For weeks I am hearing the same message from people. They are starving. People are starving to death but probably not in the way you are thinking. They are starving to hear the word of God. Some have given up on the entertainment driven church. While in many of those churches the crowds swell the maturity and deepening in Christ often does not. Others have told me, "If I wanted to go to a concert I would buy a ticket."
There is a famine in the land. "'Behold, day are coming,' declares the Lord, 'When I will send a famine on the land, not a famine for bread or a thirst for water, but rather for hearing the words of the Lord. People will stagger from sea to sea and from the north even to the east, they will go to and fro to seek the word of the Lord, but they will not find it.'" [Amos 8:11-12]
I hear the same story over and over again. Some family has been seeking a church home for some time. They have visited all the bigger churches and just want to go to a church where they are not being entertained and where the full counsel of God's word is preached. I recently visited with a lady who came as a guest to our church. She told me later she wanted to go to a church where words like sin, repentance, holiness were used. Recently a senior adult lady who came to celebrate the baptisms of her grandsons walked up to me and told me repeatedly, "Thank you for preaching the word of God." I got the distinct impression this is more of a rarity these days.
Come on preachers. I have read many of the same books you have. Seeker sensitive or seeker driven and purpose driven are not the only ways to build a church. People are starving spiritually for all the fluff they are given. Many preachers drive themselves to be creative, cutting edge, relevant, and practical. You might come back and say you are after the lost. You will use whatever you can to reach the lost. I remind you the great commission is not just a commission for evangelism. We are to go and make disciples. Discipleship takes time and the teaching of the full word of God.
In this day and age church has become big business and small ministry. One lady recently commented to me that she longed for reverence in the church once again. Church has become so casual. God is not casual. He is holy. He is uncommon. We must have preaching from the word of God that reminds people of God's character. We must be reminded of the call on us to live lives of distinction. We need preaching that calls people to salvation and calls the backslidden to repentance. We need preaching that both comforts and challenges as well as exhorts and convicts.
The diet preached from some pulpits would be like a family never having anything for dinner other than desert. The kids might love it at first but sooner or later the ill effects would begin to show. Our bodies crave nourishment. Last night Brenda made vegetable soup. The night before we had meat loaf, mashed potatoes and turnip greens. These are hearty meals. They provide strength and energy for the day.
Paul urged us to preach the word of God. "I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom; preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction." [II Tim 4:1-2]
We need preaching like that. We need messages from the word of God that help people to press through adversity, to endure suffering, to survive tragedy, and to cope with failure. We need preaching that calls people to live in holiness, to resist sin, to deny lust, and to be content regardless of external circumstances. We need preaching that reminds people we are living for something more than this life. We need to preach in such a way we prepare people to face the judgment seat of Christ.
You can find preaching everywhere. Still there is a famine in the land. All people really want is a true encounter with the living God. They do not need our eloquence or the latest greatest technology. They need the steady diet of preaching God's word week in and week out. We as preachers and teachers must put an end to this famine. So long to preaching that tickles the ears. Hello to God honoring preaching that remains faithful to the biblical text. Let the lush pasture of God's word be supplied to hungry and malnourished sheep from the pulpit until there is no more famine in the land for hearing the word of God.
Thursday, October 4, 2012
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
Walk Through or Walk Out
I just read a statement written by Charles Swindoll causing me to reflect. Here is the statement. "The roots grow deep when the wind blows. Working through is always - always - more painful than walking out. "
In your situation what are doing? Are you walking through your trials with persevering faith, pressing ahead, and overcoming? Or are you contemplating walking out? Is your marriage not as strong as it used to be. Have you begun entertaining thoughts of romance with a friend or co-worker. Have you made up your mind to walk out rather than to press through.
Maybe you are enrolled in college and the pressures of class assignments, papers, and tests are getting the best of you. Maybe even as you read this you are mulling over the thought of just dropping out and going back home. Maybe you feel stuck in a dead end job and you are just about ready to walk out offering your resignation seeking gainful employment in greener pastures. Maybe you are an athlete being passed over and you do not feel you are being given your fair shot. You are about to turn in your equipment and walk out.
Working through is painful. It is much harder than walking out. It takes resolve to work through, to stay the course, and to finish. Anyone can walk out.
When I was a boy playing on a flag football team I got mad at our coach one day. I stormed off the practice field determined not to play another down. Only one problem. Football was a passion for me. I was miserable until I went back to my coach days later and apologized for my behavior. Working through proved more painful than walking out. Working through proved the right choice.
We have a rule in our house. If you commit to some task, sport, or extra curricular activity you have to finish. You cannot quit. Not every activity or sport has been pleasant. Some times the boys had to endure long and difficult seasons. Sometimes they did not even get play much. They found working through to be more painful than walking out. Yet they learned valuable life lessons in the process.
I have walked out a few times in my life and have regretted those decisions. If I could turn back time I would undo walking out and would have worked harder at walking through. I cannot go back and undo the past. I can only walk through today.
It has been during the walking through seasons of my life where the roots in my relationship with God have grown deeper against the stiff winds of adversity. I am not saying thousands of times I did not want to quit college, work, and ministry. Many a Monday morning over the years I have thought about leaving the ministry but always God has drawn me back. Because I have walked through ministry with Him for the past twenty-nine years I have learned and come into relationships with some wonderful people.
I don't know your situation today. You may be right on the verge of walking out of something you would be better served to walk through. I pray you make the right decision.
In your situation what are doing? Are you walking through your trials with persevering faith, pressing ahead, and overcoming? Or are you contemplating walking out? Is your marriage not as strong as it used to be. Have you begun entertaining thoughts of romance with a friend or co-worker. Have you made up your mind to walk out rather than to press through.
