The Effects of the Resurrection

For many Christians around the world, the remembrance of the Resurrection was last weekend. But Christians should be careful not to just move on to, "What's next in the calendar?" 

Christ has been raised!

When Paul speaks of this in 1 Corinthians 15, he doesn't say, "Christ was raised." Rather, he uses the perfect passive tense which means that an event happened for which we are still feeling the results! Subtle but important distinction. 


For Paul the point of the resurrection is not simply that the creator god has done something remarkable for one solitary individual (as people today sometimes imagine is the supposed thrust of the Easter proclamation), but that, in and through the resurrection, ‘the present evil age’ has been invaded by the ‘age to come', the time of restoration, return, covenant renewal, and forgiveness. An event has occurred as a result of which the world is a different place, and human beings have the new possibility to become a different kind of people.[i]

That's good stuff for a Monday morning! 

---

[i]Ciampa, R. E., & Rosner, B. S. (2010). The First Letter to the Corinthians (p. 756). Grand Rapids, MI; Cambridge, U.K.: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.

God Doesn't Waste Your Waiting

I've spent a lot of my lifetime waiting. Much of it while complaining. (Is it coincidental that those two words rhyme?) I'm not a great wait-er. Like one pastor said, "If you're at the grocery store and see me in line, don't get behind me. You'll wait longer than ever because God seems to put me in places where He teaches me to wait. So if you're looking for the fast lane, don't follow me." Man, I can relate.

Our church sets aside 21 days in January for prayer. We pray on Wednesday evenings like we always do, but it becomes more intentional and shall I say "passionate?" during those 21 days. Some people fast their lunch hour and spend it in prayer at the church. Some gather on Saturday morning for an hour and pray together. It's really a blessed time that I look forward to and I usually come out of those 21 Days with renewed passion and vision. 

But then there's that not so fun part: waiting. Pray and wait. Wait and pray. Hopefulness. Weariness. Despair. Fight. Believe. Pray some more and...wait. 

But here's something I'm learning: God doesn't waste your waiting. It feels like wasted time to me. (Shouldn't I be doing something? Did God not hear me? Did I not pray "in faith"?) But not one minute of wait time is wasted time. 

Like Moses...you may wait in the desert of Midian until you are completely prepared for deliverance from your Egypt.

Like Paul...you may wait for God to take away the "thorn" but God is using that waiting in weakness to reveal His strength.

Like Mary and Martha...you may wait for Jesus to come as Healer (of Lazarus) but God is coming as Resurrection and the Life.

No. God doesn't wait my waiting. Even if I wait until the end of this life, it isn't the end. As C.S. Lewis wrote in the Chronicles of Narnia,

And for us this the end of all the stories, and we can most truly say that they all lived happily ever after. But for them it was only the beginning of the real story. All their life in this world and all their adventures in Narnia had only been the cover and the title page: now at last they were beginning Chapter One of the Great Story which no one on earth has read: which goes on for ever; in which every chapter is better than the one before. (C.S. Lewis "The Last Battle")

HOW CAN I KNOW GOD'S WILL?

It's a question I'm asked as a pastor more than any other. I've asked it too. Most of the time, I think this question comes from a good motive. We want to know that our choice pleases God. We want our lives to count and for our days to have significance. 

But it can also come from a passive stance: maybe the truth is I want someone else to make the decision for me so I can be off the hook of responsibility? If it doesn't turn out like I thought, I don't have to blame myself. I can chalk one up to "God's choice for me includes suffering." Or, I simply don't want to put the time into seeking wise counsel from people who have walked where I've walked, read the stories of those who had similar decisions before them or set aside the time to seek the Lord and examine my motives in the light of the Scripture and the Holy Spirit. 

Without equivocation, I can name one thing for certain that is God's will. It's found in 1 Thessalonians 4:3: 

"For this is the will of God, your sanctification..."

Paul the apostle, is emphatic. Know this: God's will is for you to be "made holy." The mission of the Holy Spirit in your life is that your body, your mind, and your spirit are set apart for His purposes. He wants you to glorify God through your vocation, marriage, money and ministry. This is God's will for you. 

