Train Yourself for Godliness: a Discussion in the Spiritual Disciplines

Walking with God is to walk in a relationship with the Creator and Savior of the World.  Like any relationship, there are ways to enhance and strengthen this relationship.  This is where the spiritual disciplines come in.

I remember an angry man who approached me after I suggested that reading the Bible and praying more would likely help one to know God better and love him more.  "This is legalism!" he cried, not really understanding the meaning of legalism.  "It's works and I believe in a God of grace," he continued.  (I guess he probably wouldn't agree with me that the Bible tells us we are saved by grace not works, but the same Bible does include instruction and commands for how we are to live after we are saved.  You can read more on that here.)

I asked this man if he was in a relationship with his wife.  "Of course!" he barked.  I then asked him if his relationship with his wife would be better or worse if they went on dates, talked, and he learned things about her.  "Are there things that may take a little effort on your part but greatly grow your love for you wife?" I questioned.  So it is in our relationship with God.

Benjamin Pierce, Jared Jenkins, and I recently discussed some disciplines that help us grow in our relationship with our Lord.  Many call these practices the spiritual disciplines.  We certainly didn't discuss all of the various disciplines but we did talk about some of the more common spiritual practices that help foster a stronger relationship with God.  Practicing these disciplines may help us know God better and love him more. And they may also help us understand ourselves better as we seek to grow and mature in our walk with Jesus.

Train Yourself For Godliness: A Journey in the Spiritual Disciplines
-- Why the Disciplines are Important audio
-- Reading and Studying Scripture audio
-- Meditating on the Word, Silence, and Solitude audio
-- Journaling and Confession audio
-- Praying Through Scripture audio
-- Hearing from God and Tools for Prayer audio
-- Fasting audio
-- Time Management and Margin auido
-- Sabbath and Rest audio  
-- Worship, Family Worship, and Tithing audio
-- Service and Evangelism audio 

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* Photo by flickr.user, Ibia is registered under a creative commons license and used by permission.

On Worship with Joshua Lallatin

Jared Jenkins and I were led in worship by an interesting Provo, Utah guy named Joshua Lallatin.  There was something unique about the worship that was difficult to clearly identify.  The leader looked like an AC/DC member, spoke like an NPR announcer, and pounded on his electric guitar like a starving 80's punk rocker.  The first song, or hymn rather: "A Mighty Fortress."  We discussed what we saw and experienced and determined that both the character and theology of the church and worship leader had something to do with what we knew was, dare I say, special.  

Lallatin is the Director of Music and Media at First Baptist Provo. And if you know nothing about Provo, Utah, you should realize that there are very few Christians in Provo and the resources are extremely limited.  Josh and the leadership at First Baptist Provo appear to be taking what they've got and going after it to the glory of God.

Joshua drove up from Provo to meet with us and talk worship for Salty Believer Unscripted.  It was very informative and extremely enjoyable.   If you love worship, punk, unique people, or just have a heart for a church and a worship leader in a tough place, you really ought to check out this episode of Salty Believer Unscripted.

Salty Believer Unscripted:  

Talking Worship with Josh Lallatin

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*Photo by James Prescott is registered under a Creative Commons License. 

The Forgotten Mission Field

Missions and evangelism--really one in the same--are important.  At least five times Christ called his people to reach the world with the gospel (John 20:21, Mark 16:15, Matthew 28:19-20, Luke 24:46-48, and Acts 1:8).  This means we should be reaching the world around us as well as collectively reaching every corner of the globe.  Some have taken up this call and faithfully dedicated their lives to this purpose.  Others use their vacation time to serve missions a couple weeks of their year; while still others use missions as a "religious cover" for a vacation. Whether in our communities and at the work place, or around the world, the life of the Christian should include some kind of answer to this call. (This however is not the entirety on the Christian life as some passionately argue.)

Many of us in American gravely overlook, even forget an obvious mission field.  It's the ministry to children in our local churches. The Bible clearly shows that parents have a responsibility to teach their children, but this is not to say that the local church can't be there to help.  And what about the families where parents aren't Christian but may attend a local Christian church?  I went to church as a child but wasn't a believer until I was 25. What about guests?