Maybe you are enrolled in college and the pressures of class assignments, papers, and tests are getting the best of you. Maybe even as you read this you are mulling over the thought of just dropping out and going back home. Maybe you feel stuck in a dead end job and you are just about ready to walk out offering your resignation seeking gainful employment in greener pastures. Maybe you are an athlete being passed over and you do not feel you are being given your fair shot. You are about to turn in your equipment and walk out.
Working through is painful. It is much harder than walking out. It takes resolve to work through, to stay the course, and to finish. Anyone can walk out.
When I was a boy playing on a flag football team I got mad at our coach one day. I stormed off the practice field determined not to play another down. Only one problem. Football was a passion for me. I was miserable until I went back to my coach days later and apologized for my behavior. Working through proved more painful than walking out. Working through proved the right choice.
We have a rule in our house. If you commit to some task, sport, or extra curricular activity you have to finish. You cannot quit. Not every activity or sport has been pleasant. Some times the boys had to endure long and difficult seasons. Sometimes they did not even get play much. They found working through to be more painful than walking out. Yet they learned valuable life lessons in the process.
I have walked out a few times in my life and have regretted those decisions. If I could turn back time I would undo walking out and would have worked harder at walking through. I cannot go back and undo the past. I can only walk through today.
It has been during the walking through seasons of my life where the roots in my relationship with God have grown deeper against the stiff winds of adversity. I am not saying thousands of times I did not want to quit college, work, and ministry. Many a Monday morning over the years I have thought about leaving the ministry but always God has drawn me back. Because I have walked through ministry with Him for the past twenty-nine years I have learned and come into relationships with some wonderful people.
I don't know your situation today. You may be right on the verge of walking out of something you would be better served to walk through. I pray you make the right decision.
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
Lessons Learned: Start Over - Rewind
Ever had one of those days you wish you could push the rewind button and start over. Maybe you are having one of those months or years. A fresh start can be a good thing.
While on my prayer retreat I have already written about going back to my early call into ministry. As I began meditating on starting over I went back to those early days. My first ministry assignment called for me to give my testimony to some students. I was nervous and finished in seven minutes. I was excited about the opportunity.
The other opportunities did not come so readily. I rarely got to preach until I came home my first summer after my freshman year at Howard Payne University. My pastor gave me and a friend the opportunity to start traveling around Lake Sam Rayburn and preaching at different camp sites. At least that was the original vision. We ended up planting a church at the Shirley Creek Marina. We did not know we were planting a church. We just preached and visited people. We dutifully set up chairs on the shore of the lake early each Sunday and alternated preaching each week. We traveled down to the marina during the week to make visits. To this day the church still holds a service inside the marina even though now they have built a church facility of their own.
After that I got a few opportunities to fill in for some preachers here and there. I relished those opportunities even though the preaching was woeful. Eventually I became a youth pastor and well you know the rest of the story.
Taking a new start I have thought about the excitement of those early days in ministry. I want to translate that same enthusiasm to my ministry now even though that has been twenty-nine years ago. We have been wounded by churches during that time. We have also been blessed by churches during those near three decades. We have rejoiced in revival and wept with the grieving. We have dreamed big and at times suffered long all for the cause of Christ.
I do not want my enthusiasm for ministry to wane. Not in the good times or the tough times. Yesterday we participated in the homecoming parade with a float from Faith Community Church. Our theme was highway to heaven. We had little cars on the sides of the trailer with kids sitting behind throwing out candy. Older kids walked alone side the trailer passing out little toy cars. Each car on the trailer had part of the Roman Road written on it. On top of the gooseneck we had a large white cross with a highway leading up to it. It measured over fourteen feet high from the road. I enjoyed passing out cars and interacting with different people in the crowd. After that I worked in the concession stand during the community wide pep rally at the football stadium. I made the nachos and frito pies and had a blast. Again I had the chance to interact with a lot of people. I had a good night.
I am reminded people make ministry worth it. It is the tangled web of relationships I enjoy most about serving as a pastor. I have enjoyed those relationships from east Texas to west Texas and several points in between. Tomorrow I will get to teach a handful of people a Bible study. I look forward to that opportunity and Sunday I will again stand before a congregation to communicate the truth of God's word Lord willing. I have preached thousands of times in the past twenty-nine years. I don't want it grow old. I want a fresh passion in my heart for ministry no matter how long I have been doing this. I want to start over like each Sunday is my first Sunday with joy and passion.
Ministry can become a grind if you let it. There are trials and hardships and my family is no stranger to them. Still I am called to this and for as long as God gives me strength and mental health I want to serve Him faithfully wherever He wills and plants me. When I first started preaching the size of the crowd did not matter. I was glad to just get to preach. I want to carry that same enthusiasm to my grave. I am grateful to get to preach and to have a flock to serve. I am also grateful for a chance to rewind and start over.
While on my prayer retreat I have already written about going back to my early call into ministry. As I began meditating on starting over I went back to those early days. My first ministry assignment called for me to give my testimony to some students. I was nervous and finished in seven minutes. I was excited about the opportunity.
The other opportunities did not come so readily. I rarely got to preach until I came home my first summer after my freshman year at Howard Payne University. My pastor gave me and a friend the opportunity to start traveling around Lake Sam Rayburn and preaching at different camp sites. At least that was the original vision. We ended up planting a church at the Shirley Creek Marina. We did not know we were planting a church. We just preached and visited people. We dutifully set up chairs on the shore of the lake early each Sunday and alternated preaching each week. We traveled down to the marina during the week to make visits. To this day the church still holds a service inside the marina even though now they have built a church facility of their own.
After that I got a few opportunities to fill in for some preachers here and there. I relished those opportunities even though the preaching was woeful. Eventually I became a youth pastor and well you know the rest of the story.
Taking a new start I have thought about the excitement of those early days in ministry. I want to translate that same enthusiasm to my ministry now even though that has been twenty-nine years ago. We have been wounded by churches during that time. We have also been blessed by churches during those near three decades. We have rejoiced in revival and wept with the grieving. We have dreamed big and at times suffered long all for the cause of Christ.