I've found it helpful to change my prayer from, "God what do you want me to do?" to "God which of these paths will make me more like Your Son?" Or, instead of asking, "God, which path should I take?" ask, "God, which path leads toward glorifying You? Toward holiness?"

"Many Christians feel more comfortable with the idea that apart from Christ they can do nothing, than they do with the other side of that coin: that they can do all things through Him who strengthens them. ‘I can do nothing’ lets me off the hook; ‘I can do all things’ makes me wonder why I'm not doing anything. It's easier to piddle around wondering whether it's God's will that you rent this apartment or that one, than it is to face up to God's ultimate will for you: that you become conformed to the image of His Son." (John Boykin in The Gospel of Coincidence, pg 168.)

Ouch. I've been there. I've piddled around with those kinds of questions. Pulling back to ask the larger question is harder and more probing. But here's what I know: it's one thing that's certain in every decision. For the Christ-follower, I can know that God's desire is that I become a reflection of Jesus. 

Imagine how this could shape your decisions regarding: 

• Which person should I date?
• Which job should I take? 
• Where should we go to church? 
• Should I lead a life group 

Here's where you can find some clarity: this is God's will, your sanctification.

THE FOLLY OF A YOUNG LEADER

Yesterday I heard another story of failed leadership in a mega church. It's heartbreaking because I love the church of Jesus. I take no pleasure in the failure of any high-profile leader. 

The story goes something like this: 

A strong Lead Pastor decides he wants to travel more and devote himself to national ministry. The student ministry is booming and the young leader has wide impact among the students and young families. So the Lead Pastor installs the student minister as campus pastor and the Lead Pastor moves to more of an overseer role. What happens next is crazy. The newly-minted Pastor overhauls the staff. He moves most of what he would call the "old guard" out and replaces them with his young homies that he has done life with in student ministry. He goes on a "change everything" binge. He closes his ears to wise elders, seeing himself as young, innovative and moving the church forward toward much needed change. Of course, you know how the story ends. The church goes into a tailspin. Long-standing members fearful of the fast changes flee the church like a party that's just heard the word "Fire!" The young pastor thinking the problem is the sheep, exerts himself even stronger. What follows is a few angry outbursts against the remaining team until the overseer steps back in and recommends that he get a therapist. The overseer begins the arduous task of cleanup. After several years, the church has rebounded and the next transition is on the horizon. 

So what do we learn from this? Young Leaders must seek to serve, first, and seek to be an innovator, second. 

Reading today in 1 Kings 12, I found case and point. Rehoboam is Solomon's son who steps in as king. A prophet has already prophesied that the kingdom will be divided because of Solomon's divided heart. But how will this awful tragedy happen? Through Rehoboam's folly. Rehoboam is approached by the leaders, 

“Your father made our yoke heavy. Now therefore lighten the hard service of your father and his heavy yoke on us, and we will serve you.” 1 Kings 12:4. 

Rehoboam says, 'Let me think on it for three days.' He seeks counsel from the "old guard" that was with his father Solomon and asks them what they think. 

And they said to him, “If you will be a servant to this people today and serve them, and speak good words to them when you answer them, then they will be your servants forever.” (1 Ki. 12.7) Good counsel!

But what does the young leader do? He goes to his young homies and asks them what they think, 

 And the young men who had grown up with him said to him, “Thus shall you speak to this people who said to you, ‘Your father made our yoke heavy, but you lighten it for us,’ thus shall you say to them, ‘My little finger is thicker than my father's thighs. (1 Ki. 12:10)

In other words, tell them, "You think you had it rough before? I'm going to show you what strong leadership looks like! There's going to be some changes 'round here!" 

Rehoboam likes the sound of this. This is more his style. He listens and heeds the advice of these upstarts. And just as the prophet had foretold, the kingdom is thrown into full-scale civil war. A kingdom is divided, families are broken, and carnage ensues. How the story would have been different had he listened to the sage advice of the old guys! How much heartbreak could have been avoided had he gone with the wisdom of experience!

