian must also adapt to white cultural forms of preaching, worship,
small groups, and community life.

C) Attend one of the predominantly black churches or multi-ethnic

churches that has relocated outside of the city center due to
gentrification. This allows for a culturally sensitive worship experience
but, because the church community consists of people who are
scattered throughout the suburban and outer-city landscape,
community outside of Sunday mornings is very difficult to find.

None of these options does anything to heal the problem of loneliness that many black
Portlanders experience as a result of gentrification.

Second, as neighborhood churches decline through gentrification so does church

participation. Churches in the Old Neighborhood can attest that the longer the distance
that one must travel to participate in church life the less frequently they will participate.
For some, this is due to financial challenges. Each trip into the city center and back
requires notable quantities of gas, which translates into notable sums of money. One
can only travel into the city center and thus, to their church gatherings, as often as their
finances permit. For others, the drop-off in church participation is due to scheduling
challenges. Their work or family schedule will not allow them to spend 90 minutes on
public transportation to get to the church gathering and 90 minutes more on public
transportation to get home from the church gathering every time the church gathers. Yet
this is exactly what is required of many who have been forced out of their churchs
neighborhood through gentrification. For still others, the decrease in church participation
is due to social challenges. People are motivated to participate in church activities at
least partially by the social connections they develop. As the physical distance between
church members grows greater, the social connections tend to feel weaker. Through
gentrification, church members begin to feel less connected to their church family. The
less connected they feel, the less motivated and/or safe they feel traveling long
distances to worship with them.

Third, as church participation declines, Christian discipleship is hindered. Jesus intends

for discipleship to take place in community. It is difficult to read the Bible and imagine
spiritual growth taking place in any other context. For example, one cannot even
attempt to obey the vast majority of commands in the book of Ephesians, Philippians, or
Colossians apart from active involvement in a local church community. One also cannot
receive some of the much-needed grace that God offers apart from his chosen
instrument of the local church. Though Emmaus is a growing multi-ethnic church this
remains one of our biggest challenges. Because of the effects of gentrification
discussed above our members are unable to participate in community life to the degree
that they desire and need. This affects their spiritual growth as Christians and our
spiritual growth as a church. Therefore, beyond being an economic and political
injustice, gentrification is also a spiritual injustice that distances minority Christians from
their church communities and, consequently, robs the church of the contributions of its
individual members and robs the individual members of the contributions of the church.

162
Fourth, as gentrification leaves many black Christians feeling disconnected from the
communities they live in, and from the communities they worship in, evangelism suffers.
A close reading of the Scriptures reveals that evangelism comes from communities and
goes into communities.

Jesus prayer in John 17:20-23 reveals that the gospel message is made more attractive
and more believable by the unity of the Church that carries it. Likewise, Peter writes that
it is through being built into a visible community that we as the Church declare the
praises of Jesus. By disconnecting many black Christians from their church
communities (and their church communities from them) gentrification hinders the power
of their evangelism from community. Gentrification also hinders their evangelism into
communities. God moved to save us by becoming like us and coming to us in the
person of Jesus. When he came to proclaim the gospel to the Jews he came as a Jew.
The Apostle Paul took a similar approach. Both made themselves fit into the
communities they had been sent to in order to make the gospel intelligible. Yet, as
explained above, many black Christians do not feel like they fit anywhere. They no
longer fit in their old neighborhood. They certainly dont fit in their new neighborhood.
And neither neighborhood seems to be very interested in welcoming them. This means
that the people that black Christians can most effortlessly connect with on a human and
cultural level are too far away too scattered to be evangelized as a community. Yet
the people who are most close most geographically accessible are those most
difficult to connect with on a human and cultural level for many reasons, several of
which were illustrated in the opening stories of this chapter. Again we see that
gentrification produces spiritual problems as much as it does economic and political
ones. It weakens churches.

Fifth, those who are most spiritually affected by gentrification are those who are most
vulnerable. Consider who it is that has the greatest difficulty actively participating in
church life after gentrification.

It is the poor who cannot afford the money it costs to travel into the city center and back
two or three times extra times per week.