Working with children can be difficult, but not always. 

A teacher or servant-hearted volunteer working with children could have an impact on the next generation and maybe many generations to come.  He or she may also impact this generation because the child could potentially be how God reaches the parents.

If you feel called to teaching, preaching, missions, or evangelism, deeply consider a ministry that reaches children.  I'm sure there's a children's ministry that could use your help.


*Photo by Cosey Tutti is registered under a creative commons license and used by permission.

Music and the Pastor

Pastors often spend a great deal of time studying the Bible.  In seminary (and for some, pre or post-seminary), they learn the biblical languages.  They read lots of books on lots of ministry related topics.  You can identify a church planter when you see a bunch of church planting books on his shelf, the counselor will have lots of counseling books, the small group leader will have books on community, and the missionary will have more than a few books on evangelism and mission work.  Most pastors read up on many topics to remain well-rounded and have a good understanding of the wide range of ministry areas within the Church.  I tend to be this kind of pastor and a cursory look at my library supports my argument.  So now I've picked up a guitar.

It would be unfortunate if anybody got the wrong idea here.  First, I am not called to be a worship leader or play on a worship team.  I am not gifted in music.  I'm not looking to play the guitar like a champ.  I'm only hoping to gain a very basic understanding of music.  I'd also like, at some point, to play music with my family so we can enhance our worship together at home or around a campfire.  And maybe in a real pinch, I could play some D, C, and G chords or something at a small gathering where worship is required but there really isn't anybody to play an instrument (but I'm a long way from this being a possibility).  Second, I found my acoustic Squire (by Fender) parlor guitar at a garage sale for $10.  I put new strings on it and have done what could be done to adjust the action, but that's about it.  (It's pictured in this post.)

Completely lost, I quickly found help as I reached out to our worship pastor and a worship intern for a little guidance.  Both of these guys were thrilled to offer advice, and having a guitar in my hands seemed to serve as a miraculous bridge between a stuffy preacher and an artsy musician.  We were almost communicating in the same language, if only for a moment. 

One of our Sunday morning worship guitarists, Scott Graves, is the owner of On Track Music Guitar School in Salt Lake City, Utah.  He and I met and I began my journey on the Scott Graves Guitar Method.  It's humbling, but also rather enjoyable to be learning the basic foundations of playing the guitar.  Callouses rapidly formed on my fingers and rattly fret sounds soon started sounding like chords and even chord changes.  (At the time I wrote this post, I've figured out how to play two classic hymns: Amazing Grace and Rock of Ages.)  Relaxation from practice sessions at the end of long ministry day is enjoyable, and I often find that I practice for an hour or more without noticing the passing time. (Scott encouraged 20 minute sessions, but it's just too addicting.)

Thinking more about music and the amount of talent and giftedness among our worship team, I've discovered a growing appreciation for our musicians and singers.  Too often, preachers take the musicians for granted--myself included.  This may be in part because of a lack of awareness.  So just as a pastor or preacher takes time to learn the various aspects associated with ministry, he or she should make an effort to learn a little more about music, even if only with a $10 garage sale guitar.  And if time is available, lessons could really enhance the preacher's ability to contribute to services as needed.  How many times does a pastor or chaplain hoping to have some worship and an atypical event struggle to find a musician to help?  How valuable might it be if the preacher could, in a pinch, lead worship too?  I'm sure if I stick with Scott Graves and the On Track Music Guitar School for even a little while, I'll be capable to help out at men's retreats, outdoor prayer services, family camps, or other special events. I might not be gifted in music, but then again, God is not always looking for a rock star.

Is God Calling Me? By Jeff Iorg

Iorg, Jeff. Is God Calling Me?: Answering the Question Every Believer Asks. Nashville, Tenn: B&H Publishing Group, 2008.

I once heard a pastor tell his congregation that he didn't have any kind of calling, he just thought that ministry looked like a good career for him.  As he made his argument, I wondered if this man should be representing God if God had not selected this man as his representative.  It's amazing that God even allows anybody to touch his Bride, that is, the Church, let alone those he did not set apart to do so.

