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God Stuff or Good Stuff

August 6, 2011 in Helpful Material, Ministry Philosophy, Ministry Tools, Preaching, Reading Notes with 1 Comment

If you are a preacher I hope you will take the time to read the following quote. It is a little long but well worth your time. The older I get the more I realize how much I have spent time on the good stuff and not on the God stuff. I realize that I have preached pop psychology. I have preached what my pastor friends believed and my heroes taught me. I have been very wrong.

Real preaching is preaching the Bible and what it says. I wish that I had been better educated as a young man so that I would not have hurt so many people. I wish that someone would have helped me to see that I should preach the Bible and not mimic so much of what I was seeing.

Read this and consider it! We need to be real God Stuff preachers and not good stuff! It is hard for my pride to admit that I have made so many mistakes but I have. I feel like I am just now learning what I should have learned 40 years ago!

We live in a day in which people in churches are crying out for practical application and longing to see the relevance of the Bible. People have grown weary listening to sermons that only give them historical facts but provide them with no connection to real life.

Because we are a people of extremes, however, our humanity causes us to overreact to such abuses. And the result is that the pendulum swings to the opposite extreme of viewing the Bible merely as a resource manual for life on earth. And our infatuation with practical application has caused us to overlook the most important quality of the Bible—its Divine feature. We must understand that the Bible is God-centered, not man-centered. It is a book about Him more than it is a book about us. To make it otherwise is both selfish and arrogant. When we search God’s Word with a how-to mentality, we often run right past the revelation of Almighty God. This perversion fits hand in glove with the order of contemporary culture: “It’s all about me!”

The confusion regarding the essence of the Bible is compounded when applied to pastoral preaching, and the resulting deception is ever so subtle. Shepherds are ministers of grace and desire to meet people’s needs and heal their hurts. But what happens when the Bible gives no specific and practical help for the life situations some of our people are facing? Among other things, the shepherd in his desire to help is tempted to find his preaching material from some place other than the Bible. Walter Kaiser lamented that many pastors have decided that using the Bible is a handicap for meeting the needs of the current generation and, therefore, “have gone to drawing their sermons from the plethora of recovery and pop-psychology books that fill our Christian bookstores.” Worse yet, the shepherd lowers himself to making the Bible say things it does not say. In an attempt to offer practical and helpful information, he stands up to say, “Thus saith the Lord,” when the Lord did not saith! How can God get the glory if the preacher does not speak what God says?

While the preaching described above cannot necessarily be categorized as heresy or even blatant error, neither can it be described as consisting of the inspired Word of God. In Power in the Pulpit, Jerry Vines and I described this subtlety as the often overlooked difference between good stuff and God’s stuff. The body of truth that is revealed in the Bible, given for the purpose of godliness (see 2 Pet. 1:2–4) and righteousness (see 2 Tim. 3:16), can be called God’s stuff. It is the stuff of the Bible—its very essence. On the other hand, there is much helpful advice in life that is comprised of information or principles gleaned from simple observation and research. That is good stuff. Let us be very clear—the shepherd has not been charged with the task of speaking on all matters of good stuff.

While all truth is God’s truth, not all truth has been included in His written Word. He has sovereignly chosen to include only that which is necessary for man’s sanctification. There is a whole lot of good and helpful information in the world, but God did not choose to consecrate all of it as His inspired revelation necessary for spiritual transformation. In our previous work we cited the example of Aristotle, who delineated his principles of rhetoric simply by engaging in observation. He watched enough public speakers that he was able to glean certain “truths” for doing it effectively. The principles of rhetoric have had profound impact on preaching and all other forms of public speaking. But they are merely good stuff. Although they are both helpful and useful, they will not foster the God-life, much less glorify Him.

But the crisis we face in preaching today is not shepherds who deliver sermons on how to do good public speaking. The body of good stuff is far more appealing to contemporary churchgoers. That is what makes it so tough. If a therapist observes enough people dealing with stress on the job place, he will glean certain helpful principles for addressing the issue. If a marriage counselor observes enough people journeying through divorce recovery, she will be able to develop some guidelines that are helpful for that crisis. If parenting experts talk with enough moms and dads who are raising kids, they will be able to outline some practical ways for navigating such a task. And there will always be certain general truths in Scripture which can be applied to these and other life experiences.