I do not want my enthusiasm for ministry to wane. Not in the good times or the tough times. Yesterday we participated in the homecoming parade with a float from Faith Community Church. Our theme was highway to heaven. We had little cars on the sides of the trailer with kids sitting behind throwing out candy. Older kids walked alone side the trailer passing out little toy cars. Each car on the trailer had part of the Roman Road written on it. On top of the gooseneck we had a large white cross with a highway leading up to it. It measured over fourteen feet high from the road. I enjoyed passing out cars and interacting with different people in the crowd. After that I worked in the concession stand during the community wide pep rally at the football stadium. I made the nachos and frito pies and had a blast. Again I had the chance to interact with a lot of people. I had a good night.
I am reminded people make ministry worth it. It is the tangled web of relationships I enjoy most about serving as a pastor. I have enjoyed those relationships from east Texas to west Texas and several points in between. Tomorrow I will get to teach a handful of people a Bible study. I look forward to that opportunity and Sunday I will again stand before a congregation to communicate the truth of God's word Lord willing. I have preached thousands of times in the past twenty-nine years. I don't want it grow old. I want a fresh passion in my heart for ministry no matter how long I have been doing this. I want to start over like each Sunday is my first Sunday with joy and passion.
Ministry can become a grind if you let it. There are trials and hardships and my family is no stranger to them. Still I am called to this and for as long as God gives me strength and mental health I want to serve Him faithfully wherever He wills and plants me. When I first started preaching the size of the crowd did not matter. I was glad to just get to preach. I want to carry that same enthusiasm to my grave. I am grateful to get to preach and to have a flock to serve. I am also grateful for a chance to rewind and start over.
Monday, October 1, 2012
Lessons Learned: Pastor or Evangelist
I will not forget one Sunday evening back in the spring of 1985. I was sitting on a the pew in the old sanctuary at Denman Avenue Baptist Church listening to Brother Charles Roberts preach. That was the first time I felt any prompting from the Holy Spirit that I had been selected for ministry.
I quickly dismissed the thought and went on about my senior year. In late June of 1985 I attended a leadership youth camp. Over and over again I felt the Lord calling me into ministry. I resisted. One night I sat in the closet of my dorm room on the campus of Baylor University in tears.
The following week I attended another youth camp. For three nights in a row I resisted God's call on my life. Finally on July, 4, 1985 I surrendered at the Pineywoods Baptist Encampment. I came to my home church the next Sunday morning and made the commitment public. I recall scores of people lining up to shake my hand after the service and I heard this question over and over again. "Are you going to be a pastor, youth pastor, evangelist, missionary?" I gave the same answer every time. "I don't know. God just called me to preach."
In my years in ministry I have been a youth pastor, pastor, and an evangelist. Right now I am serving as both pastor and youth pastor. I feel called to serve as a pastor but many around me see more as an evangelist.
I recently held an informal survey of about two dozen friends. I asked this simple question. "Do you see more as a pastor or an evangelist." I did not qualify why I was asking the question. Out of two dozen responses twenty-two said evangelist. Two people said pastor. Out of the twenty-two who said evangelist five said they saw me as both but more as an evangelist. The longer I thought about their comments the more disheartened I became. I have served as a pastor in four different churches now for more than eleven years. It seems I have not excelled in those ministries as a shepherd.
I found myself reading [Eph 4:11], "And He gave some as apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds (pastors) and teachers."
On my retreat I asked God what His calling on my life entailed. I wanted to know if He called me to be a pastor or an evangelist like so many people thought. I could see me in both roles. I have served in both capacities. There are even things I like about both ministries.
The answer did not come immediately but when it did come it surprised me. The answer is both! Primarily I am a pastor. I love feeding the flock the word verse by verse. I enjoy developing relationships though I know I have a tendency to keep many people at arm's length. Hundreds of times I have made hospital visits and ministered to people in sickness and tragedy. I have preached many funerals and feel God has used me to bring comfort to grieving people. Though never easy this is the part of serving as a pastor I take seriously.
Before the Shake the City Revival in Seminole back in the summer of 2010, I made many hospital visits. On one day the week the the revival started I made three visits in one day in three different towns. Once the revival started I felt something shift inside me. I no longer felt like a pastor and preached like an evangelist. God gave me powerful messages during those three weeks. Just as clearly I remember when the revival ended I felt the Lord shifting my heart to serve as a pastor again. For those weeks during the revival there were no hospital visits to be made. God kept us healthy in those days. Once the revival ended there were hospital visits, counseling, funerals and week to week preaching.
All my ministry God has opened doors for me to preach youth camps, retreats, and revivals. When those doors have opened I walk through them prayerfully. Some times I turn down the invitations if they require me to be gone from the pulpit at the church I am serving on Sundays. While those invitations come I accept some of them and when I do I operate under the anointing and call of God to be an evangelist. I love preaching in those settings and I have seen God move very powerfully.
That is not my favorite thing. I love faithfully feeding the flock week after week as we study through a book of the Bible. At CentrePointe we did this with James and Luke. At FBC Paradise we did this through I Peter, Acts, Colossians, and Luke. At Seminole we studied through Phillipians, I John, I Corinthians, and several Bible Characters. Here at Faith Community we have studied Joel, I Timothy, I Thessalonians, and are working our way through Mark now. This is my favorite preaching and teaching. This forces me to study and we dig into deep truth.
I serve as a pastor today and also a student pastor. Every Wednesday night I teach adults and then walk across the parking lot to teach our students and I feel God's anointing to do both. The bottom line is I cannot be shoved into any one mold. God has uniquely gifted me to serve as both a pastor and an evangelist in different settings. I embrace both callings on my life along with the calling to write. I can't explain it but I know God uses me to minister to and relate to children, students, and adults. While it all seems natural to me I know this is because of God's unique calling and gifting in my life.