Calling is important and answering the question, "Is God calling me?" is an important examination.  In his book, Is God Calling Me?: Answering the question every believer Asks, Dr. Jeff Iorg states, "'Is God calling me?' is the essential question you must answer before entering ministry leadership or accepting a specific ministry assignment.  Settling the issue of call is foundational to effective Christian leadership" (1).  He further argues that understanding the answer to this important question "charts a lifelong course of ministry leadership" (1).  In what could serve as a response to the pastor arguing that a call is not important, Iorg further writes, "As ministry leaders, we serve in response to God's invitation and at his pleasure, not at our initiative" (2).  This book serves as a tool to aid in finding the answer to this extremely important question.

"My first goal," writes Iorg, "is to cut straight to the heart of the matter and give you tools to work through the call process.  But detailed analysis and intellectual understanding are not enough.  My ultimate goal for you is clarity about God's call so you can answer affirmatively!" (3).  As clearly stated, Iorg sets out to meet his goals using the Bible and careful study, but also ideas and conversations that he has had about God's call for more than thirty years of combined ministry as a pastor and the President of Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary.  He concedes that over the years, many others have shaped his thinking and at times critics have even changed his mind (2).  Peppered throughout the book are personal stories from Iorg's experience as well as those from many others.

Iorg starts by defining the concept of the call.  Here he provides a biblical foundation of the importance of the call as well as a strong understanding of the biblical history of calling.  He also provides his own working definition: "A call is a profound impression from God that established parameters for your life and can be altered only by a subsequent, superseding impression from God" (8).  After he has laid some groundwork, Iorg offers three types of calls, from the larger call all the way to very specific calls that function within an individual's larger call.  Continuing, Iorg deals with the kinds of people God calls (which are diverse and surprising), how to discern God's call, and how the calling shapes the life of those God calls.  And then in a very practical conclusion, Iorg discusses some specific calls such as the call into mission work as well as the call to pastoral ministry.

I originally picked up Is God Calling Me? at the recommendation of another pastor and friend.  A number of young men had been meeting with me about entering ministry in some capacity or another and some of them were even considering seminary.  As my pastor friend and I were discussing the call upon some of these other guys, he told me he read Is God Calling Me? as he was considering leaving a campus ministry for seminary.  I purchased the book thinking it would help me counsel these guys.  But as I started reading, I found myself working through each page, slowly chewing on the concepts and ideas.  It served as a great conformation of my general call and helped me process some aspects of present, specific calls in my own life.  I found Iorg's book extremely helpful.

As I was reading through Is God Calling Me? I had the opportunity to discuss the call with Ryan and Janai Rindels from Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary and Chris Smith from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.  The book was fresh on my mind so it entered our unscripted conversations.  Janai Rindels, Dr. Jeff Iorg's personal assistant, offered some great insight.  The guys also provided some helpful thoughts as they both serve as seminary recruiters.  You can listen to these conversations here:

-- Calling and GGBTS with Ryan and Jania Rindels audio
-- Calling and SBTS with Chris Smith audio   

If I must offer a criticism of Is God Calling Me? it would be about Iorg's perspective.  Dr. Jeff Iorg is the president of a seminary.  He is seminary trained and holds a Doctorate of Ministry.  And while I am also seminary trained and greatly appreciate my seminary education, a weakness is found in the book is that some may be called into ministry apart from thinking about seminary.  Iorg did make an effort to support this thinking but it is clear that his bias held strong.  Using the terms informal and formal training, he discusses both saying, "Preparation for ministry leadership involves formal and informal processes; both are valid and necessary.  The best case is for the two forms of training to be integrated and to build on each other" (79).  Iorg then gives 3 sentences to an explanation of informal training before he says, "But is informal training enough? Usually not" (79).  Following this question are 4 pages of the positive and negative aspects of attending seminary.  While he makes a good argument for formal training--as should be expected from a seminary president--he provides way too little information on the positive and negative aspects of informal training.  

Apart from Iorg's bias toward seminary (which I also hold), Is God Calling Me? is an outstanding book for those thinking they may be called and wrestling with calling.  It's also extremely useful for the man or woman already called who will inevitably deal with additional specific calls from God as he or she journeys through a lifetime of ministry.  I highly recommend this book! 

