Prayer

Sorry I just haven't had time to write, but there are still some thoughts in my mind I will eventually get here. Here's one--what is the difference between the church in Acts and the church today? Is it preaching? No preachers preach the Word. Is it worship? No the church praises. It is prayer. The difference between the church of Acts and the church of today is the church in Acts prayed. I mean really prayed.

The church today believes prayer is a good thing.  The church of Acts believed that prayer was the PRIMARY thing.

The American Way

Just one thought about Lance Armstrong--what America loves more than creating a hero is destroying one.  Just a thought.

Psalm 142

While reading the Psalms I found myself focused upon 142. 

Look on my right hand and see,
For there is no one who acknowledges me;
Refuge has filed me;
No one cares for my soul.

But in his desperation David writes:

I cried out to you, O Lord;
I said, You are my refuge.
My portion in the land of the living
Attend to my cry,
For I am brought low;
Deliver me from my persectuors,
For they are stronger than I.
Bring my soul out of prison,
That I may praise Your name

Tis the Season for Simeon

This time of year we meet the usual suspects: Joseph, Mary, Gabriel, Herod, Zachariah, the Wise Men, etc. Great characters. Great stories. Popular sermon material. A friend of mine is preaching the text found in Luke 2 with one of the lesser considered characters of the Christmas Story—Simeon. This text in Luke 2 is a great example of what I've been asking for years—upon whom should the sermon focus?

Here's the text from Luke 2:

²² When the time came for the purification rites required by the Law of Moses, Joseph and Mary took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord ²³ (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, "Every firstborn male is to be consecrated to the Lord"), ²⁴ and to offer a sacrifice in keeping with what is said in the Law of the Lord: "a pair of doves or two young pigeons."

²⁵ Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was on him. ²⁶ It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord's Messiah. ²⁷ Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, ²⁸ Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying:

²⁹ "Sovereign Lord, as you have promised,
you may now dismiss your servant in peace.
³⁰ For my eyes have seen your salvation,
³¹ which you have prepared in the sight of all nations:
³² a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
and the glory of your people Israel."

³³ The child's father and mother marveled at what was said about him. ³⁴ Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother: "This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, ³⁵ so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too."

Here's the key question? Should the sermon be man-centered [anthropocentric] or God-centered [theocentric]? Most would say immediately—God centered. I would submit that most sermons are man-centered. What are most sermons from this text about? Aren't they about the faithfulness of Simeon? Doesn't the sermon have something to do with how Simeon lived and how we should follow his example? Isn't that a man-centered sermon? The answer to that question is yes. The problem with that is obvious. Most people look at Simeon and would say, There's no way I can be like him. There's no real blessing in that, rather people may leave the church more frustrated than when they arrived.

What is this text really about? Isn't it about God? The most important thing about this text is not the traits of Simeon as wonderful as they are. It is the song that Simeon sings. What does it center upon? It is focused upon the faithfulness of God in providing salvation for all people, Gentiles as well as Jews.

Thus the sermon should be centered not upon Simeon but God. Simeon's faithfulness which is obvious will not change anybody's life. God's whose faithfulness in sending His salvation through Christ can change anybody's life at any time in any circumstance. This is also a missionary text in God sent His salvation or ALL people. God has always been faithful and He has always been willing to save ALL people. Now that can change a life.

Always ask this question from a text: What does it say about God/Christ? When you find the answer to that question in the text you'll find out what God intended people to know from it. What God intended people to know from a text is what the pastor needs to preach to the people on Sunday. That will change lives!

 

GIFTS GOD GIVES

One of the great challenges for the preacher is the Christmas season, usually four Sundays between Thanksgiving and Christmas. The challenge is preaching about a story everybody knows in a fresh way. It's a lot harder than you think. There are just so many ways to handle Matthew/Luke chapters 1-2. If I were in the pulpit this year I think I'd do a four-sermon series: Gifts God Gives. These are gifts you can unwrap that He has available—not just at Christmas but every day of the year.

• The Gift of Love—1 John 7-11
  
• The Gift of Grace—John 1:16
  
• The Gift of Forgiveness—1 John 1:8-2:2
  
• The Gift of Eternal Life—John 3:16
  

  
   

Everybody, no matter who and where, is in need of these four gifts. I think it would be an encouraging series and perhaps a bit of a different take on the season. You could give the Angel and Wise Men and bit of a rest and bring them back out next year.

What’s Wrong with the Church

What's wrong with the church? Much has been written and said to attempt to answer that question. The fact is the impact of the church in most American towns and cities is minimal. Why? Let me share a few answers to the question based on years of close-up experience.

First there is the problem of selective ministry. I saw this time and time again in every church I served. I always joked that the number of folks in the waiting room or at the funeral was in direct proportion to how well known someone was. If someone was on the inside everybody came running. If someone was not, it was more like a slow trot or worse. The majority of ministry in the church is done for the benefit of the insiders, the best known and the well connected. The further outside the inner circle of the church one is, the less ministry takes place. I've seen many people leave the church and never come back because of selective ministry, asking the question, Where is the love they all talk about?

