Second Wind

You may have noticed alright, that evangelicalism is not what it used to be.  Whereas, in a former time, evangelicals emphasized the necessity of personal repentance, conversion and regeneration based on faith in the atoning work of Christ, today this kind of language seems to be fading.  If you’re watching you will notice that these terms are being replaced by words such as discipleship and mission. So, practically speaking, you probably won’t often find the average church pastor preaching for a critical faith response in relation to Christ’s death on the cross for sin.  Instead you’re more likely to hear a call to commitment to follow Christ in some particular mission.  If anything you might hear an invitation to become a participant in the journey of faith with the people of God in some particular church.

Those who notice this change in approach to evangelicalism may well wonder about how and why it is happening.   In part, it is consistent with the characteristics of post-modernism which itself is a reaction to the structured approaches of modernism.  Since it is true that post-modernism questions the absolutism of the modern period, then we should not be surprised to see the impact of this reaction on the western church.  Today’s generation is not as concerned about the eternal future as it is about current reality and experience.  In the view of today’s younger demographic the Christian faith is not so much about preparing for the after-life as it is about experiencing the presence and power of Christ in this present time.

Furthermore, today’s generation is not so interested in neat little formulas and prayers that initiate a relationship with God as it is about spiritual experience that is possible through a variety of forms.  Post-modern Christians are reading Scripture with a new interpretive paradigm – one in which they are looking at what it means to live as an authentic follower of Jesus.  Their modus operandi is discipleship and mission, not conversion and sanctification.   Real faith is not so much confessional and ceremonial as it is active and authentic.

It should be understood that this reaction to modernism and change in how evangelicalism is perceived, is not all bad.  It is true that evangelicals of the modern period tended to focus too much attention on preparing for eternity.  From personal experience, this writer knows all too well, the kind of approach to evangelism that was designed to help people cross the line of faith and become believers, thereby receiving assurance of salvation for eternity.  In my experience of evangelism, discipleship was all about what happened after conversion.  It had a distinct beginning.

There is much to be said for the new approach to evangelicalism that invites people on a journey of faith that consists in living each day in a relationship of worship, learning, and obedience.  Who can argue with the importance of experiencing an authentic and adventuresome relationship of mission with Jesus instead of waiting for “pie in the sky, by and by?”  The paradigm shift that post-modernism compels is a welcome emphasis.

However, post-moderns should be careful not to put all their eggs in one basket.  For if post-moderns aren’t careful, they will find themselves adrift in a sea of moralizing and a kind of pharisaic legalism because they have lost sight of the meaning of grace and mercy.

What I mean is that there is no substitute for genuine Christianity based on a deep appreciation for the significance of the atonement as a starting place for the Christian faith.  It is vitally important to a biblical understanding of discipleship that the true believer is one who truly appreciates the depth of human depravity and need for Christ’s atoning sacrifice.  It is difficult to appreciate the nature of true discipleship without reckoning on the brevity of life and the ultimate appointment that we all have with death and our Maker.  Jesus Himself made many references to being prepared for eternity as the life after this one.

John writes that being a Christian is all about obeying God’s commands, the most important of which are to believe on Jesus Christ and to love one another (1 John 3:23).  Biblically, true Christianity consists in both a confession and obedience.  In Paul’s letter to the Romans (as well as in Peter’s sermon in Acts 2) it appears that the journey of faith begins with a confession (see Romans 10:9, 10, 13).  I think it would be a mistake to discount the significance of a critical moment of response to the message of Christ.  Faith as a critical moment is amplified by the biblical idea of regeneration or being, “born again.”

While appreciating the importance of discipleship as an on-going journey of faith that pursues mission in obedience to, and with Christ, let’s not lose sight of the Gospel’s emphasis on God’s atoning grace in Christ’s sacrifice for sin – as the starting point of what it means to be a true follower of Jesus.

ed

Most of life, it is important to realize, is not lived on exhilarating mountain tops and exotic new experiences.  Most of life is lived in the valley of day-to-day responsibilities that have a certain measure of routine.  Most of life consists of regular chores and the maintenance of family relationships.  Most of life is pretty ordinary!