The shepherd’s authority to stand and speak “Thus saith the Lord” is not in good stuff, but God’s stuff. While biblical truth surely informs certain principles that might be categorized as good stuff, its primary intent is more specific and far-reaching. The faithful shepherd will rightly interpret, exegete, and proclaim the truth of Scripture so as to allow it to accomplish its purpose in people’s lives. But when the shepherd prostitutes God’s stuff for good stuff, anarchy occurs. And the biggest tragedy is not what people are getting but what they are not getting. While they certainly are getting some helpful information, they are being robbed of the truth that is necessary for realizing God’s end and subsequently bringing glory to Him.

God’s stuff is the very essence of the Bible. It is His book, and it is primarily about Him. When the preacher begins at this point in his interpretation and his application, then he is sure to exalt God and bring glory to His name. When he begins at the point of resourcing man regarding all of his questions and felt needs, however, his interpretation and application are certain to exalt humanity.

Shaddix, J. (2003). The Passion Driven Sermon : Changing the Way Pastors Preach and Congregations Listen (64–66). Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman.

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Only 13 minutes a day!

August 5, 2011 in Discipleship, Ministry Tools, Reading Notes with 0 Comments

Source

It has been calculated that an average reader could read the entire Bible in 76 hours. This means that it would only take 12.5 minutes a day to read the Bible in a year. Do you realize that 12.5 minutes is only about 4/5 of a percent of your time each day. That’s right! If you give God less than 1% of your time each day you can read through the Bible in a year. Experience teaches me that those who choose to give Him 12.5 minutes will probably want to give more in order to do more than simply read through it. They will want to meditate, pray and examine what they read a little more thoroughly. They won’t want to lay their Bible down when 12.5 minutes comes around. But start with a 12.5 minute a day commitment…determine to give God 1% of your day and see where that leads.

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We need men

August 3, 2011 in Church Planting, Church Planting Methods, Discipleship, Ministry Tools with 1 Comment

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The Author of our Stories!

August 2, 2011 in Discipleship, Ladies in Ministry, Reading Notes with 0 Comments

The following blog was written just 10 days before the Lord called this dear lady home in a horrible car accident. She was Gene Womack’s sister. My wife had been in her Sunday School class at Northside Baptist Church and said that she was a great Bible teacher.

She had a great testimony. I marveled at her funeral and all the testimonies of how God worked in her life and through her. She is a model to be followed.

Watch as you read this and consider how God was preparing her for her home going! What a blessing this lady was!

Source

How many of you have ever read a good book or watched a movie and were disappointed with its ending? I think of one of which we all are familiar- Gone With The Wind- and we probably would not have let Bonnie Blue fall off the horse and die; and depending on our personalities, some of us would have wished Rhett had stayed with the pouty Scarlett, others were happy that she got what she deserved. Yes, if we could have reviewed and edited, we would have ruined Margaret Mitchell’s bestseller!

Today, I write to encourage myself and, hopefully, you, in the truth that God is the Author of our stories and He is too wise to try to edit. I will not and cannot explain the theological concept of His sovereignty and our free will but I do believe them both because the Bible teaches both and I believe that He is in every detail of our story. I know that isn’t easy to accept but when we do, we find ourselves at rest as never before. I don’t write today as one who has mastered being the pliable clay in the all-wise Potter’s hands but as one who, like you, is learning to be still and learning (emphasis on learning) to refrain from resisting while trusting that His ordained purpose for me is perfect. Yes, like you also, that is easier on the good days, when the sun is shining, not so easy when the black clouds are forming on the horizon. On those particular days, I find myself asking like the Psalmist-”Why are thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted in me?” Then I begin to praise Him for His goodness toward me and soon, I am asking the same question again. You relate, right?