There are some who will never understand me and this dual calling on my life. I have surrendered to God to serve as a full time evangelist if that is what He wants. To date the phone does not ring with invitations to preach. For the first time in years I do not have one outside preaching engagement at this time. So I continue to labor as a pastor and a student pastor. Back this summer when I preached our two week revival at Faith Community Church I once again felt God calling me to operate in the evangelistic anointing and calling He has put on my life during those meetings.
While I was in the middle of my full time evangelistic meeting I was asked to serve as an interim pastor at a church in Lufkin, TX. I loved those times with those people. Eventually I got so busy traveling that it became necessary for me to step out of the interim role.
I know I have a pastor's heart. I also know I have an evangelistic calling. I will do my best to serve in both capacities as God allows. I simply do what God puts before me to do. I am comfortable in both roles. I enjoy serving as a pastor more but will always remain open and to travel and preach where God opens doors. Think of me as an evangelistic pastor.
What is your role and ministry. I did not write this just so you could sit on the outside of my life and form your own opinion of what I am. What ministry has God called you to? What gifting has He bestowed on you for service?
All of us in Christ were created for good works which God prepared before hand. [Eph 2:10] We are to walk in those. Find yours and labor faithfully for the Master.
I quickly dismissed the thought and went on about my senior year. In late June of 1985 I attended a leadership youth camp. Over and over again I felt the Lord calling me into ministry. I resisted. One night I sat in the closet of my dorm room on the campus of Baylor University in tears.
The following week I attended another youth camp. For three nights in a row I resisted God's call on my life. Finally on July, 4, 1985 I surrendered at the Pineywoods Baptist Encampment. I came to my home church the next Sunday morning and made the commitment public. I recall scores of people lining up to shake my hand after the service and I heard this question over and over again. "Are you going to be a pastor, youth pastor, evangelist, missionary?" I gave the same answer every time. "I don't know. God just called me to preach."
In my years in ministry I have been a youth pastor, pastor, and an evangelist. Right now I am serving as both pastor and youth pastor. I feel called to serve as a pastor but many around me see more as an evangelist.
I recently held an informal survey of about two dozen friends. I asked this simple question. "Do you see more as a pastor or an evangelist." I did not qualify why I was asking the question. Out of two dozen responses twenty-two said evangelist. Two people said pastor. Out of the twenty-two who said evangelist five said they saw me as both but more as an evangelist. The longer I thought about their comments the more disheartened I became. I have served as a pastor in four different churches now for more than eleven years. It seems I have not excelled in those ministries as a shepherd.
I found myself reading [Eph 4:11], "And He gave some as apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds (pastors) and teachers."
On my retreat I asked God what His calling on my life entailed. I wanted to know if He called me to be a pastor or an evangelist like so many people thought. I could see me in both roles. I have served in both capacities. There are even things I like about both ministries.
The answer did not come immediately but when it did come it surprised me. The answer is both! Primarily I am a pastor. I love feeding the flock the word verse by verse. I enjoy developing relationships though I know I have a tendency to keep many people at arm's length. Hundreds of times I have made hospital visits and ministered to people in sickness and tragedy. I have preached many funerals and feel God has used me to bring comfort to grieving people. Though never easy this is the part of serving as a pastor I take seriously.
Before the Shake the City Revival in Seminole back in the summer of 2010, I made many hospital visits. On one day the week the the revival started I made three visits in one day in three different towns. Once the revival started I felt something shift inside me. I no longer felt like a pastor and preached like an evangelist. God gave me powerful messages during those three weeks. Just as clearly I remember when the revival ended I felt the Lord shifting my heart to serve as a pastor again. For those weeks during the revival there were no hospital visits to be made. God kept us healthy in those days. Once the revival ended there were hospital visits, counseling, funerals and week to week preaching.
All my ministry God has opened doors for me to preach youth camps, retreats, and revivals. When those doors have opened I walk through them prayerfully. Some times I turn down the invitations if they require me to be gone from the pulpit at the church I am serving on Sundays. While those invitations come I accept some of them and when I do I operate under the anointing and call of God to be an evangelist. I love preaching in those settings and I have seen God move very powerfully.
That is not my favorite thing. I love faithfully feeding the flock week after week as we study through a book of the Bible. At CentrePointe we did this with James and Luke. At FBC Paradise we did this through I Peter, Acts, Colossians, and Luke. At Seminole we studied through Phillipians, I John, I Corinthians, and several Bible Characters. Here at Faith Community we have studied Joel, I Timothy, I Thessalonians, and are working our way through Mark now. This is my favorite preaching and teaching. This forces me to study and we dig into deep truth.
I serve as a pastor today and also a student pastor. Every Wednesday night I teach adults and then walk across the parking lot to teach our students and I feel God's anointing to do both. The bottom line is I cannot be shoved into any one mold. God has uniquely gifted me to serve as both a pastor and an evangelist in different settings. I embrace both callings on my life along with the calling to write. I can't explain it but I know God uses me to minister to and relate to children, students, and adults. While it all seems natural to me I know this is because of God's unique calling and gifting in my life.
There are some who will never understand me and this dual calling on my life. I have surrendered to God to serve as a full time evangelist if that is what He wants. To date the phone does not ring with invitations to preach. For the first time in years I do not have one outside preaching engagement at this time. So I continue to labor as a pastor and a student pastor. Back this summer when I preached our two week revival at Faith Community Church I once again felt God calling me to operate in the evangelistic anointing and calling He has put on my life during those meetings.
While I was in the middle of my full time evangelistic meeting I was asked to serve as an interim pastor at a church in Lufkin, TX. I loved those times with those people. Eventually I got so busy traveling that it became necessary for me to step out of the interim role.