Young leader, seek to be a servant, first. A wise old man once told me, "When you become a pastor, don't make any changes for the first six months. Listen to the sheep. Serve them. Love them. Then, in time, they will trust your voice and you can begin the process of change. But do it slowly and they will follow you." Wise stuff. 

The same applies to any of you who are entering a new position. Are you stepping into higher leadership? Replacing a previous executive? New owner of an older establishment? Seek to serve. Listen to what the long-standing problems are. Are the employees frustrated over a copier that doesn't work? Are they nickel-and-dime'd with receipts for pens and donuts? Fix those issues. It will go a long way toward letting them know that you listen and you care. 

How about you? Have you seen similar horror stories? Or better yet, have you watched a new leader come in with a servant's heart and listen well? Sound off.

HOW TO SURVIVE AWKWARD MOMENTS IN MINISTRY (Especially for Pastors and Teachers)

HOW TO SURVIVE AWKWARD MOMENTS IN MINISTRY AND LIFE

 It happens…

·      The object lesson doesn’t work

·      A bird gets caught in the sanctuary

·      Sister “Betsy” decides to bring out her tambourine and lead an awkward
victory march

·      Brother “Paul Pentecost” gives a prophecy that is obviously the result of too much pizza and not enough sleep

·      The thermostat malfunctions and it’s way too hot or too cold when the meeting starts

·      The guest speaker’s flight is cancelled and you find out at 5 p.m. on Sat. night

·      A person derails the life group by complaining about their lot in life

·      The preacher misquotes verses and fails to deliver one significant point

·      The preacher goes 10 minutes too long and children’s ministry is forced to improvise as a child screams and throws a tantrum

Can we recover? What should we do?

It’s happened to me many times in 30+ years of ministry. Believe it or not, everything above has happened to me at some point! After a service that bombs or a difficult small group meeting, I’ve wanted to quit; especially when I’m the one that blew it. And no matter how much you prepare, it can happen to you. There are times when I thought I had prepared a great message only to realize about 10 minutes into the message that I was wishing the rapture would take place and that Jesus would rescue me. Looking for the closest door after the message, I’ve disappeared because I didn’t want to see anybody. Yeah, I know some speakers are clueless, but believe me, most speakers know when they’ve failed.

What do you do?

Here are FIVE things to remember when things go bad:

 1.     If the Bible was opened and read; and if the motive was to honor Jesus, then it wasn’t a total loss. If we believe in the power of Scripture then we believe that Scripture has inherent power that is not based on our performance. I’m not excusing poor study habits, lack of preparation, or sloppy exposition. But if we study, pray and attempt to honor God’s Word then I believe the Word itself has power and ministry has taken place.

2.     Guard against deadly comparisons. Often when we are gauging the success of a weekend, a meeting, or class, we are comparing to the ministry down the street or some other peer and his ministry. I must remember that the church down the street has a unique calling and unique gift-mix. I am called to be ME. I must learn to be content with what Jesus is doing through me and the team and the people He’s given me. Yes, I should have a learning posture, to grow as a speaker, as a leader. But I’m also called to be myself and that includes being satisfied with how God wired me and the people He’s given me. One look at the parable of the talents and it seems to me that not everyone has the same number of talents. Comparing yourself to someone else is deadly.

3.     God does extraordinary things with ordinary…and seemingly weak ministers. Listen to the apostle Paul talk about his itinerant ministry: “For some say, "His letters are weighty and forceful, but in person he is unimpressive and his speaking amounts to nothing"(2 Cor. 10:10). How would you like to see those comments on Facebook? If people were to judge the apostle Paul based on a sermon or two or a weekend retreat, it wouldn’t have generated much in the way of good press. Yet look at the impact Paul had! God uses ordinary weaknesses to do mighty things. Why? So that God gets the credit!

4.     Lead by reminding people that everyone has feet of clay and needs grace. I’m so grateful that throughout my life I’ve had people who believed in me enough to give me second, third, fourth and more chances! Use these flukes and failures as opportunities to remind your team and the “naysayers” that God uses imperfect people and ordinary things to do mighty ministry! Even if it wasn’t up to your “standard of excellence” the gospel can still have impact.