And it’s a good thing; because it’s difficult to handle the intensity of constant exhilaration and change.  Even those who practice extreme sports develop a certain measure of routine in how they do what they do.  The first time is rather exciting, fresh, and sometimes even frightening — but by the second time, you have a pretty good sense of what to expect and what started out as a challenge soon becomes old.

But it is in practicing the same routine over and over again that one is able to perfect his or her style and feel even more confident in the experience.  So there is a good feeling about repeating a certain virtuous practice even though it no longer has the challenge and exhilaration of the first time.  We need to get used to the fact that it is in the ordinary experiences of life that there is goodness and blessing.

Since life consists largely of regular, ordinary experiences like daily personal chores, eating, driving, walking, working, spending time with family and friends, we need to find ways to make the most of them.  If we focus on the routine experience itself, we will likely be disappointed.  But if in the ordinary we sense the presence and grace of God in our lives, feasting on each moment as a gift from God, we can see ordinary experiences blossom with goodness and beauty.

Instead of constantly pining away for some wistful adventure, we need to find God in the little things of our every-day lives — a taste, a conversation, a problem at work, a landscape, a weather pattern, a word, and so on.   One would be amazed at what discoveries there are in the ordinary things of life when God’s presence is taken into consideration.  We need to appreciate every moment as a gift from God to realize His power and greatness.

This is not to empty oneself of desire or all conscious thought as the Buddhist follower might insist.  Rather it is to meditate on the very nature of God’s greatness as reflected in the things He has made and in what He has shown us through His Word.  We need not try to kill personal ambition but rather, instead, surrender each ambition to the Lord for the realization of His greater purpose in the ordinary course of our lives.

For it is in knowing Christ that there is fullness of joy (Psalm 16:11, Philippians 3:7-10, 1 Thessalonians 5:18).  It is in living in Christ that the ordinary things of life take on very special meaning since those ordinary things, by faith, encompass the very presence of God.  We need to realize more often that God is there — working in the very smallest ways to make His goodness known to us.  When each moment of our lives is sanctified by God’s presence, which we may choose to realize by faith, the ordinary becomes a delight.

ed

In the intensity of the demands of daily life and Christian service, it’s good to have the opportunity to step back now and then to do something different, something recreational.  Established by God Himself in the principle of the Sabbath, human beings quickly become less than God intended unless they take time regularly to withdraw from the ordinary work of their lives in order to renew.

This was my experience for the past week after serving in an intensive situation for more than a couple of weeks just prior to the break.  It was so good to be home to be renewed in body and soul in a variety of ways — time together in our marriage, physical rest, a change of scenery, physical exercise, good food, reading, as well as Bible reading and prayer.  Sometimes it’s great just to be able to be quiet — away from all the things that usually occupy one’s attention.

Yet something in this experience also comes through loud and clear.  It is that recreation must simply be understood as a diversion for a brief time for the sake of renewal, not as an end in itself.  As I contemplate the new pace that retirement might offer in the not too distant future, I can’t imagine the boredom that would soon come from continuous recreation.  Somehow, no matter how old we become, I don’t think we were made for recreation as an end in itself just like we were not made for work as an end in itself.  What makes life meaningful is the opportunity it affords to be employed in things that are ultimately important.   That is why, from a Christian perspective, it seems to me that one can never actually retire.

Though I have enjoyed this time away from my work in order to be refreshed, I have come to realize again that such activity is not an end in itself.  Like Jesus, perhaps, I have this sense that “I must work the work of Him who sent me while it is day, because the night is coming when no one can work”  (John 9:4).  I’ve come to realize again that life does not consist of simply enjoying the blessings of this world — of which there are many.