Think with me that if Joseph could have rewritten his story, maybe he would have left out the chapter entitled- “Betrayed and Sold by Jealous Brothers.” Maybe Naomi, Orpah, and Ruth would have kept their husbands alive and we would have missed the beautiful love story or Boaz and Ruth who became the great grandparents of the great king of Israel, David. If David had not been on the run for his life from Saul, we would not be challenged by some great psalms that he wrote which encourage us that we can go on too. Esther would have rather stayed with Mordecai but found herself in the king’s palace and realized that she was there “for such a time as this.” The Bible is filled with these kind of stories, all of which God authored. In the N.T. Testament, we see many of our most beloved epistles written by the Apostle Paul from a prison cell, not exactly the location we would have chosen. It’s from his pen in the Book of Romans that he reminds us that “all things work together for good to them who love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose.” It doesn’t say all things are good but all things work for our good, dear Child of God. No, we don’t understand and won’t, fully, here. I have bought many little palettes of paint for the grandchildren for inside activities at our house. Rarely, do they include the color black and never have I seen gray in the mix but the artist in his masterpieces will often use those shades as a backdrop and the vibrant hues become brighter because of it. It’s why the jeweler who wants the sale places that diamond ring in a box of black velvet. The brilliance is glorious against the background. I do not understand cancer in kids- I pray for an 18-mo. old named Andrew with stage IV neuroblastoma. He is in Ireland with his parents who, I believe, are missionaries. Each day as his daddy updates on FB his blood transfusion and chemos and sleepless nights, I weep with them but rejoice at his little smile in extreme adversity and his parents’ thanksgiving for a Christian doctor and caring nurses.

My children in the ministry got a much needed vacation this week but Jeff has been crippled in much of it because of the painful condition of gout. I wonder why this would happen because he so diligently serves and desired some time with his precious three. I have prayed for them and have trusted that God knows exactly what is going on. “Deborah”, you might say, “Do you think God is in vacations gone awry?” I am learning that God is sovereign or He is not. It can’t be both ways so yes, He wasn’t taken aback by this mishap. One of my dearest friends, a sweet lady who shared discipleship classes with me, is on her way to Wisconsin today to see a specialist concerning “possible” pancreatic cancer. She kids with me on my birthday that I am older than her, from September to November and as she goes, she leaves behind in a hospital an aged mother who is recovering from bypass surgery. My friend retired from work to take care of her elderly parents and now she is too ill to to do so. I am sure she has questions. Would you join me in prayer for her? Do we understand? No! Do we trust God Who does understand fully? Yes! We trust His wisdom and His grace and His love for His children. Does He work all things out for good and His glory? Help us, Lord, to trust in You and Your truth! I posted a song last time that I blogged called Blessings. (Please listen to it if you are a fellow struggler today.)There is a particular line that ministers to my heart this morning. “What if the trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise?” It meant even more when I read that the young woman wrote the song after hearing that her husband had been diagnosed with a brain tumor. I began with our desire to rewrite sections of stories because we think that we have a better grasp on the outcome. But let us be reminded and reassured today that God’s story ends perfectly. The ending is really our beginning and from Heaven one day, we will say Amen and amen to His story and our chosen role in it. I am just thankful this morning that He gave me a part, aren’t you?

Praying for perseverance for you and desiring your like-minded prayer for me, Pilgrim! These temporary trials serve to remind us that this is not our home. Hallelujah!!

- Deborah

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12 Takeaways From the story of Farmer Fred:

August 1, 2011 in Church Planting Methods, Discipleship, Ministry Philosophy, Reading Notes with 1 Comment

The summation from Missionary Stephen Benefield in Cambodia!

1. If you want to plant a church, first plant yourself.

2. If you want the cream of the crop, you must first plant a crop.

3. If you are reticent to take a risk and invest time, labor, and resources in an uncertain crop, you will never see the cream of the crop.

4. Missionary work is long, hard, repetitious, and tedious.

5. Sometimes the people who take the longest to reach make the most solid Christians and leaders.

6. It does not make sense to say, “God has burdened me for a certain country, but if there are no missionaries there yet, I can’t go.” Maybe the fact that no one is there is the reason God burdened you.

7. You must work with many people who will eventually wash-out in order to find the ones who won’t.

8. If everybody quit their “small” works to be missionaries-at-large, the missionaries-at-large would be out of business. The larger boats float on the “drops-in-the-bucket”.

9. There are no shortcuts in missions.

10. Fast results are a blessing when they are genuine and “of God”, but more often than not, fast results are empty.

11. You will fail many times, but failure is not the end unless you let it be.

12. Just like in farming, there is no true success in missions without investing your life, dirtying your hands, dealing with disappointment, and remaining 100% committed to the cause.

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