-- Some of Iorg's other publications include: The Painful Side of Leadership, The Character of Leadership, The Case for Antioch, and Live Like a Missionary.

* I have no material connection to this book, monetary or otherwise.

Good Friday: Oh, The Suffering Servant!

Good Friday.  The day Christians all over the world celebrate the crucifixion of our Savior, Jesus Christ.  "But why should this be a celebration?" many may ask; "It sounds like an awful and horrific slaughter."  They're right, it was a slaughter--the final, sufficient, and perfect sacrifice to reunite God with his sinful creation that could only be achieved by Jesus.  This we celebrate; however, this is not the totality of our remembrance, gratitude, and celebration.  For if we only had Friday, today would be a mournful funeral-like day of silence. But we have Sunday!  On Sunday, Easter, we will celebrate Jesus' victory over death as he walked out of the tomb, alive!  He is the first of the resurrection that we hope and long for.

Nearly 700 years before Jesus went to the cross, a prophet named Isaiah wrote of this event.  He declared that the Messiah would bring victory over the oppression of death.  The Messiah, standing as the perfect and final passover lamb, was to be a suffering servant.  His book proclaimed something amazing that the world had never seen before nor would ever see again.  Jesus, as the Gospels proclaim, is the Messiah, the Savior that Isaiah was longing for and the fulfillment of the claims made by his book.  

Only hours before going to the cross, Jesus provided his closest disciples with a picture of servanthood.  As they were arguing over who was the greatest among them, Jesus shed his garments and dawned the attire of a lowly servant.  Taking a bowl of water, he then shocked his disciples by washing their dirty feet.  They were flabbergasted!  Peter, initially would have no part of it.  It seems that none of them could bare the thought that Jesus, the King of Kings and Creator of the Universe, would do such a thing.  We still react the exact same way today.

Nearly 2,000 years after Jesus went to the cross, we find Christians engaging in foot-washing services.  They do this in a symbolic effort to understand and demonstrate servanthood and there's really nothing wrong with it.  But if we are to really see this in its proper context we should have house cleaning services where we put on a maid's apron and clean people's homes.  Or maybe we should pick up trash along the highways.  Or make fast-food french fries.  Or pump out overflowing porta-toilets after the state fair.  Who has ever seen a pastor cleaning the hospital bedpan of one of his flock?  Too often, these are the servant jobs we choose not to see. 

Take for example a common experience for many Americans--the office trash can.  We are more than content to believe that our trash magically disappears rather than thinking that a person comes in at night and empties our trash can.  We are fine assuming that once an item has made it into the can, we need not think of it or the many servants who will deal with it again.  Therefore, we are okay filling our garbage cans with half full coffee cups and sodas which drip everywhere when the liner is emptied.  Or we clean out our file cabinets and book shelves, leaving 60 or more pounds of paper in the can which the janitorial servant can hardly lift as she watches the liner rip apart.  Maybe we clean out the break room, filling the 50 gallon can to the brim with outdated mustard and canned goods and two-week old fish tacos and who knows what else, only to create an immovable block of rotten, smelly food and nastiness.  How about stacking all the outdated phone books twice as high as the can itself?  Have you ever tossed something into a liner-less bathroom trash bin that you knew should have had a liner?   Did you give any thought to the guy who would have to pick all of your trash out by hand before he could resupply the missing liner?

If Jesus were to show up and pump out your septic tank, or bus your table, or drive your cab, you (and I), like the disciples having their feet washed, would be flabbergasted.  Yet, Jesus did so much more than these, and his great service required humility beyond words.  Ironically, in his perfect and humble servanthood, he did something we are totally incapable of doing for ourselves--Jesus bore the sins of our transgressions. 

Jesus, the ultimate servant, said that to have salvation we must repent and believe.  He alone dealt with our sin and he did it on the cross.  He served us and yet it seems that too often we don't think about his service with the gratitude that it truly demands--gratitude that goes far beyond words, gratitude that calls us to completely surrender our own lives to him.  This gratitude should compel us to worship the King and Creator who serves his people!