But it is not just a matter of working, which in itself offers a certain kind of blessing.  But it is working for a cause that is bigger than oneself.  And from a Christian perspective what could be bigger or more important than working toward the building of Christ’s kingdom?  And in that regard, there is always more to do — until He Himself brings it to completion.  That’s why, at least for me, there is no satisfaction in simply trying to develop some physical skill for its own sake, accomplish some worldly ambition, complete “a bucket list,” or accumulate a certain amount of money.  My greatest satisfaction comes from knowing that my life is making a difference for someone else for Christ’s sake and the establishment of His kingdom.

There are a whole lot of recreational experiences that I thoroughly enjoy, and I wish I had the opportunity for more.  (And as I have opportunity, I look forward to experiencing as many as possible.)  But in the end I know that what will bring the most satisfaction is relating to people in love and truth in the way that Jesus and so many of His followers have done.

I’m not always sure what form that work will take in the future (because it is sure to change).  But I do know that my life will be meaningless unless I am continually doing something that moves people toward Christ.  I hope I never lose my sense of appreciation for all the good things that God has given me in life as a means of spiritual and emotional renewal.  But I also hope I never get stuck there, making out of them an idol in some way.  Because, like Abraham, I want to be counted among those who are looking for a City whose builder and maker is God.

ed

From time to time, issues arise in the church that force us to ask questions about how we interpret Scripture.  Of special interest in recent days, especially in the denomination which I serve — the Christian and Missionary Alliance of Canada — has been the matter of the role of women in ministry.  It is true in this denomination that women have served in many different roles including teaching, various kinds of pastoral services, and missionaries.  Many, as single women, have been instrumental in starting churches abroad, and some even here in Canada.  But the Alliance has traditionally stopped short of ordaining women for pastoral/church leadership.

This restriction has existed because of what has been understood as an application of the principle seemingly evident in general throughout Scripture and specifically expressed in 1 Timothy 2:12 and 1 Corinthians 11:3, that men have a certain functional authority over women.  Since ordination to ministry implies a significant sense of authority in the church, by the nature of the case, women should not be ordained.

One response by some is to dispute the significance of ordination as it is practiced in our day.  Opponents of the traditional view do not think that authority rests in those who serve as individual leaders of the church, but in Scripture itself or in the plurality of elders.  But others insist that since the Scriptures identify the legitimacy of those who serve in professional pastoral/teaching roles in the church (1 Corinthians 9, 1 Timothy 5:17), there is very much a place for the recognition of those who are thus called in  ordination.

Others don’t disagree with the concept of ordination, but insist that the Bible supports the idea that women can also be ordained.  Their arguement hinges on the fact that men and women have been created as equals in God’s design (Genesis 1:27) and that the fall of Genesis 3 distorted an otherwise harmonious relationship into one of subjugation and tension, but that God’s original plan for equality has been restored in Jesus Christ.  Proponents of this view point to Paul’s statement in Galatians 3:28 about the redemption of God’s original design for men and women to be equal.  They further point to the fact that at Pentecost, Peter’s sermon specifically recalls the words of Joel the prophet, who said that in the last days, God would pour out His Spirit without distinction between men and women (Acts 2:17, 18).

Those who support the idea of women also being ordained for ministry feel that Paul’s injunctions for a woman not to have authority over a man (as in 1 Timothy 2:12) had an application in a particular circumstance.  The same can be said, they say, for the situation in Corinth when Paul wrote about women wearing a covering on their heads to signify their submission to their husbands during worship (1 Corinthians 11:2 – 10).  In the view of those who support the ordination of women to pastoral ministry, these injunctions had a certain cultural significance and should not be considered universally applicable.  The instances of women serving in places of leadership in the New Testament and in church history under God’s evident blessing, in their minds, proves the point.

All of these different perspectives have been quite fully written about in a book edited by Bonnidell and Robert Clouse called,  Women in Ministry — Four Views. As I read the different views and the rebuttals of the other writers, I was impressed by their differences in understanding of the same Scriptures.  It is true, as the editors point out, that changes in culture and society tend to influence change in church practice.  Thus people today variously applaud or resist the impact of obvious rising female leadership in society and the church.  Nevertheless, it is a fact that women are leaders in their own right in increasing numbers in many spheres of professional work.  What should the church’s response be to this sea-change taking place around us?