Second there is the dismissal of the Great Commission as the primary work of the church. You know the Great Commission—preach the gospel to everybody. Everybody means everybody no matter the color, gender, socio-economic background, country of origin, sexual orientation, etc. Many if not most churches in America simply give lip service to the Great Commission. Precious little evangelism is going on. What little good news is being shared is done by a very few who believe that is their job as believers. Call for a visitation night and see how many show up? If you make folks feel guilty enough from the pulpit on Sunday they may once or twice, but by the third night how many are there? I've used every evangelism program a church can use over the years and none of them have worked over the long haul. Why? They don't work because the Great Commission simply does not matter. Folks get all fired up about going to another country and share the heck out of the Gospel. Those same folks will not speak to the person who is lost across from the street from them. Something is wrong!

Third worship is about music and not about loving God. A great definition of worship is the church busy at the business of loving God, however, ask many a church goer these days about worship and he or she will likely start talking about music. God created music so He's pleased by however it is used to give praise to Him. Why in the world should it matter what kind of music is being played in a service if it's God-honoring? It shouldn't but it DOES! Churches are basically segregated by age today because of music. God cannot be pleased by it. Dare I say it—music style is an idol.

Fourth most pastors are not allowed to be pastors. What is the job of the pastor? It is simply to preach the Word of God and equip Christians spiritually to live out their calling to be salt and light in a tasteless, dark world. Pastors begin their ministry excited to do just that only to find in their first church and afterward that they are not allowed to fulfill their calling. Instead, they become slaves to the whims and personal desires of church members. Pastors are forced to spend their time making sure the egos and needs of members are stroked to the detriment of time in the study and in prayer. They pay dearly if they are late to take care of some perceived need. Many if not most pastors live their lives in fear of not meeting those needs whether they admit it or not.

Fifth there is the problem of church members hating each other. Yes I said hate. Now no one would ever use that word, but I've seen what church members have done to each other and I've heard what they say about one another. The only word to describe what I've seen and heard is hate. It is amazing to me how many people spend week after week listening to sermons and singing songs about God's grace and forgiveness yet are absolutely unwilling to extend either. Now when people have hate in their hearts what kind of worship can take place in that church? What kind of evangelism can be done? What kind of ministry will happen? Will there be any kind of opportunity for spiritual leaders to fulfill their calling? Perhaps this last problem is the foundation for the rest of them. Take care of that one and the others will probably be dealt with as well.

The church Jesus died to build is beautiful. (Read Matthew 18 for just one New Testament expression of what He intended.) What churches people attend are not. I believe in the former and am awfully concerned about the latter.

Preaching Eschatology

As I was reading through 1 and 2 Thessalonians this week, I was reminded again how eschatological the two letters are. Perhaps the first of Paul's extant letters we have, both are written against the backdrop of the 2^nd coming of Christ. Every chapter of 1 Thessalonians has references to it. 2 Thessalonians is famous for the teaching concerning the Man of Lawlessness in chapter 2.

The point I wanted to make here is how Paul uses eschatology pastorally. The section concerning the 'rapture' of the church in 1 Thess 4 was written to encourage believers in the wake of dead loved ones and friends whom they thought would miss the 2^nd coming. Just the opposite was true as Paul writes that the dead in Christ will rise first [1 Thess 4:16]. As Paul wraps up his discussion of the Man of Lawlessness and the judgment of God that will come upon those who follow him, Paul wrote, "But we should always give thanks for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God has chosen you from the beginning for salvation…" [2 Thess 2:13]. Then he reminds the church of the glory they will have in Christ.

And don't forget the final words of 1 Thess 4, "Therefore comfort one another with these words."

Instead of being comforted, most of the time believers leave a sermon on eschatology scared to death. That is the fault of the preacher who himself probably does not understand the primary role of eschatology in the NT. The realty of the Second Coming and the judgment that is part of it should scare the unbeliever, and Paul does not skirt that truth. Hell is real and lasts a long long time. However, eschatology should not frighten the believer, and preachers should not use the doctrine that way. Instead, eschatology should give believers hope and yes, as Paul wrote, it should comfort the heart of the Christian. Why? Among other things, eschatology reminds us that all is not lost. The present suffering, injustice, and evil will give way to healing, justice, and righteousness. When Jesus comes all wrongs will be made right individually, corporately, and cosmically. What is more comforting and praiseworthy than that?

The goals of the preacher in teaching eschatology should be the same as that of Paul: (1) For believers to hold onto the traditions they have been taught [2 Thess 2:15], and (2) for believers to encourage each other and build up one another [1 Thess 5:11]. Read 1 and 2 Thessalonians and see how Paul uses the teaching of 'last days' then decide to do the same. The church will be blessed and strengthened.