When we fail to embrace Christ's work on the cross for what is it, we go one of three incorrect directions.  First, there are people who simply reject the servant-Jesus all together.  That is, they either reject that Jesus is who he claimed to be or they refuse to see that he is the perfect example of servanthood.  And when they miss the reality that Jesus humbled himself as a servant, they fail to operate in the way that Christ calls his servants.  They become finger-pointers and self-righteous zealots.  The second direction some people go is to the false elevation of service and Jesus' servanthood.  They will either mistakenly see Christ-like service as a way to salvation instead of an act out of the outpouring Christ's life in us, or they will argue that the Christian need not serve his neighbor at all because Jesus is only a servant and in the name of grace we can demand his services.  So they make service their god or they neglect it all together.  And finally, there are those who will willingly alter their view of Jesus' service on the cross in an effort to hide what they view as shameful or embarrassing--their savior humbling himself even unto death.  For example, one twisted view is to argue that the atonement for sin was complete in the Garden of Gethsemane.  The cross meant very little if anything, which greatly overlooks what the Bible has to say about it.  And in altering their view, the cross and Jesus' sacrifice upon it becomes a symbol that offends them rather than compelling them.  They refuse to see it for what it is.  It is like the son who lies to his friends about what his mother does for a living because she is a housekeeper and he is embarrassed.  The question however, is how does this boy view the roof over his head, his snack food, and his video games--all provided by the very thing that embarrasses him? 

So I would like to encourage you this Good Friday to read the Gospel accounts of Christ's crucifixion.  Think about the Suffering Servant.  Dig deep to find words that reflect your gratitude, if you can.  Attend a Good Friday service and worship Jesus with other Christians.  Pray.  Celebrate Jesus.  Honor Jesus.  Be grateful.  Praise your Savior! 

Then on Easter Sunday, celebrate that death was not the end.  No, not at all.  Jesus holds the keys of death so death no longer has a hold on those who belong to Christ Jesus! 


*The painting, "Mary Magdalene weeping" by Pethrus is used by permission and is licensed under a Creative Commons License.  

Revival

Jonathan Edwards said, "A revival of religion [is] a blessed outpouring of the Spirit of God, in awakening and converting sinners, and in enlightening, quickening and building up saints in faith, holiness and comfort." [1]  Elwell provides a class definition, calling revival "a period of unusual and heightened spiritual activity in a section of the church, brought about by a renewing and empowering work of the Holy Spirit, bringing a new sense of the presence of God, especially in his holiness, resulting in a deeper awareness of sin in the lives of believers, followed by new joy as sin is confessed and forgiven." [2]

In the above video, Pastor Robert Marshall discuss revival at a worship night at Risen Life Church in Salt Lake City, Utah. Here, he outlines what it is and gives a brief history of revival in the in the U.S.

My personal history contains no "revival meetings" in the traditional aspect that some may know them.  It seems that every quarter or maybe every year some churches will host a planned "revival" where there's lots of worship and preaching.  But while we can call these meetings revival meetings, aren't they really just a worship service unless God brings revival or awaking?  Rather than planning these revival meetings, wouldn't the time be better spent praying that God brings about revival?  And then we can have worship meetings until revival comes?

Are you praying for revival and awakening in your area?  If not, why not?

_____
1.  Walter Elwell, Evangelical Dictionary of Theology (Grand Rapids, Mich: Baker Academic, 2001) 1025. 
2. Ibid. 

Salty Believer Unscripted: Worship with Sean

Our next edition of Salty Believer Unscripted is out and it's a discussion around worship.  Specifically, Sean Patrick and Bryan Catherman talk about worship at Risen Life Church.  Pastor Sean is the Worship Leader there and he shares some of his thoughts about what he does week in and week out.

Sean will be a regular participant as the podcast goes on.  In fact, he'll be back next week in the first audio only podcast of Salty Believer Unscripted. 

I hope you'll join us by subscribing to the audio (and video) podcast feeds.

Subscribe to the Salty Believer iTunes Podcasts: Video | Audio
(Non iTunes: Video | Audio)
* While there may be some overlap, the content of the Video and Audio Podcasts are not the same. 

Check back next week for a conversation with Pastor Sean Patrick on who knows what we'll be talking about.