For my part, I think there is something fundamentally wrong with setting standards by what is happening in the world.  While it is important to often re-examine deeply held traditional views in the light of cultural trends and to make adjustments and adaptations for more effective communication within the culture, ultimately we should be careful to develop our convictions from Scripture.  And as I examine Scripture in the light of all that is being said about women in professional church leadership, I can’t help but conclude that there are two main ideas communicated there: that there is some kind of role distinction between men and women that calls men to a greater responsibility of leadership, and, that women should be recognized in larger ways for the ways in which they can legitimately lead in the life of the church.

For this reason, I don’t think the matter of ordination is totally arbitrary.  Women may be called to many roles of teaching and leadership in the church, but in general, I think it is unusual for God to call women to church leadership. At the same time, I don’t think ordination should be exclusive; there should be allowance for exceptions to the rule where this is obviously merited.

ed

About a week ago a man passed on a book to me that had been given to him by his pastor while he served as a member of the elders board of his church.  Presumably the book was the basis of discussion about how to process the changes that are occurring in the church in these times.  I don’t know what happened in that discussion but I commend the pastor for seeking to inform his elders about current church ministry issues by using this book.  I think it is an excellent resource for helping church leaders navigate the maze of post-modern and emergent terminology that is affecting ministry in the church today.

It doesn’t take too much critical observation to conclude that church ministry has changed a lot a recent years.   Besides the obvious cosmetic changes of casualness in worship form and preaching that characterizes so much church ministry today something else is affecting change at a much deeper level perhaps not readily apparent.  As an extension of post-modern philosophy, emergent thinking is currently having a large influence in Christian practice and ministry.  Here is a book that quite fairly, I think, addresses the nature of emergent thinking and why Christians and Christian leaders should be concerned.

Though authors Deyoung and Kluck fit the post-modern demographic and recognize the potentially positive influence of emergent trends they here offer a well-reasoned and sometimes humorous critique of the not-so-subtle attempts of the emergent movement to depart from orthodox Christianity.  As a pastor, Deyoung is more academic in his analysis and writing style than Kluck who writes as a church lay leader and popular sports journalist.  Though their perspectives and conclusions are complementary their different approaches in alternate chapters are insightful and refreshing.

Not only do Deyoung and Kluck provide good references to the main leaders in the emergent church movement, they also systematically point out how orthodox Christian belief is compromised by new terminology and fuzzy definition.  The emergent church movement ends up, they demonstrate, like the old liberalism of the last century.  Consistent with post-modern trends and as a reaction to modernism, emergent thinking deconstructs established ways of understanding history and reinterprets biblical revelation with ill-founded historical ideas — as Deyoung points out.  Anti-structuralism also extends to a disregard for the Bible as God’s revelation of propositional truth with the outcome, among emergents, that God is a mystery that can’t really be known, that faith is an experience of a journey, more than a fixed assurance, and that Christians are bigoted to think God can only be known through Jesus Christ.

These are heretical trends that have serious implications regarding faith and practice.  In emergent thinking, Jesus is presented to us more as an example of love and compassion for people in need than He is as the atoning sacrifice for sin.  Being a disciple of Jesus, by emergent ideas, is getting serious about caring for the poor.  Being missional is understood as practical help for those who have been impoverished.  Though ministry to the poor is a legitimate biblical concern, emergent leaders speak of it as the essence of faith which amounts to a moralizing view of trying to connect with God.

Deyoung and Kluck, on the other hand, argue for the Bible as God’s propositional revelation by which we may come to know God and eternal life in Him with assurance based on faith in the atoning work of Jesus Christ.  They emphasize, contrary to reinterpretations of emergent thinkers, that heaven is an important destination to be desired beyond this life and hell is in fact an eternal judgment to be feared.