It is the single parent who cannot afford the time it costs to travel into the city center and
back two or three extra times per week.

It is the disabled or the aged who are not physically able to drive or walk to and from
public transportation.

It is the socially outcast who does not have relationships to depend on for
transportation.

It is the historically oppressed who find themselves displaced from their own
communities to begin with.

163
Jesus has much concern for and mercy on such people.

Gentrification does not.

But will the Church?

It goes beyond the scope of this chapter to list a number of specific practical ways the
Church might respond. It also goes beyond necessity. We cannot answer the how local
churches should respond question until we answer the will local churches respond
question. Will the Church respond to the ways gentrification is negatively affecting
cross-ethnic relationships? Will the Church respond to the ways gentrification is leading
many black Christians away from the blessing of community and into loneliness? Will
the Church respond to the economic, political, and spiritual injustice that is
gentrification? As a pastor of a church community that lives on all sides of the
gentrification issue I pray we will all answer yes and then work on answering the how
question together. And the only way we can answer the how question is to stop
listening to white leaders such as myself and start listening to the stories of those who
are directly impacted by gentrification.

I leave you in their far more competent hands.

May we listen well.

164
 WHAT I LEARNED FROM
THE BLACK CHURCH
When I was 21 I heard the story of Jesus and his gospel from a co-worker. Prior to this,
my only exposure to the person of Jesus had come from Christmas nativity scenes and
South Park episodes. My heart was captured by the story of the gospel, and I soon
became a follower of Jesus. Largely because the only Christians I knew at this time
were all black, I spent the next three years of my life attending predominantly black
churches wherever I lived. By "predominantly black churches" I mean they were just
"black churches" until my white behind sat in the pew. As I now left the multi-ethnic
church I pastored for 9 years and prepared to move into a new country and culture in
Mexico, I had been thinking a lot about the many things I learned from the Black
Church. This chapter covers a few of them .

Lesson 1: Theological Truths Have Emotional Consequences

One of the lessons I am most grateful for today is that theological truths have emotional
consequences. The Black Church taught me that theology enters through the head but
affects the whole body.

From the very first time I stepped in church I saw that thinking about Jesus leads to
physical expressions of emotion such as hand-clapping, foot-stomping, or dancing.
Hearing the preacher proclaim the message of the gospel might provoke vocal
expressions of emotion such as shouting, "amen," "yes, Lord," or "hallelujah!" At any
point during the service, the congregation might interrupt the program with weeping,
wailing, or an exclamation of "thank you, Jesus!"

Initially this made me uncomfortable, as I was inexperienced with allowing my emotions

to be displayed in public. Yet as I grew in my understanding of the Bible my resistance
was quickly overcome. I still felt like a "white boy" as I did these things, but I could not
help myself. How could I be reminded of what it cost God to save me and not be moved
emotionally? How could I sing about the excellencies of the Lord and not express my
joy with my whole body? How could I hear the glories of the gospel proclaimed for 45
minutes and keep silent the whole time?

I couldn't.

And I still can't.

I now have the privilege of preaching in and worshiping in all sorts of churches who
respond to God in all sorts of ways. I love experiencing the diversity of Jesus' Body and
the many different forms worship takes. Yet I still can't help but feel exceedingly
uncomfortable when I find myself in a church where there is no visible or audible
expression of emotion throughout the service. I am not saying it is wrong or even
inappropriate for people to worship in this way, as it may be the culturally and personally

165
appropriate way to worship for many. I am only saying that, to me, it feels painfully
incomplete. The Black Church taught me that theological truths have emotional
consequences, and I am grateful when I am in a context where I can let them come out.

Lesson 2: Everyone has something to contribute

Every church I have ever attended has affirmed that Jesus' body consists of many
members, all of whom have things to contribute for the good of the church. Yet I have
never seen this affirmation incarnated anywhere as fully as I have in the Black Church.
In the Black Church, everyone has a role, whether formal or informal.