I know I have a pastor's heart. I also know I have an evangelistic calling. I will do my best to serve in both capacities as God allows. I simply do what God puts before me to do. I am comfortable in both roles. I enjoy serving as a pastor more but will always remain open and to travel and preach where God opens doors. Think of me as an evangelistic pastor.
What is your role and ministry. I did not write this just so you could sit on the outside of my life and form your own opinion of what I am. What ministry has God called you to? What gifting has He bestowed on you for service?
All of us in Christ were created for good works which God prepared before hand. [Eph 2:10] We are to walk in those. Find yours and labor faithfully for the Master.
Saturday, September 29, 2012
Lessons Learned: Totally Surrender
"I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship." [Rom 12:1]
"I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." [Gal 2:20]
Some lessons are harder to learn than others. While away on the prayer retreat the second lesson the Lord brought to me convicted me of totally surrendering. This meant going way back and learning to die to every dream, claim, hope, aspiration, and agenda I ever had for my life. Voluntarily climbing upon God's altar and surrendering everything is not easy. On that altar I had to die, not in the physical realm, but in the emotional and spiritual realm. I had to let go of everything I have kept firmly in my grasp.
I had to die to the dream of being a widely published author. I had to surrender to the possibility my books will never be best sellers. I had to fully embrace the possibility that I will never be published wider than the town I live and minister in and I have to be okay with that. I also have to die to any dream of success as a pastor as that might relate to a large church. If God wills me to shepherd a group of one hundred or less I have to accept that joyfully. If I never have retirement money set aside and spend the rest of my days trusting God for my daily bread then so be it.
Totally surrendering might be the hardest lesson I had to learn. I am still learning it. You see Paul wrote for us to present our bodies as a living sacrifice. When something is alive it can wiggle and squirm on the altar until it has freed itself. This is what I have done over the last year. I climbed upon the altar as I left Seminole over a year ago but I struggled to squirm free because the pain became too great. God desires all of us to voluntarily lay our lives on the altar. The altar was a place a slaughter. Do not miss this truth. To get on the altar means to die to our rights, plans, agendas, hopes, and dreams. It means God gets to call the shots without asking our permission or opinion.
Likewise the crucified life is not easy. It is painful to die to dreams. Here are just a few things I died to. I died to the right that I do not have to serve as both pastor and youth pastor at Faith Community Church. I died to the right that I will one day not have to mow and be bi-vocational. I died to ever serving a large church. I died to selling thousands upon thousands of books. I died to home ownership. I died to driving the latest cars, wearing the most fashionable clothing, and having my pockets chock full of cash.
Totally surrendering means crucifying every right you think you have or deserve on your life. Some of those rights do not die easily. They will not surrender without a life and death struggle. Only Christ can put those things to death. Only He can hammer in the last nail.
Strangely when I let go of the reigns of my life and quit fighting and resisting God a peace came. I had to die to ever having a long term ministry in any church. I had to let go of Faith Community Church, FBC Seminole and FBC Paradise. My life is laid on the altar of God and He has every right to do with me as He pleases. One of the liberating things about seeking to totally surrender is all the pressure is taken off me to perform. All I have to do is to follow and obey.
I recall three and a half years ago being asked to travel to FBC Seminole to preach a Disciple Now. The church did not have a pastor at the time and the youth minister came to me on Saturday afternoon telling me the search committee was interested in me. I had been at FBC Paradise for four years and really thought I would spend the rest of my life in that ministry. We were very contented there.
I wrestled with God in prayer all that afternoon. I ended up changing the message that night and preached a message more for me than anyone else in that church. I preached from [Rom 12:1] During the invitation I walked down from the stage and went over to where the organ was located. I knelt down and prayed this prayer, "Lord if nobody else in this room really means they will lay their lives down for you I mean it. If that means I have to uproot my comfortable life in Paradise to come to Seminole I will do it. My life is yours and you can do with me as you please." Four months later I became the pastor of FBC Seminole. My life remained on the altar while serving in Seminole and two years later it seemed the Lord called me to pack up and leave to start a church. Again my life being crucified with Christ had no rights. I had to follow and obey.
While on the prayer retreat I prostrated myself on the floor of that cabin. With no one around but the Lord and me, I once again climbed onto God's altar and offered my whole life. I made myself available to stay at Faith Community Church for the remainder of my days. I made myself available to go anywhere else He might lead in the future. I even made myself available to leave the pastoral ministry and begin traveling as an evangelist full time if He wanted. Nothing off limits. Nothing held back. Total and absolute surrender as best I knew how to offer it. I gave God my yes without even knowing what all that might mean in the future.
At least for now that is to serve as the founder and pastor of Faith Community Church in Paradise, TX. All I can see is right in front of me. I do not have any other agenda. Regardless of whether I am blessed to be entrusted with a large flock or a large traveling ministry I am crucified with Christ. I have no rights to call the shots in my life or to rebel against the hardships. No matter if road is smooth or rough I yield. I give up controls. I surrender totally.
While on the retreat I read a book about some missionaries who really had to suffer a great deal of personal grief and loss in the cause of Christ. Their response to God in the midst of heart wrenching trials and tragedies humbled and convicted me. John Paton had to dig the graves for his wife and child and bury them alone on foreign soil. He did not quit and he kept trusting God though his heart was shattered. He spent many a day and night at those two graves grieving and grappling for peace. God sustained Him because he was totally surrendered. Adoniram Judson buried two wives and seven children as he served Christ in Burma. He labored for multiple decades. He witnessed for Christ for six years before ever seeing the first person come to Christ for salvation. Judson lived crucified with Christ and never gave up.
When you are really crucified with Christ you die. You die to the rights of a comfortable, secure, and trial free life. So in the living room of that little prayer cabin I died. I offered God my life. All of it and no part of willfully held back. Total surrender. No matter the difficulties. No matter how much my reputation is slandered. No matter how hard the road gets. I am crucified with Christ and I no longer live. Jesus Christ lives in and through the man known as Matt Edwards. I do not know where I will end up but I do know where I will start. On the altar of God as a totally surrendered living sacrifice.