This book, recognized and promoted by New Testament scholar heavy-weights like Don Carson, is a most welcome contribution to the important debate that is now current among evangelicals about the very nature of faith, evangelism, and church ministry.  I’m sure it will be useful in helping to avert a subtle kind of apostasy that could serve to beguile many sincere Christian believers.  Hopefully it will also serve to deepen conviction among Christians about the importance of doctrine without compromising how to sensitively relate to the real world of our day.

© ed

It is inevitable that churches find themselves in a position of seeking a pastor to shepherd their congregation.  Because the issue of leadership in the church is so important and potentially costly churches are well-advised to engage the process of selection carefully.  We all know of churches that have committed themselves to hire someone quickly only to find it isn’t long before they have to work through difficult issues and begin the process again.  For this reason transition pastoral ministry has become somewhat of a speciality.  It’s purpose is to take the time to help a church make a wise and informed choice for more fruitful ministry in the future.

In my experience as a transition pastor, I’ve had the privilege of working with more than half a dozen churches in the last several years to aid them in the process of pastoral selection.  Ordinarily, transition pastoral ministry involves at least eight months of work together with the church.  In addition to regular pastoral ministry that includes teaching/preaching, arranging and leading services, and regular pastoral care, a transition pastor will provide on-going administrative leadership while also engaging a process of analysis and preparation for the pastoral selection.  In this work I have benefited much from the knowledge and practical wisdom of Outreach Canada.

After taking the time to work with the Board through relational and management issues in the church, the transition pastor typically also engages the Board in fine-tuning its sense of vision.  This in itself is an important process: helping the church understand its own history and culture while also considering what changes it might have to make in order to effectively communicate the Gospel in its own cultural context.   Invariably this also entails a discussion about the relevance of certain biblical/theological factors.  For example, what does it mean for the church to fulfill Christ’s mandate to go and make disciples in our times?  What principles of Scripture and ministry are universally timeless, and what aspects can be adapted to changing times and expressions?

Having taken the time to understand itself and its context in the light of a good biblical understanding of these matters, the church is ready to begin the Pastoral Search Process.  Since this is important spiritual work, the entire church must be led to engage in it prayerfully.  Having arrived at a consensus on an appropriate pastoral profile for the future, the Board is ready to appoint a Search Team made up of a small group of committed members of the church.   A good number on a team is about 7 — consisting of a couple of Board members, and various other leadership elements of the church.  Some knowledge of hiring protocol is helpful.

Acting in an advisory capacity, the transition pastor participates in the selection team by helping to guide the process.  The Board selects the chairman of the team.  Usually this is someone who may be on the Board and has the time to commit to making initial contact calls.  The team meets to review its mandate — a process of prayerfully considering resumes and helping with different aspects of interviews and reference checks.  The objective of the team is to recommend up to two or three names to the Board for its members to complete the process of final interviews and candidate selection.  The profile and job description of the pastor are reviewed.  Plans are made to publish the profile.  Denominational churches will act in accord with denominational search policies.  The chairman, having reviewed protocal with denominational leaders, with one other team member should be the one to make the initial contact and conduct the official reference checks.  Other members of the team could be encouraged to find additional information as appropriate.  More members of the team could be involved in the pre-candidate interview.  There should be unanimity on the final selection and recommendation to the Board.

From the information given to it, the Board will decide in what order to present candidates to the congregation.  Candidates should be considered individually without comparison to others or other candidate presentations.  The candidate weekend itself needs to provide as much exposure as possible to the congregation as well as to the candidate.  No doubt, the candidate will speak, will meet with the congregation in various forums, and finally with the Board for a formal interview.  The Board should take time to consider its decision before extending a call.  The church will then need to wait for the candidate’s response.  Depending on what it is, the Board may have to proceed to the next candidate option.

Pastoral selection can be a special time of reflection and spiritual renewal for the church.  If properly engaged, the congregation will be more unified in its understanding and vision, and better prepared to work with a new pastor who has been knowledgeably and carefully selected.  The objective is for the pastor and church to work and serve together for at least 10 – 15 years in mutually satisfying and fruitful ministry.

