Tag: Ministry

Perseverance Lessons

On By BrianIn Biography/History, Church Life

Last week I attended a pastor’s conference entitled “Don’t Lose Heart” at West Cannon Baptist Church in Grand Rapids, MI.  What an encouraging two days.  One of the speakers, Joel Beeke, shared several keys to perseverance from the lives of John Calvin and John Bunyan.  Here are some of the “keys” I found particularly helpful:

Love your people.

Remember that God has ways to bless us
even when the doors we would have chosen are closed.

Learn from one another.

God can use a God-fearing wife to help us persevere.

Don’t ignore the reality that we have physical limitations.

Have a pilgrim’s mindset.

Remember your hope of glory.

Ministry Moments

On By BrianIn Ministry Moments

Last week I mentioned that Friday posts would focus on church and ministry.  Today begins the first of a new monthly feature called Ministry Moments.  Essentially, these are recommended readings from around the web on the topic of ministry.  While, the focus is primarily on full-time ministry, I suspect many of the posts could be read profitably by anyone serving in the local church.

Worship
10 Questions To Ask of Sunday Worship – Trevin Wax

Prayer
An Impulse You Should Never Ignore – Martyn Lloyd-Jones

Preaching
A Preacher’s Decalogue – Sinclair Ferguson
Killing Moralism – Joe Thorn

Personal Shepherding
How Do You Care For A 90 Year Old Man About To Become A Widower – Brian Croft
What Lessons Have I Learned From Shepherding a 106 Year Old Widow In My Church – Brian Croft

Pastor’s Life
Pastoral Ministry Is War – Paul Tripp
Ministry: Whose Kingdom – Paul Tripp
The Problem of Shifting Treasure – Paul Tripp
We’re Pastors and We’re Anxious – Paul Tripp
Give Thanks For Your Church – Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Depression and the Ministry: Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four, Part Five – Gospel Coalition

The god of Success

On By BrianIn Idolatry2 Comments

I have been reading Timothy Keller’s book Counterfeit Gods in which he addresses idols in our lives.  Two nights ago I came to his chapter called “The Seduction of Success.”  What a challenging chapter.  Am I basing my significance on success, what I achieve or fail to achieve?  On one level I know that my significance comes from being an image-bearer of God.  It comes through what Jesus did for me.  My significance is based on who God made me to be through creation and in Christ, not on what I do.  And yet….  There is the constant temptation to base our worth on what we accomplish, what we achieve.  To love achievement, to trust achievement, to obey achievement as a god.  To do, do, do.  So I started asking questions:

Am I teaching a seminar at an upcoming conference (ironically on idols – hence the reason I am reading the book) out of a desire to serve God, or to add another level of achievement?

Do I blog to minister to people out of love for God or to be known, to achieve?  How does my intereaction with my statistics relate to this question?

Do I minister as a pastor and start up new ministries to minister to people out of a love for God, or to achieve one more success, to pastor a “successful” church?

There is nothing wrong with achievement.  As Keller notes, our idols are good things that we have turned into gods.  The issue is not achievement, but motive and goal.  Is my life about God or about what I do, what I accomplish – my achievements, my success?

What about you?

Desire for the Temple

On By BrianIn Heart

Psalm 84 records the Psalmist’s desire to be at the temple.  He wants to be where God dwells.  He wants to sing for joy and praise the Lord.  He gets excited at the thought of traveling there.  He would rather be there than anywhere else.  Do we share this desire?

The church is God’s temple today.  Do we desire to be where God dwells – among his people?  Do we desire to gather together to sing for joy and praise our Lord?  Do we get excited at the thought of going to meet with God?  Is there nowhere we would rather be?  Does this desire show on Sunday morning?  During the rest of the week?

Heart for the Church

On By BrianIn Heart1 Comment

After Jesus’ trial, he was scourged with a many-lashed whip containing imbedded pieces of bone and metal.  He was mocked, spit, and struck.  He has a crown of thorns placed on his head.  And then he had spikes driven into his hands and feet, and he hung on a cross.  Why?  Why did he endure all of that?  For me.  For you.  To save people from their sins.  But there is more:

“…Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her….” – Ephesians 5:25

He endured the cross because he loved the church.  If he loved the church like that, shouldn’t his followers love his church too?

Some people claim they want to follow Christ but want nothing to do with his church.  How can you follow Christ while rejecting that which he loves?  Some have been hurt by the church; the church isn’t perfect.  Sadly true.  But Jesus loved it anyway and gave his life for it.  If we follow him, we must love the church too and give of ourselves for his church.

Some people are part of a local church, but just go through the motions.  They attend services, but do they ever show love for the church?  Do they love the people – building relationships with them and ministering to them? Do they support the ministries of the church with their time and money and spiritual gifts?  Do they give of themselves for Christ’s church as Jesus did?

Jesus loved his church.  Shouldn’t we?

Pastors after God’s Heart

On By BrianIn Heart

I mentioned in a past blog that the Bible uses the phrase “after God’s heart” or something similar at least four times by my count.  Two refer to David.  A third is found in Jeremiah 3:15 –

“And I will give you shepherds after my own heart, who will feed you with knowledge and understanding.”

The context of this verse references a specific time, but the application is timeless.  We need shepherds after God’s heart – pastors whose hearts beat like God’s heart.  Pastors who have hearts for God and seek to do all his will.

As a pastor, I know all too well how easy it is to get caught in the busyness of ministry.  But what I need is a heart for God.  What the church I pastor needs is a man after God’s heart.  And how will I have such a heart?  Through God’s Word that reveals his heart and through prayer that submits my life to his will.  And then from this heart flows the ministry God desires.

And what does God desire.  Back to the verse: “who will feed you with knowledge and understanding.”  God desires his people to be fed.  They need the Word – to know it and to understand it to the point that they can live it.

The apostles said they would devote themselves to prayer and the Word (Acys 6:4).  That must be my calling – to be in the Word and prayer so that I might have a heart for God, and then prayerfully preach the Word so that God’s people might have a heart for God.

God, help me to be a shepherd after your heart, and raise up countless shepherds after your own heart – that you might lead your people to be a people after your heart.