"I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." [Gal 2:20]
Some lessons are harder to learn than others. While away on the prayer retreat the second lesson the Lord brought to me convicted me of totally surrendering. This meant going way back and learning to die to every dream, claim, hope, aspiration, and agenda I ever had for my life. Voluntarily climbing upon God's altar and surrendering everything is not easy. On that altar I had to die, not in the physical realm, but in the emotional and spiritual realm. I had to let go of everything I have kept firmly in my grasp.
I had to die to the dream of being a widely published author. I had to surrender to the possibility my books will never be best sellers. I had to fully embrace the possibility that I will never be published wider than the town I live and minister in and I have to be okay with that. I also have to die to any dream of success as a pastor as that might relate to a large church. If God wills me to shepherd a group of one hundred or less I have to accept that joyfully. If I never have retirement money set aside and spend the rest of my days trusting God for my daily bread then so be it.
Totally surrendering might be the hardest lesson I had to learn. I am still learning it. You see Paul wrote for us to present our bodies as a living sacrifice. When something is alive it can wiggle and squirm on the altar until it has freed itself. This is what I have done over the last year. I climbed upon the altar as I left Seminole over a year ago but I struggled to squirm free because the pain became too great. God desires all of us to voluntarily lay our lives on the altar. The altar was a place a slaughter. Do not miss this truth. To get on the altar means to die to our rights, plans, agendas, hopes, and dreams. It means God gets to call the shots without asking our permission or opinion.
Likewise the crucified life is not easy. It is painful to die to dreams. Here are just a few things I died to. I died to the right that I do not have to serve as both pastor and youth pastor at Faith Community Church. I died to the right that I will one day not have to mow and be bi-vocational. I died to ever serving a large church. I died to selling thousands upon thousands of books. I died to home ownership. I died to driving the latest cars, wearing the most fashionable clothing, and having my pockets chock full of cash.
Totally surrendering means crucifying every right you think you have or deserve on your life. Some of those rights do not die easily. They will not surrender without a life and death struggle. Only Christ can put those things to death. Only He can hammer in the last nail.
Strangely when I let go of the reigns of my life and quit fighting and resisting God a peace came. I had to die to ever having a long term ministry in any church. I had to let go of Faith Community Church, FBC Seminole and FBC Paradise. My life is laid on the altar of God and He has every right to do with me as He pleases. One of the liberating things about seeking to totally surrender is all the pressure is taken off me to perform. All I have to do is to follow and obey.
I recall three and a half years ago being asked to travel to FBC Seminole to preach a Disciple Now. The church did not have a pastor at the time and the youth minister came to me on Saturday afternoon telling me the search committee was interested in me. I had been at FBC Paradise for four years and really thought I would spend the rest of my life in that ministry. We were very contented there.
I wrestled with God in prayer all that afternoon. I ended up changing the message that night and preached a message more for me than anyone else in that church. I preached from [Rom 12:1] During the invitation I walked down from the stage and went over to where the organ was located. I knelt down and prayed this prayer, "Lord if nobody else in this room really means they will lay their lives down for you I mean it. If that means I have to uproot my comfortable life in Paradise to come to Seminole I will do it. My life is yours and you can do with me as you please." Four months later I became the pastor of FBC Seminole. My life remained on the altar while serving in Seminole and two years later it seemed the Lord called me to pack up and leave to start a church. Again my life being crucified with Christ had no rights. I had to follow and obey.
While on the prayer retreat I prostrated myself on the floor of that cabin. With no one around but the Lord and me, I once again climbed onto God's altar and offered my whole life. I made myself available to stay at Faith Community Church for the remainder of my days. I made myself available to go anywhere else He might lead in the future. I even made myself available to leave the pastoral ministry and begin traveling as an evangelist full time if He wanted. Nothing off limits. Nothing held back. Total and absolute surrender as best I knew how to offer it. I gave God my yes without even knowing what all that might mean in the future.
At least for now that is to serve as the founder and pastor of Faith Community Church in Paradise, TX. All I can see is right in front of me. I do not have any other agenda. Regardless of whether I am blessed to be entrusted with a large flock or a large traveling ministry I am crucified with Christ. I have no rights to call the shots in my life or to rebel against the hardships. No matter if road is smooth or rough I yield. I give up controls. I surrender totally.
While on the retreat I read a book about some missionaries who really had to suffer a great deal of personal grief and loss in the cause of Christ. Their response to God in the midst of heart wrenching trials and tragedies humbled and convicted me. John Paton had to dig the graves for his wife and child and bury them alone on foreign soil. He did not quit and he kept trusting God though his heart was shattered. He spent many a day and night at those two graves grieving and grappling for peace. God sustained Him because he was totally surrendered. Adoniram Judson buried two wives and seven children as he served Christ in Burma. He labored for multiple decades. He witnessed for Christ for six years before ever seeing the first person come to Christ for salvation. Judson lived crucified with Christ and never gave up.
When you are really crucified with Christ you die. You die to the rights of a comfortable, secure, and trial free life. So in the living room of that little prayer cabin I died. I offered God my life. All of it and no part of willfully held back. Total surrender. No matter the difficulties. No matter how much my reputation is slandered. No matter how hard the road gets. I am crucified with Christ and I no longer live. Jesus Christ lives in and through the man known as Matt Edwards. I do not know where I will end up but I do know where I will start. On the altar of God as a totally surrendered living sacrifice.
Friday, September 28, 2012
Lessons Learned: Learn to be Content
"Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me." [Phil 4:11-13]
There is a lot packed into this lesson. It proved to be a painful reminder for me. I have not been content most of my life and for sure in most of my ministry. A friend challenged me with this truth. I spent hours praying through these verses and meditating on each significant word. Here is what I learned.