© ed

Valentine’s Day this week gives us occasion to think about the romance factor in our marriages and daily lives.  The romance factor is an essential element of what living is all about.  And this certainly is true also for Christian faith and ministry.  By romance, I mean the exhilarating experience of falling in love with someone whose beauty and goodness mesmerizes while drawing into his or her embrace.  It is the emotional side of love which is so essential to attraction and sustenance in marriage — a vivid, common illustration of what we all need in many spheres of life.

A marriage without romance easily grows weary and stale.  Life without romance is the same.  The Christian life without the element of romance misses a key factor in what it means to be a lover of God and a follower of Jesus.  If marriage teaches us anything it is that it reflects the existence of God as three persons in delightful relationship with one another – the kind of  relationship God also calls us into with Himself.  Many Scriptures allude to the marital relationship that God intends to have with His people.  The church, for example, is the bride of Christ — a relationship which will be consummated in that day when Jesus returns to earth at the end of time to claim His own (Revelation 21:2).

The practical aspect of this is that in marriage it is essential to maintain this romantic element of the relationship.  It is true that marriage is all about working together toward a common goal, companionship with one another, and helping one another with daily chores — including the responsibilities of rearing children.  But none of this is as it should be without a generous supply of also delighting in one another’s embrace.  It seems to me that God intends married couples to experience a good sense of balance between romance, commitment, and companionship.

The practical aspect of this in our discipleship experience with Christ is that we need to cultivate the romantic sense of our relationship with Him as much as our learning and obedience. In fact, it seems to me, each of these feeds and flows out of, and into the other two.  Our obedience to Christ flows out of our sense of love and worship toward him and our knowledge of His ways.  That’s why the experience of worship, focusing our hearts and minds on the wonders of His person, is so vital to Christian living.  Worship, in that sense, is central and pivotal to faith and obedience.

Sometimes Christians and/or church leaders grow weary in their service for Christ.  Working day in and day out in the church, facing the spiritual and relational challenges of ministry, they can easily lose the joy of what it means to serve the Lord.  Emotionally starved in their relationship to Christ and other believers they quickly become vulnerable to sin and temptation in many forms.  Satan takes advantage of them because they have lost their sense of first love.  The romance of their Christian experience is missing.

Romance in marriage is cultivated through daily efforts to focus on one another’s charm and beauty.  Romance involves daily verbal and physical expressions of affection in fresh and creative ways toward one another.   It is the oil of blessing in marriage that enables partners in marriage to sustain service and commitment.   A key factor in a stale and tired marriage is the loss of romance.  Growing couples don’t merely pray together; they also play together.

Likewise in our Christian lives and service.  Effective Christian growth and service can only be sustained successfully in a context of regular worship.  Our hearts cry out for an emotional relationship with God in which we are reminded of His greatness and love for us as we also present to Him all the glory He so richly deserves to receive.  We need to be “in love” with Christ, not just obedient to Him.  We need to know always what it means to ”delight ourselves in the Lord” (Psalm 37:4).  Our times in His Word need to be experiences of understanding.  But also they need to involve a consciousness of His immediate presence and love.  It is this combination of apprehensions that will also result in fruitful and honourable obedience to Him.

© ed

In my work as a transition pastor I struggle with the intensity of the role that includes the demands of keeping on track regarding the transition process while also being away from home for more than two weeks at a time.  Though I am surrounded by responsive and affirming people in the situation I miss the connection of family and friends from home.  I’m mindful of the fact that the nature of the work requires discipline.  In a 16 – 20 day period, there aren’t too many days just to kick back and relax.  And there are extra preparations for the church for the period of time that I am away at home.   Last month seemed especially demanding on a number of different levels.

That’s why the break of this past week seemed so welcome.  Though it’s shorter than usual, I’m so enjoying the opportunity to refresh in body and spirit here at home.  At the same time, I’ve come to Psalm 23 in my regular time of meditation and I have been stuck there for a number of days.  I don’t know of any passage of the Bible that describes the blessedness of the human/divine relationship better than this one.  It is sublime.