5.     Learn and get better. I saved this for last because we need to remember the other four first--especially here in America where we judge every sermon in sound-bytes and score the worship leader like we are the panel on American Idol. We need to remember first, that it’s Jesus' ministry, not yours. He’s the Head of the Church, not you. HOWEVER, can we learn and get better from the experience? Absolutely! For example, should we test the object lesson twice next time? Should we prepare our ushers or deacons to handle Sister Doris before something like that happens again? Should we buy a new thermostat? Should we prepare our children’s ministry with “plan B” for those days when the speaker goes longer than expected? We can’t prepare
for everything but we can prepare for most things. And we can get better. As you often hear me say, “Small tweaks help you reach mountain peaks.”

Signed: One who needs a lot of grace,

Shawn

Blind Spots and Guardrails

A week ago I shared with our church staff about the tragic fall of Tullian Tchividjian, the grandson of Billy Graham and the pastor of the famous Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church. I never delight in these stories and it hurts to watch the fallout—the church, the media frenzy, etc.

I emphasized again the importance of guardrails in our lives. A fall like Tullian’s is never sudden although it appears to be. It begins with little compromises that seem innocent at the time…a subtle pride that begins to whisper,

• “You’re stronger than others. You don’t need to worry about silly temptations as others do.
• “You’re in ministry. You don’t need to worship with God’s people or pray. After all, you’re sort of in prayer just by being with Christians a lot.”
• An excuse for lust like, “I work so hard, a little bit of sketchy entertainment is good for me.”
• “I’m just in a season of relaxation. I’ll buckle down to spiritual things next month.”

It’s so gradual and our blind spots are so significant that we make excuses for ourselves until we are in a place where it’s difficult to hear the warnings of the Holy Spirit and the brotherhood. Yes, we are kept by God’s power, but we have a responsibility to continue in the disciplines of the Christian life and to repair the guardrails that tend to go into disrepair.

Billy Graham is one of the few who has survived fame and ministry with his integrity intact. I believe central to his faithfulness were the guardrails he set in place at the apex of his growing ministry—what was later called the Modesto Manifesto (You can see a summary here) as well as his commitment to daily prayer, confession, and scripture study.

Guardrails are no guarantee against a wreck, but they remind us where the danger is. If you're a leader or pastor, review the Manifesto and see if there’s something you need to adjust. But also:

• Are you attending worship with teaching? If you’re serving, then leaving to go get coffee, that doesn’t count as a worship service. Are the people who serve with you attending worship? If they are always serving, they will gradually lose touch with what God is speaking corporately as well as individually. It’s only a matter of time before they become another casualty. YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR GUARD RAILS AND THE HEALTH OF YOUR TEAM!
• Are you giving generously of your income? Don’t use the excuse, “We aren’t under the law.” It’s true we aren’t under the law, nor are we saved by tithing! But because we are under grace, should we do less? 
• Are you in community with others? More than just team meetings. I’ve found I need people around me who aren’t answering to me as boss. I need people who will treat me like a brother who is a recovering sinner.
• Are you consistently in God’s Word and prayer?

    You and I need guardrails on the road of life because we have blind spots. And even believers can get off track. Whether you are a pastor, leader, or talented musician, you're still in need of guardrails. Perhaps even more so.

HE SURE IS YOUNG TO BE TRYING THAT

Yes, youth idealism and immaturity have gotten many of us into deep weeds. I feel sorry for the people I tried to lead as a young minister. So many of them were gracious and patient in Christ-like ways. I'm grateful. 

So before you write off a young leader, maybe give them a chance? They might surprise you....

George Washington as Major – age 20

Augustus Caesar led 3,000 troops into Rome – age 18

Joan of Arc marched into Les Tourelles – age 17

Alexander the Great, victor over the Persian Empire – age ~25

Ben Silbermann founded Pinterest – age 27

Drew Houston founded Dropbox – age 25

Adam D’Angelo was CTO of Facebook at age 23

Billy Graham, pastor of Gospel Tabernacle at age 25

Dwight Moody taught Bible Class for 650 people at age 23

Shawn Craig, Minister of Music, STL – age 20

Well...some of these turned out better than others. :)