Paul said first of all he learned to be content. The word means to increase in knowledge, to be informed, to learn by practice and to be in the habit of. I take this to mean that contentment is not something you and I come by naturally. Think about it. Ever heard a child talking about what they want for their birthday or Christmas while surrounded by toys. How often do you get a new car or change your cell phone when a new model comes out. Have you ever changed your hair color or hair style.
We are bombarded with messages in this country that combat our being content. Now what does the word content mean? To be satisfied with one's lot, to be satisfied independent of external circumstances. It is one thing to be content after eating a fine meal surrounded by loved ones. It is easy to be satisfied then. Paul is not just talking about being satisfied when you are on top of the world. He is talking about being satisfied when you have a lot and when you have little. He is telling us he learned the secret of being content regardless of the circumstances surrounding his life. He wrote that in prison waiting to be executed. Remember content means to be satisfied independently of external circumstances.
Don't we do just the opposite? Don't our external circumstances dictate our contentment in life. When the business grows and the profit margins increase it is easy to be satisfied in life. When everyone in the family is experiencing good health it is easy to be satisfied. It is much harder when the business fails, or when you find someone you love with cancer. It is harder when your child rebels against the Lord. Contentment is hard to grasp when your dreams get shattered and when you wonder why God delays in answering your prayer. When you suffer for doing what is right is increasingly difficult to be satisfied. When your little girls dies and you watch helplessly it is hard to be content burying her and leaving her remains at the cemetery while you go home to tormented nights and endless tears.
How does anyone learn to be content regardless of your external circumstances? This is a truth I am determined to know. Paul said he had learned the secret of such a life. That means it is a mystery and not obvious to the understanding. I spent some fair amount of time this week praying and asking God to show me the secret of contentment.
I too have been blessed with abundance and I have also known some very lean times. At times I was not content in both set of circumstances. What is the secret? How do you and I learn this truth at the core of our being?
The secret is that Jesus strengthens us. That means he empowers us to endure and to live day in and day out. He increases our strength to overcome adversity. He enables us to remain strong and robust when life rolls over us like a freight train. He helps us endure when everything around us starts to shake and crumble like the foundation of a house in a major earthquake.
If Paul was just another self-help guru promoting his latest book I would not be interested. What gets my attention is Paul suffered. Read about it in [II Cor 11:24-29]. He suffered more than we can imagine and yet his counsel for us is to learn to be satisfied in life regardless of our external circumstance.
This truth hit me like a wrecking ball. How much of my life have I spent not living with contentment? I am ashamed to admit it has been a great deal. In the beginning I thought I would be content once I finished school. After that I thought contentment would come after getting married. Next, it was getting a ministry job. Following that I wanted to be in full time ministry. I next wanted to be a full time pastor. Following this I wanted to go into full time evangelism. Next I wanted to start a church. I wanted our own home. You get the picture. Contentment came for a season in each of those situations but so did the trials and lack of satisfaction.
I recall eating lunch with a friend a few years ago. He has worked for the same company for close to thirty years. I told him I admired him. I asked if he ever had the chance to move or thought about moving. He told me no. He simply said it never entered his mind. He had advanced and been promoted through the years but never entertained leaving the company he has worked for all these years. He is the model of contentment.
People lose contentment in their marriages. They think divorce will bring contentment and soon after they are looking for someone they can marry again. People hop from job to job hoping to find that magical place where they can be happy. People buy and sell cars, homes, and other things all in search of that elusive dream of contentment.
Learning contentment is a new commitment for me. While on my prayer retreat I wrote down several things to help me in this quest to live with contentment.
1. I must become a diligent student keeping this truth before me daily.
2. I must memorize [Phil 4:11-13] so it is readily available in my mind.
3. I must learn this truth experientially. I must live it out in my practical experience.
4. I have to submit to Christ's Lordship to be content.
5. Regardless of my circumstances Jesus strengthens me to be content.
6. Faith brings trust and trust ushers in contentment.
So lesson one for this series is learn to be content. That might start with multiple little thank you's to God each day to help us be satisfied. Contentment can be learned. That means it can also be experienced in our lives. Let's learn this together.
There is a lot packed into this lesson. It proved to be a painful reminder for me. I have not been content most of my life and for sure in most of my ministry. A friend challenged me with this truth. I spent hours praying through these verses and meditating on each significant word. Here is what I learned.
Paul said first of all he learned to be content. The word means to increase in knowledge, to be informed, to learn by practice and to be in the habit of. I take this to mean that contentment is not something you and I come by naturally. Think about it. Ever heard a child talking about what they want for their birthday or Christmas while surrounded by toys. How often do you get a new car or change your cell phone when a new model comes out. Have you ever changed your hair color or hair style.
We are bombarded with messages in this country that combat our being content. Now what does the word content mean? To be satisfied with one's lot, to be satisfied independent of external circumstances. It is one thing to be content after eating a fine meal surrounded by loved ones. It is easy to be satisfied then. Paul is not just talking about being satisfied when you are on top of the world. He is talking about being satisfied when you have a lot and when you have little. He is telling us he learned the secret of being content regardless of the circumstances surrounding his life. He wrote that in prison waiting to be executed. Remember content means to be satisfied independently of external circumstances.
Don't we do just the opposite? Don't our external circumstances dictate our contentment in life. When the business grows and the profit margins increase it is easy to be satisfied in life. When everyone in the family is experiencing good health it is easy to be satisfied. It is much harder when the business fails, or when you find someone you love with cancer. It is harder when your child rebels against the Lord. Contentment is hard to grasp when your dreams get shattered and when you wonder why God delays in answering your prayer. When you suffer for doing what is right is increasingly difficult to be satisfied. When your little girls dies and you watch helplessly it is hard to be content burying her and leaving her remains at the cemetery while you go home to tormented nights and endless tears.