Through many years on the faith journey I’ve come to realize that it really is a rugged path.  There are a large number of Scriptures that make it clear how the Christian life is the way of the cross.  Luke 9:23, John 12:24, Philippians 1:29 are just a few that immediately pop into my mind about the demanding nature of the Christian way.  But these references are set against a background of what it means to live in fellowship with God as described in this beautiful passage.  And every once in awhile, we need to be reminded about the wonder and beauty of this human/divine connection into which we are called.

Perhaps I’ve been influenced in these thoughts by the words of Tim Keller in his book, King’s Cross. I’ve just begun listening to the audio version of this wonderful description of the Gospel as set forth in Mark.  In the opening chapter, Keller speaks of the dance between the members of the divine Trinity as they seek to glory in, and glorify, one another.  It is a world of utter unselfishness, according to Keller’s description, and there is nothing more beautiful.  And this is the relationship into which God has called us to live as well.

When I think about the words of Psalm 23, “…the Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.  He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside still waters, he restores my soul..  He leads me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake…, I can’t help but feel overwhelmed with the wonder of God’s grace and goodness.  In my home, away from the intensity of pastoral ministry demands, I am soaking up the beauty of all the ways God is giving me rest and making His goodness known to me.

Tim Keller makes the point that we are inclined to be self-focused in so many subtle ways, including the way we often feel obligated to do what people ask of us for fear of their rejection.  Our motivations, even in our “service for Christ” can often really be ways of preserving our reputation and so on.  And when we do that, we step out of the dance into which we have been invited to participate by the God of love and grace.  In selfishness to any extent we become static, the movement stops, and what God designed for us in His glory, is forfeited.

We need to soak our souls in the beauty of these words in Psalm 23 more often.  We need to be reminded of the Father’s love and care in our lives and enjoy what He has provided.  It is not wrong to appreciate the blessings that God brings into our lives, as long as they do not become ends in themselves; as long as our glory is in the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.  We need to rejoice in their fellowship and the wonders of their love, their grace, their truth, and their goodness.

© ed

Sometimes it seems that the Christian faith is all about taking each day as it comes and trusting the Lord for whatever is needed in the moment.  One might get the impression from Matthew 6:29-34, for example, and many other Scriptures that this is what God has in mind for us.  Faith, in the minds of some, is winging it, believing that God will supply whatever is needed at the time.  Planning of any kind is seen as the enemy of faith, of taking life into one’s own hands.  Accordingly, faith is a spontaneous thing, not compatible with those who are always concerned with the future.

But is this really what the Bible teaches?  Or is there a place for good planning?  Could it be that faith is very much compatable with planning, even the expression of what faith really is all about?  More to the point of my kind of work, should a pastor strategize and plan, spending long hours at preparing messages, crafting ideas for Board Meetings, considering ways to solve relational problems in the church, and so on?  Well, maybe not — according to some.  He should be spontaneous in preaching and other church ministries.  He should go by “the leading of the Spirit,” which some understand as “winging it.”

Yet as I consider the matter of faith vs. planning, I have to say that there seems to be a good deal of support for the idea of thinking and planning ahead.  Did not Jesus imply the benefits of planning when he asked, Who would begin construction of a building without first getting estimates and checking to see if there is enough money to pay the bills?  … Or what king would ever dream of going to war without first  sitting down with his counselors and discussing whether his army of ten thousand is strong enough to defeat the twenty thousand soldiers who are marching against him? (Luke 14:28-33)?  Though Jesus is here teaching about counting the cost of what it means to become his disciple, is he not also illustrating that planning is natural and should also be applied to our spiritual lives?

It certainly is the case that planning and strategizing is basic to human existence, for who is there that does not live for the privilege of making plans in everyday living and creatively carrying them out?  Besides, it is evident that there are many other allusions to the biblical importance of planning.  Here are a few:

• Proverbs 12:5 — The plans of the righteous are just..
• Proverbs 21:5 — The plans of the diligent lead to profit…
• Isaiah 32:8 — But the noble man makes noble plans, and by noble deeds he stands.