Informally, every member of the congregation has a role in the Sunday gathering. Not
everyone has a microphone, but everyone has a voice and is encouraged to use it from
their pew. This happens as members participate in the delivery of the sermon, speaking
words of encouragement to the preacher and praises to God in response to what they
hear. It also happens during musical worship, as members not only sing and clap along,
but also support the vocalist with shouts like sang girl! - or even comforting words like
thats alright! or youre worshiping when the singer makes a mistake. In many black
churches, such participation extends into the time of offering. During the time of offering
members joyfully, audibly, and visibly celebrate the opportunity to praise God with their
finances. It is also common for those who have an offering to give a portion of their
offering to someone in their pew who does not have money to give. This is done so
everyone can experience the joy of giving.

Formally, the Black Church provides regular opportunities for everyone to play a
significant role in the church gathering. Many black churches do this by having specific
Sundays led by a specific sub-group in the congregation. For example, Youth Sunday,
Womens Sunday, and Mens Sunday. On these Sundays the appropriate sub-group
takes responsibility for planning and leading the gathering. Everything from the
announcements, to the music, to the sermon might be delivered by one or more
members of the sub-group. This assures that the congregation as a whole is regularly
benefiting from the many gifts God has granted to the church, and that each individual
in the congregation is given the opportunity to use the specific gifts God has entrusted
to him or her. It also allows for the development of preachers of all ages who show signs
of calling and gifting, whether or not they have received any formal training. Another
way the Black Church gives everyone a role in the worship service is through testimony
time. In testimony time, anyone who has experienced Gods grace that week is invited
to stand up and share their story with the entire church. This turns everyone into a
worship leader and teaches the congregation they can learn about Jesus from more
than just the pastor.

The Black Church also bestows honor to a number of its members by creating positions
such as church mother, church missionary, and church usher. If you have never
attended a black church, you may think mother refers to a young parent, missionary
to a minister on foreign soil, and usher to someone who helps you find your seat. In
the Black Church these titles mean something else entirely. Mothers and missionaries

166
are generally older women in the faith who are honored for the wisdom they carry from
years of following Jesus, and given opportunity to share it. Ushers are essentially the
Black Churchs equivalent to the Secret Service. They are granted almost unrestricted
power and tasked with protecting the sanctity of the worship gathering at all costs. You
do not want to get in their way. These are just a few of the ways people in the pews are
given opportunity to minister and honored as important contributors.

Every pastor wants the members of his church to play an active role in the Body of
Christ. Yet most of us create a Sunday gathering where only those on the stage are
given a voice, and only the most professional are invited to the stage. This creates a
church culture where everyone else is a spectator by default. In the Black Church, there
is no such thing as a spectator. Everyone is given opportunity to participate in worship
and minister to one another. I am grateful the Black Church not just taught me - but
showed me - that everyone has something to contribute. I am still searching for ways to
do the same through my pastoring.

167
 ABOUT CONSOLIDATED TRUTH
Good theology is essential to good living.

Therefore, it should not be relegated to the realm of abstract theory and hard-to-
read books. Good theology should be practical for daily life and accessible to
everyone. This is why Humble Beast created Consolidated Truth.

The books in the Consolidated Truth series bring heavy theological concepts into
our daily language and daily lives. They do so in small and easy-to-read
packages aimed at transforming the way you think and live. Each book also
includes a free discussion guide so you can experience such transformation in
the context in which God transforms us: the Christian community.

Other titles include:

Daddy Issues: How the Gospel Heals Wounds Caused by Absent, Abusive &
Aloof Fathers

The Gospel Is: Defining the Most Important Message in the World

Forthcoming
Lies My Pastor Told Me: Confronting Church Clichs with the Gospel

Lies Hip Hop Told Me: Confronting Hip Hop Slogans with the Gospel

168
 ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Cole Brown (MABTS, MAT) is the founding pastor of a multi-ethnic church in
Portland, Oregon, where he pastored for nine years.

He now lives in Mexico City, Mexico with his wife and two children, where they
are helping planting and strengthen Mexican churches. A Humble Beast author
and speaker, you can read his regular blog, Follow the Leader, at
www.humblebeast.com.

169
170