How does anyone learn to be content regardless of your external circumstances? This is a truth I am determined to know. Paul said he had learned the secret of such a life. That means it is a mystery and not obvious to the understanding. I spent some fair amount of time this week praying and asking God to show me the secret of contentment.
I too have been blessed with abundance and I have also known some very lean times. At times I was not content in both set of circumstances. What is the secret? How do you and I learn this truth at the core of our being?
The secret is that Jesus strengthens us. That means he empowers us to endure and to live day in and day out. He increases our strength to overcome adversity. He enables us to remain strong and robust when life rolls over us like a freight train. He helps us endure when everything around us starts to shake and crumble like the foundation of a house in a major earthquake.
If Paul was just another self-help guru promoting his latest book I would not be interested. What gets my attention is Paul suffered. Read about it in [II Cor 11:24-29]. He suffered more than we can imagine and yet his counsel for us is to learn to be satisfied in life regardless of our external circumstance.
This truth hit me like a wrecking ball. How much of my life have I spent not living with contentment? I am ashamed to admit it has been a great deal. In the beginning I thought I would be content once I finished school. After that I thought contentment would come after getting married. Next, it was getting a ministry job. Following that I wanted to be in full time ministry. I next wanted to be a full time pastor. Following this I wanted to go into full time evangelism. Next I wanted to start a church. I wanted our own home. You get the picture. Contentment came for a season in each of those situations but so did the trials and lack of satisfaction.
I recall eating lunch with a friend a few years ago. He has worked for the same company for close to thirty years. I told him I admired him. I asked if he ever had the chance to move or thought about moving. He told me no. He simply said it never entered his mind. He had advanced and been promoted through the years but never entertained leaving the company he has worked for all these years. He is the model of contentment.
People lose contentment in their marriages. They think divorce will bring contentment and soon after they are looking for someone they can marry again. People hop from job to job hoping to find that magical place where they can be happy. People buy and sell cars, homes, and other things all in search of that elusive dream of contentment.
Learning contentment is a new commitment for me. While on my prayer retreat I wrote down several things to help me in this quest to live with contentment.
1. I must become a diligent student keeping this truth before me daily.
2. I must memorize [Phil 4:11-13] so it is readily available in my mind.
3. I must learn this truth experientially. I must live it out in my practical experience.
4. I have to submit to Christ's Lordship to be content.
5. Regardless of my circumstances Jesus strengthens me to be content.
6. Faith brings trust and trust ushers in contentment.
So lesson one for this series is learn to be content. That might start with multiple little thank you's to God each day to help us be satisfied. Contentment can be learned. That means it can also be experienced in our lives. Let's learn this together.
Thursday, September 27, 2012
Getting Away
For the first time in fifteen months I got away to the prayer cabin I often retreat to for renewal and direction from the Lord. I just returned into town. I am not sure if I had ever needed such a retreat anymore badly than I needed this one.
My faith had ebbed pretty low. I exhibited many signs associated with burnout. Depression hung over me like a fog. I found myself dutifully getting through the duties of the day but had lost the delight. I knew something was broken in me that I could not fix. I still had my quiet times. I still read scripture. In an act of desperation I rearranged a few things in my schedule, talked with our leadership team and made the three hour trip away to the prayer cabin this past Sunday.
I could not believe it had been fifteen months since the last time I had gotten away to pray and recharge. I am going to write a series of blogs over the next several days of some basic lessons the Lord reminded me of while there. They were often painful lessons.
When the four days came to an end I was actually excited to return to my life and ministry in Paradise. I had two main counselors on that trip. One I talked to extensively on the phone and the other was my host at the retreat. My host and I shared several meals together and several lengthy conversations. I want to thank my Father in Heaven most. He knew what I needed. He met with me in profound ways. He counseled me in ways the other two could not. He renewed me in every way I needed to be renewed.
Everyday while away I woke up with a phrase in my mind along with some scripture. Each day the message differed from the previous day and to be factual I received more than one such message each day. Each specific in nature and a timely message directed to my heart. I had to do some repenting, dying, refocusing, and deep reflecting. Those few days were well worth it.
I hope you will tune in over the next several days as I share these timely messages. They hit the mark for me and I am sure they will do the same for you the reader. I feel recharged and ready for the battles ahead. Tune in for tomorrow and the days ahead to a series of blogs titled: "Lessons Learned."
My faith had ebbed pretty low. I exhibited many signs associated with burnout. Depression hung over me like a fog. I found myself dutifully getting through the duties of the day but had lost the delight. I knew something was broken in me that I could not fix. I still had my quiet times. I still read scripture. In an act of desperation I rearranged a few things in my schedule, talked with our leadership team and made the three hour trip away to the prayer cabin this past Sunday.
I could not believe it had been fifteen months since the last time I had gotten away to pray and recharge. I am going to write a series of blogs over the next several days of some basic lessons the Lord reminded me of while there. They were often painful lessons.
When the four days came to an end I was actually excited to return to my life and ministry in Paradise. I had two main counselors on that trip. One I talked to extensively on the phone and the other was my host at the retreat. My host and I shared several meals together and several lengthy conversations. I want to thank my Father in Heaven most. He knew what I needed. He met with me in profound ways. He counseled me in ways the other two could not. He renewed me in every way I needed to be renewed.
Everyday while away I woke up with a phrase in my mind along with some scripture. Each day the message differed from the previous day and to be factual I received more than one such message each day. Each specific in nature and a timely message directed to my heart. I had to do some repenting, dying, refocusing, and deep reflecting. Those few days were well worth it.
I hope you will tune in over the next several days as I share these timely messages. They hit the mark for me and I am sure they will do the same for you the reader. I feel recharged and ready for the battles ahead. Tune in for tomorrow and the days ahead to a series of blogs titled: "Lessons Learned."
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