There are many instances in the Bible of how people of faith made plans — Moses, Joshua, Samuel, Mordicai, Esther, Daniel, Jonah.  Even a casual reading of the Gospels will demonstrate that Jesus made plans.  And the same could be said of the Apostles in their work as is evident in the Acts and the letters.

But there is a problem with the planning philosophy especially from a Christian perspective, and it is this: too often our plans are more about us than they are about planning from God’s perspective.  And it is this which James draws attention to in James 4:13-16.  There we see that our planning can be very presumptuous.  We do need to plan, for that is what it means, I think, to live by faith.  But we need to be careful lest our planning is merely a reflection of our own ambition.  The best planning is very dependent upon God’s direction and approval.  And this can only come as we spend time in learning to know God’s will through His Word, and listening to His Spirit in prayer, in meditation upon the Word, and in seeking the counsel of wise people.

© ed

This is a great Psalm as relates to life and ministry for the coming year.  Security, being relatively tentative at all times and even today (if we are honest), is always uppermost in our minds.  We long for assurance that all will be well for the long haul.  And in view of the myriad of threats in our day, some would encourage us to find our security in the mountains that surround us, since they look so strong and stable.  But the fact is that those strong looking mountains (I am in Canmore, Alberta Canada as I write this…) are not as secure as they look.  Neither are those things we commonly trust in, like our homes, our human relationships, our financial investments, and so on.  Our best security is in the Lord calling forth our trust in Him.  This Psalm is a confession with which I wish to identify — I trust in the Lord for protection.

The Psalm goes on to speak of the kind of world we live in — how the wicked are intent on “stringing their bows…shooting from the shadows at those who do right.”  It is evident throughout the Bible that there is this division between good and evil, between wicked people and righteous ones.  Though this idea of wicked people versus righteous people may be offensive to some who think any such reference smacks of bigotry and arrogance, even the hardest hearts would have to acknowledge that in the extreme such categories exist.  Yet the biblical difference is much more subtle than that in the sense that the wicked may actually appear righteous and some who are seemingly righteous are actually very wicked.  The Bible in fact states that we are all wicked, we are all unrighteous — there is none that does good, not even one (Psalm 14:1-3; Romans 3:10, 11).  Righteousness, we learn, comes by faith and is something conferred rather than deserved (Romans 3:22 – 26).  So when God looks on the world, He sees both wicked and righteous, the former constantly taking advantage of the latter.

In general then, as the world proceeds, it seems that the wicked are overcoming the righteous.  As the writer of this Psalm puts it: the foundations of law and order have collapsed.  What can the righteous do? (Vs. 3).  As we turn the corner for another year, it does seem that evil is ever more blatant and ever more fierce.  This morning (Jan 4th), I heard that CEOs in our country are being paid phenomenal annual salaries that far exceed their actual worth — all at the expense of their companies’ share-holders, not to mention the poor of our country.  WHAT CAN THE RIGHTEOUS DO?

Not much, except to trust in the Lord, who still is in his holy Temple … [and] still rules from heaven … He watches everything closely, examining everyone on earth.  The Lord examines both the righteous and the wicked (Vss. 4-5).   It is a great comfort for the righteous to know that God is still the boss and will have the last word on all the wickedness that abounds.  His own attitude and promise of judgment is sure.  He will vindicate the truly righteous because the Lord is righteous and he loves justice (Vs. 7).

I think I am a realist when I say that we live in a very wicked world.   Though we can be thankful for a large measure of mercy and justice in Canada because of the strong Christian influence we have enjoyed historically, the righteousness that does exist is but a thin veneer that covers a raging sea of very self-centered living.  And we Christians need to be careful lest we be sucked in to all of it as well.

By God’s grace I want to be the kind of person this year who reflects the true righteousness with which I profess to be clothed– in anticipation of the fulfillment of His promise that those who do right will see his face (Vs. 7).  I want to experience the smile of His face in my daily life as well as at the end of